The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle using rotation information of a mobile terminal. The apparatus for controlling a vehicle using rotation information of a mobile terminal includes an input unit configured to receive rotation information of a mobile terminal, a memory configured to store a program for controlling a vehicle based on the rotation information, and a processor configured to execute the program, wherein the processor recognizes a view mode of the mobile terminal from the rotation information and provides a vehicle control screen according to the view mode.

Techniques are described that facilitate remotely interfacing with a vehicle touchscreen. According to an embodiment, a method is provided comprising determining touch controls included in a GUI configured for displaying on a touchscreen of the vehicle, wherein the touch controls provide for controlling functions of the vehicle based on first interaction with the touch controls as displayed on the touchscreen. The method further comprises generating a representation of the GUI for display via an auxiliary display of the auxiliary device, the representation comprising one or more graphical controls corresponding to one or more touch controls of the touch controls, and enabling remote control of one or more functions of the functions of the vehicle by the auxiliary device based on second interaction with the one or more graphical controls as displayed via the auxiliary display.

A method, device, and a vehicle information system are provided for persisting application context from the mobile device to the vehicle information system. An operating context is determined for at least one application executing on the mobile device. A user interface view for display by the vehicle information system is generated and provided to the vehicle information system. The user interface view comprises at least one application user interface element associated with the at least one application, and the application user interface element comprises an application entry point defined by the operating context for the at least one application.

A system or method for tracking items proximate a user interface device include a user interface device having at least one solid-state touch-sensitive region and a receiver for wirelessly receiving a signal from at least one item to determine proximity of the item relative to the user interface device. The device may also include a display screen for displaying controls and information. The user interface device may be permanently or removably mounted in a vehicle and used to interface with vehicle systems and personal electronic devices. Tracked items or objects may include passive or active data tags and communicate identification information and optionally position information. The device may alert the user to movement of tracked objects, and/or confirm presence of a group of objects. The device may use various wired or wireless devices to control selections and/or a cursor on the display.

A system or method for tracking items proximate a user interface device include a user interface device having at least one solid-state touch-sensitive region and a receiver for wirelessly receiving a signal from at least one item to determine proximity of the item relative to the user interface device. The device may also include a display screen for displaying controls and information. The user interface device may be permanently or removably mounted in a vehicle and used to interface with vehicle systems and personal electronic devices. Tracked items or objects may include passive or active data tags and communicate identification information and optionally position information. The device may alert the user to movement of tracked objects, and/or confirm presence of a group of objects. The device may use various wired or wireless devices to control selections and/or a cursor on the display.

An occupant detection system and method may include a user interface and at least one sensor to determine if there is an occupant in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the system and method use capacitive sensing sensors embedded into a cushion and/or back of seats in a vehicle. The capacitive sensor sends a sense signal to a controller and the controller would recognize various conditions such as an empty seat or a seat occupied by a person or animal. It could also determine if there was a child seat in a position on a vehicle seat and if there is a child in the child seat.

An HUB system 1 is equipped with an HUB device 10 for displaying a video in front of a vehicle; a communication unit 31 for connecting a mobile device 3 with the HUD device and establishing communication; a speaker 32 for outputting sounds to a driver; a microphone 33 for picking up the voices of the driver; a sound recognition unit 34 for analyzing the picked-up voices; and an in-vehicle camera 35 for photographing the face of the driver. When there is an incoming call at the mobile device, a calling indication of the mobile device 3 is displayed on the display screen of the HUD device, an incoming call sound is outputted from the speaker, and on the basis of a result of an analysis of voices uttered by the driver performed by the sound recognition unit, the conversation operations of the mobile device are started or ended.

A gesture recognition and control device recognizes a mobile terminal and ascertains a current graphical user interface generated by a display device of the mobile terminal. The gesture recognition and control device provides an output signal describing, as display content, the graphical user interface generated by the display device of the mobile terminal, and transmits the output signal to an output apparatus that can be worn on the head for outputting the display content in a predefined output region in the interior of the motor vehicle as part of augmented reality or virtual reality output by the output apparatus. During the process of outputting the display content, the gesture recognition and control device recognizes a spatial gesture of the user, generates a remote control signal for triggering an operating function of the mobile terminal, and transmits the remote control signal to a control device of the recognized mobile terminal.

Techniques are described for remotely controlling functions of a vehicle without an integrated touchscreen. According to an embodiment, an auxiliary device is provided comprising a display and a processor that executes computer executable components stored in at least one memory. The computer executable component can comprise a feature acquisition component that determines electronic features of the vehicle that are respectively controlled by electromechanical controls of the vehicle, and a display component that displays a graphical user interface via the display wherein the graphical user interface comprises one or more graphical controls for controlling one or more features of the electronic features of the vehicle. The computer executable components further comprising a remote-control component that remotely controls the one or more features via interaction with the one or more graphical controls as rendered via the display.

Computer-implemented methods include detecting a device ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver of a mobile device and a set of vehicle UWB transceivers of a vehicle, determining a defined driver zone within the vehicle, the defined driver zone indicating a set of relative positions within the vehicle, communicating between the device UWB transceiver and the set of vehicle UWB transceivers to determine a position of the mobile device within the vehicle, and automatically enabling a driver mode of the mobile device whereby operation of the mobile device is limited when the determined position of the mobile device is within the defined driver zone and the vehicle is moving.