BLOCK PIECE FOR BLOCKING A LENS

Abstract

A block piece (1) for blocking a lens (2), in particular an eyeglass lens, by means of a block material (3), wherein the block piece (1) has a bottom part (4) for holding the block piece (1) and an upper part (5) for a fastening of the lens (2) for processing and/or coating of an optically active surface of the lens (2). Additionally, the block piece (1) is used in a method for blocking a lens (2), in particular an eyeglass lens, and the bottom part (4) and multiple upper parts (5) for blocking a lens (2) provided as part of a kit.

Claims

1-24. (canceled)

25. Block piece for blocking an eyeglass lens by means of a block material, comprising: a bottom part for holding the block piece and an upper part for fastening of the lens for processing and/or coating an optically active surface of the lens, and at least one of the following features: the bottom part is made of metal, and the upper part is made of plastic; the block piece has at least one marking or coding, which indicates a type of block piece; or the bottom part and the upper part are connected to one another in a torque-proof manner with respect to one another.

26. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein the upper part is detachable from the bottom part by application of force.

27. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein said at least one feature comprises the bottom part and the upper part being connected to one another in a torque-proof manner, wherein said torque-proof manner is achieved by the bottom part and the upper part being plugged into one another.

28. Block piece according to claim 27, wherein the upper part is connected to the bottom part by a press fit.

29. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein said at least one feature comprises the bottom part and the upper part being connected to one another in a torque-proof manner, wherein said torque-proof manner is achieved by the upper part being connected to the bottom part with at least one of an axial or radial interengagement between the upper and bottom parts.

30. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein the bottom part has a recess, the upper part has a pin that is complementary to the recess of the bottom part, and wherein the upper part is only insertable into the bottom part in such a way that the pin of the upper part grips into the recess of the bottom part.

31. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein the bottom part has an undercut for positive axial holding and/or clamping.

32. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein the upper part is a plastic injection-molded part.

33. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein the upper part has a block surface for the lens or the block material and wherein the bottom part is connectable to various upper parts that are different with respect to at least one of a diameter of the block surface, a curvature of the block surface, or a prismatic tilting of the block surface.

34. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein each upper part has a block surface for the lens or the block material, wherein a normal at the midpoint of the block surface of the respective upper part is inclined relative to a central axis of the bottom part, and wherein each upper part is insertable into the bottom part only in such a way that the normal at the midpoint of the block surface of the respective upper part and the central axis of the bottom part always span a common plane.

35. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein said at least one feature comprises the marking or coding.

36. Block piece according to claim 35, wherein the marking or coding comprises at least one of at least one protrusion or at least one recess.

37. Block piece according to claim 35, wherein the marking or coding is provided on a periphery of the upper part.

38. Block piece according to claim 35, wherein the marking or coding is a permanent part of the block piece.

39. Block piece according to claim 35, wherein the marking or coding is machinable during processing of the lens.

40. Block piece according to claim 35, wherein the block piece has two markings or codings, one marking or coding being arranged so that it remains permanently on the block piece, and the other marking is arranged so that it is machined during of processing of the lens.

41. Block piece according to claim 25, wherein at least one of the bottom part or the upper part has a groove for holding a blocked lens by means of a transport device.

42. A kit comprising: a bottom part and multiple upper parts for blocking an eyeglass lens by means of a block material, wherein the upper part has a block surface for at least one of the lens or the block material, the upper parts are different with respect to at least one of a diameter of the block surface, a curvature of the block surface, or a prismatic tilting of the block surface, the bottom part is connectable in succession with a respective one of the upper parts, and the respective block piece is adapted to be held on the bottom part for at least one of processing or coating of an optically active surface of the lens.

43. Method for blocking an eyeglass lens, wherein a block piece is provided which has a bottom part, on which the block piece can be held, and an upper part for a fastening of the lens for at least one of processing or coating of an optically active surface of the lens, the method comprising: blocking the lens on the upper part by means of a block material, at least one of processing or coating an optically active surface of the blocked lens, and at least one of the following features: using a bottom part made of metal and an upper part made of plastic for said blocking of the lens on the upper part, or connecting the top and bottom parts in a torque-proof manner.

44. Method according to claim 43, comprising the further step of selecting the upper part from among multiple different upper parts in such a way that a block surface of the selected upper part corresponds as precisely as possible to a block side of the lens.

45. Method according to claim 43, wherein a thermoplastic or a light-curing adhesive is used as block material.

46. Method according to claim 43, wherein the upper part is detached from the bottom part by application of force.

47. Method according to claim 46, wherein said at least one feature comprises the bottom part and the upper part being connected to one another in a torque-proof manner, wherein additional upper parts are provided, wherein the upper parts are different with respect to at least one of a diameter of a block surface of the upper part, a curvature of the block surface or a prismatic tilting of the block surface, and wherein the different upper parts are used for blocking of lenses with corresponding different properties.

48. Method for blocking an eyeglass lens, wherein a block piece is provided which has a bottom part for holding the block piece and an upper part is provided for fastening of the lens for at least one of processing or coating of an optically active surface of the lens, and wherein the lens is blocked selectively by at least one of an adhesive block material applied on the upper part, using a metal alloy as the block material on the bottom part or on an adapter that is attached to the bottom part by means of a metal alloy as block material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 is a sectional view through a preferred embodiment of a block piece according to the invention with a lens that is blocked thereon by means of a block material,

[0050] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom part of the block piece of FIG. 1,

[0051] FIG. 3 is a top view of the bottom part of FIG. 2,

[0052] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the bottom part of FIG. 2,

[0053] FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the bottom part of FIG. 2, and

[0054] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of an upper part of the block piece of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055] In the figures, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar components and systems, wherein the same or corresponding advantages and properties are produced, even when a repeated description is omitted.

[0056] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a section through a preferred embodiment of a block piece 1 according to the invention for blocking a lens 2, in particular an eyeglass lens. In FIG. 1, a lens 2 is blocked on the block piece 1 by means of a block material 3. A block piece-lens pair 16 is thus depicted here.

[0057] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the lens 2 is an eyeglass lens, i.e., a lens 2 for a pair of eyeglasses. The lens 2 consists here of plastic. Alternatively, it can consist of glass or the like. In the example, the lens 2 has a diameter of multiple centimeters, in particular of more than 3 cm.

[0058] The lens 2 has two optically active sides here, namely an already-finished block side 2A and a processing side 2B that is still to be processed. The two sides can have any shape. For example, the block side 2A and/or the processing side 2B can be convex, concave or flat. In this case, one side is considered convex or concave, respectively, when it is raised at the base, i.e., curved outward or recessed, i.e., curved inward, respectively.

[0059] Here, a protective film 17 is bonded onto the block side 2A of the lens 2.

[0060] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, a thermoplastic is used as block material 3, preferably as it is described in International Patent Application Publication WO 2011/018231 A1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 9,340,669 B2. In contrast to a light-curing block material (e.g., UV glue), a thermoplastic is deformable again after its hardening, e.g., by heating. This is advantageous during so-called deblocking, i.e., the detaching of a blocked lens from the block piece. In order to make possible a deblocking of a lens that is blocked by means of light-curing block material, typically fillers are added to the light-curing material, which fillers, however, reduce its rigidity. This can lead to errors during the processing and/or coating the lens. Thus, a thermoplastic block material in a temperature range of approximately 20 C. to 30 C. typically has a higher rigidity than a light-curing block material.

[0061] The block piece 1 according to the invention has a bottom part 4 for holding the block piece 1, e.g., in a workpiece chuck of a processing device or coating device, and a separate upper part 5 for a fastening of a lens 2. Preferably, the block piece 2 is made of precisely one bottom part 4 and precisely one upper part 5.

[0062] FIGS. 2 to 5 diagrammatically show various views of the bottom part 4 of the block piece 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 diagrammatically shows in a bottom view the upper part 5 of the block piece 1 of FIG. 1.

[0063] The block piece 1 preferably has a clamping diameter of 43 mm, as it is defined in DIN 58766 and is indicated in FIG. 1 by the reference number S.

[0064] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the bottom part 4 and the upper part 5 are plugged into one another in a torque-proof manner. In particular, rotations of the upper part 5 relative to the bottom part 4 cannot be performed in the peripheral direction of the upper part 5.

[0065] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the bottom part 4 is made of metal, in particular aluminum or zinc, quite especially an aluminum alloy, and the upper part 5 is made of plastic, in particular a machinable plastic such as POM or the like. Preferably, the upper part 5 is a plastic injection-molded part.

[0066] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the block piece 1 has at least one marking 6 or coding 6, which indicates a type of block piece 1.

[0067] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, a plug-in element 7 of the upper part 5 is plugged into a first recess 8 of the bottom part 4. The first recess 8 can, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, be made continuous in the axial direction and thus can form a passage.

[0068] The upper part 5 is preferably pressed into the bottom part 4, in particular in a force fit and/or an interference fit (press fit). Because of the force fit and/or the interference fit, there is no play between the bottom part 4 and the upper part 5. To this end, the plug-in element 7 has here a larger circumference than the first recess 8, in particular a circumference that is larger by approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 2 mm. Preferably, a lower edge of the plug-in element 7 is tapered. This is indicated in FIG. 6 by a second line and can serve as a plug-in and/or press-in aid.

[0069] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the upper part 5 is positively connected to the bottom part 4 in a torque-proof manner. The positive fit is achieved here in such a way that the bottom part 4 has a second recess 9, and the upper part 5 has a pin 10 that is complementary to the second recess 9 of the bottom part 4. The second recess 9 is limited in the peripheral direction of the bottom part 4. The upper part 5 can be plugged in here only into the bottom part 4 in such a way that the pin 10 of the upper part 5 grips into the second recess 9 of the bottom part 4, in particular in an interference fit.

[0070] The second recess 9 of the bottom part 4 runs in the peripheral direction preferably in the shape of an arc. This allows a simple production, in particular considering the material of the bottom part 4, and simultaneously the achieving of a precise positive fit.

[0071] Preferably, the upper part 5 can be detached from the bottom part 4, in particular by the application of force, quite especially by extrusion, here in the axial direction.

[0072] The upper part 5 has a block surface 5A for the lens 2 and/or the block material 3.

[0073] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the bottom part 4 can be connected in particular in succession with various upper parts 5. The upper parts 5 are exchangeable. The upper parts 5 are different relative to the diameter of the block surface 5A, the curvature of the block surface 5A, and/or the prismatic tilting of the block surface 5A.

[0074] A prismatic tilting of the block surface 5A is to be defined here so that the normal at the midpoint of the block surface 5A of the respective upper part 5 relative to a central axis Z of the bottom part 4 is inclined. This makes possible a prismatic blocking. It can be provided that each upper part 5 can be plugged into the bottom part 4 only in such a way that the normal at the midpoint of the block surface 5A of the respective upper part 5 and the central axis Z of the bottom part 4 always span the same plane.

[0075] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the block piece 1, namely the bottom part 4, has an undercut 11 for positive axial holding and/or clamping of the block piece 1. For example, internal grippers can grip into the undercut 11 of the bottom part 4 and thus set the block piece 1 in a seat. The undercut 11 is preferably designed to run circumferentially around an inner circumference of the bottom part 4. The undercut 11 preferably expands in the radial direction viewed from the bottom side of the bottom part 4 toward the plugged-in upper part 5 (i.e., from bottom to top in FIG. 1).

[0076] The marking 6 and/or coding 6 is designed so that the type of block piece 1, in particular the upper part 5, can be identified manually and/or automatically. The type identifies, e.g., a purpose, a state, and/or a property of the block piece 1, such as, e.g., the diameter of the block surface 5A, the curvature of the block surface 5A, the prismatic tilting of the block surface 5A, and/or a degree of wear of the upper part 5.

[0077] The marking 6 and/or coding 6 of the block piece can be provided on the bottom part 4 and/or on the upper part 5, in particular on the periphery of the upper part 5 and/or on a bottom side of the plug-in element 7 of the upper part 5. The marking 6 and/or coding 6 can be a characteristic, for example at least one number and/or at least one letter. The marking 6 and/or coding 6 can also be at least one protrusion and/or at least one recess.

[0078] Exemplary markings 6 are depicted in FIG. 6. Here, a characteristic 12 is provided on a bottom side of the plug-in element 7 of the upper part 5. This characteristic 12 remains permanently on the block piece 1. In addition, five protrusions 13 are arranged on the periphery of the upper part 5. The protrusions 13 consist of the same material as the upper part 5. Preferably, they are attached to the upper part 5 during the injection molding of the upper part 5. The protrusions 13 can be machined in the case of processing of the lens 2. Even if the protrusions 13 are partially or completely machined, the type of upper part 5 remains identifiable based on the characteristic 12.

[0079] The material removal of the protrusions 13 serves as an indicator for the degree of wear of the upper part 5. The material removal of the protrusions 13 can be detected, e.g., by means of a camera. It can thus be determined whether an upper part 5 is to be exchanged or not before an (additional) blocking process.

[0080] Advantageously, the bottom part 4 and/or the upper part 5 on the periphery has a groove for holding a blocked lens 2 and/or a block piece-lens pair 16 on the bottom part 4 and/or upper part 5 by means of a transport device.

[0081] In the embodiment that is depicted here and is preferred, the bottom part 4 has three recesses 15 in a wall 14. Two of the three recesses 15 have a V-like shape and can be connected by an axis that runs perpendicular to the central axis Z. These two recesses 15 make it possible to place the block piece 1 on a support in two rotational positions of the block piece 1 around the central axis Z. The third of the three recesses 15 has an essentially rectangular shape and is offset to the two other recesses 15 in the peripheral direction of the bottom part 4. It limits the placing of the block piece 1 to precisely one rotational position of the block piece 1 around the central axis Z.

[0082] The block piece according to the invention can now be used so that the lens 2 is optionally blocked [0083] a) on the upper part 5 that is plugged into the bottom part 4 in a torque-proof manner by means of an adhesive block material 3 (e.g., a thermoplastic or a light-curing block material) or [0084] b) on the bottom part 4 by means of a metal alloy as block material 3, or [0085] c) on an adapter that is attached to the bottom part 4 by means of a metal alloy as block material 3.

[0086] This makes possible a flexible and diverse use of the bottom part 4.

[0087] In the case of the alternative a), a suitable upper part 5 can be selected and connected in a detachable manner to the bottom part 4 depending on requirements during blocking and/or processing and/or coating of the lens 2. Thus, e.g., an upper part 5 can be selected, whose block surface 5A corresponds as precisely as possible to the block side 2A of the lens 2.

[0088] Preferably, for the alternative b), the first recess 8 of the bottom part 4 in axial direction is not continuous but terminated.

[0089] The adapter that can be applied for the alternative c) on the bottom part 4 preferably forms a seat for the metal alloy as block material 3.