Coburn Optical Industries, Inc.

Gerber Coburn Optical, Inc.

Fritz R Kruis

Michael D James

A calibration gauge for use in calibrating a lens cutting/grinding machine has a disk with a concentric post on one of its faces for chucking the disk to a lens spindle. A target delineated on the other face of the disk consists of bands aligned on the X and Y axes and intersecting at the center of the disk. The width of the bands is not greater than the acceptable error in positioning of the X and Y axes. The calibrating operator sets a limit of Z-axis motion of the lens spindle corresponding to a selected depth of cutting/grinding a lens. The gauge is chucked to the lens spindle. The X-axis position of the tool is aligned by computer with the Z-axis. Rotation of the tool spindle is initiated and the lens spindle is raised to plunge cut/grind the gauge. The lens spindle is lowered and rotation of the tool spindle is terminated. The gauge is dechucked and the depth of the cut/grind is measured. The difference between the measured and selected depths is determined. The Z-axis calibration of the lens spindle is jockeyed by use of the computer to compensate for the difference. The operator also observes the quadrant position of the cut/grind center on the gauge to determine its displacement from center. The X-axis calibration of the tool is then jockeyed by use of the computer to compensate for X-axis displacement and the Y-axis calibration of the tool is manually adjusted to compensate for the Y-axis displacement.

Gauge for and method of calibrating a lens cutting/grinding machine

A tool for polishing/fining an ophthalmic lens has a housing with an interior open at the ends thereof. Resiliently elastic diaphragms with central spherical work surfaces extend across the ends of the housing. A cluster of rods extends longitudinally in sliding abutment within the housing from one diaphragm work surface to the other. A cap has a rim which fixes the exterior perimeter of the first diaphragm against the top of the housing. The cap defines a pneumatic chamber longitudinally aligned between the exterior surface of the first diaphragm and the interior wall of the cap. A passage through the cap wall admits air under pressure into the chamber. A ring fixes the exterior perimeter of the other diaphragm against the bottom of the housing. Preferably the cap and ring thread onto the housing with the diaphragms therebetween. Pneumatic distortion of one diaphragm is transmitted by longitudinal displacement of individual ones of the cluster of rods to the interior surface of the other diaphragm. This causes the other diaphragm to dynamically comply to the surface of a lens as the other diaphragm and the lens are relatively laterally displaced. Most preferably, the interior opening of the housing will be polygonal and extend through a spherical indention on one end of the housing and a spherical protrusion on the other end of the housing to provide maximum longitudinal control of rod displacement. An hexagonal opening and rod cluster has been found to work very satisfactorily.

Pneumatically assisted unidirectional arcuate diaphragm conformal tool

A conformal tool for fining/polishing ophthalmic lenses has a rigid base, a substantially air impervious elastic membrane and a bladder conformable to a surface of the lens to be fined/polished. The perimeters of the base, the membrane and the bladder are contiguously clamped to provide a pneumatically discrete chamber between the base and the membrane and a chamber containing conformable filler such as sand between the membrane and the bladder. The pneumatically discrete and filler containing chambers together have a substantially fixed volume. The clamping provides a passage into the pneumatically discrete chamber so that air under pressure, when admitted into the pneumatically discrete chamber, stretches the membrane to increase the pneumatically discrete chamber volume and decrease the filler containing chamber volume. As air pressure is increased, the air separates the membrane from the base to build an air cushion therebetween as the conformable filler chamber volume decreases.

Pneumatically assisted conformal tool for an ophthalmic lens

A tool for polishing/fining an ophthalmic lens has a housing with an interior open at planar ends thereof. A cluster of rods is longitudinally aligned in sliding abutment within the housing, each rod of the cluster extending from one planar end of the housing to the other. One resiliently elastic diaphragm extends across one planar end and another resiliently elastic diaphragm extends across the other planar end. A cap has a rim which fixes the exterior perimeter of the first diaphragm against the top of the housing. The cap defines a pneumatic chamber longitudinally aligned between the exterior surface of the first diaphragm and the interior wall of the cap. A passage through the cap wall admits air under pressure into the chamber. A ring fixes the exterior perimeter of the other diaphragm against the bottom of the housing. Screws secure the cap and ring to the housing with the diaphragms therebetween. Pneumatic distortion of one diaphragm is transmitted by longitudinal displacement of individual ones of the cluster of rods to the interior surface of the other diaphragm. This causes the other diaphragm to dynamically comply to the surface of a lens as the other diaphragm and the lens are relatively laterally displaced.

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Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Fritz R Kruis