Holographic display device and method involving ionization of air by infrared radiation for rotated 3-D image

• US 10,372,081 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kanugo, Kapil
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Stephone B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunning, Ryan S
• Application Number:
  US15/663,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20170336759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 353 1-122, 359 1- 35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2294 Addressing the hologram to an active spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/005 Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/09415 the pumping beam being parallel to the lasing mode of the pumped medium, e.g. end-pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1022 by controlling the optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1611 neodymium
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1643 YAG
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/365 using digital micromirror devices [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods are described including providing infrared (IR) laser radiation to a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) array and using the DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation. The spatially modulated IR laser radiation may then be projected to form a voxel array where each voxel of the array represents to a volume of air wherein the IR laser radiation has been focused sufficiently to cause air to ionize. The voxel array may then be spatially rotated.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first infrared (IR) laser diode to provide first IR radiation having a first wavelength;

a digital micromirror device (DMD) array to spatially modulate the first IR radiation;

a second IR laser diode to receive the spatially modulated first IR radiation from the DMD array and to generate spatially modulated second IR radiation at a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength; and

optics to project the spatially modulated second IR radiation according to coordinates to create a voxel array, wherein each voxel of the voxel array is to correspond to a volume of air, and wherein the second IR radiation is to be focused to cause ionization of air at one or more voxels forming the voxel array to represent a two-dimensional (2D) image frame of a three-dimensional (3D) holographic image, and wherein the coordinates associated with the 2D image frame represented by the voxel array are to be periodically adjusted to rotate display of the 3D holographic image by the optics.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the second IR laser diode comprises a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:

YAG) laser diode.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first wavelength comprises 808 nm, and wherein the second wavelength comprises 1064 nm.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the optics comprise planar optics and a projection lens.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first IR radiation is to be spatially modulated using a beam splitter.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the DMD array is to be part of a DMD module including a relay lens, a projection lens, and the DMD array.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein content of the 2D image frame is to be specified by a host system module and conveyed to the DMD array.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein each voxel is to specify a 3D location in the 3D holographic image, the array of voxels together to form the 2D image frame of the 3D holographic image.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein positioning of the 2D image frame within the 3D holographic image is to be periodically changed to facilitate ionization of the air by the second IR laser radiation.

5. A method, comprising:

providing, via a first infrared (IR) laser diode, a first IR radiation having a first wavelength;

spatially modulating, via a digital micromirror device (DMD) array, the first IR radiation;

receiving, via a second IR laser diode, the spatially modulated first IR radiation from the DMD array and generating, via the second IR laser diode, spatially modulated second IR radiation at a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength; and

projecting, via optics, the spatially modulated second IR radiation according to coordinates to create a voxel array, wherein each voxel of the voxel array is to correspond to a volume of air, and wherein the second IR radiation is to be focused to cause ionization of air at one or more voxels forming the voxel array to represent a two-dimensional (2D) image frame of a three-dimensional (3D) holographic image, and wherein the coordinates associated with the 2D image frame represented by the voxel array are to be periodically adjusted to rotate display of the 3D holographic image via the optics.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second IR laser diode comprises a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:

YAG) laser diode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first wavelength comprises 808 nm, and wherein the second wavelength comprises 1064 nm.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the optics comprise planar optics and a projection lens.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first IR radiation is spatially modulated using a beam splitter.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein each voxel is to specify a 3D location in the 3D holographic image, the array of voxels together to form the 2D image frame of the 3D holographic image.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein positioning of the 2D image frame within the 3D holographic image is to be periodically changed to facilitate ionization of the air by the second IR laser radiation.