JP2010158905A - Resin lens and method of forming resin lens - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a resin lens capable of preventing the occurrence of errors between an optical functional surface and an attaching reference surface for the surroundings by forming the optical functional surface and the attaching reference surface for the surroundings with one nesting. <P>SOLUTION: The resin lens 1 is provided with an optical functional part 2 having an optical function and a flange part 3 formed like a flange in the surroundings. The reference surface 33 to be the reference in the positioning fixation is disposed on one surface of a flange part 3. In the molding, the surface on which the reference surface 33 is formed is formed by the nesting 72 for mainly forming the optical functional part 2 and a holder for mainly forming the flange part 3. The reference surface 33 of the flange part 3 and the optical functional surface 22 which is the surface of the reference surface 33 side of the optical functional part 2 are formed with one nesting 72 and the surface of the outer peripheral side of the reference surface 33 of the flange part 3 is formed of the holder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a resin lens that is a resin lens and a method for molding the resin lens, and more particularly to a resin lens that is suitably used for an objective lens (pickup lens) of an optical pickup device for an optical disk and a method for molding the resin lens.

  In recent years, for example, a resin lens made of a thermoplastic resin has been used as an objective lens used in an optical pickup device for reading and writing of an optical disk such as a Blu-ray disc, DVD, or CD, instead of a glass mold lens. Such an objective lens is formed by injection molding, for example.

  The resin lens as the objective lens of the optical pickup device includes, for example, an optical function unit having an optical function such as a light collecting function, and a flange unit used for positioning and fixing to the optical device. And the flange part is formed in the hook shape on the outer periphery of the optical function part, for example.

  Further, since the resin lens as the objective lens is disposed close to the optical disk, for example, the resin lens is attached to the front end portion of the attachment frame (pickup holder) for attaching the objective lens of the optical pickup device. At this time, for example, the optical functional portion of the resin lens is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the mounting frame, the flange portion is disposed on the frame portion of the mounting frame, and the flange portion is fixed to the frame portion of the mounting frame by, for example, bonding. Is done.

At this time, an annular portion that contacts the mounting frame of the flange portion of the resin lens serves as a reference surface, and the resin lens is positioned by contacting the reference surface of the flange portion of the resin lens to the mounting frame. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Accordingly, when the reference surface of the resin lens is brought into contact with the corresponding receiving surface of the mounting frame, the resin lens is designed such that the position, inclination (optical axis direction), and the like of the resin lens are set.

  In addition, the injection mold has a cavity for molding a portion to be a resin lens, a sprue into which resin is injected to fill the cavity with resin, and a plurality of each provided for taking a large number from the sprue. It has a runner that supplies resin to the cavity and a gate formed between the runner and the cavity. Therefore, the molded product taken out from the injection mold is filled in the sprue, runner, gate and cavity and solidified by cooling. When the resin lens is formed, it is molded in the cavity. It is necessary to cut the gate portion formed by the gate connected to the resin lens and to separate the resin lens from the molded product. In addition, the gate part is generally provided in one place of the outer peripheral part of the resin lens, and the resin lens separated from the molded product has a cutting part in one place of the outer periphery.

This cutting part can be used as a reference for the position along the circumferential direction of the resin lens.
The resin lens basically has a circular outer edge, but a part of the circle is deformed by the cut portion.
Here, it is known that a linear portion is provided in advance so as to have a shape cut in a direction orthogonal to the radial direction at the outer edge of the resin lens, that is, the portion of the outer edge of the flange portion where the cut portion is generated. The straight portion of the flange portion is not formed when the gate portion is cut, but is formed in advance by a shape provided in a mold for forming the flange portion, and the gate portion is formed along the straight portion. Disconnect. At this time, the linear portion has a shape obtained by cutting the outer periphery of the circular resin lens with a straight line orthogonal to the radial direction, and therefore, is located on the inner side of the virtual circle along the outer periphery of the resin lens. It is possible to prevent the cut portion of the portion from protruding beyond the virtual circle along the outer periphery of the resin lens, and the cutting trace of the gate portion does not hinder the attachment of the resin lens to the optical device.

JP 2004-191948 A

  By the way, in the mold for the objective lens, at least a portion that forms the optical function part inside the flange part is nested, and is rotatable with respect to the mold. That is, in an injection mold comprising a movable mold and a fixed mold and taking out a molded product by opening the mold, at least a portion of the cavity for molding the resin lens that forms the optical functional part of the resin lens is a fixed mold and The movable mold is provided as a cylindrical insert.

  The nest is formed in a cylindrical shape so that it can be rotated, and when the circular optical functional part is formed, the nest is rotated so that the nest can be rotated to exhibit optimum optical performance. Can be adjusted. The nests are provided on both the movable mold and the fixed mold and are opposed to each other. By adjusting the rotation angle between the pair of nests, errors in the center position and Other shape errors and eccentricity and inclination of the insert that is stored in the hole of the holder with clearance so that it can be rotated in the mold may change, resulting in slight changes in the shape of the molded resin lens. This causes a difference in the optical characteristics of the resin lens. Therefore, it is possible to optimize the optical characteristics by adjusting the rotation angle of the nest.

  Further, in the resin lens composed of the optical function portion and the flange portion, at least the surface on the center side of the resin lens serving as the optical function portion is formed by the nest forming surface, and the outer peripheral side from the optical function portion of the resin lens. The flange portion to be formed is formed by a forming surface around a portion (holder) where the insert of the mold is inserted. Accordingly, the reference surface formed on the flange portion is also formed by a holder rather than a nest.

  Here, the clearance for making the insert rotatable is provided between the insert and the holder. Due to this clearance, the axial direction of the nest is slightly shifted from the axial direction of the hole into which the nest of the holder is inserted, and the nest is slightly tilted (tilted state). The slight inclination direction of the nest changes by rotating the nest. Thereby, the surface shape of the optical function part formed on the forming surface of the insert changes with the rotation of the insert.

On the other hand, since the holder does not rotate, the outer surface of the flange portion formed by the formation surface of the holder does not change in shape even when the insert rotates.
Therefore, between the reference surface molded by the holder and the optical function unit molded by the insert, an error at the time of mold manufacture and an error accompanying the molding are caused by the rotation of the insert. An error will be added, and the error of the angle of the optical axis of the optical function part with respect to the reference surface may become large, which becomes an obstacle to the development of a further highly accurate resin lens.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a resin lens that enables further high accuracy and has more excellent optical characteristics.

In order to achieve the above object, the resin lens according to claim 1 includes an optical function part having an optical function and a flange part formed around the optical function part, and is incorporated into an optical device. At the time of positioning and fixing at the flange portion, a reference surface serving as a reference for positioning and fixing is provided on one surface of the flange portion,
During molding, the surface on which the reference surface is formed is molded by a first mold that mainly forms an optical function part and a second mold that mainly forms a flange part,
The reference surface is formed on the inner peripheral side of the flange portion,
In addition, the reference surface of the flange portion and the optical functional surface that is the surface on the reference surface side of the optical functional portion are formed by one first mold, and the outer peripheral surface from the reference surface of the flange portion Is formed by the second mold.

In the first aspect of the present invention, since the optical function surface which is the reference surface side of the flange portion and the optical function portion is formed by one first mold, the first mold is nested. Even if it is structured to rotate, the tilt of the nesting due to the fact that the nesting can be rotated affects the reference surface and the optical functional surface at the same time, so the angle between the reference surface and the optical functional surface Does not affect. Therefore, when the first mold is a rotatable nest, an error (change) occurs in the angle of the optical functional surface with respect to the reference surface due to the inclination of the nest resulting from the rotatable nest. It is possible to prevent this and improve the accuracy of the resin lens.
Also, even if the nest is rotated, the optical axis tilt of the optical functional surface with respect to the reference plane does not change, and depending on the rotation angle of the nest when the resin lens is incorporated in the optical device based on the reference plane The optical axis direction is not shifted, and variations in the quality of the optical device can be suppressed.
In addition, there is a clearance between the first mold and the second mold, and a boundary portion between the first mold and the second mold is formed on the resin lens molded by the first mold and the second mold. In the case where burrs are generated, the portion where the burrs are generated is lower than the reference plane. If the amount of protrusion of the burr is short due to the difference in height between this reference surface and the boundary where burr occurs, it will not interfere with the contact of the reference surface with the receiving surface of the mounting frame, and the mounting accuracy of the resin lens will be affected. It will not be given.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in accuracy when the reference surface is brought into contact with the receiving surface of the mounting frame, and it is also possible to prevent an increase in cost due to an increase in the manufacturing process of the resin lens since it is not necessary to remove burrs.

The resin lens according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The flange portion is formed in a substantially circular shape, and is provided with a linear portion in which a part of the outer periphery of the circle is linearly formed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the radial direction corresponding to a portion to be cut off after molding,
The radius of the outer periphery of the reference surface is shorter than the radial distance from the center of the optical function portion to the straight portion.

By providing the straight line portion, it is possible to prevent the cut marks of the gate from interfering with the attachment of the resin lens to the optical device as described above.
Here, in order to prevent the inclination of the optical functional surface with respect to the reference surface, it is conceivable to form the entire optical functional portion and the surface on the reference surface side of the flange portion with one nest, but in this case In addition, it becomes difficult to form a linear shape in advance at the gate cutting portion of the flange portion. That is, if the outer edge of the flange portion is formed with a single insert, and a straight portion is provided on the circular outer edge of the flange portion, the forming surface of the first mold to be inserted is not circular. , You will not be able to rotate the nesting.

Therefore, if the outer diameter of the reference surface formed by the first mold is made shorter than the distance from the center of the optical function portion to the straight line portion in the radial direction, the first edge is extended to the outer edge portion of the reference surface. By forming with a mold, the forming surface of the first mold to be nested can be circular. That is, the shape does not change even when rotated.
And the linear part of the outer edge of a flange part will be shape | molded with the 2nd metal mold | die as a holder which does not rotate, and the 1st metal mold | die which has a linear part in the outer edge of the flange part of a resin lens, and becomes a nesting It is possible to form the reference surface and the optical functional surface integrally with the first mold without any problem even if the lens is rotated.

Further, the resin lens according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
When the distance along the optical axis direction from a predetermined reference plane perpendicular to the optical axis and within the thickness is the height,
The boundary between the portion formed by the first mold and the portion formed by the second mold is arranged on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface,
The portion including the boundary on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface is lower than the reference surface.

In the invention according to claim 3, there is a clearance between the first mold and the second mold, and the first mold is attached to the resin lens molded by the first mold and the second mold. When a burr | flash generate | occur | produces in the boundary part with a 2nd metal mold | die, the generation | occurrence | production part of a burr | flash is lower than a reference plane. If the amount of protrusion of the burr is shorter than the difference in height between the reference surface and the boundary where burr occurs, it will not interfere with the contact of the reference surface with the receiving surface of the mounting frame, and the mounting accuracy of the resin lens will be affected. It will not be given.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in accuracy when the reference surface is brought into contact with the receiving surface of the mounting frame, and it is also possible to prevent an increase in cost due to an increase in the manufacturing process of the resin lens since it is not necessary to remove burrs.

The resin lens according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3,
The height difference between the reference surface and the portion including the boundary which is lower than the reference surface on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface is caused in the optical axis direction by the resin entering the clearance between the first mold and the second mold. It is characterized in that it is longer than the protruding length along the optical axis direction of the burr formed protruding along.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the difference in height between the reference surface and the boundary portion is a burr formed by protruding along the optical axis direction by the resin entering the clearance between the first mold and the second mold. Since it is longer than the protruding length along the optical axis direction, the burr does not protrude higher than the reference surface, and when fixing the resin lens to the mounting frame of the optical device, the burr is not in contact with the receiving surface. It will not get in the way.

  Note that the height of the burr can be obtained, for example, experimentally using a mold having the same nested structure. Also, in advance, experimentally determine how the burr length changes due to the clearance between the insert and the holder and other factors, create an empirical formula based on the experiment, The burr height may be estimated based on the above.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resin lens molding method comprising: an optical function portion having an optical function; and a flange portion formed around the optical function portion; And a molding method of a resin lens in which a reference surface serving as a reference for positioning and fixing is provided on one surface of the flange portion.
While forming the reference surface on the inner peripheral side of the flange portion,
When molding the resin lens, a surface on the side where the reference surface is formed is a first mold that mainly forms an optical function portion and is rotatable around a rotation center along the optical axis of the resin lens. The second mold having a circular hole that mainly forms a flange portion and rotatably holds the first mold,
The reference surface of the flange portion and the optical functional surface that is the surface on the reference surface side of the optical function portion are molded with one first mold, and the surface on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface of the flange portion is It is characterized by molding with two molds.

  In the invention described in claim 5, the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 can be obtained.

According to the present invention, there is provided a mold for forming an optical function portion having an optical function, and a flange portion provided around the optical function portion in order to attach the optical function portion to the optical device. In a resin lens having a reference surface for positioning at the time of attachment to the flange portion, the reference surface and the optical function surface on the reference surface side of the optical function portion can be formed by an integrated first mold. Thus, when the first mold is a rotatable nest, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring in the tilt of the optical function unit with respect to the reference surface due to the tilt of the nest.
Further, at this time, the reference surface side of the optical function portion and the flange portion is not formed entirely by the first mold, but the reference surface is inside the outermost peripheral portion of the flange portion and the outer edge of the flange portion. By making the inner side of the straight line portion provided in the portion, the portion forming the optical functional surface and the reference surface can be made circular and rotatable. This makes it possible to hold the nest in a rotatable state.

It is sectional drawing which shows the molded article containing the resin lens at the time of shape | molding the resin lens which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1A shows a resin lens portion surrounded by a circle in FIG. 1 and a part of a mold insert for molding the resin lens. FIG. It is a rear view. It is the (a) principal part front view, (b) principal part side view, and (c) principal part rear view which show the said resin lens and some inserts of the metal mold | die which shape | molds the said resin lens. (A) Side view showing the resin lens and a part of a mold insert for molding the resin lens, (b) Enlarged views (c) and (a) of a part surrounded by a circle in (a) It is an enlarged view except the nesting of the part enclosed by the circle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a molded product that is a resin lens of the present embodiment will be described. FIGS. 1 to 2 (a), 2 (b), and 2 (c) show a molded article including the resin lens of this example, and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show the resin lens and injection mold of this example. 4 (a), (b), and (c) are drawings for explaining burrs in the resin lens of this example.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the resin lens 1 of this example is formed by injection molding, and a plurality of resin lenses 1 are obtained from one molded product 10 (for example, four 8).
In the injection mold, the molded product 10 has a sprue from which resin is injected to guide the resin (for example, a thermoplastic resin) to the cavity in which the resin lens 1 is molded. The runner for branching and dispersing and guiding the resin to each cavity and the gate between the runner and the cavity are molded. Therefore, the molded product 10 includes a sprue portion 1a formed by a sprue, a runner portion 1b formed by a runner, a gate portion 1c formed by a gate, and a resin lens 1 formed by a cavity and molded. Yes.

  The injection mold includes a fixed mold and a movable mold, and at the time of molding, the part filled with the resin that becomes the molded product 10 is sealed in a state where the fixed mold and the movable mold are attached together. When the molded article 10 is solidified to some extent after being cooled after the resin is filled, the movable mold is moved away from the fixed mold to open the mold, thereby opening the portion filled with the resin. Will be taken out. At this time, the molded product 10 is generally released from the fixed mold of the opened fixed mold and the movable mold, and is held in the movable mold.

Therefore, the molded product 10 has a shape that is easier to release from the fixed mold than the movable mold when the fixed mold and the movable mold are compared.
In other words, the shape is likely to remain in the movable mold, and as one of them, the runner lock 1d is formed in the runner portion 1b, and the runner portion 1b remains on the movable mold side having the portion forming the runner lock 1d. It has an easy shape. In addition, the boundary part of a movable metal mold | die and a fixed metal mold | die is a part of the centerline along the axial direction of the runner part 1b in the molded article shown in FIG.

In addition, the runner lock 1d is in contact with the eject pin 81 that pushes out the molded product 10 when the molded product 10 is taken out from the movable mold as shown in FIG. 2B while the molded product is held in the movable mold. The runner lock 1d portion of the runner portion 1b is pushed out by the ejector pin 81.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the resin lens 1 is used as, for example, a pickup lens (objective lens) of an optical pickup device for a Blu-ray disc.
Here, in the description of the shape of the resin lens 1, a predetermined reference plane that is orthogonal to the optical axis and within the thickness is a plane along the parting line between the fixed mold and the movable mold in this example. And the distance along the optical axis direction from the reference plane is expressed as height. In addition, it is so high that it leaves | separates from a reference plane, and becomes low, so that it approaches. In addition, the distance from the reference surface is expressed by the height on both the first surface 12 side and the second surface 11 side, which will be described later.

A resin lens 1 as a pickup lens includes an optical function part 2 having an optical function such as a light collecting function, and a flange part 3 formed in a bowl shape around the optical function part 2.
The resin lens 1 has a second surface 11 facing the optical disc side where information is read and written, and a first surface 12 on which light from a light source is incident, each of which is a surface of the optical function unit 2. Optical function surfaces 21 and 22 to be and flange surfaces 31 and 32 to be surfaces of the flange portion 3.
That is, the second surface 11 has an optical functional surface 21 at its center and an outer peripheral portion thereof as a flange surface 31, and the first surface 12 has an optical functional surface 22 at its central portion and its outer periphery. The part is a flange surface 32.

  The optical functional surface 21 on the second surface 11 side of the optical functional unit 2 is disposed in the vicinity of the optical disc, and has a gently curved shape. At least a part of the flange surface 31 on the second surface 11 side of the flange portion 3 is higher than the optical function surface 21 on the same second surface 11 side, and the flange portion 3 has an optical function. The part 2 protrudes toward the optical disc side from the part 2.

In this example, a mirror surface portion 41 and a mark 37 are provided on the flange surface 31 of the flange portion 3 of the second surface 11 of the resin lens 1 facing the optical disk side.
Since the flange surface 31 faces the optical disc side, the mark 37 is exposed so that the resin lens 1 can be recognized even when the resin lens 1 is attached to the attachment frame of the optical pickup device, and the resin lens 1 is installed and fixed to the attachment frame. At this time, the mirror surface portion 41 is irradiated with light, and the reflected light is recognized from the mirror surface portion 41 by a predetermined sensor, whereby the inclination of the resin lens 1 on the mounting frame can be measured.
The mark 37 is provided on the mirror surface portion 41 and makes it possible to specify the mold used for manufacturing the resin lens 1 and the cavity in the mold.

On the first surface 12 side of the resin lens 1, the optical functional surface 22 of the optical functional unit 2 is curved and has a shape protruding greatly to the side irradiated with the laser of the light source (opposite side of the optical disk). ing.
The resin lens 1 is attached to the optical pickup device. The attachment position of the resin lens 1 is a position closest to the optical disk in the optical pickup device, and the resin lens 1 is flanged to the attachment frame (pickup holder). The part 3 is in a fixed state. At this time, the flange surface 32 of the flange portion 3 on the first surface 12 side of the resin lens 1 is brought into contact with the front end surface of the mounting frame, and is fixed by adhesion, for example. And the optical function part 2 respond | corresponds to the internal space of an attachment frame, and light can pass through.

  The flange surface 32 has a reference surface 33 provided continuously on the outer peripheral side of the optical function surface 22. The reference surface 33 basically excludes the outermost peripheral portion 34 of the flange surface 32. Note that the outermost peripheral portion of the flange portion 3 has a substantially circular outermost peripheral portion at a portion where the gate portion 1c is cut, and a straight portion 36 that is not a circular arc but a straight line. The straight portion has a shape obtained by cutting the outer periphery of the circle so as to be orthogonal to the radial direction of the resin lens 1.

Since the gate portion 1 c is cut along the straight portion 36, the outer periphery of the resin lens 1 is circular except for the straight portion 36 by setting the cut surface of the gate portion 1 c along the straight portion 36. Even if it exists, when the gate part 1c is cut in a straight line, the cut part does not protrude to the outside of the substantially circular outer periphery of the resin lens 1 (it protrudes from the straight part 36 but the straight line in the straight part 36). It does not protrude from a virtual circle along the outer periphery other than the portion 36). Moreover, the direction (position along the circumferential direction) of the resin lens 1 can be determined by the linear portion 36 including the cut portion of the gate portion 1c.
That is, the straight portion 36 can be used as a reference position of the position along the circumferential direction of the resin lens 1. In other words, the straight line portion can be regarded as a reference for the position along the circumferential direction of the resin lens 1 formed of a mold regardless of the cut portion.

In this example, the straight portion 36 is orthogonal to the radial direction of the resin lens 1. Further, the annular and belt-like reference surface 33 has a predetermined width along the radial direction of the flange portion 3, and the radius of the outer periphery thereof is the shortest distance from the center of the resin lens 1 to the straight portion 36 (radial direction). The reference surface 33 is closer to the center than the outermost peripheral portion 34 of the flange surface 32 on the reference surface 33 side of the flange portion 3 as described above, and It is on the center side from the straight line portion 36. That is, the radius of the outer periphery of the annular reference surface 33 formed by the insert 71 (first mold) is made shorter than the distance from the center of the optical function portion 2 to the straight portion 36 along the radial direction. ing.
The outer shape of the reference surface 33 is circular on the center side from the straight line portion 36.
The reference surface 33 is a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the resin lens 1.

When molding such a resin lens 1, a forming surface that basically forms the second surface 11 side of the resin lens 1 is formed on the fixed mold side, and the first surface 12 side of the resin lens is formed on the movable mold side. A forming surface to be molded is formed, and the cavity of the injection mold is constituted by these two forming surfaces.
Then, basically, the optical functional surface 21 on the second surface 11 side of the resin lens 1 is molded by a cylindrical insert 71 provided in the fixed mold. Further, the optical functional surface 22 on the first surface 12 side of the resin lens 1 is molded by a cylindrical insert 72 (first mold) provided in the movable mold. In addition, in FIG.2 (b), the part of the nests 71 and 72 was shown in hatching. 2 (a) and 2 (c), the portion formed by the forming surface of the insert 71 or the insert 72 of the resin lens 1 is shown by hatching.

On the second surface 11 side of the resin lens 1, the optical functional surface 21 is formed by the insert 71, and the surrounding flange surface 31 is a mold that serves as a holder having a hole for inserting the insert 71. It is formed of parts.
On the other hand, on the first surface 12 side of the resin lens 1, in addition to the optical function surface 22, the reference surface 33 on the inner peripheral side of the peripheral flange surface 32 and the portion slightly on the outer periphery thereof are nested. 72 is formed. Therefore, the optical functional surface 22 and the reference surface 33 are formed by the insert 72 that is an integral mold.

In addition, since the outer shape of the reference surface 33 is circular as described above, the insert 72 (first mold) is also formed in a cylindrical shape having a circular forming surface corresponding to the outer shape of the reference surface 33. It can be rotated in the (second mold).
In addition, the outermost peripheral portion 34 further on the outer peripheral side than the portion slightly outer peripheral than the reference surface 33 of the flange surface 32 is a mold portion (second mold) serving as a holder having a hole for inserting the insert 72. It is supposed to be formed. In addition, since it is not necessary to rotate the metal mold | die part used as a holder, it is not necessary to make it cylindrical.

Next, the burr at the time of molding in the resin lens 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.
4, (a) is a sectional view showing the resin lens 1 and the inserts 71 and 72, (b) is an enlarged view of the flange portion 3 surrounded by a circle in (a), and (c). These are the enlarged views of the flange part 3 released from the inserts 71 and 72. FIG.
The height of the reference surface 33 and the height of the surface on the reference surface 33 side of the outermost peripheral portion 34 are different. The reference surface 33 is higher and the outermost peripheral portion 34 is lower than the reference surface. A step 38 is formed between them. The step 38 is a concept including a slope.

  The step 38 is formed over the entire circumference of the flange surface 32. The boundary 40 between the portion molded by the insert 72 and the portion molded by the holder is slightly outside the step 38. Accordingly, the step 38 is formed by the insert 72.

  A slight clearance is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the holder and the outer peripheral surface of the insert 72 so that the insert 72 can rotate. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the cavity is filled with resin, the resin enters the clearance at a portion that becomes a boundary 40 between the portion molded by the insert 72 and the portion molded by the holder. As a result, a burr 39 is generated in this portion of the resin lens 1.

The amount of protrusion of the burr 39 along the optical axis direction is shorter than the height difference between the reference surface 33 side which is the inner peripheral side of the step 38 and the outermost peripheral portion 34. It becomes lower than the reference surface 33 on the upper side.
Therefore, the burr 39 does not come into contact with the receiving surface when the reference surface 33 is brought into contact with the receiving surface of the mounting frame of the optical pickup device.
In this example, the protruding amount of the burr 39 can be suppressed to, for example, 0.03 mm or less depending on the manufacturing conditions such as the clearance setting amount, the resin composition, and the temperature of the injected resin. For example, the step may be 0.04 mm. These numerical values are merely examples, and it is sufficient that the step is longer than the protrusion amount of the burr 39.

A step corresponding to the boundary 40 is also formed with a step that becomes lower on the outer side in the radial direction.
Here, the nest 72 and the holder are in contact with each other at the boundary 40. Even when the design is such that no step is provided at this portion, manufacturing errors of the nest 72 and the holder, errors in assembling these, and the like. May cause a step. Here, if the part on the outer peripheral side becomes higher than the boundary 40 of the outermost peripheral part 34 formed by the holder, the difference in height between the reference surface 33 and the part on the outer peripheral side from the boundary 40 of the outermost peripheral part 34 becomes smaller. End up. Here, when the boundary 40 has a step, the burr 39 generated at the boundary 40 is higher than the side above the step, and the height between the reference surface 33 and the outer peripheral portion of the outermost peripheral portion 34 is higher or lower. If the difference becomes smaller, the burr 39 may become higher than the reference surface 33.

  Therefore, in advance, at the boundary 40, the first surface 12 (flange surface 32) of the resin lens 1 is formed such that the side formed by the insert 72 is higher than the boundary 40, and the side formed by the holder is formed lower than the boundary. If the positions of the forming surface of the nest 72 and the forming surface of the holder are set, even if the placement of the forming surface of the nest 72 and the forming surface of the holder is shifted due to an error or the like, the reference surface 33 and the boundary 40 It is possible to prevent the height difference from the outer surface from becoming narrower than the height difference in the step 38. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the burr 39 from becoming higher than the reference surface 33.

  Basically, the height positions of the formation surfaces of the holder and the nest 72 can be adjusted. By setting the step of the boundary 40 in advance, the step of the boundary 40 can be adjusted in advance. In the case of the length of the minute, even if the insert 72 is moved with respect to the holder in the direction in which the insert 72 protrudes forward with respect to the holder, there arises a problem that the burr 39 as described above becomes higher than the reference surface 33. As a result, there is no need to adjust the movement of the nest 72 forward along the axial direction.

Such a resin lens 1 is molded by an injection mold composed of a movable mold and a fixed mold as described above, and the second surface 11 side of the optical function part 2 is a nest 71. And the first surface 12 side is molded by the nest 72. Further, on the first surface 12 side having the reference surface 33, not only the optical function surface 22 of the optical function portion 2 but also the outer surface of the flange surface 32 from the reference surface 33 by the insert 72, and further slightly from the step 38. To the outer boundary 40.
In addition, the outermost peripheral portion 34 from the boundary 40 slightly outside the step 38 to the outer edge of the flange surface 32 is formed by a holder that is a mold portion outside the insert 72. In addition, since the linear part 36 formed in the outer edge of the flange part 3 is formed in the holder side, the part formed with the insert 72 is circular.

As described above, since the reference surface 33 and the optical functional surface 22 are formed by the formation surface of one nesting 72, only the optical functional surface 22 is formed by the nesting 72 as in the prior art, and the reference surface 33 is formed. As in the case of forming with a holder, the clearance between the insert 72 and the holder causes an error between the direction of the optical functional surface 22 and the direction of the reference surface 33 due to the tilt of the insert 72 slightly. Can be prevented, and the accuracy of the resin lens 1 can be improved.
In addition, the resin lens 1 has a straight portion 36 corresponding to the cut portion of the gate portion 1c at the outermost portion, but the reference surface 33 is a circle whose outer shape is circular on the center side of the straight portion 36. Since the ring is formed in a ring shape, the forming surface of the nest 72 is circular, and the rotation of the nest 72 can be accommodated.
Further, a step 38 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the flange surface 32 that becomes the boundary portion between the insert 72 and the holder, and the boundary 40 of the flange surface 32 corresponding to the boundary portion between the insert 72 and the holder is the reference plane. By making it lower than 33, the burr 39 formed by the resin that enters the clearance between the insert 72 and the holder can be made lower than the reference surface 33. Thereby, even if the burr 39 is not removed, the burr 39 does not get in the way when the reference surface 33 is brought into contact with the receiving surface of the mounting frame to which the resin lens 1 is mounted.

1 resin lens 11 second surface 12 first surface (one surface)
2 Optical functional part 21 Optical functional surface 22 Optical functional surface 3 Flange part 31 Flange surface 32 Flange surface 33 Reference surface 34 Outermost peripheral part 36 Straight line part 38 Step 39 Burr 71 Nest (first mold)

Claims (5)

An optical functional part having an optical function and a flange part formed around the optical functional part are positioned and fixed at the flange part when incorporated into the optical device, and positioned on one surface of the flange part A reference plane is provided as a reference for fixing,
During molding, the surface on which the reference surface is formed is molded by a first mold that mainly forms an optical function part and a second mold that mainly forms a flange part,
The reference surface is formed on the inner peripheral side of the flange portion,
In addition, the reference surface of the flange portion and the optical functional surface that is the surface on the reference surface side of the optical function portion are molded by one first mold, and the outer peripheral surface from the reference surface of the flange portion. Is molded with a second mold. The flange portion is formed in a substantially circular shape, and is provided with a linear portion in which a part of the outer periphery of the circle is linearly formed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the radial direction corresponding to a portion to be cut off after molding,
2. The resin lens according to claim 1, wherein a radius of an outer periphery of the reference surface is shorter than a radial distance from a center of the optical function portion to a straight portion. When the distance along the optical axis direction from a predetermined reference plane perpendicular to the optical axis and within the thickness is the height,
The boundary between the portion formed by the first mold and the portion formed by the second mold is arranged on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface,
3. The resin lens according to claim 1, wherein a portion including the boundary on an outer peripheral side from the reference surface is lower than the reference surface.   The height difference between the reference surface and the portion including the boundary which is lower than the reference surface on the outer peripheral side from the reference surface is caused in the optical axis direction by the resin entering the clearance between the first mold and the second mold. The resin lens according to claim 3, wherein the resin lens is longer than a protruding length along an optical axis direction of a burr formed so as to protrude along the optical axis. An optical functional part having an optical function and a flange part formed around the optical functional part are positioned and fixed at the flange part when assembled into the optical device, and positioned on one surface of the flange part A method of molding a resin lens provided with a reference surface serving as a reference for fixing,
While forming the reference surface on the inner peripheral side of the flange portion,
When molding the resin lens, a surface on the side where the reference surface is formed is a first mold that mainly forms an optical function portion and is rotatable around a rotation center along the optical axis of the resin lens. The second mold having a circular hole that mainly forms a flange portion and rotatably holds the first mold,
The reference surface of the flange portion and the optical functional surface that is the surface of the optical function portion on the reference surface side are molded with one first mold, and the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion is changed to the first surface. A molding method for a resin lens, comprising molding with two molds.

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