Artificial leather and light-transmitting device fabricated using the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suede-like artificial leather with medium or dark colors exhibits poor light transmitting properties, and techniques to enhance light transmission often compromise the texture and touch of the material.
Innovation Solution
Artificial leather with specific thickness, weight per unit area, and color differences between surfaces, using ultrafine fibers and elastomers, maintains light transmission while preserving texture and touch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If medium- or dark-colored artificial leather is used to maintain aesthetic appearance, then the light transmitting properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different properties to different parts of the artificial leather: the design surface is colored dark (L*1 ≤ 55) for aesthetic appearance, while the opposite surface is kept lighter (L*0 > 50) to allow light transmission. This local differentiation of color properties enables both dark aesthetic appearance and light transmission functionality simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from considering only the design surface color to considering the three-dimensional color gradient through the material thickness. By controlling the lightness difference (ΔL*) between the front and back surfaces, the invention creates a dimensional approach to color management that enables light transmission through dark-colored artificial leather.
2Illumination intensity
If cutout portions or light-transmitting film portions are provided to enhance light transmission, then the texture and touch of artificial leather are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the color parameters (L* values) of the artificial leather surfaces to achieve light transmission without structural modifications. By controlling L*1 ≤ 55 for the design surface and L*0 > 50 for the opposite surface with ΔL* ≥ 5, the invention maintains the complete artificial leather structure while achieving light transmission functionality.
3Illumination intensity
If the lightness difference between surfaces is increased to improve light transmission, then the dark color appearance of the design surface is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different color properties to different surfaces: the design surface maintains dark color (L*1 ≤ 55) for aesthetic appearance, while the opposite surface is kept lighter (L*0 > 50) to enable light transmission. This localized color differentiation achieves both objectives simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire artificial leather light-colored for transmission, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the visible design surface dark and allowing light transmission through the back surface, achieving transmission without compromising the dark aesthetic appearance.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an artificial leather, which exhibits light transmitting properties and maintains its texture and touch while being dark-colored and having a medium or higher density, the artificial leather including a fiber entangled body formed of ultrafine fibers having an average single fiber diameter of 0.1 to μm; and an elastomer, in which the artificial leather has a thickness of 0.4 to 1.2 mm and a weight per unit area of 80 to 450 g/m2, where one surface of the artificial leather is a design surface colored with a dye and/or a pigment and satisfies the following Formulas (1) to (3):L*1≤55 . . . (1)L0>50 . . . (2)ΔL* <−5 . . . (3)where L*1, L*0 and ΔL* are as defined.