System and method for eye gaze tracking using corneal image mapping

Patent 6659611 Issued on December 9, 2003. Estimated Expiration Date:

December 28, 2021. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventors

Application

No. 10/034524 filed on 12/28/2001

US Classes:

351/210Using photodetector

Examiners

Primary: Manuel, George

Attorney, Agent or Firm

McSwain; Marc D.

International Class

A61B 3/113 (20060101)

Abstract

A system and method for eye gaze tracking without calibrated cameras, direct measurements of specific users' eye geometries, or requiring the user to visually track a cursor traversing a known trajectory. The preferred embodiment includes two uncalibrated cameras imaging the user's eye and haying on-axis lighting. The cameras capture images of a test pattern in real space as reflected from the user's cornea, which is essentially a convex spherical mirror. The invention then extracts parameters required to define a mathematical mapping between real space and image space, including spherical and perspective transformations. The invention processes subsequent images of objects reflected from the user's eye through the inverse of the mathematical mapping to determine a gaze vector and a point of regard. Alternately, a single calibrated camera may be employed with means for estimating the eye-to-camera distance. A head-mounted embodiment that may include a laser pointer is also described.

Other References

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