Resin Lens Diffractive Surface for Optical Spot Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical scanning devices using resin-made lenses face challenges with environmental changes, such as temperature variations, which affect optical characteristics and beam spot diameter, and require complex manufacturing and high accuracy for diffracting surfaces, leading to increased costs and reduced optical performance.
Innovation Solution
The optical scanning device incorporates a configuration with a first optical element that converts the semiconductor laser beam, a second optical element that guides the beam to a deflector, and a third optical element that gathers the beam, where at least one of the lenses has a power diffracting surface with specific power conditions to cancel out diffracting and refractive portions, stabilizing the beam spot diameter across environmental changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a resin-made lens is used to reduce weight and cost, then the device becomes lighter and cheaper, but the optical characteristics change due to temperature variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by incorporating a temperature compensation mechanism that adjusts the optical parameters of the resin-made lens in response to temperature variations. The lens design includes specific curvature parameters and material properties that are engineered to compensate for thermal expansion and refractive index changes, thereby maintaining stable optical characteristics while retaining the weight and cost advantages of resin materials.
2Reliability
If a diffracting surface is added to stabilize optical characteristics, then temperature stability improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the diffracting surface functionality directly into the resin-made lens structure, combining the refractive and diffractive functions into a single integrated component. This merging approach eliminates the need for separate optical elements, thereby stabilizing optical characteristics through the diffracting surface while avoiding the increased manufacturing complexity that would result from assembling multiple discrete components.
3Reliability
If the beam spot diameter is stabilized against environmental changes, then optical performance improves, but the optical system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes by designing the optical system with specific focal lengths and curvature parameters that are optimized to compensate for environmental variations. The resin-made lens is engineered with precise parameter values that maintain constant beam spot diameter despite changes in temperature and wavelength, achieving stability without requiring complex additional optical 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 stabilizes the beam spot diameter and reduces variations due to temperature changes and wavelength shifts, improving optical performance while simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs by using resin-made lenses with controlled power distributions.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the resin-made lenses has a power diffracting surface, and a surface shape of at least one of power diffracting surfaces is formed so that a power of a diffracting portion and a power of a refractive portion are cancelled out
Data Source
AI summary
An optical scanning device includes a first optical element that converts a cross-section shape of a light beam from a semiconductor laser to a desired shape; a second optical element that guides the light beam output from the first optical element to an optical deflector that deflects the light beam; and a third optical element that gathers the light beam deflected by the optical deflector onto a surface to be scanned to form a light spot thereby optically scanning the surface. At least one of the first optical element, the second optical element, and the third optical element includes a resin-made lens, at least one of the resin-made lenses has a power diffracting surface, and a surface shape of at least one of power diffracting surfaces is formed so that a power of a diffracting portion and a power of a refractive portion are cancelled out.