JPH033094A - Information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To extend the life of information and to improve weather resistance and an SN ratio by forming a recording trace consisting of a light recursive reflection part and a light non-recursive reflection part formed by selective thermal deformation corresponding to information recorded on a thermal deformation member consisting of a light recursive reflector or a light recursive reflector material. CONSTITUTION:The recording trace consisting of the light recursive reflecting part RR and a light non-recursive reflecting par rb due to selective thermal deformation corresponding to information recorded on the thermal deformation member consisting of the light recursive reflector RR or the RR materialis formed. Thereby, information can be recorded and the recorded information can be reproduced by irradiating the trace with light. Consequently, the life of the recorded information is long, the weather resistance and the SN ratio can e improved, the quality of the recorded information can be prevented from being deteriorated or erased due to transfer or magnetization, and the reading of the recorded information can be attained also from a distance position. Thus, the information recording medium capable of simply and easily recording and reproducing information can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an information recording medium using a light retroreflector.

[Summary of the invention]

The information recording medium according to the present invention has optical retroreflective portions and non-optical retroreflective portions formed by selectively heating and deforming a thermally deformable member made of an optical retroreflector or a material for an optical retroreflector in accordance with information to be recorded. By forming recording traces of The recorded information can be read from any location, and information recording and information reproduction are simple and easy.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, video signals, audio signals, etc. are recorded on magnetic media (magnetic tape, magnetic disk, etc.) and optical films.

Further, various data such as product name, price, date, etc. are printed as a bar code on printing media such as the product, its wrapping paper, and its plastic bag.

When recording video signals, audio signals, etc. on magnetic media, the lifespan of the recorded information is short, weather resistance and S/N are low, and there is a risk that the recorded information may deteriorate in quality or disappear due to transfer or magnetization.
Moreover, information recording and information reproduction are not so easy and troublesome.

In addition, barcodes printed with various data have a long lifespan (weather resistance and S/N ratio are high, and there is no risk of quality deterioration or loss of recorded information due to transfer or magnetization, but on the other hand, It is impossible to read recorded information from a considerable distance, and information recording and information reproduction are not so easy.

By the way, the present inventor previously filed the patent application No. 63-39985.
(unknown at the time of filing this application), the lifespan of recorded information is long, weather resistance and S/N are high, there is no risk of quality deterioration or loss of recorded information due to transfer or magnetization, and especially proposed a barcode that allows recorded information to be read from a considerable distance.

Such barcodes utilize light retroreflectors, and correspond to the black bars (or white bars) of conventional barcodes printed on paper, etc., with stripes made of light retroreflectors. The spacing between the stripes corresponds to the width of the white bar (or black bar).

Such barcodes are constructed by pasting striped light retroreflectors (affixed to a mount) made of glass beads, plastic beads, microprisms, fly-eye lenses, etc. on a substrate at the above-mentioned intervals. Alternatively, a plurality of striped light retroreflectors (affixed to a mount) are integrated by a frame made of the light retroreflectors, and a frame made of the light retroreflectors is affixed to a substrate. Alternatively, such a barcode can be constructed by overlapping a sheet made of a light retroreflector with a cover formed of transparent stripes and opaque stripes to constitute the barcode.

Incidentally, a retroreflective sheet constructed by pasting a cover having a predetermined pattern of transparent parts and opaque parts to a sheet made of a light retroreflector is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 154747/1983. .

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, the present invention has a long lifespan of recorded information, high weather resistance and high S/N ratio, and there is no risk of quality deterioration or loss of recorded information due to transfer or magnetization. The purpose of this invention is to propose an information recording medium on which information can be read and information recording and reproduction are simple and easy.

[Means to solve the problem]

The information recording medium according to the present invention has an optical retroreflector RR and a non-optical retroreflector formed by selectively heating and deforming a thermally deformable member made of an optical retroreflector RR or a material for an optical retroreflector RRo according to information to be recorded. A recording trace consisting of a reflective portion rb is formed.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, information can be recorded by forming a recording trace consisting of an optical retroreflective part r and a non-optical retroreflective part rb on a thermally deformable member made of an optical retroreflector RR or a material for an optical retroreflector RRo. will be recorded.

Further, the information recorded on such an information recording medium is reproduced by irradiating it with light.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, some embodiments of an information recording medium, an information recording method, and a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

An example of an information recording method and an information recording medium will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A shows an unrecorded information recording medium VIR.
M, which is a light transmitting device in which a large number of light retroreflector parts r made of microprisms such as square pyramids with an apex angle of 90 degrees are integrally formed on the entire surface of the light retroreflection base RB. A thermally deformable light retroreflector RR made of (transparent) plastic is attached to a light-transmissive (transparent) base BS made of plastic or the like. Furthermore, this base BS
can also be omitted.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, the optical retroreflectors RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM are arranged in - columns according to the information to be recorded, as in the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3, for example. The wires W are heated by electricity, and each wire W is connected to an electromagnet MG.
selectively impacts the optical retroreflector RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VrRM and selectively heats and pressurizes the optical retroreflector RR, thereby selectively crushing the optical retroreflector RR,
An information recording medium IRM formed with a non-optical retroreflective portion rb, thereby forming a recording trace consisting of an optical retroreflector RR consisting of a set of optical retroreflective elements r and a non-optical retroreflective portion rb.
is obtained.

To reproduce the recorded information on such information recording medium IRM,
It is sufficient to irradiate a thin light such as a laser beam in a scanning manner from the base BS side and obtain the reflected light.

This reflected light is strong at the optical retroreflector RR and weak at the non-optical retroreflector rb.

FIG. 2 shows a barcode as an information recording medium obtained in this manner. BC indicates a barcode, which includes a first bar BR corresponding to a black bar and a white bar or a white bar and a black bar of a conventionally printed barcode, and a second bar BR.
This is a case in which the first bar BR and the second bar BR2 are composed of a light retroreflector RR and a non-light retroreflector rb, respectively.

In order to obtain such a barcode, all the wires W in the recording device shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in the recording device of FIG. 4, the unrecorded information recording medium Vrl? It may be formed by pressing a heating body (which generates heat when energized) (2) whose opposing portion is linear or strip-shaped against the light retroreflector RR of M.

The optical retroreflector RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM is composed of a large number of spherical optical retroreflectors r, as shown in FIG. 5A.
r may be attached to a light-transmissive (transparent) base BS made of plastic or the like.

Such unrecorded information recording medium ν! of FIG. 5A! 1? In order to reproduce the recorded information on the information recording medium IRM obtained from i, it is sufficient to irradiate a thin light such as a laser beam in a scanning manner from the base BS or optical retroreflector RR side and obtain the reflected light. . However, if the base BS is opaque, the light retroreflector 1
? A thin light will be emitted from the R side.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the optical retroreflector RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM consists of a large number of optical retroreflectors consisting of microprisms (hemispheres are also possible) each consisting of a quadrangular pyramid or the like with an apex angle of 90 degrees in cross section. The reflecting element rr may be attached to a light-transmitting (transparent) base BS made of plastic or the like.

In order to reproduce the recorded information on the information recording medium IRH obtained from the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM shown in FIG. good.

The optical retroreflector RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM is connected to the laser diode LD as shown in FIG. By modulating the drive signal, the narrow light from this laser diode LD is reflected on the two-axis rotating mirror MRBX, and the reflection angle is changed according to the character, image, etc., and unrecorded information is recorded through the objective lens OL. By irradiating the light retroreflector RR of the medium VIRM, the light retroreflector element r is selectively crushed to form a non-light retroreflector rb, thereby making it possible to record characters, images, etc.

Another example of an information recording method and an information recording medium will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In FIG. 7A, unrecorded information recording medium VI
RM is shown, and is constructed by pasting a heat-deformable light retroreflector material RRo made of light-transmitting (transparent) plastic onto a light-transmitting (transparent) base BS made of plastic or the like. Note that this base BS can also be omitted.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the material RRo for the optical retroreflector of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM is used for recording characters, images, etc., as in the recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, for example. The drive signal for the laser diode LO is modulated according to the signal to be recorded, and the thin light from the laser diode LD is modulated according to the signal to be recorded, such as a character or video. A two-axis rotating mirror for narrow light? It is reflected by the IRBX, the reflection angle is changed according to the character, image, etc., and it is irradiated through the objective lens OL to the light retroreflection material RR of the unrecorded information recording medium VIRM to heat and soften it, and then, By rotating the heated roller IR (having a large number of square pyramid-shaped recesses with a cross-sectional apex angle of 90 degrees), a heating roller with a cross-sectional apex angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. A large number of light retroreflecting regions consisting of microprisms are formed. Thus, the optical retroreflection eastern r
A light retroreflector RR and a non-light retroreflector r consisting of a set of
An information recording medium IRM on which a recording trace consisting of b is formed is obtained.

Such information recording medium 111? To reproduce the recorded information, a thin light such as a laser beam is emitted from the base BS side.
It is sufficient to irradiate the light in a scanning manner and obtain the reflected light.

This reflected light is strong at the optical retroreflector RR and weak at the non-optical retroreflector rb.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the function of the optical retroreflection element made of glass beads and plastic beads will be explained. This light retroreflection element rr receives incident light Lil from any direction.
, Li2, each incident light Lil5 Li
Reflected lights Lol and Lo2 are obtained in the same direction as 2 and in opposite directions, respectively. The optical retroreflective element “r” made of these beads is
The diameter is approximately 211I11 and the distance from the beam spot is 5
00 mm, the reflected light is distributed in a circle with a diameter of approximately 12+ nm centered on the incident light.

Therefore, this reflected light becomes effective reflected light, which is a component that directly enters the light-receiving element of the detector.

The power of this effective reflected light is more than 1000 times that of a conventionally printed barcode.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention described above, the life of recorded information is long, weather resistance and S/N are high, there is no risk of quality deterioration or loss of recorded information due to transfer or magnetization, and in particular, It is possible to obtain an information recording medium in which recorded information can be read from a considerable distance and in which information recording and information reproduction are simple and easy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an information recording method and information recording medium, Figure 2 is a plan view showing a barcode, Figures 3 and 4 are route maps showing examples of recording devices, and Figure 5. is a sectional view showing an unrecorded information recording medium, FIG. 6 is a route map showing an example of a recording device, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an information recording method and another example of an information recording medium, and FIG. 8 is a recording device. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the recording apparatus, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the optical retroreflection element. RR is a light retroreflector, RB is a light retroreflection base, BS is a base, V[RM is an unrecorded information recording medium, IRM is an information recording medium, R[l is a light retroreflection base, and RRo is for a light retroreflection body. It is the material. Explanation of optical retroreflection element Fig. 10

Claims (1)

[Claims] By selectively heating and deforming a thermally deformable member made of an optical retroreflector or a material for an optical retroreflector according to the information to be recorded,
An information recording medium characterized in that a recording trace consisting of an optical retroreflective part and a non-optical retroreflective part is formed.