Grip detection system and method of steering wheel for autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773743-B2
Application number	US-201816162708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2018
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A grip detection system of a steering wheel for an autonomous vehicle, may include an autonomous driving portion which autonomously drives a vehicle; a contact detector which is mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle, and detects a change in capacitance due to contact between a driver and a steering wheel; a control portion which determines that the driver contacts with the steering wheel if the change in capacitance is received from the contact detector, and generates a warning signal when determining that the driver does not contact with the steering wheel if the change in capacitance is not received from the contact detector; and an output portion which receives the warning signal, and outputs the warning signal to outside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A grip detection system of a steering wheel for a vehicle, the system comprising:
an autonomous driving portion which autonomously drives the vehicle;
a contact detector which is mounted on the steering wheel of the vehicle, and detects a change in capacitance caused by contact between a driver and the steering wheel;
a controller which is connected to the autonomous driving portion and the contact detector and determines that the driver contacts with the steering wheel when the change in the capacitance is received from the contact detector, and generates a warning signal when determining that the driver does not contact with the steering wheel when the change in the capacitance is not received from the contact detector;
an output portion which is connected to the controller, receives the warning signal from the controller, and outputs warning to outside of the output portion;
a low frequency generation portion which is connected to the controller and configured to generate a low frequency and deliver the low frequency to an electrode according to the controller;
a heating guidance portion which is connected to the controller and is configured to generate a high frequency which is higher than the low frequency and deliver the high frequency to the electrode according to the controller; and
an input portion which is connected to the controller and receives a heating signal from the driver and delivers the heating signal to the controller;
wherein the contact detector includes:
the electrode which is provided along an internal circumference of the steering wheel of the vehicle, and forms the capacitance; and
a dielectric which is stacked on the electrode, and amplifies the capacitance formed by the electrode,

wherein the controller controls the low frequency generation portion to generate the low frequency while receiving the driver detection signal, and controls the high frequency generation portion to generate the frequency while receiving the heating signal,
wherein, when the low frequency generation portion generates the low frequency, the electrode forms the capacitance, and the dielectric amplifies the capacitance, and
wherein, when the heating guidance portion generates the high frequency, the high frequency is applied to the electrode, and the dielectric absorbs the high frequency and releases the high frequency as thermal energy.

2. The grip detection system of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric includes a carbon micro coil (CMC) or a carbon nano coil (CNC).

3. The grip detection system of claim 2 , wherein the dielectric is formed to have elastic force.

4. The grip detection system of claim 1 , further including:
a counter which periodically counts time, and delivers a driver detection signal to the controller at a predetermined time interval.

5. The grip detection system of claim 4 , further including:
a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the dielectric,
wherein, in a state that the heating guidance portion generates the high frequency, when the temperature of the dielectric, which is measured by the temperature sensor, exceeds a predetermined allowable temperature, the controller is configured to control the heating guidance portion not to generate the high frequency, and controls the low frequency generation portion to generate the low frequency.

6. The grip detection system of claim 4 , wherein the electrode includes:
a first electrode receiving the low frequency from the low frequency generation portion; and
a second electrode receiving the high frequency from the heating guidance portion.

7. The grip detection system of claim 1 , further including: the low frequency generation portion which is connected to the controller and
configured to generates the low frequency lower than a predetermined frequency and deliver the low frequency to the electrode according to the controller;
the heating guidance portion which is connected to the controller and configured to receives a power supply, and delivers the power supply to the electrode according to the controller;
a counter which periodically counts time, and delivers a driver detection signal to the controller at a predetermined time interval; and
the input portion which is connected to the controller and configured to receive the heating signal from the driver and deliver the heating signal to the controller,
wherein the controller is configured to control the low frequency generation portion to generate the low frequency while receiving the driver detection signal, and
controls the heating guidance portion to deliver the power supply to the electrode while receiving the heating signal, wherein,
when the low frequency generation portion generates the low frequency, the electrode forms the capacitance, and the dielectric amplifies the capacitance, and
wherein, when the heating guidance portion delivers the power supply, a current flows through the electrode, generating heat by resistance of the electrode.

8. The grip detection system of claim 7 , further including:
a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the dielectric,
wherein, in a state that the heating guidance portion delivers the power supply, when the temperature of the electrode, which is measured by the temperature sensor, exceeds a predetermined allowable temperature, the controller is configured to control the heating guidance portion to control a voltage, a current or a pulse width modulation (PWM) of the power supply delivered to the electrode.

9. The grip detection system of claim 1 , further including:
a driver monitoring portion connected to the controller and configured for monitoring a body abnormality signal of the driver,
wherein, while generating the warning signal, the controller is configured to determine when the body abnormality signal of the driver is received from the driver monitoring portion, and the warning signal is output to the output portion by the controller when the body abnormality signal of the driver is not received from the driver monitoring portion, and an emergency mode is executed by the controller when the body abnormality signal of the driver is received by the controller from the driver monitoring portion.

10. The grip detection system of claim 9 , wherein, while executing the emergency mode, the controller is configured to control the autonomous driving portion to park the vehicle on an edge portion of a road, or to stop the vehicle.

11. The grip detection system of claim 1 , further including;
a storage portion connected to the controller, wherein a first predetermined value and a reference value with respect to the change in the capacitance are stored in the storage portion; and
the input portion which is connected to the controller and configured to input a predetermined value setup signal to the controller,
wherein, when the change in the capacitance is received by the controller from the contact detector after the predetermined value setup signal is received from the input portion, the controller is configured to determine a correction value by comparing the change in the capacitance with the reference value, and stores a determined correction value in the storage portion by setting up the determined correction value as a second predetermined value.

12. A grip detection method of a steering wheel for a vehicle, the method comprising:
a detection process of receiving, by the controller, a driver detection signal from a counter which periodically counts time;
a reception process of receiving, by a controller, a change in capacitance caused by contact between a driver and the steering wheel, from a contact detector mounted on t

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Omron Automotive Electronics Korea Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jong Min
• Kong Nak Kyoung
• Park Nam-Sook
• Seo Young-Sun

Classifications

• H01F1/01

  of inorganic materials (H01F1/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W2422/50

  on a steering column · CPC title

• B60W2040/0872

  Driver physiology · CPC title

• B60W50/16 Primary

  Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal · CPC title

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title