Dynamic Digital Assistant Indicator Placement in XR

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Solution Overview

Problem

In extended reality environments, digital assistants' placement is not optimized, leading to inefficient user interaction due to inconsistent display locations, which can obscure important elements and require excessive user input to access the assistant.

Innovation Solution

A method where a digital assistant indicator is displayed at a user-preferred location if criteria are met, such as the user's current view, and defaults to a predetermined location if criteria are not satisfied, ensuring quick and accurate interaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the digital assistant indicator is displayed at a predetermined location, then the user interaction is simple and consistent, but it may obscure important elements in the XR environment and require excessive user input to access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interaction simplicityVSAvoidobscuring important elements
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The digital assistant indicator transitions from a static predetermined location to a dynamic placement system that adapts to the user's current view and context. The indicator is now positioned based on real-time analysis of the XR environment, user gaze direction, and contextual factors, allowing it to move between predetermined and optimized locations seamlessly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Different placement strategies are applied in different contexts within the XR environment. The system evaluates multiple factors including user view, important elements in the scene, and interaction context to determine the optimal placement location for the indicator in each specific situation, rather than using a single universal placement rule.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the digital assistant indicator is displayed at a user-preferred location, then visibility and accessibility are improved, but it requires more complex determination criteria and processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility and accessibilityVSAvoiddetermination criteria complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes a set of determination criteria and evaluation rules for digital assistant indicator placement before runtime. These criteria include user view analysis, important element detection, and context evaluation, which are prepared in advance to enable quick decision-making during actual interaction without requiring complex real-time computation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors user interaction patterns, gaze direction, and environmental context to provide feedback for optimizing indicator placement. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from user behavior and adjust placement strategies dynamically, improving visibility and accessibility while maintaining manageable complexity through iterative refinement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the digital assistant indicator position changes frequently, then it adapts to user needs, but it increases power consumption and processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplacement adaptabilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuously repositioning the digital assistant indicator, the system employs periodic updates based on significant changes in user view, context, or interaction state. The indicator position is recalculated at predetermined intervals or when specific triggering conditions are met, reducing unnecessary processing and power consumption while maintaining adequate adaptability to user needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4407414A1Digital assistant placement in extended reality
Publication Date: 2024.07.31 APPLE INC
  • EP4407414A1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4407414A1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4407414A1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

An example process includes: receiving a first input corresponding to a request to initiate a digital assistant; and in response to receiving the first input, initiating a first instance of a digital assistant session, including: in accordance with a determination that a set of display criteria is satisfied, displaying a digital assistant indicator at a first location in an extended reality (XR) environment; and in accordance with a determination that the set of display criteria is not satisfied, displaying the digital assistant indicator at a second location in the XR environment, wherein the second location is different from the first location.