VEHICLE GESTURE RECOGNITION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20170200047A1
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Published: 07/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mueller, Florian, Wagner, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,959,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1464 3D-gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• 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 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• 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

Embodiments of vehicle gesture recognition systems and methods are disclosed. An example vehicle gesture recognition system comprises a data interface configured for receiving 2d image data from a 2d sensor and/or from a portable device camera via a portable device interface. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface is configured for receiving gesture data indicating a gesture. A vehicle processing unit is configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gestures recognized from the 2d image data and/or as indicated by the gesture data.

Claims

1. A vehicle gesture recognition system, comprising:

a data interface configured for receiving gesture data, the gesture data including an indicator indicating a gesture from a predefined set of gestures, the gesture data including gestures detected based on image data from a 2d sensor of a portable device; and

a portable device interface being configured for;

establishing a data connection between the portable device and the data interface, wherein the data interface is further configured for receiving the gesture data via the data connection from a portable device application executed on the portable device; and

a vehicle processing unit configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gesture indicated by the gesture data.

2. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture indirectly by use of a code and a lookup table, the lookup table corresponding to the predefined set of gestures.

3. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture by specifying a start point of a linear movement associated with the gesture.

4. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture by specifying an end point of a linear movement associated with the gesture.

5. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture by specifying a series of trace points of a movement associated with the gesture.

6. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 5, wherein the series of trace points relate to 2D or 3D coordinates of the movement in space.

7. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a velocity of a movement associated with the gesture.

8. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the at least one other 2d sensor is physically integrated with a vehicle head unit in a vehicle.

9. The vehicle gesture recognition system of claim 1, wherein the fields of view of the 2d sensor of the portable device and the at least one other 2d sensor overlap in a common region located in free space of a passenger compartment between a middle console and a center console.

10. A method of gesture recognition in a vehicle, comprising:

establishing a data connection between a portable device and a portable device interface;

receiving gesture data including an indicator indicating a gesture from a predefined set of gestures via the data connection from a portable device application executed on the portable device, the gesture data including gestures detected based on image data from a 2d sensor of the portable device; and

in a vehicle processing unit, controlling a user interface based on the gesture indicated by the gesture data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture indirectly by use of a code and a lookup table, the lookup table corresponding to the predefined set of gestures.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying the gesture by the indicator, the indicator specifying a start point of a linear movement associated with the gesture.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying the gesture by the indicator, the indicator specifying an end point of a linear movement associated with the gesture.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying the gesture by the indicator, the indicator specifying a series of trace points of a movement associated with the gesture.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the series of trace points relate to 2D or 3D coordinates of the movement in space.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicator indicates a velocity of a movement associated with the gesture.

17. A vehicle head unit of a vehicle, the vehicle head unit comprising:

a data interface configured for receiving gesture data, the gesture data including an indicator indicating a gesture from a predefined set of gestures, the gesture data including gestures detected based on image data from a 2d sensor of a portable device; and

a portable device interface being configured for;

establishing a data connection between the portable device and the data interface, wherein the data interface is further configured for receiving the gesture data via the data connection from a portable device application executed on the portable device; and

a vehicle processing unit configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gesture indicated by the gesture data.

18. The vehicle head unit of claim 17, wherein the indicator indicates the gesture by specifying one or more of a start point, and end point, a series of trace points, and a velocity of a movement associated with the gesture.

19. The vehicle head unit of claim 17, wherein the fields of view of the 2d sensor of the portable device and the at least one other 2d sensor overlap in a common region located in free space of a passenger compartment between a middle console of the vehicle and a center console of the vehicle.

20. The vehicle head unit of claim 17, wherein detecting the gesture based on the image data from the 2d sensor of a portable device and the at least one other 2d sensor comprises redundant and multiple recognizing of the detected gestures from image data from both the 2d sensor of the portable device and the at least one other 2d sensor in a correlated manner.