Five-element Imaging Lens for Thin Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to design ultra-compact imaging lenses suitable for thin mobile devices that maintain high optical performance while minimizing size, as smartphones become thinner and user expertise with cameras increases, requiring miniaturization without compromising optical quality.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an imaging lens configuration with specific refractive powers and aspherical surfaces, including a first lens with positive refractive power, a second lens with negative or positive refractive power, a third lens with positive refractive power, a fourth lens with negative refractive power, and a fifth lens with positive or negative refractive power, satisfying conditions that allow for negative optical distortion and compact size, such as −0.25≦(Y−yp)/yp≦−0.05, where Y denotes the image height of a real chief ray and yp denotes the image height of a paraxial chief ray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the imaging lens is miniaturized to fit thin mobile devices, then the device thickness is reduced, but the optical performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging lens is divided into five separate lens elements with specific refractive powers arranged in sequence from object side to image plane side. This segmentation allows each lens to contribute to specific optical corrections while maintaining a compact overall structure, resolving the contradiction between miniaturization and optical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs aspherical surfaces on specific lens elements (first lens object side surface, first lens image side surface, third lens image side surface) to correct optical aberrations. The aspherical curvature enables better light path control and image quality maintenance within a reduced lens thickness, addressing the optical performance deterioration issue.
2Reliability
If the lens system is made more complex to correct optical aberrations, then the optical performance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making all lens elements complex, the patent applies different surface characteristics (aspherical, planar, convex, concave) to specific lens elements at specific positions. The first lens has aspherical surfaces for primary aberration correction, while subsequent lenses have simpler surfaces for secondary corrections, optimizing the balance between optical performance and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes specific parameters including refractive powers of individual lenses, curvature radii of aspherical surfaces, and spacing between lens elements. By carefully adjusting these parameters within defined ranges, the system achieves excellent optical performance without requiring excessive structural complexity.
3Reliability
If aspherical surfaces are added to correct distortion and aberration, then the optical performance improves, but the manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies aspherical surfaces only to specific lens elements (first lens object side and image side surfaces, third lens image side surface) rather than all lenses. This localized application reduces manufacturing complexity compared to making all lens elements aspherical, while still achieving the necessary distortion and aberration correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a limited number of aspherical surfaces (partial action) to achieve sufficient optical correction for the application. By not over-engineering with excessive aspherical surfaces, the manufacturing difficulty is kept manageable while still providing the required optical performance improvement.
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 enables a compact imaging lens design that reduces the total length of the lens system, corrects optical distortion, and maintains high optical performance, suitable for use in ultra-thin electronic devices like smartphones, while allowing for the correction of aberrations and chromatic aberrations.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens having an object side surface that is convex and having a positive refractive power, a second lens having a positive or negative refractive power, a third lens having a positive or negative refractive power, a fourth lens having a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens having a positive or negative refractive power
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging lens is provided. The imaging lens includes, in an order from an object side to an image plane side, a first lens having an object side surface that is convex and having a positive refractive power, a second lens having a positive or negative refractive power, a third lens having a positive or negative refractive power, a fourth lens having a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens having a positive or negative refractive power, wherein an image side surface of the fifth lens has a concave center portion and has at least one inflection point, and the imaging lens satisfies a condition that −0.25≦(Y−yp)/yp≦−0.05, where Y denotes an image height of a real chief ray, and yp denotes an image height of a paraxial chief ray.