Eye tracking through illumination by head-mounted displays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017192499-A1
Application number	US-201614989376-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A head-mounted display (HMD) presents content for viewing by users. The HMD includes a display element, an optics block, and a camera. The display element includes content pixels for providing light corresponding to the displayed content and one or more tracking pixels for providing tracking light used for tracking the user's eye movements. The optics block directs light from the display element (light corresponding to the displayed content and that of tracking light) to an exit pupil of the HMD. The camera captures one or images of an eye of the user in response to projecting tracking light on the eye, where the one or more captured images include a distortion of the projected tracking light and are used in determining an orientation of the eye at a time of capturing the one or more images of the eye.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A headset comprising:
a display element configured to display content to a user wearing the headset, the display element comprising a plurality of pixels including one or more tracking pixels and a plurality of content pixels, the one or more tracking pixels configured to provide tracking light and the plurality of content pixels configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content; an optics block configured to direct light from the display element to an exit pupil of the headset; and a camera configured to capture one or more images of an eye of the user in response to projecting tracking light on the eye, the one or more captured images comprising a distortion of the projected tracking light and used in determining an orientation of the eye at a time of capturing the one or more images of the eye.

2 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the tracking light provided by the one or more tracking pixels is a structured light.

3 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the tracking light provided by the one or more tracking pixels is infrared light, the one or more tracking pixels are configured to provide the tracking light during a time period of an image frame and the plurality of content pixels are configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content during the time period of the image frame.

4 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the tracking light provided by the one or more tracking pixels is visible light, the one or more tracking pixels are configured to provide the visible light during a first time period of an image frame and the plurality of content pixels are configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content during a second time period of the image frame different from the first time period.

5 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein at least one tracking pixel of the one or more tracking pixels is further configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content.

6 . The headset of claim 5 , wherein the at least one tracking pixel provides light corresponding to the displayed content during a first time period of an image frame when the plurality of content pixels are configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content and wherein the at least one tracking pixel provides tracking light during a second time period of the image frame different from the first time period, the second time period includes a time period comprising at least one of: a time period before the beginning of the first time period and a time period after the end of the first time period.

7 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of content pixels are further configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content during a first time period of an image frame, the first time period different from a second time period of the image frame when the one or more tracking pixels are configured to provide tracking light.

8 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more tracking pixels comprises a microlens configured to pass the tracking light originating from the at least one tracking pixel, the microlens affixed to the at least one tracking pixel.

9 . The headset of claim 8 , wherein the microlens comprises an element, the element configured to generate a structured light.

10 . The headset of claim 9 , wherein the microlens element is a phase mask or an amplitude mask.

11 . The headset of claim 9 , wherein the microlens element is a diffraction grating.

12 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tracking pixels comprise two or more tracking pixels, wherein at least one tracking pixel is configured to provide infrared light (700 to 2,220 nanometers) and at least one tracking pixel is configured to provide visible light.

13 . The headset of claim 12 , wherein the at least one tracking pixel configured to provide visible light is further configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content.

14 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tracking pixels comprise two or more tracking pixels configured to provide tracking light at two different wavelengths.

15 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tracking pixels comprise a first tracking pixel and a second tracking pixel, the first tracking pixel and the second tracking pixel positioned such that at least one content pixel is positioned in between the first tracking pixel and the second tracking pixel.

16 . The headset of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tracking pixels are positioned on the display element such that a relationship between the positioning of the one or more tracking pixels and the display element comprising at least one of: positioned within an outer quarter area of the display element, positioned within one quadrant of the display element, and at least one tracking pixel is positioned in each quadrant of the display element.

17 . The headset of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to control the one or more tracking pixels for projecting tracking light and to determine the orientation of the eye.

18 . A headset comprising:
a display element configured to display content to a user wearing the headset, the display element comprising a plurality of pixels including one or more tracking pixels and a plurality of content pixels, the one or more tracking pixels configured to provide tracking light and the plurality of content pixels configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content; an optics block configured to direct light from the display element to an exit pupil of the headset; a camera configured to capture one or more images of an eye of the user in response to projecting tracking light on the eye, the one or more captured images comprising a distortion of the projected tracking light and used in determining an orientation of the eye at a time of capturing the one or more images of the eye; and a controller configured to control the one or more tracking pixels for projecting tracking light.

19 . The headset of claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine the orientation of the eye.

20 . A headset comprising:
a display element configured to display content to a user wearing the headset, the display element comprising a plurality of pixels including one or more tracking pixels and a plurality of content pixels, the one or more tracking pixels configured to provide tracking light and the plurality of content pixels configured to provide light corresponding to the displayed content; an optics block configured to direct light from the display element to an exit pupil of the headset; a camera configured to capture one or more images of an eye of the user in response to projecting tracking light on the eye, the one or more captured images comprising a distortion of the projected tracking light and used in determining an orientation of the eye at a time of capturing the one or more images of the eye; and a controller configured to control the one or more tracking pixels for projecting tracking light and to determine the orientation of the eye.

Assignees

• Oculus Vr Llc

Inventors

• Trail Nicholas Daniel

Classifications

• G06F3/013 Primary

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B5/1814

  structurally combined with one or more further optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms or other diffraction gratings (G02B5/189 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title