Control and monitoring device for vehicle

• US 20130107027A1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Muellhaeuser, Mario
• Application Number:
  US13/658,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20130107027A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/135 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control device (1) for controlling a vehicle movement of a vehicle, having

• • a control command input device for inputting manual control command inputs for controlling the vehicle movement of the vehicle, and
  • a control signal unit (7), which is configured to generate control signals for controlling the vehicle movement of the vehicle as a function of the manual control command inputs,
    wherein the control command input device has
  • a camera system (2) for capturing image information relating to at least part of an operator control space of the vehicle,
  • an image processing unit (5), which is configured to detect body movements and/or body postures of at least one vehicle driver (4) from the captured image information, and
  • an evaluation unit (6) which is configured to determine the manual control command inputs as a function of the detected body movements and/or body postures.

Claims

1. Control device (1) for controlling a vehicle movement of a vehicle, having

a control command input device for inputting manual control command inputs for controlling the vehicle movement of the vehicle, and

a control signal unit (7), which is configured to generate control signals for controlling the vehicle movement of the vehicle as a function of the manual control command inputs,

characterized in that the control command input device has

a camera system (2) for capturing image information relating to at least part of an operator control space of the vehicle,

an image processing unit (5), which is configured to detect body movements and/or body postures of at least one vehicle driver (4) from the captured image information, and

an evaluation unit (6) which is configured to determine the manual control command inputs as a function of the detected body movements and/or body postures.

2. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the camera system (2) is a 3D camera system with optical depth detection.

3. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that

the image processing unit (5) is configured to detect control element body movements of the vehicle driver (4) and/or control element movements during activation of at least one touch-dependent control element (10) from the captured image information, and

the evaluation unit (6) is configured to determine the manual control command inputs as a function of the detected control element body movements and/or control element movements.

4. Control device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that a control element input interface (9) is provided which is configured to receive manual control element control command inputs which can be input by the vehicle driver activating the touch-dependent control element (10), and

the evaluation unit (6) is also configured to detect a malfunction of the control element (10) by comparing the control command inputs determined from the control element body movements and/or control element movements and the control element control command inputs received via the control element input interface,

wherein the control signal unit (7) is configured to generate the control signal for controlling the vehicle movement of the vehicle as a function of the detection of a malfunction.

5. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaluation unit is configured to determine a critical state as a function of the detected body movements and/or body postures of the vehicle driver and to determine control command inputs as a function of the critical state, in such a way that the vehicle is transferred into a safe state.

6. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that

the image processing unit (5) is configured to detect body parts of the vehicle driver, which are provided for inputting control commands to a touch-dependent control element (10), from the captured image information, and

the evaluation unit (6) is configured to detect a touch state of the touch-dependent control element (10) as a function of the detected body parts and/or body movements.

7. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control signal unit (7) is configured to detect contradictory control command inputs and to merge the contradictory control command inputs, wherein the control signals are then generated as a function of the merged control command inputs.

8. Monitoring device for monitoring a touch-dependent control element (10) for controlling a vehicle movement of a vehicle, characterized in that

a control element input interface (9) is provided which is configured to receive manual control element control command inputs which can be input by the vehicle driver (4) of the vehicle activating at least one touch-dependent control element (10),

a control command-acquisition device is provided which has

a camera system (2) for capturing image information relating to at least part of an operator control space of the vehicle,

an image processing unit (5), which is configured to detect control element body movements of the vehicle driver and/or control element movements during the activation of the control element (10) in order to input control element control command inputs from the captured image information, and

an evaluation unit (6), which is configured to determine manual control command inputs as a function of detected body movements and/or control element movements, and

a monitoring unit is provided which is configured to detect a malfunction of the touch-dependent control element (10) by comparing the control command inputs determined from the image information and the control element control command inputs received via the control element input interface (9).

9. Detection device for detecting a touch state of at least one touch-dependent control element for the controlling of a vehicle movement of a vehicle by a vehicle driver, characterized in that provision is made of

a camera system for capturing image information relating to at least part of an operator control space of the vehicle,

an image processing unit which is configured to detect body parts of the vehicle driver, which are provided for inputting control command at the touch-dependent control element of the vehicle, from the captured image information, and

an evaluation unit which is configured for detecting a touch state of the touch-dependent control element as a function of the detected body parts.