Vehicle Gaze-Triggered Voice Control Without Button Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current voice command systems for vehicles require physical button activation, which is cumbersome and inefficient, especially for occupants without physical access, and can be unsafe while driving.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle command operation system that uses gaze detection technology to determine a focal point based on an occupant's eye gaze, allowing operations to be performed without physical button pressing, utilizing sensors to receive eye gaze and audio data to execute commands such as shifting the entertainment interface from the console to the heads-up display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a physical button is required to activate voice commands, then the system can reliably distinguish when a command should be initiated, but the operation becomes cumbersome and inaccessible for occupants without physical access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical button-pressing system with an optical detection system using eye-tracking cameras and gaze detection algorithms. The system captures images of the occupant's eyes, determines gaze direction through image processing, and triggers voice commands based on detected focal points, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical interaction while maintaining reliable command initiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces gaze detection as an intermediary between the occupant and the voice command system. Instead of direct button pressing or immediate voice recognition, the system uses eye gaze tracking as a mediating mechanism to detect intent and trigger command mode, providing a natural and accessible interface for all occupants regardless of physical access to controls.
2Reliability
If physical button pressing is required, then the system has clear activation trigger, but the operation time increases and safety is compromised during driving
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary gaze detection to pre-activate voice command mode before the actual command is spoken. By detecting when the occupant's gaze is directed toward relevant controls or display areas, the system proactively enters command-receiving state, eliminating the time delay associated with manual button activation and enabling faster, safer operation.
3Ease of operation
If gaze detection is used to initiate voice commands, then accessibility and convenience are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the vehicle's existing camera infrastructure (originally designed for other purposes such as monitoring or navigation) and repurposes it for gaze detection. By using already-present hardware components and integrating multiple functions into existing systems, the patent reduces the need for dedicated gaze detection hardware, thereby mitigating the increase in device complexity while maintaining improved accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, systems and methods are disclosed herein for a vehicle command operation system that may use technology across multiple modalities to cause vehicular operations to be performed in response to determining a focal point based on a gaze of an occupant. The system may utilize sensors to receive first data indicative of an eye gaze of an occupant of the vehicle. The system may utilize sensors to receive second data indicative of other data from the occupant. The system may then calculate a gaze vector based on the data indicative of the eye gaze of the occupant. The system may determine a focal point based on the gaze vector. In response to determining the focal point, the system causes an operation to be performed in the vehicle based on the second data.