Composite lens system with changeable focal length
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsAndrew Acreman, Nathan James Smith, David James Montgomery
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite lens system may include one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths, as well as one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths. The one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements may be configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length.
Claims22
A composite lens system comprising:
- one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths;
- and one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths, wherein the one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements are configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length, and the plurality of discrete focal lengths are evenly spaced apart.
A composite lens system comprising:
- one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths;
- and
- one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths,
- wherein the one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements are configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length, and
- a distance between each consecutive pair of the plurality of discrete focal lengths is less than or equal to the first continuous range of focal lengths.
A composite lens system comprising:
- one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths;
- and
- one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths,
- wherein the one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements are configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length, and
- the one or more second optical elements are located between a light source that provides light to the composite lens system and the one or more first optical elements.
A composite lens system comprising:
- one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths;
- and
- one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths,
- wherein the one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements are configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length, and
- the composite lens system further comprises an additional lens element that adds a fixed focal length to the combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.