Videophone Visual Indicator Brightness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing videophones lack the ability to automatically adjust the brightness of visual indicators, leading to missed calls in varying lighting conditions, as they either fail to be noticeable in bright environments or are blinding in dark settings, and require additional hardware and software like ambient light sensors which increase cost and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A videophone equipped with an imager and image signal processor, using components already present in the camera unit, to determine the brightness level of the environment and automatically adjust the visual indicators, eliminating the need for separate sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the visual indicator brightness is set to be very bright, then it is noticeable in bright environments, but it becomes blinding in dark settings
Solution Approach 1:
The visual indicator brightness is made dynamic by continuously adjusting it based on ambient light conditions detected by the imager. The system transitions from static brightness settings to dynamic adaptation, where the brightness level changes automatically in response to environmental lighting variations, resolving the contradiction between visibility in bright environments and comfort in dark environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where the imager continuously monitors ambient light conditions and feeds this information back to the visual indicator control mechanism. This closed-loop control enables automatic brightness adjustment, ensuring the visual indicator is visible enough in bright environments while preventing blinding effects in dark settings.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the visual indicator brightness is set to be very dim, then it is comfortable in dark settings, but it becomes invisible in bright environments
Solution Approach 1:
The visual indicator brightness adapts dynamically to match ambient lighting conditions. In dark environments, the system automatically reduces brightness to comfortable levels, while in bright environments, it increases brightness to maintain visibility. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between comfort and visibility across different lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The imager provides continuous feedback about ambient light levels, enabling the system to automatically adjust visual indicator brightness to appropriate levels for current environmental conditions. This feedback mechanism ensures the visual indicator remains comfortable in dark settings while staying visible in bright environments.
3Extent of automation
If an ambient light sensor is added to detect brightness conditions, then automatic brightness adjustment is achieved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The imager, originally designed for video communication functions, is repurposed to also serve as an ambient light sensor. By making the imager multi-functional, the system achieves automatic brightness adjustment without adding dedicated light sensing hardware, thereby avoiding increased device complexity and cost while maintaining the automation benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The videophone uses its own existing imager component to detect ambient light conditions and automatically adjust visual indicator brightness. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate sensing hardware and complex control systems, achieving automatic adaptation while minimizing additions to device complexity and cost.
4Ease of operation
If manual brightness settings are provided, then users can control visual indicator brightness, but the settings are often incorrect for changing brightness conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic feedback-based brightness control where the imager continuously monitors ambient light conditions and automatically adjusts visual indicator brightness accordingly. This eliminates the reliability problem of manual settings being incorrect for changing conditions, while the system maintains user control through automatic adaptation to environmental changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The videophone automatically adjusts its own visual indicator brightness based on environmental conditions detected by the imager, eliminating the need for users to manually configure brightness settings. This self-service capability ensures brightness settings remain accurate despite changing lighting conditions, while users retain the ability to override automatic control if needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A videophone apparatus and a method for automatically adjusting a videophone visual indicator are provided. The videophone includes a camera unit with an imager. Data from the imager and imager data processed by an image signal processor may be converted into a value that can be compared to a scale correlating to a brightness condition of an area in which the imager is located, allowing the brightness condition to be determined. The visual indicators of the videophone can be set to illuminate based upon the determined brightness condition. Thus, the brightness condition of a room can be determined using components already found on the videophone, without the need for additional sensors, hardware or software that increase the cost and complexity of the videophone.