Eye tracking system including an eye tracker camera and a positioning camera

• US 10,761,601 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Controlrad Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Controlrad Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Melman, Haim, Eden, Nir
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lunyi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hermann, Kirk W
• Application Number:
  US15/559,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20180074581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/62 relating to a temporal dimension, e.g. time-based feature extraction; Pattern tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A system for evaluating a point of gaze of a user on an object, the system comprising: an eye tracker, comprising: at least one eye tracker camera associated with a first coordinate system; a light source; at least one computer; at least one positioning camera associated with a second coordinate system, the geometrical data of the object is stored in a storage device accessible to the at least one computer; wherein any combination of the at least one computer is configured to determine: a gaze line of the user relative to the first coordinate system; the position of the at least one eye tracker camera relative to the second coordinate system; the position of the object relative to the second coordinate system; and a gaze point, based on the gaze line in any coordinate system and the at least one object'"'"'s position in the any coordinate system.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating a point of gaze of a user on an object, said system comprising:

an eye tracker, comprising;

at least one eye tracker camera associated with a first 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one eye tracker camera;

a light source configured to provide corneal reflection from at least one of said user'"'"'s eyes; and

at least one computer;

at least one positioning camera associated with a second 3D coordinate system that is fixed relative to said at least one positioning camera; and

at least one object, wherein geometrical data of said at least one object is stored in a storage device accessible to the at least one computer;

wherein any combination of said at least one computer is configured to determine;

(a)a gaze line of said user relative to said first 3D coordinate system, based on an image received from said at least one eye tracker camera;

(b)the position of said at least one eye tracker camera relative to said second 3D coordinate system, thereby determining the position of one 3D coordinate system in the other 3D coordinate system, based on an image received from said at least one positioning camera;

(c)the position of said at least one object relative to said second 3D coordinate system based on said image from said at least one positioning camera and said stored geometrical data of said at least one object; and

(d)a gaze point calculated as the intersection of said gaze line with a surface of said object in any 3D coordinate system, based on said gaze line in said any 3D coordinate system and said at least one object'"'"'s position in said any 3D coordinate system;

wherein a first positioning camera is configured to determine the position of said at least one eye tracker, said first positioning camera associated with a second coordinate system fixed relative to said first positioning camera;

wherein a second positioning camera is configured to determine the position of said at least one object, said second positioning camera associated with a third coordinate system fixed relative to said second positioning camera; and

wherein the intersection of a gaze line determined by said at least one eye tracker with said at least one object is determined based on a transformation between said second coordinate system and said third coordinate system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one object comprises at least two objects;

wherein said at least two objects are configured to be arranged in fixed positions relative to each other.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one object is a monitor, said monitor is configured to display at least one marker.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one positioning camera comprises at least two positioning cameras;

said at least two positioning cameras are configured to enable determining the position of said at least one object using stereoscopic methods.