Lenticular Security Element with Asymmetric Facets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security elements for data carriers, such as banknotes and identification documents, face challenges in achieving high contrast and robustness against forgery while maintaining visual appeal, especially when deviations from the focal plane occur, leading to reduced contrast and sharpness.
Innovation Solution
A lenticular security element with a grid of cylindrical microlenses and optically effective facets, where the facets' orientations are determined by their normal vectors, producing visually recognizable, contrasting image areas by varying the inclination of these facets along the first coordinate axis, resulting in high-contrast representations that are robust to deviations from the focal plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lenticular security elements with micromirrors are used, then security against forgery is provided, but contrast and sharpness are reduced when deviations from the focal plane occur
Solution Approach 1:
The motif image is divided into multiple sub-images arranged in a grid pattern, with each sub-image containing optically effective facets of specific orientations. This segmentation allows different viewing angles to selectively perceive different sub-images, maintaining high contrast and sharpness even when focal plane deviations occur, while providing security against forgery through the complex optical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the motif image are assigned different facet orientations and optical properties. Specifically, facets in different sub-images have different orientations determined by their normal vectors, creating locally optimized optical paths that maintain image quality across various viewing conditions and focal plane positions.
2Reliability
If facets with multiple orientations are used to create contrasting image areas, then visual appeal and security are enhanced, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric facet orientations where facets in different sub-images have different normal vector orientations. This asymmetry creates distinct optical paths for different viewing angles, producing visually appealing contrasting image areas that are difficult to replicate, thereby enhancing security while maintaining manageable structural complexity through systematic arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a systematic dimensional organization by arranging facets with different orientations in a grid-based sub-image structure. This dimensional organization allows the complex multi-orientation facet structure to be managed through regular patterns, reducing perceived complexity while maintaining the security and visual appeal benefits of varied facet orientations.
3Length of moving object
If the security element is made thinner to reduce overall thickness, then ease of application is improved, but maintaining focal plane precision becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic optical system where the lenticular grid and motif image are positioned to work together across a range of focal plane positions. The optically effective facets are arranged and oriented to maintain optimal optical paths even when focal plane deviations occur, allowing the security element to function effectively in thinner configurations without sacrificing image quality or requiring precise focal plane positioning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides high-contrast, robust, and visually appealing representations of target images that are less affected by deviations from the focal plane, enhancing security against forgery and reducing the overall thickness of the security element.
Implementation Method 1
cylindrical microlenses which are arranged in a grid through which a coordinate system is spanned
Implementation Method 2
the motif image is formed by a plurality of optically effective facets whose orientations are determined by their normal vectors
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
Figure 4(a)~4(c)
AI summary
The invention contains a security element for securing security papers, documents of value and other data media, comprising a lenticular image for non-scaled depiction of two or more predetermined intended images, wherein the lenticular image contains a lenticular lens and a motif image arranged at a distance from the lenticular lens, wherein the lenticular lens is formed from a plurality of cylindrical micro-lens elements, which are arranged in a grid, by means of which a coordinate system with a first coordinate axis, determined by the focal point lines of the cylindrical micro-lens elements, and a second coordinate axis is spanned, which second coordinate axis is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis, and the motif image is formed from a plurality of elementary cells, which are arranged offset from one another in the grid of the lenticular lens, wherein each of the elementary cells is decomposed into two or more partial areas (28A, 28B) parallel to the first coordinate axis. Here, according to the invention, provision is made for the motif image to be formed by a plurality of optically effective facets (33-1, 33-2, 33-3, 33-4), the orientations of which are determined by the normal vectors thereof, wherein at least two groups of optically effective facets with different orientations are provided in the motif image, and wherein the normal vectors of the optically effective facets do not have a component in the direction of the second coordinate axis, or have a component in the direction of the second coordinate axis, which is smaller than the component in the direction of the first coordinate axis by at least one order of magnitude.