Optical Arrangement for Wide Angle Imaging Lens with Front Entrance Pupil

An optical assembly for wide angle imaging of an object of interest, the optical assembly comprising:

• a front aperture disposed along an optical axis configured to receive light from the object of interest therethrough along the optical axis;
• a first lens group disposed along the optical axis relative to the front aperture to receive the light from the object of interest through the front aperture and configured to correct for spherical aberrations of an image projected by the second lens group onto an imaging sensor;
• a glass lens disposed along the optical axis configured to receive the light from the first lens group and further configured to form an image along mutually orthogonal directions generally perpendicular to the optical axis;
• a second lens group disposed along the optical axis configured to receive the light from the glass lens and further configured to correct for optical field distortions and aberrations of an image projected by the second lens group;
• and
• the imaging sensor being disposed along the optical axis at a back focal distance of the second lens group, and configured to receive the image from the second lens group and to generate an electrical signal indicative of the received image, wherein the back focal distance is equal to or greater than 0.5 millimeters in proximity to the imaging sensor.