Reald Spark, LLC

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Optovate Limited

Au Optronics Corporation

Reald Inc.

Reaid Spark, LLC

Ocuity Limited

Kamelian Limited, a Body Corporate

Graham John Woodgate

Jonathan Harrold

Michael Geraint Robinson

Robert A Ramsey

David Ezra

Richard Robert Moseley

Miller H Schuck

Ben Ihas

Basil Arthur Omar

Eric Sommerlade

Adrian J Hill

Gary Dean Sharp

Paul May

Marina Vladimirovna Khazova

Nicolas Steven Holliman

David James Montgomery

Duncan James Anderson

Michael G Robinson

Jason Kempton Slack

Adrian Marc Jacobs

Helen Flynn

Edward P Raynes

Emma Jayne Walton

Chao-Yuan Chen

Graham Roger Jones

Craig Tombling

Adrian Marc Simon Jacobs

Grant Bourhill

Ren-Wei Liao

Benjamin C Ihas

Austin Wilson

Qi He Hong

Kazuhiro Inoko

Delman Lee

Roger Landowski

Anthony Edward Kelly

Nicholas Steven Holliman

Johnathan Harrold

Larry Saul Shapiro

Jonathon Harrold

Masaharu Hara

Keisuke Mitani

Tamotsu Takatsuka

A switchable privacy display device comprises a spatial light modulator comprising an in-plane display polariser, an out-of-plane polariser and a polarisation switch arranged between the in-plane display polariser and the out-of-plane polariser. The display achieves high image visibility to an off-axis user in a wide-angle mode and high image security to an off-axis snooper in privacy mode of operation.

Privacy displays

An imaging directional backlight apparatus includes a waveguide and a light source array, providing large area directed illumination from localized light sources. The waveguide may include a stepped structure, and the steps may further include extraction features optically hidden to guided light, propagating in a forward direction. Returning light propagating in a backward direction may be refracted, diffracted, or reflected by the features to provide discrete illumination beams exiting from the top surface of the waveguide. Viewing windows are formed through imaging individual light sources and define the relative positions of system elements and ray paths. The imaging directional backlight apparatus further includes a control system for controlling the light output directional distribution in an automotive or vehicle environment in dependence on the output from sensors mounted on the vehicle. The control system is arranged to control the light output direction distribution of portable directional displays co-located with the vehicle.

Wide angle imaging directional backlights

An imaging directional backlight apparatus including a waveguide, a light source array, for providing large area directed illumination from localized light sources. The waveguide may include a stepped structure, in which the steps may further include extraction features optically hidden to guided light, propagating in a first forward direction. Returning light propagating in a second backward direction may be refracted, diffracted, or reflected by the features to provide discrete illumination beams exiting from the top surface of the waveguide. Retarder stack arrangements are provided to reduce the display visibility to snoopers located in polar viewing regions of the display while achieving minimal reduction of head-on luminance. Further visibility of light reflections from automotive windscreens may be reduced.

Optical stack for imaging directional backlights

An anamorphic directional illumination device may provide a near-eye display apparatus or a vehicle external light device. The anamorphic near-eye display apparatus comprises a spatial light modulator with asymmetric pixels; an input transverse anamorphic lens; and an extraction waveguide that passes input light in a first direction between a polarization-sensitive reflector and front guide surface to a lateral anamorphic reflector, and to reflect the light back through the extraction waveguide to guide between the rear guide surface and front guide surface. Reflective extraction features are arranged to extract the reflected light towards the pupil of a viewer, maintaining the directionality of the fan of light rays from the spatial light modulator and anamorphic imaging system. A thin, transparent and efficient anamorphic display apparatus for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality displays and for scene illumination is provided.

Anamorphic directional illumination device with selective light-guiding

A colour micro-LED display apparatus comprises an array of reflective optical elements and an array of micro-LED pixels with a uniform emission colour across the array arranged between the army of reflective optical elements and an output substrate. Light from the micro-LEDs is directed into the reflective optical elements and is incident on scattering regions in the apparatus. Colour converted scattered light is transmitted by the output substrate. A thin and efficient display apparatus may be provided with high spatial and angular colour uniformity and long lifetime.

Colour micro-LED display apparatus

A display device comprising a spatial light modulator having a display polariser arranged on one side is provided with an additional polariser arranged on the same side as the display polariser and a polar control retarder between the additional polariser and the display polariser. The polar control retarder includes a liquid crystal retarder having two surface alignment layers disposed adjacent to a layer of liquid crystal material on opposite sides. The surface alignment layers provide alignment in the adjacent liquid crystal material with a twist. The out-of-plane orientation of the twisted layer of liquid crystal material is modified across at least one region of the display device to provide a transmission function in response to the measured location of an off-axis snooper, achieving increased size of polar region for which desired uniformity of security factor, or reduced distraction across the display to the driver in an automotive application is achieved.

Observer-tracked privacy display

A switchable privacy display device comprises a spatial light modulator and a switchable diffractive view angle control retarder arrangement arranged between a display polariser of the spatial light modulator and an additional polariser. The display achieves high image visibility to an off-axis user in a share mode of operation and high image security to an off-axis snooper in privacy mode of operation.

Switchable privacy display

A display device comprising a spatial light modulator having a display polariser arranged on one side of the spatial light modulator is provided with an additional polariser arranged on the same side as the display polariser and polar control retarders between the additional polariser and the display polariser. The polar control retarders include a liquid crystal retarder having two surface alignment layers disposed adjacent to a layer of liquid crystal material on opposite sides. The surface alignment layers provide alignment in the adjacent liquid crystal material with an in-plane component, wherein the angle of said in-plane component changes monotonically along a predetermined axis across the display device, providing reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis, increasing uniformity in the reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis.

Display device with uniform off-axis luminance reduction

A directional illumination device for a vehicle external light comprises an array of light sources and an imaging waveguide comprising an input surface and a reflective end. Opposed guide surfaces are arranged to guide input light from the input surface to the reflective end and back along the waveguide after reflection at the reflective end, the waveguide being arranged to extract input light as it is guided back along the waveguide after reflection and to cause the extracted light to exit through the first guide surface. The reflective end has positive optical power in the direction laterally across the waveguide and the waveguide is arranged to direct the extracted light in respective output illumination directions distributed in a lateral direction in dependence on the input positions of the light sources in the direction laterally across the waveguide. A thin, high brightness and high efficiency controllable directional vehicle headlight is provided.

Vehicle external illumination device

A privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator and a compensated switchable guest-host liquid crystal retarder arranged between first and second polarisers arranged in series with the spatial light modulator. In a privacy mode of operation, on-axis light from the spatial light modulator is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance. The visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers is reduced by means of luminance reduction over a wide polar field. In a wide angle mode of operation, the switchable liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance is substantially unmodified.

Optical stack for switchable directional display

A display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, switchable liquid crystal retarder, absorbing polariser and touch panel electrodes. The electrodes of the switchable liquid crystal retarder shield the touch panel electrodes from the electrical noise of the spatial light modulator addressing. The touch panel control and sensing may be synchronised with the driving signal of the switchable liquid crystal retarder. The touch panel may be operated independently of the timing of the data addressing of the spatial light modulator.

Touch screen for privacy display

A directional illumination apparatus comprises an array of light emitting diodes formed on a support substrate, a waveguide and a light turning optical component. An array of light input wells are arranged in the waveguide to receive light from the respective aligned array of light emitting diodes. An array of light deflecting wells are arranged in the waveguide to reflect guided light in the region around each light emitting diode. Extracted light from the waveguide is output by means of refraction and total internal reflection by a light turning optical component. A directional illumination output may be provided. A backlight for a high dynamic range display may achieve high efficiency and luminance. A privacy display with high security factor and high dynamic range may be achieved.

Illumination apparatus

A control system for a switchable privacy display apparatus comprises sensors arranged to determine device location, operating environment, document type, application type and further comprises a privacy policy for control of privacy images. High image visibility is provided for public mode operation while in privacy mode a high visual security level may be obtained by means of control of image luminance, contrast and white point in response to the privacy policy.

Display apparatus using application software context for privacy control

Reflections from a display device are controlled using retarders arranged on the output side of a display panel which outputs light with a predetermined polarization state. First and second planes of incidence are defined in respect of first and second rays of light output from the device and first and second normals to first and second surfaces of optically transmissive material at first and second points at which the first and second rays of light are reflected. The retarders are selected to cause the polarization state of the first ray to be linearly polarized in a direction that is in the first plane of incidence, and to cause the polarization state of the second ray to be linearly polarized in a direction that is in the second plane of incidence. The reflections from the surfaces are minimized because for both surfaces the polarization direction is in-plane.

Control of reflections of a display device

A directional illumination apparatus comprises an array of micro-LEDs that may be organic LEDs (OLEDs) or inorganic LEDs and an aligned solid catadioptric micro-optic array arranged to provide a water vapour and oxygen barrier for the micro-LEDs as well as reduced sensitivity to thermal and pressure variations. The shape of the interfaces of the solid catadioptric micro-optic array is arranged to provide total internal reflection for light from the aligned micro-LEDs using known transparent materials. A thin and efficient illumination apparatus may be used for collimated illumination in environmental lighting, display backlighting or direct display.

Growing community of inventors

Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom

Graham John Woodgate