Author: claimsbot

1. A computer implemented method for identifying and quantifying sonar targets within a liquid medium, the method comprising the steps of:
collecting a raw sidescan sonar image;
separating a region of interest related to the sonar targets from the image;
performing an image transformation on the image using an extraction algorithm;
performing particle analysis on the extracted region of interest to generate a feature vector related to sonar targets; and
presenting the generated feature vector to a neural network to classify the image with respect to the sonar targets of interest.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the neural network is a radial basis function neural network.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the radial basis function neural network is trained with prototype sidescan sonar images by performing the steps of:
obtaining a feature vector derived from the prototype image;
presenting the image vector to the radial basis function neural network;
if the presented feature vector is not within an influence field of any prototypes already stored in the network, committing a new neuron to the presented vector;
if the presented feature vector falls within an influence field of an already learned vector in an existing neuron, making no change to the radial basis function network; and
if the presented feature vector fall within a wrong influence field or is mismatched to a category, readjusting one or more influence fields.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the performing an image transformation step further comprises:
calculating length, width, area and mean pixel intensity values;
applying a threshold operator; and
removing spurious pixels from the image to obtain an extracted region of interest.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the spurious pixels are removed by a dilation operation or an erosion operation.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the presenting a feature vector step further comprises:
determining whether the feature vector lies within an active influence field of a prototype in the neural network;
if the vector is not within the active influence field of any prototype in the neural network, classifying the feature vector as not recognized; and
if the feature vector is within the active influence field of any prototype in the neural network, recognizing the input as belonging to the active influence field’s corresponding category.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the raw sidescan sonar image is collected by a digital signal processor.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the sidescan sonar image is based on a frequency of about 600 kHz.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sidescan sonar image is based on a frequency ranging from about 100 kHz to about 2.4 MHz.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the region of interest is separated from the image by an extraction algorithm.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the raw sidescan sonar image is collected by an autonomous underwater vehicle.
12. A system for identifying and quantifying sonar targets of interest within a liquid medium comprising:
an autonomous underwater vehicle;
a transducer mounted on the autonomous underwater vehicle to generate a sidescan sonar image;
a processor, for collecting the sidescan sonar image, housed inside the autonomous water vehicle, the processor configured to:
separate a region of interest related to the sonar targets from the image;
perform an image transformation on the image using an extraction algorithm;
perform particle analysis on the extracted region of interest to generate a feature vector related to sonar targets; and
present the feature vector to a neural network to classify the image with respect to the sonar targets of interest.
13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a communication unit housed in the autonomous underwater vehicle for automatic reporting of positive identification of the sonar targets of interest.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the perform an image transformation by the processor step further comprises:
calculating length, width, area and mean pixel intensity values;
applying a threshold operator; and
removing spurious pixels from the image to obtain an extracted region of interest.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the neural network to classify the image comprises a radial basis function neural network.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the radial basis function neural network is trained with prototype sidescan sonar images by performing the steps of:
obtaining a feature vector derived from the prototype image;
presenting the feature vector to the radial basis function neural network;
if the presented feature vector is not within an influence field of any prototypes already stored in the network, committing a new neuron to the presented vector;
if the presented feature vector falls within an influence field of an already learned vector in an existing neuron, making no change to the radial basis function network; and
if the presented feature vector fall within a wrong influence field or is mismatched to a category, readjusting one or more influence fields.
17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor comprises a digital signal processor for collecting the sidescan sonar image.
18. The system of claim 12, wherein the transducer has a range setting in the range of five to ten meters.
19. The system of claim 12, wherein the present a feature vector step in the processor further comprises:
determining whether the feature vector lies within an active influence field of a prototype in the neural network;
if the vector is not within the active influence field of any prototype in the neural network, classifying the feature vector as not recognized; and
if the feature vector is within the active influence field of any prototype in the neural network, recognizing the input as belonging to the active influence field’s corresponding category.
20. A computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon, that when executed on a processor, identifies and quantifies a sonar target of interest in a liquid medium, the program code comprising:
code for receiving a sidescan sonar image from a sonar region being monitored;
code for separating a region of interest related to the sonar targets from the image;
code for performing an image transformation on the image using an extraction algorithm;
code for performing particle analysis on the extracted region of interest to generate a feature vector; and
code for presenting a feature vector related to the sonar targets to a neural network to classify the image with respect to the sonar targets of interest.

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 continuous process for drying a material containing an initial degree of water which comprises the steps of:
(a) driving a vehicle comprising a multi-mode microwave applicator over at least a portion of said material;
(b) exposing said portion of said material to said applicator having an air flow about said portion of said material;
(c) exposing said portion of said material to at least two sources of microwaves, said microwaves being in non-parallel alignment to each other for a period of time sufficient to dry said portion of said material to a lower degree of water;
said at least two sources of microwaves propagated from a bifurcated waveguide assembly;
said introduced microwaves, being 90\xb0 out of phase to each other;
said microwaves having a frequency between 915 MHz and 1000 MHz;
said microwave applicator further comprising a 3-port ferrite circulator to absorb any reflected microwaves; and
said bifurcated waveguide assembly having a microwave pressure window at an exit end comprising fused quartz to prevent any vapors in the applicator from returning through said waveguide.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein said applicator is heated and operates between approximately 100\xb0 F. and 212\xb0 F.
3. The process of claim 2 wherein said applicator is heated by a heating means provided from combustion products of engine exhaust gas ducted into and out from the microwave applicator.
4. The process of claim 1 said frequency is approximately 915 MHz.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein said material is a roadbed.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein said material is concrete.
7. The process of claim 1 wherein material is an asphalt surface.
8. The process of claim 1 wherein said material is an agricultural field.
9. A drivable apparatus which comprises:
(a) a movable chassis comprising a microwave generator;
(b) at least one multi-mode microwave applicator in proximity to a material to be dried and in communication with said microwave generator via a waveguide;
(c) said applicator having an air flow about at least a portion of said material;
(d) said applicator having at least two sources of microwaves from said microwave generator, said microwaves being in non-parallel alignment to each other;
said at least two sources of microwaves propagated from a bifurcated waveguide assembly;
said introduced microwaves, being 90\xb0 out of phase to each other;
said microwaves having a frequency between 915 MHz and 1000 MHz; and

(e) a microwave energy absorber to absorb any reflected microwaves; and
(f) said bifurcated waveguide assembly having a microwave pressure window at an exit end comprising fused quartz to prevent any vapors in the applicator from returning through said waveguide.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said applicator is heated and operates between approximately 100\xb0 F. and 212\xb0 F.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said heated applicator is heated by a heating means provided from combustion products of an engine exhaust gas ducted into and out from the microwave applicator.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 said frequency is approximately 915 MHz.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said microwave energy absorber is a 3-port ferrite circulator.
14. The apparatus of claim 9 which further comprises an RF trap.

1. An air conditioning conduit with a sound-damping effect for an aircraft, comprising:
a sound-damping wall that at least partially encloses a substantially continuous hollow space for guiding the air, the continuous hollow space including an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, and the continuous hollow space for the conveyance of air directly adjoins the wall, the wall having a multilayer design including:
a core layer including a sound-absorbing open-pore core material so that the wall shows an acoustic effect; and
at least one first cover layer designed so as to be airtight and arranged on the external surface of the core layer, and laminarily connected to the core layer;
wherein the laminar connection between the core layer and the at least one first cover layer causes a composite effect in such a manner that the wall is self-supporting and has a structural function in order to be able to transfer mechanically-occurring loads to structural parts of the aircraft so that the wall also provides a load-bearing effect.
2. The air conditioning conduit of claim 1, wherein the core layer thermally insulates the hollow space vis-\xe0-vis the surroundings.
3. The air conditioning conduit of claim 1, wherein the core layer comprises an open-pore foam material.
4. The air conditioning conduit of claim 1, wherein the at least one first cover layer is designed so as to be integral with the core layer.
5. The air conditioning conduit of claim 4, wherein the at least one first cover layer has been produced by compressing the outer layer of the core material.
6. The air conditioning conduit of claim 1, further comprising a second cover layer that is arranged on the internal surface of the core layer, wherein the second cover layer is acoustically transparent.
7. The air conditioning conduit of claim 6, wherein the second cover layer is a vapor barrier.
8. The air conditioning conduit of claim 1, wherein the air outlet opening is an air outlet opening for introducing air into a cabin interior space.
9. The air conditioning conduit of claim 8, wherein the air outlet opening forms a fan-shaped air outlet, and the sound-damping wall is arranged on the lateral surfaces of the fan.
10. An airplane comprising:
a fuselage structure and a cabin formed within the fuselage; and
an air conditioning system including an air conditioning unit and air conduits with air outlet openings, the air conduits conveying the air from the air conditioning unit to the air outlet openings in order to feed the conditioned air into the cabin space, and each of the air conduits further comprises:
a core layer including a sound-absorbing open-pore core material; and
at least one first cover layer designed so as to be airtight and arranged on the external surface of the core layer, and laminarily connected to the core layer,
wherein the laminar connection between the core layer and the at least one first cover layer causes a composite effect in such a manner that the air conduit is self-supporting and has a structural function in order to be able to transfer mechanically-occurring loads to structural parts of the aircraft so that the air conduit also provides a load-bearing effect.
11. The airplane of claim 10, wherein the air conduits form a sound-damping wall that at least partially encloses a substantially continuous hollow space for guiding the air, the continuous hollow space including the air inlet opening and the air outlet opening, and the continuous hollow space for the conveyance of air directly adjoins the wall.
12. The airplane of claim 10, wherein the core layer comprises an open-pore foam material.
13. The airplane of claim 10, wherein the at least one first cover layer is designed so as to be integral with the core layer.
14. The airplane of claim 13, wherein the at least one first cover layer has been produced by compressing the outer layer of the core material.
15. The airplane of claim 10, further comprising a second cover layer that is arranged on the internal surface of the core layer, wherein the second cover layer is acoustically transparent.
16. The airplane of claim 15, wherein the second cover layer is a vapor barrier.
17. The airplane of claim 11, wherein the air outlet opening forms a fan-shaped air outlet, and the sound-damping wall is arranged on the lateral surfaces of the fan.
18. The airplane of claim 11, wherein the core layer thermally insulates the hollow space.

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 limited user interface (UI) device, comprising:
a network interface; and
a processing device coupled to the network interface and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the limited UI device to:
enter a network setup mode to enable a secure wireless connection with a full-feature device;
establish the secure wireless connection with the full-feature device, wherein establishing the secure wireless connection includes the full-feature device using an encryption key to communicate with the first limited UI device and the limited UI device using the encryption key to authenticate the full-feature device;
receive, from the wirelessly-connected full-feature device, network setup information to enable the limited UI device to establish a wireless connection to a network access point; and
establish the wireless connection to the network access point using the received network setup information.
2. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, wherein the encryption key is scanned or read by the full-feature device from the limited UI device to establish the secure wireless connection with the limited UI device.
3. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, lacks one or both of an input interface and a display interface.
4. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, wherein entering the network setup mode includes the limited UI device broadcasting a network identifier for the limited UI device.
5. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, wherein the limited UI device enters the network setup mode in response to a power up of the limited UI device, determining that the limited UI device is not connected to a network, or a near field communication with the full-feature device.
6. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, wherein the network setup information includes an identifier for the network access point and a security key for the network access point.
7. The limited user interface (UI) device of claim 1, wherein the network setup information includes a network address for the full-feature device, the full-feature device established a wireless connection to the network access point, and the instructions further cause the limited UI device to:
transmit an indication of successfully establishing the wireless connection to the network access point to the full-feature device over a network connection provided by the network access point and using the received network address for the full-feature device.
8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
entering a network setup mode within a limited user interface (UI) device to enable a secure wireless connection with a full-feature device;
establishing the secure wireless connection with the full-feature device, wherein establishing the secure wireless connection includes the full-feature device using an encryption key to communicate with the first limited UI device and the limited UI device using the encryption key to authenticate the full-feature device;
receiving, from the wirelessly-connected full-feature device, network setup information to enable the limited UI device to establish a wireless connection to a network access point; and
establishing, by the limited UI device, the wireless connection to the network access point using the received network setup information.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the encryption key is scanned or read by the full-feature device from the limited UI device to establish the secure wireless connection with the limited UI device.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the limited UI device lacks one or both of an input interface and a display interface.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein entering the network setup mode includes the limited UI device broadcasting a network identifier for the limited UI device.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the limited UI device enters the network setup mode in response to a power up of the limited UI device, determining that the limited UI device is not connected to a network, or a near field communication with the full-feature device.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the network setup information includes an identifier for the network access point and a security key for the network access point.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the network setup information includes a network address for the full-feature device and the full-feature device established a wireless connection to the network access point, the method further comprising:
transmitting, by the limited UI device, an indication of successfully establishing the wireless connection to the network access point to the full-feature device over a network connection provided by the network access point and using the received network address for the full-feature device.
15-21. (canceled)
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method comprising:
receiving, by a full-feature device, user input including network setup information to establish a wireless connection with a network access point;
receiving, by the full-feature device, input to establish a first secure wireless connection with a first limited user interface (UI) device;
establishing, by the full-feature device, the first secure wireless connection with the first limited UI device in response to the received user input to establish the connection, wherein establishing the first secure wireless connection includes the full-feature device using a first encryption key to communicate with the first limited UI device and the limited UI device using the first encryption key to authenticate the full-feature device; and
transmitting, by the full-feature device to the first limited UI device, the received network setup information to enable the first limited UI device to establish the wireless connection with the network access point.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:
establishing, by the full-feature device, a wireless connection with the network access point using the received network setup information prior to transmitting the network setup information to the first limited UI device to verify that the received network setup information is correct.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein receiving input to establish the first secure wireless connection includes the full-feature device scanning or reading an access point identifier for the first limited UI device or the first encryption key from the first limited UI device.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the full-feature device scans a barcode or quick response (QR) code on the first limited UI device to obtain the access point identifier for the first limited UI device or the first encryption key.
26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the full-feature device reads a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag or near field communication (NFC) tag within the first limited UI device to obtain the access point identifier for the first limited UI device or the first encryption key.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the full-feature device, input to establish a second secure wireless connection with a second limited user interface (UI) device;
establishing, by the full-feature device, the second secure wireless connection with the second limited UI device in response to the received user input to establish the second secure wireless connection, wherein establishing the second secure wireless connection includes the full-feature device using a second encryption key to communicate with the second limited UI device and the second limited UI device using the second encryption key to authenticate the full-feature device; and
transmitting, by the full-feature device to the second limited UI device, the received network setup information to enable the second limited UI device to establish a wireless connection with the network access point.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, the method further comprising:
transmitting, by the full-feature device to each of the first limited UI device and the second limited UI device, a shared network identifier and shared encryption key to enable the full-feature device to establish secure wireless connections with each of the first limited UI device and the second limited UI device using the shared network identifier and shared encryption key.