Digital Mirror Display Using Depth Sensor and Image Capture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mirror displays face a trade-off between reflectance and transmittance, resulting in reduced transmission light intensity and suboptimal reflectivity, and the simultaneous presence of transmission and reflective light can cause visual confusion.

Innovation Solution

A display system utilizing an image capturing device and depth sensor to simulate a mirror effect by capturing user images, distinguishing foreground and background regions, and generating a virtual window to combine them, thereby creating a reflective image on the screen without interfering with displayed information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If reflective substance is coated on a transparent panel to create a mirror display, then the mirroring feature is achieved, but the transmission light intensity is reduced by over 30%

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission light intensityVSAvoidmirror effect quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses an image capturing device to capture the user's image and then displays the captured image on the screen, creating a virtual copy of the user rather than using physical reflection. This copying approach eliminates the need for reflective coatings that block light, thereby maintaining high transmission light intensity while achieving the mirror effect through digital image reproduction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the optical-mechanical reflection system (reflective coatings, transparent panels) with a digital imaging system (image capturing device, display screen). This substitution eliminates the physical barriers to light transmission while achieving the same visual effect of seeing oneself, thus resolving the contradiction between light transmission and mirror functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If reflective substance is added to create mirror effect, then reflectivity is improved, but transmittance is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovereflectivityVSAvoidtransmission light intensity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using reflective substances that physically block light, the system captures the user's image digitally and displays it on a screen. This creates a virtual reflection without any physical reflective layers in the light path, maintaining full light transmission while achieving the mirror effect through digital image reproduction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the optical reflection mechanism with a digital imaging and display system. The image capturing device captures light information, and the display screen reproduces it, eliminating the need for reflective coatings that create the trade-off between reflectivity and transmittance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If both transmission light and reflective light are present, then display feature is enhanced, but visual confusion is created

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay featureVSAvoidvisual confusion

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the reflection function from the physical optical path and relocates it to the digital display domain. By capturing the user's image and displaying it on the screen, the system separates the display functionality from any potential optical interference, eliminating visual confusion while maintaining display versatility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the physical optical system with a digital imaging system, where images are captured and displayed electronically. This eliminates the simultaneous presence of transmission and reflective light that causes visual confusion, as the digital display presents information without optical interference

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10805543B2Display method, system and computer-readable recording medium thereof

Publication Date: 2020.10.13 WISTRON CORP

AI summary

A display method, a system and a computer-readable recording medium thereof are provided, where the method includes the following steps. An image of a user in front of a screen is captured by using an image capturing device to generate a user image. A foreground region and a background region in the user image are distinguished by using a depth sensor. A virtual window is set on a display area of the screen according to its display size. Human face detection is performed on the foreground region to obtain plane information of the human face, and depth information of the human face is obtained by using the depth sensor. A background image is generated based on the background region according to the virtual window, the plane information and the depth information of the human face. The foreground region is combined with the background image to generate an output image.