Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Copyer Co., Ltd.

Canon Inc.

Copyer Kabushiki Kaisha

Other

Yamakawa Yakuhin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Kazuharu Katagiri

Junichiro Kanbe

Masataka Yamashita

Kenji Shinjo

Masahiro Terada

Kazuo Yoshinaga

Shinjiro Okada

Hiroyuki Kitayama

Syuzo Kaneko

Yoshihiro Oguchi

Takao Takiguchi

Takeshi Togano

Shosei Mori

Shozo Ishikawa

Yoshio Takasu

Makoto Kitahara

Katsunori Watanabe

Akira Tsuboyama

Shinichi Nakamura

Takashi Iwaki

Syuji Yamada

Hiroyuki Nohira

Masanobu Asaoka

Junko Sato

Masanao Kamei

Akio Yoshida

Shigeto Ohta

Osamu Taniguchi

Yoko Yamada

Chieko Hioki

Yukio Hanyu

Hiroshi Mizuno

Kiyoshi Sakai

Koji Noguchi

Yoshiko Kimura

Ikuo Nakazawa

Hideyuki Kawagishi

Toshiharu Uchimi

Shousei Mori

Mariko Kai

Koichi Sato

Yutaka Inaba

Shuzo Kaneko

Hidemasa Mizutani

Masayuki Ikegami

Kozo Arao

Hirokatsu Miyata

Masaaki Hiro

Miki Ogawa

Toyoko Kobayashi

Hitoshi Shindo

Shoji Umehara

Tomonari Horikiri

Hideyuki Takahashi

Takeshi Ohtake

Tetsuo Arita

Shoji Masubuchi

Toshio Takasu

Yuuta Kumano

An image forming process provides an excellent ink fixation effect for high speed, low energy consumption printing. Two-valued or multi-valued gradation expression of a picture element, or the smallest output unit, is realized by controlling the number of liquid droplets impacting on a recording medium for each dot formed on the recording medium. The liquid droplets are subjected to physical or chemical modification so as to be fixed to the recording medium. The present invention is also directed to an image forming apparatus, an ink for liquid droplet recording and a liquid droplet ejection and projection method that can use the image forming process.

Process for forming image with liquid droplets, image forming apparatus utilizing such process and process for ejecting and projecting liquid droplets

A driving method for an optical modulation device is applicable to driving of an optical modulation device, e.g. a liquid crystal device having a matrix electrode arrangement comprising a group of scanning electrodes, a group of signal electrodes oppositely spaced from the group of scanning electrodes, and an optical modulation material (e.g. a liquid crystal) showing bistability with respect to an electric filed applied thereto disposed between the groups of scanning electrodes and signal electrodes. The driving method is featured by applying a voltage allowing the liquid crystal having bistability to be oriented to a first stable state (one optically stable state) between a selected scanning electrode of the group of scanning electrodes and a selected signal electrode of the group of signal electrodes, and by applying a voltage allowing the liquid crystal having bistability to be oriented to a second stable state (the other optically stable state) between the selected scanning electrodes and non-selected signal electrodes; or by applying a voltage allowing the optical modulation material having bistabity to be oriented to a first stable state between a selected scanning electrode and the group of signal electrodes, applying a voltage allowing the liquid crystal oriented to the first stable state to be oriented to a second stable state between the selected scanning electrode and a selected signal electrode, and applying a voltage set to a value between a threshold voltage -V.sub.th2 (for the second stable state) and a threshold voltage V.sub.th1 (for the first stable state) between non-selected scanning electrodes and the group of signal electrodes.

Method of driving optical modulation device

A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device comprising a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed in a non-helical alignment state so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes. Drive means are provided for: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning electrodes, the scanning selection signal comprising a voltage of one polarity and a voltage of the other polarity, respectively with reference to a voltage level of the scanning nonselection signal, and being applied in a period for selecting one scanning electrode, (b) in a period of applying the voltage of one polarity, applying signals to the signal electrodes for causing one orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal, so as to non-selectively erase the picture elements on a scanning electrode to which the scanning selection signal is applied, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning electrodes.

A driving method for an optical modulation device comprising matrix picture elements each formed at intersecting points of scanning lines and data lines between which a bistable optical modulation material represented by a ferroelectric liquid crsytal is interposed. The driving method comprises an erasure step of applying a voltage signal orienting the optical modulation material to the first stable state between the scanning and data lines, at all or a part of the matrix picture elements, and a writing step of sequentially applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning lines and applying an information orientation signal orienting the optical modulation material to the second stable state to the data lines in phase with the scanning selection signal.

Driving method for optical modulation device

A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning lines and a group of signal lines intersecting each other to form a matrix of picture elements, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form the picture elements. The device is driven by: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning lines, the scanning selection signal comprising a voltage of one polarity and a voltage of the other polarity, respectively with reference to a voltage level of the scanning non-selection signal, (b) applying a data signal having a voltage determined according to an environmental temperature for causing one orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal selectively to the signal lines in a period of applying the voltage of one polarity to a scanning line and applying a data signal having a voltage determined according to an environmental temperature for causing another orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal selectively to the signal lines in a period of applying the voltage of the other polarity to the scanning line, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning lines.

A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning lines and a group of signal lines intersecting each other to form a matrix of picture elements, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form the picture elements. The device is driven by: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning lines, (b) applying data signals having a predetermined voltage determined according to an environmental temperature and including a gradation data signal to the signal lines so as to provide a selected picture element at an intersection of a selected scanning line receiving the scanning selection signal and a selected signal electrode with a ratio between an area occupied with one orientation state and an area occupied by another orientation state, respectively of the chiral smectic liquid crystal, depending on given gradation data, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning lines.

A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal having a threshold voltage varying depending on a voltage pulse width disposed so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes. The electrodes are driven by (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning electrodes, (b) applying data signals to the signal electrodes so as to apply a voltage to a selected picture element at an intersection of a selected scanning electrode receiving the scanning selection signal and a selected signal electrode, the voltage applied to the selected picture element being at least two times a voltage applied to a non-selected picture element at an intersection of a non-selected scanning electrode receiving the scanning non-selection signal and a selected or non-selected signal electrode, (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning electrodes, and (d) setting a voltage level of the voltage according to a local environmental temperature.

A driving method for an optical modulation device is applicable to driving of an optical modulation device, e.g. a liquid crystal device having a matrix electrode arrangement comprising a group of scanning electrodes, a group of signal electrodes oppositely spaced from the group of scanning electrodes, and an optical modulation material (e.g. a liquid crystal) showing bistability with respect to an electric filed applied thereto disposed between the groups of scanning electrodes and signal electrodes. The driving method is featured by applying a voltage allowing the liquid crystal having bistability to be oriented to a first stable state (one optically stable state) between a selected scanning electrode of the group of scanning electrodes and a selected signal electrode of the group of signal electrodes, and by applying a voltage allowing the liquid crystal having bistability to be oriented to a second stable state (the other optically stable state) between the selected scanning electrodes and non-selected signal electrodes.

A liquid crystal composition comprises at least three compounds represented by formulae (A), (B) and (C), respectively as in Claim 1. The compound of the formula (A) has an indan skeleton, the compound of the formula (B) has a quinoxaline skeleton, and the compound of the formula (C) has a pyrimidine skeleton or a benzothiazole skeleton and a terminal cyclic group comprising a cyclohexyl group or a phenyl group. The liquid crystal composition is effective in improving a display quality and drive characteristics of a liquid crystal device using the composition when the liquid crystal device is continuously driven for a long time.

Liquid crystal composition, liquid crystal device, and liquid crystal

A driving method for an optical modulation device comprising matrix picture elements each formed at intersecting points of scanning lines and data lines between which a bistable optical modulation material represented by a ferroelectric liquid crystal is interposed. The driving method comprises an erasure step of applying a voltage signal orienting the optical modulation material to the first stable state between the scanning and data lines, at all or a part of the matrix picture elements, and a writing step of sequentially applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning lines and applying an information orientation signal orienting the optical modulation material to the second stable state to the data lines in phase with the scanning selection signal.

A liquid crystal device having a cell structure comprising a pair of base plates and a smectic liquid crystal having cholesteric phase at a higher temperature side; the ratio (P/d) of the spiral pitch of the cholesteric phase (P) to the spacing between the pair of base plates (d) is 0.5 or more.

Liquid crystal device

A liquid crystal composition contains a mesomorphic compound represented by the following formula (A): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 denotes a linear or branched alkyl group having 1-18 carbon atoms; X.sub.1 denotes a single bond, --O--, --CO--O-- or --O--CO--; X.sub.2 denotes a single bond, --OCH.sub.2 --, --CO--O-- or --O--CO--; n is an integer of 3-16; and A.sub.1, denotes ##STR2## and a mesomorphic compound represented by the following formula (B): ##STR3## wherein R.sub.2 denotes a linear or branched alkyl group having 1-18 carbon atoms; X.sub.3 and X.sub.4 independently denote a single bond, --O--, --CO--O-- or --O--CO--; m is an integer of 3-16; and A.sub.2 denotes ##STR4## The liquid crystal composition may preferably be formulated as a chiral smectic liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition is useful in providing a liquid crystal device using the liquid crystal composition with a good alignment characteristic, a good drive characteristic, and a high contrast ratio.

Liquid crystal composition, liquid crystal device and liquid crystal

A liquid crystal composition is composed of at least three types of mesomorphic compounds. The liquid crystal composition may preferably contain a mesomorphic compound having an indan skeleton represented by the formula (1) or (3) and a mesomorphic compound having a terminal cyclic group represented by the formula (2) or (4). The liquid crystal composition may also preferably further contain an optically active compound to be formulated as a chiral smectic (or ferroelectric) liquid crystal composition. When the chiral smectic liquid crystal composition is disposed between a pair of electrode substrates provided with uniaxial alignment axes, the liquid crystal composition may preferably be placed in an alignment state in C1 uniform alignment, so that a resultant liquid crystal device provides a higher contrast ratio and a wider drive voltage margin.

Growing community of inventors

Tama, Japan

Kazuharu Katagiri