Electro-oculography apparatus, imaging apparatus, electro-oculography method, program, and integrated circuit

An electro-oculography method for measuring an eye potential of a user, said electro-oculography method comprising:

• measuring the eye potential generated by an eye movement of the user and outputting an eye potential original signal based on the measured eye potential;
• receiving the eye potential signal and outputting a first eye potential signal by applying one of a maximum value filtering and a minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal;
• receiving the output first eye potential signal and outputting a second eye potential signal by applying the other of the maximum value filtering and the minimum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal;
• and
• determining the filtering to be performed by said outputting of the first eye potential signal and said outputting of the second eye potential signal, based on a blink signal included in the eye potential original signal, the blink signal being generated when the user blinks,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the maximum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a largest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the minimum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a smallest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample, and
• wherein, when the blink signal has a positive potential, said determining of the filtering causes said outputting of the first eye potential signal to perform the minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal and causes said outputting of the second eye potential signal to perform the maximum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon, the program for measuring an eye potential of a user, and the program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

• measuring the eye potential generated by an eye movement of the user and outputting an eye potential original signal based on the measured eye potential;
• receiving the eye potential signal and outputting a first eye potential signal by applying one of a maximum value filtering and a minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal;
• receiving the output first eye potential signal and outputting a second eye potential signal by applying the other of the maximum value filtering and the minimum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal;
• and
• determining the filtering to be performed by said outputting of the first eye potential signal and said outputting of the second eye potential signal, based on a blink signal included in the eye potential original signal, the blink signal being generated when the user blinks,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the maximum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a largest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the minimum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a smallest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample, and
• wherein, when the blink signal has a positive potential, said determining of the filtering causes said outputting of the first eye potential signal to perform the minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal and causes said outputting of the second eye potential signal to perform the maximum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal.

An integrated circuit that measures an eye potential of a user when connected to an eye potential measuring unit that measures an eye potential generated by an eye movement of the user and outputs an eye potential original signal based on the measured eye potential, said integrated circuit comprising:

• a first filtering unit configured to receive the eye potential original signal output from the eye potential measuring unit and to output a first eye potential signal by applying one of a maximum value filtering and a minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal;
• a second filtering unit configured to receive the first eye potential signal output from said first filtering unit and to output a second eye potential signal by applying the other of the maximum value filtering and the minimum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal;
• and
• a filtering detail determination unit configured to determine the filtering to be performed by said first filtering unit and said second filtering unit, based on a blink signal included in the eye potential original signal, the blink signal being generated when the user blinks,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the maximum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a largest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample,
• wherein, for a signal comprising a plurality of samples, the minimum value filtering replaces a value of each respective sample with a sample value having a smallest amplitude from among a plurality of samples centering on the respective sample, and
• wherein, when the blink signal has a positive potential, said filtering detail determination unit causes said first filtering unit to perform the minimum value filtering to the received eye potential original signal and causes said second filtering unit to perform the maximum value filtering to the received first eye potential signal.