US 5,747,796 A · Waveguide type compact optical scanner and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

A waveguide type reduction type image sensor has a waveguide type light source having a light emitting element and a substrate including optical waveguides having a planar waveguide and a tapered waveguide. The waveguide type reduction type image sensor also has a light detecting section having a microlens array, an optical waveguide substrate and a CCD array. The microlens array converges reflected light from an original onto the incident face of the optical waveguide substrate. The optical waveguide substrate has L-shaped optical waveguides for guiding the converged light to the CCD array located on a substrate face perpendicular to the incident face. The CCD array converts the guided light to an electric signal and outputs this electric signal. A manufacturing method of this waveguide type reduction type image sensor is also shown.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A compact optical scanner for scanning the image of an object while this object image is inputted and read;

the compact optical scanner comprising:
a substrate having a face opposite to the object to input the object image and a face with aligned CCD elements for reading the object image;
and
plural optical waveguides for transmitting the inputted image to the CCD elements and arranged within said substrate such that one end of each of the optical waveguides is arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the other end of each of the optical waveguides is coupled into each of the CCD elements;
the compact optical scanner being constructed such that said substrate is constructed from a polymer;
each of said optical waveguides is constructed by a polymer as a material having a refractive index higher than that of said polymer of the substrate;
each of said optical waveguides has two bent portions having a bending angle of 90 degrees;
and
each of the optical waveguides is vertically arranged on the substrate face opposite to said object and the face with aligned CCD elements at both ends of each of the optical waveguides.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Waveguide type compact optical scanner and manufacturing method thereof

Life of this patent

Waveguide type compact optical scanner and manufacturing method thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4