VR Environment Transition and Real-World Obstacle Warning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of virtual reality (VR) systems experience disorientation and safety hazards due to abrupt transitions from real-world environments to VR environments, as existing methods like pass-through cameras cause depth-of-field issues and hinder awareness of real-world objects.
Innovation Solution
The system detects the proximity of real-world physical objects to a head-mounted display (HMD) and renders virtual representations of these objects, transitioning smoothly from a replicated real-world environment to a VR environment, and alerts users of potential collisions through virtual representations while immersed in VR.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pass-through camera is used to display the real-world environment on the HMD, then the user's transition from real environment to VR environment is facilitated, but depth-of-field issues and user disorientation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a replicated environment that copies the visual appearance of the real-world scene captured by cameras, but presents it as a fully rendered virtual environment rather than a direct camera feed. This allows the user to see a realistic representation of their surroundings without the depth-of-field limitations of camera footage, enabling smooth transition while maintaining depth perception accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary replicated environment between the real-world camera footage and the final VR environment. This replicated environment serves as a transitional medium that provides realistic visual cues of the real-world scene while allowing for corrected depth perception, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of transition smoothness and depth accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the HMD displays an entirely virtual environment, then immersion is achieved, but user awareness of real-world objects is hindered creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by detecting real-world objects and pre-rendering their virtual representations into the VR environment before the user potentially encounters them. This allows the user to maintain immersion in the virtual environment while still having awareness of real-world objects through the rendered representations, preventing safety hazards without breaking immersion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the virtual VR environment with rendered representations of real-world objects into a single integrated display. This combination allows the user to experience full immersion in the virtual environment while simultaneously maintaining awareness of real-world objects through the integrated representations, resolving the contradiction between immersion quality and real-world awareness.
3Reliability
If a replicated environment is rendered before transitioning to VR, then user disorientation is reduced, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the rendering process into distinct phases: first rendering a replicated environment based on captured real-world imagery, then transitioning to the full VR environment. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by breaking down the rendering task into manageable stages, reducing user disorientation during transition while controlling overall system complexity through structured processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Optimizations are provided for facilitating an improved transition between a real-world environment and a virtual reality environment. Initially, use of a HMD is detected and one or more real-world physical objects within a threshold proximity to the HMD are identified. Subsequently, a replicated environment, which includes virtual representations of the real-world physical object(s), is obtained and rendered in a virtual reality display. The replicated environment is transitioned out of view and a VR environment is subsequently rendered in the virtual reality display. In some instances, rendering of virtual representations of real-world physical objects into the VR environment occurs is response to detected triggering event.