Illumination apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10839237-B2
Application number	US-201715785590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A disclosed illumination apparatus includes first and second light sources that generate light for an illumination area to be illuminated; a first substrate on which the first and second light sources are mounted; and a second substrate that is disposed in an illumination direction of the light of the first and second light sources with respect to the first substrate, the second substrate having first and second diffraction grating elements formed integrally therewith, the first diffraction grating element being provided for the first light source, and the second diffraction grating element being provided for the second light source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:
first and second light sources that generate light for an illumination area to be illuminated;
a first substrate on which the first and second light sources are mounted; and
a second substrate that is disposed in an illumination direction of the light of the first and second light sources with respect to the first substrate, the second substrate having first and second diffraction grating elements formed integrally therewith, the first diffraction grating element being provided for the first light source, and the second diffraction grating element being provided for the second light source,
wherein a position of one of the first substrate and the second substrate relative to another of the first substrate and the second substrate is finely adjusted in a top view perpendicular to the first substrate,
a first midpoint between two mounted positions of the first and second light sources on the first substrate and a second midpoint between two mounted positions of the first and second diffraction grating elements on the second substrate are matched in the top view, and
a deviation of a position of a center of the first diffraction grating element on the second substrate from an optical axis of the first light source due to the mounted position of the first light source on the first substrate and a deviation of a position of a center of the second diffraction grating element on the second substrate from an optical axis of the second light source due to the mounted position of the second light source on the first substrate cancel each other to implement a uniform intensity distribution in the illumination area of a combination of light passing through the first diffraction grating element and light passing through the second diffraction grating element.

2. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second diffraction grating elements each include diffraction gratings arranged in a two dimensional array.

3. The illumination apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the diffraction gratings of the first diffraction grating element and the diffraction gratings of the second diffraction grating element are substantially the same and are arranged in substantially the same orientation and arrangement pattern.

4. The illumination apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the diffraction gratings each have a plurality of grooves arranged in such a pattern that the grooves extend side by side in parallel straight lines.

5. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first midpoint corresponds to a midpoint between a reference position based on an outline of the first light source and another reference position based on an outline of the second light source.

6. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first midpoint corresponds to a midpoint between a position of a light emitting part of the first light source and a position of a light emitting part of the second light source.

7. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second midpoint corresponds to a midpoint between a reference position based on an outline of the first diffraction grating element and another reference position based on an outline of the second diffraction grating element.

8. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate has a marker formed therein at a predetermined position with respect to the second midpoint.

9. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second diffraction grating elements have characteristics such that optical strengths at an end of the illumination area on a first side become smaller in the case of mounting centers of the first and second diffraction grating elements on the second substrate being shifted to the first side with respect to optical axes of the first and second light sources than in the case of the mounting centers not being shifted.

10. The illumination apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the characteristics are further such that the optical strengths at another end of the illumination area on a side opposite to the first side become greater in the case of the mounting centers being shifted to the first side than in the case of the mounting centers not being shifted.

11. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate is translucent.

12. The illumination apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second substrates are disposed substantially parallel, and
the first and second light sources are offset to the same side with respect to the center of the illumination area.

13. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an illumination apparatus configured to illuminate an illumination area with light; and
an imaging optical system configured to capture an image of the illumination area,
wherein the illumination apparatus includes:
first and second light sources that generate the light for the illumination area to be illuminated;
a first substrate on which the first and second light sources are mounted;
first and second diffraction grating elements, the first diffraction grating element being provided for the first light source, and the second diffraction grating element being provided for the second light source; and
a second substrate with which the first and second diffraction grating elements are formed integrally,
wherein a position of one of the first substrate and the second substrate relative to another of the first substrate and the second substrate is finely adjusted in a top view perpendicular to the first substrate,
a first midpoint between two mounted positions of the first and second light sources on the first substrate and a second midpoint between two mounted positions of the first and second diffraction grating elements on the second substrate are matched in the top view,
a deviation of a position of a center of the first diffraction grating element on the second substrate from an optical axis of the first light source due to the mounted position of the first light source on the first substrate and a deviation of a position of a center of the second diffraction grating element on the second substrate from an optical axis of the second light source due to the mounted position of the second light source on the first substrate cancel each other to implement a uniform intensity distribution in the illumination area of a combination of light passing through the first diffraction grating element and light passing through the second diffraction grating element, and
the imaging optical system is disposed in line with the first and second light sources.

14. A biometric authentication apparatus comprising:
an illumination apparatus configured to illuminate an illumination area with light;
an imaging optical system configured to capture an image of the illumination area; and
an authentication part performing a biometric authentication based on the image captured by the imaging optical system,
wherein the illumination apparatus includes:
first and second light sources that generate the light for the illumination area to be illuminated;
a first substrate on which the first and second light sources are mounted;
first and second diffraction grating elements, the first diffraction grating element being provided for the first light source, and the second diffraction grating element being provided for the second light source; and
a second substrate with which the first and second diffraction grating elements are formed integrally,
wherein a position of one of the first substrate and the second substrate relative to another of the first substrate and the second substrate is finely adjusted in a top

Assignees

• Fujitsu Ltd

Inventors

• Maeda Satoshi
• Abiko Yukihiro
• Hama Soichi
• Semba Satoshi
• Nada Hajime

Classifications

• G06V10/145 Primary

  Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings · CPC title

• G06V40/10

  Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands · CPC title

• G06V40/1365

  Matching; Classification · CPC title

• G06V40/1318

  using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing · CPC title

• G06K9/0004

  Physics · mapped topic