US 5,995,213 AGranted

Lens inspection system

AssigneeJohnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.

InventorsThomas G. Davis, Joseph Wilder, David Dreyfuss

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

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Abstract

A system for inspecting ophthalmic lenses and including transport, illumination, imaging and image processing subsystems. The transport system moves a multitude of ophthalmic lenses along a predetermined path to move each of those lenses, one at a time, into a lens inspection position, and the illumination subsystem generates a series of light pulses and directs a respective one light pulse through each ophthalmic lens. The imaging subsystem generates a set of signals representing selected portions of the light pulses transmitted through the ophthalmic lenses, and the image processing subsystem receives those signals from the imaging subsystem and processes those signals according to a predetermined program to identify at least one condition of each of the lenses.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An automated lens inspection system comprising:

a transparent contact lens support;
a light source for illuminating a contact lens located on said transparent contact lens support;
a photographic lens having a field of view positioned over said contact lens support so as to view the contact lens illuminated by said light source;
a pixel means coupled to said photographic lens for obtaining an image of the contact lens viewed by said photographic lens and for generating image data denoting pixel image densities of the image of the contact lens;
a computer programmed to detect abnormalities of the contact lens located on said contact lens support based on the image data generated by said pixel means;
wherein said transparent contact lens support is a transparent plastic lens package which includes a plastic hemispherically shaped member used to transport the contact lens located therein;
and
wherein said plastic hemispherically shaped member is transparent, said light source directing light through the plastic hemispherically shaped member and then through the contact lens located therein.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/968,031Filed 12 Nov 1997 · continuation
Priority: 17 Jan 1995
Granted: 30 Nov 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G01M 11/0278
By measuring geometrical properties or aberrations: detecting defects of the object to be tested, e.g. scratches or dust
G01M 11/0207
Testing optical properties: details of measuring devices
G01M 11/0214
Details of measuring devices: details of devices holding the object to be tested
G01M 11/0235
By measuring refractive power: by measuring multiple properties of lenses, automatic lens meters

Family

Serial374,407Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Jan 1995
Serial506,595Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Jul 1995
Serial622,022Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Mar 1996
Serial757,334Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Nov 1996
US 5,805,876 AParent of this continuation
US 5,995,213 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.