1293 results about "Distance based" patented technology

A method of assessing, pricing, and provisioning distance-based vehicle insurance is disclosed. The method includes receiving a vehicle identification number of a vehicle to be insured from a customer, receiving an preliminary odometer reading of the vehicle to be insured from the customer, and obtaining from the customer a legally binding declaration that the preliminary odometer reading is true and accurate. The method includes insuring the vehicle during a policy period defined by coverage for a preselected number of units distance from the preliminary odometer reading.

A method for assessing, pricing, and provisioning distance-based vehicle insurance is disclosed. Receiving identification information of a customer and an associated vehicle, a current odometer reading of the vehicle, and a garaging location of the vehicle is disclosed. The customer is provided with a quote including a policy rate identifying a cost per distance unit based on the customer and vehicle identification information and the garaging location. Performing a purchase transaction for an insurance policy in response to the customer selecting one of the items for purchase, wherein coverage provided by the insurance policy expires based on the earlier of an odometer expiration value occurring and a predetermined time limit is disclosed. The expiration odometer value is the sum of the current odometer reading and the total number of distance units included in the selected item. The current odometer reading is not audited prior to or during the purchase transaction.

A system and method for calculating and assessing earned insurance premium for a mileage based insurance contract is disclosed. The system includes charging a customer a policy premium for a policy period of an insurance contract defined in part by coverage for a preselected number of units distance from the inception of the contract, determining the number units distance lapsed since contract inception, and assessing an earned premium against the charged policy premium based on the ratio of units distance lapsed to units distance insured under the policy.

An antenna includes a radiator and a reflector and has a radiation pattern that is based at least in part on a separation distance between the radiator and the reflector. The antenna includes a linkage configured to adjust the separation distance based at least in part on the altitude of the antenna. The resulting radiation pattern can be dynamically adjusted based on altitude of the antenna such that, while the antenna is aloft and the antenna is ground-facing, variations in geographic boundaries and intensity of the radiation received at ground level are at least partially compensated for by the dynamic adjustments to the radiation pattern.

Systems and methods for distance measurement in wireless networks are disclosed. A method for measuring distance between nodes or devices in a wireless network comprises estimating a distance between network devices based on a first distance measurement method, estimating the distance based on a second distance measurement method, and processing the first and second distance estimates to determine convergence and to generate an enhanced distance measurement. Additional distance estimates may be combined to further improve accuracy. Convergence information may be provided indicating whether two or more distance estimates converge. In some implementations, the first distance estimate may be generated by a transmission time estimation method, the second distance estimate may be generated by a received signal strength distance estimate, the two estimates may be combined by averaging to generate an enhanced distance estimate, and the difference between the estimates may be compared to a threshold to determine whether the estimates have sufficiently converged to within a desired convergence range.

A control system is provided for platooning a plurality of vehicles, each of which equipped with vehicle braking control systems and V2V communication system components. The system determines nominal following distances for each of said following vehicles relative to an immediately preceding vehicle, based in part on brake performance capabilities. Vehicle sensors throughout the platoon are implemented to monitor target vehicles positioned relative to the platoon, and some or all of the nominal following distances are dynamically adjusted to account for braking event risks associated with the target vehicles. Adjustment to following distances for trailing vehicles may be proactively applied even before braking reaction is determined or applied for a lead vehicle, and control signals are simultaneously generated implementing vehicle movement adjustments based on the following distance adjustments. Adjustments may be based on threshold violations associated with target vehicles in front, laterally merging into, or tailgating behind the platoon.

A wearable device has a carrier having an aperture. A device has a USB connection and a protrusion wherein the protrusion is received in the aperture to connect the device to the wristband. The device is a USB type device having athletic functionality. The device may further be configured to receive calibration data such that a measured distance may be converted to a known distance based on athletic activity performed by a user.

The location of a mobile unit is determined by evaluating the instantaneous distances between an apparatus traveling above the surface of the earth and the mobile unit. The instantaneous distances are determined by measuring the travel time of a plurality of signals and calculating the distance based on the speed of the signal. One of two possible location regions is identified as the region including the location of the mobile unit by observing the motion of the mobile unit resulting from the rotation of the Earth.

A hybrid vehicle enabling reliable travel to the destination in second travel mode in which the vehicle travels with the engine off and enabling more effective use the second travel mode. In this vehicle, a electric power travel mode travelable distance calculation section calculates the travelable distance based on the average traveling consumed current value inputted from average traveling consumed current value calculation section and the battery capacity SOC inputted from a battery capacity calculation section, and outputs the result to a display section. A fuel travelable distance calculation section calculates the remaining travelable distance based on the remaining fuel inputted from a remaining fuel amount measuring section and the fuel consumption inputted from a fuel consumption calculation section, and outputs the result to the display section. The display section displays the remaining travelable distance for the total of the remaining fuel and the battery capacity SOC for traveling, based on the travelable distance inputted from the electric power travel mode travelable distance calculation section and the remaining travelable distance inputted from the fuel travelable distance calculation section.

The invention discloses a method for automatic correction and tiled display of plug-and-play large screen projections. The method comprises the steps as follows: adaptively generating a checker pattern with a certain resolution ratio, projecting by projectors in sequence, capturing by cameras, carrying out feature detection and identification on complicated projection surfaces or checkers under the illumination condition with a multi-feature detection method based on color and geometry, and creating a Bezier curve function to represent a corresponding relation of points between projector images and camera images; and obtaining effective display areas for screen projection with a quick approach method, determining a corresponding relation of the projection contents of the projectors and the display areas, carrying out geometrical distortion on the images to be projected for geometrical correction, and calculating weight values of pixels in projection overlapping areas with a distance-based nonlinear weight value distribution method for fusion of edge brightness. According to the invention, a plurality of projection images of irregular surfaces can be aligned and seamlessly spliced, and the whole method is simple and easy to use, higher in autonomy and better in seamless splicing performance.

The invention discloses a method for segmenting different objects in a three-dimensional scene. The method comprises the following steps of: establishing adjacency relations and a spatial searching mechanism of point cloud data to estimate a normal vector and a residual of each point for the outdoor scene three-dimensional point cloud data acquired by laser scanning; determining the point with the minimum residual as a seed point and performing plane clustering by using a plane consistency restrictive condition and a region growing strategy to form the state that the entire plane building is segmented from other objects in the three-dimensional scene; establishing locally connected search for a plane building region for the segmented entire building part, and clustering the points with connectivity in the same plane by using different seed point rules to realize the detailed segmentation of the plane of the building; and constructing distance label-based initial cluster blocks for the other segmented objects and establishing weighting control restriction for cluster merging to realize the optimal segmentation result of trees. Tests on a plurality of data sets show that the method can be used for effectively segmenting the trees and buildings in the three-dimensional scene.

A method of operation of an advertisement delivery system includes: receiving a selection for a category of interest; generating search results for the selection, the search results based on a current location for locating a device providing the selection; generating a weighted distance based on distances of the search results from the current location; generating a weighted relevancy based on relative matches of the search results and the selection; generating a weighted customization with the search results sharing a common attribute that is predefined; and delivering a notification from the search results by an aggregation of the weighted distance, the weighted relevancy, and the weighted customization, the aggregation meeting or exceeding a threshold for displaying on the device.

An image capture apparatus derives a frequency distribution of subject distances from captured images, selects a plurality of subject distances based on peaks in the frequency of appearance, and acquires a plurality of captured images whose focus distances are the plurality of selected subject distances, enabling an image focused on a plurality of subjects at different distances to be efficiently obtained.

A position measuring system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting and scanning a pulsed beam for measurement to a measurement area and for measuring a distance based on a reflected light of the pulsed beam for measurement and for obtaining a position data group in the measurement area, a digital image pickup unit for acquiring an image data by taking an image of the measurement area, a storage unit for storing at least two sets of the position data groups and the image data acquired from at least two directions by interrelating and associating the position data groups with the image data, and an arithmetic unit for synthesizing the at least two position data groups through matching of the two images based on the two stored image data.

A system and method for enabling an audio conference server (ACS) to provide an application program with multi-point weight controllable audio conferencing. The ACS manages a plurality of audio conferences, receives audio data from a plurality of audio clients, mixes the audio data to provide distance-based attenuation according to decay characteristics for each sound, and delivers the mixed audio data to a plurality of audio clients. Audio clients include set-top box (STB) audio clients and point source audio (PSA) audio clients. The ACS mixes the audio data by identifying a decay factor. Pre-defined decay factors include an audio big decay factor, an audio small decay factor, an audio medium decay factor, and a constant decay factor. One can also develop a customized decay factor. A weighted value for a source audio client based on the identified decay factor and the distance between the source audio client and a target audio client is determined. A mix table is generated using the weighted values for each source / target audio client pair. Then an actual mix value for each target audio client is calculated using the mix table. The present invention also includes means for refining the actual mix value.

The invention discloses a system for updating an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) configuration program from a long distance based on the control of a processor and a method for updating the FPGA configuration program from a long distance based on the control of the processor. The system comprises a processor module, an FPGA module, an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) memory module and a buffer module, wherein the processor module is connected with the SPI memory module and is connected with a communication interface, the SPI memory module is connected with the FPGA module, and the processor module is connected with the SPI memory module by the buffer module. When the configuration program of an FPGA requires to be updated, an upper computer or a terminal downloads the FPGA configuration program into the SPI memory module through the communication interface and the processor module, and the FPGA module can automatically load the configuration program memorized in the SPI memory module in a MasterSPI mode. According to the system and the method, the FPGA configuration program is updated from a long distance, the function of updating the configuration program on line under the non-outage situation is realized, and therefore, the system and the method are particularly suitable for on-site application.

A method for assessing, pricing, and provisioning distance-based vehicle insurance is disclosed. Receiving identification information of a customer and an associated vehicle, a current odometer reading of the vehicle, and a garaging location of the vehicle is disclosed. The customer is provided with a quote including a policy rate identifying a cost per distance unit based on the customer and vehicle identification information and the garaging location. Performing a purchase transaction for an insurance policy in response to the customer selecting one of the items for purchase, wherein coverage provided by the insurance policy expires based on the earlier of an odometer expiration value occurring and a predetermined time limit is disclosed. The expiration odometer value is the sum of the current odometer reading and the total number of distance units included in the selected item. The current odometer reading is not audited prior to or during the purchase transaction.

The embodiments of the present system include a review engine that is connected to support modules and databases that receive, store, and retrieve reviews, based upon the subject and the users' relationship to the authors of the reviews. The review engine comprises a social network engine, a rate and rank engine, a credentials engine and a privacy engine. These engines allow reviews to be sorted, filtered and ordered in terms of relevance when presented to the user. Numerous methods are also provided by the system that receive, store and retrieve reviews.

A computer aided game apparatus is disclosed for tracking location and distance on a golf course, recommending club selection, recording golfer performance statistics, receiving notification via a pager, and playing infomercials during the course of a golf game. The apparatus has a processor connected to a memory which is suitably supports a geographic information system (GIS), a player performance database, and an infomercial database. The apparatus has a global positioning receiver which operates in conjunction with the GIS for indicating the current position of the golfer. The GPS receiver is connected to the processor which in turn drives a convenient, intuitive touch screen display. The apparatus has a pager which allows for direct contact with the golfer. To support data networking, the microprocessor is also connected to one or more interface ports, including an infra-red port, a parallel port, a serial port, and a PCMCIA port. Through the interface ports, the microprocessor can maintain, update, or back-up data stored in the memory. Typically, data not already present on the memory are downloaded from a central computer before each game is played. At the end of each game, statistics generated during the game are uploaded into the central computer system for archival purposes. As the game progresses, the apparatus of the present invention integrates the distance computation the recording of the golfer performance, and the suggesting of proper club selection based on distance and past performance. Further, the apparatus of the present invention preserves statistics for each golfer for long term analysis. Additionally, the apparatus of the present invention can also support infomercials from the golf course operators to entertain and educate the golfers while generating supplemental advertising revenues for the course operators.

An Optimized Edge Routing (OER) technique provides efficiently data routing at the edge of a network or subnetwork. The technique employs a Master node that manages a set of border nodes located at the edge of the network or subnetwork. The Master node may be a stand-alone network management node or may be incorporated into a network node, such as a border node. Unlike prior implementations, the Master node instructs the border nodes to dynamically acquire (“learn”) prefixes of incoming and outgoing data flows and to selectively filter a set of learned address prefixes whose corresponding data flows match a predetermined set of criteria. The criteria may be based on routing metrics other than, or in addition to, conventional cost-based or distance-based metrics. Further, the criteria may include a set of filtering parameters that may be reconfigured, e.g., by the Master node, from time to time. Using the learned prefixes filtered by the border nodes, the Master node can distribute network traffic and utilize network bandwidth more efficiently than conventionally done.

A wearable device has a carrier having an aperture. A device has a USB connection and a protrusion wherein the protrusion is received in the aperture to connect the device to a wristband. The device is a USB type device having athletic functionality. The device may further be configured to receive calibration data such that a measured distance may be converted to a known distance based on athletic activity performed by a user.

A stereo camera system produces a stereo image pair of a cable harness, which is used to define a 3D point cloud of the cable harness at its current pose position. Pose information of specific parts of the cable harness are determined from the 3D point cloud, and the cable harness is then re-presented as a collection of primitive geometric shapes of known dimensions, whose positions and orientations follow the spatial position and orientation of the imaged cable harness. The length, position and number of geometric shapes are atomically determined from a 2D image segmentation of one of the images in the stereo image pair.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. As an example, a data processing circuit is disclosed that includes an equalizer circuit and a data detection circuit. The equalizer circuit is operable to filter a series of samples based at least in part on a filter coefficient and to provide a corresponding series of filtered samples. The data detection circuit includes: a core data detector circuit and a coefficient determination circuit. The core data detector circuit is operable to perform a data detection process on the series of filtered samples and to provide a most likely path and a next most likely path. The coefficient determination circuit operable to update the filter coefficient based at least in part on the most likely path and the next most likely path.

A cutting head of a waterjet cutting system is provided having an environment control device and a measurement device. The environment control device is positioned to act on a surface of a workpiece at least during a measurement operation to establish a measurement area on the surface of the workpiece substantially unobstructed by fluid. The measurement device is positioned to selectively obtain information from within the measurement area indicative of a position of the cutting head relative to the workpiece. A control system is further provided and operable to position the cutting head relative to the workpiece at a standoff distance based at least in part on the information indicative of the position of the cutting head relative to the workpiece obtained by the measurement device. A method of operating a waterjet cutting system is also provided.

A computer implemented method for searching a data structure is disclosed. A first node on the data structure is examined. A determination is made as to whether the first node is associated with one or more child nodes. When the first node not associated with one or more child nodes, elements within the first node that are located within a defined distance away from a defined location rendered on the first node are identified. The identified elements are stored in a data set. The nodal radius cut-off value is updated if the value is less than a difference of one half a radius of the first node and a distance from the defined location to the center point of the first node. The first node is labeled to indicate that the node has been examined.

The invention discloses a pilotless automobile lateral control method based on turning curvature estimation. The pilotless automobile lateral control method based on the turning curvature estimation comprises setup of a preconceived track, collection of GPS-INS integrated positioning system data and steering wheel turning angle command signals send out by an autopilot, and especially is a method that a preview distance based on a road curvature is set firstly, and then a preview point A and a preview point B are reset according to the preview distance, later, longitudes and latitudes of the preview point A and the preview point B are converted into a vehicle coordinate system to work out an optimum turning curvature, and steering wheel turning angle controlled quantity is worked out according to the optimum turning curvature and is output to the autopilot to achieve lateral control of a pilotless automobile. According to the pilotless automobile lateral control method based on the turning curvature estimation, through actual measurement, the maximum tracking error is only 0.4m when the speed of the automobile is at 20km / h, the maximum tracking error is only 0.6m when the speed of direction change is 5km / h; both accurate tracking of various kinds of complex tracks is achieved, and steering wheel shaking caused by single-point preview feedback control is avoided, and the control quantity of the pilotless automobile is more smooth; the method can be widely used in pilotless driving control of the various kinds of vehicles.

The present invention is a method and an apparatus for reward-based learning of policies for managing or controlling a system or plant. In one embodiment, a method for reward-based learning includes receiving a set of one or more exemplars, where at least two of the exemplars comprise a (state, action) pair for a system, and at least one of the exemplars includes an immediate reward responsive to a (state, action) pair. A distance metric and a distance-based function approximator estimating long-range expected value are then initialized, where the distance metric computes a distance between two (state, action) pairs, and the distance metric and function approximator are adjusted such that a Bellman error measure of the function approximator on the set of exemplars is minimized. A management policy is then derived based on the trained distance metric and function approximator.