Optical Encoder Integrating Lens and Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical encoders have a high component count due to separate parts for the light emitting and receiving elements and lenses, leading to increased costs and unstable light incidence characteristics when the distance or resolution between these elements deviates from reference values.
Innovation Solution
An optical encoder with a light-pervious resin casing that integrally molds the light emitting and receiving elements and lenses, reducing the number of components and stabilizing light incidence by collimating light effectively, regardless of distance or resolution deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the lens and casing are provided as separate component parts, then the optical encoder can be assembled with standardized parts, but the parts count increases causing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lens and casing are integrated into a single molded component, eliminating the need for separate assembly of these two parts. This merging reduces the total parts count and associated assembly steps while maintaining the functional benefits of both the casing (protection and positioning) and the lens (light collimation and focusing).
2Manufacturing precision
If the lens is provided with a birefringence function or a lens aberration improvement function, then the optical performance is improved, but the parts count increases causing further cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple optical functions (collimation, focusing, birefringence, and aberration correction) are integrated into a single lens component. This eliminates the need for multiple separate optical elements, reducing parts count while maintaining or improving optical performance through carefully designed lens geometry and material selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The single lens component performs multiple optical functions simultaneously: it collimates light from the LED, focuses light onto the photodetector, provides birefringence for polarization control, and corrects optical aberrations. This multi-functionality reduces the overall component count while achieving superior optical performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If the distance between the light emitting element and the light receiving element deviates from a reference value, then manufacturing tolerances are relaxed, but the incidence characteristics of light onto the light receiving element becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is designed with dynamic light-guiding properties that adapt to variations in distance between the LED and photodetector. The lens geometry and refractive index are optimized to maintain stable light incidence characteristics across a range of distances, effectively compensating for manufacturing tolerances and ensuring reliable operation despite distance deviations.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the resolution deviates from a reference value, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the incidence characteristics of light onto the light receiving element becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The lens design incorporates dynamic optical properties that compensate for variations in photodetector resolution. By optimizing the lens curvature, aperture, and refractive index distribution, the system maintains stable light incidence characteristics across different resolution specifications, allowing manufacturing flexibility without compromising reliability.
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 integrated design reduces development costs, suppresses light diffusion, and improves light condensing ratios, ensuring stable light incidence characteristics even with deviations in distance or resolution.
Implementation Method 1
a lens for collimating light emitted from the light emitting element
Implementation Method 2
suppresses light diffusion
Implementation Method 3
a casing and a lens are integrally molded by a light-pervious resin
Implementation Method 4
the casing and the lens are integrally molded by a light-pervious resin
Data Source
AI summary
An optical encoder is comprised of three component parts, which are an emission-side light-pervious resin 6 by which a light emitting chip 1 is sealed, a reception-side light-pervious resin 8 by which a light receiving chip 2 is sealed, and an outer casing 4 to which a lens 3 is integrated and in which the emission-side light-pervious resin 6 and the reception-side light-pervious resin 8 are housed. Thus, the optical encoder can be reduced in parts count, allowing the development cost to be reduced, as compared with the case where the lens 3 for collimating light derived from the light emitting chip 1 and the outer casing 4 are provided as independent component parts.