Liquid crystal display device

Claim 1

A high contrast liquid crystal optical image display device comprising a light source, means defining at least one cavity for containing liquid crystal compositions, comprising at least one pair of spaced apart parallel plates, each pair defining one cavity therebetween; a liquid crystal composition in each cavity, said composition containing a dichroic substance which absorbs a component of the light having an electric vector in a given direction when the substance is aligned parallel to said plates and transmits light without absorbtion when said dichroic substance is aligned perpendicular to said plate, said cavity being illuminated by said light source and at least one of said plates in each pair being light transmitting; each of said plates having transparent electric field-generating electrode means adjacent to said cavity; at least one of said electrode means being segmented into character forming elements; means for selectively imposing electric fields in individual segments; and retardation plate means for changing the electric vector of said light after initial passage through said liquid crystal cavity whereby causing said light to make a second passage through said liquid crystal cavity such that when said dichroic substance is aligned parallel to the plate, one electric vector of said incident light is absorbed during said initial passage and the othogonal electric vector component is absorbed during said second passage.