TRACKING DEVICE AND OPTICAL ASSEMBLY THEREOF

• US 20140354953A1
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: CHEN, HUI-HSUAN, SU, WEN-YEN, LAI, HUNG-CHING
• Application Number:
  US14/280,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354953A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/210
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical assembly includes a light source and a beam splitter. The light source is used for emitting an incident beam. The beam splitter is used for dividing the incident beam into a plurality of outgoing beams. The incident beam and the outgoing beam are both invisible light. The outgoing beams enter an eyeball and form a plurality of glints on the eyeball. The glints are formed on the region outside the pupil.

Claims

1. An optical assembly comprising:

a light source utilizing to emit an incident beam; and

a beam splitter utilizing to divide the incident beam into multiple outgoing beams, wherein the incident beam and the outgoing beams are invisible light, the outgoing beams is emitted to an eyeball and a plurality of glints is generated on the eyeball, at least part of the glints on the region are out of the pupil of the eyeball.

2. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the incident beam and the outgoing beams are the infrared light.

3. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the beam splitter is the prism or the prism sheet.

4. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the beam splitter comprises a light-guide component, the light-guide component comprises an emitting surface, an incidence surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of light-splitting portions, the incidence surface connects the emitting surface and the bottom surface, and the emitting surface faces the bottom surface, the light-splitting portions are disposed on the bottom surface, the incident beam is emitted from the incidence surface into the light-guide component, the light-splitting portions reflect the incident beam and divide the incident beam into the outgoing beams, the outgoing beams are emitted from the emitting surface.

5. The optical assembly of claim 4, wherein the light-guide component further comprises an inclined surface, the inclined surface connects the emitting surface and the bottom surface, the inclined surface faces the incidence surface, the included angle between the inclined surface and the emitting surface is smaller than the included angle between the inclined surface and the bottom surface.

6. The optical assembly of claim 4, wherein the light-splitting portions are a plurality of dot-shaped cavities or a plurality of dot-shaped ink layers.

7. The optical assembly of claim 4, wherein the beam splitter further comprises a light incident component comprising a light input surface and a light output surface;

the light incident component connects with the light-guide component;

the light input surface faces the incidence surface;

the incident beam is emitted from the light output surface to the light incident component and passes through the light input surface and the incidence surface sequentially;

the area of the light input surface is smaller than the area of the light output surface.

8. The optical assembly of claim 4, wherein the shape of the light-guide component and the light-splitting portions are striped-shaped, the light-guide component extends along an axis, and the light-splitting portions intersects the axis.

9. The optical assembly of claim 8, wherein the light-splitting portions are a plurality of trenches or striped-shaped ink layers.

10. The optical assembly of claim 8, wherein the axis are curving lines.

11. The optical assembly of claim 10, wherein the shape of the light-guide component is U-shaped strip.

12. The optical assembly of claim 4, wherein the beam splitter further comprises a cover layer;

the cover layer covers the bottom surface and a pair of side surfaces of the light-guide component, and exposes the emitting surface;

the pair of side surfaces face to each other and connect with the emitting surface, the incidence surface, and the bottom surface.

13. The optical assembly of claim 12, wherein the refractive index of the cover layer corresponding to the incident beam is smaller than the refractive index of the light-guide component corresponding to the incident beam.

14. The optical assembly of claim 12, wherein the photo reflectivity of the incident beam to the cover layer is up to 70%.

15. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the beam splitter comprises a light-guide component comprising an emitting surface, an incidence surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of light-splitting portions;

the incidence surface connects the emitting surface and the bottom surface;

the emitting surface faces to the bottom surface;

the light-splitting portions are disposed on the emitting surface;

the incident beam is transmitted into the light-guide component from the incidence surface;

the incident beam transmitted in the light-guide component is emitted from the emitting surface through the light-splitting portions, and divided into the outgoing beams.

16. An eye tracking device comprising:

a frame disposed in front of a user;

an optical assembly configured on the frame comprising;

a light source utilized to emit an incident beam;

a beam splitter utilized to divide the incident beam into the outgoing beams, wherein the incident beam and the outgoing beams are invisible light, the outgoing beams are transmitted to an eyeball of the user and a plurality of the glints is generated on the eyeball, at least part of the glints locating on region are out of the pupil of the eyeball; and

an image capture component disposed on the frame and utilized to capture the image of the eyeball.

17. The eye tracking device of claim 16, wherein the frame comprises at least a frame body comprising a first-half frame body and a second-half frame body;

the first-half frame body and the second-half frame body connect to each other and surround to form a frame opening, the image capture component and the optical assembly are disposed on the first-half frame body and the second-half frame body individually.

18. The eye tracking device of claim 17, wherein the frame further comprises a connector connecting to the frame body and utilized to combine with the eyeglasses frame.

19. The eye tracking device of claim 16, wherein the frame comprises a rim and a pair of temples;

the temples connect to the rim, the light source, the beam splitter and the image capture component configured on the rim;

while the frame is worn, the light source, the beam splitter, and the image capture component are disposed between the eyeball and the rim.

20. The eye tracking device of claim 16, wherein the beam splitter comprises a light-guide component comprising an emitting surface, an incidence surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of light-splitting portions;

the incidence surface connects the emitting surface and the bottom surface;

the emitting surface faces to the bottom surface;

the light-splitting portions are disposed on the bottom surface;

the incident beam emitted from the incidence surface is transmitted into the light-guide component;

the light-splitting portions reflect the incident beam and divide the incident beam into the outgoing beams from the emitting surface.