Augmented Reality Visualization for Product-Environment Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in determining whether products match their intended physical environment when shopping through electronic devices, as they cannot accurately assess how items like furniture would fit in terms of size, color, or shape within a specific space, such as a living room.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a computing device to capture and analyze image data of a physical environment using a trained neural network, overlaying suitable items in an augmented reality view with markers indicating their fit, allowing users to select and purchase items that match the environment's dimensions, color, and other aspects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users shop through electronic devices using traditional GUI, then they can browse and search for products, but they cannot accurately determine if products match their physical environment in terms of size, color, or shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D electronic catalog views to 3D augmented reality visualization by overlaying virtual product models onto captured images of the user's physical environment. This allows users to see products in their actual spatial context, accurately assessing size, color, and shape compatibility with their living space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies of physical products and places them into the user's captured environment images. These digital replicas allow users to visualize how actual products would appear and fit in their space without physically handling or transporting the items.
2Reliability
If users cannot visualize products in their physical environment, then they must rely on imagination or external references, but this leads to uncertainty about product suitability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an augmented reality system as an intermediary between the user and product selection. This system processes captured environment images, overlays virtual product models, and provides visual feedback about product-environment compatibility, thereby reducing uncertainty and building selection confidence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system analyzes the captured environment image to identify specific spatial regions and characteristics (walls, floors, furniture spaces, color schemes). By segmenting the environment into evaluable components, the system can provide targeted feedback about how virtual products will fit each specific area.
3Productivity
If users want to compare multiple items against their environment, then they need to mentally process each item separately, but this is time-consuming and cognitively demanding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple virtual product visualizations into a single augmented reality view, allowing users to compare multiple items simultaneously within their environment context. The system overlays multiple product models in the same spatial framework, enabling direct visual comparison of size, style, and compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device is used to capture image data of a physical environment. The image data is of a live camera view from the camera. The image data includes a representation of a physical environment. A selection of an aspect of the representation is determined. The image data is analyzed using a trained neural network and using the selection to determine one or more types of items for the representation. At least two items associated with the one or more types of items are generated. The at least two items and at least one visible marker associated with the aspect are overlaid in the live camera view to provide an augmented reality view of the physical environment.