Projecting zoom lens system and projector apparatus

• US 6,075,653 A
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nittoh Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nittoh Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Asakura, Yoshinobu, Narimatsu, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucas, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US09/086,767
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 359/686, 359/680
• US Class Current: 359/686
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/22 Telecentric objectives or lens systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 15/144511 arranged -+-+
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 15/177 having a negative front lens or group of lenses

Abstract

A projecting zoom lens system whose incidence side is telecentric of this invention is formed by the first to fourth lens groups arranged sequentially from the screen side and having negative, positive, negative and positive refractive powers, respectively. The employment of the negative refractive power lens group on the screen side allows a wider angle and a smaller lens aperture of the first lens group, thereby realizing a compact lens with a larger aperture as a whole. Furthermore, if a positive lens is employed on the screen side in the first lens group of the projecting zoom lens, the balance of refractive power can be improved.

Claims

1. A projecting zoom lens system having a telecentric incidence side comprising a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, a third lens group having a negative refractive power and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, arranged in this order from a screen side, whereby zooming is carried out by fixing said first and fourth lens groups and moving said second and third lens groups, wherein said third lens group comprises a forward group disposed toward the screen side and a rearward group disposed toward the incidence side, and a distance between said forward and rearward groups is controlled during zooming.

2. A projecting zoom lens system according to claim 1, wherein said first lens group comprises at least two lens components including a positive refractive power lens component and a negative refractive power lens component that are arranged in this order from the screen side.

3. A projecting zoom lens system according to claim 1, wherein one of said forward group and rearward group has a negative refractive power, and the other one of said forward group and rearward group has a positive refractive power.

10. A projector apparatus comprising a projecting zoom lens system according to claim 1, and an image forming device capable of supplying an image to be projected at the incidence side of said projecting zoom lens system.

4. A projecting zoom lens system having a telecentric incidence side comprising a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, a third lens group having a negative refractive power and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, arranged in this order from a screen side, whereby zooming is carried out by fixing said first and fourth lens groups and moving said second and third lens groups, wherein said third lens group or fourth lens group comprises at least one lens component whose incidence side surface is an aspherical convex surface.

5. A projecting zoom lens system according to claim 4, wherein said first lens group comprises at least two lens components including a positive refractive power lens component and a negative refractive power lens component that are arranged in this order from the screen side.

6. A projector apparatus comprising a projecting zoom lens system according to claim 4, and an image forming device capable of supplying an image to be projected at the incidence side of said projecting zoom lens system.

7. A projecting zoom lens system having a telecentric incidence side comprising a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, a third lens group having a negative refractive power and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, arranged in this order from a screen side, whereby zooming is carried out by fixing said first and fourth lens groups and moving said second and third lens groups, wherein a resultant focal length of said first and second lens groups at a wide-angle extremity fw₁₂ and a resultant focal length of said third and fourth lens groups at the wide-angle extremity fw₃₄ satisfy the following condition:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.3<

(fw.sub.12 /fW.sub.34)<

1.5.

8. A projecting zoom lens system according to claim 7, wherein said first lens group comprises at least two lens components including a positive refractive power lens component and a negative refractive power lens component that are arranged in this order from the screen side.

9. A projector apparatus comprising projecting zoom lens system according to claim 7, and an image forming device capable of supplying an image to be projected at the incidence side of said projecting zoom lens system.