Abstract: A method for detecting locations of objects in a plane, including emit light beams, one at a time, at locations along a first edge of a detection area, refract each light beam into multiple divergent light beams, direct each of the divergent beams to arrive at a respective pair of focusing lenses mounted along a second edge of the detection area, opposite the first edge, wherein an intensity profile of each divergent beam has maximum intensity along the center of the beam, for each of the focusing lenses, measure an intensity profile of that portion of the divergent beam that enters the focusing lens, for each pair of focusing lenses receiving a single divergent beam, compare the measured intensity profiles for light arriving at each lens, and determine a location of an object that partially blocks at least one of the divergent beams, based on the compares.

Abstract: A method for interacting with controls in a graphical user interface (GUI), including recording user interface gestures performed by a user, for each recorded gesture: when the gesture includes the user virtually touching a specific GUI control, applying the gesture to the specific GUI control; and when the gesture is performed without the user virtually touching a specific GUI control, identifying a particular GUI control that the user is gazing at and applying the gesture to that particular GUI control.

Abstract: A vehicle autonomous drive system including a steering wheel, a sensor operable to identify each gesture component within a set of gesture components performed on the steering wheel by a driver of the vehicle, the set of gesture components including thumb-tap, thumb touch-and-hold, thumb-glide, hand-grab and hand-tap, a processor for an autonomous drive system in the vehicle, receiving from the sensor, a series of time-stamped, contact coordinates for the gesture components identified by the sensor, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to construct compound gestures based on the series of time-stamped, contact coordinates, and to activate features of the autonomous drive system in response to the compound gestures.

Abstract: A focusing optical part, including a plastic body, suitable for being delivered on a tape and reel and mounted on a PCB by an automated mounting machine, the plastic body including a concave mirror including a center aperture input surface through which light enters the plastic body, a convex mirror opposite the center aperture, wherein the concave mirror and the convex mirror form a reflective objective that reflects and focuses the light inside the plastic body, and an exit surface surrounding the convex mirror, through which focused light exits the plastic body.

Abstract: A method for interacting with controls in a graphical user interface (GUI) having a plurality of GUI controls, the method includes identify one GUI control that a user is gazing at, from among a plurality of GUI controls presented on a display, detect user interface gestures performed by the user, when the detected gesture is performed in an airspace away from the display, apply a relative motion corresponding to the gesture to the identified GUI control, and when the detected gesture is performed by the user touching the display, apply a sequence of absolute display locations touched by the gesture to a GUI control presented at the touched locations that is different than the identified GUI control.

Abstract: A sensor for a control panel, including a housing along an edge of the panel, light emitters projecting light along an in-air detection plane over the panel and detectors detecting reflections of the projected light, reflected by an object in the detection plane, lenses oriented such that each detector receives maximum light intensity when light enters a corresponding lens at a particular angle, whereby for each emitter-detector pair, when the object is located at a specific position in the detection plane, light emitted by the emitter of that pair is reflected by the object back through one of the lenses at the particular angle to the detector of that pair, the specific position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor configured to determine panel locations, map each location to a position in the detection plane associated with an emitter-detector pair, mapping the panel to the detection plane.

Abstract: A steering wheel that includes optoelectronic components, each specific optoelectronic component including a light projector projecting light out of the steering wheel at two different angles, denoted a1 and a2, a light sensor detecting reflections of the light projected by neighboring optoelectronic components by an object above the steering wheel, a lens oriented relative to the light sensor such that the light sensor receives maximum intensity when light enters the lens at either of two particular angles, specifically, when light enters the lens at a particular angle b1, and at a particular angle b2 different than b1, wherein angle b1 views reflections of light projected at angle a1 by the optoelectronic component neighboring the specific optoelectronic component on one side, and angle b2 views reflections of light projected at angle a2 by the optoelectronic component neighboring the specific optoelectronic component on the side opposite the one side.

Abstract: An input panel for an electronic device, including an arrangement of buttons, wherein each button is actuated when pressed, providing input to an electronic device, and a sensor, detecting location of a user's finger above the buttons, the sensor including a housing, a printed circuit board, light emitters and photodiode detectors, lenses mounted in the housing in such a manner that, when the housing is mounted along an edge of the arrangement, the lenses direct light from the emitters along a plane above the buttons, and direct light from the plane, reflected toward the lenses by an object inserted into the plane, onto the detectors, a processor configured to identify a location in the plane at which the object is inserted based on the detections of light reflected by the object, and a communications port configured to output the identified location to the electronic device.

Abstract: A sensor, including light emitters projecting directed light beams, light detectors interleaved with the light emitters, lenses, each lens oriented relative to a respective one of the light detectors such that the light detector receives maximum intensity when light enters the lens at an angle b, whereby, for each emitter E, there exist corresponding target positions p(E, D) along the path of the light from emitter E, at which an object located at any of the target positions reflects the light projected by emitter E towards a respective one of detectors D at angle b, and a processor storing a reflection value R(E, D) for each co-activated emitter-detector pair (E, D), based on an amount of light reflected by an object located at p(E, D) and detected by detector D, and calculating a location of an object based on the reflection values and target positions.

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 method for identifying a proximal object, including providing light emitters, light detectors and lenses, mounted in a housing, each lens, denoted L, being positioned in relation to a respective one of the detectors, denoted D, such that light entering lens L is maximally detected at detector D when the light enters lens L at an angle of incidence ?, activating the detectors synchronously with activation of each emitter to measure reflections of the light beams emitted by each emitter, and calculating a location of a reflective object along a path of a light beam projected by an activated emitter, by calculating an axis of symmetry with respect to which the outputs of the synchronously activated detectors are approximately symmetric, orienting the calculated axis of symmetry by the angle ?, and locating a point of intersection of the path of the emitted light beam with the oriented axis of symmetry.

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: 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, 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 touch system with a curved touch surface, including light emitters projecting light beams over and across the curved surface, such that at least some of the light beams are incident upon and reflected by the curved surface, light detectors detecting reflections, by a reflective object touching the curved surface, lenses mounted such that (i) there is a particular angle of entry at which each light detector receives a maximal light intensity, and (ii) there are target positions, associated with emitter-detector pairs, on the curved surface, whereby light beams emitted by the light emitter of that pair are reflected by the object into the lens corresponding to the light detector of that pair at the particular angle of entry, and a processor calculating a location of the object touching the curved surface by determining an emitter-detector pair that detects a maximal amount of light, and identifying the associated target position.

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 user interface method for an automated door lock, including providing a sensor operable to identify two-dimensional locations of an object within a detection plane that extends outward from a door, providing an unlocker operative to automatically unlock the door, identifying, by a processor coupled with the sensor and the unlocker, a linear movement of the object within the detection plane, in a first direction of motion, further identifying, by the processor, a linear movement of the object within the detection plane, in a second direction of motion substantially orthogonal to the first direction of motion, and activating, by the processor, the unlocker in response to the identifying and the further identifying.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device having a touch-sensitive display, cause the processor to enable a user interface of the device, including presenting a list of items on the display, each item having content associated therewith, highlighting an item in the list by presenting a highlight marking on that item, translating the highlight marking within the list, in response to an object gliding along the display, and opening the content associated with the currently highlighted item, in response to a tap gesture on the display.

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 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.