Phosphor Wheel Flexure Adjustment for Focus Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stack-up of mechanical and optical tolerances in phosphor illumination systems degrades focus quality, and existing adjustment mechanisms like sliding lens barrels and cams increase cost and complexity without adequately addressing misalignments.
Innovation Solution
A flexure plate mechanism with adjustable and fixed fasteners is used to adjust the position of the phosphor wheel relative to the condenser lens, allowing for angular deflection to correct misalignments without additional costly mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mechanical and optical tolerances are tightened to improve focus quality, then focus quality is improved, but manufacturing cost significantly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic adjustment mechanism consisting of a movable lens barrel and cam system that allows post-manufacturing adjustment of lens position. This dynamic element compensates for tolerance stack-up without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances, resolving the contradiction between focus quality and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of lens position through adjustable mechanisms (lens barrel position, cam orientation) to compensate for tolerance variations. By allowing parameter adjustment after manufacturing, the system achieves good focus quality without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances.
2Ease of operation
If sliding lens barrels and cams mechanisms are used to adjust lens position, then lens position adjustment is enabled, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the adjustment function into separate components: a movable lens barrel for axial position adjustment and a cam mechanism for radial/angualr adjustment. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each adjustment dimension while maintaining overall system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cam as an intermediary element that translates simple rotational motion into complex lens position adjustments. The cam mechanism serves as a mediator between the simple input (cam rotation) and the desired output (lens position correction), simplifying the overall adjustment operation.
3Ease of operation
If sliding lens barrels and cams mechanisms are used for lens adjustment, then lens position can be adjusted, but maintaining lens centration tolerances becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the adjustment mechanism with self-centering features where the lens barrel and cam geometry inherently maintain lens centration during adjustment operations. The mechanical design itself provides the centration function, eliminating the need for additional active control or complex alignment procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A phosphor illumination system including a housing, a phosphor wheel, a condenser lens mounted to the housing, the condenser lens configured to condense light to an irradiation spot on the phosphor wheel and a flexure plate onto which the phosphor wheel is mounted. The flexure plate includes a fixed fastener for fixedly fastening the flexure plate to a first location of the housing and an adjustable fastener for adjustably fastening the flexure plate to a second location of the housing, the adjustable fastener configured to change at least one of a distance and an angle of the flexure plate with respect to the condenser lens as the adjustable fastener is tightened to or loosened from the housing.