Self-aligning unobtrusive active eye interrogation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9289121-B2
Application number	US-201414497719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

Methods and system for determining a physiological parameter of a subject through interrogation of an eye of the subject with an optical signal are described. Interrogation is performed unobtrusively. The gaze direction of the eye of the subject is determined and an interrogation signal source and/or response signal sensor are moved into alignment with the eye using an actuator to facilitate detection of the signal from the eye of the subject.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of measuring information from an eye of a subject, comprising;
delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source;
detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor;
receiving a signal indicative of the gaze direction of the eye of the subject from a gaze signal sensor;
determining whether the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor;
if the eye of the subject is not in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor, actuating at least one actuator configured to adjust at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor based at least in part upon the signal from the gaze signal sensor to bring at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor into alignment with the eye of the subject;
determining a physiological parameter of the subject from the response signal detected from the eye of the subject when the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor; and
causing a signal indicative of the physiological parameter to be transmitted to an external device.

2. The method of claim 1 , including:
reporting information regarding the physiological parameter to an interested party.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the interested party includes one or more of the subject, a medical service provider, a family member, a legal guardian or a legal representative.

4. The method of claim 1 , including:
comparing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to a previous measurement of the physiological parameter to determine a physiological trend.

5. The method of claim 4 , including:
reporting information regarding the physiological trend to an interested party.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the interested party includes one or more of the subject, a medical service provider, a family member, a legal guardian or a legal representative.

7. The method of claim 1 , including:
presenting an input to the subject; and
utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to determine a response of the subject to the input.

8. The method of claim 1 , including:
utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal in a business or security application.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source and detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor are performed unobtrusively.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source and detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor are performed without detection by the subject.

11. The method of claim 10 , including:
receiving an input indicative of an instruction from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.

12. The method of claim 10 , including:
receiving an input indicative of authorization from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.

13. The method of claim 10 , including:
receiving an input indicative of informed consent from the subject or representative of the subject for information to be measured.

14. The method of claim 1 , including:
delivering the interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with the interrogation signal source only when the eye of the subject is in alignment with the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:
one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bearing one or more instructions for:
delivering an interrogation signal to the eye of the subject with an interrogation signal source;
detecting a response signal from the eye of the subject with a response signal sensor;
receiving a signal indicative of the gaze direction of the eye of the subject from a gaze signal sensor;
determining whether the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor;
if the eye of the subject is not in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor, actuating at least one actuator configured to adjust at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor based at least in part upon the signal from the gaze signal sensor to bring at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor into alignment with the eye of the subject;
determining a physiological parameter of the subject from the response signal detected from the eye of the subject when the eye of the subject is in alignment with respect to the at least one of the interrogation signal source and the response signal sensor; and
causing a signal indicative of the physiological parameter to be transmitted to an external device.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physiological parameter is a measurement of at least one of a substance in the blood of the subject, a substance in an aqueous humor of the subject, oxygen, glucose, a salt, a protein, a lipid, a gas, a hormone, a drug, a pulse rate, a blood flow, or a temperature.

17. The method of claim 1 , including determining the physiological parameter of the subject from the response signal detected from the eye of the subject at one or more set times, at a set time interval, or according to a programmed schedule.

18. The method of claim 1 , including determining the physiological parameter of the subject from the response signal detected from the eye of the subject according to a programmed schedule, wherein the programmed schedule is personalized for the subject, selected from among at least two pre-programmed schedules based upon at least one attribute of the subject, or selected from among at least two pre-programmed schedules based upon the physiological parameter.

19. The method of claim 1 , including at least one of utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to assess an emotional state of the subject, utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal to assess the alertness of the subject, utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal in a medical related application, and utilizing the physiological parameter determined from the response signal in a health-related application.

20. The method of claim 7 , wherein the input includes at least one of information, advertising information, marketing research information, print information, video information, an auditory stimulus, a visual stimulus, a tactile stimulus, an olfactory stimulus, a gustatory stimulus, a thermal stimulus, a neural stimulus, a drug, a pharmaceutical, a nutraceutical, or a nutrient.

21. The method of claim 1 , including at least one of:
transmitting at least one of information regarding the subject, information regarding the system used for determining the physiological parameter, or information regarding the physiological parameter to a data processing system;
receiving at least one of information regarding the s

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Brown Jr Allen L
• Burger Douglas C
• Horvitz Eric
• Hyde Roderick A
• Jung Edward K Y
• Kare Jordin T
• Karkanias Chris Demetrios
• Leuthardt Eric C
• Manferdelli John L
• Mundie Craig J
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Pell Barney
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Wattenburg Willard H
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Zare Richard N

Classifications

• A61B3/113 Primary

  for determining or recording eye movement · CPC title

• G06K9/0061

  Physics · mapped topic

• A61B3/0025

  characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models · CPC title

• G06V40/193

  Preprocessing; Feature extraction · CPC title