Seven-Lens Optical Imaging System for Thin Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to develop an optical imaging system with a reduced thickness while maintaining high resolution, as the increasing number of pixels in camera sensors leads to larger camera modules, making them unsuitable for thin mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
The optical imaging system consists of seven lenses, including a first lens with positive refractive power, a second lens with negative refractive power, a third lens with positive refractive power, and a seventh lens with negative refractive power, arranged in a specific configuration to minimize thickness while ensuring high resolution, using glass lenses to reduce chromatic aberration and satisfy specific focal length and Abbe number conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of pixels in the sensor is increased to achieve high resolution, then the imaging quality is improved, but the size of the camera module increases, making it unsuitable for thin mobile devices
Solution Approach 1:
The optical imaging system is divided into seven separate lens elements (first lens through seventh lens) with alternating positive and negative refractive powers. This segmentation allows each lens to contribute differently to the overall optical performance, enabling high resolution while controlling the total optical path length and module thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies specific parameter constraints to control the optical system's characteristics: OAL/f between 1.0-1.5 (controlling overall length relative to focal length), f1/f2 between -0.3-0.3 (balancing refractive powers), and D1/f between -0.1-0.1 (controlling spacing between lenses). These parameter optimizations enable compact design while maintaining imaging quality.
2Length of moving object
If the camera module size is reduced to fit thin mobile phones, then the device thickness is reduced, but the imaging resolution and optical performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The seven lens elements are arranged in a nested sequence from the object side to the image side, with each subsequent lens positioned within the optical path established by the previous lenses. This nested arrangement maximizes the utilization of the limited optical space, achieving compact module thickness while maintaining the necessary optical path for high-resolution imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system uses a composite configuration of lenses with different refractive properties (positive and negative powers) and materials. The alternating arrangement of lens types with specific refractive index combinations allows the system to achieve high resolution in a compact form by optimizing light path control and reducing optical aberrations.
3Measurement precision
If multiple lens elements are added to achieve high resolution, then the imaging quality is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lens elements into a unified optical system where the cumulative effect of seven lenses achieves high resolution. By merging the functions of multiple elements with alternating positive and negative powers, the system accomplishes complex optical correction and image formation that would be difficult with fewer elements, while the standardized configuration simplifies manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Each lens element in the seven-element system serves multiple functions: the positive power lenses converge light and contribute to focal length, while the negative power lenses diverge light and correct optical aberrations. This multi-functionality allows each component to contribute to both image formation and quality enhancement, reducing the need for additional specialized elements and simplifying the overall design.
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 allows for a compact optical imaging system that can be easily miniaturized for use in small terminals, such as mobile phones, while achieving high resolution and minimizing aberration characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens 110, a second lens 120, a third lens 130, a fourth lens 140, a fifth lens 150, a sixth lens 160, and a seventh lens 170 sequentially arranged from an object side toward an image side
Data Source
AI summary
An optical imaging system includes: a first lens, a second lens, a third lens having positive refractive power, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, and a seventh lens sequentially arranged from an object side, and the imaging lens system satisfies OAL/imgH/2<0.6, where OAL is a distance from an object-side surface of the first lens to an image plane, and imgH is equal to half a diagonal length of the image plane.