Optical communication systems with displays
An optical communication system includes a display having display pixels operable to display an image and a digital camera disposed and operable to capture and record the displayed image. A digital camera frame rate can be greater than a display frame rate. Multiple digital cameras can be disposed and operable to capture and record the displayed image. A mirror can be disposed to reflect the image from the display to a digital camera. One or more intermediate digital cameras and displays can be disposed to capture and re-display the image for the digital camera. Images can include encoded addresses for the digital cameras. Synchronization display pixels can indicate new displayed images to trigger a digital camera to record the new displayed image. A camera light emitter can indicate that a digital camera has recorded a displayed image.
1 . An optical communication system, comprising:
a display comprising a plurality of display pixels operable to display a plurality of images on the display, wherein the plurality of images comprises a first image and a second image;
a display synchronization signal device configured to emit light, wherein the display synchronization signal device is operable between at least a first state and a second state;
a digital camera disposed relative to the display such that the digital camera is operable to successively capture captured images of at least a portion of the display;
a camera synchronization detector configured to detect the light from the display synchronization signal device; and
one or more circuits configured to:
control the display pixels to display the first image at a first time and to display the second image at a second time subsequent to the first time,
control the display synchronization signal device to be in the first state when the first image is displayed by the display and to change to the second state when the second image is displayed by the display,
control the camera synchronization detector to determine when the display synchronization signal device changes from the first state to the second state, and
record one of the captured images of at least a portion of the second image in response to determining that the display synchronization signal device changed from the first state to the second state.
2 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein either: (1) the first state comprises the display synchronization signal device being off and the second state comprises the display synchronization signal device being on; or (2) the first state comprises the display synchronization signal device being on and the second state comprises the display synchronization signal device being off.
3 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the display synchronization signal device comprises one or more of the plurality of display pixels on the display.
4 . The optical communication system of claim 3 , wherein the display pixels are disposed in a two-dimensional array and the one or more display pixels of the display synchronization signal device are in the two-dimensional array.
5 . The optical communication system of claim 3 , wherein the display pixels are matrix controlled and the one or more display pixels of the display synchronization signal device are updated after others of the display pixels are updated or are updated last in an image frame.
6 . The optical communication system of claim 3 , wherein the display pixels that display the plurality of images are disposed in a regular array and the one or more display pixels of the display synchronization signal device are spatially disposed separately from the regular array.
7 . The optical communication system of claim 3 , wherein the display pixels are disposed in a one-dimensional array and the one or more display pixels of the display synchronization signal device are in the one-dimensional array.
8 . The optical communication system of claim 3 , wherein the display pixels are disposed in a two-dimensional array comprising multiple one-dimensional arrays and each of the one-dimensional arrays comprises a corresponding display synchronization signal device comprising one or more of the plurality of display pixels in that one-dimensional array.
9 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the display synchronization signal device is separate from or adjacent to the display.
10 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the display synchronization signal device is operable to be separately controlled from at least a portion of the plurality of display pixels.
11 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more circuits are configured to change the display synchronization signal device from the first state to the second state at the same time as or after the display changes from displaying the first image to displaying the second image.
12 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the digital camera comprises a plurality of camera pixels disposed in an array operable to successively capture the captured images.
13 . The optical communication system of claim 12 , wherein the camera synchronization detector comprises one or more of the plurality of camera pixels.
14 . The optical communication system of claim 12 , wherein the camera synchronization detector is separate from the digital camera.
15 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , further comprising a camera synchronization signal device configured to emit light, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to operate the camera synchronization signal device to emit signal light when the one of the captured images is recorded.
16 . The optical communication system of claim 15 , further comprising a display synchronization detector operable to detect the signal light emitted by the camera synchronization signal device.
17 . The optical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of images for the display further comprises a third image and the one or more circuits are further configured to:
control the display pixels to display the third image at a third time that is subsequent to the second time,
control the display synchronization signal device to switch from the second state back to the first state when the third image is displayed by the display,
control the camera synchronization detector to determine when the display synchronization signal device changes from the second state back to the first state,
and record one of the captured images of at least a portion of the third image in response to determining that the display synchronization signal device changed from the second state back to the first state.
18 . An optical communication system, comprising:
a display system comprising:
a display comprising a plurality of display pixels;
a display synchronization signal device configured to emit light, wherein the display synchronization signal device is operable between at least a first state and a second state; and
a display circuit configured to:
receive data for a plurality of images, wherein the plurality of images comprises a first image and a second image,
control the display to successively display the first image and then the second image with the display pixels, and
control the display synchronization signal device to be in the first state when the first image is displayed by the display and to be in the second state when the second image is displayed by the display; and
a camera system comprising:
a digital camera disposed relative to the display such that the digital camera is operable to successively capture captured images of at least a portion of the display;
a camera synchronization detector configured to detect the light from the display synchronization signal device; and
a camera circuit configured to:
control the camera synchronization detector to determine when the display synchronization signal device changes from the first state to the second state, and
store or process one of the captured images in response to determining that the display synchronization signal device changed from the first state to the second state and, optionally, to control a camera synchronization signal device to emit signal light in response to storing or processing the one of the captured images.
19 . The optical communication system of claim 18 , wherein either:
the display synchronization signal device comprises one or more of the plurality of display pixels on the display, or
the display synchronization signal device is separate from or adjacent to the display.
20 . The optical communication system of claim 18 , wherein either:
the digital camera comprises a plurality of camera pixels disposed in an array and the camera synchronization detector is one or more of the plurality of camera pixels, or
the camera synchronization detector is separate from the digital camera.