Inductive pad and steering wheel, vehicle having the same

Abstract

This invention provides a sensing pad and a steering wheel and vehicle incorporating it, relating to the field of intelligent driving assistance systems. The sensing pad includes a mounting pad body having multiple sewn areas for sewing sensing wires. At least two of the sewn areas are arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the mounting pad body. The sensing wires within the adjacent sewn areas intersect at the boundary of the adjacent sewn areas, and are independently arranged. The sensing wires are used to detect the posture of a target object held on the mounting pad body. This solution at least solves the problems of numerous blind spots, misidentification, and insensitivity in existing sensing pads.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent driving assistance system technology, and more specifically, to a sensor pad and a steering wheel and vehicle having the same. Background Technology

[0002] During autonomous driving, the driver's attention may be distracted by various factors. Steering wheel off-hand detection technology can detect the driver's off-hand behavior in a timely manner and take corresponding measures to effectively avoid traffic accidents caused by driver negligence and provide strong protection for the life safety of drivers and passengers.

[0003] Currently available HOD (Hand on Detection) solutions have many blind spots due to limitations in the covering process and cutting of the sensor pads. This leads to risks of false recognition and insensitivity, frequent false alarms, and serious user complaints.

[0004] There is currently no effective solution to the aforementioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a sensing pad and a steering wheel and vehicle having the same, in order to solve the problems of large blind spots, incorrect identification and insensitivity of the sensing pad in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a sensing pad is provided, comprising: a mounting pad body having a plurality of sewn areas for sewing sensing wires, wherein at least two of the plurality of sewn areas are arranged adjacently along the length direction of the mounting pad body, the sensing wires located in the adjacent two sewn areas are arranged to cross each other at the boundary of the adjacent sewn areas, and the sensing wires located in the adjacent two sewn areas are arranged independently, the sensing wires being used to detect the posture of a target object held on the mounting pad body.

[0007] Furthermore, the sensing wires located in each sewing area are arranged along the width direction of the mounting pad body. Along the width direction of the mounting pad body, two adjacent rows of sensing wires in the same sewing area form a sensing layer. At least one sensing layer between adjacent sensing layers has an end length that is shorter than the end length of the other sensing layers, so that an insertion space is formed at the point where the end length of the sensing layer is the shortest. The insertion space is used to accommodate the sensing wires in adjacent sewing areas.

[0008] Furthermore, there are multiple insertion spaces, which are spaced apart along the width direction of the mounting pad body.

[0009] Furthermore, the multiple sewing areas include a first sewing area and a second sewing area. Each of the first and second sewing areas is provided with a sensing metal wire. The first end of the first sewing area is adjacent to the first end of the second sewing area. The second end of the first sewing area extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body to the first end of the mounting pad body. The second end of the second sewing area extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body to the second end of the mounting pad body. The sensing metal wires located in the first and second sewing areas are arranged to intersect each other at the first end of the first sewing area and the first end of the second sewing area.

[0010] Furthermore, the multiple sewing areas also include a third sewing area, which is located on the same side as the first and second sewing areas and extends along the length of the mounting pad body. The third sewing area is provided with a sensing metal wire.

[0011] Furthermore, the ends of the sensing wires in each sewn area near the end of the mounting pad body are arranged flush with each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the mounting pad body is made of a flexible material so that the mounting pad body has an unfolded state when unfolded, and an assembled state in which the two ends are sewn together and enclosed in a ring.

[0013] Furthermore, flexible materials include at least elastic cotton.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a steering wheel is provided, the steering wheel having a sensing pad, the sensing pad being the aforementioned sensing pad.

[0015] Furthermore, the steering wheel includes: a frame, the frame being a ring structure, a sensor pad extending circumferentially along the frame, and a first end of the mounting pad body of the sensor pad being connected to a second end of the mounting pad body at the six o'clock or twelve o'clock position of the frame, so that the sensing wires located in each sewn area are arranged to cross at the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is also provided, the vehicle having a sensing pad, the sensing pad being the aforementioned sensing pad.

[0017] By applying the technical solution of this invention, multiple sewn areas are set on the mounting pad body, and sensing metal wires are independently sewn into at least two adjacent sewn areas along the length direction. These sensing metal wires intersect at the boundaries of adjacent sewn areas, forming a mesh-like sensing network at the physical level and a continuous electric field transition region at the capacitive coupling level. This solves the problem of a sudden drop in capacitance at the intersection of traditional sensing metal wires, which prevents effective sensing. It improves the weak signal recognition capability between two adjacent sewn areas, increasing recognition accuracy and sensitivity. Simultaneously, because each sensing metal wire is set independently, the sensing capacitance of each sewn area will not interfere with each other, thus avoiding the possibility of false sensing. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the sensing pad according to the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first embodiment of a steering wheel according to the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the steering wheel according to the present invention is shown.

[0022] The above figures include the following reference numerals:

[0023] 10. Mounting pad body;

[0024] 20. Induction metal wire;

[0025] 21. Sensing layer;

[0026] 22. Insertion space;

[0027] 31. First sewing area;

[0028] 32. Second sewing area;

[0029] 33. Third sewing area;

[0030] 40. Skeleton. Detailed Implementation

[0031] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0032] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0034] Exemplary embodiments according to this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of this application is thorough and complete, and that the concept of these exemplary embodiments is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the thickness of layers and regions may be exaggerated, and the same reference numerals are used to denote the same devices, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0035] The technical problems existing in the HOD solution in the current technology will now be explained:

[0036] Traditional capacitive steering wheel hands-off detection solutions generally employ planar distributed sensing electrodes or single-layer metal wire arrays. Their structural design fails to effectively adapt to the geometric characteristics of the steering wheel's annular curved surface. Particularly at the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions, due to limitations in the overlay process and stress concentration during panel splicing, significant physical breaks and signal attenuation zones exist in the sensing area. When steering, operating at low speeds, or using intelligent driving assistance systems, drivers often naturally touch this area with the heel of their palm or thumb to stabilize the steering. However, because the capacitive coupling strength in this area is extremely weak, the signal change is minimal and fluctuates wildly, making it difficult for the system to reliably identify such atypical contact behaviors, frequently resulting in missed detections.

[0037] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, according to a specific embodiment of this application, a sensing pad is provided.

[0038] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the sensing pad includes a mounting pad body 10, which has multiple sewn areas for sewing sensing wires 20. At least two of the sewn areas are arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the mounting pad body 10. The sensing wires 20 located in the two adjacent sewn areas are arranged to cross each other at the boundary of the adjacent sewn areas, and the sensing wires 20 located in the two adjacent sewn areas are arranged independently. The sensing wires 20 are used to detect the posture of the target object held on the mounting pad body 10.

[0039] By applying the technical solution of this embodiment, multiple sewn areas are set on the mounting pad body 10, and sensing metal wires 20 are independently sewn in at least two adjacent sewn areas along the length direction. These sensing metal wires 20 intersect at the boundaries of adjacent sewn areas, forming a mesh-like sensing network at the physical level and a continuous electric field transition region at the capacitive coupling level. This solves the problem of a sudden drop in capacitance at the intersection of traditional sensing metal wires 20, which prevents effective sensing. It improves the weak signal recognition capability between two adjacent sewn areas, increasing recognition accuracy and sensitivity. Simultaneously, because each sensing metal wire 20 is set independently, the sensing capacitance of each sewn area will not interfere with each other, thus avoiding the possibility of false sensing.

[0040] In this embodiment, by intersecting two adjacent sensing wires 20 in the length direction and forming a superposition of multiple layers of sensing wires 20 in the width direction, the capacitance value of the sensing wires 20 between two adjacent sewing areas can be increased, thereby significantly improving the detection sensitivity and enabling the detection of minute postures of the target object held on the mounting pad body 10.

[0041] Now, combining the existing HOD technology, the principle of using the mutual capacitance model of the sensing pad in this embodiment to detect the posture of the target object held on the mounting pad body 10 will be explained:

[0042] The capacitance detection principle employs mutual capacitance detection, which involves measuring the capacitance between a pair of sensor electrodes. Typically, one electrode acts as the driver (X), and the other as the receiver (Y). Each physical location where the X electrode transfers charge to the Y electrode is a sensor node, and these are touch-sensitive locations. The mutual capacitance measurement method uses a pair of sensing electrodes: one electrode acts as the emitter, where charges composed of logic pulses are driven in burst mode; the other acts as the receiver, coupled to the emitter using a dielectric material covering the panel. When a finger touches the panel, the field coupling decreases, thus detecting a touch.

[0043] Specifically, the sensing wires located in each sewing area are arranged along the width direction of the mounting pad body 10. Along the width direction of the mounting pad body 10, two adjacent rows of sensing wires in the same sewing area form a sensing layer 21. At least one sensing layer 21 has a shorter end length than the other sensing layers 21, so that an insertion space 22 is formed at the point where the end length of the sensing layer 21 is the shortest. The insertion space 22 is used to accommodate the sensing wires 20 in adjacent sewing areas. In traditional capacitive sensing pads, because the wires in each sewing area are arranged independently, the electric field signal is often interrupted or shielded at the boundary of adjacent areas due to the flush ends of the wires. This is especially true in the high curvature areas at the top and bottom of the steering wheel, where it is difficult to form a continuous and uniform capacitive coupling field. In this embodiment, multiple sensing layers 21 are formed between multiple rows of sensing metal wires 20, and the lengths of the ends of each sensing layer 21 are different. An insertion space 22 is formed between the two adjacent sensing layers 21 with the shortest end lengths in two adjacent sewn areas along the length direction. When the sensing metal wires 20 in adjacent sewn areas cross at the boundary, their ends or bent sections can be naturally embedded in the insertion space 22. Each sensing metal wire 20 located in the insertion space 22 has sufficient space in the width direction to remain separated, and is electrically independent, thereby constructing a continuous and uninterrupted sensing transition zone at the electric field level. This configuration improves the consistency of the capacitance response of the sensing layer 21 at the curved surface inflection point, transforming the signal attenuation area caused by structural deformation into a highly sensitive sensing transition area, enhancing the recognition capability of weak contacts such as single-finger light touch, suppressing false triggering or missed detection caused by metal wire layout conflicts, and enabling the entire sensing pad to maintain stable and repeatable detection performance under complex grip postures and multi-point contact conditions.

[0044] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, there are multiple insertion spaces 22, which are spaced apart along the width direction of the mounting pad body 10. To address the non-uniformity of the deformation gradient and hand contact distribution experienced by the steering wheel's annular surface at different circumferential positions, insertion spaces 22 are allocated at the intersections of the sensing layer 21. By providing multiple spaced insertion spaces 22 along the width direction, multiple capacitive buffer nodes are constructed along the longitudinal path of the sensing layer 21, enabling the intersecting metal wires in adjacent sewn areas to achieve smooth embedding and spatial isolation at multiple locations.

[0045] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple sewing areas include a first sewing area 31 and a second sewing area 32. Each of the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32 is provided with a sensing wire 20. The first end of the first sewing area 31 is adjacent to the first end of the second sewing area 32. The second end of the first sewing area 31 extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body 10 to the first end of the mounting pad body 10. The second end of the second sewing area 32 extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body 10 to the second end of the mounting pad body 10. The sensing wires 20 located in the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32 are arranged to intersect each other at the first end of the first sewing area 31 and the first end of the second sewing area 32. The metal wires of the first sewing area 31 start from the intersection point near one end and extend along the length of the mounting pad body 10 to one end. The metal wires of the second sewing area 32 extend symmetrically to the other end. The first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32 form an insertion space 22 and cross each other at the intersection point at one end. The capacitive fields of the two sewing areas are actively coupled by the metal wires in the first sewing area 31 and the metal wires in the second sewing area 32, forming a composite sensing area centered on the insertion space 22. When the target object touches this area, the human body capacitance disturbance will affect the two metal wires at the same time, and be amplified into a stable and recognizable signal change through the cross structure. Meanwhile, since the two metal wires extend to both ends of the mounting pad body 10 respectively, and the ends of the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32 extend to both ends of the mounting pad body 10 respectively, the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32 form a partial overlap area at the other end. The overlapping metal wires in terms of thickness can also be coupled and superimposed with capacitive fields, so that the signal at this point can also be amplified, improving the detection accuracy and reliability at both ends of the two sewing areas.

[0046] Furthermore, the multiple sewing areas also include a third sewing area 33, which is located on the same side as the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32, and extends along the length of the mounting pad body 10. The third sewing area 33 is equipped with a sensing wire 20. By placing the third sewing area 33 on one side of the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32, that is, in the width direction, the sensing wire 20 in the third sewing area 33 is parallel to the sensing wires 20 in the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32, and does not intersect with them. This allows for independent detection of the capacitive field on one side of the mounting pad body 10, further confirming the target object's grip on the third sewing area 33. This configuration, by combining the detection of the target object's gripping status and posture in the first sewn area 31, the second sewn area 32, and the third sewn area 33, and then combining the changes in capacitance values ​​within each sewn area, comprehensively determines the gripping status and posture of the object in each sewn area of ​​the mounting pad body 10. Simultaneously, the sensing wire 20 within the third sewn area 33 forms a continuous sensing layer using a single wire, avoiding the structural bulkiness, interference shielding, or assembly complexity issues associated with adding independent sensing modules laterally. This allows for the extension of the sensing dimension with minimal incremental changes, saving costs.

[0047] In one embodiment of this application, the third sewn area 33 is located on the outer side of the steering wheel assembly, while the first sewn area 31 and the second sewn area 32 are located on the left and right sides of the steering wheel assembly, respectively. This divides the steering wheel assembly into three detection and sensing areas. The first sewn area 31 and the second sewn area 32 are used to sense the left and right hand grip of the target object, respectively. Since the third sewn area 33 covers the outer side of the steering wheel, it can be used to detect the magnitude of the capacitance change to detect the force with which the target object grips the steering wheel, thus distinguishing whether the target object is resting on the steering wheel or gripping it. Through the positional coordination of the sewn areas and the interlocking of the metal wires at the connection between the first sewn area 31 and the second sewn area 32, the posture of the target object gripping the mounting pad body 10 (i.e., the steering wheel) can be comprehensively and intelligently detected, with accurate detection and high efficiency.

[0048] Furthermore, the ends of the sensing wires 20 in each sewn area near the end of the mounting pad body 10 are flush. In conventional solutions, the sensing wires 20 often exhibit uneven, exposed, or recessed ends at the high curvature transition points at both ends of the steering wheel due to sewing process errors or material springback, resulting in an unbalanced electric field distribution. This means that the signal of the sensing wires 20 is weak at the intersections due to the wrapping process, leading to capacitive field attenuation. In this embodiment, by terminating the wires at the ends of the mounting pad body 10 in a coaxial position and keeping the end faces flush, each sensing layer 21 forms a uniform capacitive cutoff surface at the boundary of the mounting pad body 10. The electric field converges smoothly, without abrupt changes or leakage, avoiding edge signal drift and suppressing long-term performance degradation caused by assembly deviations or material creep. Meanwhile, this setup also provides a stable reference surface for subsequent coating processes, allowing the foam layer and the outer leather layer to adhere evenly to the ends of the metal wires during thermoforming, avoiding local bulging, compression, or tearing of the insulation layer, thereby ensuring the stability of the entire sensing layer under long-term vibration, temperature change, and friction environments.

[0049] Furthermore, the mounting pad body 10 is made of a flexible material, allowing it to be in an unfolded state and an assembled state with its two ends sewn together to form a ring. The flexible material allows the mounting pad body 10 to be laid flat during manufacturing, facilitating the sewing, lamination, and testing of the sensing wires 20, ensuring optimal electrical performance of each sensing unit under stress-free conditions. During assembly, the flexibility of the material allows the mounting pad body 10 to bend and extend naturally, fitting snugly against the ring-shaped contour of the steering wheel after being sewn at both ends. Simultaneously, the elastic resilience of the flexible material helps maintain close contact between the sensing layer 21 and the target object's palm during long-term use, maintaining a stable capacitive coupling gap even after temperature cycling, material aging, or repeated gripping, ensuring long-term consistency of the detection signal.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the flexible material includes at least elastic cotton. Elastic cotton has high resilience, low creep, and good fatigue resistance. Its micro-mesh structure can quickly deform under external pressure to conform to the palm contact surface, and maintain its original shape with stable restoring force after the external force is released. This can solve the defects of traditional rigid or low-elasticity substrates, which cause increased distance between the sensing layer and the skin and attenuation of capacitance signal due to plastic deformation during long-term use.

[0051] Combination Figure 3 As shown, according to another specific embodiment of this application, a steering wheel is also provided, the steering wheel having a sensing pad, the sensing pad being the sensing pad in the above embodiment.

[0052] Specifically, such as Figure 3As shown, the steering wheel includes a frame 40, which is a ring structure. The sensor pad extends circumferentially along the frame 40, and the first end of the mounting pad body 10 of the sensor pad is connected to the second end of the mounting pad body 10 at the six o'clock position or the twelve o'clock position of the frame 40, so that the sensing metal wires 20 located in each sewn area are arranged to cross at the six o'clock position and the twelve o'clock position.

[0053] Applying the specific solution of this embodiment, when the two ends of the mounting pad body 10 are closed at the six o'clock or twelve o'clock position, the sensing wires 20 located in the first sewn area 31 and the second sewn area 32 form a physical and electrical intersection at the closure point. This transforms the originally planar cross-sensing nodes into the highest stress area of ​​the steering wheel surface. Furthermore, the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions of the steering wheel are also the key contact areas where the target object most frequently engages in light gripping or light touching. By using a cross-set or overlapping arrangement of the two sewn areas at these two points, the sensitivity of the target object's touch on these two points can be enhanced, improving system reliability and detection accuracy.

[0054] It should be noted that the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions are the initial dial directions, that is, the directions of the six o'clock and twelve o'clock dials when the steering wheel has not been turned or rotated and is facing the driver's seat. At this time, the corresponding vehicle is stationary or moving in a straight line without turning.

[0055] In this embodiment, the flexible elastic cotton substrate of the sensing pad fits tightly against the steering wheel frame, naturally conforming to the curved surface deformation in the assembled state, ensuring that the metal wires are not stretched, folded, or suspended throughout the process. Simultaneously, the sensing pad is isolated from the electric heating layer by a conductive cloth shielding layer, ensuring stable signal even when the heating function is activated in low-temperature environments, and maintaining compatibility with existing multi-functional integrated steering wheel designs.

[0056] It should be noted that, according to standards, drivers are required to keep their hands on the steering wheel during intelligent driving. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the driver's grip on the steering wheel to accurately determine whether the driver is actually holding it. If the driver's hands are not detected, an alarm will be issued. Furthermore, during turns, drivers often apply stabilizing force with the heel of their palm or thumb at the six o'clock or twelve o'clock positions to control steering, making these positions high-risk areas for detection. By using densely stitched metal wires in this area, this mechanical fulcrum becomes the point of strongest capacitive coupling. Simultaneously, during turns, the steering wheel undergoes slight axial torsion or radial deformation due to steering torque. Traditional hard sensing pads are prone to air gaps due to material peeling, causing a sharp drop in capacitance. Therefore, high-elasticity cotton is used as the material for the mounting pad body 10, which actively conforms to the palm under force, ensuring steering stability. When the steering wheel is turned to its limit (full left / right), traditional sensing pads are stretched and deformed, and the ends are suspended, resulting in signal loss at the six o'clock or twelve o'clock position. This embodiment closes the loop by stitching the two ends at the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions, so that the entire sensing layer 21 maintains a complete closed electric field even at the extreme turning angle, without breakage or discontinuity, thus improving the detection capability.

[0057] In another embodiment of this application, the steering wheel further includes a foam layer, a heating layer, a shielding layer, and an outer leather layer. The steering wheel is constructed from the inside out by a frame 40, a foam layer, a heating layer, a shielding layer, another foam layer, a sensing layer, and an outer leather layer connected in sequence. The mounting pad body 10 of the sensing pad is disposed between the foam layer and the outer leather layer. The lower frame 40 is in close contact with the foam layer to provide elastic support and deformation buffer. The upper shielding layer is covered to isolate the electromagnetic interference generated by the heating layer during operation, ensuring the purity and stability of the capacitive sensing signal. The outermost layer is a molded leather layer, which satisfies the requirements of human-machine contact comfort and aesthetics without weakening the electric field coupling capability of the sensing pad. This allows the entire sensing system to achieve high-precision detection while being integrated into the conventional structural system of the steering wheel, without the need for additional openings or changes in shape, thus achieving a unity of function and aesthetics, safety and process.

[0058] According to another specific embodiment of this application, a vehicle is also provided, which has a sensing pad, the sensing pad being the same as that in the above embodiments. The sensing pad or steering wheel described in the above embodiments is applied to the vehicle, with the sensing pad covering the steering wheel frame 40. Through the intersecting arrangement between the first sewn area 31 and the second sewn area 32 in the sensing pad, the change in the capacitive field generated by the target object's touch on the steering wheel can be detected in real time and continuously, identifying whether the target object is holding the steering wheel, the contact position, the grip strength, and changes in posture.

[0059] This application also provides a preferred embodiment of a sensing pad to solve the problems of weak and unstable signals in traditional hands-off detection capacitive solutions at the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions on the steering wheel, thereby enhancing the sensing signal and improving detection accuracy.

[0060] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the sensing metal wire 20 of the sensing layer 21 is sewn onto the mounting pad body 10 using a dense stitching process, covering the foam layer and the genuine leather. The mounting pad body 10 is supported by high-elasticity cotton material, and the outer side of the frame 40 is covered with a foam layer. A heating layer is provided on the outer side of the foam layer. The heating layer uses a PTC heater to heat the steering wheel. A shielding layer that can shield heat is provided between the heating layer and the sensing layer 21 to prevent the electric heating function from affecting the sensing signal.

[0061] It should be noted that the sensor pad needs to be covered under the leather layer so that it is closest to the hand when the driver grips the steering wheel, thus achieving accurate sensing.

[0062] As can be seen from the above description, the sensing pad in the above embodiments has the following beneficial effects:

[0063] 1) By using cross-stitched and densely stitched sensing wires 20 at the six o'clock and twelve o'clock positions on the steering wheel (the signal dead zone of traditional capacitive sensing), and forming actively designed capacitive coupling cross nodes in this area, the response intensity of capacitance changes in this area is enhanced. Combined with flush ends of the multi-layer sensing wires 20 and a flexible elastic cotton substrate, weak and unstable signals are improved, enabling stable recognition of weak contacts such as light touches of a single finger and slight pressure from the palm edge, thus solving the problem of missed detections caused by sensing blind zones.

[0064] 2) By intersecting the first sewing area 31 and the second sewing area 32, and combining the three-line topology structure extending longitudinally in the third sewing area 33, along with the distributed buffer design of multiple insertion spaces 22, a multi-point coordinated and gradient transition continuous capacitive field is formed in each transition area of ​​the steering wheel surface. This suppresses abrupt changes in electric field and signal interruptions caused by material deformation, assembly stress, or long-term use, ensuring that the detection performance remains highly stable under harsh conditions such as high temperature, vibration, and aging.

[0065] 3) Only 2–3 sensing metal wires 20 are needed to cover the entire circumference, without increasing the number of sensors or complex circuits.

[0066] 4) Upgrade HOD detection from a binary judgment of whether the hand is off to a multi-dimensional perception capability of off-hand, contact, and contact posture, providing high-precision, low-latency, and high-reliability driver status input for L2+ / L3 level intelligent driving systems, and meeting the functional safety requirements for perception redundancy and failure protection.

[0067] 5) The flexible elastic cotton substrate supports planar prefabrication, automatic sewing, and hot-pressing wrapping, and is compatible with existing steering wheel production lines.

[0068] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0069] In addition to the above, it should be noted that the terms "one embodiment," "another embodiment," and "embodiment" used in this specification refer to specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment, which are included in at least one embodiment described in the general description of this application. The appearance of the same expression in multiple places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, the intention is to suggest that implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments also falls within the scope of this invention.

[0070] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0071] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inductive pad, characterized by include: Mounting pad body (10) has multiple sewn areas for sewing sensing wires (20). At least two of the sewn areas are arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the mounting pad body (10). The sensing wires (20) located in the two adjacent sewn areas are arranged to cross each other at the boundary of the adjacent sewn areas. The sensing wires (20) located in the two adjacent sewn areas are arranged independently. The sensing wires (20) are used to detect the posture of the target object holding the mounting pad body (10).

2. The inductive pad of claim 1, wherein, The sensing wires located in each of the sewing areas are arranged along the width direction of the mounting pad body (10). Along the width direction of the mounting pad body (10), two adjacent rows of sensing wires in the same sewing area form a sensing layer (21). At least one sensing layer (21) between adjacent sensing layers (21) has a length at the end that is shorter than the length at the end of the other sensing layers (21), so that an insertion space (22) is formed at the point where the length at the end of the sensing layer (21) is the shortest. The insertion space (22) is used to accommodate the sensing wires (20) in the adjacent sewing areas.

3. The inductive mat of claim 2, wherein, There are multiple insertion spaces (22), and the multiple insertion spaces (22) are spaced apart along the width direction of the mounting pad body (10).

4. The inductive mat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The plurality of sewing areas include a first sewing area (31) and a second sewing area (32). Each of the first sewing area (31) and the second sewing area (32) is provided with a sensing metal wire (20). The first end of the first sewing area (31) is adjacent to the first end of the second sewing area (32). The second end of the first sewing area (31) extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body (10) to the first end of the mounting pad body (10). The second end of the second sewing area (32) extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body (10) to the second end of the mounting pad body (10). The sensing metal wire (20) located in the first sewing area (31) and the second sewing area (32) is arranged to cross each other at the first end of the first sewing area (31) and the first end of the second sewing area (32).

5. The inductive mat of claim 4, wherein, The plurality of sewing areas also include a third sewing area (33), which is located on the same side of the first sewing area (31) and the second sewing area (32), and the third sewing area (33) extends along the length direction of the mounting pad body (10), and the third sewing area (33) is provided with the sensing metal wire (20).

6. The inductive mat of claim 5, wherein, The ends of the sensing wires (20) in each of the sewn areas near the end of the mounting pad body (10) are arranged flush with each other.

7. The inductive mat of claim 6, wherein, The mounting pad body (10) is made of a flexible material so that the mounting pad body (10) has an unfolded state when unfolded, and the mounting pad body (10) has an assembled state in which the two ends are sewn together and enclosed in a ring.

8. The inductive mat of claim 7, wherein, The flexible material includes at least elastic cotton.

9. A steering wheel, characterized by The steering wheel has a sensor pad, which is the sensor pad according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The steering wheel according to claim 9, characterized in that, The steering wheel includes: The frame (40) is a ring structure. The sensing pad extends circumferentially along the frame (40). The first end of the mounting pad body (10) of the sensing pad and the second end of the mounting pad body (10) are connected at the six o'clock position or the twelve o'clock position of the frame (40), so that the sensing metal wires (20) located in each of the sewing areas are arranged to cross at the six o'clock position and the twelve o'clock position.

11. A vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle has a sensing pad, which is the sensing pad according to any one of claims 1-8.

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