Visual axis input and decision transfer device and method

• US 6,161,932 A
• Filed: 03/10/1999
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Masaaki, Goto, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US09/265,587
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 351/204, 351/201, 351/208, 351/209, 351/246, 396/51, 345/7, 382/117, 348/333
• US Class Current: 351/208
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 4/00 Methods or devices enabling patients or disabled persons to operate an apparatus or a device not forming part of the body operating or control means for prostheses A61F2/48, A61F2/68
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

A visual axis input and decision transfer device operates so that when a detection-result condition, such as a visual-axis-detection success or failure, blinking, selecting of the same choice, or the like is judged based on visual-point-position data, and a user is notified of detection-result information indicating the detection-result condition in response to a judgment result by changing a selection frame color of characters, the user can confirm the detection result of the visual axis, and is prevented from repeating wasteful operations many times.

Claims

1. A visual axis input device comprising:

visual axis input means for detecting a visual axis of a user and inputting a visual axis detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for a display panel;

visual axis detection result notification means for notifying the user of detection result information indicating whether or not the visual axis detection is successful, in response to the visual axis detection result; and

selection means for selecting whether or not to perform a notification of said detection result information by said visual axis detection result notification means.

2. The visual axis input device according to claim 1 wherein said visual axis detection result notification means notifies said user of said detection result information by changing and displaying a background color, character color, or selection frame color of the selection item included in a video of said display panel.

3. The visual axis input device according to claim 1 wherein said visual axis detection result notification means comprises sound emitting means for emitting a voice, and notifies said user of said detection result information by the voice emitted from the sound emitting means.

4. The visual axis input device according to claim 1 wherein said visual axis detection result notification means comprises light emitting means for emitting light, and notifies said user of said detection result information by a light emitting state of the light emitting means.

5. A visual axis input device which is provided with video observation means for displaying a display panel which can be observed by a user, visual axis detection means for detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed by said video observation means, and visual axis input means for inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for the display panel displayed in said video observation means, so that a decision of said user is transferred by the input information from said visual axis input means comprising:

display control means for performing a control to arrange and display said display panel and an external video transmitted from outside in said video observation means.

6. The visual axis input device according to claim 5 wherein said video observation means comprises one screen in which said display panel and said external video can be arranged and displayed, and said display control means can set a rate of display areas of said display panel and said external video in the screen of said video observation means to an arbitrary rate based on a user'"'"'s instruction.

7. A visual axis input device which is provided with video observation means for displaying video which can be observed by a user, visual axis detection means for detecting a visual axis of the user observing the video displayed by said video observation means, and visual axis input means for inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for the video displayed in said video observation means, so that a decision of said user is transferred by the input information from said visual axis input means comprising:

external video input means for inputting video from outside; and

display control means for performing a control to display the external video transmitted via said external video input means in said video observation means, said display control means, when said external video is displayed in said video observation means, being able to overlap and display a choice selected by said user'"'"'s visual axis on the external video.

8. The visual axis input device according to claim 7 further comprising selection means for selecting whether or not to overlap and display said choice on said external video in said video observation means based on an instruction of said user.

9. A visual axis input device which is provided with video observation means for displaying a display panel including selection items which can be observed by a user, visual axis detection means for detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed by said video observation means, and visual axis input means for inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for said display panel, so that a decision of said user is transferred by the input information from said visual axis input means comprising:

display control means for performing a control to change and display a display mode of the selection items on said display panel displayed by said video observation means based on an instruction of said user.

10. The visual axis input device according to claim 9 wherein said display control means changes and displays a background color of the selection item on said display panel based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

11. The visual axis input device according to claim 9 wherein said display control means changes and displays a character color of the selection item on said display panel based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

12. A visual axis input device which is provided with visual axis input means for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to transfer a decision of said user by the input information from said visual axis input means, comprising:

connection means for connecting an external device;

display control means for performing a control to display control items for said external device on said display panel; and

output means for, when the input information is transmitted from said visual axis input means to select an item for continuously varying a control amount from the control items of said display panel, continuously transmitting a command to continuously vary said control amount to said external device via said connection means.

13. A visual axis input device which is provided with visual axis input means for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to transfer a decision of said user by the input information from the visual axis input means, comprising:

display control means for performing a control to hierarchically display selection items on said display panel, so that a mode of confirming one decision of said user to transfer can be executed by sequentially following and selecting selection items positioned subordinate to said selection items to input said input information according to a sequence of display of said selection items via said visual axis input means.

14. The visual axis input device according to claim 13 wherein a hierarchy of said selection items can be changed to an arbitrary hierarchy by a setting of said user.

15. A visual axis input method comprising:

a visual axis detecting step for detecting a visual axis of a user;

an inputting step for inputting a visual axis detection result of said visual axis detecting step as input information for a display panel;

a notifying step of notifying the user of detection result information indicating whether or not the visual axis detection is successful, in response to the visual axis detection result; and

a selection step for selecting whether or not to perform a notification of said detection result information by said notifying step.

16. The visual axis input method according to claim 15 wherein said notifying step notifies the user of said detection result information by changing and displaying a background color, character color, or selection frame color of a selection item included in a video of said display panel.

17. The visual axis input method according to claim 15 wherein said notifying step notifies the user of said detection result information by a voice emitted from sound emitting means.

18. The visual axis input method according to claim 15 wherein said notifying step notifies the user of said detection result information by a light emitting state of light emitting means.

19. A visual axis input method for displaying a display panel which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed by said video observation means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for the display panel displayed by said video observation means to transfer a decision of said user, wherein an external video is taken from outside, and the external video and said display panel can be arranged and displayed in said video observation means.

20. The visual axis input method according to claim 19 wherein said video observation means comprises one screen in which said display panel and said external video can be arranged and displayed, and a rate of display areas of said display panel and said external video in the screen of said video observation means can be set to an arbitrary rate based on a user'"'"'s instruction.

21. A visual axis input method for displaying a video which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the video displayed by said video observation means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for the video displayed by said video observation means to transfer a decision of said user, comprising steps of:

inputting an external video from outside, and performing a control to display the inputted external video in said video observation means; and

, when said external video is displayed in said video observation means, performing a control to overlap and display a choice selected by said user'"'"'s visual axis on the external video.

22. The visual axis input method according to claim 21 further comprising a step of selecting whether or not to overlap and display said choice on said external video in said video observation means based on an instruction of said user.

23. A visual axis input method for displaying a display panel including selection items which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed by said video observation means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to transfer a decision of said user, wherein a display mode of the selection items on said display panel displayed by said video observation means is changed and displayed based on an instruction of said user.

24. The visual axis input method according to claim 23 wherein a background color of the selection item on said display panel is changed and displayed based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

25. The visual axis input method according to claim 23 wherein a character color of the selection item on said display panel is changed and displayed based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

26. A visual axis input method for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to transfer a decision of said user, comprising steps of:

connecting an external device via connection means;

performing a control to display control items for said external device on said display panel; and

, when the input information is transmitted to select an item for continuously varying a control amount from the control items of said display panel, continuously transmitting a command to continuously vary said control amount to said external device via said connection means.

27. A visual axis input method for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to transfer a decision of said user by the input information, comprising steps of:

performing a control to hierarchically display selection items on said display panel; and

executing a mode of confirming one decision of said user to transfer by sequentially following and selecting selection items positioned subordinate to said selection items to input said input information according to a sequence of display of said selection items.

28. The visual axis input method according to claim 27 wherein a hierarchy of said selection items can be changed to an arbitrary hierarchy by a setting of said user.

29. A memory medium for storing a program for controlling a visual axis input device for detecting a visual axis of a user and inputting a visual axis detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for a display panel, wherein said program comprises:

a visual axis detection result notification module instructing said visual axis input device to notify the user of detection result information indicating whether or not the visual axis detection is successful, in response to the visual axis detection result; and

a selection module for instructing said visual axis input device to select whether or not to perform a notification of the detection result information by said visual axis detection result notification module.

30. The memory medium according to claim 29 wherein said visual axis detection result notification module notifies said user of said detection result information by changing and displaying a background color, character color, or selection frame color of a selection item included in a video of said display panel.

31. The memory medium according to claim 29 wherein said visual axis detection result notification module comprises a module for controlling sound emitting means for emitting a voice, and notifies said user of said detection result information by the voice emitted by said sound emitting means.

32. The memory medium according to claim 29 wherein said visual axis detection result notification module comprises a module for controlling light emitting means for emitting light, and notifies said user of said detection result information by a light emitting state of the light emitting means.

33. A memory medium for displaying a display panel including choices which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed in said video observation means by visual axis detection means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for the display panel displayed in said video observation means by visual axis input means to store a program for constructing a visual axis input system for transferring a decision of said user, wherein said program comprises a display control module for performing a control to arrange and display said display panel and an external video transmitted from outside in said video observation means.

34. The memory medium according to claim 33 wherein said video observation means comprises one screen in which said display panel and said external video can be arranged and displayed, and said display control module can set a rate of display areas of said display panel and said external video in the screen of said video observation means to an arbitrary rate based on a user'"'"'s instruction.

35. A memory medium for displaying a video which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the video displayed in said video observation means by visual axis detection means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for the video displayed in said video observation means by visual axis input means to store a program for constructing a visual axis input system for transferring a decision of said user, wherein said program comprises an external video input module for inputting the video from outside, and a display control module for performing a control to display said external video transmitted via said external video input module in said video observation means, and when said external video is displayed in said video observation means, said display control module can overlap and display a choice selected by said user'"'"'s visual axis on the external video.

36. The memory medium according to claim 35 wherein said program further comprises selection module means for selecting whether or not to overlap and display said choice on said external video in said video observation means based on an instruction of said user.

37. A memory medium for displaying a display panel including selection items which can be observed by a user by video observation means, detecting a visual axis of the user observing the display panel displayed in said video observation means by visual axis detection means, and inputting a detection result of said user'"'"'s visual axis by said visual axis detection means as input information for said display panel by visual axis input means to store a program for constructing a visual axis input system for transferring a decision of said user, wherein said program comprises a display control module for performing a control to change and display a display mode of the selection items on said display panel displayed by said video observation means based on an instruction of said user.

38. The memory medium according to claim 37 wherein said display control module changes and displays a background color of the selection item on said display panel based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

39. The memory medium according to claim 37 wherein said display control module changes and displays a character color of the selection item on said display panel based on said user'"'"'s instruction.

40. A memory medium which uses a visual axis input device for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to store a program for constructing a visual axis input system for transferring a decision of said user by the input information from said visual axis input device, wherein said program comprises a display control module for performing a control to display control items for an external device connected via connection means in said display panel, and an output module for, when the input information is transmitted from said visual axis input means to select an item for continuously varying a control amount from the control items of said display panel, continuously transmitting a command to continuously vary said control amount to said external device via said connection means.

41. A memory medium which uses a visual axis input device for detecting a visual axis of a user facing a display panel, and inputting a detection result of the user'"'"'s visual axis as input information for said display panel to store a program for constructing a visual axis input system for transferring a decision of said user by the input information from the visual axis input device, wherein said program comprises a display control module for performing a control to hierarchically display selection items in said display panel, and a mode execution module for executing a mode of confirming one decision of said user to transfer by sequentially following and selecting selection items positioned subordinate to said selection items to input said input information according to a sequence of display of said selection items via said visual axis input means.

42. The memory medium according to claim 41 wherein a hierarchy of said selection items can be changed to an arbitrary hierarchy by a setting of said user.