Tileable, coplanar, flat-panel 3-D display with tactile and audio interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12210318-B2
Application number	US-202217724815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2022
Priority date	Mar 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptics device, comprising:
a substrate operable to receive and direct light therethrough to form a hologram in a holographic volume, the substrate comprising:
one or more transmissive areas configured to transmit the light towards the holographic volume; and
one or more non-transmissive areas operable to direct mechanical energy to the holographic volume; and

wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of mechanical energy devices in the one or more non-transmissive areas, the plurality of mechanical energy devices being configured to perform a conversion between mechanical energy and electrical signals.

2. The haptics device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices are operable to direct the mechanical energy to form a tactile field in the holographic volume.

3. The haptics device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices comprises at least one transducer.

4. The haptics device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one transducer comprises a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer, a piezo transducer, an electrostatic transducer, a membrane, a magnetostrictive transducer, a flexural ultrasonic transducer, or a resonant cavity type mode transducer.

5. The haptics device of claim 1 , further comprising an array of waveguides aligned with the one or more transmissive areas of the substrate and operable to direct light received by the substrate to the holographic volume to form the hologram.

6. The haptics device of claim 5 , wherein the array of waveguides are disposed in the substrate.

7. The haptics device of claim 5 , wherein the array of waveguides are spaced from the substrate.

8. The haptics device of claim 5 , wherein the array of waveguides and the one or more non-transmissive areas of the substrate are disposed in an interleaving arrangement.

9. A haptics system comprising the haptics device of claim 1 , further comprising a display apparatus operable to output light and an array of waveguides disposed between the display apparatus and the haptics device, the array of waveguides operable to direct light from the display apparatus through the one or more transmissive areas of the substrate to the holographic volume to form the hologram.

10. A haptics system comprising:
a substantially transparent substrate operable to substantially transmit light therethrough; and
a plurality of waveguides positioned to direct light through the substantially transparent substrate to a holographic volume to form a hologram;
wherein the substantially transparent substrate is positioned to direct mechanical energy to the holographic volume and comprises a plurality of mechanical energy devices configured to perform a conversion between mechanical energy and electrical signals.

11. The haptics system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices are operable to direct the mechanical energy to form a tactile field in the holographic volume.

12. The haptics device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices comprises at least one transducer.

13. The haptics device of claim 12 , wherein the at least one transducer comprises a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer, a piezo transducer, an electrostatic transducer, a membrane, a magnetostrictive transducer, a flexural ultrasonic transducer, or a resonant cavity type mode transducer.

14. The haptics system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices comprises transparent membrane and transparent electrodes.

15. The haptics system of claim 10 , wherein the substantially transparent substrate comprises a transparent material.

16. The haptics system of claim 10 , further comprising a display apparatus operable to output light to the plurality of waveguides.

17. A haptics system comprising the haptics device of claim 10 , further comprising a display apparatus operable to output light to the plurality of waveguides.

18. A haptics device comprising:
a substrate comprising
a plurality of waveguides; and
a plurality of mechanical energy devices that are substantially transparent, the plurality of mechanical energy devices being disposed at least partially over of the plurality of waveguides;

where in the plurality of waveguides are configured to receive light and direct the received light through the substantially transparent substrate to a holographic volume to form a hologram; and
wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices are configured to perform a conversion between mechanical energy and electrical signals and to direct mechanical energy to the holographic volume.

19. The haptics device of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of mechanical energy devices comprises at least one transducer.

20. The haptics device of claim 19 , wherein the at least one transducer comprises a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer, a piezo transducer, an electrostatic transducer, a membrane, a magnetostrictive transducer, a flexural ultrasonic transducer, or a resonant cavity type mode transducer.

Assignees

• Light Field Lab Inc

Inventors

• Smalley Daniel

Classifications

• G02B30/27

  involving lenticular arrays · CPC title

• H04N13/302

  for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays · CPC title

• G03H2001/221

  Element having optical power, e.g. field lens · CPC title

• G03H1/2294

  Addressing the hologram to an active spatial light modulator · CPC title

• H04N13/305

  using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses · CPC title