Vehicle control system for controlling steering of vehicle

• US 10,155,530 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Inventors: Sham, Wellen
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US15/420,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20170137052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41, 3592012, 359630, 345 7, 353 13, 353 14
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/00 Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions for electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; road vehicle drive control systems for purposes not related to the control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/00; drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/11 Passenger cars; Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/12 Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/14 Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/30 Railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/50 Aeroplanes, Helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/80 Other vehicles not covered by groups B60Y2200/10 - B60Y2200/60
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/83 Steering input members
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/286 Systems for interrupting non-mechanical steering due to driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/021 Determination of steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 : Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 : using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 : Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 : Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 : Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 : Video signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations

Abstract

Embodiments provide a vehicle control system comprising a projecting device, a camera device, a control device and an actuating device. The vehicle steering control system does not need a physical steering wheel, thus the weight and cost of the vehicles can be reduced. In addition, the steering control system according to the present invention provides the drivers with brand new driving experience.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling steering of a driving apparatus, wherein the system comprising:

a projecting device configured to project a steering wheel image on to a surface within the driving apparatus such that a user of the driving apparatus may act on the projected image of the steering wheel;

a capturing device configured to capture motion data regarding movements of one or two hands on the projected steering wheel image;

a processor configured by machine-readable instructions to;

calculate a movement of the one or two hands based on the motion data,

determine a steering input according to the movement of the one or two hands, and

output a steering signal according to the steering input direction; and

an actuating device configured to receive the steering signal and effectuate a maneuver of the driving apparatus according to the steering signal.

2. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device configured to store positions of the hands;

and, wherein

the processor is further configured to calculate a position difference vector according to the motion data and at least one position of the one or two hands determined at a previous time to form the movement position difference vector.

3. The control system according to claim 1,

wherein the capturing device is configured to capture motion data of the left and right hands on the steering wheel image;

and, wherein

the processor is configured to;

separately calculate a left hand movement position difference vector and a right hand movement position difference vector,

check whether the left hand movement position difference vector is consistent with the right hand movement position difference vector, and,

in response to determining the left hand movement position difference vector is consistent with the right hand movement position difference vector, determine the steering input according to the left or right hand movement position difference vector.

4. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device configured to store predetermined steering angles and steering directions corresponding to respective movement position difference vectors.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the actuating device is a steering motor, operative connected to a steering structure having a steering rack and a steering gear.

6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the driving apparatus includes a vehicle, a motorcycle, a train, a truck, a tram, a vessel, and an aircraft.

7. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store the calculated movement of the one or two hands in association with a timestamp.

8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the steering input includes at least one of a steering angle and steering direction.

9. A method for controlling steering of a driving apparatus, the method being implemented by a processor, the method comprising:

projecting a steering wheel image on to a surface within the driving apparatus such that a user of the driving apparatus may act on the projected image of the steering wheel;

capturing motion data regarding movements of one or two hands on the projected steering wheel image;

calculating a movement of the one or two hands based on the motion data,

determining a steering input according to the movement of the one or two hands, and

outputting a steering signal according to the steering input direction; and

receiving the steering signal and effectuate a maneuver of the driving apparatus according to the steering signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising

calculating a position difference vector according to the motion data and at least one position of the one or two hands determined at a previous time to form the movement position difference vector.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein capturing motion data regarding movements of one or two hands on the projected steering wheel image comprising capturing motion data for the left and right hands on the steering wheel image,

wherein calculating a movement of the one or two hands based on the motion data comprises:

separately calculating a left hand movement position difference vector and a right hand movement position difference vector, and

checking whether the left hand movement position difference vector is consistent with the right hand movement position difference vector, and, wherein

determining the steering input according to the movement of the one or two hands comprises;

in response to determining the left hand movement position difference vector is consistent with the right hand movement position difference vector, determining the steering input according to the left or right hand movement position difference vector.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising storing predetermined steering angles and steering directions corresponding to respective movement position difference vectors.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein effectuating the maneuver of the driving apparatus according to the steering signal comprises controlling a steering motor in according to the steering signal.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the driving apparatus includes a vehicle, a motorcycle, a train, a truck, a tram, a vessel, and an aircraft.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising storing the calculated movement of the one or two hands in association with a timestamp.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the steering input includes at least one of a steering angle and steering direction.