KR-20260062448-A - river's steering wheel grip detection device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a driver's steering wheel gripping detection device, and more specifically, to a device that checks whether a driver is gripping the steering wheel during autonomous driving and, if the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, provides a warning to the driver for safety. The present invention is achieved by comprising an air cell (200) formed between the outer surface of a steering wheel (100) and a finishing material (110), a pressure sensor (300) that detects a pressure change applied to the air cell (200) through the finishing material (110), a controller (400) that compares a pressure change value input to the pressure sensor (300) with a set pressure value and generates a corresponding control signal, and a warning device (500) that can warn the driver according to the signal generated by the controller (400).

Inventors

• 이동민

Assignees

• 넥스콘테크놀러지 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241029

Claims (2)

1. A driver's steering wheel gripping detection device characterized by comprising: an air cell (200) formed between the outer surface of a steering wheel (100) and a finishing material (110); a pressure sensor (300) that detects a pressure change applied to the air cell (200) through the finishing material (110); a controller (400) that compares a pressure change value input to the pressure sensor (300) with a set pressure value and generates a corresponding control signal; and a warning device (500) that can warn the driver according to the signal generated by the controller (400).
2. A driver's steering wheel gripping detection device according to claim 1, wherein the controller (400) is configured to generate a signal only when the pressure value input through the pressure sensor (300) is equal to a set pressure value.

Description

River's steering wheel grip detection device The present invention relates to a driver's steering wheel grip detection and verification device, and more specifically, to a driver's steering wheel grip detection and verification device that checks whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel during autonomous driving and, if the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, can warn the driver for safety. Autonomous vehicles independently recognize their surroundings and assess driving conditions without driver intervention, controlling the vehicle. Recently, these autonomous vehicles are attracting attention as a means of transportation that can reduce traffic accidents, improve traffic efficiency, save fuel, and enhance driver convenience by taking over the driving. However, depending on operating conditions, driver intervention may be required. In this situation, a vehicle in autonomous driving mode needs to immediately hand over control of the vehicle to the driver. Therefore, autonomous vehicles must check whether the driver is holding the steering wheel during autonomous driving, and if the driver is not holding the steering wheel when it is necessary to transfer control to the driver, it is necessary to warn the driver for safety. Conventionally, whether a driver is gripping the steering wheel is detected indirectly through cameras, infrared sensors, or MDPS torque sensors applied to components around the steering wheel where gripping occurs; however, there are many cases of misrecognition depending on the surrounding environment. Therefore, there is a need for a steering wheel equipped with a dedicated grip detection function that accurately checks whether the driver is gripping the wheel without significantly altering the structure and aesthetics of existing steering wheels. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a steering wheel for a driver's steering wheel grip detection verification device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the driver's steering wheel gripping detection verification device according to the present invention. This does not mean that the purposes or effects presented in the present invention must be included in all or only in specific embodiments, and therefore the scope of the present invention should not be understood as being limited by specific embodiments. Meanwhile, among the technical configurations described in this invention and the functions exhibited by said technical configurations, detailed descriptions of technical configurations and functions that are widely known and applied will be omitted. In addition, the following embodiments are provided to explain more clearly to those with average knowledge in the industry, and the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation. The technical configuration of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a steering wheel for a driver's steering wheel grip detection verification device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a driver's steering wheel grip detection verification device according to the present invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the driver's steering wheel gripping detection device of the present invention comprises an air cell (200) formed between the outer surface of the steering wheel (100) and a finishing material (110), a pressure sensor (300) that detects a pressure change applied to the air cell (200) through the finishing material (110), a controller (400) that compares the pressure change value input to the pressure sensor (300) with a set pressure value and generates a control signal corresponding thereto, and a warning device (500) that can warn the driver according to the signal generated by the controller (400). Meanwhile, the controller (400) is configured to generate a signal only when the pressure value input through the pressure sensor (300) is equal to the set pressure value. In the present invention configured as described above, when a driver holds the steering wheel (100) while driving a vehicle in autonomous driving mode, pressure is applied to the air cell (200) through the finishing material (110) surrounding the steering wheel (100), causing deformation, and the pressure applied to the air cell (200) is input to the pressure sensor (300). The pressure value input to the pressure sensor (300) is transmitted to the controller (400), and the controller (400) compares and determines the pressure value of the air cell (200) input through the pressure sensor (300) with a preset pressure value. Afterwards, if the pressure value compared and determined by the controller (400) is higher than the preset pressure value, the operation stops. At this time, if the pressure value compared and determined by the controller (400) is the same as the preset pressure value, it is dete