Avatar Creation for External Participants in VR Meetings

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

There is no conventional method for allowing participants without a head-mounted display to join a virtual meeting in a VR environment, as existing VR applications do not provide a suitable solution for inclusion in virtual meetings.

Innovation Solution

A method and system using a head-mounted display with a front camera and processor to detect external participants and create an avatar representing them within the virtual meeting, mapping their appearance characteristics to the avatar, enabling their presence and communication with other participants.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a virtual meeting is conducted in a VR environment using head-mounted displays, then the immersive experience and interaction quality are improved, but participants without head-mounted displays are excluded from joining the meeting

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinclusivity of virtual meetingVSAvoidrequirement for head-mounted display

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary device (mobile device or computer) that captures images of external participants and transmits them to the head-mounted display. This intermediary acts as a bridge between participants without VR equipment and the VR environment, allowing them to be represented through captured images while maintaining the immersive experience for VR users

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a visual copy of external participants by capturing their images through a camera and displaying these images on the head-mounted display. This copying mechanism allows participants without head-mounted displays to be represented in the virtual meeting space through their image copies, enabling their inclusion without requiring them to use VR equipment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If the system captures and processes images of external participants in real-time, then the representation accuracy and interaction quality are improved, but the computational load and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveappearance characteristic identification accuracyVSAvoidavatar creation and mapping time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and storing images of external participants before the virtual meeting begins. These pre-captured images are then readily available for quick retrieval and display during the meeting, eliminating the need for real-time image capture and processing during the actual meeting, thus reducing processing time while maintaining representation accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10924710B1Method for managing avatars in virtual meeting, head-mounted display, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Publication Date: 2021.02.16 HTC CORP

AI summary

The disclosure provides a method for managing a virtual meeting, a head-mounted display, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The method includes: detecting whether an external participant exists in an image capturing range of a front camera of the head-mounted display while the head-mounted display is participating the virtual meeting; in response to determining that the external participant existing in the image capturing range of the front camera of the head-mounted display, adding a specific avatar representing the external participant into the virtual meeting; identifying an appearance characteristic of the external participant; mapping the appearance characteristic of the external participant to an appearance of the specific avatar.