Volkswagen Ag

Lensvector Inc.

Heiko Schröder

Michael Schneider

Marc-Michael Meinecke

Bernd Ludewig

Ralf Mayer

Heiko Kurz

Helge Neuner

Joscha Roth

Armen Zohrabyan

Tigran Galstian

Roman Danov

Simone Wilsdorf

Daniel Dias

Sebastian Thomschke

Thomas Gisder

Lukas Kendik

Nesrine Boughanmi

An integrated circuit including an optical input, which can be coupled to an optical fiber, allowing an optical signal to be provided to the optical input via the optical fiber. The integrated circuit includes a controllable liquid crystal element, into which the optical signal can be coupled via the optical input. The integrated circuit is characterized by an optical waveguide arranged directly at the liquid crystal element, and a control device designed to activate the liquid crystal element to modulate its refractive index, thereby enabling at least partial coupling of the optical signal into the optical waveguide. The present disclosure also relates to a system and a method.

Integrated circuit, system, and method for coupling optical signals into an integrated circuit

A beam steering system may include a dynamically controllable liquid crystal (LC) beam steering device including an array of multiple LC beam steering segments, an upstream lens array arranged upstream of the beam steering device, and control electronics configured to control the beam steering device to output a directionally steered light. The upstream lens array includes multiple upstream lens elements, each configured to reduce a beam width of a respective light beam to provide a reduced-diameter light beam to a corresponding LC beam steering segment in the multi-segment LC beam steering device. Providing reduced-diameter light beams to the beam steering device may reduce unwanted beam steering effects and provide an improved beam steering efficiency of the beam steering system.

Beam steering system

A device for producing an output light emission having a light source for emitting light and a first polarizing beam splitter element positioned so at least one portion of the emitted light is incident thereupon, wherein a first reflected light beam of a first polarization state and a second transmitted light beam of a second polarization state are produced. The device also includes a first liquid crystal element having at least two states which are actuated using a control unit. The first liquid crystal element at least partially reflects the first light beam, wherein the polarization state of the first light beam is altered based on the state of the first liquid crystal element. The first polarizing beam splitter element is positioned so the first light beam is incident thereupon after reflection at the first liquid crystal element.

Device and method for producing an output light emission, and headlight

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Meinersen, Germany

Heiko Schröder