There are provided a reflection film, a windshield glass, and a head-up display system capable of suppressing formation of double images of a display image. The reflection film has a linearly polarized light reflection layer in which optically anisotropic layers and isotropic layers are laminated and a polarization converting layer, and the polarization converting layer satisfies any of conditions below. (A) The polarization converting layer is a retardation layer in which the front retardation is 30 nm to 200 nm and the angle between a slow axis direction and a direction of the transmission axis of the linearly polarized light reflection layer is 35° or less. (B) The polarization converting layer is a layer in which a helical alignment structure of a liquid crystal compound is fixed, and the number of pitches x in the helical alignment structure and the film thickness y (unit .Math.m) of the polarization converting layer satisfy all relational expressions below.

$0.1\le \text{x}\le \text{1}\text{.0}$

$0.5\le \text{y}\le \text{3}\text{.0}$

$3000\le (1560\times \text{y)/x}\le \text{50000}$

An optical device is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an optical device includes a first outer substrate, a second outer substrate, a liquid crystal element film positioned between the first and second outer substrates, intermediate layers positioned between the first outer substrate and the liquid crystal element film and between the liquid crystal element film and the second outer substrate, respectively, wherein a sum of the total thicknesses of the intermediate layers is 1,600 μm or more. The optical device can secure structural stability and good quality uniformity by maintaining the cell gap of the liquid crystal element film properly, having excellent attachment force between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, and minimizing defects such as pressing or crowding in the bonding process of the outer substrates.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical laminate in which optically anisotropic layers exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility have excellent moisture-heat resistance, and the adhesiveness between a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer is excellent; and a polarizing plate and an image display device, each using the optical laminate. The optical laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention is an optical laminate having a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which both of the first optically anisotropic layer and the second optically anisotropic layer are directly laminated and consist of a liquid crystal layer, at least one of the first optically anisotropic layer or the second optically anisotropic layer exhibits reverse wavelength dispersibility, a photo-alignment polymer having a photo-alignment group and a fluorine atom or a silicon atom is present on a surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on a side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer, and an element ratio of fluorine or silicon on the surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on the side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer is 0.05% to 15.00% by atom.

A polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by the following general formula (1): ##STR00001##
(the symbols in the general formula (1) are as described in the DESCRIPTION.)

Provided are an optical element that can make the brightness of light emitted from a light guide plate uniform, a light guide element, and an image display device. The optical element includes a patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer that is obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction, and the patterned cholesteric liquid crystal layer has regions having different pitches of helical structures in a plane.

A method of aligning a chiral nematic liquid crystal (103), the method comprising depositing a first chiral nematic liquid crystal (103) onto a first substrate (102), positioning a second substrate (104) on top of the liquid crystal (103) to form an initial layer structure and then applying rolling pressure to at least one of the substrates (102, 104) of the initial layer structure to create a final layer structure in which the first chiral nematic liquid crystal (103) is aligned with a helical axis substantially perpendicular to a local plane of the first substrate (102). Aspects of the invention provide optical filter materials for laser protection applications, LED emission filtering and lighting, augmented reality display coatings.

An integrated touch module and a touch display device are provided. The integrated touch module has a touch sensing structure formed on a polymer film. The polymer film, a liquid crystal phase retardation layer, and a linear polarizing layer constitute a circular polarizing element. The average reflectance of the circular polarizing element in the visible light range is less than 5%, and the standard deviation of the reflectance is less than 0.2%. The touch display device includes the integrated touch module.

Provided is a polymerizable liquid crystal composition used for formation of an optically anisotropic film having excellent durability, an optically anisotropic film, an optical film, a polarizing plate, and an image display device. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition contains a polymerizable liquid crystal compound represented by Formula (1) and an acidic compound, in which a pKa of the acidic compound is more than −10 and 5 or less, and a content of the acidic compound is 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable liquid crystal compound. ##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing element which has an excellent antireflection function in a case of being applied to an image display device; and a circularly polarizing plate and an image display device, each of which has the polarizing element. The polarizing element of an embodiment of the present invention is a polarizing element having an alignment film and an anisotropic light-absorbing film formed using a dichroic substance, in which the alignment film is a photoalignment film formed using a composition for forming a photoalignment film, including a photoactive compound having a polymerizable group and a photoreactive group, a degree S of alignment of the anisotropic light-absorbing film is 0.92 or more, and an average refractive index nave at a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm of the alignment film is 1.55 to 2.0.

A laminate including a horizontally oriented liquid crystal cured film that is a cured material of a polymerizable liquid crystal composition containing at least one type of polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and a vertically oriented liquid crystal cured film is provided. The horizontally oriented liquid crystal cured film is the cured material of the polymerizable liquid crystal composition in which the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is cured in a state of being horizontally oriented with respect to a plane of the liquid crystal cured film, and satisfies the following formulae: nxA(450)>nyA(450)>nzA(450) and ReA(450)/ReA(550)<1.00.