Lens handling in automated lens coating systems
AssigneeThe Walman Optical Company
InventorsDavid R. Kirchoff, Mike Tschida, Chuck Boho, Cary Hostrawser, Mike Clyne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lens coating system, which includes a gripper assembly for transferring and loading lenses, further includes one or more features to facilitate improved lens handling within the system. The one or more features includes a sensor assembly that is adapted to detect whether a single blocked lens or a pair of blocked lenses is being loaded by the gripper assembly into a spindle assembly of the system, and/or a sensor assembly that is adapted to detect a displacement of a lens holding element, from which lenses are transferred, by the gripper assembly, when impinged upon by the gripper assembly.
Claims35
A lens handling method performed by a lens coating system, the method comprising:
- grasping at least one blocked lens, which is held in a tray, the at least one blocked lens comprising a mounting block assembly coupled to a first major surface of a lens, the tray being located at a first location in the system, and the grasping being performed by a gripper assembly of the system to transfer the at least one blocked lens;
- transferring, via the gripper assembly, the at least one blocked lens from the tray to a second location in the system, which second location is located for loading the at least one blocked lens into a spindle assembly of the system;
- loading the at least one blocked lens into the spindle assembly for transfer into and out from a lens coating station of the system;
- detecting a presence of the at least one blocked lens at the second location, as the at least one blocked lens is being loaded into the spindle assembly, the detecting being performed by a sensor assembly of the system, and the detecting determining if the at least one blocked lens comprises a single blocked lens or a pair of blocked lenses;
- activating the lens coating station based upon the determination of whether the at least one blocked lens comprises the single blocked lens or the pair of blocked lenses.
A lens coating system, comprising:
- a lens coating station;
- a spindle assembly adapted for transferring a single blocked lens or a pair of blocked lenses into and out from the lens coating station, the spindle assembly including a first cup and a second cup, each of the first and second cups being adapted to hold one of the blocked lenses, via a vacuum, and each of the blocked lenses comprising a mounting block assembly coupled to a first major surface of a lens;
- a gripper assembly adapted for transferring the single blocked lens or the pair of blocked lenses from a tray, which tray is located at a first position in the system, to a second position in the system, and then loading the single blocked lens or the pair of blocked lenses into the spindle assembly, at the second position, the gripper assembly including a first gripper and a second gripper, and each of the first and second grippers being adapted to grasp one of the blocked lenses;
- and
- a sensor assembly adapted to detect a presence or an absence of each of the blocked lenses at the second position, during the loading, the sensor assembly being coupled to the spindle assembly for activating the vacuum, based upon whether the single blocked lens or the pair of the blocked lenses is detected.
A lens handling method performed by a lens coating system, the method comprising:
- detecting a displacement of a lens-holding element, the displacement being caused by a gripper assembly impinging upon one or both of:
- the lens-holding element and a lens being held by the element;
- repositioning at least one of:
- the lens-holding element, the lens, and the gripper assembly;
- and
- transferring, via the gripper assembly, the lens either from the lens holding element to a spindle assembly of the system, or from the spindle assembly to the lens-holding element, after the repositioning.
A lens coating system, comprising:
- a first lens-holding element;
- a second lens-holding element;
- a lens coating station;
- a spindle assembly adapted for transferring a lens into and out from the coating station;
- a gripper assembly adapted for transferring the lens from the first lens-holding element, loading the lens into the spindle assembly, and transferring the lens from the spindle assembly to the second lens-holding element;
- and
- a sensor assembly adapted to detect a displacement of one of the first and second lens-holding elements, the displacement being caused by the gripper assembly impinging upon one or both of:
- the one of the first and second lens-holding elements and the lens being held therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.