HCLT Whitepaper: Gesture Recognition Using A Touch-Less Sensor

Gesture Recognition Using a Touchless
Sensor To Reduce Driver Distraction
April 2012
Gesture Recognition Using a Touchless Sensor To Reduce Driver Distraction | April 2012
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.
2011 HCL Technologies, Ltd. Reproduction prohibited. This document is protected under copyright by the author. All rights reserved.
Abbreviations
Sl. No.
Acronyms
Full form
IR
InfraRed
HMI
Human Machine Interface
CAGR
Compound Annual Growth Rate
ECU
Electronic Control Unit
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)
Genivis 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)
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.
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
Top to Bottom
Scroll Down
Bottom to Top
Scroll Up
Left to Right
Right to Left
Hand over the sensor
Slide Screen Right/Select Previous

Play Station or Song
Slide Screen Left/Select Next Play
Station or Song
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
Bottom to Top
Bonnet/Dicky Open
Top to Bottom
Bonnet/Dicky Close
Right to Left
Door Open
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)
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
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.
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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Gesture Recognition Using a Touchless

Sensor To Reduce Driver Distraction

Human Machine Interface

Compound Annual Growth Rate

Electronic Control Unit

According to a market research report titled Global

Genivis Automotive Infotainment Software Architecture

differentiating feature. Several Tier 1 suppliers mentioned

Hand Gesture Input

Hand over the sensor

Slide Screen Right/Select Previous

Hand Gesture Input

Advantages of Touchless Gesture Recognition:

The disadvantages of the vision-based recognition system have

Hello, Im from HCLs Engineering and R&D Services. We enable

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