GAZE POINT DETECTION DEVICE AND GAZE POINT DETECTION METHOD

• US 20140078282A1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: AOKI, Yasuhiro, Mizutani, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation

Abstract

A gaze point detection device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, capturing an image of at least part of a scene around a vehicle; detecting a direction of a line of sight of a person in the vehicle; determining an intersection between a plane and a line of sight of the person in the vehicle, the plane being along a running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by a given distance; and presenting a resultant projected point on the image as a gaze point.

Claims

1. A gaze point detection device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute,

capturing an image of at least part of a scene around a vehicle;

detecting a direction of a line of sight of a person in the vehicle;

determining an intersection between a plane and a line of sight of the person in the vehicle, the plane being along a running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by a given distance; and

projecting the intersection onto the image and presenting a resultant projected point on the image as a gaze point gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

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

setting the plane in at least part of a region around the vehicle such that the plane being along the running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by the distance where there is a possibility that there is an object gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

3. The device according to claim 2,

wherein the setting includes detecting, on the image, a center line or an edge of a road on which the vehicle runs, and setting the plane at a location corresponding to the center line or the edge of the road.

4. A gaze point detection method comprising:

capturing an image of at least part of a scene around a vehicle;

detecting a direction of a line of sight of a person in the vehicle;

determining, by a processor, an intersection between a plane and a line of sight of the person in the vehicle, the plane being along a running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by a given distance; and

projecting the intersection onto the image and presenting a resultant projected point on the image as a gaze point gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

setting the plane in at least part of a region around the vehicle such that the plane being along the running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by the distance where there is a possibility that there is an object gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5,

wherein the setting includes detecting, on the image, a center line or an edge of a road on which the vehicle runs, and setting the virtual plane at a location corresponding to the center line or the edge of the road.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a gaze point detection program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

capturing an image of at least part of a scene around a vehicle;

detecting a direction of a line of sight of a person in the vehicle;

determining an intersection between a plane and a line of sight of the person in the vehicle, the plane being along a running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by a given distance; and

projecting the intersection onto the image and presenting a resultant projected point on the image as a gaze point gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

8. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7,

setting the plane in at least part of a region around the vehicle such that the plane being along the running direction of the vehicle and apart from the vehicle by the distance where there is a possibility that there is an object gazed at by the person in the vehicle.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8,

wherein the setting includes detecting, on the image, a center line or an edge of a road on which the vehicle runs, and setting the virtual plane at a location corresponding to the center line or the edge of the road.