TW201803739A - Appearance and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An appearance including a transparent substrate, a plurality of transparent microstructures, a reflective layer and a color layer is provided. The transparent microstructures are disposed on the transparent substrate, and the transparent microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. The reflective layer covers a surface of the transparent microstructures which is not in contact with the transparent substrate. The reflective layer is disposed between the transparent microstructures and the color layer. Besides, a manufacturing method of the appearance is also provided.

Description

Appearance piece and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to an appearance member and a method of fabricating the same.

Nowadays, it is often seen in consumer electronics that there is a decorative design with a color of light, or a decorative design with a enamel pattern. For example, many electronic products have appearance parts such as a casing, a bezel or a protective cover, or many aesthetically pleasing decorations such as charms or necklaces, and the surface thereof is provided with a design that can produce color brilliance and enamel lines. At present, these decorative designs with color illuminating or decorative designs that can form enamel lines are produced by transferring a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film similar to a grating structure. However, in the finished product made by this method, the structural parameters such as the height may be unsatisfactory due to process limitations. Or, the performance of the finished color brilliance or the performance of the enamel color road is not as expected, and thus it is not easy to meet various aesthetic requirements. In addition, when the structure formed by the process method is designed for the appearance of a consumer electronic product, due to the excessive tolerance relationship, the positioning and the assembly problem of the fitting are liable to occur, and the yield of the product is difficult to be improved.

The present invention provides an appearance member having a pattern that can produce excellent light performance, and which can be used for precise alignment assembly.

In the manufacturing method of the appearance member of the present invention, the appearance member produced has a pattern with excellent light performance, and the appearance member can be assembled with precise alignment.

The appearance member of an embodiment of the invention comprises a light transmissive substrate, a plurality of light transmissive microstructures, a reflective layer and a color coating. The light transmissive microstructures are disposed on the light transmissive substrate, and the light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. The reflective layer covers the surface of the light transmissive microstructure that is not in contact with the light transmissive substrate. A reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructures and the colored coating.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light transmissive microstructures are arranged along a plurality of concentric circular paths.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pitch of the light transmissive microstructures described above falls within the range of 40 microns to 120 microns.

In an embodiment of the invention, the width of each of the light transmissive microstructures described above falls within the range of 40 microns to 120 microns.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height of each of the light transmissive microstructures described above falls within the range of 5 to 30 microns.

A method of fabricating an appearance member according to an embodiment of the present invention includes providing a light transmissive substrate. In addition, a plurality of light transmissive microstructures are formed on the light transmissive substrate. These light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. Further, a reflective layer is formed which covers the surfaces of the light transmissive microstructures that are not in contact with the light transmissive substrate. Additionally, a colored coating is formed wherein the reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructures and the colored coating.

Based on the above, the manufacturing method of the appearance member of the embodiment of the invention includes forming a plurality of light transmissive microstructures on the light transmissive substrate. These light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. The manufacturing method of the appearance component also includes forming a reflective layer and a color coating layer, the reflective layer covering the surface of the light transmissive microstructure not contacting the light transmissive substrate, and the reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructure and the color coating layer . Therefore, the appearance member produced by the manufacturing method of the appearance member has a pattern which can produce excellent light performance, and the color exhibited by the pattern can be adjusted according to the color coating design and the structural parameters of the light transmitting microstructure. In addition, the appearance parts can be assembled with precise alignment.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the explosion of an appearance component applied to a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 . In the present embodiment, the appearance member 100 is, for example, a protective case of the mobile phone 50. The mobile phone 50 has a surface S1 and a surface S2 with respect to the surface S1, and the appearance member 100 has a surface S3 and a surface S4 with respect to the surface S3. The surface S4 of the appearance member 100 covers the surface S2 of the mobile phone 50. Specifically, the surface S1 of the mobile phone 50 serves as the front side of the mobile phone 50, and the user can operate the mobile phone 50 through a mobile phone related member located on the surface S1, such as a touch screen or a physical button. In the present embodiment, the surface S3 of the appearance member 100 serves as the front surface of the appearance member 100. The appearance member 100 encloses at least a portion of the mobile phone 50 to reduce the influence of external forces on the mobile phone 50. In this embodiment, the external force includes at least impact force, pressure, friction or other external force, and the invention is not limited thereto. In the general use case, when the appearance member 100 is mounted on the mobile phone 50, the appearance member 100 can not only provide the effect of the protection of the mobile phone 50, but also the user can see that the appearance member 100 has the decorative effect on the side of the surface S3. . In different embodiments, the appearance member 100 may be transparent or not transparent, and the invention is not limited thereto. Moreover, in some embodiments, the mobile phone 50 can be, for example, a smart phone or a conventional mobile phone, and the appearance member 100 wraps at least a portion of the mobile phone 50 to provide its protection. In addition, the appearance member 100 can also be used as an outer casing or a protective member of other types of electronic products, such as a tablet computer, a smart watch, a mobile power source, or a casing or a protective member of other types of non-electronic products, and the present invention does not refer to the appearance member. The product type of 100 applicable objects is limited.

2 is a front elevational view showing the back side of the appearance member of the embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing the back side of the appearance member of the embodiment of FIG. 2 in the area A, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the appearance of the embodiment of FIG. A schematic view of the section of the I' line. Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3. In the present embodiment, the appearance member 100 includes a light transmissive substrate 110, and the light transmissive substrate 110 has a pattern 102 thereon. For example, the pattern 102 can be an apple pattern or other pattern. In addition, the pattern 102 may also have a specific shape or a character, and the invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 simultaneously, in the present embodiment, the light-transmitting substrate 110 has a viewing surface S31 and a back surface S41 with respect to the viewing surface S31. Specifically, the viewing surface S31 of the light-transmitting substrate 110 is a part of the surface S3 of the appearance member 100, and the back surface S41 of the light-transmitting substrate 110 is a part of the surface S4 of the appearance member 100. When the user views the appearance member 100 from one side of the surface S3 (as shown in FIG. 4, the user's eye HE is located on the side of the surface S3 of the appearance member 100), the user can view the outline of the pattern 102 and the color it presents. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the appearance member 100 can provide the effect of the decoration or aesthetics of the mobile phone 50.

In some embodiments, the portion of the appearance member 100 other than the light transmissive substrate 110 may also be transparent. For example, the appearance member 100 can be made of a transparent material and formed into a whole piece of the transparent substrate 110. In addition, the pattern 102 is located on a portion of the surface S4. In these embodiments, the surface S4 is the back surface S41, and the surface S3 with respect to the surface S4 is the viewing surface S31. In addition, in other embodiments, the portion of the appearance member 100 other than the light transmissive substrate 110 may also be opaque. For example, a shape corresponding to the light-transmitting substrate 110 may be cut on a leather, metal or plastic-made appearance member, and the light-transmitting substrate 110 having the pattern 102 may be embedded therein, and the present invention does not Limited. In this embodiment, the material of the light transmissive substrate 110 may be sapphire, glass, transparent ceramic, spinel, quartz, plastic or a combination thereof. For example, the material of the light-transmitting substrate 110 is, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the invention is not limited thereto.

Please continue to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3. In this embodiment, the appearance member 100 further includes a plurality of light transmissive microstructures 120 disposed on the light transmissive substrate 110, and the light transmissive microstructures 120 are arranged to form the pattern 102. Specifically, the light transmitting microstructures 120 are disposed on the back surface S41 of the light transmitting substrate 110. In addition, the back surface S41 of the light-transmitting substrate 110 has a center C, and the light-transmitting microstructures 120 are arranged along a plurality of concentric circular paths, and each of the light-transmitting microstructures 120 surrounds the center C. Specifically, please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 simultaneously, and the cross section of each of the light transmitting microstructures 120 is trapezoidal. In addition, the light transmissive microstructures 120 arranged along a plurality of concentric circular paths are moderately broken to form the boundaries of the pattern 102. Thus, these light transmissive microstructures 120 can be patterned to form a pattern 102. In other embodiments, the light transmissive microstructures 120 can be arranged along paths having other shapes. For example, the light transmissive microstructures 120 can be arranged along a path having a polygonal, arcuate or irregular shape and collectively surround the center C. In addition, the cross section of each of the light transmissive microstructures 120 may have other shapes, such as triangular, polygonal, curved, or irregular shapes. In addition, the center C may be located at the geometric center of the back surface S41, for example, or may be located at any position on the back surface S41 according to actual needs, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the light transmissive microstructures 120 can be formed, for example, by a photoresist process. For example, the method of forming the light transmissive microstructures 120 includes polishing the back surface S41 of the light transmissive substrate 110 to make it flat. Next, a photoresist is applied on the back surface S41 to form a photoresist layer. Thereafter, the outline of the pattern 102 is transferred to the photoresist layer by irradiation of a pattern mask and ultraviolet light, and according to the type of selection of the photoresist, the developer is impregnated to remove or leave the photoresist layer defined by ultraviolet light. Portions of these light transmissive microstructures 120 are formed. However, in some embodiments, the light transmissive microstructures 120 may also be formed using a dry film photoresist process or other process means, and the invention is not limited thereto.

Please continue to refer to Figure 4. In the present embodiment, these light transmissive microstructures 120 have a particular size and arrangement. The width W of each of the light transmissive microstructures 120 falls within the range of 5 microns to 120 microns. In addition, the height H of each of the light transmitting microstructures 120 falls within the range of 5 to 30 micrometers, preferably falls within the range of 20 micrometers to 30 micrometers. Moreover, the pitch G of these light transmissive microstructures 120 falls within the range of 40 microns to 120 microns. However, in other embodiments, the light transmissive microstructures 120 may have other ranges of width W, height H, and spacing G, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the appearance component 100 further includes a reflective layer 130 and a color coating layer 140. The reflective layer 130 covers the surface of the light transmissive microstructure 120 that is not in contact with the transparent substrate 110, and the reflective layer 130 is disposed on the transparent layer 130. The light microstructure 120 is between the color coating 140. Specifically, the reflective layer 130 is also disposed on the back surface S41, and the reflective layer 130 covers the surfaces of the light transmissive microstructures 120 that are not in contact with the transparent substrate 110. In addition, the reflective layer 130 also covers the back surface S41 that is not in contact with the light transmitting microstructures 120. In the present embodiment, the appearance member 100 serves as a protective cover for the mobile phone 50. When the user wants to view the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100 from the viewing surface S31, the user flips the mobile phone 50 together with the appearance member 100 mounted on the mobile phone 50, so that the viewing surface S31 faces the user. At this time, external light enters the light-transmitting substrate 110 via the viewing surface S31, and penetrates the light-transmitting substrate 110 to enter the light-transmitting microstructures 120. The external light entering the light-transmitting microstructures 120 is reflected at the interface between the light-transmitting microstructures 120 and the reflective layer 130, and the surface of the light-transmitting substrate 110 is exposed through the light-transmitting microstructures 120 to leave the light-transmissive micro- Structure 120. In the present embodiment, the material of the reflective layer 130 is, for example, a metal. For example, the material of the reflective layer 130 may be aluminum (Al) or chromium (Cr). In addition, the reflective layer 130 is formed by, for example, a metal plating method or other processing means, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In particular, the light transmissive microstructures 120 have a particular size and arrangement, and the reflective layer 130 covers the surfaces of the light transmissive microstructures 120 that are not in contact with the light transmissive substrate 110. After multiple reflections of the external light at the interface between the light-transmitting microstructure 120 and the reflective layer 130, the light is moderately concentrated, resulting in an improvement in the brightness of the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100. In addition, the color of the color coating 140 can be designed according to actual aesthetic requirements, and the present invention does not limit the color of the color coating 140. When the user wants to view the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100 from the viewing surface S31, the user can view the outline of the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100 and the color exhibited by the color coating 140, and the pattern 102 has an excellent light performance. Therefore, the user can feel the beautiful effect. In particular, the color presented by pattern 102 is designed in accordance with the color of color coating 140. For example, the color coating 140 can be made, for example, by coating a black ink. In addition to the user being able to see that the pattern 102 is black, the user can also see that the pattern 102 has excellent brightness performance. Alternatively, the color coating 140 can be, for example, a paint having other colors, and the user can see that the pattern 102 has other colors.

In addition, the color exhibited by the pattern 102, as well as its brightness performance, can also be adjusted moderately by adjusting the structural parameters of the light transmissive microstructures 120. Specifically, the external light is reflected on the interface between the transparent microstructure 120 and the reflective layer 130. When external light enters the transparent microstructure 120, the color of the pattern 102 is transmitted through the external light. It is adjusted by diffraction and diffusion. In particular, the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100 can exhibit a particular color via a suitable design, and its brightness performance is excellent, so that the appearance member 100 can satisfy various aesthetic requirements.

In this embodiment, since the light transmissive microstructures 120 can be formed, for example, directly through the photoresist process, the structural parameters of the light transmissive microstructures 120, such as height, can be corresponding to the visual effect requirements of the pattern 102. The process parameters are adjusted, for example to control the thickness of the coated photoresist layer. In addition, the light transmissive microstructures 120 can be precisely formed on the light-transmitting substrate 110 at a desired formation position by a photoresist process, so that the pattern 102 of the appearance member 100 is accurately located at a desired position. In particular, the appearance member 100 having the pattern 102 can be used for precise alignment assembly with other components or products during subsequent processing or use.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an appearance member according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, the appearance member 200 is similar to the appearance member 100 of FIGS. 1 through 4. For the components of the appearance member 200 and related descriptions, reference may be made to the components of the appearance member 100 of FIGS. 1 to 4 and related descriptions, and details are not described herein again. The difference between the appearance member 200 and the appearance member 100 is as follows. In the present embodiment, the appearance member 200 is not an outer casing or a protective member of other electronic products or non-electronic products, but an accessory such as a key ring. The appearance member 200 includes a light transmissive substrate 210, and the light transmissive substrate 210 has a viewing surface S31 and a back surface S41 with respect to the viewing surface S31. The appearance member 200 further includes a plurality of light transmissive microstructures (not labeled) on the back surface S41 and a reflective layer (not labeled), and the light transmissive microstructures (not labeled) are arranged to form the pattern 202 of the appearance member 200. Specifically, the light transmissive substrate 210, the light transmissive microstructure (not labeled), and the reflective layer (not labeled) of the present embodiment are similar to the light transmissive substrate 110 of the appearance member 100 of FIGS. 1 to 4, respectively. The microstructure 120 and the reflective layer 130. In the present embodiment, similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, when the user views the appearance member 200 on the side of the viewing surface S31 (as shown in FIG. 5, the user's eye HE is located on the viewing surface S31 of the appearance member 200. On one side), the pattern 202 of the appearance member 200 can exhibit a specific color through an appropriate design, and its brightness performance is excellent, so that the appearance member 200 can satisfy various aesthetic requirements. In addition, the pattern 202 can be further matched with a light-transmissive substrate 210 of a suitable shape. For example, the pattern 202 of the apple pattern can be matched with the transparent substrate 210 of the apple shape, and the pattern 202 can be covered with the back surface S41 of the transparent substrate 210. However, in some embodiments, the shape of the light transmissive substrate 210 does not have to match the pattern 202, and the pattern 202 may also be formed on a partial region of the back surface S41. In addition, in other embodiments, the appearance component 200 can also be a charm, a necklace, or any other form of jewelry, and the invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method for fabricating an appearance member according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 6 . In the present embodiment, the manufacturing method of the appearance member can be applied to at least the appearance member 100 of FIGS. 1 to 4 and the appearance member 200 of FIG. Specifically, the manufacturing method of the appearance member is as follows. In step S600, a light transmissive substrate is provided. Next, in step S610, a plurality of light transmissive microstructures are formed on the light transmissive substrate, and the light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. Thereafter, in step S620, a reflective layer is formed, the reflective layer covering the surfaces of the light transmissive microstructures that are not in contact with the light transmissive substrate. Next, in step S630, a color coating layer is formed, wherein the reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructures and the color coating layer. Specifically, the method for manufacturing the appearance member of the embodiment of the present invention can be sufficiently taught, suggested, and implemented by the description of the embodiment of FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, and thus will not be described again.

In summary, the method for fabricating the appearance member of the embodiment of the present invention includes forming a plurality of light transmissive microstructures on the light transmissive substrate. These light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern. In addition, the manufacturing method of the appearance component also includes forming a reflective layer and a color coating layer, the reflective layer covers the surface of the light transmissive microstructure not in contact with the light transmissive substrate, and the reflective layer is disposed on the transparent microstructure and the color coating layer. between. Therefore, the appearance member produced by the manufacturing method of the appearance member has a pattern which can produce excellent light performance, and the color exhibited by the pattern can be adjusted according to the color coating design and the structural parameters of the light transmitting microstructure. In addition, the appearance parts can be assembled with precise alignment.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

50‧‧‧Mobile Phone
100,200‧‧‧ appearance parts
102, 202‧‧‧ patterns
110,210‧‧‧Light transmissive substrate
120‧‧‧Transparent microstructure
130‧‧‧reflective layer
140‧‧‧Color coating
A‧‧‧ area
C‧‧‧ Center
G‧‧‧ spacing
H‧‧‧ Height
HE‧‧‧ eyes
I-I'‧‧‧ line
S1, S2, S3, S4‧‧‧ surface
S31‧‧‧Viewing
S41‧‧‧ back
Steps for making S600, S610, S620, S630‧‧‧ appearance parts
W‧‧‧Width

1 is a schematic exploded view of an appearance member applied to a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a front elevational view showing the back side of the appearance member of the embodiment of FIG. 1. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing the back surface of the appearance member of the embodiment of FIG. 2 in a region A. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the appearance member of FIG. 3 taken along line I-I'. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an appearance member according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flow chart showing a method of fabricating an appearance member according to an embodiment of the invention.

100‧‧‧ appearance parts

110‧‧‧Transparent substrate

120‧‧‧Transparent microstructure

130‧‧‧reflective layer

140‧‧‧Color layer

C‧‧‧ Center

G‧‧‧ spacing

H‧‧‧ Height

HE‧‧‧ eyes

S3, S4‧‧‧ surface

S31‧‧‧Viewing

S41‧‧‧ back

W‧‧‧Width

Claims (10)

An appearance component comprising: a light transmissive substrate; a plurality of light transmissive microstructures disposed on the light transmissive substrate, wherein the light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern; and a reflective layer covering the light transmissive micro a surface that is not in contact with the light transmissive substrate; and a color coating, wherein the reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructures and the color coating. The appearance member of claim 1, wherein the light transmissive microstructures are arranged along a plurality of concentric circular paths. The appearance member according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the light transmitting microstructures falls within a range of 40 micrometers to 120 micrometers. The appearance member of claim 1, wherein the width of each of the light transmissive microstructures falls within a range of 40 micrometers to 120 micrometers. The appearance member according to claim 1, wherein the height of each of the light transmitting microstructures falls within a range of 5 to 30 μm. A method for manufacturing an appearance component, comprising: providing a light transmissive substrate; forming a plurality of light transmissive microstructures on the light transmissive substrate, wherein the light transmissive microstructures are arranged to form a pattern; forming a reflective layer, the reflective layer Covering a surface of the light transmissive microstructure that is not in contact with the light transmissive substrate; and forming a color coating, wherein the reflective layer is disposed between the light transmissive microstructure and the color coating. The manufacturing method of the appearance member according to claim 6, wherein the light transmitting microstructures are arranged along a plurality of concentric circular paths. The manufacturing method of the appearance member according to claim 6, wherein the distance of the light transmitting microstructures falls within a range of 40 micrometers to 120 micrometers. The manufacturing method of the appearance member according to claim 6, wherein the width of each of the light transmitting microstructures falls within a range of 40 micrometers to 120 micrometers. The manufacturing method of the appearance member according to claim 6, wherein the height of each of the light transmitting microstructures falls within a range of 5 to 30 μm.