System for detecting the presence and position of hands and/or fingers near a vehicle steering wheel

1. A method of detecting a presence of at least one hand of a driver near or in contact with a rim ( 25 ) of a steering wheel ( 2 ) for a motor vehicle, the steering wheel ( 2 ) being connected to a steering system of the motor vehicle and equipped with a sensing system including a plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) arranged on the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ), said optical sensors outfitted with infrared transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R), the method comprising:

a) scanning the optical sensors ( 7 ), by

a1) first capturing of a first light intensity of ambient illumination received by the receiving diodes (Rx, 7 R) with the transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) not being active, and

a2) activating the transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and second capturing of a second light intensity received by the receiving diodes (Rx, 7 R) that includes reflected light of an illumination generated by the activated transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T);

b) deducing, from the first captured light intensity and the second captured light intensity of the scanning, a count of zero or more fingers ( 5 ) of the driver near or in contact with the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ); and

c) deducing, from the first captured light intensity and the second captured light intensity of the scanning, a count of zero or more hands of the driver in contact with the steering wheel,

where steps a), a1), a2), and b) are carried out repeatedly, and real time and continual composite information, including updated counts of the driver's hands and updated counts of the driver's fingers, are provided from the sensing system to a third-party system.

2. The method of detection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged on a side of the steering wheel opposite the driver.

3. The method of detection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged as an alternation of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) such that any adjacent pair of said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) has a transmitting diode of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) positioned therebetween.

4. The method of detection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third-party system to which said composite information is provided is any of an assisted driving system of the vehicle and a monitoring system of the vehicle.

5. The method of detection as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying, from said scanning, a position along the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) of one or more of the optical sensors ( 7 ) that is persistently occulted, including when the steering wheel ( 2 ) is operatively being turned; and

deducing from said identifying that an object is permanently located at the position of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ), and inhibiting the inclusion of information of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) in the composite information provided from the sensing system to the third-party system.

6. A system for a motor vehicle to detect a presence of at least one hand of a driver near or in contact with a rim ( 25 ) of a steering wheel ( 2 ) of the steering system of the motor vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) arranged on the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ), the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) configured to detect a presence of at least one finger ( 5 ) of the at least one hand ( 4 ) of the driver near or in contact with the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ),

said optical sensors including infrared transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R); and

an electronic processing unit ( 8 ) in communication with the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ), configured to

repeatedly scan the optical sensors ( 7 ), by

first capturing of a first light intensity of ambient illumination received by the receiving diodes (Rx, 7 R) with the transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) not being active, and

activating the transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and second capturing of a second light intensity received by the receiving diodes (Rx, 7 R) that includes reflected light of an illumination generated by the activated transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T),

by means of which the electronic processing unit ( 8 ) determines a number of fingers ( 5 ) of the driver near or in contact with the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) as well as respective positions of the fingers of the driver on the rim ( 25 ).

7. The method of detection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) are configured to operate in a wavelength range between 850 nm to 940 nm.

8. The method of detection as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged as an alternation of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) such that any adjacent pair of said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) has a transmitting diode of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) positioned therebetween.

9. The method of detection as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the third-party system to which said composite information is provided is any of an assisted driving system of the vehicle and a monitoring system of the vehicle.

10. The method of detection as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the third-party system to which said composite information is provided is any of an assisted driving system of the vehicle and a monitoring system of the vehicle.

11. The method of detection as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:

identifying, from said scanning, a position along the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) of one or more of the optical sensors ( 7 ) that is persistently occulted, including when the steering wheel ( 2 ) is operatively being turned;

deducing from said identifying that an object is permanently located at the position of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ), and inhibiting the inclusion of information of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) in the composite information provided from the sensing system to the third-party system.

12. The method of detection as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:

identifying, from said scanning, a position along the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) of one or more of the optical sensors ( 7 ) that is persistently occulted, including when the steering wheel ( 2 ) is operatively being turned; and

deducing from said identifying that an object is permanently located at the position of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ), and inhibiting the inclusion of information of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) in the composite information provided from the sensing system to the third-party system.

13. The method of detection as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising:

identifying, from said scanning, a position along the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) of one or more of the optical sensors ( 7 ) that is persistently occulted, including when the steering wheel ( 2 ) is operatively being turned; and

deducing from said identifying that an object is permanently located at the position of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ), and inhibiting an inclusion of information of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) in the composite information provided from the sensing system to the third-party system.

14. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged on a side of the steering wheel opposite the driver.

15. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged as an alternation of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) such that any adjacent pair of said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) has a transmitting diode of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) positioned therebetween.

16. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the third-party system to which said composite information is provided is any of an assisted driving system of the vehicle and a monitoring system of the vehicle.

17. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the electronic processing unit ( 8 ) is further configured to

identify, from said scanning, a position along the rim ( 25 ) of the steering wheel ( 2 ) of one or more of the optical sensors ( 7 ) that is persistently occulted, including when the steering wheel ( 2 ) is operatively being turned, and

deduce from said identifying that an object is permanently located at the position of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) and inhibit an inclusion of information of the one or more optical sensors ( 7 ) in the composite information provided from the sensing system to the third-party system.

18. The system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is configured to operate in a wavelength range between 850 nm to 940 nm.

19. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the plurality of optical sensors ( 7 ) is arranged as an alternation of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) and said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) such that any adjacent pair of said receiving photodiodes (Rx, 7 R) has a transmitting diode of said transmitting diodes (Tx, 7 T) positioned therebetween.

20. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the third-party system to which said composite information is provided is any of an assisted driving system of the vehicle and a monitoring system of the vehicle.