Abstract: A controllable light propagation system includes a light guide elongated in a first direction, a controllable liquid crystal (LC) element including an LC material and having a first side adjacent the light guide to define a dynamic interface between the light guide and controllable LC element, and an array of electrodes arranged at different locations along the first direction. The array of electrodes arranged along the first direction are selectively activatable to generate electric fields in the LC material to control a transmissivity of the dynamic interface between the light guide and the controllable LC element, thereby allowing a controlled extraction of light at selected locations along the light guide. An array of optical elements may be provided at a second side of the controllable LC element to deflect or otherwise influence the extracted light, e.g., as a function of the location of the extracted light along the first direction.

Abstract: A variable angle beam control device is capable of maintaining the same color temperature of the light source regardless of the changes in the angle of the beam. The controllable light beam device has a light source with primary optics producing a low divergence light beam having an inverted angular distribution of the correlated color temperature (CCT), and a liquid crystal device with an electrically variable refractive index distribution arranged to receive said light beam and to provide a variable angle beam.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Liquid crystal (LC) beam control devices using a dispersion shaped (DS) half wave plate (HWP), with specific physical characteristics, allows the broadened beam to maintain significantly better the color cohesion. Beneficial aspects of using a HWP with an appropriate thickness and birefringence index which makes it inefficient in the blue wavelength spectrum, therefore reducing the blue photon depletion in the center of the broadened beam is described herein. Combinations of an homeotropic LC cell and DS HWP structures for reduced color separation, faster relaxation time and reduced ground state scattering is further described herein.

Abstract: Liquid crystal light beam control devices and their manufacture are described. Beneficial aspects of beam broadening devices employed for controlled illumination and architectural purposes are presented including improving beam divergence control, improving beam broadening dynamic range control, beam divergence preconditioning, improving projected beam intensity uniformity.

Abstract: A variable angle beam control device is capable of maintaining the same color temperature of the light source regardless of the changes in the angle of the beam. The controllable light beam device has a light source with primary optics producing a low divergence light beam having an inverted angular distribution of the correlated color temperature (CCT), and a liquid crystal device with an electrically variable refractive index distribution arranged to receive said light beam and to provide a variable angle beam.

Abstract: A lighting device using a liquid crystal beam modulator produces good broadening of a light beam. The liquid crystal cell has a patterned electrode structure having a pattern of paired electrodes on a first one of a pair of cell substrates for providing a spatially modulated electric field extending into a liquid crystal material, and the cell is arranged with respect to a light source so that an incident beam will arrive through another of the pair of substrates and exit from the first one of the pair of substrates.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device providing refractive Fresnel lens type element control over light passing through an aperture is provided. The device includes a layer of liquid crystal material contained by flat substrates having flat alignment layers; and an arrangement of electrodes configured to provide a spatially varying voltage distribution within a number of lensing zones within said liquid crystal layer. The arrangement of electrodes includes ring-shaped electrodes defining boundaries between Fresnel lensing zones. The liquid crystal optical device is structured to provide a spatial variation in the optical phase delay with an abrupt transition at a boundary between lensing zones to increase the effective aperture of the optical device.

Abstract: A variable light beam is provided from a light source. The light source can be an LED light source or other source. The light source includes basic collimation optics, such as reflector or Fresnel lens, an electrically controllable LC device, such as a polydisperse LC film, in front of the incident spot light beam. Preferably the polydisperse LC film includes transparent flat uniform electrode layers. The LC device can be autonomous of the light source. The proposed solution provides a dynamically controllable, preferably polarizer-free and pixel-free, beam shape light source module including a controllable light beam control module and a light source module providing the initial light beam in a scanner light source, a camera flash, an architectural, automobile or industrial lighting device.

Abstract: Liquid crystal light beam broadening devices and their manufacture are described. Beneficial aspects of beam broadening devices employed for controlled illumination and architectural purposes are presented including providing symmetric beam broadening, improving the beam intensity profile, beam divergence preconditioning and improving projected beam intensity uniformity. Both beam control devices having in-plane and homeotropic ground state liquid crystal alignment are presented.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device is described configured to provide variable beam steering or refractive Fresnel lens control over light passing through an aperture of the device. The device includes at least one layer of liquid crystal material contained by substrates having alignment layers. An arrangement of electrodes is configured to provide a spatially varying electric field distribution within a number of zones within the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal optical device is structured to provide a spatial variation in optical phase delay with a transition at a boundary between zones which is an approximation of a sawtooth waveform across the boundaries of multiple zones. The arrangement of electrodes, device layered geometry and methods of driving the electrodes increase the effective aperture of the overall optical device.

Abstract: Liquid crystal light beam broadening devices and their manufacture are described. Beneficial aspects of beam broadening devices employed for controlled illumination and architectural purposes are presented including providing symmetric beam broadening, improving the beam intensity profile, beam divergence preconditioning and improving projected beam intensity uniformity. Both beam control devices having in-plane and homeotropic ground state liquid crystal alignment are presented.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device is provided including at least two LC cells. A first LC cell layer has a predominant director orientation imparting a transversally non-uniform phase delay to a first polarization of an unpolarized incident light field passing therethrough while incident light of a second polarization orthogonal to the first light polarization passes therethrough undergoing transversally uniform phase delay. The first LC cell is configured to project a center extraordinary ray onto an optical axis of the device at the image surface. A second LC cell layer has a predominant director oriented orthogonally to the other predominant director in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The second LC layer imparts a transversally non-uniform phase delay to the second polarization of the incident light passing therethrough, the second LC cell being configured to project a center ordinary ray onto the optical axis at the image surface.

Abstract: A lighting device using a liquid crystal beam modulator produces good broadening of a light beam. The liquid crystal cell has a patterned electrode structure having a pattern of paired electrodes on a first one of a pair of cell substrates for providing a spatially modulated electric field extending into a liquid crystal material, and the cell is arranged with respect to a light source so that an incident beam will arrive through another of the pair of substrates and exit from the first one of the pair of substrates.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device is described configured to provide variable beam steering or refractive Fresnel lens control over light passing through an aperture of the device. The device includes at least one layer of liquid crystal material contained by substrates having alignment layers. An arrangement of electrodes is configured to provide a spatially varying electric field distribution within a number of zones within the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal optical device is structured to provide a spatial variation in optical phase delay with a transition at a boundary between zones which is an approximation of a sawtooth waveform across the boundaries of multiple zones. The arrangement of electrodes, device layered geometry and methods of driving the electrodes increase the effective aperture of the overall optical device.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device is described configured to provide variable beam steering or refractive Fresnel lens control over light passing through an aperture of the device. The device includes at least one layer of liquid crystal material contained by substrates having alignment layers. An arrangement of electrodes is configured to provide a spatially varying electric field distribution within a number of zones within the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal optical device is structured to provide a spatial variation in optical phase delay with a transition at a boundary between zones which is an approximation of a sawtooth waveform across the boundaries of multiple zones. The arrangement of electrodes, device layered geometry and methods of driving the electrodes increase the effective aperture of the overall optical device.

Abstract: A variable light beam is provided from a light source. The light source can be an LED light source or other source. The light source includes basic collimation optics, such as reflector or Fresnel lens, an electrically controllable LC device, such as a polydisperse LC film, in front of the incident spot light beam. Preferably the polydisperse LC film includes transparent flat uniform electrode layers. The LC device can be autonomous of the light source. The proposed solution provides a dynamically controllable, preferably polarizer-free and pixel-free, beam shape light source module including a controllable light beam control module and a light source module providing the initial light beam in a scanner light source, a camera flash, an architectural, automobile or industrial lighting device.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device providing refractive Fresnel lens type element control over light passing through an aperture is provided. The device includes a layer of liquid crystal material contained by flat substrates having flat alignment layers; and an arrangement of electrodes configured to provide a spatially varying voltage distribution within a number of lensing zones within said liquid crystal layer. The arrangement of electrodes includes ring-shaped electrodes defining boundaries between Fresnel lensing zones. The liquid crystal optical device is structured to provide a spatial variation in the optical phase delay with an abrupt transition at a boundary between lensing zones to increase the effective aperture of the optical device.

Abstract: Liquid crystal light beam control devices and their manufacture are described. Beneficial aspects of beam broadening devices employed for controlled illumination and architectural purposes are presented including improving beam divergence control, improving beam broadening dynamic range control, beam divergence preconditioning, improving projected beam intensity uniformity.

Abstract: Liquid crystal light beam control devices and their manufacture are described. Beneficial aspects of beam broadening devices employed for controlled illumination and architectural purposes are presented including improving beam divergence control, improving beam broadening dynamic range control, beam divergence preconditioning, improving projected beam intensity uniformity and reducing color separation in the projected beam. Both beam control devices having in-plane and homeotropic ground state liquid crystal alignment are presented.