Reduced Height Illumination Assembly for Scanner
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Solution Overview
Problem
High power xenon fluorescent lamps used in scanners generate excessive heat, leading to increased costs, acoustic noise, and potential contamination, while LED arrays require careful diffusion to avoid artifacts in scanned images, and existing C-shaped illumination assemblies are bulky and inefficient for thermal management.
Innovation Solution
A reduced height illumination assembly with a primary reflector comprising a lower and upper member, where the light source is positioned between them, and a secondary reflector provides diffuse high-intensity illumination, allowing for adjustable mounting and improved airflow for thermal management, reducing the overall height and weight of the scanner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a high power xenon fluorescent lamp is used to generate required illumination, then illumination intensity is improved, but heat generation increases leading to higher costs, acoustic noise, and potential contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful heat generation function from the illumination system by replacing the xenon fluorescent lamp with an LED light source that generates significantly less heat, while maintaining the required illumination intensity through optimized optical design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts LEDs which are more cost-effective and have longer operational life compared to xenon fluorescent lamps, eliminating the need for expensive cooling systems and reducing maintenance costs
2Stability of the object's composition
If a C-shaped illumination assembly with increased radius of curvature is used to achieve diffuse illumination, then illumination uniformity is improved, but the overall height of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional C-shaped reflector design to a three-dimensional multi-faceted reflector structure that achieves diffuse illumination through multiple reflection paths, reducing the required radius of curvature and overall assembly height
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the reflector surface into multiple facets with different orientations, allowing light to be diffused through multiple reflection paths rather than requiring a large single-curved surface, thereby reducing the assembly height
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 provides efficient, diffuse high-intensity illumination with improved thermal management, reducing the scanner's height and weight while maintaining image quality and cost-effectiveness, addressing the issues of heat generation and LED array stability.
Implementation Method 1
The light source may be an array of LEDs or a single high power LED
Implementation Method 2
The primary reflector may comprise a lower and upper member... The secondary reflector may be positioned on the scan head frame and opposite the open end of the C
Implementation Method 3
The upper member may have a heatsink
Implementation Method 4
improved airflow for thermal management
Data Source
AI summary
An illumination assembly for a scanner comprising a light source, a primary reflector and a secondary reflector. The primary reflector comprises a lower member and upper member spaced away from the lower member. The upper member has a heatsink for dissipating the heat of the light source. The light source is positioned between the lower and upper members and is attached to the upper member allowing for decreased vertical height for the illumination assembly.