Transparent Optical Component Cellular Structure Diffraction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transparent optical components with cellular structures experience macroscopic diffraction due to the limited thickness of separating walls, leading to flickering effects when the observer's orientation varies, which is aesthetically unacceptable, particularly in the ophthalmic field.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a Voronoi partition of the surface with irregularly distributed cell centers and walls of varying orientations, formed by tracing perpendicular bisectors, to minimize diffraction and prevent light concentration in specific directions, thereby enhancing transparency and eliminating flickering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If walls of limited thickness are used to separate cells, then the cellular structure is achieved, but macroscopic diffraction occurs causing flickering effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by using curved walls instead of straight walls to separate cells. The curved walls have varying orientations and radii of curvature, which disrupts the periodicity of the cellular structure. This asymmetry prevents constructive interference of diffracted light waves, thereby eliminating macroscopic diffraction patterns and flickering effects while maintaining the cellular structure's functional benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements curvature by designing walls with varying radii of curvature rather than straight or uniformly curved configurations. The curved walls are positioned at different orientations and curvature radii, which scatters diffracted light in multiple directions and prevents concentration of light in isolated directions. This effectively suppresses macroscopic diffraction while preserving the cell separation function.
2Ease of manufacture
If regular cellular patterns are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but diffraction peaks concentrate light in isolated directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent breaks the regular periodic pattern by introducing asymmetric curved walls with varying orientations and curvature radii. This asymmetric design prevents the formation of diffraction peaks that concentrate light in isolated directions, while still allowing for systematic manufacturing through controlled deposition processes that can accommodate variable wall geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by varying the orientation and curvature radius of individual walls at different locations within the cellular structure. Each wall is designed with specific local characteristics (different curvature radii and orientations) rather than using a uniform pattern throughout, which prevents global diffraction effects while maintaining manufacturability through localized control parameters.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If curved walls are used to reduce diffraction, then macroscopic diffraction is limited, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent manages manufacturing complexity by systematically varying key parameters of the curved walls, such as radius of curvature and orientation angles, according to defined patterns or gradients. This parameter control approach allows for precise manipulation of light diffraction characteristics while maintaining compatibility with existing manufacturing techniques like spin coating, vapor deposition, or self-assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-calculating and designing the curvature and orientation parameters of walls before fabrication. The wall geometries are optimized in advance using computational models to predict diffraction patterns, allowing manufacturers to produce the desired curved wall structures using standard processes without requiring complex real-time adjustments during manufacturing.
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 method effectively reduces diffraction peaks, improving the transparency and aesthetic appeal of optical components by ensuring that light is not concentrated in isolated directions, making the components more suitable for ophthalmic applications.
Implementation Method 1
given that each wall has a limited thickness, in particular between 0.1 μm (micrometer) and 5 μm, parallel to the surface of the optical component, it causes a microscopic diffraction of the light which arrives on the component at the place of this wall. If the walls form a periodic grating on the surface of the optical component, the fractions of an incident luminous flux which are diffracted respectively by all the walls are accumulated by constructive interference effect in certain isolated directions.
Implementation Method 2
The phenomenon of macroscopic diffraction is thus limited. Indeed, a curved wall individually diffracts the light in a multiplicity of planes which are angularly offset, so that the concentration of light intensity which results from the interference between the respective diffraction contributions of all the walls is reduced.
Implementation Method 3
A method involving a Voronoi partition of the surface with irregularly distributed cell centers and walls of varying orientations, formed by tracing perpendicular bisectors, to minimize diffraction and prevent light concentration in specific directions
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
The invention relates to a transparent optical component having a cellular structure, comprising a network of walls (106), that forms a set of cells (104) that are juxtaposed parallel to a component surface. In order to produce such a component, an irregular set of points (101, 105) in the surface of the component is determined, each point being used to form a centre of one of the cells. A position and an orientation of each wall are then determined such that the set of cells forms a Voronoï partition of the surface of the component. The component has a level of transparency that is compatible with an optical or ophthalmological use.