Techniques are described for operating an optical system. In some embodiments, light associated with a world object is received at the optical system. Virtual image light is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system. A portion of a system field of view of the optical system to be at least partially dimmed is determined based on information detected by the optical system. A plurality of spatially-resolved dimming values for the portion of the system field of view may be determined based on the detected information. The detected information may include light information, gaze information, and/or image information. A dimmer of the optical system may be adjusted to reduce an intensity of light associated with the world object in the portion of the system field of view according to the plurality of dimming values.

An optical device for controlling light from an external light source including: at least a first and a second waveguide for guiding a light beam emitted from the external light source; and at least a first beam shaping structure with a first light emitting area for emitting a light beam and a second beam shaping structure with a second light emitting area for emitting a light beam, wherein the first waveguide guides the light beam emitted from the external light source to the first beam shaping structure and the second waveguide guides the light beam emitted from the external light source to the second beam shaping structure; wherein the first and the second beam shaping structure-are each configured such that the uniformity of the radiant density profile of a light beam emitted from the respective light emitting area of the respective beam shaping structure is higher than that of the light beam guided to the respective beam shaping structure by the respective waveguide. Backlight unit including such an optical device; and optical system, in particular holographic display, including such a backlight unit and a spatial light modulator.

The purpose of the present invention is to realize a lighting device of thin, low power consumption and high emitting efficiency. A concrete structure of the inventions is as follows. A lighting device including a first light guide and a second light guide stacked on the first light guide, a reflecting sheet disposed under the first light guide, and a prism sheet disposed on the first light guide, in which a concentric first prism array is formed on the prism sheet, a plurality of first LEDs are disposed along a circumferential direction of a side wall of a first hole of the first light guide, a plurality of second LEDs are disposed along a circumferential direction of a side wall of a second hole of the second light guide, and the plurality of the first LEDs and the plurality of the second LEDs are displaced in azimuth direction.

The purpose of the present invention is to realize a lighting device of thin, low power consumption and high emitting efficiency. A concrete structure of the inventions is as follows. A lighting device including a first light guide and a second light guide stacked on the first light guide, a reflecting sheet disposed under the first light guide, and a prism sheet disposed on the first light guide, in which a concentric first prism array is formed on the prism sheet, a plurality of first LEDs are disposed along a circumferential direction of a side wall of a first hole of the first light guide, a plurality of second LEDs are disposed along a circumferential direction of a side wall of a second hole of the second light guide, and the plurality of the first LEDs and the plurality of the second LEDs are displaced in azimuth direction.

The invention is notably directed to a transflective display device. The device comprises a set of pixels, wherein each of the pixels comprises a portion of bi-stable, phase change material, hereafter a PCM portion, having at least two reversibly switchable states, in which it has two different values of refractive index and/or optical absorption. The device further comprises one or more spacers, optically transmissive, and extending under PCM portions of the set of pixels. One or more reflectors extend under the one or more spacers. An energization structure is in thermal or electrical communication with the PCM portions, via the one or more spacers. Moreover, a display controller is configured to selectively energize, via the energization structure, PCM portions of the pixels, so as to reversibly switch a state of a PCM portion of any of the pixels from one of its reversibly switchable states to the other. A backlight unit is furthermore configured, in the device, to allow illumination of the PCM portions through the one or more spacers. The backlight unit is controlled by a backlight unit controller, which is configured for modulating one or more physical properties of light emitted from the backlight unit. The invention is further directed to related devices and methods of operation.

An imaging apparatus for conveying a virtual image including a waveguide having first and second surfaces. An in-coupling diffractive optic and an out-coupling diffractive optic arranged along one of the first and second surfaces, wherein the in-coupling diffractive optic is operable to direct image-bearing light beams into the waveguide for propagation by total internal reflection, and wherein the out-coupling diffractive optic is operable to direct at least a portion of the image-bearing light beams from the waveguide through the second surface toward an eyebox. An at least partially transparent outer cover located adjacent to the first surface, and a circular polarizer arranged between the waveguide and the outer cover, wherein the circular polarizer is operable to circularly polarize at least a portion of image-bearing light beams transmitted through the first surface and to prevent at least a portion of image-bearing light beams transmitted through the first surface from reentering the waveguide as a result of reflection from the outer cover.

The display device includes a liquid crystal panel having pixels, and an imaging device arranged on a backside of the liquid crystal display panel, wherein in an imaging area of the liquid crystal display panel overlapping the imaging device, the pixels are controlled so that black display pixels and white display pixels are alternately lined up in a row direction according to an operation of the imaging device.

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a display apparatus, including: a display panel; a frame, provided at a side part of the display panel and including a light-transmitting area; a plurality of light guide structures spaced apart from each other, one end of each light guide structure having a photosensitive area, the photosensitive area being provided opposite to the light-transmitting area so that light is irradiated on the photosensitive area through the light-transmitting area; and an optical device provided at an end of each light guide structure away from the photosensitive area, wherein each of the light guide structures is configured to transmit the light irradiated on the photosensitive area to the optical device.

The head-mounted display includes: an image display unit that generates an image to be displayed; and a first light guide plate and a second light guide plate which duplicate image light from the image display unit. Each of the first light guide plate and the second light guide plate includes a set of parallel main surfaces confining the image light with internal reflection, the first light guide plate includes an incident plane that reflects the image light to an inner side, and two or more emission/reflection planes from which the image light is emitted to the second light guide plate, the second light guide plate includes an input part that couples the image light transmitted from the first light guide plate to the inner side, and an output part from which the image light is emitted to a user’s pupil.

Techniques are described for operating an optical system. In some embodiments, light associated with a world object is received at the optical system. Virtual image light is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system. A portion of a system field of view of the optical system to be at least partially dimmed is determined based on information detected by the optical system. A plurality of spatially-resolved dimming values for the portion of the system field of view may be determined based on the detected information. The detected information may include light information, gaze information, and/or image information. A dimmer of the optical system may be adjusted to reduce an intensity of light associated with the world object in the portion of the system field of view according to the plurality of dimming values.