# US 10,117,577 B2 · Visual field calculation apparatus and method for calculating visual field > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,117,577 B2 - Document ID: US10117577B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/996,057 - Filed: 2016-01-14 - Published: 2016-05-05 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-08-08 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Makoto Mochizuki; Koichi Emura; Tetsuo Matsuse; Hayashi Ito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117577B2 ## CPC - A61B 3/113: for determining or recording eye movement - A61B 3/0025: {characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models} - A61B 3/0041: {characterised by display arrangements} - A61B 3/024: for determining the visual field, e.g. perimeter types - A61B 5/6893: {Cars} - G02B 27/01: Head-up displays - G02B 27/0101: {characterised by optical features (G02B27/0172 takes precedence)} - G06F 3/013: {Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence)} - G06V 40/19: Sensors therefor - G08G 1/162: {event-triggered} - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - G02B 2027/0123: {comprising devices increasing the field of view} - G02B 2027/0187: {slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye} - G06F 3/01: Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer (G06F3/16 takes precedence) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A visual field calculation apparatus capable of accurately calculating a visual field range of a user without using a complex configuration is provided. The visual field calculation apparatus includes a saccade detector that detects a saccade on the basis of a first gaze direction detected at a first timing and a second gaze direction detected at a second timing, a saccade speed calculator that calculates speed of the saccade on the basis of a time difference between the first timing and the second timing, the first gaze direction, and the second gaze direction, and a visual field range calculator that calculates a displacement vector of a saccade whose speed exceeds a first threshold, and calculates an area including a final point of the displacement vector as the visual field range of the user. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A visual field calculation apparatus comprising: a saccade detector that obtains gaze direction information including gaze directions of a user in a saccade detection period, and detects a first plurality of saccades on a basis of a moving amount of each of the gaze directions in unit time; a saccade speed calculator that calculates a speed of each of the plurality of first saccades in the unit time; and a visual field range calculator that extracts a second plurality of saccades whose speeds exceed a first threshold from among the first plurality of saccades, calculates displacement vectors of the second plurality of saccades, and calculates an area including an initial point and a final point of each of the displacement vectors as the visual field range of the user, wherein the first threshold is a value which separates exogenous saccades and endogenous saccades, and the visual field range of the user is calculated in a range of a surface, and information is displayed on the surface relative to the visual field range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a model holder that holds at least one of visual field models, each visual field model having a predetermined shape, wherein the visual field range calculator calculates the visual field range of the user by enlarging or reducing one of the at least one visual field models on a basis of the initial point and the final point of each of the displacement vectors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined shape s one of a circle, an ellipse for which a ratio of a major axis and a minor axis is set to a certain value, and an arbitrary shape for which a reference point is defined. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a visual field calculation time setter that sets a saccade detection period, in which the first plurality of saccades is detected, wherein the visual field calculation time setter estimates a second point in time when the visual field range of the user has changed before a first point in time when the calculation of the visual field range of the user has started, and wherein the visual field calculation time setter sets a period from the second point to the first point as the saccade detection period. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a face direction detector that detects directions of a face of the user in the saccade detection period, wherein the visual field range calculator calculates, for each saccade of the first plurality of saccades, a difference in the direction of the face of the user between a point in time when the saccade starts and a point in time when the saccade ends as a face direction displacement, wherein the visual field range calculator extracts, from among the second plurality of saccades, only a third plurality of saccades in which the face direction displacement is equal to or smaller than a second threshold as saccades in an effective visual field, wherein the visual field range calculator calculates a displacement vector of each of the third plurality of the saccades in the effective visual field, and wherein the visual field range calculator calculates, on a basis of each of the displacement vectors, an effective visual field range in which information is able to be received only by moving eyes of the user without moving the face of the user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the effective visual field range is used as a range in which certain information is subjected to augmented reality display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a determiner that outputs information to a display in response to a determination that the user is missing an obstacle on a basis of a gaze direction of the user and a visual field range of the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is a windshield. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information is displayed on the surface outside of the visual field range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information includes at least one of a vehicle speed, shift lever information, fuel information, and a traveling direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information is displayed on the surface in the visual field range. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The visual field calculation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information includes a warning. ### Claim 13 A method for calculating a visual field, the method comprising: obtaining gaze direction information including gaze directions of a user in a saccade detection period; detecting a first plurality of saccades on a basis of a moving amount of each of the gaze directions in unit time; calculating a speed of each of the plurality of first saccades in the unit time; extracting a second plurality of saccades whose speeds exceed a first threshold from among the first plurality of saccades; calculating displacement vectors of the second plurality of saccades; and calculating an area including an initial point and a final point of each of the displacement vectors as a visual field range of the user, wherein the first threshold is a value which separates exogenous saccades and endogenous saccades, and the visual field range of the user is calculated in a range of a surface, and information is displayed on the surface relative to the visual field range.