Directional array sensing module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442292-B1
Application number	US-201414182992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2014
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments describe an eye sensing module to detect eye movements and gestures. The eye sensing module is included in a head wearable display, and may be placed anywhere within the head wearable display so that the image sensor device has a line-of-sight to the user's eye. The eye sensing module comprises an image sensor, an array of focusing lenses disposed over the image sensor placed side-by-side (i.e., not on top of one another), and a corresponding array of directional prisms disposed over the focusing lenses. The directional prisms and the focusing lenses increase the field of view of the image sensor to enable the image sensor to capture eye gestures and eye movements for different user eye sizes, eye locations, and other varying eye characteristics. These eye sensing modules increase the field of view of the image sensor without increasing the size of image sensor or focusing lenses.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A head wearable display comprising:
at least one lens;
at least one image source positioned in front of the at least one lens to generate light for the head wearable display;
a frame assembly to support the at least one lens and the at least one image source for wearing on a head of a user; and
an eye sensing module for positioning in front of a user's eye to capture image data of the user's eye comprising:
at least one image sensor;
a first focusing lens disposed over a first portion of the at least one image sensor, wherein the first focusing lens includes a first surface;
a second focusing lens disposed over a second portion of the at least one image sensor, the second portion lateral to and different than the first portion, wherein the second focusing lens is a distinct and separate lens from the first focusing lens, wherein the second focusing lens includes a second surface;
wherein the first and second focusing lenses are positioned side-by-side so that the first and second surfaces are in a same plane, and wherein the first and second focusing lenses have different fields of view;
a first directional prism disposed over the first focusing lens to tilt a field of view of the first focusing lens along a first direction to focus on a first target area; and
a second directional prism disposed over the second focusing lens and positioned side-by-side with the first directional prism, to tilt a field of view of the second focusing lens along a second direction different than the first direction to focus on a second target area different than the first target area, wherein the first target area and the second target area in combination encompass a plurality of user eye regions, wherein the second directional prism does not tilt the field of view of the first focusing lens and the first directional prism does not tilt the field of view of the second focusing lens.

2. The head wearable display of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor to execute a plurality of operations including:
capturing a plurality of images via the eye sensing module, including a first image of the first target area and a second image of the second target area;
identifying one or more images from the plurality of images that do not include image data of the eye of the user;
discarding the identified one of more images that do not include image data of the eye of the user; and
identifying a user eye characteristic from one or more remaining images of the plurality of images.

3. The head wearable display of claim 2 , wherein the identified user eye characteristic comprises a gaze direction, and identifying one or more images from the plurality of images that do not include image data of the eye of the user:
identifying one or more images from the plurality of images that do not include image data of an iris of the eye of the user.

4. The head wearable display of claim 2 , wherein the identified user eye characteristic comprises an eye blink, and identifying one or more images from the plurality of images that do not include image data of the eye of the user includes:
identifying one or more images from the plurality of images that do not include image data of any portion of the eye of the user.

5. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of user eye regions comprises a plurality of horizontally offset eye regions.

6. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of user eye regions comprises a plurality of vertically offset user eye regions.

7. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the at least one image sensor of the eye sensing module of the head wearable display comprises a single image sensor.

8. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the at least one image sensor of the eye sensing module comprises a first image sensor and a second image sensor corresponding to the first focusing lens and the second focusing lens, respectively.

9. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the first target area at least partially overlaps the second target area.

10. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the first target area does not overlap the second target area.

11. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the head wearable display comprises an augmented reality (AR) display device.

12. The head wearable display of claim 1 , wherein the head wearable display comprises a virtual reality (VR) display device.

13. An apparatus comprising:
at least one image sensor for positioning in front of a user's eye to capture image data of the user's eye;
a first focusing lens and a second focusing lens disposed over the at least one image sensor, wherein the first and second focusing lenses are disposed over different portions of the at least one image sensor, wherein the second focusing lens is a distinct and separate lens from the first focusing lens, wherein the first and second focusing lenses are positioned side-by-side and over respective first and second portions of the at least one image sensor, wherein a first surface of the first focusing lens is in a same plane as a second surface of the second focusing lens, and wherein the first and second focusing lenses have different fields of view; and
a first directional prism and a second directional prism disposed side-by-side and over the first focusing lens and the second focusing lens, respectively, such that a combination of the first focusing lens and the first directional prism forms a first optical path different than and in parallel with the second optical path formed by a combination of the second focusing lens and the second directional prism, the first directional prism to tilt the field of view of the first focusing lens along a first direction to focus on a first target area, the second directional prism to tilt the field of view of the second focusing lens along a second direction, different from the first direction, to focus on a second target area different than the first target area, wherein the first target area and the second target area in combination encompass a plurality of user eye regions, wherein the first and second target areas include different images, wherein the second directional prism does not tilt the field of view of the first focusing lens and the first directional prism does not tilt the field of view of the second focusing lens, and
wherein the image of the first target area is provided to a first portion of the at least one image sensor via the first optical path, and the image of the second target area is provided to a second portion of the at least one image sensor via the second optical path.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of user eye regions comprise a plurality of horizontally offset eye regions.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of user eye regions comprise a plurality of vertically offset user eye regions.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a single image sensor.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the at least one image sensor comprises a first image sensor and a second image sensor corresponding to the first focusing lens and the second focusing lens, respectively.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first target area at least partially overlaps the second target area.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first target area does not overlap the second target area.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, w

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Gao Lu
• Miao Xiaoyu
• Chen Xi

Classifications

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G06F3/013 Primary

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

• G02B27/0093

  with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking · CPC title