Abstract: A dimming device includes a pair of transparent substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of transparent substrates. The liquid crystal layer includes a vertical alignment agent, and the dimming device has a drive voltage of 25 V or less for providing a haze of 80% or more.

Abstract: An optical-diffusion film for display which, particularly when applied to a display device using a collimated backlight as a backlight for the display panel, can efficiently diffuse and emit a highly directional light emitted from the collimated backlight toward the front of the display device as image display light, without allowing straight transmission of the highly directional light, and a display device using the optical-diffusion film for display are provided. Disclosed is a single layered optical-diffusion film having a columnar structure in which plural pillar-shaped objects having a relatively high refractive index are arranged to stand close together in a film thickness direction in a region having a relatively low refractive index, in which the film thickness of the optical-diffusion film has a value within the range of 60 to 700 ?m, and the haze value obtainable in the case in which light is made incident in the normal line direction of the film plane has a value of 80% or more.

Abstract: Provided are an optical-diffusion film for display which, particularly when applied to a reflective display device, can efficiently diffuse and emit an external light incident from a wide range of angles toward the front of the display device as image display light, and a reflective display device using the optical-diffusion film.

Abstract: A flexible liquid crystal display device which is obtained by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer between a first substrate and a second substrate, and wherein: the liquid crystal layer-side surface of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is provided with a first polarizing film and a second polarizing film; and the first polarizing film and the second polarizing film contain a dye-based polarizing material.

Abstract: A lighting device (100) includes: a surface light source (1); a first lens (L1) having a first focal point (F1), the first lens being provided on the light exit surface side of the surface light source; and a second lens (L2) having a second focal point (F2), the second lens being provided on a light exit surface side of the first lens, the surface light source, the first lens, and the second lens being configured such that a first virtual image (I1) is formed by the first lens and a second virtual image (I2) is formed by the second lens, wherein the first virtual image (I1) is formed between the second focal point (F2) and the first lens, and the second focal point (F2) is on a side opposite to the light source side relative to a predetermined focal position f?.

Abstract: A lighting device includes: a light guide plate; a light source; and a light modulation element disposed on a surface of or in the inside of the light guide plate, and adhered to the light guide plate. The light modulation element has a pair of transparent substrates, a first electrode provided on a surface of one of the transparent substrates, a second electrode provided on a surface of the other of the transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer, provided in a gap between the transparent substrates, exhibiting a light-scattering property or a light-transmitting property concerning light from the light source depending on intensity of an electric field. One or both of the first and second electrodes include partial electrodes. First partial electrodes of the partial electrodes are adjacent to second partial electrodes of the partial electrodes, and have irregular shapes on edges adjacent to the second partial electrodes.

Abstract: To provide a thin optical sheet having improved efficiency for light utilization, an optical sheet (5) of one mode of the present invention includes, in sequence from a light entry side to a light emission side, a plurality of first prisms (13), a ¼ wavelength plate (11), and a polarized-light separating element (12), the plurality of first prisms (13) each having (i) a first surface (13a) through which light enters the first prism and (ii) a second surface (13b) that reflects the light, having entered the first prism, toward the light emission side, the optical film further including, between the plurality of first prisms in an in-plane direction of the optical film, a second prism (14) that reflects light.

Abstract: A display device includes a display panel and a backlight. The display panel has the first substrate, the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, the first circularly polarizing plate arranged on the observer's side of the first substrate, the second circularly polarizing plate arranged between the second substrate and the backlight, and a scattering film arranged on the observer's side of the first circularly polarizing plate.

Abstract: Provided are an optical-diffusion film for display which, particularly when applied to a reflective display device, can efficiently diffuse and emit an external light incident from a wide range of angles toward the front of the display device as image display light, and a reflective display device using the optical-diffusion film.

Abstract: An optical-diffusion film for display which, particularly when applied to a display device using a collimated backlight as a backlight for the display panel, can efficiently diffuse and emit a highly directional light emitted from the collimated backlight toward the front of the display device as image display light, without allowing straight transmission of the highly directional light, and a display device using the optical-diffusion film for display are provided. Disclosed is a single layered optical-diffusion film having a columnar structure in which plural pillar-shaped objects having a relatively high refractive index are arranged to stand close together in a film thickness direction in a region having a relatively low refractive index, in which the film thickness of the optical-diffusion film has a value within the range of 60 to 700 ?m, and the haze value obtainable in the case in which light is made incident in the normal line direction of the film plane has a value of 80% or more.

Abstract: A lighting device (100) includes: a surface light source (1); a first lens (L1) having a first focal point (F1), the first lens being provided on the light exit surface side of the surface light source; and a second lens (L2) having a second focal point (F2), the second lens being provided on a light exit surface side of the first lens, the surface light source, the first lens, and the second lens being configured such that a first virtual image (I1) is formed by the first lens and a second virtual image (I2) is formed by the second lens, wherein the first virtual image (I1) is formed between the second focal point (F2) and the first lens, the second focal point (F2) is on a side opposite to the light source side relative to a predetermined focal position f?, and at least either of a light entry surface or a light exit surface of the first lens or the second lens includes a non-revolution surface (SO) as a lens surface, and a plurality of boundary lines (B1-B4) whose curvatures vary discontinuously are provid

Abstract: A backlight system (30) includes a light emitting section (31) and an imaging optical system. The imaging optical system includes a first microlens array (MLA1) and a second microlens array (MLA2). The lenses (1A) separates the beams of light emitted from the light emitting section (31) by RGB, and causes them to be converged at a pitch same as a pitch at which the picture elements are arrayed. The lenses (2A) are provided in one-to-one correspondence to the picture elements such that the lenses (2A) have their respective focal points at positions onto which beams of light having passed through the lenses (1A) are converged. The lenses (2A) thus deflect the beams of light which have passed through the lenses (1A) in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: A lighting device (100) includes: a surface light source (1); a first lens (L1) having a first focal point (F1), the first lens being provided on the light exit surface side of the surface light source; and a second lens (L2) having a second focal point (F2), the second lens being provided on a light exit surface side of the first lens, the surface light source, the first lens, and the second lens being configured such that a first virtual image (I1) is formed by the first lens and a second virtual image (I2) is formed by the second lens, wherein the first virtual image (I1) is formed between the second focal point (F2) and the first lens, and the second focal point (F2) is on a side opposite to the light source side relative to a predetermined focal position f?.

Abstract: A lighting device (100) includes: a surface light source (1); a first lens (L1) having a first focal point (F1), the first lens being provided on the light exit surface side of the surface light source; and a second lens (L2) having a second focal point (F2), the second lens being provided on a light exit surface side of the first lens, the surface light source, the first lens, and the second lens being configured such that a first virtual image (I1) is formed by the first lens and a second virtual image (I2) is formed by the second lens, wherein the first virtual image (I1) is formed between the second focal point (F2) and the first lens, the second focal point (F2) is on a side opposite to the light source side relative to a predetermined focal position f?, and at least either of a light entry surface or a light exit surface of the first lens or the second lens includes a non-revolution surface (SO) as a lens surface, and a plurality of boundary lines (B1-B4) whose curvatures vary discontinuously are provid

Abstract: To provide a thin optical sheet having improved efficiency for light utilization, an optical sheet (5) of one mode of the present invention includes, in sequence from a light entry side to a light emission side, a plurality of first prisms (13), a ¼ wavelength plate (11), and a polarized-light separating element (12), the plurality of first prisms (13) each having (i) a first surface (13a) through which light enters the first prism and (ii) a second surface (13b) that reflects the light, having entered the first prism, toward the light emission side, the optical film further including, between the plurality of first prisms in an in-plane direction of the optical film, a second prism (14) that reflects light.

Abstract: A multi-display device (101) of the present invention includes fry-eye lens arrays (3), located between a plurality of liquid crystal modules (11) arranged in parallel and in a tiling manner and a diffusing element (12), which cause rays of light emitted from light source sections (2) and transmitted through the liquid crystal modules (11) to be condensed on the diffusing element (12) at a pitch that is wider than a pixel pitch of the liquid crystal modules (11). This makes it possible with a simple configuration to make seams between image modulation elements less conspicuous and give a satisfactory feeling of resolution.

Abstract: A backlight system includes: a light-emitting section (1) having a plurality of light sources that emit beams of light at different dominant wavelengths from one another; and an imaging optical system (3) including a plurality of microlenses (3a) that focus beams of light emitted from the light-emitting section (1), the backlight system irradiating a liquid crystal panel with beams of light having passed through the imaging optical system (3), the liquid crystal panel including a plurality of pixels arrayed at a predetermined pitch from each other, on the assumption that the pitch at which the pixels are arrayed is denoted as P and the imaging optical system (3) has an imaging magnification of (1/n), the light sources (1) being arrayed at a pitch (P1) given as P1=n×P, the microlenses (3a) being arrayed at a pitch (P2) given as P2=(n/(n+1))×P.

Abstract: A thin backlight system includes: a light emitting section emitting lights that have different dominant wavelengths; and a plurality of light transmitting portions, the thin backlight system deflecting the lights and then converging the lights on the plurality of light transmitting portions. The thin backlight system further includes: an imaging optical system provided to face surfaces, of the plurality of light transmitting portions, on which the lights are converged. The imaging optical system including a plurality of identical lenses arranged in a vertical and/or a horizontal direction at a pitch determined by multiplying a pitch at which the plurality of light transmitting portions are arranged in a vertical and/or a horizontal direction by the number of types of the different dominant wavelengths and being configured to converge the lights from the light emitting section on light transmitting portions to which the different dominant wavelengths of the lights correspond.

Abstract: A backlight system (30) includes a light emitting section (31) and an imaging optical system. The imaging optical system includes a first microlens array (MLA1) and a second microlens array (MLA2). The lenses (1A) separates the beams of light emitted from the light emitting section (31) by RGB, and causes them to be converged at a pitch same as a pitch at which the picture elements are arrayed. The lenses (2A) are provided in one-to-one correspondence to the picture elements such that the lenses (2A) have their respective focal points at positions onto which beams of light having passed through the lenses (1A) are converged. The lenses (2A) thus deflect the beams of light which have passed through the lenses (1A) in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: A lighting device includes: a light guide plate; a light source disposed on a side face of the light guide plate; and a light modulation element disposed on a surface or in the inside of the light guide plate and adhered to the light guide plate. The light modulation element has a pair of transparent substrates disposed separately and oppositely, a pair of electrodes provided on respective surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer provided in a gap between the pair of transparent substrates. The light modulation layer includes a first region, having optical anisotropy, responsive to an electric field, and a second region, having optical anisotropy, unresponsive to an electric field. The second region has a striped structure with average striped texture size of 0.05 ?m to 10 ?m both inclusive in a short axis direction.