Rotatable Optical Light Guide Housing With Secure Light Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coupling mechanisms between light sources and optical light guides are difficult to disassemble for replacement or maintenance, and often lead to light leakage, requiring complex disassembly for redirection of the guiding structure.
Innovation Solution
A housing with a locking mechanism that allows the optical light guide to rotate about its axis while maintaining a spatial relationship with the light source, using a circumferential structure to receive radial locking members, enabling easy assembly and disassembly through rotational motion and reducing light leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid coupling mechanism is used to maintain spatial relationship between light source and optical light guide, then light coupling efficiency is improved, but ease of disassembly for replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism transitions from a rigid fixed connection to a dynamic rotatable connection. The optical light guide can rotate about its axis within the housing while maintaining coupling, allowing easy disassembly by simply rotating the light guide to disengage from the circumferential structure, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining coupling efficiency and enabling easy replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism is segmented into a housing with a circumferential structure and a rotatable optical light guide with radial locking members. This segmentation allows the light guide to be independently rotated and disassembled from the housing, facilitating easy replacement while maintaining secure coupling during operation.
2Reliability
If a secure locking mechanism is used to prevent light leakage, then light coupling reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a complex multi-component locking mechanism, the invention uses a simple circumferential structure in the housing that locally receives the radial locking members of the optical light guide. This localized reception structure provides secure locking to prevent light leakage without adding significant complexity to the overall device.
3Reliability
If the optical light guide is fixed in position to maintain spatial relationship with light source, then light coupling efficiency is improved, but adaptability for redirection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The optical light guide is designed with rotational freedom about its axis while maintaining its position relative to the light source. This dynamic capability allows the light guide to be redirected by rotation without compromising the spatial relationship needed for efficient light coupling, thus improving adaptability while maintaining coupling efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
The disclosed subject matter generally relates to a housing (100) for enabling coupling of light from a light source (102) to an optical light guide (104). The housing (100) allows for the optical light guide (104) to rotate about its axis with respect to the housing (100) and the light source (102) while at the same time maintaining the optical coupling with the light source (102). Accordingly, the inventors realized the need for being able to couple light from a light source to an optical light guide, where the optical light guide is freely rotatable about its axis. This advantage is obtained by a locking mechanism (106) of the housing where the light source is arrangeable. The locking mechanism (106) includes a circumferential structure (110) adapted to receive at least one radial locking member (112) of the optical light guide (104). The circumferential structure (110) is configured such that the optical light guide (104) is rotatable about its axis in the locking mechanism (106) while maintaining a spatial relationship between the end portion of the optical light guide (104) and the light source (102).