Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Roger Biel

Günter Lässig

Peter Hagmann

Axel Heinrich

Matthias Schwab

Shu Zong

Bernhard Seiferling

Katrin Sylke Struckmeier

Susanne Fechner

Michael Stutz

Matthias Braun

Daniel Kessler

Livio Fornasiero

Adrian Michael Woodward

Burkhard Dietrich

Jens Hof

Michael Wolf

Peter Herbrechtsmeier

Ingolf Braune

Gabriela Cocora

Uwe Haken

Daryl Reece

Nils Schweizer

Deborah Jean Mulcahy

Jan Bernard

Stephan Pirl

Honghui Lu

Werner Steffan

Fabian Kern

Roland Hauck

Karsten Straube

Jordan Hall

Volker Lanig

Andrea Kopp

Nicholas Gollas

Karin Stoller

Carlton Pope

Swen Herrmann

Harald Schott

Thomas Leibold

Katrin Sylke Lorenz

Stephen George Fleck

Achim Muller

Peter Baumann

Otto Kretzschmar

John Golby

Thomas Tonn

Felix Brinckmann

William Jordan Hall

Stefan Bickert

Rene Ochrombel

Justyna Justynska-Reimann

Jochen Koehler

Egbert Jux

Karl Baur

Achim M&uuml;ller

Marcus Heift

James Robert Stirling Howarth

Daniel Wilhelm

Anette Therese Lang-Sch&ouml;ll

Stephan Piri

Wilhelm H&ouml;rner

Iris Jlona Leder-Br&uuml;ck

Hans W&ouml;rner

Roland Seibert

Olaf Rothe

Anette Lang

Thomas Schulz

Dieter Zahn

Jennifer Schmitt

Carolin Hartert

Michael Frederick Waldern

Torsten Gruhn

Gunnar Baske

Bernhard Pfaff

Martin Schubert

Wolfgang Grill

Joachim Linkemann

Jens Eppig

Günter LÄSSIG

An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:

Production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses

A lens care container (), in particular for contact lenses such as hard or soft contact lenses, comprises: The sensor () is arranged in the receptacle () when the cap () is attached to the receptacle ().

Lens care container

A cleaner for cleaning grippers for the transport of ophthalmic lenses comprises:

Cleaner for cleaning grippers for ophthalmic lenses

A production line (PL) for the production of ophthalmic lenses () comprises The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations (). At least one of these manufacturing stations () is configured to apply a lens identification code () to the respective lens. The lens identification code () includes information indicative of the type of the respective lens. Either the inspection module (IM) or the packaging module (PP) includes a lens detection station () configured to read the lens identification code () applied to the respective lens and to detect the type of the lens from the lens identification code () read from the respective lens in order to determine whether the type of lens detected actually is the type of lens which is expected to be detected by the lens detection station () at that time.

Modular production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses

A lens inspection module comprises: Cleaning shuttle comprises a driving unit a cleaning head, a suction unit, and a tube connecting cleaning head and suction unit. Cleaning head is spaced apart from suction unit and driving unit in the transportation direction and is pivotally arranged about a pivot axis. Cleaning head may comprise a distance sensor for detecting the distance between cleaning shuttle and transportation shuttle. Driving unit is configured to change the speed of the self-driving cleaning shuttle when the distance between the cleaning shuttle and the transportation shuttle is shorter than a predetermined threshold distance.

Lens inspection module

A manufacturing module (MM) for contact lenses comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () arranged in a closed loop and a plurality of lens mold carriers () which are transported through the manufacturing stations. Each lens mold carrier () comprises a frame () having a predetermined number of mounting sites () arranged along the frame. Each lens mold carrier () further comprises a predetermined number of molds () removably mounted to the frame () at the mounting sites (), the molds being reusable male or female molds (). Two lens mold carriers () are assigned to each other to form a pair, so that upon mating the pair of lens mold carriers () the male and female molds () are mated to form mold cavities defining the shape of the lenses. The manufacturing stations comprise a mold changing station () configured to be capable of removing a mold from its mounting site () and mounting a different mold at the said mounting site (), or configured to change the rotational position of a mold () mounted to the frame (), or both.

Manufacturing module for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses

Method for determining the refractive index (n) of a material of a contact lens, in particular of a soft contact lens, the contact lens () having a first surface and a second surface defining a lens geometry there between, by measuring the wavefront issued by the contact lens () with a wavefront sensor (), obtaining data of the geometry of at least one section of the contact lens () with an optical coherence tomography system () and communicating the geometry of the at least one section of the contact lens () from the optical coherence tomography system () to an analyzer, particularly a computer, and determining the refractive index (n) of the material of the contact lens from the geometry of the at least one section of the contact lens and from the wavefront issued by the contact lens ().

Method and apparatus for the determination of the index of refraction of lens material

A carrier for carrying an ophthalmic lens comprises: a basket () comprising a basket wall defining a concave cavity for accommodating an ophthalmic lens (), the basket further comprising at least three recesses () arranged in the basket wall at different locations along the circumference of the basket (); anda retainer () comprising at least three retainer arms () arranged in a star-shaped configuration corresponding to the arrangement of the recesses () along the circumference of the basket ().In an assembled state each retainer arm () of the retainer () engages with a corresponding one of the recesses () in the basket wall of the basket () to retain the ophthalmic lens () in the cavity.

Carrier for carrying an ophthalmic lens during its treatment in a bath

A modular production line for the production of contact lenses comprises at least three separate modules: The modular production line further comprises fixedly arranged transfer interfaces between the individual modules (MM, IM, PP) for transferring the lenses from a preceding module to a subsequent module. The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () which are grouped to form a plurality of individual manufacturing units () arranged in a closed loop. Reusable male and female molds () are transported through the manufacturing stations of the manufacturing units, and each manufacturing unit () comprises a plurality of the manufacturing stations (). A plurality of transfer robots () is provided, each transfer robot () of the plurality of transfer robots () being arranged at a location between two manufacturing units () to transfer the reusable molds from one manufacturing unit to the other manufacturing unit.

A casting mold () for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses, in particular hard and soft contact lenses comprises a male mold half () having a generally convexly shaped male mold surface () and a female mold half having a generally concavely shaped female mold surface (). Each of the male and female mold surfaces comprises a lens-forming surface () which is encircled by a non lens-forming annular edge surface (). The lens-forming surface () comprises a central optical zone () and a non-optical peripheral zone () surrounding the central optical zone. At least one of the male and female mold halves () is provided with at least one permanent marking () which is arranged on a surface in the peripheral zone () of the lens-forming surface () and/or on the non lens-forming annular edge surface ().

Casting mold for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses

A method of removing a liquid from a container () for accommodating an ophthalmic contact lens, in particular a soft contact lens, during transporting the container () from a liquid bath () to a subsequent processing station (), the method including the steps of:

Method and system for removing a liquid from a container for accommodating an ophthalmic lens

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Aschaffenburg, Germany

Roger Biel