Holographic imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494919-B2
Application number	US-201414541161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2014
Priority date	Aug 23, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for generating an image in a holographic imaging device by causing multiple reflections of a hologram reconstruction light on one side of a display panel in the holographic imaging device. An example device may include a display panel, a semi-transparent mirror layer on the display panel, a mirror layer at a side of the semi-transparent mirror layer opposite to the display panel, and a light irradiation unit opposite to the semi-transparent mirror layer. The light irradiation unit may irradiate a hologram reconstruction light on the semi-transparent mirror layer at a predetermined incident angle. The semi-transparent mirror layer may reflect a portion of the hologram reconstruction light such that the reflected portion of the hologram reconstruction light may be incident on the mirror layer. The semi-transparent mirror layer may transmit the other portion of the hologram reconstruction light to cause interference in the hologram.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus to provide a holographic presentation, the apparatus comprising:
a semi-transparent material layer with a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
a display panel configured to display a hologram and that is positioned at the first side of the semi-transparent material layer;
a mirror layer that is positioned at the second side of the semi-transparent material layer,
wherein the second side of the semi-transparent material layer is positioned to be irradiated by, at a specific incident angle, a hologram reconstruction light, and
wherein the semi-transparent material layer is configured to return a portion of the hologram reconstruction light such that the returned portion of the hologram reconstruction light is incident on the mirror layer, and the semi-transparent material layer is configured to transmit another portion of the hologram reconstruction light effective to cause interference associated with display of the hologram by the display panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light irradiation unit configured to output the hologram reconstruction light.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light irradiation unit is positioned proximate to the mirror layer so as to at least partially face the semi-transparent material layer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mirror layer is spaced apart from the second side of the semi-transparent material layer so as to form a gap therebetween, wherein the gap is filled.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gap is filled with air.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gap is filled with a glass material.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a refractive index of the glass material in the gap is less than a refractive index of a material of the display panel so as to at least partially reduce a total reflection of the hologram reconstruction light between the glass material in the gap and the material of the display panel.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a light irradiation unit configured to output the hologram reconstruction light, wherein the light irradiation unit is positioned to output the hologram reconstruction light at the specific angle so as to at least partially reduce a total reflection of the hologram reconstruction light between the glass material in the gap and a material of the display panel.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gap is sized such that an optical path length of the hologram reconstruction light in the gap is an integer multiple of a wavelength of the hologram reconstruction light.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display panel includes a material to intensify light so as to compensate for attenuation of the hologram reconstruction light as the hologram reconstruction light propagates between the mirror layer and the semi-transparent material layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least the semi-transparent material layer, the display panel, and the mirror layer are fabricated with a method that includes:
forming the mirror layer;
forming a groove pattern into the mirror layer;
forming light structure, to output the hologram reconstruction light, on the groove pattern;
forming the semi-transparent material layer on the mirror layer; and
forming the display panel on the semi-transparent material layer.

12. An apparatus to provide a holographic presentation, the apparatus comprising:
a semi-transparent material layer with a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
a display panel configured to display a hologram and that includes a back side positioned to face the first side of the semi-transparent material layer;
a mirror layer that is positioned to face the second side of the semi-transparent material layer and that is spaced apart from the second side of the semi-transparent material layer to form therebetween a gap within which a hologram reconstruction light propagates,
wherein to enable propagation of the hologram reconstruction light within the gap: the semi-transparent material layer is configured to return a portion of the hologram reconstruction light such that the returned portion of the hologram reconstruction light is incident on the mirror layer, and the semi-transparent material layer is configured to transmit another portion of the hologram reconstruction light that is usable in connection with display of the hologram.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the semi-transparent material layer, the display panel, and the mirror layer are parts of a holographic image device, the apparatus further comprising a controller coupled to holographic image device and configured to receive at least one image signal and to generate at least one control signal based on the received at least one image signal, wherein the controller is further configured to provide the generated at least one control signal to the holographic image device to control generation of the hologram and irradiation of the hologram reconstruction light.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the holographic image device includes a holographic television and wherein the at least one image signal includes at least one television signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the holographic image device further includes a light irradiation unit coupled to the controller and responsive to the at least one control signal, provided by the controller, to generate the hologram reconstruction light.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the semi-transparent material layer includes a film that is directly coated on the back side of the display panel.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein either or both a refractive index of a material in the gap or a specific incident angle of the hologram reconstruction light onto the semi-transparent material layer are chosen so as to at least partially reduce a total reflection of the hologram reconstruction light between the material in the gap and a material of the display panel.

18. A method to operate a holographic image device including a display panel to display a hologram, a semi-transparent material layer with a first side that faces the display panel, and a mirror layer that faces a second side of the semi-transparent material layer, the method comprising:
irradiating a hologram reconstruction light to be incident on the second side of the semi-transparent material layer;
returning, from the semi-transparent material layer, a portion of the hologram reconstruction light such that the returned portion of the hologram reconstruction light is incident on the mirror layer; and
transmitting another portion of the hologram reconstruction light through the semi-transparent mirror layer effective to cause interference associated with display of the hologram by the display panel.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein irradiating the hologram reconstruction light to be incident on the second side of the semi-transparent material layer includes irradiating the hologram reconstruction light at a specific incident angle sufficient to at least partially reduce total reflection of the hologram reconstruction light.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising intensifying the hologram reconstruction light as the hologram reconstruction light propagates between the semi-transparent material layer and the mirror layer so as to compensate for attenuation of the hologram reconstruction light.

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Yamaichi Eiji

Classifications

• H10H20/013

  having light-emitting regions comprising only Group III-V materials · CPC title

• G03H1/2294

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

• G03H2223/16

  Optical waveguide, e.g. optical fibre, rod · CPC title

• H04N9/12

  Picture reproducers (H04N9/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01L33/0062

  Electricity · mapped topic