IP Library Granted Patent US 9,097,822
Granted Patent B2
US 9,097,822 · App. 13/701,905 · Granted Aug 4, 2015

Lenticular lens sheet and process for production thereof, and optical element

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,097,822
App. No.
13/701,905
Granted
Aug 4, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a lenticular lens sheet which can be used in a stereoscopic display, a rear projection display, a projection screen, and the like, and means for manufacturing the lenticular lens sheet at low cost without using any mold. The lenticular lens sheet includes at least a transparent support substrate; a plurality of lenticular lenses; and a partition between adjacent ones of the plurality of lenticular lenses, and the lenticular lens sheet is obtained by applying a transparent resin composition ink by an inkjet method to an area partitioned by the partition and subsequently curing the transparent resin composition ink with ultraviolet rays.

Claims (117)

1. A lenticular lens sheet, comprising:

a support substrate;

a plurality of lenticular lenses on the support substrate; and

a partition between adjacent ones of the plurality of lenticular lenses,

wherein the lenticular lens sheet is obtained by supplying a transparent resin composition ink by an inkjet method to an area partitioned by the partition and subsequently curing the transparent resin composition ink with ultraviolet rays,

wherein a cross section of the partition cut in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of lenticular lenses has a taper angle of 90° or smaller with respect to the support substrate; and

the following condition is satisfied:

A≦B   (i)

A≦w 0 /8  (ii)

C<h 0 /3  (iii)

where A is upper base of the partition cross section, B is lower base of the partition cross section, C is height of the partition, w 0 is pitch of the lenticular lenses, and h 0 is height of the lenticular lenses.

2. A lenticular lens sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent resin composition ink forming the plurality of lenticular lenses includes an ultraviolet curable resin composition ink containing an ultraviolet curable component of 90 wt % or more and has a residual volume ratio of 70 vol % or more after a heat treatment at a temperature of 80° C. to 140° C.

3. An optical element, comprising the lenticular lens sheet according to claim 2 .

4. A stereoscopic display, comprising the lenticular sheet according to claim 2 .

5. An optical element, comprising, the lenticular lens sheet according to claim 1 .

6. A stereoscopic display, comprising the lenticular sheet according to claim 1 .

7. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet comprising a support substrate: a plurality of lenticular lenses on the support substrate; and a partition between adjacent ones of the plurality of lenticular lenses, wherein the lenticular lens sheet is obtained by supplying a transparent resin composition ink by an inkjet method to an area partitioned by the partition and subsequently curing the transparent resin composition ink with ultraviolet rays, the method comprising:

with respect to a pitch w 0 and a height h 0 of a target lenticular lens and an angle θ 0 of the lenticular lens with respect to the support substrate,

(1) forming the partition including a surface having ink-repellency with the same pitch as the pitch w 0 of the target lenticular lenses;

(2) applying, by an inkjet method, the transparent resin composition ink curable by ultraviolet rays with an amount V (pl/μm) exceeding a volume V 0 (pl/μm) required to form the lenticular lenses or with a height h exceeding the target height h 0 with respect to the area partitioned by the partition (V 0 is calculated from a volume of the target lenticular lens as follows, where r is curvature radius of the lens cross section)

θ

0

=

2

×

tan

-

1

[

h

0

(

w

0

2

)

]

h

(

r

)

=

(

w

0

2

)

2

sin

2

θ

0

-

r

2

-

w

0

2

tan

θ

0

V

0

=

-

w

0

2

w

0

2

h

(

r

)

r

(

pl

/

µm

)

;

(

Equation

1

)

(3) curing, the transparent resin composition ink by using the ultraviolet rays; and

(4) obtaining the target height h 0 by performing a heat treatment at a temperature of 80° C. to 140° C.

8. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet according to claim 7 , wherein a static contact angle θ L of the transparent resin composition ink forming the lenticular lenses with respect to a surface of the partition exceeds θ 0 represented by (Equation 1).

9. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet according to claim 7 , wherein a cross section of the partition cut in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of lenticular lenses has a taper angle of 90° or smaller with respect to the support substrate; and the following condition is satisfied:

A≦B   (i)

A≦w 0 /8  (ii)

C<h 0 /3  (iii)

where A is upper base of the partition cross section, B is lower base of the partition cross section, C is height of the partition, w 0 is pitch of the lenticular lenses, and h 0 is height of the lenticular lenses.

10. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet according to claim 9 , wherein a static contact angle θ L of the transparent resin composition ink forming the lenticular lenses with respect to a surface of the partition exceeds θ 0 represented by (Equation 1).

11. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet according to claim 7 , wherein the transparent resin composition ink forming the plurality of lenticular lenses includes an ultraviolet curable resin composition ink containing an ultraviolet curable component of 90 wt % or more and has a residual volume ratio of 70 vol % or more after a heat treatment at a temperature of 80° C. to 140° C.

12. A method of manufacturing a lenticular lens sheet according to claim 11 , wherein a static contact angle θ L of the transparent resin composition ink forming the lenticular lenses with respect to a surface of the partition exceeds θ 0 represented by (Equation 1).

Assignments (3)
MERGER Recorded Oct 21, 2020
From: NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN MATERIALS CO., LTD.; NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
To: NIPPON STEEL CHEMICAL & MATERIAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 054145/0400 →
ULVAC, INC. TRANSFERS 100 PERCENT OF ITS RIGHTS TO NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD. Recorded Apr 1, 2013
From: ULVAC, INC.
To: NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 030127/0744 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2012
From: FUJISHIRO, KOICHI; ITAHARA, TOSHIHIDE; SAITO, TOHRU; YOSHIOKA, TAKAHIRO; IGUCHI, SHINSUKE; KUMITA, KENTARO; TAKITA, TOMOHARU
To: NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.; ULVAC, INC.
Reel/Frame 029400/0754 →