CN115891480A

CN115891480A - Security image element and security product

Info

Publication number: CN115891480A
Application number: CN202110956860.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙凯; 杨栋
Original assignee: Zhongchao Special Security Technology Co Ltd; China Banknote Printing and Minting Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: Zhongchao Special Security Technology Co Ltd; China Banknote Printing and Minting Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-19
Filing date: 2021-08-19
Publication date: 2023-04-04
Also published as: WO2023020480A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an anti-counterfeiting image element and an anti-counterfeiting product, and belongs to the technical field of anti-counterfeiting. The security image element comprises: a light permeable substrate layer comprising opposing first and second surfaces; the microstructure layer is positioned on the first surface and comprises a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprises a gentle area and/or a non-gentle area, and the pitch angle of the microstructures in the gentle area is smaller than that of the microstructures in the non-gentle area; a reflective structure layer on the microstructure layer, the reflective structure layer covering at least a portion of the non-flat areas; and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is provided with an anti-counterfeiting image and is positioned on the reflecting structure layer or the second surface. The embodiment of the invention can realize the appearance of the anti-counterfeiting image when in front view and the appearance of the dynamic characteristic when in side view, thereby solving the technical problem that the existing anti-counterfeiting product is easy to counterfeit.

Description

Security image element and security product

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of anti-counterfeiting, in particular to an anti-counterfeiting image element and an anti-counterfeiting product.

Background

In the prior art, in order to prevent counterfeiting by means of scanning and copying, data carriers such as banknotes, financial instruments and the like, for example, value or identification documents, and other valuable articles such as famous brand articles, are generally provided with security elements for verifying the authenticity of the data carrier and at the same time preventing unauthorized copying thereof.

The encoding technology is a relatively common anti-counterfeiting technology applied to the security element. The purpose of the encoding technique is to verify the authenticity of the data carrier while preventing its unauthorized copying. Communication between the verification terminal and the database is established via the network, so that the authenticity of the data carrier is verified. At present, in order to establish a code system of 'one object and one code' for a large-scale product, a digital printing device or a coding device is required to manufacture variable codes. However, such codes are easily recorded by scanning, photographing, etc. and are easily copied in bulk by commercial digital printing equipment, thereby destroying the "uniqueness" of each code. Therefore, it is urgently needed to provide a technical solution to solve the above technical problems in the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention aims to provide an anti-counterfeiting image element and an anti-counterfeiting product, which can realize the appearance of an anti-counterfeiting image when the front side is observed and the appearance of dynamic characteristics when the side surface is observed, thereby solving the technical problem that the existing anti-counterfeiting product is easy to forge.

To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a security image element comprising: a light permeable substrate layer comprising opposing first and second surfaces; the microstructure layer is positioned on the first surface and comprises a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprises a gentle region and/or a non-gentle region, and the pitch angle of the microstructure in the gentle region is smaller than that of the microstructure in the non-gentle region; the reflecting structure layer is positioned on the microstructure layer and covers at least one part of the non-gentle region; and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is provided with an anti-counterfeiting image and is positioned on the reflecting structure layer or the second surface.

In the embodiment of the invention, the material of the light-permeable substrate layer is selected from at least one of PET plastic, BOPP plastic and PC plastic.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the lateral dimension of the microstructure ranges from 5um to 100um.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the lateral dimension of the microstructure ranges from 10um to 50um.

In embodiments of the invention, the surface of the microstructure layer comprises a flat and/or curved surface.

In the embodiment of the invention, the microstructure is a spherical crown type curved surface structure.

In the embodiment of the invention, the microstructure is a diffuse reflection structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the security image element further comprises: and the transparent coating is positioned on the reflecting structure layer, and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is positioned on the transparent coating.

In embodiments of the present invention, the transparent coating has a refractive index that is the same as the refractive index of the microstructures such that light does not reflect and refract when passing through the interface between the microstructures and the transparent coating.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pitch angle of the microstructure has a maximum value of more than 5 degrees.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pitch angle of the microstructure has a maximum value of more than 10 degrees.

In the embodiment of the invention, the pitch angle of the microstructure in the non-flat area is not less than a preset value, the pitch angle of the microstructure in the flat area is less than the preset value, and the preset value is 0.3 times of the maximum value of the pitch angle of the microstructure.

In the embodiment of the invention, the reflecting structure layer is a metal single-layer structure.

In the embodiment of the invention, the reflecting structure layer is a multilayer structure consisting of metal and/or medium.

In embodiments of the invention, the reflective structure layer provides a dynamic security feature.

In an embodiment of the invention, the dynamic security feature comprises: translational movement, rotational movement, image switching, image distortion, and/or changes in image scaling of the reflective structure layer with changes in viewing angle.

In an embodiment of the invention, at least a part of the non-flattish areas is provided with a secondary structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the dynamic security feature comprises: the color and/or pattern of the reflective structure layer changes with the viewing angle.

In the embodiment of the invention, each secondary structure comprises a micro unit which appears periodically, and the displacement between two adjacent micro units is 0.2um to 5um.

In the embodiment of the invention, the displacement between two adjacent microcells is 0.2um to 1um.

In an embodiment of the invention, the secondary structure is a grating structure.

In the embodiment of the invention, the anti-counterfeiting image is a static image.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the still image contains encoded information.

In the embodiment of the invention, the static image is a two-dimensional code.

In the embodiment of the invention, the static image is a quick response code.

In the embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional code is provided with an optical anti-counterfeiting feature.

In an embodiment of the invention, the anti-counterfeiting image is provided with at least one position detection pattern.

In the embodiment of the invention, the anti-counterfeiting image is provided with three non-collinear position detection graphs.

In the embodiment of the invention, under the condition that the anti-counterfeiting image layer is positioned on the reflecting structure layer, the anti-counterfeiting image is obtained when the anti-counterfeiting image layer is observed on one side of the second surface and is opposite to the second surface.

In embodiments of the invention, where the security image layer is on the second surface, the security image is obtained when viewed from the side of and directly opposite the first surface.

The invention also provides in a second aspect a security product comprising the security image element of the preceding embodiment.

In embodiments of the invention, the security product is a paper banknote, a polymer banknote, a credit card, a bank card, a cash card, an authorization card, a personal identification card or a passport.

The embodiment of the invention comprises the following anti-counterfeiting image elements: a light permeable substrate layer comprising opposing first and second surfaces; the microstructure layer is positioned on the first surface and comprises a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprises a gentle region and/or a non-gentle region, and the pitch angle of the microstructure in the gentle region is smaller than that of the microstructure in the non-gentle region; the reflecting structure layer is positioned on the microstructure layer and covers at least one part of the non-gentle area; and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is provided with an anti-counterfeiting image, is positioned on the reflecting structure layer or the second surface, and can realize the appearance of the anti-counterfeiting image during front observation and the appearance of dynamic characteristics during side observation, thereby solving the technical problem that the existing anti-counterfeiting product is easy to counterfeit.

Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the embodiments of the invention without limiting the embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a security image element 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a security image element 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which the microstructure is a spherical crown-shaped curved surface structure and the security image layer is located on the second surface.

Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary security image element 20 having a spherical crown-shaped curved surface structure as the microstructure and a security image layer on a reflective structure layer.

Fig. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a security image element 30 according to an example of the invention in which the microstructure is a diffuse reflective structure and the security image layer is on the second surface.

Fig. 2D is a schematic partial cross-sectional structure of the security image element of fig. 2A and 2B with a secondary structure 42 disposed therein.

Fig. 3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic views of the visual effect of the security image element in fig. 2A and 2B at three different viewing angles.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.

As shown in fig. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a security image element 100, including: a light-permeable substrate layer 110, a microstructure layer 130, a reflective structure layer 150, and a security image layer (not shown).

The light-permeable substrate layer 110 includes, for example, a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The material of the light-permeable substrate layer 110 is, for example, at least one selected from PET plastic, BOPP plastic, and PC plastic, but the embodiment of the invention is not limited thereto.

The microstructure layer 130 is, for example, located on a first surface (e.g., the upper surface in fig. 1), and the microstructure layer 130 includes, for example, a plurality of microstructures (not shown in the figure), each microstructure including, for example, a flat region and/or a non-flat region, and a pitch angle of the microstructure of the flat region is, for example, smaller than a pitch angle of the microstructure of the non-flat region. The pitch angle in the embodiment of the present invention is, for example, an angle formed between each point of the surface of the microstructure and the first surface. Specifically, if the surface at and near a certain point of the microstructure is a curved surface, the pitch angle of the tangent plane at the certain point on the surface of the microstructure is an included angle formed by the tangent plane at the point with respect to the first surface. If the surface at and near a point of the microstructure is a plane, the pitch angle at the point on the surface of the microstructure is the angle formed by the plane at the point relative to the first surface.

The reflective structure layer 150 is, for example, located on the microstructure layer 130, and the reflective structure layer 150 covers, for example, at least a portion of the non-flattish areas. The gentle region is not provided with any reflective structure layer 150, and further, the surface of the microstructure layer 130 not covered with the reflective structure layer 150 is filled up by, for example, a coating adhesive layer. By providing the reflective structure layer 150 on the non-gentle regions, the gentle regions are not provided with any reflective structure layer 150.

The security image layer is provided with a security image, for example on the side of the reflective structure layer, i.e. the first surface, or on the side of the second surface (e.g. the lower surface in fig. 1), i.e. the second surface. So that the security image on the first surface can be observed on the side of the second surface or the security image on the second surface can be observed on the side of the first surface. For example, when the anti-counterfeiting image layer is disposed on the second surface, that is, on the side of the second surface, when the anti-counterfeiting image layer is viewed on the side of the first surface and directly facing the first surface, the anti-counterfeiting image on the second surface can be seen through the gentle region of the non-reflective structure layer 150, and when the anti-counterfeiting image layer is viewed on the side of the first surface and obliquely at a large angle relative to the first surface, the reflective structure layer 150 blocks the gentle region of the non-reflective structure layer 150, so that only the reflective structure layer 150 can be seen, and the anti-counterfeiting image on the second surface cannot be seen, thereby hiding the anti-counterfeiting image. Similarly, when the security image layer is positioned on one side of the first surface, the appearance and the hiding of the security image can be observed on one side of the second surface.

Specifically, the lateral dimension of the microstructure ranges from 5um to 100um, for example. Further, the lateral dimension of the microstructure ranges from, for example, 10um to 50um.

Specifically, the surface of the microstructure layer 130 includes, for example, a flat surface and/or a curved surface. The microstructure may be, for example, a spherical crown type curved surface structure, and the surface of the spherical crown type curved surface structure is, for example, composed of a curved surface. The microstructures may for example also constitute an array of periodically distributed microstructures. The microstructure is, for example, a diffuse reflection structure, the surface of which is, for example, composed of a plane and/or a curved surface, and which can be obtained by, for example, sequentially recombining a plurality of parts obtained by cutting a spherical crown-shaped curved surface structure, or by combining a plurality of planes, and the diffuse reflection structure is used for generating a diffuse reflection effect on irradiated light.

The security image element 100, for example, further comprises: a clear coating (not shown) disposed, for example, on the reflective structure layer 150, in which case the security image layer is disposed, for example, on the clear coating rather than on the second surface. A transparent coating layer may be previously coated on the reflective structure layer 150 to be flat, and then a forgery prevention image may be formed on the transparent coating layer. The refractive index of the transparent coating is, for example, the same as the refractive index of the microstructures, so that light rays do not reflect and refract when passing through the interface between the microstructures and the transparent coating.

The maximum pitch angle of the microstructure is for example greater than 5 degrees. More specifically, the maximum value of the pitch angle of the microstructure is, for example, greater than 10 degrees. The microstructure of the gentle region has a smaller pitch angle, for example, smaller than a preset value, and the microstructure of the non-gentle region has a larger pitch angle, for example, greater than or equal to a preset value, so that the pitch angles of the microstructures in the gentle region are all smaller than the pitch angle of the microstructure of the non-gentle region, and further, the preset value is set to be 0.3 times of the maximum value of the pitch angle of the microstructure, for example. For example, if the maximum pitch angle of the microstructure is 45 degrees, the preset value is set to be 0.3 times the maximum pitch angle of the microstructure, that is, 13.5 degrees, regions of the microstructure where the pitch angle is greater than or equal to 13.5 degrees are all components of non-flat regions, and regions of the microstructure where the pitch angle is less than 13.5 degrees are all components of flat regions. If the maximum pitch angle of the microstructure is 10 degrees, the preset value is set to 3 degrees, and so on, which is not described herein again.

The reflective structure layer 150 may be, for example, a metal single layer structure or a multi-layer structure composed of metal and/or a medium. The reflective structure layer 150 may be, for example, a metal plating layer deposited by physical vapor deposition. The metal itself may have a reflective effect on the light. When the reflective structure layer 150 is a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure has at least two different refractive indexes, so that light can be reflected when the light irradiates on the surface of the multi-layer structure. Further, the reflective structure layer 150 provides, for example, dynamic security features including, for example: translational movement, rotational movement, image switching, image distortion, and/or image scaling changes of the reflective structure layer 150 with changes in the viewing angle. The reflective structure layer 150 may also be a three-layer interference coating of "metal/dielectric/metal", for example.

At least a part of the non-gentle region is provided with a secondary structure (not shown in the figure), for example. The reflective structure layer 150, for example, provides dynamic security features including, for example: the reflective structure layer 150 may exhibit a color and/or pattern that varies with the viewing angle. The secondary structure is for example a grating structure. The secondary structure preferably has a dimension at least one order of magnitude smaller than the microstructure. The secondary structures may, for example, be regularly, for example periodically or uniformly distributed over the microstructures, although the secondary structures may also be irregularly distributed over the microstructures, and the number of secondary structures distributed over each microstructure may be the same or different. Each secondary structure includes, for example, a micro unit that appears periodically, and the displacement between adjacent two micro units is, for example, between 0.2um and 5um, specifically, for example, between 0.2um and 1um, or may be directly set to 0.4um. The microcells are, for example, saw-tooth structures, and the cross section of each saw-tooth structure is, for example, triangular, trapezoidal, rectangular, or the like. Of course, embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and each secondary structure may also include non-periodically occurring microcells. The secondary structure may be combined with the reflective structure layer 150 to generate a color, which may be adjusted by parameters of the secondary structure. Thus, the reflective structure layer 150 is seen to have a color when viewed obliquely at a large angle with respect to the first surface side. By designing the distribution of the secondary structures in the regions of greater inclination, it is possible to form coloured patterns, the appearance of which is viewing angle-dependent or can vary as the viewing angle varies. Thus, the colored pattern can form a dynamic security feature.

Further, the security image of the security image layer can be produced by, for example, coating, printing, or the like. The security image is, for example, a still image. The static image is formed by, for example, digital printing, laser coding, or the like. The static images do not change at multiple angles, which is beneficial to the storage and presentation of information, and the purpose of 'one object and one image' is easy to realize in digital printing. The still image contains, for example, encoding information. Specifically, the static image may be, for example, a one-dimensional Code or a two-dimensional Code, such as a quick response Code (QR Code) or the like. The code system of the one-dimensional code can be EAN code, 39 code, cross 25 code, UPC code, 128 code, 93 code, ISBN code, codabar and the like. The Code system of the two-dimensional Code can be PDF417, QR Code, code49, code16K, code One, dataMatrix, maxi Code, and the like. The codes can be identified by mobile terminals such as handheld code reading equipment, industrial assembly line code reading equipment and smart phones, and the identified code data can be transmitted to a database to complete recording and comparison. Further, the two-dimensional code may also be provided with an optical anti-counterfeiting feature, for example.

Further, the security image is provided with at least one position detection pattern, for example. Further, the forgery-preventive image is provided with, for example, three position detection patterns which are not collinear.

Another embodiment of the invention also provides a security product comprising a security image element according to any of the preceding embodiments of the invention. Forms of anti-counterfeiting products include, for example, but are not limited to, banknotes such as paper banknotes, polymer banknotes and the like, and identification cards such as credit cards, bank cards, cash cards, authorization cards, personal identification cards, passports and the like. The security image element is, for example, disposed at a local position of the security product, but the invention is not limited thereto, and may be disposed at other suitable positions as needed, and is not enumerated here.

The security image element of embodiments of the present invention is described below with reference to several specific examples:

fig. 2A is a schematic view of a cross-sectional structure of an anti-counterfeit image element 10 having a spherical crown-shaped curved surface structure as a microstructure and an anti-counterfeit image layer on a second surface, which is only an example of a case where the microstructure is the spherical crown-shaped curved surface structure and the anti-counterfeit image layer is on the second surface, and the invention is not limited thereto, wherein 11 is a transparent PET substrate having a thickness of 15um to 30um, an array 12 formed by the spherical crown-shaped curved surface structures is formed on the upper surface of 11, and a transverse dimension of each curved surface structure ranges from 30um to 50um. The array 12 is prepared by laser direct writing and is formed on a first surface, e.g., the upper surface, of the substrate 11 by UV imprinting or the like. The array 12 may have a maximum pitch angle of 20 degrees, for example. There is no reflective structure layer in the flatter regions 14 of the array 12, for example, regions with pitch angles of 0 to 8 degrees. And a reflective structure layer is provided in a steeper region 13, for example, a region with a pitch angle of 8 to 20 degrees. The reflective structure layer is for example an Al layer with a thickness of 30 nm. A second, e.g. lower, surface of the substrate 11 is provided with a security image. The security image may be, for example, a black and white coded image having black areas 15 and white areas 16. The security image of the second surface is observable along direction 17 when viewer 171 is facing substrate 11. When the observer 181 is at a larger angle to the substrate 11, only the region 13 is visible along the direction 18, and the reflective structure layer in the region 13 blocks part or all of the flat light permeable region 14, so that the security image of the second surface is not visible at all or part of the security image is visible.

The reflective structure layer of the array 12 may be implemented by vacuum evaporation of a reflective material. After evaporation, the reflective material of the relatively flat regions 14 of the array 12 is removed by means of laser ablation. Alternatively, the non-reflective structured region 14 may be formed by contact printing a volatile material in a relatively flat region of the array 12 and then evaporating the reflective material, the volatile material preventing adhesion of the reflective material during evaporation.

Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an anti-counterfeit image element 20 in which the microstructure is a spherical crown type curved surface structure and the anti-counterfeit image layer is located on the reflective structure layer, which is only an example of a situation in which the microstructure is a spherical crown type curved surface structure and the anti-counterfeit image layer is located on the reflective structure layer, and the invention is not limited thereto, wherein 21 is a transparent PET substrate with a thickness of 15um to 30um, an array 22 composed of spherical crown type curved surface structures is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 21, and a transverse dimension of each curved surface structure ranges from 30um to 50um. The array 22 is prepared by laser direct writing a master and is formed on a first surface, e.g., the upper surface, of the substrate 21 by UV imprinting or the like. The array 22 may have a maximum pitch angle of 20 degrees, for example. In the flatter regions 24 of the array 22, regions with pitch angles of 0 to 8 degrees have no reflective structure layer, while in the steeper regions 25, regions with pitch angles of 8 to 20 degrees have a reflective structure layer. The reflective structure layer is for example chosen as a 30nm thick Al layer. The array 22 is coated with a layer of clear adhesive 23 on its upper surface, the clear adhesive 23 acting to fill the array 22, the layer of clear adhesive 23 having a refractive index that is the same as or very close to the refractive index of the array 22, so that light passing through the interface of the array 22 and the layer of clear adhesive 23 is not reflected or refracted. On the upper surface of the transparent adhesive layer 23 there is a security image, for example a black and white coded image, having black areas 26 and white areas 27. When viewer 281 observes the black 26 and white 27 regions of the security image in direction 28 on the side of the second surface of the substrate 21 facing the substrate 21 and only region 25 is visible when viewer 291 is at a large angle to the substrate 21 in direction 29, the reflective structure layer on region 25 blocks part or all of the flat light permeable region 24 and thus completely prevents the security image or a portion of the security image from being observed on the second surface.

The reflective structure layer of the array 22 may be implemented by vacuum evaporation of a reflective material. After evaporation, the reflective material of the relatively flat regions 24 of the array 22 is removed by means of laser ablation. Alternatively, the non-reflective structured region 24 may be formed by printing a volatile material in contact with the relatively flat region of the array 22, and then evaporating the reflective material to prevent the volatile material from adhering during the evaporation process.

Fig. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a security image element 30 with a microstructure being a diffuse reflection structure and a security image layer on a second surface, which is only an example of a situation where the microstructure is a diffuse reflection structure and the security image layer is on the second surface, and the invention is not limited thereto, where 31 is a transparent PET substrate with a thickness of 15 to 30um, a plurality of diffuse reflection structures 32 with diffuse reflection characteristics are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 31, and the diffuse reflection structures 32 can be implemented by dividing and rearranging an array composed of a set of spherical-crown-shaped curved surface structures in fig. 2A or fig. 2B, or by randomly generating azimuth angles and pitch angles of the diffuse reflection structures 32 by using a computer. The lateral dimensions of the diffuse reflective structure 32 range from 10um to 30um. These diffuse reflection structures 32 may be prepared as a master by laser direct writing, electron beam direct writing, or the like, and formed on a first surface, e.g., an upper surface, of the substrate 31 by UV imprinting or the like. The maximum pitch angle of the diffuse reflection structures 32 may be designed to be 20 degrees, for example, and the pitch angles and positions of the diffuse reflection structures 32 may be designed to be randomly distributed. In the flatter area 33 of the diffuse reflection structure 32, the pitch angle is 0 to 8 degrees, and in the steeper area 34, the pitch angle is 8 to 20 degrees. The reflective structure layer was chosen to be a 30nm thick layer of Al. A second, e.g. lower, surface of the substrate 31 is provided with a security image. The security image is a black and white coded image having a black area 35 and a white area 36. When viewer 371 is directed towards substrate 31, the image of the second surface is viewable along direction 37, whereas when viewer 381 is at a greater angle to substrate 31, only area 34 is viewable along direction 38, and the reflective structure layer on area 34 blocks part or all of the flat light-transmissive area 33, so that the security image of the second surface or a portion of the security image is not viewable at all.

The reflective structure layer of the diffuse reflection structure 32 may be implemented by vacuum evaporation of a reflective material. After evaporation, the reflective material of the relatively flat areas of the diffuse reflective structure 32 is removed by means of laser ablation. Alternatively, the non-reflective region 33 may be formed by printing a volatile material in contact with the relatively flat region of the diffuse reflection structure 32, and then depositing a reflective material, wherein the volatile material prevents the reflective material from adhering during the deposition process.

Of course, as mentioned above, similar to the case where the microstructure is a spherical crown type curved surface structure, the present invention can also set the example where the microstructure is a diffuse reflection structure, that is, the anti-counterfeit image in fig. 2C, on the reflective structure layer on the upper surface side, and the structure and principle thereof will not be described in detail here.

Fig. 2D is a schematic partial cross-sectional structure view of the security image element of fig. 2A and 2B with the secondary structure 42 disposed therein. And 40 is an array consisting of a plurality of spherical crown type curved surface structures. 41 is the area plated with the reflective structure layer Al, which does not contain any secondary structures. The spherical cap type curved surface structure is distributed with secondary structures 42, the secondary structures 42 are submicron gratings, each secondary structure 42 includes, for example, micro units which appear periodically, and the displacement between two adjacent micro units is, for example, between 0.2um and 5um. The microcells are, for example, saw-tooth structures having a triangular cross section. . The secondary structure 42 is covered with a reflective structural layer Al, and this combination can produce color by the principle of surface plasmon absorption or the principle of interference. And 43 is the area without the reflective structure layer Al. 43 are in the region of smaller pitch angles, e.g. 0 to 8 degrees, i.e. flatter, while 41 and 42 are in the region of larger pitch angles, i.e. steeper, e.g. 8 to 20 degrees. When viewed obliquely, the observer will see regions of greater pitch angle, which may be designed with at least one color pattern, and the color patterns may be distributed over regions of different pitch angles, i.e. corresponding to different viewing angles. Thus, a pattern of different colors appears under a large viewing angle. For example, a red pattern appears at 10 to 15 degrees, and a blue pattern appears at 15 to 20 degrees.

Of course, as mentioned above, the secondary structure of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to be disposed on the microstructure shown in fig. 2A and 2B, and the present invention may also dispose the secondary structure on any one of the embodiments or exemplary microstructures provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and the structure and principle thereof will not be described in detail herein.

Fig. 3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic views of the visual effect of the security image element of fig. 2A and 2B at three different viewing angles, respectively. 51 is the image observed when the security image element is rotated counter-clockwise and 56 is a distribution of a set of circles contained on the observed image, the position, shape, size, etc. of the circles being dependent on the angle of the counter-clockwise rotation, such that further changes may be made to translational movement, rotational movement, image switching, image distortion and/or image scaling, which transformation results in a dynamic security feature that appears as the reflective structure layer changes with the angle of observation caused by the counter-clockwise rotation of the security image element. The QR code 54 appears when the anti-counterfeiting image element is observed from the front, the two-dimensional code itself is static, i.e. does not change with the change of the observation angle, and this can be realized by printing or digital printing, and the two-dimensional code may also have an optical anti-counterfeiting feature 55, which may be a holographic diffraction feature, a micro-lens array magnified dynamic feature, an optical three-dimensional relief feature, etc. 53 is the image observed when the security image element is rotated clockwise and 57 is the distribution of a set of circles contained on the observed image, the position, shape, size, etc. of the circles being dependent on the angle of the clockwise rotation, such that further changes may be made to translational movement, rotational movement, image switching, image distortion and/or image scaling, etc., which transformation results in a dynamic security feature that appears as the reflective structure layer changes in angle of observation as the security image element is rotated counter-clockwise.

In summary, the anti-counterfeit image element and the anti-counterfeit product provided by the embodiments of the present invention include: a light permeable substrate layer comprising opposing first and second surfaces; the microstructure layer is positioned on the first surface and comprises a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprises a gentle region and/or a non-gentle region, and the pitch angle of the microstructure in the gentle region is smaller than that of the microstructure in the non-gentle region; the reflecting structure layer is positioned on the microstructure layer and covers at least one part of the non-gentle region; and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is provided with an anti-counterfeiting image, is positioned on the reflecting structure layer or the second surface, and can realize the appearance of the anti-counterfeiting image during front observation and the appearance of dynamic characteristics during side observation, thereby solving the technical problem that the existing anti-counterfeiting product is easy to counterfeit.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrases "comprising a," "8230," "8230," or "comprising" does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

The above are merely examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and alterations to this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A security image element, comprising:

a light permeable substrate layer comprising opposing first and second surfaces;

the microstructure layer is positioned on the first surface and comprises a plurality of microstructures, each microstructure comprises a gentle region and/or a non-gentle region, and the pitch angle of the microstructures in the gentle region is smaller than that of the microstructures in the non-gentle region;

a reflective structure layer on the microstructure layer, the reflective structure layer covering at least a portion of the non-flat areas; and

and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is provided with an anti-counterfeiting image and is positioned on the reflecting structure layer or the second surface.

2. A security image element according to claim 1, wherein the light-permeable substrate layer is of at least one material selected from PET plastics, BOPP plastics and PC plastics.

3. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the microstructures have a lateral dimension in the range 5um to 100um.

4. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the microstructures have a lateral dimension in the range 10um to 50um.

5. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surface of the microstructured layer comprises a flat and/or curved surface.

6. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the microstructures are spherical crown shaped curved structures.

7. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the microstructures are diffusely reflective.

8. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: the transparent coating is positioned on the reflecting structure layer, and the anti-counterfeiting image layer is positioned on the transparent coating.

9. A security image element as claimed in claim 8 wherein the refractive index of the transparent coating is the same as the refractive index of the microstructures such that light passing through the interface of the microstructures and the transparent coating is not reflected and refracted.

10. A security image element according to claim 1 wherein the microstructures have a pitch angle having a maximum value greater than 5 degrees.

11. A security image element according to claim 1, wherein the microstructures have a pitch angle of greater than 10 degrees at its maximum.

12. A security image element according to claim 1, wherein a pitch angle of the microstructure of the non-flat region is not less than a preset value, a pitch angle of the microstructure of the flat region is less than the preset value, and the preset value is 0.3 times a maximum value of the pitch angle of the microstructure.

13. A security image element according to claim 1, wherein the reflective structure layer is a metallic single layer structure.

14. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reflective structure layer is a multilayer structure consisting of metal and/or media.

15. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reflective structural layer provides a dynamic security feature.

16. A security image element as claimed in claim 15 wherein the dynamic security feature comprises: translational movement, rotational movement, image switching, image distortion and/or image scaling changes of the reflective structure layer with changes in the viewing angle.

17. A security image element according to claim 15, wherein at least a part of the non-flat areas are provided with secondary structures.

18. A security image element as claimed in claim 17 wherein the dynamic security feature comprises: the color and/or pattern of the reflective structure layer changes with the change of the observation angle.

19. A security image element according to claim 17, wherein each secondary structure comprises a periodic occurrence of micro-cells, the displacement between adjacent micro-cells being 0.2um to 5um.

20. A security image element according to claim 19 wherein the displacement between adjacent two of the microcells is from 0.2um to 1um.

21. A security image element according to claim 17, wherein the secondary structure is a grating structure.

22. A security image element according to claim 1, wherein the security image is a static image.

23. A security image element as claimed in claim 22 wherein the static image contains encoded information.

24. A security image element as claimed in claim 23 wherein the static image is a two dimensional code.

25. A security image element as claimed in claim 24 wherein the static image is a quick response code.

26. A security image element as claimed in claim 24 wherein the two-dimensional code is provided with an optical security feature.

27. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the security image is provided with at least one position detection feature.

28. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the security image is provided with three non-collinear position detection patterns.

29. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the security image is obtained when viewed from the side of and against the second surface with the security image layer on the reflective structural layer.

30. A security image element as claimed in claim 1 wherein with the security image layer on the second surface the security image is obtained when viewed from the side of and against the first surface.

31. A security product comprising a security image element according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

32. A security product as claimed in claim 31, which is a paper banknote, a polymer banknote, a credit card, a bank card, a cash card, an authorization card, a personal identification card or a passport.