Eyewear device, system, and method for controlling sensor activation

Abstract

A personal eyewear device 100, system and method are provided for controlling a sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device 100, the method comprising: obtaining, with an eye tracking sensor 108 of the personal eyewear device 100, eye tracking data corresponding to at least an eye of a wearer of the personal eyewear device 100; processing, on the personal eyewear device 100, the eye tracking data to determine an eye-gaze parameter, indicative of a direction of gaze of the at least an eye of the wearer; and activating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device 100 based, at least in part, on the eye-gaze parameter. The subsystems may include one or more of: a fundus imaging subsystem configured to obtain fundus imaging data with respect to the eyes of the wearer and / or an eye imaging subsystem configured to obtain eye imaging data with respect to the eyes of the wearer. The system allows for the diagnosis of eye conditions earlier by providing an inexpensive non-clinical solution that observes symptoms or markers in the human eye at more regular intervals.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a sensor subsystem of a personal eyewear device, the method comprising: obtaining, with an eye tracking sensor of the personal eyewear device, eye tracking data corresponding to at least an eye of a wearer of the personal eyewear device;processing, on the personal eyewear device, the eye tracking data to determine an eye-gaze parameter, indicative of a direction of gaze of the at least an eye of the wearer; andactivating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the eyegaze parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the eye-gaze parameter comprises:comparing the eye-gaze parameter to an activation condition for the sensor subsystem; and determining that the eye-gaze parameter meets the activation condition; and upon determining that the eye-gaze parameter meets the activation condition, activating the sensor subsystem accordingly.

3. The method of any preceding claim, wherein:obtaining the eye tracking data corresponding to the at least an eye of the wearer, processing the eye tracking data to determine the eye-gaze parameter, and activating the sensor subsystem based, at least in part, on the eye-gaze parameter, occur in real or near-real time on the personal eyewear device.

4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein activating the sensor subsystem comprises providing, from a power supply on the personal eyewear device, power to the sensor subsystem.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sensor subsystem has a greater required power than the eye tracking sensor, wherein providing power to the sensor subsystem further comprises:providing the greater required power to the sensor subsystem relative to the eye tracking sensor.

6. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:obtaining, with an environmental sensor of the personal eyewear device, environmental data corresponding to at least an eye of a wearer of the personal eyewear device; andactivating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based on both the eye-gaze parameter and the environmental data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein activating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based on both the eye-gaze parameter and the environmental data comprises:comparing the environmental data to an environmental activation condition for the sensor subsystem; anddetermining that the environmental data meets the environmental activation condition; and upon determining that the eye-gaze parameter meets the activation condition and that the environmental data meets the environmental activation condition, activating the sensor subsystem accordingly.

8. The method of claims 6 or 7, wherein the environmental sensor includes one or more of: an ambient light sensor, wherein the environmental data includes ambient light data; a timing device, wherein the environmental data includes timing data;a gyroscope sensor, wherein the environmental data includes gyroscope data; and / or an accelerometer, wherein the environmental data includes accelerometer data.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the sensor subsystem includes a first sensor for obtaining sensor data with respect to a first eye of the wearer and a second sensor for obtaining sensor data with respect to a second eye of the wearer, wherein obtaining, with the eye tracking sensor of the personal eyewear device, eye tracking data corresponding to the at least an eye of a wearer of the personal eyewear device comprises:obtaining with a first eye tracking sensor of the personal eyewear device, first eye tracking data corresponding to the first eye of the wearer; andobtaining with a second eye tracking sensor of the personal eyewear device, second eye tracking data corresponding to the first eye of the wearer; wherein the method further comprises:processing, on the personal eyewear device, the first eye tracking data to determine a first eye-gaze parameter, indicative of a first direction of gaze of the first eye of the wearer;processing, on the personal eyewear device, the second eye tracking data to determine a second eye-gaze parameter, indicative of a second direction of gaze of the second eye of the wearer; andactivating the first sensor of the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the first eye-gaze parameter; and / oractivating the second sensor of the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the second eye-gaze parameter.

10. The method to any preceding claim, further comprising:controlling a plurality of sensor subsystems of the personal eyewear device, by activating the sensor subsystems of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the eye-gaze parameter.

11. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:obtaining, with the eye tracking sensor of the personal eyewear device, updated eye tracking data corresponding to the at least an eye of the wearer of the personal eyewear device; andprocessing, on the personal eyewear device, the updated eye tracking data to determine an updated eye-gaze parameter, indicative of an updated direction of gaze of the at least an eye of the wearer.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein obtaining the updated eye tracking data is performed continuously.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising:deactivating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the updated eye-gaze parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein deactivating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device based, at least in part, on the updated eye-gaze parameter further comprises:comparing the updated eye-gaze parameter to a deactivation condition for the sensor subsystem;determining that the updated eye-gaze parameter meets the deactivation condition; andupon determining that the eye-gaze parameter meets the deactivation condition, deactivating the sensor subsystems accordingly.

15. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:upon activating the sensor subsystem of the personal eyewear device, obtaining sensor data using the sensor subsystem; andsubsequent to obtaining the sensor data, deactivating the sensor subsystem.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:prior to deactivating the sensor subsystem, comparing the sensor data obtained using the sensor subsystem to a sensor data quality condition; andif the sensor data does not meet the sensor data quality condition: repeating the obtaining sensor data using the sensor subsystem.

17. A personal eyewear device, the personal eyewear device comprising:an electronics module including:a processor;a memory;a power source for powering the electronics module;an eye tracking sensor; andone or more sensor subsystems, wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 16.

18. The personal eyewear device of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensor subsystems include one or more of:a fundus imaging subsystem comprising:a first imaging sensor configured to obtain first fundus imaging data with respect to a left eye of the wearer; anda second imaging sensor configured to obtain second fundus imaging data with respect to a right eye of the wearer;an eye imaging subsystem comprising:a first imaging sensor configured to obtain first eye imaging data with respect to a left eye of the wearer, wherein the first eye imaging data includes data with respect to one or more of a left iris, a left cornea, and / or a left sclera; anda second imaging sensor configured to obtain second eye imaging data with respect to a right eye of the wearer, wherein the second eye imaging data includes data with respect to one or more of a right iris, a right cornea, and / or a right sclera.

19. A system comprising:the personal eyewear device of any of claims 17 or 18;a user device configured to communicate with the personal eyewear device and to receive sensor data of the one or more sensor subsystems; anda data processing module, configured to further process the sensor data.

20. A computer program, which, when executed by a processor, is configured to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 16.

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