Stanley Electric Co., Ltd

Tomohide Mano

Yasuo Toko

Yoshihisa Iwamoto

Keisuke Kato

Hiroshi Tozuka

An apparatus for controlling the temperature of a heater provided in a liquid crystal element is configured to apply a drive voltage which is set to a value relatively higher than when the liquid crystal element is operated at a rated voltage value and/or a rated frequency, to at least a partial region of the liquid crystal element, and detects current consumption flowing through the partial region. The apparatus variably sets a temperature control target value of the heater according to the detected magnitude of the current consumption.

Apparatus for controlling temperature of heater, method for controlling temperature of heater, liquid crystal apparatus

Provided is an optical apparatus that is capable of switching between a state in which the optical apparatus can reflect light and a state in which the optical apparatus can output light and suppressing deterioration of display quality of a light reflection image. The optical apparatus includes: a light emitting device having a light emitting surface; an absorption type polarizing plate disposed opposite to the light emitting surface of the light emitting device; a liquid crystal optical element disposed between the light emitting device and the absorption type polarizing plate; a reflection type polarizing plate disposed between the light emitting device and the liquid crystal optical element; and an adhesive layer disposed on a surface of the reflection type polarizing plate that faces the light emitting device.

Optical apparatus

To facilitate lead wiring layout corresponding to an increase in the number of individual electrodes of the liquid crystal element in a vehicle headlamp system. The vehicle headlamp system that selectively performs light irradiation towards the periphery of its own vehicle includes a light source, a liquid crystal element, and a lens. The liquid crystal element includes a plurality of first individual electrode parts, a plurality of second individual electrode parts, and a first lead wiring part. The first lead wiring part includes a plurality of first individual wirings each of which is connected to one of the plurality of first individual electrode parts, and a plurality of second individual wirings each of which is connected to one of the plurality of second individual electrode parts and arranged through a gap formed between the adjacent first individual electrode parts in the first direction.

Vehicle headlamp system

To improve the appearance of a light distribution pattern. A liquid crystal element having a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer, where the first substrate has a counter electrode, where the second substrate includes inter-pixel electrodes, wiring parts, an insulating layer provided above the inter-pixel electrodes and the wiring parts, and pixel electrodes provided above the insulating layer, where the pixel electrodes are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, where the inter-pixel electrodes are arranged to at least overlap with a gap between the two pixel electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction among the pixel electrodes and are connected to one of the two pixel electrodes through a through hole provided in the insulating layer, and where the wiring parts are connected to one of the inter-pixel electrodes and are arranged on the lower layer side of the pixel electrodes.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tomohide Mano