Images perceived to be substantially full color or multi-colored may be formed using component color images that are distributed in unequal numbers across a plurality of depth planes. The distribution of component color images across the depth planes may vary based on color. In some embodiments, a display system includes a stack of waveguides that each output light of a particular color, with some colors having fewer numbers of associated waveguides than other colors. The stack of waveguides may include by multiple pluralities (e.g., first and second pluralities) of waveguides, each configured to produce an image by outputting light corresponding to a particular color. The total number of waveguides in the second plurality of waveguides is less than the total number of waveguides in the first plurality of waveguides, and may be more than the total number of waveguides in a third plurality of waveguides, in embodiments where three component colors are utilized.

Example display devices include a waveguide configured to propagate visible light under total internal reflection in a direction parallel to a major surface of the waveguide. The waveguide has formed thereon an outcoupling element configured to outcouple a portion of the visible light in a direction normal to the major surface of the waveguide. The example display devices additionally include a polarization-selective notch reflector disposed on a first side of the waveguide and configured to reflect visible light having a first polarization while transmitting the portion of the visible light having a second polarization. The example display devices further include a polarization-independent notch reflector disposed on a second side of the waveguide and configured to reflect visible light having the first polarization and the second polarization, where the polarization-independent notch reflector is configured to convert a polarization of visible light reflecting therefrom.

Provided is an optical device including a first backlight configured to output first light of a first wavelength through a first output coupler, a first lens disposed to face the first output coupler and having a focal length with respect to the first light, a second backlight including a second output coupler, the second backlight being configured to output second light of a second wavelength through the second output coupler, a second lens disposed to face the second output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light and the second light, a third backlight including a third output coupler, the third backlight being configured to output third light of a third wavelength through the third output coupler, and a third lens disposed to face the third output coupler and having different focal lengths with respect to the first light, the second light, and the third light.

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a first display panel, and a polarizer opposed to the first display panel and having a transmission axis for transmitting linearly polarized light. The first display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate opposed to the first substrate, and a first liquid crystal layer held between the first substrate and the second substrate and including streak-like polymers and liquid crystal molecules. An extension direction of the polymers is substantially orthogonal to the transmission axis.

An illuminator for a display panel includes a light source for providing a light beam and a lightguide coupled to the light source for receiving and propagating the light beam along the substrate. The lightguide includes an array of out-coupling gratings that runs parallel to the array of pixels for out-coupling portions of the light beam from the lightguide such that the out-coupled light beam portions propagate through the substrate and produce an array of optical power density peaks at the array of pixels due to Talbot effect. A period of the array of peaks is an integer multiple of a pitch of the array of pixels.

A diffractive waveguide stack includes first, second, and third diffractive waveguides for guiding light in first, second, and third visible wavelength ranges, respectively. The first diffractive waveguide includes a first material having first refractive index at a selected wavelength and a first target refractive index at a midpoint of the first visible wavelength range. The second diffractive waveguide includes a second material having a second refractive index at the selected wavelength and a second target refractive index at a midpoint of the second visible wavelength range. The third diffractive waveguide includes a third material having a third refractive index at the selected wavelength and a third target refractive index at a midpoint of the third visible wavelength range. A difference between any two of the first target refractive index, the second target refractive index, and the third target refractive index is less than 0.005 at the selected wavelength.

A display device includes a display panel configured to display an image, a first backlight unit that is disposed under the display panel and outputs first light, and a second backlight unit that is positioned between the display panel and the first backlight unit and outputs second light, wherein the first backlight unit includes a first light guide plate having first patterns protruding or recessed from a rear surface of the first light guide plate, the second backlight unit includes a second light guide plate having second patterns protruding from a rear surface of the second light guide plate, and the second patterns have an asymmetric pyramid shape.

A light distributing device configured for, in use, distributing, over a scene to illuminate light rays that come from an auxiliary light source, and which comprises: a planar waveguide, with a core layer disposed between the two cladding layers; and an extraction set, located in the planar waveguide, and constituted by a plurality of diffraction gratings distributed in the two dimensions of a plane parallel to the plane of the planar waveguide.

A light emitting device comprises a lightguide formed from a film having an array of coupling lightguides in the form of strips extending from a lightguide region of the film, the coupling lightguides are folded and stacked, and a light source is positioned to emit light into edges of the stacked coupling lightguides to propagate into a light mixing region and then into a light emitting region. The light mixing region comprises a plurality of reflecting surfaces that reflect a portion of the light from the coupling lightguides toward one or more of the lateral edges of the film prior to exiting the film in the light emitting region. The plurality of reflecting surfaces may a light transmitting material printed in the form of lines on the surface of the film and may improve the uniformity of light emitted from the light emitting region.

In an image display device in which two light guides are combined, flat plates (16, 17) of the same material as that of a substrate (11) of a first light guide (10) is affixed to the outsides of a first surface (11a) and a second surface (11b) of the substrate (11), the first surface (11a) and the second surface (11b) opposing each other. Image light introduced into the substrate (11) is reflected by an incident-side reflective surface (12) toward exit-side reflective surface (13a to 13f), which are half mirrors, and a part of the image light is reflected in stages by the respective exit-side reflective surfaces (13a and 13f) and the remainder of the image light is transmitted. The image light reflected by the exit-side reflective surfaces (13a to 13f) is emitted through the second flat plate (17) and introduced into a second light guide. The part of the image light reflected by the incident-side reflective surface (12) reaches the interface between the first surface (11a) and the first flat plate (16), but enters the flat plate (16) without being reflected, and hits and is absorbed by a light-absorbing sheet (18). This reduces the occurrence of stray light and improves the visibility of a virtual image displayed before user's eyes.