Abstract: A fold up table for a vehicle tailgate may be attached (aftermarket) or integrated (OEM) into the vehicles tailgate (or in the tailgate area). The tailgate table minimizes or eliminates storage space and is available at any time for instant and convenient use, by just unfolding it for use and refold for storage. The fold up table includes a folding mechanism operatively coupled to a motor vehicle tailgate. The folding mechanism is operable to move a supported tabletop between a stowed and deployed condition.

Abstract: A participant overlay and audio placement collaboration system platform and a method for overlaying participants collaborating via a user interface and placement of distinct audio sources are disclosed. The participant overlay and audio placement collaboration system platform provides an ergonomic and intuitive sense-oriented user interface that separates presenters/speakers relevant video contents from irrelevant surroundings and visually overlays the presenter with the presented material, thereby allowing for a more immersive, intuitive, and interactive presentation, while maximizing usage of desktop space for shared/presented content and of the presenter(s) themselves. The further correlation of audio-mapping of acoustic content of presenter(s)/participant(s) relative to their visual representation on the desktop, allows for a significantly improved audio experience and separation capability of different speakers and relevant speakers audio from nuisance background sounds.

Abstract: A gate opening system for a vehicle comprises a gate for the vehicle moveable between an open position and a closed position relative to a vehicle body and a gate actuator secured to the vehicle and the gate to actuate movement of the gate between the open position and the closed position. A camera is mounted to the vehicle and facing in an external direction provide a view of an area proximate to the vehicle. An ECU is connected to the camera to detect a predetermined action by a vehicle operator based upon image analysis of the camera image. A remote keyless entry system is also connected to the ECU and the gate actuator, wherein the remote keyless entry system activates the gate actuator to move the gate from the closed position to the open position when the ECU determines that the predetermined action has occurred.

Abstract: A safe driving system for alerting a driver within a vehicle is provided. The system includes a driver assistance device configured to perform at least one of the following: automatically braking the vehicle if the vehicle is within a predetermined distance of a second vehicle and providing blind spot assistance. The system also includes a controller configured to track a driver's face with an interior camera resulting in tracked driver's face data. The controller is configured to determine whether the driver is distracted based on the tracked driver's face data. The controller is configured to activate the driver assistance device if the driver is distracted and the hazard detecting device detects at least one of the second vehicle or a third vehicle in the blind spot of the driver. A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle and a non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions are also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an environment detection system having two emitters of electromagnetic waves and two correspondingly directed receivers for receiving reflections of the emitted waves. The first emitter and first receiver are directed towards a first target area while the second emitter and second receiver are directed towards a second target area. In order to cover a third target area an optical element is arranged in front of the first emitter to direct at least occasionally a proportion of the waves emitted by the emitter towards the third target area. A second optical element is arranged in front of the second receiver to direct reflections of the waves emitted by the first emitter towards the third target area towards the second receiver. The optical elements may be arranged permanently and only one emitter is active a time so that one receiver covers the third target area without being disturbed.

Abstract: A light beam is deflected by refraction and total internal reflection through a first prism, and projected through a first lens onto a scene that is to be scanned. The prism rotates, which varies the deflection angle and scans the beam across the scene along a scan line. Preferably, the successive side surfaces of the prism have different tilt angles relative to the rotation axis, so as to respectively deflect the beam in different deflection planes which cause successive scan lines of the beam across the scene. The emitted beam gives rise to a reflected beam from the scene, which is received through a second lens and deflected onto a photodetector through a second prism congruent to and rotating synchronously with the first prism. This apparatus is suitable as a laser scanning device for an object recognition system or a spacing distance regulation system of a motor vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed is an environment detection system having two emitters of electromagnetic waves and two correspondingly directed receivers for receiving reflections of the emitted waves. The first emitter with a first receiver is directed towards a first target area and the second emitter with the second receiver is directed towards a second target area. In order to detect a third target area, an optical device is arranged at least in front of the first emitter. The optical device directs at least occasionally at least a proportion of the waves emitted by the emitter towards the third target area. An optical device is arranged at least in front of the second receiver, to direct at least occasionally reflections of the waves emitted by the first emitter towards the third target area towards the second receiver. The optical devices may be are arranged permanently and only one emitter is alternately active a time so that one receiver a time carries out an undisturbed detection of the third target area.

Abstract: A scanning apparatus includes a radiation source for emitting a light beam, a rotatable prism for deflecting the light beam, and a lens arrangement for projecting the light beam onto a scene to be scanned. The path length that is traversed by the light beam from the radiation source to the lens arrangement is dependent on the angular position of the prism. To avoid a defocussing, the light beam is collimated so that it penetrates through the lens arrangement in a lens section that is dependent on the angular position of the prism, and the lens arrangement has different focal lengths for various lens sections. The focal lengths of the lens sections are thereby selected so that the radiation source respectively lies in the focal point of the lens section that is penetrated by the light beam. A preferred application is for optical spacing distance radar for motor vehicles.

Abstract: A scanning apparatus typically comprises a radiation source for emitting a light beam, a rotatable prism for deflecting the light beam, and a lens arrangement for projecting the light beam onto a scene that is to be scanned. The essential disadvantage of this apparatus exists in that the length of the path that is traversed by the light beam from the radiation source to the lens arrangement is dependent on the angular position of the prism, so that the light beam is defocussed by the rotation of the prism. The new apparatus shall avoid a defocussing of the light beam. This is achieved through the use of a radiation source, of which the light beam is collimated in such a manner so that it penetrates through the lens arrangement in a lens section that is dependent on the angular position of the prism, and through the use of a lens arrangement that comprises different focal lengths for various lens sections.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a radiation source that emits a radiation beam, a rotating first prism that deflects the emitted beam, a first lens that projects the deflected emitted beam onto a scene to be scanned, a second lens that receives a reflected beam arising as a reflection of the emitted beam from the scene and projects the reflected beam onto a rotating second prism, which deflects the reflected beam onto a photodetector. The first and second prisms are respectively rigidly mounted on or connected to a common rotatable drive axle, preferably on two opposite ends of the drive axle, which is preferably a rotor shaft of a drive motor. Thereby, the rotation of the two deflection prisms is positively and precisely synchronized, and the overall apparatus is compact, simple and robust. This apparatus is suitable for use in an optical distance radar system for a motor vehicle.

Abstract: A light beam is deflected by refraction and total internal reflection through a first prism, and projected through a first lens onto a scene that is to be scanned. The prism rotates, which varies the deflection angle and scans the beam across the scene along a scan line. Preferably, the successive side surfaces of the prism have different tilt angles relative to the rotation axis, so as to respectively deflect the beam in different deflection planes which cause successive scan lines of the beam across the scene. The emitted beam gives rise to a reflected beam from the scene, which is received through a second lens and deflected onto a photodetector through a second prism congruent to and rotating synchronously with the first prism. This apparatus is suitable as a laser scanning device for an object recognition system or a spacing distance regulation system of a motor vehicle.

Abstract: It shall be made possible, in a simple manner and with low costs, to achieve a determination of the distance between a reference object and at least one target object located in the surveillance area and/or the speed of at least one target object located in the surveillance area, with high accuracy.