Lens Unit Frame-Shaped Cutout Resin Chipping Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens units for endoscopes face challenges in manufacturing small diameter lenses with high reliability due to chipping issues during the cutting process of glass substrates, which affects the manufacturing ease and reliability of both the lens units and endoscopes.
Innovation Solution
A lens unit design featuring a frame-shaped cutout at the outer edge of the glass substrate with resin disposed only in the cutout, and a method involving groove formation on the wafer surface, filling with resin, and precise cutting to prevent chipping, using energy-curable resins and adhesive layers for bonding and light-shielding properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a glass substrate is cut using conventional methods to reduce lens unit diameter, then the lens unit can be made smaller and less invasive, but chipping occurs at the outer edge during cutting which reduces manufacturing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
A frame-shaped cutout is formed at the outer edge of the glass substrate before the cutting process. This preliminary structural modification prevents chipping during subsequent cutting operations by removing the vulnerable outer edge material that would otherwise chip during dicing.
Solution Approach 2:
Resin material is disposed within the frame-shaped cutout to provide mechanical support and cushioning to the glass substrate edges during cutting. This beforehand cushioning prevents chipping by absorbing cutting stresses before they can cause damage to the glass edges.
2Reliability
If resin is disposed in the frame-shaped cutout to prevent chipping, then manufacturing reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame-shaped cutout and resin disposal are integrated into the existing lens manufacturing process flow. The cutout formation and resin filling are combined with the wafer-level stacking process, merging multiple functions into a unified manufacturing sequence that minimizes additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame-shaped cutout is positioned only at the outer edge where chipping occurs, and resin is disposed only in this specific location. This localized approach applies the complexity-only where needed to prevent chipping, rather than modifying the entire glass substrate structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise cutting is performed to avoid chipping, then manufacturing precision improves, but the cutting process becomes more difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The frame-shaped cutout is formed before the final cutting process, preliminarily preparing the glass substrate to accept precise cutting without chipping. This preliminary action enables subsequent precise cutting operations to proceed more easily and reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame-shaped cutout acts as an intermediary structure between the glass substrate and the cutting blade. This intermediary feature facilitates precise cutting by providing a pre-prepared edge geometry that is more amenable to clean cutting operations.
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 solution enhances the manufacturing ease and reliability of lens units and endoscopes by preventing chipping during the cutting process, ensuring high mechanical strength and light-shielding properties, thus facilitating the production of compact and efficient image pickup apparatuses.
Implementation Method 1
a first resin disposed only in the cutout
Implementation Method 2
stacked with an adhesive layer in between
Implementation Method 3
using energy-curable resins
Data Source
AI summary
A lens unit includes a first optical element including a first principal surface that is an incident surface; and including a first glass substrate and a first resin, the first glass substrate including a frame-shaped cutout at an outer edge of the first principal surface, the first resin being disposed only in the cutout.