Patent ID: 9618790
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: G02B,G02F

Claim:
1. An illumination unit comprising: a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate being separated from and facing each other; a light source emitting light to a first end surface of the first transparent substrate or the second transparent substrate; a light modulation layer disposed in a gap between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate, and exhibiting a scattering property or transparency with respect to light from the light source, depending on magnitude of an electric field; and an electrode generating an electric field in the light modulation layer, when a voltage is applied thereto, wherein the light modulation layer generates a plurality of strip-like illumination light beams extending in a direction intersecting with the first end surface with use of light from the light source, when an electric field for a three-dimensional display mode is applied from the electrode to the light modulation layer, and a light emission area per unit area of each of the strip-like illumination light beams continuously varies with a distance from the light source, wherein the electrode has a shape corresponding to a light emission shape of the strip-like illumination light beams, wherein the electrode includes a plurality of strip-like electrodes extending in an extending direction of the strip-like illumination light beams, and wherein a width of each of the strip-like electrodes continuously varies with a distance from the light source.