Augmented reality head-mounted device with shared eye region sensor

Abstract

XR systems and apparatuses including a shared ocular region image sensor are disclosed. An XR system includes a housing configured to interface with a face of a user; at least one display configured to output an image, where the at least one display is disposed at a distal end of the housing relative to the face; at least one optical assembly secured to the at least one display; at least one lens secured to the at least one optical assembly and configured to focus an image for a corresponding eye; at least one eye sensor attached to the proximal surface of the at least one lens and configured to obtain an image to track eye movement and facial characteristics of the user; and an illumination source configured to illuminate a region corresponding to the eye and a region corresponding to the facial characteristic.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to extended reality (XR) applications. In some examples, aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing an XR headset with a shared eye region sensor for detecting multiple eye regions. BACKGROUND

[0002] Extended reality technology can be used to present virtual content to a user, and / or can combine real-world environments from the physical world with virtual environments to provide an extended reality (XR) experience to a user. The term XR can include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, etc. An extended reality system can allow a user to experience an XR environment by overlaying virtual content onto an image of a real-world environment, which the user can view through an XR device, such as a head-mounted display, extended reality glasses, or other device. An XR device is a device that displays an environment to a user that is different, at least in part, from the real-world environment in which the user is located, such as through a head-mounted display (HMD) or other device. The user can interactively change their view of the environment, such as by tilting or moving the HMD or other device.

[0003] In some cases, an XR device can include a “see-through” display that allows a user to see their real-world environment based on light from the real-world environment passing through the display. In some cases, an XR device can include a “pass-through” display that allows a user to see their real-world environment, or a virtual environment based on their real-world environment, based on a view of the environment captured by one or more cameras and displayed on the display. A user can wear a “see-through” or “pass-through” XR device while participating in activities in their real-world environment.

[0004] While many XR devices aim to create realistic, interactive, and fully immersive XR environments, XR devices should also ensure that virtual content does not put users in potentially dangerous situations, or otherwise prevent users from properly interacting with the real-world environment. There is a need for improved XR devices to dynamically adapt virtual content based on features of the real-world environment. SUMMARY

[0005] In some examples, systems and techniques for detecting fatigue in extended reality (XR) applications are described. These systems and techniques can improve engagement and safety for different types of XR applications. According to at least one example, an XR device includes a housing configured to interface with a face of a user, at least one display configured to output images, where the at least one display is disposed at a distal end of the housing relative to the face, at least one optical assembly secured to the at least one display, at least one lens secured to the at least one optical assembly and configured to focus the images for at least one eye, at least one eye sensor attached to a proximal surface of the at least one lens and configured to obtain images to track eye movements of the at least one eye and facial characteristics of the user, and an illumination source configured to illuminate a region corresponding to the at least one eye and a region corresponding to the facial characteristics. For example, the XR device is configured to capture images of the at least one eye and the facial characteristics of the user while the XR device is attached to the head of the user.

[0006] In another illustrative example, a method includes emitting light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial characteristic using an illumination source, obtaining images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic using at least one eye sensor, obtaining eye movement information from the images, and obtaining facial characteristic information from the images.

[0007] In another illustrative example, an XR device for tracking eye movements and facial expressions is provided, the XR device comprising at least one memory (e.g., a memory configured to store data such as virtual content data, one or more images, etc.), an illumination source configured to emit light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial characteristic, at least one eye sensor configured to obtain images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and the illumination source, the at least one processor configured to: obtain eye movement information from the images, and obtain facial characteristic information from the images.

[0008] In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: emit light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial characteristic using an illumination source, obtain images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic using at least one eye sensor, obtain eye movement information from the images, and obtain facial characteristic information from the images.

[0009] In another illustrative example, an XR device for tracking eye movement and facial expressions is provided, the XR device comprising: means for emitting light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial characteristic using an illumination source; means for obtaining an image of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic using at least one eye sensor; means for obtaining eye movement information from the image; and means for obtaining facial characteristic information from the image.

[0010] In some aspects, one or more of the apparatuses described herein is a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone and / or mobile handset and / or a so-called “smart phone” or other mobile device), an XR device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a mixed reality (MR) device, a head-mounted device (HMD) device, a vehicle or computing system of a vehicle, a device or component of a vehicle, a wearable device (e.g., a networked watch or other wearable device), a wireless communication device, a camera, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a server computer, another device, or a combination thereof, is part of such a device, and / or includes such a device. In some aspects, the apparatus includes one camera or multiple cameras for capturing one or more images. In some aspects, the apparatus also includes a display for displaying one or more images, notifications, and / or other displayable data. In some aspects, the apparatuses described above can include one or more sensors (e.g., one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), such as one or more gyroscopes, one or more gyro tests, one or more accelerometers, any combination thereof, and / or other sensors).

[0011] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood from readi ng the entire specification of the patent, including any claims, the

[0012] The foregoing and other features and aspects will become more apparent from reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Illustrative aspects of the application are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a simplified cross-sectional view of a lens assembly of an extended reality system in accordance with certain aspects described herein;

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of an image capture and processing system in accordance with certain aspects described herein;

[0016] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of an XR device that includes multiple image sensors for detecting eye movement (e.g., gaze) and eyebrow movement;

[0017] Figure 4A is an image of a user’s eye captured by an image sensor in an XR device;

[0018] Figure 4B is an image of an eye captured by an eyebrow tracking image sensor in an XR device;

[0019] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of an XR device having at least one shared ocular region sensor according to certain aspects described herein;

[0020] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of a lens assembly of an XR device having at least one shared ocular region sensor according to certain aspects described herein;

[0021] Figure 7 is a perspective view of an XR device having at least one shared ocular region sensor according to certain aspects described herein;

[0022] Figure 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating positioning of at least one shared ocular region sensor integral to an XR device according to certain aspects described herein;

[0023] Figure 9 is an image of a user and illustrates facial expressions that can be detected by an XR device having a shared ocular region sensor according to certain aspects described herein;

[0024] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for capturing images in an XR device according to certain aspects described herein; and

[0025] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for implementing certain aspects described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Certain aspects of the disclosure are provided below. Some of these aspects can be independently applied and some of them can be applied in combination, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of aspects of the application. It will be apparent, however, that various aspects can be practiced without

[0027] The following description provides for example aspects only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the following description of the example aspects will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description of how the example aspects can be implemented. It is to be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0028] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0029] A camera is a device that receives light using an image sensor and captures image frames, such as still images or video frames. The terms “image,” “image frame,” and “frame” are used interchangeably herein. A camera can be configured with various image capture and image processing settings. Different settings produce images with different appearances. Some camera settings, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO), exposure time, aperture size, aperture value, shutter speed, focus, and gain, are determined and applied before or during the capture of one or more image frames. For example, a setting or parameter can be applied to an image sensor used to capture one or more image frames. Other camera settings can configure post-processing of one or more image frames, such as changes to contrast, brightness, saturation, sharpness, levels, curves, or color. For example, a setting or parameter can be applied to a processor (e.g., an image signal processor or ISP) used to process one or more image frames captured by an image sensor.

[0030] An extended reality (XR) system or device can provide virtual content to a user and / or can combine a real-world or physical environment and a virtual environment (composed of virtual content) to provide an XR experience to a user. A real-world environment can include real-world objects (also referred to as physical objects), such as people, vehicles, buildings, tables, chairs, and / or other real-world or physical objects. An XR system or device can facilitate interaction with different types of XR environments (e.g., a user can use an XR system or device to interact with an XR environment). An XR device can include a virtual reality (VR) system that facilitates interaction with a VR environment, an augmented reality (AR) system that facilitates interaction with an AR environment, a mixed reality (MR) system that facilitates interaction with a MR environment, and / or other XR devices. Examples of XR systems or devices include head-mounted displays (HMDs), smart glasses, etc. In some cases, an XR device can track a user’s limb (e.g., a user’s hand and / or fingertip) to allow the user to interact with a virtual content item.

[0031] In some cases, an XR device can include an optical "see-through" display or a "pass-through" display (e.g., a see-through or pass-through AR HMD or AR glasses), allowing the XR device to display XR content (e.g., AR content) directly onto a real-world view without the need to display video content. For example, a user can view a physical object through a display (e.g., glasses or lenses), and an AR system can display AR content onto the display to provide the user with an augmented visual perception of one or more real-world objects. In one example, a display of an optical see-through AR system can include lenses or glasses in front of each eye (or a single lens or glasses over both eyes). The see-through display can allow the user to directly see real-world objects or physical objects, and can display (e.g., project or otherwise display) augmented images or additional AR content of the objects to augment the user's visual perception of the real world.

[0032] An XR device can include one or more user-facing sensors facing a user, such as a user-facing user-facing image sensor (or camera). For example, the user-facing sensor can face the user's face, eyes, one or more other portions of the user's body, and / or a combination thereof. In some cases, an XR device can track an ocular region of the user's face, such as the user's eyes, to determine a gaze, and track a region around the user's eyes (e.g., eyebrows) to determine a facial expression. For example, in a social XR environment, non-verbal cues can be important in understanding the context of a communication. A social XR environment can be any network communication medium that presents audio and virtual content (e.g., virtual objects, virtual representations, or avatars of users) and enables social interaction through verbal and non-verbal communication. An avatar of a user (also referred to as a virtual representation) is a digital representation of the user within an XR environment. Non-verbal communication can take many forms, such as facial expressions, hand gestures, and the like. In some cases, non-verbal communication can be eye-based communication, such as rotation of the eyes, biasing various facial muscles (e.g., orbicularis oculi, temporalis, frontalis, corrugator, etc.) to move eyebrows, blinking, and the like. Non-verbal communication provides humans with context for understanding a communication, and failing to include sufficiently accurate non-verbal communication often leads to miscommunication in a social XR environment.

[0033] In some existing XR devices, gaze detection and movement of the eyes can be achieved through narrow field of view (FOV) image sensors oriented toward the pupils of the eyes. Existing XR devices can require an additional image sensor for each eye. The additional images provided by the additional image sensors increase processing requirements, and increase complexity as gaze detection (e.g., eye motion tracking) must be synthesized with motion detection of the eyebrows.

[0034] The present disclosure describes an XR device (e.g., a head-mounted device, such as a head-mounted display (HMD)) that includes at least one shared eye image sensor (also referred to herein as an eye sensor) configured to detect eye movement and movement of an area surrounding the eye (e.g., eyebrow movement) based on a configuration and positioning of the at least one shared eye image sensor in the XR device. In some aspects, the XR device can include a housing configured to interface with (e.g., be worn by) a face of a user and at least one display configured to output images. For example, the at least one display can be disposed at a distal end of the housing relative to the face. In some cases, the XR device can also include at least one optical assembly secured to the at least one display, and at least one lens secured to the at least one optical assembly and configured to focus images for a corresponding eye. In some aspects, the shared eye sensors of the XR device are attached to a proximal surface of the at least one lens. Each shared eye sensor is configured to obtain images to track eye movement and movement of an area surrounding the eye (e.g., obtain images of eyebrows to track movement of the eyebrows). In some cases, the XR device can include an illumination source configured to illuminate the corresponding eye and surrounding area (e.g., a respective illumination source for each eyebrow area).

[0035] In some aspects, the at least one eye image sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum (e.g., near-infrared (NIR) light), and the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum. For example, in some cases, light emitted in the visible spectrum can interfere with output from the display of the XR device. The use of light in the infrared spectrum can prevent such interference and can also be safer when exposed to the eyes of a user than visible light. In some aspects, the at least one eye sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an outer canthus of the eye of the user. The at least one eye sensor is configured to have a FOV that can capture images of the eye region and surrounding region (e.g., eyebrow region of the eye) in sufficient detail. In some cases, an exposure time of the at least one eye sensor (e.g., image sensor) can be set such that the eye region and eyebrow region can be captured with sufficient brightness for processing and detecting motion of both the eye and the surrounding region (e.g., eyebrow region). The motion of the eye and surrounding region (e.g., eyebrow region) can be mapped to the XR environment to create an immersive experience.

[0036] Additional details and aspects of the present disclosure are described in greater detail below with respect to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Various aspects of the technology described herein will now be discussed with respect to the drawings below. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a simplified cross-sectional view of a lens assembly 100 (e.g., of an HMD). In Figure 1In the illustrated example, the lens assembly 100 includes a lens system 102, a display 104, an illumination source 106, a light directing assembly 108, and an image sensor 110.

[0038] As illustrated, light from the display 104 can pass through the light directing assembly 108 and be focused by the lens system 102 on the user’s eye 115. The lens system 102 can include multiple lenses that are stacked and configured to focus light toward the user’s eye. In some cases, the image sensor 110 can be embedded into a layer of the lens system 102 and not perceived by the human eye based on its size and location. In some implementations, the light directing assembly 108 can be configured to allow visible light from the display 104 to pass through. In some cases, the light directing assembly 108 can be configured to reflect other wavelengths of light, such as infrared (IR) light. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the light directing assembly 108 is positioned within a cavity 120 of the lens assembly 100 between the lens system 102 and the display 104. As illustrated, the light directing assembly 108 can be positioned between the lens system 102 and the display 104. Figure 1 As illustrated, visible light 112 can be focused at the position of the user’s eye 115, as illustrated by line 114. In some cases, the light directing assembly 108 can be configured to reflect other wavelengths of light, such as infrared (IR) light. In some examples, the light directing assembly 108 can be implemented using a reflective coating. In some implementations, the light directing assembly 108 can include a dielectric material that passes visible light and reflects IR light. In some examples, the light directing assembly 108 can be coated with a transparent conductor. In one illustrative example, the light directing assembly 108 can be coated with an indium tin oxide (ITO) material that is transparent to visible light and reflects IR light. The illumination source 106 can be an IR illumination source (e.g., an IR light emitting diode (LED)) that illuminates the user’s eye 115. When the IR light reaches the user’s eye 115, a scattered and / or reflected portion of the light, such as example light ray 116, can reach the light directing assembly 108 and be reflected toward the image sensor 110.

[0039] The image sensor 110 can be an IR image sensor that can detect scattered and / or reflected light from the eye to form one or more images. In some cases, the XR device can obtain image data from the image sensor 110 and track the user’s eye position and / or gaze direction based on the obtained data. The light directing assembly 108 can reflect the IR light reflected by the user’s eye 115 and direct the IR light to the image sensor 110, which is collocated between different layers of the lens system 102.

[0040] In some cases, the positioning of the user's eyes relative to the lens assembly 100 may vary. For example, each individual user may have a different eye size, facial shape, facial symmetry, eye spacing, facial feature alignment, and / or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the eye tracking system may be configured to perform eye tracking over a specified range of eye positioning and / or rotation using, for example, image data collected from the image sensor 110. In some cases, if the user's eye 115 moves outside of a particular range, the XR device may be unable to perform eye tracking until the user's eye 115 returns to a positioning and / or rotation within the particular range. For example, if Figure 1 , is rotated to look downward (e.g., toward the negative z-axis), the image of the user's eye 115 may be obscured by eyelashes and / or the curvature of the user's eye 115. In some cases, the range of eye tracking may be limited by a desire to maintain the compactness of the lens assembly 100 of the XR device.

[0041] In other aspects, lens assembly 100 may further include a vertically oriented image sensor 140. In the illustrated example, image sensor 140 is configured to point downward to capture images related to the user's respiratory function. For example, lens assembly 100 may measure respiration rate (e.g., the user's breathing rate) based on the orientation of image sensor 140 toward the user's nose, the user's mouth, and / or the user's chest. Other types of sensors may be implemented to detect respiration rate, such as radio frequency (RF) sensing sensors. In some aspects, high frequency (e.g., 60 GHz) RF may be used to measure distance based on phase difference.

[0042] While this article describes examples of eye tracking used in XR devices, the eye tracking systems and techniques described herein can be used to perform eye tracking with other types of devices and using other geometries. Figure 1 The illustrations in the drawings are not to scale and are provided for illustration purposes only. In addition, more or fewer components may be included in the drawings without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Figure 1 In the lens assembly 100.

[0043] Figure 2is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of an image capture and processing system 200. The image capture and processing system 200 includes various components for capturing and processing images of a scene (e.g., images of the scene 210). The image capture and processing system 200 can capture individual images (or photos), and / or can capture video including multiple images (or video frames) in a particular sequence. In some cases, the lens 215 and the image sensor 230 can be associated with an optical axis. In one illustrative example, both the light-sensitive area of the image sensor 230 (e.g., photodiodes) and the lens 215 can be centered on the optical axis. The lens 215 of the image capture and processing system 200 faces the scene 210 and receives light from the scene 210. The lens 215 bends the incoming light from the scene 210 toward the image sensor 230. The light received by the lens 215 passes through an aperture. In some cases, the aperture (e.g., aperture size) is controlled by one or more control mechanisms 220 and received by the image sensor 230. In some cases, the aperture can have a fixed size.

[0044] The one or more control mechanisms 220 can control exposure, focus, and / or zoom based on information from the image sensor 230 and / or based on information from the image processor 250. The one or more control mechanisms 220 can include multiple mechanisms and components; for example, the control mechanisms 220 can include one or more exposure control mechanisms 225A, one or more focus control mechanisms 225B, and / or one or more zoom control mechanisms 225C. The one or more control mechanisms 220 can also include additional control mechanisms beyond those illustrated, such as control mechanisms that control analog gain, flash, HDR, depth of field, and / or other image capture attributes.

[0045] The focus control mechanism 225B of the control mechanism 220 can obtain a focus setting. In some examples, the focus control mechanism 225B stores the focus setting in a memory register. Based on the focus setting, the focus control mechanism 225B can adjust a positioning of the lens 215 relative to a positioning of the image sensor 230. For example, based on the focus setting, the focus control mechanism 225B can move the lens 215 closer to or farther from the image sensor 230 by actuating a motor or servo system (or other lens mechanism), thereby adjusting the focus. In some cases, additional lenses can be included in the image capture and processing system 200, such as one or more micro-lenses on each photodiode of the image sensor 230 that each bend light received from the lens 215 toward the corresponding photodiode before the light reaches the photodiode. The focus setting can be determined via contrast detection autofocus (CDAF), phase detection autofocus (PDAF), hybrid autofocus (HAF), or some combination thereof. The focus setting can be determined using the control mechanism 220, the image sensor 230, and / or the image processor 250. The focus setting can be referred to as an image capture setting and / or an image processing setting. In some cases, the lens 215 can be fixed relative to the image sensor 230, and the focus control mechanism 225B can be omitted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] The exposure control mechanism 225A of the control mechanism 220 can obtain an exposure setting. In some cases, the exposure control mechanism 225A stores the exposure setting in a memory register. Based on the exposure setting, the exposure control mechanism 225A can control a size of an aperture (e.g., an aperture size or an aperture value), a duration for which the aperture is open (e.g., an exposure time or a shutter speed), a duration for which the image sensor 230 collects light (e.g., an exposure time or an electronic shutter speed), a sensitivity of the image sensor 230 (e.g., an ISO speed or a film speed), an analog gain applied by the image sensor 230, or any combination thereof. The exposure setting can be referred to as an image capture setting and / or an image processing setting.

[0047] The zoom control mechanism 225C of the control mechanism 220 can obtain a zoom setting. In some examples, the zoom control mechanism 225C stores the zoom setting in a memory register. Based on the zoom setting, the zoom control mechanism 225C can control a focal length of an assembly of lens elements (lens assembly) including the lens 215 and one or more additional lenses. For example, the zoom control mechanism 225C can control the focal length of the lens assembly by causing one or more motors or servo systems (or other lens mechanisms) to actuate to move one or more lenses relative to one another. The zoom setting can be referred to as an image capture setting and / or an image processing setting. In some examples, the lens assembly can include a parfocal zoom lens or a variable focal length zoom lens. In some examples, the lens assembly can include a focusing lens (which in some cases can be the lens 215) that first receives light from the scene 210, where the light then passes through an afocal zoom system between the focusing lens (e.g., the lens 215) and the image sensor 230 before the light reaches the image sensor 230. In some cases, the afocal zoom system can include two positive (e.g., converging, convex) lenses with equal or similar focal lengths (e.g., within a threshold difference of one another) with a negative (e.g., diverging, concave) lens between them. In some cases, the zoom control mechanism 225C moves one or more of the lenses in the afocal zoom system, such as the negative lens and one or both of the positive lenses. In some cases, the zoom control mechanism 225C can control zooming by capturing images from an image sensor (e.g., including the image sensor 230) of a plurality of image sensors with a zoom corresponding to the zoom setting. For example, the image capture and processing system 200 can include a wide-angle image sensor with a relatively low zoom and a telephoto image sensor with a larger zoom. In some cases, based on the selected zoom setting, the zoom control mechanism 225C can capture an image from the corresponding sensor.

[0048] Image sensor 230 includes one or more arrays of photodiodes or other light- sensitive elements. Each photodiode measures an amount of light that ultimately corresponds to a particular pixel in an image produced by image sensor 230. In some cases, different photodiodes can be covered by different filters. In some cases, different photodiodes can be covered in a color filter, and can thus measure light that matches a color of the filter covering the photodiode. Various color filter arrays can be used, including a Bayer color filter array, a quad color filter array (also referred to as a quad Bayer color filter array or QCFA), and / or any other color filter array. For example, a Bayer color filter includes red color filters, blue color filters, and green color filters, where each pixel of an image is generated based on red light data from at least one photodiode covered in a red color filter, blue light data from at least one photodiode covered in a blue color filter, and green light data from at least one photodiode covered in a green color filter.

[0049] Other types of color filters can use yellow, magenta, and / or cyan (also referred to as “emerald green”) color filters instead of or in addition to red, blue, and / or green color filters. In some cases, photodiodes can be configured to measure IR light. In some implementations, photodiodes that measure IR light can not be covered by any filter, thus allowing the IR photodiodes to measure both visible light (e.g., color) and IR light. In some examples, IR photodiodes can be covered by an IR filter, thus allowing IR light to pass through and blocking light from other parts of the spectrum (e.g., visible light, color). Some image sensors (e.g., image sensor 230) can lack filters (e.g., color, IR, or any other part of the spectrum) entirely, and can instead use different photodiodes (in some cases, vertically stacked) throughout the pixel array. Different photodiodes throughout the pixel array can have different spectral sensitivity curves, thereby responding to different wavelengths of light. Monochrome image sensors can also lack filters, and thus lack color depth.

[0050] In some cases, image sensor 230 can alternatively or additionally include opaque and / or reflective masks that block light from reaching certain photodiodes or portions of certain photodiodes at certain times and / or from certain angles. In some cases, opaque and / or reflective masks can be used for PDAF. In some cases, opaque and / or reflective masks can be used to block portions of the electromagnetic spectrum from reaching photodiodes of the image sensor (e.g., IR cut filter, ultraviolet (UV) cut filter, bandpass filter, lowpass filter, highpass filter, etc.). Image sensor 230 can also include analog gain amplifiers for amplifying analog signals output by the photodiodes and / or analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for converting the analog signal output of the photodiodes (and / or as amplified by the analog gain amplifiers) to digital signals. In some cases, certain components or functions discussed with respect to one or more of control mechanisms 220 can alternatively or additionally be included in image sensor 230. Image sensor 230 can be a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, an electron multiplying CCD (EMCCD) sensor, an active pixel sensor (APS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), a hybrid CCD / CMOS sensor (e.g., sCMOS), or some other combination thereof.

[0051] Image processor 250 can include one or more processors, such as one or more image signal processors (ISPs) (including ISP 254), one or more host processors (including host processor 252), and / or some other combination of processors relative to Figure 11one or more processors of any other type of processing unit discussed with respect to computing system 1000, such as processor 1010. Host processor 252 can be a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other type of processor. In some implementations, image processor 250 is a single integrated circuit or chip that includes host processor 252 and ISP 254 (e.g., referred to as a system on a chip or SoC). In some cases, the chip can also include one or more input / output ports (e.g., input / output (I / O) ports 256), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), broadband modems (e.g., 3G, 4G, or LTE, 5G, etc.), memory, connectivity components (e.g., Bluetooth™, Global Positioning System (GPS), etc.), any combination thereof, and / or other components. I / O ports 256 can include any suitable input / output port or interface according to one or more protocols or specifications, such as an Inter-Integrated Circuit 2 (I2C) interface, an Inter-Integrated Circuit 3 (I3C) interface, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface, a Serial General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) (such as a MIPI CSI-2 physical (PHY) layer port or interface), an Advanced High-performance Bus (AHB) bus, any combination thereof, and / or other input / output port. In one illustrative example, host processor 252 can communicate with image sensor 230 using an I2C port, and ISP 254 can communicate with image sensor 230 using a MIPI port.

[0052] Image processor 250 can perform a number of tasks, such as demosaicing, color space conversion, image frame down-sampling, pixel interpolation, auto exposure (AE) control, auto gain control (AGC), CDAF, PDAF, auto white balance (AWB), merging image frames to form an HDR image, image recognition, object recognition, feature recognition, receiving input, managing output, managing memory, or some combination thereof. Image processor 250 can store image frames and / or processed images in random access memory (RAM) 240, read-only memory (ROM) 245, a cache, a memory location, another storage device, or some combination thereof.

[0053] Various input / output (I / O) devices 260 may be connected to the image processor 250. The I / O devices 260 may include a display screen, a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, a touchpad, a touch-sensitive surface, a printer, any other output device, any other input device, or some combination thereof. In some cases, subtitles may be entered into the image processing device 205B via a physical keyboard or keypad of the I / O device 260, or via a virtual keyboard or keypad of the touch screen of the I / O device 260. The I / O ports 260 may include one or more ports, jacks, or other connectors that enable a wired connection between the image capture and processing system 200 and one or more peripheral devices, via which the image capture and processing system 200 can receive data from and / or send data to one or more peripheral devices. The I / O 260 may also include one or more wireless transceivers that enable a wireless connection between the image capture and processing system 200 and one or more peripheral devices, via which the image capture and processing system 200 can receive data from and / or send data to one or more peripheral devices. Peripheral devices may include any of the types of I / O devices 260 discussed previously, and may themselves be considered I / O devices 260 once they are coupled to a port, jack, wireless transceiver, or other wired and / or wireless connector.

[0054] In some cases, the image capture and processing system 200 can be a single device. In some cases, the image capture and processing system 200 can be two or more independent devices, including an image capture device 205A (e.g., a camera) and an image processing device 205B (e.g., a computing device coupled to the camera). In some implementations, the image capture device 205A and the image processing device 205B can be coupled together, for example, via one or more wires, cables, or other electrical connectors, and / or wirelessly coupled together via one or more wireless transceivers. In some implementations, the image capture device 205A and the image processing device 205B can be disconnected from each other.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, the vertical dotted line will Figure 2 2 is divided into two parts, representing image capture device 205A and image processing device 205B. Image capture device 205A includes lens 215, control mechanism 220, and image sensor 230. Image processing device 205B includes image processor 250 (including ISP 254 and host processor 252), RAM 240, ROM 245, and I / O 260. In some cases, some components illustrated in image processing device 205B (such as ISP 254 and / or host processor 252) may be included in image capture device 205A.

[0056] Image capture and processing system 200 can include an electronic device such as a mobile or stationary telephone handset (e.g., a smartphone, a cellular telephone, etc.), a desktop computer, a laptop or notebook computer, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a television, a camera, a display device, a digital media player, a video gaming console, a video streaming device, an Internet Protocol (IP) camera, or any other suitable electronic device. In some examples, image capture and processing system 200 can include one or more wireless transceivers for wireless communication, such as cellular network communication, 802.11 wi-fi communication, wireless local area network (WLAN) communication, or some combination thereof. In some implementations, image capture device 205A and image processing device 205B can be different devices. For example, image capture device 205A can include a camera device, and image processing device 205B can include a computing device, such as a mobile handset, a desktop computer, or other computing device.

[0057] Although image capture and processing system 200 is shown as including certain components, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that image capture and processing system 200 can include more components than those shown in FIG. 1. Components of image capture and processing system 200 can include software, hardware, or one or more combinations of software and hardware. For example, in some implementations, components of image capture and processing system 200 can include and / or can be implemented using electronic circuitry or other electronic hardware, which can include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, CPUs, and / or other suitable electronic circuits); and / or can include and / or be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, to perform the various operations described herein. The software and / or firmware can include one or more instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium and executable by one or more processors of an electronic device implementing image capture and processing system 200. Figure 2

[0058] In some examples, XR device 300 (described below) and XR device 500 (described below) can include image capture and processing system 200, image capture device 205A, image processing device 205B, or a combination thereof. Figure 3 Figure 5 In some examples, XR device 300 (described below) and XR device 500 (described below) can include image capture and processing system 200, image capture device 205A, image processing device 205B, or a combination thereof.

[0059] Figure 3 ​​are conceptual diagrams showing two views of an XR device 300 that includes multiple image sensors for detecting eye movement (e.g., gaze) and eyebrow movement. In some aspects, eye movement can be used for foveated rendering. Foveated rendering is a technique that renders a region of interest (ROI) in a scene at a higher quality than a background region. In some cases, the XR device 300 can use a left eye image sensor 310 and a right eye image sensor 330 to detect a focal point of a user’s gaze. The XR device 300 or another device configured to render images for the XR device 300 (e.g., a cloud device, an external computing system, etc.) can render the ROI at a higher quality than the background region. For example, the background region can be rendered at a lower resolution, which is then scaled to match the higher resolution of the ROI. In some aspects, the left eye image sensor 310 and the right eye image sensor 330 can have a narrow FOV and be configured to capture images of a user’s pupils. In Figure 4A An example of an image captured by the left eye image sensor 310 or the right eye image sensor 330 is shown in

[0060] In some aspects, the XR device includes a left eyebrow image sensor 320 and a right eyebrow image sensor 340. The left eyebrow image sensor 320 and the right eyebrow image sensor 340 are configured to capture images of a corresponding eyebrow region and process the eyebrow images from the eye, respectively. In Figure 4B An example of an image captured by the left eyebrow image sensor 320 or the right eyebrow image sensor 340 is shown in

[0061] Figure 4A is an image of a user’s eye captured by an image sensor in an XR device. In some aspects, a light emitter of the XR device is configured to emit light and provide luminance in an invisible spectrum to the eye. For example, Figure 4A The pupil of the eye in Figure 4A As illustrated, the light emitter provides light to the orbicularis oculi region of the eye, but does not provide sufficient illumination to the eyebrow region.

[0062] Figure 4B is an image of an eye captured by an eyebrow tracking image sensor in an XR device. In some aspects, the eyebrow tracking image sensor can be configured to capture the eyebrow region, but the eyebrow tracking image sensor cannot adequately detect details associated with the pupil of the user’s eye. In some aspects, the eyebrow tracking image sensor requires separate processing of the user’s eye and the eyebrow region, which increases hardware requirements due to the need for additional sensors and also requires separate illumination.

[0063] Processing of eye and eyebrow images is challenging because information must be synthesized in the correct order and different information provided by separate processing can lead to incorrect analysis. Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to improving processing of eyes and eyebrows by merging image capture operations of eye image sensors and eyebrow image sensors into a single shared image sensor with sufficient FOV and illumination.

[0064] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an architecture of an example XR device 500 (e.g., an XR system) in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The XR device 500 can run (or execute) an XR application and implement XR operations. In some examples, as part of an XR experience, the XR device 500 can perform tracking and localization, map construction of an environment in a physical world (e.g., a scene), and / or positioning and rendering of virtual content on a display 509 (e.g., a screen, a visible plane / region, and / or other display). For example, the XR device 500 can generate a map (e.g., a three-dimensional (3D) map) of an environment in a physical world, track a pose (e.g., a position and orientation) of the XR device 500 relative to the environment (e.g., relative to a 3D map of the environment), position and / or anchor virtual content in a particular location on a map of the environment, and render the virtual content on the display 509 such that the virtual content appears to be located at a position in the environment that corresponds to the particular location on the map of the scene to which the virtual content is positioned and / or anchored. The display 509 can include glass, a screen, a lens, a projector, and / or another display mechanism that allows a user to see a real-world environment and also allows XR content to be overlaid, overlapped, blended, or otherwise displayed thereon.

[0065] In this illustrative example, the XR device 500 includes one or more image sensors 501, an accelerometer 502, a gyroscope 503, an eye tracker 504, one or more light emitters 505, a storage 507, a computing component 510, an XR engine 520, an image processing engine 524, and a rendering engine 526. In Figure 5 In the example shown in FIG. 5, the engines 520-526 can access hardware components (such as components 501-518) or another engine 520-526 via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) 528. Generally, an API 528 is a set of functions, services, and / or interfaces that act as a link between computer components, a computer, or computer programs. The API 528 can provide a set of API calls that can be accessed by an application that allows for the exchange of information, access to hardware, or performance of other actions.

[0066] It should be noted that, Figure 5 The components 501-528 shown in FIG. 5 are non-limiting examples provided for illustrative and explanatory purposes, and other examples can include components that are different from or in addition to those shown in FIG. 5. Figure 5more, fewer, or different components than those shown in FIG. 5. For example, in some cases, the XR device 500 can include one or more other sensors (e.g., one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors, sound detection and ranging (SODAR) sensors, sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) sensors, audio sensors, etc.), one or more display devices, one or more other processing engines, and / or Figure 5 one or more other software and / or hardware components not shown in FIG. 5. While various components of the XR device 500, such as the accelerometer 502, can be referred to herein in the singular, it should be understood that the XR device 500 can include multiple of any of the components discussed herein (e.g., multiple accelerometers 502).

[0067] The XR device 500 includes or is in (wired or wireless) communication with an input device 508. The input device 508 can include any suitable input device, such as a touchscreen, a pen or other pointer device, a keyboard, a mouse button or key, a microphone to receive voice commands, a gesture input device to receive gesture commands, a video game controller, a steering wheel, a joystick, a set of buttons, a trackball, a remote control, any other input device discussed herein, or any combination thereof. In some cases, one or more image sensors 501 can capture images that can be processed for interpreting gesture commands.

[0068] In some implementations, the one or more image sensors 501, the accelerometer 502, the gyroscope 503, the storage 507, the computing components 510, the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and the rendering engine 526 can be part of the same computing device. For example, in some cases, the one or more image sensors 501, the accelerometer 502, the gyroscope 503, the storage 507, the computing components 510, the API 528, the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and the rendering engine 526 can be integrated into an HMD, an extended reality glasses, a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a gaming system, and / or any other computing device. However, in some implementations, the one or more image sensors 501, the accelerometer 502, the gyroscope 503, the eye tracker 504, the light emitter 505, the storage 507, the computing components 510, the API 528, the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and the rendering engine 526 can be part of two or more separate computing devices. For example, in some cases, some of the components 501-526 can be part of or implemented by one computing device, and the remaining components can be part of or implemented by one or more other computing devices.

[0069] The storage 507 can be any storage device for storing data. Moreover, the storage 507 can store data from any of the components of the XR device 500. For example, the storage 507 can store data from the one or more image sensors 501 (e.g., image or video data), data from the eye tracker 504 (e.g., eye tracking data), data from the accelerometer 502 (e.g., measurements), data from the gyroscope 503 (e.g., measurements), data from the computing components 510 (e.g., processing parameters, preferences, virtual content, rendered content, scene maps, tracking and positioning data, object detection data, privacy data, XR application data, facial recognition data, occlusion data, etc.), data from the XR engine 520, data from the image processing engine 524, and / or data from the rendering engine 526 (e.g., output frames). In some examples, the storage 507 can include a buffer for storing frames for processing by the computing components 510.

[0070] The one or more computing components 510 can include a CPU 512, a GPU 514, a DSP 516, an ISP 518, and / or other processors (e.g., a neural processing unit (NPU) implementing one or more trained neural networks). The computing components 510 can perform various operations, such as image enhancement, computer vision, graphics rendering, extended reality operations (e.g., tracking, positioning, pose estimation, map construction, content anchoring, content rendering, etc.), image and / or video processing, sensor processing, recognition (e.g., text recognition, facial recognition, object recognition, feature recognition, tracking or pattern recognition, scene recognition, occlusion detection, etc.), trained machine learning operations, filtering, and / or any of the various operations described herein. In some examples, the computing components 510 can implement (e.g., control, operate, etc.) the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and the rendering engine 526. In other examples, the computing components 510 can also implement one or more other processing engines.

[0071] The one or more image sensors 501 can include any image and / or video sensor or capture device. The one or more sensors 501 can include one or more user-facing image sensors. In some cases, a user-facing image sensor can be included in the one or more image sensors 501. In some examples, a user-facing image sensor can be used for face tracking, eye tracking, body tracking, and / or any combination thereof. The one or more image sensors 501 can include one or more environment-facing sensors. In some cases, an environment-facing sensor can face in a similar direction as a gaze direction of a user. In some examples, the one or more image sensors 501 can be part of a multi-camera assembly, such as a dual-camera assembly. The one or more image sensors 501 can capture image and / or video content (e.g., raw image and / or video data) that can then be processed by the computing assembly 510, the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and / or the rendering engine 526, as described herein. In some examples, the image sensors 501 can include the image capture and processing system 200, the image capture device 205A, the image processing device 205B, or a combination thereof.

[0072] In some examples, the one or more image sensors 501 can capture image data and can generate images (also referred to as frames) based on the image data and / or can provide the image data or frames to the XR engine 520, the image processing engine 524, and / or the rendering engine 526 for processing. An image or frame can include a video frame in a video sequence or a still image. An image or frame can include an array of pixels representing a scene. For example, an image can be a red, green, blue (RGB) image having red, green, and blue color components per pixel; a luminance, red chrominance, blue chrominance (YCbCr) image having a luminance component and two chrominance (color) components (red chrominance and blue chrominance) per pixel; or any other suitable type of color or monochrome image.

[0073] In some cases, one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras of XR device 500) can be configured to also capture depth information. For example, in some implementations, one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras) can include an RGB depth (RGB-D) camera. In some cases, XR device 500 can include one or more depth sensors (not shown) that are separate from one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras) and that can capture depth information. For example, such depth sensors can obtain depth information independently of one or more image sensors 501. In some examples, a depth sensor can be physically mounted in the same general location as one or more image sensors 501, but can operate at a different frequency or frame rate than one or more image sensors 501. In some examples, a depth sensor can take the form of a light source that can project a structured or textured light pattern (which can include one or more narrow bands of light) onto one or more objects in a scene. Depth information can then be obtained by exploiting the geometric distortions of the projected pattern caused by the surface shape of the objects. In one example, depth information can be obtained from a stereo sensor, such as a combination of an infrared structured light projector and an infrared camera registered to a camera (e.g., an RGB camera).

[0074] XR device 500 can also include other sensors integral to one or more sensors. The one or more sensors can include one or more accelerometers (e.g., accelerometer 502), one or more gyroscopes (e.g., gyroscope 503), and / or other sensors. The one or more sensors can provide velocity, orientation, and / or other positioning-related information to computing components 510. For example, accelerometer 502 can detect accelerations of XR device 500 and can generate acceleration measurements based on the detected accelerations. In some cases, accelerometer 502 can provide one or more translational vectors (e.g., up / down, left / right, forward / backward) that can be used to determine a position or pose of XR device 500. Gyroscope 503 can detect and measure an orientation and angular rate of XR device 500. For example, gyroscope 503 can be used to measure a pitch, roll, yaw of XR device 500. In some cases, gyroscope 503 can provide one or more rotational vectors (e.g., pitch, yaw, roll). In some examples, one or more image sensors 501 and / or XR engine 520 can use measurements obtained by accelerometer 502 (e.g., one or more translational vectors) and / or measurements obtained by gyroscope 503 (e.g., one or more rotational vectors) to calculate a pose of XR device 500. XR device 500 can also include eye tracker 504 for tracking movement of a user’s eyes of XR device 500. Eye tracker 504 of XR device 500 can be similar to eye tracker 504 as described with respect to FIG. 1. Figure 1The described manner of eye tracking operates.

[0075] The XR engine 520 can use output of one or more sensors (e.g., the accelerometer 502, the gyroscope 503, one or more IMUs, and / or other sensors) to determine a pose of the XR device 500 (also referred to as a head pose) and / or a pose of the one or more image sensors 501 (or other cameras of the XR device 500). In some cases, the pose of the XR device 500 and the pose of the one or more image sensors 501 (or other cameras) can be the same. The pose of the image sensors 501 refers to a positioning and orientation of the one or more image sensors 501 relative to a frame of reference (e.g., relative to an object). In some implementations, the camera pose can be determined for 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF), which refers to three translational components (e.g., which can be given by X (horizontal), Y (vertical), and Z (depth) coordinates relative to a frame of reference, such as an image plane) and three angular components (e.g., roll, pitch, and yaw relative to the same frame of reference). In some implementations, the camera pose can be determined for 3 degrees of freedom (3DoF), which refers to three angular components (e.g., roll, pitch, and yaw).

[0076] In some cases, a device tracker (not shown) can use measurements from one or more sensors and image data from the one or more image sensors 501 to track a pose of the XR device 500 (e.g., a 6DoF pose). For example, the device tracker can fuse visual data from the image data (e.g., using a visual tracking solution) with inertial data from the measurements to determine a positioning and motion of the XR device 500 relative to a physical world (e.g., a scene) and a map of the physical world. As described below, in some examples, when tracking the pose of the XR device 500, the device tracker can generate a 3D map of a scene (e.g., a real-world) and / or generate updates to the 3D map of the scene. The 3D map updates can include, for example, but are not limited to, new or updated features and / or feature or landmark points associated with the scene and / or the 3D map of the scene, positioning updates that identify or update a positioning of the XR device 500 within the scene and the 3D map of the scene, etc. The 3D map can provide a digital representation of the scene in the real / physical world. In some examples, the 3D map can anchor location-based objects and / or content to real-world coordinates and / or objects. The XR device 500 can use the mapped scene (e.g., a scene in the physical world represented by and / or associated with the 3D map) to merge the physical and virtual worlds and / or merge virtual content or objects with the physical environment.

[0077] In some aspects, the computing component 510 can determine and / or track the pose of the image sensor 501 and / or the XR device 500 as a whole using a visual tracking solution based on images captured by the one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras of the XR device 500). For example, in some examples, the computing component 510 can perform tracking using computer vision-based tracking, model-based tracking, and / or simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques. For example, the computing component 510 can perform SLAM or can be in (wired or wireless) communication with a SLAM system (not shown). SLAM refers to a class of techniques in which the pose of a camera (e.g., the image sensor 501) and / or the XR device 500 is tracked relative to a map of the environment (e.g., a map of the environment is modeled by the XR device 500) at the same time that the map is created. The map can be referred to as a SLAM map and can be 3D. SLAM techniques can be performed using color or grayscale image data captured by the one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras of the XR device 500) and can be used to generate an estimate of the 6DoF pose measurement of the one or more image sensors 501 and / or the XR device 500. Such SLAM techniques configured to perform 6DoF tracking can be referred to as 6DoF SLAM. In some cases, the estimated pose can be estimated, corrected, and / or otherwise adjusted using output of one or more sensors (e.g., the accelerometer 502, the gyroscope 503, one or more IMUs, and / or other sensors).

[0078] In some cases, 6DoF SLAM (e.g., 6DoF tracking) can associate features observed from certain input images from the one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras) to a SLAM map. For example, 6DoF SLAM can use feature point associations from input images to determine the pose (position and orientation) of the one or more image sensors 501 and / or the XR device 500 for the input images. 6DoF mapping can also be performed to update the SLAM map. In some cases, the SLAM map maintained using 6DoF SLAM can contain 3D feature points triangulated from two or more images. For example, keyframes can be selected from input images or video streams to represent the observed scene. For each keyframe, a respective 6DoF camera pose associated with the image can be determined. The pose of the one or more image sensors 501 and / or the XR device 500 can be determined by projecting features from the 3D SLAM map into the image or video frames and updating the camera pose according to verified 2D-3D correspondences.

[0079] In one illustrative example, the computing component 510 can extract feature points from certain input images (e.g., each input image, a subset of the input images, etc.) or from each keyframe. A feature point (also referred to as a landmark) as used herein is a unique or identifiable portion of an image, such as a portion of a hand, an edge of a table, and so forth. Features extracted from a captured image can represent different feature points along a three-dimensional space (e.g., coordinates in X, Y, and Z axes), and each feature point can have an associated feature location. Feature points in a keyframe match (are the same as or correspond to) or fail to match feature points of a previously captured input image or keyframe. Feature detection can be used to detect feature points. Feature detection can include image processing operations for examining one or more pixels of an image to determine whether a feature is present at a particular pixel. Feature detection can be used to process an entire captured image or certain portions of an image. For each image or keyframe, once features have been detected, local image patches around the features can be extracted. Features can be extracted using any suitable technique, such as scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) (which localizes features and generates their descriptions), learned invariant feature transform (LIFT), speeded up robust features (SURF), gradient location and orientation histogram (GLOH), oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF (ORB), binary robust invariant scalable keypoints (BRISK), fast retina keypoint (FREAK), KAZE, accelerated KAZE (AKAZE), normalized cross correlation (NCC), descriptor matching, another suitable technique, or a combination thereof.

[0080] In some cases, the XR device 500 can also track a user’s hand and / or fingers to allow the user to interact with and / or control virtual content in a virtual environment. For example, the XR device 500 can track the pose and / or movement of a user’s hand and / or fingertips to identify or translate user interactions with a virtual environment. User interactions can include, for example, but are not limited to, moving a virtual content item, resizing a virtual content item, selecting an input interface element in a virtual user interface (e.g., a virtual representation of a mobile phone, a virtual keyboard, and / or other virtual interface), providing input through a virtual user interface, and so forth.

[0081] As noted above, in some cases, the one or more sensors can include at least one IMU. An IMU is an electronic device that measures a particular force, angular rate, and / or orientation of the XR device 500 using a combination of one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, and / or one or more magnetometers. In some examples, the one or more sensors can output measured information associated with the capture of images captured by the one or more image sensors 501 (and / or other cameras of the XR device 500) and / or depth information obtained using one or more depth sensors of the XR device 500.

[0082] The image sensors 501 of the XR device 500 can include an eye tracker 504 configured to track gaze, eye movement, and eyebrow movement, such as the examples discussed in Figure 1 some examples, the eye tracker 504 can obtain images of one or both eyes of the user from a user-facing image sensor of the one or more image sensors 501. For example, the image sensors 501 can be configured to detect non-visible light or IR light. The light emitter 505 can be configured to emit light within the XR device 500 such that the image sensors 501 can obtain images of the eyes. In some aspects, the light emitter 505 can increase the brightness to a maximum amount without affecting the user’s reception of light in the visible spectrum. In other aspects, the image sensors 501 can increase the exposure time. Increasing the exposure time provides better images, but increases the likelihood that the obtained images are blurred based on movement within the exposure time. As previously described, in other examples, the XR device 500 can also include other sensors, such as IMUs, magnetometers, machine vision sensors, smart scene sensors, voice recognition sensors, collision sensors, shock sensors, positioning sensors, tilt sensors, etc.

[0083] In some aspects, the image sensors 501 of the XR device can include a left eye sensor and a right eye sensor, where each sensor is configured to track a plurality of eye regions. For example, the image sensors 501 can track movement of the eye regions and the eyebrow regions. In this case, the XR device can implement only two image sensors. Each image sensor 501 can be configured to have a greater FOV to increase the capture area, and each image sensor 501 is positioned in a location to capture sufficient detail to determine gaze, biometric information for biometric authentication (e.g., iris information), and identify any bias applied to the eyebrows by various facial muscles of the user (e.g., orbicularis oculi, temporalis, frontalis, corrugator, etc.). In one non-limiting aspect, the image sensors can be placed on the lower eyelid region and proximate to the lateral canthus of the user’s eye. In this aspect, the image sensors can be oriented to capture images of the user’s eye (e.g., pupil) and the eyebrows. For example, image sensors with a wide enough field of view can be configured to capture eye movement and eyebrow movement.

[0084] As previously described, XR devices and / or systems can facilitate interactions between users and content in XR environments. It can be useful to have techniques that determine when a user is fatigued, disinterested in, or distracted from an XR environment. Generally, eye tracking can provide information about a user’s attention, as the human eye has a relatively small area, or fovea, that has the highest visual acuity. Outside the foveal region, visual acuity drops off rapidly. In some cases, gaze point rendering can allow the foveal region of an image to be rendered at a higher resolution compared to regions outside the foveal region, referred to as peripheral regions, which can be rendered at a lower resolution. In some cases, due to the higher resolution foveal region and lower resolution peripheral regions, a user’s eyes can tend to move to focus the higher resolution foveal region toward environmental elements of interest. This eye movement can be due to a conscious or unconscious decision by the user to look toward the environmental elements. The amount of time and / or number of times a user looks toward an environmental element can be indicative of the degree of attention the user has for that environmental element. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, eye tracking data indicating which region(s) of an image a user is gazing at can be compared to, or identified by, a ROI in an XR environment to determine information about a user’s attention to the XR environment.

[0085] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of a lens assembly of an XR device 600 having at least one shared ocular region sensor (also referred to as an ocular sensor or image sensor) in accordance with some examples. Although not shown, the XR device 600 can include one or more of the components of the XR device 500, such as one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, an ocular tracker, a storage, a computing component, an XR engine, an image processing engine, and a rendering engine, similar to those components described with respect to Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of a lens assembly of an XR device 600 having at least one shared ocular region sensor (also referred to as an ocular sensor or image sensor) in accordance with some examples. Although not shown, the XR device 600 can include one or more of the components of the XR device 500, such as one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, an ocular tracker, a storage, a computing component, an XR engine, an image processing engine, and a rendering engine, similar to those components described with respect to Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of a lens assembly of an XR device 600 having at least one shared ocular region sensor (also referred to as an ocular sensor or image sensor) in accordance with some examples. Although not shown, the XR device 600 can include one or more of the components of the XR device 500, such as one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, an ocular tracker, a storage, a computing component, an XR engine, an image processing engine, and a rendering engine, similar to those components described with respect to Figure 6 As shown, the XR device 600 includes a housing 602 that provides mechanical support for other components. For example, the XR device 600 includes at least one printed circuit board (PCB) 604 that provides electrical connections to various integrated circuits 606 and a display 608. In some aspects, the display 608 can be attached to another PCB or other support structure. In that case, the display 608 can be configured as a single display, or can be two separate displays that are split. In that case, the display 608 is positioned at a distal end of the housing 602. A proximal end of the housing 602 includes an opening that interfaces with a user’s face, and creates an enclosed environment that prevents external light (e.g., light that is not from the display 608) from entering the XR device 600.

[0086] The XR device 600 can include at least one optical assembly 610 configured to secure one or more lenses 612 to the housing 602. In one example, a single optical assembly 610 can be configured to secure one or more lenses 612 to the housing. In another example, the XR device 600 can include an optical assembly 610 for each eye. The display 608 is configured to generate at least two planar 2D images and provide the planar 2D images to the one or more lenses 612 that focus the 2D images into the user’s eyes 614 to create a stereoscopic image (e.g., a 3D image) for the user. The optical assembly includes a ring 616 positioned around a circumference of the one or more lenses 612, and the ring 616 includes an illumination source that includes a plurality of light emitters 618 configured to emit a sufficient amount of light to illuminate the eyes 614 and the eyebrow region. In one illustrative aspect, the plurality of light emitters 618 can be configured to emit non-visible light to prevent interference with visible light emitted from the display 608.

[0087] In one illustrative aspect, the XR device 600 can include at least one image sensor 620 configured to capture images of the eyes 614 and the facial region proximate to the eyes 614. The XR device 600 can be configured to perform similar operations to those described with respect to the XR device based on the images captured by the at least one image sensor 620. For example, the XR device 600 can run (or execute) XR applications and implement XR operations. In some cases, as part of an XR experience, the XR device 600 can perform tracking and localization, map construction of an environment in a physical world (e.g., a scene), and / or positioning and rendering of virtual content on the display 608. For example, the XR device 600 can generate a map (e.g., a three-dimensional (3D) map) of an environment in a physical world, track a pose (e.g., a position and an orientation) of the XR device 600 relative to the environment (e.g., relative to a 3D map of the environment), position and / or anchor virtual content in a particular location on a map of the environment, and render the virtual content on the display 608 such that the virtual content appears to be located at a position in the environment that corresponds to the particular location on the map of the scene to which the virtual content is positioned and / or anchored. The display 608 can include glass, a screen, a lens, a projector, and / or another display mechanism that allows a user to see a real-world environment and also allows XR content to be overlaid, overlapped, blended, or otherwise displayed thereon. Figure 5

[0088] ​The XR device 600 includes a cavity region 630 to provide sufficient spatial distance between the eyes 614 for light reception. For example, the cavity region 630 can provide space for air circulation and provide space to accommodate various features, such as eyeglasses worn by the user. In some aspects, the image sensor 620 can be configured to capture the region 622 including the eyes 614 and the eyebrow region based on the cavity region, the FOV of the image sensor 620, and the orientation of the image sensor 620. In some aspects, the image sensor 620 is configured to be positioned in a lower eye region below the vertical center point of the eyes 614 and biased toward the lateral edges of the eyes 614 (e.g., away from the centerline of the user). For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the lower region can be the region below the lateral canthus and medial canthus of the eyes 614 of the user. Figure 6

[0089] In some aspects, the light emitters 618 are IR emitters configured to emit IR light based on electrical current. In some cases, the light emitters 618 emitters can be placed in a circumferential arrangement at a constant spacing along the planar surface to provide uniform illumination to the eyes 614. In some aspects, the illumination source can include a plurality of light sources (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) arranged in series. For example, additional light sources (e.g., LEDs, IR emitters, etc.) can be placed in series with existing light sources (e.g., existing LEDs, IR emitters, etc.). In such examples, additional safety circuitry, device drivers, etc. can not be needed as existing device safety circuitry, drivers, etc. can be used. The light emitters 618 provide sufficient electrical current to provide illumination of the eyes 614, but not sufficient illumination of the eyebrow region, as shown in FIG. 6B. In this case, the light emitters 618 send IR light at a power that is limited for user safety. For example, eight (8) light emitters can be placed every 45° along the circumferential surface of the ring 616. Figure 4A

[0090] In some cases, the IR emitted by the light emitters 618 can not be sufficient to capture the eyebrow region. For example, the image sensor 620 can have an exposure time of 250 microseconds (ps) and the eyebrow region can not be able to be used by the object detection engine to identify movement or bias of the eyebrows. In some aspects, the light emitters 618 can be reconfigured to have a non-uniform spacing to provide additional light to the upper region associated with the eyes. For example, two additional light emitters 618 can be placed within the upper 150 degrees (°) of the ring 616 (e.g., 30° spacing) to provide additional light to the eyebrow region, while the remaining light emitters are placed within the remaining 210° of the ring 616 (e.g., 42° spacing).

[0091] ​​In some aspects, the image sensors 620 can be reconfigured to control the exposure time to capture sufficient light. Reducing the exposure time reduces the motion blur and brightness of the image. Increasing the exposure time increases the motion blur and brightness of the image. A large amount of motion blur can reduce the accuracy of the gaze detection and eyebrow tracking. In some aspects, increasing the exposure time to a time between 600 ps and 2 milliseconds (ms) achieves a balance of motion blur with sufficient exposure time, thereby ensuring that the eyebrow region is captured with sufficient brightness for the eyebrow detection task.

[0092] Figure 7 is a perspective view of an XR device 700 having at least one shared ocular region sensor according to some examples. The XR device 700 is an example implementation of the XR device 600 Figure 6 . The XR device 700 includes a housing 702 having a cavity 704 to ensure there is sufficient space within the XR device 700 for circulation and other objects, such as glasses, etc. A left lens 706 is configured to provide images to the user’s left eye, and a right lens 708 is configured to provide images to the user’s right eye.

[0093] A left image sensor 710 is fastened (e.g., glued with epoxy) to a surface of the left lens 706 and is configured to capture images of the left eye and left eyebrow. A right image sensor 712 is fastened to a surface of the right lens 708 and is configured to capture images of the right eye and right eyebrow. In some aspects, the left image sensor 710 and the right image sensor 712 each have a field of view of at least 90° to capture images of the corresponding eye and eyebrow. As Figure 7 illustrated, the left image sensor 710 and the right image sensor 712 are disposed in the lower eyelid region and placed close to the user’s lateral canthus.

[0094] Figure 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the positioning of at least one shared ocular region sensor integrated with an XR device 802 according to some examples. The XR device 802 is another example implementation of the XR device 600 Figure 6 . In some aspects, a user 800 is wearing the XR device 802, which includes one or more image sensors 804 attached to a corresponding lens 806. In this illustrative example, each of the image sensors 804 is oriented to capture images that include the user’s eye and eyebrow region.

[0095] In some aspects, the user's eyes 810 are separated by an interpupillary distance, which varies from person to person. The optical assembly of the XR device 802 may include a mechanical fixture that adjusts the positioning of the lens 806 to align with the user's eye 810. The user's eye 810 includes an inner canthus 812 and an outer canthus 814 at the distal end of the eye 810, the inner canthus being the point where the anatomy of the eye meets the anatomy of the nose. A centerline 816 from the inner canthus 812 to the outer canthus 814 separates the upper eyelid region from the lower eyelid region. The image sensors 804 are attached to the lenses, and their positioning may be adjusted based on the optical assembly so that the image sensors 804 are positioned sufficiently to capture an image of the user's eye 810.

[0096] Figure 9 is an image of a user and illustrates facial expressions detectable by an XR device with a shared eye region sensor according to some examples. In this case, the user may roll their eyes to express distrust, and the eye movements of right eye 910 and left eye 920 may be detected by the shared eye region sensor for the left eye and the shared eye region sensor for the right eye. The shared eye region sensor may also simultaneously capture offset images of the right eyebrow region 930 and the left eyebrow region 940. In this illustrated example, the frontalis muscle is biased to lift the eyebrows upward toward the forehead. In some aspects, the shared eye region sensor may detect any suitable movement, such as lifting, dropping, moving inward, moving outward, and rotating.

[0097] In some aspects, images that include both eye features and eyebrow features can simplify the processing of gaze detection and facial expression detection. In some aspects, gaze detection and facial expressions can be mapped into the XR social environment and applied to the user's avatar so that other users within the XR social environment can understand non-verbal communication. Providing details and non-verbal communication is an important aspect of creating an engaging and meaningful experience in the XR social environment. Although the aspects described above relate to an XR social environment, the XR environment can be any suitable XR environment, such as a business meeting, an entertainment environment, etc.

[0098] Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process 900 for image processing. The process 1000 may be performed by an XR device (e.g., Figure 5 500 XR devices, Figure 6 XR devices 600, Figure 7 XR device 700, Figure 81002 or other devices) or performed by a component or system of the XR device (e.g., a chipset, a system on a chip (SoC), one or more processors (such as one or more CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, etc.)). In one or more examples, the XR device may be implemented within (e.g., housed within), communicatively connected to, and / or associated with another device or system. The operations of process 1000 may be implemented as a processor (e.g., Figure 2 Image processor 250, Figure 5 One or more computing components in computing component 510, Figure 11 Software components that are executed and run on the processor 1110 or other processor of the camera and can be implemented within the device.

[0099] At block 1002, an XR device (or a component thereof) may use an illumination source (e.g., Figure 6 The illumination source of the XR device 600 or other illumination source) emits light toward the eyes and areas corresponding to facial features. In some cases, the illumination source includes at least one ring disposed circumferentially around at least one lens (e.g., around the Figure 6 In such cases, a plurality of infrared light sources are provided on at least one of the rings to illuminate the pupils and areas corresponding to facial features.

[0100] At block 1004, the XR device (or a component thereof) may use at least one eye sensor (e.g., Figure 6 at least one image sensor 620, Figure 7 The left image sensor 710 and / or the right image sensor 712, Figure 8 In some aspects, the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum, and the at least one eye sensor is configured to capture light in the infrared spectrum. Additionally or alternatively, in some cases, the illumination source is an LED light source, and the at least one eye sensor may capture the LED light. In some aspects, the at least one eye sensor includes a single left eye sensor configured to track movement of the left eye and left eyebrow and a single right eye sensor configured to track movement of the right eye and right eyebrow, such as relative to Figure 5 500 XR devices, Figure 6 XR devices 600, Figure 7 XR device 700 and / or Figure 8XR device 802 discussed. In some aspects, the at least one eye sensor is positioned in the lower eyelid region and proximate to the lateral canthus. In some examples, the field of view of the at least one eye sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°). In some cases, the exposure time of the at least one eye sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

[0101] At block 1006, the XR device (or a component thereof) can obtain eye movement information from the image. At block 1008, the XR device (or a component thereof) can obtain facial characteristic information from the image. For example, as described with respect to the XR device 500, Figure 5 XR device can use the eye movement information and the facial characteristic information from the image to perform one or more functions, such as to determine when a user is fatigued, disinterested in, or distracted from an XR environment (e.g., virtual content displayed as part of the XR environment).

[0102] Figure 11 is a diagram that illustrates an example of a system for implementing certain aspects of the technology. Specifically, Figure 11 An example of a computing system 1100 is illustrated, which can be, for example, any computing device that makes up an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof, where components of the system communicate with each other using a connection 1105. The connection 1105 can be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection into a processor 1110, such as in a chipset architecture. The connection 1105 can also be a virtual connection, a networking connection, or a logical connection.

[0103] In some aspects, the computing system 1100 is a distributed system, where the functionality described in this disclosure can be distributed within one data center, multiple data centers, a peer-to-peer network, etc. In some aspects, one or more of the described system components represent many such components, each performing some or all of the function of the described component. In some aspects, the components can be physical or virtual devices.

[0104] The example computing system 1100 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 1110 and a connection 1105 that couples various system components including the system memory 1115, such as the ROM 1120 and the RAM 1125, to the processor 1110. The computing system 1100 can include a cache of the high-speed memory 1112 in which certain sets of instructions are placed in connection with being executed by the processor 1110. The cache can be directly connected to the processor 1110, closely proximate to the processor 1110, or integrated as part of the processor 1110.

[0105] The processor 1110 can include any general purpose processor and a hardware service or software service, such as the services 1132, 1134, and 1136 stored in the memory device 1130, configured to control the processor 1110 as well as a special-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. The processor 1110 can essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, and cache, etc. Some or all of these components can be shared among the multiple processor cores.

[0106] To enable user interaction, the computing system 1100 includes an input device 1145, which can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and the like. The computing system 1100 can also include output devices 1135, which can be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multi-modal systems can enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with the computing system 1100. The computing system 1100 can include communication interface 1140, which can generally govern and manage the user input and system output. There can be multiple communication interfaces 1140, such as any input mechanism as described above facilitating communication via the Internet or wireless services, Bluetooth® wireless signals, BLE wireless signals, Ethernet ports / plugs, optical fiber ports / plugs, dedicated wired ports / plugs, wireless signal transfer, BLE wireless signal transfer, wireless signal transmissions of wireless radio signals, microwave access worldwide interoperability (WiMAX), IR communication wireless signal transmissions, public switched telephone network (PSTN) signal transmissions, integrated services digital network (ISDN) signal transmissions, 3G / 4G / 5G / LTE cellular data network wireless signal transmissions, ad hoc network signal transmissions, radio wave signal transmissions, microwave signal transmissions, infrared signal transmissions, visible light signal transmissions, ultraviolet light signal transmissions, wireless signal transmissions along the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combination thereof. The communication interface 1140 can also include one or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers or transceivers for determining a location of the computing system 1100 based on one or more signals received from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the United States’ GPS, Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European Galileo GNSS. There is no limitation as to operation on any particular hardware arrangement, and thus the underlying features herein can be readily substituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

[0107] The storage device 1130 can be a nonvolatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable memory device and can be a hard disk or other type of computer readable medium such as a cassette tape, flash memory card, solid-state memory device, digital versatile disc, cartridge tape, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, magnetic strip / magnetic stripe, any other magnetic storage medium, flash memory, memristor memory, any other solid-state memory, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) optical disc, rewritable compact disc (CD) optical disc, digital video disc (DVD) optical disc, Blu-ray disc (BDD) optical disc, holographic optical disc, another optical medium, secure digital (SD) card, micro secure digital (microSD) card, memory stick, another removable storage medium, or any other computer-readable medium that can store data which can be accessed by a computer. A card, a smart card chip, an EMV chip, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, a mini / micro / nano / pico SIM card, another integrated circuit (IC) chip / card, a RAM, a static RAM (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a ROM, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash EPROM (FLASH EPROM), a cache memory (L1 / L2 / L3 / L4 / L5 / L#), a resistive random-access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), a phase change memory (PCM), a spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cartridge, and / or a combination thereof.

[0108] The storage device 1130 can include software services, servers, services, and the like that, when code defining such software is executed by the processor 1110, cause the system to perform a function. In some aspects, a hardware service that performs a particular function can include the software components stored in a computer-readable medium that are necessary to perform the function. The term “computer-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and / or data. A computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory medium in which data can be stored and which does not include carrier waves and / or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over wired connections. Examples of a non-transitory medium can include, but are not limited to, a magnetic disk or tape, optical storage media such as CD-ROM or DVD, flash memory, a memory or memory device, and the like. A computer-readable medium can have stored thereon code and / or machine-executable instructions that can represent a procedure, function, subprogram, program, routine, subroutine, module, software package, class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment can be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0109] In some cases, a computing device or apparatus can include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other components configured to perform the steps of processes described herein. In some examples, a computing device can include a display, one or more network interfaces configured to communicate and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. The one or more network interfaces can be configured to communicate and / or receive wired and / or wireless data, including data according to 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or other cellular standards, data according to Wi-Fi (802.1 lx) standards, data according to Bluetooth TM standards, data according to IP standards, and / or other types of data.

[0110] Components of a computing device can be implemented in circuitry. For example, components can include and / or can be implemented using electronic circuitry or other electronic hardware (which can include one or more programmable electronic circuits, such as microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, CPUs, and / or other suitable electronic circuits), and / or can include and / or can be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, to perform various operations described herein.

[0111] In some aspects, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memory can include cable or wireless signals, and the like, containing a bitstream etc. However, where mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly excludes media such as a power supply, carrier waves, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

[0112] In the above description, specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of aspects and examples provided herein. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the aspects can be practiced without these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, in some instances, well-known structures, materials, and techniques have not been described in detail. For example, circuitry, systems, networks, processes, and other components can be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid obscuring aspects in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring aspects.

[0113] Various aspects can be described in the preceding description as processes or methods to be performed by a computer or network device. The processes or methods can be embodied in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The processes or methods can be performed by a computer or network device having a processor and memory. The processor can execute computer program instructions to perform the processes or methods. The computer program instructions can be stored in the memory. The processes or methods can also be embodied in a computer readable medium, which can be any medium readable by a computer or network device. The processes or methods can be embodied in a computer readable medium having stored computer program instructions to perform the processes or methods. The computer readable medium can be a computer readable storage medium or a computer readable signal medium.

[0114] The processes and methods according to the above-described examples can be implemented using stored computer-executable instructions or computer-executable instructions acquired (e.g., downloaded) in some other manner from computer-readable media. Such instructions can comprise, for instance, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer resources used can be accessible via a network. The computer-executable instructions can be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, source code, etc. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during methods according to described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, etc.

[0115] Devices implementing processes and methods according to these disclosures can comprise hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and can take any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks can be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor(s) can execute the necessary tasks. Typical examples of form factors include laptops, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, and other forms suited to the performance of desired tasks. Functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented by a processor executing a program of instructions to perform desired tasks defined by the program.

[0116] Instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example components for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0117] In the foregoing description, various aspects of the present application are described with reference to particular aspects only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the application is not limited thereto. Thus, while the illustrative aspects of the application have been described herein, those skilled in the art will readily devise their own approaches that are

[0118] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the less than (“<”) and greater than (“>”) symbols or terms used herein can be replaced by less than or equal to (“≤”) and greater than or equal to (“≥”) symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of the present description.

[0119] Where components are described as being “configured to” perform certain operations, such configuration can be accomplished, for example, by designing the electronic circuitry or other hardware of the components to perform the operation, by programming the components (e.g., microprocessors or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof.

[0120] The phrase “coupled to” means any component directly or indirectly physically connected to another component, and / or any component directly or indirectly in communication with another component (e.g., connected to another component through a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0121] Claim language reciting “at least one of” a plurality, and / or “one or more of” a plurality of an item or items, means that a single member of the plurality, or combinations of members of the plurality can be present. For example, where an item, or items is listed following the recitation of “at least one of,” such as, for example, “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B” or “at least one of A, B, and C,” it is intended that (alone or in combination with other

[0122] Where reference is made to one or more elements performing certain functions, one element can perform the functions of more than one element, or more than one element can perform the functions of one element. Similarly, where reference is made to one or more elements being configured to cause another element (e.g., a device) to perform certain functions, one element can be configured to cause the other element to perform all of the functions, or more than one element can be configured to cause the other element to perform the functions, jointly or severally.

[0123] Where reference is made to an entity (e.g., any of the entities or devices described herein) performing or being configured to perform certain functions, the entity can be configured to cause one or more elements (alone or in combination) to perform the functions. One or more components of the entity can include at least one memory, at least one processor, at least one communication interface, another component configured to perform one or more (or all) of the functions, and / or any combination thereof. Where reference is made to the entity performing the functions, the entity-based on the configuration of the entity— can be configured to cause a single component to perform the functions, or multiple components of the entity, jointly or severally, to perform the functions. Where the entity is configured to cause multiple components to perform the functions jointly or severally, each function does not need to be performed by each of those components (e.g., different functions can be performed by different components), and / or each function does not need to be performed entirely by one component (e.g., different components can perform different sub-functions of a function).

[0124] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or combinations thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

[0125] The techniques described herein can also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques can be implemented in any of a variety of devices such as general purposes computers, wireless communication device handsets, or integrated circuit devices having multiple uses such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. Any features described as modules or components can be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques can be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, performs one or more of the methods described above. The computer-readable data storage medium can form part of a computer program product, which can include packaging material. The computer-readable medium can comprise memory or data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM or EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the techniques can be realized at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer, such as a propagated signal or wave.

[0126] The program code can be executed by a processor, which can include one or more processors, such as an or more DSPs, microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Such a processor can be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor; but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Accordingly, the term "processor," as used herein can refer to any of the foregoing structure, any combination of the foregoing structure, or any other structure or apparatus suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein.

[0127] Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure include:

[0128] Aspect 1. An extended reality (XR) device, comprising: a housing configured to interface with a face of a user; at least one display configured to output an image, wherein the at least one display is disposed at a distal end of the housing relative to the face; at least one optical assembly secured to the at least one display; at least one lens secured to the at least one optical assembly and configured to focus the image for a corresponding eye; at least one eye sensor attached to a proximal surface of the at least one lens and configured to obtain an image to track eye movement and facial characteristics of the user; and an illumination source configured to illuminate an area corresponding to the eye and an area corresponding to the facial characteristics.

[0129] Aspect 2. The XR device of aspect 1, wherein the at least one eye sensor comprises a single left eye sensor configured to track left eye and left eyebrow movement and a single right eye sensor configured to track right eye and right eyebrow movement.

[0130] Aspect 3. The XR device of any one of aspects 1-2, wherein the at least one eye sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum.

[0131] Aspect 4. The XR device of aspect 3, wherein the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum.

[0132] Aspect 5. The XR device of aspect 4, wherein the illumination source comprises at least one ring disposed circumferentially around the at least one lens, and wherein a plurality of infrared light sources are disposed on the at least one ring to illuminate a pupil and the area corresponding to the facial characteristics.

[0133] Aspect 6. The XR device of any one of aspects 1-5, wherein the at least one eye sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an alar crease.

[0134] Aspect 7. The XR device of any one of aspects 1-6, wherein a field of view of the at least one eye sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°).

[0135] Aspect 8. The XR device of any one of aspects 1-7, wherein an exposure time of the at least one eye sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

[0136] Aspect 9. A method of capturing images in an XR device, the method comprising: emitting light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial feature using an illumination source; obtaining images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial feature using at least one eye sensor.

[0137] Aspect 10. The method of aspect 9, wherein the at least one eye sensor comprises a single left eye sensor configured to track left eye and left eyebrow movement and a single right eye sensor configured to track right eye and right eyebrow movement.

[0138] Aspect 11. The method of any one of aspects 9-10, wherein the at least one eye sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum.

[0139] Aspect 12. The method of aspect 11, wherein the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum.

[0140] Aspect 13. The method of aspect 12, wherein the illumination source comprises at least one ring disposed circumferentially around at least one lens, and wherein a plurality of infrared light sources are disposed on the at least one ring to illuminate a pupil and the region corresponding to the facial feature.

[0141] Aspect 14. The method of any one of aspects 9-13, wherein the at least one eye sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an alar crease.

[0142] Aspect 15. The method of any one of aspects 9-14, wherein a field of view of the at least one eye sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°).

[0143] Aspect 16. The method of any one of aspects 9-15, wherein an exposure time of the at least one eye sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

[0144] Aspect 17. An XR device comprising at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to perform the operations of any one of aspects 9-16.

[0145] Aspect 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the operations of any one of aspects 9-16.

[0146] Aspect 19. An XR device comprising one or more means for performing the operations of any one of aspects 9-16.

Claims

1. An extended reality (XR) device, the extended reality (XR) device comprising: a housing configured to interface with a face of a user; at least one display configured to output an image, wherein the at least one display is disposed at a distal end of the housing relative to the face; at least one optical assembly fastened to the at least one display; at least one lens fastened to the at least one optical assembly and configured to focus the image for at least one eye; at least one eye sensor attached to a proximal surface of the at least one lens and configured to obtain an image to track eye movement of the at least one eye and facial characteristics of the user; and an illumination source configured to illuminate an area corresponding to the at least one eye and an area corresponding to the facial characteristics.

2. The XR device of claim 1, wherein the at least one eye comprises a left eye and a right eye, and wherein the at least one eye sensor comprises a single left eye sensor configured to track left eye and left eyebrow movement and a single right eye sensor configured to track right eye and right eyebrow movement.

3. The XR device of claim 1, wherein the at least one eye sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum.

4. The XR device of claim 3, wherein the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum.

5. The XR device of claim 4, wherein the illumination source comprises at least one ring disposed circumferentially around the at least one lens, and wherein a plurality of infrared light sources are disposed on the at least one ring to illuminate a pupil and the area corresponding to the facial characteristics.

6. The XR device of claim 1, wherein the at least one eye sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an alar crease.

7. The XR device of claim 1, wherein a field of view of the at least one eye sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°).

8. The XR device of claim 1, wherein an exposure time of the at least one eye sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

9. The XR device of claim 1, wherein the illumination source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in series.

10. The XR device of claim 1, further comprising at least one processor, wherein: the illumination source is configured to emit light toward the area corresponding to the at least one eye and the area corresponding to the facial characteristics; and the at least one processor is configured to: obtain images of the at least one eye and the area corresponding to the facial characteristics using the at least one eye sensor; obtain eye movement information from the images; and obtain facial characteristics information from the images.

11. A method of capturing images in an XR device, the method comprising: emitting light toward an eye and an area corresponding to a facial characteristic using an illumination source; ​ obtaining images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic using at least one ocular sensor; obtaining eye movement information from the images; and obtaining facial characteristic information from the images.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one ocular sensor comprises a single left ocular sensor configured to track left eye and left eyebrow movement and a single right ocular sensor configured to track right eye and right eyebrow movement.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one ocular sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the illumination source comprises at least one ring disposed circumferentially around at least one lens, and wherein a plurality of infrared light sources are disposed on the at least one ring to illuminate the pupil and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one ocular sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an alar crease.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a field of view of the at least one ocular sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°).

18. The method of claim 11, wherein an exposure time of the at least one ocular sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

19. An extended reality (XR) device for tracking eye movement and facial expressions, the XR device comprising: at least one memory; an illumination source configured to emit light toward an eye and a region corresponding to a facial characteristic; at least one ocular sensor configured to obtain images of the eye and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and the illumination source, the at least one processor configured to: obtain eye movement information from the images; and obtain facial characteristic information from the images.

20. The XR device of claim 19, wherein the at least one ocular sensor comprises a single left ocular sensor configured to track left eye and left eyebrow movement and a single right ocular sensor configured to track right eye and right eyebrow movement.

21. The XR device of claim 19, wherein the at least one ocular sensor is configured to capture light in an infrared spectrum.

22. The XR device of claim 21, wherein the illumination source is configured to emit light in the infrared spectrum.

23. The XR device of claim 22, wherein the illumination source comprises at least one ring disposed circumferentially around at least one lens, and wherein a plurality of infrared light sources are disposed on the at least one ring to illuminate the pupil and the region corresponding to the facial characteristic.

24. The XR device of claim 19, wherein the at least one ocular sensor is positioned in a lower eyelid region and proximate to an alar crease.

25. The XR device of claim 19, wherein a field of view of the at least one eye sensor is at least 90 degrees (90°).

26. The XR device of claim 19, wherein an exposure time of the at least one eye sensor is greater than 500 microseconds and less than 2 milliseconds.

Images