Provided is an image display device including an optical scanner configured to scan light emitted from a light source, a parallel light generator configured to generate the scanned light as parallel light, a prism configured to refract the parallel light, and a light direction changer including a plurality of points whereon the parallel light refracted by the prism is incident and configured to reflect or diffract the parallel light and change a traveling direction of the parallel light, wherein the prism is provided on a path of each light traveling from the optical scanner to the light direction changer to adjust an optical path difference of parallel light incident on each of the plurality of points of the light direction changer.

An artifact caused by secondary reflection is reduced. An imaging device according to an embodiment includes: a diffuser (110) that converts incident light into scattered light whose diameter is expanded in accordance with a propagation distance and outputs the scattered light; and a light receiver (132) that converts light diffused by the diffuser into an electric signal.

Optical spectrometers may be used to determine the spectral components of electromagnetic waves. Spectrometers may be large, bulky devices and may require waves to enter at a nearly direct angle of incidence in order to record a measurement. What is disclosed is an ultra-compact spectrometer with nanophotonic components as light dispersion technology. Nanophotonic components may contain metasurfaces and Bragg filters. Each metasurface may contain light scattering nanostructures that may be randomized to create a large input angle, and the Bragg filter may result in the light dispersion independent of the input angle. The spectrometer may be capable of handling about 200 nm bandwidth. The ultra-compact spectrometer may be able to read image data in the visible (400-600 nm) and to read spectral data in the near-infrared (700-900 nm) wavelength range. The surface area of the spectrometer may be about 1 mm.sup.2, allowing it to fit on mobile devices.

Optical elements with anisotropic, patterned surface relief microstructures in which information is encoded in the distribution of the orientation of different zones. From the analysis of the distribution of the light scattered from the element, the orientation distribution in the element and therefore the encoded information can be evaluated. The elements are particularly useful for securing documents and articles against counterfeiting and falsification.

A coherent beam moves across a stationary line generator, allowing the speckle pattern projected through the diffuser onto the surface—for example using a MEMS mirror, or another arrangement that is free of a moving mass, such as solid state beam deflector (e.g. an AOM). Where an image sensor is employed, such as a DS, the beam is moved at a speed of at least ½ cycle per image frame so that the full length of the line within the imaged scene is captured by the image sensor. The distance traversed on the diffuser provides sufficient uncorrelated speckle patterns within an exposure time to average to a smooth line. The MEMS mirror can be arranged to oscillate in two substantially orthogonal degrees of freedom so that the line is generated along a first direction and the line moves along the working surface in a second direction.

There is provided an optical body, a lighting device, and an image display device that are novel and improved, and can increase a homogeneous light distribution property. The optical body is provided in which a composite structure of main structural bodies is deployed continuously within a plane of a base material, in which phase distributions of the main structural bodies within the plane of the base material are equivalent to amplitude distributions each obtained by subjecting a pupil function of a two-dimensional optical aperture to Fourier transform, and a peak ratio value is less than or equal to 2.5.

This head-mounted display is provided with, closer to the viewing side than a color filter having a black matrix between pixels in a liquid crystal display panel (160), an anisotropic optical film (150), the linear transmittance of which changes according to the angle of incident light, wherein the anisotropic optical film (150) includes a single-layered or multilayered anisotropic light diffusion layer, on at least on one surface of the anisotropic light diffusion layer, surface asperities having an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 0.10 μm or less, which is measured in accordance with JIS B0601-2001, are formed, the anisotropic light diffusion layer has a matrix region and a plurality of pillar regions having a refractive index different from that of the matrix region, and the visibility of the black matrix is lowered by the anisotropic optical film (150), thereby making it possible to obtain a higher sense of immersion without feeling coloring.

A variofocal display device includes an image source and a display. The image source is configured to project image light. The display includes a first optical diffuser and a second optical diffuser. The display is configured to receive the image light. The first diffuser is configured to diffuse the image light at the first optical diffuser when the image light has a first polarization, and to diffuse the image light at the second optical diffuser when the image light is configured has a second polarization different from the first polarization. A method of displaying images using a varifocal display device is also disclosed.

A light transmissive structure includes a light transmissive substrate having first and second opposing faces, and an array of microprism elements on the first face. Each microprism element includes a first inclined surface disposed at a first inclined angle relative to the second face, and a second inclined surface disposed at a second inclined angle relative to the second face. The first inclined angle is less than the second inclined angle, and a peak angle between the first inclined surface and second inclined surface is in the range of about 70 degrees to about 100 degrees. The second inclined surface has a convex curvature when viewed from angles perpendicular thereto. The light transmissive structure is configured to receive light from a light source facing the first face in a first direction and redistribute light emerging from the second face in a second direction different from the first direction.

The present disclosure is directed to an illumination device for providing a divergent illumination. The illumination device comprises a light source for emitting light in a visible spectrum; an output aperture, through which the light emitted from the light source exits the illumination device; and a layer structure. The layer structure comprises a scattering layer of a plurality of nanoscale scattering elements embedded in a host material and is positioned in an optical path of the emitted light that extends between the light source and the output aperture. The layer structure comprises further a pair of areal electrical contact layers, wherein the areal electrical contact layers extend at opposite sides of the scattering layer and are electrically connectable with a power source to generate an electric field across the scattering layer. The divergent illumination provided by the illumination device is characterized by at least one luminous intensity distribution curve having the full width at half maximum of at least 10°.