PURPOSE: To print a gradation image with a high resolving power, by a method wherein, a plurality of liquid crystal optical shutter plates arranged in matrix form are laid over each other, optical shutter elements are respectively opened/closed according to a digital density gradation signal for each pixel, and a light is transmitted per element by the amount according to the density gradation signal.
CONSTITUTION: In a liquid crystal optical shutter 1, two sheets of liquid crystal optical shutters 1a, 1b having the same matrix arrangement are laid over each other without the deviation between optical shutter elements 30a, 30b. The plurality of optical shutter elements of one of the liquid crystal optical shutters have the same light transmittance in a shutter close state, and those of the other liquid crystal optical shutter plate have different light transmittances in the optical shutter close state. In an open state, all the optical shutter elements have a light transmittance of 1. Therefore, by separately opening/closing the optical shutter elements 30a, 30b vertically overlapped, four types of combination are available, and four types of light transmittance can be obtained. Image data is inputted to a data conversion part through an interface and converted to gradation data per pixel, and the open and close of the two optical shutter elements is controlled by an LCS driver.
MORI TAKASHI
SASAKI HIDEKAZU
MIYAWAKI KATSUAKI
KAWAKUBO TOSHIO
TAKEDA YUUSUKE
MURANAKA MASAICHI
