Transparent Display Camera for Eye Contact

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In video communication, the camera is often positioned at the periphery of the display, making it difficult for users to maintain eye contact, which affects the quality of the video call and the sense of immediacy.

Innovation Solution

A display device with a camera positioned at the back side of a transparent display panel that captures the user's front image, allowing for eye contact and improved communication during video calls by using a self-luminous direct-view display panel with subpixel units that emit light only on the front side, reducing interference and enhancing image quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the camera is positioned at the periphery of the display, then the device structure is simplified, but eye contact between users cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeye contact capabilityVSAvoidcamera positioning structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent moves the camera from the traditional periphery position (2D plane) to the back side of the transparent display panel (3D space), utilizing the depth dimension to achieve both simplified structure and eye contact capability. This spatial repositioning allows the camera to capture the user's face directly while maintaining a compact form factor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The transparent display panel serves as an intermediary medium that allows the camera positioned at the back to capture images of the user's face in front of the display. The transparency of the panel enables optical transmission while maintaining display functionality, resolving the contradiction between camera positioning and eye contact achievement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the camera is positioned at the periphery of the display, then the device structure is simplified, but video call quality and sense of immediacy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevideo call qualityVSAvoidcamera positioning structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

By repositioning the camera to the back side of the transparent display panel, the patent utilizes the depth dimension to achieve superior video call quality. This positioning enables the camera to capture the user's face directly in front of the display, creating a more natural and immediate video call experience compared to periphery positioning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of operation

If a transparent display panel is used with camera at the back, then eye contact is achieved, but light interference may affect image capture

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeye contact capabilityVSAvoidlight interference
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the light emission function to specific subpixel units that emit light only on the front side of the transparent display panel. This extraction of the light emission function to specific regions prevents light interference with the camera positioned at the back, while still maintaining the transparency and display functionality of the panel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by configuring subpixel units to emit light only on the front side of the transparent display panel. This localized light emission prevents interference with the camera positioned at the back while maintaining display visibility for users, resolving the contradiction between transparency and image capture quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3306916B1Display apparatus and video communication terminal
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
  • EP3306916B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3306916B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP3306916B1 patent drawingFigure 7~8

AI summary

A display device and a video communication terminal are provided. The display device includes: a transparent display panel configured to display an image; a camera, configured to acquire an image of an object in front of the transparent display panel. According to the display device, the camera shooting component acquires the image of the local user at the front side of the transparent display panel through the transparent display panel. When the users are making a video call, the camera shooting component can acquire a front image of the local user's face through the transparent display panel.