Gesture Recognition Apparatus with Contact Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gesture recognition methods in vehicles face challenges such as increased operational load due to the need for numerous hard keys, safety concerns with touch screens, and inaccuracies in recognizing intended gestures, particularly due to unnatural or unintended hand movements and difficulties in distinguishing gesture beginnings and ends.
Innovation Solution
A gesture recognition apparatus comprising a gesture sensor and a cover with a contact surface positioned away from the sensor, allowing for the differentiation between space gestures and contact gestures, with a controller analyzing signals to recognize positions, shapes, and movement trajectories, providing immediate feedback and broader execution commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a touch screen method is used for command input, then the need for physical buttons is reduced, but the driver must touch the screen while watching it which affects safety driving
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device that captures images of the driver's hand gestures. The camera system acts as a mediator between the driver's natural gestures and the touch screen interface, allowing command input without direct screen contact. The image processing unit then interprets these captured gestures to execute commands, thus maintaining safety by eliminating the need for the driver to look at and touch the screen.
2Ease of operation
If hard keys are used for command input, then operational commands can be received directly, but a large physical space is required and manufacturing costs increase due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the button press function from physical hard keys and implements it through gesture recognition. Instead of having physical buttons that occupy space and require additional components like LED indicators, the system extracts the essential function of command input and realizes it through image-based gesture detection. This eliminates the need for physical button structures while maintaining direct command input capability.
3Ease of operation
If gesture recognition is used without a contact surface, then operational load is reduced, but recognition accuracy decreases due to difficulty in distinguishing gesture beginnings and ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gesture recognition space into two distinct zones: a gesture input space above the contact surface where natural gestures are performed, and a contact surface where the object rests. This spatial segmentation allows the system to distinguish between gesture actions (when the object is above the surface) and contact states (when the object touches the surface), thereby improving recognition accuracy without increasing operational load. The segmentation provides clear boundaries that help identify gesture beginnings and ends.
4Measurement precision
If a contact surface is added to distinguish contact gestures, then gesture recognition accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact surface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a reference plane for gesture recognition, provides a contact detection surface for distinguishing contact gestures, and serves as a mounting structure for the gesture sensor. By making the contact surface multi-functional, the patent improves gesture recognition accuracy without proportionally increasing device complexity. The same structural element fulfills multiple roles in the gesture recognition system.
Data Source
AI summary
A gesture recognition apparatus may execute a command by recognizing a user's gesture. The gesture recognition apparatus includes a gesture sensor that detects a position and movement of an object in space, and a cover that includes a contact surface which is positioned away from the gesture sensor by a predetermined distance and is brought into contact with the object.