Patent ID: 7304705

Claim:
An imaging unit for imaging light on a light receiving element, comprising: at least one optical path shifting element having an input side and an output side; and a lens arranged on the input side or the output side of the optical path shifting element, said light receiving element receiving light imaged thereon via the optical path shifting element which comprises: a liquid crystal layer; first and second vertical alignment layers arranged on opposite surfaces of the liquid crystal layer; first and second transparent substrates respectively arranged on the first and second vertical alignment layers; and first and second electrodes arranged on respective sides of the liquid crystal layer perpendicular to the opposite surfaces of the liquid crystal layer, thereby sandwiching the liquid crystal layer between the first and second electrodes for an entire thickness of the liquid crystal layer and applying an electrical field in a direction approximately parallel to an in-plane direction of the first and second transparent substrates when applied with a voltage, said liquid crystal layer being made of a chiral smectic C phase ferroelectric liquid crystal having a homeotropic alignment caused by the vertical alignment layers, said optical path shifting element shifting an optical path of linearly polarized light input thereto in a first optical path shifting direction in a first state and in a second optical path shifting direction in a second state depending on a state of an electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer, said linearly polarized light having a plane of polarization perpendicular to a direction of the electric field.