An eye tracking system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an eye tracking system (1) which is intended to be used to ensure the accuracy of the irradiated area in intraocular tumours by calculating the instantaneous target position while tracking eye movements in intraocular tumour radiotherapy and radiosurgery, and to provide healthy organ protection by keeping the dose exposure of healthy tissues low in orbital region tumours; and which does not require calibration, is non-contact and long-distance to the patient.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] AN EYE TRACKING SYSTEM

[0003] Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to an eye tracking system which is intended to be used to ensure the accuracy of the irradiated area in intraocular tumours by calculating the instantaneous target position while tracking eye movements in intraocular tumour radiotherapy and radiosurgery, and to provide healthy organ protection by keeping the dose exposure of healthy tissues low in orbital region tumours; and which does not require calibration, is non-contact and long-distance to the patient.

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] While stereotactic mask systems are used for patient immobilization in intraocular tumour radiosurgery, the eye that will be treated is generally immobilized under anaesthesia. In proton therapy applications, there are methods whereby guidance is provided by radiological imaging using beacons placed in the eye before treatment. Applications such as vacuum contact lenses are also performed in order to stabilize the eye. Thus, it is aimed to irradiate the determined target accurately and precisely. Accordingly, there is a need to develop an eye tracking system which can provide non-contact, non-invasive, practitioner-independent treatment management as an alternative to interventional methods and to design a system which will provide quality assurance of the treatment that will be applied to the patient via this system. Furthermore, there is a need to develop algorithms which will calculate the target position and movement based on the eye movements. The Chinese patent document no. CN216091910U, a utility model included in the state of the art, discloses a positioning platform system, including a head fixture and an eyeball positioning assembly, for proton heavy ion radiotherapy for patients with eyeball tumours. The system also provides an eye tracking device. The eye tracking device comprises an image acquisition device and a monitoring and processing host computer. The image acquisition device is connected in communication with the monitoring and processing host computer. The real-time images of the eyeball are collected by means of the eye tracking device. The collected images are processed and the distances of involuntary movements of the eyeball are measured. In tumour treatment, the beam current of the proton heavy ion equipment is turned off when the eyeball offset from a predetermined distance during the eyeball offset distance control during the beam application process.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to realize a system which ensures the accuracy of the irradiated area in intraocular tumours by calculating the instantaneous target position while tracking eye movements in intraocular tumour radiotherapy and radiosurgery and provides healthy organ protection by keeping the dose exposure of healthy tissues low in orbital region tumours.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to realize an eye tracking system which keeps patient comfort at a high level and facilitates the application of treatment, operates from a long distance, is completely non-contact and non-invasive.

[0010] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0011] “An Eye Tracking System” realized to fulfd the objectives of the present invention is shown in the figure attached, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the inventive system. The components illustrated in the figure are individually numbered, where the numbers refer to the following:

[0013] 1. System

[0014] 2. Detector

[0015] 3. Electronic Device

[0016] 4. Database

[0017] 5. Server

[0018] An inventive eye tracking system (1) which is intended to be used to ensure the accuracy of the irradiated area in intraocular tumours by calculating the instantaneous target position while tracking eye movements in intraocular tumour radiotherapy and radiosurgery, and to provide healthy organ protection by keeping the dose exposure of healthy tissues low in orbital region tumours; and which does not require calibration, is non-contact and long-distance to the patient comprises at least one detector (2) which is configured to enable the data regarding the movements of the eyeball and intraocular tumour of the patient who will be treated with intraocular tumour radiotherapy treatment to be collected; at least one electronic device (3) which can establish communication with the detector (2) and remote servers by using any remote communication protocol; at least one database (4) which is configured to keep a record of the data regarding eye and intraocular tumour movements received by the detector (2); and at least one server (5) which is configured to enable the eye and intraocular tumour data detected by the detector (2) to be received; the radiotherapy beams that will be applied to the eye according to the tumour coordinates to be monitored; the compliance of the applied radiotherapy beams to the tolerance values to be monitored; the treatment to be stopped in case of application of a treatment exceeding the tolerance value and the treatment with target tracking to be applied by updating the treatment according to the instantaneous treatment area coordinates.

[0019] The detector (2) included in the inventive eye tracking system (1) is configured to be positioned in such a way as to focus on the eye of the patient during intraocular tumour treatment. The detector (2) is configured to enable the tumour that is the target point in the eye of the patient and that moves due to the eye movement of the patient during the treatment of the eye of the patient to be monitored instantaneously. The detector (2) is configured to enable the angle values related to the axes of movement regarding the movement of the eye to be obtained. The detector (2) is configured to enable the angular eye movements and eye coordinate data of the eye of the patient during radiotherapy treatment applied to the eye to be detected. In one example of the invention, the detector (2) is a device capable of capturing images such as a visible region video camera.

[0020] The electronic device (3) included in the inventive eye tracking system (1) is a device such as a smartphone, tablet computer or portable computer having at least one screen that enables the data received from the detector (2) regarding the eye of the patient to be displayed and at least one touch screen or keypad that enables the data to be input. The said electronic device (3) is configured to establish connection with the server (5) by using any remote communication protocol included in the state of the art and to enable data exchange with the server (5) through this established connection. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic device (3) is configured to exchange data with the server (5) by using a network protocol as a data bus. The electronic device (3) is configured to enable the tolerance value data regarding whether to proceed with the treatment or to stop the treatment depending on how much the radiotherapy beams move away from the tumour during the treatment to be input. The database (4) included in the inventive eye tracking system (1) is in communication with the server (5) and is configured to be managed by the server (5). In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the database (4) is configured to keep a record of the data regarding the eye movements received by means of the detector (2) and the tolerance value data input through the electronic device

[0021] (3).

[0022] The server (5) included in the inventive eye tracking system (1) is configured to establish communication with the electronic device (3) by using any remote communication protocol and to exchange data with the electronic device (3) through this established communication. The server (5) is configured to manage the database (4) by means of operations such as registering new data in the database (4), deleting the recorded data in the database (4) or modifying the recorded data in the database (4) and updating the recorded data in the database

[0023] (4). The server (5) is configured to enable the data regarding eye movements and eye coordinates received from the detector (2) to be processed and the position of the target tumour to be calculated simultaneously via the processed data. The server (5) is configured to enable the target coordinates calculation algorithm to be used in order to calculate the tumour location. The server (5) is configured to enable the amount of tumour migration to be calculated in line with the algorithm by using the angular eye movement and coordinate data obtained by means of the detector (2). The server (5) is configured to enable the calculated migration to be compared with the tolerance value input through the electronic device (3). The server (5) is configured to enable a command to be issued to the radiotherapy device to proceed with the treatment if the calculated value is within the tolerance value range according to the comparison result. The server (5) is configured to enable a command to be issued to the radiotherapy device to pause the treatment in case the calculated value is detected to be beyond the tolerance value according to the comparison result. The server (5) is configured to enable the number of frames wherein the iris cannot be detected, in other words the number of frames ignored for treatment (ITEDAKS), to be determined from the images received from the detector (2) for situations such as blinking and failing to detect the iris during the treatment of the tumour in the eye. The server (5) is configured to enable the number of ignored frames wherein the iris cannot be detected to be determined based on the blink time and the frame rate of the images used as input. The server (5) is configured to enable the number of ignored frames wherein the iris cannot be detected to be calculated by the equation blink time (ms)x60 (frames / s). In one embodiment of the invention, the server (5) is configured to enable the ITEDAKS value to be defined as 9 frames, to enable the treatment to be proceeded according to the data in the last frame wherein the iris is detected in the event that the iris cannot be detected up to 9 frames, and the treatment to be paused in the event that the detection of the iris cannot be achieved more than 9 frames. The server (5) is configured to enable the tumour location data calculated by using the algorithm to be simultaneously transmitted to the radiotherapy device.

[0024] Industrial Application of the Invention

[0025] Autonomous treatment management can be enabled by establishing communication with autonomous treatment devices of the inventive system (1). Target tracking will be possible in devices that can perform tracking during treatment, such as the gating method in C-type linear accelerators and robotic radiosurgery, by means of the simultaneous transmission of new target coordinates to the system in addition to gating. This calculation will allow simultaneous plan adaptation to be realized not only over the location of the target centre, but also for all voxels of the target volume.

[0026] By means of the inventive system (1), eye tracking is realized by processing the obtained image. In this way, a solution that is independent of the user, has a very short response time compared to human control and does not allow human error is produced. The system (1) can perform the treatment management with gating method (passive mode of operation) by giving stop and proceed commands as the target enters and leaves the irradiation field, and also provides tracking method (active mode of operation) by means of being able to instantaneously obtain the tumour coordinates on the eye. The tracking method enables robotic radiosurgery devices such as CyberKnife to track the changing tumour position in position space depending on patient eye movements, and therefore enables uninterrupted treatment.

[0027] Within these basic concepts; it is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive “An Eye Tracking System”; the invention cannot be limited to the examples disclosed herein and it is essentially according to claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An eye tracking system (1) which is intended to be used to ensure the accuracy of the irradiated area in intraocular tumours by calculating the instantaneous target position while tracking eye movements in intraocular tumour radiotherapy and radiosurgery, and to provide healthy organ protection by keeping the dose exposure of healthy tissues low in orbital region tumours; and which does not require calibration, is non-contact and long-distance to the patient; characterized by at least one detector (2) which is configured to enable the data regarding the movements of the eyeball and intraocular tumour of the patient who will be treated with intraocular tumour radiotherapy treatment to be collected; at least one electronic device (3) which can establish communication with the detector (2) and remote servers by using any remote communication protocol; at least one database (4) which is configured to keep a record of the data regarding eye and intraocular tumour movements received by the detector (2); and at least one server (5) which is configured to enable the eye and intraocular tumour data detected by the detector (2) to be received; the radiotherapy beams that will be applied to the eye according to the tumour coordinates to be monitored; the compliance of the applied radiotherapy beams to the tolerance values to be monitored; the treatment to be stopped in case of application of a treatment exceeding the tolerance value and the treatment with target tracking to be applied by updating the treatment according to the instantaneous treatment area coordinates.

2. An eye tracking system (1) according to Claim 1; characterized by the detector (2) which is configured to be positioned in such a way as to focus on the eye of the patient during intraocular tumour treatment.

3. An eye tracking system (1) according to Claim 1 or 2; characterized by the detector (2) which is configured to enable the tumour that is the target point in the eye of the patient and that moves due to the eye movement of the patient during the treatment of the eye of the patient to be monitored instantaneously.

4. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the detector (2) which is configured to enable the angle values related to the axes of movement regarding the movement of the eye to be obtained.

5. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the detector (2) which is configured to enable the angular eye movements and eye coordinate data of the eye of the patient during radiotherapy treatment applied to the eye to be detected.

6. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the detector (2) which is a device capable of capturing images such as a visible region video camera in one example.

7. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the electronic device (3) which is a device such as a smartphone, tablet computer or portable computer having at least one screen that enables the data received from the detector (2) regarding the eye of the patient to be displayed and at least one touch screen or keypad that enables the data to be input.

8. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the electronic device (3) which is configured to establish connection with the server (5) by using any remote communication protocol and to enable data exchange with the server (5) through this established connection.

9. An eye tracking system (1) according to Claim 8; characterized by the electronic device (3) which is configured to exchange data with the server (5) by using a network protocol as a data bus.

10. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the electronic device (3) which is configured to enable the tolerance value data regarding whether to proceed with the treatment or to stop the treatment depending on how much the radiotherapy beams move away from the tumour during the treatment to be input.

11. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the database (4) which is in communication with the server (5) and is configured to be managed by the server (5).

12. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the database (4) which is configured to keep a record of the data regarding the eye movements received by means of the detector (2) and the tolerance value data input through the electronic device (3).

13. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to establish communication with the electronic device (3) by using any remote communication protocol and to exchange data with the electronic device (3) through this established communication.

14. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to manage the database (4) by means of operations such as registering new data in the database (4), deleting the recorded data in the database (4) or modifying the recorded data in the database (4) and updating the recorded data in the database (4).

15. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the data regarding eye movements and eye coordinates received from the detector (2) to be processed and the position of the target tumour to be calculated simultaneously via the processed data.

16. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the target coordinates calculation algorithm to be used in order to calculate the tumour location.

17. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the amount of tumour migration to be calculated in line with the algorithm by using the angular eye movement and coordinate data obtained by means of the detector (2).

18. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the calculated migration to be compared with the tolerance value input through the electronic device (3).

19. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable a command to be issued to the radiotherapy device to proceed with the treatment if the calculated value is within the tolerance value range according to the comparison result.

20. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable a command to be issued to the radiotherapy device to pause the treatment in case the calculated value is detected to be beyond the tolerance value according to the comparison result.

21. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the number of frames wherein the iris cannot be detected, in other words the number of frames ignored for treatment (ITEDAKS), to be determined from the images received from the detector (2) for situations such as blinking and failing to detect the iris during the treatment of the tumour in the eye.

22. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the number of ignored frames wherein the iris cannot be detected to be determined based on the blink time and the frame rate of the images used as input.

23. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the number of ignored frames wherein the iris cannot be detected to be calculated by the equation blink time (ms)x60 (frames / s).

24. An eye tracking system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the server (5) which is configured to enable the tumour location data calculated by using the algorithm to be simultaneously transmitted to the radiotherapy device.

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