Capturing images using a switchable imaging apparatus

• US 8,836,847 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Manico, Joseph Anthony, Border, John Norvold
• Primary Examiner(s): VILLECCO, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US13/893,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20130242157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.07, 348/14.16, 348/333.01, 348/333.08, 348/333.09, 348/335, 348/340, 348/344, 348/374, 348/376, 348/16, 345/632, 345/633
• US Class Current: 348/344
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/10 using back-projection, i.e. blending artificial background with real foreground
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/144 camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact

Abstract

A method for capturing an image, comprising: providing a switchable imaging apparatus including a display screen having a first display state and a second transparent state, an optical beam deflector switchable between a first non-deflecting state and a second deflecting state, a camera positioned in a location peripheral to the display screen, and a controller; setting the switchable imaging apparatus to the image capture mode by using the controller to set the display screen to the second transparent state and the optical beam deflector to the second deflecting state; using the camera to capture an image of the scene; setting the switchable imaging apparatus to the image display mode by using the controller to set the display screen to the first display state and the optical beam deflector to the first non-deflecting state; and displaying an image on the display screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a switchable imaging apparatus to an image capture mode using a controller to set a display screen to a second transparent state and an optical beam deflector to the second deflecting state;

capturing an image of a scene, wherein light from the scene is deflected by the optical beam deflector more than once from a first optical axis perpendicular to a front side of the display screen onto a second optical axis parallel to the front side of the display screen, and wherein the captured image represented by an array of pixel values;

configuring the switchable imaging apparatus to an image display mode using the controller to set the display screen to a display state and the optical beam deflector to a first non-deflecting state; and

displaying an image on the display screen by energizing the display pixels in accordance with pixel values representing the image.

2. The method of claim 1, further including configuring the switchable imaging apparatus to operate in a transparent viewing mode using the controller to set the display screen to the second transparent state and the optical beam deflector to the first non-deflecting state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transparent viewing mode is used to provide a transparent viewfinder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller alternates between the image capture mode and the image display mode according to a switching frequency to alternately capture images of the scene in the image capture mode and display images on the image display in the image display mode, and wherein the switching frequency is selected to substantially avoid perceptible flicker in the images displayed in the image display mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the images displayed in the image display mode are the images captured in the image capture mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is at least partially transparent when operating in the image display mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the switchable imaging apparatus includes a light blocking layer positioned behind the optical beam deflector.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the light blocking layer is an opaque light blocking layer or is a light scattering layer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the light blocking layer is switchable between a transparent state and an opaque state or a light scattering state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera includes an imaging lens positioned along the second optical axis for focusing the imaging light onto an imaging sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the imaging sensor includes a one-dimensional array of sensor pixels.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the imaging sensor includes a two-dimensional array of sensor pixels.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the display screen is positioned between the scene and the optical beam deflector such that the light from the scene passes through the display screen before being deflected by the optical beam deflector.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical beam deflector is positioned between the scene and the display screen such that the light from the scene does not pass through the display screen before being deflected by the optical beam deflector.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the display screen is the captured image.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a display screen having a first display state and a second capture state, wherein the display screen includes a front side oriented toward a scene and an opposing back side and includes an array of display pixels configured to be energized to provide a displayed image when the display screen is in the first display state;

an optical beam deflector configured to be switched between a first non-deflecting state and a second deflecting state, wherein when the optical beam deflector is in the first non-deflected state, light from the scene is able to pass through the optical beam deflector in an undeflected direction, and when the optical beam deflector is in the second deflecting state, light from the scene is able to be deflected more than once from a first optical axis perpendicular to the front side of the display screen onto a second optical axis parallel to the front side of the display screen;

a camera positioned along the second optical axis; and

a controller configured to switch the display screen between the first display state and the second capture state, and the optical beam deflector between the first non-deflecting state and the second deflecting state, and do initiate capture of an image by the camera, thereby providing an image display mode and an image capture mode.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the display screen is further configured to operate in a transparent viewing mode using the controller to set the display screen to the second transparent state and the optical beam deflector to the first non-deflecting state.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transparent viewing mode is used to provide a transparent viewfinder.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to alternate between the image capture mode and the image display mode according to a switching frequency to alternately capture images of the scene in the image capture mode and display images on the image display in the image display mode, and wherein the switching frequency is selected to substantially avoid perceptible flicker in the images displayed in the image display mode.

20. A method comprising:

configuring a switchable imaging apparatus to a transparent viewing mode using a controller to set a display screen to a second transparent state and an optical beam deflector to a first non-deflecting state,

capturing an image of a scene by capturing the switchable imaging apparatus to an image capture mode using the controller to set the display screen to the second transparent state and the optical beam deflector to a second deflecting state, wherein the captured image is represented by an array of pixel values;

configuring the switchable imaging apparatus to an image display mode using the controller to set the display screen to a display state and the optical beam deflector to the first non-deflecting state; and

displaying an image on the display screen by energizing the display pixels in accordance with pixel values representing the image.