Examples include a device including a nanovoided polymer element having a first surface and a second surface, a first plurality of electrodes disposed on the first surface, a second plurality of electrodes disposed on the second surface, and a control circuit configured to apply an electrical potential between one or more of the first plurality of electrodes and one or more of the second plurality of electrodes to induce a physical deformation of the nanovoided polymer element.

An electro-optic device comprising electrophoretic medium including a dispersion of a plurality of particles in a fluid configured to migrate within the fluid in a direction responsive to an applied electric field. The plurality of particles include a first type of particles having a first charge of a first charge polarity, a second type of particles having a second charge of a second charge polarity, and a third type of particles having a third charge of the second charge polarity. The first charge polarity is opposite to the second charge polarity, and the third type of particles are configured to migrate within the fluid in a direction responsive to an applied magnetic field gradient.

An optical waveguide device includes a substrate on which an optical waveguide is formed, and an object that is disposed on the substrate. The optical waveguide includes a mode conversion/branching portion that converts a mode of a light wave propagating through the optical waveguide and branches the light wave, and the object is disposed to cover a part or the whole of the mode conversion/branching portion or not to cover the mode conversion/branching portion when the substrate is viewed in a plan view. In a case where the object is disposed to cover a part of the mode conversion/branching portion, the object is disposed not to consecutively cover a section over a length of a predetermined value or higher in an advancing direction of a light wave.

According to the present invention, an optical device includes: a first electro-optical member and a second electro-optical member. The first electro-optical member has two convex portions spaced from each other by a recessed portion and a connecting portion arranged under the recessed portion to connect the two convex portions, the first electro-optical member exhibiting an electro-optical effect. The second electro-optical member has a recessed portion member arranged within the recessed portion, the second electro-optical member exhibiting an electro-optical effect. The permittivity of the first electro-optical member is higher than the permittivity of the second electro-optical member. The refractive index of the first electro-optical member is higher than the refractive index of the second electro-optical member. During application of an electric field, light to be transmitted is applied to the recessed portion member.

An optical device includes variable optical material that alters at least one of: incident ambient light, spectral content of incident ambient light or direction of incident ambient light through the optical device in response to a stimulus provided by the device. The device can sense intensity and/or spectral characteristics of ambient light and provide appropriate stimulus to various portions of the optical device to activate the variable optical material and alter at least one of: incident ambient light, spectral content of incident ambient light or direction of incident ambient light.

Provided is an optical laminate, an image display device, and a glass composite which are capable of sufficiently shielding light emitted in a direction oblique to a normal direction of a film without occurrence of moire even in a case of being used in a combination with a high-definition image display device. The optical laminate includes, in order, at least a first light absorption anisotropic layer, a refractive index anisotropic layer formed of a one or more layers that contain a liquid crystal compound having a twisted structure, and a second light absorption anisotropic layer, in which the first light absorption anisotropic layer and the second light absorption anisotropic layer contain an anisotropic absorbing material and each have an absorption axis that is aligned at an angle of 60° to 90° with respect to a film surface.

Provided is a light source device including: a housing body; a light source substrate located over and accommodated in the housing body; a plurality of inorganic light-emitting elements over the light source substrate; an optical sheet located over the plurality of inorganic light-emitting elements, accommodated in the housing body, and spaced away from the light source substrate; and at least one spacer accommodated in the housing body and in contact with a bottom surface of the optical sheet. A region of an upper surface of the light source substrate overlapping the plurality of inorganic light-emitting elements does not overlap the at least one spacer.

In polarization-based optical systems, preserving a state-of-polarization (SOP) over a prescribed range of incidence angles and wavelengths may be necessary. Optical materials with local normal tilted with respect to an incident ray can introduce an undesirable polarization nonuniformity that can be substantially corrected using a compensator as disclosed herein. The compensator may include a uniaxial retarder and a z-partial polarizer (ZPP). The ZPP may include a uniaxial material with an absorption axis normal to the substrate.

In polarization-based optical systems, preserving a state-of-polarization (SOP) over a prescribed range of incidence angles and wavelengths may be necessary. Optical materials with local normal tilted with respect to an incident ray can introduce an undesirable polarization nonuniformity that can be substantially corrected using a compensator as disclosed herein. The compensator may include a uniaxial retarder and a z-partial polarizer (ZPP). The ZPP may include a uniaxial material with an absorption axis normal to the substrate.

A vehicular vision system includes a plurality of cameras and an ECU. The cameras are in communication with one another via a vehicle network and image data captured by the cameras is provided to the ECU. Responsive to a type of driving maneuver of the vehicle, (i) the ECU generates a first control signal that enables automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of one camera of the plurality of cameras and (ii) the ECU generates respective second control signals that disable automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of at least one other camera of the plurality of cameras. Responsive to processing of captured image data, composite video images derived from image data captured by the plurality of cameras are synthesized, and composite images are displayed that provides bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by the cameras.