Virtual Reality HMD Controller Location and Boundary Warning System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users wearing head-mounted displays (HMDs) in virtual reality environments face challenges in locating and interacting with physical controllers and maintaining awareness of their physical surroundings, leading to difficulties in picking up controllers and avoiding collisions with physical objects.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses a processor to generate virtual representations of physical controllers and base stations within the virtual world, allowing users to locate and pick up controllers visually and provides visual warnings when approaching boundaries to avoid physical obstacles, by tracking the position and orientation of the HMD and controllers using various tracking technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user wears an HMD to immerse themselves in a virtual world, then the virtual reality experience is enhanced, but the user cannot see physical objects and controllers in the real world
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual copies of physical objects and controllers within the virtual reality environment. These virtual representations mirror the physical objects' locations and appearances, allowing users to navigate and interact with the virtual world while the system tracks and displays corresponding physical object positions through the HMD display.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a user cannot see the physical world while wearing an HMD, then the virtual reality experience is improved, but the user has difficulty locating and picking up physical controllers
Solution Approach 1:
The system displays virtual representations of physical controllers within the HMD's field of view, allowing users to locate and pick up physical controllers by sight in the virtual environment. The virtual controller positions correspond to actual physical controller locations, enabling intuitive navigation without removing the HMD.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously tracks the user's head position and orientation through the HMD, providing real-time visual feedback about the location of physical controllers and objects in the virtual environment. This feedback loop enables users to understand spatial relationships between virtual and physical objects, facilitating easier controller pickup.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a user cannot see physical objects while in virtual reality, then the immersive experience is enhanced, but the user may collide with physical objects in the real world
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual representations of physical objects and their locations within the virtual reality environment displayed through the HMD. These virtual copies provide visual information about the physical surroundings, enabling users to perceive spatial relationships and avoid collisions with real-world objects while maintaining immersion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous visual feedback through the HMD display showing the user's position relative to physical objects and boundaries in the real world. This feedback mechanism alerts users to potential collision risks and enables them to adjust their physical movements to avoid harmful interactions with the environment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus is disclosed for assisting a user, wearing a head mounted display (HMD) that covers a user's field of vision and has a tracker providing information regarding the position and orientation of the HMD, in locating a physical controller located on a physical base station. A processor causes the HMD to display a virtual world, including a virtual representation of the physical base station and physical controller along with a virtual hand that helps guide the user to the physical base station to allow the user to pick up the physical controller. Another embodiment allows an area in the physical world to be defined within which the user should remain, for example to avoid physical obstacles. The processor causes the HMD to display a warning, such as a virtual fence, to alert the user if the user approaches to within a preselected distance of the boundary.