A vehicular control system includes a camera disposed at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle, the camera viewing forward of the vehicle through the windshield, and the camera capturing image data representative of at least an upcoming road surface of a road ahead of the vehicle. The vehicular control system, via processing at an image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines traction condition of at least a portion of the imaged upcoming road surface that is ahead of the vehicle. The vehicular control system, via processing at the image processor of captured image data, determines a change in traction condition ahead of the vehicle and adjusts an adaptive cruise control system of the vehicle responsive at least in part to the determined change in traction condition ahead of the vehicle.

Systems for aiding a vehicle driver are disclosed. A system may comprise an imager having a field of view forward relative a vehicle and operable to capture a first image. The system may further comprise a controller communicatively connected to the imager. The controller may be operable to detect a road sign in the first image, to interpret the road sign, and to provide an graphic representation of the road sign and/or provide an auditory response based, at least in part on the road sign. The graphic representation may be displayed by a rear-view assembly. The auditory response may be emitted by a speaker. In some embodiments, a location may be associated with one or more road sign interpretation and both the location and interpretation may be transmitted to a remote server.

A vehicular vision system includes a video display screen and a video processor operable to process captured video image data captured by a rearward-viewing color video camera at the vehicle. The video display screen includes a left display region at a left portion, a right display region at a right portion, and a middle display region that spans between the left and right display regions. The video display screen (i) displays at the left display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a left side lane, (ii) displays at the right display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring in a right side lane and (iii) displays at the middle display region video images derived from captured image data to display a scene occurring rearward of the vehicle in the lane the equipped vehicle is travelling in.

A vehicle glazing panel includes a glazed element and a baseplate for the reversible attachment of an internal accessory, such as an internal rearview mirror or an internal display screen, to the glazed element, the baseplate being based on plastics material and having a body, an external face located opposite the internal face of the glazed element, an internal face and a housing for the fixing of a further accessory opposite the internal face of the glazed element, such as a sensor, wherein the baseplate further includes a metal part which has a recessed part located inside the body of the baseplate, an external protruding part which protrudes further to the exterior than the external face of the baseplate and in the direction of the internal face of the glazed element, and an internal protruding part which protrudes further to the interior than the internal face of the baseplate.

A tangent line, described next, is, in top view, parallel to a straight line extending in a width direction of the display surface in a range in which the attitude can be changed. The tangent line is present on a plane orthogonal to the up-down direction of the automobile, and contacts a center of the final reflective surface. In top view, of an angle formed by a straight line connecting a center of the final reflective surface with a center of the display surface and the tangent line of the final reflective surface, a supplementary angle which is supplementary to an angle that is on a rear side of the automobile and that is on a side where the observer is present is an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.

A vehicular vision system includes a forward-viewing camera that views through a windshield forward of a vehicle. Responsive at least in part to processing by an image processor of image data captured by the forward-viewing camera while the equipped vehicle is traveling along a road, another vehicle on the road ahead of the equipped vehicle is detected, and the vehicular vision system may determine lateral acceleration of the detected other vehicle on the road ahead of the equipped vehicle. The vehicular vision system may generate an output based at least in part on the determined lateral acceleration of the detected other vehicle on the road ahead of the equipped vehicle. Responsive to determination that the equipped vehicle is approaching a school zone, pedestrian detection via image processing of image data captured by the forward-viewing camera may be enhanced.

A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror reflective element, a mirror back plate, and a blind zone indication module having a light source that is electrically powered to emit light. When the light source of the blind zone indication module is electrically powered, light emitted by the light source passing through (i) a light-transmitting portion of a housing of the blind zone indication module and (ii) a light-transmitting aperture of the mirror back plate illuminates an icon that is viewable to a driver of the vehicle who views the mirror reflective element. Illumination of the icon is responsive to a blind spot detection system of the vehicle detecting presence of another vehicle that is traveling in the same direction and in a lane adjacent to a lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling in and that is approaching or is overtaking the equipped vehicle.

Methods and apparatus for controlling two or more vehicles travelling in formation. Selected vehicles may be fully or partially autonomously controlled; at least one vehicle is partially controlled by a human driver. Information is collected at each vehicle and from the drivers and it is shared with other vehicles and drivers to create a shared world model. Aspects of the shared world model may be presented to the human driver, who may then respond with a control input. Autonomy systems and the drivers on the vehicles then collaborate to make a collective decision to act or not to act and execute any such action in a coordinated manner.

A rear view assembly includes a housing with a mount extending therefrom, a circuit board disposed on the housing, and an air mover proximate a heatsink. The air mover is configured to draw ambient air from an inlet into the housing. A channel in fluid communication with the air mover is configured to direct the air drawn into the housing across a top portion of the heatsink. The rear view assembly also includes an outlet in fluid connection with the channel, adjacent to the mount.

This invention includes an autonomous driving system for automobiles, comprising: one or more common electronic communication ports of autonomous driving (communication ports) that are built-in on the automobiles; and one or more universal autonomous driving portable controllers (portable controllers) that are to be plugged-in to the said communication ports that are built-in on the automobiles. The interfaces of the communication ports and the portable controllers are both standardized such that the portable controllers can be plugged-in universally to all of the automobiles that are equipped with the built-in communication ports. The communication ports comprise electronic communication of all relevant electronic control units (ECUs) and feedback information of the automobiles, dedicated for the said portable controllers to communicate with and to control the automobiles. In addition to the portable controllers, the communication ports comprise a buffer that is designed to execute a short duration of controls to make emergency stops, in case of loss of connection with the portable controllers due to accidents or other failure conditions. The portable controllers comprise a central control unit (CCU), and a plurality of sensors and processors, and a plurality of data storages, and a plurality of data links, and a Global Positioning System (GPS). The portable controllers have standardized interfaces that match with that of the communication ports. The invention disclosed herein enables all automobiles to be ready for autonomous driving with minimal cost, provided that the said communication ports are adapted to the automobiles. The said portable controllers integrate all the hardware and software relevant to autonomous driving as standalone devices which can share the components, simplify the systems, reduce parasitic material and components, and most importantly, will be safer when multiple sensors and processors that are based on different physics are grouped together to detect objects and environment conditions. A method of compound sensor clustering (CSC) is introduced herein. The CSC method makes the sensors and processors to self-organize and to address real-world driving conditions. The portable controllers can be mass-produced as standard consumer electronics at lower cost. The portable controllers can also be more easily updated with the latest technologies since that they are standalone devices, which would be otherwise hard to achieve when the hardware and software are built-in permanently as part of the automobiles. The invention disclosed herein is more efficient, since that the portable controllers can be plugged-in to the automobiles when th