Optical Component Coplanar Surface Design for Molding Adhesion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Optical components with smooth surfaces suffer from molding failures due to high adhesion forces during injection molding, leading to surface roughness and reduced light reflection accuracy, resulting in defective products and decreased production efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The optical component design features an optical surface with a smooth optical path area and a rough non-optical path area, placed coplanarly, and an injection molding die with corresponding surface features to minimize adhesion forces and prevent wrinkles, ensuring accurate light reflection and transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the optical surface is designed to have a smooth surface, then the light reflection accuracy is improved, but the adhesion force between the optical surface formation piece and the optical surface increases, causing molding failures and surface roughness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface smoothnessVSAvoidmolding process

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the surface characteristics of the optical surface into two distinct regions: a smooth optical path area for accurate light reflection and a rough non-optical path area for reduced adhesion during molding. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing smooth surfaces where needed while preventing molding failures in other areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The optical surface is segmented into multiple functional areas with different surface characteristics. The smooth optical path area and rough non-optical path area are clearly divided, allowing each region to serve its specific function independently. This segmentation enables the coexistence of high surface quality and easy manufacturability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If the adhesion force between the optical surface and mold is reduced, then molding failures and wrinkles are prevented, but the surface smoothness of the optical path area may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemolding processVSAvoidsurface smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

By assigning different surface qualities to different regions of the optical surface, the patent achieves reduced adhesion in the non-optical path area while preserving smoothness in the optical path area. This local quality approach allows the molding process to proceed without failures while maintaining the required optical quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the entire optical surface is made smooth, then light reflection is accurate, but wrinkles and surface roughness occur during extrusion, degrading optical component quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptical reflection accuracyVSAvoidproduction efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by creating a smooth optical path area for accurate light reflection while introducing a rough non-optical path area to prevent adhesion-related defects during extrusion. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining optical performance where needed while improving overall production reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of surface roughness by strategically locating it only in the non-optical path area. The rough surface in this region serves a beneficial function by reducing adhesion and preventing wrinkles, while the optical path area maintains the required smoothness for accurate light reflection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 approach reduces the occurrence of molding failures, decreases defective products, and enhances production efficiency by maintaining smooth optical surfaces and preventing wrinkles during the injection molding process.

Implementation Method 1

an adhesion force between a surface 116 of the second optical surface formation piece 115 of the fixed die 111 and a second optical surface 103 is large

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Implementation Method 2

reflect the incident light on a second optical surface 103

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight reflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS10830969B2Optical component, injection molding die for optical component, and injection molding method for optical component

Publication Date: 2020.11.10 ENPLAS CORP

AI summary

An optical component is configured to optically connect a light-emitting element and an optical fiber, and includes an optical surface arranged in a middle of an optical path of a light to be emitted from the light-emitting element to the optical fiber to reflect the light. The optical surface includes an optical path area configured to reflect the light and a non-optical path area other than the optical path area, and the optical path area and the non-optical path area are coplanar. The optical path area has a smooth surface, and at least a part of the non-optical path area has a rough surface which is rougher than the optical path area.