Image capture with a camera integrated display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843736-B2
Application number	US-201715444320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Certain aspects of the technology disclosed herein integrate a camera with an electronic display. An electronic display includes several layers, such as a cover layer, a color filter layer, a display layer including light emitting diodes or organic light emitting diodes, a thin film transistor layer, etc. A processor initiates light emission from a plurality of display elements. The processor suspends the light emission from the plurality of display elements for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer. The processor initiates a camera to capture an image during the period of time the plurality of display elements are suspended. The processor can capture a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of pixels and produce an image comprising depth information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of capturing an image, comprising:
initiating, by a processor, light emission from a backlight source to illuminate a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer disposed beneath a color filter (CF) layer and a substantially transparent cover layer,
wherein the LCD layer comprises an LCD substrate and a plurality of liquid crystals disposed on the LCD substrate, the plurality of liquid crystals configured to assume a first arrangement and a second arrangement,
wherein the light emitted from the backlight source is transmitted through the first arrangement and blocked by the second arrangement;

suspending, by the processor, the light emission from the backlight source for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer; and
initiating, by the processor, a camera to capture an image during the period of time the backlight source is suspended,
wherein the camera is disposed beneath the CF layer, and proximate to the LCD layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of color regions associated with the CF layer,
wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels is optimized to record a colored light beam passing through a color region associated with the CF layer,
wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises a lens and a photodetector, wherein the lens associated with the pixel is optimized to focus the colored light beam.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the period of time comprises less than 1/60 of a second.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein suspending the light emission comprises causing a thin film transistor layer electrically connected to the LCD layer to deactivate and reactivate the LCD layer by substantially simultaneously altering a charge state of a plurality of thin-film transistors of the thin film transistor layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels comprise a plurality of noncontiguous pixel regions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a thin film transistor (TFT) layer is disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the TFT layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate.

6. A method of capturing an image, comprising:
initiating, by a processor, light emission from a backlight source to illuminate a display layer disposed beneath a color filter (CF) layer and a substantially transparent cover layer,
wherein the display layer comprises a display substrate and a plurality of display elements disposed on the display substrate, the plurality of display elements configured to assume a first arrangement and a second arrangement,
wherein the light emitted from the backlight source is transmitted through the first arrangement and blocked by the second arrangement;

suspending, by the processor, the light emission from the backlight source for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer; and
initiating, by the processor, a camera to capture an image during the period of time the backlight source is suspended,
wherein the camera is disposed beneath the CF layer, and proximate to the display layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of color regions associated with the CF layer,
wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels is optimized to record a colored light beam passing through a color region associated with the CF layer,
wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises a lens and a photodetector, wherein the lens associated with the pixel is optimized to focus the colored light beam.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the period of time comprises less than 1/60 of a second.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein suspending the light emission comprises causing a thin film transistor layer electrically connected to the display layer to deactivate and reactivate the display layer by substantially simultaneously altering a charge state of a plurality of thin-film transistors of the thin film transistor layer.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein suspending the light emission comprises causing a subset of thin film transistors electrically connected to a subset of the display to alternate a charge state to temporarily terminate light emission for the period of time for the subset of the display.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the subset of thin film transistors corresponds to a pixel of the plurality of pixels recording a particular section of the electromagnetic spectrum.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
capturing, by the processor, a plurality of images corresponding to the plurality of pixels; and
producing, by the processor, an image comprising depth information.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the display layer comprises an organic light emitting diode (OLED) layer disposed beneath the CF layer, the OLED layer comprising an OLED substrate and a plurality of OLEDs disposed on the OLED substrate.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein the display layer comprises quantum-dot-based light emitting diode (QLED) layer disposed beneath the CF layer, the QLED layer comprising a QLED substrate and a plurality of QLEDs disposed on the QLED substrate.

14. The method of claim 6 , the display layer comprising a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer disposed beneath the CF layer, the LCD layer comprising an LCD substrate and a plurality of liquid crystals disposed on the LCD substrate, the plurality of liquid crystals configured to assume a first arrangement and a second arrangement, wherein the first arrangement transmits light, and wherein the second arrangement blocks light.

15. A system for capturing an image, comprising:
a substantially transparent cover layer defining an outside surface associated with a display;
a display layer comprising a display substrate and a plurality of display elements disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the plurality of display elements configured to transmit light;
a transparent thin film transistor (TFT) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate;
a camera disposed beneath the display layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of color regions;
a processor electrically connected to the TFT layer configured to:
initiate light emission from the plurality of display elements;
suspend the light emission from the plurality of display elements for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer;
initiate the camera to capture an image during the period of time the plurality of display elements are suspended;
capture a plurality of images corresponding to the plurality of pixels; and
produce an image comprising depth information.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the camera includes a first photodetector a distance apart from a second photodetector.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising:
identifying one or more objects in an image; and
determining the depth information associated with the one or more objects based on the distance between the first photodetector and the second photodetector.

18. The system of claim 15 , the processor further configured to:
directionally parse the produced image comprising the depth information by identifying angular relationships between one or more objects identified in the produced image; and
generate a first image having a first angular disposition and a second image having a second angular disposition, the first and second angular disposition based on a predicted position of

Assignees

• Essential Products Inc

Inventors

• Evans V David John
• Jiang Xinrui
• Rubin Andrew E
• Hershenson Matthew
• Miao Xiaoyu
• Tate Joseph Anthony
• Gagne-Keats Jason Sean

Classifications

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/663

  for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/631

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/74

  by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means · CPC title