Concepts for Steering Wheel Hands-offdetection

Sammanfattning

The growing deployment of Level 2 and Level 3 automated driving systems in automotiveapplications, particularly in passenger cars and commercial vehicles, hasincreased the importance of reliable driver monitoring. This is especially relevantin situations where the driver must remain engaged and be ready to retake controlwhen necessary. In this context, steering wheel hands-on/hands-off detection (HOD)plays a key role in determining whether the driver maintains physical contact withthe steering wheel. Currently, many HOD systems are based on capacitive sensingintegrated into the steering wheel. While this approach is widely adopted in currentadvanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), it is associated with several practicallimitations, including sensitivity to environmental influences, reduced performancewhen gloves are worn, dependence on hand placement, and challenges in achievingconsistent robustness under real driving conditions.To address these limitations, this thesis explores alternative concepts for steeringwheel hands-off detection by examining sensing technologies used in related engineeringdomains. A cross-domain review is conducted covering robotics, industrialautomation, medical devices, and aviation, with the aim of identifying sensing principlesthat may be transferable to automotive applications. The selected technologiesare assessed using criteria such as detection reliability, feasibility of integration,safety relevance, environmental robustness, cost, and compatibility with automotiverequirements.To support the concept evaluation, an exploratory Proof of Concept (PoC) wasdeveloped to demonstrate selected sensing principles and assess their practical feasibilityin a steering wheel context.The study highlights several promising sensing approaches that could either replaceor complement existing capacitive systems. By providing a structured comparisonof cross-domain technologies and an evaluation of their suitability for automotiveuse, the thesis offers a foundation for future development of more reliable HOD solutions.Ultimately, the work contributes to improved vehicle safety, more dependableADAS functionality, and the continued advancement of human–machine interactionin automated driving.