DEVICE FOR MANIPULATING VEHICLE BUILT-IN DEVICES

• US 20100226539A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Hyundai Motor Japan R&D Center Incorporated, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Hyundai Motor Japan R&D Center Incorporated, Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Kosei
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386

Abstract

The present invention provides a device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices. The device includes a manipulation unit, a display unit and a manipulation control unit.

Claims

1. A device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices, comprising:

a manipulation unit comprising a pad unit configured to come into contact with a user'"'"'s manipulating hand and a camera configured to photograph the user'"'"'s hand;

a display unit for displaying images of at least one user'"'"'s finger captured by the camera while overlaying on a manipulation screen of a vehicular device; and

a manipulation control unit for issuing a relevant manipulation instruction by comparing a motion of the user'"'"'s hand input through the pad unit of the manipulation unit with motion patterns previously registered in memory.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the manipulation unit further comprises an illumination unit for emitting light to the user'"'"'s hand in order to improve recognizing performance of the camera.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the manipulation control unit compares a trajectory drawn by a tip of the finger in contact with a surface of the pad unit, which is acquired from time series images of the user'"'"'s finger captured by the camera, with the motion patterns previously registered in the memory.

4. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the manipulation control unit issues a manipulation instruction corresponding to the motion pattern to a relevant vehicular device if the trajectory drawn by a tip of the finger is consistent with the motion pattern previously registered in memory.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the manipulation control unit issues an instruction indicative of an amount of manipulation depending on a length of a trajectory drawn by a tip of the finger in contact with a surface of the pad unit, which is acquired from images of the user'"'"'s finger captured by the camera.

6. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the trajectory is detected as a trajectory of a white portion of a tip of the finger that is presented in images of the user'"'"'s finger captured by the camera when the tip of the user'"'"'s finger is brought into contact with the pad unit.

7. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the trajectory is drawn by a gesture of the hand.

8. The device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the gesture of the hand comprises at least one of a motion of extending a flexed finger with a tip of the finger in contact with the pad unit, a motion of flexing an extended finger with a tip of the finger in contact with the pad unit, a motion of making a flip using two fingers with the fingers simultaneously in contact with the pad unit, a motion of directly drawing a character using a finger, and a double touch motion of bringing a tip of a finger into light contact with the pad unit twice, and a motion pattern consistent with the trajectory is registered in memory of the manipulation control unit so that a manipulation instruction corresponding to a motion based on the trajectory can be output.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pad unit is provided with a pressure sensor which is transparent and detects a pressing location of the finger in coordinate form.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the pad unit is further provided with a load sensor which is transparent and can detect a stronger pressing pressure than the pressure sensor.

16. A motor vehicle comprising the device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 1.

11. A device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices, comprising:

a manipulation unit;

a display unit; and

a manipulation control unit.

12. The device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 11, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a pad unit and a camera.

14. The device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 11, wherein the display unit displays images of at least one user'"'"'s finger captured by a camera while overlaying on a manipulation screen of a vehicular device.

15. The device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 11, wherein the manipulation control unit issues a relevant manipulation instruction by comparing a motion of the user'"'"'s hand input through a pad unit of the manipulation unit with motion patterns previously registered in memory.

17. A motor vehicle comprising the device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 11.

13. The device for manipulating vehicle built-in devices of claim 13, wherein the pad unit is configured to come into contact with a user'"'"'s manipulating hand and the camera is configured to photograph the user'"'"'s hand.