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US 11,379,035 B2Granted
System and method for resonant eye-tracking
AssigneeAdHawk Microsystems Inc.
InventorNiladri Sarkar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures that provide eye-tracking by 1) steering a beam of light through the effect of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) operating at a resonant frequency onto a corneal surface; and 2) detecting the light reflected from the corneal surface.
Claims20
An eye-tracking system comprising:
- a scanner that scans a beam of light in a two-dimensional pattern over a portion of an eye comprising a cornea having a corneal surface, wherein the scanner comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that has a first resonant frequency in a first axis and a second resonant frequency in a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis;
- a driver that drives the MEMS in the first axis with a first drive signal characterized by a first drive frequency that is based on the first resonant frequency and in the second axis with a second drive signal characterized by a second drive frequency that is based on the second resonant frequency;
- a photodiode that provides a first output signal that is based on the intensity of a reflected signal that includes a portion of the beam of light reflected from the cornea, wherein the photodiode is a non-imaging photodiode;
- a timer that provides a timer value based on the first drive signal;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- (i) detect a first corneal glint based on the first output signal;
- (ii) determine a first time at which the first corneal glint is detected;
- and
- (iii) estimate a first position of the cornea along the first axis based on the first time.
7 more elements
An eye-tracking system comprising:
- an isothermal scanner that scans a beam of light in a Lissajous pattern over a portion of an eye comprising a cornea having a corneal surface, wherein the scanner comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that has a first resonant frequency in a first axis and a second resonant frequency in a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis;
- a driver that drives the MEMS in the first axis with a first drive signal characterized by a first drive frequency that is equal to the first resonant frequency and in the second axis with a second drive signal characterized by a second drive frequency that is equal to the second resonant frequency;
- a photodiode that provides a first output signal that is based on the intensity of a reflected signal that includes a portion of the beam of light reflected from the cornea, wherein the photodiode is a non-imaging photodiode;
- a timer that provides a timer value based on the first drive signal;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- determine a first time at which a first corneal glint is detected;
- and
- estimate a first position of the cornea along the first axis based on the first time.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.