Unobtrusive active eye interrogation

• US 10,251,541 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Brown, Jr., Allen L., Burger, Douglas C., Horvitz, Eric, Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K. Y., Kare, Jordin T., Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Leuthardt, Eric C., Manferdelli, John L., Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Pell, Barney, Tegreene, Clarence T., Wattenburg, Willard H., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Zare, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US15/088,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20160278628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 351200, 351205, 351206, 351209-212, 351221-223, 351243-246
• 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 3/0091 Fixation targets for viewing direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/152 for aligning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/42 Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the gastrointestinal, the endocrine or the exocrine systems A61B1/00, A61B5/4857, A61B5/486, A61B5/4866, A61B5/4869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The physiological parameter is determined from a signal sensed from the eye of a subject according to a schedule, under the control of a scheduling controller.

Claims

1. A system for sensing information from an eye of a subject, comprising:

an interrogation signal source for delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject;

a response signal sensor for sensing a response signal produced by the eye of the subject responsive to the interrogation signal;

a gaze attractor adapted to attract the gaze of the subject to thereby cause the eye of the subject to move into alignment with at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor; and

signal processing circuitry including;

a response signal processor configured to process a response signal sensed from the eye of the subject when the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor to determine a physiological parameter from the response signal; and

an data transmission structure adapted to output a signal relating to the determined physiological parameter.

2. The system of claim 1, including:

a gaze signal sensor adapted for receiving a gaze signal containing information indicative of a gaze direction of the eye of the subject;

a gaze signal processor configured to determine the gaze direction of the eye of the subject based upon the gaze signal; and

an alignment detector configured to determine whether the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor based at least in part upon the gaze direction.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation signal source is adapted to deliver a pulsed interrogation signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data transmission structure includes a serial port, a parallel port, an electromagnetic transmission means, or an optical transmission means.

5. The system of claim 1, including a display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the display includes a video monitor, a computer display, a video game display, a telephone display, a terminal of a data processing device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the display is incorporated into a wearable item, an article of furniture, an article of medical or health-care related equipment, an article of exercise equipment, or a vehicle.

29. The system of claim 2, wherein the gaze signal sensor includes at least one of a camera, an infrared camera, a CCD camera, an optical sensor, and an optical sensor array.

30. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the response signal sensor and the signal processing circuitry is configured to gate detection of the response signal relative to the pulsed interrogation signal, and wherein the signal processing circuitry is configured to combine multiple response signals produced by the eye of the subject in response to multiple pulses of the pulsed interrogation signal.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaze attractor includes at least one of a visual stimulus source for delivering a visual stimulus to attract the gaze of the subject and an auditory stimulus source for delivering a localized auditory stimulus to attract the gaze of the subject.

8. A method of measuring information from an eye of a subject, comprising;

delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source;

detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor, wherein the interrogation signal is reflected from a region or structure within the eye of the subject to form the response signal;

controlling a gaze attractor to cause the eye of the subject to move into alignment with at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor;

determining a physiological parameter of the subject from the response signal detected from the eye of the subject when the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor, wherein the physiological parameter includes a measurement of at least one of a substance in the blood of the subject, a substance in an aqueous humor of the subject, oxygen, glucose, a salt, a protein, a lipid, a gas, a hormone, a drug, a pulse rate, a blood flow, and a temperature; and

transmitting at least one of information regarding the subject, information regarding a method used for determining the physiological parameter, or information regarding the physiological parameter to a data processing system.

9. The method of claim 8, including:

detecting a gaze signal containing information indicative of a gaze direction of the eye of the subject sensed from at least the eye of the subject;

determining the gaze direction of the eye of the subject based upon the gaze signal; and

determining whether the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor based at least in part upon the gaze direction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the gaze signal and the response signal are the same signal.

11. The method of claim 9, including detecting a plurality of gaze signals containing information indicative of the gaze direction of the eye of the subject from at least the eye of the subject.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein controlling the gaze attractor includes at least one of driving a visual stimulus source to deliver a visual stimulus to attract the gaze of the subject, driving at least one auditory stimulus source to deliver a localized auditory stimulus to attract the gaze of the subject, driving at least one auditory stimulus source and at least one visual stimulus source to deliver at least one auditory stimulus and at least one visual stimulus in sequence, and driving at least one auditory stimulus source and at least one visual stimulus source to deliver at least one auditory stimulus and at least one visual stimulus simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 8, including receiving at least one of information regarding the subject, information regarding a method used for determining the physiological parameter, or information regarding the physiological parameter from a data processing system.

14. The method of claim 8, including sharing at least one of information regarding the subject, information regarding the method used for determining the physiological parameter, or information regarding the physiological parameter between two or more data processing systems.

15. The method of claim 8, including:

determining an identity of the subject through the use of at least one of facial recognition, retinal recognition, comparing login information entered by the subject with login information in a registry; and

controlling the gaze attractor to cause the eye of the subject to move into alignment with the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor only when the identity of the subject meets a selection criterion.

16. The method of claim 8, including determining a feature of the vasculature of the eye of the subject.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject includes detecting a first response signal from the eye of the subject at a first polarization, determining a second response signal from the eye of the subject at a second polarization, and comparing the response signal determined at the first polarization to the response signal determined at the second polarization.

18. The method of claim 8, including

presenting an input to the subject;

and

utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to determine a response of the subject to the input.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the input includes at least one of information, advertising information, marketing research information, print information, video information, an auditory stimulus, a visual stimulus, a tactile stimulus, an olfactory stimulus, a gustatory stimulus, a thermal stimulus, a neural stimulus, a drug, a pharmaceutical, a nutraceutical, or a nutrient.

20. The method of claim 9, including

delivering a gaze tracking stimulus with a gaze tracking stimulus source, wherein the gaze tracking stimulus is adapted to cause production of the gaze signal by the eye of the subject.

21. The method of claim 9, including

delivering a gaze tracking stimulus with a plurality of gaze tracking stimulus sources, wherein the gaze tracking stimulus is adapted to cause production of the gaze signal by the eye of the subject.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein delivering the interrogation signal includes delivering a pulsed interrogation signal.

23. The method of claim 22, including gating detection of the response signal relative to the pulsed interrogation signal.

24. The method of claim 22, including combining multiple response signals produced by the eye of the subject in response to multiple pulses of the pulsed interrogation signal.

25. The method of claim 24, including combining the multiple response signals by at least one of summing the multiple response signals, averaging the multiple response signals, determining a moving average of the multiple response signals, and determining a weighted sum of the multiple response signals.

26. The method of claim 8, wherein the interrogation signal is a first interrogation signal having a first optical wavelength, and wherein the method includes delivering a second interrogation signal having a second optical wavelength to the eye of the subject.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein detecting the response signal includes detecting a first response signal from the eye of the subject in response to the first interrogation signal and detecting a second response signal from the eye of the subject in response to the second interrogation signal, and wherein determining the physiological parameter of the subject includes comparing the first response signal and the second response signal.

28. The method of claim 8, including delivering the interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with the interrogation signal source only when the eye of the subject is in alignment with the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor.

32. The method of claim 9, wherein the gaze signal and the response signal are separate signals.

33. The method of claim 8, wherein controlling the gaze attractor includes driving a visual stimulus source to deliver a visual stimulus to attract the gaze of the subject, wherein the visual stimulus that includes at least one of a different light intensity relative to a visual background, a different optical wavelength relative to a visual background, a different temporal pattern of light intensity or optical wavelength relative to a visual background, a different spatial pattern of light intensity or optical wavelength relative to a visual background, an image, a moving image, or text.

34. The method of claim 17, wherein the first polarization and the second polarization are different.

35. The method of claim 8, including sending an output signal relating to the determined physiological parameter to an output structure.

36. The method of claim 35, including sending the output signal to at least one of a data transmission structure, a data storage structure, a display, an audio output, or a visual output.

37. The method of claim 8, wherein the response signal is detected from at least one of a lens, an aqueous humor, a vitreous humor, and a retina of the eye of the subject responsive to the interrogation signal.

38. The method of claim 8, including comparing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to a previous measurement of a physiological parameter to determine a physiological trend.

39. The method of claim 38, including reporting information regarding the physiological trend to an interested party.

40. The method of claim 8, wherein delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source and detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor are performed without detection by the subject.

41. The method of claim 40, including receiving an input indicative of an instruction from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.

42. The method of claim 40, including receiving an input indicative of authorization from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.

43. The method of claim 40, including receiving an input indicative of informed consent from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.