Mixed Reality UI Visibility Management via Sensor Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mixed reality environments face challenges in efficiently displaying and navigating user interface elements, particularly in maintaining visibility and usability while minimizing visual obstruction and processing overhead.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for displaying user interface elements in mixed reality environments, utilizing a Mixed Reality-UI module that receives sensor data to determine the position, orientation, and velocity of a head-mounted display, and adjusts the display of UI elements based on distance, angle, and velocity thresholds, ensuring they remain visible within the user's field of view without persistent obstruction, and allowing for spatial scrolling through menus using hand gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If UI elements are continuously displayed in mixed reality environments, then user interface functionality is maintained, but visual obstruction of the real environment increases and user visual fatigue worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The UI element display state is dynamically adjusted based on real-time detection of user gaze direction and field of view parameters. The system transitions UI elements between visible and hidden states according to whether they fall within the user's current field of view, creating a dynamic display behavior that adapts to user interaction patterns while minimizing unnecessary visual obstruction
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors sensor data including gaze direction, head position, and field of view parameters to provide feedback on user attention state. This feedback loop enables the system to intelligently determine when UI elements should be displayed or hidden, optimizing the balance between UI accessibility and environmental visibility based on actual user behavior patterns
2Adaptability or versatility
If UI elements are displayed at various distances from the user, then spatial navigation flexibility is improved, but determination of optimal display positions becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes multiple detectable parameters including distance from user, angle relative to user orientation, velocity of user movement, and field of view boundaries to determine UI element display states. By monitoring changes in these parameters over time, the system can intelligently adjust UI element positioning and visibility without requiring complex manual configuration, as the display behavior adapts automatically based on detected parameter thresholds
3Object-affected harmful factors
If UI elements are hidden when outside field of view, then visual fatigue is reduced, but user awareness of available UI functions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic detection cycles where sensor data is continuously monitored to determine when UI elements should transition between hidden and visible states. By using velocity thresholds and time-based criteria, the system ensures that UI elements are hidden during periods when the user is actively navigating (reducing visual fatigue) but automatically become visible again when the user slows down or stops (maintaining UI awareness), creating a rhythmic display pattern that balances both concerns
Data Source
AI summary
A method for improving a display of a user interface element in a mixed reality environment is disclosed. A request to display the user interface element is received. The request includes display instructions, angle threshold data, distance threshold data, and velocity threshold data. Display operations are continuously performed while sensor data is continuously received from a mixed reality user interface device. The display operations include displaying the user interface element according to the display instructions, and, based on the sensor data indicating a distance between the user interface element and the mixed reality user interface device in the mixed reality environment has exceeded a distance threshold or based on the sensor data indicating an angle of view of the mixed reality user interface device has exceeded an angle threshold with respect to the user interface element in the mixed reality environment, hiding the user interface element.