Optical apparatus

• US 7,471,465 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Tatsumaro, Matsuo, Eiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester; Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US12/015,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 359649-651, 359713-716, 359/740, 359761-762, 359/770, 359781-783, 359/790
• US Class Current: 359/770
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• 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

To provide a high-brightness, small, low-cost optical apparatus which covers a wide-angle to super-wide-angle region and which reliably corrects various aberrations with a small number of lenses.

At least one negative lens unit 1, a meniscus lens 2 that is convex on an object side, an aperture stop S, and a double-convex positive lens 3 are arranged in order from the object side. At least one of the lenses positioned on the object side of the aperture stop S and the positive lens 3 include respective aspherical surfaces. When va is an average Abbe number of all of the lenses excluding the meniscus lens, vb is an Abbe number of the meniscus lens, f is a focal length of the entire system, f12 is a combined focal length of the negative lens unit and the meniscus lens, ts is a distance between the aperture stop and the positive lens along an axis, L is a distance between a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the object side and a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the image side, t2 is a central thickness of the meniscus lens, θs is an incident angle of a chief ray that passes through the aperture stop at a maximum angle of view, 1.4<va/vb, 0<ts/L<0.1, 0.2<t2/L<0.5, −10<f12/f<−1.0, and 25°<θs<40° are satisfied.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus comprising at least one negative lens, a meniscus lens that is convex on an object side, an aperture stop, and a double-convex positive lens arranged from the object side to an image side,

wherein at least one of the lenses positioned on the object side of the aperture stop and the positive lens include respective aspherical surfaces, and

wherein, when va is an average Abbe number of all of the lenses excluding the meniscus lens, vb is an Abbe number of the meniscus lens, f is a focal length of the entire system, f12 is a combined focal length of the negative lens unit and the meniscus lens, ts is a distance between the aperture stop and the positive lens along an axis, L is a distance between a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the object side and a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the image side, t2 is a central thickness of the meniscus lens, θ

s is an incident angle of a chief ray that passes through the aperture stop at a maximum angle of view, the following Expression 1 is satisfied;

1.4<

va/vb;

0<

ts/L<

0.1

0.2<

t2/L<

0.5;

−

10<

f12/f<

−

1.0; and

25°

<

θ

s<

40°

 

 

[Expression 1].

3. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus comprises a single negative lens, the meniscus lens that is convex on the object side, the aperture stop, and the double-convex positive lens arranged from the object side to the image side, and

wherein the optical apparatus is capable of performing central projection of an object space within an angle of field of 80 degrees or more toward the object side onto an image pickup device.

4. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus comprises two negative lenses, the meniscus lens that is convex on the object side, the aperture stop, and the double-convex positive lens arranged from the object side to the image side, and

wherein the optical apparatus is capable of performing stereographic projection of an object space within an angle of field of 120 degrees or more toward the object side onto an image pickup device.

5. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus comprises three negative lenses, the meniscus lens that is convex on the object side, the aperture stop, and the double-convex positive lens arranged from the object side to the image side, and

wherein the optical apparatus is capable of performing stereographic projection of an object space within an angle of field of 180 degrees or more toward the object side onto an image pickup device.

6. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positive lens has aspherical surfaces on either side thereof.

7. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the negative lens nearest to the object side is a glass spherical lens.

8. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positive lens is a glass aspherical lens.

9. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all of the lenses are composed of resin.

10. The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the meniscus lens consists of two separate lenses.

2. An optical apparatus comprising at least one negative lens, a positive meniscus lens that is convex on an object side, an aperture stop, and a double-convex positive lens arranged from the object side to an image side,

wherein at least one of the lenses positioned on the object side of the aperture stop and the positive lens include respective aspherical surfaces,

wherein an amount of correction of sagittal field curvature by the lenses positioned on the object side of the aperture stop is larger than an amount of correction of sagittal field curvature by the positive lens, and

wherein, when va is an average Abbe number of all of the lenses excluding the meniscus lens, vb is an Abbe number of the meniscus lens, L is a distance between a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the object side and a vertex of a lens surface nearest to the image side, ts is a distance between the aperture stop and the double-convex lens, and t2 is a central thickness of the meniscus lens, the following Expression 2 is satisfied:

1.4<

va/vb;

0<

ts/L<

0.1; and

0.2<

t2/L<

0.5 

 

[Expression 2].