MICROLENS SHEETING WITH FLOATING IMAGE USING A SHAPE MEMORY MATERIAL

摘要

A SHEETING (10) INCLUDES A LAYER OF A SHAPE-MEMORY POLYMER MATERIAL HAVING A SURFACE OF MICROLENSES (14), WHEREIN EACH OF THE MICROLENSES (14) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF A PLURALITY OF IMAGES WITHIN THE SHEETING (10). THE LAYER OF THE SHAPE-MEMORY POLYMER MATERIAL IS RESPONSIVE TO AN EXTERNAL STIMULUS; E.G., TEMPERATURE, SOLVENT,OR MOISTURE; BY TRANSITIONING FROM A FIRST STATE IN WHICH AN OPTICAL PROPERTY OF THE MICROLENSES (14) HAS A FIRST VALUE TO A SECOND STATE IN WHICH THE OPTICAL PROPERTY OF THE MICROLENSES (14) HAS A SECOND VALUE. THE MICROLENSES (14) HAVE REFRACTIVE SURFACES THAT TRANSMIT LIGHT TO POSITIONS WITHIN THE SHEETING TO PRODUCE A COMPOSITE IMAGE FROM THE IMAGES FORMED WITHIN THE SHEETING WHEN THE LAYER OF THE SHAPE-MEMORY POLYMER MATERIAL IS IN ONE OF THE FIRST STATE AND THE SECOND STATE. AT LEAST ONE OF THE IMAGES IS A PARTIALLY COMPLETE IMAGE, AND EACH OF THE IMAGES IS ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE MICROLENSES.