Virtual Window System Synthesizing Environment Feeds
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Solution Overview
Problem
People living in high-density population centers often lack access to aesthetically pleasing views, leading to feelings of depression and isolation, as they rarely see sunlight or natural environments, and there is a need for a solution to provide virtual windows that can display alternative views without the need for physical relocation.
Innovation Solution
A system that synthesizes virtual windows by receiving environment feeds, selecting and displaying video and non-video elements, adapting to user motion and interactions, and coordinating sensory outputs such as sound, smell, and lighting to create a simulated environment, which can be toggled between transparency and virtual displays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If virtual windows are implemented to provide alternative views, then user mood and well-being are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of desirable environments (beaches, forests, cities) and displays them through window surfaces. Instead of physically relocating users to experience pleasant views, the system synthesizes photorealistic copies of these environments and presents them through augmented reality displays integrated into window structures, thereby improving mood without requiring physical movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of augmented reality displays, processors, and environment feed receivers that mediate between the user and the external environment. This intermediary layer allows users to experience alternative views while remaining in their current physical location, resolving the contradiction between improving well-being and avoiding complex relocation infrastructure.
2Illumination intensity
If virtual windows display synthesized environments, then aesthetic appeal is improved, but transparency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of window transparency, allowing the virtual environment display to be adjusted based on user preferences and contextual conditions. The window can transition between transparent and opaque states, or display virtual environments at varying opacity levels, enabling users to balance the need for natural light and view with the desire for aesthetic enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the window system to perform multiple functions: it can act as a traditional transparent window, display photorealistic virtual environments, or operate in hybrid modes where virtual elements are overlaid on real views. This multi-functionality allows the same physical structure to satisfy both transparency requirements and aesthetic enhancement desires.
3Adaptability or versatility
If environment feeds are processed in real-time, then adaptability is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-processes environment feeds by capturing, storing, and organizing visual data from various locations before real-time display. By having environment feeds already captured and organized in advance, the system reduces the computational burden during real-time operation, needing only to retrieve and display pre-processed content rather than performing intensive real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and stores copies of environment feeds from multiple locations and conditions. These pre-captured copies can be directly displayed without extensive real-time processing, allowing the system to adapt to user preferences by selecting from pre-existing copies rather than generating new content in real-time, thereby reducing energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable media for synthesizing a virtual window. The method includes receiving an environment feed, selecting video elements of the environment feed, displaying the selected video elements on a virtual window in a window casing, selecting non-video elements of the environment feed, and outputting the selected non-video elements coordinated with the displayed video elements. Environment feeds can include synthetic and natural elements. The method can further toggle the virtual window between displaying the selected elements and being transparent. The method can track user motion and adapt the displayed selected elements on the virtual window based on the tracked user motion. The method can further detect a user in close proximity to the virtual window, receive an interaction from the detected user, and adapt the displayed selected elements on the virtual window based on the received interaction.