Six-Lens Imaging Optical System for Compact Wide-Angle Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wide-angle optical systems fail to simultaneously achieve high image quality and compact size, making them unsuitable for miniaturized electronic devices with increasing demands for better image quality and smaller form factors.
Innovation Solution
An imaging optical lens system comprising six lens elements with specific refractive powers and surface curvatures, including negative and positive refractive powers, concave and convex surfaces, and strategically placed air gaps between lens elements to optimize image quality and compactness, along with an aperture stop to enhance wide-angle performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wide-angle optical systems are used, then a wide field of view is achieved, but the system size becomes large and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into six distinct lens elements with specific refractive powers and surface curvatures. Each lens element (first through sixth) has carefully designed optical properties that collectively achieve wide-angle performance while maintaining compact dimensions. The segmentation allows optimization of each element's function to contribute to the overall wide field of view without proportionally increasing total system volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs specific parameter relationships between lens elements to achieve the contradiction resolution. Key parameters include focal lengths (f, f2, f3), central thicknesses (CT2, CT3, CT5, CT6), curvature radii (R1 through R12), and axial distances (T12, T34, T56). By optimizing these parameters within defined ranges (e.g., −1.0 < f3/f2 < 0.5, 0.3 < CT2/CT3 < 1.5), the system achieves wide field of view while controlling overall size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wide-angle optical systems are used, then a wide field of view is achieved, but image quality deteriorates due to aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
Different lens elements have different local optical properties tailored to correct specific aberrations. The first lens element has negative refractive power to control field curvature, while subsequent elements have alternating positive and negative powers to correct spherical and chromatic aberrations. Each lens element's object-side and image-side surfaces have specific curvature radii (R1-R12) that create localized correction zones, collectively improving overall image quality across the wide field of view.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system uses a composite arrangement of six lens elements with different refractive powers and material properties. This composite structure combines elements with positive and negative refractive powers to achieve aberration cancellation. The varying refractive indices and dispersion properties of different lens elements work together to correct chromatic and spherical aberrations, maintaining high image quality across the wide angular field.
3Manufacturing precision
If more lens elements are added to improve image quality, then aberrations are corrected better, but the system becomes more complex and larger
Solution Approach 1:
Each lens element in the six-element system serves multiple functions simultaneously. For example, the second lens element with positive refractive power not only contributes to the overall focal length but also helps correct spherical aberration and controls field curvature. The third lens element with negative refractive power simultaneously corrects chromatic aberration and manages light ray angles. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated correction elements, maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system employs dynamic parameter optimization where the relationships between lens elements are flexible rather than fixed. The patent defines ranges for parameter ratios (e.g., 0.3 < CT2/CT3 < 1.5, 0.5 < T12/f < 0.8) that allow adaptation during design and manufacturing. This dynamic approach enables the system to maintain optimal performance across varying conditions without requiring overly complex rigid structures or additional elements.
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 enables the creation of a compact optical system with a wide field of view and high image quality, suitable for miniaturized electronic devices by effectively correcting aberrations and reducing the total track length, while maintaining a compact design.
Implementation Method 1
The first lens element has negative refractive power. The second lens element has an object-side surface being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element has positive refractive power.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging optical lens system 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 has negative refractive power. The second lens element has an object-side surface being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element has positive refractive power. The fourth lens element has positive refractive power. The fifth lens element has negative refractive power. The sixth lens element has positive refractive power. The imaging optical lens system has a total of six lens elements.