JP2003103538A - Ophthalmic lens separation method and separation device used therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ophthalmic lens separation method for separating a lens completed product from an ophthalmic lens holding member made of a resin to which the inner surface of the lens adheres in an ophthalmic lens manufacturing process, and a separation device used therein. SOLUTION: In the ophthalmic lens separation method and the separation device used therein, the lens is peeled over two stages when it is separated from the lens holding member and the lens can be detached from the lens holding member in an extremely easy manner. Therefore, a work time is sharply shortened as compared with a conventional separation method and the automation of a lens manufacturing line is advantageously achieved. Furthermore, since no external force acts on the lens to be separated directly, there is no effect exerted on physical properties, optical characteristics or the like and the production of the lens in a high acceptable product ratio can be realized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens separation method for removing an ophthalmic lens from an ophthalmic lens inner surface which is in a state of being adhered or adhered to a resin ophthalmic lens holding member in a manufacturing process of an ophthalmic lens. And its equipment.

Further, according to the present invention, when the outer surface of the lens material whose inner surface is completed in the manufacturing process of the ophthalmic lens is finished by cutting, the inner surface of the ophthalmic lens material is made of resin. In a state of being adhered to, cutting, and a method for separating the lens finished product from the lens holding member, and an apparatus therefor, in particular, after accurately processing a material having optical properties such as a contact lens, The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating a lens from the holding member without causing optical distortion or scratches.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an ophthalmic lens or an ophthalmic lens in which the resin-made ophthalmic lens holding member polymerizes a raw material monomer in a space substantially sealed between a convex type and a concave type. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for separating a convex mold used for molding a lens blank having a size capable of giving a lens from a finished lens product.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a method for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens, a molten resin is injection-molded in a mold which forms a space corresponding to the lens shape, or a lens space is formed by a resin mold. There are a method of pouring a polymerizable monomer therein to polymerize a lens, and a method of cutting an ophthalmic lens material into a desired shape.

The method of directly molding the final product into the shape of an ophthalmic lens in the mold and the method of polymerizing the polymerizable monomer in the resin mold enable the mass production because the manufacturing process can be simplified. However, in order to manufacture lenses having various standards, molds and molds corresponding to them are required, and there is a problem in maintenance and management. On the other hand, the method of cutting an ophthalmic lens material into a lens by cutting requires a larger number of steps than the case of using the above-mentioned mold or mold, and thus is slightly inferior in terms of mass production. It is convenient for producing a wide variety of lenses with different specifications.

In recent years, in the ophthalmic lenses, the market for contact lenses of the type that is frequently and periodically replaced is expanding, and it is necessary to supply a large amount as the demand increases. Such a lens is a soft hydrogel contact lens and is usually produced by the method using the above-mentioned mold / mold. However, since this production method requires maintenance of molds that meet a large number of standards as described above, it cannot be said that this method is necessarily the most suitable method for companies with a small market share. Also,
How to separate the finished lens from the mold efficiently and without affecting the physical properties of the lens has a direct effect on the lens yield rate, manufacturing cost, etc. A device is needed.

A method for peeling the lens from the mold after the polymerization of the mold is described in, for example, JP-A-7-3292.
No. 04 has a finger for restraining a flange portion of a mold and a separating finger arranged to face the flange, and a device for rotating the separating finger with respect to the restraining finger to separate the mold is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-99370. No. 9-174706 discloses a method in which the temperature difference between the mold and the lens material is applied to the mold and constrained to a mold similar to the above, and rotational force is applied to separate the infrared energy, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-71623 discloses a device and method for projecting steam or uniform light energy, which includes a heating probe for conducting and heating a mold, wherein heat generates a temperature gradient between the mold and a lens, By utilizing the difference in expansion coefficient between the lens and the mold due to the temperature gradient, the adhesion between them is weakened, and a device for separating the mold while leaving the lens on the front mold is opened. It is. These methods are
The process of attaching the lens to the mold on one side (particularly the concave mold) and opening the mold is disclosed. Then, the remaining mold and lens are separated by pouring the mold and the lens into water while they are still attached to swell and separate the lens. However, it takes time to swell the lens in water with one surface attached to the mold, and this time consumption is inconvenient in the case of mass-producing lenses.

On the other hand, a single-sided cutting method in which the above-mentioned cutting method and the molding method are mixed has been proposed. In this method, one surface of the lens is formed by transfer from a mold, and the other surface is completed by cutting. In general, soft hydrogel contact lenses have a soft material, so that the comfort of wearing to different eyes of many patients is deteriorated without preparing a lens having a multi-standard inner curvature unlike hard contact lenses. It suffices to prepare a lens that fits flexibly without causing it and has an internal curvature of almost one or two kinds of standards. Therefore, the single-sided cutting method is required to shorten the processing process by transferring the inner surface of the lens from the mold and finish the outer surface of the lens by cutting so that it can be applied to patients who need different corrected visual acuity. This is a method for achieving both mass production of lenses and reduction of manufacturing cost by reducing the standard of (1) as much as possible to facilitate the manufacturing cost and maintenance of the mold itself.

In the single-sided cutting method, since the inner surface of the lens is already completed by molding, it is sufficient to cut the outer surface side. At that time, if you remove it from the mold and cut it, the surface fixed to the cutting machine will be the inner surface of the lens, so the optical surface finished with the mold will be damaged or you will lose the pressing force of the cutting tool during processing. Since it cannot be finished, the outer surface is usually processed while it is still attached to the mold forming the inner surface. Then, the thickness of the lens can be reduced. However, while the adhesive strength between the inner surface mold and the lens material requires an adhesive force sufficient to counteract the external force received during the cutting, on the other hand, the inner surface mold and the lens can be easily separated after processing. The characteristics to do are required. In other words, it is necessary that the lens material and the mold are adhered to each other with an appropriate adhesive strength, and there is a demand for a method that can be easily separated from the mold without damaging the finished lens. .

A conventional technique proposed as a method for separating a lens processed by a single-sided cutting method from a mold is, for example, a mold disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-320699 and a lens as it is attached in hot water. There is a method of charging and separating, and a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-162555 and a method of charging and separating the mold and the as-attached lens in a hydrophilic organic solvent. Although these methods are good in that they can be separated without damaging the lens, the separated lens is suspended in the liquid and how this can be done in subsequent steps (eg, inspection, packaging in distribution cases). , Sterilization, etc.), there is still a problem, and when considering a series of lens manufacturing processes, a proposal of a more efficient lens separation method that can be incorporated into an automatic production line, for example, is proposed. It is desired.

Further, the above mainly describes the method of manufacturing a soft contact lens. Hard contact lenses can be easily rinsed with tap water as compared with soft contact lenses, and lens care is easy. It still occupies a certain percentage in the contact lens market due to its excellent correction ability, and each contact lens manufacturer competes with each other by supplying lenses with higher oxygen permeability. Under such circumstances, inevitably the hard lens material will use expensive monomers, and how to reduce the manufacturing cost is an important issue. It is very difficult to manufacture a hard lens by a molding method like a soft lens. Not only is it necessary to use a multi-standard mold for the curvature on the outer surface side, but it is not possible to manufacture lenses for many patients unless the curvature on the inner surface side is also multi-standard. This is because many standards of molds are required, and the cost will be extremely high just by maintaining the molds. Therefore,
The hard lens is generally manufactured by cutting a rod-shaped or block-shaped lens material by a cutting method. This manufacturing method, one surface of the lens, usually after forming a concave surface, when forming the other convex surface, the lens concave surface and the attachment processing jig for adhesion to a predetermined cutting machine is bonded with an adhesive, Cutting the convex side of the lens in the bonded state,
After that, the lens is removed from the processing jig. In the process of removing this lens, you have to wait several minutes to several hours for the adhesive to melt by immersing it in an appropriate liquid that melts the adhesive so as not to affect the lens material The production efficiency was low. Moreover, such a method has the same problem as that described for the soft lens (the lens floats in the liquid and requires a work to collect it, and the workability is poor, which adversely affects the production efficiency). have. Therefore, as a separation method that does not use a solution, for example, JP-A-11-2400
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 30-35 proposes a device and a method for removing the adhesive from the processing jig by applying an external force inward in the radial direction. However, according to this method, a certain amount of space (a space corresponding to the width of the pinching member due to the action of external force) is required between the lens and the processing jig, so extra adhesive is required. There is also a problem that it becomes difficult to accurately fix the position of the lens with respect to the jig when fixing with an adhesive when there is such a gap between the lens and the processing jig, Even in the case of hard lenses, there is a need for a method or device for removing the lens from the processing jig in a simple manner.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to quickly separate a lens from a resin-made eye lens holding member that adheres or adheres to the eye lens. An object of the present invention is to provide a separation method and a separation device that can be used.

Further, the present invention mainly relates to a method of separating a resin mold used as a lens inner surface mold and a lens in manufacturing a soft lens as an ophthalmic lens holding member, and in a hard lens, a lens inner surface. And a method for separating a processing jig and an adhesive lens, which are adhered by an adhesive, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus used for these methods.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by having the following constitution. That is, a convex surface having a curvature forming the inner surface of the ophthalmic lens or a convex surface having substantially the same curvature as the inner surface of the ophthalmic lens, a concave surface formed spherically on the back side of the convex surface, and extending from the peripheral edge of the convex surface in the outer peripheral direction. A resin-made ophthalmic lens holding member having a formed flange, wherein (a) a step of fixing the flange of the holding member when removing the ophthalmic lens held on the convex surface of the holding member; (b) the holding member With respect to the concave surface of, the cylinder having an outer diameter of 40 to 100% of the diameter of the ophthalmic lens is contacted concentrically with the concave surface and exerts a pressing force on the holding member, so that the peripheral portion of the held ophthalmic lens is And (c) releasing the pressing force to further apply pressing force to four points on an arbitrary circumference of the concave surface to separate the ophthalmic lens from the holding member. From the holding member of the ophthalmic lens characterized by It is a separation method.

In such a method, by forcibly deforming the resin-made eye lens holding member to which the eye lens is attached, the shape holding force of the lens material based on the elasticity or rigidity of the lens holds the lens. A peeling force acts between the convex surface of the member and the inner surface of the lens. First, only the peripheral portion of the lens is peeled off in the step (b), and the entire inner surface of the lens is separated from the holding member in the step (c). Become.

One of the major features of the present invention is that it has a two-step stripping process as described above. That is,
In the first stage, the lens peripheral part is separated from the holding member,
At this time, a certain uniform pressing force is applied to the hemispherical concave portion on the back side of the convex surface of the holding member. This is because a part of the attraction force between the lens and the holding member forms a trigger for peeling, and by sending air between the lens and the holding member, the vacuum attraction force between them is eliminated and the lens easily peels off. To prevent the adverse effects of forcibly peeling off the lens by one external force (for example, causing distortion in the optical characteristics of the lens, lens loss, cracking, breaking, etc.), By deforming the holding member unevenly in the second stage, the lens is completely peeled off. By adopting such a multi-step separation method, a gentle separation can be achieved without applying a direct external force to the lens and without applying a large pressure to the lens.

Therefore, according to this method, the lens can be quickly and surely separated from the ophthalmic lens holding member, and the working time can be shortened and the production efficiency can be improved.

Since the conventional separation method is carried out by putting the holding member into the liquid, the lens to be separated floats in the liquid, and it is not easy to capture the lens. However, according to the separation method of the present invention, the positional relationship of not only the holding member but also the lens to be separated is clear, and the separated lens can be adsorbed and captured appropriately. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the separated lens from being released to an unspecified place, and to further automate the lens manufacturing line.

The resin eye lens holding member of the present invention is a mold for forming the inner surface of the lens used in the mold polymerization method or the one-sided cutting method, and is also a jig for lens processing used in the ordinary cutting method. When used as a mold, the adhesion between the lens and the mold (holding member) is adsorption due to the compatibility between the lens material and the resin, and therefore is appropriately selected according to the lens-forming monomer used. As a selection criterion in that case, the mold resin must not be affected by the monomer (since an appropriate optical surface cannot be obtained), especially in the single-sided cutting method, the lens material is easily separated. It is also not possible (because there must be an adhesive force that can resist the external force when cutting the lens from the mold and the lens before separation). Even if the adhesive force with the lens material is strong, it can be easily separated from the mold by the separation method of the present invention if the molding resin is not affected by the monomer. In that sense, the method of the present invention is particularly suitable for the single-sided cutting method. I think that the. In addition, when a monomer mixture is polymerized into a lens, whether it is thermal polymerization or photopolymerization such as ultraviolet ray is also taken into consideration as a resin selection criterion.

On the other hand, in the case of the jig for lens processing by the cutting method, since an adhesive is used between the lens material and the jig, a resin that can maintain an appropriate adhesive force between them is used. To be selected. It goes without saying that the lens material must not be affected by the adhesive used and that it must have an appropriate adhesive force with the adhesive. The difference from the case is that there is no special problem even if the processing jig is slightly affected by the adhesive. Rather, if the processing jig is to be disposable, it is desirable from the viewpoint of work efficiency that the adhesive is firmly adhered so that the adhesive always remains on the processing jig when the lens is separated. Of course, if you can reuse the processing jig after simple processing,
Such handling is acceptable. In short, if it can be separated so that no adhesive remains on the lens side, it can be introduced into an automatic production line. As the adhesive, any of conventionally used deoxime type adhesives, ultraviolet curable type adhesives and the like can be adopted.

In each case of use as a mold and as a processing jig, the best one is selected in combination with the lens material or the adhesive used respectively. When molding this as either a molding resin or a processing jig, these molds are generally formed by injection molding or thermocompression molding, and the resin used for the mold is
It is composed of a thermoplastic material appropriately selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, propylene copolymer, polystyrene, nylon and the like so as to be inexpensive and easy to handle.

Since the scope of application of the method of the present invention is to separate from the member holding the ophthalmic lens material on the convex surface by utilizing the shape retention force based on the rigidity of the ophthalmic lens material, It is limited to a lens that is in a rigid state at the time of separation. For example, in a method of mold-polymerizing a soft contact lens, a solvent that does not participate in the polymerization is added to the monomer mixture in order to prevent the volumetric shrinkage accompanying the polymerization of the monomer mixture of the lens material and obtain a lens having a desired shape. And In such a case, since the product formed by molding contains a solvent and is flexible, even if the mold that is the holding member is slightly deformed, the lens deforms following it, so the present invention is applied. Can not be easily separated. Therefore, it is necessary that the ophthalmic lens held as described above be in a hard state at the time of separation. As an application example of the present invention, as described above, a soft lens material by a mold polymerization method (which does not add a solvent that does not participate in polymerization called a dry mold) or a single-sided cutting method, or a hard lens material by a cutting method or It is preferably applied to a method of manufacturing a soft lens material.

On the other hand, the separating apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by having the following constitution. The resin ophthalmic lens holding member has a flange extending in the outer circumferential direction from the outer circumferential edge of the convex surface, (a) first means for fixing the flange of the holding member, and (b) the holding member. Cylindrical second means having an outer diameter of 40 to 100% of the ophthalmic lens diameter, which is in contact with the concave surface concentrically with the concave surface and exerts a pressing force on the holding member, (c) second means After the release, the third means of the quadrangular prism which further applies a pressing force to four places on the circumference of the concave surface, (d) the eye lens holding member by sucking or adsorbing the eye lens from the holding member And a fourth means for capturing the ophthalmic lens separated from the device for separating the ophthalmic lens from the ophthalmic lens holding member.

In such a device of the present invention, a two-stage pressing force is applied from the back side of the holding member to the surface to which the ophthalmic lens holding member and the lens adhere by the second and third means. It is easily separated from the ophthalmic lens holding member by the shape holding force based on the rigidity of the lens material. further,
Since the separated lens material is supported by the fourth means for adsorbing the lens material by the suction force, the lens can be transferred to the next step reliably and easily. Therefore, the introduction of this lens into the automatic manufacturing line of the lens can shorten the process time and improve the production efficiency.

According to the apparatus of the present invention, an excessive external force is not applied to the lens material when the lens material is separated or when the separated lens material is supported and captured, so that the optical properties of the lens material are affected. Therefore, physical damage and the like are sufficiently avoided, and the lens quality is advantageously maintained.

Further, in the apparatus of the present invention, the specific shape of the ophthalmic lens holding member to be applied is appropriately determined depending on the structure of the cutting apparatus to which the holding member is attached or the separating apparatus of the present invention. But
For example, it is desirable to have a disk-shaped portion called a flange that extends in the outer peripheral direction from the peripheral edge of the convex surface so as to be easily attached to the device. This flange is formed with a step from the convex surface that adheres to the lens or with a suitable thickness that extends directly in the outer peripheral direction, and acts as the point of action of the push pin when the holding member is taken out from the molding machine or when cutting. It is used when the processing device or the device of the present invention is fixed by the first means. A concave surface (hemispherical concave portion) corresponding to the convex shape is formed on the back side of the convex surface portion, and the convex surface portion of the holding member is deformed by being pressed by the second and third means of the device of the present invention. This allows the ophthalmic lens to be separated. By providing such a hemispherical concave portion on the back side of the convex surface portion, it is possible to selectively apply an external force to the portion where the convex surface of the holding member and the lens are attached or adhered. It is possible to more effectively generate the deformation that produces an effective lens peeling force.

Further, in the device of the present invention, the first means includes a conveying means for conveying the resin-made eye lens holder and conveying it to the first means, and a separated eye lens holder. And a means for receiving the ophthalmic lens from the fourth means and transporting it to the next step. Such a configuration introduces the eye lens holding member that has undergone the processing step into the separating apparatus of the present invention, and continues the eye lens after separation to the subsequent step, and automation of the production line can be advantageously achieved. Become.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the above contents with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a process chart of an embodiment according to the separation method of the present invention. In this figure, the convex mold 1 used by the mold polymerization method is illustrated as an ocular lens holding member. Ophthalmic lens holding member (convex type) 1
Is composed of a convex surface portion 3 having the same curvature as the ophthalmic lens 2, a hemispherical concave portion 4 formed on the back side of the convex surface portion 3, and a flange 5 extending outwardly around the convex surface portion 3. This eye lens 2
Is brought into close contact with the convex surface portion 3 of the holding member 1 and, after the mold on the concave surface side has already been removed in the figure (a), it is conveyed to the separation device of the present invention and the flange 5 of the holding member 1 is removed. Shows a state of being fixed by the first means 6 described later. The first means 6 sandwiches the periphery of the flange portion from above and below, and it is not necessary to fix the holding member so as not to move back and forth. As shown in the later figure (b), the flange is pressed against the first means in order to push the holding member upward from below, and as a result, it is fixed so as not to move. Second means 7 for pressing from below in the step (b)
By directly contacting the inner surface of the hemispherical concave portion 4 in a circular shape,
The holding member is pushed up from below and deforms in a direction in which the convex surface curvature becomes smaller. Further, since the inner surface curvature of the ophthalmic lens is maintained by the shape retention force based on the rigidity of the ophthalmic lens 2, the peeling force acts between the lens and the convex surface, and the peripheral portion of the lens is peeled from the holding member. . By exerting this pressing force strongly, the ophthalmic lens can be separated at one time, but then the adverse effect of forcibly releasing the mold (for example, leaving stress and distortion on the lens, affecting the lens shape and power) Problems such as the corona on the power meter not being clear) may occur. The second means 7 has a cylindrical shape as shown in the figure. The preferred diameter depends on the curvature of the hemispherical recess and the opening diameter of the recess, but basically it is desirable to use a cylinder having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the ophthalmic lens. That is, in order to exert an effective peeling force on the lens attached to the convex surface, it is most ideal to slightly press the inside of the vicinity of the boundary line where the lens and the holding member are attached. Of course, this depends on how the hemispherical concave portion is formed as described above and the size of the attached lens diameter, but separates when the convex curvature and the backside hemispherical concave curvature are made substantially equal. A normal lens can be peeled off within the range of 40 to 100% of the lens diameter. If this diameter is less than 40%, there is a risk that the lens will be forcibly peeled off before the peripheral portion is peeled off, and the lens may be adversely affected. If it exceeds 100%, peeling cannot be achieved.

FIG. 3C shows a state in which the third means 8 is pressed against the circumference of the diameter of the opening of the hemispherical recess 4 of the holding member as the second stage of peeling. The third means 8 is in the shape of a quadrangular prism, and the tip portion 9 has a curved convex shape. The points of contact between the means 8 and the holding member are basically four points on the circumference of the opening diameter of the hemispherical recess. The difference is that the contact is circular (linear) in the diagram (b), whereas the contact is dotted in the diagram (c).
This is because the holding member can be further deformed. Specifically, the action of the first step acts in the direction of decreasing the radius of curvature of the convex surface, while the action of the second step acts to bend the holding member. This is because the peripheral part of the lens for use is peeled off, and in the second step, the central part of the ophthalmic lens is peeled off, and the lens is completely separated so that the lens is not adversely affected as much as possible.

Further, FIG. 6C shows a fourth means 10 for sucking and sucking the separated lens. The fourth means is a lens 2 separated from the ophthalmic lens holding member 1.
Is a means for holding the lens material properly and without causing deformation of the lens material. This means 10 has a through passage 11 in the central portion thereof, and when the through passage sucked by a suction device (not shown) becomes negative pressure, the tip portion 12 captures and holds the ophthalmic lens. The tip portion 12 is a portion that directly contacts the lens optical surface, and is preferably formed of a flexible silicone resin or the like so as not to scratch.

The separation method shown in FIG. 1 has been described with reference to the convex mold used for the eye lens holding member in the mold polymerization method, but it is a convex mold using the eye lens holding member in the single-sided cutting method. However, the operation is almost the same for the processing jig used in the cutting method. The difference is that in the case of the processing jig, the adhesive is present between the lens 2 and the holding member convex surface 3. Other operations, effects, etc. are almost the same as those in the above-mentioned example, and therefore will be omitted.

The ophthalmic lens 2 of the present invention is obtained by polymerizing a monomer mixture, and the monomer mixture forming it may be any material as long as it exhibits the function of an optical lens and is in a hard state after polymerization. Well, for example, it is used as lens material such as styrene monomer, silicon-containing monomer, fluorine-containing monomer, N-vinylpyrrolidone, dimethylacrylamide, etc., including polyalkyl (meth) acrylate such as methyl (meth) acrylate and ethyl (meth) acrylate. It is made of a material obtained by polymerizing various common monomers as appropriate. However, it is usually a soft hydrogel lens that is manufactured by the mold polymerization method or single-sided cutting method, and each monomer is selected so as to form a material that becomes soft when water is included, while the cutting process is performed. Any material that can be cut regardless of whether it is hard or soft can be used for the method.

The resin-made eye lens holding member 1 is generally formed by injection molding or thermocompression molding regardless of whether it is a mold or a processing jig, and the resin used for the mold is
Considering the combination with monomer mixture such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, propylene copolymer, polystyrene, nylon, etc., combination with adhesive, polymerization method, curing method of adhesive, etc. It is selected appropriately.

Next, one example of the separating apparatus used in the present invention is shown in FIG. 2 as a schematic view of a main part, taking the case of the one-side cutting method as an example. The eye lens holding member 1 that has been conveyed from the processing device by, for example, the conveyor 20 in a state where the cutting process of the convex surface that is the outer surface side of the ophthalmic lens has been completed, is installed by the conveying means 21 shown in the drawing as the holding member of the separation device. It is transported to the table 30. Although not entirely shown in the drawing, the conveying means 21 has an actuating arm 23 that is driven to rotate around a rotation center axis 22, and the holding member 1 can be suction-adsorbed to the tip portion of this actuating arm. Means 24 are provided. Like the above-mentioned means 10, this means 24 is made of a material sufficiently flexible so as not to cause scratches on the lens surface, for example, a silicone resin, in order to hold and convey the outer surface of the ophthalmic lens in direct contact therewith. . As for suction, as in the case of the means 10, in order to hold the holding member 1 reliably, a negative pressure is created by suction through a through passage inside the means 24. The operating arm can also move up and down so that the holding member 1 can be accurately set in the setting groove 31 of the installation table 30.

The holding member 1 set on the installation table 30 is
It is pushed by the subsequent holding member and sequentially moves from the front side of the drawing of the installation table 30 to the back side. Although not shown, the holding member may be moved by another rod-like member that is pushed inward from the front side, or may be moved to another peeling action position by another conveying means. Good. In this way, it moves to the peeling action position of the first stage (second from the front of the drawing holding member), the flanges are fixed by the first means 6 from both sides as shown in the figure, and the convex surface portion by the second means 7 from below. The hemispherical recess on the back side of is pushed up. In this state, the peripheral part of the lens is peeled off (first step). The setting groove 31 of the installation table 30 includes a mounting portion 32 having a flat surface so that the holding member can move smoothly, and a guide portion 33 for accurately determining the position. The first means 6 slides on the upper surface of the installation base 30 and fixes it so that the flange of the holding member 1 is pressed from above. In FIG. 2, it is shown as a structure of sliding and pressing, but a structure of moving up and down to sandwich and hold the flange may be used. Here, the ophthalmic lens holding member 1 whose peripheral portion is in the peeling state further moves to the peeling action position in the second stage.

At the peeling action position of the second stage, the flange portion is fixed again by the first means 6, and the third means 8 is pressed from below. The ophthalmic lens 2 whose peripheral portion is already in the peeled state is easily separated from the holding member by the peeling operation in the second stage. At this time, the fourth means 1 from above
0 is held so as to be adsorbed on the surface of the lens 2 and is pulled up, and the process proceeds from the working process of this separator to the next process. The remaining holding member is picked up from the separation device as it is, and if it can be reused, it is discharged to the reuse treatment step. The configuration of the fourth means 10 is as described in the example of the method invention. The fourth means 10 is connected to the operating arm 43, and if necessary, the entire operating arm 43 is temporarily pulled up and rotated about the rotation center shaft 42 to move the adsorbed ophthalmic lens to the next step. Transport.

By using such a separating device, it is possible to separate the processed lens from the holding member of the ophthalmic lens quickly and surely without affecting its optical and physical properties. The lens production efficiency and the yield rate are improved.

Although the separation method and the apparatus therefor according to the present invention have been described in detail above, this is merely an example, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be understood. For example, the carry-in means and the carry-out means do not necessarily have to be provided in the device of the present invention. Alternatively, as schematically shown in FIG. 3, the carrying-in means may be entirely connected by a conveyor instead of an operating arm. In this figure, the step of the conveyor is not particularly necessary, but the holding member conveyed from the upstream by this step can be configured to push the holding member on the downstream side. Further, it is not necessary to move the ophthalmic lens holding member to perform the two-step peeling at separate positions, and move the second and third means for pressing to move the ocular lens holding member to a fixed position. It is also possible to fix with. It goes without saying that such embodiments are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0040]

As described above, according to the method and apparatus of the present invention, when the eye lens adhered to the convex mold as the eye lens holding member is separated or the inner surface of the eye lens is made of resin. By cutting the lens outer surface side in a state of being attached to the holding member of, when separating the processed lens from the holding member, by peeling in two steps, the lens can be extremely easily removed from the holding member,
Compared with the conventional separation method, the working time is greatly shortened, and automation of the lens manufacturing line can be advantageously performed. Moreover, since no direct external force acts on the separated lenses, it is possible to manufacture lenses with a high yield rate without affecting physical properties and optical characteristics.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a separation method of the present invention for each step.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of a separation device as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Lens holding member for 1 eye Two-eye lens 3 convex 4 Hemispherical recess 5 flange 6 First means 7 Second means 8 third means 9 Curved concave tip 10 Fourth means 20 conveyor 21 Transporting means 31 set groove

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takuo Kato             3-12-3 Bibijima, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi               Inside Tohma Development Center Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 4F202 AA21 AH74 CA03 CB01 CM11                       CM21

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A convex surface having a curvature forming the inner surface of the ophthalmic lens or a convex surface having substantially the same curvature as the inner surface of the ophthalmic lens, a concave surface formed spherically on the back side of the convex surface, and an outer peripheral direction from the peripheral edge of the convex surface. A resin-made ophthalmic lens holding member having a flange extended to a surface, wherein (a) fixing the flange of the holding member when removing the ophthalmic lens held on the convex surface of the holding member, (b) With respect to the concave surface of the holding member, a cylinder having an outer diameter of 40 to 100% of the diameter of the ophthalmic lens is contacted concentrically with the concave surface to exert a pressing force on the holding member, and A step of peeling the peripheral portion, (c) a step of releasing the pressing force and further applying a pressing force to four points on an arbitrary circumference of the concave surface to separate the ophthalmic lens from the holding member, A holding member for an ophthalmic lens characterized by comprising Method of separating these. 2. The resin ophthalmic lens holding member has a size capable of polymerizing a raw material monomer in a space substantially sealed between a convex mold and a concave mold to give an ophthalmic lens or an ophthalmic lens. The separation method according to claim 1, wherein the separation method is a convex surface type used when molding a lens blank having a convex shape. 3. The resin ophthalmic lens holding member is fixed by adhering the lens inner surface (concave surface) side to the holding member with an adhesive and cutting the lens outer surface (convex surface) side for processing. The separation method according to claim 1, which is a holding member to be used. 4. An apparatus for separating an ophthalmic lens from a resin ophthalmic lens holding member used in the separating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: (a) fixing a flange of the holding member. First means, (b) A cylindrical shape having an outer diameter of 40 to 100% of the ocular lens diameter, which is in contact with the concave surface of the holding member concentrically with the concave surface and exerts a pressing force on the holding member. Second means, (c) After releasing the second means, third means having a rectangular prism shape that further applies a pressing force to four places on an arbitrary circumference of the concave surface, and (d) the ophthalmic lens from the holding member. An apparatus for separating an ophthalmic lens from an ophthalmic lens holding member, comprising: a fourth means for capturing the ophthalmic lens separated from the ophthalmic lens holding member by suction or suction. 5. The separation device according to claim 4, wherein the first means fixes the holding member so as to sandwich the periphery of the flange. 6. The separation device according to claim 4, wherein the second means has a hollow cylindrical shape. 7. The separating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tip of the third means is a curved convex surface. 8. A carrying means for carrying the resin eye lens holding member and carrying it to the first means, and releasing the separated eye lens holding member from the first means,
8. The separation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a discharging means for discharging the working process out of the system, and a means for receiving the ophthalmic lens from the fourth means and transporting the ophthalmic lens to the next step.