Eye tracking based on imaging eye features and assistance of structured illumination probe light

1. An eye-tracking device, comprising:

a support structure attachable to a user;

one or more probe light sources placed on the support structure to produce illumination probe light;

an optical device placed on the support structure to receive the illumination probe light and to direct the illumination probe light to illuminate an eye of the user, wherein the optical device includes an optical projector that modulates the illumination probe light to carry a pattern as a spatial position reference and to project the illumination probe light with the pattern over the eye without scanning the illumination probe light;

an optical detector array placed on the support structure to include optical detectors to capture images of the eye under illumination to produce detector signals from the optical detectors;

an optical imaging module placed on the support structure to image the eye onto the optical detector array and to collect and image optical reflection of the illumination probe light with the pattern of the spatial position reference from the eye onto the optical detector array; and

a processor coupled to receive and process the detector signals including the captured images from the optical detector array and operable to extract from the captured images an optical signature produced by a unique physical feature of the eye comprising a complex interwoven texture of an iris that is unique to each person wherein the complex interwoven texture includes signature points that are unique to each person in each captured image of the eye based on the pattern in the illumination probe light as the spatial position reference to determine positions of the signature points of the eye in each captured image of the eye and to monitor a change in the positions of the signature points of the eye in each captured image of the eye to track the eye, wherein the processor is operable to determine the positions of the signature points of the eye in each captured image of the eye based on row and column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the captured images, wherein as the eye moves the positions of the signature points of the eye change causing change in the row and the column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the signature points of the eye, wherein the processing the detector signals from the optical detector array further tracks the eye by determining a position of the eye in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on the illumination probe light with the pattern of the spatial position reference.

2. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the optical device includes an optical projector that modulates the illumination probe light to carry a pattern as a spatial position reference for the processor to determine the position of the optical image of a feature of the eye in each captured image of the eye.

3. The device as in claim 2 , wherein the optical device includes an optical projector that modulates the illumination probe light to carry a periodic spatial pattern to determine the position of the optical image of a feature of the eye in each captured image of the eye.

4. The device as in claim 2 , wherein the optical device includes an optical projector that modulates the illumination probe light to carry a coded non-periodic pattern to determine the position of the optical image of a feature of the eye in each captured image of the eye.

5. The device as in claim 2 , wherein the optical projector includes a diffractive optical element.

6. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the support structure attachable to the user is a pair of goggles.

7. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the processor is structured to detect one or more images of an iris of the eye as part of the optical signature to determine a bio-identifier map for the user.

8. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the processing the detector signals from the optical detector array further determines an aperture of a pupil of the eye, eye flashing movements, and eyelid blink movements.

9. A method for using optical imaging to track an eye, comprising:

attaching a device to a user;

projecting illumination probe light to illuminate an eye of the user;

modulating the illumination probe light to carry a pattern as a spatial position reference so that the illumination probe light is projected onto the eye with the pattern over the eye without scanning the illumination probe light;

operating an optical detector array with optical detectors located in the device to receive an optical reflection of the illumination probe light with the spatial pattern from the eye under illumination to produce detector signals from the optical detectors representing a detected image of the eye;

operating an optical imaging module in an optical path of the optical reflection from the eye to the optical detector array to image the eye onto the optical detector array and to collect and image the optical reflection of the illumination probe light with the pattern of the spatial position reference from the eye onto the optical detector array; and

processing the detector signals from the optical detector array to generate an optical image of the eye and to identify an optical signature produced by a unique physical feature comprising a complex interwoven texture of an iris that is unique to each person wherein the complex interwoven texture includes signature points that are unique to each person within the detected image of the eye based on the pattern as the spatial position reference in an optical refection of the illumination probe light to determine the positions of the signature points of the eye and to monitor a change in the positions of the signature points of the eye in the detected image of the eye to track the eye, wherein the processing determines the positions of the signature points of the eye in each captured image of the eye based on row and column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the captured images, wherein as the eye moves the positions of the signature points of the eye change causing change in the row and the column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the signature points of the eye, wherein the processing the detector signals from the optical detector array further tracks the eye by determining a position of the eye in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on the illumination probe light with the pattern of the spatial position reference.

10. The method as in claim 9 , comprising:

modulating the illumination probe light to carry a spatial pattern to illuminate the eye of the user;

operating the optical detector array to image the eye;

processing the detector signals from the optical detector array in imaging the eye to generate (1) an optical image of the spatial pattern in the modulated illumination probe light reflected from the eye and (2) the optical image of the eye that overlaps with the optical image of the spatial pattern; and

processing the optical images to determine a position or motion of the eye based on information of the optical image of the signature points of the eye within the generated image of the eye with reference to known locations in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye.

11. The method as in claim 10 , comprising:

using a periodic pattern as the spatial pattern on the illumination probe light, wherein the periodic pattern includes a pattern of spots or isolated patterns.

12. The method as in claim 10 , comprising:

using a coded pattern as the spatial pattern on the illumination probe light.

13. An eye-tracking device, comprising:

a viewing device that can be attached to a user and is structured to include a display screen visible to the user when the view device is attached to the user;

one or more probe light sources located in the viewing device to produce illumination probe light;

an optical device located in the viewing device to receive the illumination probe light and to produce a spatial pattern on the illumination probe light and to direct the illumination probe light with the spatial pattern into an eye without scanning the illumination probe light;

an optical detector array with optical detectors located in the viewing device to receive an optical reflection of the illumination probe light with the spatial pattern from the eye under illumination to produce detector signals from the optical detectors representing a detected image of the optical reflection;

an optical imaging module located in the viewing device in an optical path of the optical reflection from the eye to the optical detector array to collect the optical reflection of the illumination probe light with the spatial pattern from the eye under illumination and to image a collected optical reflection onto the optical detector array and to image the eye onto the optical detector array; and

a processor coupled to receive and process the detector signals from the optical detector array and operable to extract (1) an optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye, (2) an signature produced by a unique physical feature of the eye comprising a complex interwoven texture of an iris that is unique to each person wherein the complex interwoven texture includes signature points that are unique to each person that overlaps with the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye, and to determine motion of the eye with respect to the display screen based on information in the signature points of the eye with reference to known locations in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye, (3) operable to determine positions of the signature points of the eye in each captured image of the eye based on row and column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the captured images, wherein as the eye moves the positions of the signature points of the eye change causing change in the row and the column positions of optical detectors in the optical detector array that capture the signature points of the eye, and (4) operable to further determine the motion of the eye by determining a position of the eye in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on the illumination probe light with the pattern of the spatial position reference.

14. The device as in claim 13 , wherein the optical device located in the viewing device is configured to generate a periodic pattern as the spatial pattern on the illumination probe light in a predetermined geometry of known dimensions of the periodic pattern,

wherein the processor is structured to extract geometry and dimensions of the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye to correct an optical distortion in the optical image based on predetermined grid geometry of known dimensions of the periodic pattern generated by the optical device, and

wherein the processor is structured to determine the position or motion of the eye with respect to the display screen based on information in the image of the eye with reference to known locations in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye after the optical distortion to the periodic pattern is corrected.

15. The device as in claim 14 , wherein the periodic pattern includes a grid pattern, or a pattern of spots or isolated patterns.

16. The device as in claim 14 , wherein the optical device located in the viewing device is configured to generate a coded speckle pattern as the spatial pattern on the illumination probe light in a predetermined geometry of known dimensions of the periodic pattern,

wherein the processor is structured to extract geometry and dimensions of the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye to correct an optical distortion in the optical image based on the coded speckle pattern generated by the optical device, and

wherein the processor is structured to determine the position or motion of the eye with respect to the display screen based on information in the image of the eye with reference to known locations in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye after the optical distortion to the coded speckle pattern is corrected.

17. The device as in claim 13 , wherein the processor is structured to extract one of a biological structure selected from different biological structures of the eye to determine the position or motion of the eye with respect to the display screen based on information in the image of the eye with reference to known locations of the selected biological structure in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye.

18. The device as in claim 17 , wherein the processor is structured to, in addition to the selected biological structure of the eye, extract a second biological structure of the different biological structures of the eye to determine the position or motion of the eye with respect to the display screen based on information in the image of the eye with reference to known locations of both the selected biological structure and the second selected biological structure in the optical image of the spatial pattern reflected from the eye.

19. The device as in claim 13 , wherein the viewing device includes a virtual reality (VR) device such as a pair of VR goggles or an augmented reality (AR) device such as a pair AR goggles.

20. The device as in claim 1 , wherein the optical signature is formed by a biological structure of the eye comprising one or more of a pattern or mark of the iris, a blood vessel print pattern on the eye, and wherein the processor detects and monitors the positions and the changes in the positions of the signature points, pupil coordinates, or detects an edge position of the iris.