Image-Reading Apparatus Cooling Gas Dust Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image-reading apparatuses, cooling gas supplied to support substrates can contaminate optical members, leading to dirt accumulation and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
The optical member is positioned differently from the substrate in both the substrate thickness and extending directions, with a supply unit providing cooling gas that flows along the substrate, and restriction mechanisms prevent the gas from reaching the optical member, thereby minimizing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling gas is supplied to the substrate to cool it, then the substrate temperature is reduced, but dust contained in the cooling gas adheres to the optical member causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful element (cooling gas flow path) from the system by eliminating the need for gas cooling entirely. Instead, heat is dissipated through thermal conduction to a heat dissipation member and then to the surrounding air, removing the source of dust contamination while maintaining effective cooling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a heat dissipation member as an intermediary between the substrate and the surrounding air. This mediator conducts heat away from the substrate through thermal conduction and then dissipates it to the air, eliminating the need for direct gas flow over the optical member while maintaining cooling efficiency
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 configuration effectively prevents dust from the cooling gas from adhering to the optical member, maintaining its cleanliness and the apparatus's performance.
Implementation Method 1
a supply unit that supplies cooling gas that is used to cool the substrate to the substrate. The cooling gas that is supplied to the substrate flows along the substrate.
Implementation Method 2
cooling gas that is supplied to the substrate flows along the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An image-reading apparatus includes: a light-receiving unit that receives reflected light from a recording medium; a substrate that supports the light-receiving unit; an optical member that is located at a position different from a position of the substrate in a substrate thickness direction corresponding to a thickness direction of the substrate and that guides the reflected light from the recording medium to the light-receiving unit; and a supply unit that supplies cooling gas that is used to cool the substrate to the substrate. The cooling gas that is supplied to the substrate flows along the substrate.