A method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal layer is a method that can produce a cholesteric liquid crystal layer whose reflection surface is not parallel to a substrate surface by a simple method. The method includes: a step 1 of forming a composition layer satisfying a condition 1, a condition 2, or a condition 3 on a substrate, using a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound; and a step 2 of subjecting the composition layer to a treatment for cholesterically aligning the liquid crystal compound in the composition layer to form a cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

An optical member includes: a substrate; and a dot formed on a surface of the substrate. The dot has wavelength selective reflecting properties, and a cholesteric structure which has a stripe pattern including bright and dark portions in a cross-sectional view of the dot when observed with a scanning electron microscope. A surface shape of the dot opposite to the substrate in a cross-section of the dot in a thickness direction has at least one inflection point. In the cross-section, an angle between a normal line perpendicular to a line, formed using a first dark portion from a surface of the dot opposite to the substrate, and the surface of the dot, is in a range of 70° to 90°. A proportion of a retroreflective area of the optical member is high when observed after light irradiation from an oblique direction to a normal direction perpendicular to the optical member.

Techniques are described for operating an optical system. In some embodiments, light associated with a world object is received at the optical system. Virtual image light is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system. A portion of a system field of view of the optical system to be at least partially dimmed is determined based on information detected by the optical system. A plurality of spatially-resolved dimming values for the portion of the system field of view may be determined based on the detected information. The detected information may include light information, gaze information, and/or image information. A dimmer of the optical system may be adjusted to reduce an intensity of light associated with the world object in the portion of the system field of view according to the plurality of dimming values.

A liquid crystal device that is flexible and includes a cholesteric liquid crystal material erased by flexing. Totally free of electronics and electrically conductive electrodes, the liquid crystal device takes advantage of a reverse mode effect observed in cholesteric liquid crystals whereby pressure applied to the device changes a reflective texture to a transmissive texture to create an image. The image is erased and the device reinitialized by flexing to create reflective texture surroundings.

Techniques are described for operating an optical system. In some embodiments, light associated with a world object is received at the optical system. Virtual image light is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system. A portion of a system field of view of the optical system to be at least partially dimmed is determined based on information detected by the optical system. A plurality of spatially-resolved dimming values for the portion of the system field of view may be determined based on the detected information. The detected information may include light information, gaze information, and/or image information. A dimmer of the optical system may be adjusted to reduce an intensity of light associated with the world object in the portion of the system field of view according to the plurality of dimming values.

A method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal layer is a method that can produce a cholesteric liquid crystal layer whose reflection surface is not parallel to a substrate surface by a simple method. The method includes: a step 1 of forming a composition layer satisfying a condition 1, a condition 2, or a condition 3 on a substrate, using a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound; and a step 2 of subjecting the composition layer to a treatment for cholesterically aligning the liquid crystal compound in the composition layer to form a cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

Provided are a decorative film including a base material and a reflective layer having a convex structure, in which, in a cross section obtained by cutting the convex structure in a direction perpendicular to a plane direction of the decorative film, in a case where a direction in which an average Φ.sub.AVE of positive tilt angles is a largest is defined as a first direction and a direction in which the average Φ.sub.AVE of the positive tilt angles is a smallest is defined as a second direction, the decorative film has a region A in which Φ.sub.AVE in the first direction is 3° or more and Φ.sub.AVE in the second direction is less than 3°; and applications thereof.

A liquid crystal device that is flexible and includes a cholesteric liquid crystal material erased by flexing. Totally free of electronics and electrically conductive electrodes, the liquid crystal device takes advantage of a reverse mode effect observed in cholesteric liquid crystals whereby pressure applied to the device changes a reflective texture to a transmissive texture to create an image. The image is erased and the device reinitialized by flexing to create reflective texture surroundings.

An object of the present invention is to provide a structure having a reflective layer that has satisfactory transparency and diffuse reflectivity and is also capable of reducing the occurrence of glare, and a method for forming the reflective layer. The object of the present invention is achieved by a structure including a substrate and a reflective layer formed by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in which, upon observing a cross section of the reflective layer by a scanning electron microscope, lines formed by bright portions and lines formed by dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase have a wave-like structure or are inclined with respect to the surface of the substrate, and at least a part of the lines formed by the bright portions and the lines formed by the dark portions are discontinuous.

A liquid crystal display device, which comprises: a backlight source (1); a first handedness cholesteric liquid crystal film layer (2), located at an upper side of the backlight source (1) as a light emitting surface; an array substrate (3), located at an upper side of the first handedness cholesteric liquid crystal film layer (2); a color filter substrate (5), located at an upper side of the array substrate (3); and a second handedness cholesteric liquid crystal layer (4), sandwiched between the array substrate (3) and the color filter substrate (5), the first handedness being opposite to the second handedness. The liquid crystal display device greatly improves light efficiency and transmittance of the display and saves the processing steps and manufacturing costs.