Gaze detection apparatus and gaze detection method

A gaze detection method comprising:

• generating an image representing both eyes of a user;
• detecting, for each of the eyes, an eye region containing the eye from the image;
• detecting, for one of the eyes, a pupil region containing a pupil from the eye region;
• obtaining, based on the pupil region detected for the one eye, an estimated shape of the pupil region on the image for the other one of the eyes;
• detecting the pupil region by searching for a region having a shape that matches the estimated shape from within the eye region detected for the other eye;
• and
• detecting the user's gaze direction based on a position of the pupil region detected for each of the eyes.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a gaze detection computer program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

• detecting, from an image representing both eyes of a user, for each of the eyes, an eye region containing the eye;
• detecting, for one of the eyes, a pupil region containing a pupil from the eye region;
• obtaining, based on the pupil region detected for the one eye, an estimated shape of the pupil region on the image for the other one of the eyes;
• detecting the pupil region by searching for a region having a shape that matches the estimated shape from within the eye region detected for the other eye;
• and
• detecting the user's gaze direction based on a position of the pupil region detected for each of the eyes.