HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACE APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND METHODS OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20160098088A1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Park, Hyungsoon
• Granted Patent: US 10,180,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/111 for controlling multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1464 3D-gesture
• 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: 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: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A human machine interface (HMI) minimizing the number of gestures for operation control in which user-intended operation commands are accurately recognized by dividing a vehicle interior into a plurality of regions. The HMI receives an input of a gesture according to each region, and controls any one device according to the gesture. Convenience of a user is improved because the gesture may be performed in a state in which region restriction is minimized by identifying an operation state and an operation pattern of an electronic device designated according to each region to recognize the user'"'"'s intention when the user performs the gesture in a boundary portion between two regions or even in multiple regions.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a human machine interface (HMI) apparatus configured to output an operation command of a user to at least one of a plurality of electronic devices, the HMI apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store position information of a plurality of regions, operation commands of the plurality of electronic devices positioned in the plurality of regions, and gesture information of the operation commands;

a recognition unit configured to recognize a gesture of the user; and

a control unit configured to identify electronic devices installed in a region adjacent to a boundary region when the gesture is recognized in the boundary region of the plurality of regions and control the operation command corresponding to the gesture to be output to any one of the identified electronic devices.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit identifies operation information of electronic devices having the gesture according to each adjacent region, determines adjustment possibilities that operations of the identified electronic devices will be adjusted based on the operation information of the identified electronic devices, and outputs the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit identifies priorities of the electronic devices having the gesture according to each adjacent region and outputs the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having highest priority.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of electronic devices include at least two devices of an air conditioning device, an audio device, a navigation device, a lighting device, a Bluetooth device, a heater within a seat, a window glass opening/closing device, a sunroof opening/closing device, a door opening/closing device, and a door lock device, and

the operation command includes a power ON/OFF command and a function adjustment command.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein:

the storage unit further stores operation patterns of the plurality of electronic devices, and

the control unit determines adjustment possibilities that operations of the identified electronic devices will be adjusted using operation information and pre-stored operation patterns of the identified electronic devices.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the control unit compares the operation patterns of the electronic devices corresponding to the gesture according to each adjacent region to current operation information and determines an electronic device having a larger difference in the comparison as an electronic device having a high adjustment possibility.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when the gesture is recognized in one region, the control unit identifies an electronic device having the gesture among electronic devices installed in the one region and controls the operation command corresponding to the gesture to be output to the identified electronic device.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect an object for the gesture.

9. A vehicle having a plurality of electronic devices, the vehicle comprising:

a plurality of detection units arranged in a plurality of regions; and

a human machine interface (HMI) apparatus configured to output an operation command of a user to the plurality of electronic devices arranged in the plurality of regions,

wherein the HMI apparatus includes;

a storage unit configured to store position information of the plurality of regions, operation commands of the plurality of electronic devices arranged in the plurality of regions, and gesture information of the operation commands;

a recognition unit configured to recognize a gesture of the user; and

a control unit configured to identify a region in which a detection unit recognizing the gesture is arranged when the gesture is identically recognized in the plurality of detection units, identify electronic devices installed in the identified region, and control the operation command corresponding to the gesture to be output to any one of the identified electronic devices.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the control unit identifies operation information of electronic devices having the gesture according to each identified region, determines adjustment possibilities that operations of the identified electronic devices will be adjusted based on the operation information of the identified electronic devices, and outputs the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility.

11. A control method of a vehicle having a plurality of electronic devices and an HMI apparatus configured to output an operation command of a user to at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, the control method comprising the steps of:

detecting an object;

recognizing a detection region and a gesture of the detected object;

identifying electronic devices installed in a region adjacent to a boundary region when it is determined that the gesture is recognized in the boundary region of a plurality of regions; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to any one of the identified electronic devices.

12. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the outputting of the operation command corresponding to the gesture to any one of the identified electronic devices includes:

identifying operation information of electronic devices having the gesture according to each adjacent region;

determining adjustment possibilities that operations of the identified electronic devices will be adjusted based on the operation information of the identified electronic devices; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility.

13. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the outputting of the operation command corresponding to the gesture to any one of the identified electronic devices includes:

identifying priorities of the electronic devices having the gesture according to each adjacent region; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having highest priority.

14. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the outputting of the operation command corresponding to the gesture to any one of the identified electronic devices includes:

identifying operation information of electronic devices corresponding to the gesture according to each adjacent region;

receiving traveling information and environmental information of the vehicle;

determining adjustment possibilities of the identified electronic devices based on the operation information of the identified electronic devices, the traveling information, and the environmental information; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility.

15. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the outputting of the operation command corresponding to the gesture to any one of the identified electronic devices includes:

identifying operation information and operation patterns of the identified electronic devices according to each adjacent region;

determining possibilities that operations of the identified electronic devices will be adjusted based on the operation information and the operation patterns of the identified electronic devices; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility.

16. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of electronic devices include at least two devices of an air conditioning device, an audio device, a navigation device, a lighting device, a Bluetooth device, a heater within a seat, a window glass opening/closing device, a sunroof opening/closing device, a door opening/closing device, and a door lock device, and

the operation command includes a power ON/OFF command and a function adjustment command.

17. The control method of the vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising:

identifying, when the gesture is recognized in one region, an electronic device corresponding to the gesture among electronic devices installed in the one region; and

outputting the operation command corresponding to the gesture to the identified electronic device.

18. A human machine interface (HMI) apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store position information of a plurality of regions, information of a plurality of electronic devices arranged in the plurality of regions, and gesture information of a user corresponding to operation commands of the plurality of electronic devices;

a recognition unit configured to recognize a gesture of the user;

a control unit configured to identify electronic devices corresponding to a gesture according to each recognized detection region when the number of recognized detection regions is at least two, determine adjustment possibilities of the electronic devices based on current operation information of the identified electronic devices, and output an operation command corresponding to the gesture to an electronic device having a highest adjustment possibility; and

an output unit connected to each of the plurality of electronic devices and configured to output the operation command to at least one electronic device.

19. The HMI apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the storage unit further stores previous operation patterns of the plurality of electronic devices, and

the control unit uses the operation patterns of the electronic devices when the adjustment possibilities of the electronic devices are determined.

20. The HMI apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when the number of recognized detection regions is one, the control unit identifies an electronic device having the recognized gesture among electronic devices installed in the detection region and outputs the operation command corresponding to the gesture to the identified electronic device.

21. The HMI apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect an object for recognizing the gesture of the user,

wherein the recognition unit receives a detection signal from the detection unit configured to detect the object for recognizing the gesture of the user.