JP2525888B2 - Aligning method of liquid crystal optical element and aligning apparatus thereof - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for orienting a liquid crystal optical element and an orienting device thereof, and more specifically, the present invention has a highly orientated ferroelectric liquid crystal. In manufacturing a liquid crystal optical element that can be suitably used as a liquid crystal display element, a liquid crystal acoustic element, and the like, a method for aligning a liquid crystal optical element that can be practically advantageously used as a method for aligning a liquid crystal material in the manufacturing process, and a liquid crystal thereof The present invention relates to a liquid crystal optical element aligning apparatus that can be suitably used for an optical element aligning method.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, a liquid crystal optical element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal as a liquid crystal material, which is highly oriented and sandwiched between two substrates provided with electrodes, has been developed at high speed against external stimuli such as an electric field. Since it has excellent characteristics such as excellent responsiveness and contrast ratio, it has been widely used as a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal recording device and the like.

In order to obtain such excellent characteristics, it is necessary to highly control the alignment of the liquid crystal material composed of the ferroelectric liquid crystal, and therefore various alignment control methods have been proposed.

For example, when a low-molecular-weight ferroelectric liquid crystal is used as the ferroelectric liquid crystal, a rubbing method, a shearing method, a temperature gradient method, an oblique vapor deposition method, or the like has been conventionally used to control the orientation.

However, in the orientation control using these methods, there are drawbacks such as complicated operations and controls performed on the substrate in advance, and since a glass substrate is usually used as the substrate, it is necessary to keep the manufacturing apparatus extremely clean. Moreover, there are problems that continuous production is difficult and it is difficult to increase the area.

Recently, as an alignment control method using an improved method or a modification of the conventional rubbing method, a rubbing-treated alignment film such as polyimide or polyvinyl alcohol is provided on the surface of a glass substrate that holds a liquid crystal material, and liquid crystal molecules In contrast to the conventional rubbing method that realizes the alignment state, the above-mentioned alignment film is provided on the rotating drum in advance, the liquid crystal is aligned on the drum, and the liquid crystal is transferred onto the substrate to form a liquid crystal optical film. Orientation method for manufacturing device (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-14125)
In the conventional rubbing method, a thin film of polyimide, polyvinyl alcohol, or the like is rubbed (rubbed) with a cloth with flocked hair, and the liquid crystal is aligned by this alignment film, so that a lot of dust is generated during rubbing and the alignment film It is difficult to scratch or damage the cell, and it is difficult to make a very thin cell. On the other hand, a material that has hardness equal to or higher than that of the alignment film (polyimide, etc.) to prevent dust generation and keep the rubbing surface smooth. Orientation treatment method of pressing or rubbing with
No. 7), in order to extend the rubbing material exchange cycle and perform rubbing over a large area more uniformly, an alignment treatment method is performed while shifting the relative position of the rubbing material and the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the rubbing direction during rubbing (Patent application Sho 63
-66534) is proposed.

However, in the above method, (a) the liquid crystal must be set to an appropriate temperature and the viscosity adjusted in order to uniformly apply the liquid on the drum; (b) the application from the drum to the substrate. Since the liquid crystal must be aligned in the process leading to the transfer of the ink, a waiting time is required for cooling and the production speed is limited. (C) Drum processing method (type of polymer to be applied, Since the alignment state of the liquid crystal varies greatly depending on the shape of the groove of the drum, etc., there is a problem that a complicated optimization process is required one by one. In the above method, (a) is almost the same as the ordinary Rabink method. Requires a complicated manufacturing process;
(B) It is difficult to obtain a uniform orientation over a large area;
(C) A flexible substrate such as plastic may be deformed at the time of pressing to damage the thin electrode; (d) Liquid crystal injection and slow cooling are required as in the normal rubbing method, and the manufacturing time is long. Is difficult to shorten, and in the above method, (a) the process is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high; (b) a highly accurate table is used in a large-area alignment treatment. And a rubbing roll are required; (c) there is a problem that the manufacturing time is as long as that of a normal rubbing method.

On the other hand, as an aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element used in the aligning step of a liquid crystal material, various ones have been proposed according to each method such as the above-described aligning method. As is clear from the above, there are drawbacks such as difficulty in continuous production, requiring a complicated structure or configuration, and difficulty in efficiently performing a high degree of orientation.

Further, in the conventional method for orienting liquid crystal optical elements and its orienting apparatus, there are serious problems such that it is difficult to achieve single-wafer processing and continuous orientation processing of long panels, and productivity is low.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

 The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to provide high-speed response to an external stimulus such as an electric field, excellent basic characteristics as a liquid crystal optical element such as a contrast ratio, and yet to have sufficient flexibility and to have a large area. It is possible to mass-produce liquid crystal optical elements, which have excellent features such as ease of operation, at extremely high speed and continuously, and without subjecting the substrate to a specific pretreatment operation for alignment control. Another object of the present invention is to provide an orienting method and an orienting device capable of easily obtaining a high degree of orientation.

In particular, it has practically outstanding advantages such as being able to efficiently carry out continuous orientation treatment for single-wafer or long panels, and because of its simple structure and structure, mass productivity, An object of the present invention is to provide an aligning method and an aligning device capable of obtaining a liquid crystal optical element having excellent stability.

[Means for solving the problem]

The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive studies to achieve the above-mentioned object, and as a result, various methods, for example, forming a liquid crystal material composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal on a surface of a plastic substrate with an electrode at high speed and then facing each other. A liquid crystal optical element made of a ferroelectric liquid crystal sandwiched between two flexible substrates on which electrodes are arranged, which is prepared in advance by using a method of stacking plastic substrates with electrodes and laminating at high speed. The liquid crystal in the liquid crystal optical element is highly aligned by a very simple operation of bending and deforming while holding it by at least one support and moving it, without performing a complicated pretreatment operation on the substrate. It is possible to easily realize a liquid crystal optical element such as a liquid crystal display element excellent in high-speed response and contrast ratio, and according to this alignment method, a single-layered liquid crystal optical element and a long liquid crystal light can be obtained. Continuous processing of the element can be suitably performed, to improve significantly the productivity and found an important finding and the like can be significantly reduced manufacturing cost, and have completed the present invention. Here, the single-piece liquid crystal optical element means an individual liquid crystal optical element obtained by cutting a long sheet liquid crystal optical element into an appropriate length.

Further, as a result of earnest research on an aligning device which can effectively carry out the method of aligning a liquid crystal optical element of the present invention and has a simple structure and structure, the liquid crystal optical element is sandwiched.
A belt, three orientation rolls for orienting the element,
The inventors have found that an orienting device having a specific structure, which comprises a driving means for the belt and an auxiliary roll that holds the liquid crystal optical element together with the orienting roll, effectively satisfies the above-mentioned object, and has completed the present invention.

That is, according to the present invention, a liquid crystal optical element containing a ferroelectric liquid crystal sandwiched by two flexible substrates on which electrodes are arranged is held by at least one support, and preferably a liquid crystal optical element is used. Liquid crystal optics characterized in that the ferroelectric liquid crystal is oriented by sandwiching it between two belts and alternately adhering the front and back sides to the outer periphery of at least two orientation rolls and performing bending deformation treatment while moving. A method of orienting an element is provided.

Further, the present invention comprises two belts as a support for holding a liquid crystal optical element and three rolls for heating the liquid crystal optical element sandwiched between the belts, the two rolls centering on the central roll. An aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element, comprising: an aligning roll that can be adjusted to an arbitrary angle, a driving means for the belt, and an auxiliary roll that teaches the liquid crystal optical element sandwiched by the belt together with the aligning roll. It is a thing.

In the present invention, various materials can be used as the flexible substrate, but a substrate made of flexible plastic is usually preferable in terms of productivity, versatility, processability, and the like. Used for.

Specific examples of this flexible plastic include:
Examples thereof include crystalline polymers such as uniaxially or biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate, amorphous polymers such as polysulfone and polyethersulfone, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polycarbonates such as nylon and polyamides such as nylon.

Among these, uniaxially stretched polyethylene terephthalate, polyether sulfone and polycarbonate are particularly preferable.

In the present invention, the two substrates may be made of the same material as each other, or may be made of different materials. Usually, at least one of the two substrates described above is used. It is optically transparent and is used with a transparent electrode.

The shape of the substrate used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and various shapes can be used according to the purpose of use, etc., but usually a plate-like, sheet-like or film-like one. Can be suitably used,
In particular, a long film is preferably used because it is advantageous for a continuous production system.

The thickness of the substrate depends on the degree of transparency, flexibility, strength,
It can be appropriately selected depending on the material such as workability and the purpose of use of the element, and is usually set within the range of about 20 to 10000 μm.

In the present invention, as the electrode, various kinds of commonly used electrodes, for example, a conductive inorganic film such as a metal film and a conductive oxide film, and a conductive organic film can be used.

In the present invention, it is usually desirable to use an optically transparent or translucent electrode as at least one of the two electrodes, and at least one transparent or electrode is provided on the transparent substrate side. Is desirable.

Specific examples of the transparent or translucent electrode include, for example, a tin oxide film called a NESA film, an indium oxide film mixed with tin oxide called an ITO film, an indium oxide film,
Examples thereof include vapor-deposited films of gold and titanium or other thin film metals or alloys. These electrodes are
Provided on a predetermined surface such as a substrate or a liquid crystal layer by using various methods such as a known method, for example, a vapor deposition method, a printing method, a coating method, a plating method, an adhesion method, or a combination thereof. be able to.

The shape of these electrodes is not particularly limited, and may be an entire surface on a predetermined surface such as a substrate, a stripe shape, or any other desired shape. You may.

In the present invention, as the ferroelectric liquid crystal, any liquid crystal having a ferroelectric liquid crystal state can be used.

Examples of the ferroelectric liquid crystal state include a ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal, a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, and a mixture thereof.

As the ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal, for example, one or more ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystals, a ferroelectric mixture of one or more ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystals and another low-molecular liquid crystal, etc. Low molecular liquid crystal.

As the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, for example, one or more ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, one or more ferroelectric low molecular liquid crystal and one or more ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal And a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal composed of one or more ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystals and one or more other polymer liquid crystals.

That is, as the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal (a homopolymer or a copolymer or a mixture thereof) in which the polymer molecule itself has a characteristic of ferroelectric liquid crystal, a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal and other Mixture of high molecular liquid crystal and / or ordinary polymer, mixture of ferroelectric high molecular liquid crystal and ferroelectric low molecular liquid crystal, ferroelectric high molecular liquid crystal, ferroelectric low molecular liquid crystal and high molecular liquid crystal and / or Polymeric liquid crystals exhibiting all ferroelectric properties can be used, such as mixtures with common polymers or mixtures of these with normal low-molecular liquid crystals.

Among the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals, for example, a side chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal having a chiral smectic C phase is preferably used.

Specific examples of the side chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include, for example, a polymer, a copolymer or a blend thereof having a repeating unit represented by each of the following general formulas.

[1] Polyacrylate type (filed by the present applicant as Japanese Patent Application No. 61-305251 and Japanese Patent Application No. 62-106353) Wherein k is an integer from 1 to 30, In, X is -COO- or -OCO-, R ₂ is -COO
R _3, -OCOR _3, an -OR _3, or -R _3, wherein R ₃ is (In the formula, m and n are each independently an integer of 0 to 9, q is 0 or 1, and R ₄ and R ₅ are each -CH.
₃ , a halogen atom or CN, provided that when R ₅ is —CH ₃ , n is not 0, C ^* represents an asymmetric carbon atom, and C ^(*) is undefined when n ≠ 0. It means a carbon atom. ) Represents a group represented by. The number average molecular weight of the polymer is preferably 1,000
~ 400,000. If it is less than 1,000, it may hinder the formability of this polymer as a film or coating, while if it exceeds 400,000, undesired results such as a long response time may appear. A particularly preferable range of the number average molecular weight cannot be unconditionally defined because it depends on the type of R ₁ , the value of k, the optical purity of R ₃ , etc.
To 200,000.

The general method of synthesizing this polymer is as follows: (Where k, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , m and n are as defined above) by polymerization by a known method.

Among the polyacrylate-based compounds, examples of the temperature T _sc ^* and the average molecular weight M _n indicating the chiral smectic C phase of the liquid crystal represented by the following formula are shown below.

(A) k = 12, M n = 5300, T sc *: 5~12 ℃ (b) k = 14, M n = 6500, T sc *: 13~31 ℃ [II] polyether type (Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 61-309466 filed by the applicant, etc.) (Where k, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , m, n and X are the same as those in the above [I].) The number average molecular weight of this polymer is preferably 1,000
~ 400,000. If the amount is less than 1,000, the formability of this polymer as a film or coating film may be impaired. On the other hand, if it exceeds 400,000, undesirable results such as a slow response speed may appear. Then, the number particularly preferred range of the average molecular weight, the kind of R _1, the value of k, can not generally be defined because it depends on the optical purity and the like of R _3, 1,000
~ 200,000.

The general synthesis method of this polymer is represented by the following general formula (Where k, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , m, n and X are the same as described above). it can.

In the polyether series, examples of the temperature _Tsc ^* indicating the chiral smectic C phase of the liquid crystal and the average molecular weight _Mn represented by the following formula are as follows.

(A) k = 8, M n = 2800, T sc * 24~50 ℃ (b) k = 10, M n = 2400, T sc *: 19~50 ℃ [III] polysiloxane (Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 62 -114716, etc. filed by the applicant) (In the formula, R ₆ is a lower alkyl group, and k, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ ,
R ₄ , R ₅ , m, n and X are the same as described above. The number average molecular weight of this polymer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1,000 to 400,000. If the number average molecular weight is less than 1,000, it may hinder the moldability of the polymer as a film coating film, while the number average molecular weight of 400,00
If it exceeds 0, undesirable results such as a slow electric field response speed may appear. The particularly preferred range of the number average molecular weight cannot be unconditionally defined because it depends on the type of R ₁ group, the values of k, m, and n, the optical purity of the R ₃ group, and the like.
It is 0,000.

This polymer is, for example, (In the formula, R ₆ has the same meaning as described above.) An alkylhydropolysiloxane having a repeating unit represented by the following formula and the following formula H ₂ C═CH (CH ₂ ) _k-2- O—R ₁ (wherein , R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , m, and n have the same meanings as described above.) Under certain conditions. .

The temperature T _sc ^* and the average molecular weight M _{n of the} polysiloxane based liquid crystal chiral smectic C phase represented by the following formula:
An example of is as follows.

(A) k = 6, M _n = 16400, T _sc ^* 70 to 90 ° C. (b) k = 8, M _n = 15000, T _sc ^* : 39 to 91 ° C. [IV] polyester system (Japanese Patent Application No. 61- (Such as the one filed by the applicant as No. 206851) Wherein R ₇ is H, CH ₃ or C ₂ H ₅ , s is an integer of 1 to 20,
Is O (oxygen) or -COO-, t is 0 or 1, R ₁ , R ₂ ,
R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , k, m and n have the same meanings as described above. ) Or [In the formula, s, A, t, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ , R ₅ , k, m and n have the same meanings as described above. These polymers are obtained by a usual polyester condensation reaction. That is, it can be obtained by a polycondensation reaction of a dibasic acid having the above structure or an acid chloride thereof with a dihydric alcohol.

The number average molecular weight of these polymers is preferably in the range of 1,000 to 400,000. If the molecular weight is less than 1,000, the formability of the polymer as a film or coating film may be impaired, while if it exceeds 400,000, undesired results such as a slow response speed may appear. The particularly preferred range of the number average molecular weight cannot be specified unconditionally because it depends on the type of R ₂ , the value of k, the optical purity of R ₃ , etc.
It is 1,000 to 200,000.

[V]

Copolymers containing repeating units [I] polyacrylate, [II] polyether, [III] polysiloxane and [IV] polyester.

Specific examples including the repeating units [I] to [IV] include the following.

A copolymer comprising the repeating unit of [I] and the following repeating units.

(Wherein R ₈ is H, CH ₃ , Cl, F, Br, or I, and R ₉ is
Alkyl or aryl C ₁ ~ _10. The number average molecular weight _Mn of this copolymer is from 1,000 to 400,000, preferably from 1,000 to 200,000.

Further, the proportion of the repeating unit of [I] is preferably 20 to 90%.

It is a precursor monomer of the repeating unit of [I] And a copolymer obtained by polymerization of the following monomers.

Wherein, R ₁₀ is alkyl or aryl of C ₁ ~ _20. ] The repeating unit of [I] A copolymer containing a repeating unit of.

(Where u is an integer of 1 to 30, and R ₁₁ is X ¹ is -COO-, -OCO- or -CH = N-,
R ₁₂ is -COOR ₁₃ , -OCOR ₁₃ , -OR ₁₃ or -R ₁₃ ;
₁₃ is an alkyl of C ₁ ~ _10, fluoroalkyl or chloroalkyl. The ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal used in the present invention is not limited to those having one or two asymmetric carbon atoms at the terminal of the side chain in the polymer. Those containing 3 or more carbon atoms can also be used.

Also, a mixture of the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal and a low molecular liquid crystal having a chiral smectic C phase can be used.

Further, as a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, for example, a blend of a polymer having a proton donor and / or a proton acceptor and a ferroelectric low molecular compound (Japanese Patent Application No.
Examples of No. 61-169288 can be analogized from those filed by the applicant).

As this ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, for example, there is a liquid crystal having a polymer state formed by hydrogen bonding between a low-molecular liquid crystal and polyvinyl acetate shown below.

Examples of the ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal include the following.

(Here, z is an integer of 3 to 30.) 4- [4 '-(12- (2,2-dimethylolpropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) benzoyloxy] benzoic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4- [ 4 '-(12- (2,2-diacetoxypropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) benzoyloxy] benzoic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4'-[12- (2,2-dimethylolpropionyloxy) dodecyloxy] biphenyl- 4-carboxylic acid 2
-Methylbutyl ester 4 '-[12- (2,2-diacetoxypropionyloxy) dodecyloxy] biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid 2
-Methylbutyl ester 4 '-[4 "-(12- (2,2-dimethylolpropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) benzoyloxy] biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4'-[4"-(12 -(2,2-Diacetoxypropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) benzoyloxy] biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4- [4 "-(12- (2,2-dimethylolpropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) Biphenyl-4′-carbonyloxy] benzoic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4- [4 ″-(12- (2,2-diacetoxypropionyloxy) dodecyloxy) biphenyl-4′-carbonyloxy] benzoic acid 2-methyl Butyl ester Still other types of ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals include, for example, ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystals and thermoplastic Blend with amorphous polymer [Japanese Patent Application No. 59-169590 (JP-A-61-47427)
No.) filed by the present applicant].

This liquid crystal contains 10 to 80 wt% of thermoplastic amorphous polymer,
A liquid crystal composition comprising 90 to 20% by weight of a low-molecular liquid crystal,
Originally, by adding a certain amount of a specific amorphous polymer to a low-molecular liquid crystal having no self-shape holding ability, it was possible to form this mixture into a film, etc. It is the one with the ability.

As the thermoplastic amorphous polymer used in this liquid crystal composition, those having no optical anisotropy such as polystyrene and polycarbonate are used. Examples of the low-molecular liquid crystal include DOBAMBC (p-decyloxybenzylidene-amino-
2-Methylbutyl cinnamate) 4'-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4- (4 "-octyloxybiphenyl-4'-carbonyloxy) benzoic acid 2-methylbutyl ester 4-octyloxy Benzoic acid 4- (2-methylbutyloxy) phenyl ester 4'-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid 3-methyl-2-chloropentyl ester 3-methyl-2-chloropentanoic acid 4 ', 4'-octyloxy Biphenyl ester p-hexyloxybenzylidene-p'-amino-
Ferroelectric liquid crystal compounds exhibiting a chiral smectic C phase such as 2-chloropropylcinnamate 4- (2-methylbutylbenzylidene) -4'-octylaniline are used.

In the present invention, the ferroelectric liquid crystal may be further mixed with another thermoplastic resin, preferably in an amount of less than 60% by weight, within a range not hindering the object of the present invention. As the thermoplastic resin, one having Tg of preferably 30 ° C. or higher, more preferably 70 ° C. or higher is used.

Specifically, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl bromide, polyvinyl fluoride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymer, vinyl chloride-propylene copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer Polymer, vinyl chloride-butadiene copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid ester copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer, vinyl chloride-styrene-acrylonitrile terpolymer, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer Halogenated vinyl polymers or copolymers such as polymer, polyvinylidene chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polytetrafluorochloroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride; unsaturated alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyallyl alcohol, polyvinyl ether, polyallyl ether Or the weight of ether Polymers or copolymers of unsaturated carboxylic acids such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid; unsaturated bonds in alcohol residues such as polyvinyl esters such as polyvinyl acetate and polyallyl esters such as polyphthalic acid Having an unsaturated bond in the acid residue or acid residue and alcohol residue of a polymer such as polyacrylic acid ester, polymethacrylic acid ester, maleic acid ester or fumaric acid ester polymer Unsaturated nitrile polymers or copolymers such as acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile polymers or copolymers, polyvinylidene cyanide, malononitrile or fumaronitrile polymers or copolymers; polystyrene, poly α -Methylstyrene, poly-p-methylstyrene, styrene Polymers or copolymers of aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene-α-methylstyrene copolymer, styrene-p-methylstyrene copolymer, polyvinylbenzene and polyhalogenated styrene; polyvinylpyridine, poly-N-vinylpyrrolidine ,
Polymer or copolymer of a heterocyclic compound such as poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone; polyester condensate such as polycarbonate; polyamide condensate such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6; maleic anhydride, fumaric anhydride and imide thereof Polymer or copolymer containing a compound; heat-resistant organic polymers such as polyamide imide, polyether imide, polyimide, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyether fluorene, and polyarylate.

Since this thermoplastic resin is used as a structural material, the compatibility with the liquid crystal material may be high or low.

Further, a crosslinkable resin such as an epoxy resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, or a crosslinkable silicone zushi can be mixed, preferably in an amount of less than 70% by weight. Using a mixture of a ferroelectric liquid crystal and a crosslinkable resin allows the cell thickness of the liquid crystal optical element to be increased, resulting in a liquid crystal optical element having a small retardation value, little coloring and uneven color, and excellent bistability. Can be

Here, the crosslinkable resin contains a curing agent such as amine of epoxy resin and acid anhydride, and a curing agent such as styrene of unsaturated polyester resin. When a crosslinkable resin is used, the crosslink treatment is performed after the bending deformation treatment.

A liquid crystal optical element composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal sandwiched between two flexible substrates provided with electrodes, which is used in the alignment method by bending deformation treatment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as a liquid crystal used as a raw material). The optical element is sometimes referred to as a liquid crystal optical element (supply). The method for producing the liquid crystal optical element (supply) is not particularly limited, and the liquid crystal optical element (supply) is produced by various methods such as known production methods. be able to.

The liquid crystal optical element (supply) may be one in which the ferroelectric liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal optical element has not been subjected to an alignment treatment, or it may have already been subjected to various other alignment treatment methods such as a known alignment treatment method. It may be subjected to an alignment treatment, or any of them may be used.

As a method of manufacturing this liquid crystal optical element (supply), a method of laminating a substrate with an electrode and a film of a ferroelectric liquid crystal substance, and a method of forming a film by coating a ferroelectric liquid crystal substance composition on the substrate with an electrode There is a method of laminating attached substrates.

In the former method, a film of a ferroelectric liquid crystal substance is formed by using a film forming method that is usually performed on a polymer such as a casting method, an extrusion method, and a pressing method, and at least one of both sides is taught by transparent electrodes. Liquid crystal optical element. A transparent substrate can be provided on one side or both sides of this element as needed. This liquid crystal optical element does not require that the ferroelectric liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal optical element has been subjected to an alignment treatment.

In the latter coating method, the orientation treatment can be performed simultaneously with the film formation. However, it has the advantage that the range of suitable operating conditions and film thickness is wide, and is a preferable method in the present invention.
As a coating method, for example, a method of diluting a ferroelectric liquid crystal substance in an appropriate solvent to form a film by gravure coating, roll coating, or the like can be mentioned.

As the film thickness of the ferroelectric liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal optical element,
Usually, it is appropriate to set the thickness within a range of about 0.5 to 10 μm, preferably about 0.5 to 4 μm.

When the ferroelectric liquid crystal is finished as a thin film, in order to prevent conduction between the substrates, for example, a film made of an insulating spacer material such as silicon oxide or insulating plastic at the film forming or sandwiching step. Alternatively, a thin insulating film of polymer or the like may be previously provided between the substrate and the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer by a coating method or the like.

The thickness of the insulating film is not particularly limited, but is usually 1 μm or less, preferably 0.5 μm or less.

As a method for sandwiching the ferroelectric liquid crystal thus coated and formed on the opposing substrate, for example, a normal lamination method using a pressure roller or the like can be suitably used.

When carrying out this sandwiching, if necessary, two substrates are
For example, it may be fixed using an epoxy binder or the like.

In the present invention, as a continuous and high-speed mass-production method for producing a liquid crystal optical element (supply), for example, one of the flexible plastic substrates with electrodes is moved at a high speed while the ferroelectric liquid crystal is added to the above A method of continuously forming a film using a coating method or the like, and then laminating and continuously laminating opposing plastic substrates with electrodes can be particularly preferably used.

Hereinafter, a method for aligning a liquid crystal optical element and an apparatus for aligning the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an abbreviated form of an example of the alignment apparatus of the present invention, and also shows an example of the alignment method of the present invention.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, two belts, that is, a lower belt 8 and an upper belt 8 ', both form a conveyor (endless) loop as a support. In the present invention, the two belts do not necessarily have to form a loop, but from the viewpoint of productivity and operability, it is preferable that at least one of them has a loop shape. It is preferable to make the shape.

In the method of the present invention, preferably, the liquid crystal optical element used for alignment is sandwiched by two belts, and the front and back sides of the belt contact surface are alternately and closely adhered to the outer periphery of at least two alignment rolls. Bending deformation processing is performed while moving, and by this bending deformation processing, the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal optical element is highly oriented. The support is not limited to the belt, and any support similar to this may be used.

In the method and apparatus of the present invention, the orientation roll is
The number is not particularly limited as long as it is 2 or more, but usually 2
It is sufficient to set the number to about 4, preferably about 3.

In the method of the present invention, the method for moving the belt is not particularly limited, but usually, a method in which a driving roll or the like is appropriately provided and the belt is moved is suitably adopted. And in the apparatus of the present invention, at least one drive roll for moving the belt is provided.

In the method and apparatus of the present invention, the drive roll can also serve as the orientation roll.

Further, it is preferable to appropriately provide auxiliary rolls and guide rolls to control the movement of the belt.

The material, size, arrangement, etc. of these rolls can be appropriately selected so that the effects of the present invention can be sufficiently exerted.

The material of the orientation roll is not particularly limited, and commonly used materials such as stainless steel and similar metals can be preferably used, and stainless steel is particularly preferable. On the other hand, the material of the driving roll (including the one also used as the orientation roll) is not particularly limited as long as it can give a sufficient driving force and meets the usage conditions, but normally, it is a rubber. Alternatively, those similar thereto can be preferably used, and rubber and the like are particularly preferable.

In the example of FIG. 1, three orientation rolls, that is, the orientation rolls 1 to 3 are arranged so as to be in contact with each other in sequence, and an auxiliary roll 4 is provided. Of these, the orientation roll 2 also serves as a drive roll. The belts 8 and 8 ′ form independent loops and circulate through the orientation roll and the guide roll 5. In the meantime, the bending deformation process is performed by sandwiching and moving the liquid crystal optical element between the respective alignment rolls. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal optical element (supply) 26a for alignment is inserted between the alignment roll 1 and the auxiliary roll 4 between the upper belt 8'and the lower belt 8 in a taught manner. While being sandwiched between 8, 8 ', the alignment roll 1 and the alignment roll (drive roll) 2 and the alignment roll (drive roll) 2 and the alignment roll 3 are sequentially moved while being subjected to the alignment due to bending deformation and aligned. Upon leaving the roll 3, the belts 8 and 8'are separated in different directions and are recovered as oriented liquid crystal optical elements, that is, liquid crystal optical elements (recovery) 26b. Position of this supply and recovery, belt 8,8 '
The moving method (route, etc.) is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, and for example, the methods exemplified in FIGS. 3 to 5 described later can be suitably applied.

The liquid crystal optical element provided for this orientation is shown as a relatively short piece in this figure, so that it is supplied from the lower belt 8 and placed on the upper belt 8'to be collected. Although shown, it may be used as a sufficiently long one, in which case the liquid crystal optical element (feed) is continuously fed from a payout roll wound in a roll shape, while the take-up roll 10 is used. Thus, the method of continuously winding and collecting can be suitably applied from the viewpoint of productivity, operability, etc. (see FIGS. 4 to 6 below).

In the example of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, three tension controllers 6 are provided, and one panel angle adjuster 7 is provided. This tension controller 6
Are arranged appropriately, and by applying an appropriate tension to the belts 8 and 8 ′, the driving roll (orienting roll 2) and the belt
It is possible to prevent slippage of 8,8 'and to suitably perform bending deformation for high orientation. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately arrange such a tension controller. In this case, the driving roll (orienting roll 2) is preferably a rubber roll.

On the other hand, the panel angle adjuster is provided in order to adjust the panel angle of the liquid crystal optical element provided for alignment, and by providing this, it is possible to more effectively perform high-level alignment of the liquid crystal by bending deformation processing. Can be done.

In the orientation method illustrated in FIG. 1, of the three tension controllers 6, the one on the upper left side is not used, and the other two tension controllers 6 appropriately load tensions on the respective belts 8 and 8 '. Method. On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows another example of the orientation method using a device of the same type. In the method illustrated in FIG. 3, the tension controller 6 on the upper right side is not used, and the belts 8 and 8'are respectively passed through the other two to control the tension. That is, in this case, the belts 8 and 8'move a route partially different from the example of FIG. The arrangement of the guide rolls 5 to be used is changed accordingly. Also, in the example of FIG.
The liquid crystal optical element is taken out from between the alignment roll (driving roll) 2 and the alignment roll 3.

The temperature of the bending deformation alignment treatment of the liquid crystal in the alignment method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the example of FIG.

First, the alignment roll 1 heats the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal optical element to a temperature at which the liquid crystal is in an isotropic phase. Then, in the alignment roll 2 (driving roll) and the alignment roll 3, the liquid crystal has an isotropic phase and a smectic A phase. The mixing phase temperature, the mixing phase temperature of the isotropic phase and the chiral smectic C phase, and the temperature at which the liquid crystal phase such as the smectic A phase and the chiral smectic C phase is taken.
Here, it is preferable to control the temperature of the orienting roll 2 so as to be 5 to 10% lower than the isotropic phase transition temperature of the liquid crystal. The distance between the alignment rolls 1 and 2 and the alignment rolls 2 and 3 is not particularly limited, but when the distance is usually 3 mm or less, the liquid crystal can be prevented from falling below the target control temperature, and other specific Even if the heating mechanism is not provided, a high degree of orientation can be achieved simply by rotating the orientation roll.

Next, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal optical element in the alignment method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 as an example and with reference to FIG.

In the alignment method of the present invention, the bending direction on the substrate surface of this bending deformation treatment is set to the optical principal axis direction of the substrate (alignment direction).
Therefore, it is important to tilt the ferroelectric liquid crystal by about the tilt angle θ or 90 ° −θ, or by tilting the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the tilt angle θ or 90 ° −θ from the longitudinal direction of the substrate. Here, the bending direction means the direction of the boundary line between the two surfaces formed when the substrate is bent. Substrate is uniaxially or biaxially stretched PET
When a substrate having such optical anisotropy is used, it is suitable to incline the bending direction by θ or 90 ° -θ with respect to the optical principal axis direction of the substrate. This control of the orientation direction can be suitably performed by the panel angle adjuster. That is, the liquid crystal optical element (supply) 26a is placed in the panel adjuster 7, the angle (a) is adjusted as shown in FIG. Can be obtained. The adjustment of the orientation angle can be similarly applied to the continuous (supply) orientation treatment of the long liquid crystal optical element illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6.

The degree of bending of the liquid crystal optical element in this bending deformation treatment is represented by a radius of curvature, and it is suitable to set the degree of bending within a range of usually 5 to 1,000 mm, preferably 10 to 500 mm.

If the radius of curvature is too small, the substrate may be damaged,
There is a possibility that the electrode having a thin pattern may be broken. On the other hand, if it is too large, sufficient shear stress may not be applied to the right part of the liquid crystal and a good alignment state may not be obtained. In the alignment direction of the present invention, the alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the bending deformation treatment is performed by applying the bending deformation treatment to at least one liquid crystal optical element.
Since it is held by one belt, it can be made into a single sheet, and a plurality of liquid crystal optical elements can be efficiently and rapidly mass-produced for continuous alignment treatment.

Next, the orientation speed will be described with reference to the example of FIG.

As a liquid crystal material, a method of controlling the rotation speed of an alignment roll (driving roll) to adjust the alignment speed is adopted in order to enable wide alignment of low-molecular liquid crystals, high-molecular liquid crystals, or a mixture thereof. preferable. The orientation speed can also be adjusted by directly driving each roll.

Next, the relationship between the bending deformation process by a roll group such as an orientation roll and the arrangement of the rolls will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In order to give a high degree of orientation to the liquid crystal, it is preferable to give an appropriate bending deformation force, and in order to be applicable to a wide range of liquid crystal materials similarly to the above, a group of rolls such as alignment rolls is arranged and arranged so that the bending deformation force is adjustable. It is desirable to perform placement control. For example, in order to adjust the shearing force due to bending deformation, the alignment rolls 1 and 3 are arranged around the circumference of the alignment roll (driving roll) 2 so that the curvature of the liquid crystal optical element during bending deformation can be adjusted appropriately. The object can be efficiently and easily achieved by adopting a structure capable of moving up and down by about 45 ° at the maximum. The angle of movement on the circumference is positive in the counterclockwise direction and negative in the clockwise direction. FIG. 2 (a) shows the movement angle θ of the first orientation roll 1.
The moving angle θ ₂ of the _first and third orientation rolls 3 is zero, (b) is θ ₁ = + 45 °, θ ₂ = −45 °, and (C) is θ ₁ = −45. The figure shows the case where the angle θ and θ ₂ = + 45 °. Here, the largest shear force is obtained in the case of (b), and the smallest shear force is obtained in the case of (c).

Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the angles θ ₁ and θ _{2, it} is possible to adjust the shearing force according to the liquid crystal material used and always achieve a high degree of alignment.

3 to 5 each schematically show an example of the alignment method of the present invention.

As is clear from the comparison between FIG. 1 and these figures,
The orientation device shown in FIGS. 3-5 can be basically the same as that of FIG. That is, the belt
It can be performed by the same device by moving the moving method (route) of 8, 8'and the collecting point of the liquid crystal optical element or the supplying and collecting method thereof according to the moving method and moving the position of a part of the driving rolls 5. be able to.

Hereinafter, the orientation method and the configuration of the apparatus will be outlined mainly with respect to points different from those shown in FIG. 1 as an example.

In the alignment method illustrated in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal is heated to the isotropic phase temperature by the alignment roll 1, the liquid crystal phase temperature is controlled by the alignment roll (driving roll), and a total of two alignment rolls are used for alignment. This method can be suitably applied to liquid crystal materials that are relatively easily aligned. By setting the distance between the orientation rolls 1 and 2 to be within 3 mm as described above, it is possible to prevent unnecessary temperature drop.

Further, in the orienting device shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, a part or all of the guide roll 5 can be appropriately attached to an arbitrary position in the side wall plate 20 (see FIG. 8), Even when the number of alignment rolls is changed or the bonding length of the liquid crystal optical element to each roll is changed, the guide roll 5 can be appropriately moved to an appropriate position to form a free belt (conveyor) loop. it can.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a continuous alignment method of the town-scale type liquid crystal optical element 26 when three alignment rolls are used. As in the case of FIG. 3, in the case of FIG. 5, substantially two of the three orientation rolls are used for the orientation by the bending treatment. In this continuous orientation method, it is generally appropriate to use a flexible substrate that does not have optical anisotropy, or to use a substrate whose optical principal axis coincides with the longitudinal direction. In this case, the orientation speed is usually adjusted by adjusting the rotation speed of the winding roll 10. This time,
Since the belts 8 and 8'circulate by the driving force thereof, it is appropriate to separate the orientation roll 2 from the driving. Therefore, in this case, the take-up roll 10 becomes the drive roll.

Next, an example of the configuration of the orienting device of the present invention and examples of the specifications and materials of the components thereof will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, 6 and 7. 6 and 7 are schematic views of the entire configuration of the aligning device of the present invention when viewed from the front and side, respectively.

The temperature control specifications of the orientation rolls 1 to 3 (of which the orientation roll 2 can also be used as a drive roll) are generally in the range of 40 to 120 ° C., accuracy of about ± 1 ° C.,
The temperature distribution is set to about 1 ° C. or less, and as the control method, for example, PID continuous phase control is preferably used, and each orientation roll can be independently controlled. The shape of the orientation roll is not particularly limited, but for example, the diameter may usually be about 80 mm and the roll length may be about 300 mm as an effective length.

The material for the orientation rolls 1 and 3 is not particularly limited, but normally, a mirror-finished stainless steel material is preferably used. In some cases, the material of the orientation roll 2 used as the drive roll is preferably one whose roll surface is made of rubber, and the thickness of the rubber is usually about 3 mm, for example.

It is suitable that the rotating speed of the orientation roll can be varied within the range of 0 to 18 m / min as the moving linear velocity of the belts 8 and 8 '. It is preferable to adjust the rotation fluctuation rate within a range of about ± 1%. As described above, the rotation of the orientation roll or the movement of the belts 8 and 8'is performed by using the orientation roll 2 as a driving roll or a winding roll.
The method using 10 as a drive roll is appropriately selected, but the method is not limited thereto.

The distance between the orientation rolls 1, 2 and 3 is usually 1-2 mm
It is preferable to select the degree. As described above, the orientation rolls 1 and 3 are configured so as to be able to move to the right and left at an arbitrary angle up to about 45 ° on the circumference around the orientation roll 2. This movement can be performed by the movement mechanism shown in FIG. Ie, orientation rolls 1 and 3
Can be moved along the roll movement groove 22 and fixed handle 19
It is fixed by tightening. In FIG. 8 (b),
This fixing mechanism is shown. That is, after the orienting roll 3 is moved to an arbitrary angle, the fixing handle 19 is turned to move the screw portion 18 to the right, and the orienting roll fixing arm 16 and the side wall plate 20 are fixed, resulting in the orientation. The roll 3 is fixed. The shaft 17 for fixing the orientation roll is the orientation roll 3
It acts as a spacer to keep them parallel so that they do not tilt.

The auxiliary roll 4 not only clamps the supplied liquid crystal optical element, but also serves to adjust the incident angle thereof. The material of the auxiliary roll 4 is not particularly limited, but normally a mirror-finished stainless steel material is preferably used. The shape is usually about 80 mm in diameter, and the roll length (effective length) is usually about 300 mm.

The material of the guide roll 5 is not particularly limited,
Usually made of aluminum is sufficient. The shape is usually about 40 mm in diameter, and the roll length (effective length) is
It can be about 300 mm. This guide roll 5
As described above, it can be appropriately arranged at a desired position by normally attaching it to the side wall plate 20 in accordance with the orientation method.

When the substrate used for the liquid crystal optical element to be supplied as described above has an optical anisotropy, the panel angle adjuster 7 adjusts the alignment direction of the substrate with respect to the optical principal axis to a tilt angle θ of the liquid crystal, or approximately 90 °. It serves to adjust the arrangement of the liquid crystal optical element on the lower belt 8, that is, the panel angle a so as to be inclined at an angle of -0, but the adjustable range of the panel angle is usually 0 to 90 °. The range can be variable. The arrangement on the belt 8 can be usually performed by a one-touch laver system. The width of the belts 8 and 8'can usually be about 100 to 300 mm and the thickness can be about 0.1 to 0.3 mm. The material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a plastic film such as PET, PES, PI, PP, PS, or a mixed material thereof with an inorganic filler such as ceramics or metal. . In addition, these may be coated with aluminum or the like.

The shape of the take-up roll 10 and the pay-out roll 9 can be generally about 3 inches in diameter, about 300 mm in length, and about 300 mm in maximum roll system. Note that these rolls may be appropriately provided with an electromagnetic brake.

As above, the preferred examples of the aligning apparatus and the aligning method of the present invention have been relatively specifically described, but the aligning apparatus and the aligning method of the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above examples.

As described above in detail, in the alignment method and alignment device of the present invention, a liquid crystal optical element of various shapes, in particular, a long type liquid crystal optical element or a single-piece liquid crystal optical element, has an extremely simple mechanism. With the device of
Moreover, it can be highly oriented, the productivity can be remarkably improved, and the manufacturing cost can be remarkably reduced.
Further, it can be applied to the alignment of liquid crystal optical elements made of liquid crystal materials in a wide range from low molecular weight liquid crystals to high molecular weight liquid crystals, and mixtures thereof.

The liquid crystal optical element oriented by the method and apparatus of the present invention can be suitably used in various fields as a liquid crystal optical element such as a liquid crystal display element having various shapes and excellent characteristics.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically by showing examples in which the liquid crystal optical element is aligned using an example of the aligning device of the present invention. Indeed, the invention is not limited by these examples.

Examples 1 to 6 Preparation of liquid crystal optical element to be supplied The mixed liquid ratio of the above liquid crystal (mixed molar ratio 1: 3) and the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal was (+): = 9: 1 (A ₁ ), and 4: 6 ( A ₂ ) is prepared,
Examination of the phase transition behavior revealed the following.

(S ₁ : Microscopic observation, glassy phase, but unidentified. It did not crystallize at least up to -20 ° C.) In both A ₁ and A ₂ , the chiral smectic C phase near room temperature was stabilized by mixing the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal, and the orientation state was not easily destroyed by crystallization even at low temperature.

 Next, the following three were used as the thermoplastic resin.

In order to investigate the effect due to the difference in polymer, the mixing ratio of the liquid crystal component and the thermoplastic resin was 2: 1 by weight. These mixtures were dissolved in dichloromethane and were all 10 wt% solutions.

As the flexible substrate, PES (polyethersulfone) substrates with ITO electrodes (width 150 mm, thickness 125 μm) were used on both sides.

The step of applying the liquid crystal composition to the substrate was performed by continuously applying the solution to one roll-shaped substrate using a micro gravure coater, and then to the counter substrate together with 2
The book was laminated between pressure rollers. At this time, the thickness of the ferroelectric liquid crystal composition was about 5 μm.

Alignment treatment Liquid crystal optical element (supply) for each sample prepared above
As 26a, bending deformation treatment was performed under the conditions of the display by using the device used in Table 1 and the corresponding orienting method (indicated by the figure number) to orient.

Since PES was used as the flexible substrate, the panel angle a was set to 0 °. Also, each sample subjected to orientation,
A piece having a width of 15 cm and a length of 20 cm was cut out and used as a single piece.

The degree of orientation of each of the oriented samples was evaluated by measuring the contrast ratio. The results are shown in Table 1.

The measurement of contrast ratio is ± ± under crossed Nicols.
It was performed by applying a voltage of 10V.

Example 7 Preparation of liquid crystal optical element to be supplied Low molecular ferroelectric liquid crystal And the ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal used in Examples 1 to 6 in a molar ratio.
The mixture was mixed at 7: 3 to obtain a mixed liquid crystal that exhibits the following phase transition behavior.

(S _1:. Until unidentified least -30 ° C. did not crystallize.) The mixed crystals and weight ratio of poly vinyl chloride 3: dissolved to the 15 wt% solution in 2 of the mixture of tetrahydrofuran (THF) . Uniaxially stretched P with ITO by screen printing
After coating the ET substrate (100 μm thick, width 200 mm) and evaporating the solvent,
A composite film with a thickness of about 6 μm was obtained.

Alignment treatment Liquid crystal optical element (supply) 26
As a, T ₁ = 90 ° C, T ₂ = 78 ° C, T ₃ = 45 ° C, orientation speed 2 m / min, θ by the orientation device and orientation method shown in FIG.
Orientation treatment was performed under the condition of ₁ = 0 ° and θ ₂ = 0 ° (however, T ₁ , T ₂ , T ₃ , θ ₁ and θ ₂ are the same as the definitions shown in Table 1).

Since the uniaxial PET was used as the substrate, each panel had a tilt angle of 16 °.

The sample subjected to orientation had the same size as in Example 1 and was used as a single wafer. When the contrast ratio of the oriented sample was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, a high contrast ratio of 60 was obtained.

Example 8 Ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal PES film with ITO using 20% by weight dichloromethane solution (Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd .: Sumilite FST, width
15 cm, length 10 m, thickness 100 μm) was applied by a gravure coater and dried to obtain a liquid crystal film with a thickness of about 2 μm, which was laminated with the same PES film to prepare a liquid crystal optical element for supply.

This long liquid crystal optical element having a width of 15 cm and a length of 10 m was subjected to T ₁ = 60 ° C., T ₂ = 4 by the aligning device and the aligning method shown in FIG.
8 ° C, T ₃ = 38 ° C, orientation speed 2 m / min, θ ₁ = 0 °, θ ₂ = 0
And the panel angle a = 0 °, the alignment treatment was continuously performed. The contrast ratio of the obtained oriented sample was measured by the same method as in Example 1.
Got a high value of 72.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, high-speed response to an external stimulus such as electrolysis, excellent basic characteristics as a liquid crystal optical element such as contrast ratio, sufficient flexibility, and easy to increase in area are excellent. Liquid crystal optical elements with features can be mass-produced very easily and continuously at high speed, and a high degree of alignment can be easily achieved without subjecting the substrate to a specific pretreatment operation for alignment control. Obtainable. In particular, it is possible to efficiently perform continuous orientation treatment even for sheet-shaped and long-sized panels that have been single-wafered,
Moreover, since the structure and configuration are simple, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal optical element having excellent mass productivity and stability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are front views schematically showing an example of the alignment method of the present invention and a configuration of an alignment apparatus used for the alignment, respectively. FIG. 2 (a), FIG. 2 (b), FIG. 2 (c), FIG. 8 (a), and FIG. 8 (b) are alignment rolls according to the alignment method and alignment device of the present invention, respectively. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the arrangement and movement method of the above, and FIGS. 2 (a), (b), (c) and 8
FIG. 8A is a front view and FIG. 8B is a side view. FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic front views and side views, respectively, of the overall configuration of the orienting device of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement method of the sheet-fed supply liquid crystal optical element for adjusting the alignment direction by the panel angle adjuster according to the alignment method and the alignment apparatus of the present invention. Explanation of symbols 1 ... Orientation roll (first), 2 ... Orientation roll (second) 3 ... Orientation roll (third), 4 ... Auxiliary roll 5 ... Guide roll 6 ... Tension controller 7 ... Panel angle adjuster, 8 …… Belt (lower side) 8 ′ …… Belt (upper side), 9 …… Feeding roll 10 …… Winding roll, 11 …… Drive motor 12 …… First frame, 13 …… Second frame 14 …… Orientation roll axis 15 …… Orientation roll fixing shaft 16 …… Orientation roll fixing arm 17 …… Collar, 18 …… Screw part 19 …… Fixed handle, 20 …… Side wall plate 21 …… Bottom plate , 22 …… Roll moving groove 23 …… V belt, 24 …… Pulley 25 …… Electromagnetic clutch, 26 …… Liquid crystal optical element 26a …… Liquid crystal optical element (supply) 26b …… Liquid crystal optical element (recovery) θ ₁ , θ ₂ …… angle, a …… panel angle

Claims (16)

(57) [Claims] 1. A liquid crystal optical element containing a ferroelectric liquid crystal sandwiched by two flexible substrates on which electrodes are arranged is held and moved by at least one support to be bent and deformed. A method for orienting a liquid crystal optical element, which comprises orienting the ferroelectric liquid crystal. 2. The method of aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the support holding the liquid crystal optical element is moved by closely contacting the front and back sides of the outer periphery of at least two alignment rolls alternately. 3. The method for aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal optical element is a single-piece liquid crystal optical element. 4. The bending direction of the bending deformation process on the flexible substrate is either a direction of the optical principal axis of the substrate or a longitudinal direction of the substrate by a tilt angle θ of the ferroelectric liquid crystal.
4. The method for aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the tilting is performed by 90 [deg.]-[Theta]. 5. The method of aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed at a liquid crystal phase temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal. 6. The method of aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed at a mixed phase temperature of an isotropic phase of a ferroelectric liquid crystal and a smectic A phase. 7. The method of aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed at a mixed phase temperature of an isotropic phase of a ferroelectric liquid crystal and a chiral smectic C phase. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the orientation is carried out while cooling from a temperature above the isotropic phase of the ferroelectric liquid crystal to a temperature showing a liquid crystal phase.
The method for aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to 2, 3, or 4. 9. A support as a support for holding a liquid crystal optical element.
A sheet of belt, three rolls for heating the liquid crystal optical element sandwiched between the belts, two rolls being capable of adjusting the roll at an arbitrary angle around the center roll, and a driving means for the belt And an aligning device for the liquid crystal optical element, which comprises an auxiliary roll for sandwiching the liquid crystal optical element sandwiched by the belt together with the aligning roll. 10. The aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the two belts forms a loop. 11. The aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, further comprising a controller for controlling the tension of at least one of the two belts. 12. The aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, wherein the aligning rolls can be independently temperature-controlled. 13. The aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, wherein one of the three rolls is a driving roll. 14. The aligning device for a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 13, wherein the drive roll is capable of controlling the rotation speed. 15. An apparatus for aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, further comprising an angle adjuster for adjusting a panel angle of the single-piece liquid crystal optical element. 16. An apparatus for aligning a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 9, which has a pay-out roll and a take-up roll for the long liquid crystal optical element.