Light distribution system for optical encoders
First Claim
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1. A light distribution system for an optical encoder having an array of photosensitive sensors, comprising:
- a transparent light guide plate having front and back parallel surfaces;
a light input coupler including an incident radiation distributing area formed within said light guide plate for receiving a predetermined beam of input incident radiations, said distributing area spreading the input incident radiations into a distributed beam having plural beam segments each being directed in said light guide plate substantially wholly parallel to a single predetermined radiation path and further being substantially parallel to said front and back surfaces; and
a predetermined pattern of plural discrete light output couplers each formed by an output reflecting surface recessed into one of said front and back surfaces, each of the output reflecting surfaces being in optical alignment with only a single one of said predetermined radiation paths to intercept a separate one of said beam segments, said reflecting surfaces having different surface areas corresponding to the different lengths of the predetermined radiation paths from said distributing area to produce output beams for uniformly illuminating each of said sensors of said array.
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Abstract
A light distribution system for optical encoders includes a light guide plate and a light input coupler for distributing input incident radiations into the light guide plate as a flat distributed beam of beam segments intercepted by a pattern of discrete light output couplers reflecting narrow output beams for providing a uniform pattern of encoding illuminations.
68 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A light distribution system for an optical encoder having an array of photosensitive sensors, comprising:
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a transparent light guide plate having front and back parallel surfaces; a light input coupler including an incident radiation distributing area formed within said light guide plate for receiving a predetermined beam of input incident radiations, said distributing area spreading the input incident radiations into a distributed beam having plural beam segments each being directed in said light guide plate substantially wholly parallel to a single predetermined radiation path and further being substantially parallel to said front and back surfaces; and a predetermined pattern of plural discrete light output couplers each formed by an output reflecting surface recessed into one of said front and back surfaces, each of the output reflecting surfaces being in optical alignment with only a single one of said predetermined radiation paths to intercept a separate one of said beam segments, said reflecting surfaces having different surface areas corresponding to the different lengths of the predetermined radiation paths from said distributing area to produce output beams for uniformly illuminating each of said sensors of said array. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A light distribution system for a meter dial register encoder having an array including groups of circularly disposed photoconductive sensors, wherein said light distribution system comprises:
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a light source; a flat transparent light guide plate having opposite front and back parallel surfaces terminated by edge surfaces defining an elongated horizontal configuration; a light input coupler for mounting said light source at the light guide plate and said input coupler including an incident radiation distributing area arranged for receiving a predetermined beam of input incident radiations from said light source, said distributing area being formed by a recessed circularly arcuate reflecting surface in said light guide plate effective to produce a flat distributed beam uniformly spread out along individual radially extending beam segments extending substantially parallel to the opposite light guide plate surfaces; a pattern of light output couplers symmetrically disposed with respect to said input coupler and optically aligned with said array of sensors, each of said light output couplers including an output reflecting surface extending at substantially the same angle into a common one of said opposite surfaces of said light guide plate so as to have a predetermined optical alignment for intercepting separate ones of said beam segments and for reflecting individual output beams in a substantially collimated manner to uniformly illuminate said array including groups of circularly disposed photoconductive sensors. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A light distribution system for an optical encoder having an array of photosensitive sensors, comprising:
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a transparent light guide plate having front and back parallel surfaces; a light input coupler including an incident radiation distributing area including a parabolic reflecting surface recessed into one of said parallel surfaces so as to be defined by a surface of revolution generated by revolving a segment of a parabola about an axis extending through the center of said distributing area and perpendicular to the parallel plate surfaces for receiving a predetermined beam of input incident radiations, said reflecting surface of said distributing area reflectively spreading the input incident radiations into a circularly arcuate distributed beam having plural beam segments, each of the beam segments being propagated in said light guide plate radially of said axis substantially parallel to a single predetermined radial radiation path and being further propagated substantially parallel to said front and back surfaces; and a predetermined pattern of plural discrete light output couplers each formed by an output reflecting surface recessed into one of said front and back surfaces, each of the output reflecting surfaces being in optical alignment with only one of said predetermined radial radiation paths to intercept a separate one of said beam segments, and each of said reflecting surfaces producing an output beam for uniformly illuminating each of said sensors of said array.
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Specification