Remote Virtual View System for Structural Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Structures often face challenges with windows as they are a structural weakness, increase construction costs, and provide limited views that can be affected by location and environmental factors, making them impractical or impossible in certain areas, leading to a confined feel for occupants.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising cameras positioned to capture exterior images, a distribution device to transmit these images to display devices inside the structure, and a controller for managing the virtual view, allowing for the creation of a remote virtual view that can simulate diurnal cycles and provide views to multiple occupants regardless of their location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical windows are installed in a structure, then occupants can see outside the structure, but the structural integrity is weakened and construction costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cameras to capture external views and displays them on screens, creating a visual copy of the outside environment. This allows occupants to see outside without physical windows, maintaining structural integrity while providing viewing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical windows with an electronic system consisting of cameras, processors, and display screens. This substitution eliminates the need for structural openings while maintaining the viewing function.
2Ease of operation
If physical windows are installed in a structure, then occupants can see outside the structure, but construction costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy of external scenery through cameras and display screens, eliminating the need for expensive physical window installations while maintaining the viewing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes expensive mechanical window structures with more cost-effective electronic display systems, reducing construction costs while maintaining viewing capability.
3Ease of operation
If windows are placed in specific locations within a structure, then occupants can see outside, but the view is limited by the window's physical location and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the viewing system universal by allowing any occupant at any location within the structure to access external views through multiple display screens connected to cameras positioned outside, eliminating location-based viewing limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a digital dimension to viewing by transmitting visual information electronically throughout the structure, allowing views to be accessed in multiple locations simultaneously rather than being constrained to single physical window positions.
4Strength
If no windows are installed in certain areas of a structure, then structural integrity is maintained, but the structure feels small and confining to occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates visual copies of external environments through display screens positioned throughout the structure, providing occupants with a sense of openness and connection to the outside world without compromising structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for providing remote virtual views to an occupant of a structure are disclosed. In one example, a method includes capturing, by a plurality of cameras, images external to a structure. A distribution device receives images from the plurality of cameras. The distribution device selectively transmits the images to at least one display device within the structure. The at least on display device receives the images and displays the images on an interior surface of the structure.