Light sensor beneath a dual-mode display

• US 9,767,728 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2016
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, V, David John, Jiang, Xinrui, Rubin, Andrew E., Hershenson, Matthew, Miao, Xiaoyu, Tate, Joseph Anthony, Gagne-Keats, Jason Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US15/336,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 345207
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/03 specially adapted for displays having non-planar surfaces, e.g. curved displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]

Abstract

The technology disclosed here integrates a light sensor with a dual-mode display, thus increasing the size of the dual-mode display. The light sensor can be a camera, an ambient sensor, a proximity sensor, etc. The light sensor is placed beneath the dual-mode display and can detect incoming light while the dual-mode display is displaying a display image. The dual-mode display and the light sensor can operate at the same time. For example, a camera placed beneath the dual-mode display can record an image of the environment, while at the same time the dual-mode display is showing the display image. Further, multiple light sensors can be placed at various locations beneath the dual-mode display.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a dual-mode display operable in an opaque mode when displaying opaque portions of a display image, the dual-mode display operable in a transparent mode when not displaying the display image, the dual-mode display comprising a substantially transparent cathode layer, a plurality of organic light emitting diodes, and a substantially transparent anode layer;

a selectively addressable region associated with the dual-mode display, the selectively addressable region disposed above a camera, the selectively addressable region operable to be transparent when remainder of the dual-mode display is in the opaque mode, and when the selectively addressable region is transparent, the selectively addressable region to allow light to enter the camera, and to allow light to exit the camera;

a first set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the dual-mode display except the selectively addressable region;

a second set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the selectively addressable region; and

a display controller to send a first signal and a second signal to the selectively addressable region, the first signal to turn the selectively addressable region transparent, and the second signal to turn the selectively addressable region opaque.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a memory to store an identification associated with a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to the selectively addressable region, and the memory to communicate the identification associated with the plurality of light emitting elements to the display controller.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising an ambient sensor to measure ambient light, the ambient sensor placed beneath the selectively addressable region, and the display controller to deactivate the selectively addressable region when the ambient sensor activates, such that the inactive selectively addressable region tends to be unnoticeable to a user.

4. The system of claim 1, comprising a proximity sensor to measure distance to an object, the proximity sensor placed beneath a proximity selectively addressable region, and the display controller to deactivate the proximity selectively addressable region when the proximity sensor activates, such that the inactive selectively addressable region tends to be unnoticeable to a user.

5. A system comprising:

a dual-mode display operable in an opaque mode when displaying opaque portions of a display image, the dual-mode display operable in a transparent mode when not displaying the display image;

a selectively addressable region associated with the dual-mode display, the selectively addressable region disposed above a light sensor, the selectively addressable region operable to be transparent when remainder of the dual-mode display is in the opaque mode, and when the selectively addressable region is transparent, the selectively addressable region to allow light to enter the light sensor, and to allow light to exit the light sensor;

a first set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the dual-mode display except the selectively addressable region;

a second set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the selectively addressable region; and

a display controller to send a first signal and a second signal to the selectively addressable region, the first signal to turn the selectively addressable region transparent, and the second signal to turn the selectively addressable region opaque.

6. The system of claim 5, the dual-mode display comprising:

a substantially transparent cathode layer;

a plurality of organic light emitting diodes; and

a substantially transparent anode layer.

7. The system of claim 6, comprising a substantially transparent substrate.

8. The system of claim 7, an opaque layer beneath the substantially transparent substrate and the light sensor.

9. The system of claim 6, comprising a thin film transistor (TFT) layer to cause the plurality of organic light emitting diodes to emit light.

10. The system of claim 5, comprising:

a memory to store an identification associated with a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to the selectively addressable region, and the memory to communicate the identification associated with the plurality of light emitting elements to the display controller.

11. The system of claim 5, comprising an opaque substrate with a transparent region, the transparent region disposed proximate to the light sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, the transparent region comprising a lens associated with the light sensor, the lens to focus incoming light to the light sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, the transparent region comprising a part of the light sensor.

14. The system of claim 5, the light sensor comprising at least one of a camera to record an image of the environment, an ambient sensor to measure ambient light, or a proximity sensor to measure distance to an object.

15. The system of claim 5, the light sensor comprising a plurality of cameras;

and a processor configured to;

determine a position of the user'"'"'s head, based on a plurality of images recorded by the plurality of cameras; and

based on the position of the user'"'"'s head display a different display image on the dual-mode display.

16. The system of claim 5, the light sensor comprising a plurality of cameras;

and a processor configured to;

determine the user'"'"'s visual focus point on the dual-mode display;

based on the user'"'"'s visual focus point, activate the one or more cameras closest to the user'"'"'s visual focus point, to record an image of a user.

17. A method comprising:

configuring a dual-mode display to become opaque when displaying opaque portions of a display image, the dual-mode display to become substantially transparent when not displaying the display image;

placing a light sensor beneath a selectively addressable region associated with the dual-mode display, the light sensor to activate and deactivate, and when the light sensor activates the light sensor to detect a property of incoming light, said placing comprising establishing a correspondence between the light sensor and the selectively addressable region, said establishing the correspondence comprising;

configuring a first set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the dual-mode display except the selectively addressable region;

configuring a second set of electrodes to activate and to deactivate the selectively addressable region; and

configuring the selectively addressable region to not to display the display image when the light sensor activates while at least a portion of the dual-mode display is displaying opaque portions of the display image, such that the inactive selectively addressable region tends to be unnoticeable to a user.

18. The method of claim 17, said configuring the dual-mode display comprising:

providing a substantially transparent cathode layer;

providing a substantially transparent light emitting layer comprising organic light emitting diodes; and

providing a substantially transparent anode layer.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising providing a thin film transistor (TFT) layer to cause the substantially transparent light emitting layer to emit light.

20. The method of claim 17, said establishing the correspondence between the light sensor and the selectively addressable region comprising:

storing in a memory an identification associated with a plurality of light emitting elements corresponding to the selectively addressable region; and

sending the identification associated with the plurality of light emitting elements to a display controller.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising providing an opaque substrate with a transparent region, the transparent region disposed proximate to the light sensor.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising disposing a lens associated with the light sensor within the transparent region, the lens to focus incoming light to the light sensor.

23. The method of claim 17, comprising:

placing a plurality of cameras beneath a plurality of portions of the dual-mode display;

configuring a processor to track the user'"'"'s head, based on a plurality of images recorded by the plurality of cameras; and

based on the head tracking configuring the processor to display a different display image on the dual-mode display.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising:

placing a plurality of cameras beneath a plurality of portions of the dual-mode display;

configuring a processor to track the user'"'"'s eyes, based on a plurality of images recorded by the plurality of cameras; and

based on the eye tracking, activating a camera in the plurality of cameras closest to the user'"'"'s focus point on the substantially transfer parent display layer, said activating the camera comprising recording, by the camera, an image of the user.