Abstract: A sapling planting apparatus coupled to a chassis wherein the chassis includes a ground-engaging supports to facilitate propelling the chassis. The sapling planting apparatus comprises a screw; a nut in threaded engagement with the outer surface of the screw; a motor operatively coupled to the screw to rotatably drive the screw wherein rotation of the screw translates the nut; a tube for delivering the sapling towards the ground; and a spade for penetrating the ground for planting the sapling. The tube may be coupled to the nut and is telescopically extendable in a downward direction from a rest position wherein translating the nut in a first direction coincides with extending the tube in a downward direction.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for creating a pool of memory out of local memories of host machines, and providing that pool for the hosts to use. The pool is managed by a controller that keeps track of memory usage and allocated memory among hosts. The controller allocates or reclaims memory between hosts, as needed by the hosts. Memory allocated from a second host to a first host may then be divided into smaller portions by the first host, and further allocated to virtual machines executing within the first host.

Abstract: A method for enhancing tangible content on a physical activity surface is described. In an example implementation, the method includes capturing, using a video capture device of a computing device, a video stream that includes an activity scene of a physical activity surface; detecting in the video stream, using a detector executable on the computing device, a tangible content item on the physical activity surface; recognizing, from the video stream, one or more visually instructive elements in the tangible content item; determining a tangible identifier based on the one or more visually instructive elements in the tangible content item; retrieving a digital content item using the tangible identifier; and providing the digital content item on the computing device.

Abstract: A method for dynamically quantizing feature maps of a received image. The method includes convolving an image based on a predicted maximum value, a predicted minimum value, trained kernel weights and the image data. The input data is quantized based on the predicted minimum value and predicted maximum value. The output of the convolution is computed into an accumulator and re-quantized. The re-quantized value is output to an external memory. The predicted min value and the predicted max value are computed based on the previous max values and min values with a weighted average or a pre-determined formula. Initial min value and max value are computed based on known quantization methods and utilized for initializing the predicted min value and predicted max value in the quantization process.

Abstract: This invention predicts that intra mode prediction is more effective for the macroblocks where motion estimation in inter mode prediction fails. This failure is indicated by a large value of the inter mode SAD. This invention performs intra mode prediction for only macro blocks have larger inter mode SADs. The definition of a large inter mode SAD differs for different content. This invention compares the inter mode SAD of a current macroblock with an adaptive threshold. This adaptive threshold depends on the average and variance of the SADs of the previous predicted frame. An adaptive threshold is calculated for each new predictive frame.

Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a housing and a lens barrel including a lens. The camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle. A heating device is disposed at an exterior of the lens barrel. The heating device includes a thin foil heating element that at least partially circumscribes the lens barrel. The heating device includes an electrical lead that is configured to electrically connect to an electrical connector of the vehicle when the camera is disposed at the exterior portion of the vehicle. Responsive to a determination of current drawn by the heating device, a control of the camera determines the temperature at the lens and controls operation of the heating device based at least in part on the determined temperature.

Abstract: A method for video object detection includes detecting an object in a first video frame, and selecting a first interest point and a second interest point of the object. The first interest point is in a first region of interest located at a first corner of a box surrounding the object. The second interest point is in a second region of interest located at a second corner of the box. The second corner is diagonally opposite the first corner. A first optical flow of the first interest point and a second optical flow of the second interest point are determined. A location of the object in a second video frame is estimated by determining, in the second video frame, a location of the first interest point based on the first optical flow and a location of the second interest point based on the second optical flow.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for prompting a pilot of an aircraft of reporting waypoint tasks. The method comprises retrieving compulsory reporting waypoints that are located along a stored planned flightpath for the aircraft. Pre-defined waypoint tasks are also retrieved for each compulsory reporting waypoint. The location of the aircraft is tracked along the planned flightpath and an alert for the pilot as the aircraft reaches each compulsory reporting waypoint. The alert prompts the pilot of the waypoint tasks by displaying the alert on a visual display device located on-board the aircraft.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a dynamic vertical situation display on an aircraft includes generating display data for a dynamic vertical situation display displayed on a display based upon flight plan data from a flight management system, where the flight plan data includes a plurality of waypoints and one or more phases of flight. A current phase of flight of the aircraft and a number of waypoints currenting displayed on the dynamic vertical situation display on the display is determined, and instructions to dynamically change a size of the dynamic vertical situation display on the display are generated based upon at least one of the number of waypoints currenting displayed on the display and the current phase of flight of the aircraft.

Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a capacitive digital-to-analog converter (CDAC), a comparator, and a successive approximation register (SAR) control circuit. The comparator is coupled to an output of the CDAC. The SAR control circuit is coupled to an output of the comparator and to an input of the CDAC. The SAR control circuit includes a flip-flop. The flip-flop includes a clock input terminal, a data input terminal, and an output. The clock input terminal is coupled to the output of the comparator. The data input terminal coupled to a constant voltage source. The flip-flop can include an enable input terminal coupled to a SAR state circuit. The output is coupled to the CDAC.

Abstract: This invention predicts that intra mode prediction is more effective for the macroblocks where motion estimation in inter mode prediction fails. This failure is indicated by a large value of the inter mode SAD. This invention performs intra mode prediction for only macro blocks have larger inter mode SADs. The definition of a large inter mode SAD differs for different content. This invention compares the inter mode SAD of a current macroblock with an adaptive threshold. This adaptive threshold depends on the average and variance of the SADs of the previous predicted frame. An adaptive threshold is calculated for each new predictive frame.

Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a housing and a lens barrel including a lens. The camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle. A heating device is disposed at an exterior of the lens barrel. The heating device includes a thin foil heating element that at least partially circumscribes the lens barrel. The heating device includes an electrical lead that is configured to electrically connect to an electrical connector of the vehicle when the camera is disposed at the exterior portion of the vehicle.

Abstract: Techniques including receiving a first set of values for processing by a machine learning (ML) network, storing a first portion of the first set of values in an on-chip memory, processing the first portion of the first set of values in a first layer of the ML network to generate a second portion of a second set of values, overwriting the stored first portion with the generated second portion, processing the second portion in a second layer of the ML network to generate a third portion of a third set of values, storing the third portion, repeating the steps of storing the first portion, processing the first portion, overwriting the stored first portion, processing the second portion, and storing the third portion for a fourth portion of the first set of values until all portions of the first set of values are processed to generate the third set of values.

Abstract: Activity scene detection, display, and enhancement implementations are described. In an example implementation, a method includes displaying an animated character on a display of a computing device, detecting a tangible interface object on a physical activity scene proximate to the computing device, rendering a virtual interface object based on the tangible interface object, determining an interaction routine between the animated character and the virtual interface object, and executing the animation routine to animate on the display, an interaction between the animated character and the virtual interface object.

Abstract: An example system includes a computing device located proximate to a physical activity surface, a video capture device, and a detector. The video capture device is coupled for communication with the computing device and is adapted to capture a video stream that includes an activity scene of the physical activity surface and one or more interface objects physically intractable with by a user. The detector processes the video stream to detect the one or more interface objects included in the activity scene, to identify the one or more interface objects that are detectable, to generate one or more events describing the one or more interface objects, and to provide the one or more events to an activity application configured to render virtual information on the one or more computing devices based on the one or more events.

Abstract: Several techniques aimed at reducing computational complexity when encoding uses bi-predictively encoded frames (B-frames) are implemented in a video encoder. In an embodiment, B-frames are not used as reference frames for encoding P-frames and other B-frames. Non-use of B-frames allows a de-blocking filter used in the video encoder to be switched off when reconstructing encoded B-frames, and use of a lower complexity filter for fractional-resolution motion search for B-frames. In another embodiment, cost functions used in motion estimation for B-frames are simplified to reduce computational complexity. In one more embodiment, fractional pixel refinement in motion search for B-frames is simplified. In yet another embodiment, predictors used in motion estimation for a macro-block in a P-frame are selected from a B-frame that uses a same reference frame as the P-frame.

Abstract: An example system includes a stand configured to position a computing device proximate to a physical activity surface. The system further includes a video capture device, a detector, and an activity application. The video capture device is coupled for communication with the computing device and is adapted to capture a video stream that includes an activity scene of the physical activity surface and one or more interface objects physically interactable with by a user. The detector is executable to detect motion in the activity scene based on the processing and, responsive to detecting the motion, process the video stream to detect one or more interface objects included in the activity scene of the physical activity surface. The activity application is executable to present virtual information on a display of the computing device based on the one or more detected interface objects.

Abstract: A monitoring system of a combined cycle power plant having a topping cycle performed by a gas turbine and a bottoming cycle performed by a steam turbine, the monitoring system. The monitoring system includes a processor that receives a first set of data indicating a first measurement value of an operating parameter of the combined cycle power plant. The processor determines a baseline efficiency of the process based on the first measurement value using a bottoming cycle performance (BCP) model. The processor determines a threshold based on the baseline efficiency. The processor receives a second set of data indicating a second measurement value of the operating parameter. The processor compare the threshold to an operational efficiency based on the second measurement value using the BCP model, and provides an indication of a decrease in efficiency of the process if the operational efficiency is below the threshold.

Abstract: A dual sided contact switch has a first independent drain/source region of a multi-gate active device. The dual sided contact switch also has a first shared drain/source region of the multi-gate active device. The dual sided contact switch has a second independent drain/source region of the multi-gate active device, adjacent to the first shared drain/source region. The dual sided contact switch also has a second shared drain/source region of the multi-gate active device, adjacent to the first independent drain/source region. The dual sided contact switch has a gate region between the first independent drain/source region and the first shared drain/source region, and also between the second independent drain/source region and the second shared drain/source region.

Abstract: A dual sided contact switch has a first independent drain/source region of a multi-gate active device. The dual sided contact switch also has a first shared drain/source region of the multi-gate active device. The dual sided contact switch has a second independent drain/source region of the multi-gate active device, adjacent to the first shared drain/source region. The dual sided contact switch also has a second shared drain/source region of the multi-gate active device, adjacent to the first independent drain/source region. The dual sided contact switch has a gate region between the first independent drain/source region and the first shared drain/source region, and also between the second independent drain/source region and the second shared drain/source region.