Marker scanning system and method with eye gaze detection control

Abstract

By tracking a user's eyes, a tag-scanning system can make informed guesses about what the user is interested in. This insight can be useful when dynamically configuring a camera system, configuring the tag decoding process, or even as a method for selecting data that interests the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a marker scanning system that utilizes eye gaze detection. Background Technology

[0002] Mobile computing devices such as smartphones have become an increasingly popular way to scan barcodes due to their high-performance camera technology and ubiquity. Generally, the biggest challenge when using a smartphone to scan barcodes is first getting the barcode in focus. Currently, most smartphones utilize an autofocus routine that attempts to focus the image. This process is very time-consuming. Moreover, the autofocus routine often struggles due to excessive movement and poor lighting conditions. When scanning barcodes, this often results in significant time delays and accounts for the majority of the total scanning time.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for a system for reading code symbols that can generate faster readings of symbols by tracking the user's eyes to make informed guesses about what the user is interested in. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention includes a portable computer for reading tags, comprising: a processor coupled to a first imaging system for capturing an image within the field of view of a first system and displaying the image on a visual display, and a second imaging system for detecting a user's gaze; the processor is configured to: determine the gaze coordinates on the visual display having the image, where the user is viewing; and use the gaze coordinates to begin decoding a region of interest within the image.

[0005] In another aspect, the invention includes a method for reading a marker, the method comprising: displaying an image of at least one marker on a visual display of a portable computer; determining a gaze coordinate position on the visual display having the image where a user is viewing; and using the gaze coordinate position to begin decoding a region of interest within the image.

[0006] In another aspect, a method for reading a tag includes:

[0007] An image of at least one marker captured by the first imaging system is displayed on the visual display of a portable computer;

[0008] Determine the gaze coordinates of the user on a visual display showing an image from a second imaging system; and

[0009] Use the gaze coordinates to begin decoding the region of interest within the image.

[0010] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0011] Use the gaze coordinates to begin the autofocus process on the region of interest.

[0012] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0013] Use the gaze coordinates to begin the automatic exposure process on the region of interest.

[0014] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0015] Decode at least one tag located in the image.

[0016] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0017] Decode multiple markers located in the image.

[0018] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0019] Display the viewfinder frame around each of the multiple markers; and

[0020] Create multiple gaze selection areas associated with each of the tags.

[0021] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0022] Monitor the coordinates of the gaze area to determine whether the user's gaze is stationary at a point on the visual display for a predetermined time period n.

[0023] The method for reading the tag, wherein n is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds.

[0024] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0025] If no marker is found when decoding the region of interest, the gaze coordinates are recalculated.

[0026] The method for reading the marker also includes:

[0027] A second imaging system captures a predetermined blink pattern from the user to select one of several markers.

[0028] The foregoing illustrative summary, other exemplary objectives and / or advantages of the invention, and ways of accomplishing the invention are further explained in the following detailed description and its accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1AIt is a schematic representation of a portable computer 100 (such as a smart device, tablet computer, scanner, etc.) with mark scanning capabilities that have eye gaze detection and control.

[0030] Figure 1B This is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary portable computer 100.

[0031] Figure 2 A live camera preview is shown on a visual display 105 of multiple markers (e.g., barcodes) 202, 204, and 206 imaged by the rear camera system 116.

[0032] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of the eye gaze detection and control scanning method disclosed in this paper. Detailed Implementation

[0033] This invention includes a system and method for scanning a portable computer with tags (or codes) to track a user's eyes as the user views a visual display, enabling informed guesses about what the user is interested in. This insight can be useful when dynamically configuring a camera system, configuring a tag decoding process, or even as a method for selecting data of interest to the user.

[0034] Figure 1A This is an illustrative representation of a portable computer 100, such as a smartphone, tablet, scanner, etc. Figure 1BThis is a block diagram of an exemplary portable computer 100 with a visual display 105. The visual display 105 shows a tag (e.g., a code symbol or barcode) 107 captured by a rear-facing camera system 116 of the portable computer 100. The portable computer 100 typically includes: a processor 110 communicatively coupled to a user interface system 102 having a touchscreen / visual liquid crystal display 105; a memory 112 having a database 114; a wireless communication system 118; and an input / output (I / O) module 120. The portable computer 100 further includes a user-facing front-facing camera system 101 (or a first camera system) capable of tracking the user's eye gaze movement and a rear-facing (or outward-facing) camera system 116 (or a second camera system) for capturing images (such as tags) within the field of view of the camera systems. Each of the camera systems (101 and 116) will include a lens and a driver and be connected to the processor 110 for processing the images captured by the camera systems. The portable computer 100 may include a system bus 122 and / or one or more interface circuits (not shown) for coupling the processor 110 and other components (e.g., user interface system 102, memory 112, user front-facing camera system 101, rear-facing camera system 116, wireless communication system 118, and I / O module 120) to the system bus 122 and to each other. Typically, the processor 110 is configured to execute instructions and perform operations associated with the portable computer 100. For example, by using instructions retrieved from memory 112 (e.g., memory blocks), the processor 110 can control the reception and manipulation of input and output data between the various components of the portable computer 100. The processor 110 is configured to capture the user's eye movements from the front-facing camera system 101. The processor 110 is also configured to retrieve images depicting symbols such as code symbols from the rear-facing camera system 116; and to display images (such as...) on the visual display 105. Figure 1AThe barcode 107 shown in the image); and the front-facing camera system 101 determines the user's eye gaze when the user views the visual display 105. The processor 110 typically operates using an operating system that executes computer code and generates and uses data. The operating system, other computer code, and data may reside in a memory 112 operatively coupled to the processor 110. The memory 112 typically provides a location for storing computer code and data used by the portable computer 100. The memory 112 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drives, and / or other non-transitory storage media. The operating system, other computer code, and data may also reside on a removable non-transitory storage medium, which may be loaded or installed on the portable computer 100 when needed. A wireless communication system 118 enables the portable computer 100 to communicate with wireless networks such as cellular networks (e.g., GSM, CDMA, or LTE networks), local area networks (LANs), and / or hoc networks. I / O module 120 may be a hardwired connector that allows portable computer 100 to receive power and / or data when inserted.

[0035] This disclosure covers several types of eye-tracking systems and methods within the context of a marker-scanning portable computer 100. By tracking the user's eyes using a front-facing camera system 101, the marker-scanning portable computer 100 can make calculated guesses about what the user is interested in. These calculated guesses are used to dynamically configure the marker decoding process in the rear-facing camera system 116 and the processor 110 to select data of interest to the user on the visual display 105.

[0036] The front-facing camera system 101 is configured to search for the face of the user operating the portable computer 100, detect the user's eyes, and then detect their pupils. The pupils are tracked and used to calculate what the user is looking at. Figure 2 The coordinates shown on the visual display 105 are one or more of the following. The eye gaze cursor graphic or "gaze coordinates" 208 is a configurable representation (e.g., a point) on the visual display 105 of the location the user is looking at. The gaze coordinates 208 also move when the user's pupils move to gaze around the visual display 105. Figure 2Further illustration shows a real-time camera preview on visual display 105 of multiple markers (e.g., barcodes) 202, 204, and 206 captured by rear camera system 116. The marker decoding process takes place in processor 110. A mapping is created from the visual display 105 coordinate system to the image coordinate system of rear camera 116, so the decoding process can be seeded (or configured) with the in-image position on visual display 105 associated with the gaze position. By seeding, gaze coordinates 208 are used as input to the decoding subsystem of processor 110 to signal the user's interest in the area and provide an optimal configuration to begin decoding. Once the user's gaze is determined and mapped to coordinates on visual display 105, several things of interest will occur regarding seeding the region of interest, autofocus, and auto exposure. Processor 110 will detect the gaze coordinates 208, which are the region of interest, to begin (or seed) the decoding of markers (or multiple markers) and other camera processes (e.g., autofocus, auto exposure). Figure 2 In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of barcodes 202, 204 and 206 captured and decoded by a rear camera 116 are shown on a visual display 105.

[0037] If multiple barcodes are found within the field of view, then... Figure 2 The rendered graphics shown on the screen make it easier for the user to select the barcode of interest with minimal possibility of error. Because eye gaze resolution may not be very high, it may be difficult to select a barcode directly using the operator's eye gaze. For each decoded barcode 202, 204, and 206, there are associated "gaze selection areas" (210a, 212a, and 214a) with a rendered color graphic of the gaze area located in each corner of the field of view on the visual display 105. The user's gaze is monitored to see if it remains within the gaze selection areas 210a, 212a, and 214a or the barcode boundaries of barcodes 202, 204, or 206 for more than a predetermined "n" milliseconds. If so, the barcode is selected and returned to the processor 110. The coordinates of unselected gaze areas and their associated barcodes are color-coded. For example, a first color may be used when not selected, but this color will change to a second color (e.g., green) when the user gazes at one of the gaze areas for a specified period of time. Figure 2After the barcodes (202, 204, and 206) are decoded, the position of the gaze area coordinates 208 is clearly displayed on the visual display 105 by changing the dots with gaze cursor graphics around the gaze selection area 210a to a second color (e.g., green). Furthermore, the corresponding viewfinder frame 210b can be the graphic surrounding the nearest barcode 202 (e.g., a boundary formed by lines or dashed lines). Gaze selection areas 212a and 214a and their corresponding viewfinder frames 212b and 214b can represent the location where the gaze area coordinates 208 are currently not in focus. The actual selection of a particular decoded barcode (202, 204, or 206) will occur after the user continues to stare at the gaze area coordinates for a predetermined amount of time or when the user blinks at the gaze area coordinates. For example, this predetermined amount of time can be in the range of approximately 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds. In an alternative embodiment, the front-facing camera system 101 may receive a first predetermined blink pattern from the user to select one of a plurality of barcodes. In another alternative embodiment, the front-facing camera system 101 may receive a second predetermined blink pattern, such as three consecutive blinks, to terminate pupil scanning. The gaze area cursor patterns 212a, 214a may begin to blink as they are about to be selected, and may even blink faster as the user's pupil moves closer to the selection. Users often have the option to select a barcode of interest using their finger or also by voice. Furthermore, the rear-facing camera system 116 may seed its autofocus process to use the gaze area coordinates 208 as the area to focus on within the field of view of the camera system 116. When the gaze area coordinates 208 change position, the processor 110 updates the autofocus (i.e., autofocus) area using the one with the highest priority. This helps the scanning system detect barcodes more quickly. In addition to autofocus, the gaze area coordinates 208 can be used to seed the camera's automatic exposure process to ensure good contrast in the region of interest.

[0038] Honeywell SwiftDecoder is compatible with smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, and more. TM An exemplary implementation of the eye-tracking method and system disclosed herein is provided in a mobile barcode scanning application programming interface (API). This API offers a plug-in architecture, allowing users to create their own scanning plug-ins that enable them to control the viewing and functionality of the scanning operation. The plug-in will have the ability to simultaneously access camera feeds from both the front-facing camera 116 and the rear-facing camera 101. The barcode scanning API will allow users to see a real-time preview of what the rear-facing camera system 116 is looking at and will have the ability to render graphics on that real-time preview to provide an augmented reality experience.

[0039] Figure 3This is a flowchart 300 illustrating a marker scanning process for eye gaze control. In step 302, the user points, for example, a smart device (e.g., a smartphone) at a marker (or multiple markers) such as one or more barcodes. In step 304, an image from the front-facing camera system 101 is processed to locate the user's pupils. In step 306, a point (or gaze coordinate) 208 on the smartphone screen 105 corresponding to the location the user is looking at is calculated. In step 308, the marker images (202, 204, and 206) captured from the rear-facing camera system 116 are processed. In step 310, the screen gaze coordinates are transformed into the coordinate system of the image from the rear-facing camera system 116. In step 312, the gaze coordinates 208 are used to seed or initiate the region of interest decoding, autofocus, and autoexposure process within the camera driver and barcode decoder processor (or logic) 110. In step 314, the rear-facing camera marker image is decoded. In step 316, a decision is made as to whether to detect and decode a barcode (or multiple barcodes). If not, the process returns to step 304 to reanalyze the user's pupils. If so, the process proceeds to step 318 to determine if more than one barcode has been decoded. If not, the barcode data is returned to processor 110 in step 319. If so, in step 320, for each detected barcode, an edge is drawn around the barcode and a gaze selection area (210a, 212a, and 214a) is created on the smartphone display 105. In step 322, the user's gaze is monitored using the front-facing camera system 101 to see if the gaze remains within any gaze selection area for a predetermined "n" milliseconds to make a selection. In step 324, if no gaze selection area appears, the process returns to step 322. If a gaze selection area appears, the process proceeds to step 319.

[0040] Typical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in the specification and / or figures. The invention is not limited to such exemplary embodiments. The use of the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed entries. The drawings are schematic representations and therefore not necessarily drawn to scale. Unless otherwise indicated, specific terms have been used in a general and descriptive sense and are not intended to be limiting.

[0041] Devices described as “communicating” or “coupled” to each other do not require continuous communication or direct physical contact unless otherwise explicitly stated. Instead, such devices only need to transmit data to each other when necessary or desired, and in most cases, data exchange can be avoided. For example, a machine communicating or coupled to another machine via the Internet may not transmit data to the other machine over very long periods (e.g., every few weeks). Furthermore, devices communicating or coupled to each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediate media.

[0042] Although process (or method) steps may be described or claimed in a specific order, such processes can be configured to operate in a different order. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be explicitly described or claimed does not necessarily indicate a requirement to perform the steps in that order, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, some steps may be performed simultaneously, although they may be described or implied to occur non-simultaneously (e.g., because other steps are described after one step), unless specifically indicated otherwise. In the case of a process described by way of an embodiment, the process can be operated without any user intervention.

Claims

1. A portable computer for reading tags, comprising: The processor, which is coupled to: The first imaging system is used to capture an image within the field of view of the first imaging system and display that image on a visual display: and A second imaging system for detecting the user's gaze; The processor is configured to: Determine the coordinates of the gaze area that the user is viewing on a visual display with an image; and Use the gaze coordinates to begin decoding the region of interest within the image. The processor is also configured to monitor the gaze coordinates to determine whether the user's gaze is stationary on the gaze coordinates of the visual display for a predetermined time period n, and to recalculate the gaze coordinates if no at least one marker is found when decoding the region of interest.

2. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to use the gaze coordinates to initiate an autofocusing process on the region of interest.

3. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to use the gaze coordinates to initiate an automatic exposure process on the region of interest.

4. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to decode at least one marker located in the image.

5. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to decode a plurality of markers located in an image.

6. The portable computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to: Display the viewfinder frame around each of the multiple markers; and Create multiple gaze selection areas that are individually associated with each of the tags.

7. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein n is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds.

8. The portable computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to flash the boundary around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the gaze area are stationary after a predetermined period of time.

9. A method for reading a tag, comprising: An image of at least one marker captured by the first imaging system is displayed on the visual display of a portable computer; Determine the coordinates of the gaze area that the user is viewing on a visual display that has images from a second imaging system; as well as Use the gaze coordinates to begin decoding the region of interest within the image; Monitor the coordinates of the gaze area to determine whether the user's gaze remains stationary at a point on the visual display for a predetermined time period n; If no marker is found when decoding the region of interest, the coordinates of the gaze region are recalculated.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the gaze coordinates to initiate an autofocusing process on the region of interest.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the gaze coordinates to initiate an automatic exposure process on the region of interest.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising decoding at least one marker located in the image.

13. The method of claim 9 further includes decoding a plurality of markers located in the image.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: Display the viewfinder frame around each of the multiple markers; as well as Create multiple gaze selection areas that are individually associated with each of the tags.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein n is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising: A predetermined blinking pattern is captured from the user using a second imaging system; as well as Use the predefined blink pattern to select one of multiple markers.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising: A predetermined blinking pattern is captured from the user using a second imaging system; as well as Use the pre-defined blink pattern to terminate the scan of the user by the second imaging system.

18. A portable computer for reading tags, comprising: The processor, which is coupled to: The first imaging system is used to capture an image within the field of view of the first imaging system and display that image on a visual display: and A second imaging system for detecting the user's gaze; The processor is configured as follows: Determine the coordinates of the gaze area that the user is viewing on a visual display with an image; Monitor the coordinates of the gaze area to determine whether the user's gaze remains stationary at a point on the visual display for a predetermined time period n; If no at least one marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of that region of interest are recalculated. as well as Use the gaze zone coordinates to configure the autofocus and / or autoexposure processes of the first imaging system.

19. The portable computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to decode at least one marker located in an image.

20. The portable computer of claim 18, wherein n is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds.

21. The portable computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to represent gaze area coordinates on a visual display by a configurable representation.

22. The portable computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to create a gaze selection area for each marker in the image, each gaze selection area having a gaze area color graphic located at a corner of the visual display.

23. The portable computer of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to display a viewfinder frame on a visual display around a marker closest to the coordinates of the gaze area.

24. The portable computer of claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to flash the boundary around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the gaze area are stationary after a predetermined period of time.

25. The portable computer of claim 18, comprising a visual display, wherein: The visual display is a touchscreen; as well as The processor is configured to begin decoding the region of interest when it detects a user touch on the touchscreen or voice input from the user.

26. A portable computer for reading tags, comprising: The processor, which is coupled to: The first imaging system is used to capture an image within the field of view of the first imaging system and display that image on a visual display: and A second imaging system for detecting the user's gaze; The processor is configured as follows: Determine the coordinates of the gaze area that the user is viewing on a visual display with an image; Monitor the coordinates of the gaze area to determine whether the user's gaze remains stationary at a point on the visual display for a predetermined time period n; as well as If no at least one marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of that region of interest are recalculated. The coordinates of the gaze area are represented by a configurable representation on the visual display.

27. The portable computer of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to decode at least one marker located in an image.

28. The portable computer of claim 26, wherein n is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 2000 milliseconds.

29. The portable computer of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to create a gaze selection area for each marker in the image, each gaze selection area having a gaze area color graphic located at a corner of the visual display.

30. The portable computer of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to display a viewfinder frame on a visual display around a marker closest to the coordinates of the gaze area.

31. The portable computer of claim 30, wherein the processor is configured to flash the boundary around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the gaze area are stationary after a predetermined period of time.

32. The portable computer of claim 26, comprising a visual display, wherein: The visual display is a touchscreen; as well as The processor is configured to begin decoding the region of interest when it detects a user touch on the touchscreen or voice input from the user.

33. A portable computer for reading tags, comprising: The processor, which is coupled to: The first imaging system is used to capture an image within the field of view of the first imaging system and display that image on a visual display: and A second imaging system for detecting the user's gaze; The processor is configured as follows: Determine the coordinates of the gaze area that the user is viewing on a visual display with an image; Monitor the coordinates of the gaze area to determine whether the user's gaze remains stationary at a point on the visual display for a predetermined time period n; If no at least one marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of that region of interest are recalculated. as well as Display the viewfinder frame on the visual display around the markers closest to the coordinates of the gaze area.

34. The portable computer of claim 33, wherein the processor is configured to decode at least one marker located in an image.

35. The portable computer of claim 33, wherein the processor is configured to create a gaze selection area for each marker in the image, each gaze selection area having a gaze area color graphic located at a corner of the visual display.

36. The portable computer of claim 33, wherein the processor is configured to flash the boundary around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the gaze area are stationary after a predetermined period of time.

37. The portable computer of claim 33, wherein the processor is configured to begin decoding the region of interest upon detecting a user's touch on the visual display or voice input from the user.

38. A portable computer, comprising: The first imaging system is configured to capture images within the field of view: The second imaging system is configured to track the user's pupils; as well as A processor that communicates data with the first imaging system and the second imaging system is configured to: Display images on a visual display; The user's gaze is monitored based on the tracked pupils to determine the coordinates of the gaze area, which represent the position where the user's pupils are determined to be looking at the visual display. An eye-gazing cursor graphic is displayed on a visual monitor at the coordinates of the determined gaze area; When the coordinates of the gaze area are changed, move your eyes to gaze at the cursor graphic. as well as If no marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of that region of interest are recalculated.

39. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is configured to decode markers captured in an image.

40. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the eye-gazing cursor graphic is a configurable representation displayed on a visual display.

41. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is further configured to select a marker to be decoded in an image based on the user's gaze.

42. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is further configured to create a corresponding gaze selection area for each identified marker in the image.

43. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is further configured to display on a visual display the coordinates of an unselected gaze region in a first color and the coordinates of a selected gaze region in a second color, wherein the first marker is associated with the coordinates of the unselected gaze region and the second marker is associated with the coordinates of the selected gaze region.

44. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is further configured to: On the visual display, a viewfinder frame is displayed around a marker determined to be closest to the coordinates of the gaze area; and After a predetermined time period, cause the boundary flash around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the viewing area are stationary.

45. The portable computer of claim 38, wherein the processor is further configured to: Detects the user's touch location on the touchscreen of the visual display; Receive voice input from the user; and A function based on touch location and voice input initiates the decoding of markers located within the region of interest.

46. ​​A portable computer, comprising: The first imaging system is configured to capture images within the field of view: The second imaging system is configured to track the user's pupils; as well as A processor that communicates data with the first imaging system and the second imaging system is configured to: Display images on a visual display; Display an eye gaze graph at the cursor position on a visual display, wherein the cursor position is determined at least based on the coordinates of the gaze area; Based at least on changes in the coordinates of the gaze area, the eye gazes on the cursor graphic and moves it to different cursor positions on the visual display. The gaze area coordinates are seeded, which is based in part on the autofocus routine or the autoexposure routine of the first imaging system. as well as If no marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of the gaze region are recalculated.

47. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is configured to decode markers captured in an image.

48. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the eye-gazing cursor graphic is a configurable representation displayed on a visual display.

49. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to select a marker to be decoded in an image based on the user's gaze.

50. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to create a corresponding gaze selection area for each identified marker in the image.

51. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to display on a visual display the coordinates of an unselected gaze region in a first color and the coordinates of a selected gaze region in a second color, wherein the first marker is associated with the coordinates of the unselected gaze region and the second marker is associated with the coordinates of the selected gaze region.

52. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to: On the visual display, a viewfinder frame is displayed around a marker determined to be closest to the coordinates of the gaze area; and After a predetermined time period, cause the boundary flash around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the viewing area are stationary.

53. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to: Detects the user's touch location on the touchscreen of the visual display; Receive voice input from the user; and A function based on touch location and voice input initiates the decoding of markers located within the region of interest.

54. The portable computer of claim 46, wherein the processor is further configured to: The user's gaze is monitored based on the tracked pupils to determine the coordinates of the gaze area, which represent the position where the user's pupils are looking on the visual display.

55. A method comprising: The image captured by the first imaging system is displayed on a visual display; Using a second imaging system configured to track the user's pupil, the user's gaze is monitored based on the tracked pupil to determine the coordinates of the gaze area, where the coordinates of the gaze area represent the position of the tracked pupil; On the visual display, the eye-gazing cursor graphic is displayed at the determined gaze area coordinates; When the coordinates of the gaze area are changed, the eye gazes at the cursor graphic moving on the visual display. as well as If no marker is found when decoding the region of interest within the image, the coordinates of the gaze region are recalculated.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising: Identify markers in an image; For the markers in the identified image, the corresponding gaze selection region is defined; and Select the markers to be decoded in the image based on the coordinates of the gaze region.

57. The method of claim 55, further comprising: A viewfinder frame is displayed on the visual display around a marker determined to be closest to the coordinates of the gaze area. and After a predetermined time period, cause the boundary flash around the viewfinder frame in which the coordinates of the viewing area are stationary.

Images