Provided is an optical scanning device having a stable scanning direction corresponding to a temperature fluctuation of a semiconductor laser by being provided with a predetermined liquid crystal optical element utilizing a characteristic of a linear expansion coefficient of a support of a liquid crystal diffraction element. An optical scanning device includes: a light source; and a light deflection element, in which the light deflection element includes a support and an optically anisotropic layer which is a cured layer of a liquid crystal composition, an optical axis of a liquid crystal compound contained in the liquid crystal composition is parallel to a surface of the optically anisotropic layer, and the optically anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern which is arranged along at least one in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic layer and in which an orientation of the optical axis of the liquid crystal compound changes continuously and rotationally, and the support satisfies Conditional Expression (1): |dλ/(dt×λ0)−α|<2×10.sup.−4.

A privacy display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, reflective polariser, plural polar control retarders and a polariser. In a privacy mode of operation, on-axis light from the spatial light modulator is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance. Further, display reflectivity is reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity is increased for off-axis light. The visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers is reduced by means of luminance reduction and increased frontal reflectivity to ambient light. In a public mode of operation, the liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified.

A see-through window display includes a display panel having a plurality of pixels and a drive circuit that applies a voltage according to input gray scale data to the plurality of pixels, in which the display panel includes a first substrate having a pixel electrode, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, a first polarizer provided on the first substrate having a first polarization axis, and a second polarizer provided on the second substrate having a second polarization axis, and when a transmittance of each of the pixels when the drive circuit applies a minimum voltage to the pixel is set to TW and a transmittance of each of the pixels when the drive circuit applies a maximum voltage to the pixel is set to TB, the display panel has a normally white characteristic satisfying TW>TB.

The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal (LC) medium comprising polymerizable compounds, to its use for optical, electro-optical and electronic purposes, in particular in LC displays, especially in LC displays of the PSA (polymer sustained alignment) or SA (self-aligning) mode, to an LC display of the PSA or SA mode comprising the LC medium, and to a process of manufacturing the LC display.

A one-way glass with switching modes includes an absorbing layer located on a weak light side, a reflecting layer located on an intense light side, and a converting layer stacked between the absorbing layer and the reflecting layer. The absorbing layer absorbs first polarized light and allows second polarized light to pass through. The reflecting layer reflects the first polarized light and allows the second polarized light to pass through. Unpolarized light incident from the weak light side or from the intense light side is respectively converted into the polarized light. During the process of gradually adjusting the converting layer from a twisted state to a vertical state, rotated angles of polarization directions of the first polarized light and the second polarized light gradually decrease.

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium having negative dielectric anisotropy comprising one or more compounds of formula I ##STR00001##
and
one or more compounds selected from the group of the compounds of the formulae IIA, IIB and IIC, ##STR00002##
wherein the groups and parameters have the meanings indicated in claim 1, to a guest-host liquid crystal medium derived therefrom comprising one or more dichroic dyes and the use of said medium in devices such as light shutters, switchable windows, switchable mirrors and guest-host displays. The invention further relates to devices containing the liquid crystalline medium according to the invention.

A light modulation element that can vary between a bright transparent mode and a dark scattering mode is provided. The light modulation element has a first light modulation layer and a second light modulation layer comprising nematic liquid crystals and a dichroic dye in a scattering mode when a voltage is applied. The first light modulation layer and the second light modulation layer are disposed to overlap each other. The light modulation element has an improved contrast ratio and haze-variable characteristics, without precipitation of dichroic dyes and an increase in power consumption.

A liquid crystal composition includes a component A composed of one or more liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy and a component B composed of one or more compounds selected from a general formula I, where the optical anisotropy of the liquid crystal composition is larger than 0.14. The elastic coefficient of a liquid crystal system is adjusted by introducing a bi-mesogenic compound into a negative liquid crystal or a negative liquid crystal mixture. When the liquid crystal composition is used for the dimming device, the minimum light transmittance of the dimming device in the dark state can be significantly reduced, the adjustment range of the light transmittance in the light state and the dark state can be expanded, and the haze in the dark state can be increased, thereby broadening the use range.

##STR00001##

Disclosed is a novel stabilizer represented by formula I,

##STR00001##

Further disclosed is a liquid crystal composition comprising a compound of formula I. The liquid crystal composition disclosed in the present invention has a low viscosity γ.sub.1, a moderate dielectric anisotropy Δ∈, a moderate optical anisotropy Δn, and most principally a high reliability, and can achieve a quick response of liquid crystal display.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal (LC) display of the FFS type comprising a liquid crystal medium with negative dielectric anisotropy and a di- or multireactive polymerizable compound, and an alignment layer inducing planar alignment in the LC medium.