Patent ID: 7862172

Claim:
A gaze direction measuring method used in a gaze direction measuring device which includes an imaging unit, a face direction measuring unit, and a gaze direction measuring unit and decides a gaze direction of a person captured into an image by the imaging unit, the method comprising steps of: measuring, by the face direction measuring unit, an angle of a face direction from a face in the image captured by the imaging unit; deciding, by the gaze direction measuring unit, an angle of horizontal gaze direction and a radius of an eyeball according to information on the face direction, a pupil center position in the image, and information on an inner corner and an outer corner of an eye; estimating a center position of the eyeball according to the information on the face direction, the information on the inner and the outer corner of the eye, and the information on the eyeball radius; measuring a vertical displacement of the pupil according to the center position of the eyeball and the center position of the pupil; deciding an angle of the vertical gaze direction according to the information on the vertical displacement of the pupil and the information on the eyeball radius; integrating the angles of the gaze directions of both eyes according to the information on the face direction; and deciding the gaze direction of the person.