FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates a system for disinfecting water from parasites, such as sea lice. Further, this disclosure relates to a method for controlling a radiation disinfection system and to computer program and computer readable storage media for executing such method.

BACKGROUND

Sea lice is a concerning challenge for fish farmers. For example, in salmon farms, sea lice lurking in the top layers of the tank/pond attach themselves to the fish when they surface to eat or breathe. Over time, the lice feed themselves on the tissue/blood/nutrients of the fish, making that the salmon that are infected cannot be sold anymore due to the lesions caused by the sea lice. Furthermore, in some countries (like Norway), it is required to discard the whole production if the number of fishes affected exceeds certain thresholds.

NO344590B1 discloses an apparatus for trapping parasites which apparatus is arranged to be anchored in the sea within the fish farm. The apparatus comprises a light source for luring parasites into the apparatus where the sea lice are trapped in a container, in particular in a bottom part of the container. The bottom part of the container for example contains super-salted water that kills the sea lice. A disadvantage of the apparatus disclosed in NO344590B1 is that the dead sea lice should be periodically removed, e.g. by raising the container to the surface or by suction. Both methods are cumbersome. Another disadvantage is that the luring light might fail to lure sea lice that are relatively far removed from the apparatus. Further, the luring light may negatively affect fish. Hence, there is room in the art for an improved system for disinfecting water from parasites such as sea lice in order to prevent such parasites from attaching to fish.

WO 2018/212665 Al discloses apparatus for rendering an external parasite on a fish harmless, the apparatus comprising a submersible hull provided with an energy system, a propulsion system and a navigation system, the apparatus further comprising means of identifying aquatic organisms, a control system arranged to move the apparatus to a vicinity of the fish or the parasite, and a tool arranged to render the parasite harmless.

US 2021/032123 Al discloses a cleaning device for ponds for interaction with at least one pond filter for removal of solids from the pond has a sediment swirling device with a pump which sucks in a swirling medium and discharges the latter through at least one ejector channel in the area of sedimented solids. The cleaning device is self-floating and is provided with a motion drive and a location determination device for the purpose of directional control.

SUMMARY

To that end, a system for disinfecting water from parasites, such as sea lice, is disclosed. The system comprises a vehicle that is floatable on water and/or submersible in water. The vehicle comprises:

-a fluid inlet configured to receive to-be-disinfected water, and

-a fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected water from said vehicle, and -a fluid path that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, and -a radiation disinfection system that is configured to provide disinfection radiation, such as UV radiation, to water flowing through the fluid path from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path from parasites. Further, the system comprises a propulsion system that is configured to move said vehicle through water.

For the purpose of this disclosure a “parasite” is defined as any organism that decreases the fitness of its host by infecting it and/or by living in and/or on the host. This definition includes both micro-parasites (e.g., viruses and bacteria) and macro-parasites (e.g., worms, sea lice). The term “disinfection” is defined as the process of destroying, inactivating, or significantly reducing the concentration of pathogenic agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Although not all parasitic organisms are pathogens and cause diseases in their host organism, for the purpose of this disclosure the term disinfection is extended to destroying, inactivating, or significantly reducing the concentration of parasites, such as sea lice in water hosting salmon.

Advantageously, the disclosed system is not anchored and can move through the water, preferably autonomously or semi-autonomously. The ability of the vehicle to move through the water enables to clean different regions with the vehicle in for example a fish sea cage or fish tank. Further, the movement of the vehicle through the water creates a water flow through the (open) fluid path. The water flowing in the fluid path then receives disinfection radiation that disinfects the water from parasites. The disinfection radiation is for example configured to kill or deactivate the parasites that are present in the water flowing through the fluid path. Hence, the water that is discharged at the fluid outlet is disinfected from parasites, in the sense that it does not contain living parasites, or at least in the sense that the water being discharged from the fluid outlet contains fewer living parasites than the water that is received at the fluid inlet. Advantageously, no dead or living parasites accumulate within the vehicle and the system requires relatively little maintenance and little infrastructure.

Further, the system does not alter the water volume itself and obviates the need for a filtering circulation system which pumps water out of fish pond or fish tank, filter or clean the water and recharge the cleaned water back in the fish pond or fish tank..

Also, the disclosed system for disinfecting water from parasites does not affect the wellbeing or growth of fish by not requiring pesticides, antibiotics, or dedicated feed formulas.

Preferably, a (virtual) line from the fluid outlet to the fluid inlet is substantially parallel to a preferential direction of movement of said vehicle. The preferential direction may be defined by the propulsion system and/or shape of the vehicle. As used herein, two lines being substantially parallel may be understood as that an angle between these lines is less than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees, more preferably less than 15 degrees.

The fluid path may be substantially straight, however, the fluid path may also comprise one or more turns. In the latter case, the fluid path can be made relatively long given a certain size of the vehicle. Such long path may be advantageous in that the water flowing through the fluid path, given a certain flow rate of the water in the fluid path, can be exposed for a longer time to disinfection radiation. This allows to use disinfection radiation sources, such as UV radiation sources, of a lower maximum radiant power.

The substantial parallel fluid path (substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the vehicle) and the substantially straight fluid path within the vehicle advantageously reduces the flow resistance for the water (naturally) flowing through the fluid path.

It should be appreciated that the propulsion system may be at least partially embodied outside of the vehicle. To illustrate, the vehicle may be attached to a leash that is moved by some device external to the vehicle in order to move the vehicle through the water. Any radiation referred to in this disclosure may be understood to be electromagnetic radiation unless stated otherwise or unless it is clear from the context that another kind of radiation is meant.

In an embodiment, the propulsion system is embodied in and/or on said vehicle. This embodiment advantageously allows the vehicle to move freely through the water without being attached to external devices.

The propulsion system preferably comprises a steering system that is configured to steer the vehicle as it moves through the water.

The propulsion system may comprise one or more propellers. Additionally or alternatively, the propulsion system is configured for sucking water into the fluid path via the fluid inlet, e.g. similar as to how propulsion systems for jet skis function. Additionally or alternatively, the propulsion system comprises one or more water turbines.

Preferably, moving parts, if present, of the propulsion system are shielded so that the moving parts cannot harm aquatic animals such as salmon hosted in the water. Further, preferably, moving parts, if present, of the propulsion system do not disturb the disinfection function of the radiation disinfection system, e.g., by creating shadows in the UV irradiation pattern.

Preferably, the vehicle comprises one or more batteries for powering the propulsion system.

In an embodiment, the disinfection radiation is ultraviolet radiation, such as UV-C radiation and/or UV-B radiation.

The disinfection radiation may be configured to disinfect water from parasites in that it is configured to destroy the parasites themselves or parts thereof, such as their DNA, and/or their larvae and/or sterilize their eggs. In an embodiment, the disinfection radiation is ultraviolet radiation, such as UV-C radiation, that comprises sufficient radiant power to disinfect water from parasites. Ultraviolet radiation may be understood to refer to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength between 100 and 400 nanometers, approximately, and UV-C radiation may be understood to refer to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength between 100 and 280 nanometers.

The disinfection radiation may have a wavelength between 100 and 300 nanometers, preferably between 200 and 300 nanometers.

The disinfection radiation may additionally or alternatively be infrared radiation, also referred to as heat radiation. In such case, the radiation disinfection system preferably comprises infrared source that are configured to generate infrared radiation. The system for disinfecting water from parasites may comprise, in addition to the disinfection radiation system or instead of the disinfection radiation system, a disinfection sound system. Such disinfection sound system would be configured to provide disinfection sound to water flowing through the fluid path to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path. The disinfection sound is suitable for destroying, inactivating, or significantly reducing the concentration of pathogenic agents such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. In an example, the disinfection sound is ultrasound. In such case, the disinfection sound system preferably comprises ultrasound loudspeakers.

In an embodiment, the fluid path and/or the disinfection radiation system is and/or are configured such that at any location outside of the vehicle an irradiance as generated by the disinfection radiation system is less than 10 W/m ² , preferably less than 1 W/m ² , more preferably less than 0.1 W/m ² . This embodiment is advantageous in that the disinfection radiation as generated by the disinfection radiation system substantially does not propagate outside of the vehicle and therefore cannot harm any fish. Some disinfection radiation may be harmful for fish, if the fish receive it at high irradiance values.

Preferably, the fluid path is arranged internally in the vehicle and/or is formed as an internal chamber in the vehicle. This would already prevent, at least to some extent, disinfection radiation from exiting the fluid path into the surroundings as the fluid path will be, at least to some extent, shielded from the surrounding water by the housing of the vehicle. The fluid path being formed as an internal chamber in the vehicle is an example of the fluid path being configured such that at any location outside of the vehicle the irradiance of disinfection radiation as generated by the disinfection radiation is less than some value.

Preferably, the disinfection radiation system comprises one or more radiation sources that are positioned inside the fluid path or optically coupled with the fluid path such that the disinfection radiation system can subject the water inside the fluid path to the disinfection radiation. In an embodiment, such one or more radiation sources are positioned in the fluid path at least some distance away from the fluid inlet and at least some distance away from the fluid outlet.

A radiation source as referred to herein is for example an LED or a laser.

In an embodiment, the fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet are configured such that reared fish in the water surrounding the vehicle cannot enter into the fluid path via the fluid inlet and/or via the fluid outlet. This prevents reared fish such as parr, smolt or adult salmon or similar size fish from entering into the fluid path and receiving a dose of disinfection radiation. In this embodiment, the fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet for example comprise a mesh having openings that are small enough to prevent reared fish from passing through. Additionally or alternative the dimensions of the fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet, e.g., cross-section area, diameter or shape, may be selected to prevent reared fish from entering the fluid path.

Of course, the parasites should be able to enter the fluid path as they are to receive a dose of disinfection radiation.

In an embodiment, the system further comprises a disinfection control system that is configured to control the radiation disinfection system and/or a propulsion control system that is configured to control the propulsion system.

The disinfection control system is for example configured to control a radiant power of the disinfection radiation as provided by the disinfection radiation system. The disinfection radiation system may comprise a plurality of radiation sources, such as lamps, and the disinfection control system may be configured to individually control each radiation source, e.g., configured to individually control a radiant power of disinfection radiation as emitted by each radiation source. The disinfection control system may also be configured to control a spectral power distribution of the disinfection radiation. The disinfection radiation system may for example comprise different types or radiation sources providing different radiation spectra in different radiation wavelength ranges. The disinfection control system may then be configured to individually control the radiation power of the different radiation sources, including switching some radiation sources off and other radiation sources on, to provide the controllable spectral power distribution of the disinfection radiation. If individual radiation sources are spectral tunable themselves, then the disinfection control system may be configured to control the spectral power distribution of each radiation source individually.

In an embodiment, the system further comprises a parasite detection system for detecting parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path. The parasite detection system is configured to output one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in the water flowing through the fluid path. Optionally, the parasite detection system may be configured to output one or more signals indicative or representative of a concentration of parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path. The disinfection control system is configured to control the radiation disinfection system based on said one or more signals output by the parasite detection system.

This embodiment enables resource efficient operation of the system. To illustrate, in this embodiment, if the water in the fluid path does not contain any parasites, then the radiation disinfection system may be kept in an off-state in the sense that it does not generate disinfection radiation. Hence, no energy is wasted for the generation of disinfection radiation. On the other hand, if the parasite detection system does detect parasites in the water in the fluid path, then the disinfection radiation system may be switched on in the sense that it will start to provide disinfection radiation to the water in the fluid path. Optionally, if the parasite detection system detects a concentration of parasites in the water in the fluid path, then the disinfection radiation system may be controlled to adapt a radiant power provided by the radiation source of the disinfection radiation system based on the detected concentration. Alternatively, a radiation power may be selected based on the detection concentration of parasites in the water through the fluid path being within a range of concentrations.

It should be appreciated that the parasite detection system may be embodied as a system that is configured to detect parasites in water that will likely flow through the fluid path, for example water that is in a region outside of the vehicle yet near the fluid inlet. As such, such system may be understood to be configured to detect parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path.

The parasite detection system may comprise one or more cameras for capturing images of water, e.g., the water in the fluid path and/or the water in a region outside of the vehicle yet near the fluid inlet. The parasite detection system may then comprise a data processing system that is configured to detect parasites based on the captured images, e.g., using appropriate image analysis techniques.

The parasite detection system may be configured to determine one or more types of parasites among the detected parasites and/or a growth stage of detected parasites and/or a percentage of killed/deactivated parasites versus living parasites. All these may be realized using appropriate image analysis techniques. The disinfection control system may be configured to control the radiation disinfection system based on the determined type and/or determined growth stage.

Preferably, the control system is configured to control a radiant power of the disinfection radiation as provided by the radiation disinfection system.

The control system may be configured to perform steps of

-receiving said one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in the water flowing through the fluid path, and

-based on said one or more signals, increasing a radiant power of the disinfection radiation as provided by the radiation disinfection system, e.g., from a zero radiant power (off-state) to a non-zero radiant power (on-state). As mentioned above, in an embodiment, the one or more signals indicate an number of parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path. In such case, the control system may be configured to determine an appropriate radiant power for the disinfection radiation and control the radiation disinfection system to provide disinfection radiation having said appropriate radiant power.

In an embodiment in which the one or more signals indicate an number of parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path, the control system may be configured to determine that the indicated amount is higher than a threshold amount and to, based on this determination, increase the radiant power of the disinfection radiation as provided by the radiation disinfection system, e.g. increase from zero radiant power to a non-zero radiant power.

In an embodiment, the system comprises a second parasite detection system for detecting parasites in a region outside of said vehicle. The second parasite detection system is configured to output one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in said region. In this embodiment, the propulsion control system may be configured to control the propulsion system such that the vehicle moves to said region. In particular, the propulsion control system may be configured to control a steering system of the propulsion system to move the vehicle to said region. In particular, the control system may be configured to control the propulsion system to move the fluid inlet of the vehicle to said region, which may include rotating the vehicle to align the fluid inlet in the direction of said region and moving the vehicle towards said region.

This embodiment enables to disinfect water highly efficiently because it enables to target those regions in the water where many parasites, such as sea lice, are present. The sea lice may, depending on circumstances such as temperature, water currents, lighting conditions, have a preferred region to stay.

In an embodiment, the system comprises a positioning system that is configured to monitor a position of the vehicle and configured to output one or more signals indicative of the position of the vehicle. In such embodiment, the propulsion control system may be configured to control the propulsion system based on the one or more signals as output by the positioning system.

This embodiment enables managing the operation of the vehicle to ensure that the vehicle visits every region in a to-be-disinfected volume of water, and enables to prevent, for example, that the vehicle will - by coincidence - visit only some regions of the to-be- disinfected volume of water. Thus, the control system may be configured to control the propulsion system, based on the one or more signals as output by the positioning system, such that the vehicle visits one or more specific regions in a volume of to-be-disinfected water.

In particular, the control system may be configured to control a steering system of the propulsion system.

The positioning system may comprise a global position system (GPS) receiver that is present on and/or in the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the system comprises a proximity sensor system that is configured to detect a physical object close to the vehicle and configured to output one or more signals indicating that the vehicle is close to or hitting a physical object. In such embodiment, the propulsion control system may be configured to control the propulsion system, e.g., a steering system of the propulsion system, to move the vehicle away from the physical object based on the one or more signals output by the proximity sensor system.

This embodiment may prevent that the vehicle hits a physical object and/or may prevent that the vehicle will get stuck against a physical object.

The proximity sensor system may comprise one or more ultrasound source for generating ultrasound for detecting the physical objects and/or a laser based system such as a LIDAR system for detecting the physical object. Additionally or alternatively, the proximity sensor system comprises one or more mechanical sensors, such as one or more push sensors, that are configured to detect a physical object once the vehicle hits the physical object. The collision between the vehicle and the physical object for example triggers the push sensors.

The physical object may be a fence of a fish sea cage or a wall of a fish tank, for example. Additionally or alternatively, the physical object may be a luminaire system that is present in the fish pond /fish tank. Such luminaire systems are typically used to emit grow light for influencing the physiological development of fish.

In an embodiment, the vehicle comprises a submerging system that is configured to controllably submerge the vehicle to a desired depth in the water. The system may further comprise a submerging control system that is configured to control the submerging system.

The submerging system may function based on buoyancy principles similar to those used in submarines or in scuba diving accessories.

It should be appreciated that the different control systems described herein may be embodied in a single control system, e.g., in one data processing system. However, they may also be embodied as separate control systems. In an embodiment, the vehicle comprises a water suction system that is configured to suck the to-be-disinfected water into the fluid path via the fluid inlet. The system may also comprise a water suction control system that is configured to control the water suction system.

It should be appreciated that the propulsion system and the water suction system may be the same system, because sucking water into the fluid path may cause movement of the vehicle through the water. Of course, the propulsion system and the water suction system may be separate systems and operatively coupled to improve water flow through the vehicle or the propulsion system and the water suction system may be independently controller separate systems.

The water suction system may comprise an impeller and/or pump for sucking water from the surroundings of the vehicle into the fluid inlet.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a disinfection control system for a system for disinfecting water from parasites wherein the system for disinfection water from parasites comprises a vehicle that is floatable on water and/or submersible in water, the vehicle further comprising a fluid inlet configured to receive to-be-disinfected water, a fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected water from said vehicle, a fluid path that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, and a radiation disinfection system that is configured to provide disinfection radiation to water flowing through the fluid path from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path from parasites, and a parasite detection system for detecting parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path, wherein the parasite detection system is configured to output one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in the water flowing through the fluid path; wherein the disinfection control system is configured to control the radiation disinfection system based on said one or more signals output by the parasite detection system.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a method of disinfecting water from parasites, the method comprising: providing a vehicle that is floatable on water and/or submersible in water, the vehicle comprising a fluid inlet configured to receive to-be-disinfected water, a fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected water from said vehicle, a fluid path that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet; moving said vehicle through the water; and providing disinfection radiation to water flowing through the fluid path from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path from parasites.

It is to be understood that the function of each of the features of the system for disinfecting water from parasites, disclosed herein, may have a corresponding operation step in a corresponding method of disinfecting water from parasites.

Further disclosed herein is a method for controlling a radiation disinfection system of a system for disinfecting water from parasites. The radiation disinfection system is configured to provide disinfection radiation, such as UV radiation, to water flowing through a fluid path from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet, to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path from parasites. The system optionally comprises a propulsion system for moving the vehicle through water. The method comprises receiving one or more signals from a parasite detection system of the system for disinfecting water from parasites, the parasite detection system being configured to detect parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path, the system comprising a vehicle that is floatable on water and/or submersible in water, the vehicle comprising the fluid inlet configured to receive to-be-disinfected water and the fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected water from said vehicle and the fluid path that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, the one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in water flowing through the fluid path, and the method comprises based on the received one or more signals, controlling the radiation disinfection system, for example comprising controlling one or more radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system, e.g. controlling a radiant power and/or spectrum of the radiation emitted by each radiation source.

Also disclosed is a method for controlling a propulsion system of a system for disinfecting water from parasites. The system comprises a radiation disinfection system that is configured to provide disinfection radiation, such as UV radiation, to water flowing through a fluid path from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet, to disinfect the water flowing through the fluid path from parasites. The propulsion system is configured to move the vehicle through the water. The method comprises receiving one or more signals from a second parasite detection system of the system for detecting parasites in a region outside of said vehicle, the system comprising a vehicle that is floatable on water and/or submersible in water, the vehicle comprising the fluid inlet configured to receive to-be-disinfected water and the fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected water from said vehicle and the fluid path that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, wherein the one or more signals indicate that parasites are present in said region, and the method comprises based on the received one or more signals, controlling the propulsion system such that the vehicle moves to said region.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving one or more signals from a parasite detection system of the system for disinfecting water from parasites, the parasite detection system being configured to detect parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path and provide the one or more signals indicative of a number of parasites present in the water flowing through the fluid path; and, based on the received one or more signals from the parasite detection system, controlling the disinfection radiation of the radiation disinfection system.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a controller of the system for disinfecting water from parasites, cause the controller to carry out any of the methods described herein.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer-readable medium having stored thereon any of the computer programs disclosed herein.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer implemented method comprising an of the steps disclosed herein that are performed by any of the data processing systems or control systems described herein.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer comprising a

-a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, and

-a processor, preferably a microprocessor, coupled to the computer readable storage medium, wherein responsive to executing the computer readable program code, the processor is configured to perform any of the method steps disclosed herein that are performed by any of the data processing systems or control systems described herein.

A distinct aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer program or suite of computer programs comprising at least one software code portion or a computer program product storing at least one software code portion, the software code portion, when run on a computer system, being configured for executing any of the method steps disclosed herein that are performed by any of the data processing systems or control systems described herein.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing at least one software code portion, the software code portion, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform any of the method steps disclosed herein that are performed by any of the data processing systems or control systems described herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, a method or a computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "circuit," "module" or "system." Functions described in this disclosure may be implemented as an algorithm executed by a processor/microprocessor of a computer. Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied, e.g., stored, thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store, a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java (TM), Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

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

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

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

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Moreover, a computer program for carrying out the methods described herein, as well as a non-transitory computer readable storage-medium storing the computer program are provided. A computer program may, for example, be downloaded (updated) to the existing control systems (e.g., to the existing disinfection control system and/or propulsion control system) or be stored upon manufacturing of these systems.

Elements and aspects discussed for or in relation with a particular embodiment may be suitably combined with elements and aspects of other embodiments, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Embodiments of the present invention will be further illustrated with reference to the attached drawings, which schematically will show embodiments according to the invention. It will be understood that the present invention is not in any way restricted to these specific embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 A and FIG. IB illustrate a fish enclosure in which the systems and methods disclosed herein can be advantageous, and FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C illustrates embodiments having different fluid paths, and

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the vehicle according to an embodiment, and

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment wherein the vehicle comprises multiple fluid paths, and

FIG 5A illustrates an embodiment having a radiation disinfection control system and a propulsion control system, and

FIG. 5B illustrates an embodiment having two types of parasite detection systems, and

FIG. 5C illustrates an embodiment having a positioning system, and

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment having a proximity sensor system, and

FIG. 7 illustrates a data processing system according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the figures, identical reference numbers indicate identical or similar elements.

Figure 1 A illustrates an environment in which the systems and methods disclosed herein can be advantageous. Figure 1 A schematically depicts a fish farm in which fish 8 are grown until they are in a condition to be harvested and sold for consumption. The fish may in principle be of any kind. The systems and methods disclosed herein are advantageous for any species that may be affected by parasites in the water, such as sea lice.

The to be protected fish may be salmon, such as Salmo salar (also referred to as Atlantic salmon), Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (also referred to as Chinook salmon), Oncorhynchus keta (also referred to as Chum salmon), Oncorhynchus kisutch (also referred to as Coho salmon), Oncorhynchus masou (also referred to as Masu salmon), Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (also referred to as Pink salmon), Oncorhynchus nerka (also referred to as Sockeye salmon).

Additionally or alternatively, the fish may be tilapia fish, for example from the Coptodonini and/or Oreochromini tribes. Additionally or alternatively, the fish may be trouts. Herein, trout is used as the common name for a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus, all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. Additionally or alternatively, the fish may be carp fish. Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae. Additionally or alternatively, the fish may be cod fish. As user herein, cod may refer to the demersal fish genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae.

The parasites may be sea lice from the family Caligidae (scientific classification), especially from the Lepeophtheirus or Caligus genera. In a particular example, the fish are salmon and the parasites are Lepeophtheirus salmonis (also referred to as salmon lice).

In fish farms, the fish are typically kept in fish enclosures 4, such as tanks, sea cages or fish tanks. Reference numeral 6 indicates a boundary between such fish enclosure and the external environment. Boundary 6 may be formed by suspended and/or submerged nets and/or cages and/or simply by walls, e.g., in the case of on-shore fish tanks.

Figure 1 A illustrates also depicts a system 2 for disinfecting the water in the fish enclosure from parasites, such as sea lice. Although system 2 is depicted in figure 2 as a floating vehicle on the water, it should be appreciated that parts of the system 2, e.g., controllers, can be present outside of the vehicle, even outside of the fish enclosure. To illustrate, any of the propulsion control systems and/or disinfection radiation control system may be embodied as a remote device that can control the propulsion system and/or disinfection system via wireless signals, for example. As another example, the second parasite detection system for detecting parasites in a region outside of said vehicle may for example comprises multiple cameras that are stationary positioned above the fish enclosure and record images of the water inside the fish enclosure. In embodiments, the propulsion control systems, disinfection radiation control system and/or parasite detection system could be omitted in which case the system 2 could operate in a default mode, e.g., in a free-floating on-state, without radiation power/spectrum control and parasite dependent radiation control.

Figure 1 A illustrates that the vehicle can float on the water. Additionally or alternatively, vehicle 2 can submerge in the water, e.g. in the sense that it can travel through the water while it is entirely below the water surface 10, as schematically illustrated by figure IB. If this is the case, then preferably, the vehicle comprises a submerging system that is configured to controllably submerge the vehicle to a depth in the water. Any suitable submerging system known in the art can be used for this purpose. Typically, such submerging system comprises ballast tanks that can be filled with water in order to submerge the vehicle and with air in order to surface the vehicle.

Figure 2A illustrates a system according to an embodiment for disinfecting water from parasites. Figure 2A shows a cross section of a vehicle of system 2 along line B-B as indicated in figure 3. The floatable and/or submersible vehicle 16 comprises a fluid inlet 18 configured to receive to-be-disinfected water and a fluid outlet 20 configured to discharge disinfected water from the vehicle. The fluid path 12 fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet. Further, the vehicle comprises a radiation disinfection system, indicated by reference numerals 15a, 15b, 15c, for providing disinfection radiation, such as UV radiation to the water flowing through the fluid path 12 from inlet 18 to outlet 20. In the depicted embodiment, the radiation disinfection system comprises radiation sources 15a, 15b, 15c that are positioned inside the fluid path 12. Alternatively or additionally, the radiation sources may be positioned outside the fluid path 12 and radiating towards the fluid path for disinfecting the water flowing inside the fluid path. These radiation sources 15 may be UV lamps, for example, in which case the disinfection radiation comprises UV light. Additionally or alternatively, the radiation sources may be LEDs or lasers, for example. The provided disinfection radiation disinfects the water flowing through the fluid path.

The system 2 further comprises a propulsion system indicated by reference numbers 14a and 14b that is configured to move the vehicle 16 through the water. In the embodiment of figure 2A, the propulsion system is embodiment in and/or on the vehicle. In the depicted embodiment, 14a may indicate a first propeller and 14b may indicate a second propeller. These propellers may be located at different positions with respect to for example a hull of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be steered in a desired direction. Alternatively or additionally, the propellers may be moveable or tiltable with respect to for example the hull of the vehicle so that the direction of propulsion from the propellers can be used to steer the vehicle in different directions.

Such system as depicted in figure 2A is highly advantageous, because the vehicle can travel to regions where parasites are present. Further, with the movement of the vehicle, water will automatically flow through the fluid path as a result of which the water is disinfected from parasites. The system, in particular the vehicle 2, does not need to store captured or dead parasites in some ‘waste’ chamber of the vehicle 2 because the water including the dead or deactivated parasites is discharged again from the vehicle through outlet 20.

The vehicle 16 may comprise a water suction system (not shown) that is configured to suck the to-be-disinfected water into the fluid path via the fluid inlet. In such case, the water suction system may also cause movement of the vehicle and may for example replace the propellers 14a and 14b shown in figure 2 A.

Preferably, the fluid path and/or the disinfection radiation system is and/or are configured such that at any point or location outside of the vehicle an irradiance of disinfection radiation at said point or location, as generated by the disinfection radiation system, is less than 10 W/m2, preferably less than 1 W/m2, more preferably less than 0.1 W/m2. This can be achieved by suitable control of the radiation disinfection system, e.g., by suitable control of the radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system, and/or by designing the fluid path such that the disinfection radiation does not substantially leave the vehicle. The latter is illustrated in figure 2B. Herein the fluid path 12 meanders through the vehicle 2 and the radiation sources 15 are positioned only in the mid-section of the fluid path.

Figure 2B illustrates yet another embodiment wherein the fluid path 12 is relatively long due to the fact that it makes a complete turn in the vehicle 16. Such a long path is advantageous in that the radiation sources need not emit a high radiant power of disinfection radiation for the parasites in the water to receive a high enough dose of disinfection radiation while they travel through the fluid path 12. If the fluid path 12 is shorter, then in principle the provided disinfection radiation should have a relatively high radiant power to radiate the parasite with a same dose of disinfection radiation.

In any case, if the disinfection radiation system comprises multiple radiation sources, wherein each radiation source is configured to emit the disinfection radiation, then it should be appreciated that each radiation source may emit a different radiant power and/or different radiation spectrum. Preferably, each radiation source is separately controllable. Preferably, each radiation source can be controlled in the sense that the radiant power of the disinfection radiation that the radiation source in question emits, can be controlled and/or in the sense that the spectrum, e.g. the (dominant) wavelength of the disinfection radiation that the radiation source in question emits, can be controlled.

The provided disinfection radiation may have a varying spectrum and/or radiant power along the fluid path 12. For example, it may very well be that the provided disinfection radiation near the fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet has a relatively low radiant power, whereas the provided disinfection radiation in the fluid path at positions away from the inlet and/or outlet may have a relatively high radiant power. Additionally or alternatively, the provided disinfection radiation may have a relatively high radiant power at positions along the fluid path 12 where the fluid 12 makes a turn or is in between turns, whereas the provided disinfection radiation may have a relatively low radiant power at positions along the fluid path where the fluid path is straight from the fluid inlet or to the fluid outlet.

The respective embodiments of figures 2B and 2C also comprise a proximity sensor 22 that is configured to detect a physical object close to the vehicle. Such proximity sensor will be described in more detail with reference to figure 6. Figure 3 (top and bottom) shows a cross section of the embodiment of figure 2A along the line A-A indicated in figure 2A. The radiation sources 15 of the disinfection radiation system are depicted to emit disinfection radiation 24.

The lower part of figure 3 illustrates that due to the vehicle 16 moving through the water, fluid flows into the fluid inlet 18 through the fluid path 12 to the fluid outlet 20.

Preferably, the fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet is and/or are configured such that reared fish in the environment, such as parr, smolt or adult salmon cannot enter into the fluid path via the fluid inlet and/or via the fluid outlet. This prevents that fish enter into the fluid path and receive disinfection radiation which may be harmful to them.

Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment wherein the vehicle 16 comprises multiple fluid paths 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, wherein each fluid path comprises a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. Of course, two or more fluid paths may also share a fluid inlet and/or fluid outlet. A fluid path may namely branch off from another fluid path somewhere inside the vehicle.

Figure 5A illustrates an embodiment wherein the system 2 comprises a disinfection control system that is configured to control the radiation disinfection system and/or a propulsion control system that is configured to control the propulsion system. In particular, figure 5 A illustrates that these two control systems are embodied as a single data processing system 100. The solid lines from the data processing system 100 to the radiation sources of the disinfection radiation system and to the propellers of the propulsion system indicate connections, e.g., wired connection or wireless connections, via which the data processing system can send control signals to the radiation sources and the propellers respectively.

It should be appreciated that the disinfection control system and propulsion control system may be embodied as separate control systems as well.

Any one or more, e.g., all, of the control systems described herein may be embodied in and/or on and/or outside of the vehicle, e.g., remote from the vehicle. Further, it should be appreciated that the data processing system 100 may be a distributed system in that some elements of the data processing system are remote from other elements of the data processing system and some elements may be on board the vehicle and other elements are off board.

Figure 5B illustrates an embodiment that comprises a parasite detection system 28 for detecting parasites in the water flowing through the fluid path. To this end, the parasite detection system can measure parasites in water that is already present in the fluid path. Additionally or alternatively, the parasite detection system may measure parasites in water that is about to enter into the fluid path. In any case, the parasite detection system 28 is configured to output one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in the water flowing through or entering the fluid path 12. The disinfection control system 100 is configured to control the radiation disinfection system based on said one or more signals output by the parasite detection system.

Based on the signals from the parasite detection system 28, the disinfection control system 100 can control for example the radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system, for example by controlling a radiant power and/or radiation spectrum of the radiation emitted by each radiation source. This is advantageous in that it allows to only turn on the radiation disinfection system if it is useful, i.e., if indeed parasites are present in the water flowing through the fluid path.

The parasite detection system 28 and/or the disinfection control system 100 may be configured to determine a radiant power for radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system. In particular, the parasite detection system 28 and/or the disinfection control system 100 may be configured to determine the type and/or size and/or age of detected parasites and determine a radiant power and/or radiation spectrum for the radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system based on the determined type and/or size and/or age of the detected parasites.

For efficient performance of the system, in a potential determination of the radiant power and/or radiation spectrum that is to be emitted by radiation sources of the radiation disinfection system, the following is taken into account:

• Sensitivity/physiological impact of the radiation spectrum on the desired target species of parasites;

• Radiation absorption by the water within the fluid paths, optionally at different turbidity levels, if known;

• Time budget for illumination (i.e., min. and max. duration that the parasites reside in the fluid path or irradiated part thereof);

• Energy consumption of the radiation source compared to the maximum available power for the vehicle as a whole. For example, UV-C could be used to provide an intense termination effect to sea lice, killing it in < 5 seconds with 2W of radiant power. However, using UV-A could kill sea lice in < 25 seconds with only 1.5W of radiant power and a lower absorption in polluted water.

Additionally, the radiation settings do not need to be consistent throughout the full fluid path. For example, the radiant power could be lowered towards the exit of the fluid path, as it is expected that most of the damage to the lice will have occurred by then. Alternatively, the radiant power can be chosen to be lower on both entrance and exit where fish could swim by too close, and higher at the middle part of the fluid path where it is the least likely to the radiation will affect fish. When detecting large lice, the radiant power will automatically go to a higher level. For small lice, a lower radiant power would be sufficient.

In an embodiment, the vehicle comprises a turbidity sensor (not shown) that is configured to measure the turbidity of the water in the fluid path. Note that the turbidity sensor may also be configured to measure the turbidity of water outside the vehicle or the turbidity of the water that is about to flow into the fluid inlet. In any case, in such embodiment, the turbidity sensor is configured to output one or more signals indicating a degree of turbidity of the water in the fluid path. Then, the disinfection control system may be configured to control the radiation disinfection system based on the one or more signals output by the turbidity sensor. This is advantageous in that it allows to increase the radiant power of the disinfection radiation when the water is very turbid for example.

The embodiment of figure 5B also comprises a second parasite detection system 30. The second parasite detection system 30 is for detecting parasites in a region outside of the vehicle 16, e.g., in the water surrounding the vehicle such as the sea cage or fish tank where the vehicle is operating in. The second parasite detection system 30 is configured to output one or more signals indicating that parasites are present in said region. The propulsion control system 100 is configured to control the propulsion system such that the vehicle is controlled to move to said region.

This is advantageous in that it allows the vehicle to move to regions where a relatively large number of parasites, such as sea lice, are present in the water. The effectiveness of the system to disinfect water from parasites is relatively high in such regions. It should be appreciated that system 28 and system 30 do not necessarily need to be implemented together. The systems 28 and 30 may be implemented independently from each other.

Figure 5C illustrates an embodiment wherein the system 2 comprises a positioning system 32 that is configured to monitor a position of the vehicle and configured to output one or more signals indicative of the position of the vehicle. In such embodiment, the propulsion control system 100 is configured to control the propulsion system 14 based on the one or more signals as output by the positioning system 32. The positioning system 32 for example comprises a GPS receiver. The positioning system may also be embodied as a camera system and associated video processing system that keeps track where the vehicle is in the water or its environment.

The positioning system is advantageous in that it allows to control the vehicle such that it visits predefined regions in a fish enclosure, e.g., visit all regions of a fish enclosure during a predefined time period, such as a day. The vehicle may be assigned a specific region that it has to visit at least once during some predefined time period, such as a day, week, etc.

The system 2 may comprises a plurality of vehicles as described herein. In such case, if the system comprises a positioning system that is configured to monitor the position of each vehicle, then the different vehicles may be assigned different, preferably non-overlapping regions in which they are to disinfect water. In case of two vehicles for example, each vehicle may be made responsible for cleaning one half of the volume inside the fish enclosure. For example, one vehicle may be a floating vehicle disinfection the surface area of the water covering a shallow depth below the surface of the water, and one or more other vehicles may be a submerged vehicles disinfecting regions below the area disinfected by the floating vehicle, e.g., covering up to a depth of 10 meters.

The data processing system 100 may comprise a (remote) display on which a dashboard can be presented, so that fish farmers see the effectiveness of the system in terms of disinfecting the water from parasites, e.g., by means of a water quality parameter. Data could also be combined with external datasets, (e.g., data on fish infected by sea lice, water temp, feeding scheme).

In an embodiment, the vehicle comprises means for detecting how many parasites have been killed by the radiation disinfection system of the vehicle. The amount of killed or deactivated parasites in the water can then for example be presented on a dashboard as described above.

Figure 6 illustrates the function of the proximity sensor 22, if present in and/or on the vehicle. The proximity sensor 22 is configured to detect a physical object close to the vehicle 16 and configured to output one or more signals indicating that the vehicle is close to a physical object and/or hits the physical object. The propulsion control system 100 is configured to control the propulsion system 14 to move the vehicle 16 away from the physical object 6 based on the one or more signals output by the proximity sensor 22.

As illustrated in figure 6, the physical object may be a boundary 6 of the fish enclosure, such as a wall of a fish tank, a net, a cage, et cetera. The physical object may also be other instruments that are present in the fish enclosure, such as grow lights that are configured to emit light for influencing the physical development of the fish.

Fig. 7 depicts a block diagram illustrating a data processing system according to an embodiment.

As shown in Fig. 7, the data processing system 100 may include at least one processor 102 coupled to memory elements 104 through a system bus 106. As such, the data processing system may store program code within memory elements 104. Further, the processor 102 may execute the program code accessed from the memory elements 104 via a system bus 106. In one aspect, the data processing system may be implemented as a computer that is suitable for storing and/or executing program code. It should be appreciated, however, that the data processing system 100 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and a memory that is capable of performing the functions described within this specification.

The memory elements 104 may include one or more physical memory devices such as, for example, local memory 108 and one or more bulk storage devices 110. The local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-persistent memory device(s) generally used during actual execution of the program code. A bulk storage device may be implemented as a hard drive or other persistent data storage device. The processing system 100 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times program code must be retrieved from the bulk storage device 110 during execution.

Input/output (VO) devices depicted as an input device 112 and an output device 114 optionally can be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a touch-sensitive display, the parasite detection system described herein for providing input related to parasites in the water in the fluid path, the second parasite detection system described herein for providing input related to parasites in the water outside the vehicle, the positioning system described herein for providing input related to a position of the vehicle, the proximity sensor described herein for the providing input related to physical object close to the vehicle, or the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, a monitor or a display, speakers, the propulsion system described herein for moving the vehicle through the water, the radiation disinfection system described herein for providing disinfection radiation, a submerging system described herein for submerging the vehicle in the water, a water suction system described herein for sucking to-be-disinfected water into the fluid path, or the like. Input and/or output devices may be coupled to the data processing system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.

In an embodiment, the input and the output devices may be implemented as a combined input/output device (illustrated in Fig. 7 with a dashed line surrounding the input device 112 and the output device 114). An example of such a combined device is a touch sensitive display, also sometimes referred to as a “touch screen display” or simply “touch screen”. In such an embodiment, input to the device may be provided by a movement of a physical object, such as e.g. a stylus or a finger of a user, on or near the touch screen display.

A network adapter 116 may also be coupled to the data processing system to enable it to become coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and/or remote storage devices through intervening private or public networks. The network adapter may comprise a data receiver for receiving data that is transmitted by said systems, devices and/or networks to the data processing system 100, and a data transmitter for transmitting data from the data processing system 100 to said systems, devices and/or networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of different types of network adapter that may be used with the data processing system 100.

As pictured in Fig. 7, the memory elements 104 may store an application 118. In various embodiments, the application 118 may be stored in the local memory 108, the one or more bulk storage devices 110, or apart from the local memory and the bulk storage devices. It should be appreciated that the data processing system 100 may further execute an operating system (not shown in Fig. 7) that can facilitate execution of the application 118. The application 118, being implemented in the form of executable program code, can be executed by the data processing system 100, e.g., by the processor 102. Responsive to executing the application, the data processing system 100 may be configured to perform one or more operations or method steps described herein.

In one aspect of the present invention, the data processing system 100 may represent a disinfection control system and/or propulsion control system and/or a system for controlling a submerging system described herein and/or a system for controlling a water suction system described herein and/or any data processing system as described herein.

Any data processing system referred to herein may be a distributed system in the sense that some elements of the data processing system are located remote from other element of the data processing system. For example, it may be that some of the blocks depicted in Fig. 7 may be on board the vehicle, such as the output devices, e.g., the disinfection control system, while other blocks of figure 7 may be remote from the vehicle, such as the processor and/or the memory elements and/or the input devices. The different elements of the data processing system 100 may communicate with each other via wired and/or wireless connections between each other. Thus, elements of the data processing system that are on board the vehicle may comprise suitable communication means to connect these on board element to off board elements of the data processing system.

Various embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system, where the program(s) of the program product define functions of the embodiments (including the methods described herein). In one embodiment, the program(s) can be contained on a variety of non-transitory computer-readable storage media, where, as used herein, the expression “non-transitory computer readable storage media” comprises all computer-readable media, with the sole exception being a transitory, propagating signal. In another embodiment, the program(s) can be contained on a variety of transitory computer-readable storage media. Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and (ii) writable storage media (e.g., flash memory, floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-access semiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored. The computer program may be run on the processor 102 described herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementations in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and some practical applications of the present invention, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.