Predictive Cockpit Lighting via Steering Wheel Hand Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicle cockpits have complex electrical systems that can distract drivers due to the difficulty in locating and interacting with numerous control elements, especially in low-light conditions, as existing solutions like gesture recognition and eye-tracking require costly and complex technologies.
Innovation Solution
A system using sensors on the steering wheel to detect the presence or absence of a driver's hands to predict which interactive control elements they will interact with, and a controller that increases the brightness of associated lighting elements to enhance visibility without the need for high-resolution or complex hardware/software.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If gesture recognition and eye-tracking technologies are used to identify driver intent, then the system can predict which control elements the driver will interact with, but the cost and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex technologies (gesture recognition, eye-tracking) with simple, low-cost sensors that detect basic hand presence on the steering wheel. These simple sensors provide sufficient information to predict driver intent without requiring sophisticated hardware or complex processing algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes complex optical and mechanical systems (eye-tracking cameras, gesture recognition sensors) with simple pressure or contact sensors on the steering wheel. This mechanical simplification maintains the core functionality of predicting driver intent while dramatically reducing system complexity and cost.
2Illumination intensity
If all control elements are illuminated at high brightness, then visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases and driver distraction may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent illuminates only the specific control elements that the driver is likely to interact with, rather than illuminating all control elements uniformly. This localized illumination approach improves visibility of relevant controls while minimizing energy consumption and avoiding unnecessary distraction from unrelated areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system predicts which control elements the driver will interact with before the driver actually reaches for them, and pre-illuminates those specific elements. This preliminary action ensures the relevant controls are visible exactly when needed, optimizing both visibility and energy efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex electrical systems are provided in the vehicle cockpit, then functionality and driver assistance features are improved, but locating and interacting with control elements becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors sensor input from the steering wheel to detect when the driver removes their hand, and uses this feedback to dynamically illuminate the next likely control element. This feedback loop maintains ease of operation even as system complexity increases, because the illumination guidance adapts to the driver's actual actions in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination system is dynamic rather than static - it changes which control elements are illuminated based on real-time sensor data about driver hand position and movement. This dynamic adaptation makes complex electrical systems easier to operate by providing context-aware visual guidance that moves with the driver's intentions.
Data Source
AI summary
An in-vehicle system for controlling electrical systems of a vehicle includes a sensor that detects a presence or an absence of a left hand of a driver on a steering wheel of the vehicle and a sensor that detects a presence or an absence of a right hand of the driver on the steering wheel of the vehicle. Using data from the sensors, a controller may select, based on a prediction, one or more interactive control elements with which the driver will interact, wherein the selection is based on either a detected absence of the driver left hand on the steering wheel or a detected absence of the driver right hand on the steering wheel, and a controller increases a brightness of lighting elements associated with the selected interactive control elements.