Three-dimensional printing methods and systems use a derived geometry and aligns anisotropic inclusions in any orientation at any number of discrete volumetric sections. Structural, thermal, or geometry-based analyses are combined with inclusion alignment computations and print preparation methods and provided to 3D printers to produce composite material parts that meet demanding geometric needs as well as enhanced structural and thermal requirements. In one example, optimal inclusion alignment vectors associated with a section of the object are calculated based on specifications for the object, segmenting a three-dimensional model of the object into layer slices, grouping each section within each layer slice having similar alignment vectors and combining the groupings and generating printing instructions for the object according to the grouped alignment vectors.

An apparatus for reducing a chromatic spread angle of light diffracted at an acousto-optic element includes the acousto-optic element and a first and a second focusing optical unit. The acousto-optic element is disposed in a beam path of an incident light beam and is configured to generate the diffracted light from the incident light beam such that the diffracted light emanates from a virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element. The first focusing optical unit is disposed in the beam path upstream of the acousto-optic element and the second focusing optical unit is disposed in the diffracted light such that a focus of the incident light beam is situated downstream of the first focusing optical unit in the acousto-optic element and the virtual interaction point is located in a front focus of the second focusing optical unit.

A wearable display device 1 includes a display panel 11, an eyepiece 31, and an optical element 21 that is disposed between the display panel 11 and the eyepiece 31, in which the optical element 21 includes an optically-anisotropic layer 23 that is formed of a cured layer of a composition including a liquid crystal compound 24, and the optically-anisotropic layer 23 has a liquid crystal alignment pattern AP1 in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound 24 changes while continuously rotating along at least one in-plane direction of the optically-anisotropic layer 23.

Three-dimensional printing methods and systems use a derived geometry and aligns anisotropic inclusions in any orientation at any number of discrete volumetric sections. Structural, thermal, or geometry-based analyses are combined with inclusion alignment computations and print preparation methods and provided to 3D printers to produce composite material parts that meet demanding geometric needs as well as enhanced structural and thermal requirements. In one example, optimal inclusion alignment vectors associated with a section of the object are calculated based on specifications for the object, segmenting a three-dimensional model of the object into layer slices, grouping each section within each layer slice having similar alignment vectors and combining the groupings and generating printing instructions for the object according to the grouped alignment vectors.

Provided is an optical element with which a high diffraction efficiency can be obtained with a simple configuration. The optical element includes: an optically-anisotropic layer that is formed using a composition including a liquid crystal compound, in which the optically-anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the optically-anisotropic layer has a region in which an alignment direction of a liquid crystal compound in at least one of upper and lower interfaces has a pre-tilt angle with respect to the interface.

An object is to provide an optical element in which a wavelength dependence of refraction of transmitted light is small, and a light guide element including the optical element. The optical element includes: plurality of optically-anisotropic layers that are formed using a composition including a liquid crystal compound and have a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound continuously rotates in one in-plane direction; and a wavelength selective phase difference layer that is disposed between two optically-anisotropic layers and converts circularly polarized light in a specific wavelength range into circularly polarized light having an opposite turning direction, in which, in a case where, in the liquid crystal alignment pattern, a length over which the direction of the optical axis rotates by 180 in the in-plane direction in which the direction of the optical axis changes is set as a single period, a length of the single period in at least one optically-anisotropic layer is different from that of another optically-anisotropic layer.

An acousto-optic structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a stacked structure for inducing an interaction between incident acoustic wave and incident optical wave, and it includes: a pair of multi-layered structures including a structure in which two layers with different acoustic impedance and optical impedance are alternately arranged in a direction in which the acoustic wave and the optical wave propagate; and a cavity layer disposed between the pair of multi-layered structures in the direction in which the acoustic wave and the optical wave propagate, and made of a medium having acoustic impedance and optical impedance that are different from those of interfacing layers at both sides, wherein the two layers are symmetrically arranged with respect to the cavity layer so that the acoustic wave and the optical wave may be confined in the cavity layer.

Three-dimensional printing methods and systems use a derived geometry and aligns anisotropic inclusions in any orientation at any number of discrete volumetric sections. Structural, thermal, or geometry-based analyses are combined with inclusion alignment computations and print preparation methods and provided to 3D printers to produce composite material parts that meet demanding geometric needs as well as enhanced structural and thermal requirements. In one example, optimal inclusion alignment vectors associated with a section of the object are calculated based on specifications for the object, segmenting a three-dimensional model of the object into layer slices, grouping each section within each layer slice having similar alignment vectors and combining the groupings and generating printing instructions for the object according to the grouped alignment vectors.

Three-dimensional printing methods and systems use a derived geometry and aligns anisotropic inclusions in any orientation at any number of discrete volumetric sections. Structural, thermal, or geometry-based analyses are combined with inclusion alignment computations and print preparation methods and provided to 3D printers to produce composite material parts that meet demanding geometric needs as well as enhanced structural and thermal requirements. In one example, optimal inclusion alignment vectors associated with a section of the object are calculated based on specifications for the object, segmenting a three-dimensional model of the object into layer slices, grouping each section within each layer slice having similar alignment vectors and combining the groupings and generating printing instructions for the object according to the grouped alignment vectors.

A method for adjusting an intensity of a light beam in an optical arrangement includes passing the light beam through an acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF). The intensity of the light beam is adjusted as a function of frequency and/or amplitude of a sound wave with which the AOTF is operated. The amplitude of the sound wave at a specified sound wave frequency is selected such that the amplitude is larger than would be required to achieve a first maximum diffraction efficiency for a specified wavelength or for a specified wavelength spectrum of the light beam. The amplitude of the sound wave is also selected such that a value of an integral of a product of the transmission function of the AOTF and the wavelength spectrum of the light beam is larger than at a value of the amplitude to be selected to achieve the first maximum.