Parabolic Light Guide for Stable Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light guides in image scanning devices have poor optical characteristics for stable illumination across the entire scanning area, leading to increased device size due to the need for longer light guides.
Innovation Solution
A rod-shaped light guide with an incident surface, a flat emission surface, a parabolic reflective surface, and a light scatterer, where the emission surface is angled to totally reflect collimated light, preventing direct reflection and allowing a shorter light guide with stable optical characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the light guide is made long in the X-axis direction to achieve stable illumination, then the optical characteristics are improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide is divided into functional segments: an incident surface for light entry, a reflective surface with parabolic shape for light direction control, and an emission surface for light output. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently, achieving stable optical characteristics without requiring excessive length.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflective surface is designed with a parabolic shape instead of a flat surface. This curvature enables the surface to reflect light from the focal point and direct it toward the emission surface, creating collimated light that maintains stable optical characteristics over a shorter distance.
2Reliability
If a parabolic surface is added to reflect light, then light collimation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective surface with parabolic shape is integrated directly into the light guide structure, merging the light reflection function with the light guide body. This integration achieves light collimation without adding separate external components, thereby controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The parabolic reflective surface serves multiple functions: it reflects light from the focal point, directs the light toward the emission surface, and creates collimated light output. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
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 configuration enables a compact image scanning device with stable optical characteristics by blocking poor reflection light and ensuring uniform illumination, eliminating the need for extended light guides.
Implementation Method 1
The reflective surface has a parabolic shape to generate collimated light directed toward the emission surface by reflecting light from a focal point of the parabolic shape
Implementation Method 2
the emission surface being set to an angle at which, among the light scattered by the light scatterer, the collimated light generated by the reflective surface is totally reflected
Implementation Method 3
The light scatter has a predetermined scattering area to scatter light that entered the light guide through the incident surface
Data Source
AI summary
A light guide includes an incident surface provided at an end portion of the light guide in the longitudinal direction and upon which light emitted by a light source incidents; an emission surface being flat-shaped, the emission surface emitting the light that enters the light guide through the incident surface to an illumination target; a reflective surface having a parabolic shape to generate collimated light directed toward the emission surface by reflecting light from a focal point of the parabolic shape or light from a predetermined area including the focal point, and a light scatterer having a predetermined scattering area to scatter light that entered the light guide through the incident surface and reflect light that entered the light guide through the incident surface in a direction of the reflective surface. The emission surface includes a first emission surface that has a predetermined length from an end portion of the light guide facing the light source along the longitudinal direction, the emission surface being set to an angle at which, among the light scattered by the light scatterer, the collimated light generated by the reflective surface is totally reflected.