Abstract: An electro-optic display cell and method of making the same is disclosed herein. The display cell has an arrangement of display electrodes in contact with a liquid within a sealed enclosure. The enclosure comprises an impervious transparent cover and a rigid structural wall member. A seal between the cover and wall member and an elastomeric plug extending between the exterior and interior complete the enclosure. The cell is filled by injecting the liquid into the presealed enclosure by perforating the plug with hollow needles also employed to remove entrapped gas. Upon withdrawal of the needles the perforations collapse to self-seal the enclosure but for added integrity the plug is also mechanically clamped. The seal and plug can be formed as an integral elastomeric moulding around a frame member forming the side wall of the enclosure and the frame member clamped between the cover and a separate base.

Abstract: A layer of liquid crystal is present between two supporting plates with a large number of picture electrodes arranged in rows and columns on at least one of the supporting plates. Strip-shaped row electrodes and strip-shaped column electrodes are provided between the respective rows and columns of the picture electrodes. The picture electrodes arranged in rows can be contacted with a respective row electrode by way of at least one micromechanical leaf spring which provides the liquid crystal with a sufficiently steep threshold with respect to the applied voltage, and provides the liquid crystal with a memory when the picture electrodes form picture elements of a display device. Because of this arrangement, the number of lines to be driven of the display device can be extended.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprises two sheets of plastic film, two transparent electrodes respectively formed on one sides of the sheets and opposed to each other with spacer powder therebetween, and liquid crystal material sealed-in between the electrodes. The spacer powder is coated with a hot melt adhesive, such as vinyl acetate adhesive or polyethylene adhesive, by adding an antiflocculating agent, such as polyethylene wax, and spacer powder, such as aluminum oxide, to suspension of the hot melt adhesive, and then drying the suspension. The resultant powder is fixed to the sheets by the adhesive.

Abstract: A liquid crystal color display device for displaying a color image represented by an applied image signal, including a liquid crystal cell, one or two polarizers, and a fluorescent light-emitting means. The liquid crystal cell and one polarizer disposed on one side thereof, or the liquid crystal cell and the two polarizers sandwiching the same, jointly constitute a switching element responsive to the image signal applied to the liquid crystal cell for passing electromagnetic radiation in a pattern representing the image given by the image signal. The fluorescent light-emitting means has a fluorescent layer and a lamp for generating electromagnetic radition, and may additionally include a color filter. The fluorescent layer is responsive to the electromagnetic radiation from the lamp for emitting chromatic fluorescent light. Where the fluorescent light-emitting means has the color filter, the fluorescent light passes through the color filter to display the image.

Abstract: A plurality of thin flexible sheet ribs are secured to thin flexible sheet stringer members to form a distortable frame structure. One edge of the ribs lie in a curved surface such as a parabolic cylindrical surface. A thin sheet of boron-silicate glass, preferably formed with a second surface mirror, is annealed and then bent at room temperature to abut the edges of the ribs lying in the curved surface and is retained in place by ribs at opposite edges of the sheet. The inherent strength of the glass under stress, when bent, provides structural rigidity to the combined elements.

Abstract: A drive apparatus for a liquid crystal dazzlement preventing mirror arrangement for automatically setting a liquid crystal panel of the mirror arrangment to a dazzlement preventing state by detecting illuminance on the mirror surface and brightness in region near the mirror. An incident light detecting unit detects incident light onto the mirror. An ambient light detecting unit detects brightness in a region around mirror. A control unit receives both the incident light and the ambient light signals and produces a control signal for driving the liquid crystal panel through a drive unit.

Abstract: An improved liquid crystal display includes, in sequence from the viewing surface to the medial plane of the display, a substantially transparent polymeric layer, a polarizing layer, a protective layer, a transparent electrode layer, an alignment layer, and a layer of liquid crystal material. The use of a polymeric layer with a polarizing layer intermediate the polymeric layer and the liquid crystal material results in a relatively lower cost display in which the optical anisotropy of the polymeric material does not adversely affect the operation of the liquid crystal display.

Abstract: A switchable color filter (10) develops with the use of a single electro-optic switching device positioned between first and second polarizing filter means (14 and 16) an output of three desaturated colors that define an area (54) in color space. The switching device comprises a variable optical retarding means (12) that includes a variable optical retarder (18) and a quarter-wave plate (20). The first and second filter means pass light rays of three primary colors. The variable optical retarding means selectively provides zero, quarter-wave, and half-wave retardation of light rays passing through it to develop the three output colors. The quarter-wave plate is positioned such that it forms a circular analyzer for one of the three primary colors when the variable optical retarder provides quarter-wave retardation. Each of the three output colors is a mixture of at least two of the primary colors.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a color filter comprises a liquid crystal shutter device, at least one color filter layer formed on one surface of the liquid crystal shutter device, and at least one diffusion preventing layer for protecting the color filter layer. The color filter layer is prepared by a photolithographic process comprising the steps of forming a layer being colored of gelatin and the like on one surface of the liquid crystal shutter device, coating a photoresist layer thereon, while illuminating the liquid crystal shutter device by white light from the other surface thereof, applying a voltage to the selected opposed surface thereof, applying a voltage to the selected opposed electrode groups to form a latent image in alignment with the electrode groups by a photochemical action, developing the latent image to form a photomask, and while using this mask as a guide, coloring the layer being colored.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a dazzle-free reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free condition in accordance with an intensity of a rear light detected by said rear light sensor when a light switch is turned on. The control apparatus is further provided with a winker manipulation detecting switch, a reverse position detecting switch and a steering wheel detecting switch for detecting a change in the moving direction of the vehicle. When one of them detects the change in the vehicle moving direction, the dazzle-free operation of the reflection mirror is disabled even if intensive light is incident to the reflection mirror from the rear of the vehicle.

Abstract: A liquid crystal type dazzle-free reflection mirror has a scattering type liquid crystal cell such as DSM liquid crystal switching the orientation of the liquid crystal molecular axis thereof between a random orientation and a regular orientation depending on an electric field applied thereto. At least one coloring filter cell such as guest-host liquid crystal provided at a front side of the scattering type liquid crystal cell to which light is incident and switching, depending on an electric field applied thereto, between two light transmitting states in which white light is transmitted and specific color light is transmitted more, respectively. A reflection mirror layer reflecting the light transmitted through the scattering type liquid crystal cell and the coloring filter cell is provided behind the scattering type liquid crystal cell so that a reflection image may be provided on the mirror surface.

Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device including a plurality of optical shutters is provided. The optical device includes a first glass substrate having N common electrodes disposed thereon and a second glass substrate having N signal electrodes disposed thereon, the glass substrates spaced apart and opposed to each other so that the electrodes are crossed. A liquid crystal material including a nematic liquid crystal having dielectric anisotropy which becomes 0 at a crossing frequency (fC) of 100 KHz or below at atmospheric temperatures including a optically active material encapsulated between the glass substrates. Polarizing plates are disposed on the outside of the liquid crystal panel and the device is driven in a N time-sharing mode by applying the driving signals to the common electrode and the signal electrodes. The optical device is particularly well suited for use in an optical printer in view of the rapid response times.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor, an exterior light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free condition when it is detected by the sensors that an intensive rear light is incident from the rear of the vehicle and the exterior of the vehicle is dark. The control apparatus is further provided with a delay circuit which delays driving the reflection mirror into the dazzle-free condition for a predetermined interval of time after the exterior light sensor detects that the exterior of the vehicle is dark. The exterior light sensor may be a switching circuit which switches on and off front light bulbs of the vehicle. The control apparatus is still further provided with a delay circuit which keeps the dazzle-free condition for a predetermined interval of time even after the rear light sensor detects that the rear of the vehicle is dark.

Abstract: In a vehicle having an interior room mirror and a pair of exterior right and left side mirrors, a single photo sensor is provided for detecting an intensity of light incident from the rear of the vehicle. A driving circuit drives both the room mirror and the side mirrors into a dazzle-free condition in common when the photo diode detects the intensive rear light. Alternatively two photo sensors are provided for detecting not only the intensity of the rear light but also direction of the rear light and both the room mirror and one of the right and left side mirrors are driven into the dazzle-free condition in accordance with both the intensity and direction of the rear light.

Abstract: A thermal image is created in a thermostatically controlled liquid crystal cell (4) containing a two-frequency nematic or cholesteric (3). This is addressed with an alternating potential whose frequency can be swept through the cross-over frequency. By appropriate choice of frequency within this range the thermal image is converted to a phase image which in its turn is converted to a contrast image in conventional manner.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a dazzle-free reflection mirror of a vehicle is disclosed. The control apparatus is provided with a rear light sensor and a circuit for driving the reflection mirror into a dazzle-free operation in accordance with the intensity of the rear light detected by the rear light sensor when a light switch is turned on. The control apparatus is further provided with a mirror adjusting device for adjusting the reflection angle of the reflection mirror and a detecting circuit for detecting the adjusting operation of the mirror adjusting device. When the detecting circuit detects the adjusting operation, the dazzle-free operation of the reflection mirror is disabled even if intensive light is incident to the reflection mirror from the rear of the vehicle.

Abstract: A memory display device using a chiral C or H smectic liquid crystal, comprising a liquid crystal cell in which optically discernible textures are induced by means of DC electric fields of appropriate signs, these textures being maintained under the effect of AC electric fields.

Abstract: A flat panel liquid crystal display for use in providing single or multi-color display images. The display comprises one or more ultraviolet light sources, a light pipe assembly which includes a plurality of liquid crystal cells that may be addressed via an array of transparent row and column electrodes, and a viewing screen having a plurality of phosphor elements that are located in close proximity and in registry with respective liquid crystal cells. Those phosphor elements and only those phosphor elements that are associated with liquid crystal cells that are in their scattering states are illuminated to form the image to be displayed.

Abstract: A non-glaring type reflector employing a liquid crystal layer which is composed of a liquid crystal matrix and dichroic coloring matter, which provides a dynamic scattering effect or phase transition effect by applying an electric field. Except on the non-glaring operation, the molecular orientation of the liquid crystal matrix and dichroic coloring matter is uniform to cause a transparent state. On the non-glaring operation, however, the molecular orientation is random, thereby scattering the incident light by the liquid crystal matrix. The scattered light is then absorbed by a dichroic coloring matter to result in a decreased reflectance. The reflectance is controlled by applying a voltage into a liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises two supporting plates which are kept spaced apart and the facing surfaces of which comprise a pattern of line electrodes and column electrodes, respectively, which form a matrix of display cells. A mixture of a nematic liquid crystal with a cholesteric addition is present between the supporting plates. The mixture has a positive dielectric anisotropy and a natural pitch p such that the ratio d/p has a value between 0.6 and 0.9. The surfaces comprise an orientation layer to provide a progressive molecular twist .PHI. of the liquid crystal molecules (director) across the layer thickness d of greater than 1.2.pi. and less than 1.7.pi. radians with the director assuming an angle of tilt between 0.degree. and 7.degree. at one surface and an angle of tilt between 5.degree. and 70.degree. at the other surface. Below a field strength E.sub.1 the display cells are in a first stable state and above a field strength E.sub.