HMD Viewing Area Sharing for Real-Time Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-mounted displays (HMDs) and similar portable display devices limit real-time interaction and guidance from others, as users' views are not visible to others, hindering collaborative experiences in virtual reality and other applications.
Innovation Solution
An electronic system comprising a portable display device and a guiding device that communicate via wireless or wired connections, allowing the guiding device to receive information about the user's current viewing area and generate guidance information to assist the user, enabling real-time interaction and guidance through visual and auditory cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a head-mounted display is used to provide immersive visual experience, then the user can view images according to field of view, but other people cannot know what the user is watching and cannot provide real-time interaction or guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guiding device as an intermediary that receives viewing area information from the HMD via communication unit, processes this information to generate guidance information, and transmits it back to the HMD. This mediator enables real-time interaction without compromising the immersive visual experience, as the guiding device operates externally and processes information digitally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where the HMD's control unit generates viewing area information that is transmitted to the guiding device, which then generates guidance information based on this data and sends it back to the HMD's display unit. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables real-time interaction while preserving the immersive experience.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the HMD displays images according to field of view, then immersive virtual reality experience is achieved, but real-time interaction and guidance from others is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The HMD system is enhanced with multi-functionality by integrating both the original immersive display function and the new guidance reception function. The display unit not only shows virtual reality images according to field of view but also displays guidance information received from the guiding device, allowing the system to serve multiple purposes simultaneously without compromising either function.
3Ease of operation
If viewing area information is transmitted to enabling guidance, then real-time interaction is facilitated, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: the HMD with communication unit and control unit, and the separate guiding device with its own processing capabilities. This segmentation allows the guidance functionality to be added as a separate component rather than integrating it deeply into the HMD structure, thereby reducing the complexity increase while maintaining full interaction capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic system includes a portable display device, e.g. head mounted device HMD, and a guiding device, e.g. PDA. The HMD includes a first display unit for displaying images of scenes according to a first field of view, a control unit for generating information of a current viewing area of one of the images to be displayed on the first display unit and a first communication unit for outputting the information of the current viewing area. The PDA includes a second communication unit for receiving the information of the current viewing area from the portable display device and a processing unit for generating guidance information according to the information of the current viewing area. Wherein the second communication unit transmits the guidance information to the first communication unit, and accordingly the control unit performs a guidance task according to the guidance information; i.e. the HMD generates some graphical or textual information overlaid in the current view based on the guidance information received, thereby giving an indication where to move in order e.g. to see a certain location indicated to by the first person on the PDA.