Camera and display thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11503189-B2
Application number	US-201917279381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2019
Priority date	Oct 4, 2018
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A camera includes a lens, an image sensor, and a display. The lens and the image sensor are configured to capture images. The display may include an array of lights that are selectively illuminable to display the graphics. The lights may be arranged in a grid with each of the lights forming a pixel of the display. The display is hidden from view when not illuminated and displays graphics when illuminated. The camera may include a body that hides the display from view when not illuminated and permits light from the display to pass therethrough when illuminated. The body may include an elastomeric, light-permeable outer layer through which light from the display passes. The body may have a first side having the lens and on which the display displays the graphics. The camera may include a second display on a second side of the body facing opposite the first side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera comprising:
a body;
a lens and an image sensor coupled to the body and cooperatively configured to capture images; and
a display coupled to the body, substantially hidden from view when not illuminated, and configured to display graphics when illuminated;
wherein the body includes an outer layer comprising an elastomeric material through which light from the display passes to display the graphics and which substantially hides the display from view when not illuminated, and
wherein the body includes an inner structure to which the outer layer is coupled, the inner structure including a grid of apertures through which the light from the display passes to display the graphics.

2. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the body hides the display from view when not illuminated and permits the light from the display to pass therethrough when illuminated to display the graphics.

3. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the display includes a grid of lights, and each light of the grid of lights is associated with one aperture of the grid of apertures.

4. The camera according to claim 3 , further comprising a light diffuser that is arranged between the inner structure of the body and the grid of lights and that diffuses light emitted by the grid of lights before passing through the apertures associated therewith.

5. The camera according to claim 2 , the body includes a first side to which the lens is coupled and on which the display displays the graphics.

6. The camera according to claim 5 , further comprising a second display, wherein the second display is coupled to a second side of the body facing opposite the first side.

7. The camera according to claim 6 , wherein the second display has substantially higher resolution and substantially higher pixel density than the display.

8. The camera according to claim 7 , wherein the display has a first pixel density of 40 pixels per inch (PPI) or lower, and the second display has a second pixel density of 160 PPI or greater.

9. A camera comprising:
a lens and an image sensor cooperatively configured to capture images;
a display that is substantially hidden from view when not illuminated and that displays graphics when illuminated; and
a body having a first side to which the lens is coupled and on which the display displays the graphics,
wherein the display includes a grid of lights that are selectively illuminable to display the graphics; and
wherein the first side of the body includes an inner layer formed of a rigid plastic and an outer layer coupled to the inner layer and formed of an elastomeric material, the inner layer having a grid of apertures covered by the outer layer.

10. The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the grid of lights consists of an 11×11 grid of LEDs of which the LEDs in each of four corners of the 11×11 grid emit a first color and a remainder of the LEDs of the 11×11 grid of LEDs emit a second color that is different from the first color.

11. The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the grid of lights is a grid of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and at least 90% of the LEDs of the grid of LEDs emit a common dedicated color, and less than 10% of the LEDs of the grid of LEDs emit one or more other colors that are different from the common dedicated color.

12. The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the display displays alphanumeric characters that span a first dimension but not a second dimension of the display in a first orientation of the camera and that span the second dimension but not the first dimension of the display in a second orientation of the camera.

13. The camera according to claim 12 , wherein the display displays a dot indicator simultaneously with the alphanumeric characters, and a spatial relationship between the alphanumeric characters and the dot indicator does not change between the first orientation and the second orientation of the camera.

14. The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the display is a first display, further comprising:
a second display on a second side of the body and facing opposite the first side of the body, wherein the second display is a display panel having a second pixel density of 160 PPI or greater,
wherein the grid of lights are contained within the body and selectively emit light through the grid of apertures and the elastomeric material,
wherein the first display has a first pixel density of 40 pixels per inch (PPI) or lower and a first display area that is less than a second display area of the second display, and
wherein the grid of lights is hidden from view by the elastomeric material when not emitting light.

15. A camera comprising:
a body having a first side and a second side facing opposite the first side, wherein the first side of the body includes an inner layer formed of a rigid plastic and an outer layer coupled to the inner layer and formed of a light-permeable material, the inner layer having apertures covered by the outer layer;
a lens coupled to the first side of the body and an image sensor contained within the body, wherein the lens and the image sensor are cooperatively configured to capture images;
a first display on the first side of the body, wherein the first display includes lights that are contained within the body and selectively emit light through the apertures and the light-permeable material, the first display having a first pixel density at or below 40 pixels per inch (PPI);
a light diffuser that is arranged between the inner layer of the body and the lights of the first display, wherein the light diffuser is configured to diffuse light emitted by the lights before passing through the outer layer; and
a second display on the second side of the body and facing opposite the first display, wherein the second display is a display panel having a second pixel density at or above 160 PPI,
wherein the lights are hidden from view by the light-permeable material when not emitting light.

16. The camera according to claim 15 , wherein the apertures in the inner layer consist of a grid of apertures, wherein the lights of the first display consist of a grid of LEDs, and wherein the LEDs in each of four corners of the grid of LEDs emit a first color and a remainder of the LEDs of the grid of LEDs emit a second color that is different from the first color.

17. The camera according to claim 15 , wherein the first display is configured to display alphanumeric characters that span a first dimension but not a second dimension of the first display in a first orientation of the camera and that span the second dimension but not the first dimension of the first display in a second orientation of the camera.

18. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric material is rubber.

19. The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the inner layer is a separate piece from the display and the display is a grid of lights.

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Yui Stephen
• Weber Clark
• Muhlenkamp Iv John George
• Nguyen Huy Phuong
• Mccauley Grant Adam

Classifications

• H04N23/53

  of electronic viewfinders, e.g. rotatable or detachable · CPC title

• H04N23/51 Primary

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title