A method for determining the presence of a trailer (12) attached to a vehicle (10), the method comprising: controlling a vehicle system to obtain a primary indication of the presence of a trailer (12); controlling one or more further vehicle systems to obtain one or more secondary indications of the presence of a trailer (12); and determining a confidence level for the presence of a trailer (12) attached to the vehicle (10) in dependence on the primary indication and the or each secondary indication.

The present application provides an intelligent rearview mirror. The intelligent rearview mirror comprises a mirror body; a main electronic device disposed on the mirror body, and comprising a main processor and a mobile communication module; and an in-vehicle terminal device, separated from the mirror body and the main electronic device, and configured to transmit a control signal to the main electronic device. The main processor is configured to control, according to the control signal, the mobile communication module to enter an intercom transmission mode or an intercom reception mode for intercom communication with a cloud serve.

Multifunction assembly comprised of: an outer surface structure (CAR) containing a side door (D) that supports at least one exterior mirror assembly (RVM), an exterior door handle assembly (HE) of said door, and an exterior laser emitter (LE1) which emits a fixed and direct line of laser light (LL1) downwards on said ground adjacent to the vehicle, indicating an area (DA) where the doors open and combines functions associated with other indicator signal devices (BL), sensors and open door commands, and an ultraviolet light emitter device (EUV).

An exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle equipped with a blind spot monitoring system includes a mirror reflective element sub-assembly having a mirror reflective element, a mirror back plate and a heater pad disposed between the mirror reflective element and the mirror back plate. A light transmitting aperture of the heater pad is juxtaposed with a light transmitting aperture of the mirror reflector of the reflective element and with a light transmitting aperture of the mirror back plate. The mirror back plate includes first structure that is configured to attach at an actuator. A blind spot indicator is disposed at the light transmitting aperture of the mirror back plate, and, when activated responsive to a blind spot monitoring system of the vehicle, emits light through the light transmitting apertures, forming an illuminated icon viewable by a driver of the vehicle viewing the mirror reflective element.

A mobile device holder for a rear-view mirror of a vehicle may include a mirror housing, a mobile device bracket arranged on a support, the support arranged at least partially within the mirror housing in a stored position, and a deployment mechanism connected to the support and including a pin configured to rotatedly hinge the support from the stored position to a deployed position extending out of the housing.

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head having a mirror casing and a mirror reflective element, and a mirror mounting structure configured to adjustably mount the mirror head at an interior portion of a vehicle. A receiving portion of the mirror head is configured for receiving a portable self-contained garage door opening module at least partially thereat. The module is operable to wirelessly transmit a radio frequency signal responsive to actuation of a user input of the module. With the module at the receiving portion of the mirror head, the user input is accessible by the vehicle driver. A cover element is configured to detachably attach at the mirror casing at the receiving portion to releasably secure the module at the mirror head, with the module being releasable from the mirror head when the cover element is detached from the mirror casing.

A computerized control or autonomous driving system for automobiles comprises: one or more common electronic communication ports of autonomous driving, or simply communication ports, that are built-in on each of the automobiles; and one or more universal autonomous driving portable controllers, or simply portable controllers, that are to be plugged-in to each of the said automobiles that are equipped with the built-in communication ports. The interfaces of the communication ports and the portable controllers are both standardized such that the portable controllers can be plugged-in to all of the said automobiles universally. 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 said 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 lost 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 system approach disclosed herein enables all automobiles to be ready for computerized control or autonomous driving with minimal cost when the communication ports are adapted to the said automobiles. The portable controllers integrate all the hardware and software relevant to computerized control or 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, or simply CSC, is introduced herein. The CSC method makes the sensors and processors to self-organize to address real-world driving conditions, as will be described in the Detailed Description section. 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 usage of the system disclosed

Various expandable mirrors and a vehicle having the same are described. An expandable mirror may include a first pane having a first reflective surface and a second pane having a second reflective surface. The expandable mirror may also include a mechanism connected with each of the first and second panes. The mechanism may be actuated to expand a viewing area of the mirror such that the expanded viewing area includes both the first and second reflective surfaces. The expandable mirror may also include a third pane having a third reflective surface that contributes to the viewing area when the mirror is expanded. The expandable mirror may also include a manual button configured to actuate or de-actuate the mechanism when pressed. The expandable mirror may also include a positioning motor configured to adjust the orientation of the viewing area of the mirror.

An exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle equipped with a blind spot monitoring system includes a mirror reflective element sub-assembly having a mirror reflective element, a mirror back plate and a heater pad disposed between the mirror reflective element and the mirror back plate. A light transmitting aperture of the heater pad is juxtaposed with a light transmitting aperture of the mirror reflector of the reflective element and with a light transmitting aperture of the mirror back plate. The mirror back plate includes first structure that is configured to attach at an actuator. A blind spot indicator is disposed at the light transmitting aperture of the mirror back plate, and, when activated responsive to a blind spot monitoring system of the vehicle, emits light through the light transmitting apertures, forming an illuminated icon viewable by a driver of the vehicle viewing the mirror reflective element.

A vehicle-mounted alert system includes display devices equipped to a vehicle, a sight line detection device detecting driver's sight line, a surrounding monitoring device detecting a presence of an object near the vehicle and a direction of the object with respect to the vehicle, and an alert control device controlling the display devices to display an alert image for informing the driver of the presence of the object detected by the surrounding monitoring device. The alert control device controls the display device located in a direction of the sight line of the driver to display the alert image, and then, controls the display devices so that the alert image successively moves from the display device located in the direction of the sight line of the driver to the display device determined based on the direction of the object detected by the surrounding monitoring device.