Encapsulated liquid crystal material, apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material contained in volumes formed in a containment medium, a pair of electrodes respectively on opposite sides of said liquid crystal material and containment medium, said liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy and an extraordinary dielectric coefficient in the presence of an electric field that is at least substantially equal to the dielectric constant of said medium, whereby in the presence of an electric field applied by said electrodes across said liquid crystal material and containment medium the field lines therein will be substantially flat.
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Abstract
A liquid crystal apparatus includes a plurality of volumes of liquid crystal material in a containment medium. At least some of the volumes are interconnected. The walls defining the volumes tend to distort the natural liquid crystal structure in the absence of an electric field, and the optical and electrical properties of the materials are such that in the absence of a field incident light is scattered or absorbed and in the presence of a field, scattering and/or absorption are reduced. The apparatus may be used in an optical display, optical shutter, billboard, etc., and it functions independently of polarization. Methods of making and using the apparatus also are included in the invention.
160 Citations
52 Claims
- 1. A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material contained in volumes formed in a containment medium, a pair of electrodes respectively on opposite sides of said liquid crystal material and containment medium, said liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy and an extraordinary dielectric coefficient in the presence of an electric field that is at least substantially equal to the dielectric constant of said medium, whereby in the presence of an electric field applied by said electrodes across said liquid crystal material and containment medium the field lines therein will be substantially flat.
- 3. A liquid crystal apparatus comprising operationally nematic liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy, and a containment medium for containing a plurality of interconnected volumes of said liquid crystal material in said containment medium, said containment medium including surface means for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
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44. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material, and containment medium means for confining said liquid crystal material in plural interconnected volumes, said containment medium means inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
- 45. Liquid crystal material and a medium for containing discrete quantities of such liquid crystal material in a plurality of interconnected volumes, said material comprising an operationally nematic material having positive dielectric anisotropy, and said medium comprising means for tending physically to align said liquid crystal material with respect to said medium.
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46. An operationally nematic liquid crystal material and a containment means for containing discrete quantities of such liquid crystal material in a plurality of interconnected volumes causing said material to fold in on itself creating storage of elastic energy in said material.
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47. A liquid crystal apparatus comprising an operationally nematic liquid crystal material contained in discrete quantities by a matrix of interconnected volumes formed of an emulsion of such liquid crystal material and a further medium.
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48. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising operationally nematic liquid crystal material, having positive dielectric anisotropy, and containment means containing plural interconnected volumes of said liquid crystal material for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such absorption.
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49. A liquid crystal device comprising liquid crystal material and containment means, said containment means forming a plurality of fluidically interconnected capsules each having a curved interior wall surface, said capsules containing said liquid crystal material;
- which liquid crystal material in the absence of an applied electric field at least one of scatters or absorbs incident light independently of the polarization of said light, and which device in the presence of an applied electric field displays decreases scattering or absorption at least in the direction of the applied electric field.
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50. Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising nematic liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy, and a plurality of interconnected containment means with curved surfaces for inducing a generally non-parallel alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light when pleochroic dye is present in the liquid crystal material and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
Specification