Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Cambridge Flat Projection Displays Limited

Cambridge 3d Display Limited

Cambridge Flat Protection Displays Limited

Adrian Robert Leigh Travis

Andreas Georgiou

Joel Steven Kollin

Steven John Robbins

Andrew Maimone

An optical device including a first rigid substrate, a flexible holographic optical element, a transparent flexible material having a variable shear transmission property across an in-plane direction of the flexible holographic optical element, and a second rigid substrate, where the flexible holographic optical element and the transparent flexible material are located between the first and second rigid substrates, where the variable shear transmission property of the transparent flexible material transmits variable amounts of a shear force applied to the first or second rigid substrates across the in-plane direction of the flexible holographic optical element.

Variable shear with volume holograms

An optical device comprises a pixel array including one or more pixels. Two or more independently controllable electrodes are electrically coupled to each pixel. A common ground reference electrode is electrically coupled to all pixels of the pixel array. Each pixel includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules may be oriented in a first direction based on a first function of voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel, and oriented in a second direction based on a second function of the voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel. In this way, both phase modulation and polarization modulation may be introduced to light illuminating the pixel array.

Optical device having multiplexed electrodes

Examples are disclosed that relate to holographic display systems. One example provides a display system comprising a waveguide, a light source configured to introduce light into the waveguide at a controllable light input angle, and a holographic optical element (HOE) configured to outcouple from the waveguide light received from within the waveguide that meets an angular condition. The display system may further comprise a controller configured to control the light input angle and also to control a corrective component optically downstream of the HOE to correct for aberration of the light by the HOE based upon the light input angle.

Holographic display system

A light-steering optic comprises a dielectric substrate, a liquid crystal, and a series of transparent conductors. The dielectric substrate has a series of mutually parallel trenches formed therein. A wall of each trench extends up the trench to an adjacent land portion of the dielectric substrate, and the liquid crystal is arranged within each trench. An adherent electrode extends up the wall of the trench and onto a corresponding contact zone, which partly covers the land portion adjacent to that wall. The series of transparent conductors crosses over the series of parallel trenches. Each transparent conductor selectively contacts one or more of the electrodes at a corresponding one or more contact zones.

Wide-angle beam steerer

The description relates to creating a window-like experience during video communication scenarios. One example can include a spatial light deflector including a steerable array of light deflecting elements. The example can also include a wedge device positioned relative to the spatial light deflector. The example can also include a camera positioned at an end of the wedge device to receive the captured light.

Telepresence experience

Some implementations include a liquid crystal display with focused illumination. For example, a light source emitting a plurality of discrete colors may be focused onto a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel has a plurality of pixels and each pixel may have regions corresponding to the colors emitted by the light source. Light of each color can be focused onto the regions of the pixels corresponding to that color.

Display with focused illumination

An illuminator for a flat-panel display comprises a tapered slab waveguideco-extensive with the display, a light source-arranged to inject light into an edge of the waveguide so that it emerges over the face of the waveguide, and means for scanning the light injected into the wedge so that different areas of the panel are illuminated in turn. Preferably the light source is a set of rows of LEDs, each row injecting light at a different range of angles so that it emerges over different areas of the waveguide

Scanning backlight for flat-panel display

A liquid crystal display with focused illumination is described. In an example, a light-source emitting a plurality of discrete colors is focused onto a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel has a plurality of pixels and each pixel has regions corresponding to the colors emitted by the light-source. Light of each color is focused onto the regions of the pixels corresponding to that color.

Display with focussed illumination

A flat-panel camera comprises a tapered transparent slaba prismatic sheetfor introducing light into one face of the slab at near the critical angle so that it is reflected along the slab towards the thick end, and a miniature camerareceiving light emerging from the thick end of the slab at an angle depending on where the light entered the slab. An image processoreliminates distortion in the image such as gaps caused by the light missing the camera.

Flat-panel camera

A video display for two or three dimensions has a flat liquid-crystal screen which ejects light from the plane at a selectable line. One or, in the case of a 3-D display, several video projectors project a linear image into the plane from an edge. A complete image is written on the screen by addressing the line with appropriate images as it is scanned down the screen. To screen a three-dimensional image, the video projectors, each projecting an image as seen at a slightly different angle, combine to constitute a three-dimensional display which produces a three-dimensional image that is one line high.

Flat-panel display using tapered waveguide

A flat-panel projection display comprises a slab waveguide having a preferably embossed diffraction grating on one face, a lens for directing light into an edge of the waveguide, and in the focal plane of the lens a liquid-crystal modulator for modulating the intensity of the light as a function of lateral position and elevational direction of travel. The light is ejected from the slab waveguide by the grating at angles corresponding to the input angles, giving a virtual display. The light from the modulator can be expanded in one dimension by passing through a magnifying waveguide, followed by scattering in the plane by a screen and projection by a lens at the other end of the waveguide. Head-up and 3-D displays can be constructed using this principle.

Flat-panel projection display

An achromatic flat-panel projection display comprises a video projector, a condensing lens () and a tapered transparent slab spreading the image input from the projector over the area of th slab. To compensate for dispersion in the slab a dispersive prism is used at the input edge of the slab, whose dispersion cancels out the dispersion of the slab. The prism can be a separate part of simply a bevel in the input edge, i.e. the thick end of the slab.

Achromatic flat-panel display

A flat-panel display comprises a projector () illuminated by a collimate light source such as an infra-red laser, a waveguide () which ejects rays at a distance along the axis of propagation related to their angle of injection into the edge of the waveguide, an input slab () for magnifying the projected image in the width dimension in the plane of the panel perpendicular to the axis of propagation, and a phosphor output screen which converts the infra-red light to the visible. The use of monochromatic light within the waveguide reduces dispersion problems, and the use of a triad of projectors, each injecting at a different angle, makes registration relatively simple.

Flat-panel display

A flat-panel projection display comprises a transparent slab and integral area grating, a transparent rod with rectangular cross-section and integral linear grating, arranged along the edge of the slab, and a small video projector. The projector is arranged to direct a virtual image into the end of the rod, directly or via mirrors, the light travelling along the rod via total internal reflection. The linear grating diverts the light into the plane of the slab, and the area grating projects it out of the slab towards a viewer, so that the viewer sees an image at infinity.

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South Devon, United Kingdom

Adrian Robert Leigh Travis