Five-Lens Camera Assembly for Large Field-of-View and Depth Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera lens assemblies with large field-of-view and aperture fail to meet the requirements of high imaging quality and depth measurement accuracy, particularly in applications like VR/AR, robotics, and autonomous driving, due to their long length and mediocre imaging quality.
Innovation Solution
A camera lens assembly comprising five lenses with specific refractive powers and surface configurations, including a first lens with negative refractive power and a concave image-side surface, a second lens with positive refractive power and a convex image-side surface, and the third, fourth, and fifth lenses with positive or negative refractive powers, optimized to achieve a total effective focal length and entrance pupil diameter ratio within 0.8<f/EPD<1.6, ensuring a large field-of-view and high imaging quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the lens assembly uses a wide-angle design with short focal length to achieve large field-of-view, then the field-of-view is improved, but the imaging quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lens assembly is divided into five separate lens elements with different refractive powers and surface configurations. This segmentation allows each lens to be optimized for specific functions: the first lens (negative power) expands the field-of-view, while the second lens (positive power) corrects aberrations, and the third, fourth, and fifth lenses further refine imaging quality. This modular approach resolves the contradiction by distributing optical functions across multiple components rather than relying on a single wide-angle lens.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the lens assembly are designed with different properties. The first lens has a negative refractive power specifically to expand the field-of-view at the periphery, while the second lens has positive power to correct spherical and chromatic aberrations in the central region. The subsequent lenses have mixed powers to address specific local imaging issues. This local optimization allows the system to achieve both large field-of-view and high imaging quality simultaneously.
2Measurement precision
If the lens assembly increases the aperture to improve depth measurement accuracy, then the measurement precision is improved, but the lens assembly length increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter optimization by carefully selecting the refractive powers, curvatures, and thicknesses of all five lens elements. The conditional expressions define optimal parameter ranges that allow the system to achieve a large relative aperture (EPD/f between 0.8 and 1.6) while maintaining a compact overall length. By changing and optimizing multiple parameters simultaneously across the lens assembly, the system resolves the contradiction between aperture size and length.
Solution Approach 2:
The five lens elements are nested closely together along the optical axis with minimized spacing between them. This compact nesting arrangement allows the lens assembly to accommodate a large aperture while keeping the total length short. The lenses are positioned in a tightly integrated configuration where each element contributes to the overall optical function without requiring excessive axial space, thus achieving both large aperture and compact length.
3Manufacturing precision
If the lens assembly uses multiple lens elements to improve imaging quality, then the imaging quality is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each lens element in the five-element assembly is designed to perform multiple functions. For example, the first lens with negative power not only expands the field-of-view but also helps control spherical aberration. The second lens with positive power serves both to focus light and correct chromatic aberration. The third, fourth, and fifth lenses collectively address remaining aberrations and optimize the wavefront. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby improving imaging quality without proportionally increasing complexity.
4Measurement precision
If the lens assembly optimizes for large field-of-view and aperture to meet depth measurement requirements, then the measurement precision is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides specific conditional expressions that define optimal parameter ranges for the lens assembly, including the relationship between total effective focal length and entrance pupil diameter (0.8 < EPD/f < 1.6), and constraints on individual lens parameters such as the effective focal length of the first lens relative to the total focal length (−2.11 < f1/f < −1.56). These parameter specifications enable standardized manufacturing processes and quality control, reducing development costs and facilitating mass production while maintaining the large field-of-view and aperture needed for accurate depth measurement.
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 lens assembly effectively achieves a large field-of-view and aperture while maintaining high imaging quality, improving depth measurement accuracy and reducing the lens assembly's length and processing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The first lens has a negative refractive power, and an image-side surface of the first lens is a concave surface
Implementation Method 2
The second lens has a positive refractive power, and an image-side surface of the second lens is a convex surface
Implementation Method 3
Each of the third lens, the fourth lens, and the fifth lens may have a positive refractive power or a negative refractive power
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a camera lens assembly. The camera lens assembly includes, sequentially along an optical axis from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, and a fifth lens. The first lens has a negative refractive power, and an image-side surface of the first lens is a concave surface. The second lens has a positive refractive power, and an image-side surface of the second lens is a convex surface. Each of the third lens, the fourth lens, and the fifth lens has a positive refractive power or a negative refractive power. A total effective focal length f of the camera lens assembly and an entrance pupil diameter EPD of the camera lens assembly satisfy: 0.8<f/EPD<1.6.