VR Interruption Detection via Visual Notification Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality gaming systems fail to effectively notify users of real-world interruptions, such as sounds from appliances or doorbells, which can disrupt the immersive experience and require attention, potentially leading to missed important events.
Innovation Solution
A system that monitors for real-world interruptions, detects their occurrence, and provides customizable in-game reactions to notify the user within the virtual environment, allowing users to assign importance levels and receive notifications without leaving the game, while also enabling seamless transition to address real-world issues without affecting multiplayer games.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual reality systems block out real-world images and sounds to provide immersion, then the immersive experience is improved, but the user's awareness of real-world interruptions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that captures real-world sounds and translates them into visual notifications within the virtual reality environment. This mediator allows the user to perceive real-world interruptions without breaking the immersive visual barrier, resolving the contradiction between maintaining immersion and staying aware of external events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the traditional acoustic notification mechanism with a visual display mechanism. Instead of allowing real-world sounds to directly alert the user (which would compete with virtual audio), the system converts these sounds into visual representations that can be perceived through the VR display, maintaining audio immersion while providing interruption awareness.
2Loss of information
If the system provides notifications for real-world interruptions, then awareness of external events is improved, but the immersive experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system applies local quality by providing interruption alerts in specific, localized areas of the virtual display rather than using full-screen or pervasive notifications. This allows users to perceive important external events while maintaining the overall immersive environment, as the notifications occupy only a portion of the user's visual attention.
3Loss of information
If the system monitors and detects all external interruptions, then completeness of notification is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by using a single VR display device to perform multiple functions: maintaining the immersive virtual environment, displaying game content, and simultaneously presenting real-world interruption notifications. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate notification devices, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure describes methods and systems directed towards the generation of various in-game reactions based on different types of interruptions that may occur in the real-world. The present invention is able to monitor and detect when the various interruptions in the real-world occur. Based on the type and assigned importance of the interruption, a corresponding in-game reaction can be provided to the user to inform the user of the interruption. Depending on the importance of the real-world interruption, instructions can also be generated for the user device associated with the game. These instructions can allow the user to step away from the game without causing an interruption with other players playing within the same game.