Waveguide type compact optical scanner and manufacturing method thereof

• US 5,747,796 A
• Filed: 07/09/1996
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Unuma, Yutaka, Fujimoto, Manabu, Ohtani, Noboru, Heard, David
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, QUE TAN
• Application Number:
  US08/677,141
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 250/234, 250/235, 250/208.1, 250/227.11, 250/227.26, 250/227.28, 250/227.29, 250/227.2, 250/216, 385/8, 385/32, 358/482, 358/483
• US Class Current: 250/227.26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/06 the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1221 made from organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0311 using an array of elements to project the scanned image elements onto the photodetectors H04N1/0318 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1936 using a light guide, e.g. an optical fibre bundle or array

Abstract

A waveguide type reduction type image sensor has a waveguide type light source having a light emitting element and a substrate including optical waveguides having a planar waveguide and a tapered waveguide. The waveguide type reduction type image sensor also has a light detecting section having a microlens array, an optical waveguide substrate and a CCD array. The microlens array converges reflected light from an original onto the incident face of the optical waveguide substrate. The optical waveguide substrate has L-shaped optical waveguides for guiding the converged light to the CCD array located on a substrate face perpendicular to the incident face. The CCD array converts the guided light to an electric signal and outputs this electric signal. A manufacturing method of this waveguide type reduction type image sensor is also shown.

Claims

1. A compact optical scanner for scanning the image of an object while this object image is inputted and read;

the compact optical scanner comprising;

a substrate having a face opposite to the object to input the object image and a face with aligned CCD elements for reading the object image; and

plural optical waveguides for transmitting the inputted image to the CCD elements and arranged within said substrate such that one end of each of the optical waveguides is arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the other end of each of the optical waveguides is coupled into each of the CCD elements;

the compact optical scanner being constructed such that said substrate is constructed from a polymer;

each of said optical waveguides is constructed by a polymer as a material having a refractive index higher than that of said polymer of the substrate;

each of said optical waveguides has two bent portions having a bending angle of 90 degrees; and

each of the optical waveguides is vertically arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the face with aligned CCD elements at both ends of each of the optical waveguides.

2. A compact optical scanner for scanning the image of an object while this object image is inputted and read;

the compact optical scanner comprising;

a substrate having a face opposite to the object to input the object image and a face with aligned CCD elements for reading the object image; and

plural optical waveguides for transmitting the inputted image to the CCD elements and arranged within said substrate such that one end of each of the optical waveguides is arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the other end of each of the optical waveguides is coupled into each of the CCD elements;

the compact optical scanner being constructed such that said substrate is constructed from a polymer;

each of said optical waveguides is constructed from a polymer having a refractive index higher than that of said polymer of the substrate;

each of said optical waveguides has two bent portions having a bending angle greater than 62.1 degrees and less than 117.9 degrees; and

each of the optical waveguides is vertically arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the face with aligned CCD elements at both ends of each of the optical waveguides.

3. A compact optical scanner as claimed in claim 2, wherein a microlens integrated with said substrate is arranged in alignment with an end portion of each of the optical waveguides on said substrate face opposite to said object.

4. A compact optical scanner as claimed in claim 3, wherein numerical apertures of said microlens and the polymer of said optical waveguides are set to be equal to each other.