Commercialization of a fully illuminated volumetric display

The 3D volumetric display system allows true 3D visualization of computer generated images. The three color beam from the system's lasers are guided by the acousto- optic deflectors to a display medium. The display medium allows the laser beam to create discrete visible dots of light, called 'voxels', at any point within its imaging volume. Arrays of voxels are used to create images that are perceived by an observer from a perspective relative to his position. The volumetric display system is comprised of three major subsystems: (1) a laser optics system; (2) a computer-based controller; and (3) a helical display assembly. The laser optics system creates, modulates and projects laser beams onto the display medium. The computer- based controller processes instructions and other data and generates the electronics modulation and deflection signals that control the laser scanner and convert the beam into imaging pulses. The helical display is a volumetric medium that used simple optical and mechanical principles to transform the scanner laser pulses into visible 3D images.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.