Direct projection light field display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11119253-B2
Application number	US-201916433303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A direct projection light field display comprising an array of projectors for direct projection of a light field. The overall design and incorporation of additional optics achieve the optimal light distribution and small pixel size to produce a high definition, 3D display. The architecture of the direct projection light field display has low a brightness requirement for each projector, resulting in an increased projector density, decreased system, and a decreased power requirement, while producing a high-definition light field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light field display comprising:
a projector array comprising a plurality of light field projectors, wherein each projector is configured to generate light rays;
a plurality of lens systems configured to cause the light rays generated by the projector array to create a light field, wherein the plurality of lens systems includes:
a first lens system comprising:
a first lens subsystem comprising an array of lenslets, the first lens subsystem being positioned to receive the light rays from the projector array; and
a second lens subsystem positioned to receive light from the first lens subsystem, the second lens subsystem comprising a diffusing array positioned to receive a collimated beam from one of more of the lenslets in the first lens subsystem, and

a second lens system comprising microarray lenslets, the second lens system being positioned to receive a diffused, collimated beam from the second lens subsystem, wherein light output from the microarray lenslets forms the light field.

2. The light field display of claim 1 wherein each lenslet of the first lens subsystem is positioned to receive light from a corresponding one of the projectors in the projector array.

3. The light field display of claim 1 wherein the first lens subsystem comprises an array of collimating lenslets.

4. The light field display of claim 1 wherein the diffused, collimated beam received by the second lens system is diffused according to a point spread function.

5. The light field display of claim 4 , wherein the point spread function is described by a Gaussian function with a Full-Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) characterized by one or more parameters of the light field display.

6. The light field display of claim 5 , wherein the one or more parameters of the light field display comprise one or more of:
a hogel pitch;
a pixel pitch; and
a focal length of the second lens system.

7. The light field display of claim 1 wherein the projector array comprises an adjustment element for adjustment of a direction of each projector.

8. The light field display of claim 1 further comprising a housing, wherein the projector array and plurality of lens systems are arranged in the housing.

9. A method for creating a light field, comprising:
generating light rays by each of multiple projectors of a projector array; and
rendering the light rays generated by the projector array into a light field image, comprising:
by a first array of lenslets, collimating the light rays generated by the projector array to form a collimated beam; and
receiving the collimating beam from the first array of lenslets to a diffusing array comprising at least one array of microarray lenslets, rendering a diffused, collimated beam into a light field.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein diffused light emitted from the diffusing array is characterized by a point spread function.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the point spread function is described by a Gaussian function with a Full-Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) characterized by one or more parameters of a light field display.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising adjusting a direction of one or more of the multiple projectors of the projector array.

Assignees

• Avalon Holographics Inc

Inventors

• Peckham Jordan
• Webber Daniel

Classifications

• H04N13/307

  using fly-eye lenses, e.g. arrangements of circular lenses · CPC title

• G02B30/27 Primary

  involving lenticular arrays · CPC title

• G02B27/18

  for optical projection, e.g. combination of mirror and condenser and objective {(photographic, cine and overhead projectors G03B21/00; photographic projection printing G03B27/32; photolithographic projectors G03F7/20; projection television H04N5/74; colour projection television H04N9/31)} · CPC title

• G02B3/0062 Primary

  Stacked lens arrays, i.e. refractive surfaces arranged in at least two planes, without structurally separate optical elements in-between · CPC title