A Novel Camera-Free Eye Tracking Sensor for Augmented Reality Based on Laser Scanning

Next generation AR glasses require a highly integrated, high-resolution near-eye display technique such as focus-free retinal projection to enhance usability. Combined with low-power eye-tracking, such glasses enable better user experience and performance. We propose a novel and robust low-power eye-tracking sensor for integration into retinal projection systems. In our approach, a MEMS micro mirror scans an IR laser beam over the eye region and the scattered light is received by a photodiode. The advantages of our approach over typical VOG systems are its high integration capability and low-power consumption, which qualify our approach for next generation AR glasses. Here, we present a mathematical framework to estimate the achievable gaze angle resolution of our approach. We further show the viability of the proposed eye-tracking sensor based on a laboratory setup and discuss power consumption and gaze angle resolution compared to typical eye-tracking techniques.