Abstract: A lighting system is provided herein. The lighting system includes a number of lights and a portable electronic device carried by a vehicle occupant. A controller is in communication with a sensing system and configured to detect a cabin location of the electronic device, assign a seating area to the electronic device, and operate only the lights associated with the seating area based on information indicative of an impending departure of the vehicle occupant from the vehicle.

Abstract: A proximity sensor assembly is provided that includes a proximity sensor comprising conductive circuitry and generating a signal based on a sense activation field. The proximity sensor assembly also includes control circuitry for processing the signal to sense activation of the sensor, the control circuitry further monitoring the signal and comparing the signal to one or more parameters of a prior captured signal stored in memory and determining a fault condition based on a change between the current signal and the one or more parameters of the prior signal, wherein the control circuitry generates a baseline value of the prior signal and adjusts the baseline value to an adjusted baseline value when a fault condition is detected in an attempt to correct the fault condition.

Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to provide a remote vehicle controller a varied level of vehicle driving control, to drive a vehicle via the controller, responsive to a determination of the remote vehicle controller location relative to the vehicle. The controller interface may be visually adaptable based on a particular designated style of control, including, for example, in-vehicle control, near-vehicle control and far-from-vehicle control.

Abstract: A portable interface, comprising a wireless transceiver configured to emit a short-range wireless signal including an encrypted packet configured to prompt authorized autonomous vehicles to respond to the packet with identification and location data of the vehicles. The portable interface further includes a processor configured to cause the transceiver to emit the signal, and in response to receiving the identification and location data, prompt a notification to be output to a shortest-distance vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle sensor may indicate heading angle. A plurality of seating zones may each include an orientation sensor indicating seating angle. A component within one of the seating zones may provide interface information descriptive of commands and associated air gestures oriented to the one seating zone, and perform one of the commands responsive to a personal device detecting the corresponding air gesture, accounting for the heading angle and seating angle. Gesture input from a personal device may be adjusted to create acceleration data in a reference frame of an in-vehicle component in a seating zone using orientation of the device, vehicle heading relative to magnetic North, and orientation angle for the seating zone including the device. When the acceleration data matches an air gesture in a library of air gestures, a command may be sent to the component corresponding to the matching air gesture.

Abstract: A personal device may include a display and a processor. The processor of the personal device may be programmed to send, to the display, a vehicle interior map overlaid with indications of in-vehicle components, create a group of the in-vehicle components responsive to receipt of a swipe gesture to the display selecting a subset of the indications, receive input from the display of a location on the map, and aim outputs of the in-vehicle components of the group based on the location.

Abstract: A system includes a personal device in communication with a vehicle component and an on-board server and including a processor programmed to receive, from the component, an advertisement defining a low-footprint interface template and a unique identifier indicative of a corresponding rich content interface template, send, to the server, a request including the identifier to provide the corresponding template, and, upon receipt of the corresponding template, render a rich content user interface based on the corresponding template.

Abstract: A system may include zones associated with respective seating positions of a vehicle and in-vehicle components each associated with at least one of the zones. An in-vehicle component may identify a personal device associated with the zone of the in-vehicle component by identifying a personal device associated with the zone of the in-vehicle component by determining average signal strength between the personal device and the in-vehicle components of each zone, and identifying for which zone the average signal strength is highest, and sending a notification to the personal device responsive to a detected user interaction.

Abstract: A proximity switch assembly and method for detecting activation of a proximity switch assembly is provided. The method includes steps of generating activation fields with a plurality of proximity sensors associated with a plurality of proximity switches, monitoring amplitude of a signal generated in response to each of the activation fields, subtracting the smallest signal from each of the other signals, and determining activation of one of the plurality of proximity switches based on the subtracted signals. A proximity sensor assembly and method of suppressing noise for a plurality of proximity sensors is also provided, which includes subtracting the smallest signal from each of other signals associated with a plurality of proximity sensors and determining activation of one of the plurality of proximity sensors based on the subtracted signals.

Abstract: A lighting system is provided herein. The lighting system includes a number of lights and a portable electronic device carried by a vehicle occupant. A controller is in communication with a sensing system and configured to detect a cabin location of the electronic device, assign a seating area to the electronic device, and operate only the lights associated with the seating area based on information indicative of an impending departure of the vehicle occupant from the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle component may operate in a plurality of connectionless functional states including a watchdog state in which the component broadcasts advertisements indicating presence of the vehicle component to personal devices; a notify state in which the component broadcasts cycles of advertisements indicating available features of the component; and a process command state in which the component broadcasts current feature state advertisements responsive to command advertisements received from the personal devices.

Abstract: Zones may be associated with respective seating positions of a vehicle. In-vehicle components may also be associated with at least one of the zones of the vehicle. A processor may locate a personal device as being within one of the zones; identify notification settings of the personal device; and invoke notification devices of the in-vehicle components associated with the zone when the notification settings indicate that the personal device has not been previously located in the zone. Invoking the notification devices may include invoking at least one of backlights of the in-vehicle components or existing lighting elements of the in-vehicle component.

Abstract: A system may include a device configured to connect to a vehicle data port and a mobile device and including an alert manager. The alert manager may be configured to determine, according to a driver workload estimation, an alert mode indicative of how to process a vehicle user-interface request to access a mobile device feature for use via the vehicle user-interface, and access the feature of the mobile device in accordance with the alert mode.

Abstract: A vehicle sharing system includes a vehicle having interior transceiver modules associated with different passenger seating areas and a vehicle computing system (VCS) including a processor and a memory in communication with the modules and programmed to detect occupancy status of each seating area based on signals from the modules and to communicate the occupancy statuses to a remote server to facilitate scheduling of ride-sharing passengers for a specified seating area of the vehicle. The reserved seating location may be used to align the seating location/door with a passenger during pick-up, adjust vehicle accessory settings associated with the reserved seating location, and activate a visual indicator to direct the passenger to the assigned/reserved seating location.

Abstract: Responsive to location information received from a positioning system indicating a vehicle location corresponding to a predefined location, a controller of a vehicle broadcasts a notification including the vehicle location. Responsive to receiving a request including a device location from a mobile device having interpreted the broadcast, the controller permits access to the vehicle responsive to a difference between the device location and the vehicle location being less than a predefined threshold distance.

Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to determine the location of a wirelessly-identified device within a vehicle. The processor is also configured to determine a locking schema associated with the device for locking child-lockable vehicle systems and apply the locking schema to corresponding systems in a defined proximity to the determined device location.

Abstract: A compartment for a vehicle is provided herein. The compartment includes a housing defining an interior volume. A lid is pivotably coupled to the housing and is configured to move between a closed position in which the interior volume is inaccessible and an open position in which the interior volume is accessible. A latch is configured to maintain the lid in a locked and an unlocked state when the lid is disposed in the closed position. A compartment sensing system is operably coupled with the latch. The latch is placed in the locked state when the sensing system detects the presence of an item within the interior volume.

Abstract: A system may include in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of a vehicle interior; and a processor programmed to identify signal strength information indicative of distance of a personal device from wireless transceivers of each of the in-vehicle components; and compute, using the signal strength information, a quadrant and diagonal sector including a location of the personal device, and whether the location is within the vehicle interior. A method may include identifying a quadrant of a vehicle including a location of a personal device by comparing signal strength information of pairs of wireless transceivers in adjacent quadrants to signal strength information of wireless transceivers opposite the pairs; and determining a diagonal sector including the location by comparing the signal strength information from the wireless transceiver of the quadrant to the signal strength information from the wireless transceiver in a diagonally-opposite quadrant.

Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to determine the location of a wirelessly-identified device within a vehicle. The processor is also configured to determine a locking schema associated with the device for locking child-lockable vehicle systems and apply the locking schema to corresponding systems in a defined proximity to the determined device location.

Abstract: A vehicle input knob assembly is provided that includes a stationary knob located in a vehicle and having an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of radial extending surfaces such as ribs and a plurality of proximity sensors located proximate to the knob to detect a user rotating a hand around the knob. The assembly also includes a controller generating a control signal based on the detected rotation of the hand. The knob may further include proximity sensors on a front surface for added user input.