KR20200003977A - An Apparatus for Producing a Lens and the Method for Producing the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lens molding device and a method thereof and, more specifically, to a lens molding device for molding a lens by curing a molding material of a contact lens injected into a mold, and a method thereof. The lens molding device includes: a transfer module (11) which transfers a plurality of molds for a lens molding; a temperature curtain unit (13a) which is formed at an inlet of the transfer module (11); a curing space (HS) in which the curing temperature of the molds transferred by passing through the temperature curtain unit (13a) is controlled; an infrared lamp module which is disposed in the lower side of the curing space (HS) and emits infrared rays to the curing space (HS); at least one circulation unit (14) which is disposed in the upper side of the curing space (HS); and a flow control unit (15) which controls the air flow of the curing space (HS) according to the operation of the circulation unit (14). The infrared lamp module includes a plurality of infrared lamps disposed along the transfer direction. The present invention is able to reduce a defective rate.

Description

An Apparatus for Producing a Lens and the Method for Producing the Same}

The present invention relates to a lens molding apparatus and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a lens molding apparatus and method for curing a molding material of a contact lens injected into a mold to mold a lens.

Various types of hard or contact lenses include PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate)), S / A (Silicone / Acrylate), FS / A (Fluoro-Silicone / Acrylate), HEMA (2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate), silicone-based hydrogels or the like Similar materials can be used to mold in the mold. Injection of lens material into a plurality of molds, curing and curing of the lens material for a large amount of lens molding need to be carried out automatically, and various techniques related to this are known in the art. Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0016603 discloses a thermal curing method and system for forming a contact lens. Also, Patent Registration No. 10-0638362 discloses a mold for manufacturing a lens for manufacturing a multifocal contact lens. In order to manufacture a plurality of lenses by a continuous process, a curing process for a plurality of molds into which a lens material is injected needs to be performed continuously. In this curing process, temperature control is required to be suitable for curing the lens material in the curing space. However, the prior art does not disclose a method for curing a lens material capable of temperature control in such a curing space.

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art has the following object.

Prior Art 1: Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0016603 (Coopervision International Holding Company, Elp., Feb. 12, 2010) Thermal curing method and system for forming a contact lens Prior Art 2: Patent Registration No. 10-0638362 (Interojo Co., Ltd., published on October 25, 2006) Contact lens and its manufacturing method and mold for manufacturing contact lens

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lens forming apparatus and method capable of uniformly controlling the temperature of a curing space to reduce the defect rate occurring in the curing process.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a lens forming apparatus and method thereof comprise: a conveying module for conveying a plurality of molds for lens molding; A temperature curtain unit formed at the inlet of the transfer module; A curing space in which curing temperatures of a plurality of molds transferred via the temperature curtain unit are controlled; An infrared lamp module disposed below the curing space to emit infrared rays into the curing space; At least one circulation unit disposed above the curing space; And a flow regulating unit for adjusting the air flow in the curing space according to the operation of the circulation unit, wherein the infrared lamp module includes a plurality of infrared lamps disposed along the conveying direction.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, when the temperature curtain unit is made of a heat insulating material, it becomes a box shape projecting outward.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the curing space is adjusted by pulse width modulation (PWM) of the frequency or wavelength of infrared light emitted from the infrared lamp.

According to another suitable embodiment of the invention, the step of setting the molding temperature according to the transport section of the mold in which the lens material is injected; Setting the temperature of the inflow section for temperature control according to the transport section; Controlling the temperature according to the set temperature while the mold is transferred along the transfer section; Detecting temperature in different transport sections; Determining whether the detection temperature is within a set range; And controlling the wavelength or frequency of the infrared lamp according to the determination result, wherein the temperature control by the infrared lamp is a pulse width modulation method.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, the temperature control of the transfer section is made up of the rising section, the peak section and the falling section, the temperature of the inflow section is 30 to 50 degrees while the 130 to 180 ℃ in the peak section.

The lens forming apparatus according to the present invention allows the temperature of the entire curing space to be adjusted to a predetermined range by adjusting the emission frequency by adjusting the input current of the infrared lamp. For example, by adjusting a plurality of infrared lamps in order along the transport direction to adjust the infrared wavelengths emitted from the entire infrared lamps, or by independently adjusting the wavelengths of the respective infrared lamps, the temperature of the curing space may vary depending on the transport area. Allow to be adjusted to a predetermined level. The lens forming apparatus according to the present invention facilitates temperature control in the entire transport section by blocking external influences on the inlet and outlet parts. In addition, the molding method according to the present invention enables precise temperature control of the transfer section by controlling the frequency of the infrared ray in a pulse width modulation (PWM) method.

1 illustrates an embodiment of a lens molding apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the inlet module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a temperature curtain unit applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a temperature control module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the discharge module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.
6 illustrates an embodiment of a lens molding method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments set forth in the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments are provided for clarity of understanding and the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, and thus are not repeatedly described unless necessary for understanding of the invention, and well-known components are briefly described or omitted. It should not be understood to be excluded from the embodiment of.

1 illustrates an embodiment of a lens molding apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the lens forming apparatus includes a transfer module 11 for transferring a plurality of molds for lens molding; A temperature curtain unit 13a formed at the inlet of the transfer module 11; A curing space HS in which curing temperatures of a plurality of molds transferred via the temperature curtain unit 13a are controlled; An infrared lamp module disposed under the curing space HS and emitting infrared rays to the curing space HS; At least one circulation unit 14 disposed above the curing space HS; And a flow regulating unit 15 for regulating the air flow of the curing space HS according to the operation of the circulation unit 14, wherein the infrared lamp module includes a plurality of infrared lamps disposed along the conveying direction.

The lens molding apparatus can manufacture contact lenses by curing the lens material injected into the mold, and various kinds of molds or various lens materials can be applied to the lens molding apparatus. The present invention is not limited by the structure of the mold or the lens material.

The lens material may be injected into the mold in a liquid or similar state, and the lens material may be injected into the mold in various ways. In addition, the mold into which the lens material is injected may be transferred by the transfer module 11, and the lens may be made while the lens material in the liquid state is cured to become a solid state in the transfer process. The transfer module 11 may comprise a conveyor unit, for example, and a plurality of molds may be continuously transferred by the conveyor unit. The transfer module 11 may have a structure extending linearly, and a plurality of molds may be linearly moved along the transfer module 11. The curing space HS may be formed above the transfer module 11, and the temperature control space TS may be formed below the transfer module 11. In the temperature control space TS, a control means for emitting heat conversion light, such as an infrared lamp, may be disposed, and the lens material injected into the mold passing through the curing space HS may be cured. And when the lens material is cured while passing through the curing space (HS), the lens is completed, it is discharged from the transfer module 11 can be separated from the mold. Thereafter, the lens corresponding to the defective product may be removed through the inspection process, and the defective rate of the product may be determined by temperature control in the curing space HS.

Temperature curtain units 13a and 13b fixed to the insulating blocks 12a and 12b may be arranged at the front and the rear of the transfer module 11. The insulating blocks 12a and 12b may be made of synthetic resin or similar material having low thermal conductivity, or may be made of a structure in which external heat transfer to the lens device is prevented. And the temperature curtain unit (13a, 13b) is disposed above the insulating block (12a, 12b) to maintain the inlet or outlet mold to a predetermined temperature level. The temperature curtain units 13a, 13b may form the ceiling surfaces of the insulating blocks 12a, 12b, and the insulating blocks 12a, 12b and the temperature curtain units 13a, 13b are located in front of the transfer module 11 or It can be made into a shape that protrudes to the rear. A box-shaped sealed housing F may be installed above the transfer module 11, whereby the curing space HS may form a sealed space in which inlets and outlets are formed. In addition, the insulating blocks 12a and 12b and the temperature curtain units 13a and 13b may be formed to protrude to the outside from the inlet and the outlet of the sealed housing F. The plurality of molds may be introduced into the curing space HS formed in the sealed housing F through the inlet through the bottom of the first temperature curtain unit 13a. In the process where a plurality of molds are introduced through the inlet, the molds may be blocked from being affected by the external environmental temperature. In addition, the insulating blocks 12a and 12b may have a function of allowing the temperatures of the plurality of molds arranged in the width direction of the transfer module 11 flowing into the inlet to be the same or similar. In addition, the lens material filled in each mold or mold continuously introduced into the curing space HS is brought into the same or similar temperature state. This makes it easy to control the curing temperature by the temperature adjusting means in the curing space HS, thereby reducing the defective rate of the manufactured lens.

Temperature control means for adjusting the curing temperature may be disposed in the temperature control space TS, for example, a plurality of infrared lamps may be disposed in the temperature control space TS. And the wavelength or frequency of the infrared lamp can be adjusted to adjust the curing of the lens material, for example, the wavelength or frequency can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of current flowing into the infrared lamp. Alternatively, the wavelength or the frequency may be adjusted by adjusting the amount of input current by a pulse width modulation method, whereby the temperature of the curing space HS may be adjusted. The curing space HS may be an air flow space formed above the transfer module 11, and the air flow of the curing space HS may be regulated by a circulation unit 14 such as, for example, a circulation fan. . At least one circulation unit 14 may be installed on the circumferential wall of the hermetic housing F to introduce external air. In addition, the introduced air may be discharged to the outside through the ceiling surface of the hermetic housing F by the flow control unit 15. The flow control unit 15 may comprise a discharge passage connecting from the middle or upper portion of the curing space HS to the ceiling surface. In addition, a means for regulating pressure, for example, may be disposed in the discharge passage, thereby allowing the internal pressure of the curing space HS to be maintained in a predetermined range. In such an air circulation structure, it may be introduced into the upper portion of the curing space HS by the circulation unit 14 from the outside and discharged to the outside of the sealed housing F through the flow control unit 15. In addition, the air circulation structure prevents contact of external air to the lens material filled in the mold, thereby allowing the lens material to be uniformly cured as a whole.

The internal air circulation of the hermetic housing F can be made in various ways and is not limited to the embodiments shown.

Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the inlet module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a mold transfer screen 21 may be disposed in a transfer module, and the mold transfer screen 21 may be made into a mesh shape. In addition, the mold transfer screen 21 may be made of a material having a high specific heat that can retain heat for a predetermined time while absorbing infrared rays emitted from the infrared lamp and converting them into heat. For example, the mold transfer screen 21 may have a structure in which a uniform through hole is formed while being made of bamboo, oak or similar wood material, pulp material or similar material. By such a structure, it is possible to accurately control the internal temperature of the curing space while preventing a sudden temperature change of the mold disposed on the upper surface of the mold transfer screen 21. Also, by allowing air to flow from the temperature control space above the curing space, contaminants such as dust can be prevented from adhering to the mold. The mold transfer screen 21 can be moved by the rotary roller 23, and the rotary roller 23 can be rotated by fixing both ends to a pair of fixing plates 24a and 24b extending along the transfer module. have. The accommodation frame 22 may be formed below the mold transfer screen 21, and a plurality of infrared lamps may be disposed along the extension direction of the transfer module. The mold transfer screen 21 can be continuously moved by the rotation of the rotary roller 23, and a plurality of molds can be arranged along the width direction and along the extension direction of the mold transfer screen 21. In addition, as the mold transfer screen 21 is moved by the rotation of the rotary roller 23, a plurality of molds may be continuously moved to the inlet of the curing space.

The thermal insulation block 12a may be installed at the entrance of the curing space, and the temperature curtain unit 13a having both ends fixed to the thermal insulation block 12a may be installed, and the temperature curtain unit 13a may be, for example, a Peltier element or the like. Similar temperature regulating means can be arranged. The mold allows the mold introduced into the curing space by the insulating block 12a and the temperature curtain unit 13a to be maintained at a predetermined temperature while preventing temperature changes caused by the external environment. And a circulation unit 14 for adjusting the internal temperature of the curing space may be disposed on the circumferential surface of the sealed housing (F).

The insulating block 12a or the temperature curtain unit 13a may be made of various structures that can control the temperature of the inflowing mold.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a temperature curtain unit applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the insulating block 12a may be formed of a plurality of plate-shaped sub blocks 31_1 to 31_N having the same or similar shape, and the sub blocks 31_1 to 31_N may be arranged in a layered structure to fix the member. It may be fixed by the block (32). The fixing member block 32 may be made of the same or similar heat insulating material as the sub blocks 31_1 to 32_N, and at least one fixing member block 32 may be installed. The plate-shaped temperature curtain block 33 may be disposed by the fixing frame 34 above the insulating block 12a. A plurality of adjustment grooves 35_1 to 35_K extending in the width direction may be formed in the temperature curtain block 33, and a Peltier element or a similar thermoelectric element may be disposed in the at least one adjustment groove 35_1 to 35_K. As a result, the temperature of the mold flowing into the curing space may be maintained at a predetermined level. In addition, an empty space may be formed above the temperature curtain block 33 and an adiabatic space may be formed.

The insulating block 12a or the temperature curtain unit 13a can be made in various structures and is not limited to the embodiments shown.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a temperature control module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, an induction frame 41 for fixing the infrared lamp 42 may be disposed in the temperature control space, and the induction frame 41 extends linearly and has a triangular upper side to face each other. The end portion may include a plurality of guide frames 41_1 to 41_K having planes. Each of the induction frames 41_1 to 41_K may be connected to each other by an arrangement plane, and an infrared lamp 42 may be disposed on each arrangement plane. The interior of the induction frames 41_1 to 41_K may be an empty space in which air can flow, and a plurality of induction holes 411 are formed in a plane formed at the apex part, so that the interiors of the induction frames 41_1 to 41_K Allow air flow between the outside.

The infrared lamp 42 includes a protective tube 421 made of tempered glass or similar light transmitting material and a twisted carbon heating fiber 422 disposed inside the protective tube 421; And a power supply unit 423 coupled to one end of the carbon heating fiber 422. The heat generation level of the carbon heating fiber 422 may be determined by adjusting the amount of current flowing through the power supply unit 423. Infrared rays emitted from the respective infrared lamps 42 arranged in the respective placement planes are guided along the walls of the induction frames 41_1 to 41_K disposed adjacent to each other and guided to the mold transfer screen described above to adjust the temperature of the mold. I can regulate it.

The induction frames 41_1 to 41_K or the infrared lamp 42 may be made of various structures for temperature control and are not limited to the embodiments shown.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the discharge module applied to the lens forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the mold transfer screen 21 may be disposed above the guide frame 41, and the adjustment unit 53 may be disposed above the mold transfer screen 21. In the adjustment unit 53, a means for adjusting the flow control unit or similar circulation described above can be arranged. The temperature sensor 52 can be arranged below the adjustment unit 53, and the temperature sensor 52 can be arranged to extend from the adjustment unit 53 upwards of the mold transfer screen 21. A plurality of temperature sensors 52 can be arranged along the width direction or along the length direction of the mold transfer screen 21, whereby temperatures can be detected at different locations in the curing space. The operation of the infrared lamp may be adjusted based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 52.

By adjusting the temperature of the curing space, the lens material injected into the mold may be cured to make a lens, and then the mold may be discharged to the outside of the device through the discharge module. The discharge module may include path separation units 55_1 to 55_L formed at ends of the mold transfer screen 21; And a discharge induction unit 56 having a mold discharge path connected to the path separated by the path separation units 55_1 to 55_L. The path separation units 55_1 to 55_L may be disposed on the guide roller for the movement of the mold transfer screen 21, and both ends of the guide roller may be coupled to the operation frames 54a and 54b to be rotated. Each mold separated by the path separation units 55_1 to 55_L may be discharged to the outside through the discharge induction unit 56, and then the mold may be removed to separate the cured lens.

The path separation units 55_1 to 55_L or the discharge induction unit 56 may be formed in various structures and are not limited to the embodiments shown.

6 illustrates an embodiment of a lens molding method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the lens forming method includes setting a molding temperature according to a transport section of a mold into which a lens material is injected (P61); Setting the temperature of the inflow section for temperature control according to the transport section (P62); The step of adjusting the temperature in accordance with the set temperature while the mold is transferred along the transfer section (P63); Detecting the temperature in different transfer sections (P64); Determining whether the detection temperature is within a set range (P65); And controlling the wavelength or the frequency of the infrared lamp according to the determination result (P66), and the temperature control by the infrared lamp may be a pulse width modulation method. In addition, the temperature control of the transfer section is composed of a rising section, a peak section and a falling section, the temperature of the inlet section may be 130 to 180 ℃ in the peak section while being 30 to 50 degrees.

The curing conditions of the lens material injected into the mold may be set based on parameters such as the transfer distance, the temperature of the curing space or the temperature change along the transfer section. When the conveying distance and the conveying speed are determined, the temperature according to the moving section may be set (P61). When the passing time of the transfer section is 10 to 20 minutes, the temperature of the transfer section may be adjusted to vary in the range of 30 to 180 ℃. For example, the temperature of the inlet may be 30 to 50 degrees, and the maximum temperature may be 130 to 180 ° C. in the middle portion, and the temperature may be lowered to be 30 to 50 ° C. at the outlet. The temperature setting may be set such that the ascending and descending curves are curved based on the vertex but are not limited thereto.

When the temperature along the transfer section is set, the temperature at the inlet and the outlet is set and adjusted, for example, from 30 to 50 ° C. (P62), and the mold filled with the lens material may be moved to the curing space (P63). The mold may be continuously transferred to the curing space by the mold transfer screen (P63), and the temperature of the different transfer sections may be detected by the temperature sensors disposed in the different transfer sections (P64). According to the temperature detection result, it may be determined whether or not the temperature according to the transfer section is in a preset range (P65). As a result of the determination, if the temperature of each section is within a preset range (YES), the temperature detection may continue (P64). On the other hand, if it is out of the set range (NO), the input current of the infrared lamp may be adjusted, for example, the input current may be adjusted stepwise. And the input current can be adjusted to supply the pulse width modulation method. In this way, the wavelength or frequency of the infrared lamp can be controlled (P66), the temperature of the curing space can be adjusted to a preset range (P66), and also the blowing pressure adjustment (P67) and exhaust for circulation of air By adjusting P68, the temperature of the curing space can be maintained in a preset range.

Curing of the lens material filled into the mold can be accomplished in various ways and is not limited to the embodiments presented.

The lens forming apparatus according to the present invention allows the temperature of the entire curing space to be adjusted to a predetermined range by adjusting the emission frequency by adjusting the input current of the infrared lamp. For example, by adjusting a plurality of infrared lamps in order along the transport direction to adjust the infrared wavelengths emitted from the entire infrared lamps, or by independently adjusting the wavelengths of the respective infrared lamps, the temperature of the curing space may vary depending on the transport area. Allow to be adjusted to a predetermined level. The lens forming apparatus according to the present invention facilitates temperature control in the entire conveying section by blocking external influences on the inlet and outlet parts. In addition, the molding method according to the present invention enables precise temperature control of the transfer section by controlling the frequency of the infrared ray in a pulse width modulation (PWM) method.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the presented embodiments, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and modifications without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention with reference to the presented embodiments. . The invention is not limited by the invention as such variations and modifications but only by the claims appended hereto.

11: transfer module 12a, 12b: insulating block
13a, 13b: temperature curtain unit 14: circulation unit
15: flow control unit 21: mold transfer screen
22: receiving frame 23: rotary roller
24a, 24b: fixing plates 31_1 to 31_N: subblocks
32: fixing member block 33: temperature curtain block
34: fixed frame 35_1 to 35_K: adjusting groove
41, 41_1 to 41_K: induction frame
42: infrared lamp 52: temperature sensor
53: adjusting unit 54a, 54b: operating frame
55_1 to 55_L: path separation unit
56: discharge guide unit 411: guide hole
421: protective tube 422: carbon exothermic fiber
423: power supply unit F: sealed housing
HS: curing space TS: temperature control space

Claims (5)

A transport module 11 for transporting a plurality of molds for lens molding;
A temperature curtain unit 13a formed at the inlet of the transfer module 11;
A curing space HS in which the curing temperatures of the plurality of molds transferred via the temperature curtain unit 13a are controlled;
An infrared lamp module disposed below the curing space HS to emit infrared rays into the curing space HS;
At least one circulation unit 14 disposed above the curing space HS; And
A flow regulating unit 15 for regulating the air flow in the curing space HS according to the operation of the circulation unit 14,
The infrared lamp module includes a plurality of infrared lamps disposed along the conveying direction. The lens forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature curtain unit (13a) is formed of a heat insulating material to have a box shape projecting outward. 2. The lens forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the curing space (HS) is adjusted by pulse width modulation (PWM) of the frequency or wavelength of infrared rays emitted from the infrared lamp (42). In the lens molding method,
Setting a molding temperature according to a transfer section of the mold into which the lens material is injected;
Setting the temperature of the inflow section for temperature control according to the transport section;
Controlling the temperature according to the set temperature while the mold is transferred along the transfer section;
Detecting temperature in different transport sections;
Determining whether the detection temperature is within a set range; And
Controlling the wavelength or the frequency of the infrared lamp according to the determination result;
The temperature control by the infrared lamp is a lens shaping method, characterized in that the pulse width modulation method. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature control of the transfer section is made of a rising section, a peak section and a falling section, the lens forming method, characterized in that the temperature of the inlet section is 30 to 50 degrees and 130 to 180 ℃ in the peak section.

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