Magnetic Camera for Video Conference Eye Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated cameras in portable information handling systems have limited utility due to their small size, which restricts the camera lens and display presentation area, leading to unnatural images during video conferences as users tend to look away from the camera while viewing the display.
Innovation Solution
A camera system with a magnetically attached cylindrical housing that couples to the display panel's front face, allowing the camera to capture images with a field of view originating from the display panel's front surface, ensuring the user appears to be looking at the camera and the video conference window simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If an integrated camera is used in a portable information handling system, then the device portability is maintained, but the camera lens size and image quality are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is separated from the portable information handling system. The camera is now a standalone device that can be positioned independently, allowing the lens size to be increased without being constrained by the thin profile of the portable device. The camera module includes its own housing, lens assembly, and mounting structure, dividing the system into independent functional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera is repositioned from an integrated planar configuration within the portable device to a three-dimensional space in front of the display. By mounting the camera on an adjustable arm or stand positioned at a distance from the display surface, the system utilizes spatial depth to accommodate a larger lens while maintaining portability through modular design.
2Speed
If the camera is positioned away from the display, then the field of view is improved, but the user appears to look away from the camera
Solution Approach 1:
The camera positioning system incorporates adjustable and movable components that allow dynamic repositioning. The camera can be moved along rails, adjusted on articulating arms, or repositioned via motors to change its location and angle. This dynamic capability enables the system to optimize both field of view and eye contact alignment depending on the usage scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes sensors and processing logic that monitor camera position, display content, and user interaction. Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts camera positioning to maintain optimal alignment with the user's line of sight while preserving an appropriate field of view for video conferencing or content capture.
3Area of stationary object
If a larger display area is used, then the presentation quality is improved, but the camera mounting options are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The camera mounting system is completely separated from the display structure. Instead of integrating the camera into the display bezel or backplane, the camera is mounted on an independent adjustable stand or arm that positions the camera in front of the display. This segmentation allows the display to maintain its full area while the camera can be positioned at various distances and angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera mounting system is designed to be universally compatible with different display sizes and configurations. The adjustable arm or stand can accommodate various camera positions, angles, and distances, providing versatile mounting options that work with large display areas without requiring integration into the display structure itself.
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 camera system provides improved video conference interactions by ensuring the user is captured looking directly at the camera while viewing the active speaker, with minimal disruption to visual and audio information during movement, and allows for higher quality image capture with a larger display area.
Implementation Method 1
a magnet disposed at an opposing end, the magnet providing magnetic attraction to hold the camera against a display panel surface
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. Camera position movement at a display panel front face is detected, such as with a touchscreen of the display panel, and accelerometer or an infrared curtain presented from the camera dock along the display panel front face. Audio and visual information communicated from the camera is altered when movement is detected at the camera, such as muting a microphone of the camera and cutting off capture of visual images by the camera module.