A vehicle system comprises a hitch assembly mounted on a vehicle, a display, and a controller. The controller is configured to access a saved configuration for the hitch assembly and display the saved configuration on the display. The controller is further configured to receive a selection of the saved configuration and program a characteristic of the hitch assembly based on the selection.

A steering system for an autonomous vehicle includes an autonomous driving assist steering system for controlling steering of the autonomous vehicle in a primary steering mode. Also included is an alternate steering mechanism controlling steering of the autonomous vehicle in a secondary steering mode, wherein the alternate steering mechanism is not a steering wheel.

A display device that is to be connected with an information terminal includes: a video reception unit that receives video information about a screen including a cursor from the information terminal; a touch panel that brings up on display the screen based upon the video information received by the video reception unit and detects a touch position specified by a touch operation; and a transmission unit that transmits, to the information terminal, displacement quantity information corresponding to a quantity of displacement from the display position of the cursor to the touch position.

A system and method of enabling an augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) device to augment image or video data using a virtual vehicle skin, wherein the method is carried out by vehicle electronics included within a vehicle, the method including: establishing a connection to the AR/VR device using a wireless communications device included in the vehicle electronics of the vehicle; and sending a virtual vehicle skin response to the AR/VR device via the established connection, wherein the AR/VR device is configured to obtain background video and to display the virtual vehicle skin over the obtained background video so that the virtual vehicle skin overlays a portion of the vehicle, and wherein the virtual vehicle skin response includes the virtual vehicle skin or virtual vehicle skin access information that can be used by the AR/VR device to derive or obtain the virtual vehicle skin.

A vehicle includes a compartment mounted to a frame of the vehicle. The compartment includes a box coupled to a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the vehicle and a latch system coupled to the glove to allow a user access to the box. The latch system includes a shape-memory alloy wire guided by a pulley during actuation of the latch system.

A vehicle includes a compartment mounted to a frame of the vehicle. The compartment includes a box coupled to a vehicle in a fixed position relative to the vehicle and a latch system coupled to the glove to allow a user access to the box. The latch system includes a shape-memory alloy wire and a spring that are used during actuation of the latch system.

An infotainment system for a vehicle may include a controllable audio reproduction arrangement that is configured to be fixed in the vehicle and to acoustically reproduce an audio signal under the control of a control signal. It may further include a portable device that is freely movable in the vehicle and that is configured to provide the audio and control signals for the audio reproduction arrangement, as well as a wireless connection between the portable device and the audio reproduction arrangement configured to transmit the audio and control signals from the portable device to the audio reproduction arrangement. The audio reproduction arrangement has amplification, quiescent power consumption and a maximum output power, of which at least one is controllable by the portable device via the control signal.

An apparatus and methods for rotating a console display device of a vehicle are disclosed. The apparatus includes a display device; a rotation mechanism connected to the display device and configured to rotate the display device between a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation; a touch bar having at least one button; and a memory storing instructions. The instructions include receiving a request from a user via the touch bar to rotate the display device from the portrait orientation to the landscape orientation; sending a message to the user via the display device providing a time for the user to cancel the request; executing, via the rotation mechanism, a rotation of the display device from the portrait orientation to the landscape orientation after the provided time to cancel the request elapses; and sending a signal to disable vehicle movement.

A user interface system for a vehicle includes: at least one display unit provided in the vehicle; a detachable interface apparatus configured to be detachably attached to any one of the at least one display unit provided in the vehicle; at least one processor; and a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations that include: in a state in which the detachable interface apparatus is attached to a selected display unit among the at least one display unit of the vehicle, determining a first user menu corresponding to the selected display unit; and displaying, on the selected display unit or on the detachable interface apparatus, the first user menu corresponding to the selected display unit.

A driving support method supports driving of a vehicle from outside of the vehicle using images captured by a camera installed outside of the vehicle. The driving support method includes a recognition step of recognizing a shielding area that is an area in which a vehicle is shielded by a shield within an imaging range of the camera based on the images, and a control step of controlling the behavior of the vehicle by giving a predetermined command to the vehicle when a shielding area is present on traveling path of the vehicle.