MOVEMENT INPUT APPARATUS APPLIED TO STEERING APPARATUS AND MOBILE CONTROL SYSTEM USING THE SAME

• US 20110153163A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: JEONG, Ji Wook
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/046 Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/06 Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers B62D1/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

There is provided a movement input apparatus applied to a steering apparatus and a mobile control system using the same. In detail, the steering apparatus performing steering or adjusting functions includes: a movement input apparatus including a signal detector that is attached or embedded in a surface of a steering apparatus and uses a resistive conductive yarn to detect finger contact signals; an estimator that receives the finger contact signals detected in the signal detector to estimate a status of an operator; and a display unit that converts and displays the estimated movement of the operator into signals of a type able to be sensed by a user; an extractor that analyzes the status information transmitted from the transmitter to extract the operational signals of the user; a controller that generates and transmits control signals for external devices according to the extracted operational signals of the user.

Claims

1. A movement input apparatus, comprising:

a detector that is attached or embedded in a surface of a steering apparatus to detect finger contact movement;

an estimator that receives information on the finger contact movement detected in the detector to estimate a movement pattern analysis and status of an operator; and

a display unit that converts and displays the analyzed movement patterns of the operator and the estimated status of the operator into signals of a type able to be sensed by a user.

2. The movement input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector detects the finger contact movement by using a resistive conductive yarn and converts the finger contact movement into electric signals.

3. The movement input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit converts the estimated status of the operator into at least one of image signals, voice signals, sound signals, and vibration signals.

4. The movement input apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter that transmits at least one of the information on the finger contact movement detected in the detector, the information on the movement patterns of the operator analyzed in the estimator, and the information on the status of the operator estimated in the estimator to external devices.

5. The movement input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the estimator and the display unit are embedded in the steering apparatus.

6. The movement input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the estimator includes:

an input unit that filters the movement patterns by using the information on the finger contact movement transmitted from the detector;

a pattern analyzer that analyzes the movement patterns filtered in the input unit to determine whether the movement patterns of the operator are a normal pattern;

a grip searcher that searches the grip or not of the operator or the grip location of the operator when the change values of the movement patterns filtered in the input unit exceeds specific value; and

a fatigue analyzer that synthesizes the determination results of the pattern analyzer and the search results of the grip searcher to estimate the fatigue status of the operator.

7. The movement input apparatus of claim 6, wherein the estimator further includes a transducer that converts output signals into analog to digital (A/D) signals.

8. A mobile control system, comprising:

a movement input apparatus including a detector that is attached or embedded in a surface of a steering apparatus to detect finger contact movement, an estimator that receives information on the finger contact movement detected in the detector to estimate a movement pattern analysis and status of an operator, and a display unit that converts and displays the analyzed movement patterns of the operator and the estimated status of the operator into signals of a type able to be sensed by a user; and

a control device including an extractor that extracts operator operation signals by analyzing at least one of information on the finger contact movement detected in the detector transmitted from the movement input apparatus, information on operator movement patterns analyzed in the estimator, and information on an operator'"'"'s status estimated in the estimator and a controller that generates and transmits control signals for external devices according to the extracted operational signals of the operator.

9. The mobile control system of claim 8, wherein the detector detects the finger contact movement by using the resistive conducive yarn and converts the movement into electric signals.

10. The mobile control system of claim 8, wherein the display unit converts the estimated status of the operator into at least one of image signals, voice signals, sound signals, and vibration signals.

11. The mobile control system of claim 8, further comprising a transmitter that transmits at least one of the information on the finger contact movement detected in the detector, the information on the movement patterns of the operator analyzed in the estimator, and the information on the status of the operator estimated in the estimator to the control device or external devices.

12. The mobile control system of claim 8, wherein the estimator and the display unit are embedded in the steering apparatus.

13. The mobile control system of claim 8, wherein the estimator includes:

an input unit that filters the movement patterns by using the information on the finger contact movement transmitted from the detector;

a pattern analyzer that analyzes the movement patterns filtered in the input unit to determine whether the movement patterns of the operator are a normal pattern;

a grip searcher that searches the grip or not of the operator or the grip location of the operator when the change values of the movement patterns filtered in the input unit exceeds specific value; and

a fatigue analyzer that synthesizes the determination results of the pattern analyzer and the search results of the grip searcher to estimate the fatigue status of the operator.

14. The mobile control system of claim 13, wherein the estimator further includes a transducer that converts output signals into analog to digital (A/D) signals.