CN-122009307-A - Steering apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle. A steering apparatus for a vehicle includes one or more sensors configured to detect a plurality of hand movements from an operator of the vehicle, and one or more circuits coupled to the one or more sensors, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to adjust one or more elements of the vehicle based on the detected hand movements such that the operator of the vehicle is able to adjust operation of the vehicle.

Inventors

• JALLAL BAHIJA
• A. Pereira
• D. K. Applewa

Assignees

• 瑞萨电子美国有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251106

Priority Date

20241111

Claims (20)

1. 1. A steering apparatus for a vehicle, the steering apparatus comprising: One or more sensors configured to detect a plurality of hand movements from an operator of the vehicle, and One or more circuits coupled to the one or more sensors; wherein the one or more circuits are configured to adjust one or more elements of the vehicle based on the detected hand movement such that the operator of the vehicle can adjust operation of the vehicle.
2. 2. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator is able to adjust the operation of the vehicle without removing one or more of his hands from the steering apparatus.
3. 3. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more conductive foils.
4. 4. The steering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more shift dials disposed on a rear left-hand side and/or a rear right-hand side of the steering apparatus.
5. 5. The steering apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on the one or more shift paddles.
6. 6. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on a front side of the steering apparatus.
7. 7. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on a rear side of the steering apparatus.
8. 8. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on a left-hand side of the steering apparatus.
9. 9. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on a right-hand side of the steering apparatus.
10. 10. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed on a front side, a rear side, a left-hand side, and a right-hand side of the steering apparatus.
11. 11. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged such that they define a plurality of detection zones, each detection zone being connected to each of the one or more circuits to adjust the one or more elements of the vehicle.
12. 12. The steering apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises an impedance sensor and/or a torque sensor.
13. 13. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hand motions are a plurality of touch motions.
14. 14. The steering apparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of touch motions includes detection of one or more fingers, grasping of one hand, grasping of two hands, releasing of one hand, releasing of two hands, sliding motion from left to right, sliding motion from right to left, single tap of one hand, two or more taps of one hand, single tap of two hands, and/or two or more taps of two hands.
15. 15. The steering apparatus of claim 14, wherein each touch motion of the plurality of touch motions is associated with changing operation of an element of the vehicle.
16. 16. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits comprise an impedance measurement system.
17. 17. The steering apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors each have an associated impedance such that the associated impedance changes when one or more of the one or more sensors detects one of the plurality of hand movements.
18. 18. The steering apparatus of claim 17, wherein the impedance measurement system is configured to detect a change in the associated impedance and adjust the one or more elements of the vehicle based on the change in the associated impedance.
19. 19. The steering apparatus of claim 18, wherein the change in the associated impedance comprises an increase or decrease in the associated impedance.
20. 20. The steering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more elements of the vehicle comprise at least one of an indicator system, a heating system, a calling system, a volume adjustment, an autonomous driving system, a display system, a navigation system, and/or a driving mode system.

Description

Steering apparatus for vehicle Technical Field The present disclosure relates to steering apparatus for vehicles, and in particular, but not exclusively, to steering wheels that include one or more sensors to allow an operator of the vehicle to adjust the operation of the vehicle without removing one or more of their hands. Background In a vehicle, there may be a number of knobs, buttons, or switches that enable an operator of the vehicle to perform various functions. These knobs, buttons and switches form part of a so-called human-machine interface (HMI). For example, if the vehicle is an automobile, the functions that may be controlled via the HMI may include adjusting air conditioning, heating, adjusting music volume, setting a driving mode of the automobile, or activating an alert indicator to alert other drivers of events. Typically, the HMI elements are mechanical. Recently, capacitive switches have been used. However, both the mechanical HMI element and the capacitive switch require the operator of the vehicle to remove their hands from the device for steering the vehicle (e.g., the steering wheel if the vehicle is an automobile). This may cause the vehicle operator to have a reduced duration of attention or affect their ability to use the steering device. To overcome this, the incorporation of some HMI elements onto steering devices has emerged. For example, window controls or volume controls in an automobile may be incorporated into the steering wheel. However, incorporating HMI elements into the steering device as such increases the complexity of the device. Furthermore, the HMI element is only able to provide a single function when incorporated into a steering apparatus. Thus, a higher number of HMI elements may be required, which is undesirable. Thus, there is a need for a new way of implementing HMI elements in a steering apparatus for a vehicle that overcomes these problems. Disclosure of Invention According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a steering apparatus for a vehicle is provided, the steering apparatus comprising one or more sensors configured to detect a plurality of hand movements from an operator of the vehicle, and one or more circuits coupled to the one or more sensors, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to adjust one or more elements of the vehicle based on the detected hand movements, such that the operator of the vehicle is able to adjust operation of the vehicle. Alternatively, the operator may adjust the operation of the vehicle without removing one or more of their hands from the steering apparatus. Optionally, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more conductive foils. Optionally, one or more shift dials are further included, the shift dials being provided at a rear left-hand side and/or a rear right-hand side of the steering apparatus. Optionally, the one or more sensors are disposed on the one or more shift dials. Optionally, the one or more sensors are provided on a front side of the steering device. Optionally, the one or more sensors are provided at a rear side of the steering device. Optionally, the one or more sensors are disposed on a left-hand side of the steering apparatus. Optionally, the one or more sensors are disposed on a right hand side of the steering apparatus. Optionally, the one or more sensors are disposed on a front side, a rear side, a left-hand side, and a right-hand side of the steering apparatus. Optionally, the one or more sensors are arranged such that they define a plurality of detection zones, each detection zone being connected to each of the one or more circuits to adjust one or more elements of the vehicle. Optionally, the sensor comprises an impedance sensor and/or a torque sensor. Optionally, the plurality of hand movements is a plurality of touch movements. Optionally, the plurality of touch motions includes detection of one or more fingers, grip of one hand, grip of two hands, release of one hand, release of two hands, sliding motion from left to right, sliding motion from right to left, single tap of one hand, two or more taps of one hand, single tap of two hands, and/or two or more taps of two hands. Optionally, each touch motion of the plurality of touch motions is associated with an operation to change an element of the vehicle. Optionally, the one or more circuits include an impedance measurement system. Optionally, the one or more sensors each have an associated impedance such that when one or more of the one or more sensors detects one of the plurality of hand movements, the associated impedance changes. Optionally, the impedance measurement system is configured to detect a change in the associated impedance and adjust one or more elements of the vehicle based on the change in the associated impedance. Optionally, the change in the associated impedance comprises an increase or decrease in the associated impedance. Optionally, the one or more elements of the vehicle include at least one of an ind