Focusable, color corrected, high performance projection lens systems

• US 6,141,154 A
• Filed: 08/20/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: US Precision Lens, Inc. (3M Company)
• Inventors: Kreitzer, Melvyn H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON, TIMOTHY J
• Application Number:
  US09/137,279
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 359/649, 359/650, 359/651
• US Class Current: 359/651
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/02 Telephoto objectives, i.e. systems of the type + - in which the distance from the front vertex to the image plane is less than the equivalent focal length

Abstract

Focusable, color corrected, high performance projection lens systems are provided which include three lens units (U1, U2, U3), the first lens unit being composed of two subunits (U_S1, U_S2). The lens systems can have f/190 '"'"'s less than 1.0, total fields of as much as 90°, low vignetting losses, and MTF values greater than 0.5 at 10 cycles/mm through 0.85 of the full field. By varying the space between the first and second lens units, these performance levels can be maintained as the lens system is focused over a range of conjugates of approximately ±7.5% from a center value of about 4 meters. The lens systems can be used in such demanding applications as flight simulators.

Claims

1. A projection lens system for use with a cathode ray tube, said lens system having an overall optical power Φ

₀ consisting in order from its long conjugate to its short conjugate of;

(a) a first lens unit having an optical power Φ

₁ and consisting in order from the lens system'"'"'s long conjugate to its short conjugate of;

a first lens subunit having an optical power Φ

_S1 ; and

a second lens subunit having an optical power Φ

_S2 ;

(b) a second lens unit having an optical power Φ

₂ ; and

(c) a third lens unit which has an optical power Φ

₃, is associated with the cathode ray tube during use of the lens system, and provides correction to the field curvature of the lens system;

wherein each of the first, second, and third lens units has at least one aspherical surface and wherein Φ

₁, Φ

_S1, Φ

_S2, Φ

₂, and Φ

₃ satisfy the following conditions;

(i) Φ

₁ >

0;

(ii) Φ

₁ /Φ

₀ <

0.3;

(iii) Φ

_S1 <

0;

(iv) |Φ

_S1 |/Φ

₀ >

0.4;

(v) Φ

_S2 >

0;

(vi) Φ

_S2 /Φ

₀ >

0.3;

(vii) Φ

₂ >

0;

(viii) Φ

₂ /Φ

₀ >

0.4; and

(ix) Φ

₃ <

0.

2. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second lens units comprises at least one plastic lens element and at least one glass lens element.

3. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the first lens subunit comprises a biconcave lens element made of glass.

4. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the first and second lens units are separated by an axial space which is varied during focusing of the lens system.

5. The projection lens system of claim 4 wherein the lens system is focusable over a range of conjugates of approximately ±

7.5% from a center value of about 4 meters.

6. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the lens system has an f-number for a long conjugate of infinite length which is less than 1.0.

7. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the lens system has a half angle field of view in the direction of its long conjugate of at least 35 degrees.

8. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the lens system has a vignetting loss which is less than 30% at full field.

9. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the lens system has a maximum field and a modulation transfer function which is greater than 0.5 at 10 cycles per millimeter for any field position up to 0.85 of said maximum field.

10. The projection lens system of claim 1 wherein the lens system is color corrected over a wavelength range of 465 nanometers to 610 nanometers.

11. A projection television system comprising a cathode ray tube, a screen, and a projection lens system for projecting light from the cathode ray tube onto the screen to form an image, said projection lens system comprising the projection lens system of claim 1.

12. The projection television system of claim 11 wherein the projection lens system includes at least one plastic lens element and the combination of the cathode ray tube and the projection lens system is substantially athermalized.

13. The projection television system of claim 11 wherein the cathode ray tube has a diagonal of at least 160 millimeters.

14. A projection television system comprising three cathode ray tubes, a screen, and three projection lens systems, one projection lens system being associated with each of the cathode ray tubes for projecting light from that tube onto the screen to form an image, each projection lens system comprising the projection lens system of claim 1.

15. The projection television system of claim 14 wherein each projection lens system includes at least one plastic lens element and each combination of a cathode ray tube and a projection lens system is substantially athermalized.

16. The projection television system of claim 14 wherein each cathode ray tube has a diagonal of at least 160 millimeters.

17. A projection lens system for use with a cathode ray tube, said lens system having an overall optical power Φ

₀ and comprising in order from its long conjugate to its short conjugate;

(a) a first lens unit having an optical power Φ

₁ and comprising in order from the lens system'"'"'s long conjugate to its short conjugate;

a first lens subunit having an optical power Φ

_S1 ; and

a second lens subunit having an optical power Φ

_S2 ;

(b) a second lens unit having an optical power Φ

₂ ; and

(c) a third lens unit which has an optical power Φ

₃, is associated with the cathode ray tube during use of the lens system, and provides correction to the field curvature of the lens system;

wherein each of the first, second, and third lens units has at least one aspherical surface, each of the first and second lens units comprises at least one plastic lens element and at least one glass lens element, and wherein Φ

₁, Φ

_S1, Φ

_S2, Φ

₂, and Φ

₃, satisfy the following conditions;

(i) Φ

₁ >

0;

(ii) Φ

₁ /Φ

₀ <

0.3;

(iii) Φ

_S1 <

0;

(iv) |Φ

_S1 |/Φ

₀ >

0.4;

(v) Φ

_S2 >

0;

(vi) Φ

_S2 /Φ

₀ >

0.3;

(vii) Φ

₂ >

0;

(viii) Φ

₂ /Φ

₀ >

0.4; and

(ix) Φ

₃ <

0.

18. The projection lens system of claim 17 wherein the first lens subunit comprises a bi-concave lens element made of glass.

19. The projection lens system of claim 17 wherein the first and second lens units are separated by an axial space which is varied during focusing of the lens system.

20. A projection television system comprising three cathode ray tubes, a screen, and three projection lens systems, one projection lens system being associated with each of the cathode ray tubes for projecting light from that tube onto the screen to form an image, each projection lens system comprising the projection lens system of claim 17.