To improve brightness of image information visually recognized by a user while using plastic for a light guide plate. An image display element includes: a substrate made of resin; an incident diffraction grating that diffracts incident light; and an exit diffraction grating that emits the light, the incident diffraction grating being formed on a first surface of the substrate, the exit diffraction grating being formed on a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface of the substrate, and the exit diffraction grating being formed on one surface.

An HMD apparatus includes an image source, a light guiding element, a first modulating element, and a second modulating element. The image source provides an image beam. The light guiding element is arranged on a transmission path of the image beam to transmit the image beam. The light guiding element has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The image beam undergoes total internal reflection at the first surface and is emitted from the second surface. The first modulating element is arranged on one side of the first surface of the light guiding element and configured to adjust a transmittance of an ambient beam. The light guiding element is arranged between the first and second modulating elements, and the second modulating element is configured to adjust a focus position of the image beam. The HMD apparatus may improve wearing comfort and achieve good display effects.

A collimated backlight and an electronic display employ a light guide having angle-preserving scattering feature and an absorption collimator. The angle-preserving scattering feature is configured to scatter a portion of guided light out of the light guide as emitted light. The absorption collimator includes an absorption element and is configured to convert light provided by a light source into collimated light to be guided as the guided light. The electronic display includes an array of light valves and may be configured as a multiview display or a privacy display.

A light guide plate has a light-incident end and a bottom surface. The bottom surface has a near-light source region and a visible region. The near-light source region is closer to the light-incident end than the visible region. The near-light source region includes a plurality of first microstructures, and at least part of the first microstructures is recessed on the bottom surface and has an inner concave surface. The inner concave surface has a plurality of annular structures concave or convex with respect to the inner concave surface. The annular structures are distributed at interval on the inner concave surface along a concave direction of the first microstructure.

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

To improve brightness of an image to be perceived by a user and enhance visibility there is provided a light guide plate including an incident diffraction grating which diffracts incident imaging light, an exit diffraction grating through which the imaging light goes out, and an intermediate diffraction grating existing in optical paths from the incident diffraction grating to the exit diffraction grating. In this light guide plate, a periodic linear corrugated pattern is formed as the incident diffraction grating, and when an imaginary line is established that passes through an incident point of imaging light onto the incident diffraction grating and is parallel with a periodic direction of the corrugated pattern, the intermediate diffraction grating has a first region on one side of the imaginary line and a second region on another side of the imaginary line.

A system is provided. The system includes a waveguide configured to guide an image light to propagate inside the waveguide. The system also includes a plurality of diffractive components coupled to the waveguide and switchable between operating in a diffraction state to direct the image light from the waveguide to an eye-box of the system, and operating in a non-diffraction state to transmit a light from a real-world environment to the eye-box. The system further includes a controller coupled with the plurality of diffractive components and configured to switch each of the plurality of diffractive components between operating in the diffraction state during a virtual-world subframe of a display frame and operating in the non-diffraction state during a real-world subframe of the display frame.

An optical waveguide comprises at least two TIR surface and contains a grating. Input TIR light with a first angular range along a first propagation direction undergoes at least two diffractions at the grating. Each diffraction directs light into a unique TIR angular range along a second propagation direction.

A lighting device includes light sources arranged in an arrangement direction, a first light guide plate, and a second light guide plate on the first light guide plate. The first light guide plate includes a first light entering surface, a first light exit surface, and a first light diffusion portion adding a diffusion action to light to be refracted and travel in a crossing direction crossing the arrangement direction. The second light guide plate includes a second light entering surface, a second light exit surface, and a second light diffusion portion adding a diffusion action to light to be refracted and travel in the arrangement direction seen from the normal direction of the second light exit surface. The second light diffusion portion includes first lenses that include ridgelines extending in the crossing direction and inclined portions inclined at an angle from 35° to 55° inclusive relative to the normal direction.

Systems and methods for providing holographic waveguide display using integrated gratings in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a waveguide display including a source of light, and a first waveguide including a grating structure including first and second gratings, and an input coupler configured to couple a first field-of-view portion of light, and couple a second field-of-view portion of light, wherein the first grating is configured to provide beam expansion in a first direction for the first field-of-view portion of light, and provide beam expansion in the first direction and beam extraction towards a viewer for the second field-of-view portion of light, the second grating is configured to provide beam expansion in a second direction for the second field-of-view portion of light, and provide beam expansion in the second direction and beam extraction towards a viewer for the first field-of-view portion of light.