There have been many unsuccessful efforts to construct a practical three dimensional display. A display that could produce an up-dateable three dimensional image would have many applications ranging from air traffic control to the display of the higher order structure of proteins. A prototype that demonstrates the fundamental feasibility of a new technique has been constructed; and a more sophisticated, computer-driven display is under development. The new method is loosely based on older schemes involving the deformation or vibration of a lens or mirror, but it avoids the primary problems of these older displays. The technique consists of rotating a lens in front of a stationary, two dimensional light source in which the appropriate pixels are illuminated at calculated lens rotation angles. A real, luminous image is produced in front of the lens. A display based on this method is mechanically simple, produces high quality, large size images, is easily up-dateable, and can be in color.

Date Published: 2 November 1979
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 0199, Advances in Display Technology, (2 November 1979); doi: 10.1117/12.958039

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0199:
Advances in Display Technology
John R. Parsons, Editor(s)