Supplementary Lens System for Camera Modules
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera modules in mobile electronic devices have fixed focal lengths, limiting modifiable field angles and suffering from imaging performance deterioration due to the size and design of supplementary lenses, which become cumbersome and obstructive when trying to achieve higher magnification factors.
Innovation Solution
An optical lens-element system with an object-side and image-side lens-element unit having positive refractive power, forming an intermediate image, similar to a Kepler telescope design, allowing for a smaller overall diameter and enabling near-field interventions and flexible interfacing for improved imaging performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If afocal supplementary lenses are used to achieve wide-angle or telephoto effects, then field angle is modified, but imaging performance deteriorates at the edge of the image field due to asymmetry aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The supplementary optical unit is divided into multiple lens elements (object-side lens element with positive refractive power, image-side lens element with negative refractive power) arranged in sequence. This segmentation allows correction of asymmetry aberrations by distributing optical functions across multiple elements, thereby improving imaging performance at the image field edges while maintaining field angle adaptability.
2Manufacturing precision
If supplementary optical units are designed with higher magnification factors (e.g., 4×) to improve imaging performance, then the required diameter increases to 65 mm, but handling becomes unsatisfactory and the unit dominates the mobile device combination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a specific combination of lens elements with different refractive powers (positive object-side element, negative image-side element) and optimizes their spacing and curvature parameters. This parameter optimization achieves high magnification factors (e.g., 4×) while maintaining a compact diameter significantly smaller than the conventional 65 mm, thereby improving handling ease without sacrificing imaging performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If the supplementary optical unit diameter is increased to achieve higher magnification factors, then imaging performance improves, but one of two adjacent camera modules would be covered
Solution Approach 1:
By optimizing the refractive power distribution across lens elements and adjusting their spacing, the patent achieves high magnification factors with a compact diameter that fits within the 9-20 mm spacing between adjacent camera modules, thereby maintaining imaging performance without obstructing neighboring modules.
4Manufacturing precision
If a simple convex converging lens element is used for the supplementary optical unit, then the design is simple, but imaging performance deteriorates; if an afocal design with multiple elements is used, then imaging performance improves, but the unit becomes larger
Solution Approach 1:
The supplementary optical unit is segmented into at least two lens elements (object-side positive power element and image-side negative power element) arranged in sequence. This segmentation enables correction of asymmetry aberrations and achieves high imaging performance while maintaining a compact size through optimized element spacing and curvature parameters.
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 system achieves high-quality imaging with reduced diameter, enabling adaptable field angles and interventions, suitable for compact and portable applications, including microscopic imaging with low costs and minimal size constraints.
Implementation Method 1
an object-side lens-element unit with positive refractive power and an image-side lens-element unit with positive refractive power
Data Source
AI summary
A supplementary lens system for providing at least one supplementary lens in front of a camera module of an electronic device, the supplementary lens system including an object-side lens-element unit with positive refractive power and an image-side lens-element unit with positive refractive power. The object-side lens-element unit and the image-side lens-element unit are configured to generate an intermediate image between the object-side lens-element unit and the image-side lens-element unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to a supplementary lens for such a supplementary lens system.