Automated Design of a Previously Patented Aspherical Optical Lens System by Means of Genetic Programming

Abstract

This chapter describes how genetic programming wasused as an invention machine to automaticallysynthesise a complete design for an aspherical opticallens system (a type of lens system that is especiallydifficult to design and that offers advantages in termsof cost, weight, size, and performance over traditionalspherical systems). The genetically evolved asphericallens system duplicated the functionality of a recentlypatented aspherical system. The automatic synthesis wasopen-ended --- that is, the process did not start froma pre-existing good design and did not pre-specify thenumber of lenses, which lenses (if any) should bespherical or aspherical, the topological arrangement ofthe lenses, the numerical parameters of the lenses, orthe non-numerical parameters of the lenses. Thegenetically evolved design is an instance ofhuman-competitive results produced by geneticprogramming in the field of optical design.