Subminiature Optical System with Segmented Lens for Aberration Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical systems for camera mobile phones face challenges in achieving high resolution and minimizing aberrations while reducing the number of lenses to accommodate a small size and low cost, which complicates the manufacturing process and increases costs due to the increased number of refractive surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A subminiature optical system utilizing two lenses with specific refractive power configurations, including aspherical and plane surfaces, to simplify the manufacturing process and correct aberrations such as chromatic aberration, distortion, and spherical aberration, while allowing for mass production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the number of lenses is reduced to achieve small size and low cost, then device size and manufacturing cost are reduced, but optical performance and aberration correction become difficult to satisfy
Solution Approach 1:
The first lens is segmented into three optical elements with different refractive indices arranged in sequence. This segmentation allows each element to contribute differently to aberration correction, enabling high optical performance with only two lenses total. The multiple refractive surfaces within the first lens provide the necessary degrees of freedom for correcting various aberrations while maintaining a compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system uses composite lens design where the first lens comprises optical elements made of materials with different refractive indices. This composite approach allows simultaneous correction of multiple types of aberrations (chromatic, spherical, astigmatism) through the combined optical properties of different materials, achieving high resolution with minimal lens count.
2Manufacturing precision
If the number of refractive surfaces is increased to correct aberrations, then optical performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple optical functions into the first lens by combining three optical elements with different refractive indices. This consolidation creates multiple refractive surfaces (object-side surface, two internal interfaces, and image-side surface) within a single lens assembly, enabling comprehensive aberration correction without increasing the total lens count or assembly complexity. The second lens with its simple plano-convex design further reduces manufacturing complexity while maintaining correction effectiveness.
3Manufacturing precision
If more lenses are used to achieve high resolution, then optical performance is improved, but device size and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first lens is designed with local quality variations through its three optical elements, each having specific refractive indices and surface curvatures optimized for particular aberration corrections. The object-side surface, internal interfaces, and image-side surface are locally optimized to address different optical issues, enabling high resolution achievement with only two lenses and minimizing overall system size.
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 proposed optical system effectively corrects various aberrations and achieves high resolution with a reduced number of lenses, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs, making it suitable for mass production and integration in mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens formed in a meniscus shape entirely convex toward an object and having a positive refractive power
Implementation Method 2
One or more of following Conditional Expressions may be satisfied, The following Conditional Expressions are Conditional Expression 1 related to a curvature radius r4 of a refractive surface closest to the image in the first lens and a curvature radius r5 closest to the object in the second lens
Implementation Method 3
a second lens having an object-side surface convex toward the object and an image-side surface formed of a plane
Data Source
AI summary
An optical system is mounted in a mobile communication terminal and a personal digital assistant (PDA) for a monitoring camera and a digital camera. The optical system includes: a first optical element formed in a meniscus shape entirely convex toward an object and having a positive refractive power; and a second optical element having an object-side surface convex toward the object and an image-side surface formed of a plane, wherein the second optical element includes: a fourth optical element having an object-side surface entirety convex toward the object on the optical axis; and a fifth optical element having an object-side surface in contact with an image-side surface of the fourth optical element, and an image-side surface and an object-side surface formed of planes respectively.