US 2004/0057113 A1 · Pattern

Abstract

The invention relates to a pattern (18) which is designed as a visually perceptive mosaic consisting of a plurality of surface elements (8; 9; 15; 16; 17) and which is embedded in a laminate (1) consisting of at least one transparent outer layer (2) and one protective layer (5). The surface elements (8; 9; 15; 16; 17) are transparent, scatter or reflect incident light (10) or diffract the incident light (10) to microscopic relief structures covered with a reflecting layer (3). An area (16) corresponding to at least one of the surface elements provided with a microscopic relief structure (4) has a ZOM structure (4′) with a profile height h which can be slowly modified in a pre-determined manner and a spatial frequency f. The product of a predetermined critical wavelength λG of the visible spectrum and the spatial frequency f is greater than or equal to 1.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A surface pattern (18) with a visually visible mosaic comprising a number of surface portions (8;

9;
15;
16;
17) embedded in a laminate (1) of at least a transparent cover layer (2) and a protective layer (5), wherein the one surface portions are in the form of transparent windows (9) and the other surface portions (8;
15;
16;
17) which are at least partially covered with a reflection layer (3) are in the form of mirror surfaces (8), optical-diffraction surfaces (15, 16) with microscopic relief structures (4;
4′) and surface portions (17) which scatter incident light beams (10),
characterised in that
for a predetermined limit wavelength (λG) of the visible spectrum at least in one of the optical-diffraction surfaces (15;
16) in an area (16) defined by co-ordinates x and y the microscopic relief structure is in the form of a ZOM-structure (4′) and is of a spatial frequency (f) such that the product (P) of the limit wavelength (λG) and the spatial frequency (f) is greater than or equal to 1,
in the other optical-diffraction surfaces (15) the spatial frequencies (f) of the other microscopic relief structures (4) satisfy the condition that the product (P) is less than 1, and
in each location defined by the co-ordinates (x, y) in the area (16) a profile height (h) of the ZOM-structure (4′) is optically effective, wherein a grating structure (G{x, y}) of the ZOM-structure (4′) is modulated by means of a low-frequency envelope curve surface (28;
H{x, y}) at a frequency (F), wherein the frequency (F) is less than five periods per millimetre.

11 more elements

A surface pattern (18) with a visually visible mosaic comprising a number of surface portions (8;

9;
15;
16;
17) embedded in a laminate (1) of at least a transparent cover layer (2) and a protective layer (5), wherein the one surface portions are in the form of transparent windows (9) and the other surface portions (8, 15;
16;
17) which are at least partially covered with a reflection layer (3) are in the form of mirror surfaces (8), optical-diffraction surfaces (15, 16) with microscopic relief structures (4;
4′) and surface portions (17) which scatter incident light beams (10),
characterised in that
for a predetermined limit wavelength (λG) of the visible spectrum at least in one of the optical-diffraction surfaces (15;
16) in an area (16) defined by co-ordinates x and y the microscopic relief structure is in the form of a ZOM-structure (4′) and is of a spatial frequency (f) such that the product (P) of the limit wavelength (λG) and the spatial frequency (f) is greater than or equal to 1,
in the other optical-diffraction surfaces (15) the spatial frequencies (f) of the other microscopic relief structres (4) satisfy the condition P=λG·f is less than 1, and
in each location defined by the co-ordinates (x, y) in the area (16) a profile height (h) of the ZOM-structure (4′) is optically effective, the ZOM-structure (4′) is an additive superimposition of a first periodic function (G1) and a second periodic function (G2), wherein the first function (G1) of an amplitude (A) determines the spatial frequency (f) of the ZOM-structure (4′) and the second function (G) is the first harmonic in relation to the first function (G1) of half the amplitude (A) and wherein the second function (G2) is displace by a phase (θ) with respect to the first function (G1), and that both the two functions (G1;
G2) and also the phase (θ) are functions which are dependent on the co-ordinates (x;y).

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Pattern

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Pattern

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Abstract

Claims18