Multi-Screen AR Headset for Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The use of smart glasses in augmented reality (AR) applications for tasks like aircraft maintenance is hindered by small virtual screens that limit the amount of content displayed, leading to reduced user experience, decreased situational awareness, and increased risk due to obstructed views.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that creates a set of virtual screens in a head-worn display (HWD) which dynamically change content based on viewer movement, using sensors like IMUs and cameras to position and arrange virtual screens around the viewer, allowing for a larger amount of content to be displayed while maintaining an unobstructed view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If smart glasses with small virtual screens are used to display content, then the device portability and hands-free operation are improved, but the amount of content that can be displayed at once is limited and user experience is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the content display into multiple virtual screens (primary and secondary) that can be independently controlled and positioned around the user's field of view. This segmentation allows different types of information to be distributed across multiple screens, enabling comprehensive content display without overwhelming a single small screen while maintaining hands-free operation through gaze-based selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the display space from a single 2D screen to a multi-dimensional virtual environment where screens can be positioned at different locations around the user's head. This spatial arrangement allows content to be displayed in three-dimensional space, effectively increasing the total display area without requiring a larger physical device, thus resolving the contradiction between device portability and content capacity.
2Loss of information
If all required content is displayed on a single small screen, then information completeness is improved, but the view obstruction and reduced situational awareness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information display across multiple virtual screens positioned at different locations in the user's field of view. Critical information can be placed on the primary screen directly in the center of vision, while additional content is distributed to secondary screens at the periphery. This segmentation ensures information completeness while minimizing view obstruction since each screen occupies only a portion of the visual field rather than blocking the entire view.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by placing different types of content on different virtual screens based on their importance and the user's viewing habits. High-priority information is positioned on the primary screen in the central field of view, while less critical but still important information is placed on secondary screens at the periphery. This localized content distribution optimizes both information completeness and view clarity by matching content placement to visual attention patterns.
3Loss of information
If multiple virtual screens are created to display more content, then the content capacity is improved, but the device complexity and navigation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically track the user's gaze direction and automatically switch between virtual screens based on where the user is looking. This eliminates the need for manual navigation through multiple screens, as the system autonomously manages content display by detecting gaze direction and presenting relevant information on the appropriate screen, thereby reducing navigation complexity while maintaining high content capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors the user's head position, eye gaze, and attention direction, and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust which content is displayed on which virtual screen. This real-time feedback loop allows the system to anticipate user needs and automatically present relevant information without requiring complex manual navigation, thus resolving the contradiction between content capacity and navigation complexity.
4Device complexity
If the virtual screen content is static, then the display simplicity is maintained, but the user experience and situational awareness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic content display where virtual screens automatically adjust their position, content, and visibility based on real-time detection of user head movements, gaze direction, and attention focus. The system dynamically repositions screens to follow the user's line of sight and dynamically updates content based on the detected maintenance task context. This dynamic behavior enhances situational awareness and user experience while maintaining relative simplicity through automated control, eliminating the need for complex manual adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to augment, virtualize, or present mixed reality of content to display a larger amount of content on a head worn device (HWD) including: creating a set of virtual screens in the display of the HWD deployed in a manner to both surround and positionally shift from a movement of the viewer to provide an immersive viewing experience wherein the set of virtual screens include: at least a primary virtual screen and one or more secondary virtual screens; enabling the immersive viewing experience by generating dynamic virtual screen arrangements; connecting a first sensor attached to a head of the viewer and a second sensor attached to a torso of the viewer for generating sensed data of rotating differences of the positionally shift of the viewer; and configuring the content on each of the virtual screens to determine a particular virtual screen having a visual attention of the viewer.