1. A method for estimating the charging time of an automobile battery is characterized by comprising the following steps:

acquiring an initialized charging current relation graph, the current battery capacity and the current temperature of the automobile; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

acquiring a charging parameter record of the automobile, and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

determining the corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile under different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model;

determining a second charging current value in each charge state in the automobile charging process according to the charge state and the corresponding battery temperature in the charge state;

and determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value.

2. The method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring actual charging current values of the automobile in the charging process under each charge state;

and updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

3. The method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery according to claim 1, wherein the determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery charge and the second charging current value comprises:

determining a plurality of actual states of charge experienced in the automobile charging process according to the battery electric quantity;

determining a first charging time length in the actual state of charge according to the second charging current value in each actual state of charge;

and accumulating the first charging time periods to obtain the total charging time period.

4. The method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

and recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

5. A system for estimating the charging time of an automobile battery is characterized by comprising:

the first acquisition module is used for acquiring the initialized charging current relation diagram, the current battery electric quantity and the current temperature of the automobile; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

the modeling module is used for acquiring the charging parameter record of the automobile and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

the first processing module is used for determining the corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile under different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model;

the second processing module is used for determining a second charging current value in each charge state in the automobile charging process according to the charge state and the corresponding battery temperature in the charge state;

and the estimation module is used for determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value.

6. The system for estimating the charging time of the vehicle battery according to claim 5, further comprising:

the second acquisition module is used for acquiring the actual charging current value of each charge state in the automobile charging process;

and the updating module is used for updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

7. The system for estimating the charging duration of the automobile battery according to claim 5, wherein the estimation module is specifically configured to:

determining a plurality of actual states of charge experienced in the automobile charging process according to the battery electric quantity;

determining a first charging time length in the actual state of charge according to the second charging current value in each actual state of charge;

and accumulating the first charging time periods to obtain the total charging time period.

8. The system for estimating the charging time of the vehicle battery according to claim 7, further comprising:

and the storage module is used for recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

9. An estimation device of the charging time of an automobile battery is characterized by comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory for storing at least one program;

when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to implement the method of estimating a length of time that an automotive battery is charged as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program executable by a processor is stored, characterized in that: the processor executable program when executed by a processor is for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 4.

Background

In recent years, electric vehicles are more and more, and batteries are used as energy storage devices of the electric vehicles to directly determine the driving mileage and safety performance of the whole vehicles. Due to different climatic environments among different regions, the use environment of the electric automobile is complex and various, and the charging environment scene is correspondingly complex.

At present, in the charging process of an electric vehicle, a vehicle control unit often predicts the required charging time according to the prior charging experience and the use state of a battery. However, in the charging process of an actual battery, the charging current may increase or decrease due to different environments, and accordingly, the estimation of the charging duration is also inaccurate, and charging guidance cannot be provided for a user well, so that the user experience is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art to some extent.

Therefore, an object of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a method for estimating a charging time of an automobile battery, which can effectively improve estimation accuracy of a charging remaining time and greatly improve user experience.

Another objective of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a system for estimating a charging time of a battery of an automobile.

In order to achieve the technical purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for estimating a charging duration of an automobile battery, including the following steps:

acquiring an initialized charging current relation graph, the current battery capacity and the current temperature of the automobile; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

acquiring a charging parameter record of the automobile, and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

determining the corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile under different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model;

determining a second charging current value in each charge state in the automobile charging process according to the charge state and the corresponding battery temperature in the charge state;

and determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value.

In addition, according to the estimation method for the charging time of the automobile battery in the above embodiment of the present application, the following additional technical features may also be provided:

further, in an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes the following steps:

acquiring actual charging current values of the automobile in the charging process under each charge state;

and updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

Further, in an embodiment of the present application, the determining the total charging time period of the automobile according to the battery charge amount and the second charging current value includes:

determining a plurality of actual states of charge experienced in the automobile charging process according to the battery electric quantity;

determining a first charging time length in the actual state of charge according to the second charging current value in each actual state of charge;

and accumulating the first charging time periods to obtain the total charging time period.

Further, in an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes the following steps:

and recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a system for estimating a charging duration of an automobile battery, including:

the first acquisition module is used for acquiring the initialized charging current relation diagram, the current battery electric quantity and the current temperature of the automobile; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

the modeling module is used for acquiring the charging parameter record of the automobile and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

the first processing module is used for determining the corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile under different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model;

the second processing module is used for determining a second charging current value in each charge state in the automobile charging process according to the charge state and the corresponding battery temperature in the charge state;

and the estimation module is used for determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value.

In addition, the system for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery according to the above embodiment of the present application may further have the following additional technical features:

further, in one embodiment of the present application, the system further comprises:

the second acquisition module is used for acquiring the actual charging current value of each charge state in the automobile charging process;

and the updating module is used for updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

Further, in an embodiment of the present application, the estimation module is specifically configured to:

determining a plurality of actual states of charge experienced in the automobile charging process according to the battery electric quantity;

determining a first charging time length in the actual state of charge according to the second charging current value in each actual state of charge;

and accumulating the first charging time periods to obtain the total charging time period.

Further, in an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

and the storage module is used for recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an estimation apparatus for a charging duration of an automobile battery, including:

at least one processor;

at least one memory for storing at least one program;

when executed by the at least one processor, the at least one program causes the at least one processor to implement the method for estimating a charge duration of a vehicle battery according to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a program executable by a processor is stored, and the program executable by the processor is used to implement the method for estimating the charging time of the vehicle battery according to the first aspect.

Advantages and benefits of the present application will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present application:

according to the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery, the initialized charging current relation graph, the current battery electric quantity and the current temperature of the automobile are obtained; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states; acquiring a charging parameter record of the automobile, and establishing a charging temperature rise model; determining the corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile under different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model; determining a second charging current value in each charge state in the automobile charging process according to the charge state and the corresponding battery temperature in the charge state; and determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value. The method can adapt to the phenomenon that the charging condition fluctuates due to the change of the environmental temperature and the change of the battery in the charging process, improve the estimation precision of the charging remaining time and greatly improve the user experience.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following description is made on the drawings of the embodiments of the present application or the related technical solutions in the prior art, and it should be understood that the drawings in the following description are only for convenience and clarity of describing some embodiments in the technical solutions of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for estimating a charging duration of an automotive battery according to the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a system for estimating a charging duration of an automotive battery according to the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an estimation apparatus for a charging duration of an automobile battery according to the present application.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary only for the purpose of explaining the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. The step numbers in the following embodiments are provided only for convenience of illustration, the order between the steps is not limited at all, and the execution order of each step in the embodiments can be adapted according to the understanding of those skilled in the art.

In the related art, the estimation accuracy of the charging remaining time of the electric vehicle is generally more than 30min or even greater, and the adopted method mainly has the following problems:

the BMS estimates a time required for charging to a specific ampere hour according to the self charging MAP, which does not correspond to an ampere hour actually charged into the battery, and the estimated remaining charging time has a large deviation from an actual charging time, which cannot provide an accurate prediction to a user. Resulting in a poor user travel scheduling experience.

When the BMS estimates the remaining charging time based on the real-time current charged in the battery, there is a remaining charging time value that fluctuates due to fluctuation of the real-time current, and the remaining charging time value is large or small, which causes unnecessary troubles to users, and has almost no practical value.

3. In a low temperature environment, the battery generally has a pure heating stage, and the electricity charged into the battery is 0, so that the estimation of the remaining charging time in the BMS cannot be predicted.

4. Under different environments and different SOC charging currents can bring different temperature rises to the battery, the estimated remaining time is shorter when the current is larger, but the charging current is limited because the temperature of the battery is increased later, and the charging time is lengthened.

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for estimating a charging duration of an automobile battery, which can adapt to a phenomenon that a charging condition fluctuates due to a change in an environmental temperature and a change in a battery during a charging process, improve estimation accuracy of a charging remaining time, and greatly improve user experience.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1, the method mainly comprises the following steps:

step 110, acquiring an initialized charging current relation graph and the current battery electric quantity of the automobile; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

in the embodiment of the application, the initialized charging current relation graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states, and the first charging current values can be preset when an automobile is produced, obtained through multiple tests on the automobile of the automobile type, and also can be set according to the maximum allowable chargeable current. Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the temperature level may be set to a level every other temperature difference, for example, every other one degree celsius, and it can be understood that, for example, 0 to 9 degrees celsius may be regarded as 10 levels. Each temperature level herein may be represented as NX, where N is an integer, X is a temperature interval, and the units may be degrees Celsius, then-4X, -3X, -2X, -X, 0, X, 2X, 3X, 4X may each be the corresponding temperature level, and the actual measured temperatures are categorized into the levels by rounding. Similarly, the state of charge in the embodiment of the present application may also be divided into a plurality of levels according to a ratio of the current battery power to the total power, for example, in some embodiments, four levels of low, medium and high may be set, and correspond to battery power charging intervals of 0 to 25%, 25 to 50%, 50 to 75%, and 75 to 100%, respectively. Each state of charge level herein may be denoted as MY, where M is a natural number, Y is a predetermined percentage, and Y is less than 1, e.g., Y is 10%, then 0, Y, 2Y, 3Y, 4Y, 5Y, up to 10Y may be the corresponding state of charge level. At a temperature level and state of charge corresponding to a first charging current value, such as 4 degrees celsius, 0 state of charge, there is a corresponding first charging current value. Here, a fixed current value, denoted as I, may be set, and the magnitude of I may be set as needed. So that the first charging current values can each be expressed as a multiple of I. Such as 0.7I, 0.8I, 1.2I, etc. In this way, a charging current relation graph can be established, and in some embodiments, a charging time segment can be further calculated. Specifically, the charging time slice refers to the time taken from full charge to pass through a state of charge, which can be obtained by dividing the amount of electricity required to be obtained before and after the state of charge by the aforementioned first charging current value. For example, if the level of a certain state of charge is middle, and the corresponding charge interval is 25% to 50%, the electric quantity required to complete the charging process of the whole state of charge can be obtained by multiplying the total charging capacity by 25%, and the electric quantity can be denoted as Z. Since the state of charge ranges of the various levels are generally equal, i.e., the amount of power required to fully charge each state of charge level is Z. The charging time segment corresponding to the charging state can be obtained by dividing the electric quantity Z by the first charging current value, and in a charging state, the charging time segment is divided into a plurality of temperature levels, so that each temperature level and each charging state correspond to one charging time segment. For example, when the temperature is at 3X level and the state of charge is 0 to Y%, the first charging current value is 0.8I, and the charging time slice is Z/0.8I; for another example, when the temperature is at the X level and the state of charge is 3Y% to 4Y%, the first charging current value is 0.7I, and the charging time slice is Z/0.7I. It will be understood that, assuming a constant temperature, for example, the temperature is always maintained at the current temperature: at 0 ℃, after a certain time of charging, five charge states are passed, and the corresponding currents are 1.2I, 1.1I, 1.0I and 0.8I respectively, so that the total charging time can be recorded as Z/1.2I + Z/1.1I + Z/1.0I + Z/0.8I.

Step 120, acquiring a charging parameter record of the automobile, and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

since the temperature of the battery fluctuates during the charging process, there is a case where the temperature rises all the time, for example. Therefore, in the embodiment of the application, the charging parameter record of the automobile can be obtained, and the corresponding charging temperature rise model is established, namely the change condition of the temperature of the battery along with the state of charge in the charging process. The charging parameter record in the embodiment of the application can be obtained in the process of charging the automobile for multiple times.

Step 130, determining corresponding battery temperatures of the automobile in different charge states in the charging process according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model;

generally, the state of charge is increasing and the temperature is increasing during charging, so it is likely that the temperature of the battery will go through multiple temperature levels throughout the charging process rather than the fixed temperature condition described above. Therefore, the battery temperature of the automobile in different charge states in the charging process needs to be determined according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model. As in the previous example, a charge passes through five states of charge, possibly with temperatures of 0, X, X, 2X, 3X for each state of charge in turn. Rather than being kept at 0 degrees celsius at all times.

Step 140, determining a second charging current value in each state of charge in the automobile charging process according to the state of charge and the corresponding battery temperature in the state of charge;

in the embodiment of the application, after the temperatures corresponding to different states of charge in the battery charging process are determined according to the states of charge, the charging current value in each state of charge at the moment can be determined according to the states of charge and the temperature levels, and the charging current value is recorded as the second charging current value. The value of the second charging current value is the same as the original first charging current value in the state of charge and the corresponding temperature level, for example, in the foregoing example, the temperature level is 0 degrees celsius, and the currents corresponding to the five states of charge in turn are 1.2I, 1.1I, 1.0I and 0.8I, but after considering the temperature rise effect, the temperatures corresponding to the five states of charge are determined first, and then the corresponding currents are determined again, and at this time, it is possible that the currents are changed to 1.2I, 1.3I, 1.0I, 1.1I and 0.9I in turn, and it is seen that due to the influence of the temperature rise, the current situation is greatly different from the situation that the original assumed temperature is unchanged.

And 150, determining the total charging time of the automobile according to the battery electric quantity and the second charging current value.

In the embodiment of the application, after the corrected second charging current value is determined, the total charging time of the automobile can be calculated according to the data. Specifically, firstly, a plurality of actual charge states experienced in the charging process of the automobile can be determined according to the battery electric quantity, for example, when the current automobile battery electric quantity is 50%, and the battery charge states of 0-25%, 25-50%, 50-75% and 75-100% are set, the actual charge states experienced during the charging of the battery are only two of 50-75% and 75-100%, so that the corresponding charging duration can be determined according to the second charging current values of the two actual charge states, that is, the charging duration is recorded as a first charging duration through dividing the electric quantity by the second charging current value, and the first charging duration is accumulated, so that the total duration charged to 100% can be obtained. Of course, it can be understood that when the set charging percentage is not 100%, the first charging time duration corresponding to the corresponding actual state of charge may be cut proportionally, so as to obtain the charging time duration required under any target charge capacity.

Optionally, in some embodiments, an actual charging current value of each state of charge in the vehicle charging process is obtained;

and updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

In the embodiment of the application, the actual charging current value can be obtained in the actual charging process and is used for updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph, so that the subsequent estimated result is more accurate.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the method in the present application may further include the steps of:

and recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

In the embodiment of the application, the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time length when the estimation is carried out at each time can be recorded, and when the same battery electric quantity and the current temperature appear next time, the result of the total charging time length is quickly called out, so that the estimation efficiency is improved.

To sum up, the estimation method for the charging time of the automobile battery in the embodiment of the application at least has the following advantages: the method can realize intelligent control and self-estimation of the residual charging time in the charging process, is suitable for any special charging scene, and can improve the estimation precision of the residual charging time.

The following describes in detail a system for estimating a charging period of an automotive battery according to an embodiment of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Referring to fig. 2, the system for estimating the charging duration of the automobile battery provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

the first obtaining module 101 is configured to obtain an initialized charging current relation diagram, a current battery capacity of the vehicle, and a current temperature; the charging current relationship graph is used for representing first charging current values at various temperature levels and various charge states;

the modeling module 102 is used for acquiring a charging parameter record of the automobile and establishing a charging temperature rise model;

the first processing module 103 is configured to determine, according to the current temperature and the charging temperature rise model, corresponding battery temperatures of the vehicle in different states of charge in a charging process;

the second processing module 104 is configured to determine a second charging current value in each state of charge in the vehicle charging process according to the state of charge and the corresponding battery temperature in the state of charge;

and the estimation module 105 is configured to determine a total charging duration of the automobile according to the battery power and the second charging current value.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the system further comprises:

the second acquisition module is used for acquiring the actual charging current value of each charge state in the automobile charging process;

and the updating module is used for updating the first charging current value in the charging current relation graph according to the actual charging current value.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the estimation module is specifically configured to:

determining a plurality of actual states of charge experienced in the automobile charging process according to the battery electric quantity;

determining a first charging time length in the actual state of charge according to the second charging current value in each actual state of charge;

and accumulating the first charging time periods to obtain the total charging time period.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and the storage module is used for recording and storing the corresponding relation among the battery electric quantity, the current temperature and the total charging time.

It can be understood that the contents in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery are all applicable to the embodiment of the system, the functions specifically implemented by the embodiment of the system are the same as those in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery, and the beneficial effects achieved by the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery are also the same as those achieved by the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery.

Referring to fig. 3, an embodiment of the present application provides an estimation apparatus for a charging duration of an automobile battery, including:

at least one processor 201;

at least one memory 202 for storing at least one program;

the at least one program, when executed by the at least one processor 201, causes the at least one processor 201 to implement a method for estimating a charge duration of a vehicle battery.

Similarly, the contents in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery are all applicable to the embodiment of the device for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery, the functions implemented by the embodiment of the device for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery are the same as those in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery, and the beneficial effects achieved by the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery are also the same as those achieved by the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging time of the automobile battery.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a program executable by the processor 201 is stored, and the program executable by the processor 201 is used for executing the above-mentioned estimation method for the charging duration of the vehicle battery when being executed by the processor 201.

Similarly, the contents in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging duration of the automobile battery are all applicable to the embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium, the functions implemented in the embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium are the same as those in the embodiment of the method for estimating the charging duration of the automobile battery, and the beneficial effects achieved by the embodiment of the computer-readable storage medium are the same as those achieved by the method for estimating the charging duration of the automobile battery.

In alternative embodiments, the functions/acts noted in the block diagrams may occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. 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/acts involved. Furthermore, the embodiments presented and described in the flowcharts of the present application are provided by way of example in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the technology. The disclosed methods are not limited to the operations and logic flows presented herein. Alternative embodiments are contemplated in which the order of various operations is changed and in which sub-operations described as part of larger operations are performed independently.

Furthermore, although the present application is described in the context of functional modules, it should be understood that, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, one or more of the functions and/or features may be integrated in a single physical device and/or software module, or one or more functions and/or features may be implemented in separate physical devices or software modules. It will also be appreciated that a detailed discussion regarding the actual implementation of each module is not necessary for an understanding of the present application. Rather, the actual implementation of the various functional modules in the apparatus disclosed herein will be understood within the ordinary skill of an engineer, given the nature, function, and internal relationship of the modules. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can, using ordinary skill, practice the present application as set forth in the claims without undue experimentation. It is also to be understood that the specific concepts disclosed are merely illustrative of and not intended to limit the scope of the application, which is defined by the appended claims and their full scope of equivalents.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

The logic and/or steps represented in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein, e.g., an ordered listing of executable instructions that can be considered to implement logical functions, can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. For the purposes of this description, a "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic device) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic device), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber device, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM). Additionally, the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

It should be understood that portions of the present application may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, the various steps or methods may be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, any one or combination of the following techniques, which are known in the art, may be used: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function on a data signal, an application specific integrated circuit having an appropriate combinational logic gate circuit, a Programmable Gate Array (PGA), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like.

In the foregoing description of the specification, reference to the description of "one embodiment/example," "another embodiment/example," or "certain embodiments/examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the application. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

While embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: numerous changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

While the present application has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.