Optical design and multiobjective optimization of miniature zoom optics with liquid lens element.

We propose an optical design for miniature 2.5x zoom fold optics with liquid elements. First, we reduce the volumetric size of the system. Second, this newly developed design significantly reduces the number of moving groups for this 2.5x miniature zoom optics (with only two moving groups compared with the four or five groups of the traditional zoom lens system), thanks to the assistance of liquid lens elements in particular. With regard to the extended optimization of this zoom optics, relative illuminance (RI) and the modulation transfer function (MTF) are considered because the more rays passing through the edge of the image, the lower will be the MTF, at high spatial frequencies in particular. Extended optimization employs the integration of the Taguchi method and the robust multiple criterion optimization (RMCO) approach. In this approach, a Pareto optimal robust design solution is set with the aid of a certain design of the experimental set, which uses analysis of variance results to quantify the relative dominance and significance of the design factors. It is concluded that the Taguchi method and RMCO approach is successful in optimizing the RI and MTF values of the fold 2.5x zoom lens system and yields better and more balanced performance, which is very difficult for the traditional least damping square method to achieve.