Common Lens Unit Structure for Imaging Optical Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing variety of imaging optical systems has led to a rise in development time, cost, and manufacturing complexity for manufacturers, as each system requires unique components, making it burdensome to produce and maintain a wide range of specifications.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a common lens unit structure across multiple imaging optical systems, where each system includes a front lens unit with positive or negative refractive power, a diaphragm member, and a focusing lens unit with negative refractive power, allowing only the focusing lens unit to move along the optical axis, and adhering to specific conditional expressions to optimize focal length ratios and refractive power distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple imaging optical systems with different specifications are developed to provide users with more options, then user versatility is improved, but development time, cost, and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing multiple imaging optical systems (different focal lengths) that share common lens units. Specifically, lens units L1-L6 are used across multiple optical systems with focal lengths of 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm, allowing a single lens unit to serve multiple functions and specifications, thereby reducing overall system complexity and component variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical systems are segmented into distinct functional modules: a common lens unit (L1-L6) that remains fixed, and a focusing lens unit (L7-L9) that moves for focusing. This segmentation allows the common portion to be standardized across multiple systems while the variable portion handles specific focusing requirements, reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of components in imaging optical systems increases to provide more specifications, then user options are improved, but manufacturing cost and production burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces manufacturing cost by making lens units L1-L6 universal across multiple optical systems. These common lens units are manufactured once and used in multiple systems with different focal lengths (50mm, 85mm, 135mm), significantly reducing per-unit manufacturing costs and production complexity compared to creating entirely separate lens systems for each specification.
3Ease of manufacture
If common lens units are used across multiple imaging optical systems, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but focusing performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by giving the focusing lens unit (L7-L9) specialized characteristics optimized for its specific function. While lens units L1-L6 are common across multiple systems, the focusing lens unit L7-L9 is specifically designed with negative refractive power and is optimized for movement along the optical axis to achieve precise focusing, ensuring high focusing sensitivity despite using common components elsewhere in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the focusing lens unit (L7-L9) movable along the optical axis while keeping the common lens units (L1-L6) fixed. This dynamic configuration allows the system to maintain precise focusing capability through controlled movement of the focusing lens unit, ensuring that focusing performance is not compromised by the use of common components.
4Device complexity
If only the focusing lens unit moves during focusing, then device complexity is reduced, but focusing speed and sensitivity may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes focusing speed and sensitivity by carefully controlling the refractive power parameters of the focusing lens unit (L7-L9). The focusing lens unit is designed with negative refractive power, and its optical parameters are optimized to achieve high focusing sensitivity. This allows the system to maintain fast focusing performance despite having only one moving lens unit, as the negative refractive power configuration enables efficient focal plane adjustment.
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
This approach reduces the complexity and cost of manufacturing by allowing for the use of common components, improving focusing sensitivity, reducing the size and weight of the focusing lens unit, and enabling faster focusing while maintaining effective aberration correction and imaging performance.
Implementation Method 1
a front lens unit having a positive refractive power, a diaphragm member, a focusing lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a rear lens unit
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of imaging optical systems includes at least two imaging optical systems having different focal lengths. Each imaging optical system includes in order from an object side, a front lens unit having a positive refractive power, a diaphragm member, a focusing lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a rear lens unit. The front lens unit includes one of a positive lens and a negative lens as a common lens, and each of at least two imaging optical systems from among the plurality of imaging optical systems includes at least one common lens. At the time of focusing, only the focusing lens unit moves on an optical axis. Each imaging optical system satisfies the following conditional expression (1), and the plurality of imaging optical systems satisfy the following conditional expression (2).0.06<|ffo/f|<0.4 (1)1.02<ffoLA/ffoSM<2.50 (2)