Abstract: A rotorcraft having a plurality of wheels, each wheel configured to receive weight of the rotorcraft when in contact with a landing surface, a plurality of wheel sensors, each wheel sensor associated with a respective wheel and having circuitry configured to generate a wheel on ground (WOG) signal indicating that the respective wheel is in contact with the landing surface, and a flight control computer (FCC) in signal communication with the plurality of wheel sensors, the FCC operable to execute a first hold loop having a first integrator and providing first control augmentation of a rotorcraft flight system, the FCC further operable to freeze the first integrator according to a number of WOG signals received from the plurality of wheel sensors, the FCC further operable to generate a first control signal according to a first value provided by the first integrator while the first integrator is frozen.

Abstract: A method for performing condition-based maintenance of an engine is presented. The method includes obtaining one or more parameters corresponding to the engine. Also, the method includes determining a temperature profile corresponding to a portion of a fluid flow component based on a first parameter and one or more thermal models. The method further includes estimating a solid deposit in the portion of the fluid flow component corresponding to each cycle of the engine based on the temperature profile and deposition kinetics parameters. Further, the method includes predicting a total solid deposit in the portion of the fluid flow component based on the estimated solid deposit corresponding to each cycle of the engine. Moreover, the method includes performing the condition-based maintenance of the engine based on a value of the predicted total solid deposit.

Abstract: This specification relates to robots and audio processing in robots. In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a robot that includes: a body and one or more physically moveable components; a plurality of microphones and one or more other sensor subsystems; one or more processors; and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the robot to perform operations. The operations can include: receiving one or more sensor inputs from the one or more other sensor subsystems; determining a predicted direction of a detected sound emitter based on the one or more sensor inputs of the one or more other sensor subsystems; calculating a spatial filter based on the predicted direction; obtaining, by the plurality of microphones, respective audio inputs; and processing the respective audio inputs according to the calculated spatial filter.

Abstract: A method for automatically monitoring soil surface roughness as a ground-engaging operation is being performed within a field may include receiving pre-operation surface roughness data associated with a given portion of the field and receiving post-operation surface roughness data associated with the given portion of the field. In addition, the method may include analyzing the pre-operation and post-operation surface roughness data to determine a surface roughness differential associated with the performance of the ground-engaging operation and actively adjusting the operation of at least one of an associated work vehicle and/or implement when the surface roughness differential differs from a target set for the surface roughness differential.

Abstract: A system quantifies the extent of a damaged vehicle in the absence of a specialist (appraiser) present onsite. The system enables an objective estimate of the damage, supplanting or merely supplementing psychologically biased claimant reporting. The system has hardware structures to perform imagery quantification of damage on a damaged vehicle. The damaged vehicle may be located anywhere, including at the scene of an accident, at an insured's home, at an insurer's claims offices, or at a body shop. Anyone, including the insured, with a mobile device such as a smart phone, may download onto it a mobile application that guides the user to take photographs or moving images of the damaged vehicle for the system to perform imagery quantification of damage.

Abstract: A transponder for sensing a spatial environment for the purposes of creating a local map model of said spatial environment, said transponder comprising: a microprocessor; at least one sensor for scanning said spatial environment and acquiring sensing information about said spatial environment; a memory having instructions executable by said microprocessor to cause the microprocessor to process said sensing information to: determine distance measurements between said transponder and features within said spatial environment; and generate said local map model; a communications interface module coupled to said microprocessor for enabling communication with a first computing device to send said local map model thereto and for enabling communication with a second computing device for using said local map model to navigate said spatial environment.

Abstract: A method for automatically allocating a plurality of available vehicles to a plurality of original service lines and virtual service lines of a transportation network includes receiving the virtual lines from a virtual line generator; approximating a constrained fleet allocation problem with an unconstrained fleet allocation problem that utilizes penalty terms to penalize violation of constraints; performing a multi-start sequential genetic search using a first population to identify a first solution; generating, using the first solution, a second population; performing a second multi-start genetic search using the second population to identify a second solution; and dispatching vehicles to different routes and lines according to the second solution.

Abstract: A method and system for vector limiting of a rotor control volume for a helicopter with one or more controllers configured to issue a displacement command during a flight maneuver and a computer operably connected to the one or more controllers and configured to receive signals with a processor indicative of a displacement command for a rotor during a flight maneuver; determine with the processor an origination point for a command vector in a reference frame; determine with the processor the command vector in the reference frame; determine with the processor a command radius for the command vector; compare with the processor the command radius with values of estimated command radii in a look-up table; and determine with the processor a control volume limited command in response to the comparing of the command radius with the estimated command radius.

Abstract: A mobile robot of the present disclosure includes a first pattern emission unit configured to emit a first patterned light downward and forward from the main body on a floor of an area to be cleaned; and an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of first patterned light emitted by the first pattern emission unit and is incident on an obstacle, so as to determine an obstacle based on a pattern detected from the acquired image. Accordingly, based on the information on the nearby obstacles, by determining whether the mobile robot is in a stuck state where traveling of the mobile robot is limited by a plurality of obstacles, and by setting up an escape for traveling, traveling state of the mobile robot and obstacles may be determined rapidly and a corresponding operation may be performed, thereby enabling effective traveling to escape from the stuck state.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a receiver for receiving weather information for one or more areas, a map data storage in which map data is stored, and a controller for generating one or more path sections using the weather information for the one or more areas and for determining a driving path for consuming a minimum amount of air conditioning power using the weather information and the map data for each path section.

Abstract: A method controls a motion of the host vehicle in the environment according to a trajectory and adjusts the trajectory of the vehicle based on the levels of risk posed by the motion of other vehicles. The method determines a set of feasible trajectories of hypothetical vehicles traveling in a driving area of the host vehicle and determines a level of risk of each feasible trajectory as a combination of the probability of the feasible trajectory to intersect with the trajectory of the host vehicle and the probability of the feasible trajectory to be followed by at least one vehicle. The method adjusts the trajectory of the host vehicle in response to assessing the levels of risk of the feasible trajectories.

Abstract: Vehicles and methods of navigating vehicles comprise at least three receiver antennae configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals from one or more RF-transmitting antennae coupled to an object, receiver circuitry coupled to the receiver antennae to acquire the RF signals and to determine timing information from the acquired RF signals, memory storing information related to fixed distances between each receiver antenna and each other receiver antenna, a processor configured to determine a relative position of the vehicle with respect to the one or more RF-transmitting antennae based on the stored information related to the fixed distances between each receiver antenna and each other receiver antenna and on the timing information determined by the receiver circuitry, and a control system configured to control operation of the vehicle in response to the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the one or more RF-transmitting antennae determined by the processor.

Abstract: A machine time usage determination system includes a data processing pipeline configured to receive data from a plurality of sources, a machine time usage determination program, and a controller in communication with the data processing pipeline and configured to execute the machine time usage determination program. Thus, the controller is configured to review a set of data from the data processing pipeline, and assign a current activity of a set of predetermined machine activities to a piece of equipment based on the set of data. Each activity of the set of predetermined machine activities is categorized as a productive activity or an unproductive activity. The controller is also configured to determine a probability value associated with the assigned current activity.

Abstract: A method for navigating an aerial vehicle from a first location to a second location, wherein the aerial vehicle having a localization system, the method including guiding the aerial vehicle according to a ground navigation map from the first location to the second location.

Abstract: A control system includes a bicycle includes a crank, a motor and a battery which provides power to the motor. An acceleration detector is connected to the bicycle and detects the riding acceleration of the bicycle. A torque detector is connected to the bicycle and consistently detects treading of the crank and generates multiple instant treading torque values. A controller is connected to the bicycle and electrically connected to the motor, the battery, the acceleration detector and the torque detector, and receives the riding acceleration, the treading acceleration and the instant treading torque values so as to control output of the motor and the battery instantly.

Abstract: Unmanned vehicles can be terrestrial, aerial, nautical, or multi-mode. Unmanned vehicles may efficiently accomplish tasks by autonomously charging or replacing its power source.

Abstract: An apparatus and computerized method are provided for monitoring the positions of a plurality of vessels that may be capable of responding to an event one or more vessels. The apparatus comprises a first receiver device configured to receive vessel identification and vessel position information originating from respective sources located onboard each of the plurality of vessels; a second receiver device configured to receive a plurality of vessel data fields regarding the plurality of vessels from a vessel database; a third receiver device configured to receive a data request, the data request identifying an event; and a processor configured to receive and correlate the vessel position information and the plurality of vessel data fields for each of the plurality of vessels to produce vessel response data.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for determining a vehicle position. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor of a rover vehicle, vehicle position data from one or more parked vehicles; receiving, by the processor of the rover vehicle, global positioning system data from a GPS receiver of the rover vehicle; and processing, by the processor of the rover vehicle, the vehicle position data and the global position system data to determine a position of the rover vehicle.

Abstract: In a method for detecting damage to a component of an aircraft, having an unpressurized first area and a pressurized second area, at least one theoretical pressure parameter, characteristic of a theoretical pressure in the unpressurized first area, a theoretical pressure in the pressurized second area or a theoretical pressure difference between the unpressurized first area and the pressurized second area, is determined. At least one actual pressure parameter, characteristic of an actual pressure in the unpressurized first area, an actual pressure in the pressurized second area or an actual pressure difference between the unpressurized first area and the pressurized second area, is recorded. The theoretical pressure parameter is compared with the actual pressure parameter. Damage to a component of the aircraft causing a compression of the unpressurized first area is detected when a difference between the theoretical pressure parameter and the actual pressure parameter exceeds a threshold value.

Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to preemptively adjusting operating parameters of a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes determining a control profile for the vehicle based, at least in part, on an environmental context and in response to identifying that the vehicle is located proximate to a roadway location for which the operating parameters are to be optimized. The environmental context characterizes at least current surroundings of the vehicle including the roadway location. The control profile indicates a predicted control input that is expected to be received through a driver input system for controlling the vehicle. The method includes adjusting the operating parameters of the vehicle according to the control profile to preemptively optimize the vehicle in anticipation of the predicted control input. The method includes controlling the vehicle according to the operating parameters upon receiving a driver control input through the driver input system.