Gaze-Depth UI Adaptation for Precise VR and AR Focus
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), determining a user's gaze direction alone may not be indicative of the item at which the user is looking, especially when multiple items are at different actual or perceived depths, leading to suboptimal user interaction.
Innovation Solution
Perform eye tracking to detect gaze depth, and modify a user interface responsive to changes in the gaze depth, including adjusting the transparency, size, position, or content based on the detected gaze depth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If gaze direction alone is used to determine user interaction target, then the system is simple to operate, but the system cannot accurately identify the intended item when multiple items are at different depths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends gaze detection from two-dimensional direction alone to three-dimensional space by incorporating depth information. The eye tracking system now measures not only the angular direction of gaze but also the distance to the focal point, adding a depth dimension that enables precise identification of which item the user is looking at when multiple items exist at different distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or manual methods of indicating gaze target (such as cursors or selection buttons) with optical-based eye tracking technology. By using corneal reflection detection and pupil analysis, the system optically determines both gaze direction and depth, eliminating the need for physical interaction devices.
2Ease of operation
If the user interface remains constantly prominent, then the user can always see UI elements, but the user experience deteriorates when the user is looking at distant virtual or real-world objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the user interface dynamic by continuously adjusting its visual prominence based on real-time eye tracking data. When the system detects that the user is gazing at distant objects (either virtual content or real-world objects in AR), it automatically reduces UI prominence through transparency changes, scaling, or repositioning. This dynamic adaptation ensures the UI is visible when needed but does not obstruct the user's view when they are examining distant objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes multiple visual parameters of the UI elements in response to gaze depth detection. These parameters include transparency (alpha value), size (scale factor), position (spatial coordinates), and potentially color intensity. By adjusting these parameters based on the detected gaze depth, the system optimizes the balance between UI visibility and minimal obstruction of the user's field of view.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user interaction by ensuring the user interface (UI) is more prominent when the user is focused on items closer and less prominent when focused on items further away, improving the user's experience in VR and AR environments.
Implementation Method 1
The term 'depth' here refers to how far from the human a point of convergence for the human's left and right eyes is
Data Source
AI summary
In virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), eye tracking may be performed to determine the user's gaze direction. The gaze direction may be used to enhance user interaction. However, when a user gazes in a particular direction, it could sometimes be the case that there are multiple items located in that gaze direction, each at a different depth. The gaze of direction alone might not be indicative of the item at which the user is looking. Therefore, in some embodiments, to try to further enhance user interaction, a gaze depth of the gaze may be determined. Some embodiments are directed to performing eye tracking to detect a gaze depth of a human's gaze and modifying a user interface (UI) responsive to a change in the gaze depth.