Display-Integrated Retinal Imaging for Gaze and Blink Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices lack effective gaze tracking and eye blinking sensing capabilities, limiting their applications in user interfaces and health management systems.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device equipped with a display apparatus, a light-emitting device, a light-receiving device, and an image processing portion that detects the macula in the retina to calculate gaze destination, and senses eye blinking by analyzing captured images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If gaze tracking and eye blinking sensing functions are added to electronic devices, then user interface capabilities and health management functionalities are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light-emitting device (display) and light-receiving device (imaging) into a single display apparatus that serves dual purposes: displaying images and capturing retina images for gaze tracking. This merging eliminates the need for separate imaging devices, thereby enhancing user interface capabilities while controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The display apparatus is designed to perform multiple functions: it acts as both a display device for presenting visual content and an imaging device for capturing retina images. The light-receiving device captures both display images and retina images, enabling the system to provide both display functionality and gaze tracking functionality through a single integrated apparatus.
2Measurement precision
If gaze tracking functionality is implemented, then eye movement measurement and gaze destination tracking are achieved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures an optical copy (image) of the retina through the light-receiving device. By analyzing the captured retina image, the system can determine the gaze destination without directly measuring eye movements with complex sensors. The image processing portion processes the captured image to extract gaze information, simplifying the measurement process while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the retina image as an intermediary to infer gaze destination. Instead of directly measuring eye movements or pupil position with complex optical systems, the system captures the retina image and uses image processing to determine which display region the user is viewing. This intermediary approach simplifies the detection process while achieving accurate gaze tracking.
3Device complexity
If the display apparatus is used for both display and imaging purposes, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality for gaze tracking may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging function into two distinct modes: display image capture and retina image capture. The image processing portion can distinguish between these two types of images and process them appropriately. By separating the processing of display images and retina images, the system can optimize the extraction of gaze information from retina images even though they are captured by the same light-receiving device.
Solution Approach 2:
The light-receiving device captures images with sufficient quality for both display purposes and gaze tracking purposes. The system uses the captured images partially for display and partially for gaze analysis. By ensuring the imaging capability exceeds the minimum requirement for gaze tracking, the system maintains image quality adequate for both functions simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate gaze tracking and eye blinking detection, enhancing user interface capabilities and health management functionalities.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting device having a function of emitting light to a user's eye as a display image
Implementation Method 2
a light-receiving device having a function of capturing a retina of the user's eye as a captured image
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device capable of gaze tracking is provided. The electronic device includes a display apparatus, an image processing portion, and a control portion. The display apparatus includes a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device. The light-emitting device has a function of emitting light to a user's eye as a display image. The light-receiving device has a function of capturing a retina of the user's eye as a captured image. The image processing portion has a function of detecting a macula included in the retina from the captured image and a function of calculating position data of the macula. The control portion has a function of obtaining a position of a user's gaze destination on the display image from the position data of the macula.