Method for Operating an Eye Tracking Device for Multi-User Eye Tracking and Eye Tracking Device

• US 20180052515A1
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Wanner, Fabian, Nieser, Matthias, Liu, Kun, Nistico, Walter
• Granted Patent: US 10,416,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating an eye tracking device (10) for multi-user eye tracking, wherein images (24) of a predefined capturing area (14) of the eye tracking device (10) are captured by means of an imaging device (12) of the eye tracking device (10) and the captured images (24) are processed by means of a processing unit (16) of the eye tracking device (10). If a first user (26a) and a second user (26b) are present in the predefined capturing area (14) of the eye tracking device (10), a first information relating to the first user (26a) and a second information relating to the second user (26b) are determined on the basis of the captured images (24) by processing the images (24). Furthermore the images (24) are captured successively in a predeterminable time sequence.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method comprising:

capturing a plurality of images;

determining a value of a user search parameter;

selecting a subset of the plurality of images based on the value of the user search parameter; and

searching, in each of the subset of the plurality of images, for a representation of a user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user search parameter is based on a number of currently detected users.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the subset includes fewer of the plurality of images when the number of currently detected users is greater.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the user search parameter is based on an average number of detected users over a predetermined time period.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the subset includes fewer of the plurality of images when the average number of detected users is less.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the user search parameter is based on a variation in the number of detected users over a predetermined time period.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the subset includes fewer of the plurality of images when the variation in the number of detected users is less.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the subset of the plurality of images includes less than all of the plurality of images.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing, for each of the plurality of images, eye tracking upon a representation of a present user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein performing eye tracking upon the representation of the present user is performed using a portion of the image and searching for a representation of a user is performed on the entire image.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

capturing a second plurality of images;

determining a second value of the user search parameter;

selecting a second subset of the plurality of images based on the second value of the user search parameter, wherein the second subset includes a different number of images than the subset; and

searching, in each of the second subset of the plurality of images, for a representation of the user.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a camera configured to capture a plurality of images;

a processor configured to;

determine value of a user search parameter;

select a subset of the plurality of images based on the value of the user search parameter; and

search, in each of the subset of the plurality of images, for a representation of a user.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the user search parameter is based on a number of currently detected users.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the user search parameter is based on one or more numbers of detected users over a predetermined time period.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configured to perform, for each of the plurality of images, eye tracking upon a representation of a present user.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein performing eye tracking upon the representation of the present user is performed using a portion of the image and searching for a representation of a user is performed on the entire image.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the camera is further configured to capture a second plurality of images and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a second value of the user search parameter;

select a second subset of the plurality of images based on the second value of the user search parameter, wherein the second subset includes a different number of images than the subset; and

search, in each of the second subset of the plurality of images, for a representation of the user.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoding instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

determining value of a user search parameter;

select, from a plurality of captured images, a subset of the plurality of captured images based on the value of the user search parameter; and

search, in each of the subset of the plurality of captured images, for a representation of a user.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user search parameter is based on a number of detected users.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a second value of the user search parameter;

selecting, from a second plurality of captured images, a second subset of the second plurality of captured images based on the second value of the user search parameter, wherein the second subset includes a different number of images than the subset; and

searching, in each of the second subset of the plurality of second captured images, for a representation of the user.