Abstract: A calibration system for a camera and an inertial sensor, respectively rigidly affixed to a vehicle, includes a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The camera is adapted to capture one or more images and the inertial sensor is adapted to obtain motion data, including an angular velocity vector of the vehicle. The controller is configured to receive respective data from the camera and the inertial sensor. The controller is configured to perform adaptive feature selection on the one or more images, including extracting one or more regions of interest respectively from the images and calculating a respective optimal quality level for each of the regions of interest. The camera is aligned to the inertial sensor based in part on the adaptive feature selection and the respective data from the inertial sensor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing lockless access to a buffer ring are disclosed. The systems include a shared memory comprising the buffer ring. The buffer ring includes a plurality of sequentially arranged fixed size buffers configured to store messages, and a global header comprising a counter and a lock. The systems further include a publisher configured to write a plurality of messages to the plurality of fixed sized buffers in the buffer ring, and a subscriber configured to read one or more of the plurality of messages written by the publisher. The counter provides information relating to a fixed size buffer in the buffer ring to which the publisher will next write a message.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composite of a particulate and polymer, the composite characterized by less than enough polymer to fully occupy the available excluded volume of the particulate of the composite. The resulting composite is characterized by the particulate partially covered by the polymer leaving a substantial surface area uncovered.

Abstract: The present application provides methods and corresponding systems for accessing services on a gaming device which, in certain embodiments, include the step or steps of obtaining at least one item of identity verification data from a user of a gaming device; encrypting the at least one item of identity verification data; comparing the at least one item of encrypted identity verification data received and at least one item of encrypted identity verification data obtained and stored previously on an authentication device; enabling at least one service on the gaming device based on a match between the encrypted identity verification data, the at least one service comprising a wager-type game; and displaying an interface screen comprising graphic objects associated with the wager-type game and at least one selectable element for the user to submit a gaming command and a wagering command during game play.

Abstract: A trailer coupler lock assembly has a rigid protective case that receives an interlock adapter for interlocking a trailer coupler within the rigid protective case. The rigid protective case has a compartment dedicated for securing a safety chain assembly.

Abstract: A vehicle includes active grill shutters and a controller. The active grill shutters are configured to open to increase a drag on the vehicle and to close to decrease the drag on the vehicle. The controller is programmed to, in response to regenerative braking via an electric machine and an absence of friction braking, transition or maintain the active grill shutters to or in a closed position. The controller is further programmed to, in response to friction braking, transition or maintain the active grill shutters to or in the open position.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for assignment of wireless devices to an access node based on the transmission power capabilities of the access nodes and the wireless devices. The method may be applied to mobile wireless devices in overlapping coverage areas such that the transmission power capabilities of both the access node and the wireless device are considered during node assignment.

Abstract: A distributed computing environment data store management system includes a computer-based system for identifying a subset of element records in a data store associated with the elements of a distributed computing environment, receiving at least one user-defined data element from a user interface. Using the user-defined data element, the system adds the user-defined data element to each of the subset of element records, and stores each of the subset of element records and their associated user-defined data in the database.

Abstract: A data storage device includes a ferromagnetic center pole, a drive coil for an actuator arm assembly, and a magnetic assembly surrounding the drive coil. The drive coil surrounds the center pole and has a top, a bottom, and first and second sides; the first side is attached to the actuator arm assembly. The magnetic assembly includes a top magnet disposed above and spaced from the center pole, a bottom magnet disposed below and spaced from the center pole, and a side magnet disposed proximate the second side of the coil and spaced from the center pole. In another embodiment, a linear actuator comprises a ferromagnetic center pole, a drive coil supported for linear motion on a rail, and a magnetic assembly. A method including linearly moving a drive coil along a center pole by a magnetic field is also described.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit an optical signal that is directed into a field of regard (FOR) of the lidar system. The lidar system also includes a receiver configured to: receive a portion of the emitted optical signal scattered by a target located in the FOR a distance from the lidar system; and produce an electrical signal corresponding to the received optical signal, where the electrical signal is related to a preliminary value of an optical characteristic of the received optical signal. The lidar system further includes a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: determine the distance to the target; receive a humidity value; and determine a corrected value of the optical characteristic of the received optical signal based at least in part on the electrical signal produced by the receiver, the distance to the target, and the humidity value.

Abstract: An additive manufactured article is comprised of at least two adhered layers of extrudates (120) comprised of a thermoset material having therein a phase change material, wherein the phase change material undergoes a phase change at a temperature less than where the thermoset material decomposes. The article may be made by dispensing a mixture comprised of an organic reactive material and phase change material forming extrudates that are 3D printed into an article having multiple layers of extrudates bound together and then allowing the organic reactive material to react forming a thermoset material having therein the phase change material to form the additive manufactured article. The shape of the article may be changed by heating to a temperature above the temperature where the phase change material undergoes a phase change while applying a force and then cooling below the phase change temperature.

Abstract: A handheld appliance delivers heat and steam to a clothing garment or fabric. The appliance has a housing that contains a removable water reservoir, a pump, a control board, and a steam generator. The steam generator has a steam outlet that is a single nozzle connected to one of a plurality of output heads are interchangeably connected. Each output head has a steam outlet of different configurations to selectively vary one or more of steam emission pressure, steam emission distance and steam emission area. One or more output heads include physical components for direct contact with the garment or fabric.

Abstract: A universal connector for an adjustable golf club is provided. Such a universal connector includes a first member having a head portion and a body portion and having a bore for receiving a terminal end of a shaft. The connector also includes a second member having a bore for receiving a portion of the first member therein. The first member includes a first anti-rotational member and the second member includes a second anti-rotational member. The first and second anti-rotational members are engageable with one another to prevent relative rotation of the first member relative to the second member about a longitudinal axis of the connector. The second member includes a third anti-rotational member, the third anti-rotational member configured to mate with an anti-rotational member of the golf club head to prevent relative rotation of the second member relative to the head.

Abstract: In aspects of dropping extraneous discovery messages, a device application can initiate a discovery message in a device, such as a multicast message initiated for network discovery or discovery of network services. The device implements a status module that can interpose the routing of the discovery message in the device, and determine whether a response to a previous discovery message was received. The status module can also determine a device state of the device, where the device state can indicate whether a discovery message response is necessary. The status module is implemented to drop the discovery message if the response to the previous discovery message was not received and based on the device state indicating that a discovery message response is extraneous.

Abstract: A zero turn radius mower including a pair of rear drive wheels, a mowing deck including multiple cutting blades, an electric storage battery, a pair of electric wheel motors each operable to rotate one of the rear drive wheels, multiple electric blade motors each operable to rotate one of the multiple cutting blades, and a master controller in communication with each of the pair of wheel motors and the multiple blade motors. The master controller is operable to control a rotational speed of each of the pair of wheel motors and the multiple blade motors. The master controller is operable to stop rotation of the cutting blades when the wheel motors are operating below a threshold speed.

Abstract: Several embodiments of a catheter are described, having a balloon configured to slowly inflate and then quickly deflate to create an area of low pressure in the vessels. The balloon can be cycled near the vessels of the kidneys, thereby helping to draw out blood from the kidneys and enhance fluid processing to the bladder.

Abstract: A cyber-secure local electrical power market for a power grid with a utility operator transmitting power where a group of participating nodes within the distribution network operate together through respective computers on a blockchain architecture. The participating nodes have controllable resources with controllers in operative communication within the blockchain architecture, such as controllable generators and controllable loads. Decentralized market software operates on computers within the blockchain architecture and shares blockchain datasets that include financial information associated with the controllable resources and operating states of the grid. One or more of the computers in the blockchain architecture calculates Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) across the participating nodes according to the set of financial information and determines a set of energy service orders corresponding to LMP for the controllable resources to change their operating states.

Abstract: Managing rendering of a graphical user interface is provided. A system receives data packets comprising an input audio signal. The system determines an application identifier and query. The system provides the query to the application to cause the application to generate a second query for transmission to a third-party server, and identify responses to the query. The system intercepts the responses, and generates a keyword based on the responses. The system selects a digital component using the keyword, executes a deduplication process, and determines to add the digital component to the responses. The system constructs a display output using a graphical user interface template that integrates the plurality of responses generated by the application with the digital component, and provides the display output to the computing device for rendering.

Abstract: UAV airways system generally are disclosed. Such UAV airway systems may comprise UAV cargo transportation systems and UAV surveillance and monitoring systems. Such systems preferably overlay and are commensurate with a system of high-voltage power transmission lines of high-voltage transmission system, and electric field actuated (EFA) generators preferably are utilized in UAVs that travel along the transmission lines, in UAV charging stations located along the transmission lines, or in both. Each EFA generator represents a power supply and comprises first and second electrodes separated and electrically insulated from each other for enabling a differential in voltage at the first and second electrodes resulting from a differential in electric field strength experienced by the first and second electrodes arising from the power transmission lines of the high-voltage transmission system.

Abstract: A method, computer program, and computer system is provided for converting a singing voice of a first person associated with a first speaker to a singing voice of a second person using a speaking voice of the second person associated with a second speaker. A context associated with one or more phonemes corresponding to the singing voice of a first person is encoded, and the one or more phonemes are aligned to one or more target acoustic frames based on the encoded context. One or more mel-spectrogram features are recursively generated from the aligned phonemes, the target acoustic frames, and a sample of the speaking voice of the second person. A sample corresponding to the singing voice of a first person is converted to a sample corresponding to the second singing voice using the generated mel-spectrogram features.