Abstract: Provided are a brightness enhancement film including a ?/4 plate, and a reflection polarizer, in which the reflection polarizer includes at least two light reflection layers formed by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, one light reflection layer of the reflection layers is a layer formed of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and the other light reflection layer is a layer formed of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing a disk-like liquid crystal compound, and an optical sheet member including the brightness enhancement film, and a liquid crystal display device including the optical sheet member. The brightness enhancement film of the present invention has high brightness and is able to suppress an oblique change in the shade at the time of being incorporated in a liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: To provide a mirror with an image display function which is capable of displaying a brighter image and has excellent view angle characteristics. A mirror with an image display function includes an image display device, a ¼ wavelength plate, and a circular polarization reflection layer in this order, the circular polarization reflection layer includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer of which a central wavelength of a selective reflection band is positioned in a visible light region, and at least one of the ¼ wavelength plate or the circular polarization reflection layer includes a layer formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a disk-like liquid crystal compound.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device having excellent color reproducibility. A liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device including a non-white light source, a rear polarizer, a liquid crystal layer, and a front-side polarizer in this order, in which a light conversion layer that converts a wavelength of light transmitted through the front-side polarizer is provided on a viewer side of the front-side polarizer.

Abstract: According to the present invention, provided is a system for irradiating a target object selectively with specific circularly polarized light, comprising a polarization-state control member that controls the polarization state of light to thereby generate circularly polarized light; and a circularly polarized light-reflecting member, wherein the circularly polarized light-reflecting member is disposed at a position on which the circularly polarized light emitted from the polarization-state control member can be incident; the circularly polarized light-reflecting member generates reflected light that selectively comprises circularly polarized light of the same sense as the incident circularly polarized light from the polarization-state control member; and the circularly polarized light-reflecting member is disposed such that the target object can be irradiated with at least a part of the reflected light.

Abstract: According to the invention, there are provided a vehicle minor with an image display function including: an image display device; and a half mirror, in which the half minor includes a reflection layer, and the reflection layer is inclined with respect to a surface of an image display portion of the image display device, and a method of manufacturing a vehicle mirror with an image display function including: positioning a half minor including a reflection layer on a surface of an image display portion of an image display device such that the half mirror is inclined with respect to the surface of the image display portion. In a vehicle minor with an image display function according to the invention, image visibility is hardly reduced by outside light.

Abstract: A vehicle mirror with an image display function includes a half mirror which includes a high-Re retardation film and a reflection layer and an image display device on the half mirror, in which the high-Re retardation film, the reflection layer, and the image display device are disposed in this order, the high-Re retardation film has a front phase difference of 5000 nm or greater, and the reflection layer is a linear polarization reflection layer or a circular polarization reflection layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a member for projection image display, including a reflection layer and a retardation layer, wherein the reflection layer includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer exhibiting selective reflection in a visible light region, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer is a layer formed from a liquid crystal composition containing a discotic liquid crystal compound, and a front phase difference of the retardation layer is in a range of 50 nm to 400 nm; and a projection image display system which includes the above member for projection image display, wherein the retardation layer is disposed on an incident light side relative to the reflection layer, and the incident light is p-polarized light that vibrates in a direction parallel to a plane of incidence, which is capable of displaying a clear image having high reflectance and high transmittance, without a problem of a double image.

Abstract: The present invention provides an illuminating device that makes it possible to reduce the number of members for regulating a polarization state and can irradiate light having natural color shades without decreasing energy efficiency of light irradiation, and a plant growth regulation method using the illuminating device. The illuminating device of the present invention includes a light-emitting light source and a polarization state regulation member that regulates a polarization state of the light-emitting light source, in which the polarization state of a wavelength region of a portion of emission wavelengths is changed to circular polarization, and a degree of circular polarization of light in a wavelength band for regulation among the light rays to be irradiated is 0.3 or higher. In a preferable embodiment, a width of at least one wavelength band for regulation of the polarization state regulation member is from 60 nm to 250 nm.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical member including a reflection layer and an information presentation layer, the reflection layer comprising one or more circularly-polarized light reflection layers selected from the group consisting of a right circularly-polarized light reflection layer and a left circularly-polarized light reflection layer, the circularly-polarized light reflection layer consisting of a layer obtained by fixing a cholesteric liquid-crystalline phase, the reflection layer having a reflection wavelength at which a specular reflectance for non-polarized light is more than 20% in a wavelength region in which the circularly-polarized light reflection layer exhibits selective reflection, a diffuse reflectance for non-polarized light at the reflection wavelength less than 50%, the reflection wavelength being in an infrared wavelength region, and the information presentation layer having a pattern of a material that absorbs or reflects light of the reflection wavelength.

Abstract: A sensing method includes sensing the target object by sensing light that is derived from emitted light and has passed the target object, in which the emitted light is circularly polarized light, sensed light is circularly polarized light, and light derived from the emitted light is incident to the target object at an angle greater than 20° and equal to or smaller than 70° that is formed with a normal line of the target object.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reflection film, comprising a right circularly-polarized light reflection layer and a left circularly-polarized light reflection layer as circularly-polarized light reflection layers, each of the circularly-polarized light reflection layers consisting of a layer obtained by fixing a cholesteric liquid-crystalline phase, having a reflection wavelength at which a diffuse reflectance for non-polarized light becomes 50% or more in a wavelength region in which each of the circularly-polarized light reflection layers exhibits selective reflection, the reflection wavelength being in an infrared wavelength region, and the reflection film exhibiting a direct transmittance of non-polarized visible light of 50% or more and a haze value of 5% or less; and an optical member including the reflection film, which can be used as a handwriting input sheet. The optical member can be used by being stuck to the surface of a display.

Abstract: The present invention provides a circular polarization illumination device which can irradiate right-circularly polarized light at a large light amount from a light source of right-circularly polarized light with a high efficiency and can irradiate left-circularly polarized light at a large light amount from a light source of left-circularly polarized light with a high efficiency, and a plant growth regulation method that can efficiently regulate the promotion or inhibition of the growth of plants by using the circular polarization illumination device. Moreover, the illumination device includes a light-emitting light source, a reflective polarizing plate, reirradiation unit, and circular polarization conversion unit.

Abstract: According to the invention, provided are a windshield glass including: a projected image display portion on which a projected image is displayed with projected light; and a second glass plate, an intermediate layer, and a first glass plate provided in this order from an incidence side of the projected light, in which the intermediate layer has a wedge-shaped cross section, the projected image display portion at least includes a half-mirror film, and the half-mirror film includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and a head-up display system including the windshield glass. According to the windshield glass of the invention, it is possible to perform a display of a projected image having high brightness, in which generation of a double image is reduced.

Abstract: According to the invention, provided are a combiner including: a projected image display portion on which a projected image is displayed with projected light; and a base material; in which the projected image display portion at least includes a half-mirror film, the half-mirror film and the base material are provided in this order from an incidence side of the projected light, the half-mirror film includes two or more cholesteric liquid crystal layers, center wavelengths of selective reflection of the two or more cholesteric liquid crystal layers are different from each other, and the cholesteric liquid crystal layer closest to the incidence side of the projected light has the longest center wavelength of selective reflection, and a head-up display system including a projected image display member. The combiner makes it possible to display a projected image having high brightness, in which the generation of a double image is reduced.

Abstract: The present invention provides a luminance-enhancing film including a ?/4 plate, and a reflection polarizer, including a first light reflection layer, a second light reflection layer, and a third light reflection layer from the ?/4 plate side sequentially, the light reflection layers being light reflection layers formed by fixing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, and including blue, green and red light reflection layers, and Rth(550) of the first light reflection layer and Rth(550) of the second light reflection layer having inverse signs; and a luminance-enhancing film including a ?/4 plate and a reflection polarizer including at least a light reflection layer formed of a rod-like cholesteric liquid crystal material and a light reflection layer formed of a disk-like cholesteric liquid crystal material. The luminance-enhancing film has high luminance and is able to suppress an oblique change in the color.

Abstract: The present invention provides an illumination apparatus for plant cultivation, including a unit configured to change light in any wavelength region of 300 nm or higher and 600 nm or lower (wavelengths of 452 nm to 474 nm, for example) to light in the wavelength region having dominantly a right-circularly polarized light component. The illumination apparatus of the present invention enables irradiation with light that is capable of giving a specific effect in plant cultivation.

Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided a vehicle minor with an image display function including, in this order: an image display device; a circular polarization reflection layer; and a front surface plate made of glass or plastic, in which the circular polarization reflection layer includes a linear polarization reflection plate and a ¼ wavelength plate from the image display device side. The vehicle mirror with an image display function of the invention is capable of displaying a bright image.

Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided a mirror with an image display function including, in this order: an image display device; a circular polarization reflection layer; and a front surface plate made of glass or plastic, in which the circular polarization reflection layer includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, the cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a central wavelength of selective reflection in a visible light region, and the central wavelength is different from an emission peak wavelength of the image display device by 5 nm or greater. The mirror with an image display function of the invention is capable of displaying a bright image.

Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided a mirror with an image display function including, in this order: an image display device; a ¼ wavelength plate; a circular polarization reflection layer; and a front surface plate made of glass or plastic, in which the circular polarization reflection layer includes a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and the cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a central wavelength of selective reflection in a visible light region. The mirror with an image display function of the invention is capable of displaying a bright image.

Abstract: Provided are a circular polarization filter including a circularly-polarized light separating layer (preferably, a layer having a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase fixed therein or a laminate including a reflective linear polarizer and a ?/4 phase difference layer), in which the circularly-polarized light separating layer selectively transmits either right-handed circularly polarized light or left-handed circularly polarized light in a specific wavelength region, a transparent medium which is transparent with respect to light in the specific wavelength region is provided at least on one surface side of the circularly-polarized light separating layer, and the transparent medium has an inclined surface which forms an angle of 1° to 30° relative to the surface on the transparent medium side of the circularly-polarized light separating layer, and sensor system using the circular polarization filter.