Shared XR Room Mapping With Occlusion Masks for Remote Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing XR environments fail to effectively facilitate collaboration among remote and local users, lacking integration into workflows for remote workers and failing to replicate the in-person collaboration experience.
Innovation Solution
A system that maps a real-world room to create a shared XR environment, incorporating validation criteria and generating multiple versions (local and remote) with occlusion masks to mitigate rendering issues, allowing local users to interact with real-world representations and remote users to participate through avatars in a virtual room.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If video calling is used for remote communication, then communication can be maintained, but face-to-face interaction quality and body language understanding are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical office environment including furniture layout, walls, and objects. Remote users are represented as virtual avatars that move and interact within this copied space, preserving spatial relationships and non-verbal cues that are lost in traditional video calls
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D video call representations to a 3D virtual environment where users can move freely, gesture naturally, and interact with objects. This dimensional enhancement restores body language and contextual information while maintaining communication continuity
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional XR environments are used for remote collaboration, then virtual interaction is enabled, but effective collaboration and workflow integration are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the virtual environment universally applicable to various workflows by allowing users to bring their own physical objects (documents, whiteboards, tools) into the VR space. The environment adapts to different collaboration needs rather than requiring users to adapt to a fixed XR interface
Solution Approach 2:
Users autonomously define their workspace by placing their own objects and configuring their virtual environment. The system does not impose a predetermined layout or interaction model, allowing each user to create a familiar, efficient workflow that mirrors their physical workspace
3Ease of operation
If remote workers use traditional communication channels, then basic communication is possible, but collaboration effectiveness and inclusion in informal conversations are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges formal collaboration tools with informal interaction spaces by creating a unified virtual environment where both types of communication occur naturally. Watercooler areas and casual interaction zones are integrated alongside workspaces, allowing informal conversations to happen organically while maintaining communication accessibility
Data Source
AI summary
A room manager can generate mappings for a real-world room that support a shared XR environment. For example, the real-world room can include real-world objects and surfaces, such as a table(s), chair(s), wall(s), door(s), window(s), etc. The room manager can generate XR object definitions based on information received about the real-world room, object(s), and surface(s). For example, the room manager can implement a flow that guides a user equipped with an XR system to provide information for the XR object definitions, such as real-world surfaces that map to the XR object(s), borders (e.g., measured using a component of the XR system), such as borders on real-world surfaces, semantic information (e.g., number of seat assignments at an XR table, size of XR objects, etc.), and other suitable information. Implementations generate previews of the shared XR environment, such as a local preview and a remote preview.