Light field image engine method and apparatus for generating projected 3d light fields

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020371378-A1
Application number	US-201816638719-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 21, 2018
Priority date	Aug 23, 2017
Publication date	Nov 26, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for providing a three-dimensional display. In an example, a display device includes a light engine, a spatial light modulator, one or more directable minors, and a projection lens. Light from the light engine is modulated by the spatial light modulator, reflected by the directable mirror(s) toward the projection lens, and projected by the projection lens (e.g. onto a screen). The directable mirror(s) may include a rotatable mirror or a digital micromirror device. The spatial light modulator may be a digital micromirror device. The spatial light modulator and the directable mirror(s) are synchronized so as to generate different modulated light patterns for different positions of the directable mirror(s). The projection of different modulated light patterns in different directions may generate different views that are visible from different user perspectives.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A display device comprising:
a light engine; a projection lens; a spatial light modulator along an optical path from the light engine to the projection lens; and at least one directable mirror along the optical path between the spatial light modulator and the projection lens.

2 . The display device of any of claim 1 , further comprising a screen, wherein the projection lens is configured to project the modulated light on the screen, the screen including:
a lenticular sheet layer; and a light-diffusing layer.

3 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one directable mirror comprises a rotatable mirror, the device further comprising:
a motor operative to rotate the rotatable mirror; and control electronics operative to synchronize the motor with the spatial light modulator.

4 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator is a digital micromirror device.

5 . The display device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one directable mirror comprises a digital micromirror device having a plurality of individually-directable micromirrors.

6 . The display device of claim 5 , further comprising an imaging lens between the spatial light modulator and the digital micromirror device.

7 . The display device of claim 6 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein the imaging lens is configured to image each pixel onto a respective micromirror.

8 . The display device of claim 7 , wherein the imaging lens is configured to image a plurality of pixels onto each micromirror.

9 . A method comprising:
directing light from a light source to a spatial light modulator; while at least one directable mirror is in a first position, (i) modulating the light with the spatial light modulator to generate a first modulated light pattern and (ii) reflecting the first modulated light pattern from the at least one directable mirror toward a projection lens; while the at least one directable mirror is in a second position, (i) modulating the light with the spatial light modulator to generate a second modulated light pattern and (ii) reflecting the second modulated light pattern from the at least one directable mirror toward the projection lens; and projecting the first and second modulated light patterns from the projection lens.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one directable mirror comprises a rotatable mirror, the method further comprising repeatedly rotating the rotatable mirror through a plurality of positions including the first and second positions.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one directable mirror comprises a digital micromirror device having a plurality of individually-directable micromirrors, the method comprising tilting the micromirrors through a plurality of positions including the first and second positions.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the spatial light modulator comprises a plurality of pixels, the method further comprising imaging each pixel one a respective micromirror with an imaging lens.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein projecting the first and second modulated light patterns comprises projecting the first and second modulated light patterns onto a screen.

14 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising cycling the at least one directable mirror through a plurality of positions including the first position and the second position.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the cycling is performed at at least 60 Hz.

Assignees

• Pcms Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Makinen Jukka-Tapani
• Ojala Kai

Classifications

• H04N13/385

  alternating rapidly the location of the left-right image components on the display screens (for viewing without the aid of special glasses using time variant parallax barriers H04N13/315; displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays using temporal multiplexing H04N13/341) · CPC title

• H04N13/365

  using digital micromirror devices [DMD] · CPC title

• H04N13/354

  for displaying sequentially · CPC title

• H04N13/307

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

• H04N13/302

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