Abstract: A time-multiplexed backlight and display employ a broad-angle backlight to provide broad-angle emitted light corresponding to a 2D portion of a displayed image, a multiview backlight to provide directional emitted light corresponding to a multiview portion of the displayed image, and a mode controller configured to time-multiplex the 2D portion and the multiview portion by activating the broad-angle backlight and the multiview backlight in sequential manner as a composite image.

Abstract: Fabricating a diffractive backlight employs a universal grating and selects a portion of the universal grating using a reflective island to define a grating element, a reflective diffraction grating element of the diffractive backlight including the grating element and the reflective island. A method of fabricating a diffractive backlight includes forming the universal grating, forming the reflective island, and selecting a portion of the universal grating using the reflective island to define the grating element. The method of fabricating a diffractive backlight may include forming the reflective island on a light guide surface and forming the universal grating over the reflective island. Alternatively, the method of fabricating a diffractive backlight may include forming the universal grating on the light guide surface and forming the reflective island over the universal grating.

Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) electronic displays provide different 3D views and employ one or both of an array of multibeam diffraction gratings arranged in offset rows and light valves having color filters. The displays include a plate light guide configured to guide light beams at a non-zero propagation angle, a multibeam diffraction grating configured to couple out a portion of the guided light beams as a plurality of light beams having different principal angular directions representing the different 3D views, and light valves configured to modulate the differently directed, coupled-out light beams. The multibeam diffraction grating may be a member of the array arranged in offset rows and the display may further include light valves having color filters. Alternately, the light valves include color filters and the display may further include the array of multibeam diffraction gratings arranged in offset rows.

Abstract: A multi-zone backlight and multi-zone multiview display with multiple zones selectively provide broad-angle emitted light corresponding to a two-dimensional (2D) image and directional emitted light corresponding to a multiview image to each zone of the multiple zones. The multi-zone backlight includes broad-angle backlight to provide the broad-angle emitted light and a multiview backlight to provide the directional emitted light. Each of the broad-angle backlight and the multiview backlight is divided into a first zone and a second zone that may be independently activated to provide the broad-angle emitted light and multiview emitted light, respectively. The multi-zone multiview display includes the broad-angle backlight and the multiview backlight and further includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the broad-angle emitted light as a two-dimensional image and the directional emitted light as a multiview image on a zone-by-zone basis.

Abstract: A static multiview display and method of static multiview display operation provide a static multiview image using diffractive gratings to diffractively scatter light from guided light beams having different radial directions. The static multiview display includes a light guide configured to guide plurality of guided light beams and a light source configured to provide the guided light beam plurality having the different radial directions. The static multiview display further includes a plurality of diffraction gratings configured to provide from a portion of the guided light beams directional light beams having intensities and principal angular directions corresponding to view pixels of the static multiview image. The static multiview image has an arrangement of views configured to provide diagonal parallax that may facilitate viewing from a diagonal direction relative to the static multiview display.

Abstract: A multiview display and method employ light valves configured to be driven according to a polarity inversion protocol along with multibeam emitters arranged in offset rows. The multiview display includes an array of the multiview pixels comprising the light valves and a multibeam backlight having a plurality of the multibeam emitters arranged in the offset rows. A method of multiview display operation includes emitting directional light beams using an array of multibeam elements in offset rows and modulating the directional light beams using an array of light valves to display an image. Sets of light valves of the light valve array correspond to multiview pixels of the multiview display and the light valve array is driven according to a polarity inversion protocol. In both the multiview display and the method, adjacent offset rows are offset by a distance between repeating polarities of the plurality inversion protocol in a row direction.

Abstract: A multiview backlight and a multiview display employ multibeam elements configured to provide a tilted plurality of light beams having different principal angular directions corresponding to different view directions of a plurality of views of the multiview display. Further, the tilted plurality of light beams has a tilt toward a center of a view zone of the multiview display to provide converging views. The multiview backlight includes a light guide and an array of the multibeam elements. The multiview display further includes multiview pixels that include view pixels to modulate the tilted plurality of light beams having the tilt and the different principal angular directions.

Abstract: A method of aligning a multiview backlight with a light valve array of a multiview display employs an alignment pattern that includes unit cells spaced apart from one another and having view blocks corresponding to different views of the multiview display. The method of aligning includes establishing the alignment pattern on the light valve array, illuminating the light valve array using the multiview backlight to display the alignment pattern, and adjusting a relative position of the multiview backlight and the light valve array to minimize an error measure of the unit cells within the displayed alignment pattern. A multiview display backlight alignment system includes the multiview display and a positioning stage configured to adjust the relative position to minimize the error measure. An automated multiview display backlight alignment system further includes a feedback controller, the positioning stage being motorized.

Abstract: A dual view zone backlight and dual-mode display employ a first backlight region including a directional emitter to provide directional emitted light toward a first view zone and a second backlight region including a broad-angle emitter to provide broad-angle emitted light toward the first and a second view zone in a first mode. The dual-mode display includes a second backlight to provide broad-angle light toward both the first view zone and the second view zone in a second mode.

Abstract: A multiview backlight and a multiview display employ a microstructured multibeam element to emit a plurality of directional light beams having principal angular directions corresponding to view directions of the multiview display. The multiview backlight includes a light guide and the microstructured multibeam element adjacent and external to a surface of the light guide. The microstructured multibeam element has an input aperture configured to receive a portion of guided light from the light guide and an output aperture configured to emit the plurality of directional light beams. The microstructured multibeam element comprises a microstructure having an interior surface configured to reflect the received guided light portion to provide the plurality of directional light beams at the output aperture. The multiview display includes the multiview backlight and an array of multiview pixels configured to provide different views of the multiview display.

Abstract: Vehicle monitoring employs three-dimensional (3D) information in a region adjacent to a vehicle to visually highlight objects that are closer to the vehicle than a threshold distance. A vehicle monitoring system includes a 3D scanner to scan the region adjacent to the vehicle and provide a 3D model including a spatial configuration of objects located within the scanned region. The vehicle monitoring system further includes a 3D electronic display to display a portion of the scanned region using the 3D model and to visually highlight an object within the displayed portion that is located less than the threshold distance from the vehicle.

Abstract: A mode-switchable backlight and privacy display provide narrow-angle emitted light during a first mode and broad-angle emitted light in a second mode, the broad-angle emitted light being a combination of the narrow-angle emitted light and bidirectional emitted light. The mode-switchable backlight includes a first directional backlight and a second directional backlight. The first directional backlight includes an array of narrow-angle emitters configured to provide the narrow-angle emitted light during both of the first mode and second mode, while the second directional backlight includes an array of bidirectional emitters configured to provide the bidirectional emitted light exclusively during the second mode. The mode-switchable privacy display includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the narrow-angle emitted light during the first mode and to modulate broad-angle emitted light during the second mode.

Abstract: A mode-switchable backlight and mode-switchable privacy display provide narrow-angle emitted light during a first mode and broad-angle emitted light in a second mode, the broad-angle emitted light being a combination of the narrow-angle emitted light and bidirectional emitted light. The mode-switchable backlight includes a first directional backlight and a second directional backlight. The first directional backlight is configured to provide the narrow-angle emitted light during both of the first mode and second mode, while the second directional backlight is configured to provide the bidirectional emitted light exclusively during the second mode. The mode-switchable privacy display includes an array of light valves configured to modulate the narrow-angle emitted light as a private displayed image during the first or privacy mode and to modulate broad-angle emitted light as a public displayed image during the second or public mode.

Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) electronic displays provide different 3D views and employ one or both of an array of multibeam diffraction gratings arranged in offset rows and light valves having color filters. The displays include a plate light guide configured to guide light beams at a non-zero propagation angle, a multibeam diffraction grating configured to couple out a portion of the guided light beams as a plurality of light beams having different principal angular directions representing the different 3D views, and light valves configured to modulate the differently directed, coupled-out light beams. The multibeam diffraction grating may be a member of the array arranged in offset rows and the display may further include light valves having color filters. Alternately, the light valves include color filters and the display may further include the array of multibeam diffraction gratings arranged in offset rows.

Abstract: A multiview display includes an array of light valves having rows of a repeating plurality of color sub-pixels and arranged as a plurality of multiview pixels configured to modulate directional light beams as color pixels of views of a multiview image. A first row of the repeating plurality of color sub-pixels is offset from a second row of the repeating plurality of color sub-pixels in a row direction by an integer multiple of a width of a color sub-pixel. The offset of the first and second rows is configured to provide corresponding color sub-pixels in adjacent multiview pixels having different colors to mitigate color fringing associated with the color pixel of the multiview image. The multiview display further includes a light control film configured to control a view angle of the multiview image.

Abstract: A horizontal parallax multiview display employs a plurality of slanted multibeam columns to scatter out of a light guide a plurality of directional light beams having principal angular directions corresponding to different view directions of the horizontal parallax multiview display. The plurality of directional light beams is modulated using an array of light valves to provide a multiview image having horizontal parallax. Further, the horizontal parallax multiview display employs a light control film having a slanted light control axis aligned with slanted multibeam columns of the slanted multibeam column plurality. The light control film is configured to control a view angle of the multiview image in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal parallax. The slanted multibeam columns may provide the multiview displays with a balanced resolution.

Abstract: A multiview backlight and mode-switchable backlight employ a planar backlight to emit scattered light and light-blocking layer having a plurality of apertures to provide a plurality of directional light beams from the scattered light. The mode-switchable backlight further includes another planar backlight configured to provide diffuse light in a two-dimensional (2D) operational mode, the plurality of directional light beams being provided in a three-dimensional (3D) mode. A 2D/3D mode-switchable display includes the mode-switchable backlight and a light valve array. A method of backlight operation includes directing scattered light from a planar backlight toward a light-blocking layer having a plurality of apertures and providing a plurality of directional light beams using an aperture of the aperture plurality.

Abstract: A multi-directional backlight and a multi-user multiview display provide emitted light and associated multiview images having different mutually exclusive angular ranges and different user-specific view zones. The multi-directional backlight includes first and second multiview backlights, each of which includes multibeam elements configured to provide emitted light having directional light beams with directions corresponding to view directions of a respective multiview images. The emitted light provided by the first multiview backlight has a first angular range that is mutually exclusive of a second angular range of emitted light provided by the second multiview backlight, at respective first and second convergence distances. The multi-user multiview display includes a first multiview display configured to provide a first multiview image to a first user in a first view zone and a second multiview display configured to provide a second multiview image to a second user in a second view zone.

Abstract: A unilateral backlight and a unilateral multiview display employ an array of unilateral diffractive elements configured to provide directional light beams having a unilateral direction. A unilateral diffractive element of the unilateral diffractive element array comprises a slanted diffraction grating configured to provide a directional light beam by diffractive scattering of light guided in a light guide. The unilateral multiview display further includes light valves configured to modulate a plurality of directional light beams as multiview image having the unilateral direction.

Abstract: Multiview backlighting employs a fluorescent multibeam element having a color-tailored emission pattern to provide directional light beams corresponding to a plurality of different views of a multiview image. A multiview backlight includes a light guide configured to guide light as guided light and a fluorescent multibeam element. The fluorescent multibeam element includes a fluorescent material and is configured to provide emitted light having a color-tailor emission pattern from the guided light. The emitted light includes a plurality of directional light beams having different principal angular directions corresponding to respective different view directions of a multiview display and the color-tailored emission pattern corresponds to an arrangement of color sub-pixels of a view pixel in the multiview display.