Prism Lens Deflecting Light Upward While Maintaining Collimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light deflection devices, such as those using phased arrays and diffraction gratings, face challenges in achieving a large light deflection angle and maintaining a collimating condition when the radiation angle changes, particularly in deflecting light from an oblique direction to a direction near the directly upward direction.
Innovation Solution
A prism lens with a set of facing planes whose mutual distance decreases or increases from one end to another, integrated with cylindrical lenses on both planes, is used to deflect light from a waveguide with a diffraction grating. This configuration allows for light deflection in the vicinity of the directly upward direction while maintaining a stable collimating condition across varying radiation angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a diffraction grating type light deflection device is used, then sharp beams can be formed, but the optical deflection angle is small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a slow light waveguide with a diffraction grating to create a hybrid light deflection device. The slow light waveguide enhances the interaction between light and the diffraction grating structure, enabling both sharp beam formation and large deflection angles to be achieved simultaneously through the synergistic effect of slow light propagation and diffraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in the propagation constant of slow light due to slight variations in wavelength and refractive index to achieve significant changes in the deflection angle. By controlling the operating wavelength and refractive index parameters, the device can dynamically adjust the deflection angle while maintaining beam quality.
2Ease of operation
If a cylindrical lens is used to suppress light spread, then the spread in the right-left direction is reduced, but light cannot be deflected in the directly upward direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a prism lens component that operates in a different dimensional space compared to the cylindrical lens. While the cylindrical lens controls spread in the horizontal dimension, the prism lens adds vertical dimension control through its inclined surfaces, enabling light to be deflected in the directly upward direction while maintaining spread suppression.
3Length of moving object
If the radiation angle of light changes, then light deflection is achieved, but the collimating condition is displaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an athermalized lens design that provides automatic compensation for collimating condition displacement. The lens structure incorporates materials and geometric configurations that respond to temperature and angle changes in a way that maintains the collimating condition, effectively creating a self-correcting system that stabilizes the output beam across varying radiation angles.
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 proposed solution effectively deflects light in an oblique direction to a direction near the directly upward direction, while ensuring that the collimating condition is not easily displaced even when the radiation angle changes, thus addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
The photonic crystal waveguide with a diffraction mechanism causes the propagated light in a diagonally upper direction to be radiated due to Bragg diffraction
Implementation Method 2
A cylindrical lens is used to suppress the spread in the right-left direction with respect to the direction along the waveguide of the light radiated from the photonic crystal waveguide
Implementation Method 3
A prism lens with a set of facing planes whose mutual distance decreases or increases from one end to another, integrated with cylindrical lenses on both planes, is used to deflect light from a waveguide with a diffraction grating
Data Source
AI summary
A prism lens includes a prism lens body and at least one cylindrical lens. The prism lens body has a set of facing planes a mutual distance of which decreases or increases from one end to another end. The cylindrical lens is integral to at least one plane of the set of planes. The cylindrical lens is formed such that a cross section shape thereof at a plane perpendicular to a direction of a slope of a plane of the prism lens body having the cylindrical lens thereon with respect to the other plane of the set of planes has a certain curved shape to be convex against the plane having the cylindrical lens thereon.