Abstract: By using a ferroelectric liquid crystal light valve having a hydrogenated amorphous silicon photoconductive layer, a spatial light modulator may be driven by a method comprising the sequential application of successive pulse voltages of selective amplitude, polarity and duration to cause the spatial light modulator to manifest a second threshold level suitable for application of the device in Boolean processing applications and Fourier image processing.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display device is comprised of a matrix panel 1, a common driver 2 and a segment driver 3. A liquid crystal layer is interposed between rows of the scanning electrodes 4 and columns of signal electrodes 5. A frame memory 6 stores an inputted dot data each frame. An orthonormal signal generator 7 generates a set of orthonormal signals to sequentially feed the same in a desired combination pattern to the common driver 2 to concurrently drive a multiple of the scanning electrodes 4 to effect group sequential scanning according to the combination pattern. A dot product computation unit 8 executes dot product computation between a set of the dot data and the set of the orthonormal signals, the result of which is fed to the segment driver 3 to drive the columns of the signal electrodes 5. The group sequential scanning is repeated several times within one cycle to display a picture. The orthonormal signals are horizontally or vertically shifted to improve the quality of the displayed picture.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method and a apparatus for optical pattern recognition capable of accurately comparing and identifying a reference image accurately at a real-time even when the input image rotates or its size changes by being compared with a reference image that is a desirous target. The method and apparatus comprise the processes of; steps (6, 11) for independently obtaining a lower-frequency component and a higher-frequency component from a joint Fourier transform image 5 of the reference image 4 and the input image 3; steps (10, 15) for calculating correlation coefficients respectively from the lower-frequency component and the higher-frequency component; step (16) for obtaining a ratio of the respective correlation coefficients; and step (19) for identifying and comparing a correlation coefficient ratio of the two same reference images to be required with a correlation coefficient ratio obtained from step (16).

Abstract: In order to prevent signal distortion using a multiple line selection driving technique when using pulse width modulation to achieve a half-tone display in a liquid crystal display panel, respective bits of column signals are arranged in a descending pulse width order and a voltage generating circuit is used to lower level differences in adjacent bits. An orthonormal function generating circuit generates a plurality of row signals to drive a group of row electrodes through a vertical driver. A dot product computation circuit computes a dot product of the orthonormal functions and pixel display data to generate a column signal in the above manner. A horizontal driver applies the column signal to a group of column electrodes. Pixel data is stored in a frame memory, each datum being represented by a series of bits corresponding to a gray scale. The dot product computation circuit divides the pixel data into the respective bits, and individually carries out the dot product computation for each bit.

Abstract: An edge image extraction light modulator forms an edge portion image corresponding to a boundary between two optically equalized portions of a liquid crystal layer. Each portion has a different bistable state and an edge portion optically distinct from the two optically equalized portions. An optical image is written onto the light valve while applying a voltage between two transparent electrode layers of the light valve to effect switching between a first stable optical axis and a second stable optical axis. The light valve is illuminated and the edge portion of the written image is read. A first and a second polarizer are in crossed-Nicols position so that the two optically equalized portions comprise a portion having the written image except for the edge portion thereof and a non-written portion. The edge portion is not optically equal to the two optically equal portions and can thus be detected.

Abstract: A liquid crystal light valve cell has two optically different states switchable therebetween by bias voltage in response to incident light. A ferroelectric liquid crystal layer is sandwiched by a pair of front and rear alignment layers to establish the two bistable states in the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer. A front electrode layer is disposed on the front alignment layer. An optically reflecting layer is disposed on the rear alignment layer. A photo-conductive layer is disposed on the reflecting layer and responsive to the incident light incident from the rear face of cell to increase its electroconductivity.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with point/output characteristics of a light input image having density gradation using a light writing type light valve comprising a combination of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon photoconductor and a ferroelectric liquid crystal. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of expressing continuous gradation using a light writing type ferroelectric liquid crystal light valve that has been difficult to realize. The expression of continuous gradation is made possible by superposing a DC bias voltage of from 0.1 V to 10 V on a rectangular-wave voltage or a bipolar pulse voltage that has theretofore been used as a driving voltage in order to strongly couple together the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric liquid crystal and the polarity of the DC voltage, and by eliminating the bistability exhibited by the ferroelectric liquid crystal while developing a monostable condition.

Abstract: A holographic apparatus has an inferometer for concurrently irradiating an image recording medium by a writing reference light of spherical or plane wave form and a signal light containing image information which interfere with each other to form a hologram, and means for irradiating the hologram by a reading reference light in the opposite direction of the reference light to thereby reconstruct the image information. The image recording medium is comprised of a photoconductive layer, an optical reflective layer, a pair of liquid crystal alignment layers, a ferroelectric liquid crystal layer having bistable memory characteristic between its optical reflectivity and an applied voltage, means for applying the voltage and a pair of transparent substrates.

Abstract: A liquid crystal light valve cell has two optically different states switchable therebetween by a bias voltage in response to incident light. A ferroelectric liquid crystal layer is sandwiched by a pair of front and rear alignment layers to establish the two bistable states in the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer. A front electrode layer is disposed on the front alignment layer. An optically reflecting layer is disposed on the rear alignment layer. A photo-conductive layer is disposed on the reflecting layer and responsive to the incident light incident from the rear face of cell to increase its electroconductivity.