Abstract: A vehicle user interface including a vehicle steering wheel including a grip, a sensor mounted in the steering wheel grip detecting objects touching the steering wheel grip, a plurality of individually activatable illumination units illuminating respective locations on the steering wheel grip, and a processor receiving outputs from the sensor, selectively activating a subset of the illumination units adjacent to a detected object, and controlling a plurality of vehicle functions in response to outputs of the sensor.

Abstract: A user interface for a vehicle, including a steering wheel for the vehicle, including a grip, a sensor operable to detect objects at a plurality of locations along the grip, and an illuminator operable to illuminate different portions of the grip, a processor in communication with the sensor, with the illuminator and with a controller of vehicle functions, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which cause the processor to identify, via the sensor, a location of a first object along the grip, to illuminate, via the illuminator, a portion of the grip, adjacent to the identified location, to further identify, via the sensor, a second object being at the illuminated portion of the grip, and to activate, via the controller, a vehicle function in response to the second object being at the illuminated portion of the grip.

Abstract: A proximity sensor, including a housing, an array of lenses mounted in the housing, an array of alternating light emitters and light detectors mounted in the housing, each detector being positioned along the image plane of a respective one of the lenses so as to receive maximum light intensity when light enters the lens at a particular angle, an activating unit mounted in the housing and connected to the emitters and detectors, synchronously co-activating each emitter with at least one of the detectors, each activated emitter projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, and a processor receiving outputs from the detectors corresponding to amounts of projected light reflected by an object in the detection plane to the detectors, and calculating a two-dimensional location of the object in the detection plane based on the detector outputs and the particular angle.

Abstract: An adjustable mirror, including a mirror within a fixed housing, whereby at least one angle of the mirror relative to the housing is adjustable, electrical equipment within the housing and attached to the rear of the mirror, operative to adjust the at least one angle of the mirror, a rounded surface projecting toward an operator of the mirror, and a sensor, connected to the electrical equipment, operative to detect the operator's hand following the rounded surface, and to instruct the electrical equipment to adjust the at least one angle of the mirror in response to the detection.

Abstract: A system including two handheld electronic devices, each device including a housing, a communicator mounted in the housing continuously receiving images from an internet server, a display mounted in the housing, and a sensor mounted in the housing and connected to the communicator, configured to detect sizes of objects in an adjacent detection zone, and including an analyzer recognizing the other handheld electronic device when the sensor detects that an object in the adjacent detection zone is as long as an edge of the housing, wherein the server receives outputs from the analyzer and partitions each of the images into two half-images, and continuously transmits one of each half-image to the handheld electronic device and the other of each half-image to the other handheld device, such that each full image spans the two device displays.

Abstract: A steering wheel for a vehicle, including front and back semi-toroidal surfaces joined at their outer circumferences by a light guide in the shape of a circular rim, and enclosing a toroidal volume having a cavity therein, a PCB mounted in the cavity, an alternating array of invisible-light emitters and receivers mounted on the PCB, such that the light guide projects invisible-light beams emitted by the emitters radially outward of the steering wheel, and directs reflections of the projected light beams off of a driver's hands radially inward to the steering wheel toward the receivers, and a processor connected to equipment mounted away from the steering wheel, the processor synchronously activating each emitter with a respective neighboring receiver, identifying a driver's hand gestures along an arc of the light guide based on reflected light detected by the receivers, and controlling the equipment in response to the thus-identified hand gestures.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, light emitters mounted in the housing for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, light detectors mounted in the housing for detecting amounts of light entering the housing along the detection plane, whereby for each emitter-detector pair (E, D), when an object is located at a target position p(E, D) in the detection plane, corresponding to the pair (E, D), then the light emitted by emitter E is scattered by the object and is expected to be maximally detected by detector D, and a processor to synchronously activate emitter-detector pairs, to read the detected amounts of light from the detectors, and to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane from the detected amounts of light, in accordance with a detection-location relationship that relates detections from emitter-detector pairs to object locations between neighboring target positions in the detection plane.

Abstract: A user interface for a vehicle, including a steering wheel for the vehicle, including a grip, a sensor operable to detect objects at a plurality of locations along the grip, and an illuminator operable to illuminate different portions of the grip, a processor in communication with the sensor, with the illuminator and with a controller of vehicle functions, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which cause the processor: to identify, via the sensor, a location of a first object along the grip, to illuminate, via the illuminator, a portion of the grip, adjacent to the identified location, to further identify, via the sensor, a second object being at the illuminated portion of the grip, and to activate, via the controller, a vehicle function in response to the second object identified as being at the illuminated portion of the grip.

Abstract: A computer readable medium storing instructions which cause a processor to generate data structures for an object moving along the perimeter of a curved touch-sensitive user input device, each data structure corresponding to a gesture and including a time stamp, polar angles at which the object starts and ends, a middle polar angle of the object, and an assigned state being one of the group RECOGNIZED, UPDATED and ENDED, wherein the instructions cause the processor to assign the RECOGNIZED state to the data structure when the moving object is initially detected on the perimeter of the device, to assign the UPDATED state to the data structure when the moving object is further detected on the perimeter of the device after the initial detection, and to assign the ENDED state to the data structure when the moving object ceases to be detected on the perimeter of the device.

Abstract: A steering wheel for a vehicle, including front and back semi-toroidal surfaces joined at their outer circumferences by a light guide in the shape of a circular rim, and enclosing a toroidal volume having a cavity therein, a PCB mounted in the cavity, an alternating array of invisible-light emitters and receivers mounted on the PCB, such that the light guide projects invisible-light beams emitted by the emitters radially outward of the steering wheel, and directs reflections of the projected light beams off of a driver's hands radially inward to the steering wheel toward the receivers, and a processor connected to equipment mounted away from the steering wheel, the processor synchronously activating each emitter with a respective neighboring receiver, identifying a driver's hand gestures along an arc of the light guide based on reflected light detected by the receivers, and controlling the equipment in response to the thus-identified hand gestures.

Abstract: A steering wheel for a vehicle, including a toroidal steering wheel surrounding an airspace and mounted in a vehicle, an array of invisible-light emitters mounted in the steering wheel to project invisible light beams across the airspace, an array of light detectors mounted in the steering wheel to detect the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and to detect gestures inside the airspace that interrupt the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and a processor connected to the light detectors to identify the gestures inside the airspace detected by the light detectors, and to control an item of equipment mounted in the vehicle, in response to the thus-identified gestures inside the airspace.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, light emitters mounted in the housing for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, light detectors mounted in the housing for detecting amounts of light entering the housing along the detection plane, whereby for each emitter-detector pair (E, D), when an object is located at a target position p(E, D) in the detection plane, corresponding to the pair (E, D), then the light emitted by emitter E is scattered by the object and is expected to be maximally detected by detector D, and a processor to synchronously activate emitter-detector pairs, to read the detected amounts of light from the detectors, and to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane from the detected amounts of light, in accordance with a detection-location relationship that relates detections from emitter-detector pairs to object locations between neighboring target positions in the detection plane.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane.

Abstract: A steering wheel that identifies gestures performed on its surface, including a circular gripping element including a thumb-receiving notch disposed along its circumference, an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, that projects light beams through the notch radially outward from the gripping element, and detects light beams reflected back into the gripping element by a moving object at or near the notch, and a processor, coupled with the proximity sensor array, for determining polar angles along the circumference of the gripping element occupied by the object, responsive to light beams projected by the proximity sensor array and reflected back by the object being detected by the proximity sensor array.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane.

Abstract: A steering wheel that identifies gestures performed on its surface, including a circular gripping element including a thumb-receiving notch disposed along its circumference, an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, that projects light beams through the notch radially outward from the gripping element, and detects light beams reflected back into the gripping element by a moving object at or near the notch, and a processor, coupled with the proximity sensor array, for determining polar angles along the circumference of the gripping element occupied by the object, responsive to light beams projected by the proximity sensor array and reflected back by the object being detected by the proximity sensor array.

Abstract: A steering wheel that identifies gestures performed on its surface, including a circular gripping element including a thumb-receiving notch disposed along its circumference, an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, that projects light beams through the notch radially outward from the gripping element, and detects light beams reflected back into the gripping element by a moving object at or near the notch, and a processor, coupled with the proximity sensor array, for determining polar angles along the circumference of the gripping element occupied by the object, responsive to light beams projected by the proximity sensor array and reflected back by the object being detected by the proximity sensor array.

Abstract: A steering wheel for a vehicle, including a toroidal steering wheel surrounding an airspace and mounted in a vehicle, an array of invisible-light emitters mounted in the steering wheel to project invisible light beams across the airspace, an array of light detectors mounted in the steering wheel to detect the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and to detect gestures inside the airspace that interrupt the invisible light beams projected by the invisible-light emitters, and a processor connected to the light detectors to identify the gestures inside the airspace detected by the light detectors, and to control an item of equipment mounted in the vehicle, in response to the thus-identified gestures inside the airspace.

Abstract: A system for use in a vehicle, including a steering element situated opposite a driver seat in a vehicle, the steering element including a plurality of proximity sensors encased in the periphery of the steering element operable to detect hand gestures along the outer periphery of the steering element, an interactive deck housed in the vehicle, for providing at least one of radio broadcast, video broadcast, audio entertainment, video entertainment and navigational assistance in the vehicle, and a processor housed in the vehicle, coupled with the proximity sensors and the deck, operable to identify the hand gestures detected by the proximity sensors, and to control the deck in response to thus-identified hand gestures.

Abstract: A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane.