JPS5916906B2 - lens polishing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically polishing a lens.

The holder of a conventional automatic lens polishing device has a concave portion in the bottom surface of a generally dish-like shape, and a disk-shaped glass block to be polished, that is, an unpolished lens (hereinafter simply referred to as a lens) is inserted into the concave portion by adhesive or press to apply frictional force. It was held by

For this reason, although an automated process for polishing one side was easily possible, a step of removing the lens from the holder is required to polish the other side after polishing one side. Since it is very difficult to automate this separation process, it has not been possible to realize a system that automatically polishes both sides in a series. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lens polishing device suitable for a system that automatically polishes both surfaces of a lens. The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an example of a friend holder used in a lens polishing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a substantially dish-shaped main body, and the lower surface thereof is provided with a housing portion 2 into which a cylindrical glass block (hereinafter simply referred to as a lens) to be polished can be inserted and removed. A lens receiving sheet 3 made of cloth, rubber, polyurethane, etc. and a pad 4 made of resin such as Delrin, nylon, etc. are provided on the lens contact surface and peripheral portion of the accommodating portion 2, respectively, to prevent damage to the lens. A bottomed hollow cylindrical portion 5 is protruded from the upper part of the main body 1, and a groove is carved on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 5, which serves as a locking portion 6 of the transfer arm. The tip of the suction/exhaust means (not shown) can be inserted into the hollow part T of the bottomed hollow cylindrical part 5, and the center of the bottom part 8 is coaxial with the center of the main body 1. A center bush 10 which is separate from the main body 1 and which is provided with a bearing part (in this case, a conical recess) 9 that receives a pressure shaft for pressing the lens against the tool along with the holder, is embedded therein and can be replaced when worn out. There is. The hollow part 7 and the lens accommodating part 2 are communicated with each other through a communication hole 11, and the upper opening 12 of the communicating hole 11 is connected to the bottom 8 of the hollow part, and the lower opening 13 is connected to the lens accommodating part 2. There are places set up. Further, the lens receiving sheet 3 is provided with an annular groove 14 communicating with the lower opening 13 to increase the adsorption force to the lens 1.
5 to stabilize the adsorption of the lens on average. The lens contacting surface of the lens accommodating portion 2 is shown as a concave surface, but it may of course be a convex surface depending on the lens to be polished. Next, an embodiment of an automatic polishing apparatus using the above lens holder will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automatic polishing apparatus using a lens holder according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view. The three transfer arms 21, which form an angle of 1200 degrees to each other, each have a controllable opening/closing claw (not shown) at its tip 22 that engages with a locking portion 6 of the transfer arm provided on the lens holder 23. A distal end portion (not shown) of an intake/exhaust means is provided. The lens supply position A is equipped with an automatic lens supply device 24, the processing position B is equipped with a polishing tool 25 having a spherical surface of a predetermined curvature, and the lens placed at the receiving position C is removed by another device (not shown). The lens is turned upside down by step 1) and moved to a lens supply position for the next step (not shown), that is, polishing the other side. A pressure shaft 26 is provided on the tool 25 so as to be movable up and down, and presses the lens 15 via the lens holder 23 with a constant pressure.

To explain the basic operation of the lens holder used in the above automatic polishing device, when transferring the lens, the transfer arm 21
When the opening/closing pawl provided on the tip 22 of the lens holder 2 engages with the locking portion 6 and the tip of the suction/exhaust means is inserted into the hollow 7 of the hollow cylindrical portion 5 to take in air, the lens 15 is moved to the lens holder 2.
The lens receiving sheet 3 is housed and suctioned in the lens accommodating portion 2 of No. 3 so as to be in close contact with the lens receiving sheet 3. Then, when the opening/closing claw is opened to remove it from the locking part 6 and the suction/exhaust means is evacuated, the lens 15 and the lens holder 23 are moved to the distal end 22 of the transfer arm 21.
More likely to leave. Further, when the opening/closing claw is kept locked to the locking portion 6 and the suction/exhaust means is exhausted, only the lens 15 is removed. Next, the fifth lens holder using the lens holder according to the present invention
The operation of the automatic polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 to 4 in FIG. 7 show the steps of the automatic polishing apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The transfer arm rotates clockwise;
A is a supply position and is provided with a lens supply device, B is a processing position and is provided with a polishing device, and C is a receiving position and is provided with a receiving device. Double circles represent holders. In step 1, the lens is sucked at the supply position A, and the lens and holder, one side of which has been polished, are removed from the arm and placed at the receiving position C.

In step 2, the lens sucked at supply position A is transferred to processing position B, and the holder and lens are removed from the arm and placed on the tool.

In step 3, only the arm is rotated to the waiting position, leaving the lens and holder placed on the tool at processing position B.

The pressure shaft then descends into the bearing part of the lens holder and presses the tool with constant pressure, and the tool rotates to polish one side of the lens. On the other hand, at receiving position C, a lens with one side polished is received by a receiving device. Furthermore, if a transfer device (not shown) turns only the lens from front to back and transfers it to the lens supply position of another similar polishing device that automatically polishes the other side, a system for polishing both sides of the lens in series can be created. It is easily achievable. 4, the arm rotates, and at the processing position B, the arm and the holder are engaged, and the lens is attracted to the holder, and at the receiving position C, only the holder is engaged with the arm.

Then, returning to step 1, the holder is used repeatedly to automatically polish one side of the lens.

In step 3, the lens transferred from the receiving position after being turned from front to back is polished by another automatic polishing device (not shown) similar to the one shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Since the lenses are polished automatically, a system is completed in which both surfaces of the lens are polished in series using two automatic polishing devices. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of another embodiment of the holder for holding a lens according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AN in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, unlike the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hollow cylindrical portion with a bottom is not provided in the upper part of the main body 1, and the locking portion 6 is provided on the outer periphery of the main body 1. Further, the grooves 14 provided in the lens receiving sheet 3 are provided in a seven-figure shape. Note that the same symbols as in FIGS. 1 and 2 represent equivalent parts. The groove 14 provided in the lens receiving sheet 3 may be of various types, such as a combination of a plurality of concentric circles and a cross shape, or a hole having a shape substantially the same as or larger than the opening 13 on the lower surface may be provided in the lens receiving sheet 3 instead of a groove. It's also fine. Further, the locking part 6 is a groove carved in the outer peripheral surface of the main body 1 or the outer peripheral surface of the bottomed hollow cylindrical part 5, but conversely, it may be a zero rib 11 configured to protrude from the outer peripheral surface. , a groove carved into the inner peripheral wall of the hollow portion 7 or a protruding collar may be used. Further, the lens holder used in the present invention can be applied to various systems other than the automatic polishing apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It should be noted that although the description has been given of the control means for attracting and detaching the lens from the lens holder, the control means is based on suction and exhaust, but it goes without saying that various other control means such as a collection chuck can be used as appropriate. As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily realize a lens polishing system that automatically polishes both sides in a series.
This allows for a dramatic reduction in lens polishing time.

Further, according to the present invention, the number of lens holders to be prepared can be reduced because they are used repeatedly.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a bottom view of an example of a lens holder used in a lens polishing device according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a view taken from A-N in Fig. 1.
3 is a bottom view of another embodiment of the lens holder used in the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A-N in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the automatic polishing device of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the automatic polishing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the steps of the automatic polishing apparatus of the present invention. 1...Main body, 2...Accommodation section, 3...
... Lens receiving sheet, 4... Padded, 5.
...Bottomed hollow cylindrical part, 6...Locking part, 7
...Hollow part, 9...Bearing part, 11...
...Communication hole, 12...Soil surface opening, 13.
・・・−・Bottom opening sound people 14・・・・Groove, 15・
·····lens.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lens supply means provided at the supply position, a polishing means provided at the processing position for polishing one side of the lens, and a receiving means provided at the receiving position for receiving the lens whose one side has been polished by the polishing means. a lens holder capable of controlling adsorption and detachment of the lens; a transfer means for engaging the lens holder and transferring it between the respective positions; control means for adsorbing or detaching the lens from the lens holder in the lens holder, the lens holder is engaged with the transfer means at the supply position, and the lens is moved to the processing position by the transfer means with the lens adsorbed by the control means. was transferred to
At the processing position, the engagement is released from the transfer means, and the lens is set in the polishing device together with the lens to hold the lens during polishing.After polishing, the lens is engaged with the transfer means, and the lens is adsorbed by the control means by the transfer means. A lens polishing device characterized in that after being transferred to a receiving position and removing and placing a lens on a receiving device, only the lens holder is engaged with a transfer means, and then transferred to a supplying position so that the lens holder is used cyclically.