Adjustable lens grinding apparatus

A lens grinding apparatus of a type having a chuck for securing a lens blank thereto and an abrading cup having an annular abrading surface thereon for sweeping through said lens blank during said abrading stroke, wherein an improvement in the apparatus for guiding said abrading cup during said abrading stroke comprises:

• a first member for supporting said chuck and said lens blank secured thereto, said lens blank defining a plane generally perpendicular to an axis of said chuck;
• a second member for movably supporting said abrading cup, said abrading cup having an axis of rotation centered therethrough and an annular abrading surface at the distended circumference thereof, with said abrading cup being spaced longitudinally from said chuck;
• a guide having a cambered surface thereon and guide following means movably coupled to said guide for following along said guide during relative motion therebetween, said guide and said guide following means being operably interposed between said first member and said second member for guiding the sweep of said abrading cup through said lens blank during said abrading stroke;
• and
• first means for changing the effective camber of said cambered surface of said guide, whereby said sweep of said abrading cup through said lens blank may be altered to provide a plurality of different lens surfaces.

A lens grinding apparatus of a type having a chuck for securing a planar lens blank thereto and an abrading cup for sweeping through said lens blank during an abrading stroke, wherein an improvement in the apparatus for positioning said chuck with respect to said abrading cup and guiding said abrading cup during said abrading stroke comprises:

• a first member for supporting said chuck;
• a second member for supporting said abrading cup, said abrading cup having an axis of rotation centered therethrough and an annular abrading surface at the distended circumference thereof, said abrading cup being longitudinally spaced from said chuck;
• positioning means operably coupled between said first member and said second member for enabling continuous relative motion therebetween in two degrees of linear freedom defining a base plane perpendicular to said plane of said lens blank, with said one degree of rotational freedom defining a first rotational axis parallel to said plane of said lens blank and perpendicular to said base plane;
• a guide having a cambered surface thereon;
• guide following means for following said cambered surface of said guide, said guide and said guide following means being operably interposed between said first member and said second member for guiding said sweep of said abrading cup through said lens blank during said abrading stroke responsive to the effective camber of said guide;
• and
• first means for altering said effective camber of said guide, whereby said sweep of said abrading cup through said lens blank may be altered to provide a plurality of different lens surfaces.

A lens grinding apparatus of a type having a chuck for securing a planar lens blank thereto, an abrading cup having an abrading circumference spinning about a rotational axis for sweeping through said lens blank during an abrading stroke, and guiding means for guiding said abrading cup during said abrading stroke, wherein the improvement in the apparatus for movably supporting said chuck with respect to said abrading cup comprises in combination:

• a first support for said chuck;
• a second support for said abrading cup, said abrading cup being spaced longitudinally from said chuck;
• third support means rotatably coupled to said first support about a first pivot having a rotational axis generally perpendicular to said rotational axis of said abrading cup;
• and
• fourth support means movably coupled between said third support means and said second support means for allowing free relative movement therebetween in a base plane generally perpendicular to said first pivot axis, whereby said abrading cup is freely movable in said base plane and about said first pivot axis for being guided during the abrading stroke by said guide means;
• and
• said second support comprising a base movably coupled to said fourth support, a deck for supporting said abrading cup, a second pivot for rotatably coupling said base to said deck, said second pivot being parallel to but spaced from said first pivot, said second pivot shaft defining an axis tangent to said abrading circumference of said abrading cup, whereby the angular position of said deck with respect to said base may be varied to provide an angular offset between said abrading cup and said lens blank.