Vibrating mirror element and optical scanner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11919768-B2
Application number	US-202117234771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2021
Priority date	Apr 23, 2020
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a vibrating mirror element including: a mirror part; a substrate made of metal, including a pair of beams, a support supporting each of the pair of beams, and a torsion part swingably supporting the mirror part; a driving source generating a plate wave that swings the mirror part; and a vibration suppression part suppressing vibration transmitted to the pair of beams. The vibration suppression part is configured to suppress the vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams at a position between a second mirror end among ends of the mirror part that is opposite a first mirror end near the support and the torsion part in a first direction in which the pair of beams extends.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vibrating mirror element comprising:
a mirror part reflecting light;
a substrate made of metal and comprising:
a pair of beams each having a first end and a second end,
a support supporting the first end of each of the pair of beams, and
a torsion part swingably supporting the mirror part;

a driving source provided on the support and generating a plate wave that swings the mirror part; and
a vibration suppression part suppressing vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams, wherein
the torsion part extends in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which the pair of beams extends in a direction along a surface of the mirror part, and is connected to each of the pair of beams;
the vibration suppression part is configured to suppress the vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams at a position between a second mirror end among ends of the mirror part that is opposite a first mirror end near the support and the torsion part in the first direction.

2. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a holding member holding the support and holding each of the pair of beams, wherein
the holding member is configured to hold each of the pair of beams at a position where the vibration suppression part abuts against the pair of beams or at a position nearer the second end than the position where the vibration suppression part abuts against the pair of beams.

3. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 2 , wherein
the vibration suppression part comprises:
a first vibration suppression part suppressing vibration by abutting against one of the pair of beams, and
a second vibration suppression part provided separately from the first vibration suppression part and suppressing vibration by abutting against the other of the pair of beams, wherein

each of the first vibration suppression part and the second vibration suppression part is provided separately from the substrate and the holding member;
the holding member has a carrying surface carrying the first vibration suppression part and the second vibration suppression part;
the carrying surface is formed so as to extend in the first direction.

4. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 1 , wherein the mirror part is configured so that a first distance from the torsion part to the second mirror end in the first direction is equal to or greater than a second distance from the torsion part to the second end in the first direction.

5. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 4 , wherein the vibration suppression part is configured so that a third distance from the torsion part to an end of the vibration suppression part near the second end in the first direction is less than the first distance.

6. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 1 , wherein
the mirror part is provided separately from the substrate;
the substrate further comprises a mirror part arrangement part connected to the torsion part, the mirror part being arranged in the mirror part arrangement part;
the torsion part is provided so as to extend in the second direction so as to overlap the mirror part, and is connected with the mirror part arrangement part at a position overlapping the mirror part in the second direction.

7. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 6 , wherein the mirror part and the mirror part arrangement part are joined at at least two places by an adhesive having elasticity.

8. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 7 , wherein the adhesive joins the mirror part and the mirror part arrangement part at least at two places at substantially equal distances from a center of gravity of the mirror part or from a center of a surface of the mirror part.

9. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 6 , wherein the mirror part arrangement part is thinned and formed into a beam shape so as to have a symmetrical mass on a reference plane containing a center of gravity of the mirror part or a center of a surface of the mirror part.

10. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 1 , wherein a weight member is provided on the driving source or the pair of beams.

11. The vibrating mirror element according to claim 1 , wherein a treatment preventing reflection of the light reflected by the mirror part is applied to at least one of a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of the mirror part and a surface of the driving source.

12. An optical scanner comprising:
a light source irradiating light;
a mirror part reflecting the light irradiated from the light source;
a substrate made of metal and comprising:
a pair of beams each having a first end and a second end,
a support supporting the first end of each of the pair of beams, and
a torsion part swingably supporting the mirror part;

a driving source provided on the support and generating a plate wave that swings the mirror part; and
a vibration suppression part suppressing vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams, wherein
the torsion part extends in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which the pair of beams extends in a direction along a surface of the mirror part, and is connected to each of the pair of beams;
the vibration suppression part is configured to suppress the vibration transmitted to the pair of beams by abutting against the pair of beams at a position between a second mirror end among ends of the mirror part that is opposite a first mirror end near the support and the torsion part in the first direction.

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Tanehashi Kenji
• Tanaka Fuminori
• Fujita Kenichi

Classifications

• B81B3/004 Primary

  Angular deflection · CPC title

• G02B26/0833

  the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD (G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B) · CPC title

• G02B26/105 Primary

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

• B81B2201/042

  Micromirrors, not used as optical switches · CPC title

• G02B26/0858

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