BIOSENSORS, COMMUNICATORS, AND CONTROLLERS MONITORING EYE MOVEMENT AND METHODS FOR USING THEM

• US 20090018419A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: William C. Torch
• Inventors: Torch, William C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,488,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/318
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

Biosensor, communicator, and/or controller apparatus, systems, and methods are provided for monitoring movement of a person'"'"'s eye. The apparatus includes a device configured to be worn on a user'"'"'s head, a light source for directing light towards one or both eyes of the user, one or more image guides on the device for viewing one or both eyes of the user, and one or more cameras carried on the device and coupled to the image guides for acquiring images of the eyes and/or the user'"'"'s surroundings. The apparatus may include a cable and/or a transmitter for transmitting image data from the camera to a remote location, e.g., to processor and/or display for analyzing and/or displaying the image data. A system including the apparatus may be used to monitor one or more oculometric parameters, e.g., pupillary response, and/or to control a computer using the user'"'"'s eyes instead of a mouse.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring movement of a person'"'"'s eyes, comprising:

a device configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s head;

a light source for directing light towards the eyes of the person when the device is worn;

first and second image guides comprising first ends fixed on the device, the first image guide positioned for viewing a first eye of the person wearing the device, the second image guide positioned for viewing a second eye of the person wearing the device; and

a camera coupled to the first and second image guides such that the first and second image guides provide first and second inputs including images of the first and second eyes on an active area of the camera to produce a single output comprising output signals including the images of the first and second eyes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera comprises a CCD or CMOS detector, and wherein images from the first and second image guides are simultaneously received on the active area of the CCD or CMOS detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises one or more infrared emitters configured for emitting infrared light.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises first and second illumination fibers carried with the first and second image guides, respectively.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cable coupled to the camera for delivering the output signals away from the device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter on the device for wirelessly transmitting the output signals from the camera to a remote location.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising first and second lenses on the first ends of the first and second image guides, respectively, for focusing on the first and second eyes, respectively.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one of an eyeglass frame, a hat, a helmet, a visor, and a mask.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a helmet comprising a pair of goggles, the camera is mounted to the helmet, and the first ends of the first and second image guides are attached to the goggles.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third image guide comprising a first end positioned on the device away from the person, the third image guide coupled to the camera to provide a third input including images of the person'"'"'s surroundings on the active area of the camera, the single output comprising output signals including the images of the person'"'"'s surrounding together with the images of first and second eyes.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors on the device for measuring one or more physiological characteristics of the person.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a display coupled to the camera and the one or more sensors for simultaneously displaying images of the first and second eyes and the one or more physiological characteristics of the person.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter coupled to the camera for transmitting signals comprising the images of the first and second eyes to a remote location.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera captures images of the first and second eyes from the first and second image guides at capture rates between about five hundred and seven hundred fifty frames per second (500-750 Hz).

14-18. -18. (canceled)

19. An apparatus for monitoring movement of a person'"'"'s eyes, comprising:

a device configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s head;

first and second fiber optic bundles comprising first ends fixed on the device, the first fiber optic bundle positioned for viewing a first eye of the person wearing the device, the second fiber optic bundle positioned for viewing a second eye of the person wearing the device; and

a camera coupled to the first and second fiber optic bundles such that the first and second fiber optic bundles provide first and second inputs on an active area of the camera for simultaneously acquiring images of the first and second eyes from the first and second fiber optic bundles, the camera producing a single stream of output signals including the images of the first and second eyes.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an exocamera on the device oriented away from the person wearing the device for acquiring images of the person'"'"'s surroundings, the exocamera coupled to the camera such that the active area of the camera simultaneously acquires images from the exocamera together with the images from the first and second fiber optic bundles, the single stream of output signals including the images of the person'"'"'s surroundings.

21. An apparatus for monitoring movement of a person'"'"'s eyes, comprising:

a device configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s head;

first and second fiber optic bundles on the device, each fiber optic bundle comprising an image guide and an illumination fiber bundle, the first fiber optic bundle comprising a first end and an opposite end including a first lens directed towards a first eye of the person wearing the device, the second fiber optic bundle comprising a second end and an opposite end including a second lens directed towards a second eye of the person wearing the device;

a third fiber optic bundle on the device comprising an image guide comprising a third end and an opposite end including a third lens oriented away from the person wearing the device for acquiring images of the person'"'"'s surroundings; and

a camera coupled to the first, second and third ends such that the first, second, and third fiber optic bundles provide first, second, and third inputs on an active area of the camera for simultaneously acquiring images of the first and second eyes from the image guides of the first and second fiber optic bundles and images of the person'"'"'s surroundings from the third image guide, the camera producing a single stream of output signals including the images of the first and second eyes and the images of the person'"'"'s surroundings.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the camera comprises a detector comprising the active area.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the camera comprises a light source coupled to the illumination fiber bundles of the first and second fiber optic bundles.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the third fiber optic bundle comprises an illumination fiber bundle, and wherein the light source is also coupled to the illumination fiber bundle of the third fiber optic bundle.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, the apparatus further comprising a cable coupled to the camera for carrying the single stream of output signals away from the device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising one or more sensors on the device, the one or more sensors coupled to the cable.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more sensors for measuring one or more physiological characteristics of the person.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more position sensors.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a display coupled to the cable for simultaneously displaying images of the first and second eyes, images of the person'"'"'s surroundings, and the one or more physiological characteristics of the person.

31. An apparatus for monitoring movement of a person'"'"'s eyes, comprising:

a device configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s head;

a light source for directing light towards the eyes of the person when the device is worn;

a first image guide comprising a first end fixed on the device, the first image guide comprising a first lens positioned for viewing a first eye of the person wearing the device;

a second image guide on the device comprising a second lens positioned on the device away from the person for acquiring images of the person'"'"'s surroundings; and

a camera coupled to the first and second image guides such that the first and second image guides provide first and second inputs for simultaneously acquiring images of the first eye and images of the person'"'"'s surroundings on an active area of the camera to produce a single stream of output signals including the images of the first eye and the person'"'"'s surroundings.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further a third image guides comprising a first end fixed on the device, the third image guide comprising a third lens positioned for viewing a second eye of the person wearing the device, the camera coupled to the third image guide such that the third image guide provides a third input on the active area of the camera for acquiring images of the second eye together with the images of the first eye and the images of the person'"'"'s surroundings, the single stream of output signals including the images of the second eye.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the camera captures images of the first and second eyes from the first and third image guides and images of the person'"'"'s surroundings from the second image guide at capture rates between about five hundred and seven hundred fifty frames per second (500-750 Hz).

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the camera comprises a single CCD or CMOS detector comprising the active area.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the camera captures images of the first eye from the first image guide and images of the person'"'"'s surroundings from the second image guide at capture rates between about five hundred and seven hundred fifty frames per second (500-750 Hz).