Optical sensor and electronic device with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9739657-B2
Application number	US-201514590091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 15, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An optical sensor and an electronic device having an optical sensor. The optical sensor includes: an optical waveguide containing a photochromic material; a light emitter that emits visible light to be incident on the optical waveguide; and a light receiver that detects the visible light emitted from the light emitter and progressing through the optical waveguide. A transmittance of the optical waveguide in relation to the visible light may be changed by the photochromic material as the optical waveguide is exposed to UV light. The optical sensor and the electronic device having the same may be variously implemented according to exemplary embodiments.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical sensor comprising:
an optical waveguide containing a photochromic material;
a light emitter configured to emit visible light to be incident on the optical waveguide; and
a light receiver configured to detect the visible light emitted from the light emitter and progressing through the optical waveguide,
wherein a transmittance of the optical waveguide in relation to the visible light is changed by the photochromic material as the optical waveguide is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.

2. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the photochromic material comprises at least one of diarylethenes, spiropyrans, spirooxazines, chromenes, fulgides and fulgimides, diarylethenes and related compounds, spirodihydroindolizines, azo compounds, polycyclic aromatic compounds, anils and related compounds, polycyclic quinones (periaryloxyquinones), Perimidinespirocyclohexadienones, viologens, and triarylmethanes series derivative compounds.

3. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the photochromic material comprises at least one of 4-t-butyl-4′-methoxydibenzoylmethane, aberchrome TM540, N-ethoxycinnamate-3′,3′-di methyl spiro(2H-5-nitro-1-benzopyran-2, 2′-indoline), di aryl ethen e, 1-phenoxyanthraquinone, 6-NO2BIPS, side-chainpolymerliquidcrystal(SPLC), bis-spiro[indoline-naphthoxazine](bis-SPO), spirooxazinemoietyanda2-methoxynaphthalenegroup(SPO-NPh), naphthoxazinespiroindoline(NOS), spiropyran, 2′-ethylhexyl-4-methoxy-cinnamate, heterocoerdianthroneendoperoxide(HECDPO), and an 1,2-dihetarylethenes.

4. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the photochromic material comprises at least one of TiO 2 and AgCl.

5. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter comprises a Laser Diode (LD), a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), or a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

6. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the light receiver comprises a Photo Diode (PD).

7. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises a light entrance surface provided on one end, and a light emission surface provided on an other end, and
the light entrance surface and the light emission surface are formed to be inclined in relation to a longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide.

8. The optical sensor of claim 7 , further comprising:
a substrate having an optical waveguide recess formed on one side thereof,
wherein the optical waveguide is formed in the optical waveguide recess.

9. The optical sensor of claim 8 , wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed on the one side of the substrate, and optical axes of the light emitter and the light receiver are aligned in the inclined directions in relation to the light entrance surface and the light emission surface, respectively.

10. The optical sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a substrate, on which each of the light emitter and the light receiver is mounted,
wherein the optical waveguide is formed to protrude on one side of the substrate, and each of the light emitter and the light receiver is disposed within the optical waveguide.

11. The optical sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a light shielding film formed on a surface of the optical waveguide configured to block visible light incident on the light receiver from outside.

12. The optical sensor of claim 11 , wherein the visible light emitted from the light emitter is reflected by the light shielding film while progressing through the optical waveguide, to be incident on the light receiver.

13. The optical sensor of claim 11 , wherein at least a part of the light shielding film is removed to expose the optical waveguide to the outside.

14. The optical sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a cover member disposed to enclose at least a periphery of the optical waveguide,
wherein the cover member blocks visible light incident on the light receiver from the outside.

15. The optical sensor of claim 14 , wherein a plurality of light emitters and a plurality of light receivers are provided and at least one of the light emitters and at least one of the light receivers are disposed within an inside of the cover member to correspond with each other.

16. The optical sensor of claim 14 , further comprising:
an opening formed on a top of the cover member; and
a filter mounted on the opening,
wherein the filter transmits UV light having a wavelength which causes a change of color of the photochromic material contained in the optical waveguide and blocks light having other wavelength.

17. An electronic device comprising:
a cover member configured to transmit light;
a light interruption layer formed on the cover member;
an opening formed in the light interruption layer; and
at least one optical waveguide disposed within the cover member configured to correspond with the opening,
wherein the optical waveguide contains a photochromic material so that a transmittance of the optical waveguide in relation to visible light is configured to change when the optical waveguide is exposed to UV light through the opening.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , further comprising:
a light emitter configured to emit visible light to be incident on the optical waveguide; and
a light receiver configured to detect the visible light emitted from the light emitter and progressing through the optical waveguide.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , further comprising:
a substrate disposed to face the light interruption layer,
wherein the optical waveguide, the light emitter, and the light receiver are disposed on one side of the substrate.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , further comprising:
an optical waveguide recess formed on the one side of the substrate,
wherein the optical waveguide is formed in the optical waveguide recess.

21. The electronic device of claim 20 , further comprising:
a light entrance surface formed on one end of the optical waveguide; and
a light emission surface formed on an other end of the optical waveguide,
wherein each of the light entrance surface and the light emission surface is formed to be inclined in relation to a longitudinal direction of the optical waveguide.

22. The electronic device of claim 21 , wherein the visible light emitted from the light emitter is reflected or refracted by the light entrance surface to be incident on the optical waveguide, and the visible light progressing through the optical waveguide is reflected or refracted by the light emission surface to be incident on the light receiver.

23. An optical sensor comprising:
an optical waveguide having a transparency which changes according to a wavelength of external light;
a light emitter configured to emit visible light toward a surface of the optical waveguide; and
a light receiver configured to detect an amount of the visible light that has passed through the optical waveguide,
wherein the optical waveguide contains a photochromic material.

24. The optical sensor of claim 23 , wherein the optical waveguide is disposed on a surface of a substrate.

25. The optical sensor of claim 1 , wherein the visible light progresses through the optical waveguide in a longitudinal direction, with the light receiver at an end of the longitudinal direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Seong-Je
• Kim Kwang-Bok
• Cho Jae-Geol
• Kim Jae-Hong
• Jung Sun-Tae
• Cho Chul-Ho

Classifications

• G01J1/50

  using change in colour of an indicator, e.g. actinometer · CPC title

• G01J1/0414

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

• G01J1/06

  Restricting the angle of incident light · CPC title

• G01J1/48

  using chemical effects · CPC title

• G01J1/0209

  Monolithic · CPC title