Patent ID: 7944618

Claim:
An optical element comprising: a container having first and second end walls facing against each other in a direction that light passes through and end walls connecting the first and second end walls so as to form a holding chamber therein; a polar or conductive first liquid within the holding chamber; a second liquid within the holding chamber and not mixing with the first liquid; a first electrode provided at the first end wall; a second electrode having a center electrode member, first surrounding electrode members provided at the side of the center electrode member and second surrounding electrode members provided at the side of the first surrounding electrode member extending in a direction orthogonal to said direction that light passes through; and voltage application means for applying voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode for applying an electric field to the first liquid; wherein the voltage application means puts the optical element in a first light transmission state by performing first applying to apply a voltage to the first electrode and the first surrounding electrode members when the first liquid is positioned corresponding to the center electrode member so that the first liquid is divided and the divided first liquids move in said orthogonal direction toward positions corresponding to the first surrounding electrode members, and then, performing second applying to apply a voltage to the first electrode and the second surrounding electrode members when the first liquid is positioned corresponding to the first surrounding electrode members so that the first liquid is divided and the divided first liquids move in said orthogonal direction toward positions corresponding to the second surrounding electrode members, and puts the optical element in a second light transmission state by applying a voltage to the first electrode and the center electrode member when each of the divided first liquids are positioned at a position corresponding to the second surrounding electrode members so that the divided first liquids move towards the position corresponding to the center electrode member thereby the divided first liquid are connected as one.