Systems and methods for evaluating human eye tracking
Inventors
GROSS, Adam Todd • HUNFALVAY, Melissa
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-9649030-B2
Publication Date
2017-05-16
Expiration Date
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for evaluating human eye tracking. One method includes receiving data representing the location of and/or information tracked by an individual's eye or eyes before, during, or after the individual performs a task; identifying a temporal phase or a biomechanical phase of the task performed by the individual; identifying a visual cue in the identified temporal phase or biomechanical phase; and scoring the tracking of the individual's eye or eyes by comparing the data to the visual cue.
Core Innovation
The invention provides systems and methods for evaluating eye tracking by generating an electronic user interface displaying one or more visual cues of where an individual should look during a task conducted using the user interface. For each visual cue, a target range is determined that defines a viewing area around the visual cues, and the individual is prompted to respond to the visual cues using the user interface. The method receives data representing the individual’s identification of the visual cues and data representing a location where the individual’s eye or eyes are looking relative to the target range before, during, or after the task.
The received eye-response data is processed to identify one or more saccades and one or more smooth pursuit eye movements, with the smooth pursuit eye movements distinguished from the identified saccades or made to take into account saccadic suppression. Based on the identified smooth pursuit eye movements, the method evaluates the individual’s visual tracking and acuity. In parallel, the method evaluates vision performance, including reaction time, choice reaction time, and/or discrimination reaction time, using both the individual’s identification of the visual cues and the identified smooth pursuit eye movements, with the tracking/acuity evaluation being different from the vision-performance evaluation.
The invention quantifies the individual’s response to the one or more visual cues based on the evaluation of visual tracking and acuity and the evaluation of vision performance, and generates an electronic display including indicia representing one or more quantified results of the evaluation. The system implementation includes a data storage device storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform the method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium is also provided for carrying out the method.
Claims Coverage
The provided excerpt contains three independent claims (method, system, and non-transitory computer-readable medium). Across these independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on cue-based target ranges, receiving eye-response data with gaze location relative to those ranges, distinguishing saccades from smooth pursuit (optionally considering saccadic suppression), and separately evaluating visual tracking/acuity versus broader vision performance including reaction-time metrics, then quantifying results and generating an electronic display.
Electronic user interface with visual cues and target viewing ranges
Generating an electronic user interface displaying one or more visual cues of where an individual should look during a task; determining a target range associated with each of the one or more visual cues displayed, each target range defining a viewing area around the one or more visual cues.
Cue response prompting and receipt of gaze location relative to target ranges
Prompting the individual to respond to the one or more visual cues displayed using the user interface; receiving data of the individual’s response to the one or more visual cues, including identification of the one or more visual cues and data representing a location where the individual’s eye or eyes are looking relative to the target range defining the viewing area around each of the one or more visual cues before, during, or after the task conducted using the user interface.
Distinguishing saccades and smooth pursuit (with optional saccadic suppression)
Identifying one or more saccades and one or more smooth pursuit eye movements from the received data, where the smooth pursuit eye movements are distinguished from the one or more identified saccades, or where the smooth pursuit eye movements take into account saccadic suppression.
Separate evaluation of visual tracking/acuity and vision performance
Evaluating the individual’s visual tracking and acuity based on the identified smooth pursuit eye movements; evaluating the individual’s vision performance, including reaction time, choice reaction time, and/or discrimination reaction time, using both the individual’s identification of the one or more visual cues and the identified smooth pursuit eye movements, the evaluation of the individual’s visual tracking and acuity being different from the evaluation of the individual’s vision performance.
Quantification of cue response and electronic display of results
Quantifying the individual’s response to the one or more visual cues based on the evaluation of the individual’s visual tracking and acuity and the evaluation of the individual’s vision performance; generating an electronic display including indicia representing one or more quantified results of the evaluation of the individual’s response to the one or more visual cues.
The independent claims collectively cover a computer-implemented evaluation workflow in which the user interface provides visual cues with associated target viewing ranges, gaze-response data is received relative to those ranges, eye movements are parsed into saccades and smooth pursuit (optionally considering saccadic suppression), visual tracking and acuity are evaluated from smooth pursuit while vision performance is evaluated using cue identification together with smooth pursuit (including reaction-time measures), and quantified results are displayed as indicia on an electronic display.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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