Stereo Viewer Eye Tracking Through Shared Optical Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional eye gaze tracking in teleoperational medical systems is inaccurate due to factors such as head position changes, image occlusion, and separate image displays for each eye, leading to discomfort and reduced accuracy during minimally invasive surgeries.
Innovation Solution
An eye tracking system with right and left stereo imaging devices sharing the same optical path with the displayed image, using independent trackers for each eye and compensating for error-inducing factors like head movements and interpupillary distance to predict 3D gaze location accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional 3D display methods (glasses, headsets, wall-mounted displays) are used, then immersive 3D viewing is achieved, but portability, comfort, and accessibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the 3D display capability from complex dedicated devices (glasses, headsets, wall-mounted systems) and integrates it into a portable media player that users already possess. This extraction principle allows the system to provide immersive 3D viewing without requiring specialized equipment, thereby improving accessibility while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the portable media player universal by enabling it to function both as a standard 2D media player and as a 3D display device. The device can adaptively determine whether to output 2D or 3D content based on detected eye gaze patterns, allowing one device to serve multiple viewing needs without requiring separate specialized equipment.
2Ease of operation
If eye gaze tracking is implemented to enable adaptive stereoscopic viewing, then viewing comfort and immersion are improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting eye gaze patterns and autonomously determining the optimal stereoscopic viewing configuration without requiring manual user input or complex external control systems. The portable media player itself performs the gaze tracking and adaptive adjustment, eliminating the need for additional complex control mechanisms while improving viewing comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors eye gaze patterns and uses this information to dynamically adjust the stereoscopic display parameters. This closed-loop feedback allows the device to adapt to user viewing preferences in real-time, enhancing comfort while managing system complexity through intelligent algorithms rather than hardware complexity.
3Device complexity
If stereoscopic content is displayed without adaptive control, then simple display operation is maintained, but viewing comfort and immersion deteriorate due to mismatched convergence and accommodation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the display system from a static fixed-focus configuration to a dynamic adaptive system. The focal point and convergence parameters are continuously adjusted based on real-time eye gaze detection, allowing the display to dynamically match the user's viewing state. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by using moderate computational complexity to achieve reliable viewing comfort across varying viewing conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described herein is an eye tracking system comprising an image display configured to display an image of a surgical field to a user. The image display is configured to emit a light in first wavelength range. The system further comprises a right eye tracker configured to emit light in a second wavelength range and to measure data about a first gaze point of a right eye of the user. The system further comprises a left eye tracker configured to emit light in the second wavelength range and to measure data about a second gaze point of a left eye of the user. The system further comprises an optical assembly disposed between the image display and the right and left eyes of user. The optical assembly is configured to direct the light of the first and second wavelength ranges such that the first and second wavelengths share at least a portion of a left optical path between left eye and the image display and share at least a portion of a right optical path between the right eye and the image display, without the right and left eye trackers being visible to the user. The system further comprises at least one processor configured to process the data about the first gaze point and the second gaze point to determine a viewing location in the displayed image at which the gaze point of the user is directed.