Virtual World Position Tracking Using Adaptive Grid Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual world systems face challenges in efficiently transmitting avatar position information to clients, leading to high bandwidth usage and limitations in user interaction, such as difficulty in locating friends or finding quiet areas, due to the existing methods of determining which avatars to transmit positions for.
Innovation Solution
A virtual world system that determines grid resolution for reporting avatar position movement, generates high and low resolution position offset data, and selectively transmits bitcodes based on avatar proximity and population density, using run-length encoding for stationary avatars, to optimize bandwidth usage while ensuring all avatars' positions are visible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the server transmits position information for all avatars in the virtual world, then users can see all avatars and locate friends or crowded areas, but the bandwidth consumption becomes substantial
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by transmitting high-resolution position data for avatars in the near field (within 100-500 units) and low-resolution position data for avatars in the far field (beyond 500 units). This allows users to maintain accurate spatial awareness of nearby avatars while conserving bandwidth for distant avatars, resolving the contradiction between complete visibility and bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by adjusting the resolution of position data transmission based on the avatar's distance from the user's viewpoint. As avatars move between near and far fields, their transmission resolution dynamically changes. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain necessary visibility information while optimizing bandwidth usage according to actual spatial relationships.
2Loss of energy
If the server transmits position information only for the N nearest avatars, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but users cannot locate distant friends or find quiet areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the virtual world into near field and far field regions, applying different quality levels of position data transmission to each region. In the near field, high-resolution data ensures accurate avatar positioning for interaction. In the far field, low-resolution data provides sufficient information for users to locate distant friends and identify crowded areas, thus maintaining visibility while reducing bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transmits position information for all avatars in the virtual world, not just the N nearest ones. However, it applies partial action by using low-resolution transmission for far field avatars, which provides just enough information for users to locate distant friends and quiet areas without the full bandwidth cost of high-resolution transmission for all avatars.
3Measurement precision
If the server transmits high-resolution position data for all avatars, then accurate position tracking is maintained, but the bandwidth required becomes substantial
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different resolution qualities of position data to different spatial regions. High-resolution position tracking (e.g., 10-50 unit precision) is maintained for avatars in the near field where accurate positioning is critical for interaction. For avatars in the far field, lower resolution tracking (e.g., 50-100 unit precision) is sufficient for general location awareness, significantly reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining adequate tracking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts position data resolution based on the avatar's distance from the user. When an avatar enters the near field, its position data transitions to high-resolution transmission. When it moves to the far field, transmission switches to low-resolution mode. This dynamic adjustment maintains measurement precision where needed while optimizing bandwidth consumption overall.
Data Source
AI summary
Positions of avatars in a virtual world may be communicated to clients using multiple bitcode resolutions to minimize required communication bandwidth between a virtual world server and virtual world clients, thereby allowing transmission of all avatars' positions to every other player. Lower resolution bitcodes may be based on a lower resolution grid overlaid on the virtual world, whereas higher resolution bitcodes may be based on a higher resolution grid overlaid on the virtual world. In one example, a virtual world server may determine the bitcode resolution to use based on a distance between an avatar to which the position information is to be sent and other avatars in the virtual world. Resolution may include spatial resolution, where nearer avatars' locations are provided with higher resolution bitcodes, or temporal resolution, where the transmission frequency of position information is greater for nearer avatars. Position information in a transmission stream may further be condensed by using run length encoding.