Radar Gesture Control for Vehicle Flaps With False Trigger Rejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems struggle to reliably distinguish between intentional operating events and operating errors when using radar sensors for contactless adjustment of vehicle flaps or doors, necessitating improved gesture recognition accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A control system utilizing a radar sensor coupled with an electric motor, a control circuit, and predefined control gesture criteria, including orientation and detection criteria, to ensure that only valid control gestures trigger the adjustment, rejecting incorrect operations by adjusting sensitivity measures based on gesture alignment and speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If radar sensors are used to detect control gestures for contactless adjustment, then object detection capability and detection range are improved, but reliability in distinguishing intentional operations from operating errors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from detecting only the presence of objects to analyzing multiple dimensional parameters including speed, direction of movement, and trajectory. By evaluating gestures across these multiple dimensions simultaneously, the system achieves more reliable distinction between intentional control gestures and accidental movements while maintaining wide detection range.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts evaluation parameters such as speed thresholds and direction tolerance ranges based on predefined control gesture criteria. By changing these parameters adaptively, the radar sensor system optimizes its ability to recognize valid gestures while filtering out operating errors, thereby improving reliability without sacrificing detection capability.
2Reliability
If multiple control gesture criteria are implemented to improve gesture recognition accuracy, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control gesture recognition is divided into separate evaluation stages: initial detection of gesture presence, subsequent verification of speed criteria, direction criteria, and trajectory criteria. This segmentation allows the control circuit to process each criterion independently and sequentially, reducing overall complexity while maintaining high recognition accuracy through systematic evaluation.
3Ease of operation
If the radar sensor operates with high sensitivity to detect subtle gestures, then ease of operation is improved, but false triggers from operating errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the control circuit continuously monitors detected gestures against predefined criteria including speed ranges, direction angles, and trajectory patterns. When a gesture is detected, the system provides feedback by evaluating it against multiple criteria before triggering adjustment, thereby maintaining high sensitivity while filtering out false triggers through systematic verification.
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
Enhances the reliability of contactless adjustment by accurately recognizing intended gestures and reducing false triggers, especially in crowded environments, thereby improving operational safety and user experience.
Implementation Method 1
The functionality of a control system of the type presented here is based on acquiring sensor data using a radar sensor to detect a control gesture performed within the radar sensor's detection range
Implementation Method 2
Radar technology uses the idea of emitting electromagnetic waves, then receiving the echo (the reflected waves, also known as the radar response) of the emitted electromagnetic waves
Implementation Method 3
information about the relative movement between the sensor and the reflecting object can be obtained, for example by exploiting the Doppler effect
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a control system (4) for the contactless adjustment of a vehicle flap (2) or vehicle door (3) of a motor vehicle (1). The system comprises an electric motor (6), a radar sensor (8), which is arranged, for example, in the rear bumper (7), and a control circuit (12). The control circuit (12) is configured to control the radar sensor (8) and to process its signals. The electric motor (6) is controlled with a trigger signal as a function of detected signals from a control gesture (11) performed by an operator (5) within a detection space (9). The control gesture in relation to the reference plane (13) and the direction of travel (14) is important for functionality. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.