Abstract: A liquid crystal color device (10) includes at least one pel (14) for affecting light (36) incident thereon to produce output light (38), the pel includes three complementary color subsets (30, 32, 34), each having controllable color filtering capability in the respective complementary colors thereof. The color subsets are arranged in optical additive relation, and the color subsets include complementary color parts (30a, 30b, 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b) which are arranged, respectively, in optical serial/subtractive relation. The color filtering function is carried out using liquid crystal materials with respective pleochroic dyes. A method of parametric color control of a liquid crystal device, formed of plural picture elements, each picture element including plural pairs of complementary color filters, comprising directing light to or through an array of such electrically controllable pairs of complementary color filters, and controlling the filtering characteristics of at least one of such filters.

Abstract: A liquid crystal color display provides a transmitted light output that is of one or more colors, black and/or white, as a function of the color of the incident light input and controlled energization or not of respective optically serially positioned liquid crystal color layers and/or multicolor composite liquid crystal color layer(s) in the display. Each liquid crystal layer may include plural volumes of operationally nematic liquid crystal material in a containment medium that tends to distort the natural liquid crystal structure in the absence of a prescribed input. Each layer includes a dye mixed with the liquid crystal material so as to have a particular coloring effect on light incident thereon. By selectively energizing or not respective portions of respective liquid crystal color layers, a multi-color light output can be produced. Such light output may be employed in a liquid crystal display that produces stationary or moving images.