Transparent Laptop Display With Selective See-Through Regions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Laptop computers lack the ability to seamlessly integrate real-world and virtual content, leading to a fragmented user experience when trying to interact with objects behind the display.

Innovation Solution

A transparent laptop display that can transition between opaque and transparent states, using sensors to identify objects and user angles to render specific areas transparent, accounting for keystone distortion and parallax, and allowing digital content to be overlaid on real-world objects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the transparent display is made fully transparent to show real-world objects, then the user can see through the display to interact with objects behind it, but digital content visibility is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransparency for seeing real-world objectsVSAvoiddigital content visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The display is divided into multiple independently controllable regions, where each region can be selectively rendered transparent or opaque. This allows different portions of the display to serve different functions simultaneously - some areas show digital content while others remain transparent to reveal real-world objects behind the display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the display are assigned different optical properties (transparent vs. opaque) based on local requirements. The system dynamically adjusts the transparency characteristics of specific display areas to match the user's viewing angle and the importance of digital content in different zones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If the entire transparent display area is rendered transparent to see objects behind it, then the user can interact with real-world objects, but the display loses its ability to show digital content in those areas

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinteraction with real-world objectsVSAvoiddigital content display functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The display's transparency state is dynamically adjusted in real-time based on user interaction, viewing angle, and contextual information. The system continuously monitors user behavior and automatically transitions between transparent and opaque states, or adjusts the proportion of transparent vs. opaque areas, to optimize both object visibility and digital content display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If sensors and processing are added to enable selective transparency, then context-awareness and object identification improve, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontext-awarenessVSAvoidsensor and processing requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting user presence, determining viewing angles, identifying objects behind the display, and tracking user interactions. By making the sensors multi-functional, the system reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If the display renders transparent areas to see objects behind it, then user experience richness improves, but false positive detection of user input may increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser experience richnessVSAvoiduser input detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where sensor data about user interactions with transparent areas is continuously monitored and analyzed. When potential false positives are detected (e.g., accidental touches or gestures), the system uses contextual feedback from multiple sensors to verify whether the input was intentional, and adjusts its response accordingly to avoid erroneous actions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20260072473A1Transparent laptop display with selectivity to see real-world objects through transparent display

Publication Date: 2026.03.12 LENOVO UNITED STATES INC

AI summary

In one aspect, a laptop computer includes a processor system and storage accessible to the processor system. The storage includes instructions executable by the processor system to identify an object located behind a transparent display of the laptop computer, and to identify a user’s angle of view toward the object. The instructions are then executable to actuate the transparent display to render a first area of the display transparent according to the angle of view for the user to see the object through the first area of the transparent display. Accordingly, the transparent display can be selectively controlled by the laptop for the user to see objects through the display even though the objects are located behind the display.