Abstract: Control system for controlling adjustable components in a vehicle using wireless switch assemblies or other input devices which provide input to the control system to enable the control system to control the components based on the input. The control system includes an interrogator arranged to transmit RF signals having identification data associated with the input devices such that upon transmission of each RF signal, the input devices with matching identification data can provide responsive signals. Various types of input devices are envisioned and one type is a manually activated RFID switch assembly which provides output based on pressure applied by the occupant of the vehicle to an exposed surface and includes an RF transmission component arranged to wirelessly transmit an indication of the application of pressure to the exposed surface.

Abstract: Method for an event organizer to arrange receipt of gifts and services rendered in conjunction with the event in which an on-line database of gifts and services is created, and each gift and service is associated with a first price representing its cost to the organizer. Gift givers access the database, view the gifts and services with a second price that is greater than the first price, and can select gifts and services for purchase on behalf of the organizer. Then, the organizer receives funds from each gift giver equal to the second price for the selected gifts and services and directs gift and service providers to provide the selected gift or perform the selected service at the event. A difference between the first and second prices is determined and the organizer can use at least part of this difference to purchase gifts and services prior to the event.

Abstract: Vehicle including a switch assembly includes a vehicular component subject to control by an occupant in the passenger compartment, and a switch assembly for controlling the component based on pressure applied by the occupant of the vehicle to an exposed surface of the vehicle. The switch assembly includes at least one wireless transmission component arranged to wirelessly transmit an indication of the application of pressure to the exposed surface, and a control mechanism for controlling the wireless transmission by the wireless transmission component(s) based on the application of pressure to the exposed surface. The control mechanism may be a switch or a variable impedance which react to the application of pressure to the exposed surface.

Abstract: An apparatus serves for the continuous surface cleaning of rotationally movable casting rolls (2, 3) of a strip-casting machine. A plurality of laser beam units (25) are arranged on the circumference of the respective casting roll (2, 3), which laser beam units (25) are arranged next to one another, are distributed over the casting-roll length and by means of which the casting-roll surface (2a, 3a) can be acted upon with one or more laser beams over the entire casting-roll length. Additional cleaning units (30, 31, 35, 45) for the mechanical cleaning of the casting-roll surface are advantageously connected ahead of and/or behind the laser beam units (25). This makes gap-free and regular surface cleaning of the casting rolls possible.

Abstract: Security alarm system for protecting a structure includes motion detectors connected to cameras. Each camera has a dormant state in which images are not obtained and an active state in which images are obtained and is activated into the active state when an associated motion detector detects motion. A processor is coupled to the camera(s) and arranged to control the camera(s) and receive the image obtained thereby. A telecommunications module is coupled to the processor. A handheld telecommunications unit transmits commands to the processor via the telecommunications module to cause the processor to provide images, obtained from the camera(s), to the telecommunications module to be transmitted to the telecommunications unit.

Abstract: Heads-up display arrangements for vehicles including a seat in which an occupant sits, a system for forming an image of text and/or graphics in a field of view of the occupant, a determination arrangement for determining a position of the occupant (or a part thereof) and an adjustment system for adjusting the seat based on the occupant's determined position to thereby change the orientation of the occupant relative to the image. Change of the orientation of the occupant relative to the image may entail adjusting the seat and/or adjusting the image forming system, which is often a heads-up display system. Adjustment of the seat may involve moving the seat forward or backward and/or up or down, or any other direction or way possible given the construction of the seat.

Abstract: Method for controlling a vehicular system based on the presence of an object in an environment around a vehicle with one goals being to prevent collisions between the vehicle and any objects. Infrared light is emitted from the vehicle into a portion of the environment around the vehicle and received by a sensor on the vehicle. Distance between the vehicle and an object from which the infrared light is reflected is determined based on the emission of the infrared light and reception of the infrared light. The presence of and an identification of the object from which light is reflected is/are determined based at least in part on the received infrared light. The vehicular system is controlled or adjusted based on the determination of the presence of an object in the environment around the vehicle and the identification of the object and the distance between the object and the vehicle.

Abstract: Accident avoidance system for a host vehicle includes a global positioning system residing on the host vehicle for determining the host vehicle's location as the host vehicle travels, a communication system residing on the host vehicle operative to receive signals including information received directly from other vehicles indicating the locations thereof and traffic information received from an infrastructure-based station indicating the locations of other vehicles, and a navigation system residing on the host vehicle coupled to the global positioning system and the communication system.

Abstract: Arrangement and method for managing information about the condition of travel lanes on which vehicles travel includes a sensor system arranged in each vehicle for obtaining information about the maintenance state of the travel lane, a communication system arranged in each vehicle and coupled to a respective sensor system for communicating the obtained information to a control station, and a transmission system arranged at or coupled to the control station for transmitting the obtained information to vehicles other than the one which provided the obtained information. A positioning system may be arranged on each vehicle to determine its position and the communication systems transmit the position of each vehicle along with the obtained information.

Abstract: Vehicle including a crash sensor system arranged to determine a crash condition involving the vehicle which might cause injury to a vehicular occupant, at least one module each including an occupant protection device actuatable upon determination of a crash condition in order to protect the occupant from injury during the crash, and a vehicle bus to which the crash sensor system and module(s) are connected. The crash sensor system generates a signal upon a determination of a crash condition and directs the signal over the bus. Each module is arranged to actuate its occupant protection device in consideration of the signal. The signal might be directly sent to the module from the crash sensor system or sent to a control module which processes it and in turn generates a signal to be directed via the bus to the module(s).

Abstract: Land-based vehicle including an arrangement for monitoring objects in or about a vehicle includes a source from which modulated illumination is emitted into an area in or about the vehicle, a receiver arranged to receive illumination reflected from an object in the path of the modulated illumination, and circuitry coupled to the receiver and the source and arranged to compare a phase of the modulated illumination with a phase of the reflected radiation at a common frequency to determine whether there is a phase difference between the modulated illumination and the reflected illumination. The phase difference is a measure of a property of the object, such as the distance between the object and the source/receiver, which can be co-located. Otherwise, if the source and receiver and not co-located or substantially co-located, the distance is a measure of the distance of travel of the illumination.

Abstract: Inflatable airbag for a vehicle which is deployed in the event of an accident involving the vehicle to provide protection for an occupant of the vehicle includes a plurality of ribbons coupled together to define an enclosed, fluid-retaining space and a layer of film laminated on at least one of an outer side of the woven ribbons and an inner side of the ribbons. The ribbons may be made from polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester or polyamide and the layers of film may be made from polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester or polyamide. The ribbons and layers of film may be made of the same or different materials.

Abstract: Roadside barrier including barrier sections coupled to one another, each having a horizontal portion, a vertical portion extending upward from the horizontal portion and a front plate coupled to the vertical portion and adapted to receive an impact from a vehicle. The vertical portion extends upward from a middle region of the horizontal portion to form a T-shaped structure. A vehicle impacting the front plate is situated on a front part of the horizontal portion thereby preventing the vehicle from tipping over. A mass, such as gravel or sand, is placed on a rear part of the horizontal portion, either loose or in a barrel or box. The barrier section is optionally designed to provide an increased drag once moved from its installation position, for example, by forming downwardly-extending protrusions on a lower surface of the horizontal portion which are adapted to penetrate the ground below the barrier section.

Abstract: Arrangement and method for monitoring a fluid storage tank which includes a housing defining an interior receivable of a removable fluid. An interior sensor system is arranged on the housing to obtain information about any fluid in the interior of the housing different than the location of the tank. A location determining system is arranged on the housing to monitor the location of the tank, and a communication system is coupled to the interior sensor system and the location determining system and which is arranged to transmit the information about the fluid in the interior of the housing and the location of the tank to one or more remote facilities. The communication system may be arranged on the housing itself, which is especially applicable when the housing is movable, for example, such as the housing of a Frac tank. The location and condition of the fluid in the tank can thus be known at all times.

Abstract: Sensor system for sensing pressure applied to a seat by an occupant of the seat and for controlling deployment of an airbag which includes a bladder defining a chamber and which is adapted to be arranged in a seat portion of the seat, and a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in the chamber. Deployment of the airbag is controlled based at least in part on the pressure in the chamber measured by the pressure sensor. A control module may be provided to control deployment of the airbag so that when the pressure sensor generates a signal based on the measured pressure in the chamber and provides the signal to the control module, the control module controls deployment of the airbag based on the signal.

Abstract: Process and a method for enhancing recovery of petroleum from an underground source including injecting into the source, a petroleum displacement agent including fluids and modified liposomes. The liposomes and fluids merge the discrete oil droplets after waterflood into a continuous layer of oil (oil phase) eliminating b-pass of water through oil and employ mobility control through transition of gel phase to liquid crystalline phase.

Abstract: Vehicular arrangement for obtaining information about objects exterior to the vehicle includes at least one combined imaging and distance measuring system arranged along an edge or a side of the vehicle, each combined system including an infrared illuminator for directing infrared illumination outward from the vehicle, an imager sensitive to infrared illumination and visible light, the imager being arranged to form images of an environment around the vehicle and thereby enable identification of objects in the images, a radar or laser radar system arranged to simultaneously determine a distance between the vehicle and objects identified in images obtained by the imager with the identification of the objects in the images. A reactive system is arranged on the vehicle to consider both the identification of the objects and their distance from the vehicle and react accordingly.

Abstract: System and method for conveying information from a vehicle to a fixed structure includes a data generating system arranged on the vehicle to obtain and/or generate information about conditions around the vehicle, one or more data processing facilities each arranged at a fixed structure or fixed location to process information about the vehicle, and a communications system coupled to the data generating system for communicating with a wireless Internet service provider (ISP) and arranged to enable the information obtained or generated by the data generating system to be transmitted via the Internet to the data processing facility. The data generating system may obtain or generate information about at least one of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, environmental conditions around the vehicle, traffic in the vicinity of the vehicle, and construction in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Abstract: System and method for determining the location of the eyes of a vehicular occupant includes one or more wave-receiving transducers each arranged to receive waves from the passenger compartment generated or modified by the occupant, and a processor coupled to the transducer(s) for analyzing the waves and determining the location of the occupant's eyes relative to the passenger compartment based on the analysis of the received waves. The processor may include a trained pattern recognition algorithm which has been trained using data about known locations of the eyes of occupants in different positions and waves received from the passenger compartment when the occupants in the different positions are present. The location of the eyes of the occupant relative to the passenger compartment may be used to control one or more components, each of which has a variable or adjustable operation based on the location of the eyes of the occupant.

Abstract: RFID and sensor assemblies for vehicles in which an interrogator transmits RF signals and receives responsive RF signals from the RFID assemblies. Each RFID assembly includes a sensor and an RFID switch which receives an RF signal from the interrogator and upon receipt of a signal containing its identification, enables transmission of a signal from the sensor from which a property being monitored by the sensor is determinable. The sensor may be a SAW sensor which modifies a received wave as a function of the property being monitored by the sensor and thus transmits a modified wave. Each RFID assembly may include an antenna arranged to receive signals from and provide signals to the interrogator. The RFID switch is arranged to connect or disconnect the sensor from a circuit dependent on whether the antenna receives a particular signal associated with the RFID assembly.