Abstract: What is disclosed is a system and method for processing a video to extract a periodic signal which was captured by the video imaging device. One embodiment involves the following. First, a video of a subject in a scene is received. The video is acquired by a video imaging device. There is an underlying motion signal in the scene corresponding to cardiac or respiratory function. A time-series signal is generated for each pixel or for each group of pixels in a temporal direction across a plurality of image frames. Time-series signals of interest are selected. The selected time-series signals of interest are then processed to obtain a periodic signal corresponding to cardiac or respiratory function. The present method has a low computational complexity, is robust in the presence of noise, and finds its uses in applications requiring real-time motion quantification of a signal in a video.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a system and method for processing a video to extract a periodic signal which was captured by the video imaging device. One embodiment involves the following. First, a video of a subject in a scene is received. The video is acquired by a video imaging device. There is an underlying motion signal in the scene corresponding to cardiac or respiratory function. A time-series signal is generated for each pixel or for each group of pixels in a temporal direction across a plurality of image frames. Time-series signals of interest are selected. The selected time-series signals of interest are then processed to obtain a periodic signal corresponding to cardiac or respiratory function. The present method has a low computational complexity, is robust in the presence of noise, and finds its uses in applications requiring real-time motion quantification of a signal in a video.

Abstract: An improved incubator and control apparatus include separate temperature and humidity control loops wherein a commanded temperature and a commanded relative humidity (RH) value are commanded to the control apparatus via a user interface. The control apparatus employs a humidifier rate saturation controller which acts responsive to both a humidity control signal and a current temperature to regulate the addition of humidity to the air within the incubator assembly to avoid a transient humidity from exceeding a predetermined value and thereby avoiding the generation of condensation within the incubator.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a system and method for generating a respiration gating signal from a video of a subject for gating diagnostic imaging and therapeutic delivery applications which require respiration phase and/or respiration amplitude gating. One embodiment involves receiving a video of a subject and generating a plurality of time-series signals from the video image frames. A set of features are extracted from the time-series signals and multi-dimensional feature vectors are formed. The feature vectors are clustered. Time-series signals corresponding in each of the clusters are averaged in a temporal direction to obtain a representative signal for each cluster. One cluster is selected and a respiration gating signal is generated from that cluster's representative signal. Thereafter, the respiration gating signal is used to gate diagnostic imaging and therapeutic delivery applications which requires gating based on a threshold set with respect to either respiration phase or respiration amplitude.

Abstract: An improved bed apparatus (4) includes a bed (12) and a movable heater assembly (16). The bed (72) is movably disposed on a support (8), and the heater assembly (76) is movable to enable alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) to promote uniformity of irradiance on a patient situated on the bed (72). In an embodiment, the bed (72) and heater assembly (76) are movable together to maintain alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76). In another embodiment, the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) are independent, but one or more indicators (244, 254) are provided to enable manual alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76).

Abstract: An improved incubator (4) and control apparatus (16) include separate temperature and humidity control loops (36, 38) wherein a commanded temperature (44) and a commanded relative humidity (RH) value (46) are commanded to the control apparatus via a user interface (40). The humidity control loop (36) employs specific humidity (SH) in its control operations. The use of SH rather than RH decouples humidity from temperature and thus simplifies control of both.

Abstract: An improved incubator assembly includes a number of movable walls and a circulation system having a fluid guide apparatus adjacent each movable wall. The fluid guide apparatuses generate a first jet of air in a direction generally parallel with a wall in the closed position and a second jet of air in a direction oblique to the wall in the closed position. Whenever one of the movable walls is moved from its closed position to its open position, the jet of air that had been flowing parallel with such wall continues to flow and forms an air curtain.

Abstract: An infant warming assembly includes a heater assembly having a heater surface temperature sensor, a skin temperature sensor, and a user interface to input a commanded skin temperature value. The skin temperature sensor and the commanded skin temperature value are used in controlling a temperature component of a control loop. The heater surface temperature sensor is used in controlling a power component of the control loop that powers the heater based at least in part upon the heater surface temperature sensor and a control signal from the temperature component.

Abstract: An improved bed apparatus (4) includes a bed (12) and a movable heater assembly (16). The bed (72) is movably disposed on a support (8), and the heater assembly (76) is movable to enable alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) to promote uniformity of irradiance on a patient situated on the bed (72). In an embodiment, the bed (72) and heater assembly (76) are movable together to maintain alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76). In another embodiment, the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) are independent, but one or more indicators (244, 254) are provided to enable manual alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76).

Abstract: An improved incubator (4) and control apparatus (16) include separate temperature and humidity control loops (36, 38) wherein a commanded temperature (44) and a commanded relative humidity (RH) value (46) are commanded to the control apparatus via a user interface (40). The control apparatus employs a humidifier rate saturation controller (74) which acts responsive to both a humidity control signal (72) and a current temperature (52A) to regulate the addition of humidity to the air within the incubator assembly to avoid a transient humidity from exceeding a predetermined value and thereby avoiding the generation of condensation within the incubator.

Abstract: An infant warming assembly includes a heater assembly having a heater surface temperature sensor, a skin temperature sensor, and a user interface to input a commanded skin temperature value. The skin temperature sensor and the commanded skin temperature value are used in controlling a temperature component of a control loop. The heater surface temperature sensor is used in controlling a power component of the control loop that powers the heater based at least in part upon the heater surface temperature sensor and a control signal from the temperature component.

Abstract: An improved incubator (4) and control apparatus (16) include separate temperature and humidity control loops (36, 38) wherein a commanded temperature (44) and a commanded relative humidity (RH) value (46) are commanded to the control apparatus via a user interface (40). The humidity control loop (36) employs specific humidity (SH) in its control operations. The use of SH rather than RH decouples humidity from temperature and thus simplifies control of both.

Abstract: An improved incubator assembly includes a number of movable walls and a circulation system having a fluid guide apparatus adjacent each movable wall. The fluid guide apparatuses generate a first jet of air in a direction generally parallel with a wall in the closed position and a second jet of air in a direction oblique to the wall in the closed position. Whenever one of the movable walls is moved from its closed position to its open position, the jet of air that had been flowing parallel with such wall continues to flow and forms an air curtain.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting precursors to compressor stall and surge in which at least one compressor parameter is monitored to obtain raw data representative of said at least one compressor parameter. The raw data is pre-processed using a frequency demodulator to produce pre-processed data, and the pre-processed raw data is post-processed using a Kalman filter to obtain stall precursors.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting precursors to compressor stall and surge in which at least one compressor parameter is monitored to obtain raw data representative of said at least one compressor parameter. The raw data is pre-processed using a frequency demodulator to produce pre-processed data, and the pre-processed raw data is post-processed using a Kalman filter to obtain stall precursors.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the health of a compressor having at least one sensor operatively coupled to the compressor for monitoring at least one compressor parameter, a processor system embodying a stall precursor detection algorithm, the processor system operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the processor system computing stall precursors. A comparator is provided to compare the stall precursors with predetermined baseline data, and a controller operatively coupled to the comparator initiates corrective actions to prevent a compressor surge and stall if the stall precursors deviate from the baseline data, the baseline data representing predetermined level of compressor operability.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the health of a compressor having at least one sensor operatively coupled to the compressor for monitoring at least one compressor parameter, a processor system embodying a stall precursor detection algorithm, the processor system operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the processor system computing stall precursors. A comparator is provided to compare the stall precursors with predetermined baseline data, and a controller operatively coupled to the comparator initiates corrective actions to prevent a compressor surge and stall if the stall precursors deviate from the baseline data, the baseline data representing predetermined level of compressor operability.