Abstract: A method for determining a correctness of an actually received timestamp is provided. A communication network includes a master clock, a first ECU having a first slave clock, a validator having a second slave clock, and a first communication bus. The first ECU uses a first communication standard having a deterministic scheme. The method includes synchronizing, at the first ECU, a time of the first slave clock to a global time of the master clock, synchronizing, at the validator, a time of the second slave clock to the global time of the master clock, predicting, at the validator, a timestamp to be received in an actual communication cycle from the first ECU based on the deterministic scheme of the communication standard used by the first ECU, and comparing, at the validator, the predicted timestamp with the actually received timestamp from the first ECU.

Abstract: In various examples, a time conversion operation may be performed based at least on updating a first local clock of a component based at least on a reference clock of a system including the component. A difference between a current time of the first local clock and a current time of a second local clock of the component may be determined. A state of at least one of the reference clock, the first local clock, or the second local clock may be determined based at least on comparing the time difference to a previously determined difference between a time of the reference clock and a time of the second local clock.

Abstract: In various examples, a corrective operation may be performed based at least in part on detecting that at least one circuit is operating asynchronously with respect to a reference clock. An indication that at least one circuit operating asynchronously was detected may be generated. Upon detecting a circuit operating asynchronously, a corrective operation may be performed such that a component that receives data generated using the at least one circuit continues operating in view of the indication.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for generating information for navigation in an environment are disclosed. The method comprises generating, by a device, state information about a part of the environment where the device is positioned, receiving, by the device from at least one other device, messages comprising state information about a part of the environment where the at least one other device is positioned, the meaning of the messages being learned based on emergent communication, abstracting the state space for the environment by an abstractor module based on the generated state information and the received state information messages to provide an abstracted state space, and generating information for the device by a reinforced learning module for navigation in the environment based on the abstracted state space and further state information generated by the device and received from the at least one other device.

Abstract: Provided is a method for determining a correctness of image data, the image data being captured by at least two cameras of a camera system installed at a vehicle. The method includes detecting at least one feature in the image data captured by a first one of the at least two cameras, determining if the at least one feature can be detected in the image data captured by a second one of the at least two cameras, and if the at least one feature can be detected in the image data captured by the second one of the at least two cameras, determining the correctness of the image data.

Abstract: A method includes sending, from the master controller to the slave controller, a follow up message in response to a pull of a predefined pin, wherein the follow up message includes a global time of the master controller when the predefined pin was pulled; sending, from the slave controller to the master controller, a validation message in response to the received follow up message, wherein the validation message includes a global time of the slave controller when the pull of the predefined pin is detected by the slave controller; and validating the time synchronization by checking, at the master controller and/or the slave controller, if a difference between the global time of the master controller when the predefined pin was pulled and the global time of the slave controller when the pull of the predefined pin is detected by the slave controller is smaller than a predefined first threshold.

Abstract: A method for determining a correctness of an actually received timestamp is provided. A communication network includes a master clock, a first ECU having a first slave clock, a validator having a second slave clock, and a first communication bus. The first ECU uses a first communication standard having a deterministic scheme. The method includes synchronizing, at the first ECU, a time of the first slave clock to a global time of the master clock, synchronizing, at the validator, a time of the second slave clock to the global time of the master clock, predicting, at the validator, a timestamp to be received in an actual communication cycle from the first ECU based on the deterministic scheme of the communication standard used by the first ECU, and comparing, at the validator, the predicted timestamp with the actually received timestamp from the first ECU.

Abstract: A method for performing time-synchronization between a master clock of a master unit and a plurality of slave clocks of a corresponding plurality of slave units includes sending a forward time-synchronization message indicative of the master clock from the master unit to the plurality of slave units, in order to enable the plurality of slave units to time-synchronize their respective slave clocks with the master clock. The method also includes receiving a reverse time-synchronization message indicative of the respective slave clock from each of the plurality of slave units at a first validator. The method also includes time-synchronizing a plurality of validator clocks of the first validator to the corresponding plurality of slave clocks using the reverse time-synchronization messages from the plurality of slave units, and validating the time-synchronization between the plurality of slave clocks at the first validator based on the plurality of validator clocks.

Abstract: A method performs time-synchronization between a master clock and a plurality of slave clocks. The method performs a forward time-synchronization from the master clock to the plurality of slave clocks. Further, the method performs a reverse time-synchronization from the plurality of slave clocks to a corresponding plurality of validator clocks. In addition, the method validates the time-synchronization between the plurality of slave clocks, notably between the master clock and the plurality of slave clocks, based on the plurality of validator clocks.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for extracting information regarding a drill site including forming one or more documents having one or more raw comments regarding a well site. Raw data may be extracted from the one or more documents to produce extracted raw data. The extracted raw date may be pre-processed by removing ambiguity, artifacts, and/or formatting errors from the one or more raw comments to produce pre-processed data. Topics data may be extracted from the pre-processed data using a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to produce extracted topics data. Measurement data may also be extracted from the pre-processed data using the NLP algorithm to produce extracted measurement data. The extracted topics data and the extracted measurement data may be aggregated to form a set of discrete data points, such as calibration points, per comment to produce aggregated data and one more calibration points may be identified from the aggregated data.

Abstract: A downhole communication includes an antenna winding fixed to an inner surface of a collar. A fluid flow flows through a center of the antenna winding. The antenna winding is wound around a chassis in an antenna channel in the chassis. The chassis is attached to the inner surface of the collar with a seal such that fluid does not travel between the fluid flow and an annulus between the antenna winding and the inner surface of the collar. A difference in diameter between an upper seal and a lower seal results in a net force to push the chassis against a shoulder on the collar.

Abstract: A method and system are provided to facilitate navigating through a video. An example method includes determining one or more scene boundaries of scenes of a video before completing loading content of the video, and identifying the scene-boundaries in a user interface, the user interface presenting a seekbar with a scrubber representing a currently-played location in the video and one or more boundary markers visually representing the scene boundaries. The method further includes receiving a request to move the pointing-indicator in the user interface, calculating a distance between the pointing-indicator and a particular boundary marker visually representing a scene-boundary of the scene boundaries, determining whether the distance between the pointing-indicator and the particular boundary marker is less than a threshold radius associated with the scene-boundary, and responsive to the determining, snapping the pointing-indicator to the particular boundary marker.

Abstract: A Schottky-barrier-reducing layer is provided between a p-doped semiconductor layer and a transparent conductive material layer of a photovoltaic device. The Schottky-barrier-reducing layer can be a conductive material layer having a work function that is greater than the work function of the transparent conductive material layer. The conductive material layer can be a carbon-material layer such as a carbon nanotube layer or a graphene layer. Alternately, the conductive material layer can be another transparent conductive material layer having a greater work function than the transparent conductive material layer. The reduction of the Schottky barrier reduces the contact resistance across the transparent material layer and the p-doped semiconductor layer, thereby reducing the series resistance and increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic device.

Abstract: A Schottky-barrier-reducing layer is provided between a p-doped semiconductor layer and a transparent conductive material layer of a photovoltaic device. The Schottky-barrier-reducing layer can be a conductive material layer having a work function that is greater than the work function of the transparent conductive material layer. The conductive material layer can be a carbon-material layer such as a carbon nanotube layer or a graphene layer. Alternately, the conductive material layer can be another transparent conductive material layer having a greater work function than the transparent conductive material layer. The reduction of the Schottky barrier reduces the contact resistance across the transparent material layer and the p-doped semiconductor layer, thereby reducing the series resistance and increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic device.

Abstract: Methods and devices are configured to maintain a planned arrangement of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). An AUV performs a corrective motion to adjust its current position relative to other AUVs emitting signals, so that the AUV's corrected position matches a planned position of the AUV in the planned arrangement better than its current position. The corrective motion is determined based on the location of the AUVs whose emitted signals are detected by the AUV.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a p-type layer. An intrinsic layer is formed directly on the p-type layer and includes an interface region extending into the intrinsic layer that includes a gradually decreasing band gap energy going from the p-type layer into the intrinsic layer formed by a graded deposition temperature. An n-type layer is formed directly on the intrinsic layer.

Abstract: Methods and devices are configured to maintain a planned arrangement of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). An AUV performs a corrective motion to adjust its current position relative to other AUVs emitting signals, so that the AUV's corrected position matches a planned position of the AUV in the planned arrangement better than its current position. The corrective motion is determined based on the location of the AUVs whose emitted signals are detected by the AUV.

Abstract: A Schottky-barrier-reducing layer is provided between a p-doped semiconductor layer and a transparent conductive material layer of a photovoltaic device. The Schottky-barrier-reducing layer can be a conductive material layer having a work function that is greater than the work function of the transparent conductive material layer. The conductive material layer can be a carbon-material layer such as a carbon nanotube layer or a graphene layer. Alternately, the conductive material layer can be another transparent conductive material layer having a greater work function than the transparent conductive material layer. The reduction of the Schottky barrier reduces the contact resistance across the transparent material layer and the p-doped semiconductor layer, thereby reducing the series resistance and increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic device.

Abstract: A Schottky-barrier-reducing layer is provided between a p-doped semiconductor layer and a transparent conductive material layer of a photovoltaic device. The Schottky-barrier-reducing layer can be a conductive material layer having a work function that is greater than the work function of the transparent conductive material layer. The conductive material layer can be a carbon-material layer such as a carbon nanotube layer or a graphene layer. Alternately, the conductive material layer can be another transparent conductive material layer having a greater work function than the transparent conductive material layer. The reduction of the Schottky barrier reduces the contact resistance across the transparent material layer and the p-doped semiconductor layer, thereby reducing the series resistance and increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic device.

Abstract: Location of underwater moving target device carrying a receiver configured to detect acoustic waves emitted at a known location is estimated such that to be consistent with detected velocity and orientation of the target device, and with a current phase of a signal corresponding to the acoustic waves detected at the target device. A stack including one or more boxes obtained by applying contractors to location boxes is output as the estimate of the location of the moving target device.