Luminance Change Detection Using Pupillary Response for User State Assessment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems fail to accurately determine a user's state, such as attentive or distracted, while viewing content on electronic devices, which affects the user's experience.

Innovation Solution

A device with a processor, display, and sensor that identifies luminance changes in content and uses pupillary responses to assess the user's state through methods involving computer vision and machine learning, providing feedback or adjusting content accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If pupillary response is measured to determine user state, then user state detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser state detection accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a single camera to perform multiple functions: capturing content displayed on the screen and simultaneously measuring pupillary response. By positioning the camera to view both the display and the user's eye, the same hardware component serves dual purposes, eliminating the need for separate specialized sensors and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining accurate user state detection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces a computational model as an intermediary that processes the relationship between luminance changes in content and corresponding pupillary responses. This model translates raw camera data and luminance information into meaningful user state assessments, bridging the gap between simple measurement data and complex user state interpretation without requiring additional hardware

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If pupillary response magnitude and dynamics are analyzed, then user state assessment accuracy is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser state assessment accuracyVSAvoidpupillary response measurement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-processes the content luminance data to identify luminance change events and establishes baseline pupillary response characteristics before actual user state assessment. By preparing reference data and calibration information in advance, the system simplifies the real-time analysis process and reduces the computational complexity of measuring pupillary response dynamics during actual use

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system focuses on measuring specific aspects of pupillary response (magnitude and dynamics) rather than attempting to capture all possible physiological parameters. By selectively measuring only the most relevant features of pupillary response that correlate with user state, the system achieves accurate assessment while avoiding the excessive complexity of comprehensive physiological monitoring

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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

Enhances user experience by recognizing user states and providing tailored content adjustments, improving enjoyment and comprehension.

Implementation Method 1

the pupils of users may experience dilation or constriction automatically in response to luminance changes in content

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPupillary response to luminance change:

Implementation Method 2

an inward facing camera on a head-mounted device (HMD) captures images of the user's eye and a pupil diameter/radius is determined via a computer vision technique

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectComputer vision technique:

Data Source

PatentEP4003170B1Utilization of luminance changes to determine user characteristics
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 APPLE INC
  • EP4003170B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4003170B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4003170B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

Some implementations disclosed herein identify a state of a user (e.g., attentive, distracted, mind wandering, etc.) based on the user's physiological (e.g., pupillary) response to luminance change events in which a portion or all of the content quickly becomes brighter or dimmer.