A method of forming a curved mirror for a heads-up display includes providing a mirror preform including a first major surface, a second major surface, and a minor surface connecting the first and second major surfaces. The minor preform has a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion. The method includes disposing the minor preform on a mold having a concave surface facing the second major surface and within a housing that surrounds at least a portion of the minor surface, a space being defined between the concave surface and the second major surface with a perimeter of the space being bounded by the housing, the mold comprising a ditch-type vacuum line along a periphery of the concave surface underneath the peripheral portion. The method also includes providing vacuum pressure to the space via the ditch-type vacuum line to conform the mirror preform to the concave surface.

To produce first and second light control panels 11, a molded preform 22 made from a transparent resin, which includes triangle-cross-section grooves 15 (each having an inclined surface 14 and a vertical surface 23) and triangle-cross-section protruded strips 16 (formed by the grooves 15 next to each other) respectively arranged in parallel on a front side of a transparent plate material 12, is produced by press-molding, injection-molding, or roll-molding, and mirror surfaces 13 are selectively formed only on the vertical surfaces 23 of the grooves 15. The first and second light control panels 11 each having a group of band-like light-reflective surfaces standing upright and spaced in parallel are overlapped such that the groups of band-like light-reflective surfaces are crossed in a plan view. Thereby providing a stereoscopic-image-forming device and its producing method enabling to easily produce the first and second light control panels 11 and obtain clearer stereoscopic images.

The present invention is a unique process of manufacturing rigid members with precise “shape keeping” properties and with reflective properties pertaining to radio frequency energy, so that air, land, sea and space devices or vehicles may be constructed including parabolic reflectors formed without discrete permanent layering. Rather, such parabolic reflectors or similarly, vehicles, may be formed by homogeneous construction where discrete layering is absent, and where energy reflectivity or scattering characteristics are embedded within the homogeneous mixture of carbon nanotubes and associated graphite powders and epoxy, resins and hardeners. The mixture of carbon graphite nanofiber and carbon nanotubes generates higher electrode conductivity and magnetized attraction through molecular polarization. In effect, the rigid members may be tuned based on the application. The combination of these materials creates a unique matrix that is then set in a memory form at a specific temperature, and then applied to various materials through a series of multiple layers, resulting in unparalleled strength and durability.

This method for producing a light control panel used in an optical image forming device includes: a step of forming a laminate 22 by laminating a plurality of transparent plate materials 20 having the same thickness while alternately shifting them by a predetermined length in the width direction so as to form protruding portions 21; a step of forming light-reflecting layers 13 at least on facing surfaces 16 of the adjacent protruding portions 21; a step of filling gap regions 26 between the adjacent protruding portions 21 with a transparent resin 27; a step of cutting and separating the protruding portions 21 integrated at each side of the laminate 22 from a laminated body 28 thereby making preforms 29, 30 for the light control panels 10, 11; and a step of flattening both end surfaces of each of the preforms 29, 30 in the width direction.

The present invention is a unique process of manufacturing rigid members with precise “shape keeping” properties and with reflective properties pertaining to radio frequency energy, so that air, land, sea and space devices or vehicles may be constructed including parabolic reflectors formed without discrete permanent layering. Rather, such parabolic reflectors or similarly, vehicles, may be formed by homogeneous construction where discrete layering is absent, and where energy reflectivity or scattering characteristics are embedded within the homogeneous mixture of carbon nanotubes and associated graphite powders and epoxy, resins and hardeners. The mixture of carbon graphite nanofiber and carbon nanotubes generates higher electrode conductivity and magnetized attraction through molecular polarization. In effect, the rigid members may be tuned based on the application. The combination of these materials creates a unique matrix that is then set in a memory form at a specific temperature, and then applied to various materials through a series of multiple layers, resulting in unparalleled strength and durability.

The present invention relates to a thermoplastic resin substrate for a curved mirror and a method for preparing the same, and a curved mirror and a head-up display comprising the thermoplastic resin substrate. The preparation method comprises the following steps: A) heating up a mold of an injection molding machine to a temperature in a range of 130-190° C. and closing the mold, B) injecting a molten thermoplastic resin into the cavity of the mold cavity, C) applying a pressure of 300-700 bar to the cavity for a period of 5 or more seconds, D) stopping applying pressure and cooling the mold to a temperature in a range of 60-100° C. within 10-50 seconds, and E) opening the mold and taking out the molded thermoplastic resin substrate, wherein a gap of 0.3-1 mm is left between the parting surfaces of the cavity of the mold prior to applying the pressure to the cavity. The thermoplastic resin substrate according to the present invention features a large size, high dimensional stability, and low surface roughness. It can be used for future augmented reality head-up displays to realize large-area, long-distance projection and high-precision imaging, thereby satisfying the requirements for driving safety and comfort of future automobiles.

A light deflector, a method of manufacturing the light deflector, and an image projector. The light deflector and the method includes forming a first wafer provided with a plurality of movable mirror units, bonding the first wafer to be sandwiched between a second wafer on which a plurality of base units are formed and a third wafer on which a plurality of spacers are formed, bonding a fourth wafer on which a plurality of transparent members are formed on the third wafer, bonding a plurality of polyhedron light-beam adjusters on the fourth wafer such that one of the plurality of polyhedron light-beam adjusters and the movable mirror unit become a pair, and cutting a wafer layered product of the first to fourth wafers for each area in which the light deflector is formed. The image projector includes the light deflector, and an image is projected by optical scanning.

Disclosed are monolithic optical systems using an aerogel molded around a mandrel. A method of manufacturing an optical system includes applying a reflective coating to at least a portion of a surface of a mandrel, placing the mandrel in a tank and subsequently filling the tank with aerogel to a predetermined depth below a top of the mandrel. The method includes adding a separation layer to the tank on top of the aerogel at the predetermined depth, catalyzing the separation layer into a solid, and adding aerogel on top of the separation layer filling the tank with aerogel above a height of the mandrel, and removing the aerogel and mandrel from the tank, drying the aerogel into a solid aerogel structure, catalyzing the reflective coating to bond the reflective coating with the aerogel, and removing the mandrel from the aerogel structure to produce the aerogel structure having a hollowed-out interior.

A method and system for manufacturing an optical article is provided. The method may comprise providing at least one ophthalmic lens substrate having a surface; applying at least one conductive coating on at least a portion the ophthalmic lens substrate; and electroplating the ophthalmic lens substrate to form a plating layer that is in a contacting relationship with the conductive coating of the optical article. Other layers may also be applied.

A method for manufacturing optical and microwave reflectors includes: placing an assembly comprising a resin-infiltrated tendrillar mat structure on a mandrel; placing a pre-impregnated carbon fiber (CF) lamina on top of the tendrillar mat structure; placing the assembly in a vacuum device so as to squeeze out excess resin; and placing the assembly in a heating device so as to cure the tendrillar mat structure together with the CF lamina, forming the CF laminae into a laminate that combines with the tendrillar mat structure to create a cured assembly. A reflector suitable for one or more of optical and microwave applications includes: a mandrel; a resin-infiltrated tendrillar mat structure placed on the mandrel; and a pre-impregnated carbon fiber (CF) lamina placed on top of the tendrillar mat structure.