Movable Arm Camera Lens Aligns With Onscreen Eyes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional webcams in video conferencing setups often result in participants appearing to look away due to the offset placement, leading to a lack of eye contact, which diminishes the effectiveness of the communication.
Innovation Solution
The camera lens is adjusted or positioned to align with the eyes of the on-screen image, allowing participants to appear as if they are making direct eye contact by using mechanical or software-based methods to reposition the camera or alter the image, such as movable arms, facial recognition, and virtual lenses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the webcam is placed above or to the sides of the monitor, then the device structure is simple and easy to implement, but the participant appears to look away from the other party, reducing communication effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable arm mechanism that adds a spatial dimension to webcam positioning. Instead of fixed placement above or beside the monitor, the webcam can be dynamically positioned at multiple locations including directly over the monitor surface, enabling eye contact alignment while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The webcam system transitions from static placement to dynamic repositioning capability. The movable arm allows the webcam to be adjusted between different positions (above monitor, beside monitor, or directly over monitor) depending on whether eye contact is needed, making the system adaptable to different communication scenarios
2Productivity
If the participant looks directly at the camera, then eye contact can be established, but this is unnatural as the normal conversational impulse is to look at the face of the person being spoken to
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the webcam position based on whether eye contact is required. During normal conversation, the webcam remains in a fixed position above the monitor allowing natural eye contact with the on-screen image. When direct eye contact is needed, the movable arm repositions the webcam directly over the monitor, capturing the participant's eyes aligned with the other party's image
3Productivity
If a movable arm mechanism is used to position the camera lens onscreen, then the camera can be positioned between the eyes of the onscreen image, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable arm mechanism adds vertical and lateral positioning capability beyond traditional fixed placements. This enables the webcam to reach positions directly over the monitor surface, aligning the lens with the participant's eyes and creating precise eye contact alignment that was impossible with fixed mounting locations
Data Source
AI summary
A device and system can physically position a camera lens between the eyes of the image of the person onscreen in a video conference. To position the lens, a mechanical device may position or move the camera lens. The mechanical device can include a movable armature that can move a small camera head (i.e., a lens with or without supporting electronics) from a first position of the computer monitor (e.g., the frame of the monitor) to a second position onscreen. The second position can place the lens near or over the image of the other party, for example, between the eyes of the onscreen image of the other party.