CHRONOS VISION Your partner for vision based de

Your partner for vision based decisions

CHRONOS VISIO

Chronos Eye Tracking Device

ÂÂ User selectable
sampling rate (50/100/200/400 Hz)
ÂÂ NASA qualified
for use on humans during spaceflight
ÂÂ Ergonomic design of head unit
for comfort and minimal slippage
C-ETD

MADE IN GERMANY
Ergonomic Design
Drawing from our previous experience with VOG systems and human factors studies, a number of innovative features
and consultation with experts in the fields of visual- have been included in the Head Unit design.
vestibular research, optometric and neurological examination

The inertial load on the head has been Field-of-view of ± 90° horizontal and Device slippage is reduced by the use
kept to a minimum by selection of +40/-60° vertical. of custom-formed facemasks.
lightweight components and uniform
distribution on the head frame.

Technology
The digital eye-tracking cameras - designed around CMOS performed by the sensor and the front-end processing.
image sensors - are interfaced to a dedicated processor Thus, only preselected data are transferred from the image
board in the host PC via bi-directional, high speed digital sensor through to the host PC where the final algorithms
transmission links (400 Mb/s). This PCI plug-in board carries and data storage are implemented. This eliminates the
the front-end processing architecture, consisting of digital bottleneck caused by standard frame-by-frame image
signal processors (DSP) and programmable logic devices acquisition, and thus facilitates considerably higher image
(FPGA) for binocular, online image and signal acquisition. sampling rates.
For the eye tracking task, a substantial data reduction is

Software
Circle and ellipse fitting algorithms for pupil tracking are
included, together with a new implementation of the polar
correlation algorithm. The interactive software provides HIGHLIGHTS
the user with a comprehensive set of options via pull-down
menus or pre-stored parameter files.
• Selectable acquisition modes (sampling rate,
monocular/binocular, 2D/3D tracking)
• Sampling rate 50/100/200/400 Hz
• Online/offline calculation of 2D/3D
eye coordinates
• Internal/external trigger for record, start/stop
• Selection of measurement algorithms
• Online storage of the resultant data set
(ASCII format)
• Archiving, selection and visualisation
• Storage of selected setups as parameter files

Eye Tracker graphic user interface showing eye images

and 2D trace of calculated eye position.
Reference
The space-qualified version was
contracted by the German Space
Agency (DLR) and designed and
built in cooperation with Kayser
Threde GmbH, Munich.

The Image shows a Cosmonaut on-

board the International Space Station
(ISS) during an experiment with the
Chronos 3D Eye tracker, which has
been in use as a general purpose re-
search instrument since its deployment
in early 2004.

Technical Specifications
Measuring principle Digital image processing and full storage of eye sequences

Recording configuration Binocular and/or monocular (left/right) for all frame rates

Selectable frame rates 50, 100, 200 and 400 Hz

Operating modes Online 2D (2 ms delay), 11 bit output range

Online storage of complete image sequences
Offline 3D evaluation software

Offline 3D evaluation software Selectable algorithms for 2D-pupil tracking

Corneal reflection tracking
Iris segment tracking (up to 36 selectable Iris segments)
Comparision of torsional results of different recordings possible
3D eye position output in raw or Fick coordinates (13 bit output range)
Support for Matlab interfaces for integrating/testing own algorithms

Measurement range Horizontal and vertical between -30° and +30°

Torsional between -25° and +25°

Measurement resolution < 0.05° for all three components

Noise < 0.02° RMS

Artifacts Eye blinks easily distinguished

Interpupillary adjustment range Horizontal: 55-74 mm

Vertical: ± 20 mm

I/O Input camera connector

Record Trigger in (TTL level)
Start synchronous recording with help of external trigger
Output Sync (clocked to sampling rate)
Start external experiments/simulations by synchronous output sync
DD (Digital to Digital output)
Standard Video Monitor Output (PAL; only for principal inspection of eye adjustment)

Eye illumination IR LEDs (940 nm)

Irradiance < 7.5 mW/cm² within recommended safety levels
EU: EN 60825 - 1: 8.79 mW/cm²
USA: ACGIH: 10.0 mW/cm²

Host computer IBM-compatible PC

Supply Voltage: AC ~115 V, ~230 V (Auto Full Range), Power consumption: 100 VA
Product Configurations

Product Version
Monocular Binocular
2D 3D 2D 3D
Art.No. Art.No. Art.No. Art.No.
5220010 5220011 5220012 5220013

Head Unit

Adjustable headband and visor 

Camera assembly with optics and infrared 1 2

illumination source (left or right)

Dichroic mirror [glass] 1 2

Cable set for connection to System Unit


(up to 8 m)

Thermoplastic facemasks
2 x unformed 
1 x pre-formed

Head unit stowage box 

System Unit

State-of-the-art IBM compatible PC with power

supply DIN EN 60950 (100-240 V~, 
8 A, 50-60 Hz, Auto Full Range)

CPU Intel Duo Core 3 GHz 

4 GB RAM 

Hard Disc Drives (HDD) 

System HDD: minimum 320 GB
Exchangeable HDD: minimum 500 GB
Exchangeable HDD: minimum 200 GB
(USB-compliant)

CD/DVD-RW Drive 

Standard System Unit accessories

(i. e. CD OS MS Windows, power cable, 
keyboard and mouse)

PCI Eye Tracker Boards

1 2
(half-length, installed in the PC)

Sync Out Board 

Software

Pre-installed standard software:

MS Windows XP Professional, English 

Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 or higher, English 

Pre-installed Chronos Eye Tracker application software:

Online recording SW: ETD 

Offline analysis SW: Iris

horizontal and vertical eye movement 
torsional eye movement only 3D-Version

Audio-Video synchronization SW 

Documentation

C-ETD User Manual 

Options

16 channel ADC acquisition board

The ADC board is an analog-to-digital converter of the C-ETD System. If an ADC board is installed in
the system the ADC data can be stored in an ASCII-file. It can be delivered as 16 Ch or 31 Ch board. All Art. No.
ADC inputs are optically isolated from the PC circuitry. One 37 pin sub-D female connector is edge- 5220002
mounted on the ADC Interface board. This permits connection for channels 1 to 16, plus sync and
trigger.

ADC extension for 31 channels

A second 37 pole sub-D connector is provided for channels 17 – 31. (Channel 32 is reserved as a zero
reference voltage for calibration purposes). The second 37 pole sub-D connector is mounted on an Art. No.
additional edge plate and is connected by flatribbon cable to the ADC Interface board. 5220003

4 channel DAC board

The DAC (digital-to-analog converter) board provides analog output signals for the horizontal and
vertical eye positions of each eye (in total 4 channels). The output signals are accessed via the 9-pin Art. No.
sub-D connector on the slot bracket. The DAC board should be inserted into a PCI slot adjacent to the 5220004
PCI processor boards. This option is not available for monocular systems! The output voltage level is
± 2.5 V full scale.

Accessories and spares

Additional facemask
The facemask is an extension of the C-ETD system, in order to prevent the slippage on the head of the
user. The facemasks can be delivered pre-formed and unformed. The pre-formed mask can be used in-
Art. No.
itially. For better comfort and minimal slippage effects it will be necessary for the user to form his/her 5220006
own masks. The facemasks are made of so called thermoplastic. This material becomes very flexible at
temperatures above 65°- 70° Celsius (150°-160° Fahrenheit). In principle, the facemasks can be fitted to
any facial form.

Dichroic mirrors
The IR mirrors positioned in front of the right and left eye are essential for the correct functioning of
the Eye Tracker. They are made of quartz glass. Each mirror is delivered with two brackets which are Art. No.
already attached to the mirror by fixing screws. 5220007

Chronos Inertial Tracking System (C-ITS) *

The mechanical interface permits mounting on the head unit of the Chronos Eye Tracking Device. In
this case the analog output signals would normally be connected to the ADC interface of the C-ETD
for synchronous recording of eye and head movements.

The Chronos Vision Inertial Head Tracker consists of two triaxial sensor assemblies - one for measu- Art. No.
5220008
rement of linear acceleration along each of the three orthogonal axes, and one for measurement of
angular rate around each of the three orthogonal axes. The output signals of the sensor assemblies
(3 plus 3) are connected to a signal conditioning system with buffer output amplifiers. The C-ITS can
be used as a stand-alone six degree-of-freedom sensor device, and can be mounted to an arbitrary
object, whose movement is to be measured.

Exchangeable HDD (according to EN 60950) Art. No.

On request. Please contact us and tell us which capacity you need. 5220009

* ADC board required

 Ultra light alloy frame with fittings for
mirrors and gyro sensors. The frame con-
cept with its flexible mounting and fine
thread in the front allows accurate mirror
adjustment.

Originally developed in cooperation with

Kayser Threde GmbH under the auspices
of the DLR for deployment on the Inter-
national Space Station, the Chronos Eye
Tracker introduced a new generation in
image-based eye movement measurement
technology.

CHRONOS VISION GmbH

em certifc
st Wiesenweg 9, 12247 Berlin
at
sy

ion

Tel. +49 (0)30 / 3198060-00

by

Fax+49 (0)30 / 3198060-01

[email protected]
www.chronos-vision.de

MADE IN GERMANY