Steering wheel hands-on/off detection device and method thereof

A steering wheel hands-on/off detection device, comprising:

• an imaging part provided in a vehicle and configured to capture a motion of a driver;
• a dynamic sensor configured to measure a dynamics motion of the vehicle;
• and
• an image processor configured to process an image obtained from the imaging part, wherein the image processor includes a driver monitoring part configured to derive a behavior type of the driver from the image, and a keypoint extraction part configured to extract keypoints of the driver;
• and
• a vehicle safety controller configured to determine steering wheel hands-on/off from a driver dynamics model which is set from a behavior type and the key points of the driver.

A steering wheel hands-on/off detection device, comprising:

• an imaging part provided in a vehicle and configured to capture a motion of a driver;
• a dynamic sensor configured to measure a dynamic motion of the vehicle;
• an image processor configured to process an image obtained from the imaging part, wherein the image processor includes a driver monitoring part configured to derive a behavior type of the driver from the image, and a keypoint extraction part configured to extract keypoints of the driver;
• and
• a vehicle safety controller configured to determine steering wheel hands-on/off by predicting a motion of the driver through optimal control to allow the driver dynamics model, which is set from the behavior type and the keypoints of the driver, to follow a position of the driver.

A method of detecting steering wheel hands-on/off, the method comprising:

• extracting, by an image processor, a behavior type and keypoint coordinates of a driver from an image acquired from an imaging part in a vehicle;
• determining whether the driver has a behavior type capable of holding a steering wheel;
• determining whether a hand of the driver is within a predetermined distance from the steering wheel;
• adding a steering wheel contact condition to a constraint condition of a driver dynamics model of a vehicle safety controller;
• estimating a force applied to the steering wheel from the driver dynamics model through optimal control;
• and
• determining steering wheel hands-on/off by predicting a motion of the driver through the optimal control to allow the driver dynamics model, which is set from the behavior type and the keypoints of the driver, to follow a position of the driver.