阅读说明：本技术 一种车辆行驶中突现障碍物报警方法、装置、设备和介质 (Alarm method, device, equipment and medium for sudden obstacle appearing during vehicle running ) 是由 童振宇 陈叶 于 2021-08-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种车辆行驶中突现障碍物报警方法、装置、设备和介质,所述方法包括：将车辆行驶方向的区域划分出第一区域和第二区域,所述第一区域为与所述车辆间隔设定距离的区域,所述第二区域位于所述第一区域远离车辆方向的一侧；在车辆行驶过程中,实时获取车辆行驶方向的障碍物的位置,然后判断所述障碍物所在的区域；当判断所述障碍物先进入第一区域时,执行报警程序；当判断所述障碍物先进入第二区域时,实时跟踪所述障碍物的位置,当跟踪的所述障碍物从第二区域进入第一区域时,不执行报警程序。本发明通过划分车辆行驶方向的各个区域,在出现障碍物时,根据障碍物出现的区域情况给予必要的报警,减轻驾驶员的报警疲劳和减少交通事故。(The invention discloses a method, a device, equipment and a medium for alarming sudden obstacles during vehicle running, wherein the method comprises the following steps: dividing a region of a vehicle driving direction into a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is a region which is separated from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second region is positioned on one side of the first region away from the vehicle direction; in the vehicle running process, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time, and then judging the area where the obstacle is located; when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program; and when the obstacle is judged to enter the second area first, tracking the position of the obstacle in real time, and when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, not executing an alarm program. According to the invention, by dividing each area of the vehicle driving direction, when an obstacle appears, necessary alarm is given according to the area condition of the obstacle, so that the alarm fatigue of a driver is reduced, and traffic accidents are reduced.)

1. An alarm method for sudden appearance of an obstacle during vehicle running is characterized by comprising the following steps:

dividing a region of a vehicle driving direction into a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is a region which is separated from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second region is positioned on one side of the first region away from the vehicle direction;

in the vehicle running process, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time, and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing a region of a vehicle traveling direction into a third region, the third region being located between the first region and the vehicle;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a third area in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

dividing the areas on the left side and the right side of the first area into two fourth areas;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a fourth area in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; and when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

and executing an alarm program when the obstacle is judged to be in the first area or the third area and approaches the vehicle at the acceleration exceeding the set acceleration in the running process of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein: the position of the obstacle comprises a distance and an angle from at least one specified reference point; the ranges of the first area, the second area, the third area and/or the fourth area and the alarm program are set according to actual requirements.

6. An alarm device for sudden appearance of an obstacle during running of a vehicle, comprising: the system comprises an area division module and an obstacle positioning and alarming module;

the area dividing module is used for dividing an area in the vehicle driving direction into a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area which is spaced from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second area is positioned on one side, far away from the vehicle direction, of the first area;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is used for acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time in the vehicle running process and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the region dividing module is further used for dividing a region of the vehicle driving direction into a third region, and the third region is positioned between the first region and the vehicle;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a third area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 or 8, wherein:

the region dividing module is further used for dividing the regions on the left side and the right side of the first region into two fourth regions;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a fourth area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking;

and executing an alarm program when the obstacle is judged to be in the first area or the third area and approaches the vehicle at the acceleration exceeding the set acceleration in the running process of the vehicle.

9. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor implements the method according to any of claims 1 to 5 when executing the program.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of automobile safety, in particular to a method, a device, equipment and a medium for alarming sudden appearance of obstacles in running of a vehicle.

Background

The prevention and reduction of traffic accidents, particularly the prevention of collision accidents, are important issues for automobile safety. Through the analysis of road accidents, over-speed, sudden braking, sudden lane changes of pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles or other motor vehicles crossing the road and the like are main causes of collision accidents.

According to the traditional obstacle anti-collision system, when an obstacle appears in a detection area, an alarm is given all the time, and the alarm fatigue of a driver is easily caused.

The traditional obstacle anti-collision system has the defects of too short detection distance, unadjustable distance and single alarm processing mode, and is difficult to meet the increasing requirements of preventing collision events in the automobile market.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a method, a device, equipment and a medium for alarming sudden obstacles in vehicle running, so as to realize effective alarming of the obstacles in vehicle running.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for alarming sudden obstacle emergence during vehicle driving, comprising:

dividing a region of a vehicle driving direction into a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is a region which is separated from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second region is positioned on one side of the first region away from the vehicle direction;

in the vehicle running process, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time, and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

Further, the method further comprises:

dividing a region of a vehicle traveling direction into a third region, the third region being located between the first region and the vehicle;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a third area in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

Further, the method further comprises:

dividing the areas on the left side and the right side of the first area into two fourth areas;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a fourth area in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; and when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking.

Further, the method further comprises:

and executing an alarm program when the obstacle is judged to be in the first area or the third area and approaches the vehicle at the acceleration exceeding the set acceleration in the running process of the vehicle.

Further, the position of the obstacle includes a distance and an angle from at least one specified reference point; the ranges of the first area, the second area, the third area and/or the fourth area and the alarm program are set according to actual requirements.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a sudden obstacle warning device during vehicle travel, comprising: the system comprises an area division module and an obstacle positioning and alarming module;

the area dividing module is used for dividing an area in the vehicle driving direction into a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area which is spaced from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second area is positioned on one side, far away from the vehicle direction, of the first area;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is used for acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time in the vehicle running process and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

Further, the region dividing module is further configured to divide a region in a vehicle traveling direction into a third region, where the third region is located between the first region and the vehicle;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a third area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

Further, the region dividing module is further configured to divide regions on the left and right sides of the first region into two fourth regions;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a fourth area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking;

and executing an alarm program when the obstacle is judged to be in the first area or the third area and approaches the vehicle at the acceleration exceeding the set acceleration in the running process of the vehicle.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the method of the first aspect when executing the program.

In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the method of the first aspect.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention has the following technical effects:

1. by dividing each area of the vehicle driving direction, when an obstacle appears, a necessary alarm is given to a driver according to the area condition of the obstacle, so that the alarm fatigue of the driver is relieved and traffic accidents are reduced while the alarm is effectively given;

2. by setting the ranges of the first area, the second area, the third area and/or the fourth area and the alarm program according to actual requirements, the alarm area and the alarm processing mode can be optimized and improved according to local actual conditions and experience or vehicle characteristics of various brands and vehicle running conditions.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention are described below in order to make the technical means of the present invention more clearly understood and to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more clearly understandable.

Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to the following examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a region setup according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a second schematic diagram illustrating the region setup in the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a third schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of areas in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a medium according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiment of the application provides a method, a device, equipment and a medium for alarming the sudden appearance of obstacles in the running process of a vehicle, so that the effective alarming of the obstacles in the running process of the vehicle is realized.

The technical scheme in the embodiment of the application has the following general idea:

during the travel of a vehicle, when a pedestrian, motorcycle or other motor vehicle crosses the road, the driver responds by applying the brakes with a sliding distance of about 50 meters (for example, a large truck). In order to reduce the number of accidents crossing the road, it is necessary to set an alarm area in front of the vehicle, and to perform an alarm by detecting the emphasis. However, if there is an object in the alarm area to alarm all the time, the alarm fatigue of the driver can be caused, so the memory area concept is introduced, and when there is an object in the alarm area and the object appears in the memory area before, the alarm is not given. On the basis, in order to realize more timely early warning, crossing areas are further arranged on two sides of the alarm area, when an object appears in the crossing areas, the object is tracked and memorized, when an obstacle crossing the areas appears in the alarm area, the obstacle is braked and alarmed immediately, and therefore the occurrence of collision accidents is effectively reduced.

Example one

The embodiment provides a method for alarming sudden obstacle during vehicle running, as shown in fig. 1, comprising:

dividing a region of a vehicle driving direction into a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is a region which is separated from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second region is a region of the first region far away from the vehicle direction;

in the vehicle running process, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time, and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

By dividing each area of the vehicle driving direction, when an obstacle appears, a necessary alarm is given to a driver according to the area condition of the obstacle, when the obstacle appears in a first area which is more important first area first, an alarm program is executed, when the obstacle appears in a second area which is farther away from the vehicle first and then enters the first area, the alarm program is not executed, the alarm fatigue of the driver is relieved while the alarm is effective, and traffic accidents are reduced.

In a possible implementation manner, please refer to fig. 2, the radar installed on the vehicle head is used for detecting the obstacle, the distance and the angle of the radar detection area are used for dividing each area, then the distance and the angle of the object detected by the radar are used for judging the area where the object is located, and the sector angle can be adjusted according to the radar chip and the antenna. In other implementation manners, an image of the vehicle driving direction can be acquired through the camera, and the area division of the vehicle driving direction can be realized by setting a partition on the image.

When a pedestrian, a motorcycle or other motor vehicles cross a road, after a driver steps on a brake, the sliding distance of a large truck is about 50 meters, and in order to reduce accidents of crossing the road, the important detection and alarm are needed to be specifically carried out on the area 50 meters to 80 meters in front of the running of the vehicles. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first region is set as a warning region, specifically, a region between 50 and 80 meters ahead of the vehicle; the second zone is set as a memory zone, in particular a zone between 80 and 120 meters ahead of the vehicle.

The logic to trigger an alarm is as follows:

(1) during the running process of the vehicle, objects are not processed in a region of 50 meters between the front of the vehicle and the warning region;

(2) during the running process of the vehicle, objects are not processed beyond 120 meters;

(3) in the running process of the vehicle, the object moves in a memory area between 120 meters and 80 meters, and the object is memorized and does not give an alarm;

(4) in the running process of the vehicle, when an object exists in the alarm area between 80 meters and 50 meters, the object is memorized and does not give an alarm;

(5) when an object exists in a warning area between 80 meters and 50 meters and is not memorized during the running process of the vehicle, a warning mark is set and a warning is given once.

When the vehicle runs, the speed of the front vehicle and the speed of the vehicle are different, the distance between the two vehicles often changes from 120 meters to 50 meters, if only a first area (alarm area) is arranged, when the distance between the two vehicles is between 50 meters and 80 meters, alarm fatigue can be caused, and therefore, a second area (memory area) is arranged in front of the first area (alarm area) (relative to the view angle of a driver), so that the vehicle normally running in front of the current vehicle can not trigger an alarm program when entering the alarm area, and invalid alarm is reduced.

In another possible implementation manner, a region of a vehicle traveling direction is further divided into a third region, and the third region is located between the first region and the vehicle; referring to fig. 3, the first area is set as a warning area, the second area is set as a far memory area, and the third area is set as a near memory area.

When the obstacle is judged to enter a third area in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

The logic for triggering an alarm further comprises:

(6) when an object exists in a memory near zone between 50 meters and 0 meter in the running process of the vehicle, memorizing the object;

(7) when the object in the memory near area moves to the alarm area in the running process of the vehicle, the alarm is not given;

(8) in the running process of the vehicle, objects in the alarm area and the memory near area approach to each other at an acceleration exceeding a set acceleration, and emergency braking is performed for alarming;

(9) when the vehicle enters a running state from a stop state, an object is in a memory near area, and an alarm is given.

The third area acts on the following scenario:

in the driving process of the vehicle, when the object memorizing the near area moves to the alarm area and does not give an alarm, for example, when the near vehicle accelerates to leave the alarm area, the alarm cannot be triggered, so that invalid alarms are further reduced;

in the running process of the vehicle, objects in the alarm area and the memory near area are accelerated to approach, and the vehicle brakes suddenly to give an alarm, so that accidents are avoided;

when the vehicle enters a driving state from a stop state (for example, when a red light is about to be started or the vehicle is started just after the vehicle stops), since a pedestrian runs the red light or an object approaches the vehicle when the vehicle is stationary, in order to avoid that a driver does not notice, before the vehicle is started or started, a reminder is given to the object in the area.

In another possible implementation manner, the left and right areas of the first area are further divided into two fourth areas, please refer to fig. 4, wherein the first area is set as a warning area, the second area is set as a far memory area, the third area is set as a near memory area, and the fourth area is set as a crossing area.

The logic for triggering an alarm further comprises:

(10) when the obstacle is judged to enter a fourth area (a left crossing area and a right crossing area) in advance in the running process of the vehicle, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; and when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking.

The barrier is detected and memorized in advance by arranging the crossing areas on the two sides, so that the barrier crossing to the alarm area can be alarmed more accurately, timely and effectively.

In a specific implementation process, the ranges of the first area, the second area, the third area and/or the fourth area and the alarm program can be set according to actual requirements, so that the most suitable alarm effect is achieved.

For example, different alarm areas and alarm processing modes can be defined according to the requirements of different vehicle departments, and the departments can not only make full use of the big data of traffic and vehicles, but also optimize and improve the alarm areas and the alarm processing modes according to the actual experience of local actual conditions

For another example, a vehicle manufacturer may define an alarm area and an alarm processing mode according to vehicle characteristics of each brand and vehicle operating conditions (e.g., different braking distances between a truck and a car).

Based on the same inventive concept, the application also provides a device corresponding to the method in the first embodiment, which is detailed in the second embodiment.

Example two

In the present embodiment, there is provided a sudden obstacle alarm device in vehicle travel, as shown in fig. 5, including: the system comprises an area division module and an obstacle positioning and alarming module;

the area dividing module is used for dividing an area in the vehicle driving direction into a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area which is spaced from the vehicle by a set distance, and the second area is positioned on one side, far away from the vehicle direction, of the first area;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is used for acquiring the position of an obstacle in the vehicle running direction in real time in the vehicle running process and then judging the area where the obstacle is located;

when the obstacle is judged to enter the first area first, executing an alarm program;

when the obstacle is judged to enter a second area first, the position of the obstacle is tracked in real time and an alarm program is not executed; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the second area, the alarm program is not executed.

In a preferred embodiment, the area dividing module is further configured to divide an area in a vehicle traveling direction into a third area, and the third area is located between the first area and the vehicle;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a third area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked obstacle enters the first area from the third area, the alarm program is not executed;

and when the vehicle enters a running state from a stopping state, acquiring the position of an obstacle in the running direction of the vehicle in real time, and executing an alarm program when judging that the obstacle exists in the third area.

In a preferred embodiment, the area dividing module is further configured to divide areas on the left and right sides of the first area into two fourth areas;

the obstacle positioning and alarming module is also used for tracking the position of the obstacle in real time and not executing an alarming program when judging that the obstacle enters a fourth area in the running process of the vehicle; when the tracked barrier enters the first area from the fourth area, executing an alarm program and braking;

and executing an alarm program when the obstacle is judged to be in the first area or the third area and approaches the vehicle at the acceleration exceeding the set acceleration in the running process of the vehicle.

Since the apparatus described in the second embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus used for implementing the method of the first embodiment of the present invention, based on the method described in the first embodiment of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can understand the specific structure and the deformation of the apparatus, and thus the details are not described herein. All the devices adopted in the method of the first embodiment of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Based on the same inventive concept, the application provides an electronic device embodiment corresponding to the first embodiment, which is detailed in the third embodiment.

EXAMPLE III

The present embodiment provides an electronic device, as shown in fig. 6, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, any implementation manner of the first embodiment may be implemented.

Since the electronic device described in this embodiment is a device used for implementing the method in the first embodiment of the present application, based on the method described in the first embodiment of the present application, a specific implementation of the electronic device in this embodiment and various variations thereof can be understood by those skilled in the art, and therefore, how to implement the method in the first embodiment of the present application by the electronic device is not described in detail herein. The equipment used by those skilled in the art to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present application is within the scope of the present application.

Based on the same inventive concept, the application provides a storage medium corresponding to the fourth embodiment, which is described in detail in the fourth embodiment.

Example four

The present embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium, as shown in fig. 7, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, any one of the embodiments can be implemented.

Since the computer-readable storage medium described in this embodiment is a computer-readable storage medium used for implementing the method in the first embodiment of the present application, a person skilled in the art can understand a specific implementation manner of the computer-readable storage medium and various modifications thereof based on the method described in the first embodiment of the present application, and therefore, how to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application by using the computer-readable storage medium is not described in detail herein. Computer-readable storage media that can be used by those skilled in the art to implement the methods of the embodiments of the present application are all within the scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the application has the advantages that: by dividing each area of the vehicle driving direction, when an obstacle appears, a necessary alarm is given to a driver according to the area condition of the obstacle, so that the alarm fatigue of the driver is relieved and traffic accidents are reduced while the alarm is effectively given; by setting the ranges of the first area, the second area, the third area and/or the fourth area and the alarm program according to actual requirements, the alarm area and the alarm processing mode can be optimized and improved according to local actual conditions and experience or vehicle characteristics of various brands and vehicle running conditions.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, apparatus, device, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific embodiments described are illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention, and that equivalent modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is to be limited only by the appended claims.