Patent ID: 11940710
Assignee: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  F | IPC G

Claim 1:
2. An illumination device comprising:
a first liquid crystal cell comprising a first substrate, a second substrate opposed to the first substrate, and a first liquid crystal layer held between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first substrate comprising a first annular shaped electrode and a second annular shaped electrode surrounding the first annular shaped electrode;
a second liquid crystal cell comprising a third substrate, a fourth substrate opposed to the third substrate, and a second liquid crystal layer held between the third substrate and the fourth substrate, the third substrate comprising a third annular shaped electrode and a fourth annular shaped electrode surrounding the third annular shaped electrode;
a polarization conversion element disposed between the first liquid crystal cell and the second liquid crystal cell; and
a light source emitting light into the first liquid crystal cell, wherein
a center of the first annular shaped electrode and a center of the third annular shaped electrode overlap in planar view,
the second substrate comprises a fifth annular shaped electrode and a sixth annular shaped electrode surrounding the fifth annular shaped electrode,
the fourth substrate comprises a seventh annular shaped electrode and an eighth annular shaped electrode surrounding the seventh annular shaped electrode, and
the center of the first annular shaped electrode, the center of the third annular shaped electrode, a center of the fifth annular shaped electrode, and a center of the seventh electrode overlap in planar view.