Camera System with Eye Finder Modules

• US 20100214395A1
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
• Original Assignee: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
• Inventors: Haussler, Ralf
• Application Number:
  US12/711,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214395A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/005 based on electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes

Abstract

The detection of the position of observer eyes in large object planes by a camera system with eye finder modules is disclosed, each of which comprises a camera with an objective lens and a camera chip. An embodiment is based on a camera system with two eye finder modules, where each eye finder module comprises an objective lens and a camera chip for detecting and determining the position of observer eyes in at least one object plane, and where the camera system is connected with a control unit.

Claims

1. Camera system with at least two eye finder modules, where each eye finder module comprises a camera with an objective lens and a camera chip for detecting and determining the position of observer eyes in at least one object plane, and where the camera system is connected with a control unit of a display device, wherein the objective lens (L) is combined with a controllable array of micro-prisms (EMPA) for a sequential imaging and deflection of sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) of at least one object plane (A, . . . , Am) onto the entire photosensitive area of the camera chip (C), where the sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) lie within the depth-of-focus range of the controllable combination (K) of objective lens (L) and controllable array of micro-prisms (EMPA).

2. Camera system according to claim 1, where the array of micro-prisms (EMPA) comprises a multitude of electrowetting cells, which are disposed either before or in the objective lens (L) seen in the direction of light propagation.

3. Camera system according to claim 2, where the electrowetting cells form micro-prisms which realise both the function of a prism and that of a lens in the array of micro-prisms (EMPA), depending on how they are controlled.

4. Camera system according to claim 3, where the array of micro-prisms (EMPA) as a whole realises the function of a Fresnel lens when being controlled accordingly.

5. Camera system according to claim 4, where the control unit controls the focal length of the Fresnel lens for the imaging onto the camera chip (C) in dependence on a distance d between the at least one object plane (Am) and the controllable combination (K), where the at least one object plane (Am) includes at least one sub-region (DAn) with observer eyes.

6. Camera system according to claim 1, where a control module (CM) is provided which is connected with the control unit of the display device and which controls the combination (K).

7. Camera system according to claim 6, where the combination (K) for the imaging of sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) in object planes (A, . . . , Am) onto the camera chip (C) is optionally controlled continuously or stepwise.

8. Camera system according to claim 7, where, if stepwise control is executed, the number of sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) to be imaged onto the camera chip (C) depends on the number of detected observer eyes in these sub-regions and/or on the position change of the detected observer eyes from one object plane into another object plane.

9. Camera system according to claim 1, where the sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) gaplessly cover the entire surface area of an object plane (Am).

10. Camera system according to claim 1, which is integrated into a display device for the three-dimensional representation of autostereoscopic and/or holographic information.

11. Method for the detection of the position of observer eyes with a camera system with at least two eye finder modules, where each eye finder module comprises a camera with an objective lens and a camera chip for detecting and determining the position of observer eyes in at least one object plane, and where the camera system is connected with a control unit of a display device, wherein a sequential imaging and deflection of sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) of at least one object plane (A, . . . , Am) onto the entire photosensitive area of the camera chip (C) is executed by combining the objective lens (L) with a controllable array of micro-prisms (EMPA) which is assigned to the objective lens (L), where the sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) lie within the depth-of-focus range of the controllable combination (K) of objective lens (L) and array of micro-prisms (EMPA).

12. Method according to claim 11, where the detection of sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) in object planes (A, . . . , Am) is controlled either continuously or stepwise by a control module (CM) which is connected with the control unit of the display device.

13. Method according to claim 12, where detected sub-regions (DA1, . . . , DAn) are imaged into the image planes (A′

, . . . , An′

) with a lateral and axial offset and deflected in that the control module (CM) controls the micro-prisms of the array of micro-prisms (EMPA) such that the prism function and the lens function are realised one after another.