Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle flight state monitoring and exception handling system, and aims to solve the technical problems in the prior art determined in the background art.
The invention is realized in such a way that the unmanned aerial vehicle flight state monitoring and exception handling system comprises:
The signal connection establishment module is used for establishing a signal connection relation between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment, generating codes specific to the connection equipment and binding the codes to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
The flight state monitoring module is used for monitoring the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, recording signal fluctuation and monitoring the connecting state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment;
The abnormal state judging module is used for setting an abnormal state judging rule of the unmanned aerial vehicle, analyzing whether signal abnormality exists according to the current measured flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and classifying the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality;
the exception handling policy making module is used for making exception handling schemes for each type respectively and sending corresponding handling policies to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the signal exception types determined currently;
And the execution state monitoring and recording module is used for monitoring the execution state of the unmanned aerial vehicle and recording the processing process after the processing strategy is executed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for monitoring and exception handling of a flight status of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
Establishing a signal connection relation between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, generating a code specific to the connecting equipment and binding the code to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
the method comprises the steps of monitoring the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, recording signal fluctuation, and monitoring the connecting state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment;
Setting an unmanned aerial vehicle abnormal state judging rule, analyzing whether signal abnormality exists according to the current measured unmanned aerial vehicle flight state, and classifying the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality;
Respectively making an exception handling scheme for each type, and sending a corresponding handling strategy to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the current determined signal exception type;
And monitoring the execution state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and recording the processing process after the processing strategy is executed.
As a further aspect of the present invention, the establishing a signal connection relationship between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device, generating a code specific to the connection device and binding the code to the unmanned aerial vehicle, specifically includes:
Establishing signal communication between the connection device and the unmanned aerial vehicle, and generating a unique code for the connection device;
Synchronously transmitting and recording a unique code of the connecting equipment to the unmanned aerial vehicle while establishing a signal channel, carrying out a handshake protocol, and detecting a pairing relation between the connecting equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle;
And establishing a reverse identification channel between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, wherein the reverse identification is used for actively acquiring the information of the connecting equipment by the unmanned aerial vehicle.
As a further scheme of the present invention, the real-time monitoring of the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device, recording signal fluctuation, and monitoring the connection state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device specifically includes:
Acquiring flight state data of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, wherein the flight state data comprises a current flight path;
Monitoring the connection state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment in real time, including whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the connection state and the stability of the connection state;
Detecting the delay and the data loss condition of the connection, and evaluating the connection quality;
when the unmanned aerial vehicle receives the control instruction, validity and legality verification are carried out on the control instruction, and whether the received instruction comes from the paired connecting equipment is judged.
As a further scheme of the present invention, the setting of the abnormal state determination rule of the unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the current measured flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, analyzes whether there is a signal abnormality, and classifies the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality, including:
Setting a signal connection threshold, and judging that the connection is abnormal if the signal strength is lower than the set threshold or the signal connection is interrupted or unstable;
If the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a state of receiving a plurality of operation instructions at the same time and detecting signal interference, judging that the signal intrusion is abnormal;
acquiring flight state data of a current unmanned aerial vehicle, and judging whether a state of abnormal connection or abnormal invasion exists at present;
if the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the abnormal state, marking the unmanned aerial vehicle state according to the abnormal type.
As a further scheme of the invention, the method for respectively preparing the exception handling schemes for each type specifically comprises a connection exception handling scheme and an intrusion exception handling scheme.
As a further aspect of the present invention, the connection exception handling scheme specifically includes:
When the unstable connection or connection interruption of the unmanned aerial vehicle is recognized, stopping all current instruction actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and maintaining power to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to be static at the current position;
the unmanned aerial vehicle sends a connection taking instruction to the connection equipment again, and judges whether to reestablish the connection between the connection equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle;
If the connection is not established again, repeating the steps until the connection is not established again for three times, and if the connection is not established again, acquiring the current flight path and reversely flying along the flight path until the initial flight position is reached.
As a further solution of the present invention, the intrusion exception handling solution specifically includes:
Reading a reverse identification channel in a signal connection channel of each operation instruction when a plurality of operation instructions are identified and signal interference exists;
if the reverse identification channel cannot be acquired, interrupting all signal instructions of the signal connection channel;
if the reverse identification channel is acquired, acquiring a unique code of the corresponding connecting device through the reverse identification channel, and matching the unique code with the unique code synchronized by the unmanned aerial vehicle;
if the connection equipment which is successfully matched exists, all signal instructions of all other signal connection channels are interrupted;
if the connection equipment which is successfully matched does not exist, the connection equipment is sent with a connection taking instruction again through the unmanned aerial vehicle, and whether connection between the connection equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle is reestablished is judged;
If the connection is not established again, repeating the steps until the connection is not established again for three times, and if the connection is not established again, acquiring the current flight path and reversely flying along the flight path until the initial flight position is reached.
The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows:
The system can set autonomous monitoring capability for the unmanned aerial vehicle, and under the condition that connection abnormality or invasion abnormality cannot be handled in time, the unmanned aerial vehicle can automatically return to the air, so that the out-of-control flight caused by signal loss is avoided, and the safety of equipment and personnel is ensured. In the aspect of signal management, through reverse identification and a signal interruption mechanism, an unmanned aerial vehicle can effectively shield bad signals, ensure the legality of instruction sources, and strengthen the stability and the safety of a system. Meanwhile, the retry mechanism and the identity verification ensure that after a problem occurs, the system can quickly recover to normal operation, so that the time loss caused by flight interruption is reduced, and the adaptability and the reliability of the unmanned aerial vehicle under a complex environment are further improved.
Detailed Description
The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and examples, in order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
It will be understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like, as used herein, may be used to describe various elements, but these elements are not limited by these terms unless otherwise specified. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first xx script may be referred to as a second xx script, and similarly, a second xx script may be referred to as a first xx script, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a system for monitoring and exception handling of an unmanned aerial vehicle in flight status according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, where the system includes:
The signal connection establishing module 100 is configured to establish a signal connection relationship between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device, generate a code specific to the connection device, and bind the code to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
The flight state monitoring module 200 is used for monitoring the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, recording signal fluctuation, and monitoring the connecting state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment;
the abnormal state judging module 300 is used for setting an abnormal state judging rule of the unmanned aerial vehicle, analyzing whether signal abnormality exists according to the currently measured flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and classifying the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality;
The exception handling policy making module 400 is configured to make exception handling schemes for each type respectively, and send corresponding handling policies to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the signal exception type determined currently;
the execution state monitoring and recording module 500 is configured to monitor an execution state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and record the processing procedure when the processing policy is executed.
Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring and exception handling of an unmanned aerial vehicle flight state according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, where the method includes:
S100, establishing a signal connection relation between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment, generating a code specific to the connection equipment and binding the code to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
As shown in fig. 3, the establishing a signal connection relationship between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device, generating a code specific to the connection device and binding the code to the unmanned aerial vehicle specifically includes:
S110, establishing signal communication between the connecting device and the unmanned aerial vehicle, and generating a unique code for the connecting device;
S120, synchronously transmitting and recording unique codes of the connecting equipment to the unmanned aerial vehicle while establishing a signal channel, carrying out a handshake protocol, and detecting a pairing relation between the connecting equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle;
S130, establishing a reverse identification channel between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting device, wherein the reverse identification is used for the unmanned aerial vehicle to actively acquire the information of the connecting device.
In this step, a secure signal channel is opened between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device through wireless communication technology (such as Wi-Fi, bluetooth, zigbee, etc.), and this channel needs to have the characteristics of low delay and high reliability, so as to ensure real-time data transmission. Meanwhile, the communication content can be protected by using an encryption protocol, so that information can be prevented from being stolen or tampered.
A unique identification code (UID) is generated for each connected device, the code being generated using the UUID (universal unique identification code) standard, ensuring the uniqueness of each device. In addition, when the signal channel is established, the unique code of the connecting device can be synchronously transmitted with the unmanned aerial vehicle through a handshake protocol, and the unmanned aerial vehicle records the code in an internal system of the unmanned aerial vehicle as a basis for subsequent identification. The handshake protocol will verify the identity of the connected device and ensure that the drone only accepts instructions from the connected device.
Meanwhile, a reverse identification channel is arranged on the basis of signal communication, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can actively acquire information of the connecting device, the channel can send specific identification request information and receive response information of the connecting device, and the reverse identification channel can effectively confirm the identity of the connecting device and prevent disguised equipment from invading.
Such an authentication mechanism can effectively prevent interference and operation of an illegal device. The reverse recognition channel is established, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can monitor the state of the connecting device in real time, the received instruction is ensured to come from legal control equipment, and the bidirectional verification mechanism improves the safety and reliability of flight. Under the condition of unstable connection signals, the unmanned aerial vehicle can rapidly judge and take corresponding measures, such as trying reconnection or executing a return strategy, so as to ensure the smooth proceeding of the flight mission. The pairing process of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment is simplified through the handshake protocol, the user experience is improved, the user only needs to configure once, the unmanned aerial vehicle can remember the connecting equipment, and complex repeated operation is effectively avoided.
S200, monitoring the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment, recording signal fluctuation, and monitoring the connecting state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connecting equipment;
As shown in fig. 4, the real-time monitoring of the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, checking the signal intensity and quality between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device, recording signal fluctuation, and monitoring the connection state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device specifically includes:
S210, acquiring flight state data of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, wherein the flight state data comprise the current flight path;
s220, monitoring the connection state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment in real time, including whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the connection state or not and the stability of the connection state;
s230, detecting the delay and data loss condition of the connection, and evaluating the connection quality;
and S240, when the unmanned aerial vehicle receives the control instruction, verifying the validity and the legality of the control instruction, and judging whether the received instruction is from the paired connecting equipment.
In the step, the unmanned aerial vehicle acquires flight state data in real time through the built-in sensor and the GPS module, and records the flight altitude, speed, heading and the path of the current flight. The data not only provides basic information for subsequent exception handling, but also provides real-time feedback for the safety and stability of the flight.
Meanwhile, the method also comprises the step of monitoring the connection state between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment, wherein the process involves the step of detecting key indexes such as whether the connection is normal or not, the stability of the connection state and the like. The unmanned aerial vehicle will continuously evaluate the signal intensity with the connecting device, judge the stability of connection through analyzing signal fluctuation, ensure to remain reliable control throughout the flight process.
In addition, the drone will periodically detect the delay time to discover potential connection problems in time and record any data loss that may occur, which information may be used to evaluate the quality of the connection and its impact on flight safety. Through carrying out real-time evaluation to the connection quality, unmanned aerial vehicle can in time take measures when the connection is unstable, ensures the safety of flight.
Finally, when the control instruction is received, no one can verify the validity and legality of the instruction, and the received instruction is ensured to come from the paired connecting equipment. This verification process involves a comprehensive check of the format, content, and identity of the source device of the instructions, only instructions meeting predetermined criteria will be executed, thereby preventing unauthorized manipulation and potential security threats.
The flight data are collected in real time, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can continuously self-evaluate in the flight process, and the flight strategy is timely adjusted to cope with the change of the external environment. And secondly, stable connection state monitoring can effectively prevent flight abnormality caused by weak signals or disconnection, and control timeliness and accuracy are ensured. Finally, the validity verification of the instruction is an important mechanism for preventing malicious interference and protecting flight safety, and the safety and reliability of the unmanned aerial vehicle system are further improved.
S300, setting an unmanned aerial vehicle abnormal state judging rule, analyzing whether signal abnormality exists according to the current measured unmanned aerial vehicle flight state, and classifying the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality;
As shown in fig. 5, the setting of the abnormal state determination rule of the unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the current measured flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, analyzes whether there is a signal abnormality, and classifies the existing signal abnormality into two types of connection abnormality and intrusion abnormality, specifically includes:
s310, setting a signal connection threshold, and judging that the connection is abnormal if the signal strength is lower than the set threshold or the signal connection is interrupted and unstable;
S320, if the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a state of receiving a plurality of operation instructions at the same time and signal interference is detected, judging that the signal intrusion is abnormal;
s330, acquiring flight state data of the current unmanned aerial vehicle, and judging whether a connection abnormality or an intrusion abnormality exists currently;
And S340, if the unmanned aerial vehicle exists, marking the unmanned aerial vehicle state according to the abnormal type.
In this step, the signal quality between the drone and the connection device is monitored by setting a signal connection threshold. When the signal strength is below a set threshold, the system will automatically determine that the connection is abnormal. The threshold is set to take into account a variety of environmental factors such as fly height, the effect of obstructions, and the propagation characteristics of the wireless signal to ensure that the reliability of the signal is effectively assessed under a variety of conditions.
Further, if the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a state of receiving a plurality of operation instructions at the same time and signal interference is detected, this will be determined as a signal intrusion anomaly. The unmanned opportunity monitors the received instructions in real time through a built-in signal processing module and analyzes the received instructions, and once an abnormal situation is found, the system immediately marks and records the state. The timely abnormal recognition mode enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to react rapidly, and potential safety hazards are reduced.
In the process, no one can acquire current flight state data, including information such as flight speed, altitude, heading and the like, so as to comprehensively judge whether a connection abnormality or an intrusion abnormality state exists. If the system detects an anomaly, it will label the unmanned aerial vehicle status according to the specific type of anomaly. The labeling mechanism is not only beneficial to subsequent exception handling, but also provides basis for analysis of the flight log.
The monitoring mechanism for setting the signal connection threshold value can effectively identify unstable signal connection caused by environmental change or equipment failure and trigger an alarm in time, so that flight control disorder caused by signal loss is avoided. Secondly, through the rapid judgment of signal invasion, the unmanned aerial vehicle can effectively resist external interference, prevent illegal control by illegal equipment, ensure the autonomy and the security of flight. In addition, comprehensive flight state data acquisition and abnormal state labeling are achieved, comprehensive information support is provided for real-time monitoring, and a foundation is laid for subsequent fault removal and system optimization.
S400, respectively making an exception handling scheme for each type, and sending a corresponding handling strategy to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the current determined signal exception type;
in this embodiment, the method respectively establishes an exception handling scheme for each type, and specifically includes a connection exception handling scheme and an intrusion exception handling scheme.
As shown in fig. 6, the connection exception handling scheme specifically includes:
S411, when the unmanned aerial vehicle is identified to have unstable connection or connection interruption, stopping all current instruction actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and maintaining power to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to be static at the current position;
s412, the unmanned aerial vehicle sends a connection taking instruction to the connection equipment again, and judges whether to reestablish the connection between the connection equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle;
S413, repeating the steps until three times if the connection is not established, acquiring the current flight path if the connection is not established, and reversely flying along the flight path until the initial flight position is reached.
As shown in fig. 7, the intrusion exception handling scheme specifically includes:
s421, when a plurality of operation instructions are identified and signal interference exists, a reverse identification channel in a signal connection channel of each operation instruction is read;
s422, if the reverse identification channel cannot be acquired, interrupting all signal instructions of the signal connection channel;
s423, if the reverse identification channel is acquired, acquiring a unique code of the corresponding connecting device through the reverse identification channel, and matching the unique code with the unique code synchronized by the unmanned aerial vehicle;
S424, if the connection equipment which is successfully matched exists, all signal instructions of all other signal connection channels are interrupted;
S425, if no successfully matched connection equipment exists, the connection equipment is sent a connection taking instruction again through the unmanned aerial vehicle, and whether connection between the connection equipment and the unmanned aerial vehicle is reestablished is judged;
s426, if the connection is not established again, repeating the steps until the connection is established for three times, and if the connection is still not established, acquiring the current flight path, and reversely flying along the flight path until the initial flight position is reached.
In the step, the connection exception handling scheme firstly detects unstable connection or connection interruption between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment, and then the system immediately terminates all current instruction actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle is prevented from continuously executing potentially dangerous operations under the condition of losing control signals, and the flight safety is ensured. Next, the unmanned would send a take over connection instruction to the connecting device, attempt to reestablish the connection with the connecting device, and continually monitor the connection status to determine if the signal was successfully restored. If the connection fails to be re-established after the first attempt, the system will repeat the above steps until three retries. If three attempts still fail, the unmanned aerial vehicle can automatically acquire the current flight path, fly reversely along the path and automatically return to the starting position, and the return mechanism ensures that the unmanned aerial vehicle can safely return when losing signals, so that the risk of accidental loss is reduced.
In the intrusion exception handling scheme, the unmanned aerial vehicle reads a reverse identification channel in a signal connection channel of each instruction under the condition that a plurality of operation instructions and signal interference are identified. The process is realized by an efficient signal processing technology, and information of an interference state can be timely obtained. If the reverse identification channel cannot be acquired, the unmanned aerial vehicle can immediately interrupt all signal instructions of the signal connection channel, and the measure prevents illegal control of the unmanned aerial vehicle by instructions sent by malicious equipment and ensures autonomy of the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the reverse identification channel is successfully acquired, the unmanned aerial vehicle can acquire the unique code of the connecting device through the channel and match with the unique code synchronized with the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that only legal connecting devices can send control instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the matching is successful, the system interrupts the signal instructions of all other signal connection channels, if the matching is failed, no one can resend the connection taking instruction to the connection equipment, and connection recovery attempt is carried out for at most three times, and if the connection is not successful yet, the system can reversely fly along the flight path to return to the starting point.
The real-time monitoring and the quick response enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to timely respond when the signal abnormality occurs, so that the possibility of occurrence of accidents is remarkably reduced. Under the condition that connection abnormality or invasion abnormality cannot be handled in time, the unmanned aerial vehicle can return to the home automatically, so that the out-of-control of the flight caused by losing signals is avoided, and the safety of equipment and personnel is ensured. In the aspect of signal management, through reverse identification and a signal interruption mechanism, an unmanned aerial vehicle can effectively shield bad signals, ensure the legality of instruction sources, and strengthen the stability and the safety of a system. Meanwhile, the retry mechanism and the identity verification ensure that after a problem occurs, the system can quickly recover to normal operation, so that the time loss caused by flight interruption is reduced, and the adaptability and the reliability of the unmanned aerial vehicle under a complex environment are further improved.
When the connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection device is unstable, two situations can be divided:
the first condition is that a connection signal is interfered or connection cannot be established, for example, the connection equipment fails and cannot send out a signal, the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the connection equipment exceeds an operable range, and the like, in the case, the unmanned aerial vehicle temporarily stops moving and tries to establish connection with the connection equipment, the connection is repeated for three times, if the connection still cannot be established, the flight path is read, the shortest return path is generated, and the starting place is automatically returned;
And secondly, the signal is invaded, namely, other equipment invades the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a state of acquiring a plurality of operation instructions at the same time, the signal is reversely acquired at the moment, a reverse identification signal channel is reserved when the correct connection equipment transmits the operation instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle can reversely identify the information of the equipment transmitting the signal through the signal channel, whether the equipment is the correct connection equipment is judged, if the equipment is not the correct connection equipment is identified, or the signal channel capable of reversely identifying is not found, all signals from the source are interrupted, and whether the signal transmitted by the control equipment can be correctly received is judged again.
S500, monitoring the execution state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and recording the processing process after the processing strategy is executed.
It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowcharts of the embodiments of the present invention are shown in order as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in order as indicated by the arrows. The steps are not strictly limited to the order of execution unless explicitly recited herein, and the steps may be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in various embodiments may include multiple sub-steps or stages that are not necessarily performed at the same time, but may be performed at different times, nor do the order in which the sub-steps or stages are performed necessarily performed in sequence, but may be performed alternately or alternately with at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps or other steps.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments may be implemented by a computer program for instructing relevant hardware, where the program may be stored in a non-volatile computer readable storage medium, and where the program, when executed, may include processes in the embodiments of the methods described above. Any reference to memory, storage, database, or other medium used in embodiments provided herein may include non-volatile and/or volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory can include Read Only Memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include Random Access Memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in a variety of forms such as Static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double Data Rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (SYNCHLINK) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), among others.
The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined, and all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are not described for brevity of description, however, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features, they should be considered as the scope of the description.
The foregoing examples illustrate only a few embodiments of the invention and are described in detail herein without thereby limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, which are all within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to be limiting, but rather is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and principles of the invention.