Tobii Technology Ab

Tobii Ab

John Elvesjo

Mårten Skogö

Henrik Jönsson

Mattias Kuldkepp

Mattias O Karlsson

Ingemar Mattias Karlsson

Peter Blixt

Johnny Holmberg

Gunnar Troili

Anders Kaplan

Miroslav Kobetski

Gunnar Elvers

An image sensing apparatus has a light sensitive area and a control unit. The light sensitive area registers image data in response to an incoming amount of light, and is operable in an active mode wherein image data can be read out there from as well as in a standby mode wherein image data cannot be read out. The control unit produces a control signal setting the light sensitive area to operate in the active mode and the standby mode respectively in a cyclic manner during an operation period, which preferably encompasses multiple data frame read-outs of image data from the light sensitive area.

Power efficient image sensing apparatus, method of operating the same and eye/gaze tracking system

An eye/gaze tracker with first and second light sources each configured to illuminate an eye of a subject and controlled to selectively emit light towards the eye in such a manner that within an operation sequence the eye is illuminated by the first light source during at least one first interval and by the second light source during at least one second interval. An image sensor has a plurality of photodiodes each of which is associated with first and second charge storages configured to store electric charges based on an amount of light reaching the photodiode. At least one switch of the image sensor is controlled such that the electric charges are stored in the first charge storage as a result of the illumination during the at least one first interval and in the second charge storage as a result of the illumination during the at least one second interval.

Eye/gaze tracker and method of tracking the position of an eye and/or a gaze point of a subject

A gaze tracking device is calibrated to a display unit by presenting graphical guide objects on an active area thereof, which designate distinctive features reflecting how the device may be positioned n a first side of a frame of the display unit. User commands move the objects on the display's active area in a first direction parallel to the first side of the frame. A position value designating an actual position for the gaze tracking device on the first side of the frame is assigned based on a current position of the graphical guide objects on the active area. An offset value is calculated based on the assigned position value and a known measure of the active area. The offset value represents a distance in the first direction between a well-defined point of the gaze tracking device and a well-defined point of the first side. Width and height measures reflecting a physical extension of the active area are also determined and stored in response to a user input confirmation command together with the offset value, so that the values can be used when determining a user's gaze point on the active area.

Hardware calibration of eye tracker

A monitoring system and method for monitoring and/or predicting drowsiness of a driver of a vehicle or a machinery operator are provided. A set of infrared, IR, or near infrared, NIR, light sources, is arranged such that an amount of the light emitted from the light source incidents on an eye of the driver or operator. The light that impinges on the eye of the driver or operator forms a virtual image of the signal sources on the eye including the sclera and/or cornea. An image sensor obtains consecutive images capturing the reflected light, wherein each image will contain glints from at least a subset or all of the light sources. A drowsiness index can be determined based on the extracted information of the glints of the sequence of images, wherein the drowsiness index indicates a degree of drowsiness of the driver or operator.

Eye closure detection using structured illumination

When detecting the position and gaze direction of eyes, a photo sensor () and light sources () placed around a display () and a calculation and control unit () are used. One of the light sources is placed around the sensor and includes inner and outer elements (). When only the inner elements are illuminated, a strong bright eye effect in a captured image is obtained, this resulting in a simple detection of the pupils and thereby a safe determination of gaze direction. When only the outer elements and the outer light sources () are illuminated, a determination of the distance of the eye from the photo sensor is made. After it has been possible to determine the pupils in an image, in the following captured images only those areas around the pupils are evaluated where the images of the eyes are located. Which one of the eyes that is the left eye and the right eye can be determined by following the images of the eyes and evaluating the positions thereof in successively captured images.

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Stockholm, Sweden

John Elvesjo