Abstract:
An apparatus ( 10 ) for applying adhesive to a plurality of components ( 12 ) includes a main body ( 20 ), a driving member ( 60 ) and an injecting device ( 80 ). The main body has a cavity ( 208 ) configured for receiving the components therein. The driving member is configured for pushing the components so as to make the components contact with each other. The injecting device has a receiving space ( 824 ) configured for containing an adhesive therein and at least one injecting hole ( 826 ) both communicating with the receiving space and the cavity thereby allowing the adhesive to be injected onto the components.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention generally relates to adhesive application devices and, more particularly, to an adhesive application device for applying adhesive to optical elements, and also relates to a method for applying adhesive to the optical elements.  
         [0003]     2. Discussion of the Related Art  
         [0004]     With the rapid development of communication technology, mobile phones have become a commonplace communication tool in the life of people. In addition, with the rapid development of multimedia technology, digital still cameras and digital video cameras are now in widespread use. Moreover, most new designs for mobile phones nowadays also include digital cameras. Therefore, optical lenses are required more and more. Different from human eyes, an image sensors such as charge coupled devices (CCDs) or complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS&#39;s) can sense infrared rays which cannot be sensed by human eyes. In order to obtain pictures same as images in human eyes, infrared rays should be filtered. Therefore, most optical lenses have an IR-cut (infrared ray cut) film.  
         [0005]     Conventionally, optical lenses are cut into cuboid-shaped pieces after an IR-cut film has being applied thereon. Then the cuboid-shaped pieces are ground to circular-shaped corresponding to the shape of a tube. If the cuboid-shaped pieces are ground one by one, the efficiency is quite low. Thus, a plurality of cuboid-shaped pieces are generally machined together. The cuboid-shaped pieces are usually pasted together one by one and then ground all together. However, the quantity and the distribution of adhesive are unequal between each of two cuboid-shaped pieces, and the cuboid-shaped pieces are not symmetrically stacked to each other more or less. Thus, in the process of grinding, forces acting on the cuboid-shaped pieces differ from one cuboid-shaped piece to the next, which results that shapes of the optical lenses being different after ground. Therefore, many of the optical lenses are not good, giving a high rejection rate.  
         [0006]     What is needed, therefore, is an adhesive application device which can promote the efficiency and qualification rate of machining optical elements.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In one aspect, an apparatus for applying adhesive to a plurality of components comprises a main body, a driving member and an injecting device. The main body has a cavity configured for receiving the components therein. The driving member is configured for pushing the components so as to make the components contact with each other. The injecting device has a receiving space configured for containing an adhesive therein and at least one injecting hole both communicating with the receiving space and the cavity thereby allowing the adhesive to be injected onto the components.  
         [0008]     In another aspect, a method for applying adhesive to a plurality of components is provided. According to one embodiment of the method, the components are firstly received in a cavity of a main body Secondly, the elements are moved so as to make the elements contact with each other. Thirdly, a predetermined amount of adhesive is injected from an injecting device onto the elements, whereby the elements are pasted together after the adhesive solidifies.  
         [0009]     Other advantages and novel features of preferred embodiments of the present rocker will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     Many aspects of the adhesive application device can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the adhesive application device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an adhesive application device in accordance with a preferred embodiment showing a close state;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the adhesive application device taken along line II-II of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but taken along line III-III of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the adhesive application device of  FIG. 1  showing an open state. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     An adhesive application device is provided for applying adhesive to a plurality of optical elements together to facilitate grinding the optical elements in a following working procedure.  
         [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the adhesive application device  10  includes a main body  20 , a cooling plate  40 , two moving boards  60 , an injecting device  80 , and two hinges  90 . Shown in  FIG. 4 , Optical elements  12  are put into the adhesive application device  10  to paste together.  
         [0017]     Also referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the main body  20  is a hollow cuboid including two opposite sidewalls  202  and a bottom board  204 . Two ends of the bottom board  204  are perpendicularly connected to corresponding ends of the sidewalls  202 . The sidewalls  202  and the bottom board  204  cooperatively define a cavity  208  therebetween. The main body  20  has two open sides (not labeled) perpendicular to the sidewalls  202  and the bottom board  204 . Each of the sidewalls  202  and the bottom board  204  defines a guiding slot  206  in the middle portion thereof at an inner side. The guiding slots  206  are parallel to each other and communicate the open sides of the main body  20 .  
         [0018]     The cooling plate  40  is a rectangular-shaped board. The cooling plate  40  is fixed on an outer side of one of the sidewalls  202  by pasting with adhesive or other similar manners.  
         [0019]     The moving boards  60  are rectangular-shaped. Three guiding protrusions  602  are respectively formed at three edges of each moving board  60 . The moving boards  60  are set in the cavity  208  of the main body  20  and the guiding protrusions  602  each separately engages with their respective guiding slots  206 . The moving boards  60  are slidable in the cavity  208  relative to the main body  20 . Each moving board  60  has a handle  604  in the center of one side for facilitating manually removing the moving board  60 .  
         [0020]     The injecting device  80  includes a container  82 , a piston  84  and a cover  86 . The container  82  is a hollow cuboid with an open end and an opposite base  822 . The container  82  has a receiving space  824  for receiving adhesive. A plurality of injecting holes  826  is evenly defined in the base  822 . A rectangular-shaped slot  828  is defined in the container  82  at the open end. The cover  86  is rectangular-shaped. A rectangular-shaped flange  862  is formed on four edges of the cover  86 . A through hole  864  is defined in the center of the cover  86 . The cover  86  covers the open end of the container  82  and the flange  862  of the cover  86  engages with the slot  828  of the container  82 . The piston  84  is T-shaped. The bottom portion of the piston  84  is set in the receiving space  824  and the head portion of the piston  84  protrudes out of the cover  86  via the through hole  864 . The piston  84  is slidable in a direction of the axis of the through hole  864  relative to the container  82 . The injecting device  80  is mounted on the main body  20  and is opposite to the bottom board  204 . The injecting holes  826  face the main body  20  to communicate the cavity  208  of the main body  20  and the receiving space  824  of the container  82  so that adhesive in the receiving space  824  of the injecting device  80  can be injected into the cavity  208  of the main body  20 .  
         [0021]     The hinges  90  are used to rotatably connect the main body  20  and the container  80 . The hinges  90  can be a door hinge with one part of the hinges  90  fixed to the main body  20  and other part of the hinges  90  fixed to the container  80 . Thus, the container  80  can be closed or opened relative to the main body  20 .  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in use, the cover  86  is opened and the piston  84  is taken out of the container  82 . The piston  84  is remounted in the container  82  and the cover  86  is closed after pouring some adhesive into the container  84 . Meanwhile, the injecting device  80  is opened and a plurality of optical elements  12  is arranged in parallel in the cavity  208  of the main body  20 . Then at least one moving board  60  is pushed to move to push the optical elements  12  closer to each other so that each of the optical elements  12  contacts with an adjacent optical elements  12 . Finally, the piston  84  is pushed towards the main body  20  to inject the adhesive out via the injecting holes  826  onto the optical elements  12 . Thus, the optical elements  12  are pasted together after the adhesive solidifies. The cooling time will reduce with the help of the cooling plate  40 . The adhesive is distributed on the optical elements  12  equally and the optical elements  12  identical in shape. Therefore, the quality of the optical elements  12  thus produced is high.  
         [0023]     In an alternative embodiment, the cooling plate  40  can be omitted. The hinges  90  also can be omitted and the injecting device  80  is set on the main body  20  directly. One of the moving boards  60  can be fixed. The piston  84  and the moving boards  60  can both be driven by transmission mechanisms such as worm and worm wheel connected to motors to convert rotation to straight line motion. Thereby, the adhesive application device  10  runs automatically. The moving boards  60  can be two fixed boards which are fixed relative to the main body  20  and other driving members are provided to move the optical elements  12 . For example, the driving members may be an elastic member such as a spring disposed on at least one of the moving boards  60 . Alternatively, the driving member may also be another moving member operable to move between the two fixed boards. When the optical elements  12  are set in the cavity  208  of the main body  20 , the elastic member resists and moves the optical elements  12 .  
         [0024]     It is believed that the embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.