An optical path deflecting element, the optical path deflecting apparatus, a driving method of an image display apparatus and an optical path deflecting element

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly produce an electric field for deflection over the entire effective area to be deflected as well as switching a deflection direction.;SOLUTION: Two electrode groups 12 and 12', and 13 and 13' are arranged opposite to each other while surrounding the effective area 11 of a liquid crystal layer and a voltage V1 is applied to one electrode group selectively according to a target deflection direction to produce the electric field for deflection, thereby switching the deflection direction between two orthogonal directions. The electrode groups 12 and 12', and 13 and 13' are formed in split structures composed of a plurality of split electrodes; when deflection is carried out, an electric field for deflection produced by one electrode group (e.g. 12 and 12') is less disordered and made more uniform by the other electrode group by applying voltages V1 to 0 which vary in voltage value in steps to the individual split electrodes of the other electrode group (e.g. 13 and 13') and thus forcibly imparting a potential gradient in the direction of the electric field for deflection by the other electrode group (13 and 13').;COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO