Preparation method for patterned light guide plate

Abstract

A preparation method for a patterned light guide plate. At least one group of micro-structure arrays are formed on the patterned light guide plate and can be coupled to incident light in a target direction so as to display a target pattern. The preparation method comprises: acquiring a target pattern; pixelating the target pattern, and dividing pixels in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations; acquiring a micro-structure template matching each pixel combination, and matching a corresponding micro-structure template for each pixel in the pixelated target pattern; and forming micro-structure array graphics on the basis of the micro-structure template of each pixel, and forming at least one group of micro-structure arrays on a light guide plate on the basis of the micro-structure array graphics. By means of the preparation method, the original whole micro-structure mask can be effectively segmented, and therefore when the direction or size of a micro-structure needs to be changed, the change requirement for the micro-structure is met by means of changing a corresponding micro-structure template, thereby improving the flexibility of patterned light guide plate preparation.

Description

Method for preparing patterned light guide plate Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a method for preparing a patterned light guide plate. Background Art

[0002] The light guide plate is a key core component in the backlight module and can be used to provide a uniform surface light source. Usually, the light guide dots on the reflective surface of the light guide plate are circular laser dots, and their arrangement is random. In order to obtain a uniform surface light source, the dot density is proportional to the distance from the light incident surface. If the dot arrangement on the reflective surface of the light guide plate is a specific array or a specific pattern, then when light is incident on an area with dots, the light will be reflected or scattered by the light guide dots and will be directly emitted from the light guide plate, causing a bright area to be displayed there; conversely, if the area where the light is incident does not have a dot arrangement, a dark area will be displayed. Therefore, if the reflective surface of the light guide plate is arranged with a specific pattern, the light coupled into the light guide plate will show a specific pattern after passing through these specifically arranged dot patterns. Such a light guide plate can be called a patterned light guide plate. Patterned light guide plates, because they can display specific design patterns, can currently be used in game console front light panels and other display scenarios, and have certain advantages.

[0003] However, with the continuous advancement of display technology, consumers have increasingly higher requirements for display effects. Currently, how to improve the display effect of patterned light guide plates, such as the brightness and uniformity of the pattern, the ability to express details of the pattern and the viewing angle, the grayscale expression of the pattern or how to smoothly transition the grayscale of the pattern, and how to improve the transparency (transmittance) of the patterned light guide plate have become technical problems or development bottlenecks in the use of patterned light guide plates for display. Sometimes, even a light guide plate is needed to display two or more patterns. How to avoid mutual interference between two or more patterns is also a technical problem that the industry urgently needs to solve.

[0004] The microstructure of the existing light guide plate can be specially designed to meet the requirements of the viewing angle and realize the display of different grayscale images, such as the black and white or color display of any pattern, while also improving the fineness of the pattern and the uniformity of brightness. However, the traditional light guide plate microstructure is formed by machining or mask exposure. Among them, the machining method has low processing efficiency and cannot process microstructures of multiple directions, different angles, and different sizes at one time, and the positioning accuracy requirements are also relatively high, and the process is difficult. The mask exposure processing method, although it is possible to pre-process a grayscale mask, but when the direction or size of the microstructure needs to be changed, the mask also needs to be reprocessed, which makes the production cycle long and the cost high. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, the present invention aims to provide an improved method for preparing a patterned light guide plate to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for preparing a patterned light guide plate, wherein at least one set of microstructure arrays is formed on the patterned light guide plate, and the at least one set of microstructure arrays is configured to couple with incident light in a target direction to display a target pattern;

[0007] The method comprises:

[0008] Obtain target pattern;

[0009] pixelating the target pattern, and dividing each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations;

[0010] Obtaining a microstructure template that matches each pixel combination, and matching the corresponding microstructure template to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern;

[0011] A microstructure array pattern is formed according to the microstructure template of each pixel, and the at least one group of microstructure arrays is formed on the light guide plate according to the microstructure array pattern.

[0012] The above-mentioned method for preparing a patterned light guide plate divides each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into multiple different pixel combinations, obtains a microstructure template matching each pixel combination, and matches the corresponding microstructure template to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern, thereby achieving effective segmentation of the original entire microstructure mask. When the direction or size of the microstructure needs to be changed, the corresponding microstructure template can be changed to meet the change requirements of the microstructure without reprocessing the entire mask, which greatly improves the flexibility of microstructure preparation, shortens the processing cycle, and reduces the preparation cost.

[0013] In one embodiment, dividing each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations includes: obtaining the grayscale of each pixel in the pixelated target pattern; dividing each pixel into a plurality of different pixel combinations according to the grayscale of each pixel; wherein different pixel combinations have different grayscales.

[0014] In one embodiment, obtaining a microstructure template that matches each pixel combination includes: determining a first structural parameter of a microstructure corresponding to each pixel combination based on the grayscale of each pixel combination; wherein the first structural parameter is configured to cause the light-facing surface of the microstructure to reflect a predetermined amount of incident light; and preparing the microstructure template based at least on the first structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0015] In one embodiment, the patterned light guide plate has a pattern area corresponding to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern, the microstructure is formed in the pattern area, and the first structural parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: the ratio of the orthographic projection of the microstructure on the pattern area to the area of ​​the pattern area; the length of the microstructure; and the first angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the target direction.

[0016] In one embodiment, the microstructure further has a second structural parameter, which is configured to enable the light-facing surface of the microstructure to reflect incident light in a target direction into the observation range of the human eye, wherein the second structural parameter includes a second angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the surface forming the microstructure; preparing the microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter of the microstructure includes: determining the second structural parameter of the microstructure; and preparing the microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter and the second structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0017] In one embodiment, there are at least two target patterns, and different target patterns are displayed by incident light in different target directions; at least two groups of microstructure arrays are formed on the patterned light guide plate, wherein the patterned light guide plate has a pattern area corresponding to each pixel in the at least two pixelated target patterns, and at least two microstructures belonging to different microstructure arrays are formed in at least part of the pattern area.

[0018] In one embodiment, at least part of the microstructure also has a third structural parameter, and the third structural parameter is configured to enable the surface of the microstructure opposite to the light-facing surface to reflect incident light in other target directions outside the observation range of the human eye, wherein the third structural parameter includes a third angle between the surface of the microstructure opposite to the light-facing surface and the surface forming the microstructure; preparing the microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter and the second structural parameter of the microstructure includes: determining the third structural parameter of the microstructure in each group of microstructure arrays; preparing the microstructure template according to the first structural parameter, the second structural parameter, and the third structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0019] In one embodiment, the third angle is greater than the second angle.

[0020] In one embodiment, the forming of a microstructure array pattern based on the microstructure template of each pixel includes: combining the microstructure template of each pixel in each pixelated target pattern to form a microstructure array sub-pattern; combining each microstructure array sub-pattern to form the microstructure array pattern; and forming the at least two groups of microstructure arrays on the light guide plate using the microstructure array pattern.

[0021] In one embodiment, the light-facing surface of the microstructure is any one of a trapezoidal plane, a curved surface, and a combination of a plane and a curved surface; and the side length of a pixel in the pixelated target pattern ranges from 100 microns to 250 microns. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods of this specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementation methods recorded in this specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0023] FIG1 shows a flowchart of steps in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG2 shows target pattern 1 and target pattern 2 and corresponding pixelated patterns according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of pixel combinations in a pixelated target pattern according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the microstructure of a target pattern 1 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the microstructure of a target pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG6 (a) is a schematic diagram of a combination of target pattern 1 and target pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG6( b ) is a schematic diagram of a microstructure array of a combination pattern according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG7 is a schematic diagram showing target pattern 1 and target pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG8 shows target pattern 3 and target pattern 4 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG9 (a) shows a schematic diagram of a microstructure array of a target pattern 3 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG9( b ) shows a schematic diagram of a microstructure array of a target pattern 4 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG10( a ) is a schematic diagram showing a microstructure array of a combination pattern of target pattern 3 and target pattern 4 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG10( b ) is a schematic diagram showing target pattern 3 and target pattern 4 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG11 shows a schematic diagram of the microstructure of a target light-variable pattern 1 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG12 shows a schematic diagram of the microstructure of a target light-variable pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG13( a ) shows a schematic structural diagram of a microstructure according to an embodiment of the present application at a first viewing angle;

[0039] FIG13( b ) shows a schematic structural diagram of a microstructure according to an embodiment of the present application at a second viewing angle;

[0040] FIG14 shows a schematic diagram of the microstructure of a combined pattern of target light-variable pattern 1 and target light-variable pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG15 shows a schematic diagram of a microstructure array of a combined pattern of a target light-variable pattern 1 and a target light-variable pattern 2 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Explanation of component numbers: 100, patterned light guide plate, 110, microstructure array, 111, pattern area, 200, patterned light guide plate; 10, microstructure, 11, light-facing surface, 12, surface opposite to the light-facing surface, 20, microstructure, 21, light-facing surface, 22, surface opposite to the light-facing surface, 30, microstructure, 311, pattern area, 40, microstructure, 411, pattern area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more readily apparent, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth numerous specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0044] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0045] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0046] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation methods.

[0047] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a patterned light guide plate. After dividing a target pattern into multiple different pixel combinations, a corresponding microstructure template is determined for each pixel combination, and then a corresponding microstructure template is matched for each pixel in the target pattern to adapt to the variable structural parameters of the microstructure. While meeting the observation angle and display quality requirements, the flexibility of microstructure preparation is greatly improved and the preparation cost is reduced.

[0048] As shown in FIG1 , an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a patterned light guide plate.

[0049] Wherein, at least one group of microstructure arrays is formed on the patterned light guide plate, and the at least one group of microstructure arrays is configured to couple with incident light in a target direction to display a target pattern.

[0050] Exemplarily, when there are multiple target patterns, different target patterns are displayed by incident light from different target directions.

[0051] Exemplarily, the patterned light guide plate couples with incident light in one target direction each time to display a target pattern.

[0052] Illustratively, the microstructure may be any one of an arc-shaped structure, a linear structure, a curved structure, and a grating structure, wherein the grating structure may be used to display a color pattern.

[0053] Exemplarily, the microstructures in the microstructure array may include a light-facing surface to couple with incident light in a target direction to provide the brightness required to display the corresponding target pattern; or may include multiple light-facing surfaces to couple with incident light in different target directions to provide the brightness required to display the corresponding target pattern. For example, when the microstructure includes a first light-facing surface and a second light-facing surface, the first light-facing surface can couple with incident light in the first target direction to provide the brightness required to display the first target pattern corresponding to the first target direction, and the second light-facing surface can couple with incident light in the second target direction to provide the brightness required to display the second target pattern corresponding to the second target direction. Wherein, after the incident light hits the light-facing surface, it can be reflected by the light-facing surface into the observation range of the human eye, and after the incident light hits the surface opposite to the light-facing surface, it can be reflected by the surface out of the observation range of the human eye. Optionally, the light-facing surface of the microstructure is any one of a trapezoidal plane, a curved surface, and a combination of a plane and a curved surface. Optionally, as shown in Figure 4, when the microstructure is an arc-shaped structure 10, it may include a light-facing surface 11 and a surface 12 opposite to the light-facing surface; optionally, as shown in Figure 13 (a), when the microstructure is a linear structure 30, it may include a first light-facing surface ABED and a second light-facing surface ABC, as well as a surface ACFD opposite to the first light-facing surface ABED and a surface DEF opposite to the second light-facing surface ABC.

[0054] Furthermore, the above preparation method comprises:

[0055] S100, acquiring a target pattern;

[0056] S200, pixelating a target pattern, and dividing each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations;

[0057] For example, there may be multiple target patterns, as shown in Figures 2(a) and (b). Pixelating target pattern 1 may yield Figure 2(c), and pixelating target pattern 2 may yield Figure 2(d). In the pixelated target pattern, the size of each pixel may be determined based on the desired fineness of the pattern. For example, the side length of a pixel may range from 100 microns to 250 microns, such as 100 microns, 120 microns, 140 microns, 160 microns, 180 microns, 200 microns, 220 microns, or 250 microns. The specific length may be determined based on the display requirements of the pattern. By ensuring that the side length of the pixel meets the aforementioned range, the fineness of the pattern and the uniformity of its brightness may be improved.

[0058] Exemplarily, the pixels in the target pattern are arranged according to a certain rule, for example, they may be at least one of an orthogonal arrangement, a staggered arrangement, and an interval arrangement.

[0059] For example, pixels can be divided by grayscale, type, or size. For example, when dividing by grayscale, pixels of the same grayscale can be grouped together based on grayscale size, or pixels within a predetermined grayscale range can be grouped together based on grayscale range. For another example, when dividing by type, pixels of the same color (such as red / green / blue) can be grouped together based on the displayed color. For another example, when dividing by size, pixels of the same length can be grouped together based on the side length / diagonal length of the pixels.

[0060] S300 , obtaining a microstructure template that matches each pixel combination, and matching a corresponding microstructure template to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern.

[0061] For example, a corresponding microstructure template can be matched for each divided pixel combination to determine the required microstructure template type, and based on the determined microstructure template type, a corresponding microstructure template can be matched for each pixel in the pixelated target pattern. This is conducive to fine-tuning the original large microstructure mask without the need to reprocess a new mask, thereby greatly facilitating the preparation of the microstructure mask.

[0062] S400 , forming a microstructure array pattern according to a microstructure template of each pixel, and forming at least one group of microstructure arrays on a light guide plate according to the microstructure array pattern.

[0063] Exemplarily, the microstructure templates of each pixel can be combined into a microstructure array pattern, and the light guide plate is photolithographically processed using the microstructure array pattern as a mask to ultimately form a corresponding microstructure array and obtain a patterned light guide plate.

[0064] The above-mentioned method for preparing a patterned light guide plate divides each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into multiple different pixel combinations, obtains a microstructure template matching each pixel combination, and matches the corresponding microstructure template to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern, thereby achieving effective segmentation of the original entire microstructure mask. When the direction or size of the microstructure needs to be changed, the corresponding microstructure template can be changed to meet the change requirements of the microstructure without reprocessing the entire mask, which greatly improves the flexibility of the preparation of the patterned light guide plate, shortens the processing cycle, and reduces the preparation cost.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present application, step S200 may further include:

[0066] S210, obtaining the grayscale of each pixel in the pixelated target pattern;

[0067] S220 , dividing each pixel into a plurality of different pixel groups according to the grayscale of each pixel; wherein different pixel groups have different grayscales.

[0068] For example, as shown in FIG3 , pixels with a first grayscale in target pattern 1 can be combined to form pixel combination 1, pixels with a second grayscale can be combined to form pixel combination 2, pixels with a third grayscale can be combined to form pixel combination 3, and pixels with a fourth grayscale can be combined to form pixel combination 4, wherein the first grayscale, the second grayscale, the third grayscale, and the fourth grayscale are all different, and so on, thereby dividing target pattern 1 into multiple different pixel combinations. Of course, target pattern 2 can also be divided according to the above method to obtain multiple different pixel combinations, and different pixel combinations have different grayscales.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present application, the microstructure may display a grayscale of a corresponding pixel when its light-facing surface is coupled with incident light in a preset direction, so step S300 may further include:

[0070] S310, determining a first structural parameter of a microstructure corresponding to each pixel combination according to the grayscale of each pixel combination; wherein the first structural parameter is configured to cause a light-facing surface of the microstructure to reflect a predetermined amount of incident light;

[0071] S320 , preparing a microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0072] Among them, the first structural parameters are configured to make the microstructure reflect a predetermined amount of incident light. Exemplarily, the first structural parameters such as the density (area ratio), length, and angle of the microstructures in different areas of the patterned light guide plate can change the energy of the outgoing light, thereby achieving different grayscale displays. Therefore, on the basis of determining the grayscale of each pixel combination, the first structural parameters such as the density (area ratio), length, and angle of the microstructure can be designed to make the microstructure display the corresponding grayscale when coupled with incident light in a preset direction, and then the corresponding microstructure template is prepared according to the determined first structural parameters.

[0073] Optionally, the patterned light guide plate has a pattern area corresponding to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern, a microstructure is formed in the pattern area, and the first structural parameter includes at least one of the following parameters:

[0074] (1) Length of the microstructure;

[0075] As shown in FIG4 and FIG5, the longer the length of the microstructure 10 and the microstructure 20 is, the more incident light it reflects, the higher the displayed grayscale is, and the corresponding displayed pattern is brighter;

[0076] (2) The area ratio of the orthographic projection of the microstructure on the pattern area to the pattern area;

[0077] As shown in FIG6(b), a microstructure array 110 is formed on the patterned light guide plate 100. The microstructure array 110 has a plurality of pattern regions 111, each of which is provided with a microstructure 10 and a microstructure 20. The orthographic projection of the microstructure 10 on the pattern region 111 has a certain area ratio with the pattern region 111. When the first incident light is incident, the larger the area ratio of the microstructure 10 to the pattern region 111, the higher the displayed grayscale and the brighter the corresponding displayed pattern. Similarly, the larger the area ratio of the microstructure 20 to the pattern region 111, the higher the displayed grayscale and the brighter the corresponding displayed pattern.

[0078] (3) the first angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the incident light direction;

[0079] As shown in FIG11 and FIG12 , the first angles between the light-facing surface of the microstructure 30 and the incident light direction may be different, that is, different first angles may enable the microstructure 30 to display different grayscales when coupled with incident light in a preset direction.

[0080] Furthermore, the pattern region is provided with multiple microstructures, and the light-facing surfaces of different microstructures face different directions. By providing multiple microstructures in the pattern region, different patterns can be displayed on a single patterned light guide plate in different incident light directions, thereby improving the display performance of the patterned light guide plate. Optionally, the light-facing surfaces of two adjacent microstructures in the pattern region face orthogonal directions, which facilitates effective separation of different target patterns in the incident light direction and further reduces interference between different patterns.

[0081] Furthermore, the microstructure further has a second structural parameter, which is configured to enable the light-facing surface of the microstructure to reflect incident light in the target direction into the observation range of the human eye, wherein the second structural parameter includes a second angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the surface forming the microstructure, so that step S320 may include:

[0082] S321, determining a second structural parameter of the microstructure;

[0083] S322 , preparing a microstructure template according to at least the first structural parameter and the second structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0084] For example, as shown in FIG4 , the light-facing surface 11 of the microstructure 10 has a second angle with the surface forming the microstructure 10, wherein the surface forming the microstructure 10 is parallel to the direction of the incident light. Furthermore, as shown in FIG13 (a) and (b), the first light-facing surface ABED of the microstructure 30 has a second angle δ with the surface forming the microstructure 30, and the second light-facing surface ABC of the microstructure 30 has a second angle α with the surface forming the microstructure 30. By configuring appropriate second structural parameters, the light-facing surface of the microstructure can reflect incident light into the observation range of the human eye, thereby meeting the human eye's field of view observation requirements.

[0085] Furthermore, there are at least two target patterns, and different target patterns are displayed by incident light from different target directions; at least two groups of microstructure arrays are formed on the patterned light guide plate, wherein the patterned light guide plate has pattern areas corresponding to each pixel in the at least two pixelated target patterns, and at least two microstructures belonging to different microstructure arrays are formed in at least part of the pattern areas. Taking Figure 6 as an example, when there are two target patterns, microstructure 10 and microstructure 20 can be set in the pattern areas where the pixels of the two target patterns overlap, wherein microstructure 10 and microstructure 20 belong to different microstructure arrays, respectively. Microstructure 10 couples with incident light from the first target direction to provide the brightness required to display the first target pattern, and microstructure 20 couples with incident light from the second target direction to provide the brightness required to display the second target pattern.

[0086] Furthermore, at least some of the microstructures have a third structural parameter, which is configured to cause the surface of the microstructure opposite the light-facing surface to reflect incident light from other target directions outside the observation range of the human eye. The third structural parameter includes a third angle between the surface of the microstructure opposite the light-facing surface and the surface forming the microstructure. Thus, step S322 may include:

[0087] S322A, determining a third structural parameter of the microstructures in each group of microstructure arrays;

[0088] S322B, preparing a microstructure template according to the first structural parameter, the second structural parameter, and the third structural parameter of the microstructure.

[0089] For example, as shown in FIG4 , the surface 12 on the microstructure 10 opposite to the light-facing surface 11 has a third angle with the surface forming the microstructure 10, wherein the surface forming the microstructure 10 is parallel to the direction of the incident light; the surface ACFD on the microstructure 30 opposite to the first light-facing surface ABED has a third angle γ with the surface CBEF forming the microstructure 30, and the surface DEF on the microstructure 30 opposite to the second light-facing surface ABC has a third angle β with the surface CBEF forming the microstructure 30.

[0090] By setting the third structural parameter, it is possible to ensure that a patterned light guide plate can display different patterns while avoiding mutual interference between different patterns, thereby achieving high-quality multi-image display.

[0091] Furthermore, the third angle is greater than the second angle. As shown in FIG4 , the third angle between the surface 12 opposite to the light-facing surface 11 and the surface forming the microstructure 10 is greater than the second angle between the light-facing surface 11 and the surface forming the microstructure 10; as shown in FIG13 (a) and (b), γ>δ, β>α. In this way, not only can the light energy be fully utilized and the energy utilization rate be improved, but the transparency of the patterned light guide plate can also be effectively improved, and the mutual interference between different patterns when displaying multiple patterns can be reduced, thereby improving the overall display effect of the patterned light guide plate.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present application, when there are at least two target patterns, step S400 may include:

[0093] S410, combining the microstructure templates of each pixel in each pixelated target pattern to form a microstructure array sub-pattern;

[0094] S420, combining the microstructure array sub-patterns to form a microstructure array pattern;

[0095] Exemplarily, a “microstructure array pattern” may form a plurality of microstructures in a pattern region where pixels of each target pattern overlap.

[0096] S430 , forming at least two groups of microstructure arrays on the light guide plate using microstructure array patterns.

[0097] By using the above method, the efficiency of preparing patterned light guide plates for multi-image display can be improved, and the number of templates required to form different microstructure arrays can be reduced. Of course, it is also possible to not combine them, but to use each microstructure array sub-pattern to perform photolithography on the light guide plate separately.

[0098] The inventive concept of this application will be further illustrated below through three specific embodiments.

[0099] Specific embodiment 1

[0100] 2 to 6 , a specific embodiment 1 provides a method for preparing a bidirectional and dual-patterned patterned light guide plate, comprising the following steps:

[0101] Step 1: Select a target pattern and a light direction that matches the target pattern. As shown in Figure 2 (a) and (b), the target patterns include target pattern 1 (flower) and target pattern 2 (squirrel). The light direction for target pattern 1 is from left to right, while the light direction for target pattern 2 is from top to bottom.

[0102] Step 2: Pixelate the target pattern. Figures 2(c) and (d) show pixelated target pattern 1 (flower) and pixelated target pattern 2 (squirrel), respectively. The pixels in both target pattern 1 (flower) and pixelated target pattern 2 (squirrel) are arranged orthogonally, and to ensure the fineness and transmittance of the displayed pattern, the side length of the pixels does not exceed 160 microns.

[0103] Step 3: Group the pixels in the pixelated target pattern 1 by grayscale. That is, pixels with the same grayscale are grouped into one pixel group, while different pixel groups have different grayscales. As shown in FIG3 , target pattern 1 (flower) has at least four pixel groups with different grayscales. Similarly, the pixels in the pixelated target pattern 2 can also be grouped into multiple pixel groups with different grayscales.

[0104] Step 4. Determine the length of the arc-shaped microstructure that matches each pixel combination based on the grayscale of each pixel combination, and then prepare a template of the arc-shaped microstructure based on the length. In this specific embodiment, the light-facing surface of each microstructure has the same first angle with the incident direction. Figure 4 shows arc-shaped microstructures (microstructures 1 to 4) that match at least part of the pixel combination in target pattern 1 (flower), and Figure 5 shows arc-shaped microstructures (microstructures 5 to 8) that match at least part of the pixel combination in target pattern 2 (squirrel). According to the length of the above-mentioned arc-shaped microstructure, a template of the corresponding arc-shaped microstructure can be prepared.

[0105] Step 5: Combine the microstructure templates of target pattern 1 and target pattern 2 to form a microstructure array pattern, and then use the microstructure array pattern as a mask to perform photolithography on the light guide plate to form a microstructure array. As shown in FIG6 (a), after combining the pixels in the pixelated target pattern 1 and the pixels in the pixelated target pattern 2, there is pixel overlap in part of the pattern area, so that as shown in FIG6 (b), for the pattern area with overlapping pixels, two microstructures facing the orthogonal first incident light and the second incident light are provided in the pattern area to realize the bidirectional dual-image display of the patterned light guide plate 100 (as shown in FIG7). Accordingly, the microstructure templates of target pattern 1 and target pattern 2 can be combined accordingly to form the above-mentioned two microstructures in one pattern area by photolithography.

[0106] On the other hand, when the patterned light guide plate displays a pattern, light is only incident in one direction at a time. Therefore, in order to reduce the degree of mutual interference between the two patterns, the third angle between the surface 12 of the microstructure 10 opposite to the light-facing surface and the surface forming the microstructure 10 is (such as 70°) greater than the second angle (such as 45°) between the light-facing surface 11 of the microstructure 10 and the surface forming the microstructure 10. Therefore, when the second incident light is incident, the second incident light is reflected by the surface 12 opposite to the light-facing surface and is emitted from the patterned light guide plate at a larger exit angle without being observed by the human eye.

[0107] Specific embodiment 2

[0108] 8 to 10 , Specific Example 2 provides a method for preparing a bidirectional and dual-patterned patterned light guide plate. The steps of Specific Example 2 are basically the same as those of Specific Example 1, except that:

[0109] The arrangement and size of pixels are different. Each pixel in the pixelated target pattern 3 (squirrel) and the pixelated target pattern 4 (flower) is arranged in a staggered manner, and the side length of each pixel does not exceed 120 microns. Further, Figure 9 (a) shows a microstructure array that matches each pixel in the pixelated target pattern 3 (squirrel), and Figure 9 (b) shows a microstructure array that matches each pixel in the pixelated target pattern 4 (flower). It can be seen that the microstructures in the figure also have corresponding staggered arrangements. Further, Figure 10 (a) shows a schematic diagram of the microstructure array of the combined pattern of target pattern 3 (squirrel) and target pattern 4 (flower). It can be seen that in the pattern area where pixels overlap, a plurality of microstructures are also provided, and each pattern area also has corresponding staggered arrangements.

[0110] Figure 10(b) shows a schematic diagram of the display of the microstructure array of the combined pattern when the first incident light and the second incident light are incident. It can be seen that the patterned light guide plate 200 of Figure 10 can also achieve an excellent bidirectional dual-image display effect.

[0111] Specific embodiment 3

[0112] 11 to 15 , Specific Example 3 provides a method for preparing a patterned light guide plate for a bidirectional dual-image variable light display. Specific Example 3 has substantially the same steps as Specific Example 1, with the following differences:

[0113] (1) Different target patterns. In the specific embodiment 3, the target patterns are target light-variable pattern 1 and target light-variable pattern 2. The light-variable pattern means that the same pattern can display different grayscales at different viewing angles.

[0114] (2) Different pixel arrangements and sizes: The pixels in the pixelated optically variable pattern 1 and the pixelated optically variable pattern 2 are arranged orthogonally, and the side length of each pixel does not exceed 200 microns.

[0115] (3) The types of microstructures are different. Specific embodiment 3 adopts a linear microstructure. As shown in FIG13 , the microstructure 30 includes a first light-facing surface ABED and a second light-facing surface ABC, as well as a surface ACFD opposite to the first light-facing surface ABED and a surface DEF opposite to the second light-facing surface ABC. The area ratio of the first light-facing surface ABED to the second light-facing surface ABC is between 3 and 15. The first light-facing surface ABED is a trapezoidal structure; the second light-facing surface ABC is a triangular structure. Optionally, as shown in FIG14 , when a microstructure 30 and a microstructure 40 are simultaneously formed in a pattern area, the light-facing surface of each microstructure can form an angle with the incident light at that time.

[0116] (4) The difference in the first structural parameters. The first structural parameters of the specific embodiment 3 include the first angle between the light-facing surface ABED of the microstructure 30 and the direction of the incident light, and the lengths of the microstructures 30 are the same. As shown in FIG11 , the first angle between the first light-facing surface ABED of the microstructure 30 and the direction of the incident light can be 10°, 30°, -45°, and -60° from left to right, respectively. As the viewing angle moves left and right, the bright area on the light-changing pattern 1 changes accordingly, producing a light-changing image effect. As shown in FIG12 , the first angle between the first light-facing surface ABED of the microstructure 40 and the direction of the incident light can be 10°, 20°, -30°, and -50° from left to right, respectively. As the viewing angle moves up and down, the bright area on the light-changing pattern 2 changes accordingly, producing a light-changing image effect.

[0117] (5) The difference between the second structural parameter and the third structural parameter. As shown in Figure 13, the range of δ and α is 35° to 55°, for example, δ = 45°, and γ>δ, β>α, and the value range of γ and β is 35 to 90°, for example, γ = 80°. When the patterned light guide plate displays the light-changing pattern 2, in the non-overlapping pixel area, if the area is formed with a microstructure 30, when the second incident light is incident on the surface ACFD opposite to the first light-facing surface ABED and / or the surface DEF opposite to the second light-facing surface ABC, the second incident light can be emitted from the patterned light guide plate at a larger angle to outside the observation range of the human eye, thereby reducing the display interference of different patterns.

[0118] FIG15 shows a schematic diagram of a microstructure array of a combination of target light-changing pattern 1 and target light-changing pattern 2. Through this microstructure array, a better bidirectional dual-image light-changing display effect can be achieved when the first incident light and the second incident light are respectively incident.

[0119] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0120] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a patterned light guide plate, characterized in that, At least one set of microstructure arrays is formed on the patterned light guide plate, and the at least one set of microstructure arrays is configured to couple with incident light in a target direction to display a target pattern; The method includes: Obtaining a target pattern; Pixelating the target pattern and dividing each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations; Obtaining a microstructure template matching each pixel combination and matching a corresponding microstructure template to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern; Forming a microstructure array graphic according to the microstructure templates of each pixel and forming the at least one set of microstructure arrays on the light guide plate according to the microstructure array graphic.

2. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dividing each pixel in the pixelated target pattern into a plurality of different pixel combinations includes: Obtaining the gray level of each pixel in the pixelated target pattern; Dividing each pixel into a plurality of different pixel combinations according to the gray level of each pixel; wherein, different pixel combinations have different gray levels.

3. The preparation method according to claim 2, wherein The obtaining a microstructure template matching each pixel combination includes: Determining a first structural parameter of the microstructure corresponding to each pixel combination according to the gray level of each pixel combination; wherein, the first structural parameter is configured to make the light-facing surface of the microstructure reflect a predetermined amount of incident light; Preparing the microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter of the microstructure.

4. The preparation method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The patterned light guide plate has a pattern area corresponding to each pixel in the pixelated target pattern, and the microstructure is formed in the pattern area; The first structural parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: The area ratio of the orthographic projection of the microstructure in the pattern area to the pattern area; The length of the microstructure; The first included angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the target direction.

5. The preparation method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The microstructure further has a second structural parameter, and the second structural parameter is configured to make the light-facing surface of the microstructure reflect the incident light in the target direction into the observation range of the human eye, wherein the second structural parameter includes the second included angle between the light-facing surface of the microstructure and the surface on which the microstructure is formed; The at least preparing the microstructure template according to the first structural parameter of the microstructure includes: Determining the second structural parameter of the microstructure; Preparing the microstructure template at least according to the first structural parameter and the second structural parameter of the microstructure.

6. The preparation method according to claim 5, wherein There are at least two target patterns, and different target patterns are displayed by incident light in different target directions; At least two sets of microstructure arrays are formed on the patterned light guide plate, wherein the patterned light guide plate has a pattern area corresponding to each pixel in at least two pixelated target patterns, and at least two microstructures belonging to different microstructure arrays are formed in at least part of the pattern area.

7. The preparation method according to claim 6, wherein At least a part of the microstructure further has a third structural parameter, which is configured to reflect incident light in other target directions to outside the observation range of the human eye by the surface of the microstructure opposite to the light-facing surface, wherein the third structural parameter includes a third included angle between the surface of the microstructure opposite to the light-facing surface and the surface forming the microstructure; Preparing the microstructure template according to at least the first structural parameter and the second structural parameter of the microstructure includes: Determining the third structural parameter of the microstructures in each group of microstructure arrays; Preparing the microstructure template according to the first structural parameter, the second structural parameter, and the third structural parameter of the microstructure.

8. The preparation method according to claim 7, characterized in that The third included angle is greater than the second included angle.

9. The preparation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Forming the microstructure array graphic according to the microstructure template of each pixel includes: Combining the microstructure templates of the pixels in each pixelated target pattern to form a microstructure array sub-graphic; Combining the microstructure array sub-graphics to form the microstructure array graphic; Using the microstructure array graphic to form at least two groups of microstructure arrays on the light guide plate.

10. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The light-facing surface of the microstructure is any one of a trapezoidal plane, an arc surface, a combination of a plane and an arc surface; and, the value range of the side length of the pixels in the pixelated target pattern is 100 micrometers to 250 micrometers.

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