Determining lens characteristics

• US 9,465,991 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mei, Christopher Maurice, Nister, David Zachris
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, UTPAL D
• Application Number:
  US14/456,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10152 Varying illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction

Abstract

Embodiments relating to determining characteristics of eyeglass lenses are disclosed. A head-mounted display device comprises a camera communicatively coupled to a computing device and including an optical axis having a center point. Light sources are configured to emit light rays toward the lens to produce lens glints. The light sources are in a light source plane that is spaced from a lens plane by an offset distance of between 8 mm and 12 mm. The light sources are either spaced vertically from a line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point by a distance between 13 mm and 53 mm, or spaced horizontally from the line by a distance of between 13 mm and 80 mm. Lens characterization program logic identifies an image location of each lens glint, and outputs an estimated lens shape model comprising the one or more lens characteristics.

Claims

1. A system for determining one or more characteristics of a lens of eyeglasses, the system comprising:

a computing device;

a head-mounted display device comprising;

a frame;

a camera mounted to the frame and communicatively coupled to the computing device, the camera comprising an optical axis that includes a center point; and

a plurality of light sources mounted to the frame and configured to emit light rays toward the lens to produce a plurality of lens glints from the lens, the plurality of light sources located in a light source plane that is spaced from a lens plane of the lens by an offset distance of between 8 mm and 12 mm, the plurality of light sources being either (1) spaced vertically from a line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a vertical light source distance of between 13 mm and 53 mm, or (2) spaced horizontally from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a horizontal light source distance of between 13 mm and 80 mm; and

lens characterization program logic executed by a processor of the computing device, wherein the lens characterization program logic is configured to;

identify an image location of each of the plurality of lens glints in an image captured by the camera; and

using the image locations of the plurality of lens glints in the image, output an estimated lens shape model comprising the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the light source plane is spaced from the lens plane by an offset distance of 30 mm, and the plurality of light sources are either (1) spaced vertically from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a vertical light source distance of between 20 mm and 80 mm, or (2) spaced horizontally from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a horizontal light source distance of between 20 mm and 120 mm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the light source plane is spaced from the lens plane by an offset distance of 10 mm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses comprise at least one of an optical power of the lens, an index of refraction of the lens, a curvature of the lens, a position of the lens, and a thickness of the lens.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the center point of the optical axis of the camera is configured to be horizontally spaced from the lens of the eyeglasses by 30 mm.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the lens characterization program logic is further configured to:

using one or more predetermined seed characteristics of the lens, determine a predicted location for each of the plurality of lens glints;

compute an error between each of the predicted locations of the plurality of lens glints and a corresponding one of the image locations of the plurality of lens glints in the image; and

iteratively minimize the error to optimize for the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses and thereby generate the estimated lens shape model.

7. The system of claim 6, where the one or more predetermined seed characteristics of the lens comprise either a partial spherical curvature of the lens or a partial toroidal curvature of the lens.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the lens comprises an outer surface and an inner surface spaced from the outer surface, and the plurality of lens glints are produced by the outer surface and the inner surface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are lens glint light sources that are spaced vertically from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by the vertical light source distance of between 13 mm and 53 mm, and the system further comprises one or more corneal glint light sources that are mounted to the frame and spaced from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a corneal glint light source distance of either less than 13 mm or greater than 53 mm.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the lens characterization program logic is further configured to:

receive another image comprising one or more corneal glints generated by the one or more corneal glint light sources;

determine a position of the one or more corneal glints;

use the estimated lens shape model to adjust the position of each of the one or more corneal glints to an adjusted position; and

output the adjusted positions of each of the one or more corneal glints to an eye-tracking system.

11. A method for determining one or more characteristics of a lens of eyeglasses, the method comprising:

receiving from a camera an image comprising a plurality of lens glints produced by the lens of the eyeglasses, wherein the plurality of lens glints comprise light rays emitted by a plurality of light sources located in a light source plane that is spaced from a lens plane of the lens, the light source plane spaced from the lens plane by an offset distance of between 8 mm and 12 mm, the plurality of light sources being either (1) spaced vertically from a line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a vertical light source distance of between 13 mm and 53 mm, or (2) spaced horizontally from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a horizontal light source distance of between 13 mm and 80 mm;

identifying an image location of each of the plurality of lens glints in the image received from the camera; and

using the image locations of the plurality of lens glints in the image, outputting an estimated lens shape model comprising the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the light source plane is spaced from the lens plane by an offset distance of 30 mm, and the plurality of light sources are either (1) spaced vertically from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a vertical light source distance of between 20 mm and 80 mm, or (2) spaced horizontally from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a horizontal light source distance of between 20 mm and 120 mm.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses comprise at least one of an optical power of the lens, an index of refraction of the lens, a curvature of the lens, a position of the lens, and a thickness of the lens.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the center point of the optical axis of the camera is configured to be horizontally spaced from the lens of the eyeglasses by 30 mm.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using one or more predetermined seed characteristics of the lens, determining a predicted location for each of the plurality of lens glints;

computing an error between each of the predicted locations of the plurality of lens glints and a corresponding one of the image locations of the plurality of lens glints in the image; and

iteratively minimizing the error to optimize for the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses and thereby generate the estimated lens shape model.

16. The method of claim 15, where the one or more predetermined seed characteristics of the lens comprise either a partial spherical curvature of the lens or a partial toroidal curvature of the lens.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of lens glints are produced by the lens of the eyeglasses at a first lens location relative to the camera, and the image locations are initial image locations, the method further comprising:

receiving from the camera one or more additional images comprising additional lens glints produced by the lens of the eyeglasses, wherein the additional lens glints are produced by the lens of the eyeglasses at a second lens location relative to the camera that is different from the first lens location;

identifying an additional image location of each of the additional lens glints in the one or more additional images received from the camera; and

using the additional image locations of the additional lens glints and the initial locations of the plurality of lens glints, outputting the estimated lens shape model comprising the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light sources are lens glint light sources that are spaced vertically from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by the vertical light source distance of between 13 mm and 53 mm, and one or more corneal glint light sources are mounted to the frame and spaced from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a corneal glint light source distance of either less than 13 mm or greater than 53 mm.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving another image comprising one or more corneal glints generated by the one or more corneal glint light sources;

determining a position of the one or more corneal glints;

using the estimated lens shape model to adjust the position of each of the one or more corneal glints to an adjusted position; and

outputting the adjusted positions of each of the one or more corneal glints to an eye-tracking system.

20. A method for determining one or more characteristics of a lens of eyeglasses, the method comprising:

receiving from a camera mounted to a display device an image comprising a plurality of lens glints produced by the lens of the eyeglasses, wherein the plurality of lens glints comprise light rays emitted by a plurality of light sources mounted to the display device and located in a light source plane that is spaced from a lens plane of the lens, the plurality of light sources being spaced from a line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a light source distance of between 13 mm and 120 mm;

identifying an image location of each of the plurality of lens glints in the image received from the camera;

using the image locations of the plurality of lens glints in the image, outputting an estimated lens shape model comprising the one or more characteristics of the lens of the eyeglasses;

receiving another image comprising one or more corneal glints generated by one or more corneal glint light sources mounted to the display device, at least one of the one or more corneal glint light sources being spaced from the line perpendicular to the light source plane and extending through the center point of the optical axis of the camera by a corneal glint light source distance of either less than 13 mm or greater than 53 mm;

determining a position of the one or more corneal glints;

using the estimated lens shape model to adjust the position of each of the one or more corneal glints to an adjusted position; and

outputting the adjusted positions of each of the one or more corneal glints to an eye-tracking system.