Eyetracker control of heads-up displays

Abstract

The invention consists of an eyetracker, a display driver, an adaptive display interface controller, and a digital computer. A user of the invention can operate a heads-up display (or a head mounted display) with an eyetracker, leaving his hands free to perform a manual control task. The user selects a display element from an array of choices on the heads-up display by gazing at an element while he activates a confirming mechanism. Both tasks share a common visual working area with overlaid visual images, and task interference is reduced since eye-movements and visual attention are dedicated to the same display surface. The adaptive display interface automatically aids the user in display operations during high manual task loading. The adaptive interface is driven by an electronic Expert System on human visual processes programmed as a Fuzzy Logic controller. The controller generates display cueing aids, under computer control, in response to the erratic eye movement patterns that occur during cognitive conflict. The cueing aids help the user to operate the display with a sequence of discrete eye gazes and confirming actions which only momentarily interrupt the manual control task. As cueing aids, the invention provides a timing logic for element enhancement, and display markers for task feedback. While the aids would be disruptive at low cognitive loading, they provide necessary timing and memory prompts at high loadings. The element enhancement timing logic allows the user to momentarily look at the display and then return his attention to the tracking task before executing confirmation. The display cues show the user where he is looking on the display relative to the element to be selected.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.