Under-Display ToF Image Processing for Interference Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing time-of-flight (ToF) assemblies mounted on electronic device frames occupy display areas, causing interference patterns that affect user experience and measurement precision when positioned under screens.
Innovation Solution
A method to eliminate interference patterns by detecting and adjusting parameters such as temperature, wavelength, or ambient light intensity to match interference patterns generated by ToF sensors under the screen, allowing precise measurements similar to those made on device frames.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the ToF assembly is arranged on the frame of the electronic device, then the measurement precision is maintained, but the display area is occupied and the interference pattern affects user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The ToF assembly is moved from a planar arrangement on the device frame to a three-dimensional position underneath the display screen, utilizing the vertical dimension. This spatial reconfiguration allows the ToF assembly to occupy non-display space while maintaining its measurement functionality and avoiding interference with the display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The ToF assembly is nested within the electronic device structure by positioning it underneath the display screen, effectively utilizing the space between the display and the device housing. This nested arrangement allows the ToF assembly to coexist with the display without occupying visible display area or compromising measurement precision.
2Area of stationary object
If the ToF assembly is arranged under the screen, then the display area is preserved, but the interference pattern is generated and measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The interference pattern is extracted and separated from the measurement process by implementing a dedicated elimination module. This module identifies and removes the interference pattern generated by the ToF assembly under the screen, allowing the ToF assembly to maintain its position underneath the display while preserving measurement precision through post-processing interference removal.
Solution Approach 2:
An interference pattern elimination module serves as an intermediary between the ToF assembly and the measurement processing system. This intermediary component specifically targets and removes interference patterns from the captured images, enabling the ToF assembly to function underneath the display screen without compromising measurement accuracy.
3Area of stationary object
If the ToF assembly is arranged under the screen, then the display area is maintained, but the user experience is affected due to the interference pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The interference pattern that degrades user experience is extracted and removed from the images captured by the ToF assembly positioned under the screen. This extraction process eliminates the visual artifacts that would otherwise affect user experience, allowing the device to maintain full display area while providing high-quality depth maps for features like facial recognition.
Solution Approach 2:
The interference pattern elimination module acts as an intermediary that processes images between capture and display, removing interference patterns that would otherwise degrade user experience. This intermediary processing enables the ToF assembly to be positioned under the screen while maintaining excellent user experience for depth-sensing applications.
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 ToF sensors to be positioned under the screen without compromising measurement precision, improving user experience by eliminating interference patterns and maintaining functionality for features like three-dimensional face unlock and facial recognition.
Implementation Method 1
According to a time of flight (time of flight, ToF) technology, light pulses are continuously emitted, and then a light pulse returned by a to-be-measured object is received by using a sensor, and subsequently, a round-trip time or a phase difference of the light pulse is measured to obtain distance and depth data of the to-be measured-object
Implementation Method 2
a wavelength of the laser changes with temperatures, and a change in the wavelength of the laser may cause the interference pattern to be changed constantly
Implementation Method 3
each of the interference patterns is a bright-dark concentric ring generated in a case that laser emitted by the emitting unit passes through the display screen
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments include a method for eliminating an interference pattern in an image, and an apparatus, and relate to the image processing field, which can eliminate an interference pattern in an image collected by a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor arranged under a display screen of an electronic device. The method includes: obtaining, by the electronic device in advance, K interference patterns corresponding to K different values of a same parameter one by one; collecting, by the electronic device, a first image, and measuring a first parameter value in a case that the first image is collected; determining a first interference pattern in the K interference patterns according to the first parameter value, and determining the second interference pattern according to the first interference pattern; and eliminating the second interference pattern in the first image, so that the processed first image does not include the interference pattern.