JP2922937B2 - Image recording method and laminated film used therefor - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image recording method using an anisotropic polymer film laminated film.

(Prior Art) It is known to develop a color by inserting an anisotropic polymer film having a specific molecular orientation between two polarizing plates. As shown in FIG. 1, the principle of this color formation is that the orientation direction of molecules between two polarizing plates 1 and 3, for example, having a polarization direction orthogonal to each other, is oriented at 45 ° with respect to the polarizing direction of the polarizing plate 1. When the oriented resin film 2 is inserted, the light from the light source passes through the polarizing plate 1 to become linearly polarized light 4, and then passes through the molecular orientation anisotropic film 2 oriented at 45 ° and changes to elliptically polarized light 5, and further, When the elliptically polarized light 5 passes through the second polarizing plate 3, the light intensity varies depending on the wavelength, and it becomes colored polarized light 6 to develop a color. Attempts have been made to apply this principle to textiles and fabrics, and it is promising as a new color material for iridescent knit products, stage costumes, interior curtains, displays, etc. (Kiichi Matsumoto et al. Proceedings of Annual Conference of Research Presentations, p. 153).

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Until now, attention has been paid to the point that the above phenomenon develops color. An object of the present invention is to utilize the coloring phenomenon as a recording material for forming an image.

(Means for Solving the Problems) That is, in the present invention, between two polarizing films parallel or perpendicular to each other, the molecular orientation anisotropy is stretched in a direction substantially 45 ° to the polarizing direction of the polarizing film by stretching. Provide a laminated film sandwiching the formed molecular anisotropic film, and completely or incompletely reduce the molecular orientation anisotropy of the image recording portion in the molecular orientation anisotropic film of the laminated film by heat or light. And an image recording method for recording an image.

The present invention is also a laminated film for image formation, comprising a molecular orientation anisotropic film having molecular orientation anisotropy formed by stretching between two parallel or orthogonal polarizing films. The anisotropic film has a molecular orientation anisotropy in a direction of approximately 45 ° with respect to the polarization direction of the polarizing film, and completely or incompletely reduces the molecular orientation anisotropy of an image forming portion by heat or light. Provided is a laminated film for image recording, characterized by having physical properties to be obtained.

The principle of color development is caused by the molecular orientation direction of the molecular orientation anisotropic film, and the orientation is completely or incompletely reduced by heat or light, so that the part is not colored or has a different color. And an image is formed in the laminated film. Images can be recorded by this method.

The polarizing film used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and a commercially available polarizing film having only a high degree of product stability such as heat resistance, weather resistance, and moisture resistance and having a high degree of polarization may be used.

As the molecular orientation anisotropic polymer film, a film obtained by uniaxially or biaxially stretching a normal polymer film by about 1.5 to 6 times and orienting the crystal plane parallel to the film plane is used. For the polymer film, a general polymer polymer which exhibits anisotropy when stretched, for example, vinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6, polyvinyl alcohol and the like can be used. Further, a plasticizer may be added or a dye may be doped as necessary in order to increase the efficiency of anisotropic change. Using photodegradable photopolymer,
The molecular orientation anisotropy of the polymer whose molecular weight has been reduced by exposure may be further reduced by heat. There is also a method of forming and erasing an image by using a photoisomerizable polymer and using anisotropy and a reversible change in the decrease. Examples of such photoisomerized polymers include the synthetic fiber lectures by Eiichi Kobayashi et al., Vol. 44,
95 (1987).

In the image recording method of the present invention, two polarizing films are combined so as to be parallel or perpendicular to each other, and a molecular orientation anisotropic film is inserted therebetween so as to form an angle of 45 °. Parallel, orthogonal and 45 ° angles are not strictly defined and are considered to be quite wide. Therefore, it may be considered that there is a width of approximately 10 mm in the case of 45 mm. In addition to the method using two polarizing films, a similar image can be recorded by disposing a molecular orientation anisotropic film between the polarizing film and the reflector. When a reflector is used, the reflector may be a simple one on which an aluminum film is deposited. Of course, a reflecting plate such as a mirror may be used.

The molecular orientation anisotropy of the image forming portion of the molecular orientation anisotropic film is eliminated by the action of heat or light. The anisotropy is reduced completely or incompletely. When it is performed incompletely, some molecular orientation remains, and there is a possibility of developing a different color, and a color image can be formed. When the anisotropy is completely reduced and becomes isotropic, the image portion is basically black or colorless and transparent. Various methods can be considered as a method of applying heat. In general, it is sufficient to lower the molecular orientation anisotropy of a portion where an image is formed in a film by using a heat mode laser or a thermal head. When light is used, digital image recording using a laser beam or analog image recording using a mercury lamp can be applied.

(Operation of the Invention) The image recording method of the present invention considers a method in which a molecular orientation anisotropic polymer 2 is sandwiched between two polarizing films 1 and 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). If the molecular orientation anisotropy is partially reduced by heat or light as shown in FIG. 2 (b), color development does not occur in that portion as shown in FIG. 2 (c). An image as shown in (e) is formed and recorded. In the case where two polarizing films are used, if the polarizing films are orthogonal to each other, light in the portion where the anisotropy of the polymer is reduced will not pass, and the obtained image will be a positive image as shown in FIG. However, when the polarizing film is made parallel, the portion where the anisotropy is reduced transmits the light as it is to form a negative image.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, both positive and negative recording materials can be easily prepared by changing the polarization axis of the polarizing film. Further, the polarizing film and the molecular orientation film can be used at low cost because general industrial chemicals can be used, and the area can be increased. Further, according to the method of the present invention, there is no need for a special developing and fixing step as in silver halide photography, and the step can be simplified. Furthermore, since the method is basically based on a physical image forming method and does not use a chemical reaction, the stability of the product is extremely good. By controlling the amount of irradiation of heat and light, an image can have an appropriate color within a limited range, and a recording material capable of expressing various colors without using a coloring material becomes possible. In the case of black and white, an image with high contrast is formed, so that it can be used for plate making of PS planographic materials and the like.

(Examples) The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.

Example 1 A polyethylene-based anisotropic polymer film prepared by a uniaxial stretching method was laminated between two orthogonally polarizing films using an adhesive to obtain a pale yellow transparent laminated film.

This film was exposed using a semiconductor laser as shown in FIG. The state after exposure is shown in FIG.

Example 2 The same processing as in Example 1 was performed except that the polarizing film was changed from the orthogonal position to the parallel position. The laminated film showed dark blue transparency. The state after exposure is shown in FIG.

Example 3 A photo-degradable polymer (vinyl chloride treated with hexachloroacetone) prepared by a uniaxial stretching method was laminated between two orthogonally polarized films using an adhesive to obtain a pale yellow transparent laminated film. Was. After exposing the film to a UV laser, the entire film was heated at 100 °.
The state after the processing is shown in FIG.

Example 4 A polyvinyl alcohol anisotropic polymer film prepared by a uniaxial stretching method was laminated between two parallel polarizing films using an adhesive to obtain a green transparent laminated film. This film was exposed for about 1/2 and about 1/3 hour of the heat mode laser exposed in Example 1. The state after exposure is shown in FIG.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the basic principle of color development of the method of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining how an image is recorded by the method of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of exposure and a state of image recording after exposure in the embodiment.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-63-95993 (JP, A) JP-A-62-226121 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G02F 1/01 601

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A molecular orientation anisotropic film, in which molecular anisotropy is formed by stretching between two parallel or orthogonal polarizing films in a direction substantially at 45 ° to the polarization direction of the polarizing film. Provided is a laminated film sandwiched between, and recording an image by completely or incompletely reducing the molecular orientation anisotropy of the image recording portion in the molecular orientation anisotropic film of the laminated film by heat or light. Characteristic image recording method. 2. A laminated film for image formation, comprising a molecular orientation anisotropic film having molecular orientation anisotropy formed by stretching between two parallel or orthogonal polarizing films. The anisotropic film has a molecular orientation anisotropy in a direction of approximately 45 ° with respect to the polarization direction of the polarizing film, and completely or incompletely reduces the molecular orientation anisotropy of an image forming portion by heat or light. A laminated film for image recording characterized by having physical properties to be obtained. 3. The image recording method according to claim 1, wherein the stretching is uniaxial stretching or biaxial stretching. 4. The image recording method according to claim 1, wherein said polymer is vinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6 or polyvinyl alcohol. 5. The laminated film for image recording according to claim 2, wherein the stretching is uniaxial stretching or biaxial stretching. 6. The laminated film for image recording according to claim 2, wherein said polymer is vinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6 or polyvinyl alcohol. 7. The image recording method according to claim 1, wherein the light passing through the first polarizing film passes through the anisotropic film and is then reflected by a reflector to reflect the first light. Image recording method returning to the deflecting film. 8. The laminated film for image recording according to claim 2, wherein one of the two polarizing films is replaced with a reflector.