Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
i CA 02824972 2013-08-27
EYE WEAR
BACKGROUND
1. TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to eyewear.
2. RELATED ART
[0002] An eyewear-type electro-oculogram measuring apparatus is known which
detects the eye potential using two pairs of electrodes positioned around the
eye of a
user, for example as described in Patent Document No. 1.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-254876
[0003] However, the two pairs of electrodes have had an impact on the skins of
users,
and discomfort on them. Besides, the electrodes are not excellent in design.
SUMMARY
[0004] In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect
related to the
innovations herein, provided is eyewear including: a frame; a pair of nose
pads; and a
first electrode and a second electrode respectively provided on the surface of
the pair
of nose pads, the first electrode and the second electrode detecting eye
potential.
[0005] The stated eyewear may further include a first electric wire and a
second
electric wire buried in the frame, and respectively electrically connected to
the first
electrode and the second electrode. The stated eyewear may further include a
third
electrode provided on the surface of a bridge of the frame and detecting eye
potential.
The stated eyewear may further include a third electric wire electrically
connected to
the third electrode and buried in the frame.
[0006] The stated eyewear may further include a transmitting section that
transmits,
to an external apparatus, an electro-oculogram signal representing the eye
potential
detected by the first electrode and the second electrode; and a power supply
section
that supplies power to the transmitting section. The stated eyewear may
further
include a processing section that processes the electro-oculogram signal,
where the
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transmitting section transmits, to the external apparatus, the electro-
oculogram signal
having undergone processing by the processing section.
[0007] The summary clause does not necessarily describe all necessary features
of the
embodiments of the present invention. The present invention may also be a
sub-combination of the features described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Fig. 1 schematically shows an example of a pair of glasses 100.
Fig. 2 schematically shows positions at which the electrodes make contact
with a user.
Fig. 3 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user
looked down immediately after when he looked up.
Fig. 4 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user
looked up immediately after when he looked down.
Fig. 5 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user
looked in the left immediately after he looked right.
Fig. 6 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user
looked in the right immediately after he looked left.
Fig. 7 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when he blinks.
Fig. 8 schematically shows an example of the pair of glasses 100 viewed from
the backside.
Fig. 9 schematically shows an example of a partially enlarged view of the pair
of glasses 100 viewed from the backside.
Fig. 10 shows a flowchart of a visual line detection processing performed by
an external apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0009] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be
described.
The embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all
the
combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessarily
essential
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to means provided by aspects of the invention. The following describes
embodiments
of the present invention using drawings, and portions that are identical or
similar are
given the same reference numerals. The drawings are schematic views, and may
not
accurately reflect the actual relation or ratio between the plane size and the
thickness.
[0010] Fig. 1 schematically shows an example of a pair of glasses 100. The
pair of
glasses 100 includes a pair of lenses 110 and a frame 120. The pair of glasses
100
and the frame 120 may be an example of eyewear.
[0011] The frame 120 supports the pair of lenses 110. The frame 120 may
include a
rim 122, a bridge 124, an end piece 126, a hinge 128, a temple 130, an ear pad
132, a
pair of nose pads 140, a first electrode 152, a second electrode 154, a third
electrode
156, a ground electrode 158, and an electric wire 160. The pair of nose pads
140
include a right nose pad 142 and a left nose pad 144.
[0012] The rim 122, the end piece 126, the hinge 128, the temple 130, and the
ear pad
132 are provided on the right side and the left side. The rim 122 supports the
lens 110.
The end piece 126 corresponds to the outer region of the rim 122, and the
hinge 128 is
used to support the temple 130 to be rotatable. The temples 130 press together
the
upper parts of the ears of a user. The ear pad 132 is provided at the tip of
the temple
130. The ear pad 132 contacts the upper part of the ear of a user.
[0013] The first electrode 152 and the second electrode 154 are provided on
respective surfaces of the pair of nose pads 140, to detect the eye potential.
The first
electrode 152 detects the eye potential of the right eye of a user. The second
electrode 154 detects the eye potential of the left eye of a user. By
providing an
eye-potential-detecting electrode on a surface of the nose pad that inevitably
contacts
the skin of a user, the burden on the skin of a user can be alleviated, when
compared to
two pairs of electrodes which are made to contact the surrounding area of the
eyes of a
user.
[0014] The third electrode 156 is provided on a surface of the bridge 124, to
detect
the eye potential. The ground electrode 158 is provided on a surface of the
ear pad
132. In this particular embodiment, the ground electrode 158 is provided on a
surface
of the left ear pad 132. The potential detected by the first electrode 152,
the second
electrode 154, and the third electrode 156 can be obtained relative to the
potential
detected by the ground electrode 158.
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,
[0015] The pair of glasses 100 are connected to the electro-oculogram
processing unit
200 via the electric wire 160. The electro-oculogram processing unit 200 may
include a processing unit 210, a transmitting unit 220, and a power supply
section 230.
The first electrode 152, the second electrode 154, the third electrode 156,
and the
ground electrode 158 are connected to the processing section 210 via the
electric wire
160.
[0016] The processing section 210 processes an electro-oculogram signal
representing
the eye potential detected by the first electrode 152 and the second electrode
154. In
an example, the processing section 210 may process an electro-oculogram signal
representing the potential of the first electrode 152 relative to the third
electrode 156.
The processing section 210 may also process an electro-oculogram signal
representing
the potential of the second electrode 154 relative to the third electrode 156.
The
processing of the electro-oculogram signal performed by the processing section
210
may include adding and subtracting processing by which the potential detected
by the
first electrode 152 and the potential detected by the second electrode 154 are
adjusted.
The processing of the electro-oculogram signal performed by the processing
section
210 may include at least one of performing signal amplification or digital
processing
onto the electro-oculogram signal. The processing of the electro-oculogram
signal
performed by the processing section 210 may include transmitting the
electro-oculogram signal representing the eye potential detected by the first
electrode
152 and the second electrode 154 to the transmitting section 220 as it is.
[0017] The transmitting section 220 transmits the electro-oculogram signal
having
undergone the processing by the processing section 210, to an external
apparatus 300.
The transmitting section 220 may use wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth
(registered trademark), wireless LAN) or wired communication to transmit the
electro-oculogram signal to the external apparatus 300. The power supply
section
230 supplies power to the processing section 210 and the transmitting section
220.
[0018] The external apparatus 300 may be a computer terminal having a
communication function. An exemplary external apparatus 300 is a
mobile
communication terminal (e.g., a portable phone, a smart phone) owned by a
user. The
external apparatus 300 may execute processing based on the electro-oculogram
signal
received from the transmitting section 220. For example, when having detected
that
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the number of times of brinks of a user is increasing by referring to the
received
electro-oculogram signal, the external apparatus 300 may issue warning to
prevent the
user from falling asleep.
[0019] Fig. 2 schematically shows positions at which the electrodes make
contact
with a user. A first contact position 452 represents the contact position of
the first
electrode 152. A second contact position 454 represents the contact position
of the
second electrode 154. A third contact position 456 represents the contact
position of
the third electrode 156. A horizontal center line 460 is defined as a center
line in the
horizontal direction connecting the center of the right eye 402 and the center
of the left
eye 404. A vertical center line 462 is defined as a center line that is
orthogonal to the
horizontal center line 460 and that passes through the center between the
right eye 402
and the left eye 404 and.
[0020] The first contact position 452 and the second contact position 454 may
desirably be positioned below the horizontal center line 460. The line
connecting the
center of the first contact position 452 and the center of the second contact
position
454 may desirably be parallel to the horizontal center line 460. The distance
between
the first contact position 452 and the right eye 402 may desirably be equal to
the
distance between the second contact position 454 and the left eye 404. The
first
contact position 452 may desirably be distanced from the second contact
position 454
by a certain length.
[0021] It is desirable that the third contact position 456 be positioned
somewhere
along the vertical center line 462. The third contact position 456 may
desirably be in
a position above the horizontal center line 460 and distanced from both of the
first
contact section 452 and the second contact section 454. In one example, the
distance
between the third contact position 456 and the right eye 402 may be set to be
larger
than the distance between the right eye 402 and the first contact position
452, and the
distance between the third contact position 456 and the left eye 404 may be
set to be
larger than the distance between the left eye 404 and the second contact
position 454.
[0022] In an eye ball, the corneal side has a positive charge and the retina
side has a
negative charge. Therefore, when a person looks up, the potential of the first
electrode 152 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156 as well as the
potential of
the second electrode 154 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156
become
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negative. On the contrary, when a person looks down, the potential of the
first
electrode 152 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156 as well as the
potential of
the second electrode 154 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156
become
positive. When a person looks to the right, the potential of the first
electrode 152
obtained in relation to the third electrode 156 becomes negative, and the
potential of
the second electrode 154 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156
becomes
positive. When a person looks to the left, the potential of the first
electrode 152
obtained relative to the third electrode 156 becomes positive, and the
potential of the
second electrode 154 obtained in relation to the third electrode 156 becomes
negative.
[0023] By detecting the potential of the first electrode 152 relative to the
third
electrode 156 as well as the potential of the second electrode 154 relative to
the third
electrode 156, the effect of noise can be effectively alleviated. The bridge
124 may
be arranged at the upper end the rim 122 or in its vicinity, so as to distance
the third
contact position 456 from the first contact position 452 and the second
contact position
454 as far as possible. The third electrode 156 may be provided above the
center of
the bridge 124. In such a case, it is desirable to adopt a bridge 124 that is
wide in the
vertical direction.
[0024] In stead of detecting the potential of the first electrode 152 relative
to the third
electrode 156, it is possible to subtract the potential of the third electrode
156 relative
to the reference electrode, from the potential of the first electrode 152
relative to the
reference electrode. Likewise, in stead of detecting the potential of the
second
electrode 154 relative to the third electrode 156, it is possible to subtract
the potential
of the third electrode 156 relative to the reference electrode, from the
potential of the
second electrode 154 relative to the reference electrode.
[0025] An example of the reference electrode is the ground electrode 158. In
addition, another reference electrode may be provided in a position distanced
from the
first electrode 152, the second electrode 154, and the third electrode 156 of
the pair of
glasses 100. For example, a reference electrode may be provided on the right
ear pad
132. The reference electrode may be provided at a position of the right temple
130 to
be in contact with the skin of a user. The processing to subtract the
potential of the
third electrode 156 from the potential of the first electrode 152 relative to
the reference
electrode and the processing to subtract the potential of the third electrode
156 from
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the potential of the second electrode 154 relative to the reference electrode
may be
performed by the processing section 210 or by the external apparatus 300.
[0026] Fig. 3 shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user looked down
immediately after when he looked up. The upper electro-oculogram represents
the
electro-oculogram for the right eye showing the chronological change of the
potential
VI of the first electrode 152 relative to the third electrode 156. The lower
electro-oculogram represents the electro-oculogram for the left eye showing
the
chronological change of the potential V2 of the second electrode 154 relative
to the
third electrode 156. The longitudinal axis represents the voltage value. The
lengthwise axis represents the time. The arrow 503 represents the timing at
which the
user looked up. At the timing shown by the arrow 503, both of the right-eye
electro-oculogram and the left-eye electro-oculogram have a negative
potential.
[0027] Fig. 4 shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user looked up
immediately after when he looked down. The arrow 504 represents the timing at
which the user looked down. At the timing shown by the arrow 504, both of the
right-eye electro-oculogram and the left-eye electro-oculogram have a positive
potential.
[0028] Fig. 5 shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user looked in the
left
direction immediately after he looked to the right. The arrow 505 represents
the
timing at which the user looked to the right. At the timing shown by the arrow
505,
the right-eye electro-oculogram has a negative potential, and the left-eye
electro-oculogram has a positive potential.
[0029] Fig. 6 shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when the user looked in the
right immediately after he looked left. The arrow 506 represents the timing at
which
the user looked left. At the timing shown by the arrow 506, the right-eye
electro-oculogram has a positive potential, and the left-eye electro-oculogram
has a
negative potential.
[0030] In this way, when the negative potential has been indicated in the
right-eye
electro-oculogram and the left-eye electro-oculogram, the user is identified
to look up.
When the positive potential has been indicated in the right-eye electro-
oculogram and
the left-eye electro-oculogram, the user is identified to look down. When the
negative potential is indicated in the right-eye electro-oculogram and that
the positive
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potential is indicated in the left-eye electro-oculogram, the user is
identified to look
right. When the positive potential is indicated in the right-eye electro-
oculogram and
that the negative potential is indicated in the left-eye electro-oculogram,
the user is
identified to look left.
[0031] It is further possible to enhance the detection accuracy of the visual
line, by
adding and subtracting the potential V1 of the right-eye electro-oculogram and
the
potential V2 of the left-eye electro-oculogram. For example when V1+V2
indicates a
negative value and V1-V2 equals substantially zero, the user is identified to
look up.
When V1+V2 indicates a positive value and V1-V2 equals substantially zero, the
user is
identified to look down. When VI-EV2 equals substantially zero and V1-V2
indicates a
negative value, the user is identified to look to the right. When V1+V2 equals
substantially zero and V1-V2 indicates a positive value, the user is
identified to look to
the left. By adding and subtracting the V1 and V2, the positive value and the
negative
value resulting after calculation will respectively become large. This means
that the
threshold value can be set large, and so misdetection to detect noise as
visual line
movement can be reduced.
[0032] Fig. 7 schematically shows an exemplary electro-oculogram when he
blinks.
The arrow 507 represents the timing at which the user has blinked. The
processing
section 210 and the external apparatus 300 may detect that the user has
blinked, when
having detected a sequence of pulses of approximately the same level of
amplitude
within a certain period of time in both of the right-eye electro-oculogram and
the
left-eye electro-oculogram. For example in Fig. 7, the user can be detected to
have
blinked when there occurred four consecutive pulses of -1001AV in 5 seconds.
[0033] Fig. 8 schematically shows an example of the pair of glasses 100 viewed
from
the backside. The electric wire 160 may include a first electric wire 162, a
second
electric wire 164, a third electric wire 166, and a fourth electric wire 168.
The first
electric wire 162 may be electrically connected to the first electrode 152,
and buried in
the frame 120. The second electric wire 164 may be electrically connected to
the
second electrode 154, and buried in the frame 120. The third electric wire 166
may
be electrically connected to the third electrode 156, and buried in the frame
120. The
fourth electric wire 168 may be electrically connected to the ground electrode
158.
[0034] The first electric wire 162, the second electric wire 164, the third
electric wire
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166, and the fourth electric wire 168 may be an insulation electric wire. The
shape of
the insulation electric wire may be round or flat, and may even be a film
wire. It is
also possible to make the frame 120 from an insulator material, and the first
electric
wire 162, the second electric wire 164, and the third electric wire 166 from
an
uncoated conductive wire.
[0035] The first electric wire 162 passes the first electrode 152, the lower
part of the
right rim 122, the end piece 126, the hinge 128, the temple 130, and the ear
pad 132,
and then is exposed to outside. The second electric wire 164 passes the second
electrode 154, the lower part of the left rim 122, the end piece 126, the
hinge 128, the
temple 130, and the ear pad 132 and then is exposed to outside. The third
electric
wire 166 passes the third electrode 156, the upper part of the right rim 122
and the left
rim 122, the end piece 126, the hinge 128, the temple 130, and the ear pad
132, and
then is exposed to outside. By burying the electric wires within the frame and
not
exposing them outside, the electric wires are prevented from being damaged.
Moreover, the design of the pair of glasses 100 improves when compared to
glasses
having their electric wires exposed outside.
[0036] By burying the third electric wire 166 in both sides (left and right)
of the
frame 120, the pair of glasses 100 will have a well balanced weight on the
right and
left. Moreover, since the frame 120 has the same structure at the right and
the left,
the production process can be simpler than burying the third electric wire in
the left or
the right.
[0037] Alternatively, the third electric wire 166 can be buried in either the
left or the
right of the frame 120. In such a case, the amount of electric wire used can
be
reduced, to reduce the cost of the pair of glasses 100. When burying the third
electric
wire 166 in one side (i.e. the left or the right) of the frame 120, it should
be desirable to
burry the third electric wire 166 in the side which is opposite to the side in
which the
ground electrode 158 has been provided. By doing so, the number of electric
wires
that come out from the right ear pad 132 and the left ear pad 132 can be
equaled.
[0038] As shown in Fig. 8, the first electrode 152 and the second electrode
154 can be
provided below the center of the nose pad 140. By doing so, the first
electrode 152
and the second electrode 154 can be prevented from being positioned right
beside the
user's eyes. If the first electrode 152 and the second electrode 154 are
provided right
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1
beside the user's eyes, the visual line detection accuracy may be degraded
because the
potential detected will be similar between a case in which the user has looked
up and a
case in which the user has looked down. By providing the first electrode 152
and the
second electrode 154 below the nose pad 140, the potential can be clearly
differentiated between in a case in which the user has looked up and in a case
in which
the user has looked down, to prevent worsening of visual line detection
accuracy.
[0039] Fig. 9 schematically shows an example of a partially enlarged view of
the
glasses 100 viewed from the backside. The hinge 128 may include a first hinge
902
and a second hinge 904. The first hinge 902 and the second hinge 904 may be
made
of an electrically conductive material. The first hinge 902 makes contact with
the
portion of the third electric wire 166 which is buried in the rim 122, and the
portion of
the third electric wire 166 which is buried in the temple 130. By doing so,
the portion
of the third electric wire 166 which is buried in the rim 122 can be in
electrical
conduction with the portion of the third electric wire 166 which is buried in
the temple
130.
[0040] The second hinge 904 makes contact with the portion of the first
electric wire
162 which is buried in the rim 122, and the portion of the first electric wire
162 which
is buried in the temple 130. By doing so, the portion of the first electric
wire 162
which is buried in the rim 122 can be in electrical conduction with the
portion of the
first electric wire 162 which is buried in the temple 130. The hinge 128 on
the left
side can also have the similar structure. By having two hinges distanced from
each
other, the first electric wire 162 can be electrically isolated from the third
electric wire
166, as well as electrically isolating the second electric wire 164 from the
third electric
wire 166.
[0041] Fig. 10 shows a flowchart of a visual line detection processing
performed by
an external apparatus 300. The operation in the flow chart starts by bringing
the first
electrode 152, the second electrode 154, the third electrode 156, and the
ground
electrode 158 into contact with the skin of a user wearing the pair of glasses
100, and
by moving into the operation mode in which the external apparatus 300 executes
visual
line detection processing.
[0042] In Step S1002, the external apparatus 300 receives an electro-oculogram
signal
from the transmitting section 220. The following explains the operation, by
taking an
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example in which the potential detected by each electrode is received as it
is.
[0043] In Step S1004, the external apparatus 300 determines whether there is
abnormality in the received electro-oculogram signal. The external apparatus
300
will determine abnormality, when at least one of the first electrode 152, the
second
electrode 154, and the third electrode 156 has detected the potential of zero
for a
certain period of time or longer. For example, the external apparatus 300
determines
that there is abnormality when at least one of the first electrode 152, the
second
electrode 154, and the third electrode 156 has detected the potential that
exceeds a
predetermined threshold value. When there is no abnormality found in Step
S1004,
the control proceeds to Step S1006.
[0044] In Step S1006, the external apparatus 300 determines whether the
potential
detected by the first electrode 152 relative to the third electrode 156 and
the potential
detected by the second electrode 154 relative to the third electrode 156 match
a
pre-registered pattern. An example of the pre-registered pattern may be as
shown in
Fig. 3 through Fig. 7. When there is determined a match with any of the
pre-registered patterns in Step S1006, the control proceeds to Step S1008, and
when
there is not determined any match, the control returns to Step S1002.
[0045] In Step S1008, the external apparatus 300 determines the visual line of
the user.
The external apparatus 300 determines that the user is looking up, when the
pre-registered pattern that has matched in Step S1006 has matched to the
pattern shown
in Fig. 3. The external apparatus 300 may execute the processing corresponding
to
the determined visual line. After having determined the visual line in Step
S1008, the
control returns to Step S1002.
[0046] When abnormality is found in Step S1004, the control proceeds to Step
S1010.
In Step S1010, the external apparatus 300 determines whether the abnormality
indicates distancing away of all the electrodes. In other words, it is
determined
whether all the first electrodes 152, the second electrode 154, the third
electrode 156
are distanced away from the skin of a user. The external apparatus 300 may
determine that all the electrodes are distanced away when all the potential
detected by
the first electrode 152, the second electrode 154, and the third electrode 156
are zero
for a certain period of time or longer.
[0047] In Step S1010, when it is determined that not all the electrodes are
distanced,
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,
the control proceeds to Step S1012. In Step S1012, the external apparatus 300
warns
the user. For example, when any one of the first electrode 152, the second
electrode
154, and the third electrode 156 is distanced, the external apparatus 300
issues warning
to notify the user of the existence of the distanced electrode(s). By warning
the user,
the user can be urged to adjust the position of the pair of glasses 100 to
keep the
electrodes in contact with him.
[0048] In Step S1010, when it is determined that all the electrodes are
distanced away,
the control proceeds to Step S1014. When all the electrodes are distanced
away, it
means that the pair of glasses 100 is removed from the user. Therefore in Step
S1014,
the external apparatus 300 moves onto the wait mode in which the external
apparatus
300 waits before executing the next visual line detection processing. This
ends the
current visual line detection processing of the external apparatus 300. When
the
external apparatus 300 executes the visual line detection processing as
described above,
the visual line of the user can be detected. For example, when a part of the
electrodes
is distanced due to displacement of the pair of glasses 100 from the face of
the user, the
user can be notified and urged to adjust the position of the pair of glasses
100.
[0049] In the present embodiment, the pair of glasses is used as an example of
eyewear. However, the eyewear is not limited to a pair of glasses. The eyewear
can
be anything that a user can wear, and may include glasses, sunglasses,
goggles, a head
mount display, and anything that can wear on the face or on the head.
[0050] In the present embodiment, the pair of glasses 100 includes the third
electrode
156 and the third electric wire 166. However, the pair of glasses 100 is not
necessarily limited to this configuration. A configuration is also possible in
which the
pair of glasses 100 does not include any of the third electrode 156 and the
third electric
wire 166. In such a configuration, the electro-oculogram showing the potential
of the
first electrode 152 relative to the reference electrode and the electro-
oculogram
showing the second electrode 154 relative to the reference electrode may be
transmitted to the eternal apparatus 300. Here, the ground electrode 158 may
be
provided in the position of the third electrode 156 to use it as the reference
electrode.
Also, the ground electrode 158 provided on the left ear pad may be used as the
reference electrode, or an additional electrode provided in a position
distanced from
the first electrode 152 and the second electrode 154 may be used as the
reference
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,
electrode.
[0051] The electro-oculogram shown by the potential of the first electrode 152
relative to the reference electrode and the electro-oculogram shown by the
potential of
the second electrode 154 relative to the reference electrode have the
characteristics
similar to the characteristics of the electro-oculogram shown in Fig. 3 - Fig.
6. The
electro-oculogram shown by the potential of the first electrode 152 relative
to the
reference electrode and the electro-oculogram shown by the potential of the
second
electrode 154 relative to the reference electrode enable the external
apparatus 300 to
determine the visual line of a user. In this way, a configuration of not
providing any
of the third electrode 156 and the third electric wire 166 realizes an
advantageous
effect of reducing the number of electrodes and electric wires, which leads to
reducing
the weight and the cost of the pair of glasses 100.
[0052] The present embodiment has dealt with a pair of glasses 100 which has
its
nose pad 140 integrated with the rim 122. However, the pair of glasses 100 is
not
limited to this configuration. The pair of glasses 100 may include clings
provided for
the rim 122 and the nose pad 140 attached to the clings. In this case, the
electrode
provided on the surface of the nose pad 140 is electrically connected through
the clings
to the electric wire buried in the frame.
[0053] In the present embodiment, the pair of glasses 100 includes the first
electric
wire 162, the second electric wire 164, and the third electric wire 166 buried
in the
frame 120. However, the pair of glasses 100 is not limited to this
configuration.
The pair of glasses 100 includes the first electric wire 162, the second
electric wire 164,
and the third electric wire 166 provided along the surface of the frame 120.
[0054] The present embodiment has dealt with a case in which the first
electrode 152
and the second electrode 154 are provided below the center of the nose pad
140.
However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For
example, the
nose pad 140 can have an elongated section that elongates downward and that is
provided with the first electrode 152 and the second electrode 154. By
adopting this
configuration, the first electrode 152 and the second electrode 154 can be
brought in
contact to the skin below the eyes of a user, even if the user has such a face
configuration that the nose pad inevitably comes right beside his eyes.
[0055] The present embodiment has the third electrode 156 provided on the
surface of
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,
the bridge 124. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this
configuration.
It is also possible to provide the bridge 124 with an elongated section that
elongates
upward, and to provide this elongated section with the third electrode 156. It
is
further possible to provide a movable section between the elongated section
and the
bridge 124, and move the elongated section up and down using this movable
section
for adjusting the position of the third electrode 156. By adopting this
configuration,
the contact position of the third electrode 156 can be adjusted to be away
from the eyes,
even if the user has such a face configuration that the third electrode 156
inevitably
comes close to his eyes when wearing the pair of glasses.
[0056] The present embodiment has dealt with a case in which the first
electric wire
162, the second electric wire 164, and the third electric wire 166 are exposed
outside
the ear pad 132. However, the present invention is not limited to this
configuration.
The first electric wire 162, the second electric wire 164, and the third
electric wire 166
may extend from other portions. For example, the first electric wire 162, the
second
electric wire 164, and the third electric wire 166 can extend from the temple
130 or the
end piece 126.
[0057] The present embodiment has taken an example that the external apparatus
300
is a mobile communication terminal such as a portable phone, a smart phone, or
the
like that is a separate body from the electro-oculogram processing unit 200.
However,
the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The external
apparatus 300
may be provided as one piece with the electro-oculogram processing unit 200.
In
addition, although the electro-oculogram processing unit 200 was explained to
be
connected by the electric wire 160 to the pair of glasses 100 distanced apart
from the
electro-oculogram processing unit 200 in the present embodiment, the present
invention is not limited to this configuration.
In fact, the electro-oculogram
processing unit 200 may be attached to the frame 120.
[0058] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the
technical scope of the invention is not limited to the above described
embodiments. It
is apparent to persons skilled in the art that various alterations and
improvements can
be added to the above-described embodiments. It is also apparent from the
scope of
the claims that the embodiments added with such alterations or improvements
can be
included in the technical scope of the invention.
14
CA 02824972 2013-08-27
[0059] The operations, procedures, steps, and stages of each process performed
by an
apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, embodiments, or
diagrams can be performed in any order as long as the order is not indicated
by "prior
to," "before," or the like and as long as the output from a previous process
is not used
in a later process. Even if the process flow is described using phrases such
as "first"
or "next" in the claims, embodiments, or diagrams, it does not necessarily
mean that
the process must be performed in this order.
