Optical Beam Former With Pattern-Matched Apertures for High Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing character projectors face limitations in miniaturization, transmission, and manufacturing complexity due to the use of binary slides and micro-optical projector arrays, which restrict their application range and increase production costs.
Innovation Solution
An optical beam former with a condenser lens array and a projection lens array, utilizing irregularly delimited microlenses adapted to the pattern, allows for high transmission and precise, cost-effective replication without buried slides, enabling wide application and efficient beam forming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If binary micro-slide arrays are used in array projectors, then transmission is limited by the area filling factor, but manufacturing precision can be improved through sequential replication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the binary micro-slide arrays from the optical system, extracting the limiting component that caused transmission loss. By eliminating the slides entirely and using only microlens arrays with irregular apertures, the system achieves high transmission without the area filling factor limitation while maintaining manufacturing precision through a simplified single-step replication process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the projection pattern into multiple subareas, with each microlens in the array responsible for projecting a specific subarea. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high transmission by optimizing each microlens aperture to its specific subarea requirements, eliminating the need for sequential slide replication while maintaining precise pattern formation.
2Length of moving object
If tandem microlens arrays with buried slides are used, then installation length is reduced, but device complexity increases due to sequential replication requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the buried slide arrays from the tandem microlens configuration, simplifying the manufacturing process to a single microlens array with irregular apertures. This maintains the compact installation length while eliminating the complex sequential replication and centering requirements of the previous design.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of embedding slides within microlens arrays (buried slide configuration), the patent inverts the approach by creating microlens arrays with integrated irregular apertures directly formed in the lens structure. This inversion simplifies the manufacturing to a single replication step while maintaining the space-saving compact design.
3Ease of manufacture
If regular aperture microlenses are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but transmission is limited by mismatched aperture-p pattern areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by giving each microlens in the array a specifically tailored irregular aperture shape that matches its assigned subarea of the projection pattern. This local optimization of aperture geometry to match local pattern requirements maximizes transmission for each lens element while maintaining ease of manufacture through single-step replication of the entire array with pre-defined irregular apertures.
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 achieves high output light power, wide application range, and simplified, cost-effective manufacturing by using irregularly delimited microlenses, allowing projection onto various surfaces with high contrast and reduced manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, wherein the condenser lens array includes a plurality of condenser lenses
Implementation Method 2
a projection lens array arranged parallel to the condenser lens array for emitting the emerging light beam, wherein the projection lens array includes a plurality of projection lenses
Data Source
AI summary
An optical beam former for generating an emerging light beam from an incident light beam includes a condenser lens array for receiving the incident light beam, wherein the condenser lens array includes a plurality of condenser lenses. The optical beam former includes a projection lens array arranged parallel to the condenser lens array for emitting the incident light beam, wherein the projection lens array comprises a plurality of projection lenses. The condenser lens array comprises at least one cluster of condenser lenses, wherein each condenser lens of the cluster comprises an aperture adapted to a subarea of an overall pattern projected by the optical beam former to provide, for the projection lens array, part of the incident light beam associated with the subarea of the overall pattern. A combination of the apertures of the condenser lenses is adapted to the overall pattern.