Electronic devices with gaze detection capabilities
First Claim
1. A method for minimizing power consumption in a portable electronic device that has a touch screen display and gaze detection circuitry, the method comprising:
- performing a video playback operation in which video is displayed on the touch screen display;
with the gaze detection circuitry, capturing images of a user at a first rate and, while the touch screen display receives touch screen inputs from the user, determining that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display based on the captured images; and
in response to determining, while the touch screen display receives the touch screen inputs from the user, that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display, pausing the video playback operation and reducing the rate of image capture from the first rate to a second rate, wherein in response to a given period of user inactivity after determining that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display, the gaze detection circuitry transitions from capturing images at the second rate to a turned off state.
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Abstract
An electronic device may have gaze detection capabilities that allow the device to detect when a user is looking at the device. The electronic device may implement a power management scheme using the results of gaze detection operations. When the device detects that the user has looked away from the device, the device may dim a display screen and may perform other suitable actions. The device may pause a video playback operation when the device detects that the user has looked away from the device. The device may resume the video playback operation when the device detects that the user is looking towards the device. Gaze detector circuitry may be powered down when sensor data indicates that gazed detection readings will not be reliable or are not needed.
37 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for minimizing power consumption in a portable electronic device that has a touch screen display and gaze detection circuitry, the method comprising:
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performing a video playback operation in which video is displayed on the touch screen display; with the gaze detection circuitry, capturing images of a user at a first rate and, while the touch screen display receives touch screen inputs from the user, determining that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display based on the captured images; and in response to determining, while the touch screen display receives the touch screen inputs from the user, that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display, pausing the video playback operation and reducing the rate of image capture from the first rate to a second rate, wherein in response to a given period of user inactivity after determining that the user'"'"'s gaze is not directed towards the touch screen display, the gaze detection circuitry transitions from capturing images at the second rate to a turned off state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for operating a portable electronic device that has a touch screen display and a camera, the method comprising:
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performing a video playback operation in which video is displayed on the touch screen display; while the touch screen display receives touch screen inputs from the user, determining, with the camera, that a user is not looking at the touch screen display; and in response to determining, while the touch screen display receives the touch screen inputs from the user, that the user is not looking at the touch screen display, pausing the video playback operation and turning off the camera. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic device comprising:
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a touch screen display that displays video in a video playback operation; an optical sensor that captures images of a user of the electronic device while the touch screen display receives touch screen inputs from the user, wherein the optical sensor captures the images at a given rate; and circuitry that processes the captured images of the user from the optical sensor to determine whether or not the user is looking at the touch screen display, wherein the circuitry pauses the video playback operation and the optical sensor captures the images of the user at a reduced rate when the circuitry determines, while the touch screen display receives the touch screen inputs, that the user is not looking at the touch screen display based on the captured images of the user, and wherein, in response to a given period of user inactivity after the circuitry determines that the user is not looking at the touch screen display, the optical sensor transitions from capturing the images of the user at the reduced rate to a turned-off state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification