PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual line detection device capable of suppressing the erroneous detection of the gaze position of a user when it is difficult to detect a Purkinje image.SOLUTION: A visual line detection device 1 comprises: light sources (4, 4-1, 4-2) for illuminating the eyes of a user an imaging part 5 for generating an image by photographing the face of the user a distance estimation part 25 for estimating a distance from the imaging part 5 to the face of the user a determination part 26 for determining, in accordance with the rate of the distance from the imaging part 5 to the face of the user to an interval between the imaging part 5 and each of light sources (4, 4-1, 4-2), whether or not the whole pupils of the eyes of the user are put in a bright pupil state that they become bright with rays of light from the light sources a Purkinje image detection part 27 for detecting, when it is determined that the whole pupils of the eyes of the user are not put in the bright pupil state by the determination part 26, the cornea reflection image of each of the light sources and the pupil center of gravity of the user from the image and a visual line detection part 28 for detecting, when it is determined that the whole pupils of the eyes of the user are not put in the bright pupil state by the determination part 26, the visual line direction or gate position of the user in accordance with a positional relation between the pupil center of gravity and each of the cornea reflection images.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】プルキンエ像の検出が困難な場合に、ユーザの注視位置を誤検出することを抑制できる視線検出装置を提供する。【解決手段】視線検出装置1は、ユーザの眼を照明する光源(4、4-1、4-2)と、ユーザの顔を撮影した画像を生成する撮像部5と、撮像部5からユーザの顔までの距離を推定する距離推定部25と、撮像部5と光源(4、4-1、4-2)間の間隔に対する、撮像部5からユーザの顔までの距離の比に応じて、ユーザの眼の瞳孔全体が光源からの光により明るくなる明瞳孔状態となるか否かを判定する判定部26と、判定部26が明瞳孔状態とならないと判定した場合に、画像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27と、判定部26が明瞳孔状態とならないと判定した場合に、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または注視位置を検出する視線検出部28とを有する。【選択図】図3
