Image capture with a camera integrated display

Abstract

Certain aspects of the technology disclosed herein integrate a camera with an electronic display. An electronic display can include 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 can suspend 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.

1 . A method of capturing an image, comprising:
 suspending, by a processor, light emission from a light source of a display for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer; and   initiating, by the processor, a camera disposed within the display to capture an image during the period of time the light source is suspended.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 initiating, by a processor, light emission from a backlight source to illuminate the display.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display includes a liquid crystal layer disposed beneath a color filter layer and a substantially transparent cover layer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the camera is disposed beneath a color filter layer and proximate to a liquid crystal layer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the camera comprises a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of color regions associated with a color filter layer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels is optimized to record a colored light beam passing through a color region associated with the color filter layer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , 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 a colored light beam passing through a color region associated with the color filter layer. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels comprise a plurality of noncontiguous pixel regions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the period of time is less than 1/60 of a second. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein suspending the light emission comprises causing a thin film transistor layer electrically connected to a 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. 
     
     
         11 . A method of capturing an image, comprising:
 interrupting, by the processor, a backlight source of a display for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer; and   initiating, by the processor, a camera within the display to capture an image during the period of time the backlight source is interrupted.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 initiating, by the processor, light emission from a backlight source to illuminate a display layer disposed beneath a color filter 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, and 
 wherein the light emitted from the backlight source is transmitted through the first arrangement and blocked by the second arrangement. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the period of time is less than 1/60 of a second. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein interrupting the backlight source comprises causing a thin film transistor layer electrically connected to the display to deactivate and reactivate the display by substantially simultaneously altering a charge state of a plurality of thin-film transistors of the thin film transistor layer. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein interrupting the backlight source 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. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the subset of thin film transistors corresponds to a pixel of the plurality of pixels recording a particular section of the electromagnetic spectrum. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the display comprises an organic light emitting diode (OLED) layer, a quantum-dot-based light emitting diode (QLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         18 . A system for capturing an image, comprising:
 a display layer comprising a display substrate and a plurality of display elements configured to transmit light;   a transparent thin film transistor (TFT) layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of TFTs disposed on the TFT substrate;   a camera disposed beneath the display layer;   a processor electrically connected to the TFT layer configured to:
 suspend light emission from the plurality of display elements for a period of time imperceptible to a human observer; and 
 initiate the camera to capture an image during the period of time the plurality of display elements are suspended. 
   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , the processor further configured to:
 capture a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of pixels;   produce an image comprising depth information; and   directionally parse the produced image comprising the depth information by identifying angular relationships between one or more objects identified in the produced image.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , 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.