Six-element Camera Lens Design for Wide-Angle Imaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for ultra-thin wide-angle camera lenses with good optical characteristics and fully corrected chromatic aberration, particularly for handheld devices like smartphones, where the shrinking pixel size of photosensitive devices and increasing demand for better imaging quality require more complex lens structures.

Innovation Solution

A six-piece camera optical lens design is proposed, comprising lenses made of glass and plastic materials with specific refractive powers and curvature radii, optimized to achieve ultra-thin and wide-angle capabilities while minimizing aberrations, with conditions such as -3≤f1/f≤-1.5 and 1.7≤n1≤2.2 for the first lens, and -2≤f5/f6≤-1 for the fifth and sixth lenses, to ensure effective correction of aberrations and enhance imaging quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a three-piece or four-piece lens structure is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the imaging quality and chromatic aberration correction are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimaging qualityVSAvoidlens structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The lens system is divided into six distinct lens elements with specific refractive powers and material properties. Each lens element (first through sixth lenses) is independently designed with specific curvature radii, thicknesses, and material characteristics to collectively achieve superior imaging quality and chromatic aberration correction that cannot be obtained with fewer elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Length of moving object

If the lens is made ultra-thin, then the device size is reduced, but the optical performance and aberration correction may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelens thicknessVSAvoidoptical performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs specific parameter ranges for lens curvature radii, thicknesses, and refractive indices to achieve ultra-thin design while maintaining optical performance. Key parameters include the curvature radii ratios (e.g., R1/R2, R3/R4), thickness ratios (e.g., d1/d2, d3/d4), and refractive index constraints (1.5≤n2<1.7, 1.6< n3<1.8) that enable thin profile with corrected aberrations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The lens system uses composite material selection with different refractive index ranges for different lens elements (plastic materials with 1.5≤n2<1.7 and 1.6<n3<1.8). This material composition strategy enables the ultra-thin design to achieve adequate optical performance by compensating for the reduced path length through optimized material properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Adaptability or versatility

If the lens is designed for wide-angle, then the field of view is expanded, but the chromatic aberration and distortion increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewide-angle capabilityVSAvoidchromatic aberration correction

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The wide-angle lens system is segmented into six elements with alternating positive and negative refractive powers. This segmentation allows distribution of the wide-angle field of view requirement across multiple elements while dedicating specific elements (particularly the negative power lenses) to chromatic aberration correction, achieving both wide-angle capability and aberration control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Certain lens elements act as intermediaries to correct chromatic aberrations introduced by other elements. The negative refractive power lenses serve as mediators that counteract the chromatic dispersion of positive power lenses, enabling wide-angle design with controlled chromatic aberration through the intermediary correction function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 design achieves ultra-thin and wide-angle capabilities with fully corrected on-axis and off-axis chromatic aberrations, maintaining miniaturization characteristics and improving imaging quality, as demonstrated by the satisfaction of various conditions and optical performance metrics like longitudinal aberration, lateral color, field curvature, and distortion.

Implementation Method 1

a first lens having a negative refractive power with a convex object side surface relative to an optical axis and a concave image side surface relative to the optical axis

Methodology Applied