Eye Tracking Across Depth Planes for Multi-Display Attention Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems struggle to determine which of multiple displayed contents a user is currently looking at, especially when using head-worn and other display devices with overlapping content, leading to inefficiencies in user experience, power consumption, and resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that tracks eye positions to differentiate between first and second content displayed at different distances, modifying the display of one content to reduce its visibility relative to the content being looked at, based on eye movement analysis and distance adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple display devices are used simultaneously to provide rich content, then content variety and user engagement are improved, but determining visual attention becomes more difficult and power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent varietyVSAvoidvisual attention determination

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the visual field into multiple depth planes (near plane for head-worn display and far plane for external display). By separating content into distinct spatial layers, the system can independently track and determine attention for each plane, making visual attention determination feasible even with multiple simultaneous displays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that receives eye position data from eye trackers, processes this data through depth plane analysis, and determines which content receives visual attention. This intermediary layer translates raw eye tracking data into meaningful attention determination across multiple displays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple display devices are used simultaneously, then content variety is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent varietyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system periodically determines visual attention and dynamically adjusts display power states based on attention detection results. When content is determined to be unattended, the system can reduce its refresh rate or power state, enabling energy savings while maintaining the capability to display multiple types of content simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system discards (reduces or suspends) display updates for unattended content to save power, while maintaining the ability to quickly recover and restore full display functionality when attention is detected, thus balancing energy efficiency with content availability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Measurement precision

If eye tracking is used to determine visual attention, then attention accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattention accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges eye tracking functionality with the existing multi-display management architecture. By integrating attention determination into the display control system rather than treating it as a separate function, the patent reduces overall device complexity while maintaining accurate attention measurement capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Ease of operation

If head-worn display and external display are used together, then immersive experience is improved, but spatial overlap causes attention determination difficulty

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimmersive experienceVSAvoidattention determination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system resolves spatial overlap by introducing a depth dimension classification. Content from head-worn display is assigned to a near depth plane while external display content is assigned to a far depth plane. This dimensional separation in depth space allows the system to accurately determine attention even when content appears overlapping in the 2D visual field

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS12487463B2Determining visual attention

Publication Date: 2025.12.02 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY

AI summary

An apparatus and method is disclosed relating to determining visual attention of a user. The method may, for example, comprise tracking eye positions of a user during simultaneous display of first and second content to the user, wherein the first content comprises content displayed by a head-worn display device so that it is perceived by the user as located at a first distance from the user and the second content is displayed by a display screen of a further display device located at a second distance from the user. The method may also comprise modifying the display of either, or both, of the first and second content such as to modify the spatial position at which they appear with respect to one another. The method may also comprise determining which of the displayed first and second content the user is looking at based at least on eye position movements, if any, tracked subsequent to the modifying, and changing the display of other one of the first and second content which the user is not determined to be looking at such as to reduce its visibility relative to the content that the user is determined to be looking at.