Medical Diagnostic Gaze Tracker

• US 20130321772A1
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, David H., Lyons, Kent M., Ashbrook, Daniel L., White, Sean M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A method to track a user'"'"'s gaze for medical diagnostics is described. The method includes detecting a gaze behavior of a user in response to a stimulus. The stimulus is a non-diagnostic stimulus. The method also includes determining a type of the stimulus and generating an indication of the gaze behavior and the type of the stimulus. The indication may then be used to generate an expected gaze pattern describing expected gaze behavior to given stimuli. Additionally, the indication may be used to determine whether the gaze behavior is indicative of a potential problem and, in response, an alert may be generated. Apparatus and computer readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a gaze behavior of a user in response to a stimulus, where the stimulus is a non-diagnostic stimulus;

determining a type of the stimulus; and

generating an indication of the gaze behavior and the type of the stimulus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a gaze pattern based on a plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli, where the plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli comprise the gaze behavior and the type of stimulus.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the gaze behavior to the type of stimulus deviates from a gaze pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response determining that the gaze behavior to the type of stimulus matches a known behavior, generating an alert.

5. The method of claim 1, where determining the type of the stimulus comprises receiving an image from a camera facing in the direction of the gaze and determining the type of the stimulus in the image.

6. The method of claim 1, where determining the type of the stimulus comprises determining a type of an image shown on a display.

7. The method of claim 6, where the display is a near eye display device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the indication of the gaze behavior and the type of stimulus.

9. The method of claim 1, where the stimulus is a real world stimulus.

10. An apparatus, comprising at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

to detect a gaze behavior of a user in response to a stimulus, where the stimulus is a non-diagnostic stimulus;

to determine a type of the stimulus; and

to generate an indication of the gaze behavior and the type of the stimulus.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to determine a gaze pattern based on a plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli, where the plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli comprise the gaze behavior and the type of stimulus.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to generate an alert in response determining that the gaze behavior to the type of stimulus matches a known behavior.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, where, when determining the type of the stimulus, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to receive an image from a camera facing in the direction of the gaze and to determine the type of the stimulus in the image.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, where, when determining the type of the stimulus, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to determine a type of an image shown on a display.

15. A computer readable medium tangibly encoded with a computer program executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

detecting a gaze behavior of a user in response to a stimulus, where the stimulus is a non-diagnostic stimulus;

determining a type of the stimulus; and

generating an indication of the gaze behavior and the type of the stimulus.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising determining a gaze pattern based on a plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli, where the plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli comprise the gaze behavior and the type of stimulus.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising, in response determining that the gaze behavior to the type of stimulus matches a known behavior, generating an alert.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, where determining the type of the stimulus comprises receiving an image from a camera facing in the direction of the gaze and determining the type of the stimulus in the image.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a gaze behavior of a user in response to a stimulus, where the stimulus is a non-diagnostic stimulus;

means for determining a type of the stimulus; and

means for generating an indication of the gaze behavior and the type of the stimulus.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining a gaze pattern based on a plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli, where the plurality of gaze behaviors and associated types of stimuli comprise the gaze behavior and the type of stimulus.