Microdisplay with eye gaze detection

• US 6,456,262 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, Cynthia S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US09/568,196
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8-9, 345/660, 345/667-671, 345/472, 345/472.1, 345/472.2, 345/788, 345/800, 345/698, 345/699, 348/53, 348/39, 348/61, 348/63, 351/209, 351/210
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3173 wherein the projection device is specially adapted for enhanced portability

Abstract

An electronic device may include a microdisplay in which a displayed image element may be selected by gazing upon it. An eye gaze detector may determine what the user is looking at at any given instance of time if the user looks at it for sufficient time. Once an image element is identified as being selected by being gazed upon, the screen display may be altered to change the appearance of the selected image element and the unselected image elements. For example, the selected image element may be brought into focus and other image elements may be blurred.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a microdisplay;

an eye gaze detector to detect an image element a user is looking at displayed on said microdisplay; and

a device coupled to said detector and said display to automatically alter the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by causing the image element to be enlarged relative to other displayed image elements and to automatically alter the appearance of another image element displayed on said microdisplay in a second way different from said first way by causing the other image element to be reduced in size relative to the image element the user is looking at.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a timer to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image element being computer generated image elements and said microdisplay to automatically alter the appearance of said image element and said other element in response to the timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said timer continues to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said altered image element and said microdisplay to automatically change the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

4. A system comprising:

a microdisplay;

an eye gaze detector to detect an image element a user is looking at displayed on said microdisplay; and

a device coupled to said detector and said display to automatically alter the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by centering the depth of field at said image element and to automatically alter the appearance of another image element displayed on said microdisplay in a second way different from said first way by blurring the other image element.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said eye gaze detector includes an infrared light source to reflect light from the user'"'"'s eye and an infrared imaging subsystem to capture and record an image of the user'"'"'s eye.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said eye gaze detector includes a processor to track features of the user'"'"'s eye and spatially resolve what the user is looking at.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the image elements displayed on the microdisplay define visual points of interest.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said eye gaze detector includes a gaze resolution module to determine whether the image element the user is looking at is coincident with a visual point of interest.

9. The system of claim 4 further including a timer to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image element being computer generated image elements and said display to automatically alter the appearance of said image element and said other element in response to the timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said timer continues to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said altered image element and said microdisplay to automatically change the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

11. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to:

detect an image element that a user is looking at displayed on a microdisplay;

automatically alter the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by causing the image element to be more enlarged and focused relative to another display image element; and

automatically alter the appearance of the other image element displayed on said microdisplay in a second way that is different from said first way by causing the other image element to be reduced and blurred.

12. The article of claim 11 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image element being computer generated image elements and alter the appearance of said image element and said other image element in response to the timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

13. The article of claim 12 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to continue to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said altered image element and change the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

14. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to:

detect an image element that a user is looking at displayed on a microdisplay;

automatically alter the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by centering the depth of field for the display around the image element that the user is looking at; and

automatically alter the appearance of another image element displayed on said microdisplay in a second way that is different from said first way by blurring the other displayed image element.

15. The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to spatially resolve what the user is looking at by detecting infrared light reflected off the user'"'"'s eye.

16. The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to detect the image element the user is looking at by comparing said image element to a known point of activation.

17. The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to time the user'"'"'s gaze.

18. The article of claim 17 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to alter the appearance of an image element displayed on the microdisplay in response to the time the user gazes at the image element.

19. The article of claim 18 further storing instructions that enable a processor-based system to continue to time the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image element being computer generated image elements and change the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

20. A method comprising:

detecting an image element displayed on a microdisplay that a user is looking at;

automatically altering the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by centering the depth of field around an image element displayed on the microdisplay after the user has looked at said image element; and

automatically altering the appearance of another image element displayed on the microdisplay in a second way that is different from said first way by blurring the appearance of the other image element displayed on the microdisplay.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein detecting the image element that the user is looking at includes resolving what the user is looking at by using an infrared light source to reflect light from the user'"'"'s eye and by using an infrared imaging subsystem to capture and record the user'"'"'s eye image.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein detecting the image element that the user is looking at includes comparing said image element with a known activation point'"'"'s coordinates.

23. The method of claim 20 including timing the user'"'"'s gaze.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein altering the appearance of the image element in the first way and altering the appearance of the another image element in the second way are in response to the timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

25. The method of claim 24 further including continuing timing the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image element being computer generated elements and changing the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

26. A method comprising:

detecting an image element displayed on a microdisplay that a user is looking at;

automatically altering the appearance of the image element the user is looking at in a first way by enlarging the image element and placing the image element in focus relative to another image element on the display; and

automatically altering the appearance of another image element displayed on the microdisplay in a second way that is different from said first way by reducing and blurring the other image element.

27. The method of claim 26 further including timing the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element, said image element and said other image elements being computer generated image elements and altering the appearance of said image element and said other image element in response to the timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.

28. The method of claim 27 further including continuing timing the user'"'"'s gaze at said image element and changing the content displayed on said microdisplay in response to the continued timing of the user'"'"'s gaze.