There is provided a holographic projector comprising a processing engine, spatial light modulator (403B), light source (401B) and light-receiving surface (405B). The processing engine outputs a computer-generated diffractive pattern defining a propagation distance to an image plane. The spatial light modulator displays the computer-generated diffractive pattern. The light source illuminates the spatial light modulator at an angle of incidence (theta) greater than zero. The light-receiving surface receives spatially-modulated light from the spatial light modulator. The light-receiving surface is substantially parallel to the spatial light modulator (alpha-theta). The light-receiving surface is separated from the spatial light modulator by the propagation distance defined by the computer-generated diffractive pattern

In described examples, a system (e.g., a projection system) can include a diffractive optical element adapted to be illuminated by at least one coherent light beam. A lens array is coupled to receive a diffracted beam of light from the diffractive optical element. The lens array includes a first and a second array lens. The first array lens is coupled to receive a first sector of a pattern of illumination of the diffracted beam of light, and the second array lens is coupled to receive a second sector of the pattern of illumination of the diffracted beam of light. A spatial light modulator is coupled to receive overlapping diffracted beams of light from the first and second array lenses to form an image beam.

An image reproduction device includes: a reflection hologram which reflects reproduction illumination light emitted from a first side to reproduce a reproduced image on the first side; and a beam splitting element which is arranged on the first side of the reflection hologram, which reflects the reproduction illumination light which has been emitted from a reproduction light source and which has passed through the reflection hologram, which emits the reflected reproduction illumination light toward the reflection hologram from the first side, and which transmits light of a reproduced image reproduced by the reflection hologram.

There is provided a holographic image generation system comprising: a spatial light modulator (SLM) having pixels; a light source configured to illuminate the SLM; a temporal modulator; a light sensor associated with the SLM; and a demodulator. The temporal light modulator is arranged to modulate an output intensity of the light source over time to encode holographic data representing a hologram. The light sensor is configured to receive light from the light source and generate a signal representative of the output intensity of the light source. The demodulator is connected to the light sensor to receive the signal, and is arranged to decode the signal to obtain the holographic data. The demodulator is further connected to the SLM to set the pixels of the SLM in accordance with the holographic data to display the hologram ready for illumination by the light source to form a holographic reconstruction.

A method for producing a computer-generated hologram, including the method steps of generating a reference beam, generating an object beam, imprinting computer-generated information pertaining to the hologram to the object beam, and overlapping of the object beam and the reference beam on or in a photosensitive recording medium for imprinting the hologram, wherein successively a plurality of portions of the photosensitive recording medium are simultaneously impinged upon with the object beam and the reference beam to produce a plurality of sub-holograms, and wherein the angle of incidence at which the reference beam is incident on the surface of a first portion of the recording medium is different from the angle of incidence at which the reference beam impinges upon the surface of a second portion of the recording medium.

A display method lets a display beam to propagate in a transparent substrate while internally reflected repeatedly and lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected, thereby emitting display beams from almost entirety of a surface of the transparent substrate. The display beam is produced holographically. A display apparatus includes a spatial phase modulator that produces a display beam, a transparent substrate in which the display beam is internally reflected repeatedly to propagate in it, and a splitter that lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected.

A hologram image apparatus includes a plurality of holographic panels, each holographic panel comprising a transparent panel encoded with a portion of a composite hologram image. The hologram image apparatus also includes one or more light sources configured to illuminate each holographic panel of the plurality of the holographic panels from one or more incident angles to produce the composite hologram image.

A holographic projector includes an illumination system arranged to illuminate a hologram displayed on the pixel area of a spatial light modulator to form a holographic wavefront, and further includes a waveguide including an input port arranged to receive the holographic wavefront and a pair of opposing surfaces arranged to waveguide the holographic wavefront. A first surface of the pair of opposing surfaces is partially reflective-transmissive such that a plurality of replicas of the holographic wavefront are emitted therefrom. The illumination system includes a light source arranged to emit diverging light and a first collimating lens arranged to collimate the light. The collimated light has a varying intensity profile, in at least one dimension. The illumination system is configured such that the pixel area is contained within an area delineated by the width of the intensity profile of the collimated light at half the maximum intensity of said intensity profile.

A display method lets a display beam to propagate in a transparent substrate while internally reflected repeatedly and lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected, thereby emitting display beams from almost entirety of a surface of the transparent substrate. The display beam is produced holographically. A display apparatus includes a spatial phase modulator that produces a display beam, a transparent substrate in which the display beam is internally reflected repeatedly to propagate in it, and a splitter that lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected.

A hologram image apparatus includes a plurality of holographic panels, each holographic panel comprising a transparent panel encoded with a portion of a composite hologram image. The hologram image apparatus also includes one or more light sources configured to illuminate each holographic panel of the plurality of the holographic panels from one or more incident angles to produce the composite hologram image.