Abstract: Provided is a display module in which the prevention of ambient light reflection and the protection of a mounting component may be provided in the same process using the same material, to thereby reduce the number of production steps, while preventing the display panel from increasing in size and thickness so that the cost of production may be reduced. The display module includes a display panel including a display element and a mounting component; a protective plate for protecting a display region of the display panel; and a covering material for integrally covering the display region of the display panel and the mounting component, the covering material being disposed between the display panel and the protective plate.

Abstract: Provided is a display module in which the prevention of ambient light reflection and the protection of a mounting component may be provided in the same process using the same material, to thereby reduce the number of production steps, while preventing the display panel from increasing in size and thickness so that the cost of production may be reduced. The display module includes a display panel including a display element and a mounting component; a protective plate for protecting a display region of the display panel; and a covering material for integrally covering the display region of the display panel and the mounting component, the covering material being disposed between the display panel and the protective plate.

Abstract: A chiral smectic liquid crystal device includes chiral smectic liquid crystal exhibiting a phase transition series on temperature decrease of (a) Iso, Ch and SmC* or (b) Iso and SmC*, a pair of oppositely disposed substrates which sandwich the liquid crystal to form a plurality of pixels, each substrate provided with an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal and a uniaxial alignment axis for aligning the liquid crystal, and means for providing a difference in potential between the substrates of at least 100 mV when no external electric field is applied in a temperature range of Tc±2° C. where Tc denotes a phase transition temperature from Ch to SmC* or from Iso to SmC. At least one substrate is provided with a polarizer, and each pixel is provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one substrate.

Abstract: A driving method for a liquid crystal device comprising a pair of electrodes and a liquid crystal disposed between the electrodes includes a sequence of voltage application operations each comprising application of a reset voltage to the liquid crystal for placing the liquid crystal in a reset state in a reset period and application of a data voltage to the liquid crystal for placing the liquid crystal in a desired gradational display state in a writing period subsequent to the reset period. Each reset voltage is set to provide a prescribed difference in voltage between the each reset voltage and a subsequent data voltage, thus preventing an image memory phenomenon without using an additional reset circuit for exclusively applying the reset voltage to the liquid crystal.

Abstract: At least one of a pair of substrates constituting a liquid crystal device is provided with a composite alignment film including a homeotropic alignment film region and a homogeneous alignment film region, whereby the liquid crystal in contact with the homogeneous alignment film region is surrounded by the region of liquid crystal in a hybrid or homeotropic alignment state and is stably held in a twit alignment state under no electric field which can be continuously transformed into a bend alignment state. As a result, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device capable of display by utilizing bend alignment with reduced bending voltage and voltage for holding the bend alignment.

Abstract: At least one of a pair of substrates constituting a liquid crystal device is provided with a composite alignment film including a homeotropic alignment film region and a homogeneous alignment film region, whereby the liquid crystal in contact with the homogeneous alignment film region is surrounded by the region of liquid crystal in a hybrid or homeotropic alignment state and is stably held in a twit alignment state under no electric field which can be continuously transformed into a bend alignment state. As a result, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device capable of display by utilizing bend alignment with reduced bending voltage and voltage for holding the bend alignment.

Abstract: At least one of a pair of substrates constituting a liquid crystal device is provided with a composite alignment film including a homeotropic alignment film region and a homogeneous alignment film region, whereby the liquid crystal in contact with the homogeneous alignment film region is surrounded by the region of liquid crystal in a hybrid or homeotropic alignment state and is stably held in a twit alignment state under no electric field which can be continuously transformed into a bend alignment state. As a result, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device capable of display by utilizing bend alignment with reduced bending voltage and voltage for holding the bend alignment.

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on the active elements for a conditioning on-time longer than the drive on-time for transmitting a conditioning voltage supplied thereto to associated pixels so as to stabilize a voltage-transmittance characteristic of the liquid crystal.

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including a first electrode supplied with a first voltage and a second electrode which is supplied with a second voltage within a withstand voltage of the active elements connected to the second electrode, the first and second electrodes constituting drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be turned on by periodically applying the data signal voltages to associated pixels in a succession of display frame periods is produced by a the process characterized by the step of: periodically turning on the active elements by periodically applying conditioning voltages to associated pixels in a succession of conditioning periods, preceding the display frame periods, in which the periodically applied conditioning voltages have an identical polarity over at least two consecutive conditioning periods, thereby to s

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on the active elements for a conditioning on-time for transmitting a conditioning voltage supplied thereto to associated pixels, the conditioning voltage being set to be longer than a maximum of the drive signal voltages so as to stabilize a v

Abstract: A chiral smectic liquid crystal device is constituted by a chiral smectic liquid crystal; a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal and an alignment control layer formed by oblique vapor deposition, the pair of substrates being oppositely disposed to sandwich the liquid crystal so as to form a plurality of pixels each provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one of the substrates; and a polarizer provided to at least one of the substrates. The liquid crystal has a phase transition series on temperature decrease of isotropic liquid phase (Iso), cholesteric phase (Ch) and chiral smectic C phase (Smc*) or of Iso and SmC*.

Abstract: A chiral smectic liquid crystal device includes a chiral smectic liquid crystal exhibiting a phase transition series on temperature decrease of isotropic liquid phase (Iso), cholesteric phase (Ch) and chiral smectic C phase (SmC*) or of isotropic phase (Iso) and chiral smectic C phase (SmC*), and a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal and a uniaxial alignment axis for aligning the liquid crystal. At least one of the substrates is provided with a polarizer and the pair of substrates are oppositely disposed to sandwich the liquid crystal so as to form a plurality of pixels each provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one of the substrates.

Abstract: A driving method for a liquid crystal device comprising a pair of electrodes and a liquid crystal disposed between the electrodes includes a sequence of voltage application operations each comprising application of a reset voltage to the liquid crystal for placing the liquid crystal in a reset state in a reset period and application of a data voltage to the liquid crystal for placing the liquid crystal in a desired gradational display state in a writing period subsequent to the reset period. Each reset voltage is set to provide a prescribed difference in voltage between the each reset voltage and a subsequent data voltage, thus preventing an image memory phenomenon without using an additional reset circuit for exclusively applying the reset voltage to the liquid crystal.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device comprises two substrates with nematic liquid crystal sandwiched between, wherein the direction of uniaxial orientation of the upper and lower substrates is either parallel or anti-parallel. The temperature change of the retardation value of the liquid crystal device is reduced by changing the orientation state of liquid crystal molecules so as to compensate for change in the birefringence of the liquid crystal composition due to changes in temperature. Accordingly, deterioration of contrast owing to the temperature properties of the &Dgr;n of the liquid crystal composition is reduced.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device having a good bend alignment characteristic is provided by using an alignment film having an alignment power of aligning nematic liquid crystal molecules in a bend alignment state under no voltage application and providing a retardation R (nm) of the liquid crystal device under application of a prescribed voltage relative to a refractive index anisotropy &Dgr;n of the liquid crystal and a cell thickness d (nm) of the liquid crystal device, providing a retardation factor R/&Dgr;n·d of at most 0.3. As a result, the liquid crystal device can be driven at a high speed always in a stable bend alignment state.

Abstract: An optical modulation device is constituted by a first substrate provided with a plurality of first electrodes each comprising a plurality of portions electrically independent of each other, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate and provided with a plurality of second electrodes each confronting a corresponding first electrode, and an optical modulation substance disposed between the first and second substrates so as to form a plurality of pixels each having a particular electrode structure. In the electrode structure, the optical modulation substance is sandwiched between each second electrode and said portions of said corresponding first electrode so as to form a series circuit providing a plurality of capacitance, thus reducing the capacitance for each pixel to improve a switching characteristic while minimizing a defective portion due to a short-circuit between the confronting electrodes.

Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device having a pair of substrates respectively having thereon scanning electrodes and data electrodes arranged in a matrix shape, and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates and capable of a cumulative translational movement depending on a change in an external electric field applied to the liquid crystal; and a driver for controlling a first frequency f having a variable range and representing an effective frequency of a drive data signal pulse applied to the liquid crystal so that a second frequency f.sub.0 representing an inversion frequency at which a direction of the translational movement of the liquid crystal is turned in an opposite direction is in the variable range of the first frequency f. The above driver used in the liquid crystal apparatus is effective in suppressing a cumulative translational movement of liquid crystal molecules for a long period of time.

Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus is constituted by a liquid crystal device including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates, and means for applying an asymmetrical drive signal waveform to the liquid crystal. The liquid crystal is capable of having at least two stable states S1 and S2 and capable of causing a cumulative translational movement depending on a change in an external electric field applied to the liquid crystal. To the liquid crystal, an asymmetrical drive signal waveform having an effective frequency range is applied by the above application means so as to provide an absolute value of a difference between an inversion frequency f.sub.01 where a direction of the movement of said liquid crystal is turned in an opposite direction in the state S1 and an inversion frequency f.sub.

Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel and drive means for driving the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of oppositely disposed substrates each having an electrode thereon, an alignment film disposed over the electrode on at least one of the substrates, and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates; the liquid crystal being composed of a plurality of liquid crystal layers each composed of a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The drive means is suitable for applying to the liquid crystal an electric field insufficient to cause a switching of the liquid crystal but sufficient to cause a reversible change of the liquid crystal layers into a bookshelf structure. As a result, the liquid crystal panel can be provided with a good switching characteristic while effectively suppressing deleterious liquid crystal molecular movement.