Complex Pointillistic Printing

• US 20080259434A1
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nagayama IP Holdings LLC (Toyota Tsusho Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nagayama IP Holdings LLC (Toyota Tsusho Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagayama, Kuniaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,806,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/205 for printing a discrete number of tones B41J2/21 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/21 for multi-colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1876 Diffractive Fresnel lenses; Zone plates; Kinoforms G02B5/1842, G02B5/1847 take precedence; optical systems having diffractive correction means G02B27/0037; Fresnel lenses operating by refraction G02B3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/08 Synthesising holograms, i.e. holograms synthesized from objects or objects from hologramsusing electric digital computers G06F; G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0891 Processes or apparatus adapted to convert digital holographic data into a hologram G03H1/2294 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0478 Serial printer, i.e. point oriented processing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0858 Cell encoding wherein each computed values is represented by at least two pixels of the modulator, e.g. detour phase coding
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2271 RGB holobject
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/303 Interleaved sub-holograms, e.g. three RGB sub-holograms having interleaved pixels for reconstructing coloured holobject
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2240/13 Amplitude and phase complex modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2240/22 Chromatic variations, e.g. photochromic or electrochromic
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2240/23 Optical length variations, e.g. bleached silver halide G03H1/0244 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of printing an image of a three-dimensional object includes printing multiple dots of a colored ink to form an image of the object and printing dots of a transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 within the image. The dots of transparent ink local alter the path length of light that shines through the image to create phase variations on the image.

Claims

1. A method of printing an image of a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:

printing multiple dots of a colored ink to form an image of the object; and

printing dots of a transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 within the image, wherein the dots of transparent ink local alter the path length of light that is emitted from the image to create phase variations on the image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a real part of multiple complexel adjacent an imaginary part of the complexel on a recording medium.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a phase plate above the imaginary part of the complexel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing dots of the transparent ink above dots of the colored ink on a recording medium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is defined by a complex wavefront defined by A(r)e^iθ

(r)=A(r)cos θ

(r)+iA(r)sin θ

(r), wherein A(r) represents a two-dimensional distribution of the wavefront amplitude and θ

(r) represents the two-dimensional distribution of the wavefront phase, and further comprising

printing dots of the colored inks to represent a real part of a complexel;

printing dots of a transparent ink over the real part of the complexel to create a λ

/2 phase plate when cos θ

(r) is negative;

printing dots of the colored inks to represent an imaginary part of the complexel;

printing dots of a transparent ink over the imaginary part of the complexel to create a λ

/4 phase plate when sin θ

(r) is positive; and

printing dots of a transparent ink over the imaginary part of the complexel to create a 3λ

/4 phase plate when sin θ

(r) is negative.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting a refractive index of the transparent ink to be printed to print the λ

/4 phase plate, the λ

/2 phase plate, and the 3λ

/4 phase plate.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting a thickness of a layer of the transparent ink to be printed to print λ

/4 phase plate, the λ

/2 phase plate, and the 3λ

/4 phase plate.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein printing dots of the colored ink and printing dots of the transparent ink further comprises mixing transparent ink having a refractive index with colored ink and printing dots of the mixed ink.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing multiple dots of at least three colored inks to form an image of the object; and

printing dots of a transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 within the multi-color image, wherein the dots of transparent ink local alter the path length of light that shines through the image to create phase variations on the multi-color image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is printed on a transparent medium, such that the image can be illuminated from a back side of the medium and viewed form a front side of the medium.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is printed on a reflective medium, such that the image can be illuminated from a front side of the medium and viewed form the front side of the medium.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a layer of transparent ink that introduces a variation in the optical path length of the light emitted from the image, wherein the optical path length variation compensates for a path length differences in illumination light that deviate from plane wave wavefronts.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising

printing multiple images on a recording medium, each image including multiple dots of a colored ink to form an image of the object, and dots of a transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 within the image, wherein the dots of transparent ink local alter the path length of light that shines through the image to create phase variations on the image, wherein the multiple images are printed on the film, such that they can be consecutively to create an moving image.

14. A method of printing an optical element on a two-dimensional surface, the method comprising:

printing a layer of transparent ink having a refractive index greater than 1 in a pattern on the surface; and

controlling the local optical path length of light that travels though the transparent ink, such that the phase of light reflected by or transmitted through the ink on the surface is altered in a predetermined manner.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising controlling the local thickness of the transparent ink to control the local optical path length of light.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising controlling the local index of refraction of the transparent ink to control the local optical path length of light.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the optical element is a lens.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the optical element is selected from the group consisting, a concave lens, a convex lens, a prism, a phase plate, a grating, a curved mirror, a non-spherical lens, and a zone plate.