Gaze-Adaptive Maintenance Display for Missed Critical Regions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for maintenance management in plants lack effective methods to draw user attention to critical regions on a display screen, particularly when abnormalities occur, and fail to adapt display modes based on user visual focus.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that include a determination unit to identify attention-requiring regions, a detection unit to track user visual lines, and a display control unit to change the display mode of these regions if they are not viewed by the user, ensuring attention is drawn to critical data and abnormalities are promptly addressed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the display screen shows all maintenance data in a fixed mode, then all information is available to the user, but critical regions may be overlooked when the user's visual focus is elsewhere

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattention to critical regionsVSAvoiddisplay control mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The display control unit dynamically changes the display mode of the first region based on real-time detection of the user's visual line. When the visual line detection unit determines the user is not viewing the first region, the display control unit automatically adjusts its display mode (e.g., highlighting, enlarging, or changing color) to draw attention. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the display system responsive to user attention state without requiring complex manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback loop where the visual line detection unit continuously monitors user gaze, and this information feeds back to the display control unit which adjusts the display mode accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures critical regions receive appropriate attention while maintaining system simplicity through automated control based on user state.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the display mode changes frequently to attract attention, then critical regions are more likely to be noticed, but user distraction and information overload may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection of user attentionVSAvoiduser distraction

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The display control unit applies display mode changes selectively only to the first region (critical region) rather than the entire display screen. When the visual line detection unit determines the user is not viewing this specific region, only that region's display mode is changed (e.g., through local highlighting or border emphasis). This localized approach ensures critical information receives attention while minimizing overall display changes that could cause user distraction or information overload.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11635811B2Apparatus, method and storage medium to provide maintenance management with altered display based on a user's visual line

Publication Date: 2023.04.25 YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORP

AI summary

Provided is an apparatus comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a first region to be viewed by a user in a display screen; a detection unit configured to detect a user's visual line; and a display control unit configured to change a display mode of the first region in response to the first region being not viewed.