Beam Projector Module With Sliding Optical Diffuser
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-output lasers used in distance measuring devices and 3D depth cameras pose safety risks due to direct eye exposure, necessitating a solution to adjust light intensity while ensuring eye safety.
Innovation Solution
A beam projector module with a light source, optical device, and frame structure that includes a diffuser to reduce light intensity, along with a sensor and processor to operate in an eye-safety mode when defects occur, ensuring safe operation by adjusting light output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a diffuser is used to reduce light intensity, then eye safety is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The optical device is segmented into a diffuser portion and a regular portion, allowing selective activation. The diffuser can be detached or deactivated, providing eye safety when needed while maintaining normal operation when the diffuser is in place. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling eye safety without permanently complicating the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical device transitions between different operational states - with diffuser attached and without. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt between eye-safe mode (diffuser attached) and normal high-output mode (diffuser removed), resolving the contradiction between eye safety and structural simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If the diffuser is detached for adjustment, then ease of operation is improved, but light intensity control is lost causing safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit detects whether the diffuser is attached and automatically adjusts light source operation accordingly. When diffuser attachment is detected, normal power is supplied; when detached, power is reduced to prevent eye damage. This feedback mechanism maintains ease of operation while ensuring continuous light intensity control and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically monitors and adjusts its own operation based on diffuser presence. The control unit self-regulates light output without requiring manual intervention, ensuring safety while maintaining operational simplicity. The device serves itself by detecting its configuration and adapting accordingly.
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
The module effectively reduces light intensity and protects user eyes by automatically switching to an eye-safety mode when defects are detected, preventing potential eye damage from high-output laser exposure.
Implementation Method 1
the diffuser disperses condensed light in a field of view (FOV) required in a system as an effect of refraction and diffraction by using the attributes of the light
Implementation Method 2
the diffuser disperses condensed light in a field of view (FOV) required in a system as an effect of refraction and diffraction by using the attributes of the light
Data Source
AI summary
A beam projector module including a light source configured to output light, a substrate configured to support the light source, an optical device configured to decrease the intensity of the light output to a predetermined space, an optical substrate, in which the optical device is disposed, and configured to transmit the light, and a frame configured to space the optical device apart from the light source by a predetermined distance, and including a support part configured to support the optical substrate, wherein the optical substrate is slidingly inserted through a first slot formed to pass through a first side surface of the frame, and is mounted on the frame such that a portion of an upper surface or a lower surface of the optical substrate contacts the support part.