Granted Patent B2

US 12,405,524 · App. 18/520,794 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Inventors: Terry Alan Bartlett (Dallas, TX); Kristofer Scott Oberascher (Van Alstyne, TX); Alexander Lyubarsky (Dallas, TX)

Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED

G03B21/2066G02F1/292G03B21/2013G03B21/208

Abstract

Claims (41)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a spatial light modulator (SLM) having a first region and a second region; and

a phase light modulator (PLM) optically coupled to the SLM, the PLM configured to:

receive first light having a first color;

receive second light having a second color, the second color different than the first color;

direct the first light towards the first region of the SLM; and

direct the second light towards the second region of the SLM.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PLM has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region of the PLM is configured to receive the first light and the second region of the SLM is configured to receive the second light.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first region of the PLM and the second region of the SLM are rectangular.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first region of the PLM and the second region of the PLM are elliptical.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the SLM further has a third region, and the PLM is further configured to:

receive third light having a third color, wherein the third color is different than the first color and the second color; and

direct the third light towards the third region of the SLM.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PLM is configured to scroll the first region of the SLM and the second region of the SLM using quasi-continuous steps.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PLM is configured to scroll the first region of the SLM and the second region of the SLM using discrete steps.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first region overlaps the second region.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the SLM is configured to produce an image in response to the first light and the second light.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first region of the SLM is configured to produce a bright region of the image.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first light source configured to produce the first light; and

a second light source configured to produce the second light.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a first spatial light modulator (SLM);

a second SLM; and

a phase light modulator (PLM) optically coupled to the first SLM and to the second SLM, the PLM configured to:

receive first light having a first color;

receive second light having a second color, the second color different than the first color;

direct the first light towards the first SLM; and

direct the second light towards the second SLM.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the PLM has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region of the PLM is configured to receive the first light and the second region of the SLM is configured to receive the second light.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first region overlaps the second region.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first SLM is configured to produce a first image responsive to the first light and the second SLM is configured to produce a second image responsive to the second light.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first region of a phase light modulator (PLM), first light having a first color;

receiving, by a second region of the PLM, second light having a second color, the second color different from the first color; and

producing, by the PLM, a holographic image responsive to receiving the first light and the second color, wherein the holographic image has a first region and a second region, the first region of the holographic image having the first color and the second region of the holographic image having the second color.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the PLM has a first region and a second region, wherein receiving the first light is performed in the first region and receiving the second light is performed in the second region.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first region of the PLM and the second region of the PLM are rectangular.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising

receiving, by the PLM, third light having a third color, wherein the third color is different than the first color and the second color, wherein producing the holographic image is further performed responsive to receiving the third light, and wherein the holographic image further has a third region having the third color.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first region of the holographic image overlaps the second region of the holographic image.

Continuity (4)

References Cited (22)