PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual line detection device that correctly detects a position on which a user fixes his/her eyes even when a distance between the user and the device varies during calibration and during practice of visual line detection processing.SOLUTION: The visual line detection device 1 includes: an imaging part 12 that generates an image obtained by photographing at least a partial area of the users face, which is the area including the eyes, during lighting of a light source 11 a distance characteristic quantity extraction part 26 that obtains distance characteristic quantities to be changed according to a distance from a display part 2 to the users face from the image a distance estimation part 27 that estimates the distance from the display part 2 to the users face, on the basis of the distance characteristic quantities a Purukinje image detection part 24 that detects the cornea reflection image of the light source and the pupil gravity of the user from the area of the eye included in the image a visual line detection part 25 that detects the users visual direction on the basis of a positional relationship between the pupil gravity and the cornea reflection image and an eye-fixing position detection part 28 that obtains the eye-fixing position of the user on the display part 2, on the basis of the direction of the visual line and the distance from the display part to the users face.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】キャリブレーション時と視線検出処理の実行時とで、ユーザと装置間の距離が異なる場合でも、ユーザが注視している位置を正確に検出できる視線検出装置を提供することを目的とする。【解決手段】視線検出装置1は、光源11の点灯中に、眼を含む領域であって、ユーザの顔の少なくとも一部の領域を撮影した画像を生成する撮像部12と、その画像から表示部2からユーザの顔までの距離に応じて変化する距離特徴量を求める距離特徴量抽出部26と、距離特徴量に基づいて表示部2からユーザの顔までの距離を推定する距離推定部27と、画像に含まれる眼の領域から光源の角膜反射像とユーザの瞳孔重心とを検出するプルキンエ像検出部24と、瞳孔重心と角膜反射像との位置関係に応じてユーザの視線方向を検出する視線検出部25と、視線方向と表示部からユーザの顔までの距離に基づいて、表示部2上のユーザの注視位置を求める注視位置検出部28とを有する。【選択図】図3
