Wide-Angle Lens With 90-Degree Reflection Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wide-angle lenses with a field angle of 180 degrees or more face challenges in downsizing, leading to increased device size and reduced peripheral resolution due to aberrations, making them unsuitable for hand-held imaging devices, and using two such lenses results in misalignment and image deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A wide-angle lens design with a field angle greater than 180 degrees, comprising a front group with three negative refractive power lenses and a back group with four positive refractive power lenses, including a right-angle prism for internal reflection, with specific conditions for focal length, distance, and refractive index to minimize disparity and size, and an imaging device combining two such systems with synchronized optical axes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the entire length of the wide-angle lens is reduced to downsize the imaging device, then the device size is reduced and portability is improved, but the light beam must be drastically deflected away from the optical axis which reduces peripheral resolution due to various aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The wide-angle lens is divided into multiple lens groups (first lens group with negative refractive power, second lens group with positive refractive power, and third lens group with negative refractive power) arranged in sequence from object side to image side. This segmentation allows each group to contribute differently to light deflection and aberration control, enabling compact overall length while maintaining peripheral resolution through coordinated optical design.
2Manufacturing precision
If the entire length of the wide-angle lens is increased to gently deflect the light beam in the periphery, then peripheral resolution is maintained, but the device size is increased making it unsuitable for hand-held use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies specific parameter constraints to achieve compact design: the focal length f satisfies 0.8 < f < 1.2, the distance between the reflection surface intersection and front principle point d satisfies 5.0 < d < 7.0, and the ratio d/f satisfies 4.0 < d/f < 5.6. These parameter optimizations enable gentle light deflection with reduced overall lens length, maintaining peripheral resolution while ensuring hand-held portability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If two conventional wide-angle lenses are used in an imaging device, then panoramic imaging capability is achieved, but the distance between optical axes cannot be reduced causing misalignment and image deterioration in jointed portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs two wide-angle lens systems with identical optical configurations (same lens groups, same focal length f, same distance d, and same d/f ratio) positioned symmetrically with their optical axes facing each other. This copying approach ensures that both lenses produce matching image characteristics and field angles, enabling accurate alignment of synthetic images in panoramic mode without deterioration at jointed portions.
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 design achieves a high-resolution, compact wide-angle lens system with reduced disparity, enabling a portable imaging device capable of capturing panoramic images with minimal aberrations and misalignment, suitable for hand-held use.
Implementation Method 1
the reflection surface is configured to curve an optical axis of the front group at 90 degrees toward the back group
Implementation Method 2
the front group includes three lenses having a negative refractive power, the back group includes four lenses having a positive refractive power
Data Source
AI summary
A wide-angle lens having a field angle larger than 180 degrees includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front group, a reflection surface, and a back group, wherein the front group includes three lenses having a negative refractive power, the reflection surface is configured to curve an optical axis of the front group at 90 degrees toward the back group, the back group includes four lenses having a positive refractive power, a front principle point is set between a second lens and a third lens from the object side in the front group, and a focal length of an entire system f and a distance between an intersection of the reflection surface and the optical axis of the front group and the front principle point d satisfy the following condition (1).7.0<d/f<9.0 (1)