Digital Mirror With Reduced Parallax Error
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical mirrors are limited by fixed optical properties, leading to aberrations, difficulty in viewing objects at different angles, and inadequate lighting, which can result in misleading or distorted images, especially in three-dimensional views on two-dimensional surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A digital mirror system that incorporates a combination of digital imaging components and software, allowing for user-selectable true or mirrored views, adjustable lighting, and multiple camera angles, enabling improved image capture and display with enhanced lighting and angle flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional optical mirrors are used to provide reflection, then the mirror structure is simple, but the image accuracy deteriorates due to aberrations and fixed optical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the optical reflection process with a digital copy process. A camera captures the actual image of the user, and this digital image is then displayed on an LCD screen. This copying approach eliminates optical aberrations entirely, as the digital image can be perfectly reproduced without the distortions inherent in optical reflection through glass and reflective materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/optical system (mirrors, glass, reflective materials) with an electronic/digital system (camera, processor, LCD display). This replacement allows for precise control of image properties through software and electronics, eliminating the fixed optical properties that cause aberrations in conventional mirrors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If optical mirrors are used to view objects at different angles, then multiple mirrors are required, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single digital mirror device perform multiple functions that previously required multiple optical mirrors. By using a camera and digital display, the system can capture and present images from various angles through software processing, eliminating the need for multiple physical mirrors arranged at different orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic control over viewing angles through software. Instead of fixed mirror orientations, the digital system can dynamically adjust and transform images to present views from different angles on a single display, providing versatility without adding physical complexity.
3Illumination intensity
If optical mirrors are used for proper lighting, then multiple light sources are required, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lighting function with the image capture function. The camera's flash or integrated lighting system provides illumination as part of the image capture process, eliminating the need for separate lighting devices. This merging approach achieves proper lighting while reducing overall system complexity and energy consumption compared to using multiple independent light sources with optical mirrors.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment of the invention, a digital mirror is disclosed including an enclosure; a display device mounted in the enclosure to display images at a front side of the enclosure; an image capture device mounted in the enclosure adjacent the display device to reduce parallax error; lights mounted in the enclosure adjacent the display device; and a light diffuser mounted to the enclosure around the display device over the one or more lights. The one or more lights provide lighting in front of the display device and the image capture device captures images in the field of view in the front. The light diffuser diffuses and softens the light emitted by the one or more lights. Alternatively, the image capture device may be mounted on an articulated arm that may be used to capture and display various angles in the filed of view of the digital mirror.