Zone-Based Audio Video Stream Control in 3D Virtual Conferences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional videoconferencing technologies face challenges such as loss of social interaction, audio overlap issues, and performance degradation with multiple participants, leading to a lack of experiential connection and effective communication.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a three-dimensional virtual environment to control audio and video streams based on user positioning, enabling or disabling streams based on proximity and security settings, and implementing access control to optimize bandwidth and privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional videoconferencing transmits all audio-video streams to all participants, then complete information is provided, but bandwidth consumption increases and system performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by transmitting audio-video streams selectively based on spatial proximity. Each participant receives streams only from users within their relevant spatial zone, rather than all streams universally. This resolves the contradiction by providing complete information locally where needed while reducing overall bandwidth consumption through targeted transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the virtual conference space into multiple zones and implements separate stream management for each zone. By dividing the participant group into spatial segments, the system transmits only relevant streams to each segment, reducing total bandwidth usage while maintaining information completeness within each local context.
2Loss of information
If all participants receive all audio streams equally, then complete communication is enabled, but audio clarity deteriorates when multiple people speak simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality to audio transmission by prioritizing streams from participants within the user's current spatial zone. Audio streams are weighted or selected based on proximity, ensuring clear audio from nearby speakers while maintaining awareness of broader conference context. This resolves the contradiction by providing complete communication information while enhancing audio clarity through spatially-aware stream selection.
3Loss of information
If video streams from all participants are transmitted, then full visibility is provided, but computing device performance degrades with numerous streams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality to video stream transmission by providing high-quality video feeds only from participants within the user's current spatial zone, while providing lower-resolution or aggregated views of distant participants. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining visual information completeness through multi-level representation while significantly reducing device processing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by transmitting full-resolution video streams only for locally relevant participants rather than all participants equally. The system provides excessive detail locally where needed while using compressed or summary representations for distant participants, optimizing device performance while maintaining visual information completeness.
4Adaptability or versatility
If private conversations are enabled in physical meetings through spatial separation, then social connections are improved, but virtual conferences mix all audio streams equally losing this capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio transmission system into zone-specific channels, enabling private conversations between participants in the same spatial zone while maintaining awareness of the broader conference. This resolves the contradiction by providing communication flexibility through spatial segmentation while preserving private conversation capability that was lost in conventional virtual conferences.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a web-based videoconference system that allows for video avatars to navigate within the three-dimensional virtual environment. The system and methods provided include those for: (1) using zones in a three-dimensional virtual environment for limiting audio and video, (2) access control using zones, (3) access control of the three-dimensional virtual environment itself, and (4) controlling user connections in a three dimensional virtual environment.