SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING DRIVING SAFETY OF VEHICLE

• US 20140121903A1
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Seung Hwan
• Application Number:
  US13/693,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121903A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system for improving safety stability upon operation of in-vehicle apparatuses during driving including a left touch sensor disposed on a left region of a steering wheel gripped by a left hand of a driver configured to sense a contact of the left hand with the steering wheel to output a signal; a right touch sensor disposed on a right region of a steering wheel gripped by a right hand of the driver and configured to sense a contact of the right hand with the steering wheel to output a signal; an operation unit disposed in an operation unit of a center fascia configured to sense a hand touch and output a signal; a controller, configured to receive the signals from the left touch sensor, the right touch sensor, and the operation unit touch sensor to determine a contact of the driver hands with the operation unit of the center fascia and then output a control signal for displaying operation unit information comprising a type and a purpose of the operation unit touched by the driver hand and a current operation location and state; and an information display disposed at a front of a driver seat and configured to display the information of the operation unit touched by the driver hand in response to the control signal of the controller.

Claims

1. A system for improving safety stability upon operation of in-vehicle apparatuses during driving, the system comprising:

a left touch sensor disposed at a left region of a steering wheel gripped by a left hand of a driver, wherein the left touch sensor is configured to sense a contact of the left hand with the steering wheel to output a signal;

a right touch sensor disposed at a right region of the steering wheel gripped by a right hand of the driver, wherein the right touch sensor is configured to sense a contact and of the right hand with the steering wheel to output a signal;

an operation unit touch sensor disposed in an operation unit of a center fascia configured to sense a touch and output a signal;

a controller configured to ;

receive the plurality of signals from the left touch sensor, the right touch sensor, and the operation unit touch sensor to determine a driver contact with the operation unit of the center fascia; and

output a control signal for displaying operation unit information comprising a type and a purpose of the operation unit touched by the driver and a current operation location and state; and

an information display disposed at a front of a driver seat, wherein the information display is configured to display the information of the operation unit in response to the control signal of the controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive a signal in response from the driver contact with the operation unit;

control the information display at the front of the driver seat; and

display an operated state of the operation unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the information display includes one or both of a cluster and a head-up display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine, from the signals of the left and right touch sensors, when a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released;

receive the signal according to the hand touch from the operation unit touch sensor within a certain time; and

in response to determining no contact of the driver hand with the steering wheel, determining that the operation unit of the center fascia is contacted by the driver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller outputs a control signal for steering control of the steering wheel to reduce a steering assist of a motor driven power steering when the controller determines contact of the driver with the operation unit of the center fascia.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a warning unit for warning the driver of one-hand driving state, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine, from the signals of the left and right touch sensors, when a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released; and

in response to determining the release of the driver hand for a certain time, actuate the warning unit to warn the driver of the one hand driving state.

7. A method for improving safety stability upon operation of in-vehicle apparatuses during driving, the method comprising:

receiving, by a controller, a plurality of signals from a left touch sensor and a right touch sensor disposed to sense a contact of a left hand and a right hand with the steering wheel and a signal from an operation unit touch sensor disposed at each operation unit of a center fascia to sense a hand touch;

determining, by the controller, the hand touch of a driver with the operation unit of the center fascia;

outputting, by the controller, a control signal for displaying operation unit information comprising a type and a purpose of the operation unit touched by the driver hand and a current operation location and state; and

displaying, by the controller, on an information display disposed at a front of a driver seat, the information of the operation unit touched by the driver hand in response to the control signal of the controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the controller receives a signal in response to the operation of the driver from the operation unit touched by the driver hand to operate the information display at the front of the driver seat to display an operated state of the operation unit.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the information display comprises one or both of a cluster and a head-up display.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the controller, from the signals of the left and right touch sensors when a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released;

receiving, by the controller, the signal in response to the driver hand touch from the operation unit touch sensor within a certain time; and

in response to determining no contact of the driver hand with the steering wheel, determining that the operation unit of the center fascia is contacted by the driver.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the controller outputs a control signal for steering control of the steering wheel to reduce a steering assist of a motor driven power steering when the controller determines the driver hand touch with the operation unit of the center fascia.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

warning, by a warning unit, the driver of one-hand driving state, wherein the controller determines from the signals of the left and right touch sensors that a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released; and

in response to determining the release of the driver hand for a certain time, actuating, by the controller, the warning unit to warn the driver of the one hand driving state.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that receive a plurality of signals from a left touch sensor and a right touch sensor disposed to sense a contact of a left hand and a right hand with the steering wheel and a signal from an operation unit touch sensor disposed at each operation unit of a center fascia to sense a hand touch;

program instructions that determine the hand touch of a driver with the operation unit of the center fascia;

program instructions that output a control signal for displaying operation unit information comprising a type and a purpose of the operation unit touched by the driver hand and a current operation location and state; and

program instructions that display on an information display disposed at a front of a driver seat, the information of the operation unit touched by the driver hand in response to the control signal of the controller.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising program instructions that receive a signal in response to the operation of the driver from the operation unit touched by the driver hand to operate the information display at the front of the driver seat to display an operated state of the operation unit.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the information display comprises one or both of a cluster and a head-up display.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions that determine from the signals of the left and right touch sensors when a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released;

program instructions that receive the signal in response to the driver hand touch from the operation unit touch sensor within a certain time; and

program instructions that determine that the operation unit of the center fascia is contacted by the driver, in response to determining no contact of the driver hand with the steering wheel.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising program instructions that output a control signal for steering control of the steering wheel to reduce a steering assist of a motor driven power steering when the controller determines the driver hand touch with the operation unit of the center fascia.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions that determine from the signals of the left and right touch sensors that a contact of one driver hand with the steering wheel is released; and

program instructions that warn the driver of the one hand driving state.