Seiko Epson Corporation

Sony Corporation

Epson Imaging Devices Corporation

Akihide Haruyama

Toshiyuki Kasai

Osamu Okumura

Hiroyuki Hosaka

Toru Aoki

Joji Nishimura

Yutaka Tsuchiya

Junichi Wakabayashi

Yohei Sugimoto

Ayae Sawado

Yusuke Komuro

Atsushi Ito

Ryosuke Yamasaki

A liquid crystal device includes a liquid crystal panel including a first liquid crystal layer, a first polarizing plate provided on a light incidence side of the liquid crystal panel, a second polarizing plate provided on a light emission side of the liquid crystal panel, a first phase difference adjusting element arranged between the first polarizing plate and the liquid crystal panel and including a second liquid crystal layer, a second phase difference adjusting element arranged between the liquid crystal panel and the second polarizing plate and including a third liquid crystal layer, and a control unit configured to control a phase difference of the second liquid crystal layer and a phase difference of the third liquid crystal layer.

Liquid crystal device, display device, and optical modulation module

In an electro-optical device, a first polarizing element, a first phase difference element, a transmissive liquid crystal panel, a second phase difference element, and a second polarizing element are sequentially arranged. Here, when a phase difference of the first phase difference element and the second phase difference element is λ/4, an influence of orientation disorder of liquid crystal molecules can be alleviated, but a contrast ratio is reduced. Therefore, when a wavelength of incident light is λ, a phase difference R of the first phase difference element and the second phase difference element satisfies the following condition that 0<R<λ/4, preferably λ/12<R<λ/6. For example, it is assumed that the phase difference R is λ/8.

Electro-optical device, electronic apparatus, and projector

A liquid crystal device includes a liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer as a first liquid crystal layer, a first polarizing element, a second polarizing element, a first phase difference adjusting element arranged between the first polarizing element and the liquid crystal panel and including a liquid crystal layer as a second liquid crystal layer, a second phase difference adjusting element arranged between the liquid crystal panel and the second polarizing element and including a liquid crystal layer as a third liquid crystal layer, and a first phase difference controlling element driving unit and a second phase difference controlling element driving unit as control units configured to control a value of a voltage applied to the first phase difference adjusting element and the second phase difference adjusting element, based on image data input to the liquid crystal panel.

Liquid crystal device, display device, optical modulation module, and control method of liquid crystal device

An electro-optical device includes a first substrate including a plurality of pixel electrodes, a second substrate having translucency, an electro-optical layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the electro-optical layer having an optical property that varies in accordance with an electric field generated by the plurality of pixel electrodes, and a spacer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the spacer including a high refractive index portion having a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the electro-optical layer, the spacer being configured to define a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

A microlens array substrate includes a substrate having a first surface and a plurality of recesses corresponding to a plurality of pixels, and a microlens array including a plurality of microlenses corresponding to the plurality of recesses. The microlenses each have a refractive index different from a refractive index of the substrate, and each have a light incident surface and a light exiting surface. The light incident surface has a first curvature region and a second curvature region. The second curvature region surrounds the first curvature region when viewed along the optical axis of one microlens and has a curvature greater than the curvature of the first curvature region. The light exiting surface includes a light collecting structure configured to converge the light incident via the light incident surface. The light collecting structure overlaps with part of the first curvature region when viewed along the optical axis.

Microlens array substrate, light modulator, and projector

A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate arranged on a light incident side and a second substrate that faces the first substrate through intermediation of a liquid crystal layer. A light shielding member is not provided in a display region of the first substrate. In a display region of the second substrate, a light shielding member in a lattice shape is provided between a substrate body and a pixel electrode. The second substrate includes a first lens member provided between the substrate body and the light shielding member, a second lens member provided between the light shielding member and the pixel electrode, and a third lens member provided between the second lens member and the pixel electrode. The liquid crystal device includes an optical compensation member on a light incident side of the third lens member.

Liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus

The invention provides a new technique for improving the contrast in a liquid-crystal display device having a liquid crystal layer that is formed of pretilted liquid crystal molecules having a negative dielectric constant anisotropy. A liquid-crystal display device according to an aspect of the invention includes a liquid crystal panel in which a phase-difference compensation layer including a C plate is formed, and a phase-difference compensation member disposed on the outside of the liquid crystal panel and including an O plate or an A plate. The liquid crystal panel includes an opposing substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed of pretilted liquid crystal molecules having a negative dielectric constant anisotropy, and an element substrate.

Liquid-crystal display device and electronic apparatus

A first substrate includes a base material having transmissivity, a light-shielding body having a grid pattern in a plan view seen from a thickness direction of the base material, a pixel electrode, a first insulator having transmissivity that overlaps the light-shielding body in the plan view and is disposed between the base material and the pixel electrode, and a second insulator having transmissivity that overlaps the pixel electrode in the plan view and is disposed in contact with the first insulator between the base material and the pixel electrode. The second insulator has a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the first insulator. An interface between the second insulator and the first insulator has an inclined portion inclined away from a central axis along a thickness direction of the second insulator from the incident side of light toward an emitting side.

Transmissive-type liquid crystal display device and electronic apparatus

Provided is a technique to suppress a decrease in the effect of optical compensation caused by diffraction at the element substrate in a liquid crystal display device. One aspect of a liquid crystal device includes a counter substrate that includes a common electrode, an element substrate that includes a pixel electrode, a lens, and a light-shielding member, the light-shielding member defining an opening area of a pixel, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the counter substrate and the element substrate, and an optical compensation member arranged on a counter substrate side with respect to the liquid crystal layer. Incident light is incident from the counter substrate side.

Liquid crystal display device and electronic apparatus

A reflection type liquid crystal device has: a liquid crystal cell held between a pair of substrates and an optical compensation plate disposed outside the pair of substrates. The optical compensation plate has a first optical axis along the thickness direction thereof. The liquid crystal cell has a pretilt at which a second optical axis of a liquid crystal molecule of the liquid crystal cell is inclined with respect to a plate surface of the liquid crystal cell. The optical compensation plate is tiltable in a first direction in which a standard angle becomes larger, wherein the standard angle is defined as an acute angle between the first optical axis and the second optical axis when the optical compensation plate is located parallel to the plate surface of the liquid crystal cell.

Reflection type liquid crystal device having a tilt mechanism and LCD projector

An electro-optic device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, an electro-optic layer which is interposed between the second substrate and the first substrate, and a first translucent film, a second translucent film, and a third translucent film which are disposed between the second substrate and the electro-optic layer and are sequentially formed from the second substrate, in which the refractive index of the second translucent film is larger than the refractive index of the second substrate, is smaller than the refractive index of the first translucent film, and is smaller than the third translucent film. A transmittance of incident light of the electro-optic device is intensified using refractive index matching, interference dimming, and anti-scattering.

Electro-optic device and electronic apparatus

A projector includes: an illumination optical system which emits first light (green light); a reflection type first liquid crystal panel which modulates the first light emitted from the illumination optical system; a first wire grid element which is disposed at a position at which the first light modulated and reflected by the first liquid crystal panel is incident, which includes a plurality of metal wires extending so as to be almost parallel to a light-exit surface of the first liquid crystal panel, and in which the surface on which the first light is incident is inclined by an angle equal to or greater than 37&#xb0; and less than 45&#xb0; with respect to a normal direction of the light-exit surface of the first liquid crystal panel; a projection optical system which projects the first light modulated by the first liquid crystal panel and reflected from the first wire grid element.

Projector

A projector includes: a lighting device that emits light of a plurality of different colors; a plurality of liquid crystal light valves that modulate the light of a plurality of colors; a color synthesizing optical system that synthesizes the color light modulated by the plurality of liquid crystal light valves; and a projection optical system that projects the light synthesized by the color synthesizing optical system to a projection target face. A cell thickness of one liquid crystal light valve modulating light of one color of the plurality of liquid crystal light valves is smaller than a cell thickness of the other liquid crystal light valves modulating the light of other colors, and an alignment state of liquid crystal at the time of applying the maximum gradation voltage is substantially the same in one liquid crystal light value and the other liquid crystal light valve.

An electro-optical device includes, a first substrate, a second substrate, an electrooptic material layer, an illuminating device, and a polarizing device. The electrooptic material layer is held between the first substrate and the second substrate. The illuminating device irradiates illumination light to an outer surface of the first substrate. The polarizing device is provided on the outer surface of the first substrate. The electrooptic material layer exhibits optical isotropy when no electric field is applied, and, when an electric field is applied, exhibits optical anisotropy corresponding to the magnitude of the electric field. The electrooptic material layer further has a characteristic to selectively reflect a first circularly polarized light having a first rotation direction. Light that passes through the polarizing device is a second circularly polarized light that has a second rotation direction reverse to the first rotation direction of the first circularly polarized light.

Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus selectively reflecting and transmitting circularly polarized light having reverse rotation directions

A liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal layer having liquid crystal which demonstrates an optically isotropic property when no electric field is applied and demonstrates an optically anisotropic property which is proportional to the square of the electric field strength when electric field is applied, and a pair of substrates which sandwich the liquid crystal layer, including sub-pixel areas each including a reflective display area for reflective display and a transmissive display area for transmissive display; and first and second electrodes provided in both of the reflective display area and the transmissive display area, wherein the liquid crystal layer is driven by an electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, and wherein the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode in the transmissive display area is smaller than the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode in the reflective display area.

Growing community of inventors

Suwa, Japan

Akihide Haruyama