JPH01145081A - See-through body for submerged mount article - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the defogging property by a method wherein on the internal surface of a see-through member including a lens of an underwater goggle or a diving mask, a thin film of silicon dioxide, is formed. CONSTITUTION: On the internal surface of a see-through member L including a lens part of an underwater goggle, etc., a thin film 7 of silicon dioxide is formed by a vacuum depositing or sputtering into a thickness of at least 0.01μm. By doing so, the silicon dioxide of the thin film 7 has an affinity, and a water film is formed and a defogging effect can be obtained. Also, the thin film 7 of silicon dioxide is inorganic, and for this reason, there is no elusion of the active ingredient, and the deterioration of the thin film 7 itself, and there is no oxidation in air or in water as well, and the retention of the defogging effect extending to a long period of time can be ensured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (1) Purpose of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a transparent body for underwater wearable articles, more specifically, to anti-fogging properties of transparent members including lenses of underwater goggles and diving masks. Regarding those given.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

Underwater goggles are worn airtight over the eyes to protect the eyes while swimming, etc., and are intended for underwater viewing. However, while the goggles are worn, steam that evaporates from the eyeballs adheres to the inner surface of the goggles, causing cooling. This causes fine water droplets to form and cause fogging, which significantly impedes visibility6.For this reason, conventional techniques have been to apply an anti-fog agent to the inner surface of the goggles, or to form the lens part of the goggles from cellulose plastic and saponify it. Measures have been taken to impart antifogging properties through treatment.

However, lenses coated with an antifogging agent tend to optically distort the lens surface, causing eye fatigue, and there are also problems in that the antifogging agent dissolves during wear and the antifogging effect deteriorates. Additionally, saponified cellulose plastics have the ability to absorb moisture inside goggles, but
There is a problem in that it tends to reach a saturated state in a relatively short period of time, and the antifogging effect can only be expected until before that state.

On the other hand, a diving mask also has substantially the same purpose as the goggles. This mask is often worn for a relatively long period of time when diving in the sea, etc., but since diving involves a lot of exercise, the face sweats, and the resulting steam adheres to the inner surface of the mask's lens. When it cools down, it becomes fine water droplets that form clouding, which can significantly impede visibility and create a sense of danger. For this reason, conventionally, the inner surface of the lens has been coated with an optically problematic antifogging agent as described above, or saliva has been coated when no such preparation is available. Furthermore, when the inner surface of a lens becomes cloudy underwater, a so-called mask clearing method is no longer practiced, in which water is poured into the mask to erase the water droplets on the inner surface of the lens, and then drained. However, none of these means maintains the anti-fogging effect, giving the wearer a constant feeling of anxiety.

An object of the present invention is to provide a see-through body for underwater wearable articles that can solve the above-mentioned problems with relatively simple means.

(2) Structure of the invention [Means for solving the problem] As mentioned above, while wearing underwater goggles or a diving mask,
The reason why fogging occurs on the inner surface of transparent members such as lenses is that steam evaporating inside the lens adheres to the inner surface and cools to form fine water droplets. In such a case, the present inventor believes that if the inner surface of the transparent member is uniformly wetted in advance to form a water film, even if the steam condenses, it will not become water droplets, and the N water film will be maintained as it is. Based on the idea that it would not interfere with fluoroscopy, we conducted intensive research focusing on transparent materials that could form a uniform water film on the inner surface of fluoroscopy members.
The present inventors have discovered that when a thin film of silicon dioxide, preferably one having a relatively good affinity for water, is formed on the inner surface, the water film is formed and a good antifogging effect can be obtained.

That is, the present invention provides an article that covers at least the eye area of a wearer, by forming a thin film of silicon dioxide on the inner surface of a see-through member in the article.

The purpose of this invention is to solve the above problems.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the silicon dioxide thin film is formed by vacuum evaporation or sputtering to a thickness of at least 0.01 μm. Examples of the see-through member include see-through members including lenses for underwater goggles and diving masks.

[Effect]

Since the surface tension of water is 72.8 dyne/cn, water appears to be repelled and does not form a water film on the surface of most solid materials, such as plastic, glass, and metal. In order for the surface of a solid, that is, the inner surface of a see-through member made of plastic or glass, to be wetted with water and to form a uniform water film, the affinity between the interior and water must be adjusted relative to the surface tension of the water. Although it is necessary that the force that causes water to spread into a film on the inner surface is large, the thin film of silicon dioxide formed on the inner surface has the above-mentioned affinity and forms the water film.

More specifically, the affinity between the inner surface of the transparent member and water is
Van der Waals
) The water tries to spread to the inner surface, so the inner surface and the water pull each other against each other, and the water overcomes the surface tension and forms a water film on the inner surface. Here, in the silicon dioxide thin film formed on the inner surface of the transparent member, silicon dioxide and oxygen are arranged in a three-dimensional network structure by covalent bonds, while water is arranged in a three-dimensional network structure by covalent bonds. Among the forces, the tensile force due to the orientation effect based on molecular polarization is the largest, so it is thought that this is because the mutual molecular polarization with water molecules is evened out orientationally.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be further explained based on the illustrated embodiments as follows.

The object of the present invention is a see-through member 3 including the lens portion 2 of the underwater goggles 1 shown in FIG. 3, and a see-through member 6 which is the lens 5 of the diving mask 4 shown in FIG. , 6 use common coding in the following description.

In FIG. 1, the viewing member is formed from transparent plastic or glass. On the inner surface of the transparent member,
Preferably, a thin film 7 of silicon dioxide having good affinity with water (hydrophilic) is formed.

Commercially available silicon dioxide can be used.

The thin film 7 is formed by a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method. In vacuum evaporation, for example, a see-through member made of transparent plastic or glass is attached to the fixture so that its inner surface, which is the surface to be processed, faces the evaporation source, and the air in the vacuum chamber is evacuated to reduce the degree of vacuum to zero. ．． OO04mH
The silicon dioxide set in the vapor deposition source is evaporated by heating it with a heater, and the thin film 7 is formed by vapor depositing silicon dioxide on the inner surface of the transparent member. thin film 7
The thickness depends on the evaporation rate, evaporation time, distance from the evaporation source, and is preferably, but not limited to, at least about 0. O1-0.3μ Otori.

In the sputtering method, a glow discharge is generated between two electrodes in a vacuum, and accelerated ions collide with silicon dioxide, which is a cathode material, and the silicon dioxide is deposited on the inner surface of the transparent member by the sputtering phenomenon, forming a thin film 7.
form. In addition to such a vacuum evaporation method and a sputtering method, an ion blating method can be mentioned.

(3) Effects of the invention According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

a. Since a thin film of silicon dioxide is formed on the inner surface of the see-through member including the lenses of underwater goggles and diving masks, water droplets adhering to this inner surface are absorbed by the action described in the [Function] section. Since it forms a water film, the antifogging effect is improved and the above-mentioned problems can be solved.

b. Since the silicon dioxide thin film is inorganic, there is no elution of active ingredients such as organic antifogging agents, no deterioration of the thin film itself, no oxidation in the air or water, and a long antifogging effect. Sustainability over a period of time is ensured.

This is because a thin film of CO silicon dioxide can be formed by a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method.

Obtained in a smooth state with excellent optical properties.

d. Each of the above methods does not require a high-temperature atmosphere such as baking or drying, so the transparent member is not affected by heat, has good dimensional stability, and is safe because no harmful chemicals are used.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show embodiments of the see-through body of the present invention, so FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of the see-through member of the underwater goggles/diving mask shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of underwater goggles, and FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of a diving mask. L...Transparent member 7...Silicon dioxide thin film 8...Water film

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A see-through body for an underwater wearable article, which is an article that covers at least the eye area of a wearer, and is characterized in that a thin film of silicon dioxide is formed on the inner surface of the see-through member of the article. (2) The see-through body for an underwater article according to claim 1, wherein the silicon dioxide thin film is formed by either vacuum deposition or sputtering. (3) The transparent body for an underwater wearable article according to claim 1, wherein the silicon dioxide thin film has a thickness of at least 0.01 μm. (4) The transparent body for an underwater wearable article according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is a transparent member including a lens of underwater goggles or a diving mask.