Miniaturized Camera Lens Balancing Telephoto Focal Length and Imaging Sharpness
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a miniaturized camera lens that maintains good imaging sharpness, telephoto capabilities, and is lightweight, while also being suitable for integration into portable devices such as mobile phones, which require continuous improvement in photo-capturing performance due to advancements in image and video software.
Innovation Solution
A camera lens design comprising three lenses with specific refractive powers, surface types, and center thicknesses, along with the inclusion of aspherical surfaces and mirrors to optimize focal length, field of view, and aberration correction, ensuring miniaturization, light weight, and high imaging quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the camera lens is miniaturized to reduce size and weight, then the lens dimensions and mass are reduced, but imaging sharpness and optical quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The camera lens is divided into three separate lens elements (first lens, second lens, third lens) arranged in sequence along the optical axis. Each lens element has specific refractive power and surface curvature designed to correct aberrations independently, allowing the compact overall structure to maintain imaging quality through distributed optical correction functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens elements incorporate aspherical surfaces with specifically designed curvatures (radii of curvature R1, R5, R6) to correct spherical aberration and other optical distortions. The aspherical shapes allow compact lens design while maintaining focus accuracy and imaging sharpness that would be difficult to achieve with simple spherical surfaces in a miniaturized configuration.
2Length of stationary object
If the focal length is increased to achieve telephoto capability, then the lens length increases, but the device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system uses a nested arrangement where the second lens with negative refractive power is positioned between the first positive lens and the third positive lens, creating a folded optical path. This nesting allows achieving telephoto focal length (f≥40mm) with reduced overall lens volume by having inner lens elements contribute to focal length while outer elements control aberrations and compact the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs specific parameter relationships including refractive indices (N2, N3), dispersion coefficients (V2, V3), and curvature radii (R1, R5, R6) that are optimized to achieve high focal length in compact form. The conditional expressions define precise parameter ranges that enable telephoto capability while controlling lens volume through mathematical optimization of optical parameters.
3Measurement precision
If more lens elements are added to improve imaging quality, then the optical performance improves, but the lens complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each lens element is designed with specific local optical properties: the first lens has positive refractive power for initial convergence, the second lens has negative refractive power for divergence and aberration correction, and the third lens has positive refractive power for final focusing. This localized optimization of each element's characteristics achieves high imaging quality with only three elements, avoiding the need for more complex multi-element designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies composite optical properties by combining materials with different refractive indices (N2, N3) and dispersion coefficients (V2, V3) in the lens elements. This use of composite material properties enables correction of multiple types of aberrations simultaneously, achieving high imaging quality with a simple three-element structure rather than requiring many elements with identical material properties.
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 solution effectively balances miniaturization, weight reduction, and imaging performance, providing a camera lens with a sufficient focal length, reduced aberrations, and improved manufacturability, while maintaining excellent optical quality and telephoto capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens having a positive refractive power; a second lens; and a third lens
Implementation Method 2
there is at least one aspherical lens surface from the object side surface of the first lens to an image side surface of the third lens
Implementation Method 3
at least one mirror, wherein the mirror is disposed in an object side direction of the first lens or an image side direction of the third lens, and a reflecting surface of the mirror is used to deflect the optical axis
Data Source
AI summary
A camera lens is provided, including, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical axis: a first lens having a positive refractive power; a second lens; and a third lens. An equivalent length TL of an actual propagation distance of a principal ray from an object side surface of the first lens to an imaging plane in the air and an entrance pupil diameter EPD of the camera lens satisfy: 3.5<TLEPD<4.0.