System for the production of a dynamic image for display

• US 20030035190A1
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F Poszat Hu LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Holographic Imaging LLC
• Inventors: Brown, Carl V., Stanley, Maurice
• Granted Patent: US 6,665,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/277
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/02 Details of features involved during the holographic process; Replication of holograms without interference recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2249 Holobject properties
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2294 Addressing the hologram to an active spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0224 Active addressable light modulator, i.e. Spatial Light Modulator [SLM] corresponding details, see subgroups of G03H2225/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/221 Element having optical power, e.g. field lens
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2292 Using scanning means
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2297 using frame sequential, e.g. for reducing speckle noise
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/262 not in optical contact G03H1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2655 Time multiplexing, i.e. consecutive records wherein the period between records is pertinent per se
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/30 3D object
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2222/22 Spatial coherence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2223/19 Microoptic array, e.g. lens array
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2225/22 Electrically addressed SLM [EA-SLM]
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2225/25 Optically addressed SLM [OA-SLM]
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2225/55 Having optical element registered to each pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2225/60 Multiple SLMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7441 the modulator being an array of liquid crystal cells

Abstract

A system for the production of a dynamic image for use in display applications includes a light source (16) which travels via a liquid crystal modulator (18) placed in the path of the light source (16). The output of the LC modulator (18) passes modulated light a lens ray (22) which itself guides light to an optically addressed spatial light modulator (24). The resulting real image from the optically addressed spatial light modulator (24) may be used in two dimensional and three dimensional displays. The addressing frame-rate of the liquid crystal modulator (18) is substantially greater than the frame-rate of the optically addressed spatial light modulator (24).

Claims

1. A system for the production of a dynamic pattern for display comprising:

a light source (16);

first spatial light modulator means (18) having an associated updating frame-rate in the path of the light source;

the system characterised by

relay optics means (22) in the path of the light from the first spatial light modulator (18) means for guiding the modulated light therefrom, and;

second spatial light modulator means (24) having an associated read-out frame-rate in the path of the guided light from the relay optics means (22) and arranged to produce a real image therefrom for display,

wherein the updating frame-rate of the first spatial light modulator means (18) is greater than the read-out frame-rate of the second spatial light modulator means (24).

3. A system according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the first spatial light modulator means (18) is arranged to produce a plurality of modulated light sources from the light source to the relay optics means (22).

4. A system according to either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the first spatial light modulator means (18) comprises a plurality of spatial light modulators.

5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first spatial light modulator means (18) is electrically addressable.

6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the relay optics means (22) guides modulated light from the first spatial light modulator means (18) to the second spatial light modulator means (24) in a predetermined pattern.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the relay optics means (22) modulates the phase of light guided thereby.

8. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the relay optics means (22) comprises lens means.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein the lens means comprises an array of individual lenses.

10. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the relay optics means (22) comprises a beamsplitter.

11. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the relay optics means includes a shadow-mask.

12. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the modulated light from the first spatial light modulator means is (18) replicated at the second spatial light modulator means (24) by the relay optics means (22).

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the replication of the modulated light comprises a plurality of images.

14. A system according to either claim 12 or 13 wherein the relay optics means (22) guides the replicated modulated light time-sequentially to predetermined portions of the second spatial light modulator (24).

15. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the number of pixels capable of being displayed on the first spatial light modulator means (18) is greater than the number of pixels capable of being displayed on the second spatial light modulator means (24).

16. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second spatial light modulator means is a ferroelectric liquid crystal light modulator.

17. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the light source is an incoherent light source or a plurality of light sources.

2. A system according to claim I wherein the second spatial light modulator means (24) comprises an optically addressable spatial light modulator.

18. A method of producing a dynamic image for use in display comprising:

providing a light source (16) and passing light from this light source through or reflecting it from a first spatial light modulator means (18) having an associated updating frame-rate;

the method characterised by

guiding the modulated light via a relay optics means (22), disposed in the path of the modulated light, to a second spatial light modulator means (24), which second spatial light modulator means (24) has an associated read-out frame-rate less than the associated updating frame-rate of the first spatial light modulator; and

providing a real image or pattern from the second spatial light modulator means (24).