Abstract:
The present invention provides a vehicle control system comprising a projecting device, a camera device, a control device and an actuating device. The vehicle steering control system does not need a physical steering wheel, thus the weight and cost of the vehicles can be reduced. In addition, the steering control system according to the present invention provides the drivers with brand new driving experience.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/274,110, filed on Dec. 31, 2015 titled “VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING STEERING OF VEHICLE”, which claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/133,991, filed on Mar. 16, 2015 titled “IMPROVEMENTS TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES”, and the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/150,848, filed on Apr. 22, 2015 titled “IMPROVEMENTS TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES”, both of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a vehicle control system and an electric vehicle using the vehicle control system, the vehicle control system being used for controlling the steering of a vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The steering of the existing vehicle is commonly carried out by controlling a physical steering wheel, so that the steering and torque amounts are detected by a torque sensor which then is used to control a power source in a steering assist system, so as to assist steering by an engine driving an oil pump or by a motor producing an assisting force. No matter which type of steering assist system is used, as the beginning of a steering operation, a physical steering wheel is indispensable. 
       BRIEF SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention aims to provide a vehicle control system for controlling steering of a driving apparatus without a physical steering wheel. 
         [0005]    According to a first aspect of the present invention, a control system for controlling steering of the driving apparatus is provided. The control system can comprise an image projection device, a camera device, a processor, an actuation device, and/or any other components. The image projection device can be configured to project a steering wheel image within the driving apparatus. The camera device can be configured to take an image of a motion of one or two hands on the steering wheel image. The processor can be configured to determine a position of the one or two hands according to the image of the one or two hands, to calculate a movement of the one or two hands, to determine a steering angle and a steering direction according to the movement of the one or two hands, to output a control signal according to the steering angle and steering direction and/or any other operations. The actuating device can be configured to receive the control signal and to effectuate a control the driving apparatus according to the control signal. 
         [0006]    According to a second aspect of the present invention, an electric vehicle is provided, including the vehicle control system according to the first aspect of the present invention. 
         [0007]    According to a third aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control method for controlling the steering of a driving apparatus is provided. The method comprises the following steps: projecting a steering wheel image; taking images of an operator&#39;s hand(s) on the steering wheel image; determining a positions of the operator&#39;s hand(s) according to the images of the hand(s); calculating a movement of the hand(s); determining a steering angle and a steering direction according to the movement of the hand(s); and outputting a control signal to an actuating device according to the steering angle and the steering direction, so as to control the driving apparatus. 
         [0008]    In comparison to the prior art, the vehicles using the steering control system according to the present invention does not need to use a physical steering wheel, thus the weight and cost of the vehicles can be reduced. In addition, the steering control system according to the present invention provides the drivers with brand new driving experience. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]    The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  generally illustrates an example of a driving apparatus  100  in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a structural schematic diagram of a control system in accordance with one example of disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary configuration of processor for implementing the control mechanism in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of a method for calculating movement position difference vectors according to the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a flow diagram of a vehicle control method according to the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows a schematic diagram of an example of a computer system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Embodiments of the vehicle control system according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  generally illustrates an example of a driving apparatus  100  in accordance with the disclosure. The driving apparatus  100  may include any apparatus that moves in distance. Examples of driving apparatus  100  may include a vehicle such as a car, a bus, a train, a truck, a tram, or any other type of vehicle; may include a vessel such as a boat, a ship, a barge, a ferry or any other type of watercraft; may include an aircraft such as an airplane, a spaceship, or any other type of aircraft; or may include any other transportation apparatus. In one example, the driving apparatus  100  is an electrical automobile. As shown, the driving apparatus  100  may include a cabin  101  with a volume. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , in the cabin  101 , there may be a dashboard  102  that has a screen  103 . Although in this example, a dashboard screen  103  occupies the entire surface of the dashboard  102 , this is not intended to be limiting. It is contemplated that in some cases, the dashboard screen  103  may occupy a portion of the dashboard  102  instead of the entire dashboard  102 . In any case, the dashboard screen  103  is suitable to display one or more information panels, such as the information panels  104  shown in  FIG. 1 . In implementations, the dashboard screen  103  may include any display technology, such as liquid-crystal display (LCD), crystal LCD, light-emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), Plasma, projection panel, cathode ray tube (CRT), and/or any other display technology. 
         [0019]    In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include gauge information related to the transportation apparatus  100 , such as current speed/altitude/direction/wind, current longitude/latitude, distance traveled, RPM, fuel level, battery level, and/or any other gauge information related to the transportation apparatus  100 . In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include indication information, such as seat belt, airbag, door, trunk, maintenance, safety, window lock, door lock indication information or any other indication information. In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include navigational or GPS information related to navigation of the driving apparatus  100 , such as current street traveled on, map of an area the transportation apparatus  100  is traveling in, the destination information, direction instructions, traffic condition, estimated arrival time, estimated delay due to traffic, and/or any other navigation information. In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include cabin information, such as current temperature, humidity, wind speed, number of passengers in one or more zones in the cabin  101  and/or any other cabin information. In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include configuration information regarding the transportation apparatus  100 , such as seat configuration, mirror configuration, battery configuration, driving mode configuration, and/or any other configuration. In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include entertainment information. For example, such an information panel may include a video screen capable of presenting a video or still images, a browser screen capable of presenting web information, a game screen capable of presenting one or more games for user interaction, a music information screen capable of enabling a user to consume music pieces, e-commerce information screen capable of enabling a user to engage remote transaction via the Internet, radio information screen capable of presenting a list of radio stations available for user consumption, and/or any other type of infotainment screen. In some examples, information presented in the information panels  104  may include notification information such as incoming call, incoming text message, incoming video chat request, and/or any other notification information. Other examples of information panels  104  are contemplated. 
         [0020]    As still shown in  FIG. 1 , the driving apparatus  100  may comprise one or more virtual steering wheels  106  in the cabin  101 . As will be described in further detail, the virtual steering wheel  106  can be projected from an image projection device installed in the driving apparatus  100 . Although only one virtual steering wheel  106  is shown in  FIG. 1 , this is not intended to be limiting. In some examples, the driving apparatus  100  may include more than one virtual steering wheel  106 . 
         [0021]    As also shown in  FIG. 1 , one or more users  108  may be arranged to occupy their corresponding positions in the cabin  101 . The users  108  may include one or more drivers that control the virtual steering wheel  106 , one or more passengers, and/or any other type of users  108 . In this example, the user  108   a  is a driver that controls the driving of the driving apparatus  100 , while other users  108 , e.g., users  108   b - d , are passengers. As still shown, there may be multiple rows of users  108  within the cabin  101  of the transportation apparatus  100 . 
         [0022]    As still shown in  FIG. 1 , driving apparatus  100  may include one or more processors  110  configured to control one or more electrical system or subsystems in driving apparatus  100 . Types of processor  110  may include generic processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions configured to implement a control mechanism to control a control structure the driving apparatus  100 . As also shown, driving apparatus  100  may include one or more of a projection device  114  configured to project an image of the virtual steering wheel  106  as shown. As also shown, driving apparatus  100  may include one or more of a camera device configured to take an image of one or two hands of an operator of the driving apparatus on the virtual steering wheel  106 . 
         [0023]    With the driving apparatus  100  having been generally described, attention is now directed to  FIG. 2 , where a schematic diagram of a control system  200  in accordance with the disclosure is illustrated. The control system  200  can installed in the driving apparatus  100 . It will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The control system  200  can comprise the projection device  114 , the camera device  116 , a processor  110 , a steering motor  204  serving as an actuating device, a steering structure  202 , a storage device  206  and/or any other components. As mentioned above, the projection device  114  can be configured to project a steering wheel image  106  within the cabin of the driving apparatus  100 . In one embodiment, the projection device  114  projects the steering wheel image  106  in front of a driver seat. 
         [0024]    The camera device  102  can be configured to take an image of a motion of one or two hands of an operator of the driving apparatus  100  on the steering wheel image  106 . In some implementations, the camera device  102  may be configured to take such an image periodically, e.g., once every 1/12 th  seconds, 1/24 th  seconds, every 1/36 th  seconds, and so on. The images taken by the camera device  102  may be stored in the storage device  206  and may be processed by the control device  202 . 
         [0025]    The processor  110  can be configured to perform various operations to implement a control mechanism to control a maneuver of the driving apparatus  100 .  FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary configuration of processor  110  for implementing the control mechanism in accordance with the disclosure. As shown, processor  110  may comprise a hand position determination component  302 , a past information component  304 , a hand movement component  306 , a steering angle and direction component  308 , a control component  310 , and/or any other components. The hand position determination component  302  may be configured to determines the positions of one or two hands on the virtual steering wheel image  106  according to the images of the hand(s) taken by camera device  116 . As shown, the hand position determination component  302  may receive such images from the camera device  116  periodically, e.g., once every 1/12 th  seconds, 1/24 th  seconds, every 1/36 th  seconds, and so on. The hand position determination component  302  can be configured with image recognition algorithm to recognize a position of the hand(s) on the virtual steering wheel image  106 . Referring to  FIG. 4  now, the  403  and  405  on the virtual steering wheel image  106  at time T (right) indicates positions of the hands at current time that can be determined by the hand position determination component  302  via an image recognition algorithm. Returning to  FIG. 3 , once having determined the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image  106 , the hand position determination component  302  can be configured to generate the position information and store it in the storage device  206 . The storage device  206  can be configured to store hand position information for a period of time as the hand position determination component  302  keep sending the position information at specific time instants periodically. 
         [0026]    The past information component  304  can be configured to obtain past position information regarding the hands on the virtual steering wheel image  106 . For example, the past information component  304  can be configured to call up hand position information at any previous time instant stored in storage device  206 . Referring to  FIG. 4  now, position  402  and  404  on the virtual steering wheel image  106  at time T 0  (left) represent previous hand positions stored in the storage device  206 . 
         [0027]    Returning to  FIG. 3 , hand movement component  306  can be configured to calculate a hand movement based on the current position information determined by the hand position determination component  302  and the past position information retrieved by the past information component  304 . For example, the hand movement component  306  can calculate a hand movement based on the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image  106  at T 1  (current time) and the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image  106  at TO (immediate before T 1 ). Referring to  FIG. 4  again, the vector  406  and  407  can be calculated by hand movement component  306  to represent the differences between the positions  403 ,  405  of the hands in the current cycle and the positions  402 ,  404  of the hands in the previous cycle. 
         [0028]    Returning to  FIG. 3 , the steering angle and direction component  308  can be configured to determine a steering angle and a steering direction according to the movement position difference vectors determined by hand movement component  306 . The steering angle and direction component  308  can be configured to output a corresponding current and voltage as a control signal according to the steering angle and the steering direction, so as to control the steering motor  204 . Returning to  FIG. 2 , the steering motor  204  then outputs power to enable the steering structure  202  to drive vehicle wheels to turn direction. The steering structure  202  can employ a steering rack and a steering gear. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a process  500  for controlling a vehicle using a virtual steering wheel image projected within the vehicle. Process  500  is illustrated as a logical flow diagram, the operation of which represents a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes. 
         [0030]    At Step  501 , a projecting device can be used to project a steering wheel image in front of a driver of the vehicle. The specific projecting method may use the method in the prior art known to those skilled in the art, and the specific structure of the projecting device may be that of the existing device capable of realizing air projection. 
         [0031]    At  502 , the camera device takes images of operational motions of both hands of the driver on the steering wheel image. The shooting range for both hands of the driver in the charge of the camera device is limited within the boundaries of the steering wheel image, namely, the motions of both hands of the driver within the boundaries of the steering wheel image are considered effective steering operational motions, while the motions outside the boundaries of the steering wheel image are considered invalid. Such a configuration can effectively prevent malfunction, so as to improve driving safety. 
         [0032]    At step  503 , a position of both hands can be determined. In some embodiments,  503  can be performed by a hand position determination component the same or substantially similar to the hand position determination component  302  described and illustrated herein. As described above, the hand position determination component can determine the positions of the hands according to the images of the hands. Specifically, the positions of the hands on the steering wheel image are determined according to the images of the hands in the images taken by the camera device. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, no restrictions are placed on the specific hand gesture of the driver, namely no matter what hand gesture is made by the driver, the positions of the hands will be determined according to the images of the hands, so that the driver may perform steering operation freely by using his habitual operational gesture. Since one cycle of steering control steps is carried out at given intervals, the images of the hands in each cycle of steering control steps are converted to the positions of the hands which are then stored in the storage device. 
         [0033]    At  504 , movement position differences can be calculated based on the position information determined at  502 . In some embodiments,  504  can be performed by a hand movement component the same or substantially similar to hand movement component  306  described and illustrated herein. As described above, the hand movement component can calculate movement position difference vectors according to the positions of the hands.  FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of a method for calculating the movement position difference vectors according to the present invention. 
         [0034]    In order to prevent misjudgment, a checking step is introduced into this embodiment, namely it is checked whether the left hand operation is consistent with the right hand operation, and the following steps are performed only when the consistency check is successful. Specifically as shown in  FIG. 4 , after the camera device simultaneously takes images of operational motions of the left and right hands on the steering wheel image, hand movement component can determine the position  405  of the left hand in the current cycle and the position  403  of the right hand in the current cycle, and subsequently hand movement component  306  can calculate the left hand movement position difference vector  407  according to the position  405  of the left hand in this cycle and the position  404  of the left hand in the previous cycle as stored in the storage device  206 , and the right hand movement position difference vector  406  according to the position  403  of the right hand in the current cycle and the position  405  of the left hand in the previous cycle as stored in the storage device  206 . 
         [0035]    At  505 , it is determined whether the module of the left hand movement position difference vector  406  is consistent with that of the right hand movement position difference vector  407 , wherein the calculation method of the vector module is the same as that in common mathematics, and the numerical values are not necessarily exactly the same when it is judged whether the both are consistent with each other, it is acceptable as long as they are in a certain error range. When the consistency check is successful, it is indicated that the left hand operation is roughly consistent with the right hand operation. When the consistency check is unsuccessful, it is indicated that the left hand operation is different from the right hand operation, and thus the process returns to step  505 . Due to such a configuration, the driver&#39;s operation will not to be misjudged by the control system as steering operations when he performs other operation rather than steering operation with one hand, so that the judgment is more accurate. 
         [0036]    At  506 , a steering angle and a steering direction is determined according to the movement position difference vectors. In certain implementations,  506  can be performed by a steering angle and direction component the same or the substantially similar to steering angle and direction component  308  described and illustrated herein. Specifically, when it is checked that the module of the left hand movement position difference vector  406  is consistent with that of the right hand movement position difference vector  407 , the steering angle and the steering direction are determined according to the right hand movement position difference vector  406  or the left hand movement position difference vector  407 . In some embodiments, it is configured that the steering angle and the steering direction are determined according to the right hand movement position difference vector  406 . Steering angles and steering directions corresponding to respective movement position difference vectors are pre-stored in the storage device  206 , based on which the steering angle and direction component finds out the steering angle and the steering direction corresponding to the right hand movement position difference vector  406 . 
         [0037]    At step  507 , current and voltage can be output to the steering motor  104  serving as an actuating device according to the steering angle and the steering direction determined in step  506 , so as to control the output power of the steering motor  104 . In certain implementations,  507  can be performed by a control component the same or the substantially similar to control component  310  described and illustrated herein. 
         [0038]    At step  508 , the steering motor  104  can control the steering of the steering structure  202 . In this embodiment, the steering structure  202  can include a steering rack and a steering gear. The steering motor, steering rack and steering gear are similar as those in the existing steering assist system, and will not be described in detail herein. 
         [0039]    After step  508  is completed, the process returns to Step  505  again after an interval of time has elapsed for the control system, and the steps are repeated as described above. 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , a schematic diagram is shown of an example of a computer system  600 . This system is exemplary only and one having skill in the art will recognize that variations and modifications are possible. The system  600  can be used for the operations described above. For example, the computer systems shown in  FIG. 6  may be used to implement any or all of the techniques and routines described herein for facilitating a dynamic display of brake force. 
         [0041]    The system  600  includes a processor  610 , a memory  620 , a storage device  630 , and an input/output interface  640 . Each of the components  610 ,  620 ,  630 , and  640  are interconnected using a system bus  650 . The processor  610  is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system  600 . In one implementation, the processor  610  is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, the processor  610  is a multi-threaded processor. The processor  610  is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory  620  or on the storage device  630  to provide graphical information via input/output interface  640  for display on a user interface of one or more input/output device  6100 . 
         [0042]    The memory  620  stores information within the system  600  and may be associated with various characteristics and implementations. For example, the memory  620  may include various types of computer-readable medium such as volatile memory, a non-volatile memory and other types of memory technology, individually or in combination. 
         [0043]    The storage device  630  is capable of providing mass storage for the system  600 . In one implementation, the storage device  630  is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device  630  may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device. 
         [0044]    The input/output device  6100  provides input/output operations for the system  600 . In one implementation, the input/output device  6100  includes a keyboard and/or pointing device. In another implementation, the input/output device  6100  includes a display unit for displaying graphical user interfaces. 
         [0045]    The features described can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The apparatus can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described implementations by operating on input data and generating output. The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. 
         [0046]    Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). 
         [0047]    The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, such as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the computers and networks forming the Internet. 
         [0048]    The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network, such as the described one. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Although a few implementations have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. 
         [0049]    In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. 
         [0050]    Where components are described as being configured to perform certain operations, such configuration can be accomplished, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof. 
         [0051]    A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0052]    The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that additions, subtractions, deletions, and other modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope. Illustrative methods and systems for providing features of the present disclosure are described above. Some or all of these systems and methods may, but need not, be implemented at least partially by architectures such as those shown in  FIGS. 1-7  above. 
         [0053]    Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.