Optical waveguides – Optical fiber bundle – Imaging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-04
2003-02-18
Healy, Brian (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
Optical fiber bundle
Imaging
C385S115000, C385S120000, C385S146000, C385S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical component with a plurality of optical fibers arranged therein.
2. Related Background Art
Optical components composed of an array of optical fibers are commonly known as optical components for transmitting an optical image. Such optical components have an entrance surface and an exit surface in which the core and cladding of each optical fiber are exposed, and enable transmission of an optical image into the entrance surface to the exit surface.
Since the above-stated optical components have such a variety of advantages as high transmission efficiency, the potential for smaller size of the optical system in comparison with lenses, and so on, they are utilized in various fields including fingerprint detectors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above optical components are produced normally by bundling an array of optical fibers of circular or square cross section and effecting integral molding thereof. Therefore, the pressure during the integral molding deforms the cross section of the cores of optical fibers forming the optical components, into a polygonal shape having opposite sides parallel to each other, such as the square, the hexagon, and so on, which will pose the problem as described below.
Namely, light incident at a specific angle of incidence to the entrance surface is repeatedly reflected by the opposite surfaces parallel to each other and is emergent at a specific angle of emergence from the exit surface. As a consequence, an output image emerging from the exit surface comes to demonstrate a pattern having the intensity at only the specific angle of emergence, and this pattern constitutes noise to degrade the resolution power of the optical components.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an optical component with high resolution power by preventing the occurrence of pattern noise while solving the above problem.
For accomplishing the above object, an optical component of the present invention is an optical component comprising an array of optical fibers, wherein a cross-sectional profile of a core of each optical fiber is substantially sectorial. When the cross-sectional profile of the core of each optical fiber is substantially sectorial, the light traveling in the core is prevented from traveling with being reflected by only the parallel opposite surfaces in the core, thereby avoiding the formation of the pattern having the intensity at only the specific angle of emergence. As a result, the pattern noise is prevented from occurring, whereby the output image can be obtained with high resolution.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
Healy Brian
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
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