Transparent Display Video Conferencing Eye Contact Parallax
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video conferencing systems often suffer from the 'off camera' or 'parallax effect,' where participants appear unable to maintain direct eye contact due to the placement of video cameras relative to displays, leading to undesirable visual alignment.
Innovation Solution
A video conferencing display device featuring a transparent display panel with an illumination source and dual imaging devices, one capturing images through the panel to obtain eye tracking data and the other capturing user images for processing to create a direct eye image for transmission, allowing for the appearance of direct eye contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the video camera is placed above or beside the display to avoid blocking the user's view, then the display can be positioned in front of the user, but the user appears to be looking away from the camera causing the parallax effect
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the camera to directly face the user (which would block the display), the patent inverts the approach by placing the camera behind the display and using a beam splitter to capture reflected light from the user's eyes. This allows the camera to be positioned where it won't block the display while still capturing eye contact information through the optical path created by the beam splitter and mirror arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a beam splitter and mirror as intermediary optical elements between the camera and the user. The beam splitter directs light from the user's eyes to the mirror, which reflects it to the camera positioned behind the display. This intermediary system allows the camera to capture eye contact information without being in the direct line of sight between the user and display.
2Manufacturing precision
If beam splitters or partial mirrors are used to capture reflected images for eye contact, then direct eye contact appearance can be achieved, but additional hardware costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel serves multiple functions: it acts as both the display surface for the user and as a transparent window through which the camera can capture images. The camera positioned behind the display captures both the displayed content (when transparent) and the user's reflected image (when opaque), eliminating the need for separate beam splitters or mirrors used in conventional systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The display panel's own transparency property is utilized to enable the camera to capture images through it. The panel serves its primary display function while simultaneously allowing optical access for the camera, making the display structure itself serve the dual purpose of information display and eye contact detection without requiring additional optical components.
3Manufacturing precision
If the camera is positioned to capture direct images of the user, then image quality is good, but the camera blocks the display from the user's view
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the camera in front of the user to capture direct images, the patent inverts the positioning by placing the camera behind the display. The camera captures images through the transparent display panel, allowing the display to remain fully visible to the user without any physical obstruction from the camera.
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
Enables participants to appear as maintaining direct eye contact during video conferencing sessions without the need for additional hardware like beam splitters or wide-angle lenses, reducing costs and improving user experience.
Implementation Method 1
at least one imaging device having a field of view aimed at an inner surface of the display panel, the at least one imaging device capturing images through the display panel
Implementation Method 2
at least one illumination source providing illumination through the display panel such that when a user is positioned adjacent an outer surface of the display panel, the user's eyes reflect illumination from the illumination source
Implementation Method 3
the user's eyes reflect illumination from the illumination source back through the display panel
Data Source
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AI summary
A video conferencing display device comprises a display panel, at least one imaging device and processing structure. The at least one imaging device has a field of view aimed at an inner surface of the display panel and captures images through the display panel such that when a user is positioned adjacent an outer surface of the display panel, the user appears in the captured images. The processing structure communicates with the at least one imaging device and processes the captured images to create a direct eye image for transmission to a remote device over a network.