Abstract: A cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) color filter layer for reflective LCD device includes an additional blue CLC color filter in the red and/or green CLC color filter to increase a color temperature. Since the additional blue CLC color filter is formed using ultraviolet light when forming the blue CLC color filter, additional manufacturing processes for the additional blue CLC color filter are not required. Furthermore, since the color temperature of output light increases according to the CLC color filter layer of the present invention, the high resolution is obtained in image display. Alternatively, the color temperature can be adjustable by way of forming an additional red and/or green CLC color filter in the blue CLC color filter.

Abstract: A watch unit having a time-displaying section, including a reflection-type polarizing film 14 disposed on an upper portion or a lower portion of the time-displaying section or a portion comprising a part of the time-displaying section, an optical modulation section which varies the ratio of a transmission axis to a reflection axis of the reflection-type polarizing film 14, and a shutter function to shield a portion of or all of the watch unit having the time-display section by varying the reflection intensity and the transmission intensity in relation to the light incident direction using the reflection-type polarinzing film 14 and the optical modulation section, to enhance the appearance and to improve the versatility of the watch unit.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device having non-white and white light emitting diodes and a liquid crystal display. A spectrum converting material is positioned between non-white LEDs and the LCD to convert the non-white light from the LEDs toward a white light spectrum. The liquid crystal display may include a plurality of light emitting diodes, a light pipe, and a spectrum converting material. The spectrum converting material may be a phosphorized material located between the plurality of non-white light emitting diodes and the light pipe. A light extracting surface may be located near a first surface of the light pipe, a diffuser located near a second side of the light pipe, where the first and second sides are opposite sides of the light pipe, a reflective polarizer, and an liquid crystal display. The light from the light pipe may passes through the diffuser, the reflective polarizer, before backlighting the liquid crystal display. The non-white LEDs may include blue LED, ultraviolet LEDs, and the like.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus, provided with liquid crystal compensation plates and ?/4 plates on both sides of a liquid crystal cell, in a sequence that the liquid crystal compensation plates, then the ?/4 plates. Further provided is Rth compensation film between the ?/4 plate and linear polarization film. Set substantially at zero is a retardation Rth1 in a perpendicular direction in a range from the linear polarization films to the ?/4 plates, excluding the ?/4 plates. This gives a retardation (in a perpendicular direction) for optically compensating the liquid crystal cell a closer position to the liquid crystal cell. As a result, a broad angle of visibility can be maintained, without losing a balance between viewing angle characteristics from the above position (or the bottom position) and those from the right position (or the left position), while it is possible to prevent contrast ratio in a front direction from being lowered. Therefore, an LCD having good display quality can be realized.

Abstract: Disclosed is a compact, light, inexpensive reflection type liquid crystal projector optical unit or reflection type liquid crystal projector which provides high brightness without contrast deterioration caused by light leakage associated with black image display. The unit or projector uses, as a polarizer/analyzer for a reflection liquid crystal panel, a reflection polarizing plate which functions as a polarizing plate by its grating function only in a specific direction. It also uses an auxiliary polarizer and an absorption auxiliary analyzer. Their reflection axis or absorption axis is adjusted according to the characteristic of the reflection liquid crystal panel so as to minimize light leakage associated with black image display.

Abstract: A polarized light extraction optical element is formed by a light-transmitting base material and a polarization separation layer laminated thereonto, this polarization separation layer being a liquid crystal layer made of a cholesteric liquid crystal. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer is smaller than the thickness that would be required to achieve a maximum reflectivity, so that part of one of the right and left circularly polarized light components is reflected with a reflectivity smaller than the maximum reflectivity.

Abstract: In a liquid-crystal display (10), unpolarized light from a light source (12) passes through a linear polarization separation layer (14) and strikes a liquid-crystal cell (16). The liquid-crystal cell (16), in response to an applied electrical field, changes the direction of a director, so as to change the direction of the electrical field oscillation vector of the incident linearly polarized light by substantially 0 to 90°, this light then striking a dichroic linear polarization layer (18) on the surface, whereby only a component coincident with the polarization transmission axis thereof is allowed to exit to the outside. The dichroic linear polarization layer (18) transmits 50% of this incident light, and absorbs the remaining 50%.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a process of producing a circularly-polarized-light-extracting optical element adapted to effectively prevent the appearance of bright and dark stripes on the screen of a display to avoid lowering of the displaying quality of the display. The circularly-polarized-light-extracting optical element includes a glass substrate 11, an alignment layer 12 laminated to the glass substrate 11, and a cholesteric layer 13 formed on the alignment layer 12, in which molecules are aligned in the sate of planar alignment due to the alignment-regulating action of the surface of the alignment layer 12. The cholesteric layer 13 has a first surface 13a on its glass substrate 11 side, and a second surface 13b opposite to the first surface 13a. Director directions of molecules on the first surface 13a of the cholesteric layer 13 are aligned in substantially one direction owing to the alignment-regulating action of the surface of the alignment layer 12.

Abstract: Disclosed are liquid crystal (LC) phase-retarders and linear polarizers and methods and apparatus for making the same. The liquid crystal phase-retarder is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having one or more phase retardation regions formed therein. Each phase retardation region has an optical axis specified by the direction and depth of orientation of liquid crystal molecules along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure. The liquid crystal linear polarizer is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having a chiral phase region within which liquid crystal molecules are cholesterically ordered. One or more nematic phase regions are formed along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure within which liquid crystal molecules are oriented along a direction and to a surface depth sufficient to realize one or more phase retardation regions therein having optical axes along the direction of liquid crystal molecule orientation.

Abstract: The invention is a method for creating a micropolarizer, including providing a first plate having a first and a second surface, providing a second plate having a first and a second surface. Then coating a polyimide on each of the first surface of the two plates followed by rubbing the polyimide coated upon the first surface of the first plate along a predetermined direction and rubbing the polyimide coated upon the first surface of the second plate along a direction having a predetermined angle in relation to the predetermined direction. An alignment process includes aligning the first plate and the second plate having the first surface of the first plate and the first surface of the second plate facing each other thereby creating a space there between. In conclusion there is a filling of a liquid crystal material in the space whereby a cell, or film is created.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) color filter comprises a first substrate, a circular polarizer on the first substrate, a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) color filter on the circular polarizer, a first electrode on the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) color filter, a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate, a second electrode beneath the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer between the first and second electrodes, a back light under the first substrate, a diffusive film on the second substrate, a retardation layer on the diffusive film, and a linear polarizer on the retardation layer.

Abstract: A light controlling film is described comprising a polymerized polymer network of a crosslinked high molecular weight polymeric material and a low molecular weight cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) material, wherein the high molecular weight and the low molecular weight form a material having cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) order such that the film is a reflective circular polarizer whose bandwidth is controllable by an electric field impressed in the film.

Abstract: An optical member has a polarizer, a viewing angle compensating plate, and an adhesive layer which has a refractive index ND20 not lower than 1.485 and through which the polarizer and the viewing angle compensating plate are laminated on each other. A liquid-crystal display device has at least one optical member defined above, a liquid-crystal cell, and an adhesive layer which has a refractive index ND20 not lower than 1.485 and through which the optical member is bonded onto at least one of opposite surfaces of the liquid-crystal cell.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device 1 has light sources 22 such as LED's disposed so as to face a side surface of a substrate 7b, and also has a light guiding film 4 and a light-source reflective layer 41 disposed so as to face the outer surface of the substrate 7b, in that order, whereby light can be supplied into a liquid crystal panel 2 without a thick light guiding plate. The light guiding film has a plurality of slanted surfaces 4c for reflecting light from the light sources 22 to the substrate 7b.

Abstract: A circularly polarizing plate comprises a linearly polarizing membrane and a quarter wave plate. The quarter wave plate comprises an optically anisotropic layer A and an optically anisotropic layer B. The quarter wave plate has such an optical characteristic that a retardation value essentially is a quarter of a wavelength when the retardation value is measured at the wavelength of 450 nm, 550 nm and 650 nm. One of the optically anisotropic layers A and B is a layer made from liquid crystal molecules, and the other is a polymer film or a layer made from liquid crystal molecules.

Abstract: A collimating image-forming apparatus comprising a first linear polarizer is disclosed. A first quarter-wave plate is disposed adjacent the first polarizer and has its fast and slow axes at substantially 45° to the plane of polarization of the first polarizer. The apparatus further comprises a beam-splitting curved mirror having a convex surface adjacent the first polarizer and facing towards the first quarter-wave plate, a second quarter-wave plate adjacent the concave side of the curved mirror, the second quarter-wave plate having its having its fast and slow axes oriented with respect to the corresponding axes of the first quarter-wave plate at angles substantially equal to a first integral multiple of 90°, and a reflective-transmissive polarizing member adjacent the second quarter-wave plate.

Abstract: An elliptically polarizing plate, comprising a polarizer, a first optical anisotropic layer having positive refractive index anisotropy and an optical axis of the anisotropy that is tilted, and a second optical anisotropic layer having negative refractive index anisotropy and an optical axis that is tilted, have accurate retardation compensation of a liquid crystal cell, and the liquid crystal display maintains a display contrast having a sufficient visibility when the viewing angle is changed and which does not generate colorization.

Abstract: A cholesteric liquid crystal coating film 13′ is formed on an alignment layer 12 provided on a glass substrate 11 (FIG. 1(a)), and is subjected to a thermal alignment process at a temperature equal to or higher than the liquid crystalline phase transition temperature of a chiral nematic liquid crystal that constitutes the coating film (FIG. 1(b)). Active rays capable of activating optically active groups in the chiral nematic liquid crystal are applied to the cholesteric liquid crystal coating film 13′ to deactivate the optically active groups, thereby forming a cholesteric layer 13 having color-indicating regions with the desired areas and indication colors that have been created according to the active-rays-applied area and to the amount of active rays applied to the area (FIG. 1(c)). Thereafter, this cholesteric layer 13 is subjected to a thermal alignment process at a temperature lower than the liquid crystalline phase transition temperature of the chiral nematic liquid crystal (FIG. 1(d)).

Abstract: A simple, reliable and cost-effective super-twisted nematic liquid crystal display is disclosed. The liquid crystal display is suitable for application in all portable electronic devices due to the reliable and simple design employing a thin crystal film polarizer and is particularly suitable for outdoor display applications due to its increased environmental robustness. The thin crystal film polarizer also increases the viewing characteristics of the liquid crystal display and provides additional advantages. The disclosed liquid crystal display includes a front and rear polarizer and a super-twisted nematic liquid crystal layer, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a twist angle from about 230° to about 250°. The front and rear transmission axes of the polarizers are angularly displaced by about 70° to about 86° relative to each other.

Abstract: A circular polarizer comprises at least a polarizer and an optical anisotropic element having an optical retardation of about ¼ wavelength in a visible light region, wherein the optical anisotropic element comprises at least a 50 &mgr;m or less thick liquid crystal film (A) obtained by fixing a liquid crystal substance exhibiting an optically positive uniaxiality, in a nematic hybrid orientation with an average tilt angle of 5 to 35 degrees, formed when the substance is in a liquid crystal state, thereby providing a favorable circular polarization characteristics with a decreased thickness. The use of this circular polarizer makes it possible to produce a transflective type liquid crystal device which is capable of providing bright display images of high contrast and is less dependent on the viewing angle.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid crystal display device that is excellent in presenting a bright and visible display in a wide viewing angle. A transflective layer formed of cholesteric liquid crystal layers, each having a plurality of unflat portions, and reflecting at least a portion of elliptically polarized light having a predetermined rotation direction, is arranged on the inner surface of a lower substrate. An upper-substrate side elliptically-polarized-light input device is arranged to allow elliptically polarized light to enter a liquid crystal layer from an upper substrate. The liquid crystal layer reverses the component of the elliptically polarized light which is incident during one of electric field applied state and electric field non-applied state, while not changing the component of the elliptically polarized light during the other of the electric field applied state and the electric field non-applied state.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) including a cholesteric liquid crystal polarizing device and a liquid crystal cell superimposed with one another. In various embodiments, the reflective LCD may be a normally white mode or normally black mode device. In another variation, the liquid crystal cell may include a 90° twisted nematic liquid crystal.

Abstract: A component has a substrate (1) made of a transparent material, for example glass. On this layer (1), there is a linear polarizer (2) on which there is a layer (3) of a photo-oriented polymer network (PPN)(=LPP) which is oriented in locally varying fashion via its surface which covers the substrate. The layer (3) is adjoined by an anisotropic layer (4) of cross-linked liquid-crystal monomers. This layer (4) then has a molecular arrangement whose orientation is defined by the underlying orientation layer (3). The layer (4) will have been photocross-linked by exposure to a suitable wavelength of light, with the result that the molecular orientation defined by the PPN layer (3) is fixed. The element denoted as a whole by 7, can then be used as an optical component which is protected against forgery, it being possible for the orientation pattern of the liquid-crystal layer or the optical information stored therein to be made visible by means of an external polarizer (5), for example.

Abstract: A color liquid crystal display using reflective color filters using layers of cholesteric liquid crystals is disclosed. The reflective color filters have two different center wavelengths and bandwidths per layer and are stacked in two layers to provide colored light for displays. With various numbers of layers in the stack, different polarization levels are provided. The pixels in the display of the invention are arranged such that multiple adjacent sub-pixels in a layer with the same color makes the color filters easier to manufacture.

Abstract: An improved process for preparing assemblies comprising a metal plated plastic component having a transparent member, and the resulting assembly, are provided. The process includes molding a transparent plastic member of a non-plateable thermoplastic material; molding a plastic component around and/or on the transparent plastic member so that the transparent plastic member is physically trapped by the plastic component and/or chemically/electrostatically bonded to the plastic component, the plastic component being molded of a plateable thermoplastic material; and plating a metal onto the plastic component. The process involves fewer steps than known processes, results in less scrap and produces superior assemblies wherein the transparent member is more precisely in registry with the metal plated component.

Abstract: A novel retarder comprising a long transparent substrate, and up on the substrate, a first and a second optically anisotropic layers formed from a homogenously aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound and having a phase shift substantially equal to n measured and equal to &pgr;/2 respectively at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a first alignment layer having a rubbing axis defining the azimuthal direction of the homogenous alignment in the first anisotropic layer. The angle between the slow axis of the first anisotropic layer and the longitudinal direction of the transparent substrate is 75°, the angle between the slow axis of the second anisotropic layer and the longitudinal direction is 15°, the angle between the slow axis of the second anisotropic layer and the slow axis of the first anisotropic layer is 60° and the azimuthal direction of the homogenous alignment in the first anisotropic layer is substantially orthogonal to the rubbing axis of the first alignment layer.

Abstract: An uncured cholesteric liquid crystal layer 18 having a cholesteric order, including nematic liquid crystal, a chiral agent and a photopolymerization initiator is formed on an alignment film 16 on a glass substrate 12. This uncured cholesteric liquid crystal layer 18 is cured by applying to it ultraviolet light with a low intensity under such conditions that one surface of the uncured cholesteric liquid crystal layer is brought into close contact with the alignment film 16 on the glass substrate 12 so that it will not come into contact with oxygen and that the other surface of the same is exposed to air.

Abstract: A diffusing/polarizing member (1) is provided which comprises a laminate (1) of a reflective polarizer (12) which separates incident natural light into a reflected light comprising a polarized light and a transmitted light, and a diffusing layer (11), wherein the reflective polarizer and the diffusing layer, when viewed from a slantwise direction, have respective colors which are complementary. Also provided is a liquid crystal display having the diffusing/polarizing member. In this diffusing/polarizing member, the color of the reflective polarizer viewed from a slantwise direction is negated by the color of the diffusing layer, these colors being complementary, whereby the member as a whole can be reduced in coloration when viewed from a slantwise direction. Thus, a reflective, semi-transmitting, or another liquid crystal display reduced in display unevenness, e.g., coloration in viewing from a slantwise direction, can be provided.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal display device having a polarizing element, an optical element, a polarized light supply unit, and liquid-crystal cells. The polarizing element has a function of separating natural light into reflected or transmitted light composed of polarized light, wherein a half-reflecting wavelength in each position in a surface of the polarizing element ranges within ±10 nm relative to a half-reflecting average wavelength when the half-reflecting wavelength is a wavelength which is located at a long or short wave side of a wavelength exhibiting maximum reflectivity on the basis of a spectrum of reflected light in a predetermined wave range in which the natural light is separated into the reflected light and the transmitted light, and which exhibits reflectivity of 50% with respect to the maximum reflectivity, and the half-reflecting average wavelength is an average of half-reflecting wavelengths in the surface.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal cell having a cholesteric liquid crystal color filter; an integrated collimating polarizer under the liquid crystal cell, the integrated collimating polarizer having a collimating layer and a circular polarizer on the collimating layer; a backlight under the integrated collimating polarizer; a diffusing layer over the liquid crystal cell; a retardation layer over the diffusing layer; and a linear polarizer over the retardation layer.

Abstract: Disclosed are super broadband circularly polarizing film materials and novels methods of fabricating and using the same. The circularly polarizing materials are made from a film of material, such as a CLC polymer having a cholesteric order, in which a liquid crystal material, such as a nematic liquid crystal material, is distributed in a non-linear fashion across the thickness of the film in a plurality of liquid crystal-rich and liquid crystal-depleted sites in the CLC polymer. The pitch of the helices of the CLC molecules in the polyermized CLC material varies in a non-linear (e.g. exponential) manner along the depth dimension (i.e. transverse to the surface) thereof. The resulting circularly polarizing materials have reflection and transmission characteristics over bands of operation approaching 2000 nm. Depending on the final spiral structure of the materials utilized, the CLC circularly polarizing materials reflect either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal device comprises in sequence a linear polarizer, a retarder arrangement comprising two retarders, and a reflector. A first of the retarders provides a retardation of m&lgr;/2 and a second of the retarders provides a retardation of n&lgr;/4, where m is an integer and n is an odd integer, and wherein at least one of the first and second retarders comprises a Bistable Twisted Nematic (BTN) liquid crystal. This BTN retarder is switchable between a first state in which the retarder provides a retardation of m&lgr;/2 or n&lgr;/4 and a second state in which the retardation is zero.

Abstract: A polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film for a liquid crystal display includes a lower film an optical film and a transparent conductive film. A touch panel integrated with the polarizer is formed by attaching an upper sheet to the upper surface of the polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film. A flat panel display with an integral type touch panel includes a touch panel integrated with the flat panel display having a lower polarizer, a liquid crystal display and an upper polarizer.

Abstract: A laminated quarter-wave plate having: a laminate of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, wherein: the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate are laminated on each other so that directions of in-plane slow axes intersect each other; and each of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate satisfies a relation Nz=(nx−nz)/(nx−ny)>1.05 in which nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indices, and nz is a thickness wise refractive index; and a circularly polarizing plate having: a laminate of a laminated quarter-wave plate defined above and a polarizer.

Abstract: This invention relates to paper white cholesteric displays employing a reflective elliptical polarizer. In the reflective mode, the paper white ON state is achieved by a reflective elliptical polarizer in display's planar texture area; and the black OFF state is obtained by cholesteric's depolarization effect and polarizer's filtration effect in display's focal conic texture area. In the transmissive mode, on the other hand, the paper white ON state is created by a back lighting projected onto the focal conic texture area; and the black OFF state is realized in the cholesteric planar texture area. The reflective elliptical polarizer with a broadband reflection and high polarization efficiency delivers a bright neutral white color to both the reflective and transmissive mode cholesteric displays. The reflective elliptical polarizer also provides a solution to the transflective display where the high efficiency front-lit mode and the back-lit mode can be converted automatically.

Abstract: The invention provides a semi-transparent reflective liquid crystal display device in which bright display, high contrast, and less viewing-angle dependency are possible in a transmission mode. In the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, a polarizing plate can be disposed on the upper side of a liquid crystal cell in which a semi-transparent reflective layer is formed on a lower substrate and the thickness of a liquid crystal layer in a transmissive display region can be made to be different from the thickness of a liquid crystal layer in a reflective display region by a layer-thickness adjusting layer. A uniaxially stretched phase difference film can be interposed between the polarizing plate and the liquid crystal cell, and a liquid crystal film fixed in nematic hybrid alignment can be interposed between the phase difference film and the liquid crystal cell.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid crystal device that can obtain a perfect black level display even if a liquid crystal device using circular polarization is employed as a light valve.

Abstract: The liquid crystal device of the present invention effectively prevents reversion of bright/dark states between a reflective display mode and a transmissive display mode. The liquid crystal device includes a first absorptive polarizer, which receives light from outside; a liquid crystal cell, which receives light emitted from the first absorptive polarizer; a second absorptive polarizer, which receives light emitted from the liquid crystal cell; and a reflective polarizer, which receives light emitted from the second absorptive polarizer. The reflective polarizer has an axis of reflection in a predetermined direction to reflect at least part of light that has been transmitted through the first absorptive polarizer, the liquid crystal cell, and the second absorptive polarizer to be incident on the reflective polarizer.

Abstract: Disclosed are liquid crystal phase-retarders and linear polarizers and methods and apparatus for making the same. The liquid crystal phase-retarder is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having one or more phase retardation regions formed therein. Each phase retardation region has an optical axis specified by the direction and depth of orientation of liquid crystal molecules along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure. The liquid crystal linear polarizer is realized by a liquid crystal film structure having a chiral phase region within which liquid crystal molecules are cholesterically ordered (FIG. 3). One or more nematic phase regions are formed along the surface of the liquid crystal film structure within which liquid crystal molecules are oriented along a direction and to a surface depth sufficient to realize one or more phase retardation regions therein having optical axes along the direction of liquid crystal molecules orientation.

Abstract: A component has a substrate (1) made of a transparent material, for example glass. On this layer (1), there is a linear polarizer (2) on which there is a layer (3) of a photo-oriented polymer network (PPN)(-LPP) which is oriented in locally varying fashion via its surface which covers the substrate. The layer (3) is adjoined by an anisotropic layer (4) of cross-linked liquid-crystal monomers. This layer (4) then has a molecular arrangement whose orientation is defined by the underlying orientation layer (3). The layer (4) will have been photocross-linked by exposure to a suitable wavelength of light, with the result that the molecular orientation defined by the PPN layer (3) is fixed. The element, denoted as a whole by 7, can then be used as an optical component which is protected against forgery, it being possible for the orientation pattern of the liquid-crystal layer or the optical information stored therein to be made visible by means of an external polarizer (5), for example.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display includes upper and lower substrates that are opposite to and are spaced apart from each other; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the upper and lower substrates; a transparent common electrode on the surface of the upper substrate opposite the lower substrate; a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) color filter that selectively reflects and transmits light, the CLC color filter formed over the lower substrate; a transparent pixel electrode on the CLC color filter; and a light absorption layer between the lower substrate and the CLC color filter.

Abstract: A TN liquid crystal cell constituted by sandwiching a nematic liquid crystal which is aligned at a twist angle of about 90° between a first and a second transparent substrate each of which has transparent electrodes is used, an absorption-type polarizing film is provided on the outside, which is the visible side, of the second substrate, and a reflection-type polarizing film, a scattering layer, and a mirror reflector are provided in order on the outside, which is the opposite side to the visible side of the TN liquid crystal cell, of the first substrate, thereby constituting a liquid crystal display device for performing a reflection display of information of character and image in an achromatic metallic tone within a bright diffused white background.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device of the present invention performs transmissive display using light from an illumination devices 111 and 112 in a dark environment, and reflective display using light reflected by a transflective layer 123 provided on the inner side of a liquid crystal cell in a bright environment. A retardation plate is provided adjacent to a polarizer 109 and an illumination device so that the rotational direction of polarization of the light emitted from the illumination device is the same as that of the polarization of the light reflected by the transflective layer in a dark display state.

Abstract: A light controlling film is described comprising a polymerized polymer network of a crosslinked high molecular weight polymeric material and a low molecular weight cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) material, wherein the high molecular weight and the low molecular weight form a material having cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) order such that the film is a reflective circular polarizer whose bandwidth is controllable by an electric field impressed in the film.

Abstract: Disclosed are super broadband circularly polarizing film materials and novels methods of fabricating and using the same. The circularly polarizing materials are made from polymerizable CLC film material having a cholesteric order, in which a liquid crystal material, such as a nematic liquid crystal material, is distributed in a non-linear fashion across the thickness of the film in a plurality of liquid crystal-rich and liquid crystal-depleted sites in the CLC polymer. The pitch of the helices of the CLC molecules in the polyermized CLC material varies in a non-linear (e.g. exponential) manner along the depth dimension (i.e. transverse to the surface) thereof. The resulting circularly polarizing materials have reflection and transmission characteristics over bands of operation approaching 2000 nm. Depending on the final spiral structure of the polymeriable CLC materials utilized, the CLC circularly polarizing materials reflect either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light.

Abstract: A polarizing element 20 includes a cholesteric layer 21 that selectively reflects either one of right-handed and left-handed circularly polarized components of incident light, and an absorptive elliptical polarizing plate 22 that is laminated to the cholesteric layer 21. The polarizing plate 22 transmits elliptically polarized light that contains as its main component the circularly polarized component having the direction of optical rotation that is identical to that of the circularly polarized component selectively reflected by the cholesteric layer 21. In this polarizing element 20, the angle (angle of lamination) which the direction of the major axes of liquid crystalline molecules aligned on the absorptive-elliptical-polarizing-plate-side surface of the cholesteric layer 21, d1, forms with the direction of the major axis of elliptically polarized light produced by the absorptive elliptical polarizing plate 22, d2, falls in a specified angle range centering around 90°.

Abstract: The present invention relates to beam steering and scanning devices which utilize cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) elements arranged in branches to form a logic tree. Each branch comprises an active and passive CLC element; the former further comprising a half-wave retarder and an electrode and the latter only the CLC element. Each succeeding branch contains twice as many branches as a preceding branch and, by activating active CLC element electrodes under control of a programmable pulsed source, inputs applied to the first stage of a logic tree are delivered as a scanned line of electromagnetic energy or light to the imaging cells of the last stage of the logic tree. By stacking identical logic trees with a laser source for each tree, a flat panel imaging array or display device is formed in which the transmission losses are minimized.

Abstract: A novel retarder comprising a long transparent substrate, and up on the substrate, a first and a second optically anisotropic layers formed from a homogenously aligned rod-like liquid crystal compound and having a phase shift substantially equal to &pgr; measured and equal to &pgr;/2 respectively at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a first alignment layer having a rubbing axis defining the azimuthal direction of the homogenous alignment in the first anisotropic layer. The angle between the slow axis of the first anisotropic layer and the longitudinal direction of the transparent substrate is 75°, the angle between the slow axis of the second anisotropic layer and the longitudinal direction is 15°, the angle between the slow axis of the second anisotropic layer and the slow axis of the first anisotropic layer is 60° and the azimuthal direction of the homogenous alignment in the first anisotropic layer is substantially orthogonal to the rubbing axis of the first alignment layer.

Abstract: A liquid crystal panel has a cholesteric filter and the quarter wave plate inserted between a glass substrate and color filter elements, and each section of the cholesteric filter reflects either right-handed or left-handed circularly polarized light component recognized as one of the three primary colors and the circularly polarized light components recognized as other primary colors toward a light source so as to recycle these circularly polarized light components, thereby enhancing the utilization factor of incident light without increase of power consumption.

Abstract: Disclosed are (1) a polarizer having a function of separating incident light into polarized light through reflection and transmission, which has (a) a haze of 10% or less, or (b) a ratio of parallel transmitted light to incident light of 40 to 60%, (c) a ratio of mirror reflected light to the incident light of 25% or more, (d) a ratio of diffusion reflected light to the incident light of 20% or less or (e) a fraction of mirror reflected light to the whole reflected light of 60% or more; (2) an optical element comprising the polarizer, and a ¼ wavelength formed by one or two or more retardation layers disposed on at least one side thereof; (3) a lighting device comprising a surface light source, and the polarizer or the optical element disposed thereon; and (4) a liquid crystal display comprising the lighting device and a liquid crystal cell arranged on the light outgoing side thereof, with a polarizing plate intervening therebetween.