Six-Lens Optical Layout for Low-Tolerance Smartphone Cameras
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lens systems for mobile terminals, particularly in smartphones, suffer from high sensitivity to tolerance and performance variability due to high refractive power concentration on the first and second lenses, leading to reduced performance reproducibility and increased sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A small lens system comprising six lenses with specific refractive power settings and configurations, including low refractive power for the first lens, convex surfaces for the second lens, negative refractive power for the third lens, and high positive/negative powers for the fifth and sixth lenses, along with aspherical surfaces and plastic materials, to reduce sensitivity and improve performance reproducibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If high refractive power is concentrated on the first and second lenses to achieve compact lens system length, then the total track length is reduced, but sensitivity to manufacturing tolerance increases and performance reproducibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the refractive power distribution across six lenses rather than concentrating it on one or two lenses. Each lens has a specific refractive power value that contributes to the overall optical power while distributing the tolerance sensitivity across multiple elements. This segmentation of optical power reduces the impact of manufacturing tolerances on overall system performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent assigns different refractive power characteristics to different lens positions. The first lens has low refractive power, the second lens has negative refractive power, and subsequent lenses have varying powers. This local differentiation of optical properties allows each lens to contribute optimally while reducing sensitivity to tolerances compared to a uniform high-power design.
2Measurement precision
If the number of lenses is increased to achieve high resolution, then image quality improves, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The six-lens system is segmented into specific groups with defined refractive power relationships. The patent establishes mathematical relationships between the refractive powers of adjacent lenses (e.g., P2/P1 ratios, P3/P2 ratios), which simplifies the design process and manufacturing compared to optimizing six independent lenses. This structured segmentation reduces design complexity while maintaining high resolution capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses aspherical surfaces for all lens elements, which changes the geometric parameters from spherical to aspherical profiles. This parameter change allows for better aberration correction and higher resolution with a compact six-element design, reducing the complexity that would otherwise require more spherical lenses.
3Weight of moving object
If plastic material is used instead of glass to achieve miniaturization and weight reduction, then camera size and weight are reduced, but manufacturing tolerance sensitivity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent distributes the optical power across six plastic lens elements rather than concentrating it in fewer elements. This segmentation reduces the tolerance sensitivity of each individual plastic lens, making the overall system more robust to manufacturing variations while maintaining the weight advantages of plastic materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies aspherical surface parameters for all plastic lenses with precise mathematical definitions. These parameter specifications include conic constants and higher-order aspherical coefficients that are optimized to reduce sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances. The detailed parameter control compensates for the inherently higher tolerance sensitivity of plastic molding processes.
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 lens system achieves reduced sensitivity to tolerance, allowing for a small, lightweight, and high-performance camera module with improved manufacturing tolerance and chromatic aberration correction, suitable for thin camera applications.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens (L1), a second lens (L2), a third lens (L3), a fourth lens (L4), a fifth lens (L5), and a sixth lens (L6) which are arranged in this order from an object
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a small lens system including a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens sequentially arranged from an object, wherein the first lens has a refractive power (P1) satisfying −0.01<P1<0.01, the second lens has a refractive power (P2) satisfying 0.4<P2, the third lens has a negative refractive power, the third lens having a curvature (C6) of an image-side surface satisfying −0.01<C6<0.01, the fourth lens has a refractive power (P4) satisfying −0.1<P4<0.1, the fifth lens has a refractive power (P5) satisfying 0.7<P5, the sixth lens has a refractive power (P6) satisfying P6<−0.7, and the total optical path length (TOPL) of the lens system and an image height (Himg) satisfy TOPL/Himg <1.8.