Stanley Electric Co., Ltd

Other

Chiba University

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yasuo Toko

Takashi Sugiyama

Yoshifumi Takao

Yoshihisa Iwamoto

Ryotaro Owada

Sadayuki Konishi

Shuichi Ajiki

Naoya Sone

Koichi Masuyama

Shunsuke Kobayashi

Keisuke Kato

Hiroto Fukushima

Norihisa Kobayashi

Tomohide Mano

Hiroshi Tozuka

Tatsuya Saito

Masafumi Ohno

Yoji Oki

Yasuyuki Kawakami

Fumio Kubo

Manabu Yatabe

Takuya Kitazono

Masatsuna Sawada

Yasufumi Iimura

Kiyoshi Ando

Taiju Takahashi

Hidefumi Okamoto

Satomi Suzuki

To provide a liquid crystal element having multiple alignment domains with a simple configuration. The liquid crystal element includes: a first and a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer inbetween the two substrates; and a seal material with an injection port; where a first and a second alignment film each has an alignment regulating force in one direction on a surface in contact with the liquid crystal layer, a polymerized monomer is present at the interface between each of the two alignment films and the liquid crystal layer; the liquid crystal layer has a first region close to the injection port and a second region far from the injection port; and the first region has a high polymer density and has a pretilt angle in a direction opposite to the alignment regulating force, and the second region has a pretilt angle in the same direction as the alignment regulating force.

Liquid crystal element, lighting apparatus, and vehicle lamp system

In a vehicular lamp, a polarization rotation element is disposed only in an optical path of second light from a second reflector toward a PBS, first light and the second light condensed toward a liquid crystal element are condensed at a first condensing point in common, the liquid crystal element is located at the first condensing point, the second light reflected by the PBS is condensed at a second condensing point deviated from the optical path of the light from a first reflector toward the PBS and the optical path of the second light from the second reflector toward the PBS.

Vehicular lamp and optical element

A liquid crystal element includes a first substrate, a second substrate arranged to face the first substrate, a first pixel electrode corresponding to a first pixel region arranged on the first substrate on the second substrate side, a second pixel electrode corresponding to a second pixel region arranged on the first substrate on the second substrate side, a common electrode arranged on the first substrate side of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between a group of the first and second pixel electrodes and the common electrode, where the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are provided on different layers on the first substrate, and their ends are arranged so as to partially overlap each other in a plan view.

Liquid crystal element, lighting apparatus

To reduce uneven brightness of light irradiated from a vehicle lighting system. The system includes a lamp unit and a control unit where the lamp unit includes: a light source that emits light; a liquid crystal element using the light emitted from the light source to form irradiation light; and a lens projecting the irradiation light; where the light from the light source enters the element at an angle including a direction inclined from the normal of a light incident surface of the element; where the light incident surface has a first region in which most light enters from a viewing direction of the element and a second region in which most light enters from other directions, and where the control unit drives the element by setting a first voltage of the first region to be low and setting a second voltage of the second region to be high.

Vehicle lighting system

To improve the appearance of a light distribution pattern. A liquid crystal element including: a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer; and columnar bodies; where the first substrate has a counter electrode provided on its one surface side; where the second substrate is configured to include wiring parts provided on its one surface side, an insulating layer provided on the upper side of the wiring parts, and pixel electrodes provided on the upper side of the insulating layer; where the pixel electrodes are arranged along a first direction; where each wiring part is connected to one of the pixel electrodes, arranged on the lower layer side of the pixel electrodes, and has a connection region that passes through a gap between the pixel electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction; and where the columnar bodies is provided at a position overlapping the connection region.

To reliably perform light irradiation in a vehicular lamp system using a liquid crystal element even in a cryogenic environment. A control device for a vehicular lamp comprising a light source and a liquid crystal element where the liquid crystal element is set to a light-shielded state and the light source is set to a light-on state to heat the liquid crystal element by the light emitted from the light source when the temperature of the liquid crystal element is estimated to be lower than a predetermined value.

Control device for vehicular lamp, control method for vehicular lamp, vehicular lamp system

To increase the light utilization efficiency when selective light irradiation is performed using a liquid crystal element (a liquid crystal device). A lamp unit including: a light source; a reflective polarizing plate disposed at a position where light from the light source is incident; a reflecting mirror configured to reflect a reflected light generated by the reflective polarizing plate and re-enters the reflected light to the reflective polarizing plate; a liquid crystal device disposed on the light emitting surface side of the reflective polarizing plate; a polarizing plate disposed on the light emitting surface side of the liquid crystal device; and a lens disposed on the light emitting surface side of the polarizing plate.

Lamp unit, vehicular lamp system

To provide a lighting apparatus etc. that is capable of obtaining various light distribution patterns and is superior in light utilization efficiency. The lighting apparatus includes a light source, a light conversion part for converting the light emitted from the light source into nearly parallel beams, a light modulating part having a plurality of pixel regions arranged so that the nearly parallel beams can be incident and capable of switching between a light transmitting state and a light scattering state for each of the pixel regions, and a projection lens disposed on the light path of the nearly parallel beams and on the light emitting side of the light modulating part and where the projection lens projects an image formed by the light modulating part using the nearly parallel beams.

Lighting apparatus, optical projection system

A vehicular lamp includes: a light source; a liquid crystal element including a liquid crystal layer and a pair of sandwiching substrates; and a projection optical system. In this vehicular lamp, one of the pair of sandwiching substrates in the liquid crystal element includes a first transparent substrate, and a common electrode disposed on the first transparent substrate, and the other of the pair of sandwiching substrates in the liquid crystal element includes a second transparent substrate, a plurality of wiring electrodes disposed on the second transparent substrate, an insulating layer disposed on the second transparent electrode to cover the plurality of wiring electrodes, a plurality of segment electrodes disposed on the insulating layer, and a plurality of connection electrodes configured to electrically connect each of the plurality of wiring electrodes to each of the plurality of segment electrodes through the insulating layer.

Vehicular lamp

To obtain projection images with high contrast when selective light irradiation is performed forward of its own vehicle. A lamp unit for a vehicular lamp system performing selective light irradiation to the surroundings of the own vehicle includes: a light source; an optical shutter part that modulates light emitted from the light source; and an optical system that projects the light transmitted through the optical shutter part. The optical shutter part includes: polarizers; a liquid crystal element disposed between the polarizers and where the initial alignment of liquid crystal molecules is horizontally aligned and causes an alignment change in the in-plane direction upon electric field application; a first optical plate which is a positive A-plate disposed between the polarizers closer to the light source and the liquid crystal element; and a second optical plate which is a positive C-plate disposed between the first optical plate and the liquid crystal element.

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

A lighting device comprising: a light source for emitting lights along optic axis toward field of view; a liquid crystal element disposed on the optic axis, having electrode pattern in far field FF corresponding region and having no electrode pattern in near field corresponding region; a pair of polarizers including input side and output side polarizers sandwiching the liquid crystal element, constituting crossed Nicol polarizers; driver circuit for forming voltages applied to the electrode pattern; and phase shift forming element disposed between the pair of polarizers in the near field corresponding region of the liquid crystal element; wherein the far field corresponding region constitutes normally black optic system together with the pair of polarizers, and the near field corresponding region constitutes normally-on optic system together with the phase shift forming element and the pair of polarizers.

Lighting device

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.

Liquid crystal element and lighting apparatus

To improve the accuracy of fully controlling the direction of advancing light. The liquid crystal element includes a first substrate and a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between one surface side of the first substrate and one surface side of the second substrate, a pair of electrodes provided on one surface side of the first substrate with a gap therebetween in a planer view, a high-resistance film provided on one surface side of the first substrate and disposed between the pair of electrodes in a planer view and connected thereto, a first alignment film provided on one surface side of the first substrate covering the pair of electrodes and the high-resistance film, a second alignment film provided on one surface side of the second substrate, wherein sheet resistance of the high-resistance film is greater than sheet resistance of the pair of electrodes.

Liquid crystal element and light control apparatus for accurate light control

An automotive headlight includes: a light source for emitting light; a polarization beam splitter for receiving a light flux from the light source, and dividing the light flux into a first polarization and a second polarization; a liquid crystal element disposed to receive the first polarization and the second polarization, divided by the polarization beam splitter; a phase shifter disposed on optical axis of one of the first polarization and the second polarization, and aligning polarization axis directions of the first polarization and the second polarization; and an output side polarizer disposed on output side of the liquid crystal element, wherein illumination regions corresponding to respective control electrodes in the liquid crystal element can be controlled to shield light.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yasuo Toko