Unitized eye-tracking wireless eyeglasses system
View Patent ↗A user-worn eye-tracking device, method, and system. The eye-tracking device may have an outward appearance resembling standard eyeglasses or sunglasses, and may also comprise a built-in wireless transceiver and an optional optical display. In addition to eye-tracking, the device can allow the user to inconspicuously transmit data by a process in which the user simply moves his or her eyes and/or optionally gazes at various internal or external display targets. The device's eye tracking system and software track the motion and gaze of the user's eyes, and convert this gaze into eye-position data and/or message symbols and system control commands. The device then transmits any of the resulting eye position data, commands or messages using its transceiver. In a preferred embodiment, the device is self-contained and operates, when placed on the user's head, without the need of external battery packs or external transceivers.
1. An eye tracking method comprising:
wearing a self-contained head-mounted eye-tracking device comprising a head-mountable frame, at least one user eye-tracking sensor positioned to track movement of one or both eyes of the user, at least one processor, and at least one wireless transceiver;
said eye-tracking sensor comprising at least one eyeglasses-frame-front-mounted video camera configured to focus on at least one eye of said user;
using said at least one processor to execute eye tracking executable code and control executable code; and
using said eye-tracking device to transmit wireless information by tracking any of a motion, position and gaze direction of said eye of said user with said eye tracking sensor.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said eye tracking sensor comprises at least one IR or NIR light source and said at least one video camera is further configured to detect IR or NIR light;
wherein said at least one IR or NIR light source is configured to shine IR or NIR electromagnetic radiation into at least one eye of said user.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said head-mountable frame is further configured to hold a lens in front of an eye of a user; and
said lens is any of free of optical correction characteristics, and said lens includes optical correction characteristics customized to the optical correction needs of said eye of said user and where lens is treated to protect said eye of said user from brightness, sun rays or UV rays.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said device further comprises at least one eyeglasses mounted optical system configured to render a virtual image of a visual display viewable by a user of said device.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said optical system comprises at least one beam splitter mounted on a lens of said eyeglasses, said at least one beam splitter configured not to obstruct at least a portion of said user's field of view, and a converging lens or converging mirror.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said visual display is based on retinal projection into at least one user eye, projection into an eyeglass lens of said head-mounted eye-tracking device or selected from any of the following, Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD), Organic light emitting diode displays (OLED), or Electronic paper displays.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said visual display displays at least one target for a symbol to trigger wireless transmission or execution of a programmed command when said eye of said user is, as determined by said at least one eyeglasses-frame-front-mounted video camera configured to focus on at least one eye of said user, directed toward a target.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein said at least one processor uses said eye tracking device and said gaze direction of said eye to implement foveated rendering on said visual display wherein images on a portion or area of said visual display that said user is gazing at are rendered at a higher resolution relative to a portion or area of said visual display that said user is not gazing at.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transceiver is selected from any of the following, Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, 0G, 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, DECT-IS136/TDMA, iDEN, GSM EDGE 2-way-wireless-messaging FM transmissions, or other wireless communications modalities that transmit signals beyond a radius of approximately 300 feet.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said head-mounted frame has an appearance of an eyeglasses frame.
11. A self-contained head-mounted eye-tracking system, comprising:
a head-mountable frame;
at least one user eye-tracking sensor positioned to track movement of one or both eyes of the user;
said eye-tracking sensor comprising at least one eyeglasses-frame-front-mounted video camera configured to focus on at least one eye of said user;
at least one processor programmed to execute eye tracking executable code and control executable code;
at least one wireless transceiver within or positioned in close proximity to said frame, said wireless transceiver receives wireless information and transmits said wireless information; and
wherein said at least one processor programmed to execute said eye tracking executable code, and said executable code causes said eye-tracking system to transmit wireless information by tracking motion, position, or gaze direction of said eye of said user with said eye tracking sensor.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said eye tracking sensor comprises at least one IR or NIR light source and said at least one video camera is further configured to detect IR or NIR light;
wherein said at least one IR or NIR light source is configured to shine IR or NIR electromagnetic radiation into at least one eye of said user.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein said head-mountable frame is further configured to hold a lens in front of an eye of a user; and
said lens is any of free of optical correction characteristics, and/or said lens includes optical correction characteristics customized to the optical correction needs of said eye of said user.
14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising at least one eyeglasses mounted optical system configured to render a virtual image of a visual display viewable by a user of said system.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein said optical system comprises at least one beam splitter mounted on a lens of said eyeglasses, said at least one beam splitter configured not to obstruct at least a portion of said user's field of view, and a converging lens or converging mirror.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein said visual display is based on retinal projection into at least one user eye, projection into an eyeglass lens of said system or selected from any of the following, Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD), Organic light emitting diode displays (OLED), or Electronic paper displays.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein said visual display displays at least one target for a symbol intended to trigger wireless transmission or execution of a programmed command when said eye of said user is, as determined by said at least one eyeglasses-frame-front-mounted video camera configured to focus on at least one eye of said user, directed toward a target.
18. The system of claim 14 , wherein said at least one processor is configured to use said eye tracking sensor and said gaze direction of said eye to implement foveated rendering on said visual display wherein images on a portion or area of said visual display that said user is gazing at are rendered at a higher resolution relative to a portion or area of said visual display that said user is not gazing at.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein said head-mounted frame has an appearance of an eyeglasses frame.
20. A self-contained head-mounted combination eye-tracking and display device for transmitting and receiving information, comprising:
a head-mountable frame configured to hold a lens in front of an eye of a user;
at least one user eye-tracking sensor positioned to track movement of one or both eyes of the user;
said eye-tracking sensor comprising at least one eyeglasses-frame-front-mounted video camera configured to focus on at least one eye of said user;
at least one processor programmed to execute eye tracking executable code and control executable code;
at least one optical system configured to render a virtual image of a visual display viewable by a user of said device;
at least one wireless transceiver built-in or positioned in close proximity to said frame, said wireless transceiver receives wireless information and transmits said wireless information to said optical system; and
wherein said at least one processor programmed to execute said eye tracking executable code, and said executable control code causes said eye-tracking and display device to transmit wireless information by tracking a motion, position or gaze direction of said eye of said user with said eye tracking sensor, translating said motion, position or gaze of said eye of said user into any of eye-tracking data, and at least one symbol or command, and transmitting said eye-tracking data, and at least one symbol or command using said at least one wireless transceiver.