A year ago Patently Mobile posted a report titled "Samsung Invents a Futuristic Holographic-like User Interface," that illustrated how a holographic image could possibly work with a future Galaxy tablet or phone (see below). With Samsung having advanced their work with holographic imagery technology, they made it known early on that they were interested in collaborating with Microsoft on their HoloLens device. More recently, the U.S. Patent Office revealed that Samsung is continuing their work on hologram generation and an apparatus for holographic display.
According to Samsung's latest invention, a digital hologram generation method refers to a process that may acquire a hologram pattern, or a fringe pattern, by approximating optical signals and performing a mathematical operation through an operation device. In the digital hologram generation method, a three-dimensional (3D) object may be considered an aggregate in that a point-hologram of each point included in the 3D object may be calculated and summed, thereby acquiring a hologram pattern of the 3D object. Thus, a complexity and number of calculations to acquire the 3D object may be determined based on a number of 3D points to be expressed. When a number of points required to express the 3D object is increased, an excessive number of calculations may be required, and thus, the generating of a real time hologram may be difficult.
Additionally, a viewing angle may be a significant element for generating a hologram. To generate the hologram, light may be diffracted from a spatial light modulator (SLM) so as to bring about an offset or constructive interference. In this instance, a diffraction angle of the light may be inversely proportional to a size of a pixel of the SLM. However, limitations on physically reducing the size of the pixel of the SLM may exist, and thus, extending a viewing angle in a hologram display may also be difficult.
Samsung's patent generally relates to a sub-hologram generation method and production of an apparatus for a holographic display, and more particularly, to a method of determining a hologram area to reduce a complexity of the hologram display.
According to Samsung, when the hologram generation apparatus generates a hologram in a sub-hologram area corresponding to an eye position of a viewer using a viewpoint tracing process, a complexity or a number of calculations performed for generating the hologram pattern may be reduced, and thus, a wide-view hologram display may be realized.
Samsung's patent FIG. 1 noted below illustrates an example of a hologram generation apparatus and FIG. 3 illustrates a method of calculating a size of a sub-hologram area using a viewing window.
Samsung's patent application which was published last month was filed in the U.S. back in July 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
A Note for Tech Sites covering our Report: We ask tech sites covering our report to kindly limit the use of our graphics to one image. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.
Patently Mobile presents a detailed summary of patent applications with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application should be read in its entirety for full and accurate details. About Posting Comments: Patently Mobile reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
Comments