Five-Lens Optical System for Low-Light Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical systems in portable electronic devices face challenges in capturing high-quality images in low-light environments due to limited light intake and aberration issues, particularly in designs that attempt to accommodate both visible and infrared spectra.
Innovation Solution
The optical image capturing system employs a five-piece optical lens configuration with refractive powers, convex and concave surfaces, and inflection points to adjust incident angles and modify optical paths, optimizing light intake and image quality while correcting aberrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the aperture is increased to capture more light in low-light environments, then the light intake is improved, but the aberration issues worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into five separate lens elements instead of using a single lens or fewer elements. Each lens element contributes to the overall optical power while allowing independent optimization of its surface profiles to correct aberrations. This segmentation enables the system to achieve large aperture for high light intake while distributing and controlling aberration correction across multiple elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs aspheric surfaces on multiple lens elements, including inflection points on specific surfaces. These curved surfaces are designed with precise mathematical profiles to redirect light rays and correct spherical aberration, coma, and other off-axis aberrations that become more pronounced at large apertures. The aspheric profiles enable the system to maintain high light intake while minimizing aberration effects.
2Device complexity
If conventional three or four lens configurations are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the imaging quality in low-light environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses five lens elements with specific positive and negative refractive powers arranged in sequence. This segmentation into multiple elements allows for better control of optical paths and aberration correction compared to conventional three or four element designs, achieving superior imaging quality while maintaining reasonable complexity through systematic design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for each lens element including focal lengths (f1, f2, f3, f4, f5), refractive powers, and surface curvatures. By optimizing these parameters within defined ranges, the system achieves high imaging quality and low-light performance. The use of inflection points on specific surfaces adds another degree of freedom for parameter optimization to enhance imaging quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system is designed for both visible and infrared spectra, then the adaptability is improved, but the aberration correction becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is designed to function across multiple spectral ranges including visible and infrared wavelengths. The lens materials and surface profiles are selected to provide broad spectral transmission while maintaining aberration correction performance. The aspheric surfaces and inflection points are optimized to correct aberrations that affect both visible and infrared imaging, making the system universally applicable for multi-spectral photography.
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 configuration enhances light intake and image quality, effectively addressing low-light imaging challenges and aberration issues, enabling high-performance imaging across visible and infrared spectra.
Implementation Method 1
combination of refractive powers, convex and concave surfaces of five-piece optical lenses to increase the quantity of incoming light
Data Source
AI summary
An optical image capturing system includes, along the optical axis in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, and a fifth lens. At least one lens among the first to the fifth lenses has positive refractive force. The fifth lens can have negative refractive force, wherein both surfaces thereof are aspheric, and at least one surface thereof has an inflection point. The lenses in the optical image capturing system which have refractive power include the first to the fifth lenses. The optical image capturing system can increase aperture value and improve the imagining quality for use in compact cameras.