Offset Camera Lens for Bezel Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The trend of thinner bezels in information handling devices poses a challenge in accommodating sensors like front-facing cameras, as conventional camera configurations restrict the extent to which the display screen can be extended due to the camera lens being positioned over the center of the sensor, limiting bezel thinness and display area expansion.
Innovation Solution
The camera lens is offset from the central portion of the camera sensor, allowing for a more compact design, and image distortion correction is achieved through identifying and applying a mathematical transformation based on the offset, enabling the display screen to be extended further while maintaining image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the camera lens is positioned at the center of the camera sensor (conventional configuration), then the image capture is straightforward, but the bezel width cannot be reduced and the display area cannot be expanded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by offsetting the camera lens from the center of the camera sensor to a non-central position. This asymmetric configuration allows the display screen to extend into the area previously occupied by the centered lens, thereby increasing the display area while the lens remains functional at its offset position
2Area of stationary object
If the camera lens is offset from the central portion of the camera sensor, then the display screen can be extended further and bezel width reduced, but image distortion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing a distortion correction map that corresponds to the offset lens configuration. During image capture, this pre-prepared correction data is applied to compensate for the distortion caused by the offset lens position, ensuring high image quality without requiring real-time complex calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element - a distortion correction map or algorithm - that mediates between the offset lens configuration and the final image output. This intermediary transformation layer corrects the geometric distortion introduced by the offset lens while preserving the benefits of the asymmetric configuration
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a method, including: capturing, using a camera sensor integrated into an information handling device, image data; identifying, using a processor, an offset between a lens operatively coupled to the camera sensor and a central portion of the camera sensor; and correcting, based on the offset, a distortion of the image data. Other aspects are described and claimed.