Capacitive Sensor Lever for Gesture Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-sensitive and proximity-sensitive operating devices for motor vehicles, such as steering column switches, can only detect finger position based on a single touch, limiting their ability to recognize complex operating gestures and requiring multiple levers for various functions.
Innovation Solution
A capacitive operating device with a ring-shaped arrangement of multiple touch-sensitive and proximity-sensitive sensor elements on an elongate actuating lever, where the evaluation device recognizes operating gestures by combining at least two detected touches or approaches, allowing for precise detection of operator intentions and triggering of diverse functions with a single lever.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single actuating lever with basic sensor elements is used, then the device structure remains simple, but the functionality and number of detectable operating gestures are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor arrangement is segmented into multiple individual sensor elements (at least three) distributed along the actuating lever. Each sensor element can independently detect touch or approach, enabling the system to distinguish between different touch locations and combinations, thereby expanding the range of detectable operating gestures without adding multiple physical levers
Solution Approach 2:
A single actuating lever is designed to perform multiple functions through the combination of sensor element detections. The evaluation device recognizes different operating gestures (such as different touch combinations or sequences) and assigns different functions to each gesture, allowing one lever to replace multiple levers and control various vehicle functions
2Measurement precision
If only a single touch detection is used, then the detection system remains simple, but the precision in recognizing operating gestures is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor arrangement is divided into multiple individual sensor elements (at least three) distributed along the actuating lever. Each sensor element can independently detect touch or approach, enabling the system to distinguish between different touch locations and combinations, thereby expanding the range of detectable operating gestures
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation device analyzes the combination of detected touches from multiple sensor elements and provides feedback recognition of specific operating gestures. This feedback mechanism enables precise identification of operator intentions by evaluating patterns of touch combinations rather than relying on single touch detection
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple actuating levers are used to provide various functions, then the functionality is expanded, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single actuating lever is designed to perform multiple functions through the combination of sensor element detections. The evaluation device recognizes different operating gestures (such as different touch combinations or sequences) and assigns different functions to each gesture, allowing one lever to replace multiple levers and control various vehicle functions
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensor elements are combined into a single sensor arrangement on one actuating lever. The evaluation device merges the detection signals from multiple sensor elements and interprets their combinations as distinct operating gestures, effectively combining the functionality of multiple levers into a single integrated device
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high-precision detection of operating gestures, enabling the recognition of complex intentions and activation of various vehicle functions, including driver assistance systems, without the need for multiple levers, thereby enhancing vehicle safety and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitive operating device which has a multiplicity of capacitive sensor electrodes which form capacitor plates of the respective actuating capacitors. The second capacitor plate is formed by the user's finger. The capacitance of the actuating capacitor thus changes when the sensor electrode is touched or approached
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a touch-sensitive operating device (1) for a motor vehicle, having an elongated actuating lever (2), particularly a steering column lever, having a sensor arrangement comprising at least one touch-sensitive or proximity-sensitive sensor element (4) arranged on the actuating lever (2), and having an electronic evaluation device which is coupled to the at least one sensor element (4) and is designed to detect touching of the at least one sensor element (4) and/or an approach to the at least one sensor element (4). The evaluation device is designed to recognise an operating gesture of an operator at the actuating lever on the basis of a combination of at least two detected touches of the sensor arrangement and/or approaches to the sensor arrangement, and to initiate a predetermined operating function on the basis of the recognised operating gesture.