Virtual Universe Area Collapsing for Resource Conservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Virtual universe systems face significant challenges in conserving computing resources due to the high demand for processing and rendering complex graphics and interactions, leading to performance issues and resource overload.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a virtual resource conserver that detects resource usage indicators, selects areas for coalescing and collapsing, and reduces the display quality of virtual objects and areas by adjusting refresh rates, sparkle rates, and data transfer rates, while reallocating resources to maintain performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If the virtual universe maintains high display quality and rendering fidelity for all areas, then user experience and visual quality are improved, but computing resource consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay qualityVSAvoidcomputing resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating display quality across different spatial regions. High-quality rendering is applied only to areas containing users or significant events, while low-quality or collapsed rendering is applied to empty or less important areas. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high display quality where needed while reducing computing resource consumption in other regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of display quality based on real-time conditions. Areas are dynamically collapsed or expanded based on user presence, activity levels, and importance. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain high quality when necessary while conserving resources during idle periods, resolving the static contradiction between constant high quality and resource conservation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Manufacturing precision

If all areas of the virtual universe are rendered and maintained at full resolution, then visual fidelity is improved, but system performance and responsiveness deteriorate due to resource overload

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual fidelityVSAvoidsystem performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes unnecessary rendering from empty or low-priority areas through the collapsing mechanism. By taking out the rendering burden from areas that don't require full visual fidelity, the system maintains high visual fidelity in important areas while improving overall system performance and responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the virtual universe expands to include more areas and objects, then functionality and user engagement are improved, but computing resource requirements increase exponentially

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidcomputing resource requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the virtual universe into distinct areas with different rendering priorities. By dividing the large-scale environment into manageable zones, the system can maintain high functionality across the entire universe while applying computing resources selectively to individual segments, preventing exponential resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If multiple computing resources are allocated to each area to ensure performance, then area performance is improved, but overall resource utilization efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearea performanceVSAvoidresource utilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple computing resources that were previously dedicated to individual empty areas into a consolidated resource pool. By combining these resources and allocating them dynamically to areas that need them, the system maintains area performance where necessary while significantly improving overall resource utilization efficiency and reducing wasted resource allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9286731B2Collapsing areas of a region in a virtual universe to conserve computing resources

Publication Date: 2016.03.15 ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC

AI summary

Described herein are processes and devices that coalesced and/or collapse areas in a region of a virtual universe to conserve computing resources. Some embodiments are directed to detecting an indication to reduce usage of a computing resource in the virtual universe and, in response, determining the first area of the virtual universe for coalescing and collapsing into the second area of the virtual universe. In some embodiments, the first area comprises a plurality of virtual universe objects. Some embodiments are further directed to selecting a first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects for moving from the first area into the second area, coalescing the first set of the plurality of virtual universe objects into the second area from the first area, and, in response, collapsing the first area of the virtual universe.