Avatar Video Stream Budget Allocation in 3D Virtual Environments

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional videoconferencing technologies lack the social interaction and sense of presence that in-person meetings provide, especially as the number of participants increases, leading to limitations in seeing and hearing all participants and maintaining natural spacing.

Innovation Solution

A method for generating avatars in a three-dimensional virtual environment, where video streams from users are received at a server, and based on resource availability, a subset of these streams is selected and transmitted to client devices, allowing users to control the position and orientation of their avatars within the virtual environment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If all video streams from multiple participants are transmitted to enable seeing all participants, then the completeness of participant visibility is improved, but the network bandwidth consumption and server load increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipant visibility completenessVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system transmits video streams selectively based on local conditions at each client device. Each client receives a customized subset of video streams according to its computational resources, network conditions, and user preferences, rather than uniformly distributing all streams to all clients. This resolves the contradiction by adapting the completeness of participant visibility to local constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system transmits only a portion (subset) of available video streams to each client device based on its capabilities and needs. Clients can request additional streams if resources permit, but the base transmission is partial. This allows the system to maintain participant visibility while controlling bandwidth consumption by transmitting only necessary streams.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Adaptability or versatility

If video streams are transmitted to generate avatars with facial expressions, then the social interaction quality is improved, but the data transmission requirements and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesocial interaction qualityVSAvoidsystem processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transmits video streams that capture facial expressions and maps them onto avatar models. Instead of transmitting complex 3D animation data or processed expression metadata, the system uses direct video copying and mapping, which simplifies the transmission requirements while maintaining social interaction quality through realistic facial expressions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from traditional 2D video conferencing to 3D avatar-based interaction, adding a spatial dimension to social interaction. Avatars exist in a three-dimensional virtual environment, allowing users to interact spatially while maintaining facial expression visibility, thereby enhancing social interaction quality without proportionally increasing processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the virtual environment supports many participants with navigable avatars, then the sense of presence and social connection is improved, but the computational resources and server capacity requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesense of presenceVSAvoidserver computational resources

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables navigation and interaction for multiple participants but transmits video streams for only a subset of participants to each client based on proximity, relevance, and resource availability. This allows the virtual environment to support many participants while controlling server computational load by not rendering or transmitting data for all participants simultaneously to all clients.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the virtual environment into zones or regions, and selectively transmits video streams for participants in relevant zones. Clients receive video streams segmented by spatial proximity or interaction relevance, reducing overall server computational requirements while maintaining the sense of presence for participants in the user's current context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250046042A1Allocating a stream budget for transferring video to generate avatars in a three-dimensional virtual environment

Publication Date: 2025.02.06 KATMAI TECH INC

AI summary

In an aspect, a computer-implemented method allows for navigation in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment. In the method, data specifying a three-dimensional virtual space is received. A position and orientation in the three-dimensional virtual space is received. The position and orientation input by a first user and representing a first virtual camera used to render the three-dimensional virtual space to the first user. A video stream captured from a camera positioned to capture the first user is received. A second virtual camera is navigated according to an input of a second user.