Electronic Devices With Gaze Detection Capabilities

• US 20140132508A1
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hodge, Andrew, Rosenblatt, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,025,380 B2
• 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 minimizing power consumption in a portable electronic device that has a display and gaze detection circuitry, the method comprising:

performing a video playback operation in which video is displayed on the display;

with the gaze detection circuitry, determining whether a user'"'"'s gaze is directed towards the portable electronic device; and

when it is determined that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the portable electronic device, pausing the video playback operation.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze is directed towards the portable electronic device comprises determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze is directed towards the display.

3. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

after it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the portable electronic device, determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device; and

when it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device, resuming the video playback operation.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

after it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the portable electronic device, determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device; and

when it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device, presenting an on-screen selectable option to resume the video playback operation.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

when it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the portable electronic device, placing the display in an operating mode that reduces power consumption by the display.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the display is at a first brightness level during the video playback operation and wherein placing the display in the operating mode comprises reducing the brightness of the display to a second brightness level.

7. The method defined in claim 6 further comprising:

after it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the portable electronic device, determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device; and

when it has been determined that the user'"'"'s gaze has returned to the portable electronic device, increasing the brightness of the display to the first brightness level.

8. The method defined in claim 5 wherein placing the display in the operating mode that reduces power consumption comprises turning off the display.

9. A method for operating a portable electronic device that has a display and a camera, the method comprising:

performing a video playback operation in which video is displayed on the display;

with the camera, determining that a user is facing away from the display; and

in response to determining that the user is facing away from the display, pausing the video playback operation.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein determining that the user is facing away from the display comprises determining that the user is looking away from the display.

11. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:

with the camera, determining that the user is looking towards the display;

in response to determining that the user is looking away from the display, resuming the video playback operation.

12. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:

in response to determining that the user is facing away from the display, reducing a brightness level of the display.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a display that displays video in a video playback operation;

an optical sensor; and

circuitry that processes data from the optical sensor to determine whether or not the user is facing away from the display, wherein the circuitry pauses the video playback operation when the circuitry determines that the user is facing away from the display.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

an ambient light sensor that measures a brightness level of ambient light and wherein, when the light sensor makes a measurement that is less than a given brightness level, the circuitry suspends data processing operations to determine whether or not the user is facing away from the display.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the display is disposed on a given surface of the electronic device and wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera disposed on the given surface of the electronic device.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the display is disposed on a front surface of the electronic device and wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera disposed on the front surface of the electronic device.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the electronic device is a cellular telephone.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the electronic device is a handheld electronic device.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a light source that emits infrared light towards a user'"'"'s face, wherein the optical sensor receives infrared light emitted from the light source and reflected off of the user'"'"'s eyes.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising:

a light source that emits modulated infrared light towards a user'"'"'s face, wherein the optical sensor comprises an optical sensor that is synchronized with the light source to detect reflections of the modulated infrared light.