Electronic Gaming Machine AR Overlays Without Obscuring Game Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic gaming machines (EGMs) face challenges in integrating augmented reality (AR) systems efficiently, requiring significant programming effort and computing resources to support AR devices, which can obscure essential game elements and consume bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
The EGMs communicate with AR devices to define animation display locations and triggering events, offloading 3D rendering processing to the AR device or an AR controller, allowing AR graphics to be coordinated with EGM elements without obscuring critical game information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If AR systems are integrated into EGMs with full processing capabilities, then AR graphics quality and functionality are improved, but computational load and programming effort on EGMs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the 3D rendering processing function from the EGM and relocates it to the AR device. The EGM only transmits 2D game elements and screen location data, while the AR device performs all 3D rendering and AR graphic generation, significantly reducing the computational burden on the EGM.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces screen location data as an intermediary communication format between the EGM and AR device. This data structure defines available screen areas and coordinates, enabling the AR device to position AR graphics appropriately without requiring complex integration programming on the EGM side.
2Adaptability or versatility
If AR graphics are displayed over the entire display screen, then immersive experience is improved, but essential game elements become obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by defining specific screen areas (first screen area, second screen area, third screen area) with different properties. The first screen area displays essential game elements that must remain visible, while the second and third screen areas are available for AR graphics overlay, allowing AR content to be displayed without obscuring critical game information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the display screen into multiple functional areas: a first screen area for essential game elements that cannot be obscured, and second/third screen areas that are available for AR graphics. This segmentation allows the AR system to utilize available screen space while preserving visibility of critical game information.
3Ease of operation
If AR processing is performed on the EGM, then integration control is improved, but bandwidth consumption and resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computationally intensive 3D rendering processing from the EGM and transfers it to the AR device. The EGM only transmits minimal 2D game elements and screen location data, dramatically reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining integration control through the standardized screen location data protocol.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic gaming machine according to some embodiments includes a processing circuit, a display screen coupled to the processing circuit, and a transceiver coupled to the processing circuit and providing wireless communications with an augmented reality (AR) display device that is separate from the electronic gaming machine. The processing circuit displays a game element in a first screen area of the display screen, and transmits, via the transceiver, screen location data to the AR display device identifying a second screen area on the display screen, other than the first screen area, that is available for the AR display device to overlay AR graphics in a field of view of a user of the AR display device without overlaying the game element displayed in the first screen area of the display screen.