3D VR Video Conferencing Layout for Multi-Participant Focus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional video conference systems often present participants as individual tiles on a screen, leading to confusion and rapid loss of concentration, especially when the number of participants is large or the focus shifts between speakers.
Innovation Solution
Reproduce videos of multiple participants on spatially arranged video reproduction areas or spaces within a three-dimensional virtual reality environment, allowing users to adjust their viewpoint and viewing direction, mimicking a real-world conference setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If videos of multiple participants are arranged as individual tiles on a screen, then all participants can be displayed, but user concentration is lost rapidly and the experience becomes confusing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional flat tile arrangement to a three-dimensional spatial virtual reality environment. Video reproduction areas are positioned in 3D space with depth, width, and height dimensions, allowing participants to be arranged naturally as if sitting around a table. This dimensional change enables users to focus on specific participants by directing their gaze in different directions while maintaining awareness of all participants, thus solving the contradiction between displaying multiple participants and maintaining user concentration.
2Quantity of substance
If the number of participants is large, then more people can join the conference, but some participants are not presented or perception changes depending on the current speaker
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging video reproduction areas in a three-dimensional virtual reality space, the system can accommodate a large number of participants without occluding any views. The spatial distribution allows all participant videos to be simultaneously visible from the observer's viewpoint, eliminating the need to hide participants when the group size increases. The 3D environment provides sufficient spatial volume to position multiple video areas without overlap or obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different spatial positions and orientations for different video reproduction areas within the 3D environment. Each participant's video is placed at a specific location with appropriate orientation, creating localized viewing zones. This allows the observer to naturally focus on different participants by looking in different directions, ensuring all participants remain visible and accessible without forcing a single perception mode.
3Adaptability or versatility
If videos are arranged in a planar seminar room layout, then fixed seats are provided, but the arrangement remains two-dimensional and lacks realism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances the fixed seat arrangement by positioning video reproduction areas in a three-dimensional virtual reality space that mimics a real conference room with a round table. The observer can be positioned at a fixed viewpoint while video areas are distributed in 3D space around the table, creating a realistic spatial arrangement that provides both structure and natural interaction. This allows participants to be arranged in a circular pattern that feels more authentic than a flat grid layout.
Data Source
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AI summary
A Video conference apparatus (100) is configured to reproduce videos (110a, 110b) of a plurality of video conference participants on a plurality of video reproduction areas (120a, 120b; 220a-220c; 420a-420d; 470a-470h) or video reproduction spaces that are arranged in a spatial virtual reality environment (120; 200;300;400;450). The video conference apparatus is configured to render the spatial virtual reality environment (120; 200;300;400;450) with the video reproduction areas (120a, 120b; 220a-220c; 420a-420d; 470a-470h) or video reproduction spaces to a total image (112) for a single video conference participant. A video conference method and a computer program are also disclosed.