Eclipse Cursor Rendering for Occlusion-Free Mixed Reality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cursors in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality environments often occlude objects and distract users by emphasizing themselves over the target object, especially in 3D environments, leading to impaired user experience and difficulty in navigation and selection.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an eclipse cursor that moves behind target objects and uses focus indicators, such as halos or shading, to emphasize the objects, providing visual cues and maintaining user attention on the target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional cursor is rendered in front of objects in the environment, then the cursor is visible and provides clear positional feedback to the user, but the cursor occludes the target object and places excessive emphasis on the cursor itself rather than the target object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cursor rendering approach by placing the cursor behind the target object instead of in front. This inversion resolves the occlusion problem while maintaining cursor visibility through alternative means (focus indicators). The cursor remains functionally visible to the user through its effect on the target object rather than direct visual presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces focus indicators (halos, shading, highlighting) as intermediary visual elements that mediate between the cursor and the target object. These indicators provide positional feedback to the user without requiring the cursor itself to be visible in front of the object, thus resolving the contradiction between cursor visibility and object occlusion.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional cursor is rendered prominently to provide clear positional feedback, then navigation guidance is improved, but the cursor distracts the user by emphasizing itself over the environment's content
Solution Approach 1:
Focus indicators serve as intermediary elements that provide navigation guidance without causing user distraction. These indicators are subtler than conventional cursors and draw attention to the target object rather than the cursor itself, maintaining ease of operation while eliminating the distracting effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color and luminance changes in focus indicators (halos, shading, highlighting) to provide subtle visual cues for navigation. These color-based indicators are less intrusive than conventional cursor designs and guide user attention to the target object without creating distraction, thereby improving ease of operation while reducing harmful distracting effects.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for displaying a cursor and a focus indicator associated with real or virtual objects in a virtual, augmented, or mixed reality environment by a wearable display device are disclosed. The system can determine a spatial relationship between a user-movable cursor and a target object within the environment. The system may render a focus indicator (e.g., a halo, shading, or highlighting) around or adjacent objects that are near the cursor. When the cursor overlaps with a target object, the system can render the object in front of the cursor (or not render the cursor at all), so the object is not occluded by the cursor. The object can be rendered closer to the user than the cursor. A group of virtual objects can be scrolled, and a virtual control panel can be displayed indicating objects that are upcoming in the scroll.