Gaze-Based Display Control

• US 20130321265A1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: PrimeSense Ltd (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Bychkov, Eyal, Brezner, Oren, Galor, Micha, Or, Ofir, Pokrass, Jonathan, Hoffnung, Amir, Berliner, Tamir
• Granted Patent: US 9,454,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

A method includes receiving an image including an eye of a user of a computerized system and identifying, based the image of the eye, a direction of a gaze performed by the user. Based on the direction of the gaze, a region on a display coupled to the computerized system is identified, an operation is performed on content presented in the region.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an image including an eye of a user of a computerized system;

identifying, based the image of the eye, a direction of a gaze performed by the user;

identifying, based on the direction of the gaze, a region on a display coupled to the computerized system; and

performing an operation on content presented in the region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image of the eye is selected from a list comprising a two dimensional image and a three dimensional map.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content comprises an image, and performing the operation comprises bringing the region into focus.

4. The method according to claim 1, and comprising identifying a target point on the display in the direction of the gaze, identifying an interactive item positioned in proximity to the target point, and calculating a calibration coefficient based on the proximity of the target point to the interactive item.

5. A method, comprising:

presenting, by a computerized system, multiple interactive items on a display coupled to the computer;

receiving, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user;

identifying a target point on the display based on the gaze direction;

associating the target point with a first interactive item appearing on the display; and

responsively to the target point, opening one or more second interactive items on the display.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein presenting the multiple interactive items comprises arranging the multiple items in a concentric pattern on the display, and wherein opening one or more second interactive items comprises presenting one or more second interactive items on the display radially outward from the first item in the concentric pattern.

7. The method according to claim 5, and comprising selecting one of the second interactive items responsively to the user adjusting the gaze direction so that the target point is in proximity to the one of the second interactive items.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensing device configured to receive an image including an eye of a user; and

a computer configured to identify, based the image of the eye, a direction of a gaze performed by the user, to identify, based on the direction of the gaze, a region on a display coupled to the computerized system, and to perform an operation on content presented in the region.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the computer is configured to select the image of the eye from a list comprising a two dimensional image and a three dimensional map.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content comprises an image, and wherein the computer is configured to perform the operation by bringing the region into focus.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the computer is configured to identify a target point on the display in the direction of the gaze, to identify an interactive item positioned in proximity to the target point, and to calculate a calibration coefficient based on the proximity of the target point to the interactive item.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

a computer coupled to the display and configured to present multiple interactive items on the display, to receive, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user, to identify a target point on the display based on the gaze direction, to associate the target point with a first interactive item appearing on the display, and responsively to the target point, to open one or more second interactive items on the display.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer is configured to present the multiple interactive items by arranging the multiple items in a concentric pattern on the display, and wherein the computer is configured to open one or more second interactive items by presenting one or more second interactive items on the display radially outward from the first item in the concentric pattern.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer is configured to select one of the second interactive items responsively to the user adjusting the gaze direction so that the target point is in proximity to the one of the second interactive items.

15. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to receive an image including an eye of a user of the computer system, to identify, based the image of the eye, a direction of a gaze performed by the user, to identify, based on the direction of the gaze, a region on a display coupled to the computerized system, and to perform an operation on content presented in the region.

16. A computer software product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to present multiple interactive items on a display coupled to the computer, to receive, from a sensing device coupled to the computer, an input representing a gaze direction of a user, to identify a target point on the display based on the gaze direction, to associate the target point with a first interactive item appearing on the display, and responsively to the target point, to open one or more second interactive items on the display.