A vehicle mobile terminal manipulation system that manipulates a mobile terminal brought in a vehicle includes: a mobile terminal; a manipulation device to which a user inputs manipulation; and a notification portion that notifies the mobile terminal of manipulation information indicative of manipulation which has been input to the manipulation device. The mobile terminal includes a terminal-side display portion and a terminal-side manipulation portion. The mobile terminal has a user interface displayed on the terminal-side display portion at a time when independently operating according to manipulation conducted on the terminal-side manipulation portion. The mobile terminal causes the terminal-side display portion to display a user interface different from a case where the mobile terminal independently operates, when operating according to manipulation conducted on the manipulation device different in manipulation mode from the terminal-side manipulation portion of the mobile terminal.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a method of assisting the use of a portable and rechargeable consumer electronic device (50) on-board a vehicle (20). Advantageously the method may be utilised in a motor vehicle and comprises determining that a portable consumer electronic device (50), such as a smartphone is connected to a controller (90) on-board the vehicle. The controller may form part of an infotainment system. The method then involves determining a charge characteristic of that consumer electronic device (50) and, in dependence upon that charge characteristic, the method includes issuing information (67) about the location of one or more charging ports (18a, 18b, 18c) that are provided on the vehicle (20). In this way the user of the device is both warned about a low battery level and guided to plug-in locations to assist the user of the portable consumer electronic device (50).

A vehicle display device 10 includes a combiner 4, provided between a windshield 1 and a driver's seat, and including a transparent region portion 4a and a display styling portion 40 having a light diffusion function, and an illuminating unit 3, which is capable of selectively illuminating the display styling portion 40 and the transparent region portion 4a at the periphery of the display styling portion 40.

A system for displaying images on a surface of a vehicle may include a smart display sheet adhered to a component of the vehicle or integrally formed into a component of the vehicle such as an outer body panel or wheel of the vehicle. The smart display sheet is configured to display at least one image. The system may also include a display controller configured to output display instructions to the smart display sheet and at least one power source secured to the vehicle. The at least one power source is configured to provide power to the smart display sheet, and the at least one power source may be independent from a vehicle power source of the vehicle.

A method of automatically switching between manners of answering calls by vehicle occupants in a vehicle connects a vehicle-mounted system with terminal device of occupant. Information as to persons in the vehicle is detected. Information as to different occupants allows method to recommend one of a first manner, a second manner, and a third manner of responding to an incoming call, the driver being able to select his preferred manner by pushbutton mounted on steering wheel. Driving safety is improved, and privacy of a personal conversation can be maintained. A vehicle-mounted system applying the method is also disclosed.

A system for managing telephone calls in a vehicle includes instrument cluster and memory unit which is configured to save data indicative of contact number and image of caller. The system further includes control unit which is configured to identify if there is an incoming call from caller, compare contact number of incoming call with recently contacted numbers of callers and/or prioritized contact list from saved data in memory unit, determine if present caller is one of callers from recently contacted callers and/or from prioritized contact list, obtain image of present caller from memory unit, and display image of present caller onto a display unit of instrument cluster if present caller is determined to be one of the callers from recently contacted caller and/or from prioritized contact list.

A method for operating a motor vehicle, which is switched between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode is disclosed. At least in the manual driving mode, a vehicle-specific display device of the motor vehicle is operated using an input device arranged on a steering wheel of the motor vehicle. A communication connection is established between a communication device of the motor vehicle and a portable communication terminal separate from the motor vehicle. An entertainment mode is activated in the automatic driving mode of the motor vehicle. In the entertainment mode, the input device of the steering wheel is used for performing inputs at the communication terminal and/or the display device is used for displaying image data of the communication terminal.

A vehicle display control device includes a timing determination unit that determines timing when it is authenticated that the mobile terminal is an object that can provide the mobile screen information after the start of processing of connection between an HCU and the mobile terminal. A display control unit displays a during-connection-processing image indicating that connection with the mobile terminal is being processed, on the display device after the timing is determined by the timing determination unit until the mobile screen information becomes possible to be displayed on the display device. The display control unit does not display the during-connection-processing image on the display device after the connection processing is started until the timing is determined by the timing determination unit.

A device dock of a vehicle may receive a one-time key over a data connection between the device dock and a vehicle computing system (VCS), and send the one-time key over a location-identifying connection to a nomadic device placed within proximity to the dock, to cause the nomadic device to send the one-time key to the VCS to integrate with the VCS as a driver device. The VCS may receive, from a nomadic device in a device dock, via a data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device, a one-time key provided from the VCS to the device dock over a data connection between the VCS and the device dock, and responsive to receipt of the one-time key from the nomadic device, integrate the nomadic device with the VCS as a driver device.

Identifying risky driving situations in the context of a driver's real-time operating environment and providing effective interventions and countermeasures that mitigate the risky situation to reduce the likelihood of the driver having a vehicular accident. A driver monitoring and mentoring system includes mobile safety centers individually installed on driver-assigned smartphones or other mobile devices. The mobile safety centers collect real-time driving data and compute a risk of a driver in a specific situation being involved in an accident and provide mentoring to drivers in a driver risk situation above a risk threshold to reduce the likelihood of an accident. The mobile safety centers communicate with a master safety analytics center that collects data, collects and stores information relating to detected risk situations, creates risk algorithms, creates driving mentoring communications, and communicates the algorithms and communications to the mobile safety centers.