| 摘要 |
In many applications it would be desirable to have an intrinsic digital link embedded in physical products, without having to alter the fabrication process of the physical products. We have invented a method where an array of individual areas of optically anisotropic areas is incorporated in the surface of the products, where such an intrinsic link may be obtained by detecting the reflection intensity over the array and interpreting this as a digital 2D barcode. Molding of polymer, glass or metal parts is typically a fast process, where identical replicas are by the replication of a mold once every few seconds or faster. It would be even more desirable to be able to encode and hence distinguish the individual replicas without altering the macro-geometry. To solve this further problem, we have also invented a method based on optical anisotropic surfaces, arranged in an array in the mold where each dot or bit in the array may be individually rotated to alter the orientation of the optical anisotropy. By replication of these surfaces, the replica will obtain the same rotational configuration or the same type and direction of optical anisotropy as the mold array. These optical anisotropic surfaces may be designed such that the perceived brightness for each individual element of the array will depend in a binary way (dark/bright) depending on the rotational orientation of the said bit. The readout of the pattern may preferably be done by optical means, where the camera and the illuminating light source are placed close together, e.g. as in a smart-phone or a tablet. In another embodiment the invention may be used to manufacture RFID tags. |
