WO2019169866A1

WO2019169866A1 - Lens processing apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: WO2019169866A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/110327
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王杰; 唐泽达; 王霖; 胡飞; 李屹
Original assignee: 深圳光峰科技股份有限公司
Priority date: 2018-03-08
Filing date: 2018-10-16
Publication date: 2019-09-12
Also published as: CN110239120A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lens processing apparatus and method. The lens processing apparatus comprises: a platform, provided with a horizontal surface; a groove, provided on the horizontal surface and used for accommodating a lens master mold; a flattening roller, arranged above the horizontal surface, the lower outline of the flattening roller being parallel to the horizontal surface, a gap being provided between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface; a carrier film, which can be placed in the gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface and completely covers the gap; and a linking mechanism, fixed on the platform and connected to one end of the flattening roller, the linking mechanism allowing the flattening roller to move horizontally and pivotally around a fixed point above the horizontal surface. The present invention allows the manufacturing of an oversized annular groove structure, ensures the thickness uniformity of a lens, and reduces costs and process difficulty.

Description

Lens processing equipment and method

Technical field

This invention relates to the field of lens processing and, in particular, to a processing apparatus and method for a lens having a large annular groove structure.

Background technique

Currently, lenses with large-sized annular groove structures are becoming more and more widely used in various industries. For example, such a lens has a flat surface on one side and a grooved structure engraved with concentric circles or Archimedes spirals on the other side. Figure 1 illustrates a schematic of such a lens. For example, in the field of solar concentrating, such a lens is one of the important optical components in a concentrating solar energy system (CPV), and its performance directly affects the concentrating efficiency of the CPV system. In the field of display, such a lens is used to collect the light of a large divergence angle thrown by the projector, so that the originally diverged light can be concentrated in the viewing angle of the viewer to achieve the purpose of increasing the brightness of the image. Under such industry background and market demand, it is required to provide a lens having a high-precision, high-quality groove structure.

However, at present, there is still a blank in the field of processing and manufacturing of lenses having an oversized annular groove structure in China. The core technology for precision machining of oversized molds required to manufacture lenses with oversized annular groove structures is still concentrated in Japan and is costly to process. Therefore, such a problem can be avoided by replacing the mold opening by transferring the structural master of the oversized annular groove. In addition, the existing hand-coating transfer processes are relatively simple linear structures, and lack of necessary processes for improving quality (flatness, bubble elimination, etc.) for complex nonlinear structures.

The processing method of the annular groove structure in the related art mostly uses a large machine tool to burn a mold, and then is integrally cast or molded by using a burned mold, or directly ground and burned on a lens substrate. A method of manufacturing a Fresnel lens is disclosed, for example, in the patent document with the publication number CN1431526A. Figure 2 shows a diagram of the apparatus and method for making a Fresnel lens in this document. According to this document, the photo-curing adhesive 101 is first applied to the Fresnel mold 102 by partial dispensing, and then the acrylic substrate 103 is coated with the rolling roller 105 by rolling. On the Fresnel mold with the photo-curing adhesive 101, the acrylic substrate 103 and the Fresnel mold 102 are irradiated with light to cure the photo-curable adhesive 101, and finally the photo-curable adhesive 101 is separated from the Fresnel mold 102 to form Fresnel. Lens lens. However, this manufacturing method is relatively simple, the engraving mold can only perform small annular groove structure processing, and the mold cost is relatively expensive. In addition, since the rolling state of the rolling rolls on different regions of the acrylic substrate may be inconsistent, the thickness uniformity of the lens cannot be ensured. In addition, since the groove forming direction in the mold and the working direction of the rolling roller during rolling are not uniform, the bubbles cannot be effectively removed, and thus the influence of the bubbles in the glue cannot be eliminated.

Summary of the invention

In view of the above problems, the present invention is expected to provide a lens processing apparatus and method for forming a lens by transfer using glue, thereby improving product yield and manufacturing cost of a lens having a large-sized annular groove structure. And it can ensure that the processed lens has a uniform thickness and no bubbles.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a lens processing apparatus for forming a lens by transfer using glue. The lens processing apparatus includes: a platform having a horizontal surface; a groove disposed in the horizontal surface for accommodating a lens master; a flattening roller, the flattening roller being located Above the horizontal surface, and the lower side contour of the flattening roller is parallel to the horizontal surface, and there is a gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface; and a base film capable of being placed on the substrate a gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface and completely covering the groove; and a linkage mechanism fixed to the platform and connected to one end of the flattening roller, wherein The linkage mechanism enables the flattening roller to perform a horizontal pivotal movement above the horizontal surface about a fixed point.

Preferably, the position of the fixed point coincides with the central position of the annular groove of the lens master.

Preferably, the flattening roller is capable of performing an autorotation motion about its central axis by the linkage mechanism.

Preferably, the linkage mechanism comprises a vertical bearing and a horizontal bearing. The vertical bearing is coupled to the platform, the horizontal bearing is coupled to the one end of the flattening roller, and the vertical bearing and the horizontal bearing are interconnected, and the flattening roller is capable of The horizontal pivoting movement is performed about the vertical bearing and the rotation motion is performed by the horizontal bearing.

Preferably, the lens processing apparatus further includes a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface, the gap adjustment mechanism including at least a screw, a frame, a guide rail, and a carriage. The frame is fixed to the vertical bearing, the frame being rotated about the vertical bearing along with the flattening roller. The rail is fixed to the frame such that the rail extends in a vertical direction, and the screw is coupled to the carriage through a screw hole of the frame such that the carriage can rotate with the screw And sliding on the rail. The carriage is fixed to the horizontal bearing such that the horizontal bearing and the flattening roller are movable up and down.

Preferably, the lens processing apparatus further includes a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface. Preferably, the gap is equal to the thickness of the carrier film plus 5-20 um.

Preferably, the lens processing apparatus further includes a fixing device capable of fixing the carrier base film to the platform in a detachable manner.

Preferably, the flattening roller is a tapered roller.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a lens processing method which performs the following steps using a lens processing apparatus as described above:

Step S1: placing the lens master in the groove of the platform such that a center of the annular groove of the lens master coincides with the fixed point;

Step S2: applying glue to the lens master;

Step S3: covering the carrier substrate film on the surface of the lens master mold coated with glue;

Step S4: pivoting the flattening roller around the pivoting center to uniformly disperse glue between the bearing base film and the annular groove of the bearing master;

Step S5: curing the glue to form a lens having an annular groove structure;

Step S6: separating the carrier base film from the platform.

Preferably, between the step S3 and the step S4, a step S7 may be further included: adjusting a gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface.

The greatest advantage of the lens processing apparatus and method according to the present invention is that it can overcome the problem of entering air bubbles in the glue when forming an oversized lens having an annular groove and being difficult to eliminate. By providing a flattening roller that can pivot horizontally on the platform, it is ensured that the flow direction of the glue coincides with the circumferential direction of the annular groove structure of the lens master, so that the air in the glue can be completely eliminated. Furthermore, the lens processing apparatus and method according to the present invention may at least have the following advantages:

(1) It is possible to make an oversized annular groove structure (2.5m or more) by means of platform transfer;

(2) By adjusting the gap between the flattening roller and the surface of the platform, the uniformity of the thickness of the transferred lens can be ensured;

(3) The structure is simple, which reduces the cost and process difficulty.

It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, but may be any of the advantageous effects described herein.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic view showing a lens having an annular groove structure in the art;

2 is a schematic view showing a lens processing apparatus and a processing method in the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

4 is a schematic view showing a process of manufacturing a lens using a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic view showing a flattening roller of a lens processing apparatus and a linkage mechanism thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic view showing a gap adjusting mechanism of a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a schematic view showing a fixing device for supporting a base film of a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a land groove of a lens processing apparatus and a flattening roller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. It is to be emphasized that all the dimensions in the drawings are only schematic and are not necessarily illustrated in a true scale, and thus are not limiting. For example, it is to be understood that the specific materials, shapes, thicknesses, sizes, and the like of the various components illustrated are not shown in the actual size and scale, and are merely for convenience of illustration.

A schematic diagram showing a lens processing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. As shown in the figure, the lens processing apparatus includes a platform 1. Platform 1 is an operating platform for lens processing. The platform 1 is typically a circular or square platform with a horizontal surface. Generally, in this document, the horizontal direction refers to the direction extending along the x-axis in FIG. 3, the vertical direction refers to the direction extending along the z-axis in FIG. 3, and the width direction refers to the direction extending along the y-axis in FIG. A groove 2 having a size equivalent to the size of the lens master is provided in the stage 1. During the processing of the lens, the lens master 6 (see Fig. 4) will be placed in the recess 2, and the glue 8 for transfer forming the lens will be coated on the lens master. The upper surface of the lens master 6 and the horizontal surface of the stage are in the same plane for ensuring uniform thickness of the formed lens. The lens processing apparatus further includes a flattening roller 3. The flattening roller 3 is disposed above the horizontal surface of the platform 1 and is arranged such that the surface of the flattening roller 3 in contact with the glue is parallel to the horizontal surface of the platform 1 to ensure uniformity of the thickness of the glue. In other words, the lower side contour of the flattening roller 3 is parallel to the horizontal surface of the platform 1. The outline here refers to the outline of the flattening roller 3 in a section passing through the central axis of the flattening roller 3 and perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the stage 1. One end of the flattening roller 3 is fixed to the stage via the linkage mechanism 4, so that the flattening roller 3 can horizontally pivot on the platform 1 around the fixed point. The groove 2 is located in the passing area of the horizontal pivoting movement of the flattening roller 3 above the platform 1. Preferably, the flattening roller 3 is also capable of performing an autorotation motion about its own central axis while horizontally pivoting. Such a rotation motion causes rolling friction between the flattening roller 3 and the glue instead of sliding friction, which can reduce the frictional force, thereby further improving the uniformity of the glue pressing and the uniformity of the glue dispersion. During the processing of the lens, the flattening roller 3 can carry the glue 8 placed on the lens master 6 in the groove 2 and the carrier film 5 placed above the glue 8 by such circular pivoting and rotation motion. Uniform pressing is performed (to be described later) so that the glue 8 is uniformly dispersed into the annular groove of the lens master 6. Preferably, the flattening roller 3 may be a tapered roller as shown in the drawing, and the diameter from the fixed end to the free end is gradually increased. However, it should be understood that the shape of the flattening roller 3 is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a cylindrical roller. The flattening roller 3 may be made of metal or a low-viscosity silicone roller. The material of the flattening roller 3 can be selected as needed, and is not limited thereto. The lens processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes a gumming device 7 for applying glue, and a fixing device 9 for fixing the carrier film 5, which is provided on the stage 1. It should be noted that the various functions of contact, friction, pressing, and scattering of the flattening roller 3 and the glue mentioned herein include indirect contact, friction and pressing of the flattening roller 3 with the glue through the bearing base film 5. , distribution and other functions.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a flattening roller 3 and its linkage mechanism 4 of a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the linkage mechanism 4 includes, for example, a vertical bearing 10 connected to the platform 1 and a horizontal bearing 11 connected to the flattening roller 3. The vertical bearing 10 and the horizontal bearing 11 are connected to each other. The vertical bearing 10 enables the flattening roller 3 to pivot horizontally on the platform 1 with it as the axis of rotation. The horizontal bearing 11 allows the flattening roller 3 to rotate about the central axis of the roller. It should be understood that the structure of the above-described dual bearing is merely an example of the linkage mechanism 4, and the linkage mechanism 4 can obviously also be realized by other suitable structures such as bevel gears.

In order to enable the flattening roller 3 to uniformly press the carrier base film 5 located above the glue 8, and to adapt to different process requirements, and to ensure the uniformity of the thickness of the transferred lens, the lens processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can also There is a gap adjusting mechanism for adjusting a gap between the flattening roller 3 and the surface of the stage 1. The gap adjusting mechanism is coupled to the flattening roller 3 and is capable of horizontally rotating on the platform 1 with the flattening roller 3, and is capable of moving the flattening roller 3 up and down in the vertical direction (ie, the z direction in FIG. 3), thereby adjusting the exhibition The gap between the flat roller 3 and the surface of the platform 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of a gap adjusting mechanism of a lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 6, the gap adjustment mechanism includes a screw 12, a frame 13, a guide rail 14, and a carriage 15. The frame 13 is fixed, for example, to the vertical bearing 10 of the linkage mechanism 4 such that the frame 13 is not displaceable in the vertical direction, but is rotatable about the vertical bearing 10 together with the flattening roller 3. The guide rail 14 is fixed to the frame 13 so that the guide rail 14 can extend in the vertical direction. The screw 12 is coupled to the carriage 15 through a screw hole in the frame 13. As the screw 12 rotates, the carriage 15 can slide up and down in the vertical direction on the guide rail 14. The carriage 15 is fixed to the horizontal bearing 11, so that the horizontal bearing 11 and the flattening roller 3 can move up and down as the carriage 15 slides up and down. Therefore, by rotating the screw 12, the horizontal bearing 11 and the flattening roller 3 can be moved up and down, so that the gap between the flattening roller 3 and the surface of the stage 1 can be adjusted. In order to ensure accuracy, a pointer or scale can be provided on the adjustment knob or rail 14 above the screw 12. It should be understood that the above description with reference to FIG. 6 is merely an example of the gap adjusting mechanism of the lens processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiment of the gap adjusting mechanism is not limited thereto.

FIG. 7 illustrates a fixing device 9 for fixing the carrier base film 5 which is provided on the platform 1. In the manufacturing process of the lens, after the lens master is placed in the groove 2 and the glue is applied on the lens master, it is necessary to cover the carrier film 5 over the glue and to detach the carrier film 5 in a detachable manner. It is fixed to the platform 1 so that the glue can be evenly distributed in subsequent processes. The fixing means 9 can be of any fixed means known. For example, a press-type fixing device 9 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. As shown in the figure, the fixture 9 includes a cylinder 16, a pressure bar 17, and a slide rail 18. The cylinder 16 is fixed to the platform 1. The air cylinder 16 drives the slide rail 18 to move up and down, so that the pressure rod 17 can be raised and pressed on the surface of the platform 1, so that the carrier base film 5 can be firmly fixed on the surface of the plane 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of fixing devices 9 may be respectively disposed on both sides of the platform 1.

8 is a view showing a positional relationship between a groove of a lens processing apparatus and a flattening roller according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, reference numeral r denotes a Fresnel radius of the smallest radius groove on the master mold 6, and reference numeral R denotes a Fresnel radius of the largest radius groove on the master mold 6. According to the fixed position of the groove 2 and the curvature a of the groove structure on the mother film 6, the position of the pivot center point of the linkage mechanism of the flattening roller 3 can be determined, for example, the position of the center point of the bearing 10 in Fig. 3. b. According to R, r and the center point position b, the relevant angle and size of the flattening roller 3 can be calculated.

4 and 8, in the present invention, since the center position of the annular groove in the master mold 6 coincides with the position of the pivot center point (i.e., the fixed point) of the flattening roller 3, the flattening can be ensured. During the horizontal pivoting movement of the roller 3 on the surface of the platform 1, the underside contour of the flattening roller 3 in indirect contact with the glue (ie, in contact with the carrier substrate 5) is always with the annular groove of the female mold 6. The arc of the groove structure maintains a vertical relationship. In this case, the pressing of the glue 8 by the flattening roller 3 is always performed along the extending direction of the annular groove of the master mold 6, so that the bubble in the glue 8 can be maximally made along the annular groove. The edge of the master mold 6 is discharged, thereby achieving a uniform thickness of the formed lens and a bubble-free effect.

Hereinafter, a lens processing method using the above lens processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, in step S1, the master mold 6 is placed in the recess 2, and it is ensured that the center of the annular groove of the master mold 6 is positioned to coincide with the pivot center of the linkage mechanism of the flattening roller 3. Then, in step S2, the glue 8 is applied onto the master mold 6. Preferably, it should be ensured that the glue is evenly distributed in the radial direction of the annular groove. The coating of the glue can be carried out using a special gluing machine or by hand coating by a worker. Next, in step S3, the carrier base film 5 is overlaid on the surface of the master mold 6 coated with the glue 8. Preferably, the carrier film 5 is fixed to the surface of the stage 1 by means of a fixing means 9. Subsequently, in step S4, the flattening roller 3 pivots about the pivot center to uniformly disperse the glue 8 between the carrier film 5 and the annular groove of the master mold 6, thereby forming the annular groove of the female mold 6. The structure is transferred to the glue. After the transfer is completed, in step S5, the glue structure is cured using a UV lamp/heating or the like. After the curing is completed, in step S6, the fixing device 9 is loosened to separate the carrier base film 5 from the stage 1. Thereby, a lens having a large annular groove structure on the master mold 6 is formed. Further, between S3 and S4, preferably, step S7 may be included: the gap between the flattening roller 3 and the surface of the stage 1 is adjusted by the gap adjusting mechanism. Preferably, the gap is approximately equal to the thickness of the carrier film 5 plus 5-20 um.

The curing process of the glue 8 can be selected from ultraviolet curing or heat curing depending on the type of the glue 8. Further, the above manufacturing method is also applicable in the case where the glue 8 is a high viscosity glue (50 to 5000 cps). In addition, the glue application device 7 may be an automatic glue application device (such as a mechanical pump), or may be applied by manual application.

Although the lens processing apparatus and method according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art should understand that the substance or scope defined by the appended claims In this case, various changes, combinations, sub-combinations, and variations can be made.

Claims

A lens processing apparatus for forming a lens by transfer using glue, wherein the lens processing apparatus comprises:

a platform having a horizontal surface;

a groove disposed in the horizontal surface for receiving a lens master;

a flattening roller, the flattening roller is located above the horizontal surface, and a lower side contour of the flattening roller is parallel to the horizontal surface, and a gap is formed between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface;

Carrying a base film capable of being placed in the gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface and completely covering the groove;

a linkage mechanism fixed to the platform and connected to one end of the flattening roller, wherein

The linkage mechanism enables the flattening roller to perform a horizontal pivotal movement above the horizontal surface about a fixed point.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position of the fixed point coincides with a center position of the annular groove of the lens master.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flattening roller is capable of performing a rotation motion about its own central axis by the linkage mechanism.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said linkage mechanism comprises a vertical bearing and a horizontal bearing,

The vertical bearing is coupled to the platform, the horizontal bearing is coupled to the one end of the flattening roller, and the vertical bearing and the horizontal bearing are interconnected, and

The flattening roller is capable of performing the horizontal pivotal movement about the vertical bearing and performing the rotation motion through the horizontal bearing.
A lens processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said lens processing apparatus further comprises a gap adjusting mechanism for adjusting said gap between said flattening roller and said horizontal surface, said gap adjusting mechanism being at least Including screws, frames, rails and carriages,

Wherein the frame is fixed to the vertical bearing, and the frame rotates around the vertical bearing along with the flattening roller,

Wherein the guide rail is fixed to the frame such that the guide rail extends in a vertical direction, and the screw is connected to the carriage through a screw hole of the frame, so that the carriage can follow the screw Rotating on the rail and sliding

The carriage is fixed to the horizontal bearing such that the horizontal bearing and the flattening roller are movable up and down.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lens processing apparatus further comprises a gap adjusting mechanism that adjusts the gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gap is equal to a thickness of the carrier film plus 5 to 20 μm.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lens processing apparatus further comprises fixing means capable of fixing the carrier base film to the stage in a detachable manner.
The lens processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flattening roller is a tapered roller.
A lens processing method using the lens processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to perform the following steps:

Step S1: placing the lens master in the groove of the platform such that a center of the annular groove of the lens master coincides with the fixed point;

Step S2: applying glue to the lens master;

Step S3: covering the carrier substrate film on the surface of the lens master mold coated with glue;

Step S4: pivoting the flattening roller around the pivoting center to uniformly disperse glue between the bearing base film and the annular groove of the bearing master;

Step S5: curing the glue to form a lens having an annular groove structure;

Step S6: separating the carrier base film from the platform.
The lens processing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step S7 between the step S3 and the step S4:

A gap between the flattening roller and the horizontal surface is adjusted.