Optical Lens Design for Automotive Imaging Quality and Weight Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical lenses face challenges in achieving a balance between low fabrication costs, high resolution, large effective apertures, wide operating temperature ranges, and light weight while maintaining good imaging quality, particularly in automotive applications.
Innovation Solution
The optical lens design incorporates a first lens group with refractive powers, a second lens group with a positive refractive power including a doublet lens, and an aperture stop, optimizing lens diameter and total lens length to achieve a reduced number of lenses (5-10) that meet specific diameter and length ratios, ensuring good imaging quality and reduced fabrication costs across a wide temperature range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of lenses is increased to improve imaging quality and resolution, then the optical performance is improved, but the weight and fabrication cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lens functions into fewer lens elements by using compound lens structures (doublet lenses) where two or more lenses are integrated into a single optical unit. This merging approach maintains the optical performance of multiple separate lenses while reducing the total number of components, thereby decreasing weight and simplifying fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes specific parameter ranges for the reduced number of lenses, including focal lengths, curvature radii, and refractive indices, to compensate for the fewer elements. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the system achieves high imaging quality with only 5-10 lenses instead of traditional larger numbers, thus reducing weight while maintaining performance.
2Measurement precision
If the number of lenses is increased to improve resolution and imaging quality, then the optical performance is improved, but the fabrication cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple lens functions into compound lens structures (doublet lenses) to reduce the total lens count from traditional high numbers to just 5-10 lenses. This consolidation directly reduces fabrication costs by decreasing the number of individual components that need to be manufactured, coated, and assembled, while maintaining high resolution through optimized optical design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies optimized parameter ranges for the reduced lens count, including focal length ratios, curvature radii, and spacing between elements. These parameter optimizations enable high-resolution imaging with fewer lenses, thereby reducing the complexity and cost of manufacturing compared to traditional multi-lens systems.
3Area of stationary object
If the lens diameter is increased to improve effective aperture, then the light gathering ability is improved, but the lens length and overall size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric lens designs where the curvature radii and thicknesses of individual lens elements are optimized independently rather than using symmetric configurations. This allows the system to achieve large effective apertures with controlled lens lengths by distributing optical power unevenly across the lens elements, preventing excessive length growth while maintaining aperture size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes specific parameter relationships including the ratio of lens diameter to lens length (D/LT), focal lengths of individual elements, and spacing between lenses. These parameter optimizations enable the system to achieve large effective apertures without proportional increases in lens length, maintaining a compact overall size while improving light gathering ability.
4Measurement precision
If more lens elements are added to improve imaging quality, then the optical performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lens functions into compound lens structures (doublet lenses) where two or more lenses are integrated into single optical units. This merging reduces the total lens count to 5-10 elements while maintaining high imaging quality, thereby simplifying the overall device structure, reducing alignment complexity, and easing manufacturing procedures compared to traditional systems with more separate 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
This design achieves good imaging quality, reduced fabrication costs, lighter weight, miniaturization, and wider operating temperature ranges, allowing the optical lens to function effectively from −40° C. to 105° C. with a reduced total lens number.
Implementation Method 1
The first lens group includes at least two lenses with refractive powers, the second lens group has a positive refractive power and includes a doublet lens
Implementation Method 2
the aperture stop is disposed between the first lens group and the second lens group
Data Source
AI summary
An optical lens includes a first lens group, a second lens group and an aperture stop disposed between the first lens group and the second lens group. The optical lens satisfies the conditions of 7 mm<D<25 mm and 0.3<D/LT<0.5, where D is a diameter of a lens surface of the second lens group furthest from the first lens group and LT is a total lens length measured along an optical axis between a lens surface of the first lens group furthest from the second lens group and the lens surface of the second lens group furthest from the first lens group.