A vehicle control device includes at least one allowed function that a user is allowed to use and at least one disallowed function that the user is not allowed to use in a plurality of functions of at least one mounted electronic device, and a control unit to perform at least one of changing at least one of the disallowed function into the allowed function and changing at least one of the allowed function into the disallowed function, based on obtained function information about the allowed function and the disallowed function.

A method is presented for controlling power output by a battery in a vehicle. The method includes: measuring voltage of the battery during a sequence of vehicle events to form a time series, where each vehicle event is powered by the battery; constructing an unknown fingerprint from the voltage measurements made during the sequence of vehicle events, where the unknown fingerprint is indicative of a sequence of vehicle events; comparing the unknown fingerprint to the at least one fingerprint; receiving a start signal, where the start signal is a request to start the engine of the vehicle; and, in response to receiving the start signal and based on the comparison of the unknown fingerprint to the at least one fingerprint, outputting electric power from the battery to an electric starter motor of the vehicle.

Methods and systems for communicating between autonomous vehicles are described herein. Such communication may be performed for signaling, collision avoidance, path coordination, and/or autonomous control. A computing device may receive data for the same road segment from autonomous vehicles, including (i) an indication of a location within the road segment, and (ii) an indication of a condition of the road segment. The computing device may generate, from the data for the same road segment, an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, which may include a recommendation to vehicles approaching the road segment. Additionally, the computing device may receive a request from a computing device within a vehicle approaching the road segment to display vehicle data. The overall indication for the road segment may then be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.

A system is mounted on a vehicle and includes a sensor configured to perform a detection process that detects a fingerprint of a finger touching the sensor in order to perform a fingerprint authentication process, and a controller. The controller is configured to: (i) control a power supply of the vehicle to be ON when a predetermined authentication process through a predetermined communication with another device other than the sensor is successful, the predetermined authentication process being different from the fingerprint authentication process, and (ii) suppress the detection process that detects the fingerprint in response to the power supply of the vehicle being ON and the predetermined authentication process being successful.

When an autonomous driving vehicle picks a user up, a control device performs departure condition confirmation processing. The departure condition confirmation processing includes first authentication processing that performs authentication of the user outside the autonomous driving vehicle based on first authentication information, door lock release processing that releases a door lock in response to the completion of the first authentication processing, second authentication information provision processing that makes the user acquire second authentication information different from the first authentication information in response to the completion of the first authentication processing, second authentication processing that performs authentication of the user inside a vehicle cabin of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the second authentication information, and start permission processing that permits the start of the autonomous driving vehicle in a case where the second authentication processing is completed.

Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle control, routing, and automatic feature adjustment are disclosed. Sensors associated with autonomous operation features may be utilized to search an area for missing persons, stolen vehicles, or similar persons or items of interest. Sensor data associated with the features may be automatically collected and analyzed to passively search for missing persons or vehicles without vehicle operator involvement. Search criteria may be determined by a remote server and communicated to a plurality of vehicles within a search area. In response to which, sensor data may be collected and analyzed by the vehicles. When sensor data generated by a vehicle matches the search criteria, the vehicle may communicate the information to the remote server.

An authentication apparatus includes a scanning apparatus and an alignment apparatus. The scanning apparatus includes a sensor configured to capture identifying information of the user in a field of view. The alignment apparatus includes a housing forming an interior region comprising a viewing aperture positioned proximate to the scanning apparatus. The viewing aperture defines an alignment region intersecting the field of view in an exterior region. A first indicator is positioned in the interior region aligned with the alignment region along an alignment axis of the viewing aperture. The first indicator is configured to emit a first light into the alignment region through the aperture.

A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting arm and a mirror head at one end of the mounting arm distal from an attachment portion of the mounting arm that is configured for attachment at a vehicle. A mirror reflective element is fixedly attached at the mirror head. An innermost side of the mirror reflective element is attached at a front side of an attachment plate. The mirror reflective element moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head relative to the mounting arm when the driver of the vehicle operates an electrically-operable actuator. The attachment plate includes wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate and circumscribes and spans the perimeter circumferential edge of the glass substrate and does not encroach onto and does not overlap the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element.

A managing apparatus for positioning rental vehicles includes a memory storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the managing apparatus to access model information and location information for a plurality of autonomous vehicles, receive a request including a delivery location and a chosen model for renting, select an autonomous vehicle of the chosen model from among the plurality of autonomous vehicles based on the model information, the location information, and the delivery location, instruct the selected autonomous vehicle to fully-autonomously or semi-autonomously travel to the delivery location, and instruct the selected autonomous vehicle to switch to manual operation mode at the delivery location for manual operation by a vehicle rental customer.

An imaging device or a display device that is capable of clearly capturing an image of a fingerprint or the like can be provided. The display device includes a light-receiving element, a light-emitting element, a first substrate, a second substrate, a first resin layer, a second resin layer, and a light-blocking layer. The first resin layer, the second resin layer, and the second substrate are stacked over the first substrate. The light-receiving element and the light-emitting element are positioned between the first substrate and the first resin layer. The light-blocking layer is positioned between the first resin layer and the second resin layer and includes an opening portion overlapping with the light-receiving element. The opening portion in the light-blocking layer is positioned on an inner side of a light-receiving region of the light-receiving element in a plan view, and the width of the opening portion is less than or equal to the width of the light-receiving region. The second substrate is thicker than the first resin layer and the second resin layer. The thickness of a portion of the first resin layer, which overlaps with the light-receiving region of the light-receiving element, is greater than or equal to one time and less than or equal to 10 times as large as the width of the light-receiving region. The second substrate has a higher refractive index than the first resin layer and the second resin layer.