Yuxuan Chen
中文
Yuxuan Chen
中文
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L2 · 3D teardown

Automotive camera lens

Separate the barrel, six elements and sensor module along the optical axis, then locate each element in a paraxial section.

Drag to rotate · Scroll to zoom · Click a part for detailsDrag to rotate · Pinch to zoom · Tap a part for details

Generic automotive camera lens module exploded along its optical axis: retaining ring, O-ring, six elements with spacers, stop, barrel, holder, IR-cut filter, AA adhesive, image sensor and PCB.

The image keeps the default exploded state; the ray section and part selection remain linked

AssembledExploded

Separation changes display spacing along the optical axis only. The lens stack leaves the barrel through its front, matching the assembly direction.

Keyboard controls

Arrow keys orbit, plus and minus zoom, Home resets the view. Tab moves between part buttons and optical elements in the section; Enter or Space selects. Arrow keys adjust separation.

Full module: retaining ring, lens stack, barrel, holder, filter, AA adhesive, sensor and PCB spread along the optical axis.

Preparing the 3D view. Part details, the ray section and paraxial data are already available.

Arrow keys orbit, plus and minus zoom, Home resets the view. Tab moves between part buttons and optical elements in the section; Enter or Space selects. Arrow keys adjust separation.

Original generic structure · paraxial illustration · no image-quality calculation

Ray section

Illustrative, not a real optical design

Paraxial bundles for 0°, 15° and 30° fields. Select an element, the stop, the filter or the sensor to highlight it in the model, the part tags and this diagram.

Meridional lens section: light enters from the object side on the left, passes six elements, the stop and the IR-cut filter, and converges on the sensor at the right. The three field bundles use solid, dashed and dotted lines.L1L2L3L4L5L6
  • 0° field
  • 15° field
  • 30° field
  • Glass
  • Plastic

Chief rays pass the stop centre

Selected partL1 front glass element

A negative meniscus that collects the wide field and forms the exposed optical surface.

Model, equations and limits

Paraxial trace equations

n′u′ = nu − yφ, φ = (n′ − n) c, c = 1 / R

y₊ = y + u′t, f′ = −y₁ / u′ₖ, D = f′ / F

y′ = f′ tan θ

y is ray height, u the ray angle to the axis, n the refractive index, c = 1/R the vertex curvature and t the axial distance to the next surface. φ is the surface power.

For an axial ray entering with y₁ = 1 and u₁ = 0, f′ = −1 / u′ₖ. The stop radius follows from the entrance-pupil diameter D = f′ / F. Marginal rays of each field pass the stop edge; chief rays pass its centre.

Plastic surfaces use the even asphere z(r) = c r² / (1 + √(1 − (1 + k) c² r²)) + A₄ r⁴. The conic k and A₄ change only the drawn and modelled shape; the paraxial trace uses vertex curvature alone, so aberrations cannot be judged from it.

The front element is glass for scratch, chemical and UV resistance and a low thermal index change. Plastic aspheres are moulded and correct aberrations with fewer elements, but have larger thermo-optic and expansion coefficients. Real automotive lenses need athermal design; thermal focus shift is not calculated here.

Active alignment (AA) moves and tilts the lens relative to the powered sensor, chooses the position from a live sharpness metric and then cures the adhesive. Process axes, metrics and cure shrinkage are not modelled.

Aberrations, distortion, MTF, relative illumination, stray light, tolerances and environmental reliability are not calculated. Field angles, indices and dimensions are illustrative. Materials are common categories, without grades, vendors or products.

Parametric illustrative model with simplified geometry; no vendor product is reproduced. The ray section, 3D geometry and static images come from one parameter set.