A transportation vehicle system, for providing feedback to a user-worn wearable device, including a hardware-based processing unit and a hardware-based computer-readable storage device. The device includes a vehicle-function identification module that, when executed by the processing unit determines that a trigger condition has occurred. The vehicle-function identification module also determines, for responding to the trigger condition, a wearable-communication function including transmitting a vehicle signal to the wearable device. An activation module causes the processing unit to initiate transmitting the vehicle signal to the wearable device. The technology also in various embodiments includes the vehicle storage device, the wearable device, a storage unit of the wearable device, and processes including any of the operations disclosed herein.

A multimodal system and process processed one or more sensor signals and extracts features from the one or more sensor signals through a spatiotemporal correlation between consecutive frames of an image or video sequence. The multimodal system and process determines the movement and direction of the features through an image subtraction, or a coherence measure and synthesizes a musical instrument signal in response to the detected movement and direction or the triggers. The imaginary musical instrument signal is added to an infotainment signal within a vehicle.

A system includes a user interface configured to receive an input from a user of the system, a sensor configured to sense a position of a user input element relative to the user interface, and a processor configured to receive an input signal from the sensor based on the position of the user input element relative to the user interface, determine a haptic effect based on the input signal, and output a haptic effect generation signal based on the determined haptic effect. A haptic output device is configured to receive the haptic effect generation signal from the processor and generate the determined haptic effect to the user, the haptic output device being located separate from the user interface so that the determined haptic effect is generated away from the user interface.

An operating gesture of a user and at least one spatial position in which the operating gesture is performed are sensed without contact by a sensing apparatus of an operating device of a motor vehicle. Then a function of the motor vehicle is controlled according to the operating gesture if it was sensed that the at least one spatial position lies within a predetermined interaction space. To determine the interaction space, a predetermined determination gesture performed by the user is detected, at least one position in which the determination gesture is performed is sensed, and the at least one sensed position of the determination gesture is defined as a coordinate of the interaction space.

A sensing device sensing at least one body part of a user when the body part is arranged in a sensing region of the sensing device is included in an operator control system that also includes a control device controlling a signal apparatus of the operator control system. The sensing device checks whether the body part sensed in the sensing region is in an operator control space that forms a sub-region of the sensing region. The control device actuates the signal apparatus that is used outside the operator control space to output an acknowledgment when the sensing device senses that the body part is inside the operator control space.

Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a system to recognize the drivers and/or passengers within the automobile. Based on the recognition, the vehicle may change a configuration of the automobile to match predetermined preferences for the driver and/or passenger. The configurations may also include the recognition of a unique set of gestures for the person. Further, the configuration can also include the tracking of health data related to the person.

Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling gesture initiation and termination of a user and controlling devices based on a user's gestures. According to one embodiment, a vehicle can include at least one actuator; at least one gesture detection device; and one or more processors. The one or more processors receive an initiation indication from the at least one actuator; receive gesture information from the at least one gesture detection device; receive a termination indication from the at least one actuator; determine, from the received gesture information, a gesture from at least one occupant of the vehicle, wherein the gesture is determined based at least in part on the initiation indication; select a command from a plurality of commands, based at least in part on the determined gesture; and output a control signal or a command control signal associated with the command.

Embodiments of vehicle gesture recognition systems and methods are disclosed. An example vehicle gesture recognition system comprises a data interface configured for receiving 2d image data from a 2d sensor and/or from a portable device camera via a portable device interface. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface is configured for receiving gesture data indicating a gesture. A vehicle processing unit is configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gestures recognized from the 2d image data and/or as indicated by the gesture data.

In a user interface and to a method for signaling a position of an input mechanism with respect to an area for 3D gesture detection for a user interface, the method includes the following steps: input mechanism of a user are detected in the area for 3D gesture detection, and the position of the input mechanism is signaled by an indicator in the area of the edge of a display unit of the user interface.

System and method for detecting an input for an apparatus inside a vehicle, wherein at least one moving user device generates a changing electromagnetic field. A detection unit detects at least one field parameter of the electromagnetic field, wherein the detected field parameter is a function of the geometric arrangement of the user device relative to the detection unit. A radio signature of the user device is determined based on the detected field parameters, and a signature sequence is determined based on a sequence of time-sequentially determined radio signatures of the user device. The determined signature sequence is then assigned to an input gesture, and whereby, based on the input gesture, a signal is generated and output.