Vehicle Door Control Using Shoulder Motion for Intent Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door control systems fail to accurately detect a user's intention to use the vehicle, particularly when facial recognition is obstructed by items like hats or masks, leading to potential failure in opening the door.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle door control device that utilizes a shoulder operation detection unit to determine a user's intention based on the motion of their shoulder, employing a use intention determination unit to assess the user's intent and a target door estimation unit to predict the door to be opened, with a control unit executing the appropriate door control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If face authentication is used for door lock-release, then security is improved, but reliability deteriorates when face is hidden by hat or mask
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrared sensor as an intermediary detection device that operates independently of visual face recognition. The infrared sensor detects the user's presence and approach by measuring thermal radiation or motion, serving as a mediator that bypasses the obstruction problem entirely. This allows the system to trigger door unlocking based on proximity detection rather than requiring clear facial recognition, thereby maintaining reliability even when the face is hidden.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If infrared ranging sensor is used to detect user approach, then detection capability is improved, but accuracy deteriorates when user face is obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple detection functions within the control unit: proximity detection via infrared sensor, face recognition via image collection module, and shoulder motion detection via image processing. These multiple functions work together universally to achieve accurate user identification. The system can switch between or combine these functions based on conditions, ensuring that even if face recognition is obscured, the combination of proximity detection and alternative cues (shoulder motion) maintains measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional face image recognition to three-dimensional shoulder motion analysis. By detecting the movement trajectory, speed, and pattern of the user's shoulder in space and time, the system adds temporal and spatial dimensions to the detection process. This dimensional change allows accurate user identification even when the face is obscured, as shoulder motion provides a different biometric cue that is not affected by facial obstructions.
3Reliability
If shoulder motion detection is added to determine use intention, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shoulder motion detection function with the existing image collection module. The same camera system used for face recognition is also utilized to detect shoulder motion by analyzing sequential images and tracking the movement of the user's upper body. This merging approach allows the system to extract multiple types of information (face position, shoulder motion trajectory) from a single detection device, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed with multi-functionality, handling both face recognition and shoulder motion detection through the same image collection and processing system. By making the image processing system universal, it can analyze different features (facial characteristics for identification, shoulder movement patterns for intention detection) from the same input data stream. This reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors and processing circuits for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while improving reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle door control device (1) includes: a shoulder operation detection unit (31A) configured to detect a motion of a shoulder of a user present around a vehicle; a use intention determination unit (31B) configured to determine whether the user has an intention to use the vehicle based on a detection result of the shoulder operation detection unit; a target door estimation unit (31C) configured to estimate a target door that is a door predicted to be opened by the user among doors of the vehicle; and a control unit (31D) configured to execute control for opening the door, which is the target door estimated by the target door estimation unit, when the use intention determination unit determines that the user has an intention to use the vehicle.