A switchable privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator with output polariser, a reflective polariser, a polar control liquid crystal retarder and an additional polariser. The electrodes of the polar control liquid crystal retarder are patterned with a mark. In wide angle and narrow angle operational modes, the electrodes of the liquid crystal retarder are driven such that the mark is not visible. In a mark display state, the electrodes are driven to provide visibility of the mark in reflected light to an off-axis observer.

A method of operating a hyperspectral imaging device includes connecting electrodes on a liquid crystal variable retarder to a voltage source, rotating liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal variable retarder between a first orientation with a certain optical phase delay and a second orientation with a different optical phase delay, receiving a beam of light at an image sensor that has passed through the liquid crystal variable retarder, and producing an output signal from the image sensor.

A non-mechanical liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) assembly capable of switching between a multi-conjugate filter mode and a conformal filter mode is described. The non-mechanical LCTF architecture can include a plurality of LCTF components that each comprises a first optical filter comprising a first optical axis, a second optical filter comprising a second optical axis, wherein the second optical axis is rotated 90° relative to the first optical axis, and a first twisted nematic cell positioned between the first optical filter and the second optical filter, the first twisted nematic cell configured to polarize received light by 90° when a voltage is not applied and not polarize the received light when the voltage is applied. The non-mechanical LCTF assembly is configured to switch between a conformal filter mode and a multi-conjugate filter mode based on whether the voltage is applied to each of the plurality of LCTF components.

According to one embodiment, a display device including a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a third transparent substrate, and a transparent layer having a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the third transparent substrate, wherein the transparent layer includes a plurality of band portions including first to third band portions, a second end portion has a smaller width than a first end portion in band portions, the second end portion of the second band portion has a smaller width than the second end portion of the first band portion, and the second end portion of the third band portion has a smaller width than the second end portion of the first band portion.

Provided are a display panel and a display device. The display panel includes a first liquid crystal panel and a second liquid crystal panel. The first liquid crystal panel includes a first light-shielding layer which includes a plurality of first light-shielding lines and a plurality of second light-shielding lines, and two adjacent first light-shielding lines and two adjacent second light-shielding lines form a first sub-pixel. The second liquid crystal panel includes a second light-shielding layer which includes a plurality of third light-shielding lines and a plurality of fourth light-shielding lines, and two adjacent third light-shielding lines and two adjacent fourth light-shielding lines form a second sub-pixel. At least one of first light-shielding lines, second light-shielding lines, third light-shielding lines, or fourth light-shielding lines extend in a waveform, and at least one of the first liquid crystal panel or the second liquid crystal panel has a two-domain structure.

A display device includes a display panel which displays an image and a lenticular lens panel disposed above the display panel, where a lenticular lens area and a sealing area adjacent to the lenticular lens area are defined in the lenticular lens panel. The lenticular lens panel includes a first substrate disposed on the display panel, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, an insulating layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, where a plurality of lenticular lens surfaces overlapping the lenticular lens area and a groove overlapping the sealing area are defined on the insulating layer, a sealing member disposed in the groove, where the sealing member combines the first substrate with the insulating layer, and a plurality of liquid crystal molecules disposed between the lenticular lens surfaces and the first substrate.

A display device comprising a spatial light modulator having a display polariser arranged on one side of the spatial light modulator is provided with an additional polariser arranged on the same side as the display polariser and polar control retarders between the additional polariser and the display polariser. The polar control retarders include a liquid crystal retarder having two surface alignment layers disposed adjacent to a layer of liquid crystal material on opposite sides. The surface alignment layers provide alignment in the adjacent liquid crystal material with an in-plane component, wherein the angle of said in-plane component changes monotonically along a predetermined axis across the display device, providing reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis, increasing uniformity in the reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis.

A conventional liquid crystal lens switches on and off so slowly that a person can perceive the lens's gradual transition from high to low optical power. This makes a conventional liquid crystal lens unsuitable for focusing virtual images quickly in an augmented, mixed, or virtual reality system. Conversely, an inventive fast-switching electroactive lens system can switch so fast (e.g., in 35 milliseconds or less) that a person perceives its optical power to change instantaneously. The system accomplishes this fast switching with using an electroactive wave plate in series with slower liquid-crystal lenses. The wave place can be switched quickly between emitting vertically or horizontally polarized light. Each lens focuses either vertically or horizontally polarized light and transmits orthogonally polarized light. By switching between polarization states, the wave plate effectively turns one lens on and the other lens off much faster than either lens could be switched by itself.

Conformal vision with enhanced image processing of the outputted image is incorporated into novel applications. The conformal vision provides enhanced contrast by the combined inclusion of tunable filters and processing of the images that are generated by the detector. Furthermore, novel uses and applications of the conformal vision enable users to make determinations related to their health and wellness utilizing information provided by the conformal vision.

A switchable optical assembly comprises a switchable waveplate configured to be electrically activated and deactivated to selectively alter the polarization state of light incident thereon. The switchable waveplate comprises first and second surfaces and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second surfaces. The first liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. Said first and second surfaces may be curved. Said plurality of liquid crystal molecules may vary in tilt with respect to said first and second surfaces with outward radial distance from an axis through said first and second surfaces and said liquid crystal layer in a plurality of radial directions. The switchable waveplate additionally comprises a first plurality of electrodes to apply an electrical signal across said first liquid crystal layer.