JP2001150378A - Lens centering and holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens centering and holding device capable of centering and holding a lens with high accuracy. SOLUTION: A centering and holding device of a lens 5 for sucking and holding the lens 5 and centering the same, comprises a suction cylinder 1 kept in contact with an outer peripheral part of the lens 5, a centering and holding means comprising a sucking means 4 for sucking the lens 5 kept in contact with the suction cylinder 1, an arm 2 accommodating the centering and holding means in a state that the suction cylinder 1 is slidable in the sucking direction, and parallel plate springs 2 mounted between the arm 2 and the suction cylinder 1 for buffering the impact added to the lens at the contact of the lens 5 and the suction cylinder 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens centering / holding device for centering a micro optical lens with high accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-113366 discloses a suction holding device for articles such as microlenses.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic views showing a part of a conventional suction holding device such as a lens.
The hand 81 is roughly positioned with respect to the suction target 83 placed on a plane in FIG.

When the cylinder 82 is driven to lower the concave tapered hand 81 whose lower surface is widened toward the suction target 83, toward the suction target 83, the concave taper surface 8 is formed.
5 contacts the suction target 83, the coil spring 87 contracts, and the concave tapered surface 85 abuts against the suction target 83.
Moves to the vicinity of the center of the concave tapered surface 85.

The amount by which the cylinder 82 lowers the hand 81 is set in advance.
It is formed continuously from the suction opening 86 and has a shape such that it comes into contact with the suction target 83.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 7, after the cylinder 82 reaches the lower end point, suction is started by the suction section 84, and the suction target 83 is sucked by the concave tapered surface 85.

After the suction is started, it is determined whether or not the suction target 83 has been suctioned to the concave taper surface 85 while observing the suction pressure with a pressure gauge (not shown).
Drives the cylinder 82 upward after correctly sucking into the concave taper surface 85.

Next, a case where the suction target 83 is placed at the target position will be described.

After the hand 81 is moved to the target position while suction is being performed, the cylinder 82 is driven to lower the hand 81.

Next, the suction is released and the suction target 83 is placed. Subsequently, the cylinder 82 is driven to raise the hand 81. In this way, the suction target 83 is placed at the target position.

[0011]

However, in the case of the above-described conventional suction holding device, the coil spring 87 and the guide 88 are arranged inside the hand 81, so that the suction object 8 can be moved.
Although it is considered to absorb the impact on the hand 3, it is unavoidable to increase the number of parts and increase the size of the hand 81, and it is difficult to perform suction on optical parts such as minute lenses with high precision. is there.

In addition, since the coil spring 87 bends in a direction other than the central axis when it is bent, there is a problem that it is not suitable for high-precision centering and holding.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a lens centering / holding device capable of realizing high-precision centering / holding of a lens.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In a lens centering and holding device for performing suction holding and centering of a lens, a centering and holding unit including a suction contact unit that contacts an outer peripheral portion of the lens and a suction unit that suctions a lens that contacts the suction contact unit A centering / holding arm which accommodates the centering / holding means in a state where the suction contact portion is slidable in the suction direction; and a centering / holding arm disposed between the centering / holding arm and the suction contact portion. And a plurality of elastic bodies that buffer shocks applied to the body.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the suction contact portion of the centering and holding means is aligned with the lens, and the holding arm is lowered to bring the outer diameter circumference of the lens into contact with the suction contact portion of the centering and holding means. The lenses are brought into contact with each other and the suction means is operated to suction-hold the lens by the centering / holding means. At this time, the action of the plurality of elastic bodies absorbs an impact when the suction contact portion comes into contact with the lens, thereby preventing the lens from being damaged.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the centering and holding device for a lens according to the first aspect, the suction contact portion of the centering and holding means has a concave tapered portion which comes into contact with the outer diameter circumference of the lens. It is characterized by having done.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the outer circumference of the lens is brought into contact with a concave tapered portion provided at the suction contact portion of the centering and holding means, and the center of the lens is formed. Since the centering is performed, the centering of the lens can be accurately performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the lens centering and holding device according to the first or second aspect, the suction means includes an air chamber connected to the suction contact portion and a pressure for adjusting the pressure in the air chamber. An adjustment mechanism is provided.

According to the invention of claim 3, claim 1 or 2
In the invention described in the above, the pressure in the air chamber connected to the suction contact portion is adjusted by a pressure adjusting mechanism, so that the suction contact portion appropriately suctions and centers the lens according to various conditions such as the shape of the lens. Can be.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A lens centering and holding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail.

(Embodiment 1) (Configuration) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the configuration of a lens centering and holding apparatus according to the present embodiment.

This lens centering / holding device includes a centering / holding arm (hereinafter referred to as an “arm”) 3. A minute circular lens 5 having a diameter of about 1 mm is placed on a smooth ground plane 10. The arm 3 is roughly positioned with respect to the lens 5. Further, the arm 3 is provided with a substantially cylindrical suction tube 1 which is a suction contact portion constituting a centering and holding means, and a suction means 4.

The suction means 4 comprises a suction unit 15 and a solenoid valve 12
, A vacuum generator 13, and an electropneumatic regulator 14, which are fixed on the arm 3 and constitute a pressure adjusting mechanism capable of controlling the pressure in the air chamber 8 formed in the arm 3. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the two parallel leaf springs 2 which are elastic bodies attached to the arm 2
The shapes of c and 2d are concentric, and the spring portion 2e is located between them.
Are tied together. The fixing portions 2c and 2d are provided with four holes 2f for positioning and fixing the parallel leaf spring 2 respectively.

The arm 3 and the suction tube 1 are each divided into three slices, and the parallel leaf spring 2 is
c is between the divided members of the arm 3, and the fixed portion 2d is the suction tube 1.
Are arranged between the arm 3 and the suction cylinder 1 by being clamped and fixed by bolts (not shown).

The suction cylinder 1 has a through-hole 11 connected to the opening 7 from the air chamber 8, so that air can flow into the air chamber 8 only through the through-hole 11. The suction cylinder 1 can be moved up and down with respect to the arm 3 while keeping the air chamber 8 sealed.

The lens 5 side of the through hole 11 is a concave tapered surface 6. The concave tapered surface 6 is formed continuously from the opening 7 and has a shape that abuts on the outer diameter circle of the lens 5. I have.

Further, the tapered shape of the concave tapered surface 6 is such that when the entire outer periphery of the lens 5 abuts against the concave tapered surface 6, the central axis 6c of the concave tapered surface 6 and the central axis 5c of the lens 5 coincide. It is configured to be.

The arm 3 can move up and down and can be moved to a mounting position while holding the lens 5. The arm 3 is connected to the arm 3 when the parallel leaf spring 2 is bent. A spring relief 9 is provided to prevent contact.

(Operation) Next, the operation of the lens centering and holding device of the present embodiment will be described for the case where the lens 5 is held.

The lens 5 is placed on the ground plane 10, and the arm 3 is lowered toward the lens 5 in a state where the arm 3 is roughly positioned with respect to the lens 5.

As a result, a part of the outer periphery of the lens 5 comes into contact with a part of the concave tapered surface 6 of the suction tube 1. The lens 5 in contact with the concave tapered surface 6 moves in the direction of the central axis 6c of the concave tapered surface 6 due to the contact action with the concave tapered surface 6, and finally the central axis 6c of the concave tapered surface 6 and the lens 5 move. A state (centering state) in which the central axis 5c is aligned with the center axis 5c is obtained.

At this time, since the parallel leaf spring 2 and the spring relief 9 absorb the impact at the moment when the lens 5 comes into contact with the concave tapered surface 6, the surface of the lens 5 is not damaged.

Further, the parallel leaf spring 2 includes fixed portions 2c, 2c
Since d is concentric, it can bend upward with high accuracy. Further, in the first embodiment, the parallel leaf spring 2
Elastic force (hardness) and the suction force of the suction means 4
And the shape of the lens 5 in advance.

When the suction by the suction means 4 is started, the pressure in the air chamber 8 becomes negative, and the parallel plate spring 2, the suction cylinder 1, and the lens 5 are pulled up and stopped. The state at this time is shown in FIG.

In the first embodiment, the suction is continued even after the lens 5 is pulled up. However, since the lens 5 closes the opening 7 even if the suction is stopped, the air enters the air chamber 8. Does not flow in, and the suction cylinder 1 and the lens 5 remain stationary while being pulled upward.

Next, a case where the lens 5 held by the arm 3 is mounted at a desired mounting position will be described.

With the parallel leaf spring 2, the suction tube 1, and the lens 5 raised, the arm 3 is moved to a desired mounting position, and then the arm 3 is lowered.

Next, when the air pressure in the air chamber 8 is gradually returned to the original level by the vacuum generator 13 and the electropneumatic regulator 14, the suction cylinder is restored due to the restoring force of the parallel leaf spring 2 and the weight of the suction cylinder 1. The lens 1 and the lens 5 move downward, and become ready for mounting.

At this time, the fixed portion 2c of the parallel leaf spring 2
Since the shape of 2d is concentric, it is accurately restored downward.

The descending speed depends on the conditions of the vacuum generator 13, the electropneumatic regulator 14, the elastic force (hardness) of the parallel leaf spring 2, the weight of the suction cylinder 1 and the lens 5, the It is mainly determined by the frictional resistance with the suction tube 1 and the contact area between the concave tapered surface 6 and the outer diameter of the lens 5, and therefore, it is necessary to adjust it according to the conditions.

In the case of the first embodiment, the vacuum generator 13 is moved down as slowly as possible so that the lens 5 is released from the suction cylinder 1 when the lens 5 comes into contact with the mounting surface.
And the electropneumatic regulator 14. The situation at this time is shown in FIG.

(Effects) According to the first embodiment, since the fixed portions 2c and 2d of the two parallel leaf springs 2 are concentric, the deflection of the parallel leaf springs 2 other than the original bending direction is limited. Since it does not occur, the centering and holding can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the first embodiment, the use of the two parallel leaf springs 2 eliminates the need for a guide or a bushing, and can reduce the size of the suction cylinder 1 itself. It is possible to hold out.

At the moment when the lens 5 is held,
Since the shock applied to the lens 5 can be absorbed, there is also an advantage that the lens 5 is hardly damaged.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the lens 5 can be held by the above-described suction operation, the simplification of the device configuration and the simplification of the drive control when the lens 5 is centered can be realized. This makes it possible to reduce the cost and speed of the apparatus. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the release of the suction operation on the lens 5 is controlled, so that a gentle mounting operation on the smooth mounting surface, a quick mounting operation, and the like can be performed.
Various mounting operations can be realized.

(Embodiment 2) (Structure) In the structure of Embodiment 2, the parallel leaf spring 2 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the two parallel leaf springs 20 have a rectangular shape as a whole, have an opening having substantially the same diameter as the through hole 11 in the center, and an annular fixing portion around the opening. 20c. On the other hand, a rectangular fixed portion 20d is provided on the short side.

Further, in order to fix the position of the parallel leaf spring 20, four holes 20e are formed in the fixing portion 20c.
The fixed portion 20d is provided with four long holes 20f.

The fixing of the parallel leaf spring 20 to the arm 3 and the suction cylinder 1 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, but the bending of the spring portion 20g of the parallel leaf spring 20 due to suction is absorbed.
The fixing of the fixing portion 20d to the arm 3 is slightly loose. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Operation) The operation of the second embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the first embodiment, the suction is continued even after the lens 5 is pulled up. In the second embodiment, by increasing the degree of sealing of the air chamber 8, even if the suction is stopped after the lens 5 is pulled up, no air flows into the air chamber 8 and the suction cylinder 1 is closed. The lens 5 does not fall.

After the lens 5 comes into contact with the mounting surface,
Only when the vacuum in the air chamber 8 is released does the lens 5
The suction means 4 is adjusted so that is released from the suction tube 1.

(Effect) According to the second embodiment, since two parallel leaf springs are used, no guide or bushing is required, and the suction cylinder 1 itself can be reduced in size. The lens 5 can be centered.

At the moment when the lens 5 is held,
Since the impact applied to the lens 5 can be absorbed, the lens 5 is hardly damaged.

Further, since the shape of the two parallel leaf springs 20 is simple, the two parallel leaf springs 20 can be configured without selecting any material, thereby realizing low cost and miniaturization.

Further, even if the suction to the lens 5 is stopped, the holding of the lens 5 is continued, so that the drive control for centering and holding the lens 5 can be simplified.

Further, the lens 5 is released by releasing the vacuum.
Is placed on the placement surface, so that, for example, it can be placed on a placement surface on which an adhesive is applied.

[0057]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, simplification of the device configuration and simplification of drive control when centering the lens can be realized, and the cost and speed of the device can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to provide a lens centering and holding device that can prevent the lens from being damaged during suction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a lens centering / holding device which can accurately center and hold the lens.

According to the third aspect of the present invention,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in item 2, it is possible to provide a lens centering / holding device capable of appropriately performing suction and centering / holding of the lens according to various conditions such as the shape of the lens.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lens centering holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a parallel leaf spring of the lens centering and holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the lens centering and holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a state where the lens is sucked;

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the lens centering and holding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a state where the lens is in a suction-open state;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a parallel leaf spring of the lens centering holding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional lens centering / holding device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional lens centering and holding device in a state in which a lens is sucked.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 suction cylinder 2 parallel leaf spring 3 arm 4 suction means 5 lens 5c central axis 6 concave taper surface 6c central axis 7 opening 8 air chamber 10 ground plane 11 through hole 12 solenoid valve 13 vacuum generator 14 electropneumatic regulator 15 suction section 20 Parallel leaf spring

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yuri Ogura F-term (reference) 3C007 DS01 FS01 FT01 FT17 FU01 GU03 LV10 NS09 3F061 AA01 CA01 CB01 CB13 CC01 DB04 DC03 DD02

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A lens centering and holding device for performing suction holding and centering of a lens, comprising: a suction contact portion that contacts an outer peripheral portion of the lens; and a suction unit that suctions the lens that contacts the suction contact portion. Centering and holding means, a centering and holding arm containing the centering and holding means in a state in which the suction contact portion is slidable in the suction direction, and disposed between the centering and holding arm and the suction contact portion; And a plurality of elastic bodies for buffering an impact applied to the suction contact portion. 2. The lens centering and holding device according to claim 1, wherein the suction contact portion of the centering and holding means has a concave tapered portion that comes into contact with the outer circumference of the lens. 3. The lens core according to claim 1, wherein the suction means includes an air chamber connected to the suction contact portion, and a pressure adjusting mechanism for adjusting a pressure in the air chamber. Outer holding device.