Aspects of the technology relate to assisting a passenger in an autonomous vehicle without a driver. For instance, after a door of the vehicle is opened, a predetermined period of time may be waited by processors of computing devices of the vehicle. After waiting the predetermined period of time and when the vehicle's door remains open, a set of instructions for closing the vehicle's door may be played by the processors through a speaker of the vehicle. Once the door of the vehicle is closed, an announcement may be played by the processors through the speaker requesting that the passenger press a first button to initiate a ride to a destination. In response to the first button being pressed, the ride to the destination may be initiated by the processors by maneuvering the vehicle autonomously to the destination.

A system comprising: first and second input reception devices; and a temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature inside a vehicle, wherein the first input reception device includes: a first input reception unit for receiving the input of the operation instruction by being pressed or touched, and including a first display unit for displaying information; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the operation target based on the received input of the operation instruction, a time required to start the second input reception device is longer than a time required to start the first input reception device, and the control unit causes the first display unit to display recommended operation information based on the detected temperature, and performs an operation corresponding to the recommended operation information in response to pressing or touching of the first display unit.

An information presentation device, mounted on a vehicle for which automatic evacuation control functions when it is difficult for a driver to continue driving the vehicle, and presenting information to an occupant of the vehicle except the driver by a display in a display area that is visually recognizable by the occupant, includes: an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information of the automatic evacuation control; and a display generation unit that generates an occupant notification display that is displayed in the display area to notify information relating to the automatic evacuation control when the automatic evacuation control is in operation. The occupant notification display includes: an explanatory image that shows an explanation of a process executed currently; and a progress image that indicates a degree of progress in the automatic evacuation control.

A vehicle display device includes a tubular member disposed such that an opening edge thereof faces a driver side, a projection unit that projects light toward an inner space of the tubular member, a semitransparent mirror that is disposed in the inner space of the tubular member and reflects light projected from the projection unit toward the driver side to cause a virtual image to be displayed, an image display unit that is disposed on a side opposite to the driver side with respect to the semitransparent mirror in the tubular member and displays an image, and a design unit that is disposed between the image display unit and the semitransparent mirror in the inner space of the tubular member and has a stereoscopic shape.

A vehicle system includes a user interface, an autonomous mode controller, and a processor. The autonomous mode controller controls a host vehicle in a partially autonomous mode. The processor receives a first user input requesting the partially autonomous mode and command the user interface to present a tutorial associated with the partially autonomous mode. The processor receives a second user input indicating that a driver completed the tutorial and activates the partially autonomous mode in response to receiving the second user input.

An information providing system of a vehicle includes a portable terminal that captures a picture of an inquiry target of an apparatus and equipment of the vehicle and transmits the captured picture, a recognition unit that recognizes the inquiry target indicated by the picture transmitted from the portable terminal, a processing unit that has a plurality of pieces of explanation information for explanation of the apparatus and the equipment, and selects and transmits the explanation information corresponding to the inquiry target recognized by the recognition unit, and a display unit that is provided in the vehicle to display the explanation information transmitted from the processing unit.

Universal combination meters, methods for customizing a universal combination meter, and electronic dashboards are disclosed. A universal combination meter may include a processing device and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium. The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium may include one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to monitor one or more data transmissions between a manufacturing computer and a vehicle, determine at least one of a model and a body type of the vehicle from information in the data transmissions, retrieve at least one of an image, vehicle-specific features, and vehicle-specific information from a repository, and load the at least one of the image, the vehicle-specific features, and the vehicle-specific information for displaying. The at least one of the image, vehicle-specific features, and vehicle-specific information correspond to the at least one of the model and the body type of the vehicle.

A text-reading device includes: a visual line direction detection device for a driver; a memory that stores the visual line direction when the driver looks at a display device; a gaze determination device that determines that the driver gazes the display device when a state that the detected visual line direction coincides with the stored visual line direction continues for predetermined time or longer; a voice conversion device that outputs text information of the display device as a voice signal based on an instruction; and a reading control device that inputs the instruction when the driver gazes the display device while the display device displays the text information, and the vehicle starts to move.

The disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods associated with communicating privacy rights pertaining to data captured from a vehicle. An example method executed by a processor of a data capture apparatus in a vehicle can include capturing an image. In an example scenario, the image may include an individual who is located outside the vehicle. Furthermore, in some cases, the image can be a part of a video clip containing multiple images. The method further includes generating an identifier for identifying the image(s). The identifier can be a machine-readable symbol such as, for example, a QR-code symbol or a barcode. A notification that includes the identifier may be generated and conveyed to the individual for use by the individual to exercise his/her rights to privacy with respect to the images in which he/she is present.

A human machine interface control unit as an information presentation control device is used in a vehicle having an autonomous driving function to perform a driving action on behalf of a driver, and controls an information presentation device configured to present information to the driver. The human machine interface control unit includes a permissible action determination unit configured to determine a permissible action that a driver is permitted to take among actions, other than a driving action, to be possibly taken by the driver when the autonomous driving function is implemented, and an information presentation content control unit configured to cause an information presentation device to present information related to a determination result of the permissible action.