A light control sheet including a light control layer sandwiched between first and second orientation layers and including a polymer network in which domains are dispersed and filled with a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal molecule and a dichroic dye, a pair of transparent electrodes sandwiching the orientation layers, and a polarizing layer positioned on an opposite side of the first orientation layer to the light control layer. The light control layer has a transmittance that increases upon application of a driving voltage to the pair of transparent electrodes. When the driving voltage is not applied between the transparent electrodes, the orientation layers orient the liquid crystal molecule and the dichroic dye horizontally to the orientation layers and orient an orient absorption ax of the dichroic dye to cross an absorption axis of the polarizing layer as viewed in a thickness direction of the light control layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical laminate in which an alignment defect is less likely to occur in a light-absorbing anisotropic layer even in a case where a surface of a photo-alignment layer is rubbed; an optical laminate; and an image display device. The method for manufacturing an optical laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical laminate in which an optical laminate including a photo-alignment layer and a light-absorbing anisotropic layer and having a front transmittance of 60% or less is produced and which includes a photo-alignment layer formation step of forming a photo-alignment layer on a polymer film, and a light-absorbing anisotropic layer formation step of applying a liquid crystal composition containing a dichroic substance and a high-molecular liquid crystalline compound onto the photo-alignment layer to form a light-absorbing anisotropic layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a light-absorbing anisotropic film having an excellent degree of alignment of a dichroic azo coloring agent; an optical laminate including the same; and an image display device using the same. The light-absorbing anisotropic film according to an embodiment of the present invention is a light-absorbing anisotropic film which is formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a dichroic azo coloring agent compound, a liquid crystalline compound, and a compound represented by Formula (1) and has a front transmittance of 60% or less, and in which a content mass ratio of the dichroic azo coloring agent compound to the liquid crystalline compound is 5% to 35% by mass. ##STR00001##

A polarizing plate and a display apparatus including the same. The polarizing plate includes: a polarizer and a protective film stacked at least on one surface of the polarizer, wherein the polarizing plate includes at least a depolarization region in an in-plane direction thereof, and the depolarization region has a maximum absorbance of 0.5 to 1.5 in the wavelength range of 380 nm to 420 nm and a light transmittance ratio (ratio of light transmittance at a wavelength of 590 nm to light transmittance at a wavelength of 400 nm) of 1 to 2.

The present invention relates to a light transmission control panel for a smart window capable of actively adjusting light transmittance as necessary, and a smart window for a vehicle having the same. The present invention discloses The light transmission control panel for a smart window comprising: a first substrate on which a first electrode formed on one surface; a second substrate on which a second electrode is formed on one surface; and a liquid crystal capsule layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. According to the present invention of the light transmittance control panel, it has the effect of implementing improved viewing angle characteristics and medium level gray driving characteristics compared to conventional light transmittance control panel.

Provided are a compound represented by the following general formula (1)

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and a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device or a light control device having the liquid crystal composition. The compound represented by general formula (1) has both a large dichroic ratio and high solubility in the host liquid crystal. In addition, it has excellent chemical stability at a level usable as a device. Therefore, by using the compound represented by general formula (1) as a component of a GH-type liquid crystal composition, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display device or a light control device with high contrast.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition with which a light absorption anisotropic film excellent in plane shape uniformity with a high alignment degree can be formed, a method of producing same, a light absorption anisotropic film, a laminate, and an image display device. The liquid crystal composition contains a high-molecular weight liquid crystal compound, and a dichroic substance, where the composition is a copolymer containing 90% by mass or more of a repeating unit (1) of Formula (1) and 10% by mass or less of a repeating unit (2) of Formula (2). In Formulae (1) and (2), P1 to P3 represent main chains, L1 to L3 represent a single bond or divalent linking group, P2 to SP3 represent a single bond or spacer group (SP1), M1 to M3 represent mesogenic groups, T1 represents a terminal group, and n and m are integers of 0 or 1.

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A light control film and a light control system, which not only simply change the amount of transmitted light but also can be used for a wider range of applications. This light control film includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a liquid crystal material, and a dichroic dye, and has a guest-host type liquid crystal layer in which light transmittance varies with the potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a first haze value when the potential difference is a first potential difference, has a second haze value when the potential difference is a second potential difference, and has a third haze value higher than at least the second haze value when the potential difference is a third potential difference between the first potential difference and the second potential difference.

An optical device is disclose herein. In some embodiments, an optical device includes an active liquid crystal element film, wherein the active liquid crystal element film comprises two base films, an active liquid crystal layer present between the two base films, wherein the active liquid crystal layer contains a liquid crystal compound and is capable of switching between a first oriented state and a second oriented state, and a polarizing coating layer, wherein the polarizing coating layer is present between one of the two base films and the active liquid crystal layer. The optical device is capable of varying transmittance, and can be used for various applications such as sunglasses, AR (augmented reality) or VR (virtual reality) eyewear, an outer wall of a building or a sunroof for a vehicle.

A dual-mode switchable liquid-crystal window can control both radiant energy flow and privacy. The modes are selected by using different voltage frequencies. A dichroic dye is doped to enable modulation of transmission of the window. In the absence of an applied voltage, the window is transparent without haze. When a high-frequency (e.g., 1 kHz) voltage is applied, the liquid crystal and doped dye molecules inside the window reorient uniformly under dielectric interactions. The material becomes optically absorbing. The transmittance decreases, but the haze does not change. In this mode, the window can control radiant energy flow through the window. When a low-frequency (50 Hz) voltage is applied, the liquid crystal and doped dye molecules are switched into a micron-sized polydomain structure under flexoelectric interactions. The material becomes optically scattering and absorbing. The scenery behind the window is blocked. In this mode, privacy can be controlled. This dual-mode switchable window is suitable for architectural and automobile windows.