Multi-planar volumetric display system and method of operation

Abstract

A multi-planar volumetric display system and method of operation generate volumetric three-dimensional images using a multi-surface optical device including a plurality of individual optical elements arranged in an array; an image projector for selectively projecting images on respective optical elements to generate a first volumetric three-dimensional image viewable in the multi-surface optical device; and a floating-image generator for projecting the first volumetric three-dimensional image to generate a second volumetric three-dimensional image viewable as floating in space at a location separate from the multi-surface optical device. The optical elements includes liquid crystal elements having a controllable variable translucency. An optical element controller controls the translucency of the liquid crystal elements, such that a single liquid crystal element is controlled to have an opaque light-scattering state to receive and display an image from the image projector; and the remaining liquid crystal elements are transparent to allow the viewing of the displayed image on the opaque liquid crystal element. The image projector projects the images into the multi-surface optical device to generate the entire first volumetric three-dimensional image at a rate greater than 35 Hz to prevent human-perceivable image flicker, so the image projector projects the images onto a respective optical element at a rate of at least 2 kHz. The image projector may include adaptive optics for rapidly focusing the images, or a plurality of laser light sources for projecting red, green, and blue laser light to generate and project the images in a plurality of colors.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.