Abstract: Welding electrodes, methods, and vehicles are provided. The welding electrodes include a body that includes a weld face on a distal end of the body configured to contact a workpiece and apply an electrical current thereto. The body has a maximum diameter of 13 millimeters or less. The welding electrode includes an insulative material covering at least a portion of the body, the insulative material configured to mitigate current shunting upon contact between the insulative material and a workpiece of a workpiece stack-up while using the welding electrode to resistance weld the workpiece stack-up.

Abstract: Methods and systems for matching color and/or appearance of a surface of an object are provided. In one example, method includes determining a gloss of the surface of the object at one or more angles. The gloss is compared to a minimum gloss threshold to determine a condition of the surface of the object. If the gloss is at or exceeds the minimum gloss threshold, the surface is properly conditioned. If the gloss is less than the minimum gloss threshold, the surface is improperly conditioned. The color and/or appearance of the surface of the object is characterized if the surface is properly conditioned.

Abstract: There is a need for miniature, low power, and remotely powered sensors that can measure moisture and reactive gas content in the environment. Examples of devices that already exist include dew-point sensors, moisture sensors, and oxygen sensors. This disclosure describes the use of high-frequency ultrasonic pulses to interrogate thin films on the imaging surface of a CMOS integrated GHz Ultrasonic imager substrate. In one embodiment the device uses a Peltier cooler and heater chip to detect the dew point by the act of moisture condensing on the surface. Integrated temperature measurement is enabled by using some of the pixels, isolated from the environment, to be reflectors that measure the phase change in the reflected signal due to the change in the speed of sound in the silicon substrate. In another embodiment a thin film is exposed to gases, changing its ultrasonic impedance, which can be used to extract the film thickness and its ultrasonic properties.

Abstract: A method including generating, by separate instances of a multi-threaded worker system, respective lists of zip codes that fulfillment nodes in a fulfillment network can deliver to via ground shipping within a first shipping time period, based at least in part on preliminary eligibility information and an evaluation of current factors. The method also can include transforming, with an aggregator system, the respective lists of zip codes to generate a mapping from each zip code in the respective lists of zip codes to a respective list of the fulfillment nodes that can deliver via ground shipping to each zip code within the first shipping time period. The method additionally can include receiving a request comprising an input zip code and an input shipping time period.

Abstract: A controller is adapted for a portable communications device, such as a smartphone, with a user controlled self-erasing option to programmably store data locally only for limited periods of time until it can be uploaded to a cloud device. This allows for improved data storage management on the device including increased storage capacity.

Abstract: A system includes a computer on board a vehicle and a server remote from the vehicle. The computer and the server each store a network graph of actions performable by components of the vehicle that includes costs of transitioning between the actions. The computer is programmed to log a sequence of the actions; upon determining that a sub-sequence of the sequence constitutes a lowest-cost path from the beginning action to the final action based on the network graph, store a reduced sequence including a beginning action and a final action of the sub-sequence ordered immediately after the beginning action, the reduced sequence excluding at least one intermediate action from the sub-sequence; and transmit the reduced sequence to a server remote from the vehicle. The server is programmed to determine the sequence from the reduced sequence based on the network graph.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for coupling two nonlinear resonators via a nonlinear element to generate phononic frequency combs.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to construction of subsurface structural elements that are configured to redirect soil forces. For instance, a form may be used to construct a subsurface structural element such that the subsurface structural element redirects soil forces to vertically displace a foundation rather than have the soil forces crack or otherwise damage the foundation.

Abstract: Described herein is a system for automatically capturing images. A device may execute an application on the device. In response to receiving a request for capturing an image of a document, the application may control the operation of the camera to contemporaneously and continuously capture image frames of an area within the field of view of a camera of the device. The field of view may include an object and in turn may be included in the captured image frames. The application may determine whether the aspect ratio and real-world size of the object in the captured image frames corresponds with a specified threshold size and aspect ratio which corresponds with a given document type. In response to determining the object corresponds to the given document type, the camera may automatically extract an image of the object.

Abstract: A system and method for the analysis of log data is presented. The system uses SuperMinHash based locality sensitive hash signatures to describe the similarity between log lines. Signatures are created for incoming log lines and stored in signature indexes. Later similarity queries use those indexes to improve the query performance. The SuperMinHash algorithm uses a two staged approach to determine signature values, one stage uses a first random number to calculate the index of the signature value that is to update. The two staged approach improves the accuracy of the produced similarity estimation data for small sized signatures. The two staged approach may further be used to produce random numbers that are related, e.g. each created random number may be larger than its predecessors. This relation is used to optimize the algorithm by determining and terminating when further created random numbers have no influence on the created signature.

Abstract: A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: authenticating at least one source of online data transmissions that matches a respective computing device of a user; batching the online data transmissions into one or more micro-batches; transmitting the one or more micro-batches to one or more respective backend services; receiving respective responses from the one or more respective backend services in response to each one of the one or more micro-batches; and performing each respective task of one or more tasks associated with the respective responses. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A central cloud computing account may aggregate events (e.g., configuration change events, policy change events, computing resource-based events, AWS resource policy modification events, etc.) from a plurality of non-centralized (e.g., distributed across various geographic regions, etc.) cloud computing accounts. The central cloud computing account may implement standardized and/or common formatting for configuration information (e.g., computing resource policy information, AWS resource policy information, etc.) indicated by each of the aggregated events. The standardized and/or common formatting may facilitate versioning to indicate changes to the configuration information for each of the non-centralized cloud computing accounts.

Abstract: An apparatus is described and includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including at least one connector on a first surface thereof; a cold plate connected to the first surface of the PCB. The cold plate includes at least one tube disposed in a first portion of the cold plate and at least one opening for receiving the at least one connector therethrough, the at least one opening disposed in a second portion of the cold plate. The apparatus further includes a housing including a lower housing portion for supporting the PCB and the cold plate such that the PCB is between the lower housing portion and the cold plate and an upper housing portion over the first portion of the cold plate. The second portion of the cold plate is exposed outside the upper housing portion when the upper and lower housing portions are fastened together.

Abstract: A guidewire configured to reduce the incidence of medical accidents when using guidewires including, but not limited to, the incidence of guidewires accidentally being pushed completely into a patient through a needle in the patient, guidewires accidently being left inside patients after the placement of central venous (and other) catheters, and guidewires accidently being left inside patients after removal of the catheter (at the end of an operation of other medical procedure). In particular, an intermediary portion (in the form of a new shape (referred to herein as “an obstruction portion”), an impeding portion, or an alternate (e.g., more flexible) material) of the guidewire inhibits further advancement into the needle with pushing motion. (The intermediary portion can be implemented as an additional portion connected between the patient-side portion and the doctor-side portion of the guidewire as well.

Abstract: A brake demand arbitrating device is provided comprising: a first transceiver configured to receive a first brake demand generated by a first brake pedal of a vehicle; a second transceiver configured to receive a second brake demand generated by a second brake pedal of the vehicle; a processor configured to determine which of the first brake demand and the second brake demand is greater; and a third transceiver configured to send the greater brake demand to a brake controller of the vehicle. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.

Abstract: A sensor calibration system periodically receives scene data from a detector in a calibration scene. The calibration scene includes calibration targets. The sensor calibration system generates a calibration map based on the scene data. The calibration map is a virtual representation of the calibration scene and includes features of the calibration targets that can be used as ground truth features for calibrating AV sensors. The sensor calibration system can periodically update the calibration map. For instance, the sensor calibration system receives the scene data at a predetermined frequency and updates the calibration map every time it receives new scene data. The predetermined frequency may be a frequency of the detector completing a full scan of the calibration scene. The sensor calibration system provides a latest version of the calibration map for being used by an AV to calibrate a sensor on the AV 110.

Abstract: A method is described and includes detecting by a vehicle an ambiguous situation involving the vehicle; classifying the detected ambiguous situation; and submitting in substantially real-time a request for remote assistance by a remote advisor to resolve the detected ambiguous situation, wherein contents of the request are based at least in part on the classifying.

Abstract: An apparatus, such as an electrical device or a wall box, may have a mounting mechanism that may be configured to mount the apparatus to a wall in a manner that may facilitate secure fastening to the wall. The apparatus may comprise at least one mounting clamp that may have a fin and a drum that receives a mounting screw. The fin of the mounting clamp may be configured to be located within a pocket formed in the body. When a mounting screw is driven, the mounting clamp may rotate from the pocket into a position in which the drum of the mounting clamp may be received in a channel formed in the body. The drum may be configured to move through the channel as the mounting screw is further driven. The gap may be sized to retain the mounting clamp within the channel as the drum moves therethrough.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide illuminated sporting equipment assemblies. An illuminated sporting equipment assembly may include a sporting equipment object such as a game ball and a light cap assembly configured to be secured to the game ball, where the light cap assembly includes a light cap assembly housing configured to secure an integrated circuit stack configured to generate light within the illumination cavity of the sporting equipment object.

Abstract: A vehicle seating assembly includes a seat, a front leg, a seatback, and a lower leg support. The seat includes a forward end and a rearward end. The seat is configured to be coupled to a support surface. The front leg engages with the support surface. The seatback is rotatably coupled to the seat proximate the rearward end. The lower leg support is directly and rotatably coupled to the seat proximate the forward end. The lower leg support is movable between an extended position and a retracted position. The vehicle seating assembly is movable between a seated position and a reclined-and-raised position. Moving from the seated position toward the reclined-and-raised position includes increasing a first distance between the front leg and the support surface.