Electronic apparatus and control method

Abstract

To avoid degradation in image quality of a captured image while achieving screen display in a screen area.SOLUTION: A display has a screen area in which a plurality of pixels is arranged. Light transmitted through a transparent area, which is a part of the screen area, is incident on a camera. A controller restricts display at least in the transparent area when acquiring a captured image from the camera, and removes the restriction when not acquiring the captured image. The present embodiment can be achieved such as in an electronic apparatus including a display, a camera, and a controller, and a control method of an electronic apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to an electronic device and a control method, for example an electronic device having a display and a camera. [Background technology]

[0002] Some electronic devices, such as clamshell-type PCs (Personal Computers), have a display and a camera built into the case. To avoid interfering with the screen display as much as possible, an opening is provided at the top center of the screen area, and the camera is sometimes installed in the opening. Because the opening is located outside the screen area, the screen occupancy rate is limited. In recent years, PCs with a high screen occupancy rate have become popular, and PCs that use the CUD (Camera Under Display) method have been put to practical use.

[0003] The CUD method is a configuration in which a camera is installed on the back side of the screen area of ​​a display. The camera captures an image that appears in light that has passed through the screen area. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a display device that covers the device body, has an element area located behind the display area, and includes a photosensitive element in the element area that collects light that passes through the display area. The photosensitive element includes a camera. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2022-513506 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the CUD method, when capturing an image with a camera, it is desirable to turn off pixels arranged in an area of ​​the screen that covers the optical system of the camera (sometimes referred to as a "transmissive area" in this application). When the screen display in the transmissive area is maintained and the pixels are turned on, the light emitted by the pixels enters the optical system of the camera. Therefore, the image quality of the captured image may change significantly due to the incident light from the pixels. For example, an image captured while turning on green pixels arranged in the transmissive area will be greener overall than an image captured without turning on the green pixels, and the contrast will be reduced and the contours will tend to be blurred. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present application has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an electronic device according to one aspect of the present application includes a display having a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a camera, and a controller, wherein light that has passed through a transparent area that is a portion of the screen area is incident on the camera, and the controller restricts the display in at least the transparent area when acquiring an image from the camera, and releases the restriction when the image is not acquired.

[0007] In the electronic device described above, the controller may control whether or not display is required in at least the transmissive region for each fixed imaging cycle, and accumulate signal values ​​of captured images for each non-display period included in an exposure period of the camera.

[0008] In the electronic device described above, the controller controls whether or not the entire screen area is to be displayed.

[0009] In the electronic device described above, the controller may not control whether a standard region surrounding the transmissive region is displayed, and may set a luminance of the transmissive region during a display period higher than a luminance of the standard region.

[0010] In the electronic device described above, the camera may control an image capturing condition during a non-display period for the transmissive region.

[0011] The above electronic device may comprise a first housing, a second housing, and an engaging device that rotatably engages the first housing with respect to the second housing, wherein the display is provided on a surface of the first housing facing the second housing, and the transmissive area is provided in the center of the screen area.

[0012] A control method according to a second aspect of the present application is a control method for an electronic device comprising a display having a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a camera, and a controller, in which light that has passed through a transparent area that is a portion of the screen area is incident on the camera, wherein the electronic device restricts display in at least the transparent area when acquiring an image from the camera, and releases the restriction when the image is not acquired. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to this embodiment, it is possible to avoid degradation of the image quality of a captured image while realizing screen display in the screen area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing an example of the external configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the electronic device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the electronic device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of synchronous control of display and imaging according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of obtaining an output image according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of changes over time in luminance of pixels arranged on a display. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of changes over time in luminance of pixels arranged on a display. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an imaging control process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a front view showing another example of the external configuration of the electronic device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an example will be taken of an information processing device 10 configured as a clamshell PC as the electronic device according to the present embodiment. A clamshell PC is also called a notebook PC or a notebook PC. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the external configuration of the electronic device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the cross section of the electronic device according to the present embodiment.

[0016] The information processing device 10 includes a first housing 10a and a second housing 10b. The first housing 10a is rotatable relative to the second housing 10b, and the angle between the surface of the first housing 10a and the surface of the second housing 10b (sometimes referred to as the "opening / closing angle" in this application) is variable. The long side of the first housing 10a and the long side of the second housing 10b are connected using hinge mechanisms 121a and 121b. The hinge mechanisms 121a and 121b enable the first housing 10a to rotate relatively to the second housing 10b around a rotation axis ax. The direction of the rotation axis ax is parallel to both the long side of the first housing 10a and the long side of the second housing 10b. The hinge mechanisms 121a and 121b can maintain an arbitrary opening / closing angle θ even when some torque is applied.

[0017] The first housing 10a is formed in a box shape. A display 14 and a camera 28 are mounted on the surface of the first housing 10a. Other members are stored inside the second housing 10b. A keyboard 107 and a touch pad 109 are mounted on the surface of the second housing 10b. When the first housing 10a is opened relative to the second housing 10b, a user facing the front of the first housing 10a can see the display information displayed on the display 14 and can perform input operations on the keyboard 107 and the touch pad 109. At this time, the camera 28 can capture an image of the user's head. In the following description, the first housing 10a and the second housing 10b may be collectively referred to simply as "housings".

[0018] The display 14 has a substantially flat plate shape and is configured as a display panel. The display 14 covers most of the surface of the first housing 10a, and its periphery is supported by the first housing 10a. The display 14 includes a substrate 14b. A plurality of pixels 14p are arranged two-dimensionally at regular intervals on the substrate 14b. The region in which the plurality of pixels 14p are arranged forms a screen region SA. Display information is expressed by the brightness or color distribution in the screen region SA. In the transmissive region TA, which is a part of the screen region SA, the pixels 14p are arranged more sparsely than in the normal region NA, which is the surrounding region. In the transmissive region TA, the adjacent pixels 14p are arranged with gaps between them without being in complete contact with each other. Light incident on the transmissive region TA passes through the gaps between the pixels and enters the optical system of the camera 28. The pixel interval in the transmissive region TA may be equal to the pixel interval in the normal region NA. In that case, the size of the pixels arranged in the transmissive region TA may be smaller than the size of the pixels arranged in the normal region NA.

[0019] As described above, the information processing device 10 includes the display 14 and the camera 28. The display 14 has a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged. Light that has passed through the transparent area TA is incident on the camera 28. The transparent area TA forms a part of the screen area SA of the display 14. When acquiring a captured image from the camera 28, the information processing device 10 restricts display on the transparent area TA, and when not acquiring a captured image from the camera 28, the information processing device 10 lifts the restriction on display on the transparent area TA. By switching the necessity for display on the transparent area TA at short intervals, the display information on the display 14 is visually recognized by the user, and the display does not affect the captured image captured during the non-display period.

[0020] Next, a hardware configuration example of the electronic device according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the electronic device according to the present embodiment. The information processing device 10 includes a processor 11, a main memory 12, a video subsystem 13, a display 14, a chipset 21, a ROM 22, an auxiliary storage device 23, an audio system 24, a communication module 25, an input / output interface 26, a camera 28, an EC 31, an input device 32, a power supply circuit 33, and a battery 34.

[0021] The processor 11 is a core processing device that executes various arithmetic processing instructed by commands written in software (programs). The processing executed by the processor 11 includes reading and writing data from and to storage media such as the main memory 12 and the auxiliary storage device 23, and input and output with other devices. The processor 11 includes at least one CPU. The CPU controls the operation of the entire information processing device 10. The CPU executes processing based on programs such as an OS (Operating System), firmware, device drivers, utilities, and application programs (also referred to as "apps" in this application). Note that in this application, executing processing instructed by commands written in various programs may be referred to as "executing a program" or "running a program", etc.

[0022] The main memory 12 is a writable memory used as a read area for the execution program of the processor 11 or as a work area for writing processing data for the execution program. The main memory 12 is composed of, for example, a plurality of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips. The processor 11 and the main memory 12 correspond to the minimum hardware constituting the host system 100 (described later). The host system 100 is a computer system that forms the core of the information processing device 10.

[0023] Video subsystem 13 is a subsystem for realizing functions related to image display, and includes a video controller. The video controller processes drawing commands from processor 11, writes the obtained drawing information to a video memory, and also reads the drawing information from the video memory and outputs it to display 14 as display data indicating display information (image processing).

[0024] The display 14 displays information based on the display data input from the video subsystem 13. It is desirable for the light-emitting elements of the display 14 to be made of a material that has high responsiveness to a drive signal. The display 14 is, for example, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display.

[0025] The chipset 21 includes a plurality of controllers and can be connected to a plurality of devices to input and output various data. The controller is, for example, any one or a combination of bus controllers such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a serial AT Attachment (Serial ATA), a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express bus, and a Low Pin Count (LPC). The plurality of devices include, for example, a ROM 22, an auxiliary storage device 23, an audio system 24, a communication module 25, an input / output interface 26, and an EC 31.

[0026] A ROM (Read Only Memory) 22 mainly stores system firmware, firmware for controlling the operation of the EC 31 and other devices, etc. The ROM 22 may be, for example, any of an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a flash ROM.

[0027] The auxiliary storage device 23 stores various data used in processing by the processor 11 and other devices, or various data acquired by such processing, various programs, etc. The auxiliary storage device 23 may be, for example, any one of an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc., or a combination of any of them.

[0028] The audio system 24 is connected to a microphone and a speaker (not shown) and records, plays, and outputs audio data. The microphone and the speaker may be built into the information processing device 10 or may be separate from the information processing device 10.

[0029] The communication module 25 is connected to a communication network wirelessly or by wire. The communication module 25 communicates various data with other devices connected to the communication network. The communication module includes, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and enables various data to be transmitted and received between devices according to a predetermined wireless communication method (for example, IEEE802.11).

[0030] The input / output interface 26 is connected to various devices including peripherals via wired or wireless connection, and is, for example, a connector for inputting and outputting data via wired connection in accordance with the USB standard.

[0031] The camera 28 captures an image including an image of a subject located within the field of view. The camera 28 outputs image data indicating the captured image obtained by capturing the image to the processor 11 via the chipset 21.

[0032] The EC (Embedded Controller) 31 is a one-chip microcomputer that monitors and controls various devices (peripheral devices, sensors, etc.) regardless of the operating state of the system of the information processing device 10. The EC 31 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an A / D (Analog-to-Digital) input terminal for multiple channels, a D / A (Digital-to-Analog) output terminal, a timer, and digital input / output terminals (not shown) separate from the processor 11. For example, an input device 32, a power supply circuit 33, etc. are connected to the input / output terminals of the EC 31.

[0033] The input device 32 detects a user's operation and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the detected operation to the EC 31. The above-mentioned keyboard 107 and touch pad 109 correspond to the input device 32. The input device 32 may be a touch sensor, or may overlap the display 14 to be configured as a touch panel. The input device 32 may be provided with a dedicated button.

[0034] The power supply circuit 33 converts the voltage of DC power supplied from an external power supply or a battery 34 to a voltage required for the operation of each device constituting the information processing device 10, and supplies the power having the converted voltage to the device as a supply destination. The power supply circuit 33 executes power supply according to the control of the EC 31. The power supply circuit 33 includes a converter that converts the voltage of the power supplied to itself, and a power supply device that charges the battery 34 with the power whose voltage has been converted. The power supply device charges the battery 34 with the power that is supplied from the external power supply and that is not consumed by each device. When power is not supplied from the external power supply, or when the power supplied from the external power supply is insufficient, the power discharged from the battery 34 is supplied to each device as operating power. The battery 34 charges or discharges power using the power supply circuit 33. The battery 34 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, a sodium ion battery, or the like.

[0035] Next, an example of the functional configuration of the electronic device according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the electronic device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 10 includes a camera 28, a host system 100, a display 14, and a storage unit 120. A part or all of the functions of the host system 100 are realized by the processor 11 executing application programs (sometimes referred to as "apps" in this application) on the OS, device drivers, and other programs in cooperation with the main memory 12, the camera 28, the display 14, the storage unit 120, and other hardware.

[0036] The host system 100 includes an imaging control unit 102, a display control unit 104, a captured image processing unit 106, and an output processing unit . The imaging control unit 102 causes the camera 28 to capture an image based on an imaging command input to the imaging control unit 102. The imaging command is, for example, an operation signal input from the input device 32 or the input / output interface 26. The imaging command may be issued by processing of another application. The imaging command may instruct the camera 28 to capture a moving image or a still image.

[0037] The imaging command may include imaging parameters, or may be input in association with the imaging command. The imaging parameters may be, for example, any one of the following: focal distance, F-number, etc., or any combination thereof. The imaging parameters for a moving image may include a frame rate. The imaging parameters for a still image may include an exposure time (shutter speed). The imaging control unit 102 outputs an imaging command instructed by an operation signal to the camera 28 and the captured image processing unit 106. The camera 28 captures an image according to the imaging command input from the imaging control unit 102. The camera 28 may control the imaging parameters according to the environment within the field of view using a known method (automatic control). In this case, the camera 28 may capture an image using imaging parameters determined by itself, and notify the captured image processing unit 106 of the imaging parameters.

[0038] The display control unit 104 controls the display of display information based on the display data on the display 14. The display information can be acquired by executing other programs (including apps). The display information corresponds to any one or any combination of characters, figures, symbols, and patterns. The display information is configured as a display screen, and can usually be displayed across the transparent area TA and the normal area NA. The display control unit 104 causes the display 14 to display the display information when acquiring an image captured by the camera 28 (referred to as a "captured image" in this application), and causes the display information to be displayed when not acquiring a captured image.

[0039] For example, when the display control unit 104 detects an input of an imaging synchronization signal (trigger) from the captured image processing unit 106, the display control unit 104 starts repeating the display period and the non-display period that form the imaging cycle. Also, when the display control unit 104 detects an input of a synchronization release signal (trigger release) from the captured image processing unit 106, the display control unit 104 stops repeating the display period and the non-display period and maintains the display of the display information. The imaging period of the camera 28 is included in the display period in which the display information is displayed, but is not included in the non-display period in which the display information is not displayed.

[0040] The imaging period may be sufficiently longer than the response time of the light-emitting element, and may be short enough that a human does not perceive a time change in brightness due to blinking, but rather perceives a state in which the brightness is maintained constant. The imaging period may be, for example, 1 / 30 seconds or less. The imaging period is typically about 1 ms to 17 ms. When the captured images are moving images, the imaging period may be equal to the frame period of the captured images, or may be an inverse integer multiple of the frame period. In this case, the display control unit 104 may control the repetition of the display period and the non-display period based on a frame synchronization signal related to the imaging.

[0041] The display control unit 104 causes the display 14 to display the display information during the display period. When displaying the display information, the display control unit 104 outputs, for example, a display start signal indicating the start of the display period to the display 14 at the start of each display period. A timing controller (not shown) for the display 14 outputs drive signals to pixels arranged in the screen area SA when detecting the display start signal input from the display control unit 104. When not displaying the display information, the display control unit 104 outputs, for example, a display end signal indicating the end of the display period to the display 14. When detecting the display end signal input from the display control unit 104, the timing controller for the display 14 stops outputting drive signals to pixels arranged in the screen area SA.

[0042] The captured image processing unit 106 monitors the input of a captured image signal from the camera 28 when an imaging command is input from the imaging control unit 102. The captured image processing unit 106 detects the start of imaging in the camera 28 by detecting the captured image signal. At this time, the captured image processing unit 106 outputs an imaging synchronization signal to the display control unit 104. In addition, the captured image processing unit 106 repeats an imaging period and a non-imaging period for each predetermined imaging cycle.

[0043] The captured image processing unit 106 employs (captures) the captured image signal input from the timing controller of the camera 28 during the imaging period, and discards the captured image signal input from the camera 28 during the non-imaging period. The captured image processing unit 106 accumulates the signal value for each pixel indicated by the captured image signal input from the display control unit 104 for each imaging period until the total acquisition time, which is the sum of the imaging periods, reaches the exposure time. The captured image processing unit 106 determines the accumulated value obtained by accumulating the signal value for each pixel as the signal value of the output image. The captured image processing unit 106 generates output image data indicating the output image, and outputs it to the output processing unit 108.

[0044] The output processing unit 108 performs processing related to the output of the output image data acquired from the captured image processing unit 106. The output processing unit 108 may output the output image data to another device via the display 14 or the input / output interface 26, or may store the output image data in the storage unit 120. The output destination of the output image data may be instructed by an operation signal input from the input device 32 or the input / output interface 26, or may be instructed by the execution of another application.

[0045] Next, an example of synchronous control of display and imaging according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of synchronous control of display and imaging according to this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 5, after an imaging command is input to the imaging control unit 102, cyc A display period T1 and a non-display period T2 are repeated every time the image is captured by the camera 28. In the display period T1, the display control unit 104 causes the display 14 to display the display information, and discards the captured image captured by the camera 28.

[0046] More specifically, in the display period T1, the timing controller of the display 14 supplies a drive signal having power corresponding to a luminance corresponding to a signal value for each pixel representing display information input from the display control unit 104, thereby lighting up the pixels arranged in the transmissive region TA. This display period T1 is set as a non-imaging period, and the captured image processing unit 106 discards the captured image signal input from the camera 28.

[0047] The display control unit 104 does not perform display on the display 14 during the non-display period T2, and acquires the captured image captured by the camera . More specifically, in the non-display period T2, the timing controller of the display 14 stops outputting the drive signal to the pixels, and turns off the pixels arranged in the transmissive area TA. This non-display period T2 is set as an imaging period, and the captured image processing unit 106 employs the captured image signal obtained from the camera 28. 5, the display period T1 and the non-display period T2 are equal, but this is not limiting. The display period T1 may be longer or shorter than the non-display period T2.

[0048] Next, an example of how to obtain an output image according to this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how to obtain an output image according to this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 6, during the display period T1, a display screen in which a desktop screen is superimposed on approximately the center of a background screen is displayed as display information. The desktop screen is generally displayed brighter than the background screen. The display of the display screen causes light from pixels arranged in the transmissive region TA to be incident on the camera 28. The captured image captured during this period becomes brighter overall, has a lower contrast, and tends to blur the contours of individual objects.

[0049] In contrast, in the non-display period T2, no display information is displayed on the display 14, and a black screen appears. The pixels arranged in the transmission area TA do not emit light, and light coming from a subject in the field of view is incident on the camera 28. The captured image captured during this period is not affected by the display. However, since the display period T1 is shorter than the exposure time, the captured image acquired during each display period T1 becomes dark overall. In this embodiment, the captured image processing unit 106 accumulates the signal value of each pixel indicated by the captured image signal acquired during each imaging period until the sum of the imaging periods reaches the exposure time. By determining the accumulated value obtained by accumulating the signal values ​​as the signal value of the output image, it is possible to acquire an output image having sufficient brightness without being affected by the display on the display 14.

[0050] When the display image includes a moving image, a part of each frame period is set as the exposure time for each frame. That is, the captured image processing unit 106 accumulates the signal values ​​for each pixel for each frame to construct an output image. The capture period may be equal to the frame period of the display image, or may be an inverse integer multiple of the frame period. In this case, the display control unit 104 may control the repetition of the display period and the non-display period based on a frame synchronization signal accompanying the display information.

[0051] It is desirable to have a light-emitting element such as an OLED that has a high response to a drive signal in the screen area of ​​the display 14. With a light-emitting element with high response, even if the imaging period and the non-imaging period are set as the non-display period and the display period, respectively, without considering the response time, delays in display on the display 14 and afterimages on the captured image can be prevented. Figures 7 and 8 each illustrate the time change in luminance of an OLED. Figure 7 illustrates an example in which application of a voltage corresponding to a certain luminance to the OLED is started at time 0. In the example of Figure 7, the luminance reaches its maximum value within 0.06 ms from the start of voltage application for all temperatures of 20°C, 40°C, and 85°C. Figure 8 illustrates an example in which application of a voltage corresponding to a certain luminance to the OLED is stopped at time 0. In the example of Figure 8, the luminance immediately reaches almost zero when the voltage application is stopped for all temperatures of 20°C, 40°C, and 85°C. Due to such characteristics, even if each imaging period is set to a short period of about 1 ms, it is possible to sufficiently follow the switching of whether or not to display the display information.

[0052] Next, the procedure of imaging control according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating imaging control processing according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 shows an example in which a display image for each frame constituting a moving image is displayed on the display 14 as display information. In the captured image processing unit 106, a period constituting a part of each frame cycle is set in advance as an exposure time. Also, in the example of Fig. 9, the imaging cycle constituting the frame cycle includes a display period and a non-display period in that order.

[0053] (Step S102) The captured image processing unit 106 detects the start of each frame period. For example, the captured image processing unit 106 determines the start of a frame period by detecting a predetermined frame synchronization signal associated with the display data. The captured image processing unit 106 also initializes a cumulative value for the signal value and a total acquisition time. (Step S104) The captured image processing unit 106 judges whether the total acquisition time, which is the sum of the imaging periods in the frame cycle, is equal to or shorter than the exposure time. If it is judged to be equal to or shorter than the exposure time (step S104 YES), the process proceeds to step S106. If it is judged to be greater than the exposure time (step S104 NO), the process proceeds to step S114.

[0054] (Step S106) During the display period, the display control unit 104 causes the display 14 to display the display information. The captured image processing unit 106 discards the captured image signal input from the camera . (Step S108) During the non-display period, the display control unit 104 stops displaying the display information on the display 14. The captured image processing unit 106 acquires a captured image signal input from the camera .

[0055] (Step S110) The captured image processing unit 106 updates the cumulative value by adding up the signal value for each pixel indicated in the acquired captured image signal. (Step S112) The captured image processing unit 106 updates the total acquisition time by adding the display period, and then returns to the process of step S104. (Step S114) The captured image processing unit 106 generates an output image signal having an accumulated value for each pixel as a signal value, and outputs the output image signal to the output processing unit 108. After that, the process in FIG. 8 ends.

[0056] Note that the above description has been mainly directed to a case where a moving image is displayed on the display 14 as display information, but is not limited thereto. This embodiment may also be applied to a case where a still image is displayed. In that case, the captured image processing unit 106 employs, for example, an exposure time instructed by an imaging command input from the imaging control unit 102. In a case where the camera 28 determines the exposure time by automatic control, the captured image processing unit 106 may employ the exposure time determined by the camera 28.

[0057] The display control unit 104 may control the display and non-display of the display information for each imaging cycle for the entire screen area SA of the display 14. In this case, the display information is displayed for the entire screen area SA during the display period, and the display information is not displayed during the non-display period. The frequency of repeated blinking is uniform for the entire screen area SA. Therefore, there is no bias in blinking in a specific area (e.g., the transmissive area TA), and spatial bias in pixel degradation caused by blinking is avoided. Therefore, burn-in, in which brightness or color tone changes spatially unintentionally, is prevented.

[0058] The display control unit 104 may limit the control of displaying and hiding the display information for each imaging cycle to the transparent area TA, without applying the control to the surrounding normal area NA. In this case, the display control unit 104 sets the luminance of the transparent area TA during the display period higher than the luminance of the normal area NA. Here, the display control unit 104 drives the timing controller of the display 14 to drive the pixels arranged in the transparent area TA so that the apparent luminance of the transparent area TA becomes equal to the luminance of the normal area NA. This compensates for the decrease in apparent luminance due to blinking in the transparent area TA.

[0059] The controller of camera 28 may perform imaging control during a non-display period of display information to determine imaging parameters including exposure time. In the imaging control, the influence of light emission from pixels arranged in transmissive area TA during the display period can be avoided. Therefore, display control unit 104 may output a display start signal indicating the start of the display period to camera 28 for each imaging cycle, and output a display end signal indicating the end of the display period to camera 28. The controller of camera 28 can detect the start of the display period when the display start signal is input from display control unit 104, and can detect the end of the display period when the display end signal is input.

[0060] 1 and 2, the transparent area TA is disposed closer to one of the long sides than the center of the screen area of ​​the display 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the transparent area TA may be disposed at the center of the screen area of ​​the display 14. With this arrangement, an image of the user's head facing the center of the display 14 is captured by the camera 28. The host system 100 executes a predetermined communication application, transmits the acquired output image to another information processing device, and displays the output image acquired from the other information processing device having a similar configuration on the display 14 while including it in the display information, thereby enabling communication between users through eye contact.

[0061] As described above, the electronic device (e.g., information processing device 10) according to this embodiment includes a display 14 having a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a camera 28, and a controller (e.g., a host system 100, a timing controller). Light that has passed through a transmissive area TA, which is a portion of the screen area, is incident on the camera 28. The controller restricts the display at least in the transmissive area TA when acquiring a captured image from the camera 28, and releases the restriction when not acquiring a captured image. According to this configuration, when capturing an image, the display in at least the transparent area TA is limited, and light from the subject that transmits through the transparent area TA is incident on the camera 28. When not capturing an image, the display in the transparent area TA is not limited. Therefore, it is possible to effectively utilize the screen area of ​​the display 14 while avoiding degradation in the quality of the image captured by the camera 28.

[0062] Furthermore, the controller may control whether or not at least the pixels arranged in the transmissive region TA are displayed for each fixed imaging period, and accumulate signal values ​​of the captured image for each non-display period included in the exposure period of the camera . According to this configuration, an output image is obtained by accumulating signal values ​​of captured images captured for each imaging period that is divided into smaller intervals than the exposure period. By dividing the imaging period into smaller intervals, it is possible to ensure substantially sufficient exposure for capturing an image of a subject without causing a user to notice the blinking of display information for each imaging period.

[0063] Furthermore, the controller may control whether or not the entire screen area SA is to be displayed. According to this configuration, the switching between display and non-display of the display information is not limited to the transmissive area TA, but extends to the entire screen area. Since the frequency of the repeated blinking of the pixels is uniform throughout the entire screen area SA, it is possible to avoid uneven pixel deterioration in a specific area (e.g., the transmissive area TA). It is possible to avoid unintended spatial changes in brightness or color tone due to uneven pixel deterioration.

[0064] Furthermore, the controller may not control whether or not a display is required for the normal area NA surrounding the transmissive area TA, and may set the luminance of the transmissive area TA during the display period of the display information to be higher than the luminance of the normal area NA. According to this configuration, the display information continues to be displayed in the normal area NA, and the display information flashes in the transmissive area TA at a brightness higher than that of the normal area NA. The increase in brightness compensates for the decrease in apparent brightness due to the flashing of the display information. Therefore, the brightness of the display information becomes uniform over the entire screen area of ​​the display 14, reducing or eliminating the sense of discomfort felt by the user.

[0065] Furthermore, the camera 28 may control the imaging conditions based on incident light acquired during a period when no display information is displayed. According to this configuration, camera 28 can control the imaging conditions by referring to the incident light during the non-display period, not the incident light during the display period. In setting the imaging parameters indicating the imaging conditions, the influence of the light emission of the pixels arranged in the transmissive region TA during the display period can be avoided.

[0066] The electronic device may include a first housing 10a, a second housing 10b, and an engagement member (e.g., hinge mechanisms 121a, 121b) that rotatably engages the first housing 10a with the second housing 10b. The display 14 may be disposed on a surface of the first housing 10a facing the second housing 10b, and the transmissive area TA may be disposed in the center of a screen area of ​​the display 14. According to this configuration, when the first housing 10a is opened relative to the second housing 10b and the electronic device is used by a user facing the front of the first housing 10a, the camera 28 can capture an image of the user's head while the user views the display information displayed on the display 14. By transmitting and receiving captured images to and from other electronic devices and displaying the captured images received from the other electronic devices as display information, it is possible to realize communication with the user of the other electronic device through eye contact.

[0067] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and the present invention also includes designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiment can be combined in any combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10...information processing device, 10a...first housing, 10b...second housing, 11...processor, 12...main memory, 13...video subsystem, 14...display, 14b...substrate, 14p...pixel, 21...chipset, 22...ROM, 23...auxiliary storage device, 24...audio system, 25...communication module, 26...input / output interface, 28...camera, 31...EC, 32...input device, 33...power supply circuit, 34...battery, 100...host system, 102...imaging control unit, 104...display control unit, 106...imaging image processing unit, 107...keyboard, 108...output processing unit, 109...touchpad, 120...storage unit, 121a, 121b...hinge mechanism, ax...rotation axis, NA...normal area, TA...transmissive area, SA...screen area

Claims

1. A display having a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, a camera, and a controller; Light that has passed through a transmission area that is a part of the screen area is incident on the camera, The controller: When acquiring a captured image from the camera, display in at least the transparent area is limited; When the captured image is not acquired, the restriction is lifted. electronic equipment.

2. The controller: Controlling whether or not display is required at least in the transmission region for each fixed imaging period; A signal value of a captured image for each non-display period included in an exposure period of the camera is accumulated.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1.

3. The controller: Controlling whether or not to display the entire screen area 3. The electronic device according to claim 2.

4. The controller: The display of the standard area around the transparent area is not controlled, The luminance during a display period for the transmissive region is made higher than the luminance for the standard region.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2.

5. The camera includes: Controlling imaging conditions during a non-display period for a transparent region 3. The electronic device according to claim 2.

6. a first housing, a second housing, and an engagement member that rotatably engages the first housing with the second housing; The display is disposed on a surface of the first housing facing the second housing, and the transmissive area is disposed at a center of the screen area.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1.

7. 1. A control method for an electronic device comprising: a display having a screen area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged; a camera; and a controller, wherein light that has passed through a transmissive area that is a part of the screen area is incident on the camera, the method comprising the steps of: The electronic device includes: When acquiring a captured image from the camera, display in at least the transparent area is limited; When the captured image is not acquired, the restriction is lifted. Control methods.

Images