Abstract: An automated floor cleaner (1) has a cleaner body (2); a cleaning means (3, 45, 6) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured to in use contact a floor surface to clean the surface; a movement means (7, 19, 8) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured so that in use the floor cleaner (1) can move across a surface, and; a sensing means 16a, 16b configured to sense the position of the floor cleaner within a location and to transmit data relating to the position to a memory module (20) configured to map and record the position of the floor cleaner (1) during use.

Abstract: An automated floor cleaner (1) has a cleaner body (2); a cleaning means (3, 45, 6) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured to in use contact a floor surface to clean the surface; a movement means (7, 19, 8) connected to the cleaner body (2) and configured so that in use the floor cleaner (1) can move across a surface, and; a sensing means 16a, 16b configured to sense the position of the floor cleaner within a location and to transmit data relating to the position to a memory module (20) configured to map and record the position of the floor cleaner (1) during use.

Abstract: A home soda machine includes a cylinder of gas suitable for carbonation, an attachment mechanism to attach a bottle of water, a valve opening mechanism to open a gas release valve on the gas cylinder and introduce the gas to the bottle of water, a gas release sensor to sense at least events indicating the opening and closing of the gas release valve, and an indirect gas meter to at least determine an amount of the gas released from the cylinder based at least on a cumulative length of time the gas release valve was open as per data received from the gas release sensor.

Abstract: A home soda machine includes a cylinder of gas suitable for carbonation, an attachment mechanism to attach a bottle of water, a valve opening mechanism to open a gas release valve on the gas cylinder and introduce the gas to the bottle of water, a gas release sensor to sense at least events indicating the opening and closing of the gas release valve, and an indirect gas meter to at least determine an amount of the gas released from the cylinder based at least on a cumulative length of time the gas release valve was open as per data received from the gas release sensor.

Abstract: A method of avoiding collisions among a plurality of transmitters that communicate asynchronously in relation to each other with a single receiver. The transmission scheme utilizes a randomization process to minimize the probability of collision among transmitted signals from different non synchronized transmitters, thus achieving improved overall link quality for each transmitter and improved system performance. The method has applications to many types of communications systems including frequency hopping spread spectrum communications systems. Transmitters send data in a burst of data packets, each sent during a time slot within the burst. Each time slot is divided into two or more sub time slots. During each time slot, one of the sub time slots is randomly chosen and the data packet is transmitted during that particular sub time slot. The larger the number of sub time slots used results in lower probability of complete transmission loss.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of providing a visual and/or audible indication of a numerical quantity. The quantity may be derived from any source such as an analog or digital quantity. The invention has utility in any application wherein it is desirable to visually and/or audibly display the magnitude of a quantity. An example system is described which provides a visual and/or audible indication of the received signal strength (RSSI) in an RF receiver. A visual indicator such as an LED is flashed a number of times corresponding to the magnitude of an input signal. Alternatively, or in combination, an audible indicator such as a buzzer can be beeped a number of times corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal. A digitized quantity to be indicated can be calculated by or input to a microcontroller or other processor that is suitably programmed to convert the magnitude of the digitized quantity to a number representing the number of flashes or beeps.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method thereof for performing frequency hopping (FH) communication with another party over an available spectrum of frequencies. The spectrum is arranged into a plurality of segments, with each segment corresponding to a subset of the frequencies, preferably a contiguous subset of the frequencies. The FH communication apparatus includes a communication device for communicating with another party. The communication device receives data over a sequence of hopping frequencies from the other party, with each of the hopping frequencies being part of a used segment from the plurality of segments. A storage device stores an error value for each used segment. A processing unit identifies a reception error in the received data and an erred segment in which the reception error occurred. The processing unit modifies the error value associated with the erred segment accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method thereof for performing frequency hopping communication with another party over a subset of hopping frequencies from available frequencies. The spectrum is arranged into a plurality of segments, with each segment corresponding to a subset of the spectrum of frequencies, preferably a contiguous subset of the spectrum. The apparatus includes a communication device for communicating with another party. The communication device receives data over a used segment from a plurality of the segments and signal strength data indicating a current reception power level for the hopping frequency from the other party. A processing unit analyzes the received data to determine an occurrence or non-occurrence of an error over the used segment and notifies the other party to modify the current transmission power level for that used segment according to the occurrence or non-occurrence of an error, via said communication means.