Viewfinder optical system

• US 5,978,145 A
• Filed: 04/16/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohmori, Shigeto, Mukai, Hiromu
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US08/840,792
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 359/642-797, 396/373-386
• US Class Current: 359/642
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0095 Relay lenses or rod lenses in instruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodies G02B23/2446
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/14 Viewfinders for photographic apparatus G03B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0037 with diffracting elements G02B27/0056 takes precedence; holographic optical elements G02B5/32; zone systems G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4211 correcting chromatic aberrations G02B27/0056, G02B27/4222, G02B27/4227 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4277 being separated by an air space
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/06 with lenses with or without reflectors

Abstract

A viewfinder optical system has a relay lens system and an eyepiece optical system. The relay lens system refocuses a primary image as a secondary image. The relay lens system consists of a single lens element which has a surface having optical power of diffraction. The eyepiece optical system magnifies the secondary image and has a surface having optical power of diffraction.

Claims

1. A viewfinder optical system comprising:

a relay lens system for refocusing a primary image as a secondary image and including at least one surface having optical power of diffraction; and

an eyepiece optical system for magnifying the secondary image and including at least one surface having optical power of diffraction.

2. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said relay lens system comprises a single lens element having positive optical power.

3. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entire viewfinder optical system comprises three lenses.

4. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said relay lens system is positive and the optical power of refraction of the surface included in said eyepiece optical system is positive, and wherein the following condition is fulfilled:

##EQU9## where φ

Rd represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said relay lens system,

φ

Rt represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the relay lens system,

φ

Ed represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said eyepiece optical system,

φ

Et represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the eyepiece optical system.

5. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a condenser lens system provided between the relay lens system and the eyepiece optical system.

6. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said relay lens system is positive and the optical power of refraction of the surface included in said condenser lens system is positive, and wherein the following condition is fulfilled:

##EQU10## where φ

Rd represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said relay lens system,

φ

Rt represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the relay lens system,

φ

Cd represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said condenser lens system,

φ

Ct represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the condenser lens system.

7. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condenser lens includes at least one surface having optical power of diffraction.

8. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relay lens system includes at least one aspherical surface.

9. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relay lens system includes at least one surface having optical power of both refraction and diffraction.

10. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the optical power of refraction of said surface is equivalent to that of an aspherical surface.

11. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eyepiece optical system includes at least one surface having optical power of both refraction and diffraction.

12. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 11, wherein optical power of refraction of said surface is equivalent to that of an aspherical surface.

13. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the condenser lens system includes at least one surface having optical power of both refraction and diffraction.

14. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the optical power of refraction of said surface is equivalent to that of an aspherical surface.

15. A viewfinder optical system including at least two surfaces having optical power of both diffraction and refraction, wherein the optical power of refraction of said surfaces is equivalent to that of an aspherical surface.

16. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system comprising:

an objective lens system for focusing rays from an object as an intermediate image and including at least one surface having optical power of diffraction; and

an eyepiece optical system for magnifying the intermediate image and including at least one surface having optical power of diffraction.

17. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said eyepiece optical system comprises a single lens element.

18. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said objective lens system is a zoom lens system.

19. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the objective lens system comprises a plurality of lens units, and wherein the diffractive optical surface included in said objective lens system is provided in a lens unit moved along an optical axis so as to perform the zooming.

20. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the objective lens includes, from an object side, a first lens unit having negative optical power and a second lens unit having positive refractive power, and wherein one of the surfaces having the optical power of diffraction is included in either the first or the second lens unit.

21. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the following condition is fulfilled:

##EQU11## where φ

OD represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said objective lens system,

φ

O represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the objective lens system,

φ

ED represents the optical power of diffraction of the surface included in said eyepiece optical system,

φ

E represents the composite optical power of diffraction and refraction of the surfaces included in the eyepiece optical system.

22. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the eyepiece optical system includes at least one surface having optical power of both refraction and diffraction.

23. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the objective lens system includes at least one surface having an optical function of both refraction and diffraction.

24. A Kepler-type viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the optical power of refraction of said surface is equivalent to that of an aspherical surface.

25. A viewfinder optical system comprising a plurality of lenses whose material is plastic, wherein at least one of said lenses includes at least one surface having optical power of diffraction and said viewfinder optical system is a real image-type optical system.

26. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 25, wherein each of said lenses has positive optical power.

27. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 25, wherein said surface having optical power of diffraction has positive optical power.

28. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one of said lenses is made of polymethyl methacrylate.

29. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one of said lenses is made of amorphous polyolefin.

30. A viewfinder optical system as claimed in claim 25, wherein all lenses included therein fulfill the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">ν

d>

50

where

ν

d represents Abbe number of a material of each of the lenses.

31. A viewfinder optical system comprising:

a relay lens system for refocusing a primary image as a secondary image; and

an eyepiece optical system for magnifying said secondary image,

wherein all of the lenses in said relay lens system and said eyepiece optical system are made of plastic,

wherein at least one of said lenses includes at least one surface having an optical power of diffraction, and

wherein said viewfinder optical system is a real image-type optical system.