An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film which has thermochromic properties that a near-infrared light shielding ratio can be controlled according to temperature environment and which has a low haze and has excellent crack resistance and adhesiveness even when the optical film is used over a long period of time, and a method for producing the same. In the optical film, an optical functional layer has a sea-island structure including a sea region formed by a binder resin and island regions formed by vanadium-dioxide-containing fine particles, a number average particle diameter of total particles including primary particles and secondary particles of the vanadium-dioxide-containing fine particles is 200 nm or less, an average value of a closest wall-to-wall distance between the island regions is in a range of 1 to 1,000 nm, and the number of the island regions having the closest wall-to-wall distance of 1,100 nm or more is 10% by number or less with respect to the total number of the island regions.

A method for displaying video images includes providing a plurality of cameras and an ECU at the vehicle. The cameras are in communication with one another via a vehicle network and the ECU is in communication with the cameras via respective data lines. During a driving maneuver of the vehicle, one of the cameras is designated as and functions as a master camera and other cameras are designated as and function as slave cameras. During the driving maneuver, automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera is enabled, and the exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the designated master camera are communicated to the designated slave cameras via the vehicle network. A composite image is displayed that provides bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by at least the designated master camera and the designated slave cameras.

A display substrate, a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel, and a display device are disclosed. The display substrate includes a display region and a non-display region located around the display region, the display substrate includes: a base substrate and a black matrix located in the non-display region on the base substrate; at least one concave portion is located in the black matrix, and the at least one concave portion is filled with a non-transparent insulating material.

A reconfigurable polar molecule includes a symmetric nonpolar molecule portion having an elongated shape defined by a longitudinal axis and lateral axis, the longitudinal axis being longer than the lateral axis; a positive ionically charged group at a first end and a negative ionically charged group at a second end of the longitudinal axis, the positive and negative ionically charged groups forming a permanent dipole; a first bridging group and a second bridging group on opposing ends of the lateral axis, the first and second bridging groups being linear nonpolar groups; and a first support portion bonded to the first bridging group, and a second support portion bonded to the second bridging group, the first bridging group and the second bridging group being nonpolar and having structures that enable free rotation of the symmetric nonpolar molecule portion through the first bridging group and the second bridging group.

A device having a functional element having electrically controllable optical properties, includes an electrical energy source having an output voltage U, a functional element having electrically controllable optical properties, and at least two supply lines, by means of which the electrical energy source and the functional element are connected. The output voltage U has an alternating voltage having a frequency f from 40 Hz to 210 Hz, a maximum amplitude U.sub.max from 24 V to 100 V, and a slope in the range of the output voltage U between 80% U.sub.max and 80% U.sub.max from 0.05*U.sub.max/100 s to 0.1*U.sub.max/100 s and in the range of the output voltage U between 80% U.sub.max and 80% U.sub.max from 0.05*U.sub.max/100 s to 0.1*U.sub.max/100 s.

A device includes a comparator configured to compare a transmission phase of light in a photonic component with a reference phase. The device further includes a heater configured to control a temperature of the photonic component. The heater includes a plurality of heater segments, and a plurality of switches, wherein each switch of the plurality of switches is between a pair of heater segments of the plurality of heater segments. The device further includes a controller configured to control operation of each switch of the plurality of switches based on results from the comparator for selectively connecting heater segments of the plurality of heater segments in series.

An optical communication switch, an optical controlling method, an array substrate and a display device are provided, the optical communication switch including: a first substrate and a second substrate opposite thereto; a first optical medium layer formed therebetween by a phase-change material, which has a first refractive index in a first state in which light rays implement one of an optical path state and an optical drop state, and a second refractive index in a second state in which light rays implement the other one of the optical path state and the optical drop state; a second optical medium layer also formed therebetween and in contact with the first optical medium layer by abutting against it closely, the second optical medium layer having a refractive index matching the first or second refractive index; and a heating device enabling the phase-change material to switch between the first and second states.

A method for displaying video images includes providing a plurality of cameras and an electronic control unit at the vehicle. One of the cameras functions as a master camera and other cameras function as slave cameras. During a forward driving maneuver of the vehicle, the forward viewing camera functions as the master camera and at least the driver-side sideward viewing and passenger-side sideward viewing cameras function as slave cameras, during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle, the rearward viewing camera functions as the master camera and at least the driver-side sideward viewing and passenger-side sideward viewing cameras function as slave cameras. Exposure, gain and white balance parameters of the master camera are used at least by the master camera and the slave cameras. A composite image is displayed, with adjacent image sections of the composite image appearing uniform in brightness and/or color at the borders of the image sections.

Implantable corneal and intraocular implants such as a mask are provided. The mask can improve the vision of a patient, such as by being configured to increase the depth of focus of an eye of a patient. The mask can include an aperture configured to transmit along an optical axis substantially all visible incident light. The mask can further include a transition portion that surrounds at least a portion of the aperture. This portion can be configured to switch from one level of opacity to another level of opacity through the use of a controllably variable absorbance feature such as a switchable photochromic chromophore within a polymer matrix.

A mask array apparatus includes a monolithic structure that includes a substrate layer transmissive for at least a portion of an infrared wavelength band and an array of individually addressed pixel structures. Each pixel structure is in stacked relation above or below the substrate layer, and includes at least one micro-plate heating element layer, circuitry, and at least one phase change material (PCM) element. The heating element layer is transmissive for the wavelength band, and has switchable on and off states configured to produce temperature changes. The circuitry is configured to individually address the heating element layer, separately from heating element layers in other pixel structures, to switch the heating element layer between the on and off states. The PCM is in stacked relation above or below the heating element layer and configured to change transmissive states in the wavelength band in response to the temperature changes.