JPH0667608A - Display using diffraction grating - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] A display object is displayed by dividing the pattern to be displayed by the contour of the diffraction grating, and has a smooth movement with the movement of the viewpoint, and various movements are possible and easy to manufacture. [Composition] Display of characters, images, etc. by the outer or inner contours of the diffraction gratings A, B composed of a smooth curve group, or the diffraction gratings composed of a partial linear diffraction grating group that constitutes a polygonal line that is a linear approximation of a smooth curve Since the pattern “DNP” is divided and displayed, when the viewpoint with respect to the display body is changed, the brightly shining position moves smoothly and variously as shown by an arrow, and when shining with white light, the brightly shining looks. The area becomes a rainbow-colored area, so that the display pattern can be easily recognized, and it is visually interesting and the display effect and the design effect are extremely excellent. By the shape of the curved line, it is possible to change the movement of the shining area in various ways.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display provided on a card, a label, a sticker, etc., and in particular, it is constructed by dividing a display pattern of characters, images, etc. by the contour of a diffraction grating.
The present invention relates to a display body using a diffraction grating capable of displaying with movement according to movement of a viewpoint.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, it has been known by the present applicant to construct a display pattern of characters, images, etc. by the contour of a diffraction grating, for example, as a transparent diffraction grating label, by the applicant of the present invention in International Publication No. WO91 /
03380 and Japanese Patent Application No. 4-90923. However, since these display characters, images, etc. with a simple contour of the diffraction grating, the display does not move as the observer's viewpoint moves.

On the other hand, it is known that each minute dot is formed by a diffraction grating and the dots are two-dimensionally arranged to form a display body. The direction of the diffraction grating of each dot and the grating are known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-723 discloses a pattern having various pitches so that the pattern changes depending on the viewing direction.
No. 20 proposed. However, this does not display the display pattern by dividing it by the contour of the diffraction grating, and the change of the display pattern due to the movement of the viewpoint is not smooth. In addition, since one screen is formed by regularly arranging an extremely large number of dots such as halftone dots, it is not easy to manufacture.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to express a pattern to be displayed by dividing it by the contour of a diffraction grating, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a display body using a diffraction grating which has smooth movements and can be variously moved and which can be easily manufactured.

[0005]

A display body using a diffraction grating of the present invention that achieves the above object is a display body in which a display pattern of characters, images, etc. is divided and displayed by an outer contour or an inner contour of the diffraction grating. In the above, the diffraction grating is composed of a diffraction grating composed of a group of smooth curves.

In this case, it is possible to include a plurality of diffraction gratings having different curve groups, and each diffraction grating divides and displays another display pattern.

Further, another display body using the diffraction grating of the present invention is a display body which divides and displays a display pattern of characters, images, etc. by the outer contour or the inner contour of the diffraction grating. It is composed of a group of partial linear diffraction gratings that are divided into small areas and arranged in parallel, and the adjacent linear diffraction gratings have a gradual smooth change in the inclination of the grating and a smooth change in the grating pitch. The same or substantially the same, when the gratings of the partial linear diffraction gratings or the straight lines parallel thereto are connected to each other, the smooth curved line becomes a polygonal line approximated to a polygonal line.

In this case also, a plurality of diffraction gratings each including a group of partial linear diffraction gratings forming a polygonal line which is obtained by linearly approximating different smooth curves are included, and each diffraction grating divides and displays another display pattern. You can also

[0009]

In the present invention, characters, images, etc. are formed by the outer or inner contour of a diffraction grating consisting of a group of smooth curved lines, or a diffraction grating consisting of a group of partial straight line diffractive gratings that form a polygonal line obtained by linearly approximating a smooth curve. Since the display pattern is divided and displayed, when the viewpoint with respect to the display body is changed, the brightly shining position moves smoothly and variously due to diffraction, and when illuminated with white light, this brightly shining area is rainbow-colored. The area becomes colored, and the display pattern can be easily recognized, and it is visually interesting, and the display effect and the design effect are extremely excellent. By the shape of the curved line, it is possible to change the movement of the shining area in various ways.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The principle and embodiments of a display using the diffraction grating of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
As shown in the plan view in (a), when a reflection type diffraction grating A consisting of a convex curve group on a predetermined pitch d is examined, when the light source is located on the upper side of the drawing, the viewpoint changes from left to right. When moved, the area that appears to shine on the lattice plane is
Move from left to right in the same direction as the viewpoint moves. The movement is indicated by the arrow below the lattice plane. On the contrary, when the viewpoint is moved, the area that appears to be shining moves in the opposite direction of the arrow. When the light source is a white light source, the brightly visible area is a strip-shaped area with a rainbow color in the vertical direction. As the radius of curvature of the curve forming the diffraction grating increases, the moving speed of the bright area increases. As shown in FIG. 1B, the diffraction grating A
The diffraction grating B composed of a downwardly convex curve group in which the upper and lower sides are inverted is moved from right to left opposite to the direction of movement of the viewpoint, contrary to the case of FIG.

As described above, the diffraction grating composed of the upward convex curve group and the diffraction grating composed of the downward convex curve group are combined,
For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), when diffraction gratings C and D composed of a group of wavy lines are configured, a light source is arranged in the same manner as above, and the viewpoint is moved, as shown by arrows in FIG. , The area that looks bright on the grid surface moves. Therefore, when observing such diffraction gratings C and D while moving the viewpoint, the shining region also moves in the same direction or the opposite direction, and the region shines iridescent, so that the display effect, The design effect becomes remarkable.

Further, as described above, in the diffraction grating consisting of a group of curves, if the grating pitch d is also changed depending on the place, the area of the brightly visible area and the moving direction are further varied, and the display effect is obtained. The design effect becomes more remarkable.

Now, the display pattern of characters, images, etc. is divided and expressed by the contour of the diffraction grating composed of such a smooth curve group. One example is shown in FIG.
In this example, the character "DNP" is displayed in the background, but the radius of curvature of each character portion is relatively small,
A diffraction grating A (FIG. 1A) consisting of a curve group having an upward convex shape is cut out into the shapes of letters “D”, “N”, and “P”. For the background, a diffraction grating B (FIG. 1B) having a relatively large radius of curvature and a downwardly convex curve group is used except for the character portion “DNP”. When the display pattern body is configured by combining these two as shown in the figure, when the viewpoint is moved from left to right when the light source is located above the front side of the drawing, the character portion “DNP” displays the viewpoint moving direction. The area that appears to shine relatively slowly moves, and the character "DNP" is recognized. On the other hand, in the background, a region that appears to shine in a direction opposite to the viewpoint moving direction moves relatively fast, and the movements of these two are combined to provide excellent display effects and design effects.

In FIG. 3, it is also possible to omit the diffraction grating of either the character portion or the background and express the character "DNP" only by the other diffraction grating. Further, as the diffraction gratings A and B, a diffraction grating consisting of a group of wavy lines as shown in FIG. 2 can be used, or a diffraction grating whose grating pitch changes depending on the place can be used.

By the way, the diffraction grating consisting of the above-mentioned curved lines is drawn with a desired curved line group on a resist coated on a substrate at a predetermined pitch by an electron beam drawing device, an ion beam drawing device or a laser drawing device. It can be manufactured by doing. In that case, for example, the xy stage that supports the substrate is controlled to be moved by computer control, and diffraction gratings are sequentially drawn at a desired pitch and inclination. After developing the drawn resist, a relief is duplicated to form a mold, and by embossing the die on a resin film, a large number of display bodies can be duplicated. Then, in order to make it a reflection type or a semi-transmission type, a metal or a thin film having a different refractive index is vapor-deposited on the relief surface to form a reflection layer or a semi-transmission layer.

However, even if such a drawing apparatus is used, it takes time and cost to manufacture all curve groups of a diffraction grating having an area by drawing. On the other hand, if the diffraction grating can be formed by a group of straight lines, it can be easily manufactured by, for example, two-beam interference, which is extremely desirable.

Therefore, it is considered that the diffraction grating composed of the above curve group is approximately constructed by the partial diffraction grating composed of the straight line group. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the diffraction grating A of FIG. 1A is composed of partial diffraction gratings A1 to A7,
A portion of the diffraction grating A having the same inclination and the same grating pitch is divided into one unit, and the portion is replaced with linear diffraction gratings A1 to A7 having the inclination and the grating pitch. Therefore, each of the partial diffraction gratings A1 to A7 is composed of a linear diffraction grating, and the inclination and pitch of the diffraction grating sequentially change smoothly between adjacent diffraction gratings. Does not change drastically. In this way, the partial linear diffraction grating group is formed continuously, and the inclination and pitch of the grating of each partial linear diffraction grating sequentially and smoothly change between adjacent partial linear diffraction gratings (the pitch may not be changed. ), Even in the diffraction grating assembly A ′ that does not change drastically, as in the case of the diffraction grating A in FIG. 1A, the brightly shining region smoothly moves as the viewpoint moves. The smaller the divided area, the smoother the movement. The diffraction gratings shown in FIGS. 1B, 2A, and 2B can be similarly configured. The shape of the divided portion is determined by the shape and distribution of the original curve group, but both the diffraction gratings of FIGS. 1 and 2 are divided into vertical parallel stripe regions as shown in FIG. In this case, the widths of the divided stripes do not necessarily have to be evenly spaced.

FIG. 5 shows the display unit of FIG. 3 in the character area "D" by the diffraction grating assembly composed of such a partial linear diffraction grating.
NP ”and its background, and the direction of the diffraction grating provided in each region is indicated by an arc. Both the diffraction grating assemblies A ′ and B ′ are divided into vertical parallel stripe regions as shown in the drawing, and the inclination of the grating in each region is 30 ° and 25 ° from the left in the diffraction grating assembly A ′. ...
10 °, 5 °, 0 °, −5 °, −10 °, ..., −
It changes in steps of 5 ° of 25 ° and -30 °. Further, in the diffraction grating assembly B ′, −39 °, −36
°, -6 °, -3 °, 0 °, 3 °, 6 °, ...
.., 36.degree., 39.degree. Are changed in 3 degree increments.
Regarding the grating pitch, the same pitch is used in each divided area of the diffraction grating assembly A ′, and the same pitch is used in each divided area of the diffraction grating assembly B ′. . In this case as well, the region that looks bright as the viewpoint moves moves smoothly, as in the case of FIG.

In order to manufacture such a display pattern body, a first mask representing one united character or image area (in the figure, the character "D" or the background) is prepared, Then, the photosensitive plate is masked, a second mask for limiting the stripe area is superposed thereon, and the second mask is moved stepwise and repeatedly with respect to the photosensitive plate and the first mask at each moving position. Then, the two light fluxes are made to interfere with each other and exposed so that interference fringes depending on the grating pitch and the direction of the position are generated, and thus it can be optically easily manufactured. Alternatively, only one set of masks having the outer shape of each divided area may be used, and the mask may be exchanged for each divided area to expose the interference fringes of the area. Of course, as described above, it is also possible to manufacture by drawing with an electron beam drawing device, an ion beam drawing device, or a laser drawing device. In that case, for example, the xy stage that supports the substrate is controlled to be moved by computer control, and a linear diffraction grating having a different pitch and direction is drawn for each divided area.

Although the display body using the diffraction grating of the present invention has been described above based on some embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications can be made.
For example, a shining portion may boil out from one point, a pattern sucked into that point, a rotating pattern, or the like may be configured. Further, in the above description, the reflection type diffraction grating is premised, but the display body can also be configured by a transmission type, semi-transmission type diffraction grating or the like.

[0021]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the display body using the diffraction grating of the present invention, the diffraction grating having the smooth curve group or the portion forming the polygonal line which is a linear approximation of the smooth curve. Since the display pattern of characters, images, etc. is divided and displayed by the outer contour or inner contour of the diffraction grating consisting of a group of linear diffraction gratings, when the viewpoint to the display object is changed, the position shining due to diffraction smoothly moves in various ways. However, when illuminated with white light, this shining area becomes a rainbow-colored area, and the display pattern is not only easy to recognize, but also visually interesting, and the display and design effects are extremely excellent. Will be things. Depending on the shape of the curve,
It is possible to change the movement of the shining area in various ways.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a movement of a brightly-visible area accompanying a viewpoint movement of a diffraction grating formed of a group of curves which is a basis of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining movement in the case of a diffraction grating including a group of wavy lines.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a display body according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the principle of approximately constructing a diffraction grating including a group of curves with a partial diffraction grating including a group of straight lines.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which the display body of FIG. 3 is represented by a diffraction grating assembly composed of partial linear diffraction gratings.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A ... Diffraction grating consisting of upward convex curve group B ... Diffraction grating consisting of downward convex curve group C, D ... Diffraction grating consisting of wavy line group A ', B' ... Linear diffraction grating assembly

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A display body for partitioning and displaying a display pattern of characters, images, etc. by an outer contour or an inner contour of a diffraction grating, wherein the diffraction grating is composed of a diffraction grating composed of smooth curve groups. A display using a diffraction grating. 2. A display body using a diffraction grating according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of diffraction gratings each having a different curve group, each diffraction grating dividing and displaying another display pattern. 3. A display body in which a display pattern such as a character or an image is divided by an outer contour or an inner contour of a diffraction grating to display the diffraction grating, and the diffraction grating is divided into small regions, and the partial linear diffraction grating group is arranged in parallel. , The partial linear diffraction gratings are adjacent to each other, the inclination of the gratings gradually changes smoothly, and the grating pitch changes smoothly or almost the same. A display using a diffraction grating, characterized in that when a straight line is connected between adjacent ones, it becomes a polygonal line that approximates a smooth curve to a straight line. 4. A plurality of diffraction gratings each comprising a group of partial linear diffraction gratings forming a polygonal line which is obtained by linearly approximating different smooth curves, each diffraction grating dividing and displaying another display pattern. A display using the diffraction grating according to Item 3.