Light Guide Path Layout for Precise Optical Sensor Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Optical biosensors face challenges in effectively guiding light to light-receiving elements, necessitating improved light distribution mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A detection device with a light guide portion featuring multiple light guide paths and a light-absorbing portion with higher absorbance, designed to overlap light-receiving elements, ensuring optimal light delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If light guide paths are arranged to overlap light-receiving elements, then light guidance efficiency is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight guidance efficiencyVSAvoidalignment precision between light guide paths and light-receiving elements

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The light guide portion is divided into multiple discrete light guide paths (e.g., nine paths arranged in a 3x3 grid) that can be independently formed and aligned with the light-receiving elements. This segmentation allows each light guide path to be precisely positioned to overlap with corresponding light-receiving elements, improving light guidance efficiency while maintaining manufacturability through modular assembly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A light-absorbing portion is introduced as an intermediary element between the light source and the light guide paths. This light-absorbing portion has higher absorbance than the light guide paths and is positioned to receive light from the light source, thereby controlling and directing light flow into the light guide paths that overlap with the light-receiving elements, which helps manage alignment precision requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If light-absorbing portion with higher absorbance is added, then light guidance control is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight guidance controlVSAvoidstructure complexity of light guide portion

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The light guide portion is designed with spatially varying properties: regions with high light absorbance (light-absorbing portion) are positioned at specific locations to control light entry, while other regions contain transparent or translucent light guide paths. This local differentiation of optical properties enables precise light guidance control without requiring complex mechanical structures, as the functional variation is achieved through material property distribution

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

Enhances light guidance to light-receiving elements, improving the detection accuracy and efficiency of biological information sensing.

Implementation Method 1

a light-absorbing portion having higher absorbance of the light than that of the light guide paths

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight absorption: Absorption (EM radiation)

Data Source

PatentUS20250342715A1Method for manufacturing a light guide portion

Publication Date: 2025.11.06 MAGNOLIA WHITE CORP

AI summary

According to an aspect, a detection device includes: a plurality of light-receiving elements configured to receive light; and a light guide portion one surface of which faces the light-receiving elements. The light guide portion includes a plurality of light guide paths provided throughout from the one surface to the other surface of the light guide portion, and a light-absorbing portion having higher absorbance of the light than that of the light guide paths. When viewed from a direction in which the light-receiving elements and the light guide portion are stacked, more than one of the light guide paths overlap one of the light-receiving elements.