A volumetric display system including a volumetric display for displaying a scene viewable as a three-dimensional floating-in-the-air scene in a display space, enabling a user to reach a first object into the display space, a location determination unit locating real objects in the display space, providing a location of the first object when the first object is inserted into the display space, and a computer for receiving the location of the first object, detecting when the location of the first object is at a location where an object is displayed in the three-dimensional scene, thereby determining that the first object is viewable as touching the displayed object following a detection of the first object viewable as touching the displayed object, producing a new three-dimensional scene displaying the displayed object as if manipulated by the first object. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

A holographic reconstruction of scenes includes a light modulator, an imaging system with at least two imaging means and an illumination device with sufficient coherent light for illumination of hologram coded in the light modulator. The at least two imaging means are arranged such that a first imaging means is provided for the magnified imaging of the light modulator on a second imaging means. The second imaging means is provided for imaging of a plane of a spatial frequency spectrum of the light modulator in a viewing plane at least one viewing window. The viewing window corresponds to a diffraction order of the spatial frequency spectrum.

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying images, and for implementing volumetric user interfaces. One exemplary embodiment provides a system comprising: a light source; an image producing unit, which produces an image upon interaction with light approaching the image producing unit from the light source; an eyepiece; and a mirror, directing light from the image to a surface of the eyepiece, wherein the surface has a shape of a solid of revolution formed by revolving a planar curve at least 180 around an axis of revolution.

An illumination device is provided, including a coherent light source that emits coherent light beam and an optical device that diffuses the coherent light beam. The optical device includes a first diffusion region that diffuses the coherent light beam to illuminate a first area, and a second diffusion region that diffuses the coherent light beam to display predetermined information in a second area. A timing control unit individually controls a light emission timing at which the coherent light source emits the coherent light so that the coherent light is irradiated to the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region, an incident timing at which the coherent light from the coherent light source is incident on the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region, or an illumination timing at which the coherent light diffused by the optical device illuminates the first area and the second area.

A reflective holographic display apparatus and a display method thereof are provided. The reflective holographic display apparatus includes a front light source module, a display panel and a phase plate. The front light source module is configured to provide reference lights; the display panel is configured to adjust amplitude information of the reference lights, wherein the display panel includes a reflective layer and the front light source module is located at a light exit side of the display panel; and the phase plate is configured to adjust phase information of the reference lights and located at a light exit side of the reflective layer.

There is provided a lighting device arranged to produce a controllable light beam for illuminating a scene. The device comprises an addressable spatial light modulator arranged to provide a selectable phase delay distribution to a beam of incident light. The device further comprises Fourier optics arranged to receive phase-modulated light from the spatial light modulator and form a light distribution. The device further comprises projection optics arranged to project the light distribution to form a pattern of illumination as said controllable light beam.

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.

Provided is a holographic display apparatus including a light source configured to emit light; a spatial light modulator configured to sequentially generate hologram patterns for modulating the light and to sequentially reproduce frames of hologram images based on the hologram patterns; and a controller configured to provide hologram data signals to the spatial light modulator, the hologram data signals being used to sequentially generate the hologram patterns. The controller is configured to further provide, to the spatial light modulator, diffraction pattern data signals for forming periodic diffraction patterns for adjusting locations of the hologram images to be reproduced on a hologram image plane, the diffraction pattern data signals being configured to move the periodic diffraction patterns on the spatial light modulator along a predetermined direction for each of the frames.

Various examples of out-of-plane multicolor waveguide holography systems, methods of manufacture, and methods of use are described herein. In some examples, a multicolor waveguide holography system includes a planar waveguide to convey optical radiation between a grating coupler and a metasurface hologram. The grating coupler may be configured to couple out-of-plane optical radiation of three different color incident at three different angles into the planar waveguide. The combined multicolor optical radiation may be conveyed by the waveguide to the metasurface hologram. The metasurface hologram may diffractively decouple the three colors of optical radiation for off-plane propagation to form a multicolor holographic image in free space.

A display system comprising a first plurality of pixels, a second plurality of pixels, a first Fourier transform lens and a second Fourier transform lens. The first plurality of pixels is arranged to display first holographic data corresponding to a first holographic reconstruction and receive light of a first wavelength. The a second plurality of pixels is arranged to display second holographic data corresponding to a second holographic reconstruction and receive light of a second wavelength. The first Fourier transform lens is arranged to receive spatially modulated light having a first wavelength from the first plurality of pixels and perform an optical Fourier transform of the received light to form the first holographic reconstruction at a replay plane, wherein the first holographic reconstruction is formed of light at the first wavelength. The second Fourier transform lens is arranged to receive spatially modulated light having a second wavelength from the second plurality of pixels and perform an optical Fourier transform of the received light to form the second holographic reconstruction at the replay plane, wherein the second holographic reconstruction is formed of light at the second wavelength. The optical path length from the first Fourier transform lens to the replay plane is not equal to the optical path length from the second Fourier transform lens to the replay plane.