VR Headset Notification System for Real-World Event Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality headsets reduce users' awareness of real-world environmental events, such as hazardous conditions and non-hazardous occurrences, which can compromise safety and convenience, as they block perception of traditional notification methods like sirens and doorbells.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that use a processor to communicate an audiovisual feed to VR headsets, interrupting or overlaying it with alert signals from a monitoring system to notify users of events like smoke, intruders, or phone calls, allowing for hazardous alerts to replace the feed and non-hazardous alerts to overlay on it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a VR headset occludes the user's real-world environment to provide immersive A/V experience, then entertainment quality is improved, but safety notification capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a notification system that acts as an intermediary between the monitoring system and the VR headset. This intermediary translates traditional notification signals (sirens, doorbells) into visual or auditory notifications that can be delivered through the VR headset's display or audio output, thereby bridging the gap between the occluded real-world environment and the user's perception needs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical notification devices (sirens, horns, buzzers, strobes) with a software-based notification system that delivers alerts through the VR headset's existing A/V components. This substitution eliminates the need for separate notification hardware while ensuring notifications reach users immersed in VR
2Ease of operation
If a VR headset blocks traditional notification signals to maintain immersion, then user experience is improved, but hazard awareness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the type of event detected. For hazardous events (fire, carbon monoxide, intrusion), it provides prominent notifications that may interrupt the immersive experience. For non-hazardous events (doorbell, phone call), it provides subtle notifications that preserve immersion. This dynamic response ensures hazard awareness while maintaining ease of operation for normal use
3Reliability
If a VR headset eliminates perception of non-hazardous events to maintain immersion, then entertainment quality is improved, but convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system applies different notification strategies to different types of events based on their local characteristics. Hazardous events receive prominent, interruptive notifications, while non-hazardous events receive subtle, non-interruptive notifications. This localized quality control ensures entertainment quality is maintained for normal use while convenience is preserved for important non-hazardous events
Data Source
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AI summary
A notification system for virtual reality devices that includes a message indicator device, an audiovisual (A/V) signal source connected to the message indicator device and adapted provide an A/V feed containing at least one of video information and audio information, a monitoring system connected to the message indicator device and configured to detect notification events at a monitored premises, and a virtual reality (VR) headset connected to the message indicator device and adapted to receive and present the A/V feed, wherein the message indicator device is adapted to communicate the A/V feed to the VR headset during a normal operating state, and wherein the message indicator device is adapted to communicate an alert signal to the VR headset upon detection of a notification event by the monitoring system.