Spherical Lens System for Wide-Angle Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for wide-angle lens designs that provide high performance with low distortion and color aberration, are compact, and maintain optical performance across a wide range of temperatures, while being cost-effective and easy to manufacture, especially for applications in consumer electronics where millions of lenses must be produced consistently and inexpensively.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates four groups of lens elements with specific optical materials having high Abbe numbers and negative dn/dT values, including cemented doublets or triplets with aperture stops, to achieve low f-number, high resolution, and stability across temperature variations, without using aspheric elements or plastic, allowing for a wide field of view from 50 to 150 degrees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If aspheric lens elements made of plastic are used to improve lens performance, then optical quality is improved, but temperature stability deteriorates due to higher temperature variation of plastic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to glass, which has lower temperature variation characteristics. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by maintaining optical quality while improving temperature stability, as glass materials exhibit more stable refractive index across temperature ranges compared to plastic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite lens designs combining multiple glass elements with different optical properties (achromat doublets, aspheric elements combined with spherical elements). This composite approach allows optimization of both optical quality and temperature stability by selecting materials with complementary characteristics.
2Manufacturing precision
If aspheric lens elements are used to improve lens performance, then optical quality is improved, but manufacturing difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies aspheric surfaces only to specific lens elements where they are most needed for correcting aberrations, rather than making all elements aspheric. This local application maintains optical quality while reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the lens system into multiple groups with different functions (first group for wide-angle correction, second group for focal length control, third group for aberration correction). This segmentation allows each group to be optimized independently, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining overall performance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If glass lens elements are used instead of plastic, then temperature stability is improved, but manufacturing cost and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies particular glass material parameters (refractive index nd between 1.5 and 2.0, Abbe number vd between 30 and 80) that balance temperature stability with manufacturability. These parameter ranges identify glass types that provide thermal stability without excessive cost or manufacturing difficulty.
4Adaptability or versatility
If lens designs are optimized for wide field of view, then field of view coverage is improved, but distortion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lens into functional groups: the first group (negative power) corrects wide-angle distortion, the second group (positive power) controls focal length, and the third group (cemented doublet/triplet) corrects chromatic and spherical aberrations. This segmentation allows each group to address specific optical issues while maintaining overall wide field of view performance with low distortion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric lens element configurations and surface curvatures that are optimized for wide-angle performance. The negative power elements in the first group have asymmetric shapes specifically designed to correct distortion across wide fields of view while maintaining 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 enables the production of high-performance lenses with low distortion and color aberration, suitable for various field of views, that are stable across temperature changes, cost-effective, and easy to manufacture, meeting the demands of consumer electronics and other applications.
Implementation Method 1
selected lens elements made of materials with high refractive index and Abbe numbers and coefficient of thermal expansion that provide stable high performance across wide and rapid temperature changes
Data Source
AI summary
High performance lens system designs are described. The lens system has four lens groups, is made entirely of spherical lens elements, and, includes selected lens elements made of materials with high refractive index and Abbe numbers and coefficient of thermal expansion that provide stable high performance across wide and rapid temperature changes. Group descriptions and parametric equations enable creation of designs having fields of view ranging from 50 to 150 degrees.