System for hand detection on a steering wheel
AssigneeIee International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
InventorTobias Justinger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for hand detection on a steering wheel. The system includes: at least one light source adapted to emit an emitted signal of light so that the emitted signal is directed from inside the steering wheel to at least one detection area of a surface of the steering wheel, the detection area being at least partially transparent for the emitted signal; at least one light sensor adapted to detect a reflected signal, which is a part of the emitted signal that is reflected from the detection area into the inside of the steering wheel; and a detection unit coupled to the at least one light sensor and adapted to detect a hand of a user on the steering wheel based on a detection of the reflected signal.
Claims14
A system for hand detection on a steering wheel, comprising:
- at least one light source adapted to emit an emitted signal of light so that the emitted signal is directed from inside the steering wheel to at least one detection area of a surface of the steering wheel, the detection area being at least partially transparent for the emitted signal;
- at least one light sensor adapted to detect a reflected signal, which is a part of the emitted signal that is reflected from the detection area into the inside of the steering wheel;
- and
- a detection unit coupled to the at least one light sensor and adapted to detect a hand of a user on the steering wheel based on a detection of the reflected signal,
- wherein the at least one light source comprises a first light source and a second light source, and the detection unit is configured to control the first light source and the second light source to emit the emitted signal alternatingly, so that only one of the first light source and the second light source emits the emitted signal at a time.
A method for hand detection on a steering wheel, with at least one light source, at least one light sensor and a detection unit coupled to the at least one light sensor, the method comprising:
- at least one light source emitting an emitted signal of light so that the emitted signal is directed from inside the steering wheel to a detection area, which is a portion of a surface of the steering wheel;
- at least one light sensor detecting a reflected signal, which is a portion of the emitted signal that is reflected from the detection area into the inside of the steering wheel;
- and
- the detection unit detecting a hand of a user on the steering wheel based on a detection of the reflected signal,
- wherein the at least one light source comprises a first light source and a second light source, and the detection unit is configured to control the first light source and the second light source to emit the emitted signal alternatingly, so that only one of the first light source and the second light source emits the emitted signal at a time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.