Eye Contact Video Conferencing Camera Display Arrangement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video conferencing systems fail to allow participants to maintain eye contact, as they must choose between looking at the camera or the display, leading to a lack of natural interaction.
Innovation Solution
A display is positioned between two video capture devices, allowing images from one device to be transmitted and displayed on the other, with the capture devices adjusted to align with the focal point of the participant, creating the illusion of eye contact by positioning the cameras to match the participant's gaze direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the video capture device is positioned to capture the participant's face, then the participant can be seen by the peer, but the participant cannot maintain eye contact with the peer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third display positioned between the video capture device and the participant, creating a new spatial dimension for image display. This allows the participant to view the peer's image on the third display while the capture device continues to capture the participant's face, effectively resolving the contradiction by adding a dimensional layer that enables both face capture and eye contact maintenance simultaneously
2Ease of operation
If the participant looks at the display to interact with the peer, then interaction is effective, but the participant appears to be looking away from the peer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the peer's video image and displays it on a third display positioned between the capture device and the participant. This copied image serves as a visual reference for the participant to maintain eye contact, allowing the participant to look at the display while appearing to look directly at the peer through the camera's perspective
3Reliability
If the video capture device is positioned at a standard location, then the setup is simple, but the participant cannot appear to make eye contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-positions a third display between the video capture device and the participant before the video conference begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the participant looks at the display during the conference, their gaze aligns with the camera's optical axis, creating the eye contact effect without requiring complex real-time adjustments during the conference
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media are disclosed for allowing video conferencing participants to maintain eye contact with each other. A display is disposed between a first video capture device and a second video capture device. The video capture devices capture images of a subject video conferencing participant. Images from the first capture device are associated with images from the second video capture device for transmission over a network to a video conferencing agent of a peer video conferencing participant. Images of the peer video conferencing participant are received over the network and displayed on the display that is disposed between the video capture devices. The video capture devices may be disposed at a height that is approximately even with a focal point of the subject video conferencing participant such that the subject video conferencing participant appears, to the peer video conferencing participant, to be making eye contact with the peer video conferencing participant when he is looking at the images of the peer video conferencing participant on the display.