Gaze detecting heads-up display systems

• US 9,069,166 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Recon Instruments, Inc. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Abdollahi, Hamid, Naugle, Etienne Jonathan, Hoskinson, Reynald Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/781,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0179 Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A display system for a head-mounted device comprising a display for displaying information. The display system includes a glance detector comprising a light source, disposed proximate the display, for transmitting light toward an eye of a user of the head-mounted device, a light detector, disposed proximate the light source, for detecting light reflected from the eye of the user and generating a voltage based on the detected light. The display system also includes a processor operably coupled to the display, and the gaze detector and configured to control the display to turn-on the display based on the voltage received from the glance detector.

Claims

1. A display system for a head-mounted device comprising:

a display for displaying information;

a glance detector disposed proximate the display and comprising;

a light source for transmitting light toward a pupil of an eye of a user of the head-mounted device, the light source oriented to project light to illuminate an illumination area that at least substantially encompasses the user'"'"'s pupil when the user is looking at the display; and

a light detector for detecting light reflected from the illumination area and generating a voltage based on the detected light; and

a processor for controlling the display and receiving the voltage from the glance detector, the processor configured to turn-on the display based on the voltage received from the glance detector.

2. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to turn on the display when the voltage received from the glance detector is less than a threshold voltage.

3. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to turn on the display when the voltage received from the glance detector is greater than a threshold voltage.

4. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the light detector generates a voltage based on the detected light in a first time period, and generates a voltage based on the detected light in a second time period, and the processor is configured to determine a change in a percentage of the voltage generated in the first and second time periods, and controls the display based on the change in the percentage.

5. The display system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to turn on the display when the change in the percentage exceeds a predetermined value.

6. The display system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to set the threshold voltage based on calibration of the display system.

7. The display system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to set the threshold voltage based on calibration of the display system.

8. The display system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to set the threshold voltage based on one or more previously received voltages.

9. The display system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to set the threshold voltage based on one or more previously received voltages.

10. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the light source is an infrared light emitting diode for transmitting infrared light, and the light detector is an infrared photo detector.

11. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a near infrared light emitting diode for transmitting near infrared light, and the light detector is a near infrared photo detector.

12. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a low power infrared laser for transmitting infrared light, and the light detector is an infrared photo detector.

13. The display system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to control the display to turn-off the display when the voltage received from the glance detector is greater than the threshold voltage.

14. The display system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to control the display to maintain the display in a power-saving state when the voltage received from the glance detector is greater than the predetermined threshold voltage.

15. The display system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to control the display to turn-off the display when the voltage received from the glance detector is less than the predetermined threshold voltage.

16. The display system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to control the display to maintain the display in a power-saving state when the voltage received from the glance detector is less than the predetermined threshold voltage.

17. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the glance detector comprises one or more ambient light sensors for receiving ambient light reflected from the pupil of the eye of the user, and wherein the glance detector is calibrated based on the received ambient light.

18. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a current associated with the transmitted light, determine a current associated with the detected light, determine a ratio of the current associated with the transmitted light to the current associated with the detected light, and control the display to turn-on the display when the ratio is less than a predetermined value.

19. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the glance detector is disposed in a housing of a display unit configured to be adjustably received in a display mount coupled to a goggles lens.

20. The display system according to claim 19, comprising at least one baffle extending outwardly from the housing around at least one of the light source and the light detector.

21. The display system according to claim 19, wherein the housing is constructed from a material which blocks infrared light and/or ultraviolet light.

22. The display system according to claim 19 wherein the glance detector is covered with a material that is opaque to light in the visible spectrum but transparent to infrared light.

23. A method of controlling a display system for a head-mounted device, comprising:

transmitting, utilizing a light source, light toward a pupil of an eye of the user of the head mounted device to illuminate an illumination area that at least substantially encompasses the user'"'"'s pupil when the user is looking at the display;

detecting, utilizing a light detector, light reflected from the illumination area;

determining a voltage based on the detected light;

controlling a display to turn-on the display based on the determined voltage.