HMD Notification Positioning via Obstacle Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Head-mounted display (HMD) devices struggle to ensure user safety and maintain virtual reality experiences when notification information is displayed, as users may interact with virtual notifications unaware of their surroundings, potentially leading to hazards and disruptions in the virtual environment.

Innovation Solution

The HMD device incorporates a recognition unit and controller that detect obstacles and display notification information in a way that minimizes disruption to the user's virtual reality experience by positioning it at a location that does not interfere with the user's awareness of physical surroundings, using virtual objects corresponding to detected obstacles to avoid disturbing the user's immersion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If notification information is displayed within the virtual space, then the user can receive notification information, but the user's virtual reality experience is disturbed and the user may interact with physical obstacles unaware of their surroundings

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification information deliveryVSAvoiduser safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that detects physical obstacles in the user's environment and uses this information to mediate the display of notification information. The controller checks obstacle detection results before displaying notifications, and adjusts notification display based on the presence and position of obstacles, thereby preventing users from interacting with physical objects while maintaining notification delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the user's environment through obstacle detection and using this real-time information to dynamically adjust notification display decisions. The controller receives feedback from obstacle detection results and modifies notification display behavior accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that prioritizes user safety while maintaining information delivery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of information

If notification information is displayed within the virtual space, then the user can receive notification information, but the user's virtual reality experience is disturbed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification information deliveryVSAvoidvirtual reality experience disturbance
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively displaying notification information in specific regions of the virtual space based on obstacle detection results. Rather than uniformly displaying all notifications, the system adjusts notification display location and visibility according to the detected obstacle positions, placing notifications in regions that do not interfere with the user's virtual reality experience or cause safety issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3179292B1Head-mounted display device and control method therefor
Publication Date: 2021.03.03 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3179292B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3179292B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3179292B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a head mounted display (HMD) capable of providing contents to a user in a state of being worn on his or her head, and may include a display unit configured to display a virtual reality image, a sensor configured to recognize objects around the HMD device, and a controller configured to display notification information associated with a preset event when the event occurs, wherein the controller detects an obstacle based on a distance between the HMD device and the recognized object among the recognized objects, and determines a position at which the notification information is displayed based on the detected obstacle.