Apparatus and method for deblocking a lens

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for deblocking a lens, wherein the lens is blocked with a block material on a block piece. The block material is preheated by radiation. The blocked lens, the deblocked lens, and the deblocked block piece are handled by means of separate grippers. For deblocking, the lens and the block piece are held by opposing holding devices in a rotating manner, while a fluid jet acts on the block material from the side. After the deblocking, the lens and the block piece are cleaned simultaneously. Then, a holding device together with the deblocked lens pivot out from a working space. The deblocked lens is placed with the block side upward in a transport carrier. This makes possible a simple design and an optimized process sequence.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Device ( 1 ) for deblocking a lens ( 2 ) from a block piece ( 3 ), on which the lens ( 2 ) is blocked by means of a block material ( 4 ), whereby a block side ( 2 A) of the lens ( 2 ) is optimally provided with a protective layer ( 5 ),
 with a working space ( 6 ),   with a first holding system ( 8 ) for in particular rotating holding of the lens ( 2 ) in the working space ( 6 ),   with a second holding system ( 9 ) for in particular rotating holding of the block piece ( 3 ) in the working space ( 6 ), and   with multiple nozzle systems ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) for dispensing fluid jets (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) in the working space ( 6 ),   characterized   in that the device ( 1 ) is designed for simultaneous removal, on the one hand, of block material ( 4 ) from a deblocked block piece ( 3 ) by means of a fluid jet (F 2 ) and, on the other hand, of the protective layer ( 5 ) and/or of block material ( 4 ) from the corresponding deblocked lens ( 2 ) by means of another fluid jet (F 3 ), and/or   in that the device ( 1 ) has two nozzle systems ( 11 ,  12 ), which are designed or arranged for generating fluid jets (F 2 , F 3 ) that are inclined opposite to or differently from a radial plane (R) of an axis of rotation (D) of the lens ( 2 ) or the block piece ( 3 ) in the working space ( 6 ) and/or which both can be moved in an oscillating manner—in particular along an axis of rotation (D) of the lens ( 2 ) or the block piece ( 3 )—and/or   in that the device ( 1 ) has three nozzle systems ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) for generating a first, a second, and an additional fluid jet (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) in the working space ( 6 ), whereby the first fluid jet (F 1 ) can be used to detach the lens ( 2 ) with the protective layer ( 5 ), if present, from the block material ( 4 ), the second fluid jet (F 2 ) can be used to remove block material ( 4 ) from the block piece ( 3 ), and the additional fluid jet (F 3 ) can be used to remove the protective layer ( 5 ) and/or from [sic] block material ( 4 ) from the lens ( 2 ), and/or   in that both holding systems ( 8 ,  9 ) in each case have a rotary drive ( 8 B,  9 B).   
     
     
         2 . Device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the second nozzle system ( 11 ) can be shifted or adjusted, in particular moved back and forth, along an axis of rotation (D) of the lens ( 2 ). 
     
     
         3 . Device according to  claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the additional nozzle system ( 12 ) can be shifted or adjusted, in particular moved back and forth, along an axis of rotation (D) of the lens ( 2 ). 
     
     
         4 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the two holding systems ( 8 ,  9 ) can be moved away from one another axially, in particular here by the deblocked lens ( 2 ) being able to be moved in the area of a fluid jet (F 3 ) for removing the protective layer ( 5 ) and/or from block material ( 4 ) from the block side ( 2 A) of the lens ( 2 ). 
     
     
         5 . Device ( 1 ) for deblocking a lens ( 2 ) from a block piece ( 3 ), on which the lens ( 2 ) is blocked by means of a block material ( 4 ), in particular according to  one of the preceding claims , with a working space ( 6 ),
 with a handling system ( 7 ) for gripping the lens ( 2 ) and/or the block piece ( 3 ),   with a first holding system ( 8 ) for in particular rotating holding of the lens ( 2 ) in the working space ( 6 ), and   in particular with a first nozzle system ( 10 ) for dispensing a fluid jet (F 1 ) in the working space ( 6 ),   characterized   in that the device ( 1 ) has a heating system ( 21 ) for heating or preheating the block material ( 4 ) by means of radiation, and/or   in that the handling system ( 7 ) has a movable carrier ( 7 D) with multiple independently movable or actuatable grippers ( 7 A- 7 C) for the lens ( 2 ) and the block piece ( 3 ), and/or   in that the first holding system ( 8 ) together with the deblocked lens ( 2 ) can be pivoted—in particular from the working space ( 6 ).   
     
     
         6 . Device according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the device ( 1 ) has a conveying system ( 19 ), in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying blocked lenses ( 2 ), in particular in transport carriers ( 18 ) for the lenses ( 2 ), whereby the heating system ( 21 ) is assigned to the conveying system ( 19 ) and is arranged in particular above the latter. 
     
     
         7 . Device according to  claim 5 or 6 , characterized in that the device ( 1 ) is designed for heating or preheating the block material ( 4 ) before a blocked lens ( 2 ) is removed from a transport carrier ( 18 ). 
     
     
         8 . Device according to one of  claims 5 to 7 , characterized in that the carrier ( 7 D) can be moved only in one direction (X) or plane. 
     
     
         9 . Device according to one of  claims 5 to 8 , characterized in that the carrier ( 7 D) has or carries a first gripper ( 7 A) for preferably pneumatic gripping of the blocked lens, a second gripper ( 7 B) for preferably pneumatic gripping of the deblocked lens ( 2 ), and/or a third gripper ( 7 C) for preferably pneumatic gripping of the deblocked block piece ( 3 ). 
     
     
         10 . Device according to one of  claims 5 to 9 , characterized in that the grippers ( 7 A- 7 C) can be moved in a telescopic, parallel and/or linear manner. 
     
     
         11 . Device according to one of  claims 5 to 10 , characterized in that the direction of movement (Z) of the grippers ( 7 A- 7 C) runs transversely or perpendicular to the direction of movement (X) or movement plane of the carrier ( 7 D). 
     
     
         12 . Device according to one of  claims 5 to 11 , characterized in that the handling system ( 7 ) has [sic] for exclusively linear movement of the lens ( 2 ) and the block piece ( 3 ), in particular also for loading and unloading transport carriers ( 17 ,  18 ). 
     
     
         13 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the first holding system ( 8 ) has a holder ( 8 A) for rotating holding of the lens ( 2 ), whereby the holder ( 8 A) can be displaced or moved away relatively from the block piece ( 3 ) in particular in a linear manner. 
     
     
         14 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the first nozzle system ( 10 ) is designed for dispensing the fluid jet (F 1 ) laterally to the block material ( 4 ), while the lens ( 2 ) rotates together with the block piece ( 3 ). 
     
     
         15 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the device ( 1 ) has an onward-conveying system ( 20 ), in particular an additional conveyor belt, for conveying by other in particular smaller—transport carriers ( 18 ) for receiving deblocked lenses ( 2 ). 
     
     
         16 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the device ( 1 ) has a testing system ( 25 ) for in particular optical testing of a blocked and/or deblocked lens ( 2 ). 
     
     
         17 . Device according to  one of the preceding claims , characterized in that the device ( 1 ) has a sorting system ( 23 ) for deblocked block pieces ( 3 ). 
     
     
         18 . Method for deblocking a lens ( 2 ) from a block piece ( 3 ), on which the lens ( 2 ) is blocked by means of a block material ( 4 ), whereby a block side ( 2 A) of the lens ( 2 ) is provided with an optional protective layer ( 5 ), whereby a lens ( 2 ) is deblocked preferably by means of a first fluid jet (F 1 ) from a block piece ( 3 ), in particular while rotating,
 characterized   in that after the deblocking, the block material ( 4 ) is removed from the deblocked block piece ( 3 ) and the protective layer ( 5 ) or the block material ( 4 ) is removed from the deblocked lens ( 2 ) simultaneously by means of separate fluid jets (F 2 , F 3 ), and/or   in that the deblocked lens ( 2 ) is placed by a deblocking device ( 1 ) or its handling system ( 7 ) in an additional transport carrier ( 18 ), and is conveyed onward in the latter in particular for a further processing, independently of a transport carrier ( 17 ) that originally used the blocked lens ( 2 ).   
     
     
         19 . Method according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the deblocked lens ( 2 ) and the deblocked block piece ( 3 ) are rotated, while the fluid jets (F 2 , F 3 ) act on them. 
     
     
         20 . Method for deblocking a lens ( 2 ) from a block piece ( 3 ), on which the lens ( 2 ) is blocked by means of a block material ( 4 ), in particular according to  claim 18 or 19 , whereby a lens ( 2 ) is deblocked by means of a fluid jet (F 1 ) from a block piece ( 3 ),
 characterized   in that the lens ( 2 ) is swung away and/or turned from the deblocked block piece ( 3 ) after the deblocking by or at the same time as a working space ( 6 ) is opened, and/or   in that the lens ( 2 ) and the block piece ( 3 ) are held during deblocking in each case separately by a holding system ( 8 ,  9 ) and are simultaneously rotated, while the fluid jet (F 1 ) acts on them, whereby after the deblocking, the holding system ( 8 ) together with the deblocked lens ( 2 ) is moved away or swung away from the block piece ( 3 ), and/or   in that the deblocked lens ( 2 ) is placed with its block side ( 2 A) upward in a transport carrier ( 17 ,  18 ), and/or   in that the deblocked lens ( 2 ) and the deblocked block piece ( 3 ) are gripped simultaneously or are raised by assigned holding systems ( 8 ,  9 ), and/or   in that independently-operating and/or independently-telescoping grippers ( 7 A- 7 C) grip the blocked lens ( 2 ), the deblocked lens ( 2 ), and the deblocked block piece ( 3 ).   
     
     
         21 . Method according to one of  claims 18 to 20 , characterized in that during deblocking, the lens ( 2 ) and the block piece ( 3 ) are in each case held separately and simultaneously rotated and are pulled from one another. 
     
     
         22 . Method according to one of  claims 18 to 21 , characterized in that the lens ( 2 ) that is to be deblocked with block piece ( 3 ), the deblocked lens ( 2 ), and the block piece ( 3 ) are gripped by separate grippers ( 7 A- 7 C), in particular pneumatically or by underpressure, and before the deblocked lens ( 2 ) and the deblocked block piece ( 3 ) are placed, first a working space ( 6 ) or a holding system ( 9 ) is fed with the next lens ( 2 ) that is to be deblocked.