3D Gaze Ray Tracking for Ocular Control Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eye-tracking instruments fail to provide real-time assessments of natural eye movement behaviors in 3D space, limiting their effectiveness in clinical diagnostics and therapeutic applications, as they primarily measure responses to 2D stimuli and lack the spatial and temporal resolution needed to analyze eye movements in 3D environments.
Innovation Solution
A gaze-tracking method and system that employs gaze rays generated from measured eye movements and fixation to assess ocular control, fovea control, and associated neural pathways within a 3D computing environment, using a virtual or augmented reality headset to provide real-time visualization and metrics such as velocity, amplitude, and accuracy, and employing binocular convergence to determine eye dominance and other ocular control measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing eye-tracking instruments are used to measure eye movements, then eye movement data can be collected, but real-time assessment in 3D space cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D eye movement tracking to 3D gaze ray tracking by introducing depth dimension through binocular convergence calculations. The system computes gaze rays in three-dimensional space by combining eye position data with pupil center coordinates, enabling assessment of eye movements in volumetric space rather than flat planes.
Solution Approach 2:
The eye-tracking system is integrated into a virtual reality headset, allowing it to serve multiple functions: tracking eye movements for clinical assessment, providing real-time visualization of gaze rays in 3D space, and enabling interaction with virtual environments. This multi-functional integration resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptable to both measurement and immersive application contexts.
2Loss of information
If eye movement data is collected using traditional instruments, then averaged characteristics can be obtained, but real-time visualization and feedback cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback by visualizing gaze rays in the virtual environment as they are being tracked. The rendered gaze rays are displayed concurrently with the eye movement data collection, allowing immediate visualization of fixation points and saccade trajectories without time delays for offline processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes eye movement data by calculating gaze rays and determining fixation points in real-time as data is collected, rather than performing analysis after data collection. This preliminary processing enables immediate visualization and assessment without subsequent offline analysis delays.
3Ease of operation
If 2D stimuli are used for eye tracking, then measurement can be performed, but natural eye movement behavior in 3D space cannot be assessed
Solution Approach 1:
The system presents visual stimuli in three-dimensional virtual space within the VR environment, allowing assessment of natural eye movements as they occur in volumetric space. The gaze rays are calculated and visualized in 3D coordinates, capturing depth information and convergence patterns that cannot be measured with 2D stimuli.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaze-tracking method and system are disclosed that employs gaze rays generated from measured/tracked eye movements and fixation for interaction with objects and environment within a three-dimensional computing environment. The gaze ray is tracked to provide measures of ocular control, fovea control, and/or associated neural pathways in which the measures can be then used for one or more physiological assessments of the user, including, for example, eye dominance determination, vestibular assessment, visual fixation assessment, optokinetic assessment, smooth pursuit assessment, nystagmus quick phase assessment, saccades assessment, and vergence assessment.