Abstract: A system for processing an image of a surrounding of a vehicle is provided. The system includes an image generator that is configured for generating an image, the image having at least a first and a second portion. The first and second portions of the image differ from each other and the first portion of the image is generated for further processing earlier than the second portion of the image. Additionally, the system includes an image processor for processing the first and second portions of the image, where the image processor is configured for processing the first portion of said image while awaiting for the second portion of the image to become available to the image processor.

Abstract: An actuating element for controlling an electronic device is providing. The actuating element including a front cover having an actuating surface to be actuated by a user and a support structure adapted to be coupled to the front cover. The support structure having guiding rips that guide the movement of the actuating element in a housing upon actuation of the actuating element. The front cover having centering shoulders that contact the guiding rips for positioning the support structure relative to the front cover when the front cover is coupled to the support structure.

Abstract: A switched mode amplifier includes a voltage source, a switched amplifier, a controller and a feedback unit. The switched amplifier sources or sinks a current to or from a load. The load and the current define a voltage over the load. The controller generates control signals for the switched amplifier in response to an input signal and a feedback signal. The feedback unit is connected to the controller and the load, and generates the feedback signal from the voltage over the load.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automated tuning of a sound system, the sound system comprising delay lines, equalizing filters, and at least two loudspeakers, the method comprising the steps of reproducing a useful sound signal through the loudspeakers, measuring sound pressure values at at least one location, providing a target transfer function for tuning the delay lines and the equalizing filters of the sound system, the target transfer function representing a desired transfer characteristics of the sound system, adjusting the delay of the delay lines, and adjusting amplitude responses of the equalizing filters such, that the actual transfer characteristics of the sound system approximates the target function.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing diagnostics on a removable media drive. An example system includes a monitoring unit configured to collect information about a media access to the media drive and a media access to a removable media contained in the media drive. The example system also includes a storage unit having a threshold table with at least one threshold value for the media access to the media drive. A processing unit is configured to compare the collected information of the monitoring unit to the at least one threshold value contained in the threshold table. The processing unit is also configured to determine diagnostic data relating to the removable media drive in accordance with the comparison.

Abstract: A speaker assembly arrangement for a vehicle is provided that includes a speaker unit including a speaker cabinet defining a first volume and a body part of a vehicle including a hollow member defining a second volume. The speaker cabinet is acoustically coupled to the hollow member by a press-fit coupling having a press-fit direction and mounted on the body part by at least one fastener having a fastening direction substantially perpendicular to the press-fit direction. The body part comprises a first guide arranged and configured to slidably engage with a second guide arranged on the speaker cabinet so that force on the speaker cabinet in the fastening direction is at least in part redirected to the press-fit direction by the slidable engagement of the first guide and the second guide.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation system having a database configured to store map data. The database includes links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links. The map data includes at least some links associated with a curvature attribute. A mean absolute curvature ( ?) is stored for the curvature attribute for corresponding links. The mean absolute curvature ( ?) may be determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link. The system includes a processing unit configured to estimate an energy consumption of the vehicle for a link using the curvature attribute retrieved from the database for the link.

Abstract: A head tracking system for determining a head position of a user may include a light source configured to emit light onto a rectangular position sensitive device supported by a support structure such as headphones. The light emitted by the light source may generate a light spot on the position sensitive device. A head position determining module may determine the head position using the position of the light spot on the position sensitive device. The support structure may be configured to support the position sensitive device such that a head rotation results in rotation of the position sensitive device and a displacement of the light spot toward a corner of the rectangular position sensitive device.

Abstract: An example radio receiver and a method is provided for controlling a radio receiver having two tuners, and receiving a hybrid signal containing digital and analog broadcast signal components. According to the example method, a selection is made in the radio receiver to operate between at least the following operating modes of the receiver: (i) a first operating mode in which both tuners are tuned to the same broadcast hybrid signal and where one of the tuners is configured to receive the digital broadcast signal and the other tuner is configured to receive the analog broadcast signal; (ii) a second operating mode in which one of the tuners receiving the digital broadcast signal is the operating tuner and the other tuner is a search and check tuner; and (iii) a third operating mode in which one of the tuners receiving the analog broadcast signal is the operating tuner and the other tuner is a search and check tuner.

Abstract: A system for detection of braking of a vehicle may include a device provided in a first vehicle. The device may be in communication with a detector mounted to the first vehicle to monitor an area in front of the first vehicle. The detector may detect light emitted by the rear lights of a second vehicle when the second vehicle is ahead of the first vehicle in the monitored area. The device may acquire data from the detector and analyze the acquired data in order to detect an optical signal emitted by the rear lights of the second vehicle. The optical signal may encode information indicative of a braking procedure being performed by the second vehicle. The device may evaluate the detected optical signal in order to derive the information indicative of the braking procedure of the second vehicle.

Abstract: A navigation system includes a display for displaying map sections and point of interest (POI) data to a user and a database for storing POI data. A retrieval unit is provided to retrieve from the database POI data for the map section to be displayed. The POI database includes POIs and substitute POIs representing a number of POIs in a map region. It may then depend on the map scale with which the map section is to be displayed whether a substitute POI or a POI which it represents is retrieved from the database.

Abstract: A tracking system may determine the orientation or position of a movable object. The tracking system includes a signal generator that generates a non-audible detection signal in an audible frequency range. A transmitting device transmits the detection signal to a detection device. The transmitting device or the detection device may be positioned on the movable object, and the other may be positioned at a remote location. A processor may determine an orientation or position of the moveable object based on the transmission time between the transmitting device and the detection device.

Abstract: In order to suppress as much noise as possible in a hands-free device in a motor vehicle, for example, two microphones (M1, M2) are spaced a certain distance apart, the output signals (MS1, MS2) of which are added in an adder (AD) and subtracted in a subtracter (SU). The sum signal (S) of the adder (AD) undergoes a Fourier transform in a first Fourier transformer (F1), and the difference signal (D) of the subtracter (SU) undergoes a Fourier transform in a second Fourier transformer (F2). From the two Fourier transforms R(f) and D(f), a speech pause detector (P) detects speech pauses, during which a third arithmetic unit (R) calculates the transfer function HT of an adaptive transformation filter (TF). The transfer function of a spectral subtraction filter (SF), at the input of which the Fourier transform R(f) of the sum signal (S) is applied, is generated from the spectral power density Srr of the sum signal (S) and from the interference power density Snn generated by the adaptive transformation filter (TF).

Abstract: A system for enhancing the sound signal produced by an audio system in a listening environment by compensating for ambient noise in the listening environment is provided. The system receives an electrical sound signal and generates a sound output therefrom. A total sound signal is sensed representative of the total sound level in the environment, where the total sound level includes both the sound output from the audio system and the ambient noise within the environment. The system extracts an ambient noise signal representative of the ambient noise in the environment from the total sound signal in response to the total sound signal and to a reference signal derived from the electrical sound signal. The system extracts the ambient noise signal using an adaptive filter with an adaptive step size. The system generates a control signal in response to the ambient noise signal and adjusts the sound output of the audio system to compensate for the ambient noise level in response to the control signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for detecting edges in an image. In an example method, the image is smoothed using a filter. A gradient magnitude and angle are determined for each pixel of the image. A non-maximum suppression is performed on the resulting image data. A double threshold with an upper and a lower threshold are applied to the resulting image data to determine the edges in the image. The upper and the lower thresholds are calculated automatically using a distribution of intensity values of the image. In example systems, an image is acquired by a camera, or other image acquisition units. An image processing unit is configured to detect the edges in the image using an adaptive threshold edge detection method.

Abstract: A method and device for providing cost information associated with intersections of a road network are provided. Driving data indicative of at least one condition of a vehicle upon passage of the vehicle through a plurality of intersections are retrieved. For each intersection of the plurality of intersections, a set of feature values associated with the respective intersections is determined based on map data. Parameters of an intersection cost module are adjusted. The intersection cost module is configured to provide a cost value in response to a set of feature values associated with an intersection. The parameters of the intersection cost module are adjusted based on the received driving data and the sets of feature values determined for the plurality of intersections. The intersection cost module may also be used for route searches.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting a refrain in an audio file having vocal components. The method and system includes generating a phonetic transcription of a portion of the audio file, analyzing the phonetic transcription and identifying a vocal segment in the generated phonetic transcription that is repeated frequently. The method and system further relate to the speech-driven selection based on similarity of detected refrain and user input.

Abstract: A door leaf includes a stiff, light structural part that maintains fed-in vibrational energy and, by flexural waves, propagates this energy in at least one active surface perpendicular to its thickness to distribute resonance mode vibration components over at least one surface, which has specified, preferred locations or sites within it for transducer devices, which are affixed on the structural part at one of the locations or sites to set the structural part into vibration and to allow it to resonate, thus creating an acoustic radiator that delivers an acoustic output signal when it vibrates in resonance, the front and/or the rear cover panel of the door leaf being part of the stiff, light structural component. The transducer(s) is/are situated between the cover panels.

Abstract: An emergency call system transmits an emergency call with emergency information from a vehicle using a communication system. The emergency call system includes an emergency call device that connects with an emergency assistance center during an emergency. The emergency call device may be automatically or manually triggered to transmit data and information related to an emergency to the assistance center. Data and information may be transmitted over a data connection and/or a voice connection over a hardwired or wireless network.

Abstract: A tracking system determines the orientation of an object. A transceiver transmits a signal and detects responses from multiple transponders. A processing unit determines an orientation parameter of the object by comparing the responses from the multiple transponders.