Holographic display systems and methods having elliposidial arrangment of DMD arrays emitting infrared laser radiation

• US 9,846,410 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kanugo, Kapil
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Stephone B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunning, Ryan S
• Application Number:
  US13/976,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 359 1, 359 9, 359 10, 359 11, 359 15, 359 17, 359 18, 359 22, 359 27, 359 28, 359 35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2294 Addressing the hologram to an active spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/005 Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/09415 the pumping beam being parallel to the lasing mode of the pumped medium, e.g. end-pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1022 by controlling the optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1611 neodymium
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1643 YAG
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/365 using digital micromirror devices [DMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods are described including providing infrared (IR) laser radiation to a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) array and using the DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation. The spatially modulated IR laser radiation may then be projected to form a voxel array where each voxel of the array represents to a volume of air wherein the IR laser radiation has been focused sufficiently to cause air to ionize. The voxel array may then be spatially rotated.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) arrays; and

at least one laser module to provide infrared (IR) laser radiation to the plurality of DMD arrays;

wherein each DMD is configured to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation so that an image frame is projected as a voxel array, wherein each voxel of the voxel array corresponds to a volume of air wherein the IR laser radiation is to be focused sufficiently to cause air to ionize, and

wherein the plurality of DMD arrays are configured to spatially rotate the voxel array based at least in part on having different individual DMD arrays alternately project the image frame;

wherein the plurality of DMD arrays includes eight or more DMD arrays that are spaced equidistant from each other in a spaced arrangement that defines an ellipsoid around an axis of rotation, each of the eight or more DMD arrays having a rectangular shape including hundreds of pixels in a first direction and hundreds of pixels in a second direction, where the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ellipsoidal arrangement, wherein the plurality of DMD arrays project a 3D image where each one of the plurality of DMD arrays projects a parallel 2D slice portion of the 3D image;

wherein each DMD array is configured to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation so that a different image frame of a plurality of image frames is projected as one of a plurality of voxel arrays.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more processor cores to specify the image frame; and

a frame buffer to store the image frame.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd;

YAG) laser diode to receive the spatially modulated IR laser radiation from the DMD array.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one controller coupled to the plurality of DMD arrays, the controller to receive data corresponding to the image frame and to control each DMD array in response to the data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein plurality of DMD arrays are arranged together to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation.

6. A method, comprising:

providing infrared (IR) laser radiation to at least one of a plurality of Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) arrays;

using at least one of the plurality of DMD arrays to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation;

projecting the spatially modulated IR laser radiation to form a voxel array, wherein each voxel of the voxel array corresponds to a volume of air wherein the IR laser radiation has been focused sufficiently to cause air to ionize; and

spatially rotating the voxel array based at least in part on having different individual DMD arrays of the plurality of DMD arrays alternately project the image frame;

wherein the plurality of DMD arrays includes eight or more DMD arrays that are spaced equidistant from each other in a spaced arrangement that defines an ellipsoid around an axis of rotation, each of the eight or more DMD arrays having a rectangular shape including hundreds of pixels in a first direction and hundreds of pixels in a second direction, where the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ellipsoidal arrangement wherein the plurality of DMD arrays project a 3D image where each one of the plurality of DMD arrays projects a parallel 2D slice portion of the 3D image;

wherein each DMD array is configured to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation so that a different image frame of a plurality of image frames is projected as one of a plurality of voxel arrays.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the spatially modulated IR laser radiation at a laser diode; and

using the laser diode to generate second spatially modulated IR laser radiation having a longer wavelength than a wavelength of the spatially modulated IR laser radiation from the laser diode, wherein projecting the spatially modulated IR laser radiation comprises projecting the spatially modulated IR laser radiation having the longer wavelength.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating an image frame, wherein using each DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation comprises using each DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation in response to the image frame.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the image frame in a frame buffer.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing the IR laser radiation to a second DMD array of the plurality of DMD arrays;

using the second DMD array to second spatially modulate the IR laser radiation; and

projecting the second spatially modulated IR laser radiation to form a second voxel array spaced apart from the first voxel array.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating first and second image frames, wherein using the at least one DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation comprises using the at least one DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation in response to the first image frame, and wherein using the second DMD array to second spatially modulate the IR laser radiation comprises using the second DMD array to spatially modulate the IR laser radiation in response to the second image frame.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing the first and second image frames in a frame buffer.