Holographically displaying three-dimensional objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12579919-B2
Application number	US-202519189969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2025
Priority date	May 12, 2023
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, devices, subsystems, and systems for holographically displaying three-dimensional objects are provided. In one aspect, a system includes a display and an optical device. The optical device includes: an optical guiding device configured to guide light to propagate along a first direction within the optical guiding device, the light comprising multiple colors of light; an in-coupling diffractive structure configured to diffract the light to propagate in the optical guiding device; and a plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures arranged downstream of the in-coupling diffractive structure along the first direction and configured to diffract at least part of the light out of the optical guiding device along a second direction different from the first direction towards the display. Each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures is configured to separate the multiple colors of light from each other while suppressing crosstalk between the multiple colors of light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
a display; and an optical device comprising:
an optical guiding device configured to guide light to propagate along a first direction within the optical guiding device, the light comprising multiple colors of light;
an in-coupling diffractive structure configured to diffract the light to propagate in the optical guiding device; and
a plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures arranged downstream of the in-coupling diffractive structure along the first direction and configured to diffract at least part of the light out of the optical guiding device along a second direction different from the first direction towards the display,
wherein each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures is configured to separate the multiple colors of light from each other while suppressing crosstalk between the multiple colors of light.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures comprises:
multiple optically diffractive components respectively for the multiple colors of light; and one or more color-selective polarizers configured to rotate a polarization state of one or more colors of the multiple colors of light such that each color of light is diffracted out by a corresponding optically diffractive component along the second direction.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the multiple optically diffractive components comprise:
a first optically diffractive component configured to: i) diffract a first color of light in a first polarization state incident at a first incident angle with a first diffraction efficiency at a first diffracted angle; and ii) diffract a second color of light in a second polarization state incident at a second incident angle with a diffraction efficiency that is substantially less than the first diffraction efficiency; a color-selective polarizer configured to rotate a polarization state of the second color of light in the second polarization state incident on the color-selective polarizer from the second polarization state to the first polarization state; and a second optically diffractive component configured to diffract the second color of light in the first polarization state incident at the second incident angle with a second diffraction efficiency at a second diffracted angle, wherein the color-selective polarizer is between the first and second optically diffractive components, wherein the second optically diffractive component is configured to transmit the first color of light diffracted at the first diffracted angle, and the first color of light is different from the second color of light.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the second optically diffractive component is configured to diffract the first color of light in the second polarization state at the first incident angle with a diffraction efficiency substantially smaller than the second diffraction efficiency, and
wherein the first optically diffractive component, the color-selective polarizer, and the second optically diffractive component are sequentially stacked, such that the first color of light and the second color of light are incident on the first optically diffractive component before the first color of light and the second color of light are incident on the second optically diffractive component.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures comprises:
multiple optically diffractive components respectively for the multiple colors of light; and one or more reflective layers configured to totally reflect a single color of light and transmit one or more other colors of light such that each color of light is diffracted out by a corresponding optically diffractive component along the second direction.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures comprises:
a first optically diffractive component comprising a first diffractive structure configured to diffract a first color of light having a first incident angle at a first diffracted angle; a second optically diffractive component comprising a second diffractive structure configured to diffract a second color of light having a second incident angle at a second diffracted angle, the second incident angle being different from the first incident angle; a first reflective layer configured to totally reflect the first color of light having the first incident angle and transmit the second color of light having the second incident angle; and a second reflective layer configured to totally reflect the second color of light having the second incident angle and to transmit the first color of light diffracted at the first diffracted angle and the second color of light diffracted at the second diffracted angle, wherein the first reflective layer is between the first and second diffractive structures, and the second diffractive structure is between the first and second reflective layers.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffracted light diffracted by the in-coupling diffractive structure propagates via total internal reflection in the optical guiding device along the first direction to be sequentially incident on each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures along the first direction, and
wherein the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures are configured to have gradually increased diffraction efficiencies for the light along the first direction, such that diffracted light diffracted by each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures out of the optical guiding device has a same optical power.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the diffracted light diffracted by the in-coupling diffractive structure is incident on each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures with a same incident angle, and
wherein each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures is configured such that the diffracted light diffracted by each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures has a same diffraction angle.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, for each color of the multiple colors of light:
the in-coupling diffractive structure comprises a corresponding first diffraction grating for light of the color; each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures comprises a corresponding second diffraction grating for the light of the color; and the corresponding first diffraction grating and the corresponding second diffraction grating are configured to cause opposite dispersions having a same magnitude for the light of the color.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein, for each color of the multiple colors of light, each of the corresponding first diffraction grating and the corresponding second diffraction grating is a reflection grating.

11 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an optically redirecting component, wherein:
each of the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures is configured to diffract the light at an incident angle onto the display; for the light that is incident on the display at the incident angle, the display diffracts the light; and the optically redirecting component is configured to transmit a portion of the light diffracted by the display to provide a holographic scene and to redirect display zero order light away from the holographic scene in a three-dimensional (3D) space, the display zero order light comprising reflected light from the display.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of out-coupling diffractive structures are arranged on a first side of the optical guiding dev

Assignees

• Pacific Light & Hologram Inc

Inventors

• Blackley Jonathan Seamus
• Bahr Richard
• Boyett Watson Brent
• Colin Sylvain Marcel
• Green Robin James
• Guasch Isaac Serrano
• Hart Stephen John
• Hess Robert Alan
• Hsu Margaret H
• Jutrzenka Christoph Von
• Kim Deagyu
• Loya Mark Anthony
• Macneill Kelly Swan
• Neil Benjamin Francis
• Qaderi Kamran
• Qin Tina
• Ramirez Jesus Manuel Caridad
• Sashidharan Jayakrishna
• Sefami Asher Zelig
• Smith Jeff
• Srinivasiah Robert David
• Walavalkar Sameer Sudhir
• Wiensch Joshua D
• Williamson Daniel Dereck

Classifications

• G02B27/42

  Diffraction optics {, i.e. systems including a diffractive element being designed for providing a diffractive effect}(G02B27/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/13439

  characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making · CPC title

• G09G3/36

  using liquid crystals · CPC title

• G09G3/3413

  Details of control of colour illumination sources · CPC title

• G02F1/134309

  characterised by their geometrical arrangement · CPC title