Ferroelectric liquid crystal electrooptic apparatus and manufacturing method thereof

Claim 2

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus comprising: a liquid crystal cell having first and second electrode substrates disposed to be parallel to each other, said first and second electrode substrates including n striped line electrodes and m striped column electrodes, respectively, which face to meet at right angles each other, a ferroelectric liquid crystal being put in between said first and second electrode substrates so as to form n by m indication picture elements; and scanning drive means adapted to supply a scanning signal to the n striped line electrodes and a data signal to the m striped column electrodes for scanning, at every (1/n) of one image plane indication time period, the respective line electrodes to supply a first combination signal so as to cause the one indication picture element to enter in an ON state and further to supply a second combination signal so as to cause the remaining indication picture elements to enter in an OFF state; wherein said ferroelectric liquid crystal shows three stable states in accordance with an application voltage and has a light transmittance with a hysteresis sufficient to a dynamic drive in accordance with increase or decrease in the application voltage in a predetermined voltage range, and said scanning drive means produces said first combination signal as a signal running to an alternating-current-like variation from a voltage below a reference voltage in a predetermined one polarity voltage range to a voltage above said reference voltage and produces said second combination signal as a signal which does not exceeds said reference voltage in said predetermined one polarity voltage range, and supplies a direct-current combination signal between the n striped line electrodes and the m striped column electrodes after the supply of said first or second combination signal thereto.

Claim 3

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ferroelectric liquid crystal includes a dichromatic coloring matter.

Claim 4

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said first and second electrode substrates further comprise polarizing plates which are arranged to be perpendicular to each other so that the direction of a polarizer thereof makes an angle of 0°, 22.5°, 45° or 90° with respect to a molecule long axis direction in a first stable state of a liquid crystal molecular orientation under the condition of no application of an electric field.

Claim 5

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first or second electrode substrate comprises a polarizing plate so that the direction of a polarizer thereof makes an angle of 0°, 45° or 90° with respect to a molecular long axis direction in a first stable state of a liquid crystal molecular orientation under the condition of no application of an electric field.

Claim 6

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, each of the respective scanning signals has an erasing signal for erasing the entire indication at the time of start of the one image plane indication.

Claim 7

A matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the respective scanning signals varies to alternately assume two polarities with 1/2 of the one image plane indication period.

Claim 8

A matrix type liquid crystal indication apparatus comprising: a liquid crystal cell having first and second electrode substrates disposed to be parallel to each other, said first and second electrode substrates including n striped line electrodes and m striped column electrodes, respectively, which face to meet at right angles each other, a ferroelectric liquid crystal being put in between said first and second electrode substrates so as to form n by m indication picture elements; and drive control means arranged to perform a line sequential scanning system which successively supplies a scanning signal to the n striped line electrodes and simultaneously supplies a light or dark data signal in parallel to the m striped column electrodes; wherein said ferroelectric liquid crystal varies a first stable state to a second stable state or said second stable state to said first stable state in accordance with increase or decrease in an application voltage in a predetermined one polarity voltage range and shows a transmittance light quantity-to-voltage characteristic with a hysteresis which increases or decreases the transmittance light quantity of said ferroelectric liquid crystal in accordance with the increase or decrease in the application voltage, and further varies from said first stable state to a third stable state or said third stable state to said first stable state in accordance with increase or decrease of the application voltage in a reversed polarity voltage range and shows a transmittance light quantity-to-voltage characteristic with a hysteresis which increases or decreases the transmittance light quantity in accordance therewith, and said drive control means, for a first period in the line sequential scanning, produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said light data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level more than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said dark data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level less than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and supplies, after the supply of said combination signals, a signal with a waveform including a level lower than that of a threshold voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and higher than that of a threshold voltage from said second stable state to said first stable state, and further for a second period, produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said light data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level more than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said dark data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level less than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and supplies, after the supply of said combination signals, a signal with a waveform including a level lower than that of a threshold voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and higher than that of a threshold voltage from said third stable state to said first stable state.

Claim 9

A matrix type liquid crystal indication apparatus comprising: a liquid crystal cell having first and second electrode substrates disposed to be parallel to each other, said first and second electrode substrates including n striped line electrodes and m striped column electrodes, respectively, which face to meet at right angles each other, a ferroelectric liquid crystal being put in between said first and second electrode substrates so as to form n by m indication picture elements; and drive control means arranged to perform a line sequential scanning system which successively supplies a scanning signal to the n striped line electrodes and simultaneously supplies a light or dark data signal in parallel to the m striped column electrodes; wherein said ferroelectric liquid crystal varies a first stable state to a second stable state or said second stable state to said first stable state in accordance with increase or decrease in an application voltage in a predetermined one polarity voltage range and shows a transmittance light quantity-to-voltage characteristic with a hysteresis which increases or decreases the transmittance light quantity of said ferroelectric liquid crystal in accordance with the increase or decrease in the application voltage, and further varies from said first stable state to a third stable state or said third stable state to said first stable state in accordance with increase or decrease of the application voltage in a reversed polarity voltage range and shows a transmittance light quantity-to-voltage characteristic with a hysteresis which increases or decreases the transmittance light quantity in accordance therewith, and said drive control means, for a first period in the line sequential scanning, produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said light data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level more than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said dark data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level less than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and supplies, after the supply of said combination signals, a signal with a waveform including a level lower than that of a threshold voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said second stable state and higher than that of a threshold voltage from said second stable state to said first stable state, and further for a second period, produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said light data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level more than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and produces a combination signal of said scanning signal and said dark data signal so as to have a waveform including 0 level and a level less than that of a saturation voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and supplies, after the supply of said combination signals, a signal with a waveform including a level lower than that of a threshold voltage for the variation from said first stable state to said third stable state and higher than that of a threshold voltage from said third stable state to said first stable state.

Claim 10

A liquid crystal orientation control method for a liquid crystal electro-optic apparatus which includes first and second electrode substrates which are in spaced relation to each other and between which is put a ferroelectric liquid crystal showing a first stable molecular orientation state on field-free, a second stable molecular orientation state dirrerent from said first stable molecular orientation state with respect to one field direction on application of an electric field, and a third stable molecular orientation state different from said first and second stable molecular orientation states with respect to the other field direction, said method comprising the steps of rapidly said ferroelectric liquid crystal from an isotropic liquid phase up to a ferroelectric smectic phase and then heating said ferroelectric liquid crystal up to a smectic A phase and further applying an alternating-current voltage between said first and second electrode substrates during the heating or after the heating.

Claim 11

A liquid crystal orientation control method for a liquid crystal electro-optic apparatus which includes first and second electrode substrates which are in spaced relation to each other and between which is put a ferroelectric liquid crystal showing a first stable molecular orientation state on field-free, a second stable molecular orientation state dirrerent from said first stable molecular orientation state with respect to one field direction on application of an electric field, and a third stable molecular orientation state different from said first and second stable molecular orientation states with respect to the other field direction, said method comprising the steps of rapidly said ferroelectric liquid crystal from an isotropic liquid phase up to a ferroelectric smectic phase and then heating said ferroelectric liquid crystal up to a smectic A phase and further applying an alternating-current voltage between said first and second electrode substrates during the heating or after the heating.