Imaging optical system for compensating change of temperature

• US 5,412,510 A
• Filed: 11/12/1992
• Issued: 05/02/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Iizuka, Takashi, Yamazaki, Yoshihiro, Arai, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US07/975,128
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 350/253, 350/480, 350/482, 250/216, 250/370.15, 359/819, 359/820, 359/206-216, 359/689-690, 359/784-785, 359/503-506, 374/14, 374/15, 374/120-124, 374/187-195
• US Class Current: 359/820
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/008 with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/03 with photodetectors arranged in a substantially linear array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/02425 Self-adjusting arrangements, e.g. compensating for temperature fluctuations

Abstract

An imaging optical system for compensating for changes of temperature according to the present invention corrects a focal point for an entire optical system due to temperature change by changing a relative distance between a lens and a light receiving element. To this end, a correcting member, which expands and contracts due to temperature change, is disposed between the lens and the light receiving element. Moreover, the coefficient of thermal expansion is set to such a value so as to be able to substantially correct for the focal point change. According to another aspect of the present invention, the optical system includes a lens system which has at least a positive lens and a negative lens in order to offset the effect of the temperature change.

Claims

1. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature comprising:

a lens system, in which a focal point change due to a change of temperature is defined as follows, ##EQU12## where;

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens to the image side

dfn_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by change of refractive index

dfL_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by thermal expansion

a light receiving element for receiving an image formed by said lens system, and

a correcting member adapted to change a relative distance between said light receiving element and said lens system by means of linear expansion due to change of temperature, in which a thermal expansion (dL/dt) of said correcting member is set within a range as set forth hereunder;

##EQU13##

2. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 1 wherein said correcting member uses acrylic resin.

3. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 1 wherein said lens system includes plastic lenses.

4. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 1 wherein said lens system includes at least a lens in which a change rate (dn/dt) of refractive index with respect to change of temperature is negative.

5. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature comprising:

a lens system including at least a lens in which a change rate (dn/dt) of refractive index n with respect to change of temperature is negative,

a light receiving element for receiving an image formed by said lens system,

a correcting member adapted to change a relative distance between said light receiving element and said lens system by means of thermal expansion due to change of temperature, in which a thermal expansion (dL/dt) is set within a range as set forth hereunder;

##EQU14## i;

lens position from an object side, N;

number of component lenses of whole imaging optical system,

f_i ;

focal length of i-th lens,

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side,

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens, to the image side,

(dn/dt)_i ;

rate of change of refractive index of an i-th lens, and ##EQU15## thermal expansion coefficient due to change of temperature of an i-th lens.

6. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 5 which satisfies the following expression;

##EQU16## m;

lateral magnification of whole lens system, at reference temperature, and

f;

focal length of whole lens system at reference temperature.

7. In an imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature composed of a lens system which has at least a positive lens and a negative lens, wherein a focal point change dε

/dt, which is defined as follows, of said system due to change of temperature is set within a 1/10 range of depth of focus;

##EQU17## where;

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens to the image side

dfn_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by change of refractive index

dfL_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by thermal expansion.

8. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 7,

wherein said focal point change dε

/dt is set within a 1/20 range of depth of focus.

9. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 7,

wherein said lens system Includes plastic lenses.

10. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claims 9 wherein at least one of plastic lenses uses a low hygroscopic plastic.

11. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 10, wherein said low hygroscopic plastic includes amorphous polyolefine.

12. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 7, wherein at least one surface of said positive and negative lenses is an aspherical surface.

13. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 7 which comprises three lens groups consisting of a first positive plastic lens, a second double concave negative plastic lens, and a third double convex positive lens arranged in that order from an object side, and satisfies the following expressions;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.30<

|f.sub.2 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.40<

f.sub.3 /f<

0.50

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.28<

|r.sub.3 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">n.sub.5 >

1.75

where;

f;

focal length of whole system,

f_i ;

focal length of i-th lens,

r₃ ;

radius of curvature of third surface, and

n₅ ;

refractive index of third lens.

14. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature comprising:

a lens system, in which a focal point change dε

/dt due to a change of temperature is defined as follows, ##EQU18## where;

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens to the image side

dfn_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by change of refractive index

dfL_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by thermal expansion

a light receiving element for receiving an image formed by said lens system

and which satisfies the following expression;

##EQU19## where;

m;

lateral magnification of whole lens system, at a reference temperature,

f;

focal length of whole lens system at a reference temperature,

K_i ;

dynamic factor originating in the position of the i-th lens in the lens system, and

T_i ;

focal length fluctuation of i-th lens due to a change of refractive index and thermal expansion per unit temperature change, and

a correcting member adapted to change a relative distance between said light receiving element and said lens system by means of linear expansion due to change of temperature, in which a thermal expansion (dL/dt) of said correcting member is set within a range as set forth hereunder;

##EQU20##

15. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature comprising:

a lens system, in which a focal point change dε

/dt due to a change of temperature satisfies the following expression;

##EQU21## where;

m;

lateral magnification of the lens system, at a reference temperature,

f;

focal length of the whole lens system at reference temperature;

K_i ;

dynamic factor originating in the position of the i-th lens in the lens system, and

T_i ;

focal length fluctuation of i-th lens due to a change of refractive index and thermal expansion per unit temperature change, and

a lighting receiving element for receiving an image formed by said lens system; and

a correcting member adapted to change a relative distance between said light receiving element and said lens system by means of linear expansion due to change of temperature, in which a thermal expansion (dL/dt) of said correcting member is set within a range as set forth hereunder;

##EQU22##

16. In an imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature composed of a lens system comprising at least three lenses which has at least a positive lens and a negative lens, wherein a focal point change dε

/dt, which is defined as follows, of said lens system due to change of temperature is set within a 1/10 range of depth of focus;

##EQU23## where;

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens to the image side

dfn_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by change of refractive index

dfL_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by thermal expansion.

17. The imaging optical according to claim 16, wherein said lens system comprises four lenses.

18. In an imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature composed of a lens system which has at least a positive lens and a negative lens and comprises an asymmetric lens structure, wherein a focal point change dε

/dt, which is defined as follows, of said lens system due to change of temperature is set within a 1/10 range of depth of focus;

##EQU24## where;

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

m_i+1 ;

lateral magnification from i+1-th lens to the image side

Δ

fn_i ;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by change of refractive index

Δ

L_i ;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th lens caused by thermal expansion.

19. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature, said optical system comprises three lens groups consisting of a first positive plastic lens, a second double concave negative plastic lens, and a third double convex positive lens arranged in that order from an object side, said system satisfies the following expressions:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.30<

|f.sub.2 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.40<

f.sub.3 /f<

0.50

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.28<

|r.sub.3 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">n.sub.5 >

1.75

where;

f;

focal length of whole system,

f_i ;

focal length of i-th lens,

r₃ ;

radius of curvature of third surface, and

n₅ ;

refractive index of third lens.

20. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature including a positive plastic lens, having a focal length f_i, and a refractive index n_i placed in an i-th position from an object side, and a negative plastic lens, having a focal length f_j and a refractive index n_j, placed in a j-th position from the object side, and satisfying the expression set forth hereunder wherein the lateral magnification from the i-th lens to an image surface is m_i, the lateral magnification from the i+1-th lens to the image surface is m_i+1, the lateral magnification from the j-th lens to the image surface is m_j, the lateral magnification from the j+1-th lens to the image surface is m_j+1, the F number of the whole system is F, the lateral magnification of the whole system is m, and the picture element size of a light receiving element is p;

##EQU25## (dn/dt)_i ;

rate of change of refractive index of an i-th lens, ##EQU26## coefficient thermal expansion of an i-th lens.

21. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20, which satisfies p=0.014.

22. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20, wherein at least one surface of said positive and negative plastic lenses is an aspherical surface.

23. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said positive and negative plastic lenses uses a low hygroscopic plastic.

24. An Imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 23 wherein said low hygroscopic plastic includes amorphous polyolefine.

25. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20 which comprises three lens groups consisting of a first positive plastic lens, a second double concave negative plastic lens, and a third double convex positive lens arranged in that order from an object side, and satisfies the following expressions:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.30<

|f.sub.2 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.40<

f.sub.3 /f<

0.50

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.28<

|r.sub.3 |/f<

0.40

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">n.sub.5 >

1.75

where;

f;

focal length of whole system,

f_i ;

focal length of i-th lens,

r₃ ;

radius of curvature of third surface,

n₅ ;

refractive index of third lens.

26. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20, which comprises four lens groups including four lenses, arranged in a sequence comprising a first positive plastic lens, a second double concave plastic lens, a third positive glass lens, and a fourth double convex plastic lens extending in a direction from the object side of the optical system.

27. An imaging optical system for compensating for a change of temperature according to claim 20 which satisfies the following expression;

##EQU27##

28. An imaging optical system for compensating for change of temperature comprising a lens system which has at least a positive lens and a negative lens, wherein a focal point change dε

/dt of said lens system due to a change of temperature satisfies the following expression;

##EQU28## F;

F number of the whole system, m;

lateral magnification of the whole system,

p;

the picture element size of a light receiving element,

i;

lens position from an object side

N;

number of component lenses of the whole lens system

m_i ;

lateral magnification from i-th lens to an image side

dfn_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th caused by change of refractive index

dfL_i /dt;

fluctuation in focal length of i-th caused by thermal expansion.