Smartphone Imaging Lens with Folded Optical Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smartphones have limitations in using long-focus lenses due to thickness constraints, resulting in fewer long-focus lenses being employed, which affects their optical performance and imaging capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A compact imaging lens system comprising six aspherical lenses, including a prism, that provides a larger effective focal length and improved optical performance by condensing light and reducing lens diameter, allowing for a smaller and lighter design suitable for smartphones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a long-focus lens is used to increase the effective focal length, then the field of view and incident light are improved, but the lens size and thickness increase, which conflicts with smartphone thickness constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a prism to fold the optical path, changing the light propagation from a straight line to a reflected path. This allows the optical axis to turn at the prism's reflection surface, effectively increasing the focal length without increasing the linear thickness of the lens assembly in the direction perpendicular to the smartphone surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges six lenses in a compact sequence with the prism integrated into the optical path. The lenses are positioned closely together with minimized spacings, creating a nested-like compact structure where each lens and the prism are tightly integrated to reduce overall thickness while maintaining the required optical path length.
2Reliability
If more lenses are added to improve optical performance, then the imaging quality is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the optical system into six distinct lens elements with specific diopter values arranged in a particular sequence. Each lens has a specific function in correcting aberrations and focusing light, and the segmentation allows for optimized optical performance while maintaining manageable complexity through systematic arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for each lens including diopter values, spacing distances, and aspherical coefficients. By controlling these parameters within defined ranges, the system achieves consistent optical performance across production batches while simplifying the manufacturing process through parameter standardization.
3Length of stationary object
If the focal length is increased to improve imaging capabilities, then the effective focal length is improved, but the lens diameter and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The prism folds the optical path to achieve a longer effective focal length without requiring a proportionally larger lens diameter or weight. The reflected light path through the prism allows the optical axis to extend in a folded configuration, maintaining compact dimensions and reducing the weight that would otherwise be required for a straight-through long-focus lens.
Solution Approach 2:
All six lenses in the patent are aspherical lenses, meaning they have non-spherical surfaces with varying curvature. This aspherical design allows for more efficient light focusing and aberration correction, enabling a longer effective focal length with smaller lens diameters and reduced material usage, thereby decreasing overall weight.
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 a larger field of view and increased incident light, reducing the size, weight, and manufacturing complexity of the imaging lens while maintaining good optical quality and minimizing aberrations.
Implementation Method 1
the optical axis turns on a reflection surface of the prism
Implementation Method 2
The first lens to the sixth lens are all aspherical lenses
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging lens includes a first lens, a prism, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens in order along an optical axis from an object side to an image side. The first lens is disposed at a light incident side of the prism, the second to sixth lenses are disposed at a light exit side of the prism, and the optical axis turns on a reflection surface of the prism. The imaging lens has a total of six lenses with diopters. The first to sixth lenses are all aspherical lenses, and the diopters are positive, positive, negative, positive, positive, and negative respectively. A ratio of a focal length of the first lens and a spacing between the prism and the second lens on the optical axis is greater than or equal to 4 and less than or equal to 60.