Life-Size Videoconferencing Transceiver With Beam-Splitter Eye Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current videoconferencing systems fail to provide accurate eye contact and full body language access among participants, leading to frustration and a lack of trustworthiness in virtual meetings, as they often create a false eye-contact impression and do not effectively render remote participants in a life-size, realistic manner.
Innovation Solution
A life-size videoconferencing system with a transceiver that includes a screen skewed around a vertical axis, a transparent protective barrier, and a mirror to extend the optical distance between the conferee space and the input unit, enabling duplex image transmission and true eye contact by concatenating local and remote conferee spaces into a single operational setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the camera is positioned behind the viewing side of the beam-splitter to capture the conferee's image, then the conferee's image can be captured through the beam-splitter, but the conferee cannot achieve true eye-to-eye contact with remote participants
Solution Approach 1:
A beam-splitter is introduced as an intermediary optical element positioned between the display and the camera. The beam-splitter allows the camera to capture the conferee's image from behind the display while simultaneously allowing the conferee to see the remote participant's image on the display. This intermediary device enables the camera's field of view to originate behind the display and pass through the central portion of the video display, creating true eye-to-eye contact without requiring the camera to be positioned in front of the conferee's face.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple terminals are coupled in parallel with multiple cameras or a turntable to accommodate multiple users, then multiple conferees can participate, but the system requires image blocking film that reduces image intensity and creates ghostlike appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the viewing experience into separate optical paths for each conferee. Each conferee has their own terminal with a beam-splitter that directs the remote participant's image to their display while allowing their own image to be captured. This segmentation eliminates the need for image blocking film and turntables, as each user experiences the full-intensity image without interference from other users. The parallel terminals are optically isolated, allowing simultaneous full-resolution, full-intensity viewing for all participants.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a backdrop surface is superimposed upon the image of the remote person to mitigate ghostlike appearance, then the ghostlike appearance is reduced, but the system still cannot achieve true eye contact
Solution Approach 1:
The beam-splitter serves as the primary intermediary that enables true eye contact by positioning the camera behind the display. This eliminates the need for backdrop surfaces entirely, as the optical geometry naturally aligns the camera's view with the display's viewing area. The conferee looks at the center of the display, and their eyes are directed toward the physical camera location behind the display, creating authentic eye-to-eye contact without requiring any superimposed backdrops or artificial corrections.
4Ease of operation
If the screen is skewed around a horizontal axis in line of sight between the person's face and display, then the reflected image can be captured by the camera, but the terminal bulk increases and the display appears recessed creating a tunnel effect
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the camera in front of the conferee's face and using a skewed screen to reflect the image, the system inverts the approach by positioning the camera behind the display and using a beam-splitter to allow the camera to view through the display. This inversion eliminates the need for a large skewed screen structure, reducing terminal bulk and eliminating the tunnel effect while maintaining the ability to capture the conferee's image for transmission to remote participants.
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 accurate eye contact and full body language access among participants, eliminating the false eye-contact phenomenon and providing a realistic, life-size representation of remote conferees, thereby improving the quality and trustworthiness of virtual meetings.
Implementation Method 1
The beam-splitter is used for capturing images from one direction, and for allowing the conferee to see the environment through the beam-splitter
Implementation Method 2
a mirror to extend the optical distance between the conferee space and the input unit
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The present invention relates to a studio, a studio system and a studio configuration and calibration method for life-size videoconferencing. The studio comprises a local conferee space (310) and a local transceiver (305) for life-size videoconferencing. The transceiver (305) comprises an optical input unit (330) and an optical output unit (340) adapted and configured to provide continuous duplex image transfer via a duplexer area (350) of a screen (360). The duplex area (350) is adapted and configured to simultaneously transmit to the local conferee space (310) the image of a remote conferee space (210) comprised in a remote studio (200), and further reflect the image of the local conferee space (310) to the optical input unit (330), enabling the image of the entire local conferee space (310) to be visualized to scale, without aberrations, to the remote conferee space (210); thereby enabling a local party comprising a conferee (70) to establish eye contact and register the body movements of a remote party comprising conferee (80). In the system Images of physically separated conferee spaces are concatenated to an operational conference setting (400), thereby enabling a remote conferee located anywhere in the remote space to establish eye contact with a conferee visible in the image of the second remote space.