A visibility controlling device with switchable transparency. This design of visibility controlling device is economical and can be operated manually or under electric power. The time for switching from translucent to transparent state requires about 5-30 seconds.

The present disclosure is directed to providing to a smart window system capable of controlling a state of a display element (e.g., at least one of transparency, color, pattern, gradation degree, and displayed information) through various kinds of input devices and a control method thereof. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a smart window system may include a display element; an input device configured to receive a control command for the display element; and a controller configured to determine at least one of transparency, color, pattern, and gradation of the display element and information displayed on the display element on the basis of the control command.

An infrared attenuator includes a prism having a first conductive element at a surface thereof and a second conductive element at an adjustable distance from the first conductive element. Adjusting the distance controls a degree of infrared absorption by the first conductive element and second conductive element when infrared radiation is incident on the prism to provide variable attenuation.

Apparatus and methods for improved HHG of ultrashort pulse laser beams. A HHG assembly includes a gas distribution block and a waveguide cartridge having a HHG hollow core waveguide. The waveguide cartridge is attached to the gas distribution block and may be removed and replaced, while the gas distribution block remains affixed within the apparatus. The gas distribution block is configured to maintain a pressure profile within the hollow core fiber. The system also includes two operating beam sensors and two actuatable mirrors. The operating beam sensors are fixed with respect to the HHG assembly. The system is aligned before operation by adjusting the actuatable mirrors to optimize a sample beam through the waveguide and recording the position of the beam on the operating beam sensors. In operation, the mirrors are actuated to maintain the same positions of the input beam on the operating beam sensors.

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a first display panel, a second display panel and an adhesive layer. The first display panel includes a first light-shielding pattern. The first light-shielding pattern extend along first scanning lines and first signal lines. The second display panel includes a second light-shielding pattern. The second light-shielding pattern includes a first light-shielding portion extending along second scanning lines and second signal lines, and a second light-shielding portion overlapping first pixels of the first display panel in planar view.

A mask includes a substrate and an electrochromic layer that overlap each other. The electrochromic layer includes an electrochromic material.

A light control device including a drive voltage output unit that outputs a drive voltage, a control unit that causes the drive voltage output unit to gradually increase or gradually decrease a magnitude of the drive voltage, a light control sheet including light control units connected in parallel to the drive voltage output unit and formed such that light transmittances of the light control units change according to magnitudes of voltages applied to the light control units, and a voltage dividing circuit which is connected to one of the light control units and divides the drive voltage common to each of the light control units such that the magnitude of the voltage applied to the light control unit connected to the voltage dividing circuit differs from the magnitude of the voltage applied to at least one of other light control units.

An optical parametric oscillator and method for generating coherent signal light involve a resonant optical cavity for coherent signal light, and in the cavity a non-parametric gain element for amplifying the coherent signal light to only partially compensate for passive optical roundtrip losses, thereby obtaining lower effective roundtrip losses. A parametric gain element is arranged in the cavity, for converting coherent pump light into coherent signal light through an instantaneous nonlinear optical interaction. The parametric oscillator has means for adjusting an intracavity optical power of the coherent pump light above a threshold value, where the parametric gain is balancing the effective roundtrip losses, thus inducing sustained oscillations of the signal light in the optical cavity. The non-parametric gain element is configured to have a limited non-parametric gain over a gain bandwidth of the parametric gain element, which is less than the passive optical roundtrip losses in the gain bandwidth.

A display apparatus includes a backlight source, a privacy filter disposed on the backlight source, a light adjusting panel disposed on the privacy filter, and a display panel disposed on the light adjusting panel. The light adjusting panel includes a first substrate, a first electrode, a second electrode, a first vertical alignment film disposed on the first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, a second vertical alignment film disposed on the second substrate, and a positive liquid crystal layer disposed between the first vertical alignment film and the second vertical alignment film. The first electrode and the second electrode are disposed on the first substrate. Here, the first electrode has a plurality of first slits, and a plurality of orthogonal projections of the first slits on the first substrate overlap an orthogonal projection of the second electrode on the first substrate.

A light control sheet including a first transparent electrode layer, a second transparent electrode layer, a light control layer including a resin layer formed between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer, the resin layer including voids dispersed therein and filled with a liquid crystal composition including liquid crystal molecules, and a first orientation layer formed between the first transparent electrode layer and the light control layer such that a haze of the light control layer is increased by applying a voltage to the first transparent electrode layer. The light control layer has a first surface in contact with the first orientation layer, and an area ratio of the voids at the first surface is 49% or more where the area ratio is a percentage of a total area of all the voids to an area of the first surface.