Wearable Gaze-Based Notification Overlay for AR Context Awareness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices lack effective methods to provide notification information based on a user's gaze direction, particularly in wearable devices like AR and VR glasses, which limits their ability to enhance user interaction and context awareness.

Innovation Solution

A wearable device equipped with sensors and processors that identify a user's gaze direction and context, allowing it to superimpose visual objects on objects within or outside the field of view, and vehicles that communicate with these devices to provide notifications based on the user's field of view and gaze information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If notification information is displayed using traditional methods (e.g., screen, speaker), then the notification can be perceived by the user, but the user must actively look at or listen to the device, diverting attention from the surrounding environment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interactionVSAvoidcontext awareness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system serves itself by automatically detecting the user's gaze direction through the wearable device and autonomously determining the optimal display location without user input. The system monitors gaze position and dynamically adjusts notification placement to match user attention, eliminating the need for manual configuration while maintaining high contextual relevance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical display mechanisms (fixed screen position, audible alerts) with an optical field-based system that projects notifications at gaze-directed locations in the user's visual field. This substitution allows notifications to be delivered precisely where the user is looking, enhancing contextual awareness without requiring active device interaction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Area of stationary object

If the wearable device displays all notification information within its limited field of view, then the user can see all notifications, but important notifications outside the field of view cannot be displayed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay areaVSAvoidnotification coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from two-dimensional display constraints (fixed screen or head-mounted display) to three-dimensional spatial placement by utilizing the user's gaze direction as a dynamic positioning dimension. Notifications are projected at locations in the user's visual field corresponding to their gaze direction, effectively expanding the display area beyond the physical device boundaries into the user's attentional space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The user's gaze direction serves as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the limited physical display area of the wearable device with the need to display comprehensive notification information. By monitoring gaze position, the system dynamically determines which notifications should be displayed at which locations in the user's visual field, ensuring complete notification coverage while respecting the device's physical constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system displays visual objects superimposed on objects within the field of view, then the notification is contextually relevant, but the display complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontext awarenessVSAvoiddisplay processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary processing by pre-identifying objects and their locations in the environment before displaying notifications. Object detection and recognition are performed in advance, allowing the system to quickly determine appropriate superimposition locations when notifications need to be displayed. This preliminary action reduces real-time processing complexity while maintaining high contextual relevance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than uniformly processing the entire display area, the system applies local quality by focusing computational resources on specific regions where objects are detected and where notifications need to be superimposed. The gaze direction information further refines this local processing, concentrating computational effort on the specific spatial region where the user is looking, thereby reducing overall display processing complexity while maintaining high contextual awareness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4657208A1Electronic device and method for providing notification information based on gaze of user
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP4657208A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4657208A1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4657208A1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

This wearable device may comprise: a display; a sensor; a communication circuit; a memory storing instructions; and at least one processor. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions can cause the wearable device to: identify, on the basis of information obtained through the sensor and the communication circuit, a context, which indicates the situation of a user, and the location of an object, which is related to the context; display, on the basis of identifying that the object is located in a first area within an FoV area of the wearable device, a first visual object overlapping the edge of the object; flicker and display the first visual object on the basis of identifying that the object is located within a second area of the FoV area; and, on the basis of identifying that the object is located outside the FoV area, display, within the FoV area, a second visual object indicating the object.