Segmented Lens Unit Alignment via Positioning Portions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lens units with linearly arranged lenses are challenging to build accurately due to their length, leading to difficulties in precise assembly and alignment.
Innovation Solution
A lens unit design featuring a first lens plate forming an inverted reduced image and a second lens plate forming an inverted enlarged image, with positioning protrusions and lens plate positioning portions to facilitate accurate alignment and reduce warp, allowing for precise assembly and improved optical axis alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional lens arrays with linearly arranged lenses are used, then the optical system can be constructed, but the lens unit becomes long and difficult to build with high accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The lens array is divided into multiple separate lens plates (first lens plate, second lens plate, third lens plate) that can be manufactured and positioned independently. Each lens plate contains a subset of the total lenses, allowing the optical system to achieve the required functionality without requiring a single long continuous lens array, thereby improving assembly accuracy while maintaining the necessary optical path length
Solution Approach 2:
Lens plate positioning portions are introduced as intermediary structures that mediate between the individual lens plates and the overall optical system. These positioning portions provide reference surfaces and mechanical constraints that enable precise alignment and positioning of each lens plate relative to the others, solving the assembly accuracy problem in long lens units
2Ease of manufacture
If the lens unit is made long to accommodate linearly arranged lenses, then the optical functionality is achieved, but assembly and alignment become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the lens array into multiple compact lens plates rather than one long array, each individual lens plate can be manufactured and assembled more easily with higher precision. The segmented structure reduces the cumulative alignment errors that would occur in a single long lens array, making the overall manufacturing process easier while improving alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The lens plate positioning portions act as intermediary alignment features that simplify the assembly process. These positioning structures provide built-in reference surfaces and mechanical guides that automatically establish correct relative positions between lens plates during assembly, making the manufacturing process easier while ensuring high alignment precision without requiring complex external alignment procedures
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 enables high-accuracy building of the lens unit, reducing misalignment and improving the alignment of optical axes, thus enhancing the overall precision and productivity of the optical system.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens plate including first lenses arranged in a first direction and configured to form an intermediate image being an inverted reduced image of an object
Implementation Method 2
a second lens plate including second lenses arranged in the first direction and configured to form an inverted enlarged image of the intermediate image on a light reception surface
Data Source
AI summary
A lens unit includes a first lens plate including first lenses arranged in a first direction and configured to form an intermediate image being an inverted reduced image of an object, a second lens plate including second lenses arranged in the first direction and configured to form an inverted enlarged image of the intermediate image on a light reception surface, and a positioning portion being in contact with both a butting portion formed on the first lens plate and a butting portion formed on the second lens plate.