Abstract: A request response processing unit calculates, based on observation information about the agent, at least one other agent near the agent, and the task, a request parameter as to whether or not to request help, and a response parameter as to whether or not to respond to a request from the at least one other agent. An importance processing unit performs processing for calculating, based on at least the request parameter of the at least one other agent and the response parameter of the agent, importance of each of the tasks for the agent. A task selection unit selects the task to be performed by the agent according to the importance. A task execution unit controls the agent so that it performs the selected task.

Abstract: A red color filter (13R) includes a first absorbent having an absorption wavelength region in most of a low wavelength region other than the wavelength region of red light (R) emitted by fluorescence and a second absorbent having an absorption wavelength region overlapping with the wavelength region of blue light (B) included in the rest of the wavelength region other than most of the low wavelength region.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display apparatus 100 that includes a pair of substrates and a vertical alignment liquid crystal layer 14, one substrate 1 has a plurality of protrusions 24 substantially in a columnar shape on a surface in contact with the liquid crystal layer 14. The contour of the upper surface of each protrusion 24 on a surface parallel to the substrate 1 includes a linear portion extending in a substabtially straight line along a direction X. The shape of the contour of the upper surface of the protrusion 24 has line symmetry with respect to an axis along a direction Y, does not have line symmetry with respect to an axis along the direction X, and does not have a rotational symmetry axis in the direction normal to the substrate. The ratio WY/L of the length WY of the upper surface of each protrusion 24 in the direction Y to the length L of the linear portion is at least 1.6 but no more than 2.5.

Abstract: A planar illumination device is provided that enhances the efficiency of use of light and its brightness while suppressing uneven brightness, that reduces an increase in the manufacturing cost and that can reduce the thickness of the planar illumination device. In this backlight device (planar illumination device) (20), in the light emitting surface (23b) of a light guide body (23), a plurality of prisms (23e) that gradually reduce an angle of incidence of light with respect to the back surface (23c) of the light guide body are provided, and, in the back surface (24a) of a low refractive index layer (24), a plurality of prisms (24b) that have the function of forwardly and totally reflecting light from LEDs (21) in an interface between the back surface of the low refractive index layer and an air layer are formed.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device 700 includes a pair of substrates, a vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490 provided between the pair of substrates, and electrodes 481 and 485 for applying a voltage to the vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490. At least one of the pair of substrates has a rugged structure on a surface which is in contact with the vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer. The surface having the rugged structure formed thereon has a region in which the height of the rugged structure varies along a first direction with a first period and varies along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with a second period different from the first period. The first period is no less than 0.1 ?m and no more than 10 ?m, and the second period is no less than 0.1 ?m and no more than 10 ?m. The vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490 has a pretilt due to the rugged structure with no voltage applied thereacross.

Abstract: A display device higher in light use efficiency than conventional ones, a display device substrate suitably used for such a display device, and a light guide suitably used for an illuminator of such a display device are provided. The light guide has a plane of incidence on which light is incident and a plane of emergence from which light emerges, and has a first photonic crystal structure having a refractive index changing periodically along a direction substantially parallel to the plane of emergence.

Abstract: While securing adequate response characteristics and brightness of an orientation-divided vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device, variations in display quality that are ascribable to variations in the pixel structure are suppressed. A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a plurality of pixels each having a first electrode, a second electrode opposing the first electrode, and a vertical-alignment type liquid crystal layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, including: a rib provided on the first electrode side of the liquid crystal layer, and a slit provided in the second electrode of the liquid crystal layer. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer is no more than 2.5 ?m, and the width of the rib is no less than 5 ?m and no more than 13 ?m.

Abstract: A light source, an image display panel including multiple pixel regions, each of which modulates light, light control means for focusing light from the light source onto associated pixel regions according to their wavelength ranges, and optical systems that form an image on a projection plane by the light that has been modulated by the panel are provided. A circuit for generating data representing multiple image subframes from data representing each image frame as a component of the image and getting the subframes displayed by the panel time-sequentially, and an image shifter for shifting a selected one of the subframes on the projection plane are further provided. The same area on the projection plane is sequentially irradiated with light rays that have been modulated by different pixel regions of the panel and that fall within respectively different wavelength ranges.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device 700 includes a pair of substrates, a vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490 provided between the pair of substrates, and electrodes 481 and 485 for applying a voltage to the vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490. At least one of the pair of substrates has a rugged structure on a surface which is in contact with the vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer. The surface having the rugged structure formed thereon has a region in which the height of the rugged structure varies along a first direction with a first period and varies along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with a second period different from the first period. The first period is no less than 0.1 ?m and no more than 10 ?m, and the second period is no less than 0.1 ?m and no more than 10 ?m. The vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 490 has a pretilt due to the rugged structure with no voltage applied thereacross.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate placed to face the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first and second substrates. The liquid crystal layer further includes: a splay-aligned region in which a transformation from splay alignment to bend alignment or from bend alignment to splay alignment occurs according to a voltage applied; and a nucleation region serving as a nucleation site for initiating the transformation to occur in the splay-aligned region. A plurality of first splay-aligned regions include two first splay-aligned regions connected to each other via one of a plurality of second splay-aligned regions.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the invention includes a plurality of pixels each having a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and a vertically aligned liquid crystal layer placed between the first and second electrodes. The device further includes stripe-shaped first alignment regulating means having a first width placed in the first electrode side of the liquid crystal layer; stripe-shaped second alignment regulating means having a second width placed in the second electrode side of the liquid crystal layer; and a stripe-shaped liquid crystal region having a third width defined between the first and second regulating means. The third width is in a range between 7 ?m and 12 ?m.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the invention includes a plurality of pixels each having a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and a vertically aligned liquid crystal layer placed between the first and second electrodes. The device further includes stripe-shaped first alignment regulating means having a first width placed in the first electrode side of the liquid crystal layer; stripe-shaped second alignment regulating means having a second width placed in the second electrode side of the liquid crystal layer; and a stripe-shaped liquid crystal region having a third width defined between the first and second regulating means. The third width is in a range between 2 ?m and 15 ?m.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes two substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates and two alignment films, each being provided on one surface of associated one of the substrates so as to face the liquid crystal layer. The device defines multiple picture elements. At least one of the two alignment films is made of a polymer material that includes a main chain, an atomic group having a bond that is selectively cut when exposed to an actinic ray and a side chain bonded to the main chain via the atomic group. The polymer material with the side chain can give a pretilt angle of greater than 85 degrees but 90 degrees or less to liquid crystal molecules. The polymer material without the side chain can give a pretilt angle of 2 degrees to 15 degrees to the liquid crystal molecules.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises: a layer of a chiral liquid crystal material disposed between first and second substrates; and means for applying a voltage across the liquid crystal layer. A first region of the liquid crystal layer is an active region for display and a second region of the liquid crystal layer is a nucleation region for generating a desired liquid crystal state in the first region when a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer. The ratio of the thickness d of the liquid crystal layer to the pitch p of the liquid crystal material has a first value (d/p)A in the first region of the liquid crystal layer and has a second value (d/p)N different from the first value in the second region of the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a first substrate, a second substrate placed to face the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first and second substrates. The liquid crystal layer includes: a splay-aligned region in which a transformation from splay alignment to bend alignment or from bend alignment to splay alignment occurs according to a voltage applied; and a nucleation region serving as a nucleation site for initiating the transformation to occur in the splay-aligned region. The nucleation region includes a plurality of first nucleation regions each extending in a first direction and a plurality of second nucleation regions each extending in a second direction different from the first direction. The splay-aligned region includes a plurality of first splay-aligned regions having a first width in the second direction and a plurality of second splay-aligned regions having a second width smaller than the first width in the second direction.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes two substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates and two alignment films, each being provided on one surface of associated one of the substrates so as to face the liquid crystal layer. The device defines multiple picture elements. At least one of the two alignment films is made of a polymer material that includes a main chain, an atomic group having a bond that is selectively cut when exposed to an actinic ray and a side chain bonded to the main chain via the atomic group. The polymer material with the side chain can give a pretilt angle of greater than 85 degrees but 90 degrees or less to liquid crystal molecules. The polymer material without the side chain can give a pretilt angle of 2 degrees to 15 degrees to the liquid crystal molecules.

Abstract: A light source 1, an image display panel 8 including multiple pixel regions, each of which can modulate light, light control means 4 to 6 for focusing light from the light source 1 onto associated pixel regions according to their wavelength ranges, and optical systems 9 and 11 that form an image on a projection plane 13 by the light that has been modulated by the panel 8 are provided. A circuit for generating data representing multiple image subframes from data representing each image frame as a component of the image and getting the subframes displayed by the panel time-sequentially, and an image shifter 11 for shifting a selected one of the subframes on the projection plane are further provided. The same area on the projection plane 13 is sequentially irradiated with light rays that have been modulated by different pixel regions of the panel 8 and that fall within respectively different wavelength ranges.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises: a layer of a chiral liquid crystal material disposed between first and second substrates; and means for applying a voltage across the liquid crystal layer. A first region of the liquid crystal layer is an active region for display and a second region of the liquid crystal layer is a nucleation region for generating a desired liquid crystal state in the first region when a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer. The ratio of the thickness d of the liquid crystal layer to the pitch p of the liquid crystal material has a first value (d/p)A in the first region of the liquid crystal layer and has a second value (d/p)N different from the first value in the second region of the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory device according to the present invention includes: a substrate; a storage medium provided above the substrate; a writing unit having a heating unit provided above the substrate, for heating the storage medium by the heating unit to write data in the storage medium with a thermal change of a physical value of the storage medium; and a reading unit having an electrical reading unit provided above the substrate, for reading the change of the physical value of the storage medium as data written in the storage medium by the electrical reading unit.

Abstract: An inspection method and an inspection apparatus can readily and reliably test a temporarily bundled circuit in which each end of the wires 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and 22E is free. A temporary bunling connector 18 is coupled to an inspection connector 19. Each of the wires 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and 22E is drawn so that each of the terminals 21 passes between electrodes 11 in a gate electrode unit 5. Each of the indicator lamp 16 on a circuit checker 15 is respectively lit when each of the terminals 21 contacts with each of the electrodes 11 upon passing through the unit 5. The indicator lamp 16 is not lit if there is any fault such as misplacement or breakage of a wire, as there is no electrical communication between the terminal 21 and the electrode 11 in such a case.