Devices for the regulation of light transmission and in particular switchable windows, including window elements containing a switchable optical cell having a homeotropically aligned liquid crystal layer with a pretilt angle in the range of 77° to 88°.

A liquid crystal cell includes a color filter substrate, an array substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and two alignment control layers. The color filter substrate includes a color conversion layer for converting color of light but not include an alignment film containing polyamic acid or polyamide. The array substrate is opposed to the color filter substrate. The alignment control layers are formed on an inner surface of the color filter substrate and an inner surface of the array substrate, respectively. The alignment control layers contact the liquid crystal layer. The alignment control layers are made of reactants of radical polymerizable monomers added to a liquid crystal material for forming the liquid crystal layer. The alignment control layers control orientations of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer. The radical polymerizable monomers include radical polymerizable monomers having ultraviolet-ray absorbing functional groups.

A control system for a switchable privacy display apparatus comprises sensors arranged to determine device location, operating environment, document type, application type and further comprises a privacy policy for control of privacy images. High image visibility is provided for public mode operation while in privacy mode a high visual security level may be obtained by means of control of image luminance, contrast and white point in response to the privacy policy.

A reflective-type liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate including a light-reflective first electrode; a second substrate including a light-transmissive second electrode; a liquid crystal layer that is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and takes a generally vertical alignment during black display; a polarizing layer provided on a viewer side of the second substrate; and a first retardation layer, a second retardation layer and a third retardation layer that are arranged in this order from a side of the polarizing layer, wherein 40°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤50°, 130°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤140°, 220°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤230° or 310°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤320° is satisfied, where θ1 denotes an angle formed between an absorption axis or a transmission axis of the polarizing layer and a slow axis of the first retardation layer, θ2 an angle formed between the absorption axis or the transmission axis of the polarizing layer and the slow axis of second retardation layer, and θ3 an angle formed between the absorption axis or the transmission axis of the polarizing layer and the slow axis of the third retardation layer.

An optical display device includes a coherent light source generating a coherent light beam in visible, ultraviolet, or infrared ranges. The coherent light beam is directed at a liquid crystal component. A plurality of liquid crystals and a plurality of nanoparticles having an average diameter of ≤about 450 nm are disposed in an interior compartment. An electrical source is in electrical communication with the first and the second electrodes. When no voltage or current is applied, a filtered light beam transmitted or reflected from the liquid crystal component exhibits a first speckle contrast ≥about 0.28. When voltage or current is applied, the microparticles are induced to move and the filtered light beam has a second speckle contrast that is ≤about 0.2 and in certain aspects may be ≤about 0.03. A method of reducing speckle in an optical device having a coherent light source is also provided.

Pixel electrodes adjacent to each other along a first axis are supplied with pixel potentials having opposite polarities with respect to a potential of a common electrode. The pixel electrode includes straight parts. Electric fields between the straight parts and the common electrode are applied to negative type liquid crystal material. An electric field between the straight parts of the adjacent pixel electrodes is applied to the negative type liquid crystal material. An opposite substrate includes a second region opposed to a first region between the straight parts of the adjacent pixel electrodes. At least a part of visible light transmitted through the first region is transmitted through the second region. Angles of the straight parts with respect to an axis perpendicular to direction of initial alignment of the liquid crystal material have a size of not less than 15° and not more than 30°.

A display panel is provided. The display panel includes pixel electrodes, and black matrices located between adjacent pixel electrodes. Opaque regions are formed between the pixel electrodes. Dark strip regions are formed at part of edges of pixel electrodes. The black matrices cover the opaque regions and the dark strip regions. The provided display panel increases an area of a display region by oppositely disposing the black matrices and the pixel electrodes.

A liquid crystal composition includes the following compounds: (in a range of 21.5 to 26.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a first chemical formula, (in a range of 2.5 to 7.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a second chemical formula, (in a range of 12.5 to 17.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a third chemical formula, (in a range of 5.5 to 10.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a fourth chemical formula, (in a range of 7.5 to 12.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a fifth chemical formula, (in a range of 2 to 7 parts by weight) a compound represented by a sixth chemical formula, (in a range of 10.5 to 15.5 parts by weight) a compound represented by a seventh chemical formula, and (in a range of 13 to 18 parts by weight) an compound represented by an eighth chemical formula 8.

An optical display device includes a coherent light source generating a coherent light beam in visible, ultraviolet, or infrared ranges. The coherent light beam is directed at a liquid crystal component. A plurality of liquid crystals and a plurality of nanoparticles having an average diameter of ≤about 450 nm are disposed in an interior compartment. An electrical source is in electrical communication with the first and the second electrodes. When no voltage or current is applied, a filtered light beam transmitted or reflected from the liquid crystal component exhibits a first speckle contrast ≥about 0.28. When voltage or current is applied, the microparticles are induced to move and the filtered light beam has a second speckle contrast that is ≤about 0.2 and in certain aspects may be ≤about 0.03. A method of reducing speckle in an optical device having a coherent light source is also provided.

A liquid crystal display panel includes pixels including a reflective region for display in a reflection mode and a transmissive region for display in a transmission mode. The liquid crystal display panel includes a liquid crystal layer including a nematic liquid crystal material having negative dielectric anisotropy and a chiral agent, a pixel electrode including a reflective conductive layer and a transparent conductive layer, a counter electrode, a light diffusing structure provided in common to the reflective region and the transmissive region, and a first vertical alignment film provided between the pixel electrode and the liquid crystal layer, and a second vertical alignment film provided between the counter electrode and the liquid crystal layer. At least one of the first vertical alignment film and the second vertical alignment film has an alignment regulating force defining a pretilt azimuthal direction, and in a case where the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective region is dr, and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmissive region is dt, dr and dt are in a range of 0.85≤dt/dr≤1.25.