Steering Wheel Positioning for Driver Face Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional driver monitoring systems face challenges in authenticating and monitoring drivers when their faces are partially or fully covered by the steering wheel, affecting the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle and compromising the effectiveness of 3D stereoscopic cluster functions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device and method that controls the steering wheel to move along a predetermined route, allowing for image capture and face authentication, and adjusts its position to optimize face detection and monitoring, while displaying guidance information to ensure the driver's face is not obstructed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driver monitoring camera is installed within the vehicle to enable face authentication and monitoring, then driver safety and convenience are improved, but the aesthetic beauty within the vehicle is spoiled
Solution Approach 1:
The driver monitoring camera is extracted from the traditional interior installation location and repositioned to the exterior of the vehicle, specifically mounted on the rearview mirror housing or adjacent structure. This extraction resolves the contradiction by eliminating the visual clutter inside the cabin while maintaining monitoring functionality through strategic external positioning that still captures the driver's face.
Solution Approach 2:
The rearview mirror structure serves as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between interior aesthetics and exterior functionality. By mounting the camera on this existing structural component, the system achieves monitoring capability without adding separate interior devices, thus preserving cabin beauty while enabling reliable driver authentication.
2Shape
If the driver monitoring camera is installed outside the vehicle to preserve interior aesthetics, then vehicle aesthetic beauty is improved, but the driver's face becomes covered by the steering wheel making authentication difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel is designed with dynamic rotational capability that allows it to move between a storage position and an operational position. During authentication, the steering wheel rotates to a position that exposes the driver's face to the external camera. This dynamic movement resolves the contradiction by temporarily clearing the face detection path when needed, while maintaining aesthetic coverage during normal driving.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary face authentication by capturing images of the driver's face before the steering wheel is fully positioned or before driving begins. This preliminary action allows the camera to capture clear facial data when the steering wheel is in a retracted or elevated position, ensuring accurate authentication before the steering wheel moves to its operational position that may partially cover the face.
3Shape
If the steering wheel is positioned to cover the driver's face for aesthetic purposes, then interior design is improved, but face authentication and monitoring effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel incorporates dynamic positional adjustment capability, allowing it to rotate or elevate to expose the driver's face during authentication sequences. This dynamic behavior enables the system to switch between aesthetic positioning (face covered during normal driving) and authentication positioning (face exposed during login), resolving the contradiction between design and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic authentication cycles where the steering wheel temporarily moves to expose the face, captures the authentication image, then returns to its aesthetic positioning. This periodic action between covered and exposed states allows the system to maintain both aesthetic design and authentication reliability at different time intervals.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a vehicle control device (800) provided in a vehicle (100, 200) and a method for controlling a vehicle (100, 200). The vehicle control device (800) for controlling a vehicle (100, 200) having a camera (1010, 310) and a steering wheel (1020, 1200) includes a communication unit (430, 810) communicating with at least one of the camera (1010, 310) and the steering wheel (1020, 1200), and a controller (170, 180, 46, 810, 820) transmitting, when a predetermined condition is met, a driving command to a driving unit which applies an external force to move the steering wheel (1020, 1200) along a predetermined route (S910), receiving a photographed image (S920) from the camera (1010, 310) while the steering wheel (1020, 1200) is moving, and performing authentication of a driver's face using the image (S920).