A transparent display apparatus includes a liquid crystal cell and a Sight source opposite to a side surface of the ceil. The cell Includes a first substrate, first electrodes on the first substrate, a second substrate, a second electrode on the first or second substrata, a liquid crystal layer between the two substrates, signal lines on the first substrate, and a light-shielding pattern on the second substrate. The layer is configured to totally reflect or scatter light from the light source incident to a region, opposite to a first electrode, due to action of an electric field provided by the first and second electrodes. At least one signal line has a bottom surface and a light-reflecting side surface facing the light source, and a slope angle therebetween is acute. The pattern is located in a reflection path after a portion of the light irradiates the light-reflecting side surface.

An optical system including a lighting component and a switchable diffuser in optical communication with the lighting component. The optical system may further include a low absorbing optical component. At least one outer surface of the switchable diffuser and/or the low absorbing optical component includes light redirecting structures. When the switchable diffuser is in a first state and the optical system produces a light output, the light redirecting structures are configured to increase the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the light output of the optical system in at least one direction by at least 5 degrees relative to that of an otherwise equivalent optical system that does not include the light redirecting structures.

An electrically controllable light distribution pattern lighting fixture technology is disclosed. This technology consists of an LED light emitting source, a light scattering/defusing liquid crystal device and its electrical driving controller. This technology enables uniform scattered/defusing emitted light pattern from LED light sources and dimming without sacrificing LED light emission coloration, hue and other characteristics.

The present invention describes a liquid crystal composite tunable device for fast polarisation-independent modulation of an incident light beam comprising: (a) two supporting and functional panels, at least one of them coated with a transparent conductive electrode layer and with optionally at least one additional layer selected from an alignment layer, antireflective coating layer, thermochromic or electrochromic layer, photoconductive or photosensitive layer, and (b) a composite structure sandwiched between said two panels and made of a liquid crystal and porous microparticles infiltrated with said liquid crystal. The porous microparticles have an average refractive index approximately equals to one of the liquid crystal principal refractive indices, matching that of the liquid crystal at one orientational state (for example, parallel n.sub.∥), and exhibiting large mismatch at another orientational state (for example, perpendicular n.sub.⊥). This refractive index mismatch between said microparticles and said liquid crystal is tuned by applying an external electric or magnetic field, thermally or optically.

An optical system including a lighting component and a switchable diffuser in optical communication with the lighting component. The optical system may further include a low absorbing optical component. At least one outer surface of the switchable diffuser and/or the low absorbing optical component includes light redirecting structures. When the switchable diffuser is in a first state and the optical system produces a light output, the light redirecting structures are configured to increase the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the light output of the optical system in at least one direction by at least 5 degrees relative to that of an otherwise equivalent optical system that does not include the light redirecting structures.

A liquid crystal display panel (100) comprises a first polarizer (110) and a second polarizer (170), a first liquid crystal layer (130) disposed between the first polarizer (110) and the second polarizer (170), and an optical compensation layer (140) disposed between the first liquid crystal layer (130) and one of the first polarizer (110) and the second polarizer (170). A transmission axis of the first polarizer (110) is perpendicular to a transmission axis of the second polarizer (170). The first liquid crystal layer (130) includes first liquid crystal molecules (130′). An included angle (γ) between an orthographic projection of an optical axis of a first liquid crystal molecule (130′) on the first polarizer (110), which is perpendicular to an orthographic projection of an optical axis of the optical compensation layer (140) on the first polarizer (110), and the transmission axis of the first polarizer (110) is an acute angle,

According to one embodiment, a light control device includes a first liquid crystal cell, a second liquid crystal cell, and a polarization conversion element disposed between the first liquid crystal cell and the second liquid crystal cell. One substrate of each of the first liquid crystal cell and the second liquid crystal cell includes an insulating substrate, and first to fourth electrodes arranged on the insulating substrate and formed in a strip shape. The electric potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electric potential difference between the second electrode and the third electrode, and the electric potential difference between the third electrode and the fourth electrode are different from each other.

According to an aspect, a display apparatus includes: a first light-transmissive substrate; a second light-transmissive substrate arranged to face the first light-transmissive substrate; a liquid crystal layer including polymer dispersed liquid crystals sealed between the first light-transmissive substrate and the second light-transmissive substrate; at least one light-emitting device arranged to face at least one of a side surface of the first light-transmissive substrate or a side surface of the second light-transmissive substrate; and at least one reflector arranged on at least one of a side surface of the first light-transmissive substrate or a side surface of the second light-transmissive substrate, the side surface of the first or second light-transmissive substrate being on an opposite side of the side surface of the first or second light-transmissive substrate to which the at least one light-emitting device faces, and configured to reflect light at the side surface on the opposite side.

A use of zwitterionic compound in preparation of dynamic-scattering-mode-based liquid crystal material. A liquid crystal material is also described. Such material contains liquid crystal and dopant, and the dopant is zwitterionic compound. A liquid crystal electro-optical device comprising such liquid crystal compound and the use of such optical device are also described. Zwitterionic compound is used as dopant to induce a stable dynamic scattering mode in liquid crystals.

A novel input/output device that is highly convenient or reliable is provided. The input/output device includes a display portion and an input portion, and the display portion includes a liquid crystal element. The liquid crystal element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a layer containing a liquid crystal material, a first alignment film, and a second alignment film, and the second electrode is provided such that an electric field is applied to the layer containing a liquid crystal material between the first electrode and the second electrode. The layer containing a liquid crystal material scatters incident light with first scattering intensity when the electric field is in a first state, the layer containing a liquid crystal material scatters the incident light with second scattering intensity when the electric field is in a second state, which is higher than that in the first state, and the second scattering intensity is 10 or more times as high as the first scattering intensity. The layer containing a liquid crystal material contains a liquid crystal material and a polymer material, and the layer containing a liquid crystal material is stabilized by the polymer material. The input portion includes a sensing region, the input portion senses an object approaching the sensing region, the sensing region includes a region overlapping with a pixel, and the sensing region includes a sensor.