Abstract: A recharging system operable to supply power to a rechargeable battery onboard an aerial vehicle. The recharging system includes conductive contacts onboard an aerial vehicle and a landing platform including conductive regions, a charge sensor, and a power supply. The conductive contacts are polarized and located on the skids of the aerial vehicle. When then conductive contacts are received by the conductive regions, the charge sensor operates switches in order to connect a positively charged contact with the positive terminal of the power supply and the negatively charged contact with the negative terminal. Thus, the rechargeable battery is recharged by the power supply.

Abstract: In order to facilitate entity resolution, systems and methods include a processor receiving first records associated with one or more entities, and second records associated with the one or more entities. The processor generates candidate pairs based on a similarity between first entity data and second entity data. The processor generates features for each candidate pair based on similarity measures between the first entity record and the second entity record. The processor utilizes a scoring machine learning model to determine a match score for each candidate pair based on each feature. The processor determines clusters of candidate pairs based on the match score of each feature for each candidate pair. The processor merges records of candidate pairs of each cluster into a respective entity record. The processor determines an entity associated with each entity record and updates an entity database with the entity record.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for monitoring the integrity of an insulative material. A monitoring module detects a leakage current corresponding to an injection signal into the insulative material by a signal source. An output can provide an insulation fault signal when the leakage current is greater than a given threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for joint calibration of vision and radar sensors for an autonomous device is disclosed. The apparatus may include a spherical portion and a cutout portion. The cutout portion may be formed within the spherical portion and have three equal surfaces. Additionally, the apparatus may include a trihedral reflector positioned within the cutout portion.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for enhancing simulated annealing with quantum fluctuations. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining an input state; performing simulated annealing on the input state with a temperature reduction schedule until a decrease in energy is below a first minimum value; terminating the simulated annealing in response to determining that the decrease in energy is below the first minimum level; outputting a first evolved state and first temperature value; reducing the temperature to a minimum temperature value; performing quantum annealing on the first evolved state with a transversal field increase schedule until a completion of a second event occurs; terminating the quantum annealing in response to determining that a completion of the second event has occurred; outputting a second evolved state as a subsequent input state for the simulated annealing, and determining that the completion of the first event has occurred.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a system receives, at a first sensor of the ADV, a first and a second V2X communication data from a first infrastructure and a second infrastructure respectively. The system determines a first distance from the ADV to the first infrastructure and a second distance from the ADV to the second infrastructure based on the first and the second V2X communication data. The system determines a relative location of the ADV to the first or the second infrastructure based on the first and the second distances and a predetermined distance between the first infrastructure and the second infrastructure. The system retrieves lane information based on the relative location of the ADV to the first or the second infrastructure. The system generates a trajectory based on the lane information to control the ADV autonomously according to the trajectory.

Abstract: A method of determining respiratory phase of a living body from a sequence of digitized fluoroscopic images of a living-body region exhibiting respiratory displacement, the method employing programmable computing apparatus and comprising the steps of: (a) in each living-body-region image in the sequence, defining one or more zones with each image having identical image-to-image zone locations, sizes, and shapes; (b) for each image, computing an average pixel intensity for each zone to form a sequence thereof for each zone; (c) for each zone, modifying the average pixel intensities by (i) computing the mean value of the sequence of average pixel intensities for such zone, and (ii) subtracting the mean from each average pixel intensity in the zone; (d) for each zone sequence, computing a figure-of-merit; (e) selecting the zone having the highest figure-of-merit; and (f) using the sequence of pixel intensities of the selected zone to determine respiratory phase.

Abstract: Systems are configured for performing GPS-based and sensor-based relocalization. During the relocalization, the systems are configured to obtain radio-based positioning data indicating an estimated position of the system within a mapped environment. The systems are also configured to identify, based on the estimated position, a subset of keyframes of a map of the mapped environment, wherein the map of the mapped environment includes a plurality of keyframes captured from a plurality of locations within the mapped environment, and the plurality of keyframes are associated with anchor points identified within the mapped environment. The systems are further configured to perform relocalization within the mapped environment based on the subset of keyframes.

Abstract: A modular wall overlay system for installation on a support surface includes a frame; a cover that is securely, yet detachably, retained on and along a front face of the frame by a tensioning mechanism that is configured to tension the cover; and elastic corner inserts that are disposed in corners of the frame and include curved outer surfaces that are configured to permit the cover to be stretched over the elastic corner inserts creating radiused corners and preventing tearing of the cover in corners thereof when the cover is tensioned by the tensioning mechanism.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for communicating multimedia content over a service provider network. A network server may receive an audio-video stream from a content provider server, relaying the audio-video stream to a receiver device via the service provider network, receive an operating mode notification identifying a user behavior from the receiver device, and ceasing the relaying of the audio-video stream to the receiver device based on the user behavior. The network server may also alter the audio-video stream based on the received operating mode notification and send the altered audio-video stream to the receiver device via the service provider network.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and method for detecting, determining and compensating for offset error arising in inductive position and torque sensors are described. In accordance with at least one embodiment, an offset coil can be configured for use within an inductive sensor and include a first trace and at least one second trace. The first trace and the at least one second trace may be drawn within a stator of an inductive sensor. The first trace and the at least one second trace may be drawn within the stator proximate to a pair of excitation coil connecting leads, drawn on a first plane within the stator, and on at least one plane substantially parallel to the first plane such that wherein an excitation coil flowing through the pair of excitation coil connecting leads induces an offset coil signal in the first trace and at least second trace.

Abstract: A thumbnail management system is provided for an intelligent TV. Thumbnails may accumulate over time and require removal from a data storage device. Thumbnails may expire based, in part, on the type of media they represent, such as broadcast programs, movies, pay-per-view, games, and user content, such as music and images. Thumbnails may also be removed upon removal of the referencing media file.

Abstract: A method of forming a low-density three-dimensional article is provided. The method includes printing a low-density composition on a substrate to form at least one layer comprising the low-density composition. The low-density composition includes a (P) polymer component and (M) a microsphere component in a ratio by volume (P):(M). The method also includes selectively controlling a density of the low-density composition during printing to give the at least one layer on the substrate. Selectively controlling the density of the low-density composition includes varying the ratio (P):(M) during printing. The method further includes repeating the printing and selectively controlling the density of the low-density composition to form additional layer(s), thereby forming the low-density three-dimensional article. A low-density three-dimensional article prepared in accordance with the method is also provided.

Abstract: A wrapping apparatus and method utilize a rotational data shift to a wrap speed model to offset system lag.

Abstract: Systems and methods can support an autonomous pool skimming system. The pool skimming system may have a body with two or more hulls. Two or more paddlewheels may be coupled to the body. An independent motor may drive each paddlewheel. The motors may be independently controllable to support steering. The pool skimming system may have one or more processing units, two or more distance sensors, one or more solar cells, and a power supply operable to power the processing units and the motors from energy supplied by the solar cells. One or more processing modules may configure the processing units to plan and execute a traversal path across the surface of a body of water, such as a swimming pool, to collect debris into a removable basket. A portion of the traversal path may be established according to signals from distance sensors.

Abstract: Techniques for processing data may include: receiving a candidate block; performing partial deduplication processing of the candidate block; receiving a second candidate block subsequent to performing partial deduplication processing for the candidate block; and performing first processing to determine whether to perform promotion processing for the entry, The partial deduplication processing may include: partially deduplicating at least one sub-block of the candidate block; and creating an entry in a deduplication database for the candidate block, wherein the entry includes a digest of the candidate block and the entry denotes a potential target block having the digest, and wherein the entry includes a counter that tracks a number of missed full block deduplications between the potential target block and subsequently processed candidate blocks. The promotion processing promotes the potential target block, having the first digest of the entry, to a new target block.

Abstract: A method for joining an event stream with reference data includes loading a plurality of reference data snapshots from a reference data source into a cache. Punctuation events are supplied that indicate temporal validity for the plurality of reference data snapshots in the cache. A logical barrier is provided that restricts a flow of data events in the event stream to a cache lookup operation based on the punctuation events. The cache lookup operation is performed with respect to the data events in the event stream that are permitted to cross the logical barrier.

Abstract: Disclosed herein includes a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for rendering a three-dimensional (3D) model of an avatar according to an audio stream including a vocal output of a person and image data capturing a face of the person. In one aspect, phonemes of the vocal output are predicted according to the audio stream, and the predicted phonemes of the vocal output are translated into visemes. In one aspect, a plurality of blendshapes and corresponding weights are determined, according to the corresponding image data of the face, to form the 3D model of the avatar of the person. The visemes may be combined with the 3D model of the avatar to form a 3D representation of the avatar, by synchronizing the visemes with the 3D model of the avatar in time.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body, a tailgate and a hinge assembly. The tailgate is rotatable relative to the vehicle body between a closed position and an open position. The hinge assembly rotatably coupling the tailgate to the vehicle body. The hinge assembly includes a bracket, a hinge pin and a retention ring. The bracket is attached to a respective one of a plurality of side walls of the vehicle body. The hinge pin is rotatably fixed to a respective end of the tailgate and is removably connected to the bracket. The retention ring is rotatably coupled to the bracket between a locked state in which the hinge pin is prevented from being disconnected from the bracket and an unlocked state in which the hinge pin is permitted to be disconnected from the bracket.