Front-Touch Camera With Magnetic Mounting for Gaze Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing peripheral cameras for videoconferences with large displays are difficult to position correctly, leading to unnatural images due to misalignment between the user's gaze and the camera's field of view, and often obstruct the display or interfere with desktop usage.
Innovation Solution
A camera with a magnetically attached cylindrical housing that couples to a display panel's ferromagnetic backplate, allowing it to maintain a position viewed by the user, with a touch sensor for control and automatic adjustments to ensure the user appears to look directly at the camera while viewing the display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a peripheral camera is placed on a bracket coupled to the display perimeter, then the camera can capture visual images, but the end user's image appears to look away from the camera creating an unnatural image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the camera from the display perimeter (2D plane) to the front surface of the display panel (3D space), changing the spatial dimension of camera placement. This allows the camera to be positioned closer to the user while maintaining alignment with the display, resolving the contradiction between field of view alignment and natural user gaze appearance
2Measurement precision
If a peripheral camera is placed on a stand in front of the display, then the camera can capture images, but it blocks the user's viewing and interferes with desktop surface usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the camera with the display panel structure by mounting it on the front surface, combining two previously separate components (camera and display) into an integrated system. This eliminates the need for separate camera stands that would occupy desktop space, resolving the contradiction between field of view alignment and desktop surface availability
3Measurement precision
If a camera is magnetically attached to the display panel front surface, then the camera maintains a position viewed by the user, but the camera housing occupies space on the display surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the camera from traditional mounting locations (perimeter or separate stand) and attaches it directly to the front surface of the display panel using magnetic attraction. This extraction from conventional mounting methods allows for more flexible positioning that maintains stability while minimizing obstruction of the display surface
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures the user maintains eye contact with the camera while viewing the display, minimizing disruptions and providing high-quality image capture, while also allowing for seamless integration and minimal obstruction.
Implementation Method 1
a magnet disposed at an opposing end, the magnet providing magnetic attraction to hold the camera against a display panel surface
Implementation Method 2
a touch sensor disposed in the camera housing and configured to detect a touch input
Data Source
AI summary
A camera integrates a magnet at one end of a housing to magnetically attract and attach the camera to a front side of a peripheral display, such as to support a video conference through an information handling system interfaced with the display. A touch sensor disposed at the camera housing, such as at the front face surface encircling the camera module, detects a single finger touch to command a change between communication of video stream images and a static stored image from the camera. Communication of a static image by the camera maintains a wireless local area network interface for the camera so that a rapid change back to video stream images may be accomplished without restarting the wireless communication interface.