Gesture Recognition Using a Touchless Sensor To Reduce Driver Distraction A p r i l 2 0 1 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract... 3 Abbreviations... 4 Market Trends/Challenges... 5 Solution... 6 Best Practices... 9 Common Issues... 10 Conclusion... 11 References... 12 Author Info... 12 2011, HCL Technologies. Reproduction Prohibited. This document is protected under Copyright by the Author, all rights reserved.
Abstract Driver distractions are a leading cause of an astounding number of serious car accidents. According to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 80 percent of automobile accidents and 65 percent of near-accidents involve at least some form of driver distraction within three seconds of the crash or near-miss. Some of the main actions that cause distracted driving are changing the radio station, adjusting CD or Mp3 player settings by reaching to the infotainment system, etc. This paper will focus on the touchless sensor based gesture recognition solution for vehicle infotainment systems. Touchless sensors are the next evolution in Human Machine Interface (HMI) technology, which is the descendant of touchscreen technology. Touchless or Infrared (IR) proximity sensors are poised to usher in the next user interface innovations centered on touchless gesturing. Touchless sensors are yet to make a footprint in the mobile phone, automotive, aero, medical, robotics, etc. industries. Touchless gesture recognition in a vehicle improves driving safety. The less time the driver spends navigating through menus, the more time that can be spent focused on the road. 3
Abbreviations Sl. No. Acronyms Full form 1 IR InfraRed 2 HMI Human Machine Interface 3 CAGR Compound Annual Growth Rate 4 ECU Electronic Control Unit 4
Market Trends/Challenges Currently, no automotive vehicle offers this solution, but the market for touchless sensors and gesture recognition is going to be huge in upcoming years. According to a market research report titled Global Touchless Sensing and Gesture Recognition Market (2010 2015), published by Markets and Markets, the total touchless sensing market is expected to reach $3,656.8 million by 2015 at a CAGR of 27.6%, and the gesture recognition market is expected to reach $625 million by 2015 at a CAGR of 25.6%. The automotive and transportation fields have a major and significant place and size to play in the field of touchless sensor and gesture recognition systems. (Source: http://www.i-newswire.com/global-touchlesssensing-and-gesture/115745) Genivi s Automotive Infotainment Software Architecture Report: The Customer Needs and Corresponding Features says gesture recognition is the most important differentiating feature. Several Tier 1 suppliers mentioned they are engaged in active development programs for Gesture Recognition technology. (Source:http://www.genivi.org/sites/default/files/GENIVI_IVI _Software_Architecture_Report.pdf) 5
Solution Block Diagram: IR Transmitter IR Receiver Touchless Sensor Touchless Sensor Recognition System ECU (Infotainment System) Display CAN Fig. 1 Working: The block diagram in Fig. 1 above shows the basic building blocks for a touchless gesture recognition system for the vehicle infotainment system. The IR sensors send the signal to the sensor recognition system, depending upon the drivers hand movements. When the hand is waved over the sensors, the transmitted IR signal is reflected by the hand back to the IR receiver. Depending upon which IR receiver received the signal first and last, the algorithm that resides in the sensor recognition system understands the hand movement and sends the control signal for the infotainment display through the infotainment system ECU. 6
Application Examples: The applications that can be developed for the infotainment system access using hand gestures are listed in Table 1. SL No Hand Gesture Input Application Output 1 Top to Bottom Scroll Down 2 Bottom to Top Scroll Up 3 Left to Right 4 Right to Left Slide Screen Right/Select Previous Play Station or Song Slide Screen Left/Select Next Play Station or Song 5 Hand over the sensor Select Table 1 In addition to the infotainment applications depicted in Table 1, the same hand gesture input can be used for automatic door, bonnet (hood) and dicky (trunk) opening, as well as automatic lighting systems, which are listed in Table 2. SL No Hand Gesture Input Application Output 1 Bottom to Top Bonnet/Dicky Open 2 Top to Bottom Bonnet/Dicky Close 3 Right to Left Door Open 4 Left to Right Door Close Table 2 Disadvantages of the Current System: The current gesture recognition system is a vision-based system which has many disadvantages, including: 1) Costly solution 2) Need high resolution cameras 3) Needs very high speed image processing (S/W, H/W) 4) Highly sensitive to noise in image processing (lens aberrations) 7
Advantages of Touchless Gesture Recognition: The disadvantages of the vision-based recognition system have been overcome in the touchless based gesture recognition system. The advantages of the touchless sensing system are: 1) Cheaper solution 2) Touchless 3) Easy to develop 4) Easy to maintain 5) Easy to replace 6) Easy to access 8
Best Practices Touchless sensors are the newest advancement in the human machine interface, which is slowly being incorporated into mobile phones, tablets, PDAs and other computer-related products. It is yet to be available in the automotive industry for infotainment access. The existing technology for automotive infotainment access is touchscreen. The main disadvantage of this technology is that the driver has to take his/her eyes off the road to access the infotainment. This is not in the case with a touchless sensing system. Another way to reduce driver distraction is by blocking access to the infotainment system while driving, which means the driver either has to preset the play list or navigation system, or has to stop the car to access the infotainment system. So, the market for the touchless sensor is a huge one in which we can play. 9
Common Issues Some of the common challenges in solution development are identifying the hardware, stack development, and algorithm development. The greater challenge in the touchless gesture recognition system is in the resolution of accessing the navigation application, for example minimizing and maximizing the map. The issues in text typing applications like typing email, entering a phone number, etc., can be resolved by technology fusion, i.e. by merging speech-to-text with this solution. 10
Conclusion According to the market analysis, the growth for touchless and gesture recognition is going to be huge, so the market is huge for us to play in this technology. Using this technology, we can develop a cheaper safety solution for vehicle infotainment system access. We have a mammoth place in the market to play, as the technology is yet to evolve in the automotive industry. By making our solution faster and early-to-market, we can be the early movers. It will also help us in creating business with major OEMs and Tier 1 players. 11
References http://www.i-newswire.com/global-touchless-sensing-andgesture/115745 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux2lqvgu0fq http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffdl28.htm http://www.genivi.org/sites/default/files/genivi_ivi_software_archit ecture_report.pdf Author Info Vijay T P Lead Engineer, Auto-Prac Team Email : vijay-t@hcl.com Experience: Embedded System Programming and Development 12
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