Aspherical Microscope Optics for Compact Wide-Field Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spherical glass-based objective lenses in microscopes suffer from optical aberrations, bulkiness, and high cost, limiting their deployment in resource-constrained environments and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
Employing aspherical plastic objective lenses with specific focal length ratios and prism folding elements to create a compact, high-resolution optical arrangement that allows for wide field of view and detailed imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If spherical glass-based objective lenses are used, then image resolution can be maintained, but optical aberrations occur and the device becomes bulky and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the lens shape parameter from spherical to aspherical, which fundamentally alters the optical path and eliminates aberrations. This parameter change allows the lens to focus light more accurately without the distortion inherent in spherical lenses, thereby maintaining high image resolution while removing the need for complex multi-element corrective lens systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from glass material to plastic material for the objective lens. This material substitution enables the manufacturing of aspherical surfaces through molding techniques, which would be extremely difficult and expensive with glass. The plastic material maintains optical clarity while allowing the complex aspherical geometry needed to eliminate aberrations.
2Measurement precision
If spherical glass-based objective lenses are used, then image quality can be maintained, but the physical footprint and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aspherical shape parameter allows for a more compact lens design that achieves the same optical performance with reduced dimensions. The mathematical surface profile of an aspherical lens enables better light convergence in a shorter optical path, reducing both the physical size and weight of the lens assembly while maintaining image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Replacing glass with plastic material directly reduces the weight of the lens. Plastic has lower density than glass, and when combined with the aspherical design that eliminates the need for multiple corrective lens elements, the overall weight reduction is significant while maintaining optical performance.
3Measurement precision
If spherical glass-based objective lenses are used, then optical performance can be achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aspherical surface parameter, while optically superior, can be manufactured more economically in plastic through injection molding or other plastic forming techniques. These manufacturing processes are highly automated and cost-effective for producing complex geometries, whereas achieving precise aspherical surfaces in glass would require extremely expensive and time-consuming precision grinding and polishing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The choice of plastic material over glass fundamentally changes the manufacturing economics. Plastic lenses can be mass-produced using molding techniques that are already standard in the industry, resulting in lower per-unit costs. The material's properties allow for integrated manufacturing of the aspherical surface in a single step, eliminating the need for multiple machining operations required for glass lenses.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The optical arrangement achieves high image resolution and a larger field of view while maintaining a low physical footprint, addressing the limitations of conventional microscopes in size and cost.
Implementation Method 1
a first aspherical objective lens configured to project an area of an object onto a projection plane... a second aspherical objective lens configured to transfer the projected area of the object from the projection plane to an image sensor
Implementation Method 2
each of two optical arrangements arranged on sides in the array is configured with a prism folding element positioned between the respective first and second aspherical objective lenses to redirect light paths
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Disclosed is an optical arrangement (100, 100A, 100B, 400, 500, 600, 710, 720, 730, 810A, 810B, 820A, 820B, 1100) and an optical system (700, 800, 900). The optical arrangement comprises a first aspherical objective lens (102) configured to project an area of an object onto a projection plane (110), comprising an effective focal length (EFL) within a range of 0.5 millimeter (mm) to 50.0 mm, and an effective focal length to object diagonal ratio in a range of 5 to 0.4. The optical arrangement further comprises a second aspherical objective lens (104) configured to transfer the projected area of the object from the projection plane to an image sensor (120), comprising an effective focal length within a range of 0.5 mm to 50.0 mm, and an effective focal length to sensor diagonal ratio of within a range of 5 to 0.4, wherein an EFL ratio of the first aspherical objective lens with respect to the second aspherical objective lens is within a range of 0.1 to 10.