A collimated beam generating device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application relates to the optical field, and discloses a collimated light beam generating device. The collimated light beam generating device disclosed by the embodiment of the present application comprises a parallelepiped light waveguide, a first prism array, a second prism array and a first collimated light generator; the first prism array and the first collimated light generator are arranged on a first face of the light waveguide, the first prism array is arranged between the first collimated light generator and the first face, and the second prism array is arranged on a second face which is a face of the light waveguide perpendicular to the first face; in this way, by using the light waveguide, the direction of the outgoing light is changed without changing the inherent optical path of the incident light which is collimated light, the collimated light is emitted along a direction perpendicular to the incident light, the size of the device is reduced, the thickness of the device is reduced, and the thinning of the device is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optics, and more particularly to a collimating beam generating device. Background Technology

[0002] A collimated beam is a beam with a small divergence angle and whose beam radius does not change after a certain propagation distance. Collimated beams are typically obtained using a collimating beam generator. Existing collimating beam generators consist of a light source and a lens. The lens adjusts the beam emitted from the light source into a collimated beam before it is emitted. However, in terms of structural design, sufficient optical path must be maintained between the light source and the lens, and they must be positioned along the beam propagation direction to enable the lens to adjust the collimated beam.

[0003] However, existing collimated beam generators have the following problems: due to the influence of the distance between the lens and the light source, these collimated beam generators usually have a large thickness, which does not meet the current demand for thinner optical devices in some scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a collimated beam generating device to solve the problem of excessive thickness in existing collimated beam generating devices.

[0005] This application provides a collimated beam generating device, characterized in that the device includes: a parallelepiped-shaped optical waveguide, a first prism array, a second prism array, and a first collimated beam generator;

[0006] The first prism array and the first collimating light generator are disposed on the first surface of the optical waveguide. The first prism array is disposed between the first collimating light generator and the first surface. The second prism array is disposed on the second surface. The second surface is any end surface of the optical waveguide that is perpendicular to the first surface.

[0007] The first prism array splits the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated light generator into a first collimated sub-beam and a second collimated sub-beam. Both the first collimated sub-beam and the second collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the first surface.

[0008] The second prism array receives the second collimated beam emitted via the second surface and reflects the second collimated beam to the optical waveguide, so that the second collimated beam is emitted via the third surface of the optical waveguide, the third surface being a plane parallel to the second surface. The second collimated beam includes a portion of the first collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface that is reflected by the second prism array, and a portion of the second collimated sub-beam reflected by the second prism array.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the first collimated light generator includes: a first light source, a first collimation unit, and a first homogenizing unit, wherein the first collimation unit is used to adjust the light beam emitted from the first light source into a first collimated light beam and to emit the first collimated light beam to the first homogenizing unit;

[0010] The first homogenizing unit is used to uniformly modulate the incident first collimated beam so that the average energy of each point of the first collimated beam meets a preset threshold. This ensures, firstly, that the beam incident on the optical waveguide is collimated, thus ensuring that the second collimated beam emitted from the optical waveguide is also collimated; secondly, the homogenizing unit modulates the first collimated beam, resulting in better energy uniformity of the first collimated beam incident on the optical waveguide, thus improving the uniformity of the second collimated beam emitted from the optical waveguide and preventing significant variations in brightness in the light spot.

[0011] Optionally, the first light source can be an LED light source, and the first collimation unit can be an aspherical lens.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the device further includes: a third prism array and a second collimating light generator;

[0013] The third prism array and the second collimating light generator are disposed on the fourth surface of the optical waveguide. The third prism array is disposed between the second collimating light generator and the fourth surface, and the fourth surface is parallel to the first surface.

[0014] The third prism array splits the third collimated beam emitted from the second collimated beam generator into a fourth and a fifth collimated sub-beam. Both the fourth and fifth collimated sub-beams are incident on the optical waveguide through the fourth surface. Thus, by symmetrically positioning the second collimated beam generator along the optical waveguide from the first collimated beam generator, the optical field area of ​​the collimated beam emitted from the optical waveguide is increased, thereby enhancing the brightness of the optical field.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the second prism array is further configured to receive the fourth collimated beam emitted via the second surface and reflect the fourth collimated beam back to the optical waveguide, so that the fourth collimated beam is emitted via the third surface of the optical waveguide. The fourth collimated beam includes the fourth collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface and a portion of the fifth collimated sub-beam reflected by the second prism array. Thus, by using the second prism array to reflect the fourth collimated beam back to the optical waveguide, and then having it emitted from the waveguide and converge with the second collimated beam, the optical field area of ​​the collimated beam emitted from the waveguide can be increased, thereby improving the brightness of the optical field.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the second collimated light generator includes: a second light source, a second collimation unit, and a second homogenizing unit, wherein the second collimation unit is used to adjust the light beam emitted from the second light source into a third collimated light beam and to emit the third collimated light beam to the second homogenizing unit;

[0017] The second homogenizing unit is used to uniformly modulate the incident third collimated beam so that the average energy of each point of the third collimated beam meets a preset threshold. This ensures, firstly, that the beam incident on the optical waveguide is collimated, thus ensuring that the fifth collimated beam emitted from the optical waveguide is also collimated; secondly, the modulation of the third collimated beam by the homogenizing unit improves the energy uniformity of the third collimated beam incident on the optical waveguide, resulting in better uniformity of the fifth collimated beam emitted from the optical waveguide and preventing significant variations in brightness in the emitted light spot.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the first prism array includes at least one first prism, each first prism including: a first bottom surface, a first inclined surface, and a second inclined surface; for the first prism array, at least one first bottom surface is in close fit with the first surface without clearance;

[0019] The first inclined surface is used to split the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated beam generator into a first collimated sub-beam;

[0020] The second inclined plane is used to split the first collimated beam emitted from the second collimated beam generator to obtain a second collimated sub-beam.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the second prism array includes at least one second prism, each second prism including: a second bottom surface, a third inclined surface and a fourth inclined surface, the angle between the third inclined surface and the second bottom surface being in the range of 0° to 45°, and the angle between the fourth inclined surface and the second bottom surface being in the range of 0° to 45°.

[0022] For the second prism array, at least one second bottom surface is fitted with the second surface without gap;

[0023] Both the third and fourth inclined surfaces are coated with optical reflective material to receive the second collimated beam emitted through the second surface and reflect the second collimated beam to the optical waveguide.

[0024] Optionally, the cross-section of each of the second prisms is an isosceles triangle.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the device further includes a beam-splitting film disposed on the second surface to increase the output area of ​​the second collimated beam and / or the fifth collimated beam. Thus, by adding a beam-splitting film to the third surface of the optical waveguide, it is possible to increase the output area while reducing the thickness of the optical waveguide and maintaining a collimated output beam.

[0026] Optionally, the beam splitter may include: a beam splitter with a single transmittance and reflectance and a combination of beam splitters with different transmittance and reflectance.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the filling materials selected for the optical waveguide, the first prism array, the second prism array, and the third prism array all include at least one of the following: elemental silicon dioxide and glass.

[0028] This application provides a collimated beam generating device. The device includes: a parallelepiped-shaped optical waveguide, a first prism array, a second prism array, and a first collimated beam generator. The first prism array and the first collimated beam generator are disposed on a first surface of the optical waveguide. The first prism array is positioned between the first collimated beam generator and the first surface. The second prism array is disposed on a second surface, which is any end face of the optical waveguide perpendicular to the first surface. The first prism array splits the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated beam generator to obtain a first collimated beam. The optical waveguide contains a first collimated sub-beam and a second collimated sub-beam, both of which are incident on the first surface. A second prism array receives the second collimated beam exiting via the second surface and reflects it back into the waveguide, causing it to exit via a third surface parallel to the second surface. The second collimated beam includes a portion of the first collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface and a portion of the second collimated beam reflected by the second prism array. Thus, by using an optical waveguide, the direction of the exiting light is changed without altering the inherent optical path of the collimated incident light, allowing the collimated light to exit perpendicular to the incident light. This reduces the size and thickness of the device, achieving a thinner design. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first collimated beam generating device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 2a This is a schematic diagram of the prism structure in the first prism array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 2bThis is a schematic diagram of the first prism array beam splitting provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 2c This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the second collimated sub-beam in the optical waveguide provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 2d This is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the prism in the second prism array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 2e This is a schematic diagram of the prism optical path in the second prism array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 2f This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the collimated beam generating device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second collimated beam generating device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the third collimated beam generating device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The terminology used in the following embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing alternative implementations and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to include the plural expressions as well. It should also be understood that although the terms first, second, etc., may be used in the following embodiments to describe a class of objects, the objects are not limited to these terms. These terms are used to distinguish specific objects of that class of objects. For example, other classes of objects that may be described using the terms first, second, etc. in the following embodiments are similarly described and will not be repeated here.

[0039] With the development of optical technology, glasses-free 3D display technology is gradually entering people's lives. Glasses-free 3D display technology enables viewers to experience scenes with a realistic and immersive feel, stimulating unlimited potential in various fields such as entertainment, industrial production, and scientific research.

[0040] 3D light field display technology is a common method for achieving naked-eye 3D display. This technology has advantages such as full parallax and the ability to correctly display occlusion relationships.

[0041] In 3D light field display technology, collimated beams play an important role in the imaging of 3D light fields.

[0042] A collimated beam is a beam with a small divergence angle and whose beam radius does not change after a certain propagation distance. Collimated beams are typically obtained using a collimating beam generator. Existing collimating beam generators consist of a light source and a lens. The lens adjusts the beam emitted from the light source into a collimated beam before it is emitted. However, in terms of structural design, sufficient optical path must be maintained between the light source and the lens, and they must be positioned along the beam propagation direction to enable the lens to adjust the collimated beam.

[0043] However, existing collimated beam generators have the following problems: due to the influence of the distance between the lens and the light source, these collimated beam generators usually have a large thickness, which does not meet the current demand for thinner optical devices in some scenarios.

[0044] The following is a description of several exemplary embodiments, illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and the technical effects produced by the technical solutions of this application.

[0045] In a first possible implementation of this application, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first collimating beam device structure provided in the embodiments of this application, including:

[0046] The optical waveguide 4000 is in the shape of a parallelepiped, the first prism array 2000, the second prism array 3000, and the first collimating light generator 1000.

[0047] The first prism array 2000 and the first collimating light generator 1000 are disposed on the first surface 4100 of the optical waveguide 4000. The first prism array 2000 is disposed between the first collimating light generator 1000 and the first surface 4100. The second prism array 3000 is disposed on the second surface 4200. The second surface 4200 can be any end surface of the optical waveguide 4000 that is perpendicular to the first surface 4100.

[0048] The first prism array 2000 splits the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated light generator 1000 into a first collimated sub-beam and a second collimated sub-beam. Both the first collimated sub-beam and the second collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the first surface.

[0049] The second prism array 3000 receives the second collimated beam emitted via the second surface 4200 and reflects the second collimated beam to the optical waveguide 4000, so that the second collimated beam is emitted via the third surface 4300 of the optical waveguide 4000. The third surface 4300 is a plane parallel to the second surface 4200. The second collimated beam includes a portion of the first collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface 4300 that is reflected by the second prism array, and a portion of the second collimated sub-beam reflected by the second prism array 3000.

[0050] It is understood that the parallelepiped-shaped optical waveguide 4000 includes: a parallel right hexahedral optical waveguide and a parallel oblique hexahedral optical waveguide;

[0051] For example, the parallelepiped optical waveguide includes a cuboid optical waveguide.

[0052] Optionally, the optical waveguide in the above embodiments only needs to be a closed hexahedron with its second surface 4200 and third surface 4300 parallel to meet the requirements.

[0053] It is understandable that by splitting the collimated beam generated by the first collimating beam generator 1000 and performing corresponding optical path transmission, the optical waveguide 4000 is used to change the exit direction of the collimated beam without changing the optical path length, thus changing the original propagation along the incident direction to propagation perpendicular to the incident direction, thereby reducing the thickness of the collimating beam device.

[0054] Optionally, the first collimated light generator 1000 includes: a first light source, a first collimation unit, and a first uniform light unit. The first collimation unit is used to adjust the light beam emitted from the first light source into a first collimated light beam and to emit the first collimated light beam to the first uniform light unit.

[0055] The first homogenizing unit is used to uniformly modulate the incident first collimated beam so that the average energy of each point of the first collimated beam meets a preset threshold.

[0056] It is understood that the optical waveguide 4000 only serves a transmission function in the process. Since the incident light is a collimated beam and its energy is uniform after being modulated by the first homogenizing unit, the beam emitted from the third surface 4300 of the optical waveguide 4000 is also a collimated beam with uniform energy.

[0057] Specifically, the first collimated beam modulated by the first homogenizing unit is incident on the first prism array 2000. The first prism array 2000 includes at least one first prism 2100, and a schematic diagram of the first prism structure is shown below. Figure 2aAs shown. Each first prism 2100 consists of three faces: a first bottom face 2110, a first inclined face 2120, and a second inclined face 2130.

[0058] Typically, the first bottom surface 2110 and the first surface 4100 are in close contact (i.e., without gaps).

[0059] Optionally, the first collimated beam, after passing through the first prism array 2000, will be split by each first prism 2100 in the array, as shown in the specific beam splitting diagram. Figure 2b As shown, assuming that rays O1O2 and O4O5 are both collimated rays from the first collimated beam, O1O2 is incident from the first inclined surface 2120, passes through the first surface 4100, and enters the interior of the optical waveguide 4000. The refracted ray path inside is shown as O2O3, and it is incident on the second surface 4200. O4O5 is incident from the second inclined surface 2130, passes through the first surface 4100, and enters the interior of the optical waveguide 4000. The refracted ray path inside is shown as O5O6, and it is incident on the third surface 4300. It can be understood that when the cross-section of the first prism 2100 is an isosceles triangle, the angle between the incident ray O2O3 and the second surface 4200 is the same as the angle between the incident ray O5O6 and the third surface 4300 (i.e., both can be θ).

[0060] Optionally, when the second collimated sub-beam undergoes total internal reflection transmission in the optical waveguide 4000 after being split by the first prism 2100, the angle between the second surface 4200 and the second sub-beam, i.e., the angle θ between the aforementioned ray O2O3 and the second surface 4200, is as follows: Figure 2c As shown, the following conditions are met:

[0061]

[0062] Where, θ c It is the critical angle for total internal reflection, N0 represents the refractive index of the medium outside the third surface 430°, and N1 is the refractive index of the optical waveguide 400°.

[0063] Further, the distance between the third surface 4300 and the second surface 4200 is denoted by d (i.e., the thickness of the optical waveguide 4000), and the distance between the first surface 4100 and the fourth surface 4400 is the width of the optical waveguide 4000, denoted by D. The relationship between the two satisfies the following condition:

[0064]

[0065] Where k represents the error coefficient; in the ideal case, i.e., when there is no process error or assembly error, k = 1; in the non-ideal case, the range of k is 0.9 < k < 1.1.

[0066] Under total internal reflection, the complete optical path diagram of the collimating light generator is as follows: Figure 2f As shown, P represents the first collimated beam emitted by the first collimated beam generator. The first collimated beam is incident on the first prism array 2000. After being split by the first prism array 2000, two sub-beams, P1 and P2 (i.e., the first collimated sub-beam and the second collimated sub-beam), are obtained. After passing through the first surface 4100 of the optical waveguide 4000, P1 and P2 are incident on the second surface 4200 and the third surface 4300, respectively (P1 is incident on the third surface 4300, and P2 is incident on the second surface 4200). After incident on the second surface 4200, P2 exits through the second surface 4200 and is then reflected by the second prism array 3000 as P5, which exits from the third surface 4300. After incident on the third surface 4300, P1 undergoes total internal reflection through the third surface 4300 back to the second surface 4200 via the path P3, and is then reflected by the second prism array 3000 as P4, which exits from the third surface 4300. P4 and P5 form a collimated outgoing beam.

[0067] Optionally, the second prism array 3000 is used to break the total internal reflection condition of the light in the optical waveguide 4000, so that the light no longer continues to propagate forward, but instead the light passes through the third surface 4300 and exits in a specific direction, thereby allowing the outgoing light to participate in the formation of the collimated backlight.

[0068] Specifically, the second prism array 3000 is composed of at least one second prism 3100, and the structure of the second prism 3100 is shown in the schematic diagram. Figure 2d As shown, the second prism 3100 includes a second bottom surface 3110, a third inclined surface 3120, and a fourth inclined surface 3130. The second bottom surface 3110 is in close contact with the second surface 4200. The angle between the third inclined surface 3120 and the second bottom surface 3110 ranges from 0° to 45°, and the angle between the fourth inclined surface 3130 and the second bottom surface 3110 also ranges from 0° to 45°.

[0069] Optionally, the cross-section of the second prism 3100 is an isosceles triangle.

[0070] Optionally, the second prism 3100 is configured for the transmission optical path of the second collimated sub-beam as follows: Figure 2eAs shown, M0M1 and M3M4 are both rays in the second collimated sub-beam. M0M1 is incident on the fourth inclined plane 3130, and M3M4 is incident on the third inclined plane 3120. After being reflected by the corresponding inclined planes, they are respectively reflected to obtain the outgoing rays M1M2 and M4M5.

[0071] Optionally, optical reflective material is coated on the surfaces of the third inclined surface 3120 and the fourth inclined surface 3130 to reflect the second collimated sub-beam.

[0072] Optionally, for the optical waveguide 4000, the filling materials of the first prism array 2000 and the second prism array 3000 can have different combinations, and the filling materials used include: elemental silicon dioxide and glass, etc.

[0073] In a second possible implementation of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, based on the collimating light generating device mentioned in the first possible embodiment of this application, the collimating light generating device may further include: a third prism array 6000 and a second collimating light generator 5000.

[0074] The third prism array 6000 and the second collimating light generator 5000 are disposed on the fourth surface 4400 of the optical waveguide. The third prism array 6000 is disposed between the second collimating light generator 5000 and the fourth surface 4400. The fourth surface 4400 is parallel to the third surface 4300.

[0075] The third prism array 6000 splits the third collimated beam emitted from the second collimated light generator 5000 into a fourth collimated sub-beam and a fifth collimated sub-beam. Both the fourth collimated sub-beam and the fifth collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the fourth surface 4400.

[0076] Specifically, the third prism array 6000 and the second collimating light generator 5000 are disposed on the fourth surface 4400 of the optical waveguide, the third prism array 6000 is disposed between the second collimating light generator 5000 and the fourth surface 4400, and the fourth surface 4400 is parallel to the first surface 4100.

[0077] The third prism array 6000 splits the third collimated beam emitted from the second collimated light generator 5000 into a fourth collimated sub-beam and a fifth collimated sub-beam. Both the fourth collimated sub-beam and the fifth collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the fourth surface 4400.

[0078] Optionally, the optical waveguide in the above embodiments only needs to be a closed hexahedron with its second surface 4200 and third surface 4300 parallel to each other, and its first surface 4100 and fourth surface 4400 parallel to each other to meet the requirements.

[0079] It is understood that the third prism array and the second collimating light generator 5000 are symmetrically arranged with the first prism array 2000 and the first collimating light generator 1000. Therefore, the two are also symmetrical with respect to their respective beam propagation paths. The propagation paths of the light rays incident on the optical waveguide 4000 by the prism array 6000 and the second collimating light generator 5000 will not be described in detail here.

[0080] It is understandable that the addition of the third prism array 6000 and the second collimating light generator 5000 is intended to increase the light-emitting area and light spot brightness of the collimated beam emitted from the third surface 4300, thereby improving the light field display effect.

[0081] In a third embodiment of this application, the collimating light generating device mentioned in the first and / or second embodiments of this application is further included, such as... Figure 4 As shown, a beam splitter 7000 is added. This beam splitter is positioned between the third surface 4300 of the optical waveguide 4000 and the mating surface of the second prism array 3000, specifically between the third surface 4300 of the optical waveguide 4000 and the second plane 3110. N0N1 represents one ray of the second collimated sub-beam. When N0N1 is incident on the beam splitter, transmission and reflection occur simultaneously. A portion of the transmitted light is incident on the second prism array 3000 (represented by one of the second prisms 3100), as shown by N1N2. After reflection by the third inclined surface 3120, the outgoing ray N2N3 is obtained. The other portion is reflected by the beam splitter 7000 to obtain the reflected ray N1N4. N1N4 continues to propagate within the optical waveguide 4000 until it exits along a predetermined path. Because the beam splitter folds the optical path, it can reduce the thickness of the optical waveguide to a certain extent, making the overall device thinner.

[0082] It is understood that the material of the spectrophotometer needs to be a single transmittance / reflectance material, or it can be a combination of materials with different transmittance / reflectance.

[0083] In a fourth possible embodiment of this application, the collimating light generating device is configured as the collimating light generating device mentioned in the second possible embodiment of this application, specifically including:

[0084] The optical waveguide 4000 has the following dimensions: length (distance between the first surface 4100 and the fourth surface 4400) 142 mm, height (distance between the third surface 4300 and the second surface 4200) 15.13 mm, width (distance between the remaining two surfaces) 105 mm, and a filling refractive index of 1.48.

[0085] The first light source and / or the second light source in the first collimating light generator and / or the second collimating light generator can be LED light sources, the first collimating unit and / or the second collimating light source can be high-order aspherical lenses, and the first light homogenizing unit can also be a high-order aspherical lens;

[0086] Each first prism 2100 and / or third prism 3100 in the first prism array 2000 and / or the third prism array 3000 has an equilateral triangular cross-section and a refractive index of 1.61. The first collimated beam emitted by the first collimating light generator is fractionated by the first prism 2100 and then propagates within the optical waveguide 4000 at an incident angle θ = 30°.

[0087] The cross section of each second prism 2100 in the second prism array 3000 is an isosceles triangle with a base angle of 30° and a refractive index of 1.48.

[0088] In a sixth possible embodiment of this application, the collimating light generating device is configured as the collimating light generating device mentioned in the fifth possible embodiment of this application, specifically including:

[0089] The optical waveguide 4000 has the following dimensions: length (distance between the first surface 4100 and the fourth surface 4400) 142 mm, height (distance between the third surface 4300 and the second surface 4200) 15.13 mm, width (distance between the remaining two surfaces) 105 mm, and a filling refractive index of 1.48.

[0090] The first light source and / or the second light source in the first collimating light generator and / or the second collimating light generator can be LED light sources, the first collimating unit and / or the second collimating light source can be high-order aspherical lenses, and the first light homogenizing unit can also be a high-order aspherical lens;

[0091] Each first prism 2100 and / or third prism 3100 in the first prism array 2000 and / or the third prism array 3000 has an equilateral triangular cross-section and a refractive index of 1.61. The first collimated beam emitted by the first collimating light generator is fractionated by the first prism 2100 and then propagates within the optical waveguide 4000 at an incident angle θ = 30°.

[0092] The cross section of each second prism 3100 in the second prism array 3000 is an isosceles triangle with a base angle of 30° and a refractive index of 1.48;

[0093] The transmittance-to-reflectance ratio of the beam splitter 7000 is 1:9. The beam splitter 7000 includes a first part and a second part. The first part is rectangular, with an area of ​​1 / 4 of the second surface 4200. The length of the short side of the first part is 1 / 4 of the length of the second surface (i.e., 1 / 4 of the distance between the first surface 4100 and the fourth surface 4400). The long side of the first part is seamlessly connected to the edge shared by the first surface 4100 and the second surface 4200.

[0094] The second part has the same shape and size as the first part, and its long side is seamlessly fitted with the edge shared by the fourth surface 4400 and the second surface 4200. Regarding the arrangement of the beam-splitting film in this embodiment, compared to the above embodiment, a better reduction in the thickness of the optical waveguide 4000 can be achieved, thereby making the device thinner.

[0095] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process or component does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments.

[0096] The various parts of this specification are described in a progressive manner. For the same or similar parts between the various embodiments, please refer to each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments.

[0097] Although alternative embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make further changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0098] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A collimated beam generating device, characterized by The device includes: A parallelepiped optical waveguide, a first prism array, a second prism array, a first collimating light generator, a third prism array, and a second collimating light generator; The first prism array and the first collimating light generator are disposed on the first surface of the optical waveguide. The first prism array is disposed between the first collimating light generator and the first surface. The second prism array is disposed on the second surface. The second surface is any end surface of the optical waveguide that is perpendicular to the first surface. The first prism array splits the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated light generator into a first collimated sub-beam and a second collimated sub-beam. Both the first collimated sub-beam and the second collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the first surface. The second prism array receives the second collimated beam emitted through the second surface and reflects the second collimated beam to the optical waveguide, so that the second collimated beam is emitted through the third surface of the optical waveguide, the third surface being a plane parallel to the second surface. The second collimated beam includes a portion of the first collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface that is reflected by the second prism array, and a portion of the second collimated sub-beam reflected by the second prism array. The third prism array and the second collimating light generator are disposed on the fourth surface of the optical waveguide. The third prism array is disposed between the second collimating light generator and the fourth surface, and the fourth surface is parallel to the first surface. The third prism array splits the third collimated beam emitted from the second collimated beam generator into a fourth collimated sub-beam and a fifth collimated sub-beam. Both the fourth collimated sub-beam and the fifth collimated sub-beam are incident on the optical waveguide through the fourth surface. The second prism array is also used to receive the fourth collimated beam emitted via the second surface and reflect the fourth collimated beam to the optical waveguide so that the fourth collimated beam is emitted via the third surface of the optical waveguide. The fourth collimated beam includes the fourth collimated sub-beam reflected by the third surface and a portion of the fifth collimated sub-beam reflected by the second prism array.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first collimated light generator includes: a first light source, a first collimation unit, and a first light homogenizing unit. The first collimation unit is used to adjust the light beam emitted from the first light source into a first collimated light beam and to emit the first collimated light beam to the first light homogenizing unit. The first homogenizing unit is used to uniformly modulate the incident first collimated beam so that the average energy of each point of the first collimated beam meets a preset threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The second collimated light generator includes: a second light source, a second collimation unit, and a second light homogenizing unit. The second collimation unit is used to adjust the light beam emitted from the second light source into a third collimated light beam and to emit the third collimated light beam to the second light homogenizing unit. The second homogenizing unit is used to uniformly modulate the incident third collimated beam so that the average energy of each point of the third collimated beam meets a preset threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first prism array includes at least one first prism, each first prism including: a first bottom surface, a first inclined surface, and a second inclined surface; for the first prism array, at least one first bottom surface is in close fit with the first surface without gap; The first inclined surface is used to split the first collimated beam emitted from the first collimated beam generator into a first collimated sub-beam; The second inclined plane is used to split the first collimated beam emitted from the second collimated beam generator to obtain a second collimated sub-beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The second prism array includes at least one second prism, each second prism including: a second bottom surface, a third inclined surface and a fourth inclined surface, the angle between the third inclined surface and the second bottom surface being 0° to 45°, and the angle between the fourth inclined surface and the second bottom surface being 0° to 45°. For the second prism array, at least one second bottom surface is fitted with the second surface without gap; Both the third and fourth inclined surfaces are coated with optical reflective material to receive the second collimated beam emitted through the second surface and reflect the second collimated beam to the optical waveguide.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The device further includes a beam-splitting film disposed on the second surface, which is used to increase the light-emitting area of ​​the second collimated beam and / or the fifth collimated beam.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The beam splitter can be selected from: a beam splitter with a single transmittance and reflectance and a combination of beam splitters with different transmittance and reflectance.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The filling materials used for the optical waveguide, the first prism array, the second prism array, and the third prism array all include at least one of the following: elemental silicon dioxide and glass.

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