Eye imaging in head worn computing

• US 9,615,742 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC (Magic Leap, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Inventors: Bietry, Joseph, Haddick, John, Border, John N.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US14/533,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 359630, 345 7- 9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0008 provided with illuminating means A61B3/117 takes precedence; goniolenses used for laser treatment A61F9/009; illuminating means for optical instruments G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0041 characterised by display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• 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: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/197 : Matching; Classification

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods and systems for imaging, recognizing, and tracking of a user'"'"'s eye that is wearing a HWC. Aspects further relate to the processing of images reflected from the user'"'"'s eye and controlling displayed content in accordance therewith. Aspects further relate to determining health conditions of the user based on eye imaging technologies.

Claims

1. A head-worn computer with an eye-imaging system, comprising:

a camera system positioned in a head-worn computer, wherein the camera system is further positioned to capture eye-image light that originates as reflections from an eye of a user, wherein the camera system is further positioned to capture the eye-image light as a reflection from a partially reflective surface that is positioned in front of an image display in the head-worn computer, wherein image light, from the image display, is transmitted through the partially reflective surface; and

a processor adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is mounted on a user'"'"'s head,

wherein the processor is further adapted to cause the camera system to capture the eye-image light after the processor identifies that the head-worn computer has been mounted on the user'"'"'s head, and

wherein the processor is further adapted to cause a comparison of the captured eye-image light with a pre-stored eye image of a known user of the head-worn computer, and

wherein, in the event the comparison confirms the identity of the known user, the user is granted permission to view content to be presented in a display of the head-worn computer.

2. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the camera system is further positioned to capture the eye-image light originating on an optical path that is in-line with a content presentation optical path.

3. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the camera system is further positioned to capture the eye-image light originating on an optical path that is outside of a content presentation optical path.

4. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is mounted on the user'"'"'s head by detecting an arm pressure.

5. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is mounted on the user'"'"'s head by detecting when the head-worn computer is turned on.

6. The head-worn computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is mounted on the user'"'"'s head by detecting an arm position.

7. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is dismounted from the user'"'"'s head, wherein, the indication of dismounting causes a security system to remove the permission until the user'"'"'s identity is re-confirmed.

8. The head-worn computer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is dismounted by detecting an arm pressure.

9. The head-worn computer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is dismounted by detecting when the head-worn computer is turned on.

10. The head-worn computer of claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect when the head-worn computer is dismounted by detecting an arm position.

11. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to capture the eye-image light periodically while the head-worn computer is being worn such that a health parameter of the user is determined.

12. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to capture the eye-image light at times based on a predicted activity of the user.