Stereoscopic 3D systems include a conversion system having a polarization beam-splitting element to separate a randomly polarized incident image-beam into one transmitted image-beam and at least one reflected image-beam, first and second polarization modulators arranged to modulate states of the transmitted and reflected image-beams between first and second output linear polarization states, the modulators including first and second pi-cell liquid crystal elements aligned in mutually crossed orientation and switched between first and second optical-states, one of the optical-states having in-plane optical retardation corresponding to a quarter-wave plate (QWP), an additional QWP proximate to one of the pi-cell liquid crystal elements and perpendicularly aligned to the optical axis for the in-plane optical retardation for one of the pi-cell liquid crystal elements. Passive linear polarized viewing-glasses include first and second lenses, each having a mutually parallel linear polarizer, and a half-wave plate located proximate the input surface for one of the lenses.

An optical device includes a liquid-crystal variable retarder. An exit-pupil expander is optically coupled to the liquid-crystal variable retarder, the exit-pupil expander includes: at least one optical input feature that receives reference light from a reference light source; and one or more optical coupling elements coupled to receive the reference light from the reference light source and expand the reference light to one or more spatially-separated regions of the liquid-crystal variable retarder.

A medical system comprising a hand-held imaging device comprising optical components including a light source to illuminate an area of medical interest, a liquid crystal variable retarder to receive light from the area of medical interest, and a retardance controller to provide a driving waveform to the variable retarder that controls retardance. The device also includes an image sensor configured to receive light from the variable retarder and to convert the received light into an output voltage signal for either the camera operation or the hyperspectral imaging operation, and communication circuitry configured to communicate imaging information based on the output voltage signal to a medical diagnostic system. The hand-held imaging device is configured to switchably perform a hyperspectral imaging and a camera operation such that the operations share at least one optical component. The diagnostic device is configured to receive the imaging information and to provide diagnostic information based thereon.

An optical waveplate is provided. The optical waveplate includes a positive-C film including a first liquid crystal (LC) layer. Tilt angles of LC molecules vary along a thickness direction of the first LC layer. The optical wave also includes an LC cell disposed at a first side of the positive-C film and including a second LC layer aligned in an optically compensated bend (OCB) mode. The optical waveplate also includes a positive-A film disposed at a second side of the positive-C film. The optical waveplate further includes a negative biaxial retardation film disposed between the positive-A film and the positive-C film. The LC cell is switchable between at least two predetermined states.

An optical device is provided. The optical device includes a first liquid crystal (LC) cell and a second LC cell stacked with the first LC cell. The first and second LC cells are configured to provide a phase retardation to a light transmitted therethrough. The optical device also includes at least one first compensation film disposed between the first LC cell and the second LC cell. The optical device also includes a second compensation film disposed at a first side of the first LC cell opposite to a second side of the first LC cell where the at least one first compensation film is disposed. The optical device also includes a third compensation film disposed at a first side of the second LC cell opposite to a second side of the second LC cell where the at least one first compensation film is disposed.

An optical waveplate is provided. The optical waveplate includes a positive-C film including a first liquid crystal (LC) layer. Tilt angles of LC molecules vary along a thickness direction of the first LC layer. The optical wave also includes an LC cell disposed at a first side of the positive-C film and including a second LC layer aligned in an optically compensated bend (OCB) mode. The optical waveplate also includes a positive-A film disposed at a second side of the positive-C film. The optical waveplate further includes a negative biaxial retardation film disposed between the positive-A film and the positive-C film. The LC cell is switchable between at least two predetermined states.

A driving method of display panel and a display apparatus are provided. In the driving method, unequal first and second voltage signals for sub-pixels are obtained. Image input signals include first and second images adjacent in timing. In the first image, the first and second voltage signals of a first sub-pixel of a first pixel group respectively drive first sub-pixels of first and second pixel groups, and the second and first voltage signals of a second sub-pixel of the second pixel group respectively drive second sub-pixels of first and second pixel groups. In the second image, the second and first voltage signals of the first sub-pixel of the second pixel group respectively drive first sub-pixels of first and second pixel groups, and the first and second voltage signals of the second sub-pixel of the first pixel group respectively drive second sub-pixels of first and second pixel groups.

A method is disclosed of electrically controlling state transition of a liquid crystal material in a device (200). The device (200) comprises the liquid crystal material (213) and a polymeric structure (210) consisting of polymerised liquid crystal material with a selected liquid crystal state. The method comprises: applying an electric field to the liquid crystal material (213) to force the liquid crystal material (213) into a high-energy state; reducing the strength of the electric field to cause a lower-energy state region of the liquid crystal material (213) to nucleate on at least a part of the polymeric structure (210).

Used herein are two or more switchable variable birefringence liquid crystal devices, in combination with a passive retarder, to produce a device that switches between two retardation values. The device preserves the normal-incidence retardation in each of two voltage states over a broad range of incidence angles using a novel self-compensation scheme. According to one embodiment of this design, the retardation in the thickness direction remains zero in both the unenergized and fully energized states.

An optical element comprising a stacked liquid crystal (LC) structure for rotating polarization (e.g., handedness) of an incident circularly polarized light over a broad wavelength and incident angle for head-mounted displays (HMD)s display application is proposed. The stacked LC structure has a dual cell structures, which includes at least a first LC cell and a second LC cell, and the stacked LC structure rotates the polarized light for a broad band of light (e.g., visible spectrum) over a given field a view. The performance of designed dual LC cells structures may be optimized for narrow band wavelength and a narrow incident angle for different application cases.