GAZE-BASED AUTOMATIC SCROLLING

• US 20150128075A1
• Filed: 05/12/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Umoove Services Ltd
• Original Assignee: Umoove Services Ltd
• Inventors: Kempinski, Yitzchak
• Granted Patent: US 10,082,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/38 with means for controlling the display position

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention may include a method of scrolling content on an electronic display upon detection that a gaze of a user is pointed to a pre-defined area of the display, such as for example an edge of the display. A scroll may be triggered by the gaze point of the user being directed to the pre-defined area of the screen or on a plane of the screen. A scroll may move the displayed content by a fixed amount or by a distance that is sufficient to bring the gaze point of the user our of the pre-defined area that triggered the scroll. A scroll may continue for example so long as a smooth pursuit of the viewers eyes is maintained. Embodiments may include tracking a position of a viewer of an electronic display, and altering an orientation of a one or more elements of the display to correspond to the changed orientation of the user. A layout of content that is display may be altered to accommodate the change in orientation. In some embodiments, an orientation of the displayed content may changed in real time to match the change in orientation of the user. In some embodiments, a resting or permanent orientation may be adopted once the position of the user becomes fixed.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for adjusting an orientation of an image being displayed on a display screen, the method comprising:

acquiring an image of a body part of a viewer of the displayed image;

calculating an orientation of the imaged body part; and

aligning an orientation of the displayed image relative to the orientation of the body part.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the body part comprises eyes of the viewer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein calculating the orientation of the body part comprises:

estimating an expected size and expected location of an image of an iris of each of the eyes within the acquired image;

determining a location of each iris image within the acquired image by identifying a region within the expected location, a size of the region being consistent with the expected size, wherein pixels of the region have luminance values that are darker than pixels of other regions within the expected location; and

calculating an orientation of a line that connects the iris images.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein aligning the orientation comprises aligning the displayed image substantially parallel to the calculated orientation of the body part.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein aligning the orientation comprises aligning the displayed image to an orientation selected from a set of allowed orientations.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the allowed orientations include portrait and landscape orientations.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the selected orientation comprises an orientation from said set of allowed orientations whose orientation is most nearly parallel to the calculated orientation of the body part.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein aligning the orientation comprises comparing a rotation of the displayed image to achieve the alignment with a threshold value.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein aligning the orientation comprises applying a rotation matrix to pixels of the displayed image.

30. A system comprising:

an electronic display screen for displaying an image;

an image capture device at a known orientation to the display screen; and

a processor, configured to;

analyze an image, acquired by the image capture device, of a viewer of the displayed image to calculate an orientation of an imaged body part of the viewer;

compare the calculated orientation to an orientation of the displayed image; and

alter said orientation of the displayed image to correspond to said orientation of an imaged body part.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the imaged body part comprises eyes of the viewer.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to calculate said orientation an imaged body part by:

estimating an expected size and expected location of an image of an iris of each of the imaged eyes within the acquired image,

determining a location of each iris image within the acquired image by identifying a region within the expected location, a size of the region being consistent with the expected size, wherein pixels of the region have luminance values that are darker than pixels of other regions within the expected location; and

calculating an orientation of a line that connects the iris images.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the image capture device comprises a video camera.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the display screen and the image capture device are incorporated into a mobile device.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the mobile device is selected from a group of mobile devices consisting of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a handheld computer, and a tablet computer.

36. A method for adjusting an orientation of an image being displayed on a display screen, the method comprising:

acquiring an image of a body part of a viewer of the displayed image;

calculating an orientation of the imaged body part;

calculating an expected orientation of the displayed image relative to the calculated orientation of the body part; and

adjusting an orientation of the displayed image to the expected orientation.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein calculating said orientation of a body part comprises acquiring an image of the body part.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the image of the body part comprises an image of eyes of the viewer, and wherein calculating said orientation of a body part comprises:

estimating an expected size and expected location of an image of an iris of each of the eyes within the acquired image;

determining a location of each iris image within the acquired image by identifying a region within the expected location, a size of the region being consistent with the expected size, wherein pixels of the region have luminance values that are darker than pixels of other regions within the expected location; and

calculating an orientation of a line that connects the iris images.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the expected orientation is substantially parallel to the calculated orientation of the body part.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the expected orientation is selected from a set of allowed orientations, and wherein the selected orientation comprises an orientation from said set of allowed orientations whose orientation is most nearly parallel to said calculated orientation of the body part.