1. A method for detecting functional areas in retinal images comprising:
illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength;
illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength;
simultaneously recording the resultant reflectance of the stimulated hemifield of the retina and the non stimulated hemifield of the retina in the non-stimulating wavelength region; and
determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength.
2. The method for detecting functional areas in retinal images of claim 1 wherein
illuminating the hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield of the retina at about 530 nm.
3. The method for detecting functional areas in retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the entire retina in the near infrared region of the spectrum.
4. The method for detecting functional areas in retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the entire retina at about 700 nm.
5. The method for detecting functional areas in retinal images of claim 1 wherein
determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye and applying principal components analysis to the resulting reflectance differences to determine functional areas of the retina.
6. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye and applying a fast-ICA algorithm to the resulting images to determine functional areas of the retina.
7. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye and applying an extended spatial decorrelation algorithm to the resulting images to determine functional areas of the retina.
8. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield with a variable pattern in the stimulating wavelength.
9. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield for variable lengths of time in the stimulating wavelength.
10. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating a superior hemifield of a retina.
11. The method for detecting functional areas of retinal images of claim 1 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating an inferior hemifield of a retina.
12. A method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation comprising:
illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength;
illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength;
simultaneously recording the resultant reflectance of the stimulated hemifield of the retina and the non stimulated hemifield of the retina in the non-stimulating wavelength region; and
determining retinal hemoglobin saturation based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength.
13. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation according to claim 12 wherein:
illuminating the hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield of the retina at about 530 nm.
14. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the entire retina in the near infrared region of the spectrum.
15. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein illuminating the entire retina at a non-stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the entire retina at about 700 nm.
16. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein:
determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye; and applying principal components analysis to the resulting reflectance differences to determine functional areas of the retina.
17. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein determining functional areas of the retina based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye and applying a fast-ICA algorithm to the resulting images to determine functional areas of the retina.
18. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein determining retinal hemoglobin saturation based upon reflectance differences in the stimulated and non-stimulated hemifields in the non-stimulating wavelength comprises repeating the method to obtain multiple images of the same eye and applying an extended spatial decorrelation algorithm to the resulting images to determine hemoglobin saturation.
19. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield with a variable pattern in the stimulating wavelength.
20. The method for determining retinal hemoglobin saturation before and after stimulation of claim 12 wherein illuminating a hemifield of the retina using a stimulating wavelength comprises illuminating the hemifield for variable lengths of time in the stimulating wavelength.
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. A method for providing network communication in a transit environment including one or more passenger vehicles, the method comprising:
receiving a wireless communication at a wireless access point on a passenger vehicle traveling on a defined path;
reformatting the wireless communication into a wireline communication; and
transmitting the wireline communication onto a path-based communication line that is adjacent to or on the defined path, wherein the wireline communication is transmitted to a network connection point that couples the path-based communication line to a metropolitan network, and wherein the network connection point is operable to transmit the communication onto the metropolitan network.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising reformatting the wireline communication from a wireline protocol into a transit environment protocol.
3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the transit environment protocol is a variation of a broadband over power line (BPL) protocol.
4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein reformatting the wireline communication into the transit environment protocol comprises encapsulating the wireline communication in one or more transit environment protocol data fields.
5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:
reformatting the transit environment protocol formatted communication into a metropolitan network protocol formatted communication; and
transmitting the metropolitan network protocol formatted communication on the metropolitan network.
6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising removing the one or more transit environment protocol data fields from the transit environment protocol formatted message.
7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the metropolitan network protocol is selected from a group consisting of SONET and Ethernet.
8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless access point comprises a device that supports an IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard.
9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the passenger vehicle comprises a passenger train car traveling on a train track that defines the path.
10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein transmitting the wireline communication via the path-based communication line comprises transmitting the wireline communication via a path-based communication line selected from a group consisting of:
one or more guide rails of the train track;
a power rail of the train track;
an overhead power line.
11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein transmitting the wireline communication onto the path-based communication line comprises transmitting the wireline communication via an electrical conductor coupled to the path-based communication line.
12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the electrical conductor is selected from a group consisting of a dedicated metallic structure, one or more wheels of the train car, and an overhead power line.
13. A system for providing communication between a metropolitan network and communication devices onboard a vehicle in a transit environment, wherein the vehicle follows a defined path within the transit environment, the system comprising:
a communication line configured to carry electrical communications to and from the vehicle, the communication line being on or adjacent to the defined path;
a first transceiver onboard the vehicle configured to receive communications sent from a computing device onboard the vehicle and transmit the communications on the communication line; and
a second transceiver coupled to the communication and a metropolitan network, the transceiver configured to receive communications transmitted over the communication line and transmit the communications on the metropolitan network.
14. The system as recited in claim 13, further comprising a first media converter coupled to the first transceiver and configured to convert the communications from a first format used onboard the vehicle to a second format used on the communication line.
15. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising a second media converter coupled to the second transceiver and configured to convert the communications from the second format to a third format used on the metropolitan network.
16. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the computing devices onboard the vehicle are wirelessly enabled, the system further comprising a wireless access point onboard the vehicle, the wireless access point coupled to the first transceiver and configured to communicate wirelessly with the computing device.
17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the wireless access point is further configured to convert wireless communications from the computing device from a wireless format to a wireline format prior to transmitting the communications to the first transceiver, and further configured to convert wireline communications from the first transceiver to the wireless format prior to transmitting the communications to the computing device.
18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the vehicle is a passenger train car, the defined path is a train track, and the communication line is selected from a group consisting of one or more guide rails of the train track, a power rail, and an overhead power line.
19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the second format is a transit-specific format.
20. A system for providing communications to and from computing devices communicating with a wireless format in a transit environment, the system comprising:
means for receiving wireless communications from a computing device onboard a vehicle traveling a defined path in the transit environment;
means for converting the wireless communications into a wireline format;
means for transmitting wireline formatted communications to a communication line on or adjacent to the defined path;
means for receiving the wireline communications, converting the communications to a format supported by a metropolitan network, and transmitting the communications on the metropolitan network.