US 4,376,950 AGranted

Three-dimensional television system using holographic techniques

AssigneeAmpex Corporation

InventorsHugh B. Brown, Stephen C. Noble, Bob V. Markevitch

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Abstract

A hologram, produced by illuminating an object via a coherent light source and associated optics, or by digital components or photographic components, is imaged onto, for example, a television camera to selectively provide either a real time, or a non-real time, system. When written directly onto the camera, the hologram is used in a real time system, whereas the digital or film input to the camera provides the combination for a non-real time system. The image is converted into a corresponding electrical video signal via the camera, and the signal is supplied to a selected spatial light modulator. Subsequent illumination by a read coherent light source reconstructs the hologram into a three-dimensional image of the original subject matter, which then may be viewed via a selected optics system.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A holographic television system for generating three-dimensional images of selected subject matter, comprising;

optical means for generating in real time an area hologram of the subject matter;
electrooptical means coupled to the optical means for generating in real time an electrical video signal corresponding to the area hologram;
electrical-to-optical transducer means coupled to the electrooptical means and including cathode ray tube means having a scanning electron beam, for continuously generating in real time successive images of the area hologram in response to modulation by the electrical video signal;
optical-to-optical transducer means including liquid crystal light valve means for continuously optically storing in real time the successive images;
fiber optic coupling means disposed between the cathode ray tube means and the liquid crystal light valve means;
and
readout means including polarizing beam splitter means and a continuous read coherent light beam for continuously illuminating the holographic image to reconstruct the hologram as a three-dimensional image of the subject matter.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.