Optical device and apparatus comprising the optical device

• US 7,300,183 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Yasuda, Naru, Hosokawa, Hayami, Homma, Kenji, Kiyomoto, Hironobu, Terakawa, Yukari
• Primary Examiner(s): Ward; John Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/135,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20050212089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 362/296, 362/297, 362/326, 362/327, 362/555, 362/310, 345 82- 84, 353/98, 353/99, 250/216, 250/239, 257/98
• US Class Current: 362/297
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1815 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/54 having a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements

Abstract

On a front wall of a mold resin (13) sealing a light emitter (12), a direct emission region (18), through which the light emitted from the light emitter (12) directly passes to the outside, and a total reflection region (19), by which the light emitted from the light emitter (12) is totally reflected, are formed. The direct emission region (18) is formed into a shape of a convex lens. A light reflection portion (20) which is made of a concave mirror is provided on the rear face of the mold resin (13). When a part of the light emitted from the light emitter (12) passes through the direct emission region (18), it is affected by the lens to be emitted to the front direction. After another part of the light emitted from the light emitter (12) is totally reflected by the total reflection region (19), it is reflected by the light reflection portion (20) to be emitted to the front direction through the total reflection region (19).

Claims

1. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein a portion of a boundary between the total reflection region and the direct light-outgoing region is inclined in a direction opposite to a direction that the light rays emerge with respect to a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the light-emitting element.

2. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein a portion of the reflecting member to which the light rays reflected by the total reflection region reaches is configured to be a concave lens having a focus positioned in proximity of a mirror image of the light-emitting element with respect to the total reflection region.

3. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein distribution ranges of curvature of the light reflecting surface of the reflecting member are different in any two of cross-sectional areas that pass through an axis of the light-emitting element and that are orthogonal to each other.

4. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein an optical lens is disposed in front of the light-emitting element, and wherein distribution ranges of curvature of a surface of the optical lens are different in any two of cross-sectional areas that pass through an axis of the light-emitting element and that are orthogonal to each other.

5. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein the light rays reflected by the reflecting member are output in a direction inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light-emitting element.

6. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein a portion of the reflecting member to which the light rays reflected by the total reflection region reaches is configured to be a concave lens, and wherein the light-emitting element is disposed to offset from a mirror image corresponding to a focus of the concave lens with respect to the total reflection region.

7. A light emission source comprising:

a reflecting member;

a resin layer disposed in proximity of a light reflecting surface of the reflecting member; and

a light-emitting element to emit light rays toward the resin layer, wherein a light-outgoing surface of the resin layer has a direct light-outgoing region and total reflection region, wherein the direct light-outgoing region passes light rays emitted from the light-emitting element therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, wherein the total reflection region reflects the light rays emitted from the light emitting element so as to be directed to the reflecting member and passes the light rays reflected by the reflecting member therethrough so as to emerge out of the resin layer, and wherein dimensions of the total reflecting region is larger than that of the direct light-outgoing region, wherein a portion of the reflecting member abuts an outer portion of the resin layer that serves as the total reflection region.