Methods of cutting or forming cavities in a substrate for use in making optical films, components or wave guides

• US 20050024849A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Solid State Opto Limited (Global Lighting Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Solid State Opto Limited (Global Lighting Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: McCollum, Timothy A., Parker, Jeffery R., Ezell, Robert M., Starkey, Kurt R.
• Application Number:
  US10/915,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/600
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/00 Refractors for light sources characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/504
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0053 Prismatic sheet or layer; Brightness enhancement element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0061 to provide homogeneous light output intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects

Abstract

The methods involve using a tool to cut or form multiple optical element shaped cavities in a surface of a substrate without rotating the tool or substrate during the cutting or forming process. At least some of the cavities are cut or formed to have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and that are quite small relative to the length and width of the substrate. Thereafter the substrate is used to form optical films, components or wave guides having multiple optical elements on at least one surface corresponding to the cavities in the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of making an optical film, component or wave guide that has multiple optical elements on at least one surface, and at least some of the optical elements have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and are quite small relative to the length and width of the optical film, component or wave guide, comprising using a tool to cut or form multiple optical element shaped cavities in a surface of a substrate that is not perpendicular to the path of the tool during the cutting or forming process, wherein neither the tool nor the substrate is rotated about the axis of the tool during the cutting or forming process, and at least some of the cavities are cut or formed to have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and that are quite small relative to the length and width of the substrate, and using the substrate to form the optical film, component or wave guide having the multiple optical elements on at least one surface corresponding to the cavities in the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate or tool is positioned to produce a specific placement for each cavity prior to each cutting or forming process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the substrate or tool is rotated to produce a different orientation for at least some of the cavities prior to cutting or forming at least some of the cavities.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein other of the cavities have the same orientation and are cut or formed consecutively so that the substrate or tool is only rotated between the cutting or forming of some of the cavities.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool has a cutting or forming edge that lies in a plane parallel to a vector normal to the surface of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool has a cutting or forming edge that lies in a plane parallel to the path of the tool during the cutting or forming process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool moves into the substrate along a nonlinear path.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the nonlinear path is a curve.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool moves into the substrate along a linear path.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the linear path changes directions at discrete points during the cutting or forming process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool has a nonsymmetrical profile on either side of the plane of the cutting or forming path of the tool.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool has a symmetrical profile on either side of the plane of the cutting or forming path of the tool.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities are asymmetrical.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein at least some of the cavities have one flat surface and one curved surface.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities are symmetrical.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities only have two surfaces, one of the surfaces being flat and the other of the surfaces being curved.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities have two curved surfaces.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein during the cutting or forming process, one or both of the tool and the substrate are moved relative to each other.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface of the substrate has one of the following shapes:

flat, curved, conical, cylindrical.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities overlap, intersect or interlock with other cavities.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical elements that are formed on the one surface of the optical film, component or wave guide substantially cover at least 90% of the one surface.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the film has a light entrance surface and an opposite light exit surface with at least some of the optical elements being located on the light entrance surface and having a ridge angle of between 60 and 80 degrees.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the film has a light entrance surface and an opposite light exit surface with at least some of said optical elements being located on the light exit surface and having a ridge angle or between 85 and 95 degrees.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the cavities vary in at least one of the following:

size, shape, angle, rotation, orientation, density, depth, height, type and placement.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein at least some of the cavities vary randomly in the substrate.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein a deposition or mirror copy of the substrate is used to form the optical film, component or wave guide.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the ridges are curved, segmented or hybrid in shape.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the ridges are generally in the same direction.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is used to form the optical film, component or wave guide by at least one of the following:

molding, thermoforming, hot stamping, embossing, extrusion, and radiation curing.

42. The method of claim 26 wherein the tool has a nonsymmetrical profile on either side of the plane of the cutting or forming path of the tool.

30. A method of making an optical film, component or wave guide that has multiple optical elements on at least one surface, and at least some of the optical elements have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and are quite small relative to the length and width of the optical film, component or wave guide, comprising using a tool to cut or form multiple optical element shaped cavities in a surface of a substrate that is perpendicular to the path of the tool during the cutting or forming process, wherein neither the tool nor the substrate is rotated about the axis of the tool during the cutting or forming process, and at least some of the cavities are cut or formed to have at least two surfaces that come together to form a ridge and that are quite small relative to the length and width of the substrate, and using the substrate to form the optical film, component or wave guide having the multiple optical elements on at least one surface corresponding to the cavities in the substrate.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool has an asymmetrical cutting or forming tip.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool has a symmetrical cutting or forming tip, and at least the two surfaces that come together to form the ridge of at least some of the cavities are symmetrical surfaces.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the substrate or tool is positioned to produce a specific placement for each cavity prior to each cutting or forming process.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the substrate or tool is rotated to produce a different orientation for at least some of the cavities prior to cutting or forming at least some of the cavities.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein other of the cavities have the same orientation and are cut or formed consecutively so that the substrate or tool is only rotated between the cutting or forming of some of the cavities.

36. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool has a cutting or forming edge that lies in a plane parallel to a vector normal to the surface of the substrate.

37. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool has a cutting or forming edge that lies in a plane parallel to the path of the tool during the cutting or forming process.

38. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool moves into the substrate along a nonlinear path.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the nonlinear path is a curve.

40. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool moves into the substrate along a linear path.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the linear path changes directions at discrete points during the cutting or forming process.

43. The method of claim 30 wherein the tool has a symmetrical profile on either side of the plane of the cutting or forming path of the tool.

44. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities are asymmetrical.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein at least some of the cavities have one flat surface and one curved surface.

46. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities are symmetrical.

47. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities only have two surfaces, one of the surfaces being flat and the other of the surfaces being curved.

48. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities have two curved surfaces.

49. The method of claim 30 wherein during the cutting or forming process, one or both of the tool and the substrate are moved relative to each other.

50. The method of claim 30 wherein the surface of the substrate has one of the following shapes:

flat, curved, conical, cylindrical.

51. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities overlap, intersect or interlock with other cavities.

52. The method of claim 30 wherein the optical elements that are formed on the one surface of the optical film, component or wave guide substantially cover at least 90% of the one surface.

53. The method of claim 30 wherein the film has a light entrance surface and an opposite light exit surface with at least some of the optical elements being located on the light entrance surface and having a ridge angle of between 60 and 80 degrees.

54. The method of claim 30 wherein the film has a light entrance surface and an opposite light exit surface with at least some of the optical elements being located on the light exit surface and having a ridge angle of between 85 and 95 degrees.

55. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the cavities vary in at least one of the following:

size, shape, angle, rotation, orientation, density, depth, height, type and placement.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein at least some of the cavities vary randomly in the substrate.

57. The method of claim 30 wherein a deposition or mirror copy of the substrate is used to form the optical film, component or wave guide.

58. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the ridges are curved, segmented or hybrid in shape.

59. The method of claim 30 wherein at least some of the ridges are generally in the same direction.

60. The method of claim 30 wherein the substrate is used to form the optical film, component or wave guide by at least one of the following:

molding, thermoforming, hot stamping, embossing, extrusion, and radiation curing.