Adjusting content display orientation on a screen based on user orientation

• US 9,123,142 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Marc A., Pratt, James H., Stettler, Garrett L.
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US13/633,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 345/649
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A system for adjusting content display orientation on a screen is disclosed. The system may include a processor that may detect both eyes and a body part of a user that is proximal to one or more of the user'"'"'s eyes. The system may then determine an eye gaze plane based on the positions of the first and second eyes of the user. The eye gaze plane may be determined by identifying a first line of sight extending from the first eye and a second line of sight extending from the second eye. Additionally, the eye gaze plane may bisect a center of the first eye and a center of the second eye of the user. Once the eye gaze plane is determined, the system may adjust the orientation of content displayed on a display device based on the eye gaze plane and on the position of the body part.

Claims

1. A system for adjusting content display orientation on a screen, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

determining an eye gaze plane based on a position of a first eye and a position of a second eye of a user located in a vicinity of a display device, wherein the eye gaze plane is determined by identifying a first line of sight extending from the first eye and identifying a second line of sight extending from the second eye, wherein the eye gaze plane bisects a center of the first eye and a center of the second eye; and

adjusting the content display orientation displayed on the display device such that content is aligned with the eye gaze plane, wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to the first eye of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting an orientation for receiving inputs on the display device such that the orientation for receiving the inputs is aligned with the content display orientation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the content display orientation in real time based on a change in the eye gaze plane and on a change in the position of the body part, wherein the body part is an apex of a nose of the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining the content display orientation even if a physical position of the display device is adjusted.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a camera, wherein the operations further comprise detecting the position of the first eye, the position of the second eye, and the position of the body part of the user based on video content recorded by the camera of the display device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the content display orientation only if the eye gaze plane changes orientation by greater than a threshold angle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise storing the position of the first eye, the position of the second eye, the position of the body part of the user, and a position of the eye gaze plane over a period of time as a gaze position history of the user, wherein the operations further comprise using the gaze position history with measurements from an accelerometer to adjust the content display orientation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise suspending a screen timeout of the display device when the position of the first eye and the position of the second eye are detected.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating a screen timeout of the display device when the position of the first eye and the position of the second eye are undetected.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating the display device from a sleep state when the position of the first eye and the position of the second eye are detected.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the content display orientation based on a head position of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise using estimation to fill in portions of the content that were not visible in a previous orientation when adjusting the orientation of the content.

13. A method for adjusting content display orientation on a screen, comprising:

determining an eye gaze plane based on a position of a first eye and a position of a second eye of a user located in a vicinity of a display device by utilizing instructions stored in memory and executed by a processor, wherein the eye gaze plane is determined by identifying a first line of sight extending from the first eye and identifying a second line of sight extending from the second eye, wherein the eye gaze plane bisects a center of the first eye and a center of the second eye; and

adjusting the content display orientation displayed on the display device such that content is aligned with the eye gaze plane, wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to the first eye of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting the content display orientation in real time based on a change in the eye gaze plane and on a change in the position of the body part.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining the content display orientation even if a physical position of the display device is adjusted.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting the content display orientation only if the eye gaze plane changes with respect to the content display orientation by greater than a threshold angle.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising deactivating the display device when the position of the first eye and the position of the second eye are undetected.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting the content display orientation based on a head position of the user.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting an orientation for receiving inputs on the display device such that the orientation for receiving the inputs is aligned with the content display orientation.

20. A computer-readable device comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining an eye gaze plane based on a position of a first eye and a position of a second eye of a user located in a vicinity of a display device, wherein the eye gaze plane is determined by identifying a first line of sight extending from the first eye and identifying a second line of sight extending from the second eye, wherein the eye gaze plane bisects a center of the first eye and a center of the second eye; and

adjusting a content display orientation displayed on the display device such that content is aligned with the eye gaze plane, wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to the first eye of the user.