Optical Navigation Housing with Vertical Registration Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical navigation devices face challenges in achieving accurate positioning of optical components due to factors like dust, dimensional inaccuracies, and glue dispersion, leading to suboptimal alignment and performance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a housing device with vertical registration features and a glue well to facilitate precise alignment and bonding of the optical device, using elevations and recesses for form-fitting alignment and a circumferential glue well to prevent adhesive contamination, ensuring long-lasting and accurate positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If optical components are assembled using glue or clips, then the assembly process is simple, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to surface cleanliness, glue dispersion, and dimensional inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The housing device is segmented into multiple functional features: a receiving section for the optical device, first and second openings for optical access, and first and second vertical registration features for precise alignment. This segmentation allows each feature to perform its specific function independently, ensuring both easy assembly and high positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical registration features are designed to automatically align the optical device with the housing device when the optical device is inserted into the receiving section. The first registration feature (elevation) and second registration feature (recess) create a self-aligning mechanism that eliminates the need for complex external alignment tools or procedures, achieving both simplicity and precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If a flat extended surface is used for alignment, then the assembly process is simple, but alignment accuracy deteriorates due to dust and film formation on the surface
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a large flat surface for alignment, the patent employs localized vertical registration features with minimal surface area. The first registration feature is an elevation and the second is a recess, both designed to contact only specific points on the optical device. This localizes the alignment function to small, controlled surfaces that are less susceptible to dust and film contamination, while maintaining ease of assembly.
3Strength
If adhesive is applied to bond the optical device, then the bonding strength is high, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to adhesive contamination of registration features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the bonding function from the alignment function by extracting the adhesive application to a dedicated glue well that is spatially distinct from the vertical registration features. The glue well is positioned to receive adhesive while the registration features remain contaminated-free, allowing strong bonding without compromising alignment accuracy. The adhesive bonds the optical device to the housing device at locations away from the critical alignment surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly is adapted for being employed in an optical navigation device, such as that used on a computer or mobile communications device. The assembly includes a housing device and an optical device, wherein the housing device includes a receiving section for receiving the optical device. The receiving section has a first and a second opening. The housing device has first and second vertical registration features for aligning the optical device with the housing device. The first and second vertical registration features are spatially associated with the first and second opening respectively.