- Number
- 12638620
- Published
- 2026-05-26
- Filed
- 2023-06-07
- Assignee
- DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
- Inventors
- Smithwick; Quinn Y., Smoot; Lanny S., Ilardi; Michael
- CPC
- G02B5/12; G02B30/54; G02B5/10; G02B5/124; G02B27/144; G02B30/56
- Verdict
- High Hardware
- First reported
- 2026-W29 (2026-07-15)
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
The keeper's note
A wide-angle, retroreflective real image display system that produces real images that can be viewed and interacted with by a group of people who can move about a space to view the real image.
Abstract
A wide-angle, retroreflective real image display system that produces real images that can be viewed and interacted with by a group of people who can move about a space to view the real image. The display system includes two or more stations each having their own retroreflector, beamsplitter, and displayed image or illuminated object. The stations, and their beamsplitters and retroreflectors are positioned adjacent at angular offsets or rotation angles, e.g., each neighboring or adjacent beamsplitter and retroreflector is rotated about an axis extending through the joining seam. The displayed images or illuminated objects are rotated at similar angles from each other to provide a retroreflective pyramid with co-located real images.
Background
FIELD (1) The present description relates, in general, to techniques and systems for generating unique displays with floating imagery, and, more particularly, to a real image display system (and associated methods) configured for generating real images with wide viewing angles using retroreflective material. BACKGROUND (2) There are many applications and environments where it is desirable to produce images or imagery that appear to float in space. For example, it is useful to entertain people visiting a theme park, a theater, a shopping space, and so on with unique and surprising displays, and these may involve providing images that are, or appear to be, floating in space as is the case with holograms. Further, there is a strong demand for such floating images to be viewable without requiring the viewer to wear special eyewear such as virtual reality (VR) headgear or three dimensional (3D) glasses. (3) Retroreflective real images appear as floating images in space. Retroreflective real images are desirable in many settings because they are accessible in that they appear “free standing” such that the viewer may try to touch the floating image. This visual effect is unlike the imagery achieved with systems built upon the Pepper's Ghost illusion. In these systems, the reflected virtual image is necessarily behind a pane of glass or other beamsplitter. In contrast, retroreflective real images can be thought of as a simple way of creating “holograms” or 3D beam effects without dis
Claims
1. A display system for displaying wide-angle, retroreflective real images in a viewing space, comprising: a first display station comprising a first beamsplitter, a first retroreflector at a first offset angle from the first beamsplitter, and at least one of a first display configured to output a displayed image or a first object illuminated by a light source, wherein the at least one of the first display or the first object is positioned in the first display station such that light from the at least one of the first display or the first object is reflected from or transmitted through the first beamsplitter onto a retroreflective surface of the first retroreflector to be retroreflected back toward the first beamsplitter to be reflected from or transmitted through the first beamsplitter into the viewing space as a first real image; and a second display station comprising a second beamsplitter, a second retroreflector at a second offset angle from the second beamsplitter, and at least one of a second display configured to output a displayed image or a second object illuminated by a light source, wherein the at least one of the second display or the second object are is positioned in the second display station such that light from the at least one of the second display or the second object are is reflected from or transmitted through the second beamsplitter onto a retroreflective surface of the second retroreflector to be retroreflected back toward the second beamsplitter to be reflected from or transmitted through the second beamsplitter into the viewing space as a second real image that at least partially overlaps the first real image to form an overlapping real image, wherein the second beamsplitter abuts the first beamsplitter along one edge of the second beamsplitter and is rotated about an axis extending through the one edge of the first beamsplitter by a rotation angle, and wherein the retroreflective surface of the second retroreflector abuts the retroreflective surface of the first retroreflector along one edge of the retroreflective surface of the first retroreflector and is rotated about an axis extending through the one edge of the retroreflective surface of the first retroreflector by the rotation angle. ||
8. A display system for displaying wide-angle, retroreflective real images in a viewing space, comprising: a first display station comprising a first beamsplitter, a first retroreflector at a first offset angle from the first beamsplitter, and at least one of a first display configured to output a displayed image or a first object illuminated by a light source, wherein the at least one of the first display or the first object is positioned in the first display station such that light from the at least one of the first display or the first object is reflected from or transmitted through the first beamsplitter onto a retroreflective surface of the first retroreflector to be retroreflected back toward the first beamsplitter to be reflected from or transmitted through the first beamsplitter into the viewing space as a first real image; a second display station comprising a second beamsplitter, a second retroreflector at a second offset angle from the second beamsplitter, and at least one of a second display configured to output a displayed image or a second object illuminated by a light source, wherein the at least one of the second display or the second object is positioned in the second display station such that light from the at least one of the second display or the second object is reflected from or transmitted through the second beamsplitter onto a retroreflective surface of the second retroreflector to be retroreflected back toward the second beamsplitter to be reflected from or transmitted through the second beamsplitter into the viewing space as a second real image that at least partially overlaps the first real image to form an overlapping real image; and a third display station comprising a third beamsplitter, a third retroreflector at a third offset angle from the third beamsplitter, and at least one of a third display configured to output a displayed image or a third object illuminated by a light source, wherein the at least one of the third display or the third object is positioned in the third display station such that light from the at least one of the third display or the third object is reflected from or transmitted through the third beamsplitter onto a retroreflective surface of the third retroreflector to be retroreflected back toward the third beamsplitter to be reflected from or transmitted through the third beamsplitter into the viewing space as a third real image that at least partially overlaps at least one of the first real image or the second real image in the overlapping real image. ||
9. A display system for displaying wide-angle, retroreflective real images in a viewing space, comprising: first and second beamsplitters, wherein the second beamsplitter abuts the first beamsplitter along one edge of the first beamsplitter and wherein the second beamsplitter is rotated about a first axis extending through the one edge of the first beamsplitter by a rotation angle relative to the first beamsplitter; first and second retroreflectors, wherein the first retroreflector is at a first offset angle from the first beamsplitter, the second retroreflector is at a second offset angle from the second beamsplitter, the first retroreflector abuts the second retroreflector along one edge of the first retroreflector, the second retroreflector is rotated about a second axis extending through the one edge of the first retroreflector by the rotation angle relative to the first retroreflector, and the first and second retroreflectors are positioned to receive light transmitted through or reflected from the first and second beamsplitters, respectively, and in response, to reflect the light back toward one of the first or second beamsplitters; and first and second light sources operable to provide light to the first and second beamsplitters such that the first and second beamsplitters transmit or reflect the light to the first and second retroreflectors respectively, wherein each of the first and second light sources comprise at least one of an illuminated object or a display. ||
13. A display system for displaying wide-angle, retroreflective real images in a viewing space, comprising: a retroreflector with a retroreflective surface; a beamsplitter oriented at an offset angle to the retroreflective surface; a first reflector with a curved reflective surface; a light source configured to output light associated with a display or an illuminated object, wherein the output light is directed onto the curved reflective surface which first reflects the output light onto the beamsplitter as first reflected output light, and wherein a portion of the first reflected output light is transmitted through the beamsplitter onto the retroreflective surface producing retroreflected light that is directed back onto the beamsplitter which reflects a portion of the retroreflected light; and a second reflector with a curved reflective surface, wherein the second reflector is positioned such that the curved reflective surface of the second reflector receives and reflects the portion of the retroreflected light reflected from the beamsplitter to form a retroreflective real image in the viewing space.