Optical Beam Expander With Pushrod Lens Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing optical beam expanders face challenges in achieving quick, precise, and stable beam widening and divergence adjustment due to manufacturing variations and the need for multiple magnifications, often requiring complex mechanisms with threads and lubricants that can lead to contamination and reduced operational life.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus features a guide tube with displaceable guide cylinders and displacement devices, allowing lens elements to move linearly or rotationally, enabling quick magnification and precise divergence adjustment without threads, thus avoiding lubricant contamination and ensuring high stability and long operational life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If threads and lubricants are used in the beam expander mechanism, then adjustment precision is improved, but contamination risk increases and operational life decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadjustment precisionVSAvoidoperational life

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes threads and lubricants from the optical path by using a pushrod mechanism with a non-threaded connection between the pushrod and guide cylinder. The guide cylinder moves directly within the guide tube without threaded engagement, eliminating the source of contamination while maintaining adjustment capability through the pushrod's linear motion transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the traditional threaded mechanical adjustment system with a direct linear pushrod mechanism. Instead of using threads to convert rotational motion to linear motion, the system uses a pushrod that directly transmits linear force to move the guide cylinder, eliminating the need for lubricants and reducing contamination risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If complex mechanisms with threads are used, then adjustment precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadjustment precisionVSAvoidmechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the threaded mechanism from the system, replacing it with a simpler direct linear pushrod connection. This eliminates the complex threaded engagement while maintaining the ability to precisely adjust the lens element position through linear motion transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent divides the adjustment mechanism into separate functional segments: the pushrod for linear motion transmission, the guide cylinder for positioning, and the guide tube for constraint. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently with simpler geometry, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If lens elements are moved within a guide tube, then contamination is avoided, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontamination avoidanceVSAvoidguide tube and guide cylinder fit

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing a dedicated guide tube with specific dimensional tolerances only in the region where the guide cylinder moves, rather than requiring high precision throughout the entire assembly. The guide tube's internal diameter and the guide cylinder's external diameter are precisely controlled only in the critical moving section, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while ensuring smooth operation and contamination avoidance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enables quick, precise, and stable beam widening with a long operational life by allowing lens elements to move within a guide tube, maintaining beam direction stability and avoiding thread-related contamination, while being cost-effective and highly reproducible.

Implementation Method 1

an optical system which is able to realize various magnifications and diameters is referred to as variable beam expander

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRefraction: Refraction

Data Source

PatentUS10732423B2Device for optical beam expansion, optical system, and method for setting a spacing of two lenses of a device for optical beam expansion

Publication Date: 2020.08.04 JENOPTIK OPTICAL SYSTEMS GMBH

AI summary

The invention relates to a device (102) for optical beam expansion of an optical system having a guide tube (220), a first guide cylinder (222) having a first lens (226), wherein the first guide cylinder (202) is arranged within the guide tube (220) so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal axis of the guide tube (220), and a second guide cylinder (224) having a second lens (228), wherein the second guide cylinder (224) is arranged within the guide tube (220) so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal axis of the guide tube (220). A first displacement device is provided to displace the first guide cylinder (222) along the longitudinal axis (340) of the guide tube (220), and a second displacement device is provided to displace the second guide cylinder (224) along the longitudinal axis of the guide tube (220).