Dyeing method and dyeing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10889935-B2
Application number	US-201815861136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2018
Priority date	Jun 9, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A dyeing method in which a transparent resin body having a surface applied with a dye is heated to fix the dye to the transparent resin body comprises a heating step of irradiating a laser beam having a wavelength less likely to be absorbed by the dye toward the transparent resin body applied with the dye on the surface while relatively scanning the laser beam with respect to the transparent resin body to heat a to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body to fix the dye, wherein the laser beam is irradiation to heat by changing a laser beam irradiating condition with respect to a portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that a heating temperature on the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is substantially equal throughout an entire area of the to-be-dyed region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dyeing method in which a transparent resin body having a surface applied with a dye in a to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body is heated to fix the dye to the surface of the transparent resin body, the method comprising:
providing a dyeing apparatus comprising:
a laser beam irradiation part configured to irradiate a laser beam toward the transparent resin body;
a scan part configured to relatively scan the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation part with respect to the transparent resin body; and
a controller connected to the laser beam irradiation part and the scan part, the controller configured to control irradiation of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation part by changing a laser beam irradiating condition according to a thickness of the transparent resin body at a scanning position with respect to a portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that an irradiation energy density varies at the surface of the transparent resin body according to the thickness of the transparent resin body so that a heating temperature of the surface of the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is equal throughout an entire area of the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body while the laser beam is being relatively scanned by the scan part with respect to the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body, and so that only the surface of the transparent resin body is heated by the laser beam to a temperature required for fixing the dye to the surface of the transparent resin body in the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body,
wherein the controller controls the laser beam irradiation part based on the laser beam irradiating condition, and
wherein the laser beam irradiating condition includes at least one of a relative scanning speed of the laser beam by the scan part and irradiation power of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation part;

irradiating the laser beam toward the transparent resin body applied with the dye on the surface while relatively scanning the laser beam with respect to the transparent resin body to heat the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body to fix the dye to the surface of the transparent resin body in the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body; and
changing, during said irradiating, the laser beam irradiating condition with respect to the thickness of the transparent resin body at a portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that the irradiation energy density varies at the surface of the transparent resin body according to the thickness of the transparent resin body so that the heating temperature on the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is equal throughout the entire area of the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body,
wherein:
the changing of the laser beam irradiating condition during irradiating, comprises changing the laser beam irradiating condition, while the laser beam is being relatively scanned with respect to the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body, between at least (i) a first laser beam irradiating condition for irradiating the laser beam toward a first region in the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body and (ii) a second laser beam irradiating condition for irradiating the laser beam toward a second region having a thinner thickness than the first region, the second irradiation condition being different from the first irradiation condition, and

the laser beam has a wavelength having a lower absorbance by the dye as compared to an absorbance by the transparent resin body.

2. The dyeing method according to claim 1 , wherein the irradiating step comprises detecting a heating temperature on the transparent resin body under irradiation of the laser beam, and the changing step comprises changing the laser beam irradiating condition based on the detection result.

3. The dyeing method according to claim 2 , wherein a measurement axis of the heating temperature detection is coaxial with an irradiation optical axis of the laser beam.

4. The dyeing method according to claim 2 , wherein the transparent resin body is a plastic lens.

5. The dyeing method according to claim 1 , wherein the second laser beam irradiating condition includes at least one of a condition that the scanning speed is set faster than in the first laser beam irradiating condition and a condition that the irradiation power is set lower than in the first laser beam irradiating condition.

6. The dyeing method according to claim 5 , wherein the transparent resin body is a plastic lens.

7. The dyeing method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser beam irradiation condition is controlled so that the heating temperature is a temperature at which a difference in color density over the to-be-dyed region falls within 10%.

8. The dyeing method according to claim 1 , wherein the changing step comprises changing, during the irradiating, the laser beam irradiating condition so that the irradiation energy density varies at the surface of the transparent resin body according to the thickness of the transparent resin body so that the dye is evenly fixed to the surface of the transparent resin body throughout the entire area of the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body.

9. A dyeing method in which a transparent resin body having a surface applied with a dye in a to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body is heated to fix the dye to the surface of the transparent resin body, the method comprising:
providing a dyeing apparatus comprising:
a laser beam irradiation part configured to irradiate a laser beam toward the transparent resin body;
a scan part configured to relatively scan the laser beam irradiated by the laser beam irradiation part with respect to the transparent resin body; and
a controller connected to the laser beam irradiation part and the scan part, the controller configured to control irradiation of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation part by changing a laser beam irradiating condition according to a portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that a heating temperature of the surface of the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is equal throughout an entire area of the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body while the laser beam is being relatively scanned by the scan part with respect to the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body,
wherein the controller controls the laser beam irradiation part based on the laser beam irradiating condition, and
wherein the laser beam irradiating condition includes at least one of a relative scanning speed of the laser beam by the scan part and irradiation power of the laser beam by the laser beam irradiation part;

irradiating the laser beam toward the transparent resin body applied with the dye on the surface while relatively scanning the laser beam with respect to the transparent resin body to heat the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body to fix the dye to the surface of the transparent resin body in the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body; and
changing, during said irradiating, the laser beam irradiating condition with respect to a thickness of the transparent resin body at the portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that an irradiation energy density varies at the surface of the transparent resin body according to the thickness of the transparent resin body so that the heating temperature on the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is equal throughout the entire area of the to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body,
wherein the changing of the laser beam irradiating condition during irradiating com

Assignees

• Nidek Kk
• Shizuoka Prefectural Government

Inventors

• Inuzuka Minoru
• Ueta Hiroyasu
• Atsumi Hiroyasu

Classifications

• B29D11/00903

  on the surface · CPC title

• D06P5/004

  using subliming dyes · CPC title

• B23K26/034

  Observing the temperature of the workpiece · CPC title

• D06P5/2077

  after dyeing · CPC title

• B23K26/082

  Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head · CPC title