Abstract: A method for evaluating spatially resolved actual sensor data acquired using at least one sensor. The method includes: ascertaining a location and an orientation of the sensor at the time of acquiring the sensor data; retrieving a spatially resolved expectation from a spatially resolved map on the basis of the location and the orientation of the sensor; checking to what extent the actual sensor data are consistent with the expectation; at least with respect to the locations for which the actual sensor data are consistent with the expectation, determining that the scene observed by the sensor has a characteristic stored in the map in conjunction with the expectation.

Abstract: A method for training an ML model to generate a voxel-based 3D representation of an environment of a vehicle. The method includes: generating first image data, which represent the environment of the vehicle, based on at least one data source; extracting at least one image feature from the first image data using the trainable ML model; generating a voxel-based 3D representation for the environment using the trainable ML model by transforming the at least one image feature into a corresponding voxel feature, wherein each voxel feature contains occupancy information and color information of a 3D position of the voxel feature; rendering the generated 3D representation for the at least one voxel feature based on the color information and the occupancy information to generate second image data; comparing the first input image data with the generated second out image data, and adjusting at least one parameter of the ML model.

Abstract: An automated method and system for manufacturing prefabricated mass timber floor and wall panels, where one or more robots are utilised to assemble (through a combination of picking/placing, gluing and nailing) building parts into a structural panel on an assembly table. A flexible and adaptable method for manufacturing prefabricated mass timber structural panels of different dimensions and make-up. The structural panels comprise a top segmented skin consisting of a number of subpanels, an interstitial layer consisting of a number of interstitial ribs, and a bottom segmented skin consisting of a number of subpanels; the subpanels of one or both layers are connected by glued splines connections and by nailing to the overlapping interstitial ribs.

Abstract: A method for evaluating spatially resolved actual sensor data recorded with at least one sensor. The actual sensor data are read first. A location and an orientation of the actual sensor data are ascertained. A spatially resolved map with spatially resolved expectations of sensor data is read. The spatially resolved expectations of the sensor data are compared to the actual sensor data. A property can be ascertained from the comparison. An estimation can take place as to what influence an error source has on the comparison of the spatially resolved expectations of the sensor data to the actual sensor data. It is determined whether or not the property is fulfilled, based on the comparison of the spatially resolved expectations of the sensor data to the actual sensor data and based on the estimation of the influence of the error source. The property and a property probability are output.

Abstract: A system for processing a workpiece includes a milling platform, a workpiece handling robotic arm (WHRA), and a spindle robot arm (SRA). The WHRA has a holding tool adapted to move the workpiece from an input staging area to the milling platform, and from the milling platform to an output staging area. A base of the WHRA, the input staging area, the output staging area are all positioned on a same side of the milling platform. The SRA has a milling tool and is adapted to mill the workpiece when supported on the milling platform. The system may include a processor configured to control the WHRA to move the holding tool to a release position or orientation based on positional data of the workpiece generated by contact position sensors, and to move a robotic arm to position vacuum pods on the milling platform, based on the geometry of the workpiece.

Abstract: A radar device may generate an integrated range-velocity map by combining data from a plurality of range-velocity maps. Each range-velocity map may be associated with a respective radar channel from a plurality of radar channels. The radar device may identify a first peak in the integrated range-velocity map. The first peak may indicate one or more radar targets in the integrated range-velocity map and being identified by a first bin having a first range-velocity bin index. The radar device may determine a first data set by extracting, from each range-velocity map, data that is included in a respective bin associated with the first range-velocity bin index. The radar device may process the first data set to determine a first set of phase imbalances associated with the plurality of radar channels.

Abstract: A radar device may generate an integrated range-velocity map by combining data from a plurality of range-velocity maps. Each range-velocity map may be associated with a respective radar channel from a plurality of radar channels. The radar device may identify a first peak in the integrated range-velocity map. The first peak may indicate one or more radar targets in the integrated range-velocity map and being identified by a first bin having a first range-velocity bin index. The radar device may determine a first data set by extracting, from each range-velocity map, data that is included in a respective bin associated with the first range-velocity bin index. The radar device may process the first data set to determine a first set of phase imbalances associated with the plurality of radar channels.

Abstract: A method for determining a nonlinearity characteristic of a receiver path includes generating a set of N×M digital samples by repeating N times selecting an scaling factor from a set of N scaling factors, generating a version of a test signal, the version of the test signal corresponding to a test signal scaled by the respective scaling factor, processing the respective version of the test signal in at least a part of the receiver path to generate a respective processed signal, and storing M digital samples corresponding to the respective processed signal. Fourier-transformed data are generated using at least a portion of the set of N×M digital samples and a nonlinearity characteristic of the receiver path is determined based on the Fourier-transformed data.

Abstract: A method for identifying potentially hazardous or at-risk objects in the surroundings of a vehicle. The method includes detecting an area of the surroundings using at least one event-based sensor, the event-based sensor including light-sensitive pixels, and a relative change of the light intensity incident upon a pixel by at least a predefined percentage prompting the sensor to output an event assigned to this pixel. The method also includes assigning events output by the sensor to objects in the area; analyzing, for at least one object to which events are assigned, the events assigned to the object with respect to present movements of the object; and ascertaining an impending movement of the object, and/or an impending change of state, of the object from the present movements. An associated computer program is also described.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for predicting a traversal time for a route. A request for navigation directions is received and a route between the origin and destination is calculated. A series of route segments to be traversed on the route are identified, as well as one or more sub-series of route segments of the series of route segments, with each sub-series having route segments to be traversed consecutively on a portion of the route. For each sub-series, a sub-series traversal time is predicted based on historical traversal time data associated with historical trips where each of the route segments of the sub-series were traversed consecutively. A total route traversal time is predicted based on the sub-series traversal time. A set of navigation directions and the predicted total route traversal time are provided for presentation on a client device for navigating from the origin to the destination via the route.

Abstract: A method for measuring the influence of a transparent pane. In the method, a displacement field induced by the pane is determined. In a first step, a first image of a textured surface without the transparent pane is acquired; in a second step, a second image of the textured surface with the transparent pane is acquired; and in a third step, the displacement field is determined by analyzing the two images using an optical flow method.

Abstract: A method of operating a pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having a plurality of output stages includes: performing a first calibration process for the pipelined ADC to update a parameter vector of the pipelined ADC, where components of the parameter vector are used for correcting nonlinearity of the pipelined ADC, where performing the first calibration process includes: providing an input signal to the pipelined ADC; converting, by the pipelined ADC, the input signal into a first digital output; providing a scaled version of the input signal to the pipelined ADC, where the scaled version of the input signal is generated by scaling the input signal by a scale factor; converting, by the pipelined ADC, the scaled version of the input signal into a second digital output; and calibrating the pipelined ADC using the first digital output and the second digital output.

Abstract: A system (1) for detecting dynamic secondary objects (55) that have a potential to intersect the trajectory (51) of a moving primary object (50), comprising a vision sensor (2) with a light-sensitive area (20) that comprises event-based pixels (21), so that a relative change in the light intensity impinging onto an event-based pixel (21) of the vision sensor (2) by at least a predetermined percentage causes the vision sensor (2) to emit an event (21a) associated with this event-based pixel (21), wherein the system (1) further comprises a discriminator module (3) that gets both the stream of events (21a) from the vision sensor (2) and information (52) about the heading and/or speed of the motion of the primary object (50) as inputs, and is configured to identify, from said stream of events (21a), based at least in part on said information (52), events (21b) that are likely to be caused by the motion of a secondary object (55), rather than by the motion of the primary object (50).

Abstract: A method for determining a motion state of an object in the surroundings of a vehicle. The vehicle includes at least one vehicle camera for providing image data that represent the surroundings. Movability measures and pieces of quality information that are generated by processing the image data, are read in. The movability measures include generated continuous measured values for detecting moving object pixels, using correspondences, recognized using a correspondence algorithm, between pixels in successive images represented by the image data. Pixel-specific pieces of quality information are generated using the read-in pieces of quality information. The pixel-specific pieces of quality information indicate for each pixel the quality of the correspondences. A dynamic object probability is determined for each pixel, using the movability measures and the pixel-specific pieces of quality information.

Abstract: A method of operating a pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having a plurality of output stages includes: performing a first calibration process for the pipelined ADC to update a parameter vector of the pipelined ADC, where components of the parameter vector are used for correcting nonlinearity of the pipelined ADC, where performing the first calibration process includes: providing an input signal to the pipelined ADC; converting, by the pipelined ADC, the input signal into a first digital output; providing a scaled version of the input signal to the pipelined ADC, where the scaled version of the input signal is generated by scaling the input signal by a scale factor; converting, by the pipelined ADC, the scaled version of the input signal into a second digital output; and calibrating the pipelined ADC using the first digital output and the second digital output.

Abstract: Methods for detecting radar targets are provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, the method includes providing a digital radar signal having a sequence of signal segments. Each signal segment of the sequence is respectively associated with a chirp of a transmitted RF radar signal. The method further includes detecting one or more radar targets based on a first subsequence of successive signal segments of the sequence. For each detected radar target, a distance value and a velocity value are determined. If a group of radar targets having overlapping signal components has been detected, a respective spectral value is calculated for each radar target of the group of radar targets based on a second subsequence of the sequence of signal segments and further based on the velocity values ascertained for the group of radar targets.

Abstract: A method for the use in a radar system is described herein. In accordance with one embodiment, the method includes providing a local oscillator signal to an RF output channel of a radar system. The RF output channel is configured to generate, in an enabled state, an RF output signal based on the local oscillator signal. The method further includes determining a first measurement signal based on the local oscillator signal and a first representation of the RF output signal, while the RF output channel is disabled, and thus the first measurement signal represents crosstalk. Further, the method includes determining a second measurement signal based on the local oscillator signal and a second representation of the RF output signal while the RF output channel is enabled. A phase value associated with the RF output channel is determined based on the first measurement signal and the second measurement signal.

Abstract: A learning-based method for estimating self-movement and items of distance information in a camera system having at least two cameras, according to which temporally successive individual images produced by each camera during the movement of the camera system are supplied as input images to a self-monitored deep neural network of a deep learning system. According to the method, the self-monitored neural network is trained using these individual images. Moreover, in the course of the inference the deep learning system produces, from the input images, output data that describe the movement of the camera system.

Abstract: A composite construction element or panel system for use in construction of multi-storey structures, either as a prefabricated panelized system or as a modular system. The composite construction element comprises two mass timber subpanels joined at a distance to form a hollow core, through which various building services (e.g. HVAC or electrical systems) and/or insulation may be integrated. When used as a modular system, after assembly, the two subpanels become one structural entity of increased structural capacity while providing a hollow core to provide/deliver desired building services.

Abstract: A method for determining a compensation factor parameter, c, for controlling an amount of ions ionised that are injected from an ion storage unit into mass analyser, where c is an adjustment factor that is applied to optimized injection times that are based on an optimized visible charge of a reference sample, the method comprising: detecting at least one mass spectrum for at least one amount of injected ions; determining from the at least one detected mass spectrum, a slope, s(sample), of a linear correlation of a relative m/z shift with visible total charge Qv of detected mass spectra; determining the compensation factor c as c=s(reference)/s(sample) where s(reference) is the slope of a linear correlation between reference-sample relative m/z shift values and reference-sample visible charge values determined from a plurality of mass spectra detected from a plurality of respective pre-selected amounts of a clean reference sample.