RealD Spark, LLC

A privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator and a view angle control element that may comprise a first polariser that may be a reflective polariser, a liquid crystal retarder, a compensation retarder and an additional polariser. The layer of liquid crystal material is patterned with a mark. The display provides visibility of the mark in reflected light to an off-axis snooper but no visibility of the image on the spatial light modulator; and provides high visibility of an image with no visibility of the mark to an on-axis display user.

A display apparatus comprises a display device capable of operating in a first mode and a second mode where an image remains visible in both the first mode and the second mode in an on-axis direction and a visibility of the image is reduced in an off-axis direction in the second mode. A control system is capable of selectively operating the display device in the first mode or the second mode and can selectively control luminance of the displayed image in the first mode based on a first function and to selectively control luminance of the displayed image in the second mode based on a second function. High image visibility can be provided for a public mode of operation while in privacy mode of operation a high visual security level may be obtained by means of controlling an image characteristic such as image luminance, contrast and white point.

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 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 pupillated transmission function, achieving increased luminance uniformity to a display user and increased uniformity of security factor to an off-axis snooper, or reduced distraction across the display to the driver in an automotive application.

An 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 to a lateral anamorphic reflector arranged to reflect the light back through the waveguide. Partially reflective extraction elements are arranged between the rear and front guide surfaces of the waveguide to extract the reflected light towards the pupil of an observer, 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 is provided.

A device for wearing by a user includes a ring-shaped band sized for extending and fitting around an arm or digit of the user and a near-eye display apparatus attached to the ring-shaped band for displaying an image to the user. The near-eye display apparatus includes a spatial light modulator and an optical apparatus. The spatial light modulator is arranged to output light via the optical apparatus to provide the image for display. The optical apparatus has an optical axis and positive optical power in lateral and transverse directions that are perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the optical axis. The optical apparatus has anamorphic properties in the lateral and transverse directions.

A switchable privacy display comprises at least one light source, a structured birefringent component, an out-of-plane polariser, a polarisation switch, and an in-plane polariser. The polarisation switch is arranged between the out-of-plane polariser and the in-plane polariser, and the polarisation switch is also arranged between the structured birefringent component and the in-plane polariser. The display device is arranged to output an image formed using light which has been output from the at least one light source and which has passed through the structured birefringent component, the out-of-plane polariser, the polarisation switch and the in-plane polariser. The display can operate in a privacy mode of operation that provides a high security factor in non-viewing directions and high image visibility in viewing directions, or in a wide-angle mode of operation that provides high image visibility for a relatively wider field of view.

A backlight device includes a first array of plural light sources, a second array of plural light sources, and a control system arranged to control the first and second arrays of plural light sources. In some embodiments, the control system is arranged to provide switching between, in a first mode of operation, the first array of plural light sources being operated along a first input end of a first waveguide and a first applied voltage across a switchable liquid crystal retarder and, in a second mode of operation, the second array of plural light sources being operated along a second input end of a second waveguide and a second applied voltage across the switchable liquid crystal retarder. In some embodiments, the second applied voltage is different to the first applied voltage.

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.

A SLM comprises emissive pixels, a parallax barrier, and a birefringent lens array. The apertures and lenses are each aligned with a respective pixel, polarisation switch, display polariser, and reflective polariser, with a switchable polar control retarder between the reflective polariser and an additional polariser. In privacy mode, pixel light transmitted by the display polariser is provided with optical power by the lens array; the parallax barrier has regions that reduce the pixel light from pixels that are not aligned with a respective lens; and the polar control retarder has a phase difference only in non-viewing directions and provides high security factor. In share mode, pixel light transmitted by the display polariser is provided with no optical power by the lens array; and the polar control retarder has no phase difference over a wide field of view and provides high image visibility. A near-eye display has increased dynamic range.

A polar angle control display device comprises a spatial light modulator arranged to output light and an out-of-plane polariser having an absorption axis in a direction having a component out of a plane of the out-of-plane polariser. The polar angle control display device can be a switchable privacy display and can achieve high image visibility to an off-axis user in a wide-angle mode of operation and high image security to an off-axis snooper in privacy mode of operation.