Virtual Sensor Systems for Flexible HMI Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current human-machine interface (HMI) technologies require multiple sensors and complex setups to control devices, limiting flexibility and ease of evolution, as they often necessitate new sensor additions and software modifications for new interactions.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of virtual sensors, which do not require gesture analysis and can be easily defined and modified, allowing for non-intrusive interaction with any object using 3D sensors to detect activation within a defined volume area, enabling flexible and adaptive control without additional material or software development.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional HMI technologies use multiple sensors and complex setups to control devices, then control functionality is achieved, but system complexity and difficulty of evolution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual sensors as digital copies that replicate the functionality of physical sensors without requiring actual hardware. These virtual sensors are software-based representations that can be instantiated anywhere in the scene, allowing new interactions to be added through software configuration rather than physical sensor installation, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual sensor system provides a universal control mechanism that can detect and respond to various types of interactions (touch, proximity, gesture) through a single unified approach. Instead of requiring different physical sensors for different interaction types, the system uses virtual sensors that can be configured for multiple detection modes, simplifying the overall system architecture
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional HMI technologies add new sensors for new interactions, then new interaction capabilities are achieved, but material requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical sensor hardware with virtual sensor software instances. When new interaction capabilities are needed, virtual sensors are created as software objects rather than installing new physical sensors, eliminating the need for additional materials while providing flexible adaptation to new interaction requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows virtual sensors to be reconfigured by changing their parameters (detection type, sensitivity, target objects) rather than adding new hardware. This parameter-based configuration enables flexible adaptation to new interactions without material requirements
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional HMI technologies modify computer-based applications for new interactions, then new functionality is achieved, but software development effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensor functionality from the application software and places it in a separate virtual sensor layer. This allows interaction detection to be handled by the virtual sensor system independently, while applications only need to subscribe to virtual sensor events, significantly reducing software development effort for new interactions
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual sensors act as an intermediary layer between physical sensors and application software. They translate diverse sensor inputs into standardized virtual sensor events that applications can consume uniformly, simplifying software development while maintaining adaptability to new interaction types
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for detecting activation of a virtual sensor in a scene are proposed, wherein the virtual sensor comprises data representing a geometric form, data representing a position in the scene and data representing one or several trigger conditions. A data representation of the scene is captured, and a determination of whether a virtual sensor trigger condition is fulfilled is made, based on an analysis of the captured data representation in an area corresponding to the geometric form and position of the virtual sensor.