Abstract: A ferroelectric liquid crystal apparatus includes: a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell including a pair of substrates each having an electrode and an alignment film thereon, the alignment films being respectively provided with uniaxial orientation axes (preferably those provided by rugging) which are provided in parallel and in the same oblique direction of from upper right to lower left or from lower left to upper right [from lower right to upper left or from upper left to lower right], a first polarizer having a transmission axis set within a region (I) defined by a clockwise (or counterclockwise) angle of 45.degree. from the direction of the uniaxial orientation axes, a second polarizer having a transmission axis set within a region (II) defined by a clockwise (or counter-clockwise) angle of 45.degree.

Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of scanning electrodes and data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal; and b) a driving means. The driving means includes a first drive means for applying a scanning selection signal two or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning so at to effect in one picture scanning in plural times of vertical scanning, and a second drive means for applying data signals in synchronism with the scanning selection signal.

Abstract: An illuminator comprises a light-transmitting member formed of a plurality of transparent sheet-like members laminated to each other, a light source disposed on the light-incoming side of the light-transmitting member, a light-reflecting member disposed on the light-outgoing side of the light-transmitting member at an oblique angle to the transparent sheet-like members, and a sheet-like member having a scattering area at which a light ray reflected from the light-reflecting member is converted into scattered light and coming into surface contact with the light-transmitting member.

Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus, comprises: a liquid crystal device comprising scanning electrodes, data electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the scanning electrodes and the data electrodes; means for applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning nonselection signal to the scanning electrodes; means for applying data signals to the data electodes in phase with the scanning selection signal; and means for varying the average voltage values of the data signals during the period of applying a scanning selection signal.

Abstract: A display control unit is combined with a display device including scanning and signal electrodes and a display element sandwiched between the scanning and signal electrodes and includes a key or the like for setting drive waveforms for driving the scanning and/or signal electrodes prior to drive timings of the scanning and signal electrodes. In the display device, a ratio of a voltage applied to an intersection between a selected scanning line and a selected information signal line to a voltage applied to an intersection between a non-selected scanning line and a selected information signal line is variably changed in accordance with a temperature change.

Abstract: In an optical modulation device, a matrix of pixels are formed at intersections of scanning lines and data lines so as to assume either a first optical state or a second optical state. In a first phase, a voltage V.sub.R of one polarity is applied to the pixels on a selected scanning line to provide the first optical state. In a second phase, the pixels on the selected scanning line are selectively supplied with a voltage V.sub.B.sup.2 of the other polarity inverting the first optical state to the second optical state or a voltage V.sub.B.sup.1 of the other polarity not changing the first optical state. Herein, the minimum of the durations of single-polarity voltages is defined as .DELTA.t, and a voltage at which the optical conversion from the first to the second optical state or vice versa is saturated based on the minimum application time .DELTA.t is defined as a saturation threshold voltage Vsat. Then, the application time of the voltage V.sub.R exceeds the minimum application time .DELTA.