Optical Laminate Low-Refractive Index Layer Gradient
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical laminates for image display devices lack simultaneous contamination prevention and slipperiness, particularly in low-refractive index layers, which are essential for reducing reflection and enhancing visibility while withstanding environmental exposure.
Innovation Solution
An optical laminate comprising a light transparent base material with a hard coat layer and a low-refractive index layer, where the low-refractive index layer contains a contamination preventive agent and/or slipperiness imparting agent, with a concentration gradient from the hard coat layer to the surface, utilizing specific agents like fluorocompounds and silicon compounds to provide both properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a low-refractive index layer is provided on a light transparent base material to reduce reflection and enhance visibility, then the visibility of the image display face is improved, but the outermost surface becomes exposed to environmental damage such as scratching and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining the low-refractive index layer with a hard coat layer containing contamination preventive agents and slipperiness imparting agents. This composite structure allows the low-refractive index layer to maintain its optical function while the hard coat layer provides protective and functional properties, resolving the contradiction between visibility enhancement and protection from environmental damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The hard coat layer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides scratch resistance through hardness, contamination prevention through hydrophobic/olephobic agents, and slipperiness through fluorocompounds. This multi-functionality allows a single layer to address multiple harmful factors and performance requirements, resolving the contradiction between maintaining visibility and providing comprehensive protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a hard coat layer with contamination preventive agent is added to improve scratch resistance and contamination prevention, then protection is enhanced, but simultaneous slipperiness property is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a concentration gradient of slipperiness imparting agents within the hard coat layer. The agents are distributed with higher concentration near the surface and lower concentration toward the interface with the low-refractive index layer. This localized distribution ensures slipperiness is primarily exhibited at the outermost surface where it is most needed, while maintaining protection properties throughout the layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the concentration parameter of slipperiness imparting agents within the hard coat layer to achieve different properties at different depths. By controlling the concentration gradient, the surface region exhibits high slipperiness while the bulk maintains protective properties, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and slipperiness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If contamination preventive agent and slipperiness imparting agent are added to the low-refractive index layer, then both contamination prevention and slipperiness can be realized, but the concentration distribution must be optimized to achieve the desired properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-distributing the slipperiness imparting agents with a controlled concentration gradient during the formation of the hard coat layer. This preliminary distribution ensures that the desired slipperiness and contamination prevention properties are built into the structure from the beginning, eliminating the need for complex post-processing or adjustment mechanisms.
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 laminate effectively reduces reflection, enhances visibility, and provides scratch resistance and contamination prevention while maintaining slipperiness, improving the overall performance of image display devices.
Implementation Method 1
it is common practice to provide an antireflection laminate on the outermost surface of an image display device from the viewpoint of reducing image reflection or reflectance using the principle of light scattering or the principle of optical interference
Implementation Method 2
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 104403/1998 proposes an optical laminate comprising a hard coat layer in which a contamination preventive agent has been added to the hard coat layer from the viewpoint of improving the scratch resistance and contamination prevention of the image display face
Implementation Method 3
the low-refractive index layer contains a contamination preventive agent and/or a slipperiness imparting agent
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses an optical laminate comprising a light-transparent base material and a low-refractive index layer provided on the light-transparent base material, the low-refractive index layer simultaneously having both contamination preventive properties and slipperiness. The optical laminate comprises a light-transparent base material, and a hard coat layer and a low-refractive index layer provided in that order on the light-transparent base material, wherein the low-refractive index layer contains a contamination preventive agent and/or a slipperiness imparting agent, and contamination preventive agent and/or slipperiness imparting agent are added so that the concentrations of the contamination preventive agent and/or slipperiness imparting agent have a concentration gradient from the surface of the hard coat layer toward the surface of the low-refractive index layer.