Replaceable Outer Lens Stack for Wide-Angle Camera Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wide field of view lenses, such as fisheye lenses, are prone to scratching and impact damage, leading to optical distortion and degradation of image quality, as they often lack protective covers due to their field of view requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing interchangeable outer lens structures with mechanisms like screw threads, bayonet mounts, and snap-in designs to allow for easy replacement and maintenance of outer lenses while keeping the inner lenses aligned with the image sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective cover is added to the outer lens, then the lens is protected from scratching and impact damage, but the field of view is reduced due to the cover's physical obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The lens system is divided into two separate replaceable components: an inner lens assembly (secured to the camera body) and an outer lens (removable protective element). This segmentation allows the outer lens to be replaced when damaged without affecting the inner lens alignment, while the inner lens remains fixed to maintain optical precision. The segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling protective functionality without permanently reducing field of view, as different outer lenses with varying profiles can be swapped.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static, fixed lens assembly to a dynamic, replaceable outer lens structure. The outer lens can be detached and reattached, allowing users to adapt to different protection needs or lens damage scenarios. This dynamic capability enables the system to maintain optimal field of view by selecting appropriate outer lens configurations while providing protection when needed.
2Manufacturing precision
If the entire lens barrel is replaced when the outer lens is damaged, then alignment with the image sensor is maintained, but the cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lens assembly is segmented into a permanent inner lens barrel (containing the critical alignment elements) and a removable outer lens (containing the vulnerable protective elements). The inner lens barrel remains fixed to the camera body, maintaining its precise alignment with the image sensor. Only the outer lens needs to be replaced, which simplifies the replacement process and reduces cost while preserving alignment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The vulnerable outer lens component is extracted as a separate, independently replaceable element from the lens barrel assembly. This extraction allows the outer lens to be replaced without disturbing the inner lens barrel's alignment with the image sensor. The separation enables maintenance of manufacturing precision for the critical alignment components while allowing easy replacement of the non-critical protective outer lens.
3Strength
If the outer lens is made more robust to prevent damage, then durability improves, but the protrusion from the device body increases making it more vulnerable to impact
Solution Approach 1:
The lens system is divided into an inner lens assembly (protected within the device body) and an outer lens (exposed to the environment). The outer lens can be made robust where needed while maintaining a streamlined profile at the edges to reduce impact vulnerability. Different outer lens designs can be selected based on specific protection needs without compromising the overall device profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer lens can have varying thickness and material properties at different locations: thicker and more robust in areas prone to scratching (front surface), and thinner or more streamlined at the edges and rear to reduce impact vulnerability. This local variation in quality allows optimization of both robustness and impact resistance without requiring the entire lens to be oversized.
Data Source
AI summary
An image capture device includes a lens barrel having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; one or more inner lenses disposed within the lens barrel; a retaining ring configured to rotatably mount to and be removed from the lens barrel or a body of the image capture device at the first end of the lens barrel; an outer lens configured to be secured by the retaining ring in a position covering the first end of the lens barrel; an O-ring compressible between the outer lens and the lens barrel or the body of the image capture device; and an image sensor mounted within the body of the image capture device at the second end of the lens barrel. The image sensor is configured to capture images based on light incident on the image sensor through the outer lens and the one or more inner lenses.