U.S. patent application number 17/405666 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-09 for vacuum tables.
This patent application is currently assigned to HP INDIGO B.V.. The applicant listed for this patent is HP INDIGO B.V.. Invention is credited to Yonni Hartstein, Yaron Yahav.
Application Number | 20210379736 17/405666 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005782479 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210379736 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hartstein; Yonni ; et
al. |
December 9, 2021 |
VACUUM TABLES
Abstract
There is disclosed a vacuum table 400 comprising a vacuum plate
402 separating a first vacuum chamber 406 from a substrate zone 60
for receiving a substrate 50. The vacuum plate has a plurality of
suction holes 404 for conveying a gas flow from the substrate zone
60 to the first vacuum chamber 406. There is an evacuation port 422
in communication with a second vacuum chamber 420 to evacuate gas
from the substrate zone 60 when a substrate 50 is received over the
suction holes 404 of the vacuum plate 402, and a vacuum port 424
for discharging gas received in the second vacuum chamber 420 to a
vacuum source 423. The first vacuum chamber 406 and the second
vacuum chamber 420 are in fluid communication via a valve 430 so
that gas flows from the first vacuum chamber 406 to the vacuum port
424 via the second vacuum chamber 420. The valve 430 is
controllable to vary a gas flow rate through the vacuum plate 402
and thereby vary a retaining force on a substrate 50 received
thereon.
Inventors: |
Hartstein; Yonni; (Ness
Ziona, IL) ; Yahav; Yaron; (Ness Ziona, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HP INDIGO B.V. |
Amstelveen |
|
NL |
|
|
Assignee: |
HP INDIGO B.V.
Amstelveen
NL
|
Family ID: |
1000005782479 |
Appl. No.: |
17/405666 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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16617154 |
Nov 26, 2019 |
11123845 |
|
|
PCT/EP2017/065271 |
Jun 21, 2017 |
|
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17405666 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C23F 4/00 20130101; B41F
21/06 20130101; B25B 11/005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B25B 11/00 20060101
B25B011/00; B41F 21/06 20060101 B41F021/06 |
Claims
1. A vacuum table comprising; a vacuum plate separating a first
vacuum chamber from a substrate zone for receiving a substrate, the
vacuum plate having a plurality of suction holes for conveying a
gas flow from the substrate zone to the first vacuum chamber; an
evacuation port located at a side of the substrate zone to evacuate
gas from above the vacuum plate into a second vacuum chamber; a
vacuum source connected to evacuate both the first and second
vacuum chambers; a valve between the first vacuum chamber and the
vacuum source to vary a first gas flow rate from the first vacuum
chamber from a second gas flow rate from the second vacuum
chamber.
2. The vacuum table of claim 1, further comprising a controller to
operate the valve to selectively vary the first gas flow rate from
the first vacuum chamber.
3. The vacuum table of claim 2, wherein the controller is to vary
the first gas flow rate from the first vacuum chamber based on a
type of substrate to be received in the substrate zone.
4. The vacuum table of claim 3, wherein the controller is to
determine a substrate type of the substrate to be received in the
substrate zone, and to control the valve to vary the gas flow rate
through the vacuum plate based on the substrate type.
5. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the valve fluidly connects
the first vacuum chamber with the second vacuum chamber.
6. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the first gas flow rate is
less than the second gas flow rate through the evacuation port.
7. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein valve is controllable to
vary gas flow from the first vacuum chamber from between 0% and 1%
of a total flow through the evacuation port.
8. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the second vacuum chamber
surrounds the first vacuum chamber.
9. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the first vacuum chamber is
disposed within the second vacuum chamber in a nested
arrangement.
10. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the evacuation port is
located at a side of, and above, the vacuum plate.
11. The vacuum table of claim 1, wherein the evacuation port is
located in a same plane as the vacuum plate.
12. A partition for retrofitting a vacuum table having a vacuum
plate above a single compound vacuum chamber, the partition to
separate the single compound vacuum chamber into a first vacuum
chamber and a second vacuum chamber, the partition comprising; a
partition wall to separate the single compound vacuum chamber into
the first vacuum chamber within the partition wall and the second
vacuum chamber outside of the partition wall; and a valve
communicating through the partition wall so that the first vacuum
chamber is fluidly connected through the valve with the second
vacuum chamber.
13. The partition of claim 12, further comprising a controller to
operate the valve to selectively vary a first gas flow rate from
the first vacuum chamber.
14. The partition of claim 13, wherein the controller is to vary
the first gas flow rate from the first vacuum chamber based on a
type of substrate to be received in a substrate zone atop the
vacuum plate.
15. The partition of claim 14, wherein the controller is to
determine a substrate type of the substrate to be received in the
substrate zone, and to control the valve to vary the gas flow rate
through the vacuum plate into the first vacuum chamber based on the
substrate type.
16. A method of operating a vacuum table, the vacuum table
comprising a single vacuum source for evacuating a first vacuum
chamber and a second vacuum chamber, the vacuum table further
comprising a vacuum plate with a plurality of suction holes for
separating the first vacuum chamber from a substrate zone for
receiving a substrate, the second vacuum chamber fluidly connected
to the substrate zone through a separate evacuation port, the
method comprising: operating a valve of the first vacuum chamber to
regulate a gas flow out of the first vacuum chamber separately from
a gas flow out of the second vacuum chamber.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising programming a
controller to operate the valve to selectively vary the gas flow
from the first vacuum chamber.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising varying the gas flow
from the first vacuum chamber based on a type of substrate to be
received in the substrate zone.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: programming a
controller to operate the valve to selectively vary the gas flow
from the first vacuum chamber; and, with the controller,
determining a substrate type of the substrate to be received in the
substrate zone, and controlling the valve to vary the gas flow
based on the determined substrate type.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising maintaining the gas
flow from the first vacuum chamber to be less than a second gas
flow from the second vacuum chamber.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The disclosure relates to a vacuum table.
[0002] Vacuum tables can be used to retain a workpiece or substrate
against the table, for example to inhibit a workpiece or substrate
from lifting off the table.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] Examples will now be described, by way of non-limiting
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0004] FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic of an example treatment
unit comprising a vacuum table;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a gas flow
in the treatment unit of FIG. 1;
[0006] FIG. 3 schematically shows a non-transitory machine-readable
medium arid a processor is a simplified schematic of a vacuum
table;
[0007] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic of a further example vacuum
table;
[0008] FIG. 5 shows a treatment unit having a compound vacuum
chamber and a partition wall to be installed in the vacuum chamber;
and
[0009] FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts of example methods of modifying
a vacuum table.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] FIG. 1 schematically shows a treatment unit 10 comprising a
housing 20, a vacuum table 100, treatment equipment 28 and a
substrate zone 60. In this particular example, the treatment unit
10 is a corona discharge treatment unit, and the treatment
equipment 26 comprises conductors for ionising gas within the
substrate zone 60.
[0011] In corona discharge treatment, a surface of media substrate
may become charged, which may modify a surface tension of the
substrate. Modification of the surface tension may be beneficial
for downstream processes, such as the application of a print agent
to the substrate in a printing operation. A corona discharge
process ionises gas, which can lead to the generation of harmful
ozone to be safely evacuated from the treatment unit.
[0012] Corona discharge treatment is just one example of a
treatment unit which may use a vacuum table and in which gas may be
evacuated.
[0013] The vacuum table 100 is disposed within the housing 20. The
vacuum table 100 of this example comprises a planar vacuum plate
102 comprising a plurality of suction holes 104 extending through
the vacuum plate 102 and arranged in a grid. The cross-sectional
view of FIG. 1 is transverse to a media-feed direction through the
housing over the vacuum table 100. The media-feed direction extends
from a media inlet adjacent a first end of the vacuum plate 102 and
a media outlet adjacent an opposing second end of the vacuum plate.
The media inlet and media outlet comprise respective sets of
rollers for guiding media substrate 50 into the treatment unit 10
onto the vacuum table 100, and from the vacuum table 100 out of the
treatment unit 10.
[0014] In this example, the vacuum plate 102 has a horizontal and
upward facing orientation, and the treatment equipment 60 is
deposed over and opposite the vacuum plate 102. In other examples,
at least the treatment equipment 60 may be provided in other
positions or configurations.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, in this example there is a substrate
zone 60 over the vacuum plate 102 for receiving a substrate 50. In
this particular example, the vacuum table 100 is disposed within
the treatment unit 10 and the substrate zone 60 is defined between
the vacuum plate 102, treatment equipment 60, and the media inlet
and media outlet.
[0016] The substrate 50 may be continuous media (web-fed media) to
be fed through the treatment unit as continuous stock from the
media inlet to the media outlet, or may comprise sheet media, for
example as fed from a stock of individual sheets of media or cut
from a web before being provided to the treatment unit 10
(sheet-fed media). In this particular example the substrate 50 is
sheet media.
[0017] The vacuum plate 102 separates the substrate zone 60 from a
first vacuum chamber 106 which is partly defined by a side of the
vacuum plate 102 opposite the substrate zone 60. Accordingly, in
this example the first vacuum chamber 106 is disposed below the
vacuum plate 102.
[0018] In this particular example, the first vacuum chamber 106 is
defined between the vacuum plate 102 and a partition wall 108
disposed below the vacuum plate so that the first vacuum chamber
106 is to receive gas flow through the suction holes 104 in the
vacuum plate 102.
[0019] The partition wall 108 may be of any suitable shape. In this
particular example, the partition wall 108 comprises inclined wall
sections 110 which taper downwards from edges of the vacuum plate
and in the form of a rectangular funnel and terminate at a
substantially cylindrical partition outlet section 112 of the wall
108.
[0020] The vacuum table 100 further comprises a second vacuum
chamber 120 comprising at least one evacuation port 122 to receive
a gas flow from the substrate zone 60 into the vacuum chamber 120,
and a vacuum port 124 to be connected to a vacuum source 123 to
discharge gas from the second vacuum chamber 120. For example, the
vacuum source 123 may be a vacuum pump.
[0021] In this example, there are a plurality of evacuation ports
122 at positions adjacent the vacuum plate 102. In this particular
example, the evacuation ports 122 are substantially flush with the
vacuum plate 102, but in other examples each evacuation port 122
may be disposed at any position relative the vacuum plate 102 so
that the evacuation port 122 is in fluid communication with the
substrate zone 60, for example at a position below or above the
vacuum plate 102. Each evacuation port 122 may be provided in a
wall of the second vacuum chamber 120 or may extend from the second
vacuum chamber 120.
[0022] In this example, the second vacuum chamber 120 is defined
between an outer side of the partition wall 108 described above and
a vacuum casing 126 which is disposed around the partition wall
108, so that the first vacuum chamber 106 is disposed within the
second vacuum chamber 120 in a nested arrangement. In this
particular example, the vacuum casing 126 comprises a cuboidal
shell 126 extending below the level of the vacuum plate 102, and a
substantially cylindrical casing outlet section 160 extending
downwardly from a central region of the shell 126. The vacuum
casing 126 surrounds the partition wall 108 so that the inclined
wall sections 110 of the partition wall 108 are disposed within the
cuboidal shell 126 of the vacuum casing 126, and the cylindrical
partition outlet section 112 of the partition wall 108 extends
partly into the cylindrical casing outlet section 160 of the vacuum
casing 126. The particular shapes of the partition wall 108 and
vacuum casing 126 are examples only , and any suitable shape may be
used.
[0023] In this example, a vacuum zone is defined between the vacuum
casing 126 and the vacuum plate 102. The partition wall 108 extends
from the vacuum plate 102 into the vacuum casing 126 to partition
the vacuum zone into the first vacuum chamber 106 and the second
vacuum chamber 120.
[0024] In this example, the evacuation ports 122 are provided at a
junction between the partition wall 108 and the vacuum casing 126.
In other examples, the evacuation ports may project from the vacuum
casing 126 or partition wall 108.
[0025] The vacuum port 124 may be provided in a wall of the vacuum
casing 126. In this particular example, the vacuum port 124 is
provided in the lowermost wall of the cylindrical casing outlet
section 160 to discharge gas from the second vacuum chamber.
[0026] In this example, a valve 130 is provided between the first
vacuum chamber 106 and the second vacuum chamber 120. In this
example, the valve 130 is provided in a wall of the partition
outlet section 112 of the partition wall 108 (in particular, in the
lowermost wall of the outlet section 112). In this particular
example, the valve 130 is coupled to a controller 132 to control
the valve to vary a gas flow rate through the first vacuum chamber
106, and thereby through the vacuum plate 102.
[0027] The valve 130 may be any suitable type of valve, such as a
diaphragm valve or ball valve. The valve 130 may comprise an
actuator mechanism which may extend through a wall of the vacuum
casing 126. Providing the valve in the partition outlet section 112
of the partition wall 108 may enable a simple actuator mechanism
for the valve to extend through the vacuum casing 126, since the
partition outlet section 112 may extend into a corresponding casing
outlet section 112 in a nested arrangement so that a distance for
the actuator mechanism to extend between the vacuum casing 126 and
the partition wall 108 is relatively low.
[0028] In this particular example, the controller is to vary the
gas flow rate through the vacuum plate from between 0% and 1% of a
total flow through the vacuum port, so as to vary a retaining force
on the substrate 50 against the vacuum plate 102, as will be
described below with respect to an example of use.
[0029] The controller may be to control the gas flow rate through
the vacuum plate 102 based on a substrate type of a substrate 50
received (or to be received) in the substrate zone 60. In
particular, a retaining force holding the substrate (e.g. sheet
media) received in the substrate zone 60 against the vacuum table
102 may be a function of the gas flow rate through the vacuum plate
102. The controller may be to control the gas flow rate so that
substrates of different types experience different retaining
forces, such as paper, card, metallized board or webbing. For
example, it may be desirable to have a higher retaining force for a
relatively higher grammage substrate (grams per square metre) as
compared with a lower grammage substrate. Yet further, it may be
desirable to have a different retaining forces for substrates of
different finishes or material type (e.g. polymer, card, paper). In
particular, it may be desirable to control a friction force between
the vacuum table and the substrate. The friction force may be a
function of the retaining force acting perpendicular to the vacuum
table and a static and/or dynamic coefficient of friction between
the substrate and the vacuum table, which may vary between
different substrate types. Accordingly, the controller may be to
control the gas flow rate through the vacuum plate based on a
substrate type to obtain a target retaining force, which may be
determined based on a target friction force. For example, a
relatively low gas flow rate of 1 litre/minute through the vacuum
plate 102 may correspond to a relatively low retaining force of 10N
on the substrate 50, whereas a relatively higher gas flow rate of 3
litres/minute may corresponding to a relatively higher retaining
force of 14N on the substrate 50. Further, the gas flow rates or
valve settings associated with different substrate types may be
such that a substrate having a relatively lower coefficient of
friction is associated with a relatively higher gas flow rate
leading to a relatively higher retaining force. The target friction
force (and thereby a target retaining force and a target gas flow
rate or valve setting) may further depend on a weight or grammage
of the material and/or inertial calculations which may depend on
the feed rate at which the substrate is led through the substrate
zone. The controller may be to control the gas flow rate through
the valve by setting the valve to predetermined valve settings
based on the substrate type. In other examples, the controller may
be to control the gas flow rate through the valve based on a
monitored gas flow rate through the vacuum plate, for example as
determined by a flow meter in the first vacuum chamber.
[0030] The controller may be to determine the substrate type based
on instructions received for a treatment operation, which may be
part of instructions received as part of a printing operation using
print apparatus 11 including the treatment unit 10. In some
examples, the controller may be to determine the substrate type
based on user input received via a user interface. In yet further
examples, the controller may be to determine the substrate type
based on sensing the substrate type, for example by using an image
sensor to read a code on a substrate relating to the substrate
type.
[0031] An example treatment operation will now be described with
respect to FIG. 2. In use, a substrate 50 is fed into the treatment
unit 10, in particular sheet media such as paper, via the media
inlet to be received in the substrate zone 60. The treatment
equipment is activated to ionise gas within the substrate zone 60,
which may alter surface properties of the substrate 50. A vacuum
source 123 coupled to the vacuum port 124 is active so that there
is a pressure differential between the vacuum port 124 and the
substrate zone 60. This pressure differential causes ionised gas to
flow along two routes from the substrate zone 60 to the vacuum port
124. The first route is through the suction holes 104 in the vacuum
plate 102, through the first vacuum chamber 106 and into the second
vacuum chamber 120 via the valve 130, and to the vacuum port 124.
The second route is through the evacuation ports 122 into the
second vacuum chamber and to the vacuum port 124.
[0032] In this example there is more resistance to gas flow along
the first route, in particular at the suction holes 104 which may
be relatively narrow and partially occluded by the substrate, and
also at the valve 130. Accordingly, the gas flow rate along the
second route is significantly larger than the gas flow rate along
the first route. In this particular example, the gas flow rate
through the vacuum port 124 (i.e. the combined gas flow along the
first and second routes) is approximately 10,000 litres per minute,
whereas the gas flow rate through the vacuum plate 102 is 100
litres per minute or less, for example up to 10 litres per minute
of up to 5 litres per minute.
[0033] In block 202, the controller determines a substrate type of
the sheet media. In this particular example, the controller 132
determines a type of sheet media based on the receipt of print
operation instructions indicating that the substrate type is 200
gsm paper. In this example, the controller 132 includes a look-up
table or other database correlated by substrate type which is
stored in a memory of the controller. The controller 132
interrogates the look-up table to obtain a valve setting
corresponding to the substrate type, and controls the valve 130 to
move to the respective valve setting. In other examples, the
controller 132 may determine a target gas flow rate for the
substrate type, and may operate a feedback loop based on an output
of a flow meter in the first vacuum chamber 106 to determine the
gas flow rate therethrough.
[0034] In block 204, the controller 132 controls the valve 130 to
vary the flow rate through the vacuum plate 102 based on the
substrate type. In this particular example, the valve setting
corresponds to a gas flow rate through the vacuum plate 102 of
approximately 3 litres per minute.
[0035] In this example, the controller 132 comprises a processor
and a non-transitory machine-readable medium (e.g. a memory)
encoded with instructions, executable by a processor, to determine
the substrate type and control the valve as described above with
respect to blocks 202, 204. FIG. 3 shows a non-transitory
machine-readable medium 302 of the controller 132 including such
instructions 304, executable by a processor 304 of the controller
132.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows a further example of a vacuum table 400. The
vacuum table comprises a substantially planar vacuum plate 402
composing a plurality of suction holes 404 extending therethrough
as described above with respect to the vacuum table 100 of FIG. 1.
The vacuum plate 402 separates a substrate zone 60 for receiving a
substrate 50 onto the vacuum plate 402 from a first vacuum chamber
106 which is to receive a gas flow through the suction holes 404.
In this example, the first vacuum chamber 406 is substantially
cuboidal. The vacuum table 400 further comprises a second vacuum
chamber 420 which in this example is disposed laterally adjacent
the first vacuum chamber and extends from below the level of the
vacuum plate 402 to above the level of the vacuum plate 402. The
second vacuum chamber 420 comprises an evacuation port 122 in
communication with an upper region of the substrate zone 60 and a
vacuum port 424 to be coupled to a vacuum source 423 such as a
vacuum pump. There is a valve 430 disposed between the first vacuum
chamber 406 and the second vacuum chamber 420 so that, in use, gas
flows from the first vacuum chamber 406 to the vacuum port 424 via
the second vacuum chamber 420.
[0037] FIG. 5 shows a treatment unit 500 which differs from the
treatment unit 10 described above with respect to FIG. 1 in that
the vacuum table 500 has no separate first and second vacuum
chambers. Instead, there is a compound vacuum chamber 520 defined
between a vacuum casing 526 and a vacuum table 102 which is in
communication with both the suction holes 104 in the vacuum plate
102, and the evacuation ports 522, and a vacuum port 524 for
discharge of gas received in the compound vacuum chamber. The
vacuum casing 526 is substantially of the form described with
respect to the vacuum casing 126 of FIG. 1. In use, the treatment
unit 500 generates ionised gas which is evacuated from the
substrate zone 60 through the compound vacuum chamber 520 through
the evacuation ports and the vacuum holes to the vacuum port 524
which is coupled to a vacuum source 523. The gas flow rate through
the suction holes 104 in the vacuum plate 102 cannot be controlled
independently of the net flow rate through the vacuum port 524 as a
whole.
[0038] FIG. 5 additionally shows a partition wall 108, valve 130
and valve controller 132 to be installed in the compound vacuum
chamber 520 as will be described below with respect to FIG. 6. In
this example, the partition wall 108 is substantially as described
with respect to FIG. 1 above.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of partitioning a compound
vacuum chamber in a vacuum table. The method will be described with
respect to retrofitting the example partition wall 108 into the
example treatment unit 500 of FIG. 5 to provide a treatment unit
having separate first and second vacuum chambers, for example as
described above with respect to the treatment unit 10 of FIG.
1.
[0040] In block 602, a vacuum table 500 is provided. The vacuum
table 500 has a vacuum plate 102 separating a compound vacuum
chamber 520 from a substrate zone 60, and there are a plurality of
suction holes 104 in the vacuum plate 102 for conveying a gas flow
from the substrate zone 60 to the compound vacuum chamber 520.
There is an evacuation port 522 in communication with the compound
vacuum 520 chamber to evacuate gas from the substrate zone 60 when
a substrate is received over the suction holes 104 of the vacuum
plate 102. There is a vacuum port 524 for discharging gas received
in the compound vacuum chamber 520 to a vacuum source 523.
[0041] In block 604, the compound vacuum chamber 520 is partitioned
to provide a first vacuum chamber 106 (as shown in FIG. 1) to
receive a gas flow through the suction holes 104 and a second
vacuum chamber 120 to receive a gas flow through the or each
evacuation port 522 (as shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the
evacuation port 122). Accordingly, there is no direct flow from the
vacuum plate 102 into the second vacuum chamber, and no direct flow
from the evacuation port 122 into the first vacuum chamber.
[0042] In block 604, a valve 130 is installed for fluid
communication between the first vacuum chamber 106 and the second
vacuum chamber 120 so that in use gas flows from the first vacuum
chamber 106 to the vacuum port 124 via the second vacuum chamber
120. The valve 130 is controllable to vary a gas flow rate through
the vacuum plate 102. The first vacuum chamber 106 may be disposed
within the second vacuum chamber 120 in a nested arrangement as
shown in FIG. 1.
[0043] FIG. 7 shows a further example method of partitioning a
compound vacuum chamber which differs from the method described
with respect to FIG. 6 in that it further comprises in block 708
providing a controller 132 to control the valve to vary the gas
flow rate through the vacuum plate based on a substrate 50 to be
received in the substrate zone 60. The controller 132 may have any
of the features described above with respect to the controller 132
of FIG. 1. In particular, the controller may be to determine a
substrate type of the substrate to be received in the substrate
zone, and the controller may control the valve to vary the gas flow
rate through the vacuum plate based on the substrate type
determined.
[0044] Examples in the present disclosure can be provided as
methods, systems or machine readable instructions, such as any
combination of software, hardware, firmware or the like. Such
machine readable instructions may be included on a computer
readable storage medium (including but is not limited to disc
storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer readable
program codes therein or thereon.
[0045] The present disclosure is described with reference to flow
charts and/or block diagrams of the method, devices and systems
according to examples of the present disclosure. Although the flow
diagrams described above show a specific order of execution, the
order of execution may differ from that which is depicted. Blocks
described in relation to one flow chart may be combined with those
of another flow chart. It shall be understood that each flow and/or
block in the flow charts and/or block diagrams, as well as
combinations of the flows and/or diagrams in the flow charts and/or
block diagrams can be realized by machine readable
instructions.
[0046] The machine readable instructions may, for example, be
executed by a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer,
an embedded processor or processors of other programmable data
processing devices to realize the functions described in the
description and diagrams. In particular, a processor or processing
apparatus may execute the machine readable instructions. Thus
functional modules of the apparatus and devices may be implemented
by a processor executing machine readable instructions stored in a
memory, or a processor operating in accordance with instructions
embedded in logic circuitry. The term `processor` is to be
interpreted broadly to include a CPU, processing unit, ASIC, logic
unit, or programmable gate array etc. The methods and functional
modules may all be performed by a single processor or divided
amongst several processors.
[0047] Such machine readable instructions may also be stored in a
computer readable storage that can guide the computer or other
programmable data processing devices to operate in a specific
mode.
[0048] Such machine readable instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer or other programmable data processing devices, so that the
computer or other programmable data processing devices perform a
series of operations to produce computer-implemented processing,
thus the instructions executed on the computer or other
programmable devices realise functions specified by flow(s) in the
flow charts and/or block(s) in the block diagrams.
[0049] Further, the teachings herein may be implemented in the form
of a computer software product, the computer software product being
stored in a storage medium and comprising a plurality of
instructions for making a computer device implement the methods
recited in the examples of the present disclosure.
[0050] While the method, apparatus and related aspects have been
described with reference to certain examples, various
modifications, changes, omissions, and substitutions can be made
without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. It is
intended, therefore, that the method, apparatus and related aspects
be limited only by the scope of the following claims and their
equivalents. It should be noted that the above-mentioned examples
illustrate rather than limit what is described herein, and that
those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative
implementations without departing from the scope of the appended
claims. Features described in relation to one example may be
combined with features of another example.
[0051] The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of
elements other than those listed in a claim, "a" or "an" does not
exclude a plurality, and a single processor or other unit may
fulfill the functions of several units recited in the claims.
[0052] The features of any dependent claim may be combined with the
features of any of the independent claims or other dependent
claims.
* * * * *