# US 7,410,408 B2 · Eyeglass lens processing apparatus

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- Number: US 7,410,408 B2
- Document ID: US7410408B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/702,081
- Filed: 2007-02-05
- Published: 2007-09-20
- Granted: 2008-08-12
- Earliest claimed: 2006-02-03
- Assignees: Nidek Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Ryoji Shibata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7410408B2

## CPC

- B24B 9/148: {electrically, e.g. numerically, controlled}
- B24B 19/03: for grinding grooves in glass workpieces, e.g. decorative grooves
- B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS

## Abstract

An eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing an eyeglass lens includes: a lens chuck that holds the lens; a regular-grooving tool; a first moving unit that moves the lens held by the lens chuck; a grooving data input unit that inputs grooving data including a width and depth of the groove to be formed in the lens; a controller that controls the first moving unit to perform regular-grooving on the basis of the grooving data; a fine-grooving tool; a second moving unit that moves the lens held by the lens chuck; and a selector that selects whether fine-grooving is to be performed. When performance of fine-grooving is selected, the controller performs the regular-grooving on the lens so that a bottom and side surfaces of the groove have a fine-grooving margin, and controls the second moving unit to perform the fine-grooving on the basis of the grooving data.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing an eyeglass lens, the apparatus comprising:
a lens chuck that holds the lens;
a regular-grooving tool;
a first moving unit that relatively moves the lens held by the lens chuck with respect to the regular-grooving tool;
a grooving data input unit that inputs grooving data, the grooving data including a width and depth of the groove to be formed in the lens;
a controller that controls the first moving unit to perform regular-grooving on the lens on the basis of the input grooving data;
a fine-grooving tool;
a second moving unit that relatively moves the lens held by the lens chuck with respect to the fine-grooving tool; and
a selector that selects whether or not fine-grooving is to be performed,
wherein when performance of the fine-grooving is selected, the controller performs the regular-grooving on the lens so that a bottom and side surfaces of the groove have a margin for the fine-grooving, and controls the second moving unit to perform the fine-grooving on the lens on the basis of the input grooving data.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a processing width of the regular-grooving tool is smaller than a processing width of the fine-grooving tool by the fine-grooving margin on each of the side surfaces of the groove.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
when non-performance of the fine-grooving is selected, a minimum value of the groove width allowed to be input is limited to the processing width of the regular-grooving tool, and
when the performance of the fine-grooving is selected, the minimum value of the groove width allowed to be input is limited to the processing width of the fine-grooving tool.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
a granularity of the regular-grooving tool is in a range of #300 to #800, and
a granularity of the fine-grooving tool is in a range of #1000 to #3000.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regular-grooving tool and the fine-grooving tool have a same outer diameter and are fixed to a same spindle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a roughing tool;
a third moving unit that relatively moves the lens held by the lens chuck with respect to the roughing tool;
a flat-finishing tool;
a fourth moving unit that relatively moves the lens held by the lens chucks with respect to the flat-finishing tool; and
a target lens shape data input unit that inputs target lens shape data,
wherein the control unit controls the third and fourth moving units to perform roughing and flat-finishing on the lens on the basis of the input target lens shape data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The eyeglass lens processing apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising an operation unit that obtains the grooving data based on the input target lens shape data, wherein the grooving data input unit inputs the obtained grooving data.