Electronic device, method and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9946340-B2
Application number	US-201514674417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Nov 6, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an eye-worn electronic device includes a first nose pad, a first electrode, a second nose pad, a second electrode and a third electrode. The first electrode is on the first nose pad. The second electrode is on the second nose pad. The first electrode and the second electrode are in a first straight line extending in a first direction and are used for measuring first ocular potentials in the first direction. The third electrode is on the second nose pad and is at a position distance away from the first straight line. The first electrode and the third electrode are in a second straight line extending in a second direction different from the first direction and are used for measuring second ocular potentials in the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An eye-worn electronic device comprising: a first nose pad; a first electrode on the first nose pad; a second nose pad; a second electrode on the second nose pad, the first electrode and the second electrode in a first straight line extending in a first direction and used for measuring first ocular potentials in the first direction; a third electrode on the second nose pad and at a position distance away from the first straight line, the first electrode and the third electrode in a second straight line extending in a second direction different from the first direction and used for measuring second ocular potentials in the second direction; and a processor configured to detect a first change of fixation in the first direction based on a change in the first ocular potentials, and to detect a second change of fixation in the second direction based on a change in the second ocular potentials, wherein the processor is configured to detect the second change of fixation in the second direction based on whether potential of the third electrode becomes negative with respect to the first electrode or the potential of the third electrode becomes positive with respect to the first electrode.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more electrodes comprising a fourth electrode in the second straight line extending in the first direction and passing through the third electrode.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to measure by an array of a plurality of electrodes comprising the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode, the first ocular potentials and the second ocular potentials respectively in a plurality of positions, and reduce random noise by using respective average values thereof.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to issue a first command when a first change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction is detected based on the first ocular potentials and/or the second ocular potentials, and to issue a second command different from the first command when a second change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from the front to a fourth direction different from the third direction is detected based on the first ocular potentials in the first direction and/or the second ocular potentials in the second direction.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to issue a first command when a change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction and a change of fixation from the third direction to a fourth direction different from the third direction are detected based on the first ocular potentials and/or the second ocular potentials.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to issue a first command when a change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction and a change of fixation from the third direction to a fourth direction different from the third direction are detected based on the first ocular potentials and the second ocular potentials, the change of fixation from the third direction to the fourth direction completed in a first period of time after the change of fixation from the front to the third direction.

7. A method of using an eye-worn device, the method comprising:
measuring first ocular potentials in a first direction using a first electrode and a second electrode in a first straight line extending in the first direction, the first electrode on a first nose pad, the second electrode on a second nose pad;
measuring second ocular potentials in a second direction different from the first direction using the first electrode and a third electrode in a second straight line extending in the second direction, the third electrode on the second nose pad and at a position distance away from the first straight line;
detecting a change of fixation in the first direction based on a change in the first ocular potentials; and
detecting a change of fixation in the second direction based on a change in the second ocular potentials,

wherein the detecting the change of fixation in the second direction is based on whether potential of the third electrode becomes negative with respect to the first electrode or the potential of the third electrode becomes positive with respect to the first electrode.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising measuring ocular potentials using one or more electrodes comprising a fourth electrode in the second straight line extending in the first direction and passing through the third electrode.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
issuing a first command when a first change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction is detected based on the first ocular potentials and/or the second ocular potentials; and
issuing a second command different from the first command when a second change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from the front to a fourth direction different from the third direction is detected based on at least one of the first ocular potentials and/or the second ocular potentials.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising issuing a first command when a change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction and a change of fixation from the third direction to a fourth direction different from the third direction are detected based on the first ocular potentials and/or the second ocular potentials.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising issuing a first command when a change in ocular potentials corresponding to a change of fixation from a front to a third direction and a change of fixation from the third direction to a fourth direction different from the third direction are detected based on the first ocular potentials and the second ocular potentials, the change of fixation from the third direction to the fourth direction completed in a first period of time after the change of fixation from the front to the third direction.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which is executable by a computer, the computer program controlling the computer to execute functions of:
measuring first ocular potentials in a first direction using a first electrode and a second electrode in a first straight line extending in the first direction, the first electrode on a first nose pad included in an eye-worn housing, the second electrode on a second nose pad included in the housing;
measuring second ocular potentials in a second direction different from the first direction using the first electrode and a third electrode in a second straight line extending in the second direction, the third electrode on the second nose pad and at a position distance away from the first straight line;
detecting a change of fixation in the first direction based on a change in the first ocular potentials; and
detecting a change of fixation in the second direction based on a change in the second ocular potentials, wherein the detecting the change of fixation in the second direction is based on whether potential of the third electrode becomes negative with respect to the first electrode or the potential of the third electrode becomes positive with respect to the first electrode.

13. The medium of claim 12 , the computer program further controlling the computer to execute functions of measuring ocular potentials using one or more electrodes including

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Kanishima Yasuhiro
• Komaki Hiroaki

Classifications

• G02C11/10

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title