Six-Lens Optical Imaging Lens Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical imaging lenses for portable devices face challenges in reducing thickness while maintaining good imaging quality and capturing clear images in low-light conditions, as increasing the distance from the object-side surface of the first lens element to the image plane compromises the lens's compactness.
Innovation Solution
A six-lens element optical imaging lens configuration with specific thickness and air gap relationships, including negative refracting power for certain lens elements and convex/concave surface regions, is designed to optimize system length, imaging quality, and low-light performance, adhering to specific optical conditions such as refracting power and Abbe number constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the distance from the object-side surface of the first lens element to the image plane is increased to improve imaging quality and low-light performance, then imaging quality and low-light capture capability are improved, but the system length increases making the device thicker and less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into six separate lens elements with different refracting powers and surface configurations. Each lens element contributes differently to the overall optical performance, allowing complex aberration correction to be achieved through distributed functionality rather than requiring a single long optical path. The segmentation enables compact arrangement while maintaining imaging quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of lens surfaces are designed with different curvatures and refracting powers. For example, the third lens element has negative refracting power with specific convex/concave surface configurations, while other elements have positive refracting power. This local differentiation allows precise control of light paths to correct aberrations without increasing overall system length.
2Reliability
If the distance from the object-side surface of the first lens element to the image plane is increased to capture clear images in low-light conditions, then low-light performance is improved, but the lens thickness increases compromising compactness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies particular parameter ranges including the sum of Abbe numbers (ν2+ν3+ν4+ν6≤130.000) and thickness ratios ((T1+T4+G45)/(G12+T2+G34)≥2.500). These parameter optimizations enable the system to achieve good low-light performance with reduced total thickness by carefully controlling material properties and geometric dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The six-lens element configuration serves multiple functions simultaneously: it corrects spherical aberration, chromatic aberration, and field curvature while also achieving compact dimensions. The system integrates aberration correction and length reduction into a unified design rather than treating them as separate optimization problems.
3Reliability
If more lens elements are added to correct spherical and chromatic aberrations and improve imaging quality, then imaging quality is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs aspheric surfaces on multiple lens elements to correct spherical aberration and other off-axis aberrations. The aspheric profiles are defined by specific mathematical equations with coefficients that optimize imaging performance. This curvature-based approach achieves high imaging quality without requiring an excessive number of lens elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies different Abbe numbers for different lens elements (ν2, ν3, ν4, ν6) to correct chromatic aberration through material dispersion differences. By selecting materials with appropriate refractive indices and Abbe numbers, the system achieves achromatic performance while maintaining a manageable six-element configuration rather than requiring many more 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 configuration achieves a shorter system length, improved imaging quality, and enhanced performance in low-light conditions by correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations, while allowing for a more compact and cost-effective design using transparent plastic materials.
Implementation Method 1
Each first lens element, second lens element, third lens element, fourth lens element, fifth lens element and sixth lens element respectively has an object-side surface which faces toward the object side and allows imaging rays to pass through as well as an image-side surface which faces toward the image side and allows the imaging rays to pass through
Data Source
AI summary
An optical imaging lens includes a first lens element to a sixth lens element. The third lens element has negative refracting power and a periphery region of the image-side surface of the third lens element is convex. An optical axis region of the image-side surface of the fourth lens element is convex, an optical axis region of the image-side surface of the fifth lens element is convex, and an optical axis region of the object-side surface of the sixth lens element is concave to satisfy ν2+ν3+ν4+ν6≤130.000 and (T1+T4+G45)/(G12+T2+G34)≥2.500.