Integrated gaze/manual cursor positioning system
US6204828A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2203/0381
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer-driven system aids operator positioning of a cursor by integrating eye gaze and manual operator input, thus reducing pointing time and operator fatigue. A gaze tracking apparatus monitors operator eye orientation while the operator views a video screen. Concurrently, the computer monitors an input device, such as a mouse, for mechanical activation by the operator. According to the operator's eye orientation, the computer calculates the operator's gaze position. Also computed is a gaze area, comprising a sub-region of the video screen that includes the gaze position. This region, for example, may be a circle of sufficient radius to include the point of actual gaze with a certain likelihood. When the computer detects mechanical activation of the operator input device, it determines an initial cursor display position within the current gaze area. This position may be a predetermined location with respect to the gaze area, such as a point on the bottom of the gaze area periphery. A different approach uses the initial mechanical activation of the input device to determine the direction of motion, and sets the initial display position on the opposite side of the gaze area from…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.