Directional projection display

• US 9,746,752 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuan, Robert Allan, Wu, Kebin Sylvia, Marason, Eric Gifford, Satoh, Juli Anna Maria, Lewis, Isabella Talley
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Evan
• Application Number:
  US14/626,433
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• 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 light source to provide 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 light source, the display surface including;

a first plurality of elements positioned to direct the first light received from the at least one light source toward a first side of the display surface; and

a second plurality of elements positioned to direct the second light received from the at least one light source toward a second side of the display surface that is different from the first side of the display surface.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of elements includes a treatment configured to direct the first light toward the first side of the display surface while allowing the second light to substantially pass through the first plurality of elements.

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

the at least one light source includes multiple light sources;

a first light source of the multiple light sources provides the first light corresponding to the first image; and

a second light source of the multiple light sources provides the second light corresponding to the second image.

4. 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.

5. A display surface comprising:

a first plurality of elements to direct first light towards a first side of the display surface; and

a second plurality of elements to direct second light toward a second side of the display surface that is different from the first side;

and wherein the first plurality of elements allows the second light to substantially pass through the first plurality of elements based on at least one of a difference in wavelength range or a difference in polarization between the first light and the second light.

6. The display surface as recited in claim 5, 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 elements includes a first type of dichroic treatment to direct the first light; and

the second plurality of elements includes a second type of dichroic treatment to direct the second light.

7. The display surface as recited in claim 5, 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 elements includes a treatment to direct the first light having the first polarization, while allowing the second light having the second polarization to substantially pass through.

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

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

the second plurality of elements includes a treatment to direct the second light having the second polarization.

9. The display surface as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

a substrate having an upper surface, wherein the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements are at least one of 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 at least one of the first plurality of elements or the second plurality of elements.

10. The display surface as recited in claim 5, wherein at least the first plurality of elements or the second plurality of elements have surfaces that are at least one of:

at least partially paraboloidal;

or

at least partially ellipsoidal.

11. The display surface as recited in claim 5, further comprising a substrate of an optically transparent material, wherein:

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

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

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

13. The display surface as recited in claim 5, 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.

14. A method comprising:

providing first light corresponding to a first image onto a display surface that includes;

(i) a first plurality of elements configured to direct the first light toward a first side of the display surface and away from a second side of the display surface, and (ii) a second plurality of elements configured to direct the second light toward the second side of the display surface and away from the first side, wherein the first plurality of elements are alternated with the second plurality of elements in a pattern formed at least one of laterally or longitudinally across the display surface; and

providing the second light corresponding to the second image on the display surface, wherein the first image is viewable from the first side of the display surface and the second image is viewable from the second side of the display surface.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the providing the first light and the providing the second light is performed sequentially by providing a frame corresponding to the first image followed by providing a frame corresponding to the second image.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the providing the first light and the providing the second light includes providing 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 provided in the second light.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, 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.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

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

providing 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.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first plurality of elements are alternated with the second plurality of elements both laterally and longitudinally across the display surface in a checkerboard pattern.