Abstract
Disclosed is a method for the automated transfer of an intraocular lens (1) comprising an optical lens body (10) and two haptics (11) attached to a peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10) and extending outwardly from the peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10). The method comprises the steps of: picking the intraocular lens (1) up at a start location; moving the intraocular lens (1) to a destination location; releasing the intraocular lens (1) at the destination location,
wherein picking the intraocular lens (1) up at the start location comprises gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1).
Claims
1. Method for the automated transfer of an intraocular lens (1) comprising an optical lens body (10) and two haptics (11) attached to a peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10) and extending outwardly from the peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10), the method comprising the steps of: picking the intraocular lens (1) up at a start location; moving the intraocular lens (1) to a destination location; releasing the intraocular lens (1) at the destination location, wherein picking the intraocular lens (1) up at the start location comprises gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1).
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) is performed using a gripper (7; 8) comprising aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) to attach the intraocular lens (1) to the gripper only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) by positioning the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) of the gripper adjacent to the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) and applying vacuum to the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870), and wherein releasing the intraocular (1) lens from the gripper at the destination location is performed by applying overpressure to the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) to detach the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) from the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870).
3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the aspirations ports (730; 860, 870) of the gripper (7; 8) comprise two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) arranged at a distal end of the gripper and projecting distally away from the gripper, each of the two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) comprising at its distal end an aspiration opening (731; 861, 871) surrounded by a lens attachment surface (732; 864), wherein the method further comprises positioning the distal end of one aspiration port (730; 860) of the two aspiration ports adjacent to one of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) such that the aspiration opening (731; 861) of that one aspiration port (730; 860) is covered by a portion of the one of the two haptics (11) arranged adjacent thereto, positioning the other aspiration port (730; 870) of the two aspiration ports adjacent to the other of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) such that the aspiration opening (730; 871) of that other aspiration port (730; 870) is covered by a portion of the other one of the two haptics (11), and applying the vacuum to the aspiration openings (731; 861, 871) of the two aspiration ports to attach the one of the two haptics (1) to the lens attachment surface (732, 864) of the one aspiration port (730; 860) and the other of the two haptics (11) to the lens attachment surface (732; 874) of the other aspiration port (730; 870).
4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the gripper (7) is a gripper having the two aspiration ports (730) fixedly arranged at the distal end of the gripper (7).
5. Method according to claim 3, wherein the gripper (8) is a gripper having the two aspiration ports (860, 870) rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripper, each of the two aspiration ports (860) being rotatably arranged about a respective predetermined rotational axis which is normal to a plane defined by the lens attachment surfaces (864, 874) of the two aspiration ports (860, 870).
6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises prior to applying the vacuum to the aspiration openings (861, 871) of the two aspiration ports (860, 870), determining an actual rotational orientation of each of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1), rotating each of the two aspiration ports (860, 870) about the respective predetermined rotational axis until the rotational orientation of the one aspiration port (860) corresponds to the determined actual rotational orientation of the one of the two haptics (11) and the rotational orientation of the other aspiration port (870) corresponds to the determined actual rotational orientation of the other of the two haptics (11), and thereafter applying the vacuum to the aspiration openings (861, 871) of the two aspiration ports to attach the one of the two haptics (11) to the lens attachment surface (864) of the one aspiration port (860) and the other of the two haptics (11) to the lens attachment surface (874) of the other aspiration port (870).
7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises in case the actual rotational orientation of the one of the two haptics (11) or of the other of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) deviates from a respective predetermined rotational orientation: rotating the one aspiration port (860) with the one of the two haptics (11) attached to the lens attachment surface (864) thereof and/or the other aspiration port (870) with the other of the two haptics (11) attached to the lens attachment surface (874) thereof about the respective predetermined rotational axis until each of the two haptics (11) has the predetermined rotational orientation, and at the destination location, applying the overpressure to the aspiration openings (861, 871) of the two aspiration ports (860, 870) with each of the two haptics (11) having the predetermined rotational orientation.
8. Apparatus (5) for the automated transfer of an intraocular lens (1) comprising an optical lens body (10) having a peripheral edge as well as two haptics (11) attached to the peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10) and extending outwardly from the peripheral edge of the optical lens body (10), the apparatus comprising a gripper (7; 8) including: pressure supply connectors (72; 82) for the supply of vacuum or overpressure; two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) arranged at a distal end of the gripper and projecting distally away from the gripper, each of the two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) at a distal end thereof comprising an aspiration opening (731; 861, 871) that is surrounded by a lens attachment surface (732; 864, 874), two separate fluid channels (712, 734, 735; 866, 868), each of the two separate fluid channels fluidically connecting a respective one of the two aspiration ports with the pressure supply connectors (72; 82) for the supply of vacuum or overpressure so as to form two separate fluidic connections between the pressure supply connectors (72; 82) and the aspiration openings (731; 861, 871) of the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870), wherein the two aspiration ports are spaced from one another by a distance (d; e) ranging from 5 mm to 17 mm measured in a plane defined by the lens attachment surfaces (732; 864, 874), for gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) by attaching the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens to the lens attachment surfaces (732; 864, 874) of the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870), and for releasing the intraocular lens (1) by detaching the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) from the lens attachment surfaces (732; 864, 874).
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the two aspiration ports (730) are fixedly arranged at the distal end of the gripper (7).
10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the two aspiration ports (860, 870) are rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripper (8), each of the two aspiration ports (860, 870) being rotatably arranged about a respective predetermined rotational axis which is normal to the plane defined by the lens attachment surfaces (864, 874).
11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the gripper further comprises two independent rotary motors, a first rotary motor (84) and a second rotary motor (5) each having a rotary drive shaft (840, 850), and wherein the rotary drive shaft (840) of the first rotary motor (84) is connected by a torque-proof connector with a first gripper finger (86) having one of the two aspiration ports (860) arranged at a distal end thereof, and wherein the rotary drive shaft (850) of the second rotary motor (5) is connected by a further torque-proof connector with a second gripper finger (87) having the other one of the two aspiration ports (870) arranged at a distal end thereof.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the torque-proof connector and the further torque-proof connector comprises a magnetic clutch including a permanent magnet (841, 851) and two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) made of a magnetically susceptive material, the permanent magnet (841, 851) being mounted in a torque-proof manner to a distal end of the rotary drive shaft (840, 850) and facing towards a proximal end of the respective one of the first or second gripper fingers (86, 87), and the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) being arranged at the proximal end of the respective one of the first or second gripper fingers (86, 87) and facing towards the permanent magnet (841, 851), with the distal ends of the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) being fixedly connected with the respective one of the first or second gripper fingers (86, 87), and with the proximal ends of the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) being magnetically coupled to the permanent magnet (841, 851).
13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the first gripper finger (86) comprises an abutment flange (869) arranged immediately proximal to the one aspiration port (860) and the second gripper finger (87) comprises a further abutment flange (879) arranged immediately proximal to the other aspiration port (870), and wherein the gripper (8) at its distal end comprises first and second abutment projections (813, 814) projecting distally from the distal end of the gripper at opposite sides of the gripper, the first abutment projection (813) forming a stop for the abutment flange (869) of the first gripper finger (86) to define a predetermined rotational orientation of the one aspiration port (860) when the abutment flange abuts against the first abutment projection (813), and the second abutment projection (814) forming a stop for the further abutment flange (879) of the second gripper finger (87) to define a predetermined rotational orientation of the other aspiration port (870) when the further abutment flange (879) abuts against the second abutment projection (814).
14. Apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising an illumination source (51) for illuminating an intraocular lens (1) carried by a lens carrier (2) as well as a camera (52) for capturing an image of the illuminated intraocular lens (1) carried by the lens carrier (2) to determine the position of the intraocular lens and the rotational orientation of the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) carried by the lens carrier (2), and further comprising a control unit coupled to the camera (52) and to the gripper (7, 8), for moving the gripper (7, 8) with the two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) to a position in which the two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) are arranged adjacent to the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) such that the rotational orientation of the two aspiration ports (730; 860, 870) corresponds to the determined actual rotational orientation of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1).
15. Apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a support plate (50) comprising a plurality of mounting locations (500) for mounting different types of lens carriers (2, 3) thereto, and further comprising at least two different lens carriers (2, 3) of different types mounted to the mounting locations (500), wherein the support plate (50), the mounting locations (500) and the at least two lens carriers (2, 3) of the different types are configured such that an intraocular lens arranged on a said lens carrier (2, 3), regardless of the type of lens carrier, is arranged in the same plane parallel to the plane defined by the lens attachment surfaces (732; 864, 874) of the aspiration ports (730; 860, 870).
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0057] FIG. 1 illustrates the process of a transfer of an intraocular lens (IOL) from a lens carrier used during manufacture of the IOL to a lens carrier used during inspection of the IOL;
[0058] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an apparatus for the automated transfer of an intraocular lens according to the invention;
[0059] FIG. 3 shows a scheme illustrating the transfer of an IOL from a respective start location to a respective destination location;
[0060] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of some components of the embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 2;
[0061] FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a gripper of the apparatus according to the invention;
[0062] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section through the assembled gripper of FIG. 5;
[0063] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the detail VII of FIG. 6;
[0064] FIG. 8 shows a perspective top view of an end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5;
[0065] FIG. 9 shows a perspective bottom view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5;
[0066] FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5;
[0067] FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5;
[0068] FIG. 12 shows a partially sectioned view of a portion of the end piece of FIG. 8;
[0069] FIG. 13 show the detail XIII of FIG. 11;
[0070] FIG. 14 shows an IOL gripped at its haptics by the first embodiment of the gripper;
[0071] FIG. 15 show a perspective top view of a portion of an inspection carrier during placement of the IOL by the first embodiment of the gripper;
[0072] FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a gripper of the apparatus according to the invention;
[0073] FIG. 17 shows a side view of the embodiment of the gripper shown in FIG. 16;
[0074] FIG. 18 shows a longitudinal section of the gripper along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17;
[0075] FIG. 19 shows a longitudinal section of the gripper along line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18;
[0076] FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of the gripper finger of the gripper of FIG. 16;
[0077] FIG. 21 shows a side view of the gripper finger of FIG. 19;
[0078] FIG. 22 shows a longitudinal section of the gripper finger along line XXII-XXII of FIG. 21;
[0079] FIG. 23 shows the detail XXIII of FIG. 22;
[0080] FIG. 24 shows a top view of the gripper finger of FIG. 20;
[0081] FIG. 25 shows a bottom view of the gripper finger of FIG. 20;
[0082] FIG. 26 shows the detail XXVI of FIG. 25 in an enlarged view;
[0083] FIG. 27 shows a bottom view of the gripper of FIG. 16 with an IOL attached thereto that has a regular orientation of the haptics; and
[0084] FIG. 28 shows a bottom view of the gripper of FIG. 16 with an IOL attached thereto that has an irregular orientation of the haptics.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0085] As used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include the plural, unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. When using the term “about” with reference to a particular numerical value or a range of values, this is to be understood in the sense that the particular numerical value referred to in connection with the term “about” is included and is explicitly disclosed, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, if a range of “about” numerical value a to “about” numerical value b is disclosed, this is to be understood to include and explicitly disclose a range of numerical value a to numerical value b. Also, whenever features are combined with the term “or”, the term “or” is to be understood to also include “and” unless it is evident from the specification that the term “or” must be understood as being exclusive.
[0086] FIG. 1 illustrates the process of transferring an intraocular lens 1 (referred to as ‘IOL’ in the following) from a lens carrier 2 of a first type which may be used during manufacture of the IOL 1 to a lens carrier 3 of a second type (which may or may not be different from the first type) which may be used during inspection of the IOL 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, IOL 1 comprises an optical lens body 10 as well as two haptics 11 extending outwardly from a peripheral edge of the optical lens body 10, as is conventional and well understood by those skilled in the art. Optical lens body 10 is a particularly delicate component of IOL 1 since optical lens body 10 is that component of IOL 1 generating the image on the retina of the eye after the IOL 1 has been implanted into the capsular bag of the eye of a patient, whereas the two haptics 11 serve for the proper arrangement of the IOL 1 as a whole, and of the optical lens body 10 in particular, in the capsular bag.
[0087] As mentioned further above already, not only the optical lens body 10 of the IOL 1 is inspected for its integrity and compliance with the specifications, but also the overall dimensions of the intraocular lens including the haptics are measured. By way of example, the diameter of the optical lens body 10 has a predetermined value which is a value ranging from 4.9 mm to 7.1 mm, and the overall diameter of the IOL 1 (distance between the tips of the two haptics 11) has a predetermined value which is typically in the range of 10.5 mm to 14.5 mm, but may even be larger than that. Only by way of example, the diameter of the optical lens body 10 may be 6.0 mm or 6.3 mm, and the overall diameter of the IOL 1 (including the haptics) may be 13.3 mm.
[0088] IOLs are typically made of materials exhibiting a high flexibility (e.g. silicone hydrogels), as during the surgical procedure it is desirable that the dimensions of the IOL 1 may be temporarily reduced to be as small as possible so that only a small incision is needed in the eye for the insertion of the IOL 1 into the capsular bag through the incision (scleral tunnel).
[0089] Due to the flexibility of the material the IOL 1 is made of, the haptics 11 may get slightly flexed or bent during the manufacturing process. To illustrate this, two such lens carriers 2 of the first type are shown in FIG. 1. The lens carrier 2 of the first type comprises some small pins 21 (or studs) for holding the IOL 1 in position on the lens carrier 2.
[0090] The haptics 11 of the IOL 1 on the lens carrier 2 shown on the left-hand side in FIG. 1 are arranged in their regular orientation relative to the optical lens body 10, whereas one of the two haptics 11 of the IOL 1 on the lens carrier 2 shown on the right-hand side in FIG. 1 is flexed or bent away from the optical lens body 10 while the other one of the two haptics 11 is flexed or bent towards the optical lens body 10. Typically, this flexing or bending of the haptic 11 means that the respective haptic 11 is slightly pivoted about the portion where the respective haptic 11 is attached to the lens body 10. And although the optical lens body 10 of IOL 1 shown on the lens carrier 2 on the right-hand side in FIG. 1 is displaced and the haptics 11 are flexed out of their regular orientation relative to the optical lens body 10, the dimensions of the IOL 1 are well within the specifications if the haptics 11 were arranged in their regular orientation relative to the optical lens body 10.
[0091] Accordingly, while a simple transfer of the IOL 1 from the lens carrier 2 of the first type shown on the left hand side in FIG. 1 to the lens carrier 3 of the second type used for the inspection of the IOL 1 may lead to a ‘pass’ (i.e. positive result) during the inspection (assuming the IOL 1 is free of any defects), the simple transfer of the IOL 1 from the lens carrier 2 shown on the right hand side in FIG. 1 to the lens carrier 3 may lead to a ‘reject’ (i.e. negative result) during the inspection due to the overall diameter of the IOL being outside the specifications. The latter result of the inspection is unwanted (as the IOL 1 has the proper dimensions if the haptics were properly oriented) and can be avoided.
[0092] Lens carrier 3 of the second type comprises some small pins 31 (or studs) for holding the IOL 1 in position on the lens carrier 3. Lens carrier 3 further comprises an inspection opening 30, and the IOL 1 is arranged on the lens carrier 3 such that the lens body 10 of IOL 1 is arranged above the inspection opening 30 to allow for the inspection of the lens body 10 of IOL 1 through this inspection opening 30. The process of transferring the IOL 1 from either the lens carrier 2 of the first type shown on the left-hand side in FIG. 1 or from the lens carrier 2 of the first type shown on the right-hand side in FIG. 1 to the lens carrier 3 of the second type is illustrated by a respective arrow 4.
[0093] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an apparatus 5 for the automated transfer of the IOL 1. This embodiment of the apparatus 5 comprises a support plate 50 comprising a plurality of individual mounting locations 500 for mounting different types of lens carriers thereto. These mounting locations 500 are arranged in a matrix-like arrangement of rows and columns, as will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 2 one lens carrier 3 of the second type is shown as being mounted to the support plate 5 at one of the mounting locations, while a lens carrier 2 of the first type (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 1) may be mounted at that mounting location 500 to which the tip of the arrow points. In the embodiment shown, the individual mounting locations and the different types of lens carriers are configured such that, regardless of the type of lens carrier, an IOL 1 placed on such lens carrier is always arranged in the same plane (parallel to the plane of the support plate 50).
[0094] Apparatus 5 further comprises an illumination source 51, a camera 52 (not visible in FIG. 2, see FIG. 4), as well as control valves 53 for controlling the supply of either vacuum or overpressure. Apparatus 5 further comprises a gripper 6 for gripping the IOL 1 at the two haptics 11 of the IOL 1 only, and for transferring the IOL 1 from one type of lens carrier arranged on the support plate 50 to another type of lens carrier arranged on the support plate 50, as will be explained in more detail below. By way of example, the IOL 1 may be transported from a lens carrier 2 of the first type shown in FIG. 1 (used during manufacturing of the IOL 1) to a lens carrier 3 of the second type (used during inspection of the IOL 1).
[0095] The apparatus 5 may further comprise an additional camera 59 (schematically indicated in FIG. 2 by dashed lines) for confirming that the IOL 1 has been properly gripped by the gripper 6 and how the IOL 1 and the haptics 11 are actually attached to the gripper 6 prior to placing IOL 1 on the lens carrier 3 of the second type. This camera has a view from below, i.e. the view is from below towards the distal end of the gripper 6 to which the IOL 1 is attached. Thus, additional camera 59 may help in confirming that the haptics 11 are in the proper rotational orientation so that the IOL 1 can be reliably and successfully placed on the lens carrier 3.
[0096] A scheme illustrating the transfer of the IOL 1 from a respective start location to a respective destination location is shown in FIG. 3, and this illustrated scheme corresponds to the individual mounting locations 500 on the support plate 50 shown in FIG. 2. The individual mounting locations 500 are arranged along rows indicated by rA, rB, rC, rD and rE and columns indicated by c1, c2, c3, and c4. Accordingly, in the lowermost row of the scheme the individual mounting locations are denoted A1 (row A, column 1), A2, A3 and A4, while in the uppermost row of the scheme the individual mounting locations are denoted E1, E2, E3 and E4, the center of the respective mounting location 500 being indicated by crosshairs.
[0097] For example, in row rA the transfer of the IOL 1 (see FIG. 1) from the lens carrier 2 of the first type (see FIG. 1) which is arranged at mounting location A3 to the lens carrier 3 of the second type (see FIG. 1) which is arranged at mounting location A4 is indicated by the full arrow 4. After successful inspection, the IOL may be transferred from the lens carrier 3 of the second type at mounting location A4 to a lens carrier of a third type (storage carrier, not shown) arranged at mounting location A2, this being indicated by the dashed arrow 40.
[0098] Turning back to the apparatus 5 shown in FIG. 2, for performing the movement along the respective row, the gripper 6 and the other components (illumination source 51, camera 52, control valves 53) are mounted to a slide 54 which may be moved along a fixedly arranged arm 55 of apparatus 5. For a movement in the direction of the columns, the support plate 50 is mounted on a further slide 56 which is movable along a rail 57. Gripper 6 is separately movable (i.e. without the other components) towards and away from the support plate 50 in a direction normal to the plane defined by the support plate 50 on which the IOL 1 is arranged on the respective lens carrier 2 of the first type or on the lens carrier 3 of the second type (or on any further lens carrier).
[0099] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of some components of the embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 2 which are mounted to the slide 54, in particular the illumination source 51, the camera 52, the control valves 53 and the gripper 6. The illumination source 51 is an annular illumination source for emitting light downwardly towards the support plate 5 and has a central through-opening 510 extending in the longitudinal direction along an axis 511 and allowing the camera 52 to capture an image of the IOL 1 (not shown in FIG. 4) to be inspected through this through-opening 510. The IOL 1 to be inspected may thus be illuminated in a dark-field illumination configuration.
[0100] As mentioned, gripper 6 is movable in the direction towards and away from the support plate 50 (z-direction normal to the x-y-directions of the rows and columns), this direction being indicated by the double-headed arrow in FIG. 4. For that reason, gripper 6 is mounted to a mounting shaft 58 in a manner that will be described in more detail below. This mounting shaft 58 is arranged at a fixed predetermined lateral displacement (location in the x-y plane) relative to the axis 511. So once the location (in the x-y plane) of an IOL 1 to be picked up has been determined with the aid of the camera 52, due to the known lateral displacement of the mounting shaft 58 relative of the axis 511 the location to which the gripper 6 (which is mounted to the mounting shaft 58) must be moved to pick up the IOL 1 is exactly known to the apparatus 5. The gripper 6 mounted to mounting shaft 58 has a predetermined overall length, so that once mounted to the mounting shaft 58 it is only necessary to determine the lowermost position (location in the z-direction) to which he distal end of the gripper 6 may be moved once. At this lowermost position the distal end of gripper 6 (the aspiration ports for gripping the IOL 1, as will be explained below) is arranged shortly above the IOL 1 arranged on the respective lens carrier. The IOL 1 is always arranged in the same plane regardless of the type of lens carrier used, as has already been mentioned above. In this lowermost position the gripper 6 may pick up the IOL 1 from the respective lens carrier as will be described in more detail below. When the gripper 6 must be replaced, it is possible to simply unmount the gripper 6 from the mounting shaft 58 and to mount a new gripper 6 to the mounting shaft. As the new gripper 6 has the same dimensions as the old gripper 6, it is not necessary to teach the lowermost position of the gripper 6 to the apparatus again, but rather the already determined lowermost position can be maintained, so that the IOL 1 cannot get damaged at the time of being picked up. While the gripper is assigned reference numeral 6 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in the following description of embodiments of the gripper reference numerals other than 6 are assigned to the gripper in order to be able to better distinguish the embodiments of the gripper.
[0101] A first embodiment of the gripper 7 of the apparatus 5 according to the invention is described in the following with the aid of FIG. 5-FIG. 15. The first embodiment of gripper 7 shown in an exploded view in FIG. 5 comprises a mounting stud 70 having a through-hole 700 extending transversely through the mounting stud 70, so that the gripper 7 as a whole may be mounted to the mounting shaft 58 of the apparatus 5 with the aid of a fitting screw 581 extending through a through-hole 580 provided in the mounting shaft 58 of the apparatus 5 as well as through the through-hole 700 of the mounting stud 70 (see FIG. 6) of the gripper 7. Gripper 7 further comprises a gripper body 71 with two pressure supply connectors 72, e.g. small hose stems, which are mounted to the gripper body 71. Vacuum or overpressure may be alternatively supplied to each of the supply connectors 72. Gripper 7 further comprises a gripper end piece 73 with two aspiration ports 730, which is to be mounted to a distal end of the gripper body 71. To achieve a proper positioning of the end piece 73 relative to the gripper body 71 during mounting, two positioning pins 710 are arranged at the distal end of the gripper body 71 and are projecting distally away from the gripper body. The gripper end piece 73 is mounted to the gripper body 71 with the aid of a small tensioning bolt 74 having a conical notch 740 arranged at the proximal end of the tensioning bolt 74 for the engagement of a set screw 75 having a conical tip. The set screw 75 is screwed into a threaded through-bore 711 of gripper body 71 for engaging into the conical notch 740 of the tensioning bolt 74 to properly position the tensioning bolt 74, which in turn pulls the gripper end piece 73 against the gripper body 71. Two separate supply channels (i.e. supply channels which are not in fluid connection with one another) are provided in the interior of the gripper body 71, one such supply channel 712 being shown by dashed lines in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 shows the assembled gripper 7 mounted to the mounting shaft 58, and FIG. 7 shows in detail how the set screw 75 engages into the conical notch 740 of the tensioning bolt 74, pulling the tensioning bolt 74 upwardly to the desired position and thereby pulling gripper end piece 73 against gripper body 71.
[0102] FIG. 8-FIG. 13 show the gripper end piece 73 in more detail. Gripper end piece 73 comprises the two (hollow) aspiration ports 730, each having an aspiration opening 731 which has the shape of a curved slot and is surrounded by a lens attachment surface 732. From the perspective top view shown in FIG. 8 it can be seen that gripper end piece 73 comprises two blind bores 737 (see also FIG. 12) for accommodating the two positioning pins 710 projecting distally away from the gripper body 71 in order to properly position the gripper end piece 73 relative to the gripper body 71. Gripper end piece 73 further comprises a central stepped through-bore 733 (see also FIG. 11) for accommodating the tensioning bolt 74 as well as two recesses 734. From the bottom of each of the recesses 734 a supply bore 735 extends down to the respective aspiration port 730 and opens into the aspiration opening 731 of the respective aspiration port 730. As can be seen in FIG. 10 already but can be seen even better in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13, the supply bore 735 is of circular cross-section and ends some axial distance away from the aspiration opening 731. Also, as indicated in FIG. 11 an O-ring 736 is arranged in each of the recesses 734, the respective O-ring 736 having an axial height such that it projects upwardly beyond the upper surface of the gripper end piece 73.
[0103] During mounting the gripper end piece 73 to the gripper body 71, the two positioning pins 710 projecting distally away from the gripper body 71 penetrate into the blind bores 737 of the gripper end piece 73, and once the set screw 75 starts engaging the conical notch 740 of tensioning bolt 74 the tensioning bolt 74 is pulled upwards thereby pulling the gripper end piece 73 against the gripper body 71. Through this pulling action, the two O-rings 736 are compressed so that two separate pressure-tight fluid channels are established, each pressure-tight fluid channel fluidically connecting one of the pressure supply connectors 72 with the aspiration opening 731 of a respective one of the aspiration ports 730 to either supply vacuum to the respective aspiration port 730 (for picking the IOL 1 up), or to supply overpressure to the respective aspiration port 730 (for releasing the IOL 1). Each of the pressure-tight fluid channels is formed by the supply channel 712 extending through the gripper body 71, and further by the recess 734 and the supply bore 735 extending from the bottom of recess 734 down to the aspiration opening 731 of the aspiration port 730.
[0104] As can be seen in FIG. 8-FIG. 13, the two aspiration ports 730 are fixedly arranged at the distal end of the gripper 7, or to be more precise at the distal end of gripper end piece 73 of gripper 7. The term ‘fixedly arranged’ means that a distance d between the two aspiration ports 730 (see FIG. 10) and the rotational orientation relative to one another cannot be changed. The distance d between the two aspiration ports has a value ranging from 5 mm to 17 mm, this distance d in any event being larger than the diameter of the optical body 10 of IOL 1 to be gripped, so that the IOL 1 may only be gripped at the haptics 11). More preferably, the value for this distance d ranges from 8 mm to 12 mm, and by way of example the value for the distance d may be 9.8 mm. The distance d is measured in a plane defined by the attachment surfaces 732 of the aspiration ports 730, this plane being indicated in dashed lines in FIG. 11 and extends normal to the plane of the drawing.
[0105] To grip an IOL 1 the haptics 11 of which are regularly arranged on the lens carrier 2 of the first type as is shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 1, the gripper 7 is moved towards the IOL 1 until the lens attachment surfaces 732 of the aspiration ports 730 are positioned adjacent to the haptics 11 of the IOL 1, i.e. a small distance (for example in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.15 mm) above the haptics 11. Vacuum is then supplied through the pressure supply connectors 72 and through the pressure-tight fluid channels to the aspiration openings 731 of the aspiration ports 730, thus gripping the IOL 1 (picking it up) from the lens carrier 2 by sucking the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 against the lens attachment surfaces 732 of the aspiration ports 730. This state with the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 being attached to the lens attachment surfaces 732 is shown in FIG. 14 (only the gripper end piece 73 of the gripper 7 being shown there). In case an IOL 1 is gripped, this can be detected as the vacuum actually applied increases compared to no IOL 1 being gripped.
[0106] Gripper 7 with the IOL 1 attached thereto is then moved to the destination location, for example to a location above the lens carrier 3 of the second type shown in FIG. 1. Both the start location and the destination location have been precisely determined with the aid of the camera 52 (see FIG. 4) so that the apparatus 54 exactly knows the location where the IOL 1 is to be picked up (and in particular also precisely knows the locations of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1) as well as the location where the IOL 1 is to be detached from the gripper 7 (i.e. the location of the lens carrier 3 and the pins 31 and inspection opening 30). This is illustrated in FIG. 15 schematically showing the two aspiration ports 730 of gripper 7 as well as portions of the carrier 3 on which the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 rest as well as the pins 31 for holding the IOL 1 in position. To detach the IOL 1 from the gripper, overpressure is supplied through the pressure supply connectors 72 and through the pressure-tight fluid channels to the aspiration openings 731 of the aspiration ports 730. The alternative supply of either vacuum (during gripping and transportation of the IOL 1) or overpressure (during detachment of the IOL 1) is controlled by the control valves 53 (see FIG. 4).
[0107] A second embodiment of the gripper 8 of the apparatus 5 according to the invention is described in the following with reference to FIG. 16-FIG. 28. One major difference of this second embodiment of the gripper 8 when compared to the first embodiment of the gripper 7 (see FIG. 5-FIG. 15) is that in this second embodiment of the gripper 8 the (hollow) aspiration ports 860 and 870 are rotatably arranged about a predetermined rotational axis, as will be described in more detail below. As can be seen in the perspective view of the gripper 8 shown in FIG. 16 and in the side view of the gripper 8 shown in FIG. 17, gripper 8 comprises a mounting stud 80 having a through-hole 800 extending transversely through the mounting stud 80, so that the gripper 8 as a whole may be mounted to the mounting shaft 58 of the apparatus 5 with the aid of the fitting screw 581 extending through a through-hole 580 provided in the mounting shaft of the apparatus 5 (see FIG. 6) as well as through the through-hole 800 of the mounting stud 80 of the gripper 8. Gripper 8 further comprises a gripper body 81 having an upper body portion 810 and a lower body portion 811 which are attached to one another with the aid of screws 812 (see FIG. 18). Gripper 8 further comprises two pressure supply connectors 82, each for the alternative supply of vacuum or overpressure to the aspiration ports (similar to the first embodiment of the gripper).
[0108] Moreover, gripper 8 comprises two independent rotary motors, a first rotary motor 84 and a second rotary motor 85. As can be seen best in FIG. 18, the first rotary motor 84 comprises a rotary drive shaft 840 and the second rotary motor 85 comprises a rotary drive shaft 850. The rotary drive shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84 is connected with a first gripper finger 86 through a torque-proof connector, and the rotary drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85 is connected with a second gripper finger 87 through a further torque-proof connector.
[0109] The torque-proof connector connecting the rotary drive shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84 with the first gripper finger 86 comprises a magnetic clutch. This magnetic clutch comprises a permanent magnet 841 which is mounted to a distal end of the rotary drive shaft 840 in a torque-proof manner (e.g. glued), as well as two pins 842, 843 (see FIG. 19) which are made of a magnetically susceptive material, for example magnetically susceptive stainless steel. The permanent magnet 841 is arranged in a drive bushing 844 which is mounted in a torque-proof manner to a sleeve 845 which in turn is mounted to the drive shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84 in a torque-proof manner. The two pins 842, 843 extend through respective openings in the distal end face of the drive bushing 844 and are press-fitted into respective blind bores 862, 863 in the proximal end face of first gripper finger 86 (see also FIG. 22). To ensure proper mounting, the two pins 842, 843 may have a different diameter. By way of example, gripper finger 86 may be made from a rigid, durable plastic material. The torque-proof connector thus makes sure that once the first rotary motor 84 drives the rotary drive shaft 840, the first gripper finger 86 is rotated, too.
[0110] Similarly, the further torque-proof connector connecting the second rotary drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85 with the second gripper finger 87 comprises a magnetic clutch. This magnetic clutch again comprises a permanent magnet 851 which is mounted to a distal end of the second drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85 in a torque-proof manner (e.g. glued) as well as two pins 852, 853 made of a magnetically susceptive material (only pin 852 visible in FIG. 18), for example magnetically susceptive stainless steel. The permanent magnet 851 is arranged in a drive bushing 854 which is mounted in a torque-proof manner to a sleeve 855 which in turn is mounted to the drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85 in a torque-proof manner. The two pins 852, 853 extend through respective openings in the distal end face of a drive bushing 854 and are press-fitted into respective blind bores in the proximal end face of the second gripper finger 87 (similar to the blind bores 862, 863 of the first gripper finger 86 shown in FIG. 22). Also here, to ensure proper mounting the two pins 852, 853 may have a different diameter. Second gripper finger 87 may also be made from a rigid, durable plastic material. The further torque-proof connector thus makes sure that once the second rotary motor 85 drives the rotary drive shaft 850, the second gripper finger 87 is rotated, too.
[0111] The first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 are similarly structured, so that in the following only the first gripper finger 86 will be explained in more detail with the aid of FIG. 20-FIG. 26. First gripper finger 86 comprises the aspiration port 860 arranged at the distal end of first gripper finger 86 (with aspiration port 860 being arranged eccentrically relative to the rotational axis of the gripper finger 86). Aspiration port 860 comprises an aspiration opening 861 which is surrounded by a lens attachment surface 864 (these elements are of a similar structure as those of the first embodiment of the gripper). Gripper finger 86 further comprises blind bores 862 and 863 for the accommodation of the pins 842 and 843 of the magnetic clutch (see FIG. 19), as already explained above. Gripper finger 86 further comprises three grooves, an upper groove 865, a middle groove 866, and a lower groove 867. Upper groove 865 and lower groove 867 are each dedicated to receive an O-ring 88 (see FIG. 18 and FIG. 19) while the middle groove 866 remains empty. Thus, a pressure-tight arrangement of the first gripper finger 86 within the lower body portion 811 of gripper body 81 is achieved while at the same time the first gripper finger 86 is rotatable within the lower body portion 811 of gripper body 81.
[0112] Rotation of the first gripper finger 86 may occur around a predetermined first rotational axis (that corresponds to the line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18) which coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the rotary shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84. This holds for the second gripper finger 87 in a similar manner which is rotatable about the central longitudinal axis of the rotary shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85. Both rotational axes are normal to a plane defined by the lens attachment surfaces 864 and 874 of the aspiration ports 860 and 861, this plane being indicated in FIG. 17 by the dashed line, the plane extending normal to the plane of the drawing.
[0113] From the bottom (radially innermost surface) of the middle groove 866 a fluid channel 868 extends radially into the interior of the gripper finger 86 and down to the aspiration opening 861 of aspiration port 860. Due to the pressure-tight arrangement of the first gripper finger 86 within the lower body portion 811 of gripper body 81, vacuum or overpressure supplied through the pressure supply connector 82 is supplied through a fluid channel that fluidically connects the pressure supply connector 82 and the aspiration opening 861 of the aspiration port 860, this fluid channel being formed through the middle groove 866 and through fluid channel 868 which extends down to the aspiration opening 861 of aspiration port 860.
[0114] First gripper finger 86 further comprises an abutment flange 869 arranged immediately proximal to the aspiration port 860. As can be seen best in FIG. 16, the gripper 8 at the distal end thereof (or to be more precise: at the distal end of the lower body portion 811 of gripper body 81) comprises first and second abutment projections 813 and 814 (one for the abutment flange 869 of first gripper finger 86 and the other one for the abutment flange 879 of the second gripper finger 87). The first and second abutment projections 813 and 814 project distally from the distal end of the lower body portion 810, and thus from the distal end of the gripper body 81. These first abutment projection 813 forms a stop for the abutment flange 869 of the first gripper finger 86, and the second abutment projection 814 forms a stop for the abutment flange 879 of the second gripper finger 87. Thus, the first abutment projection 813 defines a predetermined rotational orientation of the aspiration port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 when the abutment flange 869 abuts against the first abutment projection 813, and the second abutment projection 814 defines a predetermined rotational orientation of the aspiration port 870 of the second gripper finger 87 when the abutment flange 879 abuts against the second abutment projection 814. Therefore, the first and second abutment projections 813 and 814 may serve as a reference rotational position for the first and second gripper fingers 86 and 87 to which these can be rotated during a reference run. From this reference rotational position, the first and second gripper fingers 86 and 87 can be rotated to the desired rotational position.
[0115] The gripper 8 is of course suitable to reliably pick up an IOL 1 the haptics 11 of which are regularly oriented (i.e. the haptics 11 are arranged as this is shown for the IOL 1 arranged on lens carrier 2 on the left-hand side in FIG. 1). However, the gripper 8 is also particularly suitable to reliably pick up an IOL 1 the haptics 11 of which are irregularly oriented (i.e. the haptics 11 are bent or flexed, as this is shown for the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right-hand side in FIG. 1). This is described in the following with the aid of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28.
[0116] FIG. 27 shows the IOL 1 with the haptics 11 thereof attached to the lens attachment surfaces of the aspiration port 860 of first gripper finger 86 and of the aspiration port 870 of the second gripper finger 87. In this case, the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 are regularly oriented as this is shown for the IOL 1 on lens carrier 2 on the left-hand side in FIG. 1. When the camera 52 has captured the image of the IOL 1 an image analysis is performed, and from this image analysis the rotational orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 is determined. If the haptics 11 are regularly oriented, a control unit (not shown) coupled to the camera 52 and to the gripper 8 moves gripper 8 to the location (in the x-y plane) where the IOL 1 is located. The first gripper finger 86 is rotated to the rotational orientation shown in FIG. 27 in which the aspiration port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 has the required orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the associated haptic 11 of IOL 1. To achieve this, the control unit drives the first rotary motor 84 whereby the first gripper finger 86 is rotated (via the magnetic clutch as described in detail above) until the aspiration port 860 has the required orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the associated haptic 11. Similarly, the control unit drives the second rotary motor 85 whereby the second gripper finger 87 is rotated (again via the magnetic clutch as described in detail above) until the aspiration port 870 has the required orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the associated haptic 11. In this orientation, the distance e between the two aspiration ports 860 and 870 may be about 9.8 mm; this distance is in any event larger than the diameter of the optical body 10 of IOL 1 to be gripped, so that the IOL 1 may only be gripped at the haptics 11). Generally, this distance e ranges from 5 mm to 17 mm, and more preferably distance e ranges from 8 mm to 12 mm. So once the camera 52 (see FIG. 4) has taken an image of the IOL 1 arranged on the carrier, the center of the optical body 10 of the IOL 1 may be determined with the aid of image processing software and the rotational orientation of the haptics 11 is then also determined. The first and second gripper fingers 86 and 87 are then rotated to the rotational orientation of the haptics 11.
[0117] As can be seen, in this embodiment the distance e is not fixed and may vary depending on the rotational orientation of aspiration port 860 and aspiration port 870. The gripper 8 is then lowered until the aspiration port 860 and the aspiration port 870 are each arranged a short distance (e.g. 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.15 mm) above the associated haptic 11.
[0118] Vacuum is then supplied to the pressure supply connectors 82 with the aid of the control valves 53, so that the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 are sucked against the lens attachment surface of the aspiration port 860 and to the lens attachment surface of the aspiration port 870, respectively, thus picking the IOL 1 up. In case an IOL 1 is gripped, this can be detected as the vacuum actually applied increases compared to no IOL 1 being gripped. The gripper 8 with the IOL 1 attached thereto (the IOL 1 being gripped only at the haptics 11) is then raised again, and is subsequently moved to the location (in the x-y plane) of the lens carrier 3 (FIG. 1). The gripper 8 is then lowered again until the aspiration port 860 and the aspiration port 870 are arranged a short distance above the carrier 3. The IOL 1 is then detached from the gripper 8 through the supply of overpressure to the pressure supply connectors 82, this supply again being controlled by the control valves 53.
[0119] This can be performed in the same manner for an IOL 1 the haptics 11 of which are arranged at an irregular orientation as shown for the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right-hand side in FIG. 1. This is evident from FIG. 28. Due to the orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right-hand side in FIG. 1 being different from the regular orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the left-hand side in FIG. 1, the first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 of gripper 8 must be rotated to a different rotational orientation (i.e. to the irregular rotational orientation) such that the aspiration port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 and the aspiration port 870 of the second gripper finger 87 have the required orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the associated haptic 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 shown on the right-hand side in FIG. 1. This is again performed with the aid of the camera 52 capturing the image of the IOL 1 with the haptics 11 arranged at the irregular orientation, and through an image analysis performed for determining the irregular rotational orientation of the haptics 11 of IOL 1. As can be seen, in this orientation the distance e between the two aspiration ports 860 and 870 may be about 9.8 mm. Once the aspiration port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 and the aspiration port 870 of the second gripper finger 87 have been rotated to the required orientation, the gripper 8 is lowered and vacuum is supplied to the pressure supply connectors 82, so that the haptics 11 of the IOL are sucked against the lens attachment surface of the respective aspiration port, thus picking the IOL 1 up. The gripper 8 with the IOL 1 attached thereto (the IOL 1 again being gripped only at the haptics 11 still having the irregular orientation) is then moved to the lens carrier 3 (FIG. 1). Either after the gripper 8 has been raised, during the movement of the IOL 1 to the lens carrier 3, or at the time the gripper 8 has arrived at the location above the lens carrier 3, but in any event prior to releasing the IOL 1 from the gripper 8, the first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 are rotated again such that the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 have the regular orientation. The gripper 8 is then lowered and the IOL 1 detached from the gripper 8 and placed on lens carrier 3 through the supply of overpressure to the supply connectors 82, this supply again being controlled by the control valves 53.
[0120] Embodiments of the invention have been described with the aid of the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather many changes and modifications are possible without departing from the teaching underlying the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described but rather is defined by the appended claims.
