Have you seen videos of people walking with eyes glued to the display on their smart phones oblivious to their immediate surrounding and walking into fountains, subterranean sidewalk elevators and even a bear?

To improve safety by providing situational awareness, this Heads-Down Display concept can be integrated into a smart phone to provide a screen display of what is ahead independent of the angle the phone is being held.
The Heads-Down Display (HDD) is a concept where a camera lens maintains a forward looking view by utilizing gravity based positioning. In the diagram, the lens (c) is conceptually portrayed attached to a gravity driven rotating cylinder (b) that maintains the forward looking view in the display of the camera (a). Ideally, this gravity based positioning mechanism would be integrated within the body of the smart phone.

The image is sent as a banner display on the smart phone for the HDD or can be displayed full screen to provide greater flexibility for photographic possibilities. In banner display mode the smart phone user is provided awareness of the immediate surroundings and offers an option to engage others. In full screen display a pseudo steady-cam capability is possible when image recording while moving is necessary.
The HDD is an improvement on current smart phone photographic capability by providing greater flexibility of the smart phones recording position. And it is novel in the ability to provide surrounding awareness. It is applicable for enhanced direct recording as an active function or passively provides a live view in a banner display on the smart phone.

Market potential is substantial as this enhanced feature can be integrated into a well-established product and can be featured as a significant version upgrade. Envisioned as integrated into the overall design, smart phone manufacturers can incorporate the gravity based camera positioning into the design and associated software to provide the HDD banner display or full screen display that allows greater flexibility in phone position for image capture.

This capability allows users to continue looking down at their phones while traversing crowded sidewalks and streets with a convenient view of what is directly ahead. This enhances safety for the user and those in the vicinity. Although the gravity based positioning of the camera opens up greater photographic/video recording possibilities it is hoped that this mechanism will also hedge against trips, collisions and maybe see the bear heading your way…