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: 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: A liquid crystal device includes a highly aligned liquid crystal over an entire area including regions not provided with a uniaxial alignment film. A carrier-transporting device and a light-emitting device incorporate such a liquid crystal device.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device suitable for analog gradational display according to active matrix drive is formed using a chiral smectic liquid crystal. The voltage-transmittance (V-T) characteristic change accompanying a cell thickness change can be minimized to allow the production of such a liquid crystal device at a higher yield. In the liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal is placed in such an alignment state that the liquid crystal is monostabilized under no voltage application and is tilted in response to the application of voltages of opposing polarities so that the saturation voltage becomes larger at small cell thickness (liquid crystal layer thickness).

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: A display apparatus is constituted by a display device including a plurality of pixels and control means for effecting a plurality of displaying operations at each pixel. Each of the displaying operation includes at least a first operation for displaying a first image at a first luminance and a second operation for displaying a second image substantially identical to the first image at a second luminance, said first and second luminances being non-zero and different from each other. One of the first and second luminances may preferably be smaller than ⅕ of the other luminance.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device comprises chiral smectic liquid crystal, two substrates and electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal to form pixels, each provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one substrate. The liquid crystal alignment forms domains D1 and D2, wherein the liquid crystal is aligned to provide an average molecular axis in a monostable alignment state under no voltage application, is tilted from such state in one direction when supplied with a voltage of a first polarity at a tilting angle which varies with the magnitude of the supplied voltage, and is tilted in the other direction when supplied with a voltage of a second and opposite polarity. Maximum tilting angles &bgr;1 and &bgr;2, formed under application of the voltages of the first and second polarities, respectively, satisfy: &bgr;1>&bgr;2>0 in domain D1 and 0<&bgr;1<&bgr;2 in domain D2.

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 liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of substrates at least one of which is provided with a uniaxial alignment axis, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates to form a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel is provided with a switching element and an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal via the switching element. A matrix of signal lines comprising scanning signal lines and data signal lines is so arranged that each scanning signal line is disposed along a row of the pixels so as to connect a row of the switching elements provided to the row of the pixels and each data signal line is disposed along a column of the pixels so as to connect a column of the switching elements provided to the column of the pixels. The liquid crystal exhibits a phase transition series on temperature decrease of isotropic phase, cholesteric phase and chiral smectic C phase or of isotropic phase and chiral smectic C phase.

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 liquid crystal apparatus capable of exhibiting a good display characteristic is provided even by using a liquid crystal of, which the voltage-transmittance characteristic means depending on temperature change. The liquid crystal apparatus includes: a liquid crystal device including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates, a digital signal processing unit for converting a received digital video signal so as to conform to an electrooptical characteristic of the liquid crystal, and a D/A converter for converting the converted digital signal into an analog signal for controlling the optical state of the liquid crystal, wherein both an input/output characteristic of the D/A converter and signal processing by the digital signal processing unit are controlled so as to apply a voltage conforming to the electrooptical characteristic of the liquid crystal.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus is constituted by a liquid crystal device comprising a plurality of scanning electrodes and a plurality of data electrodes arranged in a matrix form, and a liquid crystal to be supplied with a voltage via the scanning electrodes and the data electrodes; first means for selectively transmitting a plurality of color image display data, including red (R), green (G) and blue (B) display data, color by color to the liquid crystal device in a time division manner; a light source unit comprising a plurality of color light source groups each comprising three light sources of red (R), green (G) and the blue (B) corresponding to the colors of the color image display data, said color light source groups being arranged in a plurality of stripe regions parallel to the scanning electrodes so as to allow independent lighting; and second means for controlling a lighting state of the light source unit depending on a display state of the liquid crystal device based on the color image display

Abstract: A liquid crystal device has a pair of oppositely disposed substrates and a liquid crystal having chiral smectic C phase disposed therebetween. The liquid crystal is placed in an alignment state in chiral smectic C phase with smectic molecular layers forming a chevron structure. Under no electric field application, the liquid crystal has an average molecular axis substantially in alignment with the uniaxial alignment axis and/or a bisector of a maximum angle formed between two extreme molecular axes established under electric field application, while under electric field application, the liquid crystal provides an effective tilt angle and a transmittance that continuously changes depending on an electric field applied thereto.

Abstract: A process for producing a liquid crystal device principally includes the steps of: disposing a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode with a spacing therebetween, and filling a chiral smectic liquid crystal in the spacing between the pair of substrates so as to be supplied with a voltage via the pair of electrodes. The pair of substrates are provided with anti-parallel uniaxial aligning axes so that the liquid crystal is placed in an alignment state exhibiting a pretilt angle of at least 4 degrees at a boundary thereof with at least one of the substrates. The liquid crystal has a phase transition series of Iso-Ch-SmC* or Iso-SmC* on temperature decrease. The process further includes a step of heating the liquid crystal disposed between the substrates to a temperature assuming Iso or Ch and then cooling the liquid crystal to a temperature assuming SmC*; and a step of applying an initial electric field having an effective voltage (Erms.) at a temperature assuming SmC* for at least 1 sec.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal disposed in a uniform alignment state between the substrates. At least one of the substrate has a surface contacting the liquid crystal and including a first region having a larger uniaxial alignment control force and a second region having a smaller or substantially no uniaxial alignment control force, respectively acting on the liquid crystal. In the device, phase transition from liquid phase to mesomorphic phase on temperature decrease, of the liquid crystal has been initiated from a portion contacting the first region and enlarged toward the second region to place the liquid crystal in a uniform alignment state, thus ensuring an increased effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal while retaining a good alignment characteristic to improve drive and display characteristics.