Retroreflective articles having moire-like pattern

• US 6,935,756 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Smith, Kenneth L., Nelson, John C., Meitz, David W., Sewall, Nelson D., Fleming, Madeleine B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Audrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Denise S.
• Application Number:
  US10/167,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20030227683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 359529-533, 359546-548, 359/850, 359/857
• US Class Current: 359/530
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/60 Systems using moiré fringes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/124 plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary plate or sheet

Abstract

The invention relates to articles comprising a sheeting having a microstructured surface that reflects light in a moiré-like pattern. The invention further relates to methods of making a master and replicas thereof including tooling that results in sheeting having such pattern. A preferred method comprises forming V-shaped grooves in a substrate (e.g. metal plate) wherein the intersections of three grooves form cube-corner elements. The cube-corner elements are formed in such a manner that adjacent parallel grooves have substantially the same groove spacing and groove depth throughout the array. The master as well as corresponding tooling and sheeting preferably have a groove spacing within the range of about 0.0005 inches (0.0127 mm) to about 0.007 inches (0.1778 mm) throughout the array and more preferably a groove spacing of less than about 0.004 inches (0.1016 mm).

Claims

1. Retroreflective sheeting comprising a polymeric sheet having an array of cube corner elements wherein light reflected from the array of cube corner elements comprises a moiré

-like pattern.

2. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the cube-corner elements in plan view are triangles, trapezoids, rectangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, or hexagons.

3. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the cube corner elements have a lateral dimension of less than 0.004 inches (0.1016 mm).

4. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the elements are interconnected by a continuous land layer.

5. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the elements are substantially the same size and geometry throughout the array.

6. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

500 nm.

7. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

200 nm.

8. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

100 nm.

9. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

50 nm.

10. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

25 nm.

11. The retroreflective sheeting of claim 1 wherein the grooves have identical spacing and depth to a groove position precision of at least +/−

10 nm for a distance of 1 consecutive grooves.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the cube-corner elements are uncanted.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the cube-corner elements are canted.

14. A method of making a master by forming three sets of V-shaped grooves in a substrate such that the intersections form an array of cube-corner elements;

wherein the grooves in each set are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

800 nm and the grooves have substantially identical groove spacing and groove depth and the groove spacing is in the range from 0.0005 inches (0.0127 mm) to 0.0070 inches (0.1778 mm).

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves have an average groove spacing of less than 0.004 inches (0.1016 mm).

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

500 nm.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

200 nm.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

100 nm.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

50 nm.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

25 nm.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove position precision that is at least as precise as +/−

10 nm for a distance of 10 consecutive grooves.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the cube-corner elements are uncanted.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein at least a portion of the cube-corner elements are canted.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove angle precision that is at least as precise as +/−

2 are minutes.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove angle precision that is at least as precise as +/−

1 are minute.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the grooves are formed with a groove angle precision that is at least as precise as +/−

½

are minute.

27. The method of claim 14 wherein the master is retroreflective.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein light reflected from the master comprises a moiré

-like pattern.