Curved Polymer Lens Groups for Tolerance Robustness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lens systems in handheld devices suffer from resolution degradation due to manufacturing tolerances such as decenter deviations and lens tilt, leading to poor corner resolution and non-uniformity in image quality, which is exacerbated by the need for tighter production tolerances with increasing pixel count and field of view.
Innovation Solution
The development of robust lens designs featuring three or four lens groups with curved substrates coated with polymer layers, where the polymer layers are manufactured using replication technology, and the use of bimaterial lenses with different optical properties, eliminating the need for flat glass supports and optimizing thermal stability and manufacturing tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional lens designs with flat glass substrates are used, then manufacturing is relatively simple, but resolution degradation occurs due to decenter deviations and lens tilt
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curved substrates instead of flat substrates in the lens groups. This curvature design makes the lens system more robust against decenter deviations and lens tilt, thereby maintaining high resolution without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances. The curved surface geometry compensates for alignment errors that would otherwise degrade image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite lens structures combining different materials with specific optical properties. By selecting materials with appropriate refractive indices and thermal expansion coefficients, the design achieves better tolerance to manufacturing variations and thermal changes, improving resolution stability while maintaining ease of manufacture through replication processes.
2Manufacturing precision
If tighter production tolerances are imposed to maintain resolution, then image quality improves, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The curved substrate design inherently compensates for decenter and tilt errors, allowing the system to achieve high corner resolution without imposing extremely tight production tolerances. This geometric approach reduces the complexity of quality control and manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies key design parameters including substrate curvature radius, lens group spacing, and material selection to optimize the balance between resolution and manufacturing feasibility. These parameter changes enable the system to achieve nominal performance with relaxed tolerance requirements compared to conventional flat-substrate designs.
3Manufacturing precision
If more lens groups are added to improve resolution, then image quality improves, but device dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the optical system into multiple lens groups with specific functions (positive power groups for convergence, negative power groups for divergence and aberration correction). This segmentation allows efficient light control and aberration correction within a compact arrangement, achieving high image quality without excessive length.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens groups are arranged in a compact nested configuration where each group is positioned to optimize optical path efficiency. The design allows lens elements to be closely spaced while maintaining proper optical separation, reducing the overall lens system length while preserving image quality through careful grouping of positive and negative power elements.
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
These designs achieve high image quality with reduced sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances, maintaining nominal performance and providing improved chromatic aberration control across a wide temperature range while maintaining compact dimensions suitable for mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
one or more of said lens groups comprise a substrate having a curved optical surface, wherein said curved optical surface is provided with a polymer layer
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an optical unit comprising three lens groups, i.e., a first lens group, a second lens group and a third lens group, and an optical unit comprising four lens groups, i.e., a first lens group, a second lens group a third lens group and a fourth lens group, which are arranged in order from an object side toward an image side surface side, wherein one or more of said lens groups comprise a substrate having a curved optical surface, wherein said curved optical surface is provided with a polymer layer.