Method and apparatus for false start detection

Abstract

A method, a false start detection system, and a false start detection sensor for determining whether an athlete has performed a false start in an event. Force data is received representing the force exerted by at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface when in a starting position (S701). The force data is processed to determine an athlete start time (S702), and the athlete start time is compared to an event start time to determine whether a false start has occurred (S703).

Claims

1. A method of determining whether an athlete has performed a false start in a sprint event on a running track, the method performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium and comprising: receiving, from a load cell in the running track, force data representing the force exerted by at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface in physical contact with the load cell when in a starting position of the sprint event; processing the force data to determine an athlete start time for the event by identifying first and second transition points indicating a change in the gradient of the force data, the first transition point indicating the occurrence of a starting action of the at least one upper appendage of the athlete from a change in the force exerted by the at least one upper appendage on the surface, comprising: identifying the second transition point representing a moment of maximum force exerted by the at least one upper appendage of the athlete on the surface; identifying a transition point preceding the second transition point as the first transition point; and setting the athlete start time to the first transition point; and comparing the athlete start time to an event start time to determine whether a false start has occurred.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein comparing the athlete start time and the event start time comprises determining whether the athlete start time is less than a predetermined threshold after the event start time, and, if so, determining that a false start has occurred.

3. A computer readable medium having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method as claimed in claim 1.

4. A false start detection system for determining whether an athlete has performed a false start in a sprint event on a running track, the system comprising: a load cell in the running track, configured to measure the force exerted by the at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface in physical contact with the load cell when in a starting position; a processing module executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium, the processing module receiving force data from the force sensor and processing the force data to determine an athlete start time for the event by identifying first and second transition points indicating a change in the gradient of the force data, the first transition point indicating the occurrence of a starting action of the at least one upper appendage of the athlete from a change in the force exerted by the at least one upper appendage on the surface, the instructions causing the processing module to: identify the second transition point representing a moment of maximum force exerted by the at least one upper appendage of the athlete on the surface; identify a transition point preceding the second transition point as the first transition point; and set the athlete start time to the first transition point; and a comparison module configured to compare the athlete start time to an event start time representing the start of the event to determine whether a false start has occurred.

5. A false start detection system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the load cell forms part of or is disposed in the vicinity of the surface.

6. A false start detection system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the surface is a running surface, and wherein load cell is integrated into the running surface.

7. A false start detection system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the surface is a running surface, and wherein the load cell comprises one or more attachment members for attaching the load cell to the running surface.

Description

(1) For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example false start detection system according to the second aspect;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an example housing for a force sensor according to second aspect;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an example load cell for a force sensor according to the second aspect;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an example false start detection system according to the second and sixth aspects;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a graph of upper appendage force data over time according to aspects of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a graph of upper appendage and lower appendage force data over time according to aspects of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram for a method according to the first aspect; and

(9) FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram for a method according to the fifth aspect.

(10) Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown part of an example false start detection system indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. A running track 1 forms a running surface over which athletes may run in athletics events. In FIG. 1, the running track 1 has a single running lane, but it will be appreciated that in other arrangements the running track 1 will have multiple running lanes so that multiple athletes may compete in the event. The running track 1 includes a starting area 11 in which an athlete forms a starting position before starting the athletics event. The starting area 11 includes a starting block 3 in which the feet of the athlete may rest when in the starting position. The end of the starting area 11 is indicated by starting line 5 which may be a visual line on the running surface. In addition and significantly, a force sensor 100 is provided in starting area 11 proximal to the starting line 5 and extending across the width of the running track 1. The force sensor 100 is arranged at a position where at least one upper appendage of the athlete will rest on the running surface when in the starting position. The at least one upper appendage will typically be one or both hands of the athlete. The force sensor 100 is therefore arranged in such a way that it can measure the force exerted by an upper appendage of an athlete on the running surface while in the starting position.

(11) Referring to FIG. 2, the force sensor 100 has a housing 101 sized and shaped to fit within a trough formed in the running track 1 (FIG. 1) and extending along the width of a lane of the running track 1. In this way, the force sensor 100 may be integrated into the running track 1 without substantially affecting the running surface. The housing 101 has a frame with a C-shaped central section 107 and end pieces 103 attached or integrally formed with the central section 107. The housing 101 further includes a front plate 109 with an attachment point 105 where a load cell 111 (FIG. 3) of the force sensor 100 may be attached.

(12) Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an example load cell 111 of the force sensor 100. The load cell 111 has a top fixation point 113 allowing it to be attached to the front plate 109 of the housing 101, and a bottom fixation point 115 allowing it to be attached to a base or a floor. By this arrangement, the force sensor 100 may be integrated into the running track 1.

(13) In another arrangement, one or more attachment members (not shown) are provided for attaching the force sensor 100 to the running surface. In this arrangement, the load cell 111 is selected to have a thin profile such that the force sensor 100 does not significantly interfere with the running surface. In this arrangement, a housing 101 for the force sensor 100 may not be required.

(14) In both arrangements, the force sensor 100 may be covered in a material so as to help it blend into the running surface. The material in some examples is synthetic track material which may be the same as or similar to the track material used to form the running track 1. By these arrangements, the false start detection system 10 does not significantly interfere with the running surface.

(15) Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown a schematic view of components of the false start detection system 10. Processing module 301 is arranged to receive force data from the force sensor 100. The processing module 301 processes the force data to determine an athlete start time for the event. Comparison module 302 receives the athlete start time from the processing module 301 and compares the athlete start time to an event start time representing the start of the event so as to determine whether a false start has occurred. In an example, the start of the event will be signified by the firing of a starting gun, and the comparison module 302 will receive an event time indicating the moment the starting gun was fired.

(16) The processing module 301 and comparison module 302 may be implemented by a processor of a single computing device. The single computing device may be connected to the force sensor 100 by a wired or wireless connection such that it can receive force data from the force sensor 100. In other arrangements, the processing module 301 and comparison module 302 may be separate, discrete units, which are able to communicate with one another over a wired or wireless connection.

(17) The comparison module 302 is arranged to determine whether a false start has occurred by determining whether the athlete start time is less than a predetermined threshold after the event start time. If the athlete start time is less than the predetermined threshold after the event start time, then the comparison module 302 determines that a false start has occurred. The predetermined threshold is selected as the expected time after which the at least one upper appendage begins reacting to a starting signal issued at the event start time. In one example, the predetermined threshold is less than or equal 100 ms. In another example, the predetermined threshold is less than or equal to 90 ms. In another example, the predetermined threshold is less than or equal to 80 ms.

(18) In one example, the false start system 10 is arranged to determine whether any of a plurality of athletes competing in the event have performed a false start. In this example, the running track 1 (FIG. 1) has a plurality of lanes. Each lane has a force sensor 100 (FIG. 1) extending across the width of the lane within the starting area 11 (FIG. 1), such that each force sensor 100 is able to measure the force exerted by at least one upper appendage of one athlete on the surface when in a starting position. The starting areas 11 may be placed at staggered positions many meters apart such as for 400 m foot races.

(19) Each of the force sensors 100 are arranged to provide force data to the processing module 301 (FIG. 4). Each force sensor 100 provides the force data on a single channel different to the channel used by the other force sensors 100. The force data is provided as a high frequency signal in the form of a 2000-4000 Hz vertical force signal. In this way, the processing module 301 is arranged, for each athlete, to receive force data from a force sensor 100, the force data representing the force exerted by the at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface when in a starting position. The processing module 301 is further arranged, for each athlete, to process the force data to determine an athlete start time for the event. For each athlete, the comparison module 302 (FIG. 4) is arranged to compare the athlete start time to an event start time representing the start of the event to determine whether a false start has occurred. In another example, each force sensor 100 may be associated with its own processing module 301 and/or comparison module 302.

(20) Referring to FIG. 5 there is shown an example graph of the force data received by the processing module 301 (FIG. 4) over time. The graph includes a first region where the athlete is effectively stationary in the starting position. This may be referred to as the athlete being in the “set” position. At first transition point 401, the upper appendage of the athlete begins to react and start a starting action. From first transition point 401, the force exerted by the upper appendage as measured by the force sensor 100 rises until second transition point 402 which is a point of maximum force during the starting action. From second transition point 402, the force exerted by the upper appendage on the surface decreases until third transition point 403 where the athlete's upper appendage is lifted entirely from the surface. From third transition point 403 onwards, a baseline force data signal is received indicating that the upper appendage is no longer exerting force on the surface.

(21) The processing module 301 (FIG. 4) determines the athlete start time to be the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action. That is, the processing module 301 processes the force data to identify first transition point 401 as shown in FIG. 5 which is a first local minima 401.

(22) In on example, the processing module 301 identifies the first local minima 401 by identifying the moment the at least on upper appendage is lifted from the surface. That is, the processing module 301 identifies the third transition point 403, which is also a local minima 403. The processing module 301 identifies a transition point preceding the third transition point 403. The identified transition point is shown as second transition point 402 in FIG. 5 and is a local maxima. The identified local maxima 402 represents the point of maximum force exerted by the upper appendage of the athlete on the surface during the starting action. The processing module 301 identifies a transition point preceding the identified local maxima 402 as the first local minima 401.

(23) In another example, the processing module 301 identifies the first local minima 401 by identifying a sequence in the force data representing a successive increase in the force exerted on the surface over time. The sequence is shown in FIG. 5 as the period of successive increase in the force exerted on the surface between transition points 401 and 402. The first local minima 401 is set as the start of the sequence. The local maxima 402 may be identified as the end of the sequence. The processing module 301 identifies the sequence by calculating a rate of change of force data, and identifying a sequence of positive gradients from the rate of change of force data.

(24) In one example, the first local minima/transition point 401 is identified using the following operation which involves calculating the rate of change of force data.

(25) For this example, the force data is denoted by y.sub.1, y.sub.2, . . . , y.sub.n, y.sub.n+1, where y.sub.1 is the first value of force data recorded and y.sub.n is the final value recorded before the athlete's upper appendage leaves the surface. The force data y.sub.n+1 . . . denotes force data recorded after the athlete's upper appendage leaves the surface.

(26) The processing module 301 (FIG. 4) use a Savitzky-Golay filter to obtain a smoothed estimate, d.sub.t, of the first derivative of the force data at time point t. The smoothed estimate, d.sub.t, is calculated for each centred subsequence of length (2m+1) using Equation 1.

(27) $\begin{array}{cc}{d}_t=\underset{i=\frac{1-m}{2}}{\stackrel{\frac{m-1}{2}}{.Math.}}{c}_i{y}_{t+i}& \mathrm{Equation}1\end{array}$

(28) The filter coefficients, c.sub.i are calculated according to Equation 2.

(29) $\begin{array}{cc}{c}_i=\frac{75\left(3m^4-18m^2+31\right)i-420\left(3m^2-7\right)i^2}{m\left(m^2-1\right)\left(3m^4-39m^2+108\right)}& \mathrm{Equation}2\end{array}$

(30) In this example, a value of m=5 is used.

(31) The processing module 301 applies a sign function to the smoothed estimate, d.sub.t, in accordance with Equation 3 so as to obtain a first sign output.
s.sub.t=sign(d.sub.t)  Equation 3

(32) Here, sign(d.sub.t) is defined according to Equation 4.

(33) $\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{sign}\left(a\right)=\{\begin{array}{cc}-1,& \mathrm{if}a<0\\ +1,& \mathrm{if}a>0\\ 0,& \mathrm{if}a=0\end{array}& \mathrm{Equation}4\end{array}$

(34) The processing module 301 applies a (2p+1) point moving average filter to the first sign output, s.sub.t, to obtain a filtered first sign output. The processing module 301 applies a sign function to the filtered first sign output so as to obtain a second sign output. These operations are in accordance with Equation 5.

(35) $\begin{array}{cc}{\tilde{s}}_t=\mathrm{sign}\left(\frac{1}{2p+1}\underset{i=\frac{1-p}{2}}{\stackrel{\frac{p-1}{2}}{.Math.}}{s}_{t+i}\right)& \mathrm{Equation}5\end{array}$

(36) Here, sign is defined in accordance with Equation 4. In this example, a value of p=2 is used.

(37) The second sign output includes a sequence of signed differences {{tilde over (s)}.sub.t} made up of subsequences S.sub.1, . . . , S.sub.N each containing coincident values. That is subsequences containing all +1 values, or all −1 values, or all 0 values.

(38) The processing module 301 may only be required to store the two or three most recent subsequences S.sub.N−2, S.sub.N−1, S.sub.N, or in most cases only the timings of these subsequences.

(39) In one example, the final subsequence S.sub.N contains all −1 values and terminates when the upper appendage of the athlete lifts from the surface. In effect, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment where the upper appendage of the athlete lifts from the surface. That is, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the third transition point 403 (FIG. 5).

(40) The start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment of maximum force exerted by the upper appendage on the surface. That is, the start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the second transition point 402 (FIG. 5). The penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 contains all +1 values. That is, the end of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the moment of maximum force exerted by the upper appendage on the surface, i.e. second transition point 402. The start of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action, That is, the start of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the first transition point 401 (FIG. 5).

(41) In another example, the final subsequence S.sub.N contains all +1 values and ends at the point when the at least one appendage exerts the maximum force on the surface during the starting action. That is, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the second transition point 402 (FIG. 5).

(42) The start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action. That is, the start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the first transition point 401 (FIG. 5).

(43) In both examples, a transition point between a sequence of force data having positive gradients (+1 values) and a sequence of force data having negative gradients (−1 values) is set as the first transition point 401 indicating the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action.

(44) It will be appreciated that the above example relates to one way of identifying the first transition point 401. Other ways of identifying the first transition point 401 are within the scope of the present application.

(45) For example, image recognition algorithms could be used to analyse a graph of the force data plotted against time, and identify the first transition point 401. The image recognition algorithms could compare the identified first transition point 401 with a visual representation of the event start time in the graph so as to determine whether a false start has occurred.

(46) Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown an example graph comparing force data representing the force exerted by an upper appendage of the athlete on the surface in response to a starting signal and accelerometer data relating to a lower appendage of the athlete on the starting block 3 (FIG. 1). The upper appendage force data is indicated by the line 500, and the lower appendage accelerometer data is indicated by the line 600.

(47) From FIG. 6, it can be appreciated that the upper appendage begins reacting to the starting signal at a significantly earlier moment than the lower appendage. In particular, the first transition point 501 representing the moment that the upper appendage begins reacting to the starting signal occurs significantly earlier than the moment 601 where the lower appendage begins reacting to the starting signal. In addition, the second transition point 502 representing the moment that the upper appendage exerts the maximum force on the surface during the starting action occurs earlier than the moment of maximum acceleration 602. Significantly therefore, the false start detection system 10 is able to determine an athlete start time that better reflects the true time it takes the athlete to respond to a starting signal than the existing systems that measure the lower appendage interaction with the starting block 3. Tests conducted on example false start detection system 10 have shown that the athlete start time as detected precedes an athlete start time detected using existing foot block sensors by between 40 to 100 ms.

(48) From FIG. 6, the third transition point 503 representing the movement the upper appendage lifts off from the surface occurs at a similar time to the moment the lower appendage lifts off from the starting block 3. This may mean that in some arrangements the false start detection system 10 of the present invention still takes a similar amount of time to determine whether a false start has occurred because it still needs to wait a similar amount of time to receive the required force data. Significantly, however, the false start determination will be more accurate because an earlier moment is identified as the moment that the athlete begins the starting action than existing systems that measure the interaction between the lower appendage and the starting block 3.

(49) Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a flow diagram of a method according to the first aspect.

(50) In step 701, force data is received, from a force sensor 100 (FIG. 1). The force data represents the force exerted by at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface when in a starting position.

(51) In step 702, the force data is processed to determine an athlete start time for the event. This involves identifying the occurrence of a starting action of the at least one upper appendage of the athlete from the force data. The athlete start time is set to be the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action.

(52) In one example, step 702 involves identifying a first transition point 401 (FIG. 5) representing the moment that the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action. The time at which the first transition point 401 occurs is set as the athlete start time.

(53) In one example, the first transition point 401 is identified by a second transition point 402 (FIG. 5) representing a moment of maximum force exerted by the at least one upper appendage of the athlete on the surface during the starting action. A transition point 401 preceding the second transition point 402 is identified as the first transition point 401. The second transition point 402 may be identified by identifying the third transition point 403 (FIG. 5) representing the moment that the at least one upper appendage of the athlete lifts off the surface during the starting action. A transition point 402 preceding this third transition point 403 is identified as the second transition point 402.

(54) In another example, the first transition point 401 is identified by identifying a sequence in the force data representing a successive increase in the force exerted on the surface over time. The first transition point 401 is set as the start of the sequence.

(55) In one example, the first transition point 401 is identified using the following operation.

(56) For this example, the force data is denoted by y.sub.1, y.sub.2, . . . , y.sub.n, y.sub.n+1, where y.sub.1 is the first value of force data recorded and y.sub.n is the final value recorded before the athlete's upper appendage leaves the surface. The force data y.sub.n+1 . . . denotes force data recorded after the athlete's upper appendage leaves the surface.

(57) A Savitzky-Golay filter in accordance with Equations 1 and 2 is applied to the force data to obtain a smoothed estimate, d.sub.t, of the first derivative of the force data at time point t. A sign function in accordance with Equations 3 and 4 is applied to the smoothed estimate, d.sub.t, so as to obtain a first sign output. A (2p+1) point moving average filter is applied to the first sign output, s.sub.t, to obtain a filtered first sign output. A sign function is applied to the filtered first sign output so as to obtain a second sign output. These operations are in accordance with Equations 4 and 5.

(58) The second sign output includes a sequence of signed differences {{tilde over (s)}.sub.t} made up of subsequences S.sub.1, . . . , S.sub.N each containing coincident values. That is subsequences containing all +1 values, or all −1 values, or all 0 values.

(59) Only the two or three most recent subsequences S.sub.N−2, S.sub.N−1, S.sub.N, or in most cases only the timings of these subsequences are required to be stored.

(60) In one example, the final subsequence S.sub.N contains all −1 values and terminates when the upper appendage of the athlete lifts from the surface. In effect, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment where the upper appendage of the athlete lifts from the surface. That is, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the third transition point 403 (FIG. 5). The start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment of maximum force exerted by the upper appendage on the surface. That is, the start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the second transition point 402 (FIG. 5). The penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 contains all +1 values, That is, the end of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the moment of maximum force exerted by the upper appendage on the surface, i.e. second transition point 402. The start of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the moment the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action. That is, the start of the penultimate subsequence S.sub.N−1 identifies the first transition point 401 (FIG. 5).

(61) In another example, the final subsequence S.sub.N contains all +1 values and ends at the point when the at least one appendage exerts the maximum force on the surface during the starting action. That is, the end of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the second transition point 402 (FIG. 5). The start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the moment the at least one upper appendage of the athlete begins the starting action. That is, the start of the final subsequence S.sub.N identifies the first transition point 401 (FIG. 5).

(62) In step 703, the athlete start time is compared to the event start time to determine whether a false start has occurred. This involves determining whether the athlete start time is less than a predetermined threshold after the event start time. If so, it is determined that a false start has occurred.

(63) Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a flow diagram of a method according to the fifth aspect.

(64) In Step 801, force data is received from a force sensor. The force data represents the force exerted by at least one appendage of the athlete on a surface when in a starting position.

(65) In Step 802, the force data is processed to identify a first transition point representing the moment that the at least one appendage of the athlete begins a starting action. The processing of the force data may be performed in the same way as in Step 702 (FIG. 7) of the method according to the first aspect.

(66) In Step 803, the time at which the first transition point occurs is set as an athlete start time for the event.

(67) In Step 804, the athlete start time is compared to the event start time to determine whether a false start has occurred.

(68) In one example of the method according to the fifth aspect, the at least one appendage is a lower appendage of the athlete. In this example, the force sensor is attached to or integrated into the starting block 3 (FIG. 1).

(69) It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the above examples have focused on athlete events involving a running track, such as track athletics and especially foot races. The present invention is, however, not limited to this particular application and instead can be used in other events as appropriately selected by the skilled person in the art. For example, the present invention may be used in swimming events. In swimming events, the athlete's starting position is with the at least one upper appendage of the athlete resting on a starting block. From this starting position, the athlete will dive or propel themselves into the water so as to start the swimming race. The force data in this instance represents the force exerted by the at least one upper appendage on the starting block.

(70) The described and illustrated embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the inventions as defined in the claims are desired to be protected. It should be understood that while the use of words such as “preferable”, “preferably”, “preferred” or “more preferred” in the description suggest that a feature so described may be desirable, it may nevertheless not be necessary and embodiments lacking such a feature may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. In relation to the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used to preface a feature there is no intention to limit the claim to only one such feature unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.

(71) Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” or “comprises” means including the component(s) specified but not to the exclusion of the presence of others.

(72) In summary, there is provided a method, a false start detection system, and a false start detection sensor for determining whether an athlete has performed a false start in an event. Force data is received representing the force exerted by at least one upper appendage of the athlete on a surface when in a starting position (S701). The force data is processed to determine an athlete start time (S702), and the athlete start time is compared to an event start time to determine whether a false start has occurred (S703).

(73) Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

(74) Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

(75) All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

(76) Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

(77) The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.