Abstract: A wireless hoist system including a first hoist device having a first motor and a first wireless transceiver and a second hoist device having a second motor and a second wireless transceiver. The wireless hoist system includes a controller in wireless communication with the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless. The controller is configured to receive a user input and determine a first operation parameter and a second operation parameter based on the user input. The controller is also configured to provide, wirelessly, a first control signal indicative of the first operation parameter to the first hoist device and provide, wirelessly, a second control signal indicative of the second operation parameter to the second hoist device. The first hoist device operates based on the first control signal and the second hoist device operates based on the second control signal.

Abstract: Techniques are described for automated operations to analyze visual data from panorama images captured in multiple rooms of a building and having little-to-no visual overlap in order to generate a floor plan for the building, and subsequently using the generated floor plan in one or more further automated manners, with the floor plan generation further performed in some cases without having or using information from any distance-measuring devices about distances from an image's acquisition location to walls or other objects in the surrounding room. The automated operations may include identifying and aligning pairs of target images acquired at acquisition locations proximate to each other, refining the alignment of inter-image directions and acquisition locations into a global alignment using a common coordinate system, and then using information identified from the images' visual data that includes structural room layouts to generate the floor plan of the building.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving messages from respective mobile reference devices. Each of the messages is broadcast beginning at one of several predetermined message start opportunity (MSO) times that have known timings relative to a reference time. Each of the messages contains a MSO value identifying the MSO time at which transmission of the message started. The MSO value is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of mobile reference devices. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determine the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving at the mobile device a set of time-slotted messages from a respective set of reference devices. Each of the time-slotted messages contains a slot ID indicating the assigned time slot in which it was broadcast. The slot ID is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the time-slotted messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration based on the time of flight of the time-slotted messages and known positions of the reference devices. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of SBS ground stations. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determined the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving messages from respective mobile reference devices. Each of the messages is broadcast beginning at one of several predetermined message start opportunity (MSO) times that have known timings relative to a reference time. Each of the messages contains a MSO value identifying the MSO time at which transmission of the message started. The MSO value is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of mobile reference devices. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determine the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving messages from respective mobile reference devices. Each of the messages is broadcast beginning at one of several predetermined message start opportunity (MSO) times that have known timings relative to a reference time. Each of the messages contains a MSO value identifying the MSO time at which transmission of the message started. The MSO value is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of mobile reference devices. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determine the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving at the mobile device a set of time-slotted messages from a respective set of reference devices. Each of the time-slotted messages contains a slot ID indicating the assigned time slot in which it was broadcast. The slot ID is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the time-slotted messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration based on the time of flight of the time-slotted messages and known positions of the reference devices. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of SBS ground stations. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determined the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving messages from respective mobile reference devices. Each of the messages is broadcast beginning at one of several predetermined message start opportunity (MSO) times that have known timings relative to a reference time. Each of the messages contains a MSO value identifying the MSO time at which transmission of the message started. The MSO value is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of mobile reference devices. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determine the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a novelty yarn, having relatively short varying length and varying size auxiliary strands randomly distributed therealong, on a spinning frame provided with a series of spaced pairs of rotatable drafting elements defining a drafting zone, which drafting elements include a pair of delivery rolls. The novelty yarn is formed by advancing at least one strand of staple fibers into and through the drafting zone while continuously forming therefrom a ground strand of drafted staple fibers emerging from the delivery rolls. An auxiliary strand of staple fibers is fed through the nip of a pair of auxiliary feed rolls and to the nip of the delivery rolls while the auxiliary feed rolls are being rotated at a slower effective speed than the effective speed of the delivery rolls so as to effect a random parting of the auxiliary strand and thereby form relatively short varying length auxiliary strands randomly distributed along the ground strand.