VR Headset Sensor Overlay for Real-World Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality headset users are unable to perceive real-world objects while immersed in virtual environments, leading to potential collisions with physical objects or individuals.
Innovation Solution
Integration of sensors within the VR headset to detect nearby objects, with a controller generating visual and audible notifications on the virtual reality screen to indicate the direction, distance, and movement of detected objects, using glowing regions and adjustable audio frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a VR headset projects immersive 3D images of a virtual world, then the user experiences realistic virtual environments, but the user cannot see real world objects and may collide with them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices that detect real-world objects and translate their positions into visual representations within the virtual reality environment. These sensors act as mediators between the physical world and the virtual world, allowing the VR system to perceive and communicate real-world object locations to the user through the virtual display
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies or representations of real-world objects within the virtual reality environment. By generating virtual indicators that correspond to detected real-world objects, the system provides the user with information about the physical environment without breaking immersion, effectively copying essential spatial information into the virtual domain
2Reliability
If the user removes the VR headset or activates camera view to see real world objects, then the user can avoid collisions, but the user loses immersion in the virtual environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent overlays information from the physical world into the virtual world's visual dimension. By integrating sensor data about real-world objects directly into the virtual reality display, the system adds a new layer of spatial information that allows users to perceive both virtual and real elements simultaneously within the same visual dimension, eliminating the need to switch between modes
3Loss of information
If sensors are integrated into the VR headset to detect real world objects, then the user receives notifications of objects in the virtual environment, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the VR headset multi-functional by integrating sensors that serve dual purposes: detecting real-world objects for safety purposes and providing spatial awareness enhancement. The same sensor system that detects objects can also potentially track user movement or environmental features, allowing the hardware to perform multiple functions and justifying the increased complexity through enhanced versatility
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual reality apparatus comprising: i) a plurality of sensors for detecting objects in the vicinity of a user of the virtual reality apparatus; and ii) a controller coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to determine that an object has been detected. The controller determines a direction of the detected object with respect to the user. The controller generates a glowing region in a virtual reality image being viewed by the user. The location of the glowing region in the virtual reality image notifies the user of the direction of the detected object. The controller generates an audible notification in response to detection of the detected object and determines a distance of the detected object with respect to the user.