Sometimes I really hope Apple comes out
with
some of the things they file at the US Patent Office. One such
example is this crazy cool "
integrated
sensing display" with mixed pixels and miniature cameras. [warning: patent
images
best viewed with Safari]
In the patent filing itself, Apple denotes various ways imaging sensors could be
embedded into a display, including the example I chose described as follows:
"
Integrating image
capture devices into the displays can be done with varying degrees of intrusiveness, depending upon the type of
display. FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary "track" housing scheme of integrating image elements 305 into a deep
encased cell structure display 300 according to one embodiment of the invention. Each image element 305 is integrated
into black strips 310, so that the spaces in-between each color cell 315 and 320 are used for both contrast enhancement
and image capture."
This display looks as though its final function would be similar to a sort of
scanner or large
CMOS or CCD, as well as be able to
display images. Imagine being able to stick the display of your PDA on a surface and have the image of said surface
(which then would be flipped from the mirror effect) displayed right on your screen. Why would this be more interesting
than just having a webcam integrated into a laptop? Well for one, you would have a larger sensing field. Secondly a
webcam is usually at the top of your screen, making it semi-annoying to carry on a video conversation with someone on
the screen.
Some other applications of arrays of cameras include
after-the-fact virtual camera motion and time dilation
(think Wachowski brothers and technologies invented for the Matrix). I'm not sure this Apple patent will be of a high
enough resolution for these applications, but perhaps some inkling of virtual camera ability from the array will be
integrated.
I don't know if Apple will ever use this patented technology, but I sure hope they do. Feel free
to participate in rumor mongering in the comments.
[via
the Mac Observer] [
camera array from Stanford via
Hack-A-Day Siggraph coverage]
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