KR101071932B1 - Ultra-thin optical device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultra-thin optical device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ultra-thin optical device that can be utilized as an input device or a pointing device of a portable digital device. The present invention provides a light source coupled to an upper portion of a printed circuit board, a light receiving portion spaced apart from the light source and coupled to an upper portion of the printed circuit board, coupled between the light source and the light receiving portion to seal the light source and the light receiving portion, and an objective surface is formed thereon. And a first lens part coupled between the cover part and the light source and the light receiving part and positioned between the cover part and the light source to collect light irradiated from the light source and irradiate toward the objective side. And a light control unit including a second lens unit positioned between the cover unit and the light receiving unit to collect light reflected from the object surface and irradiate toward the light receiving unit. According to the present invention, the height of the optical device can be significantly lowered without reducing the size of the light source or the light receiving sensor, and the optical device can be made extremely thin.

Light source, light receiving sensor, objective, aperture

Description

Ultra-thin optical device

The present invention relates to an ultra-thin optical device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ultra-thin optical device that can be utilized as an input device or a pointing device of a portable digital device.

Recently, various types of portable digital devices have been developed to provide convenience to users' daily life. In the case of such portable digital devices, trends are being made into ultra-small, ultra-thin, and ultra-light for convenience and convenience.

Accordingly, optical devices that are mounted on portable digital devices and used as input devices or pointing devices of portable digital devices are also manufactured in ultra-miniature, ultra-thin, and ultra-light weights to meet the manufacturing trend of portable digital devices.

1A is a cross-sectional view of an optical apparatus conventionally used.

Referring to Fig. 1A, the optical structure of a conventional optical device 1 will be described. In the optical apparatus 1 used in the related art as shown in FIG. 1A, when light emitted from a light source 2 such as a light emitting LED is focused on the prism 3 and then irradiated to the objective surface 4, the objective surface ( 4) Light reflected from the objective surface 4 by an operation unit such as a user's finger F, which is located at the upper side and manipulates the optical device 1, is collected by an imaging lens 5 located below the objective surface 4. And then irradiated to the light receiving sensor 6 located under the imaging lens 5, the light is transmitted to the light receiving sensor 6.

Therefore, in the case of the optical device 1 used in the related art, the performance of the optical device 1 may vary depending on how to design the prism 3 that condenses the light emitted from the light source 2 and then transmits the light to the objective surface 4. The height of the optical device 1 is determined by the height of the prism 3 determined in the design process of the prism 3.

1B is a cross-sectional view of a prism used in an optical device.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 1B, the prism 3a used in the optical device 1 is incident on the incident surface M1a and the prism 3a into which the lights L1a and L1b irradiated from the light source are incident. Reflecting surface M2a refracting the light L1a and L1b, and irradiation surface M3a through which light L1a and L1b refracted from the reflecting surface M2a passes and is irradiated to the object surface 4 side. .

At this time, in order to reduce the height of the optical device 1 in order to reduce the thickness of the optical device 1, the prism is produced when the size of the prism is reduced while maintaining the angle of the reflecting surface M2a of the prism 3a. When the size of the prism is reduced, the size of the light source 2 and the light receiving sensor 6 such as an LED must be reduced accordingly, and the light source 2 and the light receiving sensor 6 of the optical device 1 must be reduced accordingly. There is a problem that the time and cost consumed to reduce the size of the present time is excessively generated.

In addition, when designing by lowering the height of the prism 3b in such a manner as to reduce the angle of the reflecting surface M2b of the prism 3b used for the optical device 1, as shown in (b) of FIG. The angle of the reflecting surface M2b becomes smooth so that some light L2b among the lights L2a and L2b irradiated from the light source is reflected by the reflecting surface M2b, and then passes through the irradiation surface M3b and the objective surface 4 Instead of being irradiated to the side, a case of passing through the reflective surface M2b occurs.

Therefore, only the light L2a that is refracted without passing through the reflecting surface M2b and irradiated toward the objective surface 4 is not easy to operate the optical device 1 properly, and the light L2a that exits through the irradiation surface M3b In the case of), since the irradiation surface M3b is narrowed, it is not easy to be evenly transmitted to the objective surface 4, so that the operation of the optical device 1 may not be performed properly.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems to provide an ultra-thin optical device having an ultra-thin structure to be easily utilized as an input device or a pointing device of the ultra-thin portable digital device while maintaining the performance of the optical device as it is The purpose.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an optical device having an ultra-thin structure includes a light source coupled to an upper portion of a printed circuit board, a light receiving portion spaced apart from the light source and coupled to an upper portion of the printed circuit board, and coupled between the light source and the light receiving portion. A cover part which seals a light source and the light receiving part and has an objective surface formed thereon, and is coupled between the cover part and the light source and the light receiving part and is located between the cover part and the light source to collect light emitted from the light source. And a light adjusting unit including a first lens unit irradiating toward the objective side and a second lens unit positioned between the cover unit and the light receiving unit to collect light reflected from the objective surface and irradiating toward the light receiving unit. The first lens unit has a plane of incidence that is a plane on which light emitted from the light source is incident. And characterized in that the exit face - surface that emits light to be irradiated toward the surface of the object to be provided does not protrude more than the height the second lens portion.

In addition, the first lens unit may be a Fresnel lens.

The light shielding unit may further include a light shielding unit coupled between the second lens unit and the light receiving unit to shield the light receiving unit so that only light irradiated from the second lens unit is introduced into the light receiving unit. It may further include a first light inlet hole is formed at a position opposite to and to which the light irradiated from the second lens unit is introduced.

The apparatus may further include an aperture that is coupled between the lid and the second lens to shield the second lens so that only light reflected from the objective surface flows into the second lens.

In addition, the aperture part is inserted into and coupled to the aperture coupling groove formed in the light control unit to surround the second lens unit, and is formed at a position opposite to the second lens unit so that light reflected from the objective surface is introduced. It may further include a second light inlet hole.

In addition, the cover part may be formed to be translucent.

In addition, the light shielding portion and the light control unit may be coupled to the coupling protrusion formed in the light shielding portion is inserted into the coupling groove formed in the light control unit.

According to the present invention, the light emitted from the light source for the operation of the optical device is refracted by using a Fresnel lens to be irradiated toward the objective surface to increase the height of the optical device without reducing the size of the light source or light receiving sensor used in the conventional optical device. It can be significantly lowered, and the optical device can be made extremely thin.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the technical idea of the present invention may be implemented by those skilled in the art without being limited or limited thereto.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an ultra-thin optical device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an ultra-thin optical device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ultra-thin optical device 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may include a printed circuit board 20, a light source 30, a light receiving unit 40, a cover 50, and light control. The unit 60, the light shield 70, and the aperture 80 are included.

The printed circuit board 20 is a basic base part in which the components constituting the ultra-thin optical device 10 are assembled in an integrated structure. The printed circuit board 20 is configured to connect electrical circuits to the light source 30 and the light receiving unit 40 and to install various necessary electrical components. Can be made.

The light source 30 is coupled to the upper portion of the printed circuit board 20 in the form of a chip, and light for the operation of the ultra-thin optical device 10 is generated.

In this case, an LED, a laser diode (LD), or a lamp-type element may be used as the light source 30, and the color of the light generated from the light source 30 is not limited to a specific color and various colors may be used according to implementation conditions. It is possible to do

The light receiver 40 is spaced apart from the light source 30 and coupled to the upper portion of the printed circuit board 20.

In this case, the light receiving unit 40 may be a light receiving element or a light receiving sensor that detects light emitted from the light receiving unit 40 and converts the detected light into an electric signal, and wire bonding the upper portion of the printed circuit board 20. ) Or by a flip chip process.

The cover part 50 is coupled to the light source 30 and the light receiving part 40 to seal the light source 30 and the light receiving part 40, and the user who uses the ultra-thin optical device 1 on the top of the ultra-thin optical device 10. An objective surface 52 on which an operation unit such as a finger to be used for operation is placed is formed.

In this case, the cover part 50 may be formed to be translucent so that the cover part 50 has a photo-open characteristic for the operation of the ultra-thin optical device 10.

The light control unit 60 is coupled between the cover unit 50, the light source 30, and the light receiving unit 40, and is positioned between the cover unit 50 and the light source 30 to collect light emitted from the light source 30. Afterwards, the light is collected between the first lens unit 62 and the cover 50 and the light receiving unit 40 to be irradiated toward the objective surface 52 to collect the light reflected from the objective surface 52, and then toward the light receiving unit 40. And a second lens portion 64 to irradiate.

In this case, the first lens part 62 is provided with an incident surface 62a, which is a surface on which light emitted from the light source 30 is incident, and an emission surface 62c, which is a surface on which the light irradiated toward the objective surface 52 is emitted. It may be provided so as not to protrude from the height of the second lens portion (64).

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the height of the ultra-thin optical device 10 by reducing the thickness of the first lens portion 62.

In addition, the first lens unit 62 may be a Fresnel lens and the second lens unit 64 may be a condensing lens.

Here, the Fresnel lens refers to a lens in which the curved surface of the lens is divided into a ring shape, extracted into a prism annular shape, and arranged in a plane to realize a thin center thickness.

Therefore, the first lens part 62 for condensing the light irradiated from the light source 30 and then irradiating toward the objective surface 52 is constituted by a Fresnel lens having the above characteristics. As described above, since the thickness of the conventional optical device 1 is thinner than that of the prism 3 which performs the same function as the first lens unit 62, the height of the ultra-thin optical device 10 can be reduced.

In addition, the first lens unit 62 and the second lens unit 64 may be formed by mixing any one material of silicon, epoxy, synthetic resin, or two or more materials.

In addition, the light adjusting unit 60 has a structure in which the first lens unit 62 and the second lens unit 64 are integrated or the first lens unit 62 and the second lens unit ( 64) may be a detachable structure.

The light shielding part 70 is coupled between the second lens part 64 and the light receiving part 40 to shield the light receiving part 40 so that only light emitted from the second lens part 64 flows into the light receiving part 40. Scattered light other than the light irradiated from the unit 64 is prevented from entering the light receiving unit 40.

In this case, the light shielding part 70 may further include a first light inflow hole 72 formed at a position opposite to the second lens part 64 and into which the light radiated from the second lens part 64 flows. .

In addition, the light control unit 60 and the light shielding unit 70 is coupled to the coupling protrusion 74 formed in the light shielding unit 70 is formed by being inserted into the coupling groove 68 formed in the light control unit 60. In this embodiment, the light shield 70 is configured to have one coupling protrusion 74, but this is only one of the embodiments, and the number of coupling protrusions 74 may be variously changed as necessary.

In addition, the light shielding portion 70 may further include a light blocking rib 76 protruding from the upper portion to prevent the light emitted from the light source 30 from scattering and entering the light receiving portion 40. 76 may be inserted into the rib insertion groove 69 formed in the light control unit 60.

The aperture part 80 is coupled between the cover part 50 and the second lens part 64 so that only the light reflected from the objective surface 52 flows into the second lens part 64 side. By shielding, scattered light other than the light reflected from the objective surface 52 is prevented from entering the second lens unit 64.

In this case, the diaphragm 80 may be inserted into and coupled to the diaphragm coupling groove 68 formed to surround the second lens unit 64, and the insertion coupling may be made by fitting or with the diaphragm 80. In order to reinforce the coupling force between the aperture coupling grooves 68, it may be made using a liquid epoxy or double-sided sticky tape.

In addition, the aperture part 80 may further include a second light inflow hole 82 formed at a position facing the second lens part 64 to reflect the light reflected from the objective surface 52.

In addition, the diaphragm 80 may be a film or an injection structure, and the shape may be variously implemented in a circle or square shape as necessary.

As such, the aperture portion 80 that shields the second lens portion 64 so that only the light reflected from the objective surface 52 flows into the second lens portion 64 is surrounded by the second lens portion 64. Since the height occupied by the diaphragm 80 may be reduced by being inserted into the diaphragm coupling groove 66 formed in the adjusting unit 60, the thickness of the ultra-thin optical device 10 may be reduced.

The ultra-thin optical device 10 of the present invention collects the light irradiated from the light source 30 and irradiates the curved surface of the lens with the first lens portion 62 for irradiating toward the objective surface 52 formed on the lid portion 50. It is divided into a ring shape and extracted into a prism annular shape and arranged in a plane to form a Fresnel lens having a thin center thickness, and compared with a prism 3 having the same function as the first lens part 62. It is possible to reduce the height of the first lens portion 62 at the time.

In addition, the diaphragm 80 shielding the second lens unit 64 is inserted into the diaphragm coupling groove 66 so that only the light reflected from the objective surface 52 flows into the second lens unit 64. It is possible to reduce the height of the diaphragm 80 in comparison.

Therefore, since the height can be reduced by about 30 percent or more compared to the optical device which is conventionally used as an input device or a pointing device of a portable digital device, it is possible to manufacture the optical device in an ultra-thin type.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications, changes, and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. It will be possible. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate and not to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the accompanying drawings . The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, since the optical device can be configured to have an extremely thin thickness by reducing the thickness of the conventional device, it is possible to replace the input device or the pointing device used in the portable digital apparatus.

1A is a cross-sectional view of an optical apparatus used in the prior art,

1b is a cross-sectional view of a prism used in an optical device,

2 is a cross-sectional view of an ultra-thin optical device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and

3 is an exploded perspective view of an ultra-thin optical device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

<Brief description of the main parts of the drawings>

(10): ultra-thin optical device (20): printed circuit board

30: light source 40: light receiving part

50: cover 52: objective surface

60: light adjusting portion 62: first lens portion

64: second lens portion 66: aperture coupling groove

(68): coupling groove (69): rib coupling groove

70: light shielding portion 72: first light inlet hole

(74): engaging projection (76): light blocking rib

80: aperture part 82: second light inlet hole

Claims (7)

A light source coupled to the upper portion of the printed circuit board; A light receiving unit spaced apart from the light source and coupled to an upper portion of the printed circuit board; A cover part coupled between the light source and the light receiving part to seal the light source and the light receiving part and having an objective surface formed thereon; A first lens unit coupled between the cover unit and the light source and the light receiving unit and positioned between the cover unit and the light source to collect light irradiated from the light source and irradiate toward the objective surface, and the cover unit and the light receiving unit A light adjusting unit including a second lens unit positioned in between to collect light reflected from the object surface and irradiate toward the light receiving unit; And An aperture part coupled between the cover part and the second lens part to shield the second lens part such that only light reflected from the objective surface flows into the second lens part side; The first lens unit may be provided such that an incident surface, which is a surface on which light emitted from the light source is incident, is flat, and an emission surface, which is a surface on which light emitted to the objective surface, exits, does not protrude more than the height of the second lens unit. Ultra-thin optical device made with. The method of claim 1, And the first lens unit is a Fresnel lens. The method of claim 1, And a light shielding unit coupled between the second lens unit and the light receiving unit to shield the light receiving unit so that only light irradiated from the second lens unit is introduced into the light receiving unit. And the light shielding portion further comprises a first light inflow hole formed at a position opposite to the second lens portion to allow the light emitted from the second lens portion to flow therein. delete The method of claim 1, The aperture part is inserted into and coupled to the aperture coupling groove formed in the light control unit so as to surround the second lens unit, and is formed at a position opposite to the second lens unit so that light reflected from the objective surface is introduced. Ultra-thin optical device further comprises a light inlet hole. The method of claim 1, Ultra-thin optical device, characterized in that the cover portion is formed translucent. The method of claim 3, The optical shielding unit and the light control unit is coupled to the ultra-thin optical device, characterized in that the coupling protrusion formed in the light shielding portion is inserted into the coupling groove formed in the light control unit.

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