OPTICAL SENSOR

• US 20150212208A1
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Hanada, Kaname, Yamasaki, Tsutomu, Sonoda, Tomiya, Chiku, Shinichiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1815 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02327 the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors optical coatings H01L31/0216
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/173 formed in, or on, a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are provided on a surface of a substrate. The light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are sealed by transparent resin members and, respectively. A lens is provided at the transparent resin member at a position above the light-emitting element. The center of the lens and a mounting position of the light-emitting element are disposed being shifted from each other. With this, an optical axis of light outputted via the lens is slanted toward an opposite direction side with respect to the light-receiving element at a predetermined elevation angle. In this case, a beam divergence angle of light outputted from the lens is set to a predetermined value.

Claims

1. An optical sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a light-emitting element disposed on a surface of the substrate;

a light-receiving element disposed on the surface of the substrate and configured to detect a target object by receiving light emitted from the light-emitting element and reflected by the target object; and

a refractive-index medium disposed above the light-emitting element opposite the surface of the substrate and configured to output light emitted from the light-emitting element with an optical axis,

wherein the optical axis has an elevation angle between 47 degrees and 89 degrees in a direction away from the light-receiving element and a beam divergence angle between 1.8 degrees and 42 degrees.

2. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the refractive-index medium is a lens.

3. The optical sensor according to claim 2, wherein the optical axis of the light output by the lens has an elevation angle between 50 degrees and 89 degrees in a direction away from the light-receiving element and a beam divergence angle between 1.8 degrees and 20.3 degrees.

4. The optical sensor according to claim 3, wherein a mounting position of the light-emitting element is disposed on the surface of the substrate at a position shifted relative to a center of the lens that is closer to the light-receiving element in a range between 2% and 62% of the lens radius.

5. The optical sensor according to claim 2, wherein the lens comprises at least one of an aspherical lens and an asymmetric lens having different curvature in a front-rear direction and a left-right direction.

6. The optical sensor according to claim 2, wherein the lens comprises a radius between 0.21 mm and 0.48 mm.

7. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the refractive-index medium comprises a sloped outer surface that outputs light emitted from the light-emitting element.

8. The optical sensor according to claim 7, wherein a height of the sloped outer surface decreases towards the light-receiving element.

9. The optical sensor according to claim 8, wherein the optical axis of the light output by the sloped outer surface has an elevation angle between 47 degrees and 57 degrees in a direction away from the light-receiving element and a beam divergence between degrees and 42 degrees.

10. The optical sensor according to claim 7, wherein the optical axis of the light output by the sloped outer surface has an elevation angle between 47 degrees and 57 degrees in a direction away from the light-receiving element and a beam divergence between degrees and 42 degrees.

11. The optical sensor according to claim 7, wherein the sloped outer surface is flat.

12. The optical sensor according to claim 7, wherein the sloped outer surface is curved.

13. An optical sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a light-emitting element disposed on a surface of the substrate;

a plurality of light-receiving elements disposed on the surface of the substrate and each light-receiving element configured to detect a target object by receiving light emitted from the light-emitting element and reflected by the target object; and

a refractive-index medium disposed above the light-emitting element opposite the surface of the substrate and configured to output light emitted from the light-emitting element with an optical axis,

wherein the optical axis of light has an elevation angle between 47 degrees and 89 degrees in a direction away from the plurality of light-receiving elements and a beam divergence angle between 1.8 degrees and 42 degrees, and

wherein the light-emitting element is disposed at a position on the surface of the substrate that is not between the plurality of light-receiving elements.

14. The optical sensor according to claim 13, wherein the refractive-index medium is a lens.

15. The optical sensor according to claim 14, wherein the optical axis of the light output by the lens has an elevation angle between 50 degrees and 89 degrees in a direction away from the plurality of light-receiving elements and a beam divergence angle between 1.8 degrees and 20.3 degrees.

16. The optical sensor according to claim 15, wherein a mounting position of the light-emitting element is disposed on the surface of the substrate at a position shifted relative to a center of the lens that is closer to the plurality of light-receiving elements in a range between 2% and 62% of the lens radius.

17. The optical sensor according to claim 14, wherein the lens comprises at least one of an aspherical lens and an asymmetric lens having different curvature in a front-rear direction and a left-right direction.

18. The optical sensor according to claim 13, wherein the refractive-index medium comprises a sloped outer surface that outputs light emitted from the light-emitting element and has a height that decreases towards the light-receiving element.

19. The optical sensor according to claim 18, wherein the optical axis of the light output by the sloped outer surface has an elevation angle between 47 degrees and 57 degrees in a direction away from at least one of the plurality of light-receiving element and a beam divergence between degrees and 42 degrees.

20. The optical sensor according to claim 18, wherein the sloped outer surface is flat or curved.