VR Safety Bounding Box Using Camera-Based Opacity Transition

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional VR systems often cause users wearing head-mounted displays (HMDs) to unintentionally collide with real-world objects while moving, degrading the user experience due to the lack of spatial awareness within the virtual environment.

Innovation Solution

A VR system that uses an input component, such as a camera, to capture real-world image data and define a bounding box around the user, allowing safe movement within a virtual environment by transitioning from full virtual world opacity to real-world opacity as the user approaches the boundary, providing warnings and notifications to prevent collisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the user moves around in the virtual environment while wearing an HMD, then the user experience and immersion in the virtual environment is improved, but the user may collide with real-world objects and hurt himself/herself

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser mobility in virtual environmentVSAvoidcollision with real-world objects

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a bounding box as an intermediary safety mechanism between the user and the real-world environment. The bounding box is defined by boundary indicators in the real world that the user can see through the HMD, creating a virtual boundary that prevents collision with real objects while allowing free movement within the safe region.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides continuous visual feedback to the user through the HMD display, showing the bounding box boundaries and the user's position relative to them. This feedback loop allows the user to adjust their movement to stay within the safe region, preventing collisions while maintaining immersion in the virtual environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If the virtual world is displayed with full opacity to maintain immersion, then the user experience is improved, but the user loses awareness of the real-world environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimmersion in virtual environmentVSAvoidawareness of real-world environment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different opacity levels to different regions of the virtual environment. The safe region within the bounding box displays the virtual world with full opacity to maintain immersion, while the warning region and areas outside the bounding box show reduced opacity or real-world camera feed, providing contextual awareness of the real environment when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10416837B2Virtual reality safety bounding box

Publication Date: 2019.09.17 META PLATFORMS INC

AI summary

A virtual reality (VR) system identifies a bounding box including a safe region. The bounding box encloses an area that allows a user wearing a head mounted display (HMD) to safely view content of a virtual world. The VR system identifies the user's location relative to the bounding box and tracks the user's location. When it is determined that the user is located outside the safe region of the bounding box, the VR system can modify what is presented to the user via the HMD, can warn the user, and/or can suggest that the user move back to the safe region.