KR102510061B1 - Separation system through automatic input of lens and inmold assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a separation system using the automatic insertion of a lens and an in-mold assembly, which comprises a mounting plate that holds a plurality of mold assemblies including an in-mold with a lens attached to the top. The separation system of the present invention comprises: a supply unit supplying the plurality of the mold assemblies as one unit at a predetermined speed; a transfer unit arranged in one area of the supply unit to transfer a first mold assembly among the plurality of the mold assemblies; a turntable including an access road communicating with the outlet of the transfer unit and having a rotating part on the circumferential surface to rotate and move the first mold assembly; an air gun arranged on one side of the turntable to remove foreign substances from the lens surface of the first mold assembly; and a separation unit separating the lens bound to the first mold assembly by vacuum adsorption.

Description

Separation system through automatic input of lens and inmold assembly}

The present invention is a separation system through automatic input of a lens and an in-mold assembly, and more specifically, a lens and an in-mold assembly that removes foreign substances in a turntable prepared to rotate and move by supplying a mold assembly at a constant speed, and separates the lens by vacuum suction. It is a separation system through

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A contact lens, as is known, is a medical device that is worn on the cornea of the eye for medical purposes such as vision correction or treatment, or for cosmetic purposes. Compared to spectacles, they are widely used because they have various advantages, such as little aberration, wide field of view, and almost no display of wearing conditions.

Since the cornea of the eye on which the contact lens is mounted forms an approximately spherical surface, the structure of the contact lens also forms a structure consisting of a front curve, a rear curve, and an edge accordingly.

Contact lenses having the above structure are generally manufactured by a casting method using a cast mold. Referring to what is known in Patent Registration No. 10-0976153 as an example of a mold used for manufacturing a contact lens, the female mold includes a contact An edge step forming the edge of the lens is formed, a flange is formed at the edge of the female mold, and a space is formed between the female mold and the male mold.

Therefore, it is manufactured into the shape of a contact lens by injecting a monomer, which is a raw material of a contact lens, into the space formed between the male and female molds and molding the monomer for a certain period of time.

On the other hand, since the contact lens manufactured by the casting method as described above is bound to the mold in the process of curing between the male and female molds, an operation to separate the contact lens from the mold must be accompanied.

In this regard, a technique for automatically separating male and female molds by cutting the side is known, but a system that automatically separates an in-mold with a lens attached thereon after separating the male and female molds from each other is relatively In this regard, the in-mold and lens are still manually separated in the field.

Therefore, the present invention is to improve the efficiency in the production process by automatically separating the in-mold with the lens attached thereon after the conventional male and female molds are separated from each other by manually separating the in-mold.

In addition, when removing foreign substances on the surface of the lens, the existing adsorption and air injection for removing foreign substances are composed of separate processes, so that foreign substances can be removed at the same time as adsorption to provide a more hygienic environment when processing the lens. will be.

The separation system through automatic insertion of a lens and an in-mold assembly according to the present invention includes a holding plate for holding a plurality of mold assemblies including an in-mold having a lens attached thereon, and the plurality of mold assemblies are fixed as a unit. Supply unit that supplies at a rate; a transfer unit provided in one area of the supply unit and transporting a first mold assembly among the plurality of mold assemblies; a turntable including an access road communicating with the outlet of the transfer unit and forming a rotating unit provided on a circumferential surface so that the first mold assembly rotates; an air gun provided on one side of the turntable to remove foreign matter from the lens surface of the first mold assembly; and a separation unit configured to separate the lens attached to the first mold assembly by vacuum adsorption.

The supply unit includes a preheating unit for applying heat to the mold assembly; and a vibration generating unit provided to reciprocate a first inclination angle and a second inclination angle among a plurality of inclination angles at a predetermined period, wherein the predetermined period is from 1 second to 5 seconds. seconds, and the first inclination angle is characterized in that it has an inclination angle lower than the second inclination angle by 15 to 30 degrees relative to the ground.

The rotary unit includes a sensing unit including a convex protrusion, and the air gun sprays air when the contact unit moves outward in the circumferential direction of the turntable by the first mold assembly passing through the sensing unit. .

The separation unit air pump; An air oil pipe connected to the air pump and including an input button for controlling the flow of air, and a suction part coupled to one side of the air oil pipe to adsorb and separate the lens from the mold assembly, wherein the suction part is a passage through which air flows. Is provided inside, has a downward inclination angle on one surface coupled to the air oil pipe, extends a certain length, and extends again in a straight line in a vertical direction from the ground, and a contact part provided in the casing and reciprocating in a vertical direction from the ground, , The contact portion includes a support rod including a through-groove through which air passes; Adsorption surface in contact with the lens; And an elastic body providing elastic force to the support rod; characterized in that it comprises a.

Efficiency in the production process can be improved by automatically separating the in-mold that attaches the lens to the upper part manually after the male and female molds are separated, and the existing adsorption when removing foreign substances on the lens surface Since the and air injection for removing foreign substances are composed of separate processes, it is possible to provide a more hygienic environment when handling the lens by allowing the foreign substances to be removed at the same time as adsorption.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a separation system through automatic insertion of a lens and an in-mold assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing the configuration and operating state of a preheating unit and a vibration generating unit in a supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a configuration in which an air gun sprays air by detecting a mold assembly in a turntable according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing in detail the configuration of a separation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating an operation of controlling air flow through a through-hole by reciprocating a contact unit in a casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals or symbols refer to components performing substantially the same function, and the size of each component in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. However, the technical idea of the present invention and its core configuration and operation are not limited to the configurations or operations described in the following embodiments. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology or configuration related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

In the embodiments of the present invention, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, and expressions in the singular number are plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. contains an expression of In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as 'comprise', 'include', and 'have' refer to one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof. Or it should be understood as not precluding the possibility of addition. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, a 'module' or 'unit' performs at least one function or operation, may be implemented as hardware or software, or may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software, and is integrated into at least one module. and can be implemented with at least one processor. Also, in an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of a plurality of elements refers to not only all of the plurality of elements, but also each one or all combinations of the plurality of elements excluding the rest. In addition, "configured (or configured) to" may be, depending on the situation, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "~ Used interchangeably with “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of.” "Configured (or set) to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" hardware. Instead, in some contexts, the phrase "device configured to" may mean that the device is "capable of" in conjunction with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or configured) to perform A, B, and C" may include a dedicated processor (eg, embedded processor) to perform the operation, or by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device. , may mean a general-purpose processor (eg, CPU or application processor) capable of performing corresponding operations.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This is to explain in detail to the extent that those skilled in the art can easily practice the invention, and thus, the technical spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited. .

1 is a view showing the configuration of a separation system through automatic input of a lens and an in-mold assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration of a preheating unit and a vibration generating unit in a supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. and an operating state. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration in which an air gun sprays air by detecting a mold assembly in a turntable according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view showing in detail the configuration of the separator according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view showing the operation of controlling the flow of air through the through-hole by reciprocating the contact part in the casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A separation system through automatic input of a lens and an in-mold assembly to which the technology of the present invention is applied is an automated mold assembly transfer process in order to separate a lens in a state bound to an in-mold in the manufacturing process of a lens manufactured by a casting method. Provides a separation system through automatic insertion of the lens and in-mold assembly, which includes a series of configurations that apply heating and vibration to the in-mold to separate the lens by vacuum adsorption, so that sensitive lenses to be handled quickly and safely from the in-mold Note that it is about technology that allows separation.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a separation system through automatic input of a lens and an in-mold assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a supply unit 100, a transport unit 200, a turntable 300, an air gun 400, and a separation unit 500. ).

The supply unit 100 includes a holding plate for holding a plurality of mold assemblies including an in-mold with a lens fastened thereon, and supplies the plurality of mold assemblies as a unit at a constant speed. Lenses manufactured by the casting method are provided in a state bound to the in-mold, and a worker puts them together on a mounting plate. At this time, the supply unit 100 includes a vibration generating unit 120 to advance a plurality of assembled mold assemblies in an appropriate amount to a transfer unit 200 to be described later, and preheating by applying heat to make the mold assemblies more smoothly separated. The portion 110 is included in the lower portion of the holding plate.

The vibration generating unit 120 is provided to reciprocate within a plurality of inclination angle ranges at a preset period. More specifically, referring to FIG. 2 , the vibration generating unit 120 includes a support frame 121 , a length extension member 122 , a fixing member 123 and a bottom frame 124 .

The support frame 121 is provided to support the holding plate, and each protruding area in a 'c' shape is coupled to the holding plate.

The fixing member 123 includes a rotating shaft in one area of the lower part of the support frame 121 and is coupled so that the support frame 121 has a different inclination angle and can rotate based on the rotating shaft, and the length extension member 122 The support frame 121 includes a rotation axis in another area of the lower part of the support frame 121, and is coupled so that the support frame 121 can rotate based on the rotation axis while having a different inclination angle.

When the length extension member 122 is extended, it has an upward inclination angle so that the angle increases from the ground, and when the length is extended, it reciprocates to have a downward inclination angle so that it is lowered from the ground, thereby generating vibration in the mounting plate.

The vibration generating unit 120 may be controlled to reciprocate a first inclination angle and a second inclination angle among a plurality of inclination angles at a preset period. The first angle of inclination is a state in which the length of the length extension member 122 is extended, and the second angle of inclination is an angle formed between the holding plate and the ground in a state in which the length of the extension member 122 is extended.

The vibration generating unit 120 may periodically change the inclination angle by repeatedly extending and contracting the length of the length extension member 122 within a predetermined period of 1 second to 5 seconds. In the preset cycle, if the cycle is shorter than 1 second, no special effect occurs in smooth supply by varying the inclination angle in supplying the mold assembly to the transfer unit 200 provided in one area of the supply unit 100, and 5 seconds If it is longer than this, an appropriate amount should be supplied to the transfer unit 200, but too many mold assemblies enter the transfer unit 200, resulting in mutual frictional force or jamming between the plurality of mold assemblies. In supply, rather, a problem of inhibiting supply may occur. Therefore, the cycle is such that the length of the length extension member 122 repeats the extension and contraction within 1 to 5 seconds, preferably within 3 to 4 seconds so that the length extension member 122 repeats the extension and extension of the length. cycle can be set.

The preheating unit 110 generates heat in the holding plate to gently soften the in-mold so that the lens can be easily separated from the in-mold in the mold assembly. The preheating unit 110 includes a heat converter that converts electrical energy into thermal energy therein. At this time, it is preferable to control the temperature of the preheating unit 110 to maintain the temperature of 40 to 70 degrees at which the in-mold does not melt, and for this purpose, a heat control unit may be included.

The supply unit 100 includes a transfer unit 200 as a means for supplying one unit of a plurality of mold assemblies to one area. The transfer unit 200 serves to supply one of the plurality of mold assemblies to the turntable 300, and is provided such that its inner diameter becomes narrower as it approaches the turntable 300. Through this, the supplied mold assemblage can be supplied as a unit, and it is preferable that the diameter of the mold assemblage immediately before being supplied is larger than the diameter of one mold assemblage by 3mm to 8mm. This is because when the mold assembly is supplied through a narrowing-diameter passage, if the diameter is smaller than 3 mm, the phenomenon of being caught in the passage due to the material of the in-mold in the mold assembly may occur, and if the diameter is larger than 8 mm, 2 This is because there may be a situation in which the mold combination of the dogs is not allowed to enter.

The turntable 300 includes an access road communicating with the outlet of the transfer unit 200, and forms a rotation unit 310 provided on the circumferential surface so that the mold assembly rotates. The turntable 300 has a rotating shaft and a driving motor provided in the center, and rotates at a constant speed so that the mold assembly can be supplied in time through the access road even when the operator collects them for lens separation. At this time, the turntable 300 may include a preheating unit inside so that the in-mold in the mold assembly can be softened like the holder plate, and as described above, it is preferable to control the temperature of the preheating unit to maintain 40 to 70 degrees. And, for this purpose, it may include a thermal control unit.

The rotation unit 310 includes a sensing unit. The sensing unit includes a convex-shaped protrusion 320. The protrusion 320 is combined with an elastic body and is depressed towards the outer radius of the rotating part 310 when the mold assembly moves, and is depressed by the elastic body again when the mold assembly passes. 320 may be provided to protrude again. Through this, it is possible to detect whether the mold assembly passes through the corresponding point. For example, if the number of times the mold assembly is detected is greater than or equal to a preset frequency, the operation of the vibration generator 120 is temporarily stopped, and then the operation of the vibration generator 120 is operated again when the frequency is less than or equal to the preset frequency. , At this time, the sensing unit may perform such a role.

The air gun 400 is provided on one side of the turntable 300 and serves to remove foreign matter from the lens surface of the mold assembly. The air gun 400 is provided to spray at a certain intensity using air pressure on one side, and removes foreign substances on the surface of the lens by spraying compressed air of 5Kgf/cm2 or more. At this time, the injection amount of the compressed air is not necessarily limited thereto, and it is sufficient if the injection amount is strong enough to remove foreign substances attached to the lens surface.

The air gun 400 can be operated to spray air according to the movement of the protruding part 320. At this time, when the protruding part 320 moves outward in the circumferential direction of the turntable 300 by the mold assembly, it is controlled to spray air. can Through this, the movement of the mold assembly on the turntable 300 is sensed and the mold assembly passes through, in contrast to conventionally, when a worker separates the in-mold and the lens, air is manually blown to the lens surface to remove foreign substances on the surface. By spraying air from the air gun 400 only when doing so, it is possible to automate the process of removing foreign substances, thereby improving operator convenience.

The separation unit 500 serves to separate the lens attached to the mold assembly by vacuum adsorption. The separation unit 500 includes an air pump 510, an air oil pipe 520, and an adsorption unit 530. The air pump 510 is a pump that discharges the flow of air to the outside to make the inside close to a vacuum state so that the air pressure becomes negative pressure, preferably a cylinder type air pump 510 can be used. The air pump 510 can suck air by contracting and expanding the volume of an enclosed space by vibrating a valve using a cylinder, and the air pump 510 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a rotary vane pump, a rotary It may include all types of pumps capable of sucking air, such as piston pumps, roots pumps, diffusion pumps, turbo molecular pumps, hot and cold pumps, ion pumps, and getter pumps.

The air oil pipe 520 refers to a passage having an internal space that is sealed to prevent air from leaking out, and may be made of a material that can be flexibly moved in response to a worker's movement.

The air oil pipe 520 includes an input button for controlling the flow of sucking air from the air pump 510, and the air pump 510 can be controlled through the input button. For example, when the input button is pressed, the air pump ( 510) is generated, and when the input button is pressed again, the suction force provided by the air pump 510 may be stopped.

The adsorbing unit 530 has an internal space through which air flows and can be coupled to one surface of the air oil pipe 520, has a downward inclination angle on one surface coupled to the air oil pipe 520, and extends a certain length. It includes a casing extending again in a straight line in the vertical direction and a contact part provided in the casing and reciprocating in the vertical direction on the ground.

A space through which air can flow in a cross shape is provided inside the casing so that the first air flow 531 in the vertical direction and the second air flow 532 in the horizontal direction are formed. For example, the first air flow 531 provides an air flow for sucking the lens in the center of the casing, and the second air flow 532 maintains the suction force that sucks the lens through the first air flow 531, , It serves to remove foreign substances on the side of the lens again by generating a suction force on the side of the lens through the space located on the outer radius.

The contact portion includes a support rod 534 including a through hole 536 through which air passes, an adsorption surface 533 in contact with the lens, and an elastic body 535 providing elastic force to the support rod 534. Specifically, when the input button of the air oil pipe 520 is pressed and the air pump 510 generates a suction force to suck air generated in the central portion of the casing, the first air flow 531 generates an operation of the contact unit. Using such a suction force, the in-mold may be removed from the mold assembly and only the lens may be suctioned. At this time, the lens is sucked and combined with the surface of the contact part. Even after being coupled, the first air flow 531 is continuously generated, and the suction force generated at this time causes the support rod 534 to move upward. When the support bar 534 moves upward, the second air flow 532 is generated as the through hole 536 included in the support bar 534 is inserted into the casing. At this time, the second air flow 532 generates a suction force on the side surface of the lens through a space located on the outer radius of the casing to remove foreign substances on the side surface of the lens. After that, when the input button is pressed again, since the air pump 510 does not provide a suction force, the elastic body 535 provided along the outer radius of the support rod 534 moves downward to reduce the counter-elastic force at this time. Using this, the lens can be automatically separated from the suction surface 533. Through this operation, the operator can omit the process of manually removing the separated lens and removing foreign substances again, thereby improving production efficiency.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

10: mold assembly, 100: supply unit
110: preheating unit, 120: vibration generating unit
121: support frame, 122: length extension member
123: fixing member, 124: floor frame
200: transfer unit, 300: turntable
310: rotating part, 320: protruding part
400: air gun, 500: separation unit
510: air pump, 520: air oil pipe
530: adsorption unit, 531: first air flow
532: second air flow, 533: adsorption surface
534: support rod, 535: elastic body
536: through groove

Claims (4)

In the separation system through the automatic input of the lens and the in-mold assembly,
A supply unit including a holding plate for holding a plurality of mold assemblies including an in-mold having a lens fastened thereon, and supplying the plurality of mold assemblies as a unit at a constant speed;
a transfer unit provided in one area of the supply unit and transporting a first mold assembly among the plurality of mold assemblies;
A turntable including an access road communicating with the outlet of the transfer unit and forming a rotation unit provided on a circumferential surface so that the first mold assembly rotates.
an air gun provided on one side of the turntable to remove foreign matter from the lens surface of the first mold assembly; and
A separation unit configured to separate the lens attached to the first mold assembly by vacuum adsorption;
The supply unit includes a preheating unit for applying heat to the mold assembly;
A vibration generating unit provided to reciprocate a first inclination angle and a second inclination angle among a plurality of inclination angles at a predetermined period; and
The preset period is within 1 second to 5 seconds,
The first inclination angle has an inclination angle lower than the second inclination angle by 15 to 30 degrees relative to the ground,
The rotation unit includes a sensing unit including a convex protrusion,
The air gun sprays air when the contact part moves outward in the circumferential direction of the turntable by the first mold assembly passing through the sensing part,
The separation unit air pump; An air oil pipe connected to the air pump and including an input button for controlling air flow, and a suction part coupled to one side of the air oil pipe to adsorb and separate the lens from the mold assembly,
The suction part has a passage through which air flows inside and has a downward inclination angle on one side coupled to the air pipe and extends a certain length, and a casing extending again in a straight line in a vertical direction from the ground and a casing provided in the casing in a vertical direction from the ground Including a reciprocating contact,
The contact part includes a support rod including a through hole through which air passes; Adsorption surface in contact with the lens; and an elastic body providing elastic force to the support bar. delete delete delete

Images