Head-Worn Image Display Input with Touch Regions and Haptic Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current optical systems in mixed reality (MR) devices, such as head-worn displays, struggle with effectively integrating user input methods that enhance immersion and interaction with virtual content, particularly in augmented reality (AR) scenarios where real-world and virtual objects are concurrently viewed.

Innovation Solution

A processing unit in the head-worn image display device assigns a specific area of the screen to sense finger-actions, generating electronic signals to change displayed content based on user interactions, including haptic feedback mechanisms to enhance user interaction and immersion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a head-worn image display device uses traditional input methods (buttons, controllers), then device complexity is reduced, but user interaction and immersion in virtual content are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interactionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the display screen with touch-sensitive capabilities, merging the output interface with the input interface. The screen serves dual purposes: displaying visual content and detecting finger actions through integrated sensors, thereby improving user interaction without adding separate input devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The display device provides input capabilities through its own screen, eliminating the need for external controllers or buttons. The screen itself becomes the input device by detecting finger actions directly on its surface, allowing the device to serve its own input needs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If the entire screen is used for display, then display area is maximized, but finger-action sensing capability is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefinger-action sensingVSAvoiddisplay area
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by making only specific regions of the screen touch-sensitive while other regions remain dedicated to display. This allows different areas of the screen to have different functions: some areas for finger-action detection and others for uninterrupted visual content display

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The screen is segmented into multiple functional zones: touch-sensitive regions for detecting finger actions and non-touch regions for pure display. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously maintain display area and input capability by dividing the screen's functionality across different spatial regions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4325438B1Methods and apparatuses for providing input for head-worn image display devices
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 MAGIC LEAP INC
  • EP4325438B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4325438B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4325438B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An apparatus (200) comprising a touch-sensitive display (202); a feedback component; and one or more processors (204) that are operatively coupled to the touch-sensitive display (202) and the feedback component and are communicatively coupled to a wearable device, the one or more processors configured to: receive, from the wearable device, data indicating whether a user of the wearable device is viewing the touch-sensitive display (202) or not; and based on the data, switch between: (i) a first mode in which the one or more processors (204) are configured to present a user interface (206, 210) on the touch-sensitive display (202), and (ii) a second mode in which the one or more processors (204) are configured to convey one or more portions (230) of the user interface (206, 210) to the user via the feedback component.