An apparatus includes a vehicle control system (VCS) coupled to a computer of a vehicle via a CAN bus and configured to present selectively appearance of a presence in the vehicle of a smartkey, e.g., by energizing and de-energizing an actual smartkey of the vehicle. The VCS includes a VCS and a Bluetooth® VCS transceiver. The VCS stores VCS software. The apparatus also includes a smartphone with a Bluetooth® transceiver, and storing an app. The mobile device is paired with the VCS to communicate with the VCS via a Bluetooth® link. The app configures the smartphone to receive menu selections from a user, to generate communications that identity smartkey-enabled features of the VCS that correspond to the selections, and to send to the VCS the communications through the link. The VCS software configures the VCS to receive the communications and cause the vehicle to perform actions corresponding to live communications.

A method for determining presence of a person's hand at an exterior door handle assembly for a vehicular door includes providing an exterior door handle assembly having a base portion, a handle portion and a pocket lighting and sensing module, with the pocket lighting and sensing module including at least one light emitting diode and at least one light sensor. With the base portion mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, the light emitting diode is energized to emit light to illuminate a pocket surface at the base portion, and the light sensor light senses light emitted by the light emitting diode that is reflected off the pocket surface at the base portion. Responsive to light sensed by the light sensor being below a threshold level, the pocket lighting and sensing module determines a presence of a person's hand at the handle portion.

A monitoring system is configured to monitor a property. The monitoring system includes a property sensor that is configured to generate property sensor data that reflects an attribute of the property. The monitoring system includes a vehicle sensor that is configured to generate vehicle sensor data that reflects an attribute of a vehicle associated with the property. The monitoring system includes a monitor control unit that is configured to analyze the property sensor data and the vehicle sensor data. The monitor control unit is further configured to, based on analyzing the property sensor data and the vehicle sensor data, determine that an event associated with the vehicle has likely occurred. The monitor control unit is further configured to, based on determining that the event associated with the vehicle has likely occurred, determine a monitoring system action. The monitor control unit is further configured to perform the monitoring system action.

A method including sending a communication to a user device associated with the user and receiving, at the autonomous vehicle, an audible authentication code. The communication can include a location of the autonomous vehicle. The location can be effective to assist the user device to audibly provide guidance from a location of the mobile device to the location of the autonomous vehicle. The audible authentication code can be effective to assist an authentication process between the autonomous vehicle and the user.

A vehicle theft-prevention apparatus can include a wireless transceiver, a plurality of sensors configured to sense measurements proximate to a vehicle, and at least one computing device coupled to the plurality of sensors and the wireless transceiver. The at least one computing device can be configured to read a plurality of measurements of the plurality of sensors and determine that at least one event has occurred based on the plurality of measurements. The at least one computing device can store data corresponding to the at least one event on a local storage coupled to the at least one computing device and can transmit, via the wireless transceiver, the data corresponding to the at least one event to a remote service.

A vehicle theft-prevention system can include a mobile application that can determine a location of the mobile device. One or more computing devices can be in communication with the mobile application via a network. The mobile application and the at least one computing device configured to determine that the location of the mobile device has moved outside of a geofence associated with a vehicle theft-prevention apparatus. The mobile application and the at least one computing device can cause the vehicle theft-prevention apparatus to change from an unarmed mode to an armed mode.

A method for determining presence of a person's hand at an exterior door handle assembly for a vehicular door includes providing an exterior door handle assembly having a base portion, a handle portion and a pocket lighting and sensing module, with the pocket lighting and sensing module including at least one light emitting diode and at least one light sensor. With the base portion mounted at the exterior door handle region of the vehicular door, the light emitting diode is energized to emit light to illuminate a pocket surface at the base portion, and the light sensor light senses light emitted by the light emitting diode that is reflected off the pocket surface at the base portion. Responsive to light sensed by the light sensor being below a threshold level, the pocket lighting and sensing module determines a presence of a person's hand at the handle portion.

A sound output apparatus and a sound output control method including a sound output controller placed in a vehicle having a door lockable and unlockable based on the result of communicated with mobile terminals are disclosed. The vehicle mounted with the sound output controller and a locking and unlocking system including the vehicle are also disclosed. The sound output controller outputs a sound that is different between when the door is unlocked by a specified mobile terminal and when the door is unlocked by other means.

An autonomous vehicle including a communication system in communication with a computing system. The computing system runs computer-executable instructions that may examine a profile of a passenger. The computer-executable instructions may include authenticating between the passenger and the autonomous vehicle through the communication system, such that the authenticating results in a successful authentication of a first audible authentication signal and a second audible authentication signal.

A vehicle includes: a sensor configured to detect position information of the vehicle or a surrounding environment of the vehicle; a communicator configured to transmit or receive user information or the position information of the vehicle to or from a user terminal; and a controller. The controller is configured to determine whether the vehicle is positioned in a security vulnerable area based on the position information of the vehicle or a result of the detection and to control a locking device to unlock a door of the vehicle based on a result of the determination and the user information.