Lens system for a motor vehicle vision system

• US 7,095,569 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rege, Siddharth S., Taylor, Ronald M., Fox, Stephen H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, JORDAN MARC
• Application Number:
  US10/831,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20050237630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 359749-753, 359/725, 359680-682, 701/301, 701/23, 701/28, 340/435, 340/901, 340/903, 348/143, 348/148, 348/113, 348/116, 348118-119
• US Class Current: 359/749
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/04 Reversed telephoto objectives
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/18 with lenses having one or more non-spherical faces, e.g. for reducing geometrical aberration G02B13/002 takes precedence

Abstract

A fisheye-corrected lens system includes a plurality of axially aligned lenses. At least one of the lenses includes an aspheric surface and an image distortion of the lens system is less than about five percent at a maximum field angle. A furthest point of the aspheric surface is positioned within a distance less than about fifty percent of a diagonal dimension of an associated imager.

Claims

1. A camera and wide angle lens system, comprising:

an imager that captures light images for providing electronic data corresponding to the light image;

a plurality of axially aligned lenses, wherein at least one of the lenses includes an aspheric surface and the absolute value of an image distortion of the lens system is less than about five percent at a maximum field of view of one hundred degrees, and wherein said aspheric surface is located on the object side surface of the lens closest to the imager.

2. The camera and lens system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of axially aligned lenses includes:

a first lens positioned to receive light at a first surface of the lens;

a second lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the first lens to receive light transmitted through the first lens;

a third lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the second lens to receive light transmitted through the second lens;

a fourth lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the third lens to receive light transmitted through the third lens; and

a fifth lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the fourth lens to receive light transmitted through the fourth lens and a second surface positioned adjacent an imager, wherein the first surface of the fifth lens is an aspheric surface, and wherein the image distortion of the lens system is less than about one percent for about eighty percent of the image.

3. The camera and lens system of claim 2, wherein the first surface of the first lens includes an ultraviolet (UV) coating and the first lens is a plastic lens.

4. The camera and lens system of claim 2, wherein the first lens is a glass lens.

5. The camera and lens system of claim 3, wherein the second, third, fourth and fifth lenses are plastic lenses.

6. The camera and lens system of claim 5, wherein the plastic lenses are cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) lenses.

7. A camera and wide angle lens system, comprising:

an imager that captures light images for providing electronic data corresponding to the light image;

a plurality of axially aligned lenses, wherein at least one of the lenses includes an aspheric surface and the absolute value of an image distortion of the lens system is less than about one percent for about eighty percent of the image at a maximum field of view of one hundred degrees.

8. The camera and lens system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of axially aligned lenses, includes:

a first lens positioned to receive light at a first surface of the lens;

a second lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the first lens to receive light transmitted through the first lens;

a third lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the second lens to receive light transmitted through the second lens;

a fourth lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the third lens to receive light transmitted through the third lens; and

a fifth lens having a first surface positioned adjacent a second surface of the fourth lens to receive light transmitted through the fourth lens and a second surface positioned adjacent the imager, wherein the absolute value of an image distortion of the lens system is less than about five percent at a maximum field of view of one hundred degrees.

9. The camera and lens system of claim 8 wherein the first surface of the first lens includes an ultraviolet (UV) coating and the first lens is a plastic lens.

10. The camera and lens system of claim 8, wherein the first lens is a glass lens.

11. The camera and lens system of claim 9, wherein the second, third, fourth and fifth lenses are plastic lenses.

12. The camera and lens system of claim 11, wherein the plastic lenses are COC lenses.

13. A camera and wide angle lens system, comprising:

an imager that captures light images for providing electronic data corresponding to the light image;

a plurality of axially aligned lenses, wherein at least one of the lenses includes an aspheric surface and the absolute value of an image distortion of the lens system is less than about five percent at a maximum field of view of one hundred degrees, and wherein a furthest point of the aspheric surface is positioned within a distance from the imager less than about fifty percent of the diagonal dimension of the imager.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first one of the lenses defines a first surface including an ultraviolet (UV) coating and the first one of the lenses is a plastic lens.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first one of the lenses is a glass lens.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the lens system further comprises second, third, fourth and fifth lenses that are made of a plastic material.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plastic lenses are COC lenses.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the image distortion is less than about one percent for about eighty percent of the image.

19. A visual detection system, comprising:

a lens system comprising a plurality of axially aligned lenses, wherein at least a first one of the lenses includes an aspheric surface and the absolute value of an image distortion of the lens system is less than about five percent at a maximum field of view of one hundred degrees, wherein said aspheric surface is located on the object side surface of the lens closest to the imager;

a display;

a camera coupled to the display;

a processor coupled to the camera; and

a memory subsystem coupled to the processor, the memory subsystem storing code that when executed by the processor instructs the processor to perform the step of;

controlling the camera to provide the image to the display for viewing on the display.