Vibrating Mirror Element with Beam Damping for Size Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vibrating mirror elements face challenges in stabilizing the swing of the mirror part within a predetermined angle range while maintaining a reduced overall size, especially when the mirror part is increased in size, due to vibration transmission through the substrate and twisted beam, leading to instability and increased size.
Innovation Solution
A vibrating mirror element design featuring a metal substrate with paired beams, a torsion part, and a vibration suppression mechanism that abuts against the beams to prevent vibration transmission, allowing the mirror part to be stably swung without increasing the overall size, even when the mirror part is enlarged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the mirror part is increased in size, then the scanning coverage is improved, but the overall size of the vibrating mirror element increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into functionally distinct regions: a support region for mounting the driving source, a mirror mounting region for the mirror part, and a vibration suppression region with damping structures. This segmentation allows the mirror part to be enlarged for better scanning coverage while the support region is optimized to minimize overall substrate size, resolving the contradiction between mirror size and overall element size.
Solution Approach 2:
Vibration suppression protrusions extend in a direction orthogonal to the mirror part surface, adding a vertical dimension to vibration control. This three-dimensional approach allows vibration damping without increasing the horizontal footprint of the device, enabling larger mirror parts without proportionally increasing overall size.
2Device complexity
If the substrate is supported in a cantilevered manner, then the structure is simplified, but vibration is transmitted to the mirror part causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
Vibration suppression protrusions act as intermediary damping elements between the substrate and the mirror part. These protrusions absorb and dissipate vibrational energy transmitted through the substrate, preventing direct transmission to the mirror part while maintaining the simple cantilevered support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The vibration suppression protrusions convert harmful vibrational energy into beneficial damping effects. By strategically positioning these protrusions, the substrate's natural vibrations are converted into controlled energy dissipation, stabilizing the mirror part swing without complicating the support structure.
3Reliability
If vibration suppression structures are added, then mirror part swing stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration suppression protrusions are integrated directly into the substrate structure, merging the vibration damping function with the substrate's structural role. This eliminates the need for separate vibration isolation components, achieving improved mirror stability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the cantilevered structure, mounts the driving source and mirror part, and incorporates vibration suppression protrusions for damping. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components, balancing improved stability with controlled complexity.
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 solution enables stable swinging of the mirror part within a predetermined angle range while preventing overall size increase, by suppressing vibrations transmitted through the torsion part and beams, ensuring precise and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric film, a twisted beam, and a mirror part. The optical scanner disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the mirror part supported by the twisted beam is swung by use of a plate wave excited in the substrate by the piezoelectric film
Implementation Method 2
a vibration suppression part suppressing vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vibrating mirror element including: a mirror part; a substrate made of metal, including a pair of beams, a support supporting each of the pair of beams, and a torsion part swingably supporting the mirror part; a driving source generating a plate wave that swings the mirror part; and a vibration suppression part suppressing vibration transmitted to the pair of beams. The vibration suppression part is configured to suppress the vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams at a position between a second mirror end among ends of the mirror part that is opposite a first mirror end near the support and the torsion part in a first direction in which the pair of beams extends.