APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CHECKING GAZE OBJECT

• US 20140160011A1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: PARK, Sung Min, LEE, Seok Beom, RO, Hee Jin, SEOK, Dong Hee
• Granted Patent: US 9,400,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for checking a gaze object includes an eye detector configured to detect eyes from a captured image of a user who stares at objects while the objects displayed on a display move at certain frequencies, a frequency converter configured to check a motion of the detected eyes and convert the motion of the eyes into an eye moving frequency, and a discriminating unit configured to compare the eye moving frequency and moving frequencies of the objects and discriminate an object at which the user stares depending upon whether or not the eye moving frequency is identical with the moving frequencies of the objects.

Claims

1. An apparatus for checking a gaze object, the apparatus comprising:

an eye detector configured to detect eyes from a captured image of a user who stares at objects while the objects displayed on a display move at certain frequencies;

a frequency converter configured to check a motion of the detected eyes and convert the motion of the eyes into an eye moving frequency; and

a discriminating unit configured to compare the eye moving frequency and moving frequencies of the objects, and discriminate an object at which the user stares depending upon whether or not the eye moving frequency is identical with the moving frequencies of the objects.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency converter performs a Fourier transform on the motion of the eye to calculate the eye moving frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency converter calculates the eye moving frequency corresponding to the motion of the eyes using any one algorithm of fast Fourier transform (FFT) and unequally spaced FFT.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the eye detector detects the eyes from the image using any one algorithm selected from the group consisting of Adaboost, Template matching, active appearance model (AAM) and active shape model (ASM).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display controller configured to control a warning light which corresponds to the object that the user stares at, to be turned off on the display according to a pre-discrimination result.

6. A method for checking a gaze object, the method comprising:

detecting eyes from a captured image of a user who stares at objects while the objects displayed on a display move at certain frequencies;

checking a motion of the detected eyes and converting the motion of the eyes into an eye moving frequency; and

comparing the eye moving frequency with moving frequencies of the objects and discriminate an object at which the user stares depending upon to whether or not the eye moving frequency is identical with the moving frequencies of the objects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the converting includes performing a Fourier transform on the motion of the eyes to calculate the eye moving frequency.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of converting includes calculating the eye moving frequency corresponding to the motion of the eyes using any one algorithm of FFT and unequally spaced FFT.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of detecting eyes includes detecting the eyes from the image using any one algorithm selected from the group consisting of Adaboost, Template matching, active appearance model (AAM) and active shape model (ASM).

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising controlling a warning light, which corresponds to an object that the user stares at, to be turned off on the display according to a discrimination result.