Watch Case Thin Layer Stack Phase Switching Color Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thin layers in watchmaking offer limited intrinsic colors, are often translucent, and their color appearance varies with the angle of view, making it difficult to achieve bright, saturated, and multicolored decorations without complex and messy structuring processes.
Innovation Solution
A watch box with a dressing component featuring a stack of thin layers, including a substrate layer, a phase switching layer in the solid state, a transparent encapsulation layer, and a spacing layer. The phase switching layer changes its crystallographic phase under light exposure, altering its refractive index and generating interferential colors, allowing for a wide range of saturated colors without the need for additional structuring or cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If interference colors are obtained by stacking thin layers with precise optical thickness control, then a wider range of saturated colors can be obtained, but the color appearance varies significantly with viewing angle and the process is limited to flat substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the state parameter of the phase-switching layer from amorphous to crystalline phase through light exposure, which alters the refractive index and thereby modifies the interference color. This parameter change approach allows achieving different colors without changing the physical structure or thickness, eliminating viewing angle dependence while maintaining color saturation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transition of the phase-switching layer between amorphous and crystalline states to achieve color changes. When the layer transitions from amorphous to crystalline phase under light exposure, its refractive index changes, producing different interference colors. This phase transition mechanism enables angle-independent saturated colors on three-dimensional surfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple deposition steps with intermediate structuring steps are used to achieve multicolored decoration, then a wide range of colors can be obtained, but the process becomes complex, expensive, and messy requiring cleaning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple color deposition steps into a single deposition process that creates a phase-switching layer capable of exhibiting different colors through phase transition. Instead of depositing multiple separate colored layers requiring intermediate structuring, a single phase-switching layer is deposited that can be optically programmed to display various colors, dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase-switching layer serves multiple functions: it acts as both the structural layer and the color-generating element. Through light-induced phase transition, the layer automatically changes its optical properties to produce different colors without requiring external structuring operations, cleaning steps, or additional processing equipment.
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 a wide range of saturated and intense colors that are not angle-dependent, eliminating the need for complex structuring processes and subsequent cleaning, thus enabling efficient and aesthetically pleasing multicolored decorations.
Implementation Method 1
The phase-switching layer is configured to exhibit a crystallographic phase change through thermal effects, particularly under exposure to locally absorbed light rays
Implementation Method 2
Thanks to the particular arrangement of the thin-layer stacking, the cladding component exhibits optical properties that produce interference colors
Implementation Method 3
under exposure to locally absorbed light rays
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a watch case (10) comprising a case (11) to which a crystal (12) and a case back (13) are fixed so as to form an internal volume, said watch case (10) comprising, in said internal volume, a casing component (14) on which is deposited a stack of thin layers (15) comprising a substrate layer (150), a phase-switching layer (151) in the solid state interposed between a transparent encapsulation layer (152) and a spacer layer (153) separating said phase-switching layer (151) from the substrate layer (150), the phase-switching layer (151) being configured so as to have a refractive index capable of varying under the exposure of light rays so as to give the stack of thin layers (15) at least two interference colors.