An optical element is provided. The optical element includes a positive-C film including a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer. The optical element also includes a positive-A film. The optical element also includes a negative biaxial retardation film disposed between the positive-A film and the positive-C film.

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.

A liquid-crystal display device includes a pair of substrates, a liquid-crystal material layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and an optical compensation element having an optical compensation layer, the optical compensation layer including a stack group in which high-refractive-index obliquely deposited films and low-refractive-index obliquely deposited films are alternately deposited, the high-refractive-index obliquely deposited films and the low-refractive-index obliquely deposited films having a same tilt direction with respect to a normal line of a surface on which the films are deposited.

This application relates to a liquid crystal display which comprises: an upper polarizer; a lower polarizer; and a liquid crystal panel provided between the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer, in which the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer are provided so that absorption axes of the upper and lower polarizers are parallel to each other, a first half wave plate, a positive C plate, and a second half wave plate are sequentially comprised between the upper polarizer and the liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal panel is a vertical alignment liquid crystal mode.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical laminate in which an optically anisotropic layer provided as an upper layer has good liquid crystal alignment properties, and a polarizing plate and an image display device using the optical laminate. An optical laminate of the present invention is an optical laminate including: a first optically anisotropic layer; and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which the first and second optically anisotropic layers are directly laminated, each of the first and second optically anisotropic layers consists of a liquid crystal layer, and a photo-alignment polymer having a photo-alignment group and at least one type of polar group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group and a ketone group is present in a surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on a side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer.

A birefringence film is provided with a plurality of birefringence layers including a hybrid-aligned liquid crystalline polymer. The plurality of birefringence layers is stacked in a state in which the alignment directions of the liquid crystal polymer are identical, and the rising directions of the tilt angle of the liquid crystal polymer are identical.

The optical element is an optical element including a first optically anisotropic layer which is a cured layer of a liquid crystal composition containing a rod-like liquid crystal compound and a second optically anisotropic layer which is laminated on the first optically anisotropic layer and is a cured layer of a liquid crystal composition containing a disk-like liquid crystal compound, wherein each of the first optically anisotropic layer and the second optically anisotropic layer, has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which an optical axis of the rod-like liquid crystal compound and an optical axis of the disk-like liquid crystal compound are respectively parallel to a surface of the optically anisotropic layer and oriented along at least one in-plane direction, orientation of the optical axis changes continuously and rotationally, and the orientation of the optical axis rotates by 180° with a period of 0.5 μm to 5 μm.

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.

A switchable privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator (SLM), a first switchable liquid crystal (LC) retarder and first passive retarder between a first pair of polarisers and a second switchable LC retarder and second passive retarder between a second pair of polarisers. The first switchable LC retarder comprises two homeotropic alignment layers and the second switchable LC retarder comprises two homogeneous alignment layers. In privacy mode, on-axis light from the SLM is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance to reduce visibility to off-axis snoopers. The display may achieve privacy operation in landscape and portrait orientations. Further, display reflectivity may be reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity may be increased for off-axis light to achieve increased visual security. In public mode, the LC retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified. The display may switch between day-time and night-time operation.

The present invention provides a mirror display that can be enlarged without quality deterioration. The mirror display includes, in the order from a viewing surface side, a half mirror plate including a reflective polarizer, a polarization conversion layer, and a display device including an absorptive polarizer on a side of the polarization conversion layer. The reflective polarizer includes a transmission axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the display device and is jointless. The absorptive polarizer includes a transmission axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the display device and is jointless. The polarization conversion layer is configured to convert the polarization of polarized light passed through the absorptive polarizer.