Device and method for determining convergence eye movement performance of a user when viewing a stereoscopic video

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9186056-B2
Application number	US-201213627491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2012
Priority date	May 19, 2011
Publication date	Nov 17, 2015
Grant date	Nov 17, 2015

Abstract

Provided is a convergence performance determination device that determines convergence eye movement performance of a user when viewing a stereoscopic video by comparing amounts of convergence information calculated from eye information obtained from the user to predetermined amounts of convergence information. The convergence performance determination device then allows a degree of stereoscopy of the stereoscopic video being viewed by the user to be changed to a degree suitable to the user based on the determined convergence eye movement performance of the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A convergence performance determination device comprising:
processing circuitry; and
a non-transitory memory having executable instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor, cause the processing circuitry to perform:
acquiring eye information which is information on eye movements of a user when viewing a stereoscopic video;
calculating, as calculated amounts of convergence movement, amounts of convergence movement each indicating an amount of a convergence eye movement of the user, based on the acquired eye information; and
determining, for an evaluation interval which is a predetermined playback time interval of the stereoscopic video being viewed by the user, convergence eye movement performance of the user by comparing, on a segment-by-segment basis, (i) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of predetermined amounts of convergence movement determined in accordance with depth information on the stereoscopic video with (ii) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement,

wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during which a range of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement is present, and
wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during which a range of the calculated amounts of convergence movement is present.

2. The convergence performance determination device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the convergence eye movement performance of the user is determined to be inadequate for viewing the stereoscopic video in a segment, which is included in the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement, when (i) the total duration during which the range of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement is present in the segment is smaller than (ii) the total duration during which the range of the calculated amounts of convergence movement is present in a corresponding segment in the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement.

3. The convergence performance determination device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the evaluation interval is the playback time interval of the stereoscopic video when variance values of the amounts of convergence movement of a plurality of test viewers viewing the stereoscopic video are continuously less than or equal to a predetermined value for a predetermined time or longer.

4. The convergence performance determination device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the calculated amounts of convergence movement and the predetermined amounts of convergence movement are amounts of convergence indicating values corresponding to pupillary distances between the left eye and the right eye of the user.

5. The convergence performance determination device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the calculated amounts of convergence movement and the predetermined amounts of convergence movement are convergence rates indicating time variations in amount of convergence indicating values corresponding to pupillary distances between the left eye and the right eye of the user.

6. The convergence performance determination device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the executable instructions further cause the processing circuitry to perform
reducing amounts of convergence included in the stereoscopic video when the convergence eye movement performance of the user is determined to be inadequate for viewing the stereoscopic video.

7. A convergence performance determination method comprising:
acquiring eye information which is information on eye movements of a user when viewing a stereoscopic video;
calculating, as calculated amounts of convergence movement, amounts of convergence movement each indicating an amount of the convergence eye movement of the user, based on the acquired eye information; and
determining, for an evaluation interval which is a predetermined playback time interval of the stereoscopic video being viewed by the user, convergence eye movement performance of the user by comparing, on a segment-by-segment basis, (i) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of predetermined amounts of convergence movement determined in accordance with depth information on the stereoscopic video with (ii) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement,
wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during which a range of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement is present, and
wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during a which a range of the calculated amounts of convergence movement is present.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute a convergence performance determination method comprising:
acquiring eye information which is information on eye movements of a user when viewing a stereoscopic video;
calculating, as calculated amounts of convergence movement, amounts of convergence movement each indicating an amount of the convergence eye movement of the user, based on the acquired eye information; and
determining, for an evaluation interval which is a predetermined playback time interval of the stereoscopic video being viewed by the user, convergence eye movement performance of the user by comparing, on a segment-by-segment basis, (i) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of predetermined amounts of convergence movement determined in accordance with depth information on the stereoscopic video with (ii) a plurality of segments included in a distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement,
wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during which a range of the predetermined amounts of convergence movement is present, and
wherein each of the plurality of segments included in the distribution of the calculated amounts of convergence movement indicates a total duration during a which a range of the calculated amounts of convergence movement is present.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Tsuyoshi
• Ozawa Jun
• Kato Yumiko

Classifications

• H04N2213/002

  Eyestrain reduction by processing stereoscopic signals or controlling stereoscopic devices · CPC title

• G06F3/013

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

• H04N13/144

  for flicker reduction · CPC title

• H04N13/366

  using viewer tracking · CPC title

• A61B3/10 Primary

  Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions · CPC title