Image pickup lens unit and image pickup device

• US 6,954,311 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Amanai, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US10/601,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20040047274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 359/819, 359/811, 359/619, 359/621, 359/823, 359/824, 359/814, 353/100, 362/455, 396/526
• US Class Current: 359/621
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/022 lens and mount having complementary engagement means, e.g. screw/thread
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/025 using glue

Abstract

Lenses 1, 2, and 4 as an optical element having a power are cemented together in an optical axis direction. An optical filter 3 is sandwiched between the lenses 2 and 4. Optical elements neighboring each other are cemented together such that a positioning section which is disposed on a side surface of the optical element disposes an appropriate space in an optical axis direction and optical axes of optical elements align in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. The cemented optical element arrays are cemented together and cut at a line in a cutting operation. By doing this, it is possible to manufacture a small image pickup lens unit, which can be used in an image pickup device, by mass-production and at a low cost.

Claims

1. An image pickup lens unit comprising:

an optical system; and

a plurality of optical elements which form the optical system, wherein;

a plurality of optical elements having optical axes which are aligned are mutually cemented;

side surfaces of the optical elements are disposed in a surface which expands in a direction of the optical axes linearly;

wherein a formula 1.0<

MD/ED<

4.0 is satisfied under the condition that a maximum outermost diameter of the image pickup lens unit in a cross section which crosses orthogonally to the optical axes is defined as an MD and a maximum beam effective diameter in an optical system which is formed by a plurality of the optical elements is defined as an ED.

2. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 which satisfies a formula TT<

20 mm wherein a total cutting length in a direction of optical axes of a plurality of the optical elements is defined as a distance TT.

3. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 wherein

all optical elements have a side surface which is disposed in a same surface;

and

the same surface indicates a surface which expands linearly in a direction along the optical axis.

4. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 which is formed by 10 or fewer optical elements having a power and including at least a positive lens and at least a negative lens which is disposed so as to neighbor the positive lens.

5. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 having 10 or fewer air surfaces.

6. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 wherein a surface except an optical surface in one of the optical elements is treated so as to absorb a light.

7. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 wherein an optical filter having a side surface which is disposed in the same surface as the side surface of the optical elements is cemented to one of the optical elements.

8. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 1 wherein a hood section having a side surface which is disposed in the same surface as the surface of one of the optical elements is cemented to the optical element.

9. An image pickup device which is provided with the image pickup lens unit according to claim 1.

10. An image pickup device according to claim 9 wherein image pickup elements are cemented to an optical element which forms a final surface in the image pickup lens unit.

11. An image pickup device according to claim 10 wherein the image pickup element has a side surface which is disposed in the same surface as the side surface of the optical element.

12. An image pickup unit having at least three optical elements formed by a first optical element, a second optical element, and a third optical element produced by:

preparing a first optical element array in which a plurality of the first optical elements are disposed, a second optical element array in which a plurality of the second optical elements are disposed, and a third optical element array in which a plurality of the third optical elements are disposed;

aligning the optical axis of the first optical element and the optical axis of the third optical element and cementing the first optical element array and the third optical element array in the direction of the optical axes of a plurality of the optical elements;

cutting between the neighboring optical elements in a direction of the optical axes of a plurality of the optical elements; and

cementing outer peripheries of each optical elements so as contact with each other wherein

conditions ST/TD<

0.7 (condition

     1) and MT/TD<

0.5 (condition

     2) are satisfied under the condition that;

TD is defined as a surface interval on the optical axis from a first surface of the optical system which is formed by the optical elements that are cemented together to the last surface of the optical system;

ST is defined as a total length of the air intervals on the optical axis; and

MT is defined as a maximum value of the length of the air intervals on the optical axis.

13. An image pickup lens unit according to claim 12 wherein the optical element arrays are formed by disposing the optical elements two-dimensionally.

14. An image pickup unit according to claim 12 wherein:

the optical element has a flange section which is disposed on an optical surface through which a light passes and on an outer peripheral section on the optical surface;

a protruding section is formed on an outer peripheral section of the flange section;

an interval is formed between the protruding sections which neighbors each other in a direction of the optical axis.

15. An image pickup unit comprising:

an optical system; and

a plurality of optical elements which form the optical system, wherein;

a plurality of optical elements are cemented mutually of which optical axes are aligned;

side surfaces of the optical elements are disposed in a surface which expands in a direction of the optical axes linearly,

outer peripheries of each optical elements contact with each other on, a cementing surface wherein a condition 0<

|<sub>φ

/φ

A</sub>|<

0.5 is satisfied under the condition that;

φ

is defined as a power in the lens surfaces; and

φ

A is defined as a power in an entire optical system in the image pickup lens unit.