An illumination device for illuminating a spatial light modulator device. Sub-holograms are used for encoding a hologram into the spatial light modulator device. The Illumination device includes at least one light source for emitting light for illuminating the spatial light modulator device and a beam shaping unit. The beam shaping unit provides a flat-top plateau-type distribution of an absolute value of a complex degree of mutual coherence of the light in a plane of the spatial light modulator device to be illuminated. The flat-top plateau-type distribution of the absolute value of the complex degree of mutual coherence has a shape that is at least similar to a shape of the largest sub-hologram used for encoding of object points into the spatial light modulator device.

An illumination device for illuminating a spatial light modulator device. Sub-holograms are used for encoding a hologram into the spatial light modulator device. The Illumination device includes at least one light source for emitting light for illuminating the spatial light modulator device and a beam shaping unit. The beam shaping unit provides a flat-top plateau-type distribution of an absolute value of a complex degree of mutual coherence of the light in a plane of the spatial light modulator device to be illuminated. The flat-top plateau-type distribution of the absolute value of the complex degree of mutual coherence has a shape that is at least similar to a shape of the largest sub-hologram used for encoding of object points into the spatial light modulator device.

There is provided a holographic projector comprising a hologram engine and a controller. The hologram engine is arranged to provide a hologram comprising a plurality of hologram pixels. Each hologram pixel has a respective hologram pixel value. The controller is arranged to selectively-drive a plurality of light-modulating pixels so as to display the hologram. Displaying the hologram comprises displaying each hologram pixel value on a contiguous group of light-modulating pixels of the plurality of light-modulating pixels such that there is a one-to-many pixel correlation between the hologram and the plurality of light-modulating pixels.

Provided is an optical device including a first backlight configured to output first light of a first wavelength through a first output coupler, a first lens disposed to face the first output coupler and having a focal length with respect to the first light, a second backlight including a second output coupler, the second backlight being configured to output second light of a second wavelength through the second output coupler, a second lens disposed to face the second output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light and the second light, a third backlight including a third output coupler, the third backlight being configured to output third light of a third wavelength through the third output coupler, and a third lens disposed to face the third output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light, the second light, and the third light.

This application relates to a see-through head-mounted display using recorded substrate-guided holographic continuous lens (SGHCL) and a microdisplay with narrow spectral band source or laser illumination. The high diffraction efficiency of the volume SGHCL creates very high luminance of the virtual image.

An optical device includes a first backlight configured to output first light of a first wavelength through a first output coupler, a first lens disposed to face the first output coupler and having a focal length with respect to the first light, a second backlight including a second output coupler, the second backlight being configured to output second light of a second wavelength through the second output coupler, a second lens disposed to face the second output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light and the second light, a third backlight including a third output coupler, the third backlight being configured to output third light of a third wavelength through the third output coupler, and a third lens disposed to face the third output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light, the second light, and the third light.

An optical device includes a first backlight configured to output first light of a first wavelength through a first output coupler, a first lens disposed to face the first output coupler and having a focal length with respect to the first light, a second backlight including a second output coupler, the second backlight being configured to output second light of a second wavelength through the second output coupler, a second lens disposed to face the second output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light and the second light, a third backlight including a third output coupler, the third backlight being configured to output third light of a third wavelength through the third output coupler, and a third lens disposed to face the third output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light, the second light, and the third light.

A focus modulation optical system and a holographic display device having the focus modulation optical system are disclosed. The holographic display device includes a light source configured to emit a plurality of color lights, a focus modulation optical system including at least one variable focus lens that is configured to change a focusing position of incident light by electrical control of the at least one variable focus lens based on a color of light incident on the variable focus lens, and a spatial light modulator configured to form a holographic image by diffracting light output from the focus modulation optical system.

A predetermined lighting pattern is projected on a surface to be illuminated and the lighting pattern is displaced on the surface to be illuminated. A laser beam generated by a laser light source is broadened by a magnifying lens so as to generate a divergent light. The divergent light is shaped by the collimation lens into a parallel illumination light, and the parallel illumination light is caused to be incident on an incident plane of a diffraction optical element which records a hologram image. A diffracted light from the diffraction optical element forms the lighting pattern as a hologram reconstructed image on the surface to be illuminated. By translating the collimation lens by a collimation-lens drive unit along a movement plane that is orthogonal to an optical axis of the laser beam, the lighting pattern can be displaced on the surface to be illuminated.

There is provided a head-up display having an eye-box comprising a driver monitoring system, picture generating unit and optical system. The driver monitoring system is arranged to illuminate and monitor a driver. The driver monitoring system comprises a first display channel. The picture generating unit is arranged to display a picture on a replay plane. The picture generating unit comprises a second display channel Each display channel comprises a light source, spatial light modulator and controller. Each light source is arranged to emit light. Each spatial light modulator is arranged to receive light from the respective light source and output spatially-modulated light in accordance with a computer-generated hologram displayed on the spatial light modulator to form a respective light pattern on the replay plane. Each controller is arranged to output the computer-generated hologram to the spatial light modulator. The optical system is arranged to relay each light pattern from the replay plane. The optical system comprises an input, output and at least one mirror. The input is arranged to receive light of each light pattern. The output is arranged to output light of each light pattern. The at least one mirror is arranged to guide light from the input to the output along an optical path. The light pattern formed by the first display channel is an infrared light pattern. Each light pattern is a holographic reconstruction.