Method and apparatus for recording reading behavior

• US 9,672,421 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Utechzone Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Utechzone Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsou, Chia-Chun, Lin, Po-Tsung, Kao, Chia-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Zhihan
• Application Number:
  US14/179,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 348 78
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30041 Eye; Retina; Ophthalmic
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for recording reading behavior are provided. A movement trajectory of a user'"'"'s eye is tracked based on an eye-tracking procedure, so as to calculate reading time of a gazing part of an electronic document when it is detected that sight of an eye leaves the gazing part, or when it is detected that the eye keeps gazing the electronic document and reading of the gazing part is finished. And the reading time is recorded to a storage space corresponding to the gazing part.

Claims

1. A method for recording reading behaviour, comprising:

performing a correction procedure before an eye tracking procedure is executed, wherein the correction procedure comprises sequentially receiving a plurality of correction images, obtaining a reference correction parameter according to two bright spot positions in an eye area of each of the correction images, and generating a coordinate transformation matrix according to the correction images;

displaying an electronic document on a display unit, wherein the electronic document comprises a plurality of parts;

capturing an image sequence of a user through an image capturing unit;

executing the eye-tracking procedure on the image sequence to track a movement trajectory of an eye of the user, wherein the step of tracking the movement trajectory of the eye of the user comprises;

detecting the eye area of a current image in the image sequence to obtain a pupil position in the current image;

obtaining a comparison correction parameter according to the two bright spot positions in the eye area of the current image;

obtaining a dynamic compensation parameter according to the reference correction parameter and the comparison correction parameter;

calculating eye movement coordinates according to one of the two bright spot positions and the pupil position in the current image and the dynamic compensation parameter;

converting the eye movement coordinates into sight landing coordinates corresponding to the display unit by using the coordinate transformation matrix; and

recording the sight landing coordinates;

detecting whether a sight of the eye leaves a gazing part when it is detected that the eye gazes the gazing part of the parts;

calculating a reading time of the gazing part when it is detected that the sight of the eye leaves the gazing part, wherein the reading time is a time required for the sight moving from a position where the sight starts to gaze the gazing part to a position where the sight leaves the gazing part;

calculating the reading time of the gazing part when it is detected that the eye keeps gazing the electronic document and reading of the gazing part is finished; and

recording the reading time to a storage space corresponding to the gazing part.

2. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the correction images are respectively obtained when the user views a plurality of correction points of the display unit;

the two bright spot positions are formed when the image capturing unit captures each of the correction images; and

the coordinate transformation matrix is used for transforming a coordinate position of the eye area into a coordinate position of the display unit.

3. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

recording a current read ratio of the gazing part and sight landing coordinates where the sight of the eye finally stays to the storage space corresponding to the gazing part when it is detected that the sight of the eye leaves the gazing part, and reading of the gazing part is not finished.

4. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

performing a marking operation on each of the parts according to the read ratio, so as to mark a read finish symbol or an unfinished symbol or an unread symbol on each of the parts.

5. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the reading time of the gazing part when it is detected that the eye keeps gazing the electronic document and reading of the gazing part is finished comprises:

summing all of the reading time of the gazing part according to the recorded reading time read from the storage space corresponding to the gazing part.

6. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

recording reading frequency of each part.

7. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step of displaying the electronic document on the display unit, the method further comprises:

identifying an identity of the user;

determining whether identification information corresponding to the user exists in a database; and

recording the identification information and establishing the storage space corresponding to the identification information when the identification information corresponding to the user does not exist in the database.

8. The method for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the reading time, a read ratio corresponding to each of the parts and an identity name of the user in the display unit.

9. An apparatus for recording reading behaviour, comprising:

a display unit, displaying an electronic document, wherein the electronic document comprises a plurality of parts;

an image capturing unit, capturing an image sequence of a user;

a storage unit, storing the electronic document and the image sequence; and

a processing unit, coupled to the display unit, the image capturing unit and the storage unit, wherein the storage unit further stores a behaviour analysis module, driven by the processing unit,

wherein the behaviour analysis module comprises a correction module, wherein the correction module sequentially receives a plurality of correction images, obtains a reference correction parameter according to two bright spot positions in an eye area of each of the correction images, and generates a coordinate transformation matrix based on the correction images according to a perspective transformation method,

wherein the behaviour analysis module further comprises an eye-tracking module, executing an eye-tracking procedure on the image sequence to track the movement trajectory of the eye of the user, wherein the eye-tracking module detects the eye area of a current image in the image sequence to obtain a pupil position in the current image;

obtains a comparison correction parameter according to the two bright spot positions in the eye area of the current image;

obtains a dynamic compensation parameter according to the reference correction parameter and the comparison correction parameter;

calculates eye movement coordinates according to one of the two bright spot positions and the pupil position in the current image and the dynamic compensation parameter;

converts the eye movement coordinates into sight landing coordinates corresponding to the display unit by using the coordinate transformation matrix, and records the sight landing coordinates;

wherein when the processing unit detects that the eye gazes a gazing part of the parts, the processing unit detects whether a sight of the eye leaves the gazing part;

when the processing unit detects that the sight of the eye leaves the gazing part, the processing unit calculates a reading time of the gazing part, and records the reading time to a storage space corresponding to the gazing part, wherein the reading time is a time required for the sight moving from a position where the sight starts to gaze the gazing part to a position where the sight leaves the gazing part;

when the processing unit detects that the eye keeps gazing the electronic document and reading of the gazing part is finished, the processing unit calculates the reading time of the gazing part, and records the reading time to a storage space corresponding to the gazing part.

10. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the behaviour analysis module further comprises:

a timing module, calculates the reading time; and

a recording module, recording the reading time.

11. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 10

wherein the correction images are respectively obtained when the user views a plurality of correction points of the display unit, the two bright spot positions are formed when the image capturing unit captures each of the correction images, and the coordinate transformation matrix is used for transforming a coordinate position of the eye area into a coordinate position of the display unit.

12. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 10, wherein the behaviour analysis module further comprises:

a document trimming module, calculating a current read ratio of the gazing part according to sight landing coordinates where the sight of the eye finally stays;

wherein the recording module further records the current read ratio of the gazing part and the sight landing coordinates where the sight of the eye finally stays to the storage space corresponding to the gazing part when it is detected that the sight of the eye leaves the gazing part, and reading of the gazing part is not finished.

13. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 12, wherein the document trimming module determines whether reading of the gazing part is finished according to the sight landing coordinates,

wherein when it is detected that the eye keeps gazing the electronic document, and reading of the gazing part is finished, the timing module sums all of the reading time of the gazing part according to the recorded reading time.

14. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 12, wherein the recording module further records reading frequency of each part.

15. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 10, wherein the behaviour analysis module further comprises:

an identification module, identifying an identity of the user, and determining whether identification information corresponding to the user exists in a database,

wherein when the identification information corresponding to the user does not exist in the database, the identification module records the identification information and establishes the storage space corresponding to the identification information.

16. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 15, wherein the behaviour analysis module further comprises:

a prompt module, displaying the reading time, a read ratio corresponding to each of the parts and an identity name of the user in the display unit.

17. The apparatus for recording reading behaviour as claimed in claim 10, wherein the behaviour analysis module further comprises:

a marking module, performing a marking operation on each of the parts, so as to mark a read finish symbol or an unfinished symbol or an unread symbol on each of the parts.