Patent ID: 9005741
Filing Date: 2015-04-14
Classification: F41H,G02B,G02F,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A piece of fabric providing electro-optical camouflage to an object beneath the piece of fabric, the piece of fabric being formed of a base and a plurality of printed layers, such piece of fabric being highly flexible before and after printing such that it may be carried, coiled, rolled and folded so as not to lose any of its electro-optical camouflage properties in use; the base being a material of woven threads with a coating, the woven threads being initially formed of electrical insulating threads with interstices between the threads, the base having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the coating being metal particles bonded to and covering the exterior and interior surfaces including the interstices, the metal particles penetrating into the exterior and interior surfaces including the interstices, the metal particles having a maximum dimension of approximately 0.5 microns, the base having a resistivity of less than 125 milliohms per square, the base absorbs emissions from the object and dissipates heat signatures of the object; the plurality of printed layers including a primary printed layer applied to a primary portion of the coating, the plurality of printed layers including a second printed layer applied to a secondary portion of the coating, the secondary portion covering a portion of the primary printed layer and a portion of the coating remote from the primary portion of the coating, the plurality of printed layers including a tertiary printed layer applied to a tertiary portion of the coating, the tertiary portion covering a portion of the primary printed layer and a portion of the secondary printed layer and portion of the coating remote from the primary portion of the coating and remote from the secondary portion of the coating, the primary printed layer and the secondary printed layer and the tertiary printed layer being formed of energy absorbing pigments in a binder, the binder comprising a component chosen from the group consisting of urethane, methyl ethyl ketone and acetane, the component chosen from the group consisting of urethane, methyl ethyl ketone and acetane evaporating from the base during fabrication leaving layers of energy absorbing pigments of substantially similar thickness throughout the piece of fabric, whereby portions with primary and secondary and tertiary printed layers which have a greater density of energy absorbing pigment than portions with only primary and secondary layers and whereby portion with primary and secondary layers will have a greater density of energy absorbing pigments than portions with only primary layer, the plurality of printed layers obscure detection from imaging devices detecting wavelengths between 400 nanometers to 1.8 microns, and from 3 microns to 14 microns in a pattern determined by the configurations and densities of the primary and secondary and tertiary layers to thereby create a non-optically visible image distortion; and wherein the energy absorbing pigments are raw naphthalocyanine pigments initially in the form of dry sub-micron particles and flakes, the raw naphthalocyanine pigments being processed via milling to form a liquid dispersion of fine pigment particles having particle sizes in the 10-200 nm range, the milling process being enhanced by the use of dispersants.