Stacked Lens Plate Assembly for Compact Optical Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens manufacturing processes introduce optical aberrations due to material behavior variations, mold precision limitations, and uneven force application, leading to distortions and blurring in images, particularly in high-energy radiation applications, and conventional lens assemblies are bulky and complex, exacerbating spatial constraints.
Innovation Solution
A lens assembly comprising a plurality of lens units with directly stacked lens plates and a lens unit holder that aligns optical axes, allowing for modular, compact, and precise optical alignment without individual holders, incorporating corrective lenses for aberration correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional stamping or molding process is used to manufacture lenses, then production efficiency is improved, but optical precision deteriorates due to material behavior variations, mold precision limitations, and uneven force application causing aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical stamping or molding process with a laser-based manufacturing process. The laser process eliminates physical contact between the mold and the material, thereby avoiding imperfections caused by mold precision limitations and uneven mechanical force application. This substitution maintains high production efficiency while significantly improving optical precision by directly shaping the lens material with laser energy, resulting in fewer and less severe surface imperfections.
2Ease of operation
If conventional lens assemblies with individual holders are used, then each lens can be independently adjusted, but device complexity and installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual lens holders into a single integrated holder structure that accommodates multiple lens elements. This consolidation reduces the overall number of separate components, simplifying the assembly structure and reducing installation space. The integrated holder maintains the capability for independent lens adjustment through internal adjustment mechanisms, thereby preserving operational flexibility while eliminating the complexity of multiple separate holders.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple individual lens holders are used for each lens element, then precise alignment can be achieved, but installation space and device bulkiness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lens holding functions into a single integrated holder unit, significantly reducing the overall volume required for lens assembly installation. The merged holder maintains precise alignment capabilities through integrated alignment features and adjustment mechanisms that are built into the unified structure, eliminating the need for separate holders for each lens element and thereby reducing installation space while preserving alignment precision.
4Manufacturing precision
If traditional lens manufacturing with polishing is used, then some surface imperfections can be corrected, but deeper irregularities affecting optical performance cannot be fully compensated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical polishing process with a laser-based manufacturing process that prevents the formation of deep surface irregularities in the first place. The laser process allows for precise material removal and shaping without the contact pressures and tool wear issues that cause deeper imperfections during traditional polishing. This substitution achieves superior surface quality from the outset, ensuring reliable optical performance without relying on post-manufacturing correction that cannot fully compensate for deep irregularities.
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 minimizes installation space, enhances optical performance, and facilitates easy assembly and reconfiguration, ensuring high precision and flexibility in optical systems, while maintaining consistent focal points and image quality across varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
producing the first lenses in each one of the plurality of lens plates using a microfabrication technique, such as, but not limited to, laser ablation, 3D printing, milling, or an etching method
Data Source
AI summary
The present subject matter relates to a lens assembly comprising a plurality of lens units, wherein each lens unit comprises a plurality of lens plates being stacked directly onto each other to form a lens plate stack; and a lens unit holder being configured to hold the lens plate stack; wherein each lens plate comprises a first lens, the first lens comprising a first optical axis; and wherein the first optical axis of each first lens is arranged along a first common optical axis wherein the plurality of lens units are arranged such that the first common optical axes of the plurality of lens units are coincident. The present subject matter further relates to a lens unit holder for a lens assembly, as herein described, being configured to hold a plurality of lens plates and a method for providing a lens unit for a lens assembly as herein described.