# US 12,769,100 B2 · Zoom lens and imaging device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,769,100 B2 - Document ID: US12769100B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/934,719 - Filed: 2024-11-01 - Published: 2025-06-26 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2023-12-22 - Assignees: Tamron Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Tamron Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Keisuke Okada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12769100B2 ## CPC - G02B 15/1451: {the first group being positive} - G02B 15/16: with interdependent non-linearly related movements between one lens or lens group, and another lens or lens group (G02B15/22 takes precedence) - G02B 27/646: {compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake (movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68)} - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract A zoom lens and an imaging device that achieve both high optical performance and compactness of the product. The zoom lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, and a rear group having positive refractive power. The rear group includes, in order from the object side, an intermediate lens group M1 having positive refractive power, and an intermediate lens group M2 having positive refractive power, and has specific optical characteristics expressed by specific expressions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A zoom lens having a plurality of lens groups, the zoom lens comprising, in order from an object side: a first lens group having positive refractive power; a second lens group having negative refractive power; and a rear group being a set of lens groups and having positive refractive power as a whole, wherein the rear group includes, in order from an object side, an intermediate lens group M1 having positive refractive power, and an intermediate lens group M2 having positive refractive power, an interval between adjacent lens groups is changed during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the intermediate lens group M1 includes, in order from the object side, an A group being a set of lenses and having positive refractive power, a B group being a set of lenses and having negative refractive power, and a C group being a set of lenses and having positive refractive power, and the zoom lens further satisfies either a condition A or a condition B below, the condition A is that at least one lens included in either the intermediate lens group M1 or the intermediate lens group M2 is an anti-vibration lens that moves in a direction intersecting an optical axis of the zoom lens, and when a lens group closest to an image surface side in the rear group is defined as a lens group L, following expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied, - 1 ⁢ 0 ⁢ 0 ⁢ 0 < β ⁢ m ⁢ 1 ⁢ w < 0 .00 ( 1 ) - 5. ⁢ 0 < mL / fw < - 0 . 0 ⁢ 1 ( 2 ) here, βm1w is a lateral magnification of the intermediate lens group M1 during infinity focus at a wide angle end, mL is a movement distance of the lens group L during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end when a movement distance from an object side to an image surface side is considered positive, and fw is a focal length of the zoom lens at a wide angle end; the condition B is that at least one lens included in the intermediate lens group M1 and in a lens group closer to an image surface side than the intermediate lens group M1 is an anti-vibration lens that moves in a direction intersecting an optical axis of the zoom lens, and following expressions (3) and (4) are satisfied, 0.2 < Lt / ft < 1.3 ( 3 ) 0.1 < fC / fM ⁢ 1 < 9.5 ( 4 ) here, Lt is a total length of the zoom lens at a telephoto end, ft is a focal length of the zoom lens at a telephoto end, fC is a focal length of the C group, and fM1 is a focal length of the intermediate lens group M1. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein in the condition A, a following expression (5) is further satisfied: 0.1 < Lt / ft < 3. ( 5 ) here, Lt is a total length of the zoom lens at a telephoto end, and ft is a focal length of the zoom lens at a telephoto end. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein in the condition A, a following expression (6) is further satisfied: 0.1 < fC / fM ⁢ 1 < 20. ( 6 ) here, fC is a focal length of the C group, and fM1 is a focal length of the intermediate lens group M1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein in the condition B, a following expression (7) is further satisfied: - 1000 < β ⁢ m ⁢ 1 ⁢ w < 0. ( 7 ) here, βm1w is a lateral magnification of the intermediate lens group M1 during infinity focus at a wide angle end. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein in the condition B, when a lens group closest to an image surface side is a lens group L, a following expression (8) is satisfied: - 5. < mL / fw < - 0.01 ( 8 ) here, mL is a movement distance of the lens group L during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end when a movement distance from an object side to an image surface side is considered positive, and fw is a focal length of the zoom lens at a wide angle end. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying a following expression (9): 0.1 < f ⁢ 1 / fw < 10. ( 9 ) here, f1 is a focal length of the first lens group, and fw is a focal length of the zoom lens at a wide angle end. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying a following expression (10): 0.9 < β ⁢ m ⁢ 1 ⁢ t / β ⁢ m ⁢ 1 ⁢ w < 10. ( 10 ) here, βm1w is a lateral magnification of the intermediate lens group M1 during infinity focus at a wide angle end, and βm1t is a lateral magnification of the intermediate lens group M1 during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein the C group is the anti-vibration lens. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The zoom lens according to claim 8, satisfying a following expression (11): 0.5 < ( 1 - β ⁢ ct ) × β ⁢ crt < 6. ( 11 ) here, βct is a lateral magnification of the C group during infinity focus at a telephoto end, and βcrt is a composite lateral magnification of a lens group closer to an image surface side than the C group during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The zoom lens according to claim 8, wherein the C group has a convex lens and a following expression (12) is satisfied: 1.4 < Ndp < 1.75 ( 12 ) here, Ndp is a refractive index of a convex lens in the C group with respect to line d. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein the C group has a convex lens and a following expression (13) is satisfied: 50 < vdp < 100 ( 13 ) here, vdp is an Abbe constant of a convex lens in the C group. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The zoom lens of claim 1, wherein the C group has a concave lens. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein the B group has a convex lens. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying a following expression (14): - 20. < fB / fM ⁢ 1 < - 0.1 ( 14 ) here, fB is a focal length of the B group, and fM1 is a focal length of the intermediate lens group M1. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein the B group has a concave lens and a following expression (15) is satisfied: 1.7 < Ndn < 2.2 ( 15 ) here, Ndn is a refractive index with respect to the line d of the concave lens in the B group. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying a following expression (16): 0.5 < Xm ⁢ 1 / Xm ⁢ 2 < 2. ( 16 ) here, Xm1 is a movement distance of the intermediate lens group M1 during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, and Xm2 is a movement distance of the intermediate lens group M2 during zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, satisfying a following expression (17): 1. < β2 ⁢ t / β2 ⁢ w < 10. ( 17 ) here, β2w is a lateral magnification of the second lens group during infinity focus at a wide angle end, and β2t is a lateral magnification of the second lens group during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein a lens group closest to an image surface side is defined as a lens group L, and a following expression (18) is satisfied: 1.1 < β ⁢ Lt / β ⁢ Lw < 3. ( 18 ) here, βLw is a lateral magnification of the lens group L during infinity focus at a wide angle end, and βLt is a lateral magnification of the lens group L during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein when all lenses located closer to an image surface side than the intermediate lens group M2 are defined as R group, a following expression (19) is satisfied: 1.5 < β ⁢ Rt / β ⁢ Rw < 5. ( 19 ) here, βRw is a lateral magnification of the R group during infinity focus at a wide angle end, and βRt is a lateral magnification of the R group during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The zoom lens according to claim 1, wherein when a lens group adjacent to the intermediate lens group M2 on an image surface side is a lens group F, focusing is achieved by moving the lens group F. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The zoom lens according to claim 20, wherein the lens group F has a negative refractive power as a whole. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The zoom lens according to claim 20, satisfying a following expression (20): - 20. < ( 1 - β ⁢ ft ) 2 × β ⁢ frt 2 < - 1. ( 20 ) here, βft is a lateral magnification of the F group during infinity focus at a telephoto end, and βfrt is a composite lateral magnification of a lens group closer to an image surface side than the F group during infinity focus at a telephoto end. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The zoom lens according to claim 20, wherein the lens group F includes a single lens. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) An imaging device comprising: the zoom lens according to claim 1; and an image sensor on an image surface side of the zoom lens, the image sensor converting an optical image formed by the zoom lens into an electrical signal.