In one embodiment, a digital holography system includes logic configured to receive raw interferograms obtained by illuminating an object field with incoherent light, the raw interferograms comprising multiple phase-shifted raw interferograms for each of multiple different colors, logic configured to combine like-colored raw interferograms to generate a separate complex hologram for each different color, logic configured to combine the separate complex holograms to generate a full-color complex hologram, and logic configured to reconstruct a full-color holographic image of the object field.

Provided is a lighting device capable of safely illuminating a region to be illuminated having a first direction while making its edge sharp. A lighting device illuminates a region to be illuminated extending in a first direction and extending in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The lighting device includes a light source and a diffractive optical element having a first hologram component and a second hologram component both of which diffract light from the light source and direct the light to the region to be illuminated, wherein the diffracted light from the first hologram component illuminates the entire region of the region to be illuminated and the diffracted light from the second hologram component illuminates the entire region of the region to be illuminated.

A display system and a method of adjusting a display system are disclosed. A first plurality of pixels is arranged to display a first hologram, receive light of a first wavelength, and output spatially-modulated light according to the first hologram, along a first optical path. A first Fourier transform lens on the first optical path forms a first holographic reconstruction at a replay plane. A second plurality of pixels is arranged to display a second hologram, receive light of a second wavelength, and output spatially modulated light according to the second hologram, along a second optical path. A second Fourier transform lens on the second optical path forms a second holographic reconstruction at the replay plane. A first optical element on the first optical path is arranged to receive the output light from a first part of the first optical path and direct it along a second part of the first optical path to the replay plane. A second optical element on the second optical path is arranged to receive the output light of the second wavelength from a first part of the second optical path and direct it along a second part of the second optical path to the replay plane. The length of the first part of the first optical path is not equal to the length of the first part of the second optical path. The first part of the first optical path may he substantially collinear with the first part of the second optical path.

A beam steering method and device are provided. The beam steering method includes outputting, from a hologram recording medium on which a plurality of signal light beams having different steering information are recorded, signal light beam having specific steering information, by making reference light having a specific characteristic incident on the hologram recording medium. The method further includes o obtaining information about an object existing in the external environment based on the output signal light.

An optical device including a hologram recording medium that can reproduce an image of a reference member and an irradiation unit that emits a coherent light beam to the optical device. The irradiation unit includes a light source for emitting a coherent light beam and a scanning device capable of adjusting a reflection angle of the coherent light beam emitted from the light source and that makes a reflected coherent light beam scan the hologram recording medium. The light source has light sources for emitting coherent light beams having different wavelength ranges. The hologram recording medium has a plurality of recording areas to be scanned with a plurality of coherent light beams reflected by the scanning device, respectively. Each of the plurality of recording areas has an interference fringe that diffracts a coherent light beam of the corresponding wavelength range.

A holographic optical element includes a set of holograms formed in one or more layers of holographic material. The set of holograms includes a red hologram that is exclusively responsive to a first wavelength of red light incident thereon over a first range of angles of incidence, a green hologram that is exclusively responsive to a second wavelength of green light incident thereon over the first range of angles of incidence, and a blue hologram that is exclusively responsive to a third wavelength of blue light incident thereon over the first range of angles of incidence.

A wearable heads-up display includes a support structure that in use is worn on a head of a user, a scanning laser projector carried by the support structure, and a holographic optical element carried by the support structure. The holographic optical element includes a set of holograms formed in one or more layers of holographic material. The set of holograms includes a red hologram that is exclusively responsive to red laser light incident thereon over a first range of angles of incidence, a green hologram that is exclusively responsive to blue laser light incident thereon over the first range of angles of incidence, and a blue hologram that is exclusively responsive to green laser light incident thereon over the first range of angles of incidence.

Systems, devices, and methods for engineering the eyebox of a display using multiple heterogeneous exit pupils are described. The eyebox of a display includes at least two heterogeneous exit pupils that are different from one another in terms of size and/or shape. Heterogeneous exit pupils may overlap, one may encompass another, or they may be completely spatially-separated from one another. Such configurations enable specific eyebox and/or visual display configurations that can be advantageous in certain applications. An example in which a scanning laser-based wearable heads-up virtual retina display implements a holographic combiner that is engineered to provide multiple heterogeneous exit pupils is described.

The disclosure is directed to simulating forces using holographic objects. A method according to embodiments includes: generating an invisible holographic object, the invisible holographic object providing a haptic effect; displaying a visible holographic object; aligning the visible holographic object and the invisible holographic object to provide a visible and touchable combined holographic object, the combined holographic object providing the haptic effect; applying a force to the combined holographic object, the applied force causing a displacement of the combined holographic object and including an amplitude and direction; and adjusting the haptic effect of the combined holographic object to generate an adjusted haptic effect representative of an effect of the applied force on the combined holographic object.

Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion by exit pupil replication in wearable heads-up displays (WHUDs) are described. A WHUD includes a scanning laser projector (SLP), a holographic combiner, and an exit pupil selector positioned in the optical path therebetween. The exit pupil selector is controllably switchable into and between N different configurations. In each of the N configurations, the exit pupil selector receives a light signal from the SLP and redirects the light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a respective one of N virtual positions for the SLP. The holographic combiner converges the light signal to a particular one of N exit pupils at the eye of the user based on the particular virtual position from which the light signal is made to effectively originate. In this way, multiple instances of the exit pupil are distributed over the eye and the eyebox of the WHUD is expanded.