Directional projection display

• US 8,992,050 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rawles, LLC (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marason, Eric Gifford, Yuan, Robert Allan, Wu, Kebin Sylvia, Satoh, Juli Anna Maria, Lewis, Isabella Talley
• Primary Examiner(s): DZIERZYNSKI, EVAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/759,452
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 362/293, 362/231
• US Class Current: 362/293
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/142 Adjusting of projection optics
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2073 Polarisers in the lamp house peculiar to electronic spatial light modulators H04N9/3197
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/60 characterised by the nature of the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/25 using two or more image sensors with different characteristics other than in their location or field of view, e.g. having different resolutions or colour pickup characteristics; using image signals from one sensor to control the characteristics of another sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 the images being monoscopic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

In some examples, a projection display surface is configured to reflect a first image or image portion in a first direction and a second image or image portion in a second direction. In some cases, first light corresponding to the first image is projected onto a display surface that includes a first plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the first light in a first direction, but not reflect second light corresponding to the second image. The display surface may further include a second plurality of reflectors to reflect the second light in a second direction, but not reflect the first light. In some examples, the first light is within a first wavelength range and the second light is within a second, different wavelength range. In other examples, the first light has a first polarization and the second light has a second, different polarization.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one projector to project first light corresponding to a first image and second light corresponding to a second image, wherein the first light is within a first wavelength range and the second light is within a second wavelength range that is different from the first wavelength range; and

a display surface to receive the first light and the second light from the at least one projector, the display surface including;

a first plurality of reflectors positioned to reflect the first light received from the at least one projector toward a first side of the display surface, the first plurality of reflectors including a first treatment configured to reflect the first light and not reflect the second light; and

a second plurality of reflectors positioned to reflect the second light received from the at least one projector toward a second side of the display surface, different from the first side of the display surface, the second plurality of reflectors including a second treatment configured to reflect the second light and not reflect the first light.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the at least one projector includes multiple projectors;

a first projector of the multiple projectors projects the first light corresponding to the first image; and

a second projector of the multiple projectors projects the second light corresponding to the second image.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first light includes red, green and blue light in respective wavelength ranges that do not overlap with respective wavelength ranges of red, green and blue light included in the second light.

4. A display surface comprising:

a first plurality of reflectors oriented to reflect first light in a first direction; and

a second plurality of reflectors oriented to reflect second light in a second direction that is different from the first direction, wherein;

based on at least one of a difference in wavelength range or a difference in polarization between the first light and the second light, the first plurality of reflectors do not substantially reflect the second light and the second plurality of reflectors do not substantially reflect the first light.

5. The display surface as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the first light includes visible light in a first wavelength range;

the second light includes visible light in a second wavelength range that does not overlap the first wavelength range;

the first plurality of reflectors include a first type of dichroic treatment to reflect the first light; and

the second plurality of reflectors include a second type of dichroic treatment to reflect the second light.

6. The display surface as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the first light has a first polarization and the second light has a second polarization that is different from the first polarization; and

the first plurality of reflectors include a reflective treatment to reflect the first light having the first polarization, while allowing the second light having the second polarization to pass through the reflective treatment.

7. The display surface as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the second plurality of reflectors are located under the first plurality of reflectors; and

the second plurality of reflectors include a reflective treatment to reflect the second light having the second polarization.

8. The display surface as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

a substrate having an upper surface, wherein the first plurality of reflectors and the second plurality of reflectors are on or formed in the upper surface of the substrate; and

a light absorber positioned behind the upper surface of the substrate to absorb light that passes through the first plurality of reflectors or the second plurality of reflectors.

9. The display surface as recited in claim 4, wherein at least the first plurality of reflectors or the second plurality of reflectors have reflective surfaces that are at least one of:

at least partially paraboloidal;

or

at least partially ellipsoidal.

10. The display surface as recited in claim 4, further comprising a substrate of an optically transparent material, wherein:

the first plurality of reflectors and the second plurality of reflectors are formed on a surface of the substrate; and

the first plurality of reflectors are alternated with the second plurality of reflectors in a pattern formed at least one of laterally or longitudinally across the surface.

11. The display surface as recited in claim 10, wherein the first plurality of reflectors are alternated with the second plurality of reflectors both laterally and longitudinally across the surface in a checkerboard pattern.

12. The display surface as recited in claim 4, wherein the first light includes red, green and blue light in respective wavelength ranges that do not overlap with respective wavelength ranges of red, green and blue light included in the second light.

13. A device comprising:

a substrate having a surface, a first side and a second side;

a first plurality of reflectors on the surface and positioned to reflect light in a first direction toward the first side, but not toward the second side; and

a second plurality of reflectors on the surface and positioned to reflect light in a second direction toward the second side, but not toward the first side, wherein a first portion of an image projected onto the substrate is reflected substantially toward the first side and a second portion of the image is reflected substantially toward the second side.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, further comprising a reflective surface configured to reflect a common portion of the image toward both the first side and the second side.

15. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the first plurality of reflectors are located on a first area of the substrate and the second plurality of reflectors are located on a second area of the substrate distinct from the first area of the substrate.

16. The device as recited in claim 13, further comprising a reflective surface configured to reflect a common portion of the image toward both the first side and the second side, wherein:

the first plurality of reflectors are located at a first area of the substrate;

the second plurality of reflectors are located at a second area of the substrate distinct from the first area of the substrate; and

the reflective surface is located at a third area of the substrate distinct from the first area and the second area.

17. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the device comprises a display surface that includes the substrate;

the first side of the substrate corresponds to a first side edge of the display surface; and

the second side of the substrate corresponds to a second side edge of the display surface that is opposite to the first side edge of the display surface.

18. A method comprising:

projecting first light corresponding to a first image onto a display surface that includes a first plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the first light in a first direction, but not reflect second light corresponding to a second image, and a second plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the second light in a second direction, but not reflect the first light; and

projecting the second light corresponding to the second image onto the display surface, wherein the first image is reflected in the first direction and the second image is reflected in the second direction.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the projecting the first light and the projecting the second light is performed sequentially by projecting a frame corresponding to the first image followed by projecting a frame corresponding to the second image.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the projecting the first light and the projecting the second light includes projecting the first light with red, green and blue light in respective wavelength ranges that do not overlap with respective wavelength ranges of red, green and blue light projected in the second light.

21. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

polarizing the first light to have a first type of polarization; and

polarizing the second light to have a second type of polarization, different from the first type of polarization.

22. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a location of a first user and a location of a second user relative to the display surface; and

projecting the first light and the second light onto the display surface based at least in part on the identified locations of the first user and the second user.