THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF BLINK ACTIVITIES USING AN AUTOMATED VIDEO IMAGE ANALYZING SYSTEM

本研究的目的是发展一套自动化的视频图像分析系统，以侦测眨眼动作，并判断此系统所撷取的眨眼参数。首先，用摄像机拍摄comea图像，并将其数字化为黑色和白色。其次，以1/60秒的间隔将由上眼睑运动触发的黑色部分的位移输入计算机。第三，在从数据中去除噪声之后，基于以下4个标准检测眨眼，即1）眨眼持续时间和幅度在当前值之间，2）眨眼幅度的上眼睑再打开率超过预设率，3）眨眼持续时间与幅度的比率低于预设值，4）上眼睑的移动加速度低于预设值。大多数眨眼都是以与观察眼睛相同的方式检测到的，因为可以使用参数设置识别标准。此外，该测量与EOG方法非常相似，这表明该测量的有效性。该系统可以方便地测量眨眼起始时间、眨眼波形和眨眼持续时间，并可以提取眨眼频率、眨眼时间分布、眨眼间隔、眨眼持续时间和眨眼波形等眨眼参数。新的自动眨眼分析系统将产生更多的眨眼参数，因此这类眨眼研究将进一步推广。

The purpose of this research was to develop an automated video image analyzing system to detect eye blinks and to exemine what eye blink paramenters were extracted by this system.This system consists of three phases. First, comea images were taken by video camera and were digitized into black and white. Second, displacement of the black part triggered by upper eyelid movement was input into the computer at intervals of 1/60 second. Third, after noise was removed from the data, eye-blinks were detected on the basis of following 4 criteria, that is, 1) blink duration and amplitude was between present values, 2) the upper eyelid reopening rate by blink amplitude was over the preset rate, 3) the rate of blink duration by amplitude was under the preset values, 4) the moving acceleration of upper eyelid was under the preset values. Most blinks were detected in the same way as in observing the eye, since the criteria of the identification could be set with the parameters. Moreover, this measurement closely resembled that of the EOG method, which suggests the validity of this measure. This automated system enabled us to measure the time of blink onset, blink wave-form, and blink duration with considerable ease.Blink parameters, such as blink rates, temporal distribution of blinks, blink latencies, inter blink intervals, blink duration, and blink wave-forms were extracted from this system at ease. The new automated blink analyzing system will produce further blink parameters, so blink researches of this type will be spread furthermore.