1. A method comprising:
operating an implanted medical device capable of receiving wireless communication signals; and
monitoring a communication signal received in a receiver in the implanted medical device using a staged detection process to detect characteristics of the received communication signal, the staged detection process further comprising:
performing a desired number of stages of measurements of a signal quantity of the received communication signal, wherein a combined signal quantity of the received communication signal is calculated by updating the signal quantity measurements performed in prior stages with signal quantity measurements performed at each stage,
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at each measurement stage against a corresponding threshold value for that stage, and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meet the corresponding threshold value for that stage.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the desired number of stages of measurements to achieve a desired standard deviation of the signal quantity measurements.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the desired number of stages of measurements to achieve a desired level of certainty in the comparison between the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal and its corresponding threshold value.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured signal quantity is a frequency deviation.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured signal quantity is a strength of the received communication signal.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
calculating the combined signal quantity by adding the signal quantity measurement for a current stage of the staged detection process to the signal quantity measurements from prior stages;
scaling the corresponding threshold value for the current stage of the staged detection process;
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at the current stage of the staged detection process against the scaled threshold value for that stage; and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meeting the scaled threshold value for that stage.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating a passing state of the staged detection process of the received communication signal if the staged detection process is not aborted.
8. A low power, wake-up communication signal detector in an implantable medical device comprising:
a receiver configured to detect a communication signal being received from a remote device; and
a signal detector configured to monitor the communication signal received using a staged detection process to detect whether the received communication signal is a wake-up communication signal intended for the implanted medical device, wherein the signal detector is further configured perform the staged detection process by:
performing a desired number of stages of measurements of a signal quantity of the received communication signal, wherein a combined signal quantity of the received communication signal is calculated by updating the signal quantity measurements performed in prior stages with signal quantity measurements performed at each stage,
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at each measurement stage against a corresponding threshold value for that stage, and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meeting the corresponding threshold value for that stage.
9. The wake-up communication signal detector of claim 8, wherein the desired number of stages of measurements are selected to achieve a desired standard deviation of the signal quantity measurements.
10. The wake-up communication signal detector of claim 8, wherein the desired number of stages of measurements are selected to achieve a desired level of certainty in the comparison between the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal and its corresponding threshold value.
11. The wake-up communication signal detector of claim 8, wherein the measured signal quantity is a frequency deviation.
12. The wake-up communication signal detector of claim 8, wherein the measured signal quantity is a strength of the received communication signal.
13. The wake-up communication signal detector of claim 12, wherein the signal detector is further configured perform the staged detection process by:
calculating the combined signal quantity by adding the signal quantity measurement for a current stage of the staged detection process to the signal quantity measurements from prior stages;
scaling the corresponding threshold value for the current stage of the staged detection process;
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at the current stage of the staged detection process against the scaled threshold value for that stage; and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meeting the scaled threshold value for that stage.
14. A telemetry module in an implantable medical device comprising:
wake-up receiver means configured to perform sniff operations for detecting whether a wake-up communication signal is being received by the implantable medical device; and
signal detector means for monitoring a communication signal received in a receiver in the implanted medical device using a staged detection process to detect characteristics of the received communication signal, the staged detection process further comprising:
performing a desired number of stages of measurements of a signal quantity of the received communication signal, wherein a combined signal quantity of the received communication signal is calculated by updating the signal quantity measurements performed in prior stages with signal quantity measurements performed at each stage,
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at each measurement stage against a corresponding threshold value for that stage, and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meet the corresponding threshold value for that stage.
15. The telemetry module of claim 14, wherein the desired number of stages of measurements is selected to achieve a desired standard deviation of the signal quantity measurements.
16. The telemetry module of claim 14, wherein the desired number of stages of measurements is selected to achieve a desired level of certainty in the comparison between the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal and its corresponding threshold value.
17. The telemetry module of claim 14, wherein the measured signal quantity is a frequency deviation.
18. The telemetry module of claim 14, wherein the measured signal quantity is a strength of the received communication signal.
19. The telemetry module of claim 14, wherein the staged detection process performed by the signal detector means further comprises:
calculating the combined signal quantity by adding the signal quantity measurement for a current stage of the staged detection process to the signal quantity measurements from prior stages;
scaling the corresponding threshold value for the current stage of the staged detection process;
comparing the combined signal quantity of the received communication signal at the current stage of the staged detection process against the scaled threshold value for that stage; and
aborting the staged detection process if the combined signal quantity fails to meet the scaled threshold value for that stage.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for enrolling a package placed in a stationary position on a stationary receiving surface comprising:
the stationary receiving surface;
at least one weight sensor in communication with the receiving surface which generates a weight signal indicative of the weight of the package;
a video camera unit located above the receiving surface on a support arm, wherein the camera unit:
operates in a first mode characterized by a relatively large two dimensional field of view to generate a first video signal characterized by a relatively low resolution and relatively high frame rate, and
operates in a second mode characterized by a relatively small field of view to generate a video signal characterized by a relatively high resolution and a relatively low frame rate; and
a processor in communication with the at least one weight sensor and the at least one video camera, said processor comprising:
a weight module which produces, in response to the weight signal, weight data indicative of the weight of the package;
a dimension capture module which produces, in response to one or more of the first video signal and the second video signal, dimension data indicative of the size of the package, wherein the dimension capture module comprises a tracking module which produces, in response to the first video signal, tracking data indicative of the presence and location of the package on the receiving surface, wherein the tracking information comprises
length and width dimension data indicative of the size of the package along two axes lying in a plane parallel to the receiving surface, and
height dimension data indicative of the size of the package along an axis transverse to the plane parallel to the receiving surface; and
a recognition module which produces, in response to the second video signal, character data indicative of one or more characters present on the package;
wherein the processor is configured to automatically switch the camera unit between the first and second modes; and
wherein each of the first and second video signals comprises a stream of two dimensional image frames.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera unit comprises a stereoscopic imager.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the dimension capture module produces, in response to a stereoscopic video signal from the stereoscopic imager, the height dimension data.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dimension capture module comprises an edge finder module which produces, in response to the first video signal, edge data indicative of the location of one or more edges of the package.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the dimension capture module comprises at least one chosen from the group consisting of: a frame differencing module which generates two dimensional difference images from two or more two dimensional images of the first video signal; and a color masking module configured to generate information indicative of the presence or location of the package based on color information from the video signal.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the dimension capture module comprises a Hough transformation module which applies the Hough transformation to one or more images from the first video signal, and analyzes the transformed images to determine information indicative of the size or location of edges on the package.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a rectangle tracking module configured to track the location of a substantially rectangular package based on the information indicative of the size or location of edges on the package.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recognition module comprises:
an image processing module for processing one or more two dimensional images from the second video signal; and
an analysis module which analyzes the one or more processed images to produce the character data indicative of one or more characters present on the package.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the image processing module comprises at least one chosen from the list consisting of:
a color manipulating module for modifying the color of the one or more images;
a linear filter module for applying a linear image filter to the one or more images; and
a morphological filter module for applying one or more morphological operations to the one or more images.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the image processing module comprises an image segmentation module for segmenting the one or more images into one or more regions of interest based on the content of the images.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, where in the image processing module comprises an image rotation module which rotates at least a portion of the one or more images.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image rotation module is in communication with the dimension capture module, and rotates at least a portion of the one or more images based on information from the dimension capture module indicative of the location of the package.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit comprises at least two cameras each generating a respective video signal, and wherein
the cameras have least partially overlapping fields of view, and
the processor comprises an image stitching module which, in response to the respective video signals, combines overlapping two dimensional images from the at least two cameras to produce a single image of the combined field of view of the cameras.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein substantially all locations on the receiving surface fall within the relatively large two dimensional field of view of the camera unit operating in the first mode.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the camera unit includes only a single camera.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving surface comprises at least one indicia for aligning or focusing the camera unit.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the camera unit comprises an autofocus.
18. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an integrated housing comprising the receiving surface and processor.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the support arm extends between a proximal end connected to the housing and a distal end positioned above the receiving surface, said distal end supporting the camera unit.
20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one chosen from the group consisting of: an RFID reader, and a bar code reader.
21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one weight sensor comprises: a load cell, a MEMs device, a piezoelectric device, a spring scale, and a balance scale.
22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of one or more characters present on the package comprise data indicative of at least one chosen from the group consisting of: an alphanumeric character, a symbol, a postal code, a post mark, a bar code, and a two dimensional bar code.
23. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a postal meter in communication with the processor.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising a printer in communication with the processor.
25. A method of enrolling a package comprising:
providing an enrollment apparatus for enrolling a package placed in a stationary position on a stationary receiving surface comprising:
the stationary receiving surface;
at least one weight sensor in communication with the receiving surface which generates a weight signal indicative of the weight of the package;
a video camera unit located above the receiving surface on a support arm, wherein the camera unit:
operates in a first mode characterized by a relatively large two dimensional field of view to generate a first video signal characterized by a relatively low resolution and relatively high frame rate, and
operates in a second mode characterized by a relatively small field of view to generate a video signal characterized by a relatively high resolution and a relatively low frame rate; and
a processor in communication with the at least one weight sensor and the at least one video camera, said processor comprising:
a weight module which produces, in response to the weight signal, weight data indicative of the weight of the package;
a dimension capture module which produces, in response to one or more of the first video signal and the second video signal, dimension data indicative of the size of the package, wherein the dimension capture module comprises a tracking module which produces, in response to the first video signal, tracking data indicative of the presence and location of the package on the receiving surface, wherein the tracking information comprises
length and width dimension data indicative of the size of the package along two axes lying in a plane parallel to the receiving surface, and
height dimension data indicative of the size of the package along an axis transverse to the plane parallel to the receiving surface; and
a recognition module which produces, in response to the second video signal, character data indicative of one or more characters present on the package, wherein the processor is configured to automatically switch the camera unit between the first and second modes;
placing a package on the receiving surface;
using the enrollment apparatus to determine information indicative of the weight of the package;
using the enrollment apparatus to determine information indicative of the size of the package;
using the enrollment apparatus to determine information indicative of one or more characters present on the package; and
outputting the information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package, respectively, are determined substantially in parallel.
27. A system comprising:
an enrollment apparatus for enrolling a package placed in a stationary position on a stationary receiving surface comprising:
the stationary receiving surface;
at least one weight sensor in communication with the receiving surface which generates a weight signal indicative of the weight of the package;
a video camera unit located above the receiving surface on a support arm, wherein the camera unit:
operates in a first mode characterized by a relatively large two dimensional field of view to generate a first video signal characterized by a relatively low resolution and relatively high frame rate, and
operates in a second mode characterized by a relatively small field of view to generate a video signal characterized by a relatively high resolution and a relatively low frame rate; and
a processor in communication with the at least one weight sensor and the at least one video camera, said processor comprising:
a weight module which produces, in response to the weight signal, weight data indicative of the weight of the package;
a dimension capture module which produces, in response to one or more of the first video signal and the second video signal, dimension data indicative of the size of the package, wherein the dimension capture module comprises a tracking module which produces, in response to the first video signal, tracking data indicative of the presence and location of the package on the receiving surface, wherein the tracking information comprises
length and width dimension data indicative of the size of the package along two axes lying in a plane parallel to the receiving surface, and
height dimension data indicative of the size of the package along an axis transverse to the plane parallel to the receiving surface; and
a recognition module which produces, in response to the second video signal, character data indicative of one or more characters present on the package, wherein the processor is configured to automatically switch the camera unit between the first and second modes; and
a package management system,
wherein the enrollment apparatus is in communication with the package management system to provide information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package.
28. The system of claim 27, wherein the package management system comprises at least one chosen from the list consisting of: a package delivery system, a supply chain management system, an inventory management system, and a chain of custody management system.
29. The system of claim 27, wherein the package management system comprises a point of sale unit, and wherein the point of sale unit generates and displays, in response to the information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package, information indicative of one or more available service options.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the point of sale unit comprises:
an input unit for receiving information from a user;
a service unit for providing information indicative of one or more available service options based on the information from the user and information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the input unit comprises the enrollment apparatus.
32. The system of claim 30, wherein the input unit receives a series of instructions from the user, and the service unit comprises a backwards chaining logic unit which dynamically determines and displays available service options based on the series of instructions and based information indicative of the weight, size, and one or more characters present on the package.
33. The system of claim 27, wherein the package management system comprises a point of service unit, and further comprising a handler module for facilitating communication between the enrollment apparatus and the point of service unit.