Information display system having transparent holographic optical element

• US 5,291,316 A
• Filed: 09/27/1991
• Issued: 03/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Astronautics Corporation of America
• Original Assignee: Astronautics Corporation of America
• Inventors: Cox, Arthur, Rhoades, Robert E., Haberman, David P., Rallison, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US07/766,720
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 359/13, 359/14, 359/15, 359/19, 359/20, 359/630, 359/22, 359/25
• US Class Current: 359/13
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0107 with optical power
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1093 for use with monochromatic radiation only, e.g. devices for splitting a single laser source
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2236 Details of the viewing window
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/12 using special optical effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/14 displaying different signs depending upon the view-point of the observer

Abstract

An information display system has a display screen which is substantially transparent to a selected band of wavelengths of light and can be mounted on a window. A projector projects an image of light of the wavelengths to which the display screen responds onto the screen to reflect or transmit the selected wavelengths of light from the screen. The screen is formed as a holographic optical element which reflects the light such that an observer is able to see the projected image from the display screen only if his eyes are within a predetermined area, while observers outside of the area see only a substantially transparent display screen on the window.

Claims

1. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a viewable transparent display screen including a holographic optical element mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected only into a predetermined view zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to product an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image to the predetermined viewing zone and such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image;

wherein the building has multiple windows which provide different views to observers, wherein there are a plurality of holographic optical elements mounted to different windows so as to provide different views to an observer through the holographic optical elements and out the window, and a plurality of projectors each focusing an image onto a separate one of the holographic optical elements to provide images on such holographic optical elements which are appropriate to the views seen by the observer out the window through the holographic optical element.

2. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a viewable transparent display screen including a holographic optical element mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected only into a predetermined viewing zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic element to provide the image to the predetermined viewing zone and such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image;

wherein the holographic optical element is created by a step and repeat process to create a matrix from a master hologram, which is used to produce a single hologram in a scalable range of sizes forming the holographic optical element programmed to reflect light at the selected band of wavelengths into said predetermined view zone regardless of the physical size of the holographic optical element.

3. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a viewable transparent display screen including a holographic optical element mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected only into a predetermined viewing zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the lane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image to the predetermined viewing zone and such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image;

wherein there are plural holographic optical elements mounted to the window adjacent to one another and associated plural projectors projecting images to each of the holographical optical elements, each holographic optical element formed to reflect the image focused thereon to the same predetermined viewing zone so that an observer in the predetermined viewing zone will see the images from each of the holographic optical elements whereas the images will not be seen by observers outside the predetermined viewing zone.

4. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a viewable transparent display screen including a holographic optical element mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected only into a predetermined viewing zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image to the predetermined viewing zone and such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image;

wherein the holographic optical element is mounted on the window of the building by adhering the element to the window with a transparent adhesive; and

wherein the adhesive is room temperature vulcanizing material which is applied to a back face of the holographic optical element adjacent edges of the element.

5. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a viewable transparent display screen including a holographic optical element mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected only into a predetermined viewing zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image to the predetermined viewing zone such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image;

wherein a window of the building has two holographic optical elements mounted thereon, one vertically higher than the other, and two projectors, one forming an image on the upper holographic optical element and the other forming an image on the lower holographic optical element, the holographic optical elements formed to reflect the image from the two projectors to the same design eye position.

6. An information display system for use in providing information displays, comprising:

(a) a holographic optical element including a hologram, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that light from the holographic optical element is reflected into a predetermined viewing zone bonded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element; and

(b) a projector mounted in position to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image at the predetermined viewing zone and such that observers outside of the predetermined viewing zone do not see the image, wherein the projector includes a light source, a condenser lens assembly for condensing the light from the source to a diffuse homogeneous beam, a transmissive light modulator unit which receives the beam and is addressable to provide a two-dimensional array of pixels which selectively modulate the light passed therethrough to provide an image in the light beam, and a focusing lens to focus the imaged light from the light modulator unit onto the holographic optical element;

wherein the holographic optical element is created by a step and repeat process to create a matrix from a master hologram, which is used to produce a single hologram in a scalable range of sizes forming the holographic optical element programmed to reflect light at the selected band of wavelengths into said predetermined view zone regardless of the physical size of the holographic optical element.

7. An information display system for providing information display on a window, said system comprising:

a light source for generating a beam of light;

a transmissive light modulator, disposed for illumination by said light source and responsive to control signals applied thereto, including a matrix of individually addressable pixels, the individual pixels being selectively rendered opaque to light passing though said light modulator in accordance with said control signals to create an image template of information on said beam of light;

a holographic optical element, disposed on said window to be illuminated by the information bearing light beam from said transmissive light modulator, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light but operating as an amplifying diffuse reflector with respect to a predetermined band of wavelengths, amplifying and reflecting light within the predetermined band of wavelengths into only a predetermined viewing zone bounded by predetermined left and right angles in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element and bounded by predetermined upper and lower angles in a vertical plane orthogonal to the plane of said holographic optical element;

wherein said holographic optical element comprises at least two adjacently disposed component holographic optical elements formed to reflect light in the predetermined limited band of wavelengths at complementary angles.

8. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a holographic optical element including a hologram mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that the viewing window of the reflected image is controlled to prevent light from the holographic optical element from shining toward regions other than a selected design eye region; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to product an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image at the design eye region and such that observers outside of the design eye region do not see the image;

wherein the building has multiple windows which provide different views to observers, wherein there are a plurality of holographic optical elements mounted to different windows so as to provide different views to an observer through the holographic optical elements and out the window, and a plurality of projectors each focusing an image onto a separate one of the holographic optical elements to provide images on such holographic optical elements which are appropriate to the views seen by the observer out the window through the holographic optical element.

9. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a holographic optical element including a hologram mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that the viewing window of the reflected image is controlled to prevent light from the holographic optical element from shining toward regions other than a selected design eye region; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image at the design eye region and such that observers outside of the design eye region do not see the image;

wherein there are plural holographic optical elements mounted to the window adjacent to one another and associated plural projectors projecting images to each of the holographic optical elements, each holographic optical element formed to reflect the image focused thereon to the same design eye region so that an observer in the design eye region will see the images from each of the holographic optical elements whereas the images will not be seen by observers outside the design eye region.

10. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a holographic optical element including a hologram mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that the viewing window of the reflected image is controlled to prevent light from the holographic optical element from shining toward regions other than a selected design eye region; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image at th design eye region and such that observers outside of the design eye region do not see the image;

wherein the holographic optical element is mounted on the window of the building by adhering the element to the window with a transparent adhesive; and

wherein the adhesive is room temperature vulcanizing material which is applied to a back face of the holographic optical element adjacent edges of the element.

11. An information display system for use in providing information displays on windows of a building comprising:

(a) a holographic optical element including a hologram mounted on a window of the building, the holographic optical element being substantially transparent to most wavelengths of light and formed to act as a diffuse reflector of light at a selected band of wavelengths such that the viewing window of the reflected image is controlled to prevent light from the holographic optical element from shining toward regions other than a selected design eye region; and

(b) a projector mounted to a structure of the building to produce an image at the selected band of light wavelengths which the holographic optical element reflects, and which projects and focuses the image onto the holographic optical element to provide the image at the design eye region and such that observers outside of the design eye region do not see the image;

wherein the window of the building has two holographic optical elements mounted thereon, one vertically higher than the other, and two projectors, one forming an image on the upper holographic optical element and the other forming an image on the lower holographic optical element, the holographic optical elements formed to reflect the image from the two projectors to the same design eye position.