Image lens assembly, zoom image capturing unit and electronic device

An image lens assembly includes four lens groups: a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group along an optical path. The four lens groups include nine lens elements: a first lens element with positive refractive power, a second lens element with negative refractive power, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element, an eighth lens element and a ninth lens element along the optical path. At least one lens element of the image lens assembly has at least one inflection point. At least five lens elements of the image lens assembly are made of plastic material. When focusing or zooming, the first lens group and the fourth lens group stay stationary, while the second lens group and the third lens group move along an optical axis.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an image lens assembly, a zoom image capturing unit and an electronic device, more particularly to an image lens assembly and a zoom image capturing unit applicable to an electronic device.

Description of Related Art

With the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology, the performance of image sensors has improved, and the pixel size thereof has been scaled down. Therefore, featuring high image quality becomes one of the indispensable features of an optical system nowadays.

Furthermore, due to the rapid changes in technology, the functionality requirements for the optical systems have been increasing, and therefore electronic devices, such as smart electronics, car devices, identification system, entertainment devices, sports devices and smart home assistance system, equipped with optical systems are trending towards multi-functionality for various applications.

In addition, in order to satisfy the requirement of optical zoom function, electronic devices equipped with optical systems of different fields of view are also popular on the market nowadays.

However, it is difficult for a conventional optical system to obtain a balance among requirements such as high image quality, low sensitivity, a proper aperture size, miniaturization and a desirable field of view.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an image lens assembly includes four lens groups. The four lens groups are, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group. The four lens groups include nine lens elements. The nine lens elements are, in order from the object side to the image side along the optical path, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element, an eighth lens element and a ninth lens element. The first lens group includes the first lens element and the second lens element. The second lens group includes the third lens element, the fourth lens element and the fifth lens element. The third lens group includes the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element. The fourth lens group includes the eighth lens element and the ninth lens element.

The first lens element has positive refractive power. The second lens element has negative refractive power. At least one of an object-side surface and an image-side surface of at least one lens element of the image lens assembly has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. At least five lens elements of the image lens assembly are made of plastic material.

When the image lens assembly is focusing or zooming, an axial distance between the first lens group and the fourth lens group remains a constant, an axial distance between the fourth lens group and an image surface remains a constant, while the second lens group and the third lens group move along an optical axis.

When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within a zoom range is FOV_max, and a minimum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_min, the following conditions are satisfied:
FOV_max<50[deg.]; and
1.25<FOV_max/FOV_min<6.0.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a zoom image capturing unit includes the aforementioned image lens assembly and an image sensor, wherein the image sensor is disposed on the image surface of the image lens assembly.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes the aforementioned zoom image capturing unit and at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit. The zoom image capturing unit and the at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit face the same side of the electronic device. The at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit includes an optical axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the zoom image capturing unit.

When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit is DFOV, and the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition is satisfied:
40[deg.]<DFOV−FOV_max.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes a zoom image capturing unit and at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit. The zoom image capturing unit and the at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit face the same side of the electronic device. The zoom image capturing unit includes an image lens assembly. The zoom image capturing unit includes an optical axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit.

The image lens assembly includes four lens groups. The four lens groups are, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group. The four lens groups include nine lens elements. The nine lens elements are, in order from the object side to the image side along the optical path, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element, an eighth lens element and a ninth lens element. The first lens group includes the first lens element and the second lens element, the second lens group includes at least one lens element, the third lens group includes at least one lens element, and the fourth lens group includes the eighth lens element and the ninth lens element.

The first lens element has positive refractive power. The second lens element has negative refractive power. At least one of an object-side surface and an image-side surface of at least one lens element of the image lens assembly has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. At least five lens elements of the image lens assembly are made of plastic material.

When the image lens assembly is focusing or zooming, an axial distance between the first lens group and the fourth lens group remains a constant, an axial distance between the fourth lens group and an image surface remains a constant, while the second lens group and the third lens group move along the optical axis.

When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within a zoom range is FOV_max, a minimum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_min, and a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the at least one fixed-focus image capturing unit is DFOV, the following conditions are satisfied:
1.25<FOV_max/FOV_min<5.0; and
40[deg.]<DFOV−FOV_max.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An image lens assembly includes four lens groups. The four lens groups are, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group. The four lens groups include nine lens elements. The nine lens elements are, in order from the object side to the image side along the optical path, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element, an eighth lens element and a ninth lens element. The first lens group includes the first lens element and the second lens element, the second lens group includes at least one lens element, the third lens group includes at least one lens element, and the fourth lens group includes the eighth lens element and the ninth lens element. Moreover, the first lens group includes the first lens element and the second lens element, the second lens group includes at least two lens elements, the third lens group includes at least two lens elements, and the fourth lens group includes the eighth lens element and the ninth lens element. Specifically, the first lens group includes the first lens element and the second lens element, the second lens group can include the third lens element, the fourth lens element and the fifth lens element, the third lens group can include the sixth lens element and the seventh lens element, and the fourth lens group includes the eighth lens element and the ninth lens element.

According to the present disclosure, when the image lens assembly is focusing or zooming, an axial distance between the first lens group and the fourth lens group remains a constant, an axial distance between the fourth lens group and an image surface remains a constant, while the second lens group and the third lens group move along an optical axis. Therefore, it is favorable for featuring movable lens elements and a small field of view so as to achieve optical zoom with a small field of view, thereby increasing the zoom range and enhancing focus accuracy; it is also favorable for the movable lens elements to compensate for the effect generated by temperature changes. Please refer toFIG.1toFIG.6, which show schematic views of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure. Among them, the positions of the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4with respect to the image surface196do not change, while the positions of the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3change with respect to the image surface196. In this specification, the “zooming state” refers to a unique position state where the lens elements are distributed through translating motion along the optical axis; the “zoom range” refers to a distance where the lens elements are movable. The movable lens elements can be driven by, for example, a screw, or a voice coil motor (VCM) of spring type or ball type, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The first lens element has positive refractive power. Therefore, it is favorable for providing significant light convergence so as to effectively reduce the size of the image lens assembly for the requirement of miniaturization.

The second lens element has negative refractive power. Therefore, it is favorable for correcting aberrations generated by the first lens element so as to correct spherical aberration and chromatic aberration.

According to the present disclosure, there can be two lens elements with positive refractive power and one lens element with negative refractive power in the second lens group; and there can be one lens element with positive refractive power and one lens element with negative refractive power in the third lens group. Therefore, it is favorable for reducing size, correcting aberrations such as spherical aberration generated during size reduction, and adjusting the back focal length to a proper range.

According to the present disclosure, at least one of an object-side surface and an image-side surface of at least one lens element of the image lens assembly has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. Therefore, it is favorable for correcting field curvature so as to meet the requirement of miniaturization. Please refer toFIG.79, which shows a schematic view of several inflection points P of the lens elements of the zoom image capturing unit in the first zooming state according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure. The inflection points on the image-side surface of the third lens element, the object-side surface of the fifth lens element, the object-side surface of the sixth lens element and the image-side surface of the seventh lens element inFIG.79are only exemplary. The other lens elements may also have one or more inflection points.

According to the present disclosure, at least one of an object-side surface and an image-side surface of at least one lens element of the image lens assembly can have at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof. Therefore, it is favorable for improving peripheral image quality. Please refer toFIG.79, which shows a schematic view of several critical points C of the lens elements of the zoom image capturing unit in the first zooming state according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure. The critical points on the image-side surface of the third lens element, the image-side surface of the fifth lens element, the object-side surface of the sixth lens element and the image-side surface of the seventh lens element inFIG.79are only exemplary. The other lens elements may also have one or more critical points.

According to the present disclosure, at least five lens elements of the image lens assembly are made of plastic material. Therefore, it is favorable for effectively reducing manufacturing costs and increasing shape design flexibility of lens elements so as to correct off-axis aberrations.

According to the present disclosure, at least one lens element of the image lens assembly can be made of glass material and can have both an object-side surface and an image-side surface being spherical. Therefore, it is favorable for reducing an influence caused by temperature changes, thereby ensuring good image quality in various usage environments.

When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within a zoom range is FOV_max, and a minimum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_min, the following condition is satisfied: 1.25<FOV_max/FOV_min<6.0. Therefore, it is favorable for featuring a zoom function. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 1.25<FOV_max/FOV_min<5.0. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 1.5<FOV_max/FOV_min<5.0. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 1.5<FOV_max/FOV_min<4.0.

When the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition can be satisfied: FOV_max<50 [deg.]. Therefore, it is favorable for controlling the field of view and image quality in various zoom states.

When an axial distance between an image-side surface of the ninth lens element and the image surface is BL, and a maximum image height of the image lens assembly (half of a diagonal length of an effective photosensitive area of an image sensor) is ImgH, the following condition can be satisfied: BL/ImgH<2.0. Therefore, it is favorable for preventing overly high sensitivity or poor space utilization due to an overlay long back focal length.

When a focal length of the first lens element is f1, and a focal length of the second lens element is f2, the following condition can be satisfied: 1.5<f1/|f2|. Therefore, it is favorable for preventing a limited field of view due to overly strong refractive power of the first lens element, thereby preventing the zoom feature with a small field of view from being difficult to achieve. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 2.0<f1/|f2|. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 2.5<f1/|f2|.

When an Abbe number of the first lens element is V1, an Abbe number of the second lens element is V2, an Abbe number of the third lens element is V3, an Abbe number of the fourth lens element is V4, an Abbe number of the fifth lens element is V5, an Abbe number of the sixth lens element is V6, an Abbe number of the seventh lens element is V7, an Abbe number of the eighth lens element is V8, an Abbe number of the ninth lens element is V9, an Abbe number of the i-th lens element is Vi, a refractive index of the first lens element is N1, a refractive index of the second lens element is N2, a refractive index of the third lens element is N3, a refractive index of the fourth lens element is N4, a refractive index of the fifth lens element is N5, a refractive index of the sixth lens element is N6, a refractive index of the seventh lens element is N7, a refractive index of the eighth lens element is N8, a refractive index of the ninth lens element is N9, and a refractive index of the i-th lens element is Ni, at least two lens elements of the image lens assembly can satisfy the following condition: 6.0<Vi/Ni<12.5, wherein i=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Therefore, it is favorable for enhancing aberration corrections. Moreover, at least three lens elements of the image lens assembly can also satisfy the following condition: 6.0<Vi/Ni<12.5, wherein i=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Moreover, at least four lens elements of the image lens assembly can also satisfy the following condition: 6.0<Vi/Ni<12.5, wherein i=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

When the Abbe number of the first lens element is V1, and the Abbe number of the second lens element is V2, the following condition can be satisfied: V1+V2<60. Therefore, it is favorable for enhancing chromatic aberration corrections. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: V1+V2<50.

When a maximum effective radius of an object-side surface of the first lens element within the zoom range is Y1R1, and the maximum image height of the image lens assembly is ImgH, the following condition can be satisfied: Y1R1/ImgH<1.5. Therefore, it is favorable for preventing the image lens assembly from being inapplicable to a small electronic device due to an overly large lens element thereof. Please refer toFIG.79, which shows a schematic view of Y1R1 according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, the image lens assembly can further include an aperture stop located in the second lens group. When the maximum effective radius of the object-side surface of the first lens element within the zoom range is Y1R1, and an aperture radius of the aperture stop is SD_Stop, the following condition can be satisfied: Y1R1/SD_Stop<2.0. Therefore, it is favorable for balancing the size of the first lens element and light incident amount of the image lens assembly so as to meet the requirement of miniaturization and provide a good image quality. Please refer toFIG.79, which shows a schematic view of Y1R1 and SD_Stop according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure.

When a total number of lens elements having an Abbe number smaller than 40 in the image lens assembly is V40, the following condition can be satisfied: 5 V40. Therefore, it is favorable for enhancing chromatic aberration corrections. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 6 V40.

When a sum of central thicknesses of all lens elements of the image lens assembly is ΣCT, and a sum of axial distances between each of all adjacent lens elements of the image lens assembly is ΣAT, the following condition can be satisfied: ΣCT/ΣAT<1.0. Therefore, it is favorable for providing the movable lens groups with sufficient space for the functions such as zooming and focusing.

When an axial distance between the object-side surface of the first lens element and an image-side surface of the second lens element is Dr1r4, an axial distance between the second lens element and the third lens element while the image lens assembly is at a maximum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmax, an axial distance between the second lens element and the third lens element while the image lens assembly is at a minimum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmin, and a difference between T23_frmax and T23_frmin is ΔT23, the following condition can be satisfied: Dr1r4/ΔT23<1.5. Therefore, it is favorable for ensuring that the second lens group has sufficient movement space, which facilitates a high zoom ratio. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 0.25<Dr1r4/ΔT23<1.0.

When the axial distance between the object-side surface of the first lens element and the image-side surface of the second lens element is Dr1r4, and an axial distance between an object-side surface of the eighth lens element and the image-side surface of the ninth lens element is Dr15r18, the following condition can be satisfied: 0.90<Dr1r4/Dr15r18<2.75. Therefore, it is favorable for the lens elements in the first lens group and the fourth lens group to have sufficient thicknesses so as to increase manufacturability. Moreover, the following condition can also be satisfied: 1.0<Dr1r4/Dr15r18<2.25.

According to the present disclosure, the aforementioned features and conditions can be utilized in numerous combinations so as to achieve corresponding effects.

According to the present disclosure, the lens elements of the image lens assembly can be made of either glass or plastic material. When the lens elements are made of glass material, the refractive power distribution of the image lens assembly may be more flexible, and the influence on imaging caused by external environment temperature change may be reduced. The glass lens element can either be made by grinding or molding. When the lens elements are made of plastic material, the manufacturing costs can be effectively reduced. Furthermore, surfaces of each lens element can be arranged to be spherical or aspheric, wherein the former reduces manufacturing difficulty, and the latter allows more control variables for eliminating aberrations thereof, the required number of the lens elements can be reduced, and the total track length of the image lens assembly can be effectively shortened. Furthermore, the aspheric surfaces may be formed by plastic injection molding or glass molding.

According to the present disclosure, when a lens surface is aspheric, it means that the lens surface has an aspheric shape throughout its optically effective area, or a portion(s) thereof.

According to the present disclosure, one or more of the lens elements' material may optionally include an additive which alters the lens elements' transmittance in a specific range of wavelength for a reduction in unwanted stray light or color deviation. For example, the additive may optionally filter out light in the wavelength range of 600 nm to 800 nm to reduce excessive red light and/or near infrared light; or may optionally filter out light in the wavelength range of 350 nm to 450 nm to reduce excessive blue light and/or near ultraviolet light from interfering the final image. The additive may be homogeneously mixed with a plastic material to be used in manufacturing a mixed-material lens element by injection molding.

According to the present disclosure, each of an object-side surface and an image-side surface has a paraxial region and an off-axis region. The paraxial region refers to the region of the surface where light rays travel close to the optical axis, and the off-axis region refers to the region of the surface away from the paraxial region. Particularly, unless otherwise stated, when the lens element has a convex surface, it indicates that the surface is convex in the paraxial region thereof; when the lens element has a concave surface, it indicates that the surface is concave in the paraxial region thereof. Moreover, when a region of refractive power or focus of a lens element is not defined, it indicates that the region of refractive power or focus of the lens element is in the paraxial region thereof.

According to the present disclosure, an inflection point is a point on the surface of the lens element at which the surface changes from concave to convex, or vice versa. A critical point is a non-axial point of the lens surface where its tangent is perpendicular to the optical axis.

According to the present disclosure, the image surface of the image lens assembly, based on the corresponding image sensor, can be flat or curved, especially a curved surface being concave facing towards the object side of the image lens assembly.

According to the present disclosure, an image correction unit, such as a field flattener, can be optionally disposed between the lens element closest to the image side of the image lens assembly along the optical path and the image surface for correction of aberrations such as field curvature. The optical properties of the image correction unit, such as curvature, thickness, index of refraction, position and surface shape (convex or concave surface with spherical, aspheric, diffractive or Fresnel types), can be adjusted according to the design of the image capturing unit. In general, a preferable image correction unit is, for example, a thin transparent element having a concave object-side surface and a planar image-side surface, and the thin transparent element is disposed near the image surface.

According to the present disclosure, at least one reflective element, such as a prism or a mirror, can be optionally disposed between an imaged object and the image surface on the imaging optical path, such that the image lens assembly can be more flexible in space arrangement, and therefore the dimensions of an electronic device is not restricted by the total track length of the image lens assembly. Specifically, please refer toFIG.80andFIG.81.FIG.80shows a schematic view of a configuration of a reflective element in an image lens assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG.81shows a schematic view of another configuration of a reflective element in an image lens assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. InFIG.80andFIG.81, the image lens assembly can have, in order from an imaged object (not shown in the figures) to an image surface IM along an optical path, a first optical axis OA1, a reflective element LF and a second optical axis OA2. The reflective element LF can be disposed between the imaged object and a lens group LG of the image lens assembly as shown inFIG.80or disposed between a lens group LG of the image lens assembly and the image surface IM as shown inFIG.81. Furthermore, please refer toFIG.82, which shows a schematic view of a configuration of two reflective elements in an image lens assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. InFIG.82, the image lens assembly can have, in order from an imaged object (not shown in the figure) to an image surface IM along an optical path, a first optical axis OA1, a first reflective element LF1, a second optical axis OA2, a second reflective element LF2and a third optical axis OA3. The first reflective element LF1is disposed between the imaged object and a lens group LG of the image lens assembly, the second reflective element LF2is disposed between the lens group LG of the image lens assembly and the image surface IM, and the travelling direction of light on the first optical axis OA1can be the same direction as the travelling direction of light on the third optical axis OA3as shown inFIG.82. There can be three or more reflective elements in the image lens assembly, and the present disclosure is not limited to the type, amount and position of the reflective elements of the embodiments disclosed in the aforementioned figures.

According to the present disclosure, the image lens assembly can include at least one stop, such as an aperture stop, a glare stop or a field stop. Said glare stop or said field stop is set for eliminating the stray light and thereby improving image quality thereof.

According to the present disclosure, an aperture stop can be configured as a front stop or a middle stop. A front stop disposed between an imaged object and the first lens element can provide a longer distance between an exit pupil of the image lens assembly and the image surface to produce a telecentric effect, and thereby improves the image-sensing efficiency of an image sensor (for example, CCD or CMOS). A middle stop disposed between the first lens element and the image surface is favorable for enlarging the viewing angle of the image lens assembly and thereby provides a wider field of view for the same.

According to the present disclosure, the image lens assembly can include an aperture control unit. The aperture control unit may be a mechanical component or a light modulator, which can control the size and shape of the aperture through electricity or electrical signals. The mechanical component can include a movable member, such as a blade assembly or a light shielding sheet. The light modulator can include a shielding element, such as a filter, an electrochromic material or a liquid-crystal layer. The aperture control unit controls the amount of incident light or exposure time to enhance the capability of image quality adjustment. In addition, the aperture control unit can be the aperture stop of the present disclosure, which changes the f-number to obtain different image effects, such as the depth of field or lens speed.

FIG.1toFIG.6are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.7toFIG.12respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 1st embodiment. InFIG.1toFIG.6, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor199. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element110, a second lens element120, a third lens element130, an aperture stop100, a fourth lens element140, a fifth lens element150, a sixth lens element160, a seventh lens element170, an eighth lens element180, a ninth lens element190, a IR-cut filter193and an image surface196, wherein the aperture stop100is located on an object-side surface141of the fourth lens element140. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element110and the second lens element120), a second lens group G2(the third lens element130, the fourth lens element140and the fifth lens element150), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element160and the seventh lens element170) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element180and the ninth lens element190). As shown inFIG.1toFIG.6, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (110,120,130,140,150,160,170,180and190) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element110with positive refractive power has an object-side surface111being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface112being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element110is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface111and the image-side surface112being both aspheric. The object-side surface111of the first lens element110has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface112of the first lens element110has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The second lens element120with negative refractive power has an object-side surface121being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface122being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element120is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface121and the image-side surface122being both aspheric. The object-side surface121of the second lens element120has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The third lens element130with positive refractive power has an object-side surface131being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface132being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element130is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface131and the image-side surface132being both aspheric. The object-side surface131of the third lens element130has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface132of the third lens element130has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface132of the third lens element130has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element140with positive refractive power has the object-side surface141being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface142being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element140is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface141and the image-side surface142being both aspheric.

The fifth lens element150with negative refractive power has an object-side surface151being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface152being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element150is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface151and the image-side surface152being both aspheric. The object-side surface151of the fifth lens element150has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface152of the fifth lens element150has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface152of the fifth lens element150has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element160with negative refractive power has an object-side surface161being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface162being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element160is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface161and the image-side surface162being both aspheric. The object-side surface161of the sixth lens element160has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface161of the sixth lens element160has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The seventh lens element170with positive refractive power has an object-side surface171being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface172being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element170is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface171and the image-side surface172being both aspheric. The object-side surface171of the seventh lens element170has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface172of the seventh lens element170has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface172of the seventh lens element170has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The eighth lens element180with positive refractive power has an object-side surface181being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface182being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element180is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface181and the image-side surface182being both aspheric.

The ninth lens element190with negative refractive power has an object-side surface191being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface192being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element190is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface191and the image-side surface192being both aspheric.

The IR-cut filter193is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element190and the image surface196, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor199is disposed on or near the image surface196of the image lens assembly.

X is the displacement in parallel with an optical axis from the intersection point of the aspheric surface and the optical axis to a point at a distance of Y from the optical axis on the aspheric surface;

Y is the vertical distance from the point on the aspheric surface to the optical axis;

R is the curvature radius;

k is the conic coefficient; and

Ai is the i-th aspheric coefficient, and in the embodiments, i may be, but is not limited to, 4, 6, 8 and 10.

In the image lens assembly of the zoom image capturing unit according to the 1st embodiment, when a focal length of the image lens assembly is f, an f-number of the image lens assembly is Fno, and half of a maximum field of view of the image lens assembly is HFOV, these parameters would be different in the first through the sixth zooming states and have the following value ranges: f=9.72˜15.00 millimeters (mm), Fno=3.30˜4.37, HFOV=9.3˜14.1 degrees (deg.), wherein each value respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 3 below.

When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within a zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition is satisfied: FOV_max=28.2 [deg.].

When a minimum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_min, the following condition is satisfied: FOV_min=18.6 [deg.].

When the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_max, and the minimum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly within the zoom range is FOV_min, the following condition is satisfied: FOV_max/FOV_min=1.52.

When a focal length of the first lens element110is f1, and a focal length of the second lens element120is f2, the following condition is satisfied: f1/|f2|=1.67.

When an Abbe number of the first lens element110is V1, an Abbe number of the second lens element120is V2, an Abbe number of the third lens element130is V3, an Abbe number of the fourth lens element140is V4, an Abbe number of the fifth lens element150is V5, an Abbe number of the sixth lens element160is V6, an Abbe number of the seventh lens element170is V7, an Abbe number of the eighth lens element180is V8, an Abbe number of the ninth lens element190is V9, a refractive index of the first lens element110is N1, a refractive index of the second lens element120is N2, a refractive index of the third lens element130is N3, a refractive index of the fourth lens element140is N4, a refractive index of the fifth lens element150is N5, a refractive index of the sixth lens element160is N6, a refractive index of the seventh lens element170is N7, a refractive index of the eighth lens element180is N8, and a refractive index of the ninth lens element190is N9, the following conditions are satisfied: V1/N1=11.7; V2/N2=17.8; V3/N3=36.3; V4/N4=36.5; V5/N5=14.3; V6/N6=23.9; V7/N7=11.7; V8/N8=11.7; and V9/N9=36.3.

When the Abbe number of the first lens element110is V1, and the Abbe number of the second lens element120is V2, the following condition is satisfied: V1+V2=47.75.

When a total number of lens elements having an Abbe number smaller than 40 in the image lens assembly is V40, the following condition is satisfied: V40=6.

When an axial distance between the object-side surface111of the first lens element110and the image-side surface122of the second lens element120is Dr1r4, and an axial distance between the object-side surface181of the eighth lens element180and the image-side surface192of the ninth lens element190is Dr15r18, the following condition is satisfied: Dr1r4/Dr15r18=1.19.

When an axial distance between the second lens element120and the third lens element130while the image lens assembly is at a maximum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmax, an axial distance between the second lens element120and the third lens element130while the image lens assembly is at a minimum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmin, and a difference between T23_frmax and T23_frmin is ΔT23, the following condition is satisfied: ΔT23=2.81 [mm]. In this embodiment, an axial distance between two adjacent lens elements is a distance in a paraxial region between two adjacent lens surfaces of the two adjacent lens elements.

When the axial distance between the object-side surface111of the first lens element110and the image-side surface122of the second lens element120is Dr1r4, the axial distance between the second lens element120and the third lens element130while the image lens assembly is at a maximum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmax, the axial distance between the second lens element120and the third lens element130while the image lens assembly is at a minimum field of view with an object distance at infinity is T23_frmin, and the difference between T23_frmax and T23_frmin is ΔT23, the following condition is satisfied: Dr1r4/ΔT23=0.57.

When a sum of central thicknesses of all lens elements of the image lens assembly is ΣCT, and a sum of axial distances between each of all adjacent lens elements of the image lens assembly is ΣAT, the following condition is satisfied: ΣCT/ΣAT=0.83. In this embodiment, ΣCT is a sum of central thicknesses of the first lens element110, the second lens element120, the third lens element130, the fourth lens element140, the fifth lens element150, the sixth lens element160, the seventh lens element170, the eighth lens element180and the ninth lens element190, and ΣAT is a sum of axial distances between the first lens element110and the second lens element120, the second lens element120and the third lens element130, the third lens element130and the fourth lens element140, the fourth lens element140and the fifth lens element150, the fifth lens element150and the sixth lens element160, the sixth lens element160and the seventh lens element170, the seventh lens element170and the eighth lens element180, and the eighth lens element180and the ninth lens element190.

When an axial distance between the image-side surface192of the ninth lens element190and the image surface196is BL, and a maximum image height of the image lens assembly is ImgH, the following condition is satisfied: BL/ImgH=0.57.

When a maximum effective radius of the object-side surface111of the first lens element110within the zoom range is Y1R1, and the maximum image height of the image lens assembly is ImgH, the following condition is satisfied: Y1R1/ImgH=1.02.

When the maximum effective radius of the object-side surface111of the first lens element110within the zoom range is Y1R1, and an aperture radius of the aperture stop100is SD_Stop, the following condition is satisfied: Y1R1/SD_Stop=1.52.

The detailed optical data of the 1st embodiment are shown in Table 1, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 2, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 3 below.

TABLE 11st EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 19.641(ASP)0.965Plastic1.66919.510.372−23.751(ASP)0.1433Lens 2−26.529(ASP)0.486Plastic1.58728.3−6.2044.249(ASP)D25Lens 34.355(ASP)0.789Plastic1.54456.011.04614.816(ASP)0.0357Lens 43.647(ASP)1.166Plastic1.53456.04.468−6.114(ASP)0.0359Lens 5−4.222(ASP)0.731Plastic1.63923.5−6.9810−84.881(ASP)D311Lens 6−10.233(ASP)0.400Plastic1.56637.4−6.54125.879(ASP)1.06713Lens 75.308(ASP)1.024Plastic1.66919.516.84149.261(ASP)D415Lens 8−7.517(ASP)0.745Plastic1.66919.514.6216−4.419(ASP)0.04917Lens 9−5.305(ASP)0.550Plastic1.54456.0−14.6318−16.491(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano0.21921ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 111 (Surface 1) is 2.550 mm.The aperture stop 100 is located on the object-side surface 141 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 111 is shown by D1 in Table 3 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 122 and the object-side surface 131 is shown by D2 in Table 3 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 152 and the object-side surface 161 is shown by D3 in Table 3 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 172 and the object-side surface 181 is shown by D4 in Table 3 below.

FIG.13toFIG.18are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 2nd embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.19toFIG.24respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 2nd embodiment. InFIG.13toFIG.18, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor299. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element210, a second lens element220, a third lens element230, an aperture stop200, a fourth lens element240, a fifth lens element250, a sixth lens element260, a seventh lens element270, an eighth lens element280, a ninth lens element290, a IR-cut filter293and an image surface296, wherein the aperture stop200is located on an object-side surface241of the fourth lens element240. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element210and the second lens element220), a second lens group G2(the third lens element230, the fourth lens element240and the fifth lens element250), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element260and the seventh lens element270) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element280and the ninth lens element290). As shown inFIG.13toFIG.18, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (210,220,230,240,250,260,270,280and290) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element210with positive refractive power has an object-side surface211being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface212being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element210is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface211and the image-side surface212being both aspheric.

The second lens element220with negative refractive power has an object-side surface221being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface222being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element220is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface221and the image-side surface222being both aspheric. The object-side surface221of the second lens element220has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface222of the second lens element220has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface221of the second lens element220has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The third lens element230with positive refractive power has an object-side surface231being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface232being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element230is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface231and the image-side surface232being both aspheric. The image-side surface232of the third lens element230has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element240with positive refractive power has the object-side surface241being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface242being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element240is made of glass material and has the object-side surface241and the image-side surface242being both spherical.

The fifth lens element250with negative refractive power has an object-side surface251being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface252being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element250is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface251and the image-side surface252being both aspheric. The object-side surface251of the fifth lens element250has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface252of the fifth lens element250has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface252of the fifth lens element250has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element260with negative refractive power has an object-side surface261being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface262being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element260is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface261and the image-side surface262being both aspheric.

The seventh lens element270with positive refractive power has an object-side surface271being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface272being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element270is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface271and the image-side surface272being both aspheric. The object-side surface271of the seventh lens element270has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The eighth lens element280with positive refractive power has an object-side surface281being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface282being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element280is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface281and the image-side surface282being both aspheric. The object-side surface281of the eighth lens element280has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface282of the eighth lens element280has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The ninth lens element290with negative refractive power has an object-side surface291being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface292being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element290is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface291and the image-side surface292being both aspheric. The object-side surface291of the ninth lens element290has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface292of the ninth lens element290has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface291of the ninth lens element290has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface292of the ninth lens element290has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The IR-cut filter293is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element290and the image surface296, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor299is disposed on or near the image surface296of the image lens assembly.

The detailed optical data of the 2nd embodiment are shown in Table 4, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 5, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 6 below.

TABLE 42nd EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 17.131(ASP)1.954Plastic1.66020.414.95222.924(ASP)0.4883Lens 274.869(ASP)0.614Plastic1.56637.4−5.4742.965(ASP)D25Lens 33.611(ASP)0.969Plastic1.53455.95.266−11.438(ASP)0.0357Lens 416.294(SPH)1.071Glass1.51764.26.698−4.288(SPH)0.0359Lens 5−3.554(ASP)0.444Plastic1.60726.6−6.0710−106.225(ASP)D311Lens 6−46.846(ASP)1.162Plastic1.56637.4−6.14123.789(ASP)0.57513Lens 76.124(ASP)1.424Plastic1.61426.09.6214−151.073(ASP)D415Lens 8−5.584(ASP)0.890Plastic1.70514.027.0616−4.604(ASP)0.03617Lens 94.613(ASP)0.670Plastic1.58330.2−78.41183.966(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano1.06321ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 211 (Surface 1) is 2.250 mm.The aperture stop 200 is located on the object-side surface 241 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 211 is shown by D1 in Table 6 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 222 and the object-side surface 231 is shown by D2 in Table 6 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 252 and the object-side surface 261 is shown by D3 in Table 6 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 272 and the object-side surface 281 is shown by D4 in Table 6 below.

Moreover, these parameters can be calculated from Table 4, Table 5 and Table 6 as the following values and satisfy the following conditions:

FIG.25toFIG.30are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 3rd embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.31toFIG.36respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 3rd embodiment. InFIG.25toFIG.30, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor399. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element310, a second lens element320, a third lens element330, an aperture stop300, a fourth lens element340, a fifth lens element350, a sixth lens element360, a seventh lens element370, an eighth lens element380, a ninth lens element390, a IR-cut filter393and an image surface396, wherein the aperture stop300is located on an object-side surface341of the fourth lens element340. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element310and the second lens element320), a second lens group G2(the third lens element330, the fourth lens element340and the fifth lens element350), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element360and the seventh lens element370) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element380and the ninth lens element390). As shown inFIG.25toFIG.30, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (310,320,330,340,350,360,370,380and390) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element310with positive refractive power has an object-side surface311being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface312being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element310is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface311and the image-side surface312being both aspheric. The image-side surface312of the first lens element310has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface312of the first lens element310has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The second lens element320with negative refractive power has an object-side surface321being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface322being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element320is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface321and the image-side surface322being both aspheric. The object-side surface321of the second lens element320has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface322of the second lens element320has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface321of the second lens element320has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The third lens element330with positive refractive power has an object-side surface331being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface332being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element330is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface331and the image-side surface332being both aspheric. The object-side surface331of the third lens element330has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface332of the third lens element330has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element340with positive refractive power has the object-side surface341being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface342being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element340is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface341and the image-side surface342being both aspheric. The object-side surface341of the fourth lens element340has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface342of the fourth lens element340has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface341of the fourth lens element340has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fifth lens element350with negative refractive power has an object-side surface351being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface352being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element350is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface351and the image-side surface352being both aspheric. The object-side surface351of the fifth lens element350has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface352of the fifth lens element350has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface352of the fifth lens element350has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element360with negative refractive power has an object-side surface361being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface362being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element360is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface361and the image-side surface362being both aspheric.

The seventh lens element370with positive refractive power has an object-side surface371being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface372being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element370is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface371and the image-side surface372being both aspheric.

The eighth lens element380with positive refractive power has an object-side surface381being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface382being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element380is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface381and the image-side surface382being both aspheric. The object-side surface381of the eighth lens element380has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface382of the eighth lens element380has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface381of the eighth lens element380has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The ninth lens element390with negative refractive power has an object-side surface391being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface392being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element390is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface391and the image-side surface392being both aspheric. The object-side surface391of the ninth lens element390has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface392of the ninth lens element390has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface391of the ninth lens element390has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface392of the ninth lens element390has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The IR-cut filter393is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element390and the image surface396, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor399is disposed on or near the image surface396of the image lens assembly.

The detailed optical data of the 3rd embodiment are shown in Table 7, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 8, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 9 below.

TABLE 73rd EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 113.745(ASP)1.926Plastic1.70514.017.572−118.296(ASP)0.8353Lens 215.000(ASP)0.958Plastic1.55940.4−4.9842.293(ASP)D25Lens 34.470(ASP)1.303Plastic1.53455.94.936−5.738(ASP)0.0407Lens 4−103.706(ASP)1.061Plastic1.53455.911.328−5.731(ASP)0.0679Lens 5−3.874(ASP)0.450Plastic1.65717.0−9.5510−10.592(ASP)D311Lens 618.396(ASP)1.175Plastic1.65021.8−4.87122.630(ASP)0.08213Lens 72.602(ASP)1.233Plastic1.70514.08.34143.755(ASP)D415Lens 8−11.424(ASP)0.880Plastic1.70514.09.6616−4.403(ASP)0.34117Lens 933.293(ASP)0.787Plastic1.70514.0−63.921818.960(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano0.56121ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 311 (Surface 1) is 2.650 mm.The aperture stop 300 is located on the object-side surface 341 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 311 is shown by D1 in Table 9 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 322 and the object-side surface 331 is shown by D2 in Table 9 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 352 and the object-side surface 361 is shown by D3 in Table 9 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 372 and the object-side surface 381 is shown by D4 in Table 9 below.

Moreover, these parameters can be calculated from Table 7, Table 8 and Table 9 as the following values and satisfy the following conditions:

FIG.37toFIG.42are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 4th embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.43toFIG.48respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 4th embodiment. InFIG.37toFIG.42, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor499. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element410, a second lens element420, a third lens element430, an aperture stop400, a fourth lens element440, a fifth lens element450, a sixth lens element460, a seventh lens element470, an eighth lens element480, a ninth lens element490, a IR-cut filter493and an image surface496, wherein the aperture stop400is located on an object-side surface441of the fourth lens element440. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element410and the second lens element420), a second lens group G2(the third lens element430, the fourth lens element440and the fifth lens element450), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element460and the seventh lens element470) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element480and the ninth lens element490). As shown inFIG.37toFIG.42, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (410,420,430,440,450,460,470,480and490) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element410with positive refractive power has an object-side surface411being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface412being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element410is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface411and the image-side surface412being both aspheric.

The second lens element420with negative refractive power has an object-side surface421being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface422being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element420is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface421and the image-side surface422being both aspheric.

The third lens element430with positive refractive power has an object-side surface431being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface432being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element430is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface431and the image-side surface432being both aspheric. The image-side surface432of the third lens element430has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element440with positive refractive power has the object-side surface441being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface442being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element440is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface441and the image-side surface442being both aspheric.

The fifth lens element450with negative refractive power has an object-side surface451being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface452being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element450is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface451and the image-side surface452being both aspheric. The object-side surface451of the fifth lens element450has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface452of the fifth lens element450has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface452of the fifth lens element450has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element460with negative refractive power has an object-side surface461being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface462being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element460is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface461and the image-side surface462being both aspheric.

The seventh lens element470with positive refractive power has an object-side surface471being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface472being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element470is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface471and the image-side surface472being both aspheric. The object-side surface471of the seventh lens element470has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface471of the seventh lens element470has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The eighth lens element480with negative refractive power has an object-side surface481being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface482being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element480is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface481and the image-side surface482being both aspheric.

The ninth lens element490with positive refractive power has an object-side surface491being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface492being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element490is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface491and the image-side surface492being both aspheric. The object-side surface491of the ninth lens element490has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface492of the ninth lens element490has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface491of the ninth lens element490has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface492of the ninth lens element490has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The IR-cut filter493is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element490and the image surface496, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor499is disposed on or near the image surface496of the image lens assembly.

The detailed optical data of the 4th embodiment are shown in Table 10, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 11, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 12 below.

TABLE 104th EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 17.364(ASP)2.719Plastic1.66020.412.60254.784(ASP)0.6033Lens 2−95.735(ASP)0.465Plastic1.58330.2−4.8642.920(ASP)D25Lens 33.563(ASP)0.811Plastic1.51556.68.28620.005(ASP)0.0357Lens 46.598(ASP)1.100Plastic1.54456.05.688−5.473(ASP)0.0359Lens 5−4.299(ASP)0.404Plastic1.66919.5−11.8710−9.729(ASP)D311Lens 6−53.637(ASP)0.450Plastic1.59531.2−5.66123.606(ASP)0.78913Lens 745.641(ASP)1.500Plastic1.66919.510.5914−8.281(ASP)D415Lens 820.509(ASP)0.550Plastic1.58330.2−32.86169.802(ASP)0.89817Lens 910.818(ASP)0.610Plastic1.66919.524.541831.007(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano2.25521ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 411 (Surface 1) is 2.650 mm.The aperture stop 400 is located on the object-side surface 441 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 411 is shown by D1 in Table 12 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 422 and the object-side surface 431 is shown by D2 in Table 12 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 452 and the object-side surface 461 is shown by D3 in Table 12 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 472 and the object-side surface 481 is shown by D4 in Table 12 below.

Moreover, these parameters can be calculated from Table 10, Table 11 and Table 12 as the following values and satisfy the following conditions:

FIG.49toFIG.54are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 5th embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.55toFIG.60respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 5th embodiment. InFIG.49toFIG.54, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor599. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element510, a second lens element520, a third lens element530, an aperture stop500, a fourth lens element540, a fifth lens element550, a sixth lens element560, a seventh lens element570, an eighth lens element580, a ninth lens element590, a IR-cut filter593and an image surface596, wherein the aperture stop500is located on an object-side surface541of the fourth lens element540. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element510and the second lens element520), a second lens group G2(the third lens element530, the fourth lens element540and the fifth lens element550), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element560and the seventh lens element570) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element580and the ninth lens element590). As shown inFIG.49toFIG.54, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (510,520,530,540,550,560,570,580and590) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element510with positive refractive power has an object-side surface511being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface512being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element510is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface511and the image-side surface512being both aspheric. The image-side surface512of the first lens element510has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface512of the first lens element510has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The second lens element520with negative refractive power has an object-side surface521being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface522being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element520is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface521and the image-side surface522being both aspheric. The object-side surface521of the second lens element520has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface522of the second lens element520has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface521of the second lens element520has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The third lens element530with positive refractive power has an object-side surface531being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface532being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element530is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface531and the image-side surface532being both aspheric. The object-side surface531of the third lens element530has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface532of the third lens element530has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element540with positive refractive power has the object-side surface541being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface542being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element540is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface541and the image-side surface542being both aspheric. The object-side surface541of the fourth lens element540has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface542of the fourth lens element540has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface541of the fourth lens element540has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fifth lens element550with negative refractive power has an object-side surface551being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface552being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element550is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface551and the image-side surface552being both aspheric. The image-side surface552of the fifth lens element550has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface552of the fifth lens element550has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element560with negative refractive power has an object-side surface561being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface562being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element560is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface561and the image-side surface562being both aspheric. The object-side surface561of the sixth lens element560has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface562of the sixth lens element560has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface561of the sixth lens element560has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The seventh lens element570with positive refractive power has an object-side surface571being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface572being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element570is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface571and the image-side surface572being both aspheric. The object-side surface571of the seventh lens element570has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface572of the seventh lens element570has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The eighth lens element580with positive refractive power has an object-side surface581being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface582being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element580is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface581and the image-side surface582being both aspheric. The object-side surface581of the eighth lens element580has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface582of the eighth lens element580has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface582of the eighth lens element580has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The ninth lens element590with positive refractive power has an object-side surface591being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface592being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element590is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface591and the image-side surface592being both aspheric. The object-side surface591of the ninth lens element590has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface592of the ninth lens element590has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface591of the ninth lens element590has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The IR-cut filter593is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element590and the image surface596, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor599is disposed on or near the image surface596of the image lens assembly.

The detailed optical data of the 5th embodiment are shown in Table 13, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 14, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 15 below.

TABLE 135th EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 111.531(ASP)1.809Plastic1.70514.014.912−111.026(ASP)0.9303Lens 289.372(ASP)0.644Plastic1.56637.4−4.2442.329(ASP)D25Lens 34.529(ASP)1.703Plastic1.54456.04.526−4.668(ASP)0.0477Lens 4−20.185(ASP)1.093Plastic1.53455.910.508−4.471(ASP)0.0749Lens 5−3.023(ASP)0.477Plastic1.66919.4−8.2610−7.095(ASP)D311Lens 631.044(ASP)0.528Plastic1.61426.0−4.70122.622(ASP)0.12313Lens 73.109(ASP)0.831Plastic1.70514.011.07144.598(ASP)D415Lens 891.313(ASP)0.877Plastic1.70514.014.7116−11.656(ASP)0.60417Lens 9349.217(ASP)1.061Plastic1.70514.037.2818−28.382(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano0.56521ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 511 (Surface 1) is 2.650 mm.The aperture stop 500 is located on the object-side surface 541 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 511 is shown by D1 in Table 15 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 522 and the object-side surface 531 is shown by D2 in Table 15 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 552 and the object-side surface 561 is shown by D3 in Table 15 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 572 and the object-side surface 581 is shown by D4 in Table 15 below.

Moreover, these parameters can be calculated from Table 13, Table 14 and Table 15 as the following values and satisfy the following conditions:

FIG.61toFIG.66are schematic views of a zoom image capturing unit respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 6th embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.67toFIG.72respectively show, in order from left to right, spherical aberration curves, astigmatic field curves and distortion curves of the zoom image capturing unit in the first through the sixth zooming states according to the 6th embodiment. InFIG.61toFIG.66, the zoom image capturing unit includes the image lens assembly (its reference numeral is omitted) of the present disclosure and an image sensor699. The image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical path, a first lens element610, a second lens element620, a third lens element630, an aperture stop600, a fourth lens element640, a fifth lens element650, a sixth lens element660, a seventh lens element670, an eighth lens element680, a ninth lens element690, a IR-cut filter693and an image surface696, wherein the aperture stop600is located on an object-side surface641of the fourth lens element640. In addition, the image lens assembly has a configuration of a first lens group G1(the first lens element610and the second lens element620), a second lens group G2(the third lens element630, the fourth lens element640and the fifth lens element650), a third lens group G3(the sixth lens element660and the seventh lens element670) and a fourth lens group G4(the eighth lens element680and the ninth lens element690). As shown inFIG.61toFIG.66, in the first through the sixth zooming states, the first lens group G1and the fourth lens group G4stay stationary, while the second lens group G2and the third lens group G3are movable along an optical axis. The image lens assembly includes nine lens elements (610,620,630,640,650,660,670,680and690) with no additional lens element disposed between each of the adjacent nine lens elements.

The first lens element610with positive refractive power has an object-side surface611being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface612being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The first lens element610is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface611and the image-side surface612being both aspheric.

The second lens element620with negative refractive power has an object-side surface621being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface622being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element620is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface621and the image-side surface622being both aspheric. The image-side surface622of the second lens element620has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The third lens element630with positive refractive power has an object-side surface631being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface632being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The third lens element630is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface631and the image-side surface632being both aspheric. The image-side surface632of the third lens element630has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface632of the third lens element630has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The fourth lens element640with positive refractive power has the object-side surface641being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface642being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The fourth lens element640is made of glass material and has the object-side surface641and the image-side surface642being both spherical.

The fifth lens element650with negative refractive power has an object-side surface651being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface652being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element650is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface651and the image-side surface652being both aspheric. The object-side surface651of the fifth lens element650has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The sixth lens element660with negative refractive power has an object-side surface661being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface662being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The sixth lens element660is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface661and the image-side surface662being both aspheric. The object-side surface661of the sixth lens element660has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface661of the sixth lens element660has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The seventh lens element670with positive refractive power has an object-side surface671being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface672being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The seventh lens element670is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface671and the image-side surface672being both aspheric. The object-side surface671of the seventh lens element670has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface672of the seventh lens element670has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface672of the seventh lens element670has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The eighth lens element680with positive refractive power has an object-side surface681being concave in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface682being convex in a paraxial region thereof. The eighth lens element680is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface681and the image-side surface682being both aspheric. The object-side surface681of the eighth lens element680has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface682of the eighth lens element680has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof.

The ninth lens element690with negative refractive power has an object-side surface691being convex in a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface692being concave in a paraxial region thereof. The ninth lens element690is made of plastic material and has the object-side surface691and the image-side surface692being both aspheric. The object-side surface691of the ninth lens element690has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface692of the ninth lens element690has at least one inflection point in an off-axis region thereof. The object-side surface691of the ninth lens element690has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof. The image-side surface692of the ninth lens element690has at least one critical point in an off-axis region thereof.

The IR-cut filter693is made of glass material and located between the ninth lens element690and the image surface696, and will not affect the focal length of the image lens assembly. The image sensor699is disposed on or near the image surface696of the image lens assembly.

The detailed optical data of the 6th embodiment are shown in Table 16, the aspheric surface data are shown in Table 17, and changeable values respectively in the first through the sixth zooming states are shown in Table 18 below.

TABLE 166th EmbodimentSurface #Curvature RadiusThicknessMaterialIndexAbbe #Focal Length0ObjectPlanoD11Lens 17.616(ASP)1.380Plastic1.66020.412.68278.824(ASP)0.3843Lens 2−199.994(ASP)0.466Plastic1.56637.4−5.2943.043(ASP)D25Lens 33.266(ASP)1.031Plastic1.54456.04.896−12.752(ASP)0.0357Lens 412.592(SPH)0.962Glass1.51764.28.868−7.008(SPH)0.0359Lens 5−4.574(ASP)0.620Plastic1.63923.5−6.751077.620(ASP)D311Lens 6−1015723.035(ASP)0.450Plastic1.63923.5−4.07122.596(ASP)0.22113Lens 72.868(ASP)0.889Plastic1.66020.45.041418.164(ASP)D415Lens 8−4.468(ASP)0.905Plastic1.66020.417.4616−3.479(ASP)0.20217Lens 911.796(ASP)0.613Plastic1.53456.0−29.26186.601(ASP)1.00019IR-cut filterPlano0.210Glass1.51764.2—20Plano1.14221ImagePlano—Note:Reference wavelength is 587.6 nm (d-line).An effective radius of the object-side surface 611 (Surface 1) is 2.200 mm.The aperture stop 600 is located on the object-side surface 641 (Surface 7).An axial distance between the object and the object-side surface 611 is shown by D1 in Table 18 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 622 and the object-side surface 631 is shown by D2 in Table 18 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 652 and the object-side surface 661 is shown by D3 in Table 18 below.An axial distance between the image-side surface 672 and the object-side surface 681 is shown by D4 in Table 18 below.

Moreover, these parameters can be calculated from Table 16, Table 17 and Table 18 as the following values and satisfy the following conditions:

FIG.73is a perspective view of a zoom image capturing unit according to the 7th embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a zoom image capturing unit10is a camera module including a lens unit11, a driving device12, an image sensor13and an image stabilizer14. The lens unit11includes the image lens assembly disclosed in the 1st embodiment, a barrel and a holder member (their reference numerals are omitted) for holding the image lens assembly. However, the lens unit11may alternatively be provided with the image lens assembly disclosed in other abovementioned embodiments, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The imaging light converges in the lens unit11of the zoom image capturing unit10to generate an image with the driving device12utilized for image focusing on the image sensor13, and the generated image is then digitally transmitted to other electronic component for further processing.

The driving device12can have auto focusing functionality, and different driving configurations can be obtained through the usages of voice coil motors, micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), piezoelectric systems, or shape memory alloy materials. The driving device12is favorable for obtaining a better imaging position of the lens unit11, so that a clear image of the imaged object can be captured by the lens unit11with different object distances. The image sensor13(for example, CCD or CMOS), which can feature high photosensitivity and low noise, is disposed on the image surface of the image lens assembly to provide higher image quality.

The image stabilizer14, such as an accelerometer, a gyro sensor and a Hall Effect sensor, is configured to work with the driving device12to provide optical image stabilization (01S). The driving device12working with the image stabilizer14is favorable for compensating for pan and tilt of the lens unit11to reduce blurring associated with motion during exposure. In some cases, the compensation can be provided by electronic image stabilization (EIS) with image processing software, thereby improving image quality while in motion or low-light conditions.

FIG.74is one perspective view of an electronic device according to the 8th embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG.75is another perspective view of the electronic device inFIG.74.FIG.76is a block diagram of the electronic device inFIG.74.

In this embodiment, an electronic device20is a smartphone including the zoom image capturing unit10disclosed in the 7th embodiment, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10a, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10b, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10c, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10d, a flash module21, a focus assist module22, an image signal processor23, a user interface24and an image software processor25. The zoom image capturing unit10and the fixed-focus image capturing unit10aface the same side of the electronic device20. The optical axis of the zoom image capturing unit10is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10a. The fixed-focus image capturing unit10b, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10c, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10dand the user interface24are disposed on the opposite side of the electronic device20and the user interface24is a display unit, such that the fixed-focus image capturing units10b,10c,10dcan be front-facing cameras of the electronic device20for taking selfies, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, each of the fixed-focus image capturing units10a,10b,10cand10dcan include a lens unit, a driving device, an image sensor and an image stabilizer, and each of the lens unit can include a fixed-focus optical lens assembly, a barrel and a holder member for holding the fixed-focus optical lens assembly.

The zoom image capturing unit10is a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10ais a wide-angle image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10bis a wide-angle image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10cis an ultra-wide-angle image capturing unit, and the fixed-focus image capturing unit10dis a ToF (time of flight) image capturing unit. In this embodiment, the image capturing units10,10ahave different fields of view, such that the electronic device20can have various magnification ratios so as to meet the requirement of optical zoom functionality. When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10ais DFOV, and the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly of the zoom image capturing unit10within the zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition is satisfied: 40 [deg.]<DFOV−FOV_max. Therefore, it is favorable for integrating functions of a large field of view and zoom so as to increase application breadth thereof. In addition, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10dcan determine depth information of the imaged object. In this embodiment, the electronic device20includes multiple image capturing units10,10a,10b,10cand10d, but the present disclosure is not limited to the number and arrangement of image capturing units.

When a user captures images of an object26, the light rays converge in the zoom image capturing unit10or the fixed-focus image capturing unit10ato generate an image(s), and the flash module21is activated for light supplement. The focus assist module22detects the object distance of the imaged object26to achieve fast auto focusing. The image signal processor23is configured to optimize the captured image to improve image quality. The light beam emitted from the focus assist module22can be either conventional infrared or laser. In addition, the light rays may converge in the fixed-focus image capturing unit10b,10cor10dto generate an image(s). The user interface24can be a touch screen or a physical button. The user is able to interact with the user interface24and the image software processor25having multiple functions to capture images and complete image processing. The image processed by the image software processor25can be displayed on the user interface24.

FIG.77is one perspective view of an electronic device according to the 9th embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, an electronic device30is a smartphone including the zoom image capturing unit10disclosed in the 7th embodiment, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10e, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10f, a flash module31, a focus assist module, an image signal processor, a display unit and an image software processor (not shown). The zoom image capturing unit10, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10eand the fixed-focus image capturing unit10fface the same side of the electronic device30, while the display unit is disposed on the opposite side of the electronic device30. The optical axis of the zoom image capturing unit10is perpendicular to the optical axis of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10eand the optical axis of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10f. Furthermore, each of the fixed-focus image capturing units10eand10fcan include a lens unit, a driving device, an image sensor and an image stabilizer, and each of the lens unit can include a fixed-focus optical lens assembly, a barrel and a holder member for holding the fixed-focus optical lens assembly.

The zoom image capturing unit10is a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10eis a wide-angle image capturing unit, and the fixed-focus image capturing unit10fis an ultra-wide-angle image capturing unit. In this embodiment, the image capturing units10,10eand10fhave different fields of view, such that the electronic device30can have various magnification ratios so as to meet the requirement of optical zoom functionality. When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10eand the fixed-focus image capturing unit10fis DFOV, and the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly of the zoom image capturing unit10within the zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition is satisfied: 60 [deg.]<DFOV−FOV_max. Therefore, it is favorable for featuring the zoom function with a large field of view. Moreover, the zoom image capturing unit10can be a telephoto image capturing unit having a reflective element configuration, such that the total track length of the zoom image capturing unit10is not limited by the thickness of the electronic device30. Moreover, the reflective element configuration of the zoom image capturing unit10can be similar to, for example, one of the structures shown inFIG.80toFIG.82which can be referred to foregoing descriptions corresponding toFIG.80toFIG.82so the details in this regard will not be provided again. In this embodiment, the electronic device30includes multiple image capturing units10,10eand10f, but the present disclosure is not limited to the number and arrangement of image capturing units. When a user captures images of an object, light rays converge in the image capturing unit10,10eor10fto generate image(s), and the flash module is activated for light supplement. Further, the subsequent processes are performed in a manner similar to the abovementioned embodiment, so the details in this regard will not be provided again.

FIG.78is one perspective view of an electronic device according to the 10th embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, an electronic device40is a smartphone including the zoom image capturing unit10disclosed in the 7th embodiment, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10g, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10h, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10i, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10j, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10k, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10m, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10n, a fixed-focus image capturing unit10p, a flash module41, a focus assist module, an image signal processor, a display unit and an image software processor (not shown). The image capturing units10,10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10m,10nand10pface the same side of the electronic device40, while the display unit faces the opposite side of the electronic device40. The optical axis of the zoom image capturing unit10is perpendicular to the optical axes of the fixed-focus image capturing units10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10m,10nand10p. Furthermore, each of the fixed-focus image capturing units10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10m,10nand10pcan include a lens unit, a driving device, an image sensor and an image stabilizer, and each of the lens unit can include a fixed-focus optical lens assembly, a barrel and a holder member for holding the fixed-focus optical lens assembly.

The zoom image capturing unit10is a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10gis a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10his a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10iis a wide-angle image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10jis an ultra-wide-angle image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10kis an ultra-wide-angle image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10mis a telephoto image capturing unit, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10nis a telephoto image capturing unit, and the fixed-focus image capturing unit10pis a ToF image capturing unit. In this embodiment, the image capturing units10,10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10mand10nhave different fields of view, such that the electronic device40can have various magnification ratios so as to meet the requirement of optical zoom functionality. When a maximum value among maximum fields of view of the fixed-focus image capturing unit10g, fixed-focus image capturing unit10h, fixed-focus image capturing unit10i, fixed-focus image capturing unit10j, fixed-focus image capturing unit10k, fixed-focus image capturing unit10mand the fixed-focus image capturing unit10nis DFOV, and the maximum value among maximum fields of view of the image lens assembly of the zoom image capturing unit10within the zoom range is FOV_max, the following condition is satisfied: 60 [deg.]<DFOV−FOV_max. Therefore, it is favorable for featuring the zoom function with a large field of view. Moreover, each of the image capturing units10,10gand10hcan be a telephoto image capturing unit having a reflective element configuration. Moreover, the reflective element configuration of each of the image capturing units10,10gand10hcan be similar to, for example, one of the structures shown inFIG.80toFIG.82which can be referred to foregoing descriptions corresponding toFIG.80toFIG.82so the details in this regard will not be provided again. In addition, the fixed-focus image capturing unit10pcan determine depth information of the imaged object. In this embodiment, the electronic device40includes multiple image capturing units10,10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10m,10nand10p, but the present disclosure is not limited to the number and arrangement of image capturing units. When a user captures images of an object, light rays converge in the zoom image capturing unit10,10g,10h,10i,10j,10k,10m,10nor10pto generate image(s), and the flash module41is activated for light supplement. Further, the subsequent processes are performed in a manner similar to the abovementioned embodiments, so the details in this regard will not be provided again.

The smartphone in this embodiment is only exemplary for showing the zoom image capturing unit10of the present disclosure installed in an electronic device, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The zoom image capturing unit10can be optionally applied to optical systems with a movable focus. Furthermore, the image lens assembly of the zoom image capturing unit10features good capability in aberration corrections and high image quality, and can be applied to 3D (three-dimensional) image capturing applications, in products such as digital cameras, mobile devices, digital tablets, smart televisions, network surveillance devices, dashboard cameras, vehicle backup cameras, multi-camera devices, image recognition systems, motion sensing input devices, wearable devices and other electronic imaging devices.