Patents by Inventor Armin Schwerdtner

Armin Schwerdtner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100149610
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating video holograms for a holographic reproduction device with at least one light modulation means, wherein a scene split into object points is encoded as a whole hologram and can be seen as a reconstruction from a visibility region, which is located within a periodicity interval of the reconstruction of the video hologram. The visibility region, together with each object point of the scene to be reconstructed, defines a subhologram and the whole hologram is generated from a superposition of subholograms, wherein in a sequence of image contents the difference subholograms of object points are preferably generated for each picture, differing in regards to the visibility according to the viewer position in sequential images of the sequence. The display device comprises means that provide high-quality video holograms in spite of the data amount being significantly reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Alexander Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100149314
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for rendering and generating color video holograms for a holographic reproduction device having at least one light modulation means, wherein a scene divided into object points is encoded as a whole hologram and which can be seen from as a reconstruction a visibility region, which is located within a periodicity interval of the reconstruction of the video hologram. The visibility region defines a subhologram together with each object point of the scene to be reconstructed and the whole hologram is formed from a superposition of subholograms, wherein a 3D rendering graphic pipeline structures a scene represented by image data with depth information into object points and determines and provides at least color and depth information for the object points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Alexander Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100149617
    Abstract: A light modulator is disclosed for representing complex-valued data, comprising an encoding area that has an arrangement of pixels, the phase of which can be controlled. This largely avoids an interfering optical path difference between adjacent pixels or pixel groups when a complex value is encoded in several adjacent phase pixels of the encoding area, the optical path difference varying according to the angle. One respective specific structured delaying layer, which causes the optical path of an incident linearly polarized beam to change according to the angle, is associated with at least one predefined pixel of a group of adjacent pixels of the encoding area. The thickness of the delaying layer is designed such that the modification of the optical path caused by the delaying layer runs in the opposite direction from the angle-related modification of the optical path difference between individual pixels of the pixel group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Armin Schwerdtner, Norbert Leister
  • Publication number: 20100118117
    Abstract: A 3D content generation system comprising a content generating party that generates 2D content and sends that content to a remote intermediary. The remote intermediary processes the content to facilitate subsequent holographic reconstruction and sends the processed content to a holographic display device which locally generates a 3D holographic reconstruction of the content. An advantage is that 2D content may be processed remotely to provide 3D holographic content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100103246
    Abstract: A holographic projection system with a display screen and an optical wave tracking means for controlling the direction of propagation of a modulated wave uses a position controller and an eye finder. An extremely wide tracking range is realised in the projection system for simultaneous viewing of the reconstruction by multiple observers, which are situated beside one another. The reconstruction of the scene is reconstructed for each eye position of an observer such that the entire scene is visible in the visibility region in a large tracking range with minimal errors. The projection system reconstructs the scene with the help of modulated partial waves. Projection means direct these partial waves with separately holographically reconstructed segments of the scene at the desired eye position through a structure of screen segments which are at least horizontally staggered on the display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Jean-Christophe Olaya, Stanilas Flon
  • Publication number: 20100097439
    Abstract: A mobile telephony system comprising a calling party mobile telephone with an imaging system and a display. The imaging system is operable to capture an image of the calling party. The calling party mobile telephone sends an image of the calling party to a called party mobile telephone over a wireless link, and the called party mobile telephone locally generates a holographic reconstruction of the calling party using a holographic display that is encoded with a hologram. An advantage is that a mobile telephone call may be held in which one party views a holographic reconstruction of the other party.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: SEE REAL TECHNOLOGIES S.A.
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100073744
    Abstract: A method for generating video holograms in real time for a holographic playback device comprising at least one light modulator means, into which a scene divided into object points is encoded as an entire hologram and can be seen as a reconstruction from a visibility region, which is located within a periodicity interval of the reconstruction of the video hologram, the visibility region defining a sub-hologram together with each object point of the scene to be reconstructed, and the entire hologram being generated from a superposition of contributions of sub-holograms, is characterized in that for each object point the contributions of the sub-holograms in the entire reconstruction of the scene can be determined from at least one look-up table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Enrico Zschau, Armin Schwerdtner, Bo Kroll
  • Publication number: 20100067077
    Abstract: A holographic projection system has an optical wave tracking system which adjusts the propagation direction of a modulated wavefront. It provides an adjustable wave tracking system which aligns the modulated wave with a desired eye position of one or more observers and follows the movements of the observer. The system comprises spatial light modulation means which modulate a wave with holographic information for the purpose of holographic reconstruction. The optical wave tracking provides the light path of the modulated wave with a desired propagation direction which guides the modulated wave out of the reconstruction system via a light exit position of a display screen. Position control means set adjustable tracking mirror means in terms of their inclination to a reflection direction for reflecting the modulated wave and deflection means, which are located in the set reflection direction, reflect the wave via the display screen into the desired propagation direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Armin Schwerdtner, Jean-Christophe Olaya, Steffen Buschbeck
  • Publication number: 20100046050
    Abstract: Holographic display device comprising a first EASLM and a second EASLM, the pair permitting independent modification of phase and amplitude, in which holographic reconstruction is visible through one or more virtual observer windows. An advantage is that an observer may view a holographic reconstruction through one or more virtual observer windows from a device housing a pair of EASLMs which permit independent modification of phase and amplitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100045776
    Abstract: The invention relates to an interface and circuit arrangement, in particular for transmitting digital image data to at least one holographic encoding unit (HEU), which generates complex hologram values from image data containing depth information and/or encodes the pixel values for controlling at least one light modulator element of a holographic reproduction device. The invention is characterised in that the interface transmits the depth map of the image data and the colour map of said image data separately via transmission means (L1, L2) and communication protocols, said depth map comprising the depth information and the colour map the colour information of scanned images in an image sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Alexander Schwerdtner, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100046049
    Abstract: A holographic display device comprises an OLED array writing onto an OASLM, the OLED array and OASLM forming adjacent layers. The OASLM encodes a hologram and a holographic reconstruction is then generated by the device when an array of read beams illuminates the OASLM. The OASLM is suitably controlled by the OLED array. An advantage of the device is that it lends itself to compactness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100027083
    Abstract: A holographic display device comprises a first OLED array writing onto a first OASLM, the first OLED array and the first OASLM forming adjacent layers, and a second OLED array writing onto a second OASLM, the second OLED array and the second OASLM forming adjacent layers. The first and the second OASLMs encode a hologram and a holographic reconstruction is generated by the device when an array of read beams illuminates the first and second OASLMs and the first and second OASLMs are suitably controlled by the first and second OLED arrays. Advantages include that this device permits independent control of phase and amplitude, and the device lends itself to compactness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Bo Kroll, Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20100014136
    Abstract: The invention relates to a holographic projection system wherein light modulator means SLM with electromechanically moved micro-mirrors modulate a light wave front LWmod. According to the invention, a hologram processor HP sets micro-mirror surfaces of prior art spatial light modulator which are disposed as controllable diffraction gratings on a substrate of a control circuit, such that they reach a certain diffraction grating amplitude, by moving them continuously at right angles to the substrate, said diffraction grating amplitude being dependent on the content of a sequence of video holograms. The diffraction grating modulate a light wave which is emitted by the light modulator means and which generates illumination capable of generating interference according to a phase hologram, so that the modulated light wave is used directly for the holographic reconstruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Inventors: Ralf Haussler, Armin Schwerdtner
  • Patent number: 7643189
    Abstract: A method and a device for encoding and reconstructing computer-generated video holograms using a conventional LC display: it provides holographic reconstruction of three-dimensional scenes using electronically controllable pixel in a holographic array (3) with a conventional resolution, and is reasonably free from flickering and cross-talk. Reconstruction is in real time, and for both eyes at the same time, over a large viewing zone. The method takes advantage of an optical focusing means (2) in order to image vertically coherent light emitted by a line light source (1) into viewing windows (8R, 8L) after modulation by the pixel array (3). The holographic reconstruction (11) of the scene is rendered visible from viewing windows (8R, 8L) for both eyes of an observer by way of diffraction at the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: SeeReal Technologies GmbH
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Ralf Haussler, Norbert Leister
  • Publication number: 20090315983
    Abstract: The invention relates to an image display device comprising an imaging matrix, which consists of imaging elements which are arranged in a lateral manner, for example, lenticulars or a lens array, and a plurality of point elements which are disposed on a object plane and which are formed from the imaging elements in an observation chamber. In order to reduce imaging errors resulting in the image field curvature of the individual imaging elements of a large observation angle, compensation by a correction matrix, which contains a plurality of optical corrections elements, takes place. An optical correction element is associated with each individual optical imaging element. Said invention can be used, for example, in image or video display devices, such as autostereoscopic displays, multi-user-displays with sweet-spot-units and multi-view-displays, in order to image illuminating elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2006
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: SEEREAL TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventor: Armin Schwerdtner
  • Patent number: 7636184
    Abstract: The data defining an object to be holographically reconstructed is first arranged into a number of virtual section layers, each layer defining a two-dimensional object data sets, such that a video hologram data set can be calculated from some or all of these two-dimensional object data sets. The first step is to transform each two-dimensional object data set to a two-dimensional wave field distribution. This wave field distribution is calculated for a virtual observer window in a reference layer at a finite distance from the video hologram layer. Next, the calculated two-dimensional wave field distributions for the virtual observer window, for all two-dimensional object data sets of section layers, are added to define an aggregated observer window data set. Then, the aggregated observer window data set is transformed from the reference layer to the video hologram layer, to generate the video hologram data set for the computer-generated video hologram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: SeeReal Technologies GmbH
    Inventor: Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20090310197
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical reflection system with a reflection element for reflecting reconstruction light waves, an entry-side focal point, from which the reconstruction light waves come when they hit the reflection element, and an exit-side focal point, to which the reconstruction light waves propagate after being reflected from the reflection element. The invention further relates to a tracking system and a holographic projection system with such optical reflection system, and a corresponding holographic projection method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventor: Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20090290203
    Abstract: The data defining an object to be holographically reconstructed is first arranged into a number of virtual section layers, each layer defining a two-dimensional object data sets, such that a video hologram data set can be calculated from some or all of these two-dimensional object data sets. The first step is to transform each two-dimensional object data set to a two-dimensional wave field distribution. This wave field distribution is calculated for a virtual observer window in a reference layer at a finite distance from the video hologram layer. Next, the calculated two-dimensional wave field distributions for the virtual observer window, for all two-dimensional object data sets of section layers, are added to define an aggregated observer window data set. Then, the aggregated observer window data set is transformed from the reference layer to the video hologram layer, to generate the video hologram data set for the computer-generated video hologram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies GmbH
    Inventor: Armin Schwerdtner
  • Publication number: 20090225380
    Abstract: A device for holographic reconstruction of three-dimensional scenes includes optical focusing means which directs sufficiently coherent light from light means to the eyes of at least one observer via a spatial light modulator that is encoded with holographic information. The device has a plurality of illumination units for illuminating the surface of the spatial light modulator; each unit comprises a focusing element, and a light means that emits sufficiently coherent light such that each of these illumination units illuminates one separate illuminated region of the surface, whereby the focusing element and the light means are arranged such that the light emitted by the light means coincides close to or at the observer eyes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicant: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Ralf Haussler, Norbert Leister
  • Patent number: 7535607
    Abstract: A device for holographic reconstruction of three-dimensional scenes includes optical focusing means which directs sufficiently coherent light from light means to the eyes of at least one observer via a spatial light modulator that is encoded with holographic information. The device has a plurality of illumination units for illuminating the surface of the spatial light modulator (SLM); each unit comprises a focusing element (21/22/23 or 24), and a light means (LS1/LS2/LS3 or LS4) that emits sufficiently coherent light such that each of these illumination units illuminates one separate illuminated region (R1/R2/R3 or R4) of the surface, whereby the focusing element and the light means are arranged such that the light emitted by the light means (LS1-LS4) coincides close to or at the observer eyes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: SeeReal Technologies S.A.
    Inventors: Armin Schwerdtner, Ralf Haussler, Norbert Leister