IP Library Granted Patent US 8,582,211
Granted Patent B2
US 8,582,211 · App. 13/770,563 · Granted Nov 12, 2013

Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus equipped with same

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,582,211
App. No.
13/770,563
Granted
Nov 12, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A zoom lens has a plurality of lens units including, in order from its object side to image side, a first lens unit having a negative refracting power composed of two lens elements including a biconcave negative lens and a positive lens, and a second lens unit having a positive refracting power composed of four lens elements including a positive lens and a negative lens. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, a distance between the lens units changes, and the second lens unit moves toward the object side. The zoom lens has an aperture stop that moves integrally with the second lens during the zooming and satisfies a specific condition.

Claims (48)

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

a zoom lens; and

an image pickup element disposed on the image side of the zoom lens, the image pickup element comprising an image pickup surface and converting an image formed on the image pickup surface by the zoom lens into an electrical signal, wherein

the zoom lens comprises, in order from its object side, a first lens unit having a negative refracting power, a second lens unit having a positive refracting power, and a third lens unit,

the zoom lens further comprises an aperture stop that moves integrally with the second lens unit during zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end,

during zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit and the second lens unit move, and a distance between the lens units changes,

the first lens unit comprises, in order from the object side, a negative lens and a positive lens,

the total number of lens elements in the first lens unit is two,

the second lens unit comprises four lens elements comprising a positive lens and a negative lens,

the total number of lens elements in the second lens unit is four, and

the zoom lens satisfies the following conditional expressions (1B), (2B), and (3B):

−1.0<( r 1a +r 1b )/( r 1a −r 1b )<0.98  (1B)

0.30<σ 2G /ih (max)<2.80  (2B)

1.5<Δ 2G /f 2 <5  (3B),

where r 1a and r 1b are paraxial radii of curvature of an object side surface and an image side surface of the negative lens in the first lens unit respectively, σ 2G is a thickness of the second lens unit on the optical axis, ih(max) is a maximum value of a maximum image height in an effective image pickup area on the image pickup surface, Δ 2G is a displacement of the position of the second lens unit at the telephoto end from the position thereof at the wide angle end, wherein a displacement toward the object side is represented by a positive value, and f 2 is a focal length of the second lens unit.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lens closest to the object side in the second lens unit is a positive lens, and the following conditional expression (4) is satisfied:

1.1 <f 2 /r 3a <3.0  (4B),

where r 3a is a paraxial radius of curvature of a refracting surface closest to the object side in the second lens unit.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the zoom lens is a three-unit zoom lens, and the third lens unit has a positive refracting power.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least two adjacent lenses in the second lens unit are cemented together.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a lens closest to the object side in the second lens unit satisfies the following conditional expression (5B):

1.1< f 2 /L 3 <3.0  (5B),

where L 3 is a focal length of the lens closest to the object side in the second lens unit.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second lens unit comprises three positive lenses and one negative lens.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a lens closest to the object side and a lens closest to the image side in the second lens unit are positive lenses that satisfy the following conditional expression (6B):

1.7 <L 6 /L 3 <10  (6B),

where L 3 is a focal length of the lens closest to the object side in the second lens unit, and L 6 is a focal length of the lens closest to the image side in the second lens unit.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the average of refractive indices for the d-line of all the lenses in the first lens unit satisfies the following conditional expression (7B):

1.87<AVE( n dg1 )<2.40  (7B),

where AVE(n dg1 ) is the average of the refractive indices for the d-line of all the lenses in the first lens unit.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the third lens unit has a positive refracting power, and the refracting power of the second lens unit and the refracting power of the third lens unit satisfy the following conditional expression (8B):

1.0 <P 2 /P 3 <4.0  (8B)

where P 2 is the refracting power of the second lens unit, and P 3 is the refracting power of the third lens unit.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second lens unit and the third lens unit satisfy the following conditional expressions (9B) and (10B):

4.0<β 2 ( t )/β 2 ( w )<10.0  (9B)

0.7<β 3 ( t )/β 3 ( w )<2.0  (10B),

where β 2 (w) is a lateral magnification of the second lens unit at the wide angle end, β 2 (t) is a lateral magnification of the second lens unit at the telephoto end, β 3 (w) is a lateral magnification of the third lens unit at the wide angle end, and β 3 (t) is a lateral magnification of the third lens unit at the telephoto end.

11. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the third lens unit has a positive refracting power, and an optical path length of the zoom lens at the wide angle end and an optical path length of the zoom lens at the telephoto end satisfy the following conditional expression (11B):

0.5 <D w /D t ≦1.0  (11B),

where D w is the optical path length from the object side surface to the image pickup surface of the zoom lens at the wide angle end, and D t is the optical path length from the object side surface to the image pickup surface of the zoom lens at the telephoto end.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the zoom lens satisfies the following conditional expression (13B):

3.6 <f t /f w <10  (13B),

where f w is a focal length of the zoom lens at the wide angle end, and f t is a focal length of the zoom lens at the telephoto end.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 comprising an image transformation section that transforms, by image processing, an electrical signal representing an image containing distortion attributed to the zoom lens into an image signal in which distortion is corrected.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

an image transformation section that transforms, by image processing, an electrical signal containing chromatic aberration of magnification attributed to the zoom lens into an image signal in which chromatic aberration of magnification is corrected.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a fourth lens unit disposed on the image side of the third lens unit.

16. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the fourth lens unit has a positive refracting power.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 7, 2021
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OM DIGITAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058329/0766 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jun 27, 2016
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039344/0502 →
MERGER Recorded Aug 5, 2015
From: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036279/0239 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2013
From: KATAKURA, MASAHIRO
To: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
Reel/Frame 029832/0626 →