WO2013112890A1

WO2013112890A1 - Systems and method for making parallax filters using flexographic printing

Info

Publication number: WO2013112890A1
Application number: PCT/US2013/023223
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert J. Petcavich; Ed S. Ramakrishnan
Original assignee: Unipixel Displays, Inc.
Priority date: 2012-01-28
Filing date: 2013-01-25
Publication date: 2013-08-01

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a parallax barrier filter film, including printing a first plurality of lines to a first surface of a transparent, flexible substrate via a first master plate, wherein the first master plate comprises a body with a central axis, an outer surface, and a plurality of radial projections extending from the outer surface of the body, and curing the first plurality of lines, wherein the substrate, with the first plurality of lines disposed thereon, creates a parallax effect when the substrate is placed on an liquid crystal display.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR MAKING PARALLAX FILTERS USING FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 61/591 ,903 filed January 28, 2012, and entitled "Systems and Method for Making Parallax Filters Using Flexographic Printing," which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Historically, two dimensional (2D) display devices have predominantly been used to convey information. More recently, three dimensional (3D) displays have emerged on the market configured both for consumer and industrial applications.

[0004] In general, 3D display devices exhibit stereoscopic images. Typical methods of exhibiting such images include lenticular, holographic, and parallax filters which are placed between the viewer and the screen. For liquid crystal display (LCD) applications, a parallax filter is the preferred method since it has been thoroughly studied, developed and commercialized. The use of a parallax filter was first suggested in the early 20th century; however, the use of this method has increased sharply in recent times due to the development of stereoscopic image displays, such as those used on, for example, LCD, plasma, and organic light emitting diode ("OLED") Televisions.

[0005] The function of a parallax filter is to occlude certain regions of an image from each of the two eyes of the viewer, while still permitting other regions to be visible. More particularly, by simultaneously rendering strips of a left eye image into the regions visible by the left eye and likewise for the right eye, two independent perspective views are directed into the left and right eyes of an observer. By fusing these two stereo images together a 3D stereoscopic image results without the need for 3D glasses.

[0006] Figure 1 shows a schematic top cross-sectional view of a conventional parallax filter type stereoscopic display device 100 placed in front of an observer 1 10. As shown in FIG. 1 , the parallax filter type stereoscopic display 100 includes a thin film transistor (TFT) LCD panel 102, a backlight 104 behind the TFT LCD panel 102, a cover glass 106, and a parallax filter 108 disposed on the cover glass 106. The TFT LCD panel 102 also includes a plurality of pixels 1 12. Each pixel 1 12 includes three sub-pixels arranged in the order Rr, Gl, Br, Rl, Gr, Bl, wherein R, G, and B indicate Red, Green, and Blue, respectively, and r and I indicate images for right and left eyes, respectively.

[0007] The parallax filter 108 restricts visibility of the columns of pixels 1 12 at a designed viewing angle and generally comprises a plurality of slits 1 14 and barriers 1 16 which are alternately formed within the parallax filter 108. Each of the slits 1 14 and barriers 1 16 form a stripe pattern. Slits 1 14 are transparent, thus when light is emitted from the backlight 104, a first light L1 passes through the left eye sub-pixels Rl, Gl, Bl and is directed through the slits 1 14, to the left-eye 1 10a of the observer 1 10, while a second light R1 passes through the right-eye sub-pixels Rr, Gr, Br and is directed through the slits 1 14, to the right eye 1 10b of the observer 1 10. By contrast, the barriers 1 16 are opaque. Thus, barriers 1 16 block the light 1 18 that passes through left-eye sub-pixels Rl, Gl, Bl toward the right-eye 1 10b of the observer 1 10, and also block light 1 18 that passes through right-eye sub-pixels Rr, Gr, Br toward left- eye 1 10a of the observer 1 10. Images displayed through the left and right eye sub- pixels have parallax information that humans can sufficiently perceive, therefore, allowing the observer 1 10 to see a 3D image.

[0008] There are several different methods of fabricating parallax filter films. However, most of these fabrication methods require a series of etching, masking, and exposure steps thereby resulting in a slow and costly manufacturing process. Referring now to Figure 2, in a conventional manufacturing process, a parallax filter optical pattern is plotted on a transparent substrate 208 through a photo mask process 200. In the photo mask process 200, a designed parallax filter optical pattern is plotted on a glass negative 204 with a scanning laser beam 202 emitted from a laser plotter 206. The glass negative 204 is formed by a transparent substrate 208 (e.g., glass or quartz) that is substantially flat and a photo-sensitive agent 210 attached to the transparent substrate 208. After being exposed and plotted by the laser plotter 206, the photo-sensitive agent 210 is then developed, hard-baked, and treated by other processes to form the parallax filter optical pattern on the transparent substrate 208. Although the parallax filter may be fabricated through the photo mask process, the costs of fabrication are high and cost-efficient mass production, which economically benefits the producer, cannot be achieved.

[0009] Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for improved manufacturing methods for parallax filters. Such improved methods would be well received if they reduced the costs and time required for such manufacturing processes.

SUMMARY

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a parallax barrier filter film. In an embodiment, the method includes printing a first plurality of lines to a first surface of a transparent, flexible substrate via a first master plate. The first master plate includes a body with a central axis, an outer surface, and a plurality of radial projections extending from the outer surface of the body. In addition, the method includes curing the first plurality of lines. The substrate, with the first plurality of lines disposed thereon, creates a parallax effect when the substrate is placed on an liquid crystal display

[0011] Some embodiments are directed to a parallax barrier film. In an embodiment, the parallax barrier film includes a flexible, transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface. In addition, the parallax barrier film includes a first plurality of printed lines disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The film is manufactured by a roll-to-roll printing process. The film is configured to create a parallax effect when it is disposed on a liquid crystal display.

[0012] Other embodiments also are directed to A liquid crystal display. In an embodiment, the display includes a backlight. In addition, the display includes a cover panel. Further, the display includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel disposed between the backlight and the cover panel, further comprising a plurality of pixels. Each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels. Still further, the display includes a first plurality of printed lines disposed on the cover glass. The first plurality of printed lines are printed on the cover glass via a printing process. The first plurality of printed lines create a parallax effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] For a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014] Figure 1 shows a schematic top cross-sectional view of a conventional parallax filter coupled to a display;

[0015] Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a conventional manufacturing process for the parallax filter of Figure 1 ;

[0016] Figure 3 shows a schematic top cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a parallax filter film in accordance with the principles disclosed herein;

[0017] Figure 4 shows a schematic front view of the parallax filter film of Figure 3;

[0018] Figure 5 shows a schematic top cross-sectional view of the parallax filter film of Figure 3 coupled to a display;

[0019] Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a roll- to-roll manufacturing process for fabricating a parallax filter film in accordance with the principles disclosed herein;

[0020] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiments of a flexo-master plate in accordance with the principles disclosed herein;

[0021] Figure 8 shows a partial side cross-sectional view of the flexo-master plate of Figure 7 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein;

[0022] Figure 9 shows an embodiment of a precision metering system for use in the roll-to-roll manufacturing process of Figure 6 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein; and

[0023] Figure 10 shows a block diagram of a method for manufacturing a flexo- master plate in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.

NOTES AND NOMENCLATURE

[0024] As used herein, the term "web cleaner" refers to any device used in web manufacturing to remove particles from a web or substrate. As used herein, the term "curing" refers to the process of drying, solidifying or fixing any coating or ink imprint that has been previously applied on a substrate. As used herein, the term "master plate" refers to any roll carrying a predefined pattern used to print on any substrate. As used herein, the term "microstructural pattern" refers to a material patterned on a non-conductive substrate where the conductive material is less than 50μηη wide along the printing plane of the substrate. As used herein, the term "ink" refers to a combination of monomers, oligomers or polymers, metal elements metal elements complexes or organometallics in liquid state that may be discretely applied over a substrate surface. As used herein, the term "anilox roll" refers to a cylinder used to provide a measured amount of ink to a printing plate. As used herein, the term "transparent" refers to materials of any color that allow the transmission of light waves within a transmittance rate of at least 50%. As used herein, the term "opaque" refers to materials that block the transmission of light waves and that may exhibit a black color. As used herein, the word "approximately" means "plus or minus 10%."

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.

[0026] Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, wherein an embodiment of a Parallax Barrier Filter Film 300, in accordance with the principles disclosed herein, is shown. In general, film 300 comprises an adhesive layer 310, a flexible transparent substrate 302, and a plurality of high-resolution colored lines 309 disposed on the surface of the substrate 302. In some embodiments, the flexible transparent substrate 302 has a thickness T preferably between 25 and 250 μιτι, and more preferably between 75 and 100 μιτι. Additionally, and as is best shown in Figure 4, the film 300 has a surface area defined by a length L_f, and a width W_f. In some embodiments, the surface area may range from 0.001 m² to 3 m².

[0027] Suitable materials that can be used for the flexible transparent substrate 302 generally include, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, cellulosic polymers, and glass. More specifically, suitable materials for the flexible transparent substrate 302 include DuPont/Teijin Melinex 454 and Dupont/Teijin Melinex ST505, both available from Dupont®, the latter being a heat stabilized film specially designed for processes where heat treatment is involved.

[0028] Referring again to Figures 3 and 4, a transparent flexible adhesive layer 310 is disposed below the substrate 302 and facilitates the attachment of the film 300 onto a glass cover (e.g., cover glass 106). The thickness of the adhesive layer 310 is preferably between 12 and 100 μητι, and more preferably is approximately 25 μιτι. One example of a suitable transparent and flexible adhesive for adhesive layer 310 is 3M Optically Clear Adhesive #8171 , available from 3M™

[0029] The plurality of high-resolution colored lines 309 is generally comprised of a plurality of magenta lines 304, a plurality of cyan lines 306, and a plurality of black lines 308, each arranged substantially parallel to one another in a repeating pattern across the surface of the substrate 302. Each of the plurality of high-resolution colored lines 309 also has a width W and a height H measured from the surface of the substrate 302. Additionally, the plurality of lines 309 also includes a spacing D between each pair of adjacent lines 309, and a linear distance D_L measured from the center of one line 309 to the center of the nearest adjacent line 309 of the same color. In some embodiments, the width W may range from approximately 5 to 1 ,000 μιτι, depending on factors such as, for example, the resolution of the LCD panel (e.g., panel 102), and the distance between the film 300 and the LCD panel. To accommodate the display resolution of devices such as, for example, high definition televisions (HDTVs), handheld devices, laptops, and mobile phones, the width W may range from approximately 10 to 250 μιτι. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the spacing D may range from approximately 0 to 25 μιτι, the height H may range from approximately 100 nm to 10 μιτι, and the linear distance D_L may range from approximately 12 to 500 μιτι.

[0030] Referring now to Figure 5, wherein the parallax barrier film 300 is shown disposed on the cover glass 106 of the TFT LCD panel 102, previously described. Generally speaking, in order to produce a parallax effect, each of these high-resolution printed lines 309 should fit or overlay each R, G, and B sub-pixel of a TFT LCD panel 102. The magenta and cyan lines 304 and 306, respectively have the same function as the slits (e.g., slits 1 14) found in a conventional parallax filter (e.g., filter 108), and are thus substantially transparent, exhibiting light transmission efficiency greater than 70%., and in some embodiments between 50% and 85%. The Black 308 high- resolution printed lines are substantially opaque since they have the same function as the barriers (e.g., barriers 1 16) found in conventional parallax filters (e.g., filter 108). Additionally, the width W of each line 309 should be slightly less than the width of the R, G, and B sub-pixels (e.g., the sub-pixels R, G, and B of the display 100).

[0031] More particularly, in the embodiment shown, each of the magenta lines 304 covers each of the red (R) sub-pixels, each of the cyan lines 306 covers each of the green (G) sub-pixels, and each of the black lines 308 covers each of the blue (B) sub- pixels. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the width W of the lines 309 is slightly less than the width of the sub-pixels disposed on the display panel 102. In some embodiments, the width W is approximately 10 to 250 μιτι smaller than the width of each sub-pixel. Additionally, and as is shown in Figure 5, the magenta and cyan lines 304, 306, respectively, act in the same manner as the slits 1 14, shown in Figure 1 , and therefore allow light 1 18 emitted from the back light 104 (e.g., light beams Li and Ri) to pass through the filter film 300 in certain directions. Conversely, the black lines 308 act in the same manner as the barriers 1 16, shown in Figure 1 , and therefore substantially block light 1 18 that is emitted from the backlight 104 in certain directions. The result is that a parallax effect is achieved and the observer 1 10 is able to see a 3D image on the panel 102.

[0032] Figure 6 depicts an embodiment of a roll-to-roll manufacturing process 600 for fabricating the parallax barrier filter film 300 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein. In general, the process 600 comprises an initial cleaning phase or step 605, followed a first printing phase or step 615, a second printing phase or step 625, and a third printing phase or step 635. More particularly, the flexible transparent substrate 302 is initially distributed from an unwind roll 602. Next, the unwound substrate 302 passes by a positioning cable 604, that engages with and aligns the substrate 302 such that it is prevented from moving from side-to-side, thereby maintaining the proper alignment of the substrate 302 prior to it being fed into the first, second, and third printing steps 615, 625, and 635, respectively.

[0033] After alignment is adjusted via the positioning cable 604, the flexible transparent substrate 302 is transferred, via any known roll-to-roll handling method, from unwind roll 602 through the cleaning step 605. In this embodiment, cleaning step 605 comprises a corona treatment module 606 that applies high frequency electric discharges 608 to the surface of the substrate 302, thereby removing any small particles, oils, or grease as well as forming open ends and free valences thereon. Generally speaking, the free valences are able to form carbonyl groups with the atoms from the ozone created by the electric discharge, which gives rise to improved adhesion. More specifically, as more power/electrons is applied to the surface of the substrate 302 by the corona treatment module 606, the resulting polymer chains become shorter, thereby resulting in more potential adhesion points and a higher surface energy. The intensity level of the corona treatment module 606, by watt/density, may vary within a wide range depending on the material used for substrate 302. For example, when substrate 302 comprises a PET film, the intensity level in Corona treatment module 606 may preferably range from approximately 1 to 50 W/min/m², while the surface energy may preferably range from about 20 to 95 Dynes/cm. In other embodiments, substrate 302 may go through a second cleaning process (not shown) consisting of a web cleaner.

[0034] Once the flexible transparent substrate 302 is run through the cleaning step 605, it enters the first printing step 615 where the magenta high-resolution lines 304 are printed on the surface of the substrate 302. In particular, the lines 304 are printed by a by first master Plate 610 (described below) using magenta UV-curable ink that has a viscosity preferably between 200 and 2000 cps. For some embodiments, the magenta lines 304 may have a width W ranging from approximately 10 to 250 μιτι, depending on the size of the R, G, and B sub-pixels employed on the display (e.g., display .100). Additionally, the amount of ink distributed via the plate 610 is precisely controlled using a high precision metering system 700 (see Figure 9), which is described in more detail below. While either organic or inorganic inks may be used to form lines 304, in some embodiments, an organic composition is preferred for the UV- curable ink, since inorganic ink compositions typically include particles that are difficult to dissolve during the printing process and block too much light. Because the magenta ink is intended to be transparent in order to produce the parallax effect, the existence of such particles within the ink is undesirable.

[0035] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, wherein an embodiment of the master plate 610 used to print magenta lines 304 the substrate 302 is shown. Plate 610 has a generally cylindrically shaped body 404 which further includes a central axis 405, a first end 404a, a second end 404b opposite the first end, an inner surface 406 extending axially from the first end 404a to the second end 404b, an outer surface 408 extending axially from the first end 404a to the second end 404b, a thickness T ₀₄ measured from the inner surface 406 to the outer surface 408, and a plurality of radial projections 402 extending radially outward from the outer surface 406 of the body 404 and running axially from the first end 404a to the second end 404b. As is best shown in Figure 8, each radial projection 402 has a first ramped surface 402a, a substantially flat tip 402b, and a second ramped surface 402c. Each tip has a width W₄₀2 which corresponds to width W of the high-resolution color lines 309. Additionally, the angular distance D ₀2 between two adjacent projections 402 corresponds to the linear distance D_L between each repeating high-resolution colored line 309. Furthermore, each projection 402 has a height H ₀2, measured from the outer surface 408 of the body 404 to the tip 402b. In some embodiments, the height H₄₀2 may vary from 3 to 150 μιτι, while thickness T ₀₄ may vary from 1 .67 to 1 .85 mm.

[0036] Referring now to Figure 9, wherein an embodiment of the high precision metering system 700 employed in the printing step 615 is shown. In particular, system 700 is used control the exact amount of ink that is transferred to substrate 302 via the master plate 610. In general, the metering system 700 comprises an ink pan 702, metering roll 704, an anilox roll 706, a doctor blade 708 and the master plate 610 previously described. In this embodiment, anilox roll 706 includes a steel or aluminum core which is coated by an industrial ceramic whose surface contains a large number of very fine dimples or cells (not shown). The ink pan 702 contains an amount of ink. In this embodiment, the ink disposed within the pan 702 is magenta to correspond to the lines 304 which are being printed on the substrate 302 in the first printing step 615.

[0037] During operation, a portion of the ink contained within the pan 702 is transferred to the anilox roll 706, via the metering roll 704. In other embodiments, the anilox roll 706 may itself be semi-submersed in ink pan 702. Doctor blade 708 is used to scrape excess ink from the surface of anilox roll 706, leaving a measured amount of ink within the cells (not shown). The anilox roll 706 then rotates to contact the master plate 610, which receives the ink from the cells for subsequent transfer to substrate 302. In some embodiments, the rotational speed of master plate 610 should match the speed of the substrate 302. In these embodiments, the speed of the substrate 302 may be preferably between 50 and 700 fpm, and more preferably is approximately 300 fpm. Additionally, as will be explained below, the second and third printing steps 625 and 635, respectively employ a metering system that is substantially the same as the metering system 700.

[0038] Referring back to Figure 6, once the lines 304 are printed onto the substrate 302 in the manner described above, the substrate is fed into a first curing module 612. Specifically, the magenta high-resolution lines 304, printed on substrate 302, pass under a first UV light source 614, housed within the module 612, such that the lines 304 are cured. The curing speed is critical for obtaining uniform high-resolution printed lines (e.g., lines 304). In particular, curing should occur in a very short period in order to avoid spreading of the UV-curable ink, making up the lines 304, across substrate 302. In some embodiments, the first UV light source 614 is a UVA ultraviolet light source, such as, for example an industrial-grade UVA light source. In some embodiments, the ink is cured in approximately 1 to 20 seconds. In some embodiments, the first UV light source 614 has a wavelength preferably ranging from approximately 280 to 480 nm, with a preferable intensity of approximately 0.52 J/cm².

[0039] Once the flexible transparent substrate 302 passes through the first printing step 615, it enters the second printing step 625 wherein the cyan high-resolution lines 306 are printed on the surface of the substrate 302 in a manner substantially the same as that shown and described above for the first printing step 615. In particular, the lines 306 are printed by a second master Plate 616 using cyan UV-curable ink that has a viscosity preferably between 200 and 2000 cps. For some embodiments, the cyan lines 306 may have a width W ranging from approximately 10 to 250 μιτι, depending on the size of the R, G, and B sub-pixels employed on the display (e.g., display .100). While either organic or inorganic inks may be used to form lines 306, in some embodiments, an organic composition is preferred for the UV-curable ink, since inorganic ink compositions typically include particles that are difficult to dissolve during the printing process and block too much light. Because the cyan ink is intended to be transparent in order to produce the parallax effect, the existence of such particles within the ink is undesirable.

[0040] The second master plate 616 is substantially the same as the first master plate 610, previously described, except that the plate 616 is configured to print the cyan lines 306 on to the surface of the substrate 302 rather than the magenta lines 304. Thus, a detailed description of the structure of the plate 616 has been omitted for purposes of conciseness. Additionally, the amount of ink that is transferred via the plate 616 is precisely controlled by a high precision metering system (not shown in Figure 6) that is substantially the same as the metering system 700 previously described. Thus, a detailed description of the metering system has been omitted for purposes of conciseness.

[0041] Once the lines 306 are printed onto the substrate 302 in the manner described above, the substrate is fed into a second curing module 618. Specifically, the cyan high-resolution lines 306, printed on substrate 302, pass under a second UV light source 620, housed within the module 612, such that the lines 306 are cured. It should be appreciated that the curing module 618 is substantially the same as the first curing module 612, previously described, and the UV light source 620 is substantially the same as the first UV light source 614, previously described. Thus, a detailed description of the module 618 and UV light source 620 is omitted for purposes of conciseness.

[0042] Once the flexible transparent substrate 302 passes through the second printing step 625, it enters the third printing step 635 where the black high-resolution lines 308 are printed on the surface of the substrate 302 in a manner substantially the same as that shown and described above for the first and second printing steps 615 and 625, respectively. In particular, the lines 308 are printed by a by third master Plate 622 using black UV-curable ink that has a viscosity preferably between 200 and 2000 cps. For some embodiments, the black lines 306 may have a width W ranging from approximately 33 to 250 μιτι, depending on the size of the R, G, and B sub-pixels employed on the display (e.g., display .100). While either organic or inorganic inks may be used to form lines 308, in some embodiments, an organic composition is preferred for the UV-curable ink, since inorganic ink compositions typically include particles that are difficult to dissolve during the printing process.

[0043] The third master plate 622 is substantially the same as the first master plate 610 and the second master plate 616, previously described, except that the plate 622 is configured to print the black lines 308 on to the surface of the substrate 302 rather than the magenta or cyan lines 304 or 306, respectively. Thus, a detailed description of the structure of the plate 622 has been omitted for purposes of conciseness. Additionally, the amount of ink that is transferred via the plate 622 is precisely controlled by a high precision metering system (not shown in Figure 6) that is substantially the same as the metering system 700 previously described. Thus, a detailed description of the metering system has been omitted for purposes of conciseness.

[0044] Once the lines 308 are printed onto the substrate 302 in the manner described above, the substrate is fed into a third curing module 624. Specifically, the black high-resolution lines 308, printed on substrate 302, pass under a third UV light source 626, housed within the module 624, such that the lines 308 are cured. It should be appreciated that the curing module 624 is substantially the same as the first curing module 612, previously described, and the second curing module 618, previously described. Furthermore, the UV light source 620 is substantially the same as the first UV light source 614, previously described, and the second UV light source 620, previously described. Thus, a detailed description of the module 618 and UV light source 620 has been omitted for purposes of conciseness. After passing through the curing module 624, the flexible transparent substrate 302 with the printed and cured lines 304, 306 and 308 is taken up by the wind-up roll 628, thereby completing the manufacturing process 600 of the parallax barrier filter film 300.

[0045] Referring now to Figure 10, wherein an embodiment of a method 500 of manufacturing a master plate (e.g., plate 610, 616, 622) is shown. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the operations shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the operations shown.

[0046] Initially, the method 500 begins by first designing the pattern of radial projections (e.g., projections 402) on the master plate (e.g., plate 610) at block 505. In some embodiments, the pattern of radial projections are designed using a suitable computer aided drafting (CAD) software, converted into a tagged image format file (tiff file) or other suitable image file, and then loaded into a thermal imaging system. Thereafter, a UV-transparent cylinder is covered with a blank elastomeric laminated photoresist at block 510, and the pattern is engraved in the laminated photoresist at block 515. In some embodiments, the pattern is engraved using laser ablation; however, it should be noted that other suitable techniques may be used. Then, the blank elastomeric laminated photoresist around the outside of the UV-transparent cylinder is exposed to a UV light between the patterns engraved thereon at block 520. This exposure "records" the patterns in the laminated photoresist, which is then dried and developed at block 525. Thereafter the pattern is cut out of the laminated elastomeric photoresist at block 530. The laminated elastomeric photoresist with linear projections 402 on one side is then adhered to the outside of a printing master cylinder to create a master plate, thus completing the manufacturing process.

[0047] It should be appreciated that in other embodiments of manufacturing process 600, no positioning cable is included, and some other known method of aligning the substrate 302 is used. Further, in some embodiments, the substrate may go through a second cleaning step comprising a web cleaner after going through the first cleaning step 605. Still further, while embodiments described herein relating to the parallax barrier film 300 and the manufacturing method 600 describe the use of magenta lines 304, cyan lines 306, and black lines 308, in other embodiments, other colors may be used. For example, in other embodiments, the plurality of lines 309 may comprise various combinations of red, green, black, magenta, cyan, or combinations thereof. Still further, while embodiments of the manufacturing process 600 of the parallax barrier film 300 described herein include a UV-curing module, in other embodiments, a thermo-curing module may be used whereby heat radiation is applied to cure the plurality of high resolution lines 309 after they are printed on the surface of the substrate 302. Also, while the embodiments disclosed herein have described printing the plurality of lines 309 onto the surface of a substrate, in other embodiments, the lines 309 may be printed directly onto the cover glass of an LCD panel. Further, in other embodiments, the master plates 610, 616, and 620 have radial projections 402 that extend circumferentially around the outer surface 408 rather than axially, as is shown in Figure 7.

[0048] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing a parallax barrier filter film, comprising:

printing a first plurality of lines to a first surface of a transparent, flexible substrate via a first master plate, wherein the first master plate comprises a body with a central axis, an outer surface, and a plurality of radial projections extending from the outer surface of the body; and curing the first plurality of lines;

wherein the substrate, with the first plurality of lines disposed thereon, creates a parallax effect when the substrate is placed on an liquid crystal display.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

printing a second plurality of lines to the first surface of the substrate via a second master plate, wherein the second master plate comprises a central axis, an outer surface, and a plurality of radial projections extending from the outer surface of the body;

curing the second plurality of lines;

applying a third plurality of lines to the surface of the substrate via a third master plate wherein the third master plate comprises a central axis, an outer surface, and a plurality of radial projections extending from the outer surface of the body; and

curing the third plurality of lines;

wherein the substrate, with the first, second, and third pluralities of lines disposed thereon, creates a parallax effect when the substrate is placed on an liquid crystal display.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the first plurality of lines further comprises:

transferring ink from a pan to an anilox roller;

syphoning excess ink from the anilox roller via a doctor blade; and

transferring a metered amount of ink to the first master plate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein printing the first plurality of lines further comprises transferring ink from the pan to the anilox roller via a metering roller.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

unwinding the substrate from a first roll; and

winding the substrate, with the first plurality of lines disposed thereon, onto a second roll.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying high frequency electric discharges to the first surface substrate in order to clean a surface thereof.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising increasing the surface energy of the first surface of the substrate while applying high frequency electric discharges.

8. The method of 7, wherein increasing the surface energy of the substrate comprises increasing the surface energy to approximately 20 to 95 Dynes/cm.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the first plurality of lines comprises subjecting the first plurality of lines to UV light.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein curing the first plurality of lines comprises subjecting the first plurality of lines to UV light that has a wavelength from 280 to 480 nm, and has a target intensity of about 0.52 J/cm².

1 1 . The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the first plurality of lines comprises applying heat radiation.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aligning the substrate prior to printing the first plurality of lines thereon.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein printing the first plurality of lines comprises printing a plurality of lines that are one of black, green, red, magenta, or cyan.

14. A parallax barrier film, comprising:

a flexible, transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface; and a first plurality of printed lines disposed on the first surface of the substrate; wherein the film is manufactured by a roll-to-roll printing process; and

wherein the film is configured to create a parallax effect when it is disposed on a liquid crystal display.

15. The film of claim 14, further comprising a second plurality of printed lines disposed on the first surface of the substrate.

16. The film of claim 15, further comprising a third plurality of printed lines disposed on the first surface of the substrate.

17. The film of claim 16, wherein the first, second, and third pluralities of printed lines are each comprised of ink that is one of black, magenta, cyan, red, or green.

18. The film of claim 14, further comprising an adhesive layer disposed on the second surface of the substrate.

19. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

a backlight;

a cover panel;

a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel disposed between the backlight and the cover panel, further comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels;

a first plurality of printed lines disposed on the cover glass;

wherein the first plurality of printed lines are printed on the cover glass via a printing process; and

wherein the first plurality of printed lines create a parallax effect.

20. The display of claim 19, further comprising:

a second plurality of printed lines;

wherein the second plurality of printed lines are printed on the cover glass via a printing process; and

wherein the second plurality of printed lines create a parallax effect