Volumetric display using acoustic pressure waves

1. A volumetric display system, comprising:

a volumetric display stage within which a plurality of voxel particles are re-arrangeable via acoustic pressure waves to assume controllable positions in three-dimensional (“3D”) space to collectively assume a unified 3D shape;

a plurality of acoustical actuators disposed about the volumetric display stage to emit the acoustic pressure waves and establish a 3D sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage to physically manipulate the voxel particles; and

a control system coupled to the acoustical actuators to manipulate the 3D sound field pattern, wherein the control system includes a volumetric image module configured to receive 3D image data describing the unified 3D shape and compute the 3D sound field pattern that physically arranges the voxel particles into the unified 3D shape, wherein the volumetric image module includes:

a sonic interference analyzer coupled to receive an initial approximation of the 3D sound field pattern and to refine the initial approximation to account for acoustical interference caused by the voxel particles themselves when physically manipulated within the volumetric display stage.

2. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of acoustical actuators are physically disposed about the volumetric display stage to establish the 3D sound field pattern as standing wave patterns in three dimensions within the volumetric display stage.

3. The volumetric display system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of acoustical actuators comprise eight speaker modules each disposed adjacent to a corner of a rectangular volume shape centered about the volumetric display stage.

4. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , further comprising:

feedback sensors disposed about the volumetric display stage to sense positions of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage in real-time, wherein the feedback sensors are coupled to the control system to provide feedback signals to the control system indicative of the positions of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage,

wherein the control system further comprises a feedback sensing module coupled to receive the feedback signals from the feedback sensors and to track the voxel particles in real-time based on the feedback signals, wherein the volumetric image module is coupled to the feedback sensing module to update the 3D sound field pattern based upon real-time tracking of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage.

5. The volumetric display system of claim 4 , wherein the feedback sensors include image sensors, wherein the feedback signals include real-time images of the voxel particles, and wherein the feedback sensing module includes an image tracking module that identifies and tracks individual voxel particles based upon the real-time images.

6. The volumetric display system of claim 4 , wherein the feedback sensors include acoustic sensors, wherein the feedback signals include real-time sound recordings of the 3D sound field pattern, and wherein the feedback sensing module includes a sonic tracking module that identifies and tracks individual voxel particles based upon the real-time sound recordings.

7. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , wherein the volumetric image module further includes:

a sound field pattern generator coupled to receive the 3D image data and to compute the initial approximation of the 3D sound field pattern based upon the 3D image data.

8. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , wherein voxel particles comprise spherical particles.

9. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , wherein the voxel particles comprise three different colored voxel particles capable of representing a multi-color 3D unified shape.

10. The volumetric display system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a voxel particle injector disposed adjacent to the volumetric display stage, the voxel particle injector coupled to the control system to inject the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage.

11. The volumetric display system of claim 10 , wherein the voxel particle injector comprises a bounce pan disposed below the volumetric display stage to controllably bounce the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage.

12. The volumetric display system of claim 10 , wherein the voxel particle injector comprises a drop pan disposed above the volumetric display stage to controllably drop the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a volumetric display stage within which a plurality of voxel particles are physically manipulated via acoustic pressure waves;

a plurality of acoustical actuators disposed about the volumetric display stage to emit the acoustic pressure waves and establish a three-dimensional (“3D”) sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage to physically manipulate the voxel particles via the acoustic pressure waves; and

a control system coupled to the acoustical actuators, the control system including logic instructions that, when executed by the control system, will cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving 3D image data describing a 3D shape;

computing the 3D sound field pattern for physically manipulating the voxel particles in 3D space to collectively assume the 3D shape; and

driving the acoustical actuators to establish the 3D sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage to causes the voxel particles to assume controllable positions in the 3D space to collectively assume the 3D shape,

wherein computing the 3D sound field pattern includes:

computing an initial approximation of the 3D sound field pattern based upon the 3D image data; and

refining the initial approximation to account for acoustical interference caused by the voxel particles when positioned within the volumetric display stage to assume the 3D shape.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein computing the 3D sound field comprises computing standing wave patterns in three dimensions within the volumetric display stage.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:

feedback sensors disposed about the volumetric display stage to sense positions of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage in real-time, wherein the feedback sensors are coupled to the control system to generate feedback signals indicative of the positions of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage,

wherein the control system includes further logic instructions that, when executed by the control system, will cause the apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

receiving the feedback signals from the feedback sensors;

tracking the voxel particles in real-time based upon the feedback signals; and

updating the 3D sound field pattern based upon real-time tracking of the voxel particles within the volumetric display stage.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the feedback sensors include image sensors, wherein the feedback signals include real-time images of the voxel particles, and wherein tracking the voxel particles comprises identifying and tracking individual voxel particles based upon the real-time images.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the feedback sensors include acoustic sensors, wherein the feedback signals include real-time sound recordings of the 3D sound field pattern, and wherein tracking the voxel particles comprises identifying and tracking individual voxel particles based upon the real-time sound recordings.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein voxel particles comprise spherical particles.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the voxel particles comprise three different colored voxel particles capable of representing a multi-color 3D shape.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:

a voxel particle injector disposed adjacent to the volumetric display stage,

wherein the control system includes further logic instructions that, when executed by the control system, will cause the apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

injecting the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage in a sequential and controllable manner.

21. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the control system includes further logic instructions that, when executed by the control system, will cause the apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

receiving other 3D image data describing another 3D shape different than the 3D shape;

computing a series of 3D sound field patterns that sequentially morph the voxel particles from assuming the 3D shape into assuming the other 3D shape; and

driving the acoustical actuators to establish the series of 3D sound field patterns in a sequential order that morphs the voxel particles from the 3D shape into the other 3D shape.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein injecting the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage in the sequential and controllable manner comprises:

establishing a first layer of the 3D sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage;

injecting a first layer of the voxel particles into the volumetric display stage associated with the first layer of the 3D sound field pattern; and

establishing subsequent layers of the 3D sound field pattern and injecting subsequent layers of the voxel particles to successively build the 3D shape in layers.

23. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein refining the initial approximation to account for acoustical interference caused by the voxel particles when positioned within the volumetric display stage to assume the 3D shape comprises:

applying a sound model describing how each of the voxel particles affect sound waves of various frequencies.

24. A volumetric display system, comprising:

a volumetric display stage within which a plurality of voxel particles are re-arrangeable via acoustic pressure waves to assume controllable positions in three-dimensional (“3D”) space to collectively assume a unified 3D shape;

a plurality of acoustical actuators disposed about the volumetric display stage to emit the acoustic pressure waves and establish a 3D sound field pattern within the volumetric display stage to physically manipulate the voxel particles; and

a control system coupled to the acoustical actuators to manipulate the 3D sound field pattern, wherein the control system includes a volumetric image module configured to receive 3D image data describing the unified 3D shape and compute the 3D sound field pattern that physically arranges the voxel particles into the unified 3D shape,

wherein the voxel particles comprise surface structures or shapes that encourage axial rotation of the voxel particles to develop an angular inertia that increases stability of the voxel particles when assuming the unified 3D shape within the volumetric display stage.