Transparent display device provided with imaging function

Abstract

The present invention provides a transparent display device that is provided with an imaging function which makes it possible to image, from the front, a user who is viewing a display.　The transparent display device is characterized by comprising a transparent display panel, an imaging device that is provided rearward thereof, and an information processing device that is connected to the transparent display panel and the imaging device, wherein when the imaging device performs imaging through the transparent display panel, an image signal supplied to the transparent display panel is adjusted such that the transparent display panel is in a transparent state at least during the exposure time of the imaging device and at least in the vicinity of the imaging device. The transparent display panel is, for example, a transparent organic EL panel. The transparent state is a state in which pixels of the transparent organic EL panel do not emit light.

Description

Transparent display device with photography function

[0001] The present invention relates to a transparent display device having a photographing function that can photograph a user's face from directly in front.

[0002] In recent years, interest in transparent displays (transparent displays) has been growing. Transparent displays allow the background to be seen through, blending into the surrounding environment without blocking the space, and they allow for a variety of expressions, such as displaying images overlaid on real objects. As such, they are expected to be used as next-generation video display devices that enhance the value of spaces.

[0003] There are at least two types of transparent displays currently on the market. One is an LCD monitor that allows you to see through to the back of the LCD display by removing the backlight unit from a normal LCD panel and replacing the polarizing film on the LCD panel with a special film. Because there is no backlight, it is necessary to devise an alternative light source.

[0004] The other type is a transparent display that uses an organic EL panel and transparent electrodes to allow light to pass through. There is also an implementation in which the pixels are thinned out to allow light to pass through. The organic EL panel has a self-luminous structure, which allows for a clearer color display (Patent Document 1).

[0005] JP 2011-228249 A

[0006] One application of transparent displays is sales promotion in shop windows. In other words, by installing a transparent display in a store's shop window and displaying products through the screen while playing promotional videos related to the products on the display, it is possible to make an impactful appeal. Furthermore, if used as digital signage, it has more impact than regular digital signage and is more likely to be memorable, making it a more eye-catching promotional tool. Other uses include using it as a display to display translated subtitles when dealing with customers at the counter, or as a face-to-face communication tool.

[0007] However, the applications of these transparent displays are limited to those that utilize the property that the scenery behind the display can be seen when viewed from the front side. However, the transparency property of transparent displays is usually not directional, and the front side can be seen even when viewed from the back side. No applications utilizing this property have been proposed.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transparent display device equipped with a photographing function that can take a photograph of a user looking at the display from directly in front, by utilizing the transparent properties of the transparent display when viewed from the back side.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, a transparent display device with a photographing function according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a transparent display panel, a photographing device provided behind the transparent display panel, and an information processing device connected to the transparent display panel and the photographing device, wherein the information processing device displays an image on the transparent display panel by supplying a video signal to the transparent display panel, and the information processing device photographs the front side of the transparent display panel through the transparent display panel by supplying a control signal to the photographing device, and when the photographing device photographs the front side of the transparent display panel, it adjusts the video signal supplied to the transparent display panel so that the transparent display panel is in a transparent state at least in the vicinity of the photographing device, at least during the exposure time of the photographing device.

[0010] In one embodiment, the transparent display panel is a transparent organic EL panel.

[0011] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the transparent state is a state in which pixels of the transparent organic EL panel do not emit light.

[0012] According to the transparent display device of the present invention, it is possible to take an image through the transparent display device, and it is possible to take a more natural image of the face of a user looking at the transparent display device from directly in front.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration for holding an e-sports tournament using a transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an e-sports player terminal using a transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a shooting window set near the center of a display screen in a transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which an image captured by the transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is superimposed on an image of a game scene.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the transparent display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, an example in which the present invention is applied to a computer system used by an e-sports player will be described.

[0015] E-sports are mainly held offline or online. In offline tournaments, players and related parties gather in one place to compete, and spectators can watch the players play live. In online tournaments, there is no venue, and players compete online from facilities such as their homes or gaming houses. Even when held offline, the tournament is usually streamed on a distribution platform. The present embodiment is applicable to either case.

[0016] Figure 1 shows the system configuration for holding an e-sports tournament. This system includes a game server 10, player terminals 12a and 12b, and spectator terminals 14a and 14b. In the case of an offline tournament, it also includes a venue terminal 15 including a large-screen display 15d installed at the venue. The game server 10, player terminals 12a and 12b, spectator terminals 14a and 14b, and venue terminal 15 exchange information via the Internet.

[0017] The game server 10 is a cloud game system equipped with multiple databases and executes a game program. The game server 10 also manages the progress of the game program in response to inputs from the player terminals 12a and 12b, reconstructs game scenes in response to the progress, generates video streams for viewing the game scenes, and supplies these to the player terminals 12a and 12b, spectator terminals 14a, 14b, and venue terminals 15.

[0018] Spectator terminals 14a and 14b are terminals such as personal computers and tablets used by users watching the e-sports, and receive the video stream from the game server 10 and display game scenes on a monitor. Similarly to the spectator terminals 14a and 14b, venue terminals 15 also basically receive the video stream from the game server 10 and display game scenes on a large-screen display. It is common for the number of spectator terminals to reach thousands or even tens of thousands.

[0019] The player terminals 12a and 12b are characteristic of the present invention, and each comprises a personal computer 22, a display 24, and an input device 26. The display 24 and the input device 26 are connected to the personal computer 22.

[0020] The personal computer 22 serves as an information processing device and is connected to the game server 10 via the Internet, transmits inputs made by the user to the input device 26 to the game server 10, and receives a video stream from the game server 10 to display game scenes on the display 24. The input device 26 may be a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a touchpad, or the like.

[0021] 2, a camera 28 is provided behind the display 24. The camera 28 is fixed by a stand S so as to be positioned near the center of the screen of the display 24. The camera 28 is connected to the personal computer 22 by a USB cable (not shown) or the like, just like the display 24.

[0022] The camera 28 captures the facial expression of the user U through the display 24. That is, since the display 24 is made of a transparent organic EL panel, the facial expression of the user U looking at the display 24 can be captured from the front.

[0023] This transparent organic EL panel becomes transparent, for example, based on the following principle. That is, in a typical organic EL panel, a transparent electrode such as ITO is used for the anode, and a metal such as aluminum is used for the cathode. Because one side of the screen is covered with metal, the panel appears black when the power is turned off. On the other hand, in the case of this transparent organic EL panel, a transparent electrode such as IZO is also used for the cathode. In addition, the light-emitting organic layer between the transparent electrodes is very thin, making it almost transparent. This means that when the panel is turned off (black state), you can see through to the other side. Naturally, if the panel is emitting light, the amount of light makes it difficult to see through to the other side.

[0024] However, when the pixels of the transparent organic EL panel emit light, that light is emitted not only from the front side but also from the back side. Therefore, even if the panel is transparent, the light from the emitting pixels also enters the camera 28, making it difficult to take a picture. Therefore, during the shooting time (exposure time) of the camera 28, the pixels of the transparent organic EL panel near the position of the lens of the camera 28 are kept in an unlit state (transparent state).

[0025] 3, a shooting window W is set near the center of the screen of the display 24. This shooting window W is periodically turned black, i.e., a transparent state in which the organic EL element does not emit light. Then, in synchronization with this period, video shooting is performed by the camera 28.

[0026] If black intervals (shooting intervals) are periodically inserted into the shooting window W while a predetermined image (such as a game scene) is displayed on the screen of the display 24, this will cause a disruption to the smoothness of the image displayed on the screen of the display 24. Therefore, the period in which the window is transparent is made longer and the shooting interval is made shorter. Here, it is sufficient to be able to see the changes in the player's facial expression, so for example, a few frames per second are allocated to the shooting interval.

[0027] As an example, if the refresh rate of the display 24 is 120 Hz and the shooting section is 6 frames, then 1 / 20 of the image on the display 24 will be taken up by the shooting section. That is, only 6 frames out of 120 frames (1 frame in 20 frames) will be black sections for shooting, and the remaining 114 frames will be used for drawing the original display. Furthermore, since the size of the shooting window W corresponds to the diameter of the camera, if it is set to approximately 2 cm x 2 cm or less, the impact on the entire image is considered to be limited.

[0028] The video captured by the camera 28 is transmitted to the game server 10, superimposed on the video of the game scene (i.e., the original video to be displayed on the display 24), and distributed as a video stream to the spectator terminals 14a, 14b and the venue terminal 15. An example of superimposing the captured video on the video of the game scene is shown in FIG. 4. Here, images of the two players in a fighting game battle, i.e., images of the players' faces, are displayed in windows F1 and F2 at the top left and right of the screen. This allows spectators to enjoy watching the fight while also seeing the expressions on the faces of the two players as they fight.

[0029] It is particularly important that the camera 28 is positioned in the center of the screen of the display 24, that is, that the camera 28 is positioned directly in front of the player. It is also possible to install cameras outside the screen of the display 24, for example, above or below the screen, but in that case the player's face would be photographed from an angle above or below, which would reduce the sense of tension. In the present invention, the player's face is photographed from directly in front, giving spectators a sense of realism that allows them to share the player's emotions, thereby enhancing their sense of unity with the player.

[0030] This filmed video may be distributed not only to the spectator terminals 14a, 14b and venue terminal 15, but also to the player terminals 12a, 12b. However, since the players are concentrating on the game, only the video of the game scene may be displayed on the display 24, and the filmed video showing the players' expressions (i.e., the windows F1, F2 at the top left and right of the screen) may be omitted.

[0031] According to the transparent display device with a photographing function of the present invention, it is possible to photograph through the transparent display device, and it is possible to take a more natural image of the face of a user looking at the transparent display device from directly in front.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The device of the present invention can be implemented in various modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present application is intended to be illustrative and explanatory and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a computer system used by e-sports players as an application example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if a user remotely participates in a video conference using the transparent display device of the present invention, they can use a face image captured from directly in front of them, as in the above embodiment. This allows users to make eye contact even when they are remote, making the conference feel more like a local meeting.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a transparent organic EL display is used as the transparent display, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be implemented using a transparent liquid crystal display.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the camera 28 is fixed at the center of the screen of the display 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the camera 28 may be provided so as to be movable parallel to the screen of the display 24 (up, down, left, and right), and its position may be changed in accordance with the movement of the subject. Needless to say, in this case, the position of the photographing window W must also be moved in conjunction with the change in the position of the camera 28.

[0036] Furthermore, if multiple users are viewing the display 24, it is effective to provide multiple cameras accordingly. In this case, the cameras are also provided so that they can be moved, and the positions of the shooting windows (multiple) are moved in conjunction with changes in the camera positions.

[0037] 10 Game server 12a, 12b Player terminals 14a, 14b Spectator terminals 15 Venue terminal 15d Display 22 Personal computer 24 Display 26 Input device 28 Camera W Photography window S Stand

Claims

1. A transparent display device with a photographing function, comprising: a transparent display panel; a photographing device provided behind the transparent display panel; and an information processing device connected to the transparent display panel and the photographing device, wherein the information processing device displays an image on the transparent display panel by supplying a video signal to the transparent display panel; the information processing device photographs the front side of the transparent display panel through the transparent display panel by supplying a control signal to the photographing device; and when the photographing device photographs the front side of the transparent display panel, the video signal supplied to the transparent display panel is adjusted so that the transparent display panel is in a transparent state at least in the vicinity of the photographing device for at least the exposure time of the photographing device.

2. The transparent display device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent display panel is a transparent organic EL panel.

3. The transparent display device according to claim 2, wherein the transparent state is a state in which the pixels of the transparent organic EL panel do not emit light.

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