Gaze detection device

Abstract

Problem: The purpose is to reduce the size of a gaze detection device. Solution: A gaze detection device that is used with a head-mounted display and comprises an invisible light emitter device for illuminating the user's eye with invisible light, an invisible light mirror that reflects the invisible light and transmits visible light, a filter that transmits the invisible light but blocks visible light, and an imaging device that can capture images with the invisible light, wherein the invisible light mirror is positioned between a display and the user's eye, and between the display and the imaging device at an angle between the surface of the invisible light mirror and the image display surface of the display that is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees, reflecting the invisible light emitted by the invisible light emitter device and reflected from the user's eye, the filter is positioned between the display and the imaging device, the imaging device is positioned so that at least a part of the image display surface of the display is included in the field of view of the imaging device, allowing images of the user's eye to be captured using the invisible light reflected by the invisible light mirror.

1 . A gaze detection device for use with a head-mounted display that comprises at least one display and is used while secured to the head of the user, comprising:
 at least one invisible light emitter device for illuminating an eye of the user with invisible light;   at least one invisible light mirrors that reflects the invisible light and transmits visible light;   at least one filter that transmits the invisible light and does not transmit visible light; and   at least one imaging device that can capture images formed by the invisible light, wherein   at least one of the invisible light mirrors is disposed both between at least one of the displays and an eye of the user, and between the display and at least one of the imaging devices,   the angle between the image display surface of the display and the surface of the invisible light mirror is defined in reference to two orthogonal axes within the plane that includes the image display surface of the display, wherein the first rotation angle of the invisible light mirror around one of the two axes and the second rotation angle of the invisible light mirror around the other axis are both set to angles greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees;   the invisible light mirror reflects invisible light emitted by at least one of the invisible light emitter devices and reflected from the user's eye;   at least one of the filters is disposed between at least one of the displays and at least one of the imaging devices;   at least one of the imaging devices is oriented so as to include at least a part of the image display surface of at least one of the displays in the field of view of the imaging device, allowing the imaging device to capture an image of the user's eye using the invisible light reflected by the invisible light mirror; and   the imaging device is positioned so as to make the crossing angle between the optical axis of the imaging device reflected from the invisible light mirror, and the ocular axis that is orthogonal to at least one of the one or more displays and passes through the corneal apex, greater than zero when the user has mounted the head-mounted display.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the invisible light mirrors comprises two invisible light mirrors, one of which is disposed between at least one of the displays and one of the eyes of the user and oriented by setting each of the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle so as to reflect the invisible light reflected from the eye of the user towards one imaging device of the one or more imaging devices; and the other of the two invisible mirrors is disposed between at least one of the displays and the other eye of the user and oriented by setting each of the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle so as to reflect the invisible light reflected from the other eye of the user towards the same imaging device. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  that further comprises a gaze analysis device connected to at least one imaging device, wherein one or more imaging devices capture images of the user's eye and send the image data to the gaze analysis device that detects the gaze of the user on the basis of the captured image data of the user's eyes. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the invisible light is infrared light and the invisible light mirror is a hot mirror. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  that further comprises at least one lens disposed between at least one of the displays and an eye of the user. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the distances between at least one of the lenses, at least one of the displays and an eye of the user are set on the basis of at least the user's visual acuity and the user's focal length. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the lens is detachable from the gaze detection device. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is detachable from the head-mounted display. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the imaging devices is disposed at a location that allows the user's eye to be imaged from a lower direction. 
     
     
         10 . A head-mounted display comprising the device of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . A system that comprises
 a head-mounted display of  claim 10 , wherein the head-mounted display comprises at least one display; and   a video control system comprising a video control device that is connected to the gaze analysis device and at least one display, wherein   the gaze analysis device sends the user's gaze detection information to the video control device;   the video control device generates video data for at least one display based on the users gaze information received from the gaze analysis device; and   at least one display shows a video based on the video data.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  that further comprises a user input device connected to the video control device, wherein the user input device send the user inputs to the video control device and the video control device sends to the display video data based on the user input. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 5  that further comprises an adjustment unit for adjusting the distance between the lens and the eye of the user. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a plurality of invisible light emitter devices.