Mobile Device Camera Display Split for Pedestrian Hazard Awareness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of mobile electronic devices often fail to notice pedestrian hazards while using their devices, leading to potential collisions with objects or people in their environment, as their attention is focused on the screen rather than their surroundings.
Innovation Solution
A mobile electronic device equipped with a video camera and display that provides a real-time video feed of the user's surroundings, allowing the device to image and highlight potential hazards within the user's field of view, even when the device is held in a way that obstructs direct vision, using an optical element to redirect light and enhance the field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user focuses attention on the mobile device display, then the user can interact with the device interface, but the user's awareness of the physical environment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the device interface and environmental video feed into a single display, allowing users to interact with applications while simultaneously viewing their surroundings. The display shows both the user interface elements and the video feed from the camera in an integrated manner, eliminating the need to switch between separate views and maintaining both device interaction capability and environmental awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent overlays video feed information onto the existing display interface, adding a new dimension of environmental awareness without removing the original interface functionality. This creates a multi-layered display where users can access both the digital interface and physical environment simultaneously through the same visual channel.
2Reliability
If the device provides a full video feed display, then environmental awareness is improved, but the device interface functionality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display area to accommodate both the video feed and interface elements simultaneously. Different portions of the display are allocated to different functions - some areas show the video feed while other areas maintain interface accessibility. This segmentation allows both environmental awareness and interface interaction to coexist without fully compromising either function.
3Measurement precision
If the video camera images the physical environment in real-time, then hazard detection capability is improved, but device processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent processes only the necessary portions of the video feed for hazard detection rather than analyzing the entire video stream in full detail. The system identifies and highlights specific hazards of interest while maintaining real-time display capability, performing partial processing that provides sufficient safety information without the computational burden of complete scene analysis.
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
Enhances user safety by providing awareness of environmental hazards without requiring users to look away from their device, allowing them to react promptly to potential dangers while still using their device.
Implementation Method 1
The optical element includes at least one refractive surface to change a direction of incoming light toward the video camera
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile electronic device includes a video camera, a display, a processor, and a hardware storage device. The video camera is positioned on a first side of the mobile electronic device, and the display is positioned on a second side of the mobile electronic device opposite the first side. The processor is in data communication with the video camera and the display. The hardware storage device is in data communication with the processor. The hardware storage device has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to image a physical environment of the mobile electronic device using the video camera, display a video feed on the display in real time in a first portion of the display area, and display a second software application in a second portion of the display area while displaying the video feed in the first portion.