Three-Lens Optical Assembly with Aspheric Surfaces for Compact Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-lens optical lens assemblies for compact electronic devices face challenges in achieving high resolution and aberration correction while maintaining a compact design and low cost, with existing designs often resulting in chromatic aberrations and manufacturing difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A three-lens optical lens assembly with specific refractive power combinations and surface curvatures, including a first lens element with negative refractive power and a concave image-side surface, a second lens element with positive refractive power and both convex surfaces, and a third lens element with negative refractive power made of plastic and a convex object-side surface, along with aspheric surfaces, to enhance imaging quality and reduce total length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a first lens element with stronger positive refractive power is adopted to provide better light condensation, then light condensation capability is improved, but aberration correction becomes more difficult and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is divided into three lens elements with different refractive power characteristics. The first lens element provides light condensation, while the second and third lens elements are specifically designed to correct the aberrations introduced by the first element. This segmentation allows each component to have optimized functions without compromising overall image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs aspheric surfaces on the first and second lens elements, changing the geometric parameters from traditional spherical to aspheric profiles. This parameter change enables better control of light rays, improving both light condensation and aberration correction simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
2Length of moving object
If a concave object-side surface of the second lens element is adopted to reduce total length, then compactness is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases due to large curvature change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts aspheric surfaces for the first and second lens elements, which provide continuous curvature variation rather than abrupt changes. This allows the lens to achieve compact form factor while maintaining manufacturability, as the aspheric profile can be progressively formed during manufacturing processes unlike sharp concave transitions.
3Length of moving object
If the refractive power of the second lens element is higher than the first lens element to achieve compact design, then total length is reduced, but chromatic aberration occurs at edges and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses aspheric surfaces on the first and second lens elements to control the path of marginal rays. The aspheric profile parameters are optimized to reduce chromatic aberration at the edges while maintaining the compact total length. This allows the second lens element to have higher refractive power without introducing severe chromatic aberration.
4Measurement precision
If a three-lens design is adopted to meet high resolution requirement, then image quality is improved, but manufacturing cost increases compared to two-lens design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs aspheric surfaces only on the first and second lens elements, while the third lens element uses a simpler spherical profile. This selective application of complex aspheric parameters reduces manufacturing cost compared to making all three elements aspheric, while still achieving the required high resolution through the combined optical power of the three-element system.
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 effectively corrects aberrations, enhances resolution, and reduces the total length of the optical lens assembly, facilitating the use in compact electronic devices with improved manufacturing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the first lens element with negative refractive power has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface
Implementation Method 2
the second lens element with positive refractive power has both convex object-side surface and image-side surface
Implementation Method 3
the third lens element with negative refractive power is made of plastic and has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface
Implementation Method 4
at least one of the object-side surface and image-side surface is aspheric
Data Source
AI summary
An optical lens assembly for image pickup, sequentially arranged from an object side to an image side along the optical axis, comprising: the first lens element with negative refractive power has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface; the second lens element with positive refractive power has bi-convex surfaces; and the third lens element with negative refractive power, made of plastic, and which has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface with at least one thereof is aspheric. By such arrangements, the optical lens assembly for image pickup satisfies conditions related to shorten the total length and to reduce the sensitivity for use in compact cameras and mobile phones with camera functionalities.