Fujifilm Corporation

Nobuhiko Ichihara

Michio Nagai

Akira Yamamoto

Daisuke Kashiwagi

Yoji Ito

Yujiro Yanai

Yukito Saitoh

Hideyuki Nakamura

Makoto Ishiguro

Jun Takeda

Hirofumi Toyama

Hideki Kaneiwa

Ryuji Saneto

Rikio Inoue

Koji Iijima

Takashi Tamada

Provided is a new optical element that can be used for various applications. The optical element includes: a liquid crystal layer where a liquid crystal compound is aligned; and a polymer layer that is laminated on the liquid crystal layer, in which the optical element is reversibly switchable between a reference form and a first form where a film thickness distribution of the liquid crystal layer is less than that of the reference form.

Optical element

Provided is a reflective sheet that includes a reflective layer having a wide reflection wavelength range, excellent diffusion reflection properties, and inconspicuous defects. The reflective sheet includes a plurality of reflective layers that are laminated, the reflective layers being obtained by immobilizing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, in a cross-section of the reflective layer observed with a scanning electron microscope, at least a part of bright portions and dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase has a flapping structure, a helical pitch in one or more reflective layers changes in a thickness direction, and a thickness of a reflective layer that is formed on a surface other than a surface of the reflective layer is less than those of other reflective layers.

Reflective sheet

An object of the present invention is to provide a decorative sheet exhibiting high lustrousness even when observed from a direction deviated from a specular reflection of illumination light, and a liquid crystal display device and an automobile interior material each using the decorative sheet. The object is achieved by a decorative sheet including a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having wavelength-selective reflectivity and satisfying Expression (1),[&#x2212;45,20](&#x3bb;1)/[&#x2212;45,20](&#x3bb;2)&#x2265;5&#x2003;&#x2003;Expression (1).

Decorative sheet, liquid crystal display device and automobile interior material

Provided are a reflective sheet having selective reflection in a wide wavelength range and a small change in tint depending on angles at which light is visually recognized, a decorative sheet, and a method of manufacturing a reflective sheet, the reflective sheet including a pitch gradient layer in which a helical pitch changes in a thickness direction of the layer. The reflective sheet includes at least one cholesteric liquid crystal layer having wavelength selective reflection properties, in which at least one of the cholesteric liquid crystal layers is a pitch gradient layer in which a helical pitch changes in a thickness direction, a half-width of an integral reflection spectrum of the reflective sheet is 100 nm or longer, and in a case where a wavelength on a short wavelength side that defines the half-width is represented by &#x3bb;&#x3b1;, a wavelength on a long wavelength side that defines the half-width is represented by &#x3bb;&#x3b2;, a center wavelength that defines the half-width is represented by &#x3bb;, &#x3bb;=(&#x3bb;&#x3b1;+&#x3bb;/2, and &#x3bb;=(&#x3bb;+&#x3bb;&#x3b2;)/2, the following Expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied.(&#x3bb;)&#x3e;(&#x3bb;) &#x2003;&#x2003;Expression (1)(&#x3bb;)/(&#x3bb;)&#x3e;(&#x3bb;)/(&#x3bb;) &#x2003;&#x2003;Expression (2)

Reflective sheet, decorative sheet, and method of manufacturing reflective sheet

Provided are a decorative sheet for making the element using external light, for example, a camera or a sensor inconspicuous to an observer and an optical device and an image display device that include the above-described decorative sheet. The decorative sheet including a circularly polarized light reflecting layer, a &#x3bb;/4 plate A, a linear polarizer, and a &#x3bb;/4 plate B in this order, in which the circularly polarized light reflecting layer includes one or more cholesteric liquid crystal layers having wavelength selective reflecting properties, in a case where an integral reflectivity at a wavelength &#x3bb; nm is represented by I-R(&#x3bb;), I-R(630), I-R(550), and I-R(450) of the circularly polarized light reflecting layer are 30% or higher, and an angle between a slow axis of the &#x3bb;/4 plate A and an absorption axis of the linear polarizer and an angle between a slow axis of the &#x3bb;/4 plate B and the absorption axis of the linear polarizer are 45&#xb0;&#xb1;10&#xb0;, respectively.

Decorative sheet, optical device, and image display device

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&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;. 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.

Optical member, method of manufacturing optical member, and image display device

Provided is an optical member having a high brightness, a low haze, and a small color change, an optical element, a liquid crystal display device, and a near-to-eye optical member. The optical member includes a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal dots that are provided on a substrate, in which a shape of each of the dots is a hemispherical or elliptical hemispherical shape in which the substrate side is planar, a conical or elliptical conical shape in which the substrate side is set as the bottom, or a shape in which a plurality of shapes selected from the shapes are laminated, the cholesteric liquid crystal dot has a reflection center wavelength with respect to visible light, the cholesteric structure of the dot has a stripe pattern including bright portions and dark portions in a cross-sectional view of the dot when observed with a scanning electron microscope, the dot includes a portion having a height which continuously increases to a maximum height in a direction moving from an end portion of the dot to the center of the dot, and in the portion, an angle between a normal line perpendicular to a line, which is 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&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;.

Optical member, optical element, liquid crystal display device, and near-to-eye optical member

An optical member having a base and an underlayer with a region A of surface energy AE and a region B of surface energy BE (BE-AE&#x3e;0 mN/m), in which a dot of a wavelength-selective reflective cholesteric structure is disposed on the region B, has high pattern position accuracy for the patterns formed with the dots.

Optical member, optical member producing method, and image display device

Provided is an optical member including: a substrate; and a dot that is in contact with a surface of the substrate, in which the dot is formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, four or more dots form one recognition effective region as an aggregate, and a shortest inter-end distance between one arbitrary dot and at least two other dots in the recognition effective region is 10 &#x3bc;m or less. in the optical member, even when a dot pattern is observed in an oblique direction, retroreflection properties are exhibited and the intensity of reflected light is high. By using the optical member according to the present invention, an image display device having a high data input sensitivity can be provided.

Optical member and image display device including optical member

Provided is a member for displaying a projected image, including: a first base material; a second base material; and an optical member, in which at least one optical member is disposed on a surface of the first base material or the second base material, the optical member includes a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal dots, the cholesteric liquid crystal dot is formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, the cholesteric structure imparts a striped pattern formed of bright portions and dark portions in a cross-sectional image of the cholesteric liquid crystal dot taken by a scanning electron microscope in a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the dot includes a portion where the height thereof successively increases to the maximum height thereof from an end portion toward the center thereof, an angle between a normal line with respect to a line formed by the first dark portion from the surface of the dot on a side opposite to the substrate and a line representing the surface of the is in a range of 70&#xb0; to 90&#xb0; in this portion of the cross-sectional image, and a reflection center wavelength of the dot is in a range of 400 to 1000 nm.

Member for displaying projected image and projection system

A transparent screen includes a substrate capable of transmitting light; and a plurality of dots formed on a surface of the substrate, each of the dots having wavelength-selective reflectivity and being formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, in which the cholesteric structure gives a striped pattern of bright parts and dark parts in a cross-sectional view of the dot observed by scanning electron microscope, the dot includes a portion having a height that increases continuously to the maximum height in a direction extending from the edge toward the center of the dot, and in the portion, the angle formed by the normal line to a line that is formed by a first one of the dark parts as counted from the surface of the dot on the opposite side of the substrate and the surface of the dot is in the range of 70&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;.

Transparent screen

Provided is an optical member including: a substrate; and a dot that is in contact with a surface of the substrate, in which the dot is formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, and the dot exhibits wavelength selective reflecting properties having two or more reflection peaks. By using the optical member according to the present invention, an image display device in which erroneous detection of data input is reduced can be provided.

A transparent screen for 3D display having excellent transparency and an excellent viewing angle, and a 3D display system are provided. The transparent screen for 3D display has a plurality of dots, each of the dots having wavelength selectivity and being formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, in which the cholesteric structure gives a striped pattern of bright parts and dark parts in a cross-sectional view of the dot observed by a scanning electron microscope, the dot includes a portion having a height that increases continuously to the maximum height in a direction extending from the edge toward the center of the dot, in the portion, the angle formed by the normal line to a line that is formed by a first dark part as counted from the surface of the dot on the opposite side of the substrate and the surface of the dot is in the range of 70&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;, and right-handed circularly polarized light and left-handed circularly polarized light are reflected by the plurality of dots.

Transparent screen for 3D display and 3D display system

The optical member of the present invention includes: a substrate; and a dot that is in contact with a surface of the substrate, in which the dot has wavelength selective reflecting properties, the dot is formed of a liquid crystal material having a cholesteric structure, the cholesteric structure has a stripe pattern including bright portions and dark portions in a cross-sectional view of the dot when observed with a scanning electron microscope, the dot includes a portion having a height which continuously increases to a maximum height in a direction moving from an end portion of the dot to the center of the dot, in the portion, an angle between a normal line perpendicular to a line, which is firmed using a first dark portion from a surface of the dot, and the surface is in a range of 70&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;, and the liquid crystal material includes a surfactant.

The present invention provides a cellulose acylate film, containing: an organic acid satisfying requirements of a to c, in which a film thickness of the cellulose acylate film is greater than or equal to 3 &#x3bc;m, and an average concentration of the organic acid in a region from one surface of the cellulose acylate film to a depth of 0 to 0.2 &#x3bc;m is lower than an average concentration of the organic acid in a residual region other than the region: a: having a structure in which polyhydric alcohol and a polyvalent carboxylic acid are bonded by forming an ester bond; b: the total number of molecules of polyhydric alcohol and a monovalent or more carboxylic acid forming the organic acid being greater than or equal to 3; and c: having at least one non-substituted carboxyl group derived from a polyvalent carboxylic acid.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Nobuhiko Ichihara