Optical-effect Touchpad for Steering Wheel Gesture Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering wheel touchpad systems lack flexibility due to dedicated buttons and require electronic components and cabled connections, which are not road-safe and expensive, especially when using 3D cameras for gesture detection.
Innovation Solution
A system using an interface pad with a movable plate and elastic deformable seals, illuminated by a near-infrared light source, detected by an imaging sensor to capture pressure-dependent optical changes, allowing for reliable detection of finger gestures without electronics in the steering wheel or cabled connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a 3D camera is used to detect finger gestures on a transparent pad, then gesture detection capability is improved, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex 3D camera system with a simple 2D camera combined with mechanical elements (elastic seal and movable plate). The mechanical deformation of the elastic seal under finger pressure creates optical effects that can be detected by a standard 2D camera, thereby substituting a sophisticated optical system with a simpler mechanical-optical hybrid system.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic deformable seal acts as an intermediary between the finger gesture and the camera detection system. It converts the mechanical pressure of the finger into visible optical changes (dim zone formation and movement) that can be captured by a simple 2D camera, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between tactile input and optical detection.
2Ease of operation
If dedicated control buttons are placed in the steering wheel spokes, then control functionality is provided, but flexibility and adaptability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent interface pad with movable plate and elastic seal creates a universal control surface that can detect multiple types of gestures (touch, press, slide, tap) in various locations. This single versatile interface replaces multiple dedicated buttons, allowing the same physical structure to serve multiple control functions through different gesture patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface transitions from static dedicated buttons to a dynamic gesture-based system. The movable plate can be manipulated in various ways (pressed, slid, tapped) to generate different control commands, making the interface adaptable to different control needs without requiring physical reconfiguration or additional components.
3Extent of automation
If electronics are installed inside the steering wheel with cabled connections, then control signal transmission is enabled, but road safety and system reliability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts all electronic components and cabled connections from the steering wheel structure. The control interface consists solely of passive mechanical elements (transparent pad, movable plate, elastic seal) that require no power supply, signal wiring, or electronic processing within the steering wheel itself, thereby eliminating safety hazards associated with electronics in the rotating steering wheel.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface pad is a self-contained mechanical system that generates control signals through pure mechanical deformation. The elastic seal's deformation under finger pressure directly creates the detection signal without requiring external power or electronic processing, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for hazardous electrical connections in the steering wheel.
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 reliable detection of finger gestures, including soft presses and pseudo clicks, with high reliability and cost-effectiveness, allowing drivers to control vehicle functions while keeping hands on the wheel, improving road safety and reducing system complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the elastic deformable seal being generally absorbent at the optical wavelengths of interest
Implementation Method 2
the interface pad comprising a reflective strip behind the elastic deformable seal from the point of view of the imaging sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A system for detecting command gestures made by a finger of a driver of a motor vehicle, the system including an interface pad, a light source that emits in the infrared toward the pad, an imaging sensor, for capturing images steered by the pad away from the driver, with a base frame and a movable plate, an optical zone of interest seen by the imaging sensor being defined at the interface between the base frame and the plate, the pad including an elastic deformable seal interposed between the base frame and the movable plate, the seal being absorbent at the optical wavelengths of interest, the pad including a reflective strip behind the seal from the point of view of the camera, so that the seal forms a zone that appears dim to the camera, the size of the dim zone depending on the pressure exerted on the plate.