Eyewear display - Part 202-40: General information of AR type - Frontal stray lights

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 provides general information for frontal stray light from optical see-through augmented reality (AR) displays and offers guidance on how to evaluate it. It includes overview of the technology, categorization of the phenomenon, and optical characteristics.

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
11-Feb-2026
Technical Committee
TC 110 - Electronic displays
Drafting Committee
WG 12 - TC 110/WG 12
Current Stage
PPUB - Publication issued
Start Date
12-Feb-2026
Completion Date
20-Feb-2026

Overview

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 is a technical report published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that addresses the phenomenon of frontal stray light in optical see-through (OST) augmented reality (AR) eyewear displays. The document provides general information about sources, categorization, and optical characteristics of frontal stray light, as well as guidance for its evaluation. Frontal stray light can affect both the user’s and bystanders’ experience by impacting social acceptance and privacy. This report serves as a valuable resource for AR eyewear designers, manufacturers, and evaluators who aim to improve device usability and acceptance.

Key Topics

  • Optical See-Through (OST) Combiner Technologies:
    The standard introduces several OST combiner technologies commonly used in AR eyewear:

    • Half-tone combiners
    • Polarization combiners
    • Wavelength-selective combiners (including DOEs and HOEs)
    • Spatial half-tone combiners
  • Definition of Frontal Stray Light:
    Frontal stray light refers to unwanted light emission or reflection from the AR device that is directed towards its front and can be seen by others. It does not typically impact the image quality for the user, but it may raise social and privacy concerns.

  • Categorization of Frontal Stray Light:
    Five major types are identified:

    • Frontal surface reflection (from the outer surface)
    • Direct transmission (from the display engine)
    • Facial reflection (virtual image reflected from the user's face/eyes)
    • Frontal diffraction (from the optical grating structure)
    • Frontal reflection (virtual image reflected outward)
  • Evaluation and Measurement Guidance:
    The report outlines recommended methods for assessing frontal stray light, focusing on:

    • Selection of relevant stray light types for AR device evaluation
    • Use of 2D light measuring devices (LMD) to capture luminance and area of stray light
    • Simulation of typical human interaction distances and angles
    • Measurement of privacy implications via modulation transfer function (MTF) analysis
  • Mitigation Techniques:

    • Application of anti-reflection coatings
    • Mechanical angle adjustment (pantoscopic tilt, wrap angle)
    • Use of optical filtering (polarization filters, wavelength-selective coatings)

Applications

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 is essential for:

  • AR Eyewear Development:
    Helps manufacturers identify and reduce sources of frontal stray light to create AR glasses that are socially acceptable and protect user privacy.

  • Quality and Compliance Testing:
    Provides standardized procedures for evaluating frontal stray light, supporting quality assurance and regulatory compliance within the AR industry.

  • User Experience Optimization:
    Assists designers in understanding how stray light affects eye contact, visibility of the user’s eyes, and unintended image leakage, all critical for social and professional AR applications.

  • Privacy and Security Assessments:
    Offers practical methods to evaluate how much of the virtual image in AR headsets may be visible to bystanders, helping to manage potential privacy risks.

Related Standards

  • IEC 63145-1-2: Eyewear display - Part 1-2: Generic - Terminology
    Provides foundational terms and definitions for eyewear displays, referenced by IEC TR 63145-202-40.

  • IEC 62977-2-1: Electronic displays - Part 2-1: Measurements of optical characteristics – Fundamental measurements
    Describes standard methods for measuring optical performance in electronic displays.

  • IEC TR 62977-2-5: Electronic display devices - Part 2-5: Transparent displays - Measurements of optical characteristics
    Focuses on the unique measurement requirements for transparent displays, relevant to AR eyewear.

  • IEC 62715-5-1: Flexible display devices - Part 5-1: Measuring methods of optical performance
    Covers the impact of curved and flexible surfaces in display measurements.

For further resources, terminology, and updates, visit the IEC website and consult their online standards catalogue.

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Technical report

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 - Eyewear display - Part 202-40: General information of AR type - Frontal stray lights/12/2026

ISBN:978-2-8327-1016-6
Release Date:12-Feb-2026
English language (12 pages)
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Frequently Asked Questions

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 is a technical report published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Its full title is "Eyewear display - Part 202-40: General information of AR type - Frontal stray lights". This standard covers: IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 provides general information for frontal stray light from optical see-through augmented reality (AR) displays and offers guidance on how to evaluate it. It includes overview of the technology, categorization of the phenomenon, and optical characteristics.

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 provides general information for frontal stray light from optical see-through augmented reality (AR) displays and offers guidance on how to evaluate it. It includes overview of the technology, categorization of the phenomenon, and optical characteristics.

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 17.180.99 - Other standards related to optics and optical measurements; 31.120 - Electronic display devices. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

IEC TR 63145-202-40:2026 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


IEC TR 63145-202-40 ®
Edition 1.0 2026-02
TECHNICAL
REPORT
Eyewear display -
Part 202-40: General information of AR type - Frontal stray lights
ICS 17.180.99; 31.120 ISBN 978-2-8327-1016-6

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CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 2
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative reference . 4
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations . 4
3.1 Terms and definitions . 4
3.2 Abbreviations . 4
4 Optical see-through (OST) combiner technologies . 5
4.1 General . 5
4.2 Half-tone combiner . 5
4.3 Polarization combiner. 5
4.4 Wavelength-selective combiner . 6
4.5 Spatial half-tone combiner . 6
5 Frontal stray light . 6
5.1 General . 6
5.2 Categorization of frontal stray light . 6
5.2.1 General. 6
5.2.2 Frontal surface reflection . 7
5.2.3 Direct transmission . 7
5.2.4 Facial reflection . 8
5.2.5 Frontal diffraction . 8
5.2.6 Frontal reflection . 8
5.3 Techniques to reduce frontal stray light . 8
5.3.1 Anti-reflection coating . 8
5.3.2 Angle adjustment . 8
5.3.3 Optical filtering . 8
6 Considerations for evaluation methods . 8
6.1 General . 8
6.2 Environment . 9
6.3 2D LMD . 9
6.4 Social acceptance. 9
6.5 Privacy . 10
6.6 Measurement of 2D LMD on 3D surfaces . 11
Bibliography . 12

Figure 1 – Concept of optical see-through combiners . 5
Figure 2 – Schematics of the five types of frontal stray light . 7
Figure 3 – Pictures of the five types of frontal stray light . 7
Figure 4 – MTF curve of the frontal stray light . 10

Table 1 – Luminance of frontal stray light for different viewing angles . 9
Table 2 – Area of frontal stray light for different viewing angles . 10

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Eyewear display -
Part 202-40: General information of AR type - Frontal stray lights

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
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shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 63145-202-40 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 110: Electronic displays. It
is a Technical Report.
The text of this Technical Report is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
110/1793/DTR 110/1822/RVDTR
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this Technical Report is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 63145 series, published under the general title Eyewear display,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
1 Scope
This document provides general information for frontal stray light from optical see-through
augmented reality (AR) displays and offers guidance on how to evaluate it. It includes overview
of the technology, categorization of the phenomenon, and optical characteristics.
2 Normative reference
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 63145-1-2, Eyewear display - Part 1-2: Generic - Terminology
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 63145-1-2 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1.1
optical combiner
optical element that enables an optical see-through function in an augmented reality device
3.1.2
frontal stray light
unwanted light emission or reflection from the augmented reality device directed towards the
front of the device and front of user
3.1.3
rear stray light
unwanted light emission or reflection from the augmented reality device directed towards the
user but not into the eye-box
3.2 Abbreviations
AR augmented reality
DOE diffractive optical element
DUT device under test
FOV field of view
HOE holographic optical element
LCD liquid crystal display
LCOS liquid crystal on silicon
LMD light measuring device
OST optical see-through
MTF modulation transfer function
dof depth of focus (LMD)
LMD
4 Optical see-through (OST) combiner technologies
4.1 General
The optical combiner is the key element for OST AR devices. Users can see their environment
when the device is tuned off, and displays the virtual information overlaid on the real world
when the device is tuned on. To enable the optical overlay of virtual images, the optical path
from the virtual image and the real world is combined. As illustrated in Figure 1, there are
several technologies to achieve OST function by exploiting the properties of the light, including
intensity, polarization, wavelength, and imaging through an aperture.

a) Half-tone combiner b) Polarization c) Wavelength- d) Spatial half-tone
combiner selective combiner combiner

NOTE Green and red arrows show the direction of rays and blue arrows show the direction of polarization.
Figure 1 – Concept of optical see-through combiners
4.2 Half-tone combiner
The half-tone combiner uses semi-transparent and semi-reflective characteristics of thin metal
or dielectric coatings. The transmission and the reflection ratio of the incident light can be tur
...

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