GESTURE EVALUATION SYSTEM, METHOD FOR EVALUATING GESTURES AND VEHICLE

• US 20170045949A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: BOHRER, Lorenz, SCHLITTENBAUER, Michael, ROEHDER, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,874,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/122 Instrument input devices with reconfigurable control functions, e.g. reconfigurable menus
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1468 Touch gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• 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 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• 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: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An optical system which is designed to detect a gesture, and a processing unit that is coupled to the optical system and is designed to analyze the detected gesture, are included in a gesture evaluation system. The gesture evaluation system furthermore has a utilization unit that is designed to save an evaluation that has been detected from the gesture together with evaluated information.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a chassis;

at least one vehicle system; and

a gesture evaluation system, including;

an optical system configured to detect a gesture;

a processing unit coupled to the optical system and configured to analyze the gesture; and

a utilization unit configured to store an evaluation ascertained from the gesture together with evaluated information, and

the gesture evaluation system is configured to detect a time period of the gesture and to initiate an operation of at least one of the at least one vehicle system, after the evaluation is ascertained and based on the time period of the gesture.

12. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11,

further comprising a vehicle management system,

wherein the utilization unit is part of the vehicle management system.

13. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the vehicle management system is connectable with a global system of interconnected computer networks, and

the evaluated information is transmitted to at least one web site via the global system of interconnected computer networks.

14. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the vehicle management system is connectable with a network of remote servers hosted on the global system of interconnected computer networks, and

the evaluated information is stored in at least one server among the network of remote servers.

15. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the gesture is an upright thumb.

16. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the upright thumb is a right-hand thumb of a person.

17. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the evaluated information includes information selected from at least one of a song, a location, a service facility, an image, a graphic, status information, a physical variable, a measurement value, a sound, and a suggestion.

18. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a presentation apparatus configured to provide the evaluated information to a user.

19. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the presentation apparatus includes at least one of a display and a projector.

20. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the optical system includes at least one of an optical sensor and a time-of-flight camera.

21. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the utilization unit includes a memory configured to store the evaluated information.

22. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the time period of the gesture is greater than a predefined time period, the operation of the at least one of the at least one vehicle system is initiated.

23. A method for evaluating information provided by a device installed in a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing information by the device installed in the vehicle;

detecting a gesture that relates to the information;

analyzing the gesture to obtain an evaluation with respect to the information;

detecting a time period of the gesture;

storing the evaluation together with the information; and

initiating an operation of at least one vehicle system of the vehicle, after the evaluation is ascertained and based on the time period of the gesture.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, further comprising transmitting the evaluation together with the information to a location external to the vehicle via a radio link.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the operation of the at least one vehicle system of the vehicle is initiated when the time period of the gesture is greater than a predefined time period.