Prism-Based Optical Element for Precision Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical elements used for measuring components in living body tissues or solutions face challenges such as groove damage, surface roughness, and decreased measurement precision due to machining issues and unnecessary light interference.
Innovation Solution
An optical element comprising a light-emitting prism, a light-receiving prism, and a light intensity-reducing part, where the prisms form a recessed part for direct light travel, reducing unnecessary light and enhancing precision by blocking or absorbing light that doesn't pass through the sample.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If grooves are formed by machining or etching on the optical element surface, then light can be guided through the living body tissue, but the grooves are easily damaged and surface roughness increases, reducing measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is divided into multiple prism units (light-emitting prism, light-receiving prism, and light intensity-reducing part) that work together to achieve the measurement function without requiring fragile grooves. This segmentation eliminates the vulnerable groove structures while maintaining the light guidance capability through prism geometry and total internal reflection.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful groove structures are completely removed from the design. Instead of forming grooves on the optical element surface, the invention extracts the light guidance function and implements it through prism configurations and strategic light blocking, thereby eliminating the source of surface roughness and measurement errors.
2Measurement precision
If directional light is emitted from the light source, then light can be focused, but unnecessary reflected lights are detected along with the useful light, reducing measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful reflected light into a useful measurement signal by strategically positioning the light-receiving prism to detect both the transmitted light and the reflected light from the tissue interface. The light intensity-reducing part blocks only the harmful direct reflections while allowing the tissue-interaction light to reach the detector, thereby transforming potential interference into beneficial measurement information.
Solution Approach 2:
The light intensity-reducing part acts as an intermediary element that selectively filters light paths. It blocks harmful reflected lights (arrows Y and Z) while allowing the useful light that has interacted with the tissue to reach the light-receiving prism, thereby mediating between the light source and detector to eliminate interference.
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 solution allows for easy formation of optical elements with improved precision, reducing unnecessary light interference and enhancing the reliability of optical measurement devices by ensuring that only necessary light reaches the detector.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting prism including a light-output face from which a light to be emitted to a sample is outputted
Implementation Method 2
the light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism are combined to form a recessed part with which the sample makes contact
Implementation Method 3
a light-receiving prism including a light-receiving face which receives the light returned from the sample
Implementation Method 4
the light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism are combined to form a recessed part with which the sample makes contact
Implementation Method 5
a light intensity-reducing part provided between the light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism
Implementation Method 6
the light intensity-reducing part provided between the light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an optical element in which a groove for a sample to make contact can be formed without machining or etching a material for an optical element, and in which the scattering of a light at the groove does not decrease the precision in an optical measurement. The optical element is formed with a light-emitting prism including a light-output face from which a light to be emitted to a sample is outputted, a light-receiving prism including a light-receiving face which receives the light returned from the sample, and a light intensity-reducing part provided between the light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism. The light-emitting prism and the light-receiving prism are combined to form a recessed part for the sample to make contact, so that the light outputted from the light-output face travels straight in the sample in contact with the recessed part and enters the light-receiving face.