Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus for reduction of harshness from a fresh spirit, by controlling physico-chemical conditions. The method requires operation at a specific temperature, pressure and for required time to achieve desirable improvements n taste. To perform the method, spirit is filled into a reaction vessel, where oxygen-containing gas is introduced to maintain a pressure in a range between 0.3 to 2.0 kg/cm2. The spirit is heated slowly with continuous stirring to elevate the temperature to between 30° C. and 50° C. The same gas pressure and temperature are maintained for an extended period, e.g. one to four weeks. Analysis showed reduction in harshness and improvement in sensory attributes without affecting the levels of esters, acids and aldehydes except acetaldehyde.

Abstract: The systems and methods disclosed herein comprise computer-based platforms configured for automated early-stage application security monitoring for allowing users (e.g., application developers) to make decisions at the early stage of the application development.

Abstract: An autonomous driving system capable of detecting oncoming occluded vehicles is disclosed in low-light conditions. The system captures images which are processed and analyzed to determine bright spots in a region of interest which are related to reflections of an oncoming occluded vehicle. If an oncoming occluded vehicle is detected, the system analyzes the criticality of the situation based on a tunable threshold distance. The tunable threshold distance from the equipped vehicle (vehicle with the autonomous driving system) to the oncoming occluded vehicle. Factors for tuning the threshold distance may include curvature of the road, sharpness of the turn or occluded area, road surface conditions, speed of the equipped vehicle as well as mechanical capabilities of the equipped vehicle. If the situation is critical, the system generates a warning signal indicating a hazardous condition.

Abstract: Devices are dynamically paired at a new location based on historical context with respect to previous device pairing and a pairing environment. A request is received at a computer to pair a user device to a device at a new location. Historical context of the user device paired at a previous location to one or more devices at the previous location is analyzed. Pairing of the user device to the device at the new location is automatically initiated based on the analysis of the historical context, and the automatic initiation includes adjusting settings on the user device based on the historical context. Pairing the user device to the device at the new location automatically.

Abstract: The systems and methods disclosed herein comprise computer-based platforms configured for automated early-stage application security monitoring for allowing users (e.g., application developers) to make decisions at the early stage of the application development.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a system for tracking removal or placement of items at inventory locations with a materials handling facility. In some instances, a user may remove an item from an inventory location and the inventory management system may detect that removal and update a user item list associated with the user to include an item identifier representative of the removed item. Likewise, if the user places an item at an inventory location, the inventory management system may detect that placement and update the user item list to remove an item identifier representative of the placed item.

Abstract: One example described herein includes a power switch control system. The system includes a first monitoring terminal coupled to a first terminal of a power transistor and a second monitoring terminal coupled to a second terminal of the power transistor. The power transistor and the power switch control system can form an ideal diode between the first monitoring terminal arranged as an anode and the second monitoring terminal arranged as a cathode. The system further includes a reverse current controller coupled to the first monitoring terminal and the second monitoring terminal and is configured to control activation of the power transistor to conduct a reverse current from the second monitoring terminal to the first monitoring terminal in response to a reverse voltage arranged as a cathode voltage at the second monitoring terminal being greater than an anode voltage at the first monitoring terminal.

Abstract: Where an event is determined to have occurred at a location within a vicinity of a plurality of actors, imaging data captured using cameras having the location is processed using one or more machine learning systems or techniques operating on the cameras to determine which of the actors is most likely associated with the event. For each relevant pixel of each image captured by a camera, the camera returns a set of vectors extending to pixels of body parts of actors who are most likely to have been involved with an event occurring at the relevant pixel, along with a measure of confidence in the respective vectors. A server receives the vectors from the cameras, determines which of the images depicted the event in a favorable view, based at least in part on the quality of such images, and selects one of the actors as associated with the event accordingly.

Abstract: Where an event is determined to have occurred at a location within a vicinity of a plurality of actors, imaging data captured using cameras having the location is processed using one or more machine learning systems or techniques operating on the cameras to determine which of the actors is most likely associated with the event. For each relevant pixel of each image captured by a camera, the camera returns a set of vectors extending to pixels of body parts of actors who are most likely to have been involved with an event occurring at the relevant pixel, along with a measure of confidence in the respective vectors. A server receives the vectors from the cameras, determines which of the images depicted the event in a favorable view, based at least in part on the quality of such images, and selects one of the actors as associated with the event accordingly.

Abstract: Where an event is determined to have occurred at a location within a vicinity of a plurality of actors, imaging data captured using cameras having the location is processed using one or more machine learning systems or techniques operating on the cameras to determine which of the actors is most likely associated with the event. For each relevant pixel of each image captured by a camera, the camera returns a set of vectors extending to pixels of body parts of actors who are most likely to have been involved with an event occurring at the relevant pixel, along with a measure of confidence in the respective vectors. A server receives the sets of vectors from the cameras, determines which of the images depicted the event in a favorable view, based at least in part on the quality of such images, and selects one of the actors as associated with the event accordingly.

Abstract: One or more load cells measure the weight of items at a fixture. Weight changes occur as items are picked from or placed to the fixture and may be used to determine when the item was picked or placed, quantity and so forth. Individual weights for a type of item may vary. A set of data comprising weight changes associated with interactions involving a single one of a particular type of item is gathered. These may be weight changes due to picks, places, or both. A model, such as a probability distribution, may be created that relates a particular weight of that type of item to a probability. The model may then be used to process other weight changes and attempt to determine what type of item was involved in an interaction.

Abstract: This disclosure describes architectures and techniques to provide information to a user about items with which the user interacts. In some instances, a user may utilize a wearable device that is configured to interact with one or more components of an information discovery system to obtain information about items in the user's environment.

Abstract: One or more load cells measure the weight of items on a shelf or other fixture. Weight changes occur as items are picked from or placed to the fixture. Output from the load cells is processed to produce denoised data. The denoised data is processed to determine event data representative of a pick or a place of an item. Hypotheses are generated using information about where particular types of items are stowed, the weights of those particular types of items, and the event data. A high scoring hypothesis is used to determine interaction data indicative of the type and quantity of an item that was added to or removed from the fixture. If ambiguity exists between hypotheses, additional techniques such as data about locations of weight changes and fine grained analysis may be used to determine the interaction data.

Abstract: Multiple video files that are captured by calibrated imaging devices may be annotated based on a single annotation of an image frame of one of the video files. An operator may enter an annotation to an image frame via a user interface, and the annotation may be replicated from the image frame to other image frames that were captured at the same time and are included in other video files. Annotations may be updated by the operator and/or tracked in subsequent image frames. Predicted locations of the annotations in subsequent image frames within each of the video files may be determined, e.g., by a tracker, and a confidence level associated with any of the annotations may be calculated. Where the confidence level falls below a predetermined threshold, the operator may be prompted to delete or update the annotation, or the annotation may be deleted.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques in which a first user in an environment scans visual indicia associated with an item, such as a barcode, before handing the item to a second user. One or more computing devices may receive an indication of the scan, retrieve image data of the interaction from a camera within the environment, identify the user that received the item, and update a virtual cart associated with the second user to indicate addition of the item.

Abstract: A method and system for autonomous parking are disclosed. The system employs Homography guided motion segmentation (HGMS) to determine the availability of a parking slot. A free parking slot is determined based on an occupancy status check and identified structures of parking lines. For example, motion analysis is performed on successive images captured by a camera unit to determine the occupancy status of a parking slot. Information of the free parking slot, for example, the dimensions and orientation, may be determined from identifying the structure of parking lines. This information is used by the system to guide a vehicle from its current location to the detected free parking slot.

Abstract: Described is a multiple-camera system and process for detecting, tracking, and re-verifying agents within a materials handling facility. In one implementation, a plurality of feature vectors may be generated for an agent and maintained as an agent model representative of the agent. When the object being tracked as the agent is to be re-verified, feature vectors representative of the object are generated and stored as a probe agent model. Feature vectors of the probe agent model are compared with corresponding feature vectors of candidate agent models for agents located in the materials handling facility. Based on the similarity scores, the agent may be re-verified, it may be determined that identifiers used for objects tracked as representative of the agents have been flipped, and/or to determine that tracking of the object representing the agent has been dropped.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for presenting event information to a user and, if necessary, obtaining confirmation of different aspects (user, item, action) of the event. In some implementations, an event includes a user, an action, and an item. For example, an event may include a user picking an item from an inventory location, a user placing an item into a tote associated with the user, etc. if the aspects of the event cannot be determined with a high enough degree of confidence, a user interface may be generated and sent to the user requesting confirmation of one or more of the aspects of the event.

Abstract: The motion of objects within a scene may be detected and tracked using digital (e.g., visual and depth) cameras aligned with fields of view that overlap at least in part. Objects may be identified within visual images captured from the scene using a tracking algorithm and correlated to point clouds or other depth models generated based on depth images captured from the scene. Once visual aspects (e.g., colors or other features) of objects are correlated to the point clouds, shapes and/or positions of the objects may be determined and used to further train the tracking algorithms to recognize the objects in subsequently captured frames. Moreover, a Kalman filter or other motion modeling technique may be used to enhance the prediction of a location of an object within subsequently captured frames.

Abstract: Sensor data from load cells at a shelf is processed using a first time window to produce first event data describing coarse and sub-events. Location data is determined that indicates where on the shelf weight changes occurred at particular times. Hypotheses are generated using information about where items are stowed, weights of those of items, type of event, and the location data. If confidence values of these hypotheses are below a threshold value, second event data is determined by merging adjacent sub-events. This second event data is then used to determine second hypotheses which are then assessed. A hypothesis with a high confidence value is used to generate interaction data indicative of picks or places of particular quantities of particular types of items from the shelf.