GAZE CALIBRATION VIA MOTION DETECTION FOR EYE-MOUNTED DISPLAYS

• US 20180335836A1
• Filed: 05/11/2018
• Published: 11/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Spy Eye, LLC
• Inventors: Miller, Gregory David, Lemoff, Brian Elliot
• Granted Patent: US 10,775,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems

Abstract

An eye-mounted display can be calibrated relative to a user'"'"'s gaze. A calibration system causes the eye-mounted display to project a calibration image onto the user'"'"'s retina. The system detects eye movement as the user looks towards the calibration image. Once the detected eye movement indicates that the user'"'"'s gaze is centered gaze on the calibration image, the system determines a calibration parameter representative of the user'"'"'s gaze or the detected eye movement. The calibration parameter can be, for example, a pixel offset relative to an initial image source location or an image source pixel corresponding to the user'"'"'s centered gaze. Subsequent images are then projected by the eye-mounted display onto the user'"'"'s retina based on the calibration parameter.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an alignment of an eye-mounted display relative to a user'"'"'s visual axis, the eye-mounted display comprising an image source, the method implemented on a system and comprising:

projecting a calibration image from the image source onto the user'"'"'s retina;

detecting a motion of the user'"'"'s eye after projecting the calibration image;

in response to the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye being smooth pursuit motion, determining a calibration property for the image source based on the detected motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion comprises an acceleration, and wherein the motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be smooth pursuit motion in response to the acceleration of the detected motion being less than a threshold acceleration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion comprises a velocity, and wherein the motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be smooth pursuit motion in response to the velocity of the detected motion being less than a threshold velocity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion is performed over a time interval, and wherein the motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be smooth pursuit motion in response to the time interval of the detected motion being greater than a threshold time interval.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be smooth pursuit motion in response to the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye comprising a linear motion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be smooth pursuit motion in response to the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye comprising floater chase motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to not be smooth pursuit motion in response to the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye comprising saccade motion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is determined to be saccade motion in response to the detected motion comprising jump motions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the eye-mounted display includes a motion-detection component configured to detect the motion of the user'"'"'s eye.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion-detection component comprises one or more of:

an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an inertial measurement unit, and a magnetic measurement unit.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion-detection component is configured to output data representative of the detected motion, and wherein the characteristic of the detected motion is based on the outputted data representative of the detected motion.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the motion-detection component is configured to detect at least one of a magnitude of the detected motion and a direction of the detected motion.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration property comprises a location of a pixel within the image source that corresponds to the visual axis of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration property comprises an offset within the image source between a pixel within the image source that corresponds to the calibration image and a pixel within the image source determined to correspond to a center of the user'"'"'s visual axis.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration property is determined based on one or both of:

a magnitude of the detected motion and a direction of the detected motion.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising projecting a subsequent image from the image source based on the calibration property such that a center of the subsequent image aligns with the user'"'"'s visual axis.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

projecting a second calibration image from the image source onto the user'"'"'s retina, the second calibration image projected from a different location within the image source than the calibration image;

detecting a second motion of the user'"'"'s eye after projecting the second calibration image; and

in response to the detected second motion of the user'"'"'s eye being smooth pursuit motion, determining the calibration property for the image source based additional on the detected second motion.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the calibration property for the image source comprises:

in response to the detected second motion being greater in magnitude than the detected motion, determining that a location within the image source that corresponds to a center of the user'"'"'s visual axis is closer to the location from which the second calibration image is projected than the location from which the calibration image is projected.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the calibration property for the image source comprises:

in response to the detected motion being greater in magnitude than the detected second motion, determining that a location within the image source that corresponds to a center of the user'"'"'s visual axis is closer to the location from which the calibration image is projected than the location from which the second calibration image is projected.

20. A method for calibrating an alignment of an eye-mounted display relative to a user'"'"'s visual axis, the eye-mounted display comprising an image source, the method implemented on a system and comprising:

projecting a calibration image from the image source onto the user'"'"'s retina;

detecting a motion of the user'"'"'s eye after projecting the calibration image;

in response to determining that the detected motion is in response to the calibration image, determining a calibration property for the image source based on the detected motion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected motion is determined to be in response to the calibration image if the detected motion occurs within a threshold time after projecting the calibration image.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected motion is determined to be in response to the calibration image if the motion of the user'"'"'s eye is floater chase motion.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected motion is determined to not be in response to the calibration image in response to determining that the detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is saccade motion.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the calibration property comprises a pixel within the image source that corresponds to the visual axis of the user.

25. A method for calibrating an alignment of an eye-mounted display relative to a user'"'"'s visual axis, the eye-mounted display comprising an image source, the method implemented on a system and comprising:

projecting a calibration image from the image source onto the user'"'"'s retina;

detecting a motion of the user'"'"'s eye after projecting the calibration image;

in response to determining that the detected motion is not saccade motion, determining a calibration property for the image source based on the detected motion.

26. An electronic contact lens comprising:

a display comprising one or more projectors configured to project images onto a user'"'"'s retina;

a power source configured to provide power to components of the electronic contact lens;

a motion detection system configured to detect motion of the user'"'"'s eye; and

a controller configured to calibrate an alignment of the display relative to the user'"'"'s visual axis by;

causing the display to project a calibration image onto the user'"'"'s retina; and

responsive to the motion detection system determining that a detected motion of the user'"'"'s eye is smooth pursuit motion, determining a calibration property for the display based on the detected motion.