High precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe

This is a national stage application based on PCT/CN2011/077519, filed on Jul. 22, 2011. This application claims the priority of this prior application and incorporates its disclosure by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a polishing equipment, and in particular, to a high precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe.

A rigid gas permeable contact lens (RGP lens) is one of the most effective refractive error correction methods and appliances accepted by international optometry and ophthalmology academia and industry at present. With further development and popularization of the RGP lens, production, polishing and detection equipment related thereof are continuously updated and improved. The high precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe employed at present cannot imprecisely control the positioning of edge polishing, which results in the lens edge polishing position cannot be quantitatively controlled, resulting in imprecise edge polishing of the lens. The resulting lens is uncomfortable to wear, thereby affecting the lens quality.

To overcome the defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a lathe for a rigid gas permeable contact lens, which solves the problem of the existing polishing lathe in that the lens edge polishing position cannot be quantitatively controlled, resulting in reduced polishing positioning precision. Embodiments of the invention can facilitate the improvement and correction of lens edge designs to make the lens edge polishing meet the comfort requirements, thereby improving the lens qualities.

The technical solutions of the present invention are as follows: a high precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe comprises a machine body, wherein the upper surface of the machine body is provided with a waste liquid trough. The inside of the waste liquid trough is provided with a concave lens holder and a convex lens holder aligned in a row. The concave lens holder and the convex lens holder are capable of rotating circumferentially (i.e., around an axis). At the two sides of the machine body are, respectively, provided with a first crank and a second crank. The inside of the first crank and the inside of the second crank are, respectively, provided with a first rotating spindle and a second rotating spindle. A polishing sponge holder is provided at the front end of each spindle, and the polishing sponge holder is capable of rotating circumferentially. The first crank and the second crank rotate (roll) along the lateral surface of the machine body such that the polishing sponge holder can contact (engage) the lens held by the concave lens holder and the convex lens holder. A base is provided at the bottom of the machine body. A first support and a second support are, respectively, fixed to two sides of the base. A positioning mechanism is provided on each of the first support and the second support. The positioning mechanism comprises an abutting pin, which is aligned with the rotational direction of the first crank and the second crank, and a numerical display unit for displaying the position of the abutting pin.

The abutting pin is a measuring pole of a caliper, and the numerical display unit comprises scales on the caliper. The measuring pole passes through a fixed sleeve of the caliper and is connected with a knob. At periphery (outside) of the fixed sleeve is provided with a movable sleeve. The scales are provided on the fixed sleeve and the movable sleeve. The knob rotatably cooperates with the measuring pole, the movable sleeve and the fixed sleeve to enable the measuring pole to be adjusted back-and-forth along the lateral surface of the machine body and to actuate circumferential rotation and axial movement of the movable sleeve.

The top end of the measuring pole is provided with a ball bead, which is in contact with the first crank and the second crank.

At two sides of the base are provided with supporting arms, on which the first support and the second support are, respectively, fixed.

The first support and the second support are provided with through holes, and the measuring poles pass through the through holes and are fixed on the first support and the second support by bolts.

The ball bead is provided with a groove, and the ball bead is connected with the measuring pole via the groove.

The ball bead is made of a copper material.

The base and the supporting arms are integrally formed (i.e., a unitary piece).

Compared with the prior art, a high precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe of the invention has the beneficial effects as follows: the positioning mechanism of the polishing lathe has a simple mechanical structure and is convenient to use; the contact position between a polishing sponge and a lens (both mounted on a spindle of the polishing lathe) can be precisely ascertained through the numerical readings to achieve quantitative control of the polishing of a lens edge, and simplifies the improvement and modification of the design of the lens edge. Thus, lenses meeting customized designs specific to the eyes of a user and achieving optimal comfort can be produced, effectively improving product quality.

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure diagram of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 refers to machine body, 2 refers to waste liquid trough, 3 refers to concave lens holder, 4 refers to convex lens holder, 5 refers to first crank, 6 refers to second crank, 7 refers to first rotating spindle, 8 refers to second rotating spindle, 9 refers to polishing sponge holder, 10 refers to base, 11 refers to first support, 12 refers to second support, 13 refers to measuring pole, 14 refers to movable sleeve, 15 refers to fixed sleeve, 16 refers to knob, 17 refers to ball bead, 18 refers to supporting arm, 19 refers to through hole, 20 refers to bolt, and 21 refers to a numerical display unit.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described further with reference to FIG. 1 .

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a high precision rigid gas-permeable contact lens edge curve polishing lathe comprises a machine body, wherein the upper surface of the machine body is provided with a waste liquid trough 2 . The inside of the waste liquid trough 2 are provided with a concave lens holder 3 and a convex lens holder 4 , which are aligned and are capable of rotating circumferentially (i.e., around an axis). The two sides of the machine body 1 are provided with a first crank 5 and a second crank 6 , respectively. The inside of the first crank 5 and the inside of the second crank 6 are, respectively, provided with a first rotating spindle 7 and a second rotating spindle 8 , which are each provided with a polishing sponge holder 9 at the end of the rotating spindle and are capable of rotating circumferentially. The first crank 5 and the second crank 6 rotate along the lateral sides of the machine body 1 such that the polishing sponge holder 9 cooperates with (engages) a concave lens held on the concave lens holder 3 and a convex lens held on the convex lens holder 4 . A base 10 is provided at the bottom of the machine body 1 . A first support 11 and a second support 12 are provided at two sides of the base 10 . The first support 11 and the second support 12 are each provided with a positioning mechanism. The positioning mechanism comprises an abutting pin matching the rotational direction of the first crank 5 and the second crank 6 , and a numerical display unit 21 displays the position of the abutting pin. According to the above embodiment, the positioning mechanism of the polishing lathe has a simple mechanical structure and is convenient to use. The contact position of a polishing sponge on a spindle of the polishing lathe and a lens can be precisely controlled using the numerical display to realize quantitative control of the polishing of a lens edge, thereby simplifying the improvement and modification of the lens edge design. Thus, it becomes possible to make lenses conforming to the eyes of a person and achieving optimal comfort, effectively improving product quality.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the abutting pin is a measuring pole 13 of a caliper, and the numerical display unit comprises scales on the caliper. The measuring pole 13 passes through a fixed sleeve 15 of the caliper and is connected with a knob 16 . A movable sleeve 14 surrounds the fixed sleeve 15 . The scales are provided on the fixed sleeve 15 and the movable sleeve 14 . The knob 16 can rotate and coordinate with the measuring pole 13 , the movable sleeve 14 , and the fixed sleeve 15 to enable the measuring pole 13 to be adjustable back and forth along the side of the machine body 1 , resulting in the circumferential rotation and axial movement of the movable sleeve 14 . The measuring pole 13 , the movable sleeve 14 , the fixed sleeve 15 , and the knob 16 are components of the caliper. The caliper has high precision, a distance between the polishing sponge holder 9 and the lens edges can be positioned accurately and effectively. An optimal polishing position between the polishing sponge holder 9 and the lens edges held on the concave lens holder 3 or the convex lens holder 4 may be obtained after several trials, based on the positions of the cranks, the concave lens holder 3 and the convex lens holder 4 on the polishing lathe. Thus, a lens with optimal comfort level can be produced. The beneficial effects of the lens are significantly improved relative to that of the existing polishing equipment.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the top end of the measuring pole 13 is provided with a ball bead 17 , which is in contact with the first crank 5 and the second crank 6 . The ball bead 17 is made of a copper material and easy to process. Alternatively, other metal materials such as stainless steel can also be used. Including the ball bead 17 on the head of the measuring pole 13 can effectively improve the positioning precision. The cranks can be actuated by finely tuning the knob 16 so as to realize the locating precision between the polishing sponge holder 9 and the lens edges. The ball bead 17 is provided with a groove, which is used to connect the ball bead 17 with the measuring pole 13 such that the ball bead 17 is firmly connected with the measuring pole 13 to improve the stability.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , supporting arms 18 are provided on two sides of the base 10 . The first support 11 and the second support 12 are respectively fixed on the supporting arms. The base 10 and the supporting arms 18 may be integrally molded. The supporting arms 18 are arranged at the two sides of the base 10 . The first support 11 and the second support 12 are fixed on the supporting arms 18 via bolts 20 . The first support 11 and the second support 12 are provided with through holes 19 . The measuring pole 13 passes through the through holes 19 and is fixed on the first support 11 or the second support 12 by a the bolt 20 to coordinate with the crank.

These embodiments shall not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any improvement made based on the spirit of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.