Electronic Devices With Gaze Detection Capabilities

• US 20130135198A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hodge, Andrew, Rosenblatt, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/750,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135198A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An electronic device may have gaze detection capabilities that allow the device to detect when a user is looking at the device. The electronic device may implement a power management scheme using the results of gaze detection operations. When the device detects that the user has looked away from the device, the device may dim a display screen and may perform other suitable actions. The device may pause a video playback operation when the device detects that the user has looked away from the device. The device may resume the video playback operation when the device detects that the user is looking towards the device. Gaze detector circuitry may be powered down when sensor data indicates that gazed detection readings will not be reliable or are not needed.

Claims

1. A method for using a portable electronic device having an accelerometer and gaze detection circuitry, the method comprising:

with the accelerometer, determining whether a measured acceleration level for the portable electronic device has exceeded a given threshold value; and

when it has been determined that the acceleration level of the portable electronic device has exceeded the given threshold value, disabling the gaze detection circuitry.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

after it has been determined that the acceleration level of the portable electronic device has exceeded the given threshold value, determining whether the acceleration level of the portable electronic device has dropped below a second threshold value; and

when it has been determined that the acceleration level of the portable electronic device has dropped below the second threshold value, enabling the gaze detection circuitry.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the gaze detection circuitry comprises a camera that is used to determine whether the user'"'"'s gaze is directed towards the portable electronic device and wherein disabling the gaze detection circuitry comprises turning off the camera.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein determining whether the measured acceleration level for the portable electronic device has exceeded the given threshold value comprises determining whether the gaze detection circuitry would be incapable of detecting a user'"'"'s gaze due to excessive vibration detected by the accelerometer.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein determining whether the measured acceleration level for the portable electronic device has exceeded the given threshold value comprises determining whether the gaze detection circuitry would be incapable of detecting a user'"'"'s gaze due to excessive motion of the portable electronic device detected by the accelerometer.

6. A method for using an electronic device having a sensor and gaze detection circuitry, the method comprising:

with the sensor, determining whether a given condition exists; and

in response to determining that the given conditions exists, disabling the gaze detection circuitry.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether data from the sensor indicates that readings from the gaze detection circuitry will not be reliable due to the presence of the given condition.

8. The method defined in claim 6 wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether data from the sensor indicates that readings from the gaze detection circuitry will not be needed.

9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether a measured acceleration level for the electronic device has exceeded a given threshold value.

10. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises a motion sensor and wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether a measured level of motion of the electronic device has exceeded a given threshold value.

11. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether a measured vibration level for the electronic device has exceeded a given threshold value.

12. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor and wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether any objects are within a given distance of the electronic device.

13. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an environmental sensor.

14. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor separate from the gaze detection circuitry.

15. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an ambient light sensor and wherein determining whether the given condition exists comprises determining whether a measured brightness level of ambient light is less than a given brightness level.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a sensor;

an image sensor that captures images of a user; and

circuitry that processes the captured images to determine whether the user is looking at the electronic device, wherein the circuitry is configured to suspend captured image processing operations when a given condition is detected by the sensor.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a button, wherein the circuitry is configured to suspend captured image processing operations when a user presses the button.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer that measures at least one of motion and vibration of the electronic device and wherein the given condition comprises a measurement from the accelerometer that exceeds at least one of a given motion level and a given vibration level.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor that measures a brightness level of ambient light and wherein the given condition comprises a measurement from the light sensor that is less than a given brightness level.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor that determines whether any objects are within a given distance of the electronic device and wherein the given condition comprises a measurement from the proximity sensor that at least one object is within the given distance of the electronic device.