The invention relates to a vehicle navigational system with a radar arrangement and an image sensor arrangement. It is proposed to derive target parameters separately from the receiving signals of the two arrangements and to convey them to data merging means to link the separately derived parameters. Linking can be carried out at different levels of digital signal processing.

A video recording system for vehicles including a video recorder having an electronic record control input port and a video signal input port; a four-to-one video multiplexer having four multiplexer video signal input ports and one multiplexer video signal output port, the multiplexer video signal output port being in transmitting connection with the video signal input port of the video recorder; an activation switch in electrical connection with the electronic record control input port of the video recorder; and a rear view mirror/camera assembly having four video cameras each with a wide angle fish-eye lens and a camera video signal output port in transmitting connection with one of the four multiplexer video signal input ports, one fish-eye lens being aimed toward the front of the vehicle, one fish-eye lens being aimed at the rear of the vehicle, one fish-eye lens being aimed at the driver seat portion of the passenger compartment, and one fish-eye lens being aimed at the front passenger seat portion of the passenger compartment, the four-to-one video multiplexer switching the camera video signals received at its four multiplexer video signal input ports sequentially to the multiplexer video signal output port in response to an activation signal from the activation switch to the video recorder control input port.

A navigation system for an autonomous mobile robot within an environment which comprises coded signs at predetermined points comprising means for storing data regarding said environment, including data regarding the positions of said coded signs relative to the environment, passive vision systems for the image acquisition and automatic recognition of said coded signs, a computer for estimating its own position and orientation relative to one of said coded signs and to the environment, means for acquiring the location of target positions, means for planning a path to be covered within said environment to reach target positions, and means for controlling the robot motion based on the stored path data.

A vehicle collision avoidance system includes a 360 degree circumferentially rotating pulsed infrared laser beam scanner apparatus which rotates in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane simultaneously for generating a first signal representative of an obstacle. An analog processing circuit is coupled to the circumferentially rotating pulsed infrared laser beam scanner apparatus for processing the first signal and generating a plurality of signals. A processor is coupled to the processing circuit for processing the plurality of signals and generating a braking signal and providing a braking apparatus with the braking signal. Associated methods are also provided. The system and method of the invention are based on a second order model which characterizes the relationship in both space and time between the vehicle and the obstacle. The circumferentially rotating pulsed infrared laser beam scanner apparatus includes an eye-safe laser apparatus in terms of peak power, pulse width, repetition rate and divergent angle.

A method and apparatus for modifying, or morphing, a video image. A video feed is received which include an image of a person's face. A number of facial features are detected from the video feed. One or more of those facial features are selected and modified, with the modification being applied to the video feed to produce a morphed image. For example, the morphing can produce fun effects such as oversized or too small eyes, lips, etc.