A light shielding member of the present invention includes a first polarizing plate, a second polarizing plate facing the first polarizing plate, and a thermosensitive sheet interposed between the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate, in which the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate are positioned so that their respective transmission axes are different from each other, and the thermosensitive sheet contains a side chain crystal polymer that crystallizes at a temperature lower than the melting point and exhibits fluidity at a temperature of the melting point or higher. The light shielding member may transmit light at a temperature lower than the melting point and may not transmit light at a temperature of the melting point or higher, when light travels from one of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate toward the other.

A vehicular vision system includes a plurality of cameras and an ECU. The cameras are in communication with one another via a vehicle network and image data captured by the cameras is provided to the ECU. Responsive to a type of driving maneuver of the vehicle, (i) the ECU generates a first control signal that enables automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of one camera of the plurality of cameras and (ii) the ECU generates respective second control signals that disable automatic control of exposure, gain and white balance of at least one other camera of the plurality of cameras. Responsive to processing of captured image data, composite video images derived from image data captured by the plurality of cameras are synthesized, and composite images are displayed that provides bird's eye view video images derived from video image data captured by the cameras.

An optical modulator includes an acousto-optic assembly and a thermal management apparatus. The acousto-optic assembly includes: an acousto-optic material; a first side configured to receive an incident light beam; and a second side configured to emit an output light beam based on the incident light beam. The thermal management apparatus includes: a first thermally conductive material in thermal contact with the first side of the acousto-optic assembly; and a second thermally conductive material in thermal contact with the second side of the acousto-optic assembly.

Provided are a liquid crystal device, a composition capable of forming a liquid crystal layer, a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device, a system for manufacturing the liquid crystal device, and a use of the liquid crystal device. The liquid crystal device is a device capable of exhibiting, for example, a normally white or black mode, which may exhibit a high contrast ratio and be driven with a low driving voltage, and exhibit excellent durability such as thermal stability. Such a liquid crystal device may be applied to various optical modulators such as a smart window, a window protective film, a flexible display device, an active retarder for displaying 3D images, or a viewing angle control film.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical film which has thermochromic properties that a near-infrared light shielding ratio can be controlled according to temperature environment and which has a low haze and has excellent crack resistance and adhesiveness even when the optical film is used over a long period of time, and a method for producing the same. In the optical film, an optical functional layer has a sea-island structure including a sea region formed by a binder resin and island regions formed by vanadium-dioxide-containing fine particles, a number average particle diameter of total particles including primary particles and secondary particles of the vanadium-dioxide-containing fine particles is 200 nm or less, an average value of a closest wall-to-wall distance between the island regions is in a range of 1 to 1,000 nm, and the number of the island regions having the closest wall-to-wall distance of 1,100 nm or more is 10% by number or less with respect to the total number of the island regions.

An image converting screen protector for displaying an illustration on a display screen of a portable electronic device when the screen is off and becoming transparent when the screen is on. The image converting screen protector comprises a modified screen protector having top shield layer and a screen layer. The top shield layer is optically transparent and the screen layer toggles between an opaque condition and a clear condition.

A variable traffic safety sign is useful in informing road users of the possibility of a surface of a road or bridge section being wet or frozen without using an additional external power source by exactly expressing freezing and wet roadbed conditions of the road or bridge section using a thermochromic paint and a humidity indicator paint, and also allowing road drivers to exactly recognize the roadbed conditions of the road or bridge section by displaying the freezing and wet roadbed conditions of the road or bridge section conditions in response to changes in temperature and humidity, respectively. Also, the variable traffic safety sign is readily applicable to structures such as a bridge crash barrier, a traffic safety sign board, a bridge guardrail, a road shoulder, and an inner part, entrance and exit of a tunnel.

An object of the present invention is to provide vanadium oxide-containing particles each having a core-shell structure, which are excellent in thermochromic property and durability.

The vanadium oxide-containing particles each having a core-shell structure (1) each has (2) a core layer, which contains vanadium dioxide as a major component, and (4) a shell layer, which contains vanadium oxide containing vanadium having a valency number other than four as a major component.

Optical devices that include one or more structures fabricated from polar-dielectric materials that exhibit surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), where the SPhPs alter the optical properties of the structure. The optical properties lent to these structures by the SPhPs are altered by introducing charge carriers directly into the structures. The carriers can be introduced into these structures, and the carrier concentration thereby controlled, through optical pumping or the application of an appropriate electrical bias.

The present disclosure discloses an optical film, a backlight module and a liquid crystal display device and relates to the liquid crystal display field. It solves the problem that the edge of an optical film in the prior art can be easily warped. An optical film is provided and comprises an optical film body, and at a position of the optical film body that is close to a heat source, a thermal expansion stretchable structure is provided and is capable of releasing a thermal expansion amount of the optical film body.