Method and device for moulding a transparent object
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsAlbert Smid, Jan Haisma
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Abstract
A method of and a device for high-precision moulding of transparent objects is described. Before the object assumes its final shape, a radiation beam is passed through the moulds of a moulding device and the material contained therein, and the intensity distribution of the radiation spot formed by the beam is compared with a reference, thereby enabling the moulds to be aligned very accurately, so that high-quality products can be manufactured.
Claims11
A method for moulding a transparent object such as a lens or the like comprising the steps of introducing a volume of transparent materials between a pair of transparent elements configured to impart a desired shape to the material, passing a beam of radiation through said elements and the material disposed therebetween before the material has assumed its final shape so as to form a radiation spot in a plane of observation, comparing the intensity distribution of said spot formed in said observation plane with a reference distribution representative of the intensity distribution of the spot occurring when said elements assume a predetermined position relative to each other and adjusting the position of said elements relative to each other so that the intensity distribution of said spot corresponds to said reference distribution.
An apparatus for moulding a transparent material so as to form a transparent object of a predetermined shape such as a lens or the like, said apparatus comprising a pair of elements arranged for movement relative to each other and configured so as to impart the predetermined shape to the material disposed therebetween, means for producing an aligning beam of radiation, said elements being transparent to the radiation of said aligning beam and being arranged in the path thereof so that said aligning beam passes through said elements, means for detecting the intensity distribution in the aligning beam radiation which has passed through said elements, said intensity distribution being indicative of the position of said elements relative to each other, and means for adjusting the relative position of said elements in response to said detecting means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.