JPH04342429A - Optical element molding system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the title system designed to easily detect and regulate eccentricity. CONSTITUTION:The objective system made up of (A) at least three parallel beam output devices 12, 13, 14 concentrically set up for detecting non-spherical axes, (B) a non-spherical axis-detecting section having optical detectors 23, 24, 25 receiving the reflected beams via splitters 16, 17, 18 from the above devices (C) parallel beam output devices 11, 127, 230, 321, 232 to observe the eccentricity of the spherical surface coaxial with the non-spherical axes detected and located opposite to said non-spherical surface, and (D) an eccentricity- measuring unit having tilt and shift regulation mechanisms comprised of detectors 22, 129, 237, 238, 239 receiving the reflected beams via splitters 15, 128, 233, 234, 235 from the devices given in (C).

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical element molding apparatus for molding optical elements by press.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of optical element molding apparatus has been equipped with first and second mold supports disposed opposite each other to support both molds, as shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-295450. A detection means is provided to maintain parallelism of the body.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In such a conventional optical element molding apparatus, since the parallelism detection mechanism is provided in the mold support, even if the parallelism between the mold supports can be detected, If the mold and the mold support are not fixed in parallel, the actual molded product will be eccentric, resulting in undesirable accuracy.

[0004] Furthermore, the detection means detects only parallelism, and no detection mechanism is provided for inclination.
Therefore, the only way to guarantee this is to correct this using the body mold, and if the mold itself is eccentric at the outer circumferential portion and the mirror surface portion, the actual molded product will also be eccentric.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical element molding apparatus that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks and can easily detect and adjust eccentricity.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an optical element molding apparatus that performs pressure molding using a mold in which at least one of the molds arranged oppositely and capable of tilting and moving in parallel is aspherical. The present invention is characterized in that an eccentricity measuring unit is provided to measure the eccentricity between the molds from the light reflected from the mold.

[0007] The eccentricity measuring unit detects the axis using at least three or more concentrically arranged parallel beams as means for detecting one aspherical axis, and in this state, the molds placed facing each other are detected by the beams. Positional deviation can be detected using a single parallel beam placed concentrically at the center.

In addition, the eccentricity measuring unit detects the axis using at least three concentrically arranged parallel beams as a means for detecting one aspherical axis, and in this state, a flat surface is formed on the outer periphery of the aspherical surface. A mold having a single parallel beam arranged at the concentric center of the beam and a parallel beam applied to the flat surface of the mold can detect positional deviations in both tilt and shift.

Furthermore, the eccentricity measuring unit detects one aspherical axis using at least three or more concentrically arranged parallel beams as means for detecting the axis, and in this state detects the other aspherical axis arranged oppositely. The spherical mold allows positional deviation to be detected by at least three or more parallel beams arranged at the concentric center of the beams.

The optical element molding apparatus of the present invention includes three or more concentrically arranged parallel beam output devices for detecting an aspherical axis, an aspherical axis detection section having a detector that receives the reflected light via a beam splitter, A tilt and shift adjustment mechanism consisting of a parallel beam output device that observes the eccentricity of the opposite spherical surface that is coaxial with the detected aspherical axis and placed opposite to it, and a detector that receives the reflected light via a beam splitter. an eccentricity measuring unit having an eccentricity measuring unit;

[0011]

[Function] In such an optical element molding apparatus, at least one of the molds is configured to enable tilt and shift adjustment, and if one side is aspherical, at least three or more of the eccentricity measuring units are The parallel beams arranged concentrically are directed at the aspherical surface through a condensing lens, and the reflected light is received by a detector to observe the positional deviation of each reflected light. Then, the tilt and shift are adjusted by a tilt and shift adjustment mechanism built into the eccentricity measurement unit so that all the reflected lights are not misaligned. By this operation, the axis of the aspherical surface is made to coincide with the concentric axis of the parallel beam of the eccentricity measuring unit.

Next, in this state, one parallel beam that is parallel to the parallel beam and is on the concentric axis of the parallel beam and is directed in the completely opposite direction is formed into an aspherical beam with a mirror in between. Apply it to the facing spherical surfaces, receive the reflected light with a detector, and while observing the positional deviation of the reflected light, tilt or shift the spherical mold, or adjust both so that the positional deviation is eliminated. . Such an action allows the eccentricity between the molds to be adjusted.

[0013]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an eccentricity measuring unit and its surroundings in Embodiment 1 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention, the upper die mounting base 1 is attached to the molding machine base 7 via the tilt adjustment screw 31 and the shift adjustment screw 32 and is adjustable in shift and tilt. , an upper die 2 having a spherical mirror surface 3 is attached. On the other hand, a mirror surface portion 4 is located at a position facing the upper mold 2.
A lower die 5 having an aspherical surface is attached to a lower die mounting pedestal 6. The lower die mounting pedestal 6 is attached to the molding machine base 7 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

Furthermore, a removable eccentricity measuring unit 8 is attached to the molding machine base 7. This eccentricity measuring unit 8 is comprised of a pedestal 9 whose shift and tilt can be adjusted and a measuring section 10, and the measuring section 10 is mounted above the pedestal 9. The measurement unit 10 is configured to emit a thin parallel beam, such as a He-Ne laser, and is composed of light sources 11, 12, 13, and 14, and the light sources 12, 13, and 14 are arranged concentrically. These light sources are provided with prisms 15, 16, 17, and 18 for separating light, respectively, on their optical axes, and the light from the light sources is incident on mirrors 19 and 20, respectively, through these prisms. The light sources 12, 13, and 14 are arranged so that their axes coincide with the centers of the optical axes emitted from the light sources 12, 13, and 14. Further, detectors 22, 23, 24 and 25 are provided on the other optical axis from which the lights of the prisms 15, 16, 17 and 18 are separated, respectively.

Further, the light passing through the light source 11 and the prism 15 is incident on the mirror 19, and the light sources 12, 13 and 14,
The light passing through the prisms 16, 17, and 18 is incident on a mirror 20, and a condensing lens 21 that is movable up and down is provided below the mirror 20.

Further, above the mirror 19, the mirror surface part 3 of the upper mold 2 is located opposite to it, and below the condensing lens 21, the mirror surface part 4 of the lower mold 5 is located opposite to it. do.

Adjustments in such an optical element molding apparatus are first made by adjusting the pedestal 9 so that the light spots reflected on the detectors 23, 24 and 25 are all centered.
Tilt and shift adjustment is performed, and eccentricity adjustment is performed while moving the condenser lens 21 up and down.

Next, the eccentricity measuring unit 8 is left as it is, and the upper die mounting base 1 is adjusted by tilting and shifting so that the light spot projected on the detector 22 is centered. This operation completes the eccentric adjustment.

In the above configuration, the curvature of the aspheric surface is different between the paraxial and peripheral areas, and the curvature of the concentric circles around the axis is the same. When positioned so that the concentric axes of the beams coincide and even one of the beams is reflected vertically, the other two
The beam of a book will always be reflected vertically. Since the axis of the aspherical surface can be determined in this way, it is possible to determine the axis of the aspherical surface more accurately than before, and when the eccentricity of the spherical surface is adjusted around that axis, when the optical element is pressed. An ideal aspheric lens with no eccentricity can be obtained.

[0020]

[Example 2] Fig. 2 shows Example 2 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.
I will explain about it. In this example, the number of parallel beams directed to the lower part of the optical element molding apparatus shown in Example 1 was increased from 3 to 5.
It is a book and has a cross arrangement as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, the number of light sources for the lower mold 5 is 3.
as the number of prisms and detectors involved also increases from three to five. Since the other configurations are the same as those described for Example 1,
A detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Further, since the operation of this embodiment is the same as that described for Embodiment 1, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The effects of this second embodiment are almost the same as those described for the first embodiment, but since the beams are arranged in a cross, tilt and shift adjustments can be made easily, and
It is hardly affected by observation errors caused by foreign matter on the mold mirror surface.

[0022]

[Example 3] Fig. 3 shows Example 3 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.
I will explain about it. In this example, as shown in FIG. 3, in place of the upper mold 2 of Example 1, an upper mold 102 having a mirror surface portion 103 and a flat portion 126 on its outer periphery is used. Further, a light source 127 is provided parallel to the light source 11, and a prism 128 for separating light is provided on the optical axis of the light source 127, so that the light emitted from the light source 127 is made to enter the mirror 19 through the prism 128. Further, a detector 129 is provided on the other optical axis from which the light is separated by the prism 128. Since the other configurations are the same as those described for the first embodiment, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment of this configuration, the tilt of the pedestal 9, which is the lower part of the optical element molding apparatus, and the position of the condenser lens 21 are adjusted in the same manner as described for the first embodiment. Next, the eccentricity measuring unit 8 is left as it is, and the upper die mounting base 1 is shifted so that the light spot projected on the detector 129 is centered. Then,
The upper die mounting base 1 is tilted so that the light spot projected on the detector 22 is centered.

Therefore, the effect of this embodiment 3 is the same as that of embodiment 1.
However, by providing a flat part on the upper mold, the shift component and tilt component of the upper mold can be adjusted independently, making the work easier. Since both the tilt adjustment and the tilt adjustment are appropriate, the rate of transfer defects due to diagonal (one-sided) printing during molding of optical elements is reduced, and centering of the lens can be made unnecessary.

[0025]

[Example 4] Fig. 4 shows Example 4 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.
I will explain about it. This embodiment can also be used when both the upper mold and the lower mold, which are arranged opposite to each other, are both aspherical.

In this embodiment, the lower portion of the optical element molding apparatus has the same structure as that described for the first embodiment. That is, in the upper part of the optical element molding apparatus, the upper mold 2 of Embodiment 1 is provided.
Instead, an upper mold 202 whose mirror surface part 203 is aspherical is used, and a light source 230 is concentrically arranged above the measurement part 10.
231 and 232, and prisms 233, 234 and 235 for separating light are provided on their optical axes, and the light from these light sources passes through these prisms and enters the mirror 19 and then the condensing lens 236 which is movable up and down. do. In addition, a detector 237 is placed on the other optical axis where the light is separated by these prisms 233, 234, and 235.
, 238 and 239 are provided. Since the other configurations are the same as those described for the first embodiment, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the pedestal 9 which is the lower part
The tilt and shift adjustments and the adjustment of the condensing lens 21 are the same as those described for the first embodiment. Next, while leaving the eccentricity measurement unit 8 as it is, shift and tilt the condenser lens 236 and the upper mold mounting base 1 so that the light spots reflected on the detectors 237, 238, and 239 are all centered. Let them adjust.

The effects of this Embodiment 4 are almost the same as those explained for Embodiment 1, but since the axes of both opposing aspherical surfaces can be aligned, the optical element can be pressed without any eccentricity. A double-sided aspherical lens can be obtained. Further, this embodiment can also be applied to a single-sided spherical lens.

[0029]

[Example 5] Fig. 5 shows Example 5 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.
I will explain about it. In this embodiment, an upper mold 202 whose mirror surface portion 203 is aspherical is attached to an upper mold mounting pedestal 1 which is attached to a molding machine base 7 and whose shift and tilt can be adjusted. On the other hand, at a position facing the upper mold 202,
A lower mold 5 having an aspherical mirror surface 204 is mounted on a lower mold mounting base 6.

Furthermore, a removable eccentricity measuring unit 8 is attached to the molding machine base 7. This eccentricity measuring unit 8 consists of a pedestal 9 whose shift and tilt can be adjusted and a measuring section 10 , and the measuring section 10 is attached above the pedestal 9 . This measurement unit 10 includes concentrically arranged light sources 12, 13, and 14 that emit thin parallel beams, such as He-Ne lasers, and a light separation prism 16 arranged on the optical axis of the light sources 12, 13, and 14.
17 and 18, so that the light from these light sources passes through these prisms and is incident on a mirror 19 that can be rotated by 90 degrees, and on the other optical axis that separates the light from these prisms 16, 17, and 18. are provided with detectors 23, 24 and 25. Also, mirror 19
Condensing lenses 236 and 21, which are movable up and down, are provided both above and below, respectively. Further, the mirror surface portion 203 of the upper mold 202 is positioned above the condensing lens 236 to face it, and the mirror surface portion 4 of the lower mold 5 is positioned below the condensing lens 21 to face it.

In the adjustment in this embodiment, first, the mirror 19 of the eccentricity measuring unit 8 is directed downward and the detector 2 is
The tilt and shift of the pedestal 9 are adjusted so that the light spots projected on 3, 24, and 25 are all centered, and the eccentricity is adjusted by moving the condensing lens 21 up and down. Next, turn the mirror 19 upward, move the condensing lens 236 up and down, and simultaneously adjust the tilt and shift of the upper mold mounting base 1 so that the light spot reflected on the detector 22 is centered. . With this operation, eccentric adjustment is completed.

The effects of the fifth embodiment are almost the same as those described for the fourth embodiment, but the cost can be reduced because only one set of a device for emitting a parallel beam, a prism, and a detector is required.

[0033]

[Example 6] Fig. 6 shows Example 6 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.
I will explain about it. The configuration of this embodiment is almost the same as that of embodiment 5, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted and only the differences will be explained. In this embodiment, the measuring section 10 of the eccentricity measuring unit 8 includes a light emitting section 10b connected to a pedestal 9, and a mirror 19.
and a condenser lens 21, and the objective part 10a has a boundary 10c with the light emitting part 10b.
It is configured to be able to rotate by 80 degrees.

In such a configuration, the measurement and adjustment for the lower mold are substantially the same as those described for the fifth embodiment. Further, measurement and adjustment for the upper die are performed by rotating the objective section 10a upward by 180 degrees. Other operations are similar to those described for the fifth embodiment.

The effects of this Embodiment 6 are almost the same as those explained for Embodiment 5, but in addition, only one condensing lens is required, so the cost can be significantly reduced. .

[0036]

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, since the aspherical axis can be determined accurately, the pressed lens can be an ideal aspherical lens with no eccentricity, which was previously impossible to obtain. Obtainable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of an eccentricity measuring unit and its surroundings in Example 1 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention, particularly with respect to the arrangement of light beams.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of Example 5 of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of a sixth embodiment of the optical element molding apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Upper mold mounting pedestal 2 Upper mold 3 Mirror surface part 4 Mirror surface part 5 Lower mold 6 Lower mold mounting pedestal 7 Molding machine base 8 Measuring unit 9 Pedestal 10 Measuring part 10a Objective part 10b Light emitting part 10c Boundaries 11, 12, 13, 14, 127,230,131,2
32 Light sources 15, 16, 17, 18, 128, 233, 234, 2
35 Prism 19, 20 Mirror 21, 236 Condenser lens 22, 23, 24, 25, 129, 237, 238, 2
39 Detector 31 Tilt adjustment screw 32 Shift adjustment screw 102, 202 Upper mold 103, 203 Mirror surface part 126 Plane part

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: In an optical element molding apparatus that performs pressure molding using a mold in which at least one of the molds arranged opposite to each other is capable of tilting and moving in parallel, the mold is made of an aspherical surface. An optical element molding apparatus characterized by comprising an eccentricity measuring unit for measuring eccentricity between molds. 2. The eccentricity measuring unit detects the axis using at least three or more concentrically arranged parallel beams as a means for detecting one aspherical axis, and in this state, the molds disposed facing each other detect the axis of the aspherical surface. 2. The optical element molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein positional deviation is detected by a single parallel beam placed at the concentric center of the beams. 3. The eccentricity measuring unit detects one aspherical axis by using at least three concentrically arranged parallel beams as a means for detecting one aspherical axis, and in this state, a flat surface is formed on the outer periphery of the aspherical surface which is arranged opposite to each other. 2. The mold according to claim 1, wherein both tilt and shift positional deviations are detected by one parallel beam placed at the concentric center of the beam and the parallel beam applied to the flat surface of the mold. Optical element molding equipment. 4. The eccentricity measuring unit detects one aspherical axis using at least three concentrically arranged parallel beams as a means for detecting the axis, and in this state detects the other aspherical axis arranged oppositely. 2. The optical element molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spherical mold detects positional deviation using at least three or more parallel beams arranged at the concentric center of the beams.