A method is provided for controlling operation of a receptacle 12 located within a vehicle cabin (1 see fig 1), wherein the receptacle 12 has a volume for receiving an object and is arranged to transition between an open state in which an object located within the receptacle 12 is removable therefrom, and a closed state in which the object such as a cup is retained within the receptacle 12. A camera (7 see fig 1) detects a hand 17 of a vehicle occupant within a volume of space within the vehicle cabin (1). A controller (19 see fig 3) determines the relative position of the hand 17 with respect to the receptacle and controls operation of the receptacle 12 in dependence on a distance between at least a portion of the hand and the receptacle 12 being less than or equal to a predefined proximity threshold. The receptacle 12 may be a cup holder. The invention addresses a risk of beverage spillages.
Vehicle receptacle controller
2020-03-04
Patent
Electronic Resource
English