Abstract: For comfortable viewing of a 3-D scene at various viewing angles, a display having a large tracking range for a variable viewer distance is required. A controllable light-influencing element deflects light in coarse steps in a viewer range. Within said steps, the light is deflected by a further controllable light-influencing element continuously or with fine gradation. The light modulation device is suitable in holographic or autostereoscopic displays for guiding the visibility ranges of the image information to be displayed so as to follow the eyes of the viewers.

Abstract: For comfortable viewing of a 3-D scene at various viewing angles, a display having a large tracking range for a variable viewer distance is required. A controllable light-influencing element deflects light in coarse steps in a viewer range. Within said steps, the light is deflected by a further controllable light-influencing element continuously or with fine gradation. The light modulation device is suitable in holographic or autostereoscopic displays for guiding the visibility ranges of the image information to be displayed so as to follow the eyes of the viewers.

Abstract: A controllable device for phase modulation of coherent light comprises a modulator matrix having a plurality of liquid crystal modulator cells each being adapted to modulate a phase value of light passing through a liquid crystal modulator cell depending on a voltage, which is applied to the liquid crystal modulator cell; at least one polarity area of said modulator matrix including at least one liquid crystal modulator cell; at least one storage unit for storing at least one pair of voltage values of which one has a positive and the other has a negative polarity for the liquid crystal modulator cells, whereby the pair of voltage values corresponds to a predetermined phase value; and a control unit for selectively applying one pair of voltage values to one liquid crystal modulator cell.

Abstract: The invention relates to apodization in a holographic direct view display. Known apodization functions are utilized/modified for an apodization mask such that the functions reduce the intensities of selected higher magnitudes of diffractions. The holographic direct view display comprises a controllable light modulator having modulator cells and modulating impinging coherent light into a phase and/or amplitude, and an array of apodization masks. The apodization masks have the same apodization function for a predetermined group of modulator cells, by means of which function a complex amplitude transparency can be set for the modulator cells. This transparency corresponds to an individually predefined course of intensity in a far field of the light modulator, wherein the predefined course of intensity includes a reducing of the light intensity of higher magnitudes of diffractions, and/or of the interfering light emitted by the light modulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to apodization in a holographic direct view display. Known apodization functions are utilized/modified for an apodization mask such that the functions reduce the intensities of selected higher magnitudes of diffractions. The holographic direct view display comprises a controllable light modulator having modulator cells and modulating impinging coherent light into a phase and/or amplitude, and an array of apodization masks. The apodization masks have the same apodization function for a predetermined group of modulator cells, by means of which function a complex amplitude transparency can be set for the modulator cells. This transparency corresponds to an individually predefined course of intensity in a far field of the light modulator, wherein the predefined course of intensity includes a reducing of the light intensity of higher magnitudes of diffractions, and/or of the interfering light emitted by the light modulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to apodization in a holographic direct view display. Known apodization functions are utilized/modified for an apodization mask such that the functions reduce the intensities of selected higher magnitudes of diffractions. The holographic direct view display comprises a controllable light modulator having modulator cells and modulating impinging coherent light into a phase and/or amplitude, and an array of apodization masks. The apodization masks have the same apodization function for a predetermined group of modulator cells, by means of which function a complex amplitude transparency can be set for the modulator cells. This transparency corresponds to an individually predefined course of intensity in a far field of the light modulator, wherein the predefined course of intensity includes a reducing of the light intensity of higher magnitudes of diffractions, and/or of the interfering light emitted by the light modulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a light modulation device for a display for representing two- and/or three-dimensional image content or image sequences. The light modulation device comprises a light modulator and a controller. The phase and/or the amplitude of a light wave field, which is substantially collimated, can be varied by means of the light modulator depending on the location of the light modulator. The light modulator can be actuated by means of the control device. According to the invention, in the direction of propagation of the light wave field, at least one diffracting unit is arranged downstream of the light modulator. The diffracting unit has a variable diffracting structure. By means of the diffracting structure, the light wave field varied by the light modulator can be diffracted in a variable and predeterminable manner. Further, the present invention relates to a display and a method for producing a light modulation device.

Abstract: For comfortable viewing of a 3-D scene at various viewing angles, a display having a large tracking range for a variable viewer distance is required. A controllable light-influencing element deflects light in coarse steps in a viewer range. Within said steps, the light is deflected by a further controllable light-influencing element continuously or with fine gradation. The light modulation device is suitable in holographic or autostereoscopic displays for guiding the visibility ranges of the image information to be displayed so as to follow the eyes of the viewers.

Abstract: A directionally controlled illumination unit is disclosed that deflects light from activated illumination elements into visibility regions by a transmissive image reproduction means. The visibility regions are tracked by the eyes of different viewers to other positions in front of the display via a tracking unit and image control. To avoid a strong correlation of one pixel of the image reproduction means to a deflection element (electro-wetting cell) of a deflection means, the directionally controlled illumination unit comprises a two-dimensional illumination means in front of the image reproduction means arranged in a serial manner in the optical path and a deflection means containing at least one field having an arrangement of electro-wetting cells that can be discretely addressed in groups and adjusted with regard to their refractive behavior by the tracking unit and image control.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator for modulating light field amplitude comprises a surface relief grating adapted to act as a diffractive lens, where a material is used to fill at least one groove of a surface grating structure, such that a controllable refractive index birefringence of the material inside the surface relief grating is controlled by an electric field, which leads to a controllable intensity at a fixed focal point.

Abstract: In a pixilated spatial light modulator having a mesh-based modulator element per pixel, a real location-dependent amplitude and a location-dependent phase can be adjusted independently of each other for modulating a coherent wavefront using complex values. A complex-valued spatial light modulator includes a regularly constructed pixel array, wherein each pixel comprises a controllable reflective line mesh. The modulation of the amplitude and phase take place independently of each other in each modulator element, by relative motions of the self-supporting line mesh relative to a base plate. The line meshes are suspended and supported such that both the distance between the base plate and the line mesh (normal adjustment for amplitude modulation) and the lateral displacement of the line mesh in the mesh plane itself (phase modulation) are modified by a system controller. The reflected light is thus modulated independently of each other.

Abstract: A holographic reconstruction system is disclosed with spatial light modulation means, modulating interferable light waves from light sources with at least one video hologram, comprising optical focusing means, focusing the modulated light waves with the reconstructed object light points for at least one eye position for the eyes of observers and controllable electro-optical deflector means, which direct the focused modulated light waves with the reconstructed light points to at least one eye position in order to reduce the aberrations. The reconstruction system has the optical focusing means in a field of focusing elements, wherein each focusing element is provided with at least one interferable light source. The electro-optical deflector means lie in the light path of the interferable light waves after the optical focusing mean and have at least one field of deflector elements, which has at least one separately controllable electro-optical deflector element for each focusing element.

Abstract: An optical component deflects light beams which pass though the optical component. The optical component comprises multiple fluid cells arranged next to each other in a regular structure, and an influencing means, where a fluid cell contains at least two immiscible fluids, where an interface will form between two fluids of a fluid cell, where the interface can be given a specifiable shape and/or orientation by the influencing means, where a fluid cell comprises at least one optical medium, where the optical medium is disposed adjacent to a fluid of the fluid cell, where the shape of the surface of the optical medium which faces the adjacently arranged fluid cannot be changed, and where the optical medium serves to deflect the light beams which pass through the fluid cell by a specifiable angle.

Abstract: The invention relates to apodization in a holographic direct view display. Known apodization functions are utilized/modified for an apodization mask such that the functions reduce the intensities of selected higher magnitudes of diffractions. The holographic direct view display comprises a controllable light modulator having modulator cells and modulating impinging coherent light into a phase and/or amplitude, and an array of apodization masks. The apodization masks have the same apodization function for a predetermined group of modulator cells, by means of which function a complex amplitude transparency can be set for the modulator cells. This transparency corresponds to an individually predefined course of intensity in a far field of the light modulator, wherein the predefined course of intensity includes a reducing of the light intensity of higher magnitudes of diffractions, and/or of the interfering light emitted by the light modulator.

Abstract: An apparatus for the reconstruction of computer-generated video holograms has the object of reconstructing bandwidth-limited holograms with high luminance and image quality in a display having low installation depth, low weight, and reduced effort during production. The apparatus has a focal center field having diffractive optical elements, which conduct coherent light after modulation by a light modulator matrix, which is coded using a video hologram, to an eye position, wherein said light reconstructs a three-dimensional scene in the space spanned by the viewing window and said light modulator.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator comprising pixels, where for each pixel, a light field amplitude transmitted by the pixel is modulated by an electrowetting cell and/or a light field phase transmitted by the pixel is modulated by an electrowetting cell.

Abstract: Disclosed is an illumination unit comprising a strip-type optical wave guide and an imaging means, and providing a very high light efficiency with a reduced number of primary light sources. The illumination unit enables the production of a coherent plane wave field having a temporal and spatial coherence required for holographic reconstructions. The strip-type optical wave guide contains extraction elements for extracting injected coherent light guided into an observer plane by imaging elements via a controllable light modulation means. During the injection of light, the extraction elements form a grid of secondary light sources which are arranged in the front focal plane of the imaging elements and carry out the spatial coherence in at least one dimension. A secondary light source and an imaging element are associated with each other in order to guide the extracted light through the controllable light modulation means in a collimated manner.

Abstract: In a pixilated spatial light modulator having a mesh-based modulator element per pixel, a real location-dependent amplitude and a location-dependent phase can be adjusted independently of each other for modulating a coherent wavefront using complex values. A complex-valued spatial light modulator includes a regularly constructed pixel array, wherein each pixel comprises a controllable reflective line mesh. The modulation of the amplitude and phase take place independently of each other in each modulator element, by relative motions of the self-supporting line mesh relative to a base plate. The line meshes are suspended and supported such that both the distance between the base plate and the line mesh (normal adjustment for amplitude modulation) and the lateral displacement of the line mesh in the mesh plane itself (phase modulation) are modified by a system controller. The reflected light is thus modulated independently of each other.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator for modulating light field amplitude comprises a surface relief grating adapted to act as a diffractive lens, where a material is used to fill at least one groove of a surface grating structure, such that a controllable refractive index birefringence of the material inside the surface relief grating is controlled by an electric field, which leads to a controllable intensity at a fixed focal point.

Abstract: A holographic reconstruction system is disclosed with spatial light modulation means, modulating interferable light waves from light sources with at least one video hologram, comprising optical focusing means, focusing the modulated light waves with the reconstructed object light points for at least one eye position for the eyes of observers and controllable electro-optical deflector means, which direct the focused modulated light waves with the reconstructed light points to at least one eye position in order to reduce the aberrations. The reconstruction system has the optical focusing means in a field of focusing elements, wherein each focusing element is provided with at least one interferable light source. The electro-optical deflector means lie in the light path of the interferable light waves after the optical focusing mean and have at least one field of deflector elements, which has at least one separately controllable electro-optical deflector element for each focusing element.