Vehicle Vision Support Activation Using Driver Gesture Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vision support systems for vehicles often experience false-negative and false-positive activations, which can lead to undesirable or unnecessary operation, requiring manual controls or complex state-based activation methods.
Innovation Solution
A method that detects and responds to activation gestures formed by a vehicle user's head and upper body movements to automatically activate the vision support system, allowing intuitive and context-aware activation based on desired viewing areas, using interior cameras and pattern recognition to ensure accurate triggering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated activation based on predetermined vehicle states is used, then manual control operations are reduced, but false-negative and false-positive activations occur reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces state-based automated activation with gesture-based activation using camera detection and pattern recognition. The system captures images of the driver's head and upper body, detects gestures through image processing, and activates the vision support system based on recognized gesture patterns, substituting mechanical control and state-based automation with optical detection and computational recognition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces gesture recognition as an intermediary between the driver's intent and system activation. Instead of direct manual control or simple state triggering, the system uses detected head and body movements as intermediate signals to determine activation intent, providing a more reliable bridge between user intention and system response.
2Reliability
If manual controls are provided for activation, then activation accuracy is maintained, but driver burden increases during complex driving tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service activation by automatically detecting the driver's gesture intentions through camera-based monitoring. The driver simply performs natural head or body movements to indicate desired viewing areas, and the system autonomously activates the appropriate vision support functions without requiring manual control operations, making the system serve itself based on detected intent.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control operations with automatic gesture-based detection. Instead of requiring the driver to manipulate controls, the system uses optical sensors to detect head and body movements, processes the images to recognize gestures, and triggers activation automatically, substituting mechanical interaction with optical-detection-based automation.
3Reliability
If vision support system operates continuously, then visibility support is always available, but driver distraction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic detection of driver gestures through continuous or intermittent image capture, processing these periodic inputs to determine when activation is desired. Rather than continuous operation or simple periodic activation, the system uses periodic gesture detection to trigger activation only when needed, reducing distraction while maintaining availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of activation gestures before activating the vision support system. By monitoring for gesture patterns in advance and activating only when a recognized gesture is detected, the system prepares to provide support when needed while avoiding unnecessary continuous operation that would cause distraction.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the automated activation of a vision support system of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle, having improved automatic activation in particular with regard to the prevention of false-negative and false-positive activation. To this end, the following steps are carried out: - detecting an activation gesture formed by a movement of the head and/or torso of a vehicle user, in particular of a driver, - determining, using the detected activation gesture, a field of vision desired by the vehicle user, and - activating the part of the vision support system which images the desired field of vision.