Intraoral Sensor Vertical Stack Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intraoral sensors require miniaturization without sacrificing effective area and must be resistant to external forces, with existing designs prone to damage and deterioration due to structural stress and exposure to high-energy radiation.
Innovation Solution
The design aligns the outlines of the scintillator, fiber optical plate, image sensor, and wiring board, minimizing non-imaging areas and using a supporting substrate and underfill layer to reduce stress concentration and enhance mechanical strength, while ensuring the image sensor and wiring board are protected and easily connected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the intraoral sensor is miniaturized to reduce size for oral cavity insertion, then the sensor can be inserted into the oral cavity, but the effective area of the sensor may be sacrificed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the scintillator, fiber optical plate, image sensor, and wiring board into a vertically stacked configuration where their outlines are substantially aligned. This combining approach allows the sensor to achieve a compact footprint suitable for oral cavity insertion while maintaining the full effective area of each component through vertical integration rather than horizontal arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a horizontal arrangement of components to a vertical stacking configuration. By aligning the outlines of the scintillator, fiber optical plate, image sensor, and wiring board and arranging them in layers perpendicular to each other, the design achieves miniaturization in the horizontal plane while preserving the effective area of each component in the vertical dimension.
2Ease of manufacture
If the outlines of layers are misaligned, then manufacturing is easier, but stress concentrates at steps causing peeling and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an underfill layer between the image sensor and wiring board that extends beyond the outline of the image sensor to the outline of the wiring board. This underfill layer acts as a cushioning element that distributes mechanical stress uniformly across the interface, preventing stress concentration at the edges and thereby preventing peeling and breakage even when slight misalignments occur during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure where the underfill layer serves as a transitional material between the image sensor and wiring board. This composite approach combines the rigid components with a compliant underfill material that accommodates dimensional variations and stress, enhancing the overall reliability of the layered structure.
3Measurement precision
If the image sensor and wiring board are not covered by the fiber optical plate, then radiation detection is improved, but high-energy radiation causes deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the fiber optical plate transparent in the regions where it covers the image sensor and wiring board, allowing radiation to pass through to the detection elements. However, in regions where the fiber optical plate extends beyond the sensor components, it provides radiation shielding to protect the wiring board and other sensitive elements from high-energy radiation-induced deterioration.
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 allows for a miniaturized intraoral sensor with improved durability and reduced radiation exposure, preventing peeling and breakage, and facilitating easy electrical connection and insertion into the oral cavity.
Implementation Method 1
a scintillator including a first surface and a second surface
Implementation Method 2
a fiber optical plate disposed on the second surface side of the scintillator
Implementation Method 3
the image sensor is a back-surface irradiation type image sensor
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(c)
Figure 3(a)~3(d)
AI summary
An intraoral sensor includes a scintillator including a first surface and a second surface, a fiber optical plate disposed on the second surface side of the scintillator, an image sensor disposed on an opposite side of the fiber optical plate from the scintillator, and a wiring board disposed on an opposite side of the image sensor from the fiber optical plate. An outline of the scintillator, an outline of the fiber optical plate, an outline of the image sensor, and an outline of the wiring board as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the scintillator are substantially aligned.