Virtual display system for multiple viewers including a backet printed and / or one or more movable reflective surface

Abstract

A virtual display system includes a truncated prism including a reflective surface or a refractive surface; and a projector configured to generate a light beam having a hologram, the hologram being subdivided into a plurality of sub-holograms for a plurality of viewers, respectively, and the projector being configured to direct the light beam to the frustoprism. The frustum prism is configured to split a light beam into a plurality of sub-beams via the reflective surface or the refractive surface, and to direct the sub-holograms at an eye of the viewer.

Description

[0001] introduction The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this section, and aspects of this description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted, either explicitly or implicitly, to be prior art against the present disclosure. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a virtual image display within a vehicle. Background Art

[0003] Display devices are used in a variety of applications. Some example display devices are flat panel displays, projection displays, and head-up displays. Display devices can be transmissive or reflective. Vehicles may include multiple display devices to display various information to vehicle passengers (or observers). For example, some vehicles include infotainment systems that include displays that display various infotainment and other vehicle information. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A virtual display system is disclosed, comprising: a truncated prism including a reflective surface or a refractive surface; and a projector configured to generate a light beam having a hologram, the hologram being subdivided into a plurality of sub-holograms, respectively for a plurality of viewers, and the projector being configured to direct the light beam toward the truncated prism. The truncated prism is configured to split the light beam into the plurality of sub-beams via the reflective surface or the refractive surface, and to direct the sub-holograms toward the eyes of the viewers.

[0005] In other features, the truncated prism includes a reflective surface configured to reflect the sub-hologram at an eye of a viewer.

[0006] In other features, the truncated prism includes a refractive surface that is transmissive and configured to refract the sub-hologram at an eye of a viewer.

[0007] In other features, the virtual display system further includes a control module configured to control a spatial light modulator of the projector to encode each of the sub-holograms with a corresponding set of eye boxes of each of the viewers.

[0008] Among other features, the truncated prism is steerable.

[0009] In other features, the reflective surface or the refractive surface is movable to direct the sub-beams toward a viewer to concurrently display an image to the viewer.

[0010] In other features, the truncated prism includes four reflective surfaces, each of which reflects a corresponding one of the sub-holograms toward a corresponding one of the viewers.

[0011] In other features, the light beam is transmitted through a truncated prism, and portions of the light beam including the sub-holograms are respectively refracted by a refractive surface and directed to a viewer.

[0012] In other features, the virtual display system further includes a control module, wherein the projector includes a spatial light modulator, and the control module is configured to control the spatial light modulator to perform at least one of: implement a lens function to independently establish a virtual image distance for each of the viewers; and encode the focal length for each of the viewers into a corresponding sub-hologram in the sub-hologram of each frame for the viewer.

[0013] In other features, a vehicle assembly includes: a virtual display system; and a vehicle support structure supporting a truncated prism and a projector.

[0014] Among other features, a virtual display system is disclosed and includes: a panel including a reflective surface; and a projector configured to generate a light beam having a hologram, the hologram being subdivided into sub-holograms, respectively for a plurality of viewers, and the projector being configured to direct the light beam toward the panel. The panel is configured to split the light beam into sub-beams via the reflective surface and direct the sub-holograms toward the eyes of the viewers.

[0015] In other features, the virtual display system further includes: an eye tracker configured to track the position and gaze direction of a viewer's eyes; an actuator assembly configured to adjust the position and orientation of the panel; and a control module configured to adjust the position and orientation of the panel based on the position and gaze direction of the eyes.

[0016] In other features, the control module is configured to independently control movement of each of the panels and to control the projectors to concurrently display images to a viewer.

[0017] In other features, the virtual display system further includes a control module configured to control a spatial light modulator of the projector to encode each of the sub-holograms with a corresponding set of eye boxes of each of the viewers.

[0018] In other features, the virtual display system further includes a control module, wherein the projector includes a spatial light modulator, and the control module is configured to control the spatial light modulator to perform at least one of: implement a lens function to independently establish a virtual image distance for each of the viewers; and encode the focal length for each of the viewers into a corresponding sub-hologram in the sub-hologram of each frame for the viewer.

[0019] In other features, a vehicle assembly is disclosed and further includes: a virtual display system; and a vehicle support structure, a support plate, and a projector.

[0020] Among other features, a multiplexed virtual display system is disclosed and includes: a steerable panel including a reflective surface; a projector configured to generate a light beam having a frame rate that is a multiple of a refresh rate and direct the light beam to the steerable panel so as to display an image to each of a plurality of viewers at the refresh rate, wherein the steerable panel is configured to reflect the light beam via the reflective surface and direct the light beam to the eyes of the viewers so as to concurrently display the image to each of the viewers separately; a motor actuator assembly configured to move the steerable panel; an eye tracker configured to detect a position and a gaze angle of a viewer's eyes; and a control module configured to control movement of the steerable panel based on the position and the gaze angle to direct the light beam to the viewer's eyes.

[0021] In other features, the control module is configured to control a spatial light modulator of the projector to encode each of the sub-holograms with a corresponding set of eye boxes for each of the viewers.

[0022] In other features, the projector includes a spatial light modulator. The control module is configured to control the spatial light modulator to at least one of: implement a lens function to independently establish a virtual image distance for each of the viewers; and encode a focal length for each of the viewers into a corresponding sub-hologram in the plurality of sub-holograms for each frame for the viewer.

[0023] In other features, a vehicle assembly is disclosed and includes: a multiplexed virtual display system; and a vehicle support structure supporting a motor actuator assembly, a steerable panel, and a projector.

[0024] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings.The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an example virtual display system including a truncated prism implemented in a vehicle according to the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of an example projector that directs a light beam to a truncated prism or multiple movable plates having a reflective surface according to the present disclosure; Figure 3 is a top-down example representative view of a light beam from a spatial light modulator (SLM) including a sub-hologram with a corresponding set of eyeboxes impinging on an angled surface of a truncated prism to generate sub-beams in accordance with the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a truncated prism and a corresponding projector according to the present disclosure, wherein the angled surfaces of the truncated prism are implemented as reflective surfaces; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a truncated prism and a corresponding projector according to the present disclosure, wherein the angled surfaces of the truncated prism are implemented as refractive surfaces; Figure 6 is a functional block diagram and perspective view of a feedback system including a movable plate having a reflective surface according to the present disclosure; and Figure 7 An example virtual display method for displaying multiple virtual images for multiple viewers according to the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] In the drawings, reference numerals may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In a shared vehicle where passengers sit facing each other in a "campfire"-like arrangement, a user experience can be provided in which each passenger is able to interact with one of multiple virtual displays. The virtual display can appear through the passengers to project an image that floats in front of each passenger (e.g., 1 meter away from each passenger). Passengers can interact with the displayed image by making gestures and / or providing voice commands. The imaging system implements gesture recognition and voice recognition for the received gestures and / or voice commands. The interaction can also be based on the passenger's gaze direction (or angle), which can be determined using a tracking camera that tracks the gaze angle of the passenger's eyes. When a passenger looks at an object in the virtual image, the system can provide certain information and / or respond based on the passenger's corresponding gaze angle. Each virtual display in the vehicle can be expensive and relatively large.

[0028] The examples described herein include non-multiplexed and multiplexed virtual display systems for vehicle passengers (or observers). A non-multiplexed virtual display system may include a single projector and a truncated prism or multiple movable plates with a reflective surface that can be positioned and oriented to function similarly to the facets (or angled surfaces) of a truncated prism. A multiplexed virtual display system may include a single projector and a single steerable reflector. The same or different content can be displayed to each of a plurality of viewers by a single projector. The virtual display system is configured in a "campfire" configuration where viewers face each other rather than all viewers sitting and facing the same direction. Each projector in a single projector includes an SLM that generates a subdivided encoded hologram. As an example, each hologram generated by the projector can be subdivided to provide multiple sub-holograms that are directed to respective viewers via a truncated prism or one or more movable reflective surfaces. In embodiments comprising a truncated prism (or pyramidal prism) or multiple movable reflective surfaces, the truncated prism or movable reflective surface splits the SLM output beam into separate sub-beams. In embodiments comprising a single steerable mirror, the SLM output beam is directed to the steerable mirror, which is sequentially and iteratively rotated to direct the beam toward the viewer.

[0029] The system disclosed herein allows each vehicle passenger to have a personalized viewing perspective that is unavailable to other passengers in the vehicle. The system also allows all or some passengers to share the same content. Personalized and shared viewing perspectives can be implemented for gaming applications, movie viewing applications, information provision applications, and the like.

[0030] The disclosed system minimizes the number of image projectors (or display sources) and includes display components associated with displaying images for multiple vehicle passengers. This reduces associated costs, the number of components, and the space (or volume) requirements (or the amount of space dedicated within the vehicle for display systems and components). Examples include using a single projector to concurrently project images with the same or different content to multiple passengers. Images for the passengers are provided concurrently and can be viewed on independent virtual displays. These images originate from the same projector.

[0031] Examples disclosed herein may include a virtual three-dimensional (3D) display that projects a real-time "hologram" encoded by a spatial light modulator (SLM) controlled by a computer and / or control module. The lens function is encoded and / or programmed as two holograms of images displayed concurrently. The focusing lens function independently establishes a virtual image distance (VID) tailored to each passenger. The focusing lens function is a dynamic function that changes temporally per frame and has the functionality of a lens. In other words, the encoded focal length for each passenger (or viewer) is encoded into the hologram (or corresponding sub-hologram) per viewer per frame. There is one lens function per viewer. The VID and other information described herein may be encoded into the hologram. This projection system enables the encoded projection information to be replicated per viewer to expand the viewing area or the number of eyeboxes visible to each viewer. This is achieved by filling the potential viewing area of ​​the viewer with multiple renderings of the image to be viewed by the viewer, regardless of the viewing angle or perspective. The encoding can be further extended to allow subdivision of the encoded SLM, provided the SLM is large enough to maintain the target resolution to support multiple observers viewing different information.

[0032] Figure 1 A virtual display system 100 is shown that includes a truncated prism 102 implemented in a vehicle 104. A projector 106 generates a light beam with content for multiple viewers (two viewers A and B are shown). Although two viewers are shown, the projector 106 and the truncated prism 102 can generate additional images for additional viewers. The light beam is directed to the frustum and split into multiple sub-beams that are reflected off the facets (or angled surfaces) 110, 112 of the truncated prism 102 and directed to viewers A, B. The truncated prism 102 can be mounted to a roof 116 of the vehicle 104 via a mounting bracket assembly 114. In one embodiment, the truncated prism 102 and the projector 106 are implemented in the roof of the vehicle 104. The projector 106 is controlled by a control module 120.

[0033] although Figure 1 A camera is not shown in FIG, but may be included and used by the control module 120 to determine what information to provide to each user based on the viewer's gestures and / or gaze angle. Figure 6 An example camera is shown in . The camera can also be used to detect the presence of viewers. The projector 106 can generate an image for each viewer (when the viewer is present).

[0034] In one embodiment, the mounting bracket assembly 114 may include a motor-actuator assembly for rotating the truncated prism 110. Each facet of the truncated prism 110 is steerable for each viewer. The control module 120 may control the motor-actuator assembly as described below to provide an optimal image for each viewer. This may include moving the facets to reflect the light beam in the direction of the viewer's line of sight.

[0035] Figure 2 A projector 200 is shown comprising a light source 202 (e.g., a laser) and a spatial light modulator (SLM) 204 that directs a light beam to a truncated prism or a plurality of movable plates having a reflective surface, represented as an ellipse 206. Figure 1 and 3 Examples of movable plates and truncated prisms with reflective surfaces are shown in FIG. 6 . The control module 208 (e.g. Figure 1 and 6 , 620) controls the state of the SLM 204 and the movable plate (if included). The truncated prism and the movable plate split the beam from the SLM 204 into multiple beams (e.g., 4 beams) with corresponding views, which can include the same or different content. The SLM 204 is controlled by the control module 208 to generate a hologram that is encoded with multiple images (e.g., 4 images) using separate image lens functions for independent virtual image positions. The projector 200 outputs a hologram that is divided into multiple sub-holograms (e.g., 4 holograms) 209 that are encoded for separate images (e.g., images A to D), separate virtual image distances, separate propagation paths, and are directed to i) different facets (or angled surfaces) of the truncated prism, or ii) the reflective surface of the movable plate. Depending on the embodiment, a truncated prism or a movable plate splits the beam from the SLM 204 into a plurality of sub-beams (or channels) 211. Each channel may have a corresponding computer-processed image.

[0036] Figure 2 is a simplified view of the projector 200. Each hologram and frame of the SLM 204 is split into sub-holograms and sub-frames that are directed to viewers respectively. Each of the sub-holograms designated as 209 includes multiple replicated eyeboxes for each viewer to account for the movement of the viewers. Each of the viewers is able to see one of the eyeboxes in the set of replicated eyeboxes provided for that viewer. Figure 2, a representative eyebox region 210 is shown including a replicated eyebox, which is represented as a replicated version of image A of a cyclist displayed multiple times per frame and at different angles to accommodate the movement and / or different gaze angles of the corresponding viewer. Although each of the sub-holograms 209 is shown as having a single image A, B, C, or D, each sub-hologram has information for multiple versions of the corresponding image, as shown in the eyebox region 210. Each viewer sees only one of the eyebox images at any given moment. The oval 512 represents the viewer's eye of the viewer who sees image A. The other viewers can see images B, C, and D.

[0037] Figure 3 Shown are the results from SLM (e.g. Figure 2 2, 344, 346. Each of the four viewers, represented by ellipses 340, 342, 344, 346, sees an image in one of the eyeboxes of the corresponding set of eyeboxes. This is represented by beam portions 350, 352, 354, 356. The arrangement of the eyebox replication can be modified as long as the beam diameter is large and has sufficient resolution to simultaneously contain multiple sets of eyeboxes for multiple viewers in the four sub-regions of the projector's output beam.

[0038] Figure 4 A truncated prism 400 and a corresponding projector 402 are shown, wherein the facets (or angled surfaces) 406 of the truncated prism 400 are implemented as reflective surfaces. The angled surfaces 406 reflect portions of the light beam projected by the projector 402 toward corresponding viewers (e.g., viewers 1 to 4). The projector 402 may be similar to Figures 1 to 2 In one embodiment, the truncated prism 400 and the projector 402 are implemented in the roof of the vehicle and supported by one or more structural members of the roof of the vehicle.

[0039] Figure 5A truncated prism 500 and a corresponding projector 502 are shown, wherein the facets (or angled surfaces) 504 of the truncated prism 500 are implemented as refractive surfaces. Portions of the light beam output from the projector 502 are refracted off the angled surfaces 504 and directed to corresponding viewers (e.g., viewers 1 to 4). In one embodiment, the truncated prism 500 and the projector 502 are implemented in the headliner of a vehicle and supported by one or more structural members of the vehicle's roof.

[0040] Figure 5 Implementations of the hologram may experience distortion and dispersion. This may be addressed when generating the hologram via the corresponding control module and SLM, and / or may be addressed by adding additional optical elements (such as a programmable liquid crystal phase plate) between the projector 502 and the truncated prism 500. Dispersion may also or alternatively be addressed i) via the choice of glass material for the frustum and / or ii) by adding optics positioned along the optical path and configured to compensate for the dispersion.

[0041] Figure 6 A feedback system 600 is shown that includes movable plates 602, 604, 606, 608 having reflective surfaces 610, 612, 614, 616. Portions of the light beam output from projector 601 are reflected off reflective surfaces 610, 612, 614, 616 and directed toward respective viewers (e.g., viewers 1 through 4). Reflective surfaces 610, 612, 614, 616 may include a metallic material and / or a coating. Although the reflective surfaces are shown as the front surfaces of plates 602, 604, 606, 608, the reflective surfaces may be the back surfaces of plates 602, 604, 606, 608, where portions of the light pass through the glass body of plates 602, 604, 606, 608 and are reflected off the reflective back surfaces. In this manner, plates 602, 604, 606, 608 are implemented as mirrors. In one embodiment, projector 601 , panels 602 , 604 , 606 , 608 , and motor actuator assembly 624 are implemented in the headliner of the vehicle and supported by one or more structural members of the roof of the vehicle.

[0042] Feedback system 600 may include a control module 620, a camera 622, and a motor-actuator assembly 624. Camera 622 may be used to detect the presence, position, gaze direction, and angle of a viewer. Based on the output of camera 622, control module 620 adjusts the position and orientation of panels 602, 604, 606, 608, and thereby adjusts the position and orientation of reflective surfaces 610, 612, 614, 616, via motor-actuator assembly 624. Motor-actuator assembly 624 may include motors, actuators, brackets, etc. for moving panels 602, 604, 606, 608. Control module 620 may determine the information to provide to each user based on the viewer's gestures and / or gaze angle detected via camera 622.

[0043] In one embodiment, instead of directing a single beam from the SLM to the panels 602, 604, 606, 608 and splitting the beam into multiple beamlets, the SLM outputs a single beam having a refresh rate (e.g., 30 frames per second) that is several times the refresh rate of the virtual display (e.g., four times for four viewers). The single beam is directed to a single steerable mirror that is rotated to direct the beam to each of the viewers. Thus, instead of four mirrors, one mirror is used, and the one mirror is rotated to direct the image to the four viewers. The single mirror can be centrally located between the four viewers. Four images can be provided to the four viewers via the single steerable mirror. Thus, instead of having four movable mirrors, a single steerable mirror can be implemented for four viewers or a different number of viewers. The control module 620 can adjust the frame rate of the beam directed to the steerable mirror based on the number of viewers. The steerable mirror may be a point-to-point design rather than a continuously sweeping scanning mirror design.

[0044] Figure 7 An example virtual display method for displaying multiple virtual images for multiple viewers is shown. The operation can be performed iteratively. The operation can be performed by one of the control modules, one of the projectors, one of the SLMs, and one or more of the cameras mentioned herein (if applicable).

[0045] At 700, the control module controls a light source (e.g., a laser) of a projector to generate a light beam. At 702, the control module controls an SLM to generate a hologram that is subdivided into a plurality of sub-holograms for respective viewers. The sub-holograms include respective sets of replicated eyeboxes for the viewers, as described above. A beam is generated that includes a hologram that includes multiple channels of information valuable to the viewer.

[0046] At 704, the control module may determine whether a truncated prism is used to split the beam with the hologram. If so, operation 706 may be performed, otherwise, when multiple movable reflective surfaces are used to split the beam with the hologram, operation 710 may be performed.

[0047] At 706, the beam with the hologram is directed to the angled surface of the truncated prism. At 708, the beam is split into a plurality of sub-beams for corresponding channels and reflected or refracted by the angled surface of the truncated prism toward the viewer. The method can end after operation 708 or return to operation 702.

[0048] At 710, a beam with a hologram is directed to the reflective surface of the movable plate. At 712, the beam is split into multiple sub-beams for corresponding channels and reflected by the angled surface of the reflective surface of the movable plate to the viewer.

[0049] At 714, an eye tracker (e.g. Figure 6 The camera 622 can detect the current position of the viewer's eyes and the eye gaze direction (or angle). At 716, the control module can determine the position and orientation of the reflective surface. This can include determining the X, Y, and Z positions of the reflective surface and the associated X and Y angles of the reflective surface.

[0050] At 718, the control module may calculate expected image positions of the beamlets generated for the plurality of viewers at different locations. At 720, the control module may calculate a difference between current values ​​of the eye tracker associated with the positions and eye gaze directions of the viewers and the expected values ​​of the image positions of the beamlets.

[0051] At 722, the control module may adjust one or more angles and / or positions of one or more reflective surfaces to minimize the error and provide the passenger with an optimal view of the image. This is based on the viewer's position and eye gaze direction and the difference determined at 720. This may include positioning the reflective surfaces so that the generated sub-beams are in the viewer's line of sight and are directed at and / or parallel to the viewer's line of sight (or viewing direction). The method may end after operation 722 or may return to operation 702.

[0052] The examples described herein minimize the number of projectors and corresponding components required within a vehicle, which minimizes system cost and associated space requirements. These examples allow multiple users to share the same projector and view the same or different images with the same or different content. The generated images are provided via the same or different virtual image distances and different propagation paths.

[0053] The above example includes a projector that subdivides the projected eyebox replicator pupil into four sub-areas or regions. Each region is provided with unique content for each of the four viewers. In some embodiments, the output of the projector is directed to a beam reflector in the shape of a truncated head (or a truncated prism with a reflective surface) that directs portions of the beam toward multiple viewers. In another embodiment, the output of the projector is directed to a refractor in the shape of a truncated head (or a truncated prism with multiple refractive surfaces) that redirects portions of the beam toward multiple viewers. In another embodiment, the output of the projector is directed to the viewers via a steerable mirror and / or multiple movable plates (or mirrors). The projector and SLM of the steerable mirror implementation are operated at multiple times the refresh rate of the virtual display.

[0054] In another embodiment, the output of the projector is directed toward each viewer independently, wherein each facet of the steerable truncated beam splitter is independently controlled based on the output of an eye tracking device (e.g., a camera) to direct the reflected beam to the corresponding viewer. Figure 6 Each facet of the steerable truncated beam splitter has bidirectional tilt, allowing tilting in the x and y directions to compensate for the gaze direction of each viewer.

[0055] In some embodiments, the output of the projector is spatially subdivided into multiple images with unique VIDs and propagation paths, where each image is then directed simultaneously and / or concurrently to a different viewer via hologram lens encoding. The output of the projector (or hologram) is directed into a truncated prism, which redirects the hologram to the user's eye.

[0056] A virtual image projection display is disclosed that is configured to project to four viewers simultaneously through time-sequential operation, wherein hologram lens encoding creates a unique VID and propagation path for each viewer. The output of the virtual image projection display is redirected to the user's eyes using a truncated prism.

[0057] The disclosed truncated prism implementation has a variety of different configurations, including reflective and refractive implementations. A multi-plate design with angled reflective surfaces can be independently controlled via a motor-actuator assembly that can tilt the plates so that the viewer's possible viewing angles are covered by the projector's field of view and a replicated eye box is generated.

[0058] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in many forms. Therefore, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the present disclosure should not be so limited, as other modifications will become apparent upon studying the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within the method can be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without changing the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, although each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented in the features of any other embodiment and / or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the permutation of one or more embodiments with each other is still within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "immediately adjacent," "on," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless explicitly described as "direct," when describing a relationship between a first and a second element in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship in which there are no other intervening elements between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship in which there are one or more intervening elements (either spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A or B or C) using a non-exclusive logical "OR" and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0060] In the various figures, the direction of the arrow, as indicated by the arrow head, generally indicates the flow of information (such as data or instructions) of interest with respect to the diagram. For example, when component A and component B exchange various information, but the information transmitted from component A to component B is relevant to the diagram, an arrow may point from component A to component B. This unidirectional arrow does not imply that no other information is being transmitted from component B to component A. In addition, for information sent from component A to component B, component B may send a request for the information or an acknowledgment of receipt to component A.

[0061] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or the term "controller" may be replaced with the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0062] The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuit may include a wired or wireless interface connected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The functionality of any given module of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiple modules connected via the interface circuit. For example, multiple modules may allow for load balancing. In a further example, a server (also referred to as a remote or cloud) module may implement some functions on behalf of a client module.

[0063] The term "code" as used above may include software, firmware and / or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures and / or objects. The term "shared processor circuit" encompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuit" encompasses a processor circuit that executes some or all code from one or more modules in conjunction with additional processor circuits. References to multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits on discrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term "shared memory circuit" encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all code from multiple modules. The term "group memory circuit" includes a memory circuit that stores some or all code from one or more modules in conjunction with additional memory.

[0064] The term "memory circuit" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium." As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" does not encompass non-transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagated through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); thus, the term "computer-readable medium" may be considered to be tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (such as flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only memory circuits), volatile memory circuits (such as static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital magnetic tape or hard drives), and optical storage media (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0065] The apparatus and methods described in this application can be implemented in part or in whole by a special-purpose computer, which is created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. The functional blocks, flow chart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into a computer program through routine work by a skilled technician or programmer.

[0066] The computer program includes processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer program may also include or rely on stored data. The computer program may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that interacts with the hardware of the special-purpose computer, device drivers that interact with specific devices of the special-purpose computer, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, etc.

[0067] A computer program may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated by a compiler from source code, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter, (v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-time compiler, etc. By way of example only, source code may be written using syntax from languages ​​including: C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language Version 5), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Visual Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and

Claims

1. A virtual display system, comprising: a truncated prism comprising a plurality of reflective surfaces or a plurality of refractive surfaces; as well as a projector configured to generate a light beam having a hologram, the hologram being subdivided into a plurality of sub-holograms respectively for a plurality of viewers, and the projector being configured to direct the light beam to the truncated prism, The truncated prism is configured to split the light beam into a plurality of sub-light beams via the plurality of reflective surfaces or the plurality of refractive surfaces, and guide the plurality of sub-holograms to eyes of the plurality of viewers.

2. The virtual display system according to claim 1, wherein: The truncated prism includes the plurality of reflective surfaces; and The plurality of reflective surfaces are configured to reflect the plurality of sub-holograms at eyes of the plurality of viewers.

3. The virtual display system according to claim 1, wherein: The truncated prism includes the plurality of refractive surfaces; and The plurality of refractive surfaces are transmissive and configured to refract the plurality of sub-holograms at eyes of the plurality of viewers.

4. The virtual display system according to claim 1 further comprises a control module, which is configured to control the spatial light modulator of the projector to encode each of the multiple sub-holograms using a corresponding eye box set of each viewer among the multiple viewers. The virtual display system of claim 1 , wherein the truncated prism is steerable. 6 . The virtual display system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reflective surfaces or the plurality of refractive surfaces are movable to direct the plurality of sub-beams to the plurality of viewers, thereby concurrently displaying a plurality of images to the plurality of viewers.

7. The virtual display system of claim 1, wherein the truncated prism comprises four reflective surfaces, each reflective surface reflecting a corresponding sub-hologram of the plurality of sub-holograms to a corresponding viewer of the plurality of viewers.

8. The virtual display system according to claim 1, wherein the light beam is transmitted through the truncated prism, and portions of the light beam including the plurality of sub-holograms are refracted by the plurality of refractive surfaces, respectively, and guided to the plurality of viewers.

9. The virtual display system of claim 1 , further comprising a control module, wherein the projector comprises a spatial light modulator, and the control module is configured to control the spatial light modulator to perform at least one of the following: implementing a lens function to independently establish a virtual image distance for each of the plurality of viewers; and A focal length for each of the plurality of viewers is encoded into a corresponding sub-hologram in the plurality of sub-holograms for each frame for the viewer.

10. A vehicle assembly comprising: The virtual display system of claim 1; as well as The vehicle support structure holds the truncated prism and projector.

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