Optical scanner unit and optical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11366308-B2
Application number	US-202016775668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	May 16, 2019
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

An optical scanner unit includes a mirror component, a vibration generator, an optical sensor, and a light shield portion. The mirror component includes a reflective portion for reflecting light. The vibration generator swings the mirror component around a specific swing axis when AC voltage is applied. The optical sensor includes a light emitter and a light receiver for receiving light emitted from the light emitter. The light shield portion is provided to the mirror component so as to swing along with the mirror component. The light shield portion blocks the light emitted from the light emitter. The light receiver further includes a first light receiver that is provided on one swing angle side from a center position of a swing angle range of the light shield portion, and a second light receiver that is provided on the other swing angle side from the center position of the swing angle range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical scanner unit comprising:
a mirror component including a reflective portion for reflecting light;
a vibration generator that swings the mirror component around a specific swing axis when AC voltage is applied;
an optical sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver for receiving light emitted from the light emitter; and
a light shield portion provided to the mirror component so as to swing along with the mirror component, the light shield portion blocking the light emitted from the light emitter,
the light receiver further including
a first light receiver that is provided on one swing angle side from a center position of a swing angle range of the light shield portion and is provided on a center position side from an end on the one swing angle side of the swing angle range such that the light shield portion does not overlap with the first light receiver while the light shield portion is located at the end on the one swing angle side of the swing angle range, and
a second light receiver that is provided on the other swing angle side from the center position of the swing angle range and is provided on a center position side from an end on the other swing angle side of the swing angle range such that the light shield portion does not overlap with the second light receiver while the light shield portion is located at the end on the other swing angle side of the swing angle range.

2. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the light shield portion has a width in a light receiver alignment direction in which the first light receiver and the second light receiver are arranged, the width of the light shield portion being less than a distance between an end of the first light receiver on an opposite side from the second light receiver and an end of the second light receiver on an opposite side from the first light receiver.

3. The optical scanner unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the width of the light shield portion is not less than a distance between the first light receiver and the second light receiver.

4. The optical scanner unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the width of the light shield portion is less than a distance between the first light receiver and the second light receiver.

5. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a controller that performs control to swing the mirror component such that the light shield portion straddles the first light receiver and the second light receiver along a light receiver alignment direction in which the first light receiver and the second light receiver are arranged,
the controller further controlling the AC voltage applied to the vibration generator based on a first period in which the light shield portion straddles the first light receiver and the second light receiver between the one swing angle side and the other swing angle side of the swing angle range.

6. The optical scanner unit according to claim 5 , wherein
the first period is at least one of a period from when a blockage of the light incident on the first light receiver starts until when a blockage of the light incident on the second light receiver ends in a movement of the light shield portion from the one swing angle side to the other swing angle side, and a period from when the blockage of the light incident on the second light receiver starts until when the blockage of the light incident on the first light receiver ends in a movement of the light shield portion from the other swing angle side to the one swing angle side.

7. The optical scanner unit according to claim 5 , wherein
when the light shield portion is in a swing state in which the light shield portion does not straddle the first light receiver, the controller controls the AC voltage applied to the vibration generator based on a second period, instead of the first period, that is a period during which the light shield portion is located on the other swing angle side of the swing angle range from a position where the light shield portion blocks the light incident on the second light receiver, and
when the light shield portion is in a swing state in which the light shield portion does not straddle the second light receiver, the controller controls the AC voltage applied to the vibration generator based on a second period, instead of the first period, that is a period during which the light shield portion is located on the one swing angle side of the swing angle range from a position where the light shield portion blocks the light incident on the first light receiver.

8. The optical scanner unit according to claim 5 , wherein
the controller acquires a positional deviation of the center position of the swing angle range based on a period in which the light shield portion is located on the one swing angle side of the swing angle range from a position where the light shield portion blocks the light incident on the first light receiver, and a period in which the light shield portion is located on the other swing angle side of the swing angle range from a position where the light shield portion blocks the light incident on the second light receiver.

9. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the light shield portion further includes a third light receiver that is provided between the first light receiver and the second light receiver, the third light receiver being away from each of the first light receiver and the second light receiver along a light receiver alignment direction in which the first light receiver and the second light receiver are arranged.

10. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a cover member provided to cover the optical sensor.

11. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a filter member provided near the light receiver such that light incident on the light receiver passes through, the filter member allowing light in a wavelength band corresponding to the light emitted by the light emitter to pass through.

12. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical sensor is disposed between the mirror component and the vibration generator.

13. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the light shield portion is arranged to protrude from the mirror component to the optical sensor side along a planar direction in which a plane of the reflective portion extends, and
the light shield portion has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the mirror component in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction.

14. An optical device comprising:
the optical scanner unit according to claim 1 ; and
a light source unit that irradiates the reflective portion of the mirror component of the optical scanner unit with scanning light.

15. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the light emitter of the optical sensor includes a light emitting diode, and
the light receiver of the optical sensor includes a phototransistor.

16. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical sensor includes a slit member that covers the light receiver, the slit member having two slits to form the first light receiver and the second light receiver, respectively.

17. The optical scanner unit according to claim 16 , wherein
the two slits are located spaced apart from each other in a light receiver alignment direction in which the first light receiver and the second light receiver are arranged.

18. The optical scanner unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Tanaka Fuminori
• Takeda Futoshi
• Tanehashi Kenji
• Fujita Kenichi

Classifications

• G01J1/44

  Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)} · CPC title

• G01J1/0414

  using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or plane beam-splitters · CPC title

• G02B26/0858 Primary

  the reflecting means being moved or deformed by piezoelectric means · CPC title

• G02B26/105 Primary

  with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B11/26

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title