A privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator and a compensated switchable guest-host liquid crystal retarder arranged between first and second polarisers arranged in series with the spatial light modulator. In a privacy mode of operation, on-axis light from the spatial light modulator is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance. The visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers is reduced by means of luminance reduction over a wide polar field. In a wide angle mode of operation, the switchable liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance is substantially unmodified.

A windowing device includes: a windowing module including a dimming transparent substrate and a semiconductor temperature adjustment element, the dimming transparent substrate being provided with different light transmittances when the dimming transparent substrate has different adjustment parameters; a temperature adjustment circuitry configured to input a current to the semiconductor temperature adjustment element and adjust a temperature of the semiconductor temperature adjustment element; a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of an environment where the windowing module is located; and a controller configured to input a circuitry adjustment signal to the temperature adjustment circuitry when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is beyond a predetermined temperature range, as to adjust a temperature of the dimming transparent substrate to be within the predetermined temperature range.

Apparatus are described herein related to augmenting human vision by means of adaptive polarization filter grids. A preferred embodiment is described as smart sunglasses, realized as see through head mountable device (HMD) configured to reduce glare originating from polarized light. Each eyeglass of the HMD is associated with a grid comprising a plurality of dynamically configurable polarization filters placed in the path of the light. A polarization analyzer module analyzes the polarization characteristics of a field of view and performs an optimization calculation. The polarization analyzer controls the said grid via a controller module in such a way that the filter state of each grid element can be addressed separately. The grid of polarization filters causes the polarization characteristics of the incident light to be adapted in such a way as to reduce glare and/or to provide a user of the said head mountable device with an enhanced visual perception of the field of view. The user of the described head mountable device has the option of selection between a plurality of polarization enhancement modes, such as horizontal or vertical polarization filtering only or a hybrid mode combining both horizontal and vertical polarization filtering on an individual basis for each grid element. Additionally smart window and smart mirror embodiments of the described adaptive polarization filter grids are introduced.

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, a reflective layer, wherein the active liquid crystal layer is capable of switching between a first orientation state and a second orientation state different from the first orientation state upon application of a voltage, each of the 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.

The present invention is to enable avoidance of a reduction in external appearance quality, and stable driving, and prevent diffracted light from being discerned by avoiding a reduction in transmittance and a deterioration in liquid crystal alignment. A light control film is provided with: a first laminate in which an alignment layer is provided; a second laminate in which an alignment layer is provided; a liquid crystal layer which is sandwiched between the first and second laminates and contains liquid crystal molecules; a spacer disposed in the liquid crystal layer to hold the thickness of the liquid crystal layer; and electrodes provided in the first laminate and/or the second laminate, and controls transmitted light by controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules driven by the electrodes. The proportion of an area occupied by the spacer per unit area in a light controllable-region of the liquid crystal layer is 0.1-10%.

A display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, switchable liquid crystal retarder, absorbing polarizer and touch panel electrodes. The switchable liquid crystal layer is stabilised by a cured reactive mesogen material during application of an applied voltage. Light scatter in privacy mode is reduced and visual security level enhanced. Visibility of disclinations during application of applied pressure, for example from a finger on a touch screen is minimised.

The present invention is to enable avoidance of a reduction in external appearance quality, and stable driving, and prevent diffracted light from being discerned by avoiding a reduction in transmittance and a deterioration in liquid crystal alignment. A light control film is provided with: a first laminate in which an alignment layer is provided; a second laminate in which an alignment layer is provided; a liquid crystal layer which is sandwiched between the first and second laminates and contains liquid crystal molecules; a spacer disposed in the liquid crystal layer to hold the thickness of the liquid crystal layer; and electrodes provided in the first laminate and/or the second laminate, and controls transmitted light by controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules driven by the electrodes. The proportion of an area occupied by the spacer per unit area in a light controllable-region of the liquid crystal layer is 0.1-10%.

Provided is an electronic device including a first liquid crystal layer having a first side and a second side opposite thereto; a second liquid crystal layer disposed on the first liquid crystal layer and having a third side and a fourth side opposite thereto; a first alignment layer disposed on the first side and having a first alignment direction; a second alignment layer disposed on the second side and having a second alignment direction opposite to the first alignment direction; a third alignment layer disposed on the third side and having a third alignment direction; and a fourth alignment layer disposed on the fourth side and having a fourth alignment direction opposite to the third alignment direction. The second alignment layer is between the first liquid crystal layer and the third alignment layer. The third alignment layer is between the second liquid crystal layer and the second alignment layer.

Laminated glass for vehicles comprising an interior glass plate and an exterior glass plate, an interlayer film between the interior glass plate and the exterior glass plate, and a light control element sealed in the interlayer film, wherein the light control element has a pair of substrates and a light control layer between the pair of substrates, and the interlayer film includes an interior portion on the vehicle-interior side of the light control layer, and an exterior portion on the vehicle-exterior side of the light control layer, when the transmittance of the exterior glass plate, the exterior portion of the interlayer film, and the substrate on the vehicle-exterior side, of the light control layer, is Tout, and the transmittance of the interior glass plate, the interior portion of the interlayer film, and the substrate on the vehicle-interior side, of the light control layer, is Tin, a relation Tout<Tin is satisfied.

An electronic device such as a head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated content towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may include a spatially addressable adjustable optical component. The adjustable optical component may have first and second electrodes and an electrically adjustable material between the first and second electrodes. The electrically adjustable material may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide that includes a pattern of segmented trenches configured to provide the transparent conductive material with electrical anisotropy. Contacts may be coupled to the transparent conductive material. Control circuitry can adjust the electrically adjustable material to form a spatially addressable light modulator or adjustable lens.