Patent Publication Number: US-2012026140-A1

Title: Display device with image capturing function

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to display devices and, particularly, to a display device with an image capturing function. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, display devices such as laptop computers usually include a display and a webcam mounted on the top of the display. The webcam usually captures a facial image of a user in response to a user input. However, when another portion of the person&#39;s image is needed to be captured, the webcam needs to be rotated or in some cases the display will need to be adjusted until the webcam is aligned with a desired portion of the user. It is time-consuming and inconvenient. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a hardware infrastructure of a display device with an image capturing function in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  shows a user sitting on a front side of the display device of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a display device  1  with an image capturing function is provided. The display device  1  includes a processing unit  10 , a communications unit  30 , a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD)  50 , a power supply  40 , and a storage unit  20 . The TFT-LCD  50  includes two glass substrates (not labeled) and a nematic liquid crystal (not labeled) filled between the two glass substrates. When an electronic field is applied between two electrodes of the two glass substrates, the liquid crystal will react in such a way as to control light to fully pass through the TFT-LCD  50 . Otherwise, when there is no electronic field applied between the two electrodes of the two glass substrates, the liquid crystal will not react, causing only a portion of the light to pass through the TFT-LCD  50 . In the prior art, when the portion of the light passes through the TFT-LCD  50 , the TFT-LCD  50  can function as a rear-projection screen. 
     The processing unit  10  includes a control module  12 , a capturing module  11  and a projector module  13 . 
     The control module  12  is able to control the power supply  40  to switch the TFT-LCD  50  between a light permeating state and a light semi-permeating state. 
     The capturing module  11  is placed on a back side of the TFT-LCD  50 . The capturing module  11  is used for receiving the light passing through the TFT-LCD  50  when the TFT-LCD  50  is in the light permeating state, capturing an image of an object on a front side of the TFT-LCD  50  through the received light, and storing the captured image into the storage unit  20 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a user  60  sits on the front side of the TFT-LCD  50 , the light L 1  passes through the TFT-LCD  50  when the TFT-LCD  50  in the light permeating state. The capturing module  11  placed on the back side of the TFT-LCD  50  receives the light L 1 , and captures the image of the user  60  through the light L 1 . 
     In the prior art, when the TFT-LCD  50  has a refresh rate of at least 60 HZ, which is adequate for both comfortably viewing and capturing images. In one embodiment, a switching rate between the light permeating state and a light semi-permeating state of the TFT-LCD  50  is more than 60 HZ, due to the fact that a parallax generated by eyes is separated by about 6.5 mm, the user will not feel the switch between two states of the TFT-LCD  50 . Furthermore, a capturing rate of the capturing module  11  is at least an integer multiple of the switching rate of the TFT-LCD  50 , thereby enabling the capturing module  11  to synchronically capture images with the switch of the two states of the TFT-LCD  50 . The communications unit  30  is used for transmitting the captured images stored in the storage unit  20  to other devices in response to a user input. 
     The projector module  13  is placed on the back side of the TFT-LCD  50 , and is used for projecting images on the TFT-LCD  50  when the TFT-LCD  50  is in the light semi-permeating state. In one embodiment, due to the fact that the TFT-LCD  50  is a rear-projection screen in the light semi-permeating state, a user can watch the projected images displayed on the TFT-LCD  50  when the projector module  13  projects images on the TFT-LCD  50 . 
     Although the present disclosure has been specifically described on the basis of the embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.