Device for Controlling an External Unit

• US 20100295769A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penny AB
• Original Assignee: Penny AB
• Inventors: Lundström, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

A device for controlling a click command controlled external unit including a portable head mounted frame, a click command detector mounted on the head mounted frame and adapted to sense tension changes of at least one muscle in the face of the user in order to detect when the user provide a click command, and a click command transmitter adapted to transmit information about detected click commands to the external unit.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a click command controlled external unit, the device comprising:

a portable head mounted frame,

a click command detector mounted on said head mounted frame and adapted to sense tension changes of at least one muscle in a face of a user in order to detect when the user provides a click command, and

a click command transmitter adapted to transmit information about detected click commands to the external unit,

wherein said click command detector is configured to transmit a point of light to said muscle in the face of the user, such that the point of light is reflected in the face of the user, the click command detector comprises a detector arranged such that it detects the reflected point of light when the muscle is relaxed, and it does not detect the reflected point of light when the muscle is tensed, and the command detector is configured to generate a signal when no light is detected.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said click command detector is adapted to sense tension changes of at least one muscle in the temporal lobe of the user.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said click command detector comprises a first sensor adapted to sense tension changes of at least one muscle on a left side of the face, in order to detect when the user provides a left click command, and a second sensor adapted to sense tension changes of at least one muscle on a right side of the face, in order to detect when the user provides a right click command.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said click command detector is adapted to detect tension changes above a threshold value.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said external unit is an eye movement and click command controlled external unit, the device further comprising:

an eye tracker unit mounted on said head mounted frame and adapted to monitor eye movements of the user, and

an eye position transmitter adapted to transmit information about user eye movements to said external unit.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said eye tracker unit is adapted to detect the temperature of separate parts of at least one eye, and based on the detected temperature detect movements of a pupil of the eye.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said eye tracker unit comprises an infrared camera adapted to detect infrared radiation from at least one of the eyes of the user.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said eye tracker unit comprises a first infrared camera adapted to detect infrared radiation from one eye, and a second infrared camera adapted to detect infrared radiation from the another eye.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein said infrared camera is a digital camera.

10. The device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a control unit comprising memory means comprising at least one model of an eye, the at least one model including reference values for the temperature of different parts of the eye, wherein the control unit is adapted to compare said reference values with temperature values received from the eye, and based thereon determine the position of the pupil of the user.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive image signals from the external unit, and

an image creator adapted to produce an image in front of the user, based on said received image signals,

wherein said image signals from the external unit comprises signals corresponding to a graphical user interface to said external unit, which interface comprises an eye movement controlled cursor.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein said image creator comprises a projector adapted to project an image of said user interface on a retina of the user.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein said receiver comprises an optical fiber adapted to receive the image signals in one of its ends, and said projector comprises a micro-screen provided in the other end of said optical fiber.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein said projector further comprises a reflector or prism arranged to mirror the image about 90°

, and a convex lens arranged to make the image to pass through the pupil of the eye such that a magnification of the image is projected on the retina of the eye.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein said head mounted frame comprises a spectacles frame.

16. The device according to claim 5, wherein the spectacles frame comprises a front part and two bows, and said eye tracker unit is mounted at the front part of the spectacles frame, and said click command detector is mounted at the bows of the spectacles frame.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said image creator is mounted at the front part of the spectacles frame.

18. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone, wherein the device is adapted to transmit signals from the microphone to the external unit.

19. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a camera (50) arranged to have an external view from the user, wherein the device is adapted to transmit signals from the camera to the external unit.

20. The device according to claim 9, wherein said a digital camera comprises a CCD-camera or a CMOS-camera.