S-Shaped Stray Light Suppression Protrusions for Lens Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical elements, such as lens assemblies, suffer from stray light issues due to non-optical portions, which can reduce imaging performance, and previous designs with specific orientations and shapes often concentrate stray light rather than dispersing it effectively.
Innovation Solution
An optical element with a ring body featuring an inner peripheral surface having a straight line section and S-shaped stray light suppression protrusions and grooves, where the included angle between the straight line and axis is between 25° and 65°, providing a continuous structure with irregular surfaces to scatter stray light multidirectionally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If concentric annular grooves or radial linear grooves are used on the inner peripheral surface, then the stray light suppression structure is formed, but the reflecting surface has a specific orientation that may concentrate stray light instead of dispersing it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by using S-shaped curves instead of symmetric concentric annular or radial linear grooves. The S-shaped protrusions and grooves create irregular, non-repeating surface orientations that prevent stray light from following a concentrated reflection path, thereby dispersing light in multiple directions while maintaining manufacturability through standard molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curvature by replacing straight linear grooves with S-shaped curved protrusions and grooves on the inner peripheral surface. This continuous curvature design ensures that reflected stray light changes direction progressively along the curved surfaces, preventing concentration and achieving effective dispersion of stray light across multiple angles.
2Ease of manufacture
If the inner peripheral surface is stepped in the axial direction without continuous contour, then manufacturing is simplified, but stray light suppression performance is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous S-shaped curved contours that extend along the axial direction, eliminating abrupt steps while maintaining manufacturability. The continuous curvature ensures uninterrupted stray light reflection paths that consistently disperse light, improving suppression performance without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies continuity by designing S-shaped protrusions and grooves that form continuous contours along the axial direction rather than discrete stepped sections. This continuous structure ensures uninterrupted stray light interaction with the surface, maintaining consistent dispersion performance throughout the entire axial length of the optical element.
3Device complexity
If regular shaped bumps or recesses are used on the inner peripheral surface, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but the reflecting surface concentrates stray light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces structural complexity by using S-shaped curves that, while asymmetric, can be formed in a single molding operation. The asymmetric S-shape creates varied reflection angles throughout the structure, preventing stray light concentration while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing compared to multi-step processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent balances complexity and performance by implementing S-shaped curved surfaces that provide continuous variable reflection angles. The curved geometry disperses stray light effectively without requiring complex multi-component assemblies, achieving good stray light suppression with moderate structural complexity suitable for single-piece molding.
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 design effectively disperses stray light by creating numerous irregular reflection surfaces, preventing its accumulation and thereby improving imaging quality by scattering stray light in multiple directions.
Implementation Method 1
the design of the respective stray light suppression protrusions and grooves provides a considerable number of irregular surfaces to reflect stray light, making the reflecting directions of the reflection surfaces more multidirectional, so that the stray light can be scattered more dispersedly
Implementation Method 2
the inner peripheral surface has an inner straight line formed by a section in the direction of the axis, and an included angle between an extension of the inner straight line and the axis is θ
Data Source
AI summary
An optical element having stray light suppression structure includes: a ring body including a stray light suppression structure disposed on the inner peripheral surface thereof; the stray light suppression structure includes a plurality of stray light suppression protrusions and a plurality of stray light suppression grooves, each of the stray light suppression protrusions is a continuous structure that presents an S-shaped curve, the stray light suppression protrusions protrude from the inner peripheral surface at a same height, each of the stray light suppression protrusions includes a first stray light suppression end, a second stray light suppression end, and a connecting line passing through the first stray light suppression end and the second stray light suppression end. The connecting line does not coincide or intersect with the axis of the ring body.