Advanced retroreflecting aerial displays
A superstereoscopic image retroreflecting display that enables the formation of a real image in free space includes a first light source that generates a first light output; a lenticular lens optically coupled to the first light source that, with the first light source, generates a first light output having viewing angle dependency; a first beam splitter module; and a retroreflector module opposite the first light source.
1. A superstereoscopic image retroreflecting display comprising:
a first light source;
a lenticular lens optically coupled to the first light source that, with the first light source, generates a first light output having viewing angle dependency;
a first beam splitter module; and
a retroreflector module opposite the first light source;
wherein the first light source transmits the first light output to the first beam splitter module; wherein the first beam splitter module splits the first light output into a first reflected component and a second transmitted component of the first light output; wherein the first beam splitter module transmits the second transmitted component to the retroreflector module; wherein the retroreflector module retroreflects the second transmitted component back to the first beam splitter module; wherein the first beam splitter module splits the second transmitted component into a third reflected component and a fourth transmitted component; wherein the third reflected component converges to a first visible real image in free space at a first viewing angle and to a second visible real image, non-identical to the first real image, in free space at a second viewing angle separated by a first non-zero angle from the first viewing angle.
2. The display of claim 1 , wherein the first light source comprises addressable segments; wherein the addressable segments of the first light source are controlled by the display responsive to a physical configuration of the lenticular lens to produce the first visible real image and the second visible real image.
3. The display of claim 2 , wherein the first real image is a first two-dimensional image corresponding to a first view of a three-dimensional image; wherein the second real image is a second two-dimensional image corresponding to a second view of the three-dimensional image; wherein the first non-zero angle is a stereoscopic angle.
4. The display of claim 3 , wherein the third reflected component further converges to a third visible real image non-identical to the first and second real images, in free space at a third viewing angle separated by a second non-zero angle from the second viewing angle; wherein the third real image is a third two-dimensional image corresponding to a third view of the three-dimensional image; wherein the second non-zero angle is a stereoscopic angle.
5. The display of claim 4 , wherein the display enables superstereoscopic viewing of the three-dimensional image.
6. The display of claim 2 , wherein the lenticular lens is a one-dimensional lenticular lens parallel to addressable columns of the first light source; wherein the one-dimensional lenticular lens is perpendicular to addressable rows of the first light source.
7. The display of claim 2 , wherein the lenticular lens is a one-dimensional lenticular lens oriented at an angle of more than zero but less than ninety degrees relative to addressable columns of the first light source, resulting in apportionment of resolution loss across both the addressable columns and addressable rows of the first light source.
8. The display of claim 2 , wherein the lenticular lens is a two dimensional lenticular lens resulting from stacking two one-dimensional lenticular lenses.
9. The display of claim 2 , further comprising a tracking sensor, wherein the first light source modifies the first light output to enable superstereoscopic viewing of a three-dimensional image for a viewer based on head or eye tracking data corresponding to the viewer and captured by the tracking sensor.
10. A superstereoscopic image retroreflecting display comprising:
a first light source;
a lenticular lens optically coupled to the first light source that, with the first light source, generates a first light output having viewing angle dependency;
a first beam splitter module; and
a retroreflector module oriented at ninety degrees relative to the first light source;
wherein the first light source transmits the first light output to the first beam splitter module; wherein the first beam splitter module splits the first light output into a first reflected component and a second transmitted component of the first light output; wherein the first beam splitter module reflects the first reflected component to the retroreflector module; wherein the retroreflector module retroreflects the first reflected component back to the first beam splitter module; wherein the first beam splitter module splits the first reflected component into a third reflected component and a fourth transmitted component; wherein the fourth transmitted component converges to a first visible real image in free space at a first viewing angle and to a second visible real image, non-identical to the first real image, in free space at a second viewing angle separated by a first non-zero angle from the first viewing angle.
11. The display of claim 10 , wherein the first light source comprises addressable segments; wherein the addressable segments of the first light source are controlled by the display responsive to a physical configuration of the lenticular lens to produce the first visible real image and the second visible real image.
12. The display of claim 11 , wherein the first real image is a first two-dimensional image corresponding to a first view of a three-dimensional image; wherein the second real image is a second two-dimensional image corresponding to a second view of the three-dimensional image; wherein the first non-zero angle is a stereoscopic angle.
13. The display of claim 12 , wherein the third reflected component further converges to a third visible real image non-identical to the first and second real images, in free space at a third viewing angle separated by a second non-zero angle from the second viewing angle; wherein the third real image is a third two-dimensional image corresponding to a third view of the three-dimensional image; wherein the second non-zero angle is a stereoscopic angle.
14. The display of claim 13 , wherein the display enables superstereoscopic viewing of the three-dimensional image.
15. The display of claim 11 , wherein the lenticular lens is a one-dimensional lenticular lens parallel to addressable columns of the first light source; wherein the one-dimensional lenticular lens is perpendicular to addressable rows of the first light source.
16. The display of claim 11 , wherein the lenticular lens is a one-dimensional lenticular lens oriented at an angle of more than zero but less than ninety degrees relative to addressable columns of the first light source, resulting in apportionment of resolution loss across both the addressable columns and addressable rows of the first light source.
17. The display of claim 11 , wherein the lenticular lens is a two-dimensional lenticular lens resulting from stacking two one-dimensional lenticular lenses.
18. The display of claim 11 , further comprising a tracking sensor, wherein the first light source modifies the first light output to enable superstereoscopic viewing of a three-dimensional image for a viewer based on head or eye tracking data corresponding to the viewer and captured by the tracking sensor.