REAL-TIME EYE DETECTION AND TRACKING UNDER VARIOUS LIGHT CONDITIONS

System and methods for non-intrusive real-time eye detection and tracking are disclosed. A subject's eyes can be detected by using active illumination analysis to generate a difference image of the subject. In the difference image, the bright pupil effect intensifies the appearance of the subject's pupils. A component analysis can be used to identify a set of pupil candidates from the difference image. An appearance-based analysis can be applied to the pupil candidates to identify the subject's eyes from background noise that can occur under various lighting conditions. After the subject's eyes are detected, a multi-stage tracking process is disclosed for detecting real-time eye movements. Further features are disclosed such as an image acquisition apparatus that reduces external illumination interferences.