| CPC G02F 1/133753 (2013.01) [G02F 1/134309 (2013.01)] | 5 Claims |
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1. A liquid crystal light control device comprising:
a first liquid crystal cell into which light, including a first polarized component having a first polarized axis in a first direction and a second polarized component having a second polarized axis in a second direction intersecting the first direction, is configured to enter;
a second liquid crystal cell overlapping the first liquid crystal cell;
a third liquid crystal cell overlapping the second liquid crystal cell; and
a fourth liquid crystal cell overlapping the third liquid crystal cell,
wherein
each of the first liquid crystal cell and the second liquid crystal cell includes:
a first substrate including a first alignment film having an alignment direction in the second direction;
a second substrate including an electrode having a strip pattern extending in the second direction and a second alignment film having an alignment direction in the first direction; and
a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, a long axis direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer aligned according to both of the alignment directions of the first and second alignment films so as to rotate horizontally from the second direction to the first direction from the first substrate side to the second substrate side, each of the third liquid crystal cell and the fourth liquid crystal cell includes:
a first substrate including a first alignment film having an alignment direction in the first direction;
a second substrate including an electrode having a strip pattern extending in the first direction and a second alignment film having an alignment direction in the second direction; and
a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, a long axis direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer aligned according to both of the alignment directions of the first and second alignment films so as to rotate horizontally from the first direction to the second direction from the first substrate side to the second substrate side;
a longitudinal direction of the strip pattern of the electrode having the strip pattern is arranged to intersect an alignment direction of the second alignment film, and
a transverse electric field is generated in the same direction as the alignment direction of the second alignment film in an ON state,
wherein
in an OFF state in which no potential is applied to the electrode of all of the liquid crystal cells,
the first polarized component and the second polarized component are optically rotated as passing through each of the liquid crystal layer from the first substrate to the second substrate so as to rotate the first polarized axis from the first direction to the second direction and the second polarized axis from the second direction to the first direction,
in the ON state in which a potential is applied to the electrodes of the first liquid crystal cell and the second liquid crystal cell to generate a transverse electric field in the first direction as the alignment direction of the second alignment film, and a potential is applied to the electrodes of the third liquid crystal cell and the fourth liquid crystal cell to generate a transverse electric field in the second direction as the alignment direction of the second alignment film,
in the first liquid crystal cell, the first polarized component and the second polarized component are optically rotated by passing through the liquid crystal layer from the first substrate to the second substrate so as to rotate the first polarized axis from the first direction to the second direction and the second polarized axis from the second direction to the first direction with the second polarized component diffusing in the first direction at the second substrate side,
in the second liquid crystal cell, the first polarized component and the second polarized component are optically rotated by passing through the liquid crystal layer from the first substrate to the second substrate so as to rotate the first polarized axis from the first direction to the second direction and the second polarized axis from the second direction to the first direction with the first polarized component diffusing in the first direction at the second substrate side,
in the third liquid crystal cell, the first polarized component and the second polarized component are optically rotated by passing through the liquid crystal layer from the first substrate to the second substrate so as to rotate the first polarized axis from the first direction to the second direction and the second polarized axis from the second direction to the first direction with the first polarized component diffusing in the second direction at the second substrate side, and
in the fourth liquid crystal cell, the first polarized component and the second polarized component are optically rotated by passing through the liquid crystal layer from the first substrate to the second substrate so as to rotate the first polarized axis from the first direction to the second direction and the second polarized axis from the second direction to the first direction with the second polarized component diffusing in the second direction at the second substrate side.
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