Applied Research Associates, Inc.

Other

Dirk B Warnaar

Douglas J Totten

David H Johnson

Lance E Besaw

Systems and techniques for determining a list of geographic location candidates from an image of an environment are described. Open source data indicative of the earth's surface may be obtained and combined into grids to create region data to gain a representation of the earth's surface within each grid cell. An image of an environment may be obtained from an unknown camera. Image characteristics may be compared to the region data to determine error between the image characteristics and projections of the region data. A list of lowest error geographic location candidates may be determined and provided to the user.

Landmark configuration matcher

Systems and techniques for navigation in a GPS-denied environment that do not rely on locations of known points. Instead, the operator can measure distance and/or inclination as well as azimuth to arbitrary points on the visual horizon (or sub-horizon) from their location. These observations can then be compared to precomputed distances and inclinations for corresponding azimuths to the visual horizon of a grid of points based on known surface terrain data. The closest grid point to the observer's location obtained in this way can be refined using a model of the surrounding environment, allowing for the operators position to be quickly and accurately determined.

GPS-denied geolocation

Systems and methods for determining a geographic location of an environment from an image including an annotation on a mobile device without GPS, with no network access, and with no access to peripheral devices or media is described. Open source data indicative of the earth's surface may be obtained and combined into grids or regions. Elevation data may be used to create skyline models at grid points on the surface. An image of an environment may be obtained from a camera on a mobile device. The user of the mobile device may trace a skyline of the environment depicted in the image. The annotation may be used to create reduced regions for edge detection analysis. The edge detection analysis may detect the skyline. The detected skyline may be compared to the skyline models to determine a most likely location of the user.

Location determination in a GPS-denied environment with user annotation

Methods and media for determining a list of geographic location candidates from an image of an environment are described. Open-source data indicative of the Earth's surface may be obtained and compared with images obtained from online sources. The images may be automatically analyzed using a plurality of modular convolution neural networks to determined probabilities of interest, environment, and if the image is locatable. Further, the resulting images may be analyzed for skyline and ridgeline depth orders and Region of Interest. A geolocation depicted in the image may be determined by comparing the results of the analysis with global geographic data.

System and method for determining the geographic location in an image

Systems and methods for determining a geographic location of an environment from an image including an annotation on a mobile device without GPS, with no network access, and with no access to peripheral devices or media is described. Open source data indictive of the earth's surface may be obtained and combined into grids or regions. Elevation data may be used to create skyline models at grid points on the surface. An image of an environment may be obtained from a camera on a mobile device. The user of the mobile device may trace a skyline of the environment depicted in the image. The annotation may be used to create reduced regions for edge detection analysis. The edge detection analysis may detect the skyline. The detected skyline may be compared to the skyline models to determine a most likely location of the user.

The implementation of smart materials (shape-memory alloys (SMA) or piezoceramics) as integral actuating devices for single degree-of-freedom (DOF) hinges, thereby providing mobility as well as actuation to a wide range of mechanisms used in industrial, automotive and aircraft systems. A single DOF hinge is used in which smart materials are used both for actuation and for performance enhancement. The hinge consists of a tang and clevis, two conical inserts, one push block, one bolt and nut, and two washers. Assembly takes place by first putting the push block inside the clevis and putting the tang in place, then inserting the cones, inserting a bolt in the cones and finally tightening the bolt in this arrangement together with the nut to a specified torque. The amount of torque applied is related to the amount of preload in the undisturbed configuration of the hinge and the expansion of the conical inserts required to initiate rotation of the hinge. The smart material of the conical inserts is used to provide rotational mobility to the hinge. Applying a current causes the conical inserts, which are fabricated out of a smart material, to expand, thereby creating a gap between the conical inserts and the clevis. The existence of the free-play caused by the gap allows the clevis to rotate about the hinge's rotational axis. Once the hinge rotation is complete, the free-play in the hinge is eliminated by restoring the smart material of the conical inserts to the original (undisturbed) configuration, thereby pre-loading the hinge components.

Exaggerated actuation and bearing-free rotational mobility in smart

The present invention relates to a clamping arrangement for hollow objects, whereby the clamping arrangement is equipped with one or more clamping bodies distributed circumferentially to facilitate the transfer of a lateral force and/or torque applied to the clamping arrangement to a hollow object or vice versa. The clamping arrangement for one or each end of a hollow object comprises of a center body capable of lifting and centering a hollow object; one or more clamping bodies distributed circumferentially and capable of sliding and rotating with respect to the center body in response to contact with the end face of a hollow object while a longitudinal force is applied to the center body or hollow object, and arranged so as to maintain the center position of the center body inside the hollow object during the clamping motion; and a containment ring elastically extendible or elastically and radially expandable, and arranged so as to restore the retracted position of the clamping bodies when the lateral force applied to the center body is removed.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Dirk B Warnaar