Six-Element Lens Assembly with Aspheric Inflection Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional compact optical systems for portable electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, fail to meet the requirements for high resolution and image quality due to insufficient correction of aberrations and increased total track length, particularly with six-element lens structures.
Innovation Solution
A six-element image capturing lens assembly with specific refractive powers and surface shapes, including aspheric surfaces with inflection points, is designed to correct aberrations and reduce total track length, featuring a stop between the object and the third lens element, and optimized lens thickness and curvature radii to enhance image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a conventional four-element or five-element lens structure is used, then the system is compact, but the image quality and resolution cannot satisfy high-end requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into six separate lens elements with specific refractive powers (positive, negative, and mixed) arranged in sequence. Each lens element is independently designed with specific surface curvatures and thicknesses to correct different types of aberrations, allowing for better overall image quality while maintaining a compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs aspheric surfaces on multiple lens elements (first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lens elements) with specific curvature radii and aspheric coefficients. These curved surfaces are optimized to correct spherical aberration, coma, and other optical imperfections, significantly improving image quality and resolution compared to conventional spherical lens designs.
2Manufacturing precision
If a six-element lens structure is used to enhance image quality, then resolution improves, but the total track length increases restricting compact device application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes multiple parameters including the refractive powers of individual lens elements, their respective thicknesses (CT1-CT6), air distances between elements, and surface curvature radii (R1-R20). By carefully adjusting these parameters, the system achieves effective aberration correction with a reduced total track length, making it suitable for compact portable devices while maintaining high image quality.
3Ease of manufacture
If the first and sixth lens elements have asymmetric surface shapes, then manufacturing is simpler, but various aberrations cannot be corrected effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately introduces asymmetry in the surface shapes of the first and sixth lens elements through aspheric designs with specific conic coefficients and aspheric coefficients. The first lens element has an aspheric object-side surface, and the sixth lens element has an aspheric image-side surface. These asymmetric surfaces are optimized to correct various off-axis aberrations including coma and distortion, while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized aspheric surface equations.
4Manufacturing precision
If lens elements have larger central thickness to reduce aberrations, then image quality improves, but the total track length increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the central thickness of each lens element (CT1=0.65mm, CT2=0.40mm, CT3=0.55mm, CT4=0.35mm, CT5=0.45mm, CT6=0.50mm in the embodiment) to achieve the right balance. Thinner lens elements reduce the total track length, while the specific thickness values are maintained to ensure adequate aberration correction performance. This is complemented by optimizing air distances between elements and surface curvatures to maintain image quality.
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 solution provides improved image quality and resolution while maintaining a compact size, effectively correcting aberrations and reducing the total track length, making it suitable for high-end portable electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
The first lens element with positive refractive power, the second lens element with negative refractive power, the third lens element with refractive power, the fourth lens element with refractive power, the fifth lens element with refractive power, and the sixth lens element with positive refractive power
Data Source
AI summary
An image capturing lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element and a sixth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has an object-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The third lens element has refractive power. The fourth lens element has refractive power. The fifth lens element with refractive power has two surfaces being both aspheric, wherein at least one of the surfaces of the fifth lens element has at least one inflection point thereon. The sixth lens element with positive refractive power has an image-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof, wherein the surfaces of the sixth lens element are both aspheric.