The disclosure generally pertains to a vehicle maneuvering system that includes a personal communication device configured to provide enhanced feedback during vehicle maneuvering operations. In an example scenario, an individual executes a remote-control action upon a personal communication device such as, for example, by swiping a finger across a touchscreen. The personal communication device communicates with a vehicle controller to maneuver the vehicle. Enhanced feedback pertaining to the movement of the vehicle, such as a direction and/or a speed of movement, is provided via the personal communication device in various formats. Some examples include a directional haptic vibration that moves in the personal communication device in correspondence to the movement of the vehicle (and/or a trailer attached to the vehicle), a spatial audio signal that is produced in spatial correspondence with the movement of the vehicle/trailer, and/or an icon that moves spatially on the touchscreen in correspondence with the vehicle/trailer.

The disclosure describes systems and methods including a mobile device for remotely controlling the movement of a vehicle and trailer. The mobile device provides an intuitive interface for controlling the movement of the vehicle and trailer by changing the orientation of a vehicle graphic (e.g., of the vehicle and trailer) according to a position of the mobile device around a periphery of the vehicle and trailer. This allows the user to walk around the vehicle and trailer to determine a best position from which to control the vehicle and trailer depending on a given situation without losing the intuitiveness of the user interface.

A program stored in a mobile terminal including a computer, a camera, a display, and a communication device, the program being configured to operate an operation target vehicle from outside with use of the mobile terminal, the operation target vehicle being registered in advance, the program causing the computer to execute: a step of estimating a distance from the mobile terminal to the operation target vehicle based on a size of an image of the operation target vehicle included in a photographed image of the camera; a step of determining whether or not the estimated distance is less than a prescribed threshold; a step of receiving an operation instruction with respect to the operation target vehicle when the estimated distance is less than the threshold; and a step of causing the communication device to output a signal instructing an operation in response to the received operation instruction.

A vehicle control system includes: a driving operation device provided in a vehicle and configured to accept a driving operation by a user; an operation terminal configured to be carried by the user and including an input/output unit configured to accept an input by the user and to output a signal; and a control device configured to control traveling of the vehicle based on a signal from the driving operation device and to execute remote parking processing to move the vehicle to a parking position based on a signal from the operation terminal. When the control device detects the driving operation based on a signal from the driving operation device during the remote parking processing, the control device executes suspension processing to stop the vehicle and to make the input/output unit notify that the driving operation device has been operated.

A vehicle control system includes: a plurality of terminals configured to be carried by users; and a control device configured to execute remote parking processing to move a vehicle from a current position to a parking position and to park the vehicle at the parking position in response to an instruction from any of the terminals. The control device is configured to execute starting processing to start operation of the vehicle in response to the instruction from any of the terminals. Once the control device executes the starting processing in response to an instruction from one of the terminals, the control device prohibits the remote parking processing in response to an instruction from any other of the terminals as long as the vehicle is in operation.

A vehicle control system includes: a terminal including an input/output unit and configured to be carried by a user; and a control device configured to perform wireless communication with the terminal and to execute autonomous parking processing to move a vehicle to a parking position and to park the vehicle at the parking position, wherein the control device includes a vehicle position identifying unit configured to detect a position of the vehicle, and an action plan unit configured to set a reference position where the user is deemed to hold the terminal outside the vehicle without moving and to compute a traveling route of the vehicle from an alighting position where the user alights from the vehicle to the parking position such that a condition that a distance from the reference position to the vehicle does not exceed a prescribed value is satisfied.

A device localization system for a vehicle and a mobile device configured as a Phone-as-a-Key (PaaK) is described. The system includes a fob-free mode for performing remote control vehicle features using a selective mobile device localization technique that reduces motive functionality of the vehicle, based location of a user performing the vehicle control during the remote-control operation. The system determines a geographic position of a user using a single Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) antenna, and establishes establish a high-fidelity zone based on a change in mobile device position. The system reduces a motive functionality of the vehicle, based on the selective mobile device localization, from a first motive mode having a full motive functionality to a second motive mode responsive to determining that the mobile device is not present in the high-fidelity zone.

A method for testing at least one vehicle component of a vehicle includes placing a steering system of the vehicle in at least one test operating state, the steering system including a control unit which is at least one of electrically and electronically connected to a steering input unit to provide a steering torque in a normal operating state. The method further includes actuating an actuator of the steering system in the at least one operating state to carry out at least one driving maneuver to test the at least one vehicle component without an active steering demand on a manual steering control of the steering input unit.

A method for testing at least one vehicle component of a vehicle includes placing a steering system of the vehicle in at least one test operating state, the steering system including a control unit which is at least one of electrically and electronically connected to a steering input unit to provide a steering torque in a normal operating state. The method further includes actuating an actuator of the steering system in the at least one operating state to carry out at least one driving maneuver to test the at least one vehicle component without an active steering demand on a manual steering control of the steering input unit.

A program stored in a mobile terminal including a computer, a camera, a display, and a communication device, the program being configured to operate an operation target vehicle from outside with use of the mobile terminal, the operation target vehicle being registered in advance, the program causing the computer to execute: a step of estimating a distance from the mobile terminal to the operation target vehicle based on a size of an image of the operation target vehicle included in a photographed image of the camera; a step of determining whether or not the estimated distance is less than a prescribed threshold; a step of receiving an operation instruction with respect to the operation target vehicle when the estimated distance is less than the threshold; and a step of causing the communication device to output a signal instructing an operation in response to the received operation instruction.