Camera integrated into a display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9870024-B2
Application number	US-201615231664-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

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. In one embodiment, the layers include a substantially transparent region disposed above the camera. The substantially transparent region allows light from outside to reach the camera, enabling the camera to record an image. In another embodiment, the color filter layer does not include a substantially transparent region, and the camera records the light from the outside colored by the color filter layer. According to another embodiment, while none of the layers include a substantially transparent region, the layers are all substantially transparent, and the camera disposed beneath the layers records light reaching the camera from outside.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display including a camera integrated into the display, the camera configured to record an image, and the camera configured to represent a camera icon associated with the display, the display comprising:
a substantially transparent cover layer defining an outside surface associated with the display;
a color filter (CF) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the CF layer comprising a CF substrate and a plurality of color regions disposed on the CF substrate, wherein each of the plurality of color regions corresponds to one of red, green, and blue, the plurality of color regions having a first size and a second size, wherein the first size corresponds to a size of a pixel associated with the camera;
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;
a thin film transistor (TFT) layer disposed beneath the LCD layer, the TFT layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate; and
the camera disposed beneath the CF layer, the LCD layer and the TFT layer, the camera configured to record the image through the CF layer, the LCD layer and the TFT layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to the plurality of color regions having the first size and associated with the CF layer, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises a separate lens and a separate photodetector, wherein each lens associated with each pixel is optimized to focus a colored light beam received through the CF layer above the camera; and
wherein each color region associated with the CF layer and disposed above the camera is smaller than a color region associated with the CF layer and not disposed above the camera.

2. The display of claim 1 , the plurality of pixels comprising a plurality of noncontiguous pixel regions.

3. A display including a camera integrated into the display, the display comprising:
a substantially transparent cover layer defining an outside surface associated with the display;
a color filter (CF) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the CF layer comprising a CF substrate and a plurality of color regions disposed on the CF substrate, the plurality of color regions having a first size and a second size, wherein the first size corresponds to a size of a pixel associated with the camera;
a display layer disposed beneath the CF layer, the display layer comprising a display substrate and a plurality of display elements disposed on the display substrate, the plurality of display elements configured to transmit light;
a thin film transistor (TFT) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the TFT layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate; and
the camera disposed beneath the CF layer, the display layer and the TFT layer, the camera configured to record an image through the CF layer, the display layer and the TFT layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to the plurality of color regions having the first size and associated with the CF layer, the plurality of pixels corresponding to the plurality of TFTs, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises a separate lens and a separate photodetector, wherein each lens associated with each pixel is optimized to focus a colored light beam received through the CF layer above the camera; and
wherein each color region associated with the CF layer and disposed above the camera is smaller than a color region associated with the CF layer and not disposed above the camera.

4. The display of claim 3 , the display layer comprising 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.

5. The display of claim 3 , the display configured to stop emitting light for a period of time when the plurality of pixels is recording the image, wherein the period of time comprises less than 1/60 second.

6. The display of claim 3 , 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.

7. The display of claim 3 , when the photodetector is within a saturation threshold, the plurality of TFTs configured to block the light.

8. The display of claim 3 , comprising a processor configured to:
when the plurality of pixels is recording the image, cause a subset of TFTs to block light, wherein the subset of TFTs corresponds to the pixel recording a particular section of the electromagnetic spectrum.

9. The display of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of lenses corresponding to the plurality of pixels, the plurality of lenses comprising at least one of:
a substantially transparent cover layer lens disposed on the substantially transparent cover layer;
a CF layer lens disposed on the CF substrate;
a display layer lens disposed on the display substrate; or
a TFT layer lens disposed on the TFT substrate.

10. The display of claim 9 , the plurality of lenses comprising a plurality of effective focal lengths.

11. The display of claim 10 , further comprising a processor configured to gather a plurality of images corresponding to the plurality of pixels, and to produce the image comprising depth information.

12. The display of claim 3 , the plurality of pixels grouped into a plurality of noncontiguous groups.

13. The display of claim 3 , the CF layer comprising a red color region, a green color region, a blue color region, and a white color region, wherein the white color region can transmit substantially the full electromagnetic spectrum.

14. The display of claim 13 , wherein any of an infrared (IR) sensor, an ambient sensor, or the pixel associated with the camera are placed beneath the white color region.

15. A display including a camera integrated into the display, the display comprising:
a substantially transparent cover layer defining an outside surface associated with the display;
a color filter (CF) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the CF layer comprising a CF substrate and a plurality of color regions disposed on the CF substrate, the plurality of color regions having a first size and a second size, wherein the first size corresponds to a size of a pixel associated with the camera;
a display layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the display layer comprising a display substrate and a plurality of display elements disposed on the display substrate, the plurality of display elements configured to transmit light;
a thin film transistor (TFT) layer disposed beneath the substantially transparent cover layer, the TFT layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate; and
the camera disposed beneath the display layer, and the TFT layer, the camera configured to record an image through the CF layer, the display layer and the TFT layer, the camera comprising a plurality of pixels corresponding to the plural

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

• G06F1/1686

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1605 Primary

  Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones · CPC title

• G02F1/133305

  Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film · CPC title

• G06F1/1643

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G02F1/1368

  in which the switching element is a three-electrode device {(G02F1/136277 takes precedence)} · CPC title