Sony patents glasses that track eye movement using hidden light
Sony has been granted a patent for a head-mounted device, such as glasses, that tracks eye movements using invisible light. The system uses a small optical component on the frame to bounce this light onto the eye and capture the reflection, allowing it to detect where the user is looking without needing a visible camera.
In the filing’s own words
To provide an eyeball information detection apparatus capable of improving the detection accuracy. The present technology provides an eyeball information detection apparatus including: a support member that is mounted on a head of a user; a substrate provided to the support member so as to face an eyeball of the user; an irradiation system that is provided to the support member and includes at least one light source that emits non-visible light towards the substrate; at least one optical element that is provided to the substrate so that the at least one optical element is irradiated with the non-visible light and generates a virtual light source of the non-visible light; a light reception system that receives the non-visible light reflected on the eyeball via the optical element; and a detection system that detects information about the eyeball on the basis of an output from the light reception system.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An eyeball information detection apparatus, comprising: a support member that is mountable on a head of a user; a substrate provided to the support member so as to face an eyeball of the user when the support member is mounted on the head of the user; an irradiation system that is provided to the support member and includes at least one light source that emits non-visible light towards the substrate; at least one optical element that is provided to the substrate so that the at least one optical element is irradiated with the non-visible light, to generate a virtual light source of the non-visible light, wherein the at least one optical element is not a plane mirror; a light reception system that receives the non-visible light reflected on the eyeball via the optical element and includes a light reception element; and a detection system that detects eyeball information about the eyeball on a basis of an output from the light reception system, wherein: the support member includes a temple including an ear hook portion; the light reception system is provided to the temple; and another optical element that guides the non-visible light reflected on the eyeball to the light reception system is provided to the substrate.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (SONY GROUP CORPORATION)
- Official title
- Eyeball information detection apparatus, display apparatus, eyeball information detection method, and display method
- Patent number
- US12769116B2
- Application number
- 18682084
- Filed
- Feb 7, 2022
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 34
Classified under
G02B 27/0093 Physics & computingG02B 27/0172 Physics & computingG02B 27/1086 Physics & computingG02B 2027/013 Physics & computingG02B 2027/0138 Physics & computingG02B 2027/0169 Physics & computingMore from Sony in Wearables
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.