An optical waveguide apparatus including a first dispersion unit and a separation unit. The first dispersion unit is connected to the separation unit, the first dispersion unit is configured to disperse a frequency component of at least one first optical signal, and the separation unit is configured to separate, into at least one second optical signal based on configuration information, the frequency component that is of the at least one first optical signal and that is dispersed by the first dispersion unit. The separation unit is implemented by a variable optical waveguide, and the variable optical waveguide is an optical waveguide that implements at least one of the following functions based on the configuration information: forming an optical waveguide, eliminating an optical waveguide, and changing a shape of an optical waveguide.

An optical device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a plurality of separation walls, one or more optical waveguides, and one or more spacers. The first substrate has a surface which extends in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second substrate faces the first substrate. The plurality of separation walls are positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate and extend in the first direction. The one or more optical waveguides are positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate and include one or more dielectric members which are positioned between the plurality of separation walls and which extend in the first direction. The one or more spacers are directly or indirectly sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and positioned around the one or more optical waveguides.

An optical device includes an optical waveguide and a plurality of reflective polarizers. The plurality of reflective polarizers include a first reflective polarizer and a second reflective polarizer disposed inside the optical waveguide so that the first reflective polarizer receives light propagating inside the optical waveguide, redirects a first portion of the light in a first direction, and transmits a second portion of the light in a second direction non-parallel to the first direction. The second reflective polarizer receives the second portion of the light from the first reflective polarizer, redirects a third portion of the light, and transmits a fourth portion of the light. A ratio between the first portion and the second portion of the light has a first value and a ratio between the third portion and the fourth portion of the light has a second value distinct from the first value.

A transparent liquid crystal display panel is provided, including a first substrate and a second substrate oppositely to each other, where the first substrate is configured to enable light incident therein to be transmitted through a reflection; a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first grating layer between the liquid crystal layer and the first substrate, where the first grating layer includes a plurality of first gratings arranged in an array; a first electrode layer between the first grating layer and the liquid crystal layer, where the first electrode layer includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged in an array; and a second electrode layer between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate; an orthographic projection of each of the first gratings onto the first substrate at least partially covers an area between orthographic projections of two adjacent first electrodes onto the first substrate; where the liquid crystal layer is configured to form a plurality of liquid crystal prisms arranged in an array in the case that voltages are applied to the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode layer respectively, to enable light emitted from the plurality of liquid crystal prisms to return to the plurality of liquid crystal prisms after being reflected by the second substrate.

A light modulation device is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a light modulation device includes a first polymer film substrate, a second polymer film substrate, an active liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second polymer film substrates, wherein the active liquid crystal layer is capable of switching between a vertical orientation state and a twisting orientation state upon application of a voltage, each of the first and second polymer film substrates has an in-plane retardation of 4,000 nm or more for light having a wavelength of 550 nm, a ratio of an elongation (E1) in a first direction to an elongation (E2) in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of 3 or more, and wherein an angle formed by the first directions of the first and second polymer film substrates is in a range of 0 degrees to 10 degrees.

An optical scan device includes an optical waveguide array, including a plurality of optical waveguides each of which propagates light along a first direction, that emits a light beam, the plurality of optical waveguides being arranged in a second direction that intersects the first direction, a phase shifter array including a plurality of phase shifters connected separately to each of the plurality of optical waveguides, a control circuit that controls a phase shift amount of each of the plurality of phase shifters and/or inputting of light to each of the plurality of phase shifters and thereby controls a direction and shape of the light beam that is emitted from the optical waveguide array, a photodetector that detects the light beam reflected by a physical object, and a signal processing circuit that generates distance distribution data on the basis of output from the photodetector.

A surgical visualization system is disclosed. The surgical visualization system is configured to identify one or more structure(s) and/or determine one or more distances with respect to obscuring tissue and/or the identified structure(s). The surgical visualization system can facilitate avoidance of the identified structure(s) by a surgical device. The surgical visualization system can comprise a first emitter configured to emit a plurality of tissue-penetrating light waves and a second emitter configured to emit structured light onto the surface of tissue. The surgical visualization system can also include an image sensor configured to detect reflected visible light, tissue-penetrating light, and/or structured light. The surgical visualization system can convey information to one or more clinicians regarding the position of one or more hidden identified structures and/or provide one or more proximity indicators.

A liquid crystal waveguide (LCW) can include actively controlled incoupling of light into a LCW, such as by using a voltage-controlled electrode to actively vary a property of an LC material arranged to affect the incoupling of light into the LCW. Actively varying light incoupling into the LCW can be used, for example, such as for calibration or compensation or to provide closed-loop feedback such as to stabilize the amount of light into the LCW while accommodating or reducing sensitivity of the LCW to variations in one or more of: input laser light incidence angle, input laser wavelength, LCW or input laser temperature, input laser optical power level, or the like. This can advantageously help improve or maximize light incoupling efficiency, which can improve performance and robustness of the LCW under actual operating conditions. The LCW can be used for, among other things, beamsteering in in-plane and out-of-plane directions.

Architectures are provided for selectively incoupling one or more streams of light from a multiplexed light stream into a waveguide. The multiplexed light stream can have light with different characteristics (e.g., different wavelengths and/or different polarizations). The waveguide can comprise in-coupling elements that can selectively couple one or more streams of light from the multiplexed light stream into the waveguide while transmitting one or more other streams of light from the multiplexed light stream.

An optical device comprising first and second optical elements. The first optical element has: a first liquid crystal element; a first transmissive member formed on the first liquid crystal element and having a light incident surface on which external incident light is incident and a first light-outputting surface through which light reflected by the first liquid crystal element is outputted; and a second transmissive member having a second light-outputting surface through which transmitted light having been transmitted through the first liquid crystal element is outputted. The second optical element has: a second liquid crystal element; and a third transmissive member formed on the second liquid crystal element and joined to the first light-outputting surface.