AR Input Mechanism Adaptation for Restricted Motion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality systems fail to effectively adapt to users' personal restrictions and environmental obstacles, limiting their range of motion and rotation, which hinders comfortable interaction with virtual objects.

Innovation Solution

The system tracks and analyzes the motion and rotation of an input mechanism to determine personal and environmental restrictions, adjusting correlation parameters to compensate for these limitations, allowing for more comfortable interactions by increasing the sensitivity of the input mechanism and repositioning virtual objects within the user's accessible range.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the head-mounted device processes signals from the input mechanism in the same manner for any user, then the system operation is simple and consistent, but the user experience is frustrated when users have personal restrictions limiting range of motion or rotation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interaction comfortVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary calibration by tracking the user's input mechanism motion and rotation ranges before actual interaction begins. This preliminary action establishes personalized correlation parameters that account for the user's specific range of motion limitations, enabling comfortable interaction without requiring complex real-time adjustments during usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts correlation parameters based on the user's demonstrated range of motion and rotation capabilities. Instead of using fixed processing rules for all users, the system adapts the mapping between input mechanism movements and virtual object manipulations to match each user's physical capabilities, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and accommodation of individual limitations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the head-mounted device uses fixed correlation parameters for input mechanism motion, then the system is simple to implement, but users with limited range of motion cannot successfully complete interactions requiring motion beyond their restriction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccommodation of user restrictionsVSAvoidparameter adjustment complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the user's input mechanism motion and rotation during calibration and interaction. This feedback information is used to determine the user's specific range of motion limitations and to adjust correlation parameters accordingly, enabling the system to adapt to individual user restrictions while maintaining relatively simple implementation through automated detection and adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the virtual objects are positioned in locations requiring full range of motion, then the game or application can provide complete interaction options, but users with personal restrictions or environmental obstacles cannot access these objects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility of virtual objectsVSAvoidtime to reposition virtual objects
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary determination of the user's range of motion and rotation capabilities before positioning virtual objects for interaction. By establishing the user's accessibility boundaries in advance, the system can place virtual objects within the determined accessible region, ensuring users can reach all necessary objects without requiring time-consuming repositioning during gameplay or application usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3479200B1Interaction with virtual objects based on determined restrictions
Publication Date: 2023.11.22 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3479200B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3479200B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3479200B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Motion and/or rotation of an input mechanism (104) can be tracked and/or analyzed to determine limits on a user's range of motion and/or a user's range of rotation in three-dimensional space. The user's range of motion and/or the user's range of rotation in three-dimensional space may be limited by a personal restriction for the user (e.g., a broken arm). The user's range of motion and/or the user's range of rotation in three-dimensional space may additionally or alternatively be limited by an environmental restriction (116), such as a physical object in a room. Accordingly, the techniques described herein can take steps to accommodate the personal restriction and/or the environmental restriction (116) thereby optimizing user interactions involving the input mechanism and a virtual object (114, 128, 130).