Patent · US Expired

Visual line detection device and camera equipped therewith

US5552854A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
5References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 16, 1994
Grant dateSep 3, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 16, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03B2213/025
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The visual line detection device according to the present invention is capable of accurately detecting the visual line of the eyeball of an observer, even though it uses light sources which are only a finite distance away from the eyeball, i.e. which are not effectively at infinity. At least two infrared light emitting diodes are provided for illuminating the eyeball, and the position of the center of curvature of the cornea of the eyeball is obtained based upon the positions of a plurality of images generated by the light rays emitted by these diodes being reflected from the cornea. The direction of the visual line of the eyeball is then calculated using this position of the center of curvature of the cornea. A camera according to the present invention is also disclosed which incorporates such a visual line detection device.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.