Dual Camera Image Overlay in Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices cannot simultaneously utilize and display images or videos from both their front and rear cameras, limiting their functionality in capturing and presenting combined views.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows a mobile device to record and display video from the rear camera alongside simultaneous narration from the front camera, with the option to overlay or position the user's video on the background video, using separate or shared image processors to merge the streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile device uses only one camera at a time, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the functionality and versatility of the device is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is segmented into multiple independent display regions, with each region dedicated to showing video feed from a specific camera. This allows simultaneous display of multiple camera feeds without requiring complex merging or switching mechanisms, thereby enabling versatile camera functionality while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device is designed to support multiple camera modules (front camera, rear camera, and optionally additional cameras) that can all be accessed and displayed simultaneously through the split-screen interface. This multi-functionality approach allows the device to perform diverse functions such as video calling with background capture, screen recording with narration, and simultaneous monitoring from multiple angles without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile device displays video from both cameras simultaneously, then the versatility and functionality are improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is divided into separate regions for each camera feed, allowing independent processing and rendering of each video stream. This segmentation approach enables the system to handle multiple video streams simultaneously with reduced processing overhead compared to merging all feeds into a single composite view, as each region can be processed independently through its own video processing pipeline.
3Ease of operation
If the display shows camera view with controls, then the ease of operation is improved, but the area available for viewing the actual camera feed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is segmented such that control elements are placed in dedicated zones (such as toolbars at the edges or bottom of the screen) that do not interfere with the main video display areas. This allows full control functionality to be accessible while maximizing the display real estate available for viewing camera feeds from multiple cameras simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Image overlay in a mobile device is described. In one embodiment an imaging system of a mobile communications device includes a first camera having a control interface to a controller and a data interface to the controller, a second camera having a data interface to the first camera, and a processor to combine an image from the second camera received through the second camera data interface with an image from the first camera and to send the combined image to the controller through the data interface.