Abstract:
An optical component molding device and method is disclosed. The molding device includes a heating section, a heating/pressing section, and a cooling section. A carrying member sequentially conveys molding units between these treatment sections. Either the molding units or the carrying member is provided with coded information pertaining to the treatment each molding unit is to receive. A sensor scans the coded information and relays it to a master control unit that controls the operation of the various sections. The device automatically accommodates different height molds, as well as allows for different length pressing strokes, as well as different pressures, temperatures and rates of heating and cooling, and different durations of pressing to be individually controlled for each mold unit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention uses information stored in, or associated with, a mold unit to inform a master control unit of the length of a pressing stroke, the duration of pressing, the mold temperature, etc., in order to control the optical component molding device and to properly form an optical component. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventionally, optical components such as crown glass or flint glass lens elements have been produced by grinding and polishing so as to attain a specially designed lens surface. Recently, lens elements with comparatively small diameters have been produced by a “press-molding” method. 
     One common way to mold optical components is to heat an optical material to its plastic state and press it between shaped mold surfaces. FIG. 1 is an example of a prior art molding device  20 . An upper mold  21  is driven relative to a lower mold  22  within a guide cylinder  23 . An optical material  30  is pressed between the upper and lower molds to impress the shape of the mold surfaces  21   a  and  22   a  onto the optical material, after which the optical material hardens by being allowed to cool. With this configuration, a hydraulic drive, compressed-air drive, or the like (not shown) drives the upper mold  21  and the lower mold  22  toward each other. The guide cylinder  23  is used to confine the optical material and to accurately align the surface  21   a  of the upper mold  21  with the surface  22   a  of the lower mold  22  as the upper and lower molds come together. 
     When performing press molding, the optical material  30  is placed onto the surface  22   a  of the lower mold  22 , and a heating unit (not shown) heats the materials. Heating is continued until the temperature of the glass reaches the transition point of the glass or until a higher temperature is reached. The heating softens the optical material  30 , causing it to become plastic. Once in the plastic state, a hydraulic or compressed-air driven drive mechanism (not shown) lowers the upper mold  21 , thus applying pressure to the optical material  30 . By this means, the optical material  30  is molded with particular lens element surfaces as a result of being pressed between the lower mold surface  22   a  and the upper mold surface  21   a . Subsequently, the optical material is allowed to gradually cool, the upper mold  21  is raised by the drive mechanism, and the molded lens element is removed from the lower mold  22 . U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,840 to S. Hirota et al, is an example of such a prior art mold unit. 
     In the above conventional molding method, the mold surfaces will eventually become rough after repeated increases and decreases in temperature and being pressed against the optical material. When this roughening occurs, the lens elements will no longer be molded with a desired predetermined accuracy of surface profile. To correct this, the mold surfaces are treated by grinding and/or polishing, or the like, in order to restore the desired surface profile of the mold surface. After such a procedure, the height of the mold, that is the distance between the top and bottom of the molds  21 ,  22  is reduced. Since the amount of grinding and/or polishing, or the like, for correcting each mold surface is different, the height of each mold after correction will vary from mold to mold. 
     In the above-described conventional molding method, pressing is routinely carried out by lowering the upper mold  21 , with an air-pressure mechanism or the like, by a predetermined distance. Even if a fixed-height pressing stroke (i.e., pressing to a fixed location) is suitable for a mold  20  with an initial height, since the height of the mold decreases after the above-noted correction, the fixed location will be above that needed because of the reworked mold having a reduced height. Thus the pressing stroke must be adjusted or it will cause errors in the shape, size and thickness of the finished lenses. 
     Frequently, the operator of a molding device has dealt with this problem by marking each mold and then manually adjusting the distance the upper mold is lowered by the air-pressure mechanism each time it is used. This method has been inefficient and precludes the ability to reduce the manufacturing costs of the lenses. 
     The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems by adjusting the length of a pressing stroke to accommodate that needed for each mold by reading coded information associated with each mold. The present device operates smoothly with molds of different heights and improves the efficiency of the press-molding operation. 
     It is common to intermittently feed molds through compartmented treatment sections. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,838 to S. Hirota et al and 5,421,849, to S. Hirota are examples. It is also well known that molding apparatus can be operated using computer controls. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,554,001 to Shields et al and 4,734,869 to Mickowski, are examples of computer controls of molding apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,405 to Eggenberger et al, teaches adjustment of a pressing stroke according to a predetermined range. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,005 to G. Steel et al, identifies individually molded articles by applying identification indicia. U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,048 to Jung compensates for different height molds by the use of absolute-coded angle indicators that adjust the machine after a new mold is inserted. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to solve these problems, the molding device of the present invention includes a mold composite body having a conventional molding unit, such as shown in FIG. 1 with an upper and lower mold and a guide cylinder, as well as a carrying unit for carrying the mold unit along a predetermined path. The path takes the mold unit past a heating section, for heating the mold unit to a predetermined temperature; a heating/pressing section for additional heating and pressing the optical material by driving the first mold and the second mold together; and a cooling section, which solidifies the optical material. At a minimum, pressing information is stored in or on the mold unit or its carrying member. This information is read by a scanning unit prior to the time the pressing stroke occurs and is input to a control unit. A pressing is performed under the control of the control unit, such as a computer, in response to the information. 
     The information provided with the molding unit to be read by the reading device of the molding control unit can relate to various different molding parameters. These can include one or more of pressing-stroke pressure, pressing stroke distance, pressing duration, temperature, temperature application time, and so on. The information can be relayed to various treatment units placed at various positions associated with the molding device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given below and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a typical mold unit of the prior art, 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a molding device showing a mold carrying member and sections of the molding device, 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a typical mold unit in combination with a carrying member for the mold unit, and 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of a mold unit held in a carrying member with information provided on the carrying member. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     By use of the device and method of the invention, different height molds can mold the same optical material into optical components of the same or different configurations. The same temperature or different temperatures can be used, or the same or different optical materials can be molded using different pressures and temperatures for different time periods. 
     FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a lens-molding device for practicing the present invention. The lens-molding device  100  includes a carrying section  1 , a molding enclosure  2 , a controlling section  3 , a loading section  4 , and an unloading section  5 . 
     The carrying section  1  has a carrying mechanism  12 . The carrying mechanism  12  includes a driving source, such as a push rod, an air-pressure cylinder and piston mechanism, an electric motor and the like (not shown), and a power transmission mechanism, including an appropriate assembly of conventional mechanical elements, such as a gear, a chain and a cam, or the like (not shown). The carrying mechanism  12  includes a mount or support  12   a  over which work is pushed from the right to the left in a horizontal direction  13 . 
     The molding enclosure  2  includes a heating section  14 , a heating/pressing section  15  and a cooling section  16 . The heating section  14  has a heating unit  14   a , such as an electric heater that can heat up to a predetermined temperature set by a control unit  17 , and a temperature sensor  14   b . The heating/pressing section  15  has a heating unit  15   a , such as an electric heater, a temperature sensor  15   b , an air-pressure driving unit  15   c  and height sensor  15   d . The heating/pressing section can maintain a predetermined high temperature set by the control unit  17 . The air-pressure driving unit  15   c  is lowered to a predetermined position or to exert a predetermined pressure under conditions set by the control unit. The cooling section  16  has a temperature control unit  16   a , such as an air conditioner and electric heater and a temperature sensor  16   b . The temperature lowering rate and amount is set by the master control unit  17 . 
     The controlling section  3  has a computer with input from the read sensor  18  and temperature sensors. The computer includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown). The CPU is connected to each section of the molding enclosure  100  for controlling the operation of each section within the molding enclosure. The CPU is also connected to a host computer (not shown) for controlling the entire lens molding manufacturing process. The ROM (not shown) is a storage unit for storing a control program, known data and the like of the CPU. The RAM (not shown) is a storage unit for temporarily storing computed data. The read sensor  18  is a device that detects information associated with the molding units or their associated carrying member. As an example, the sensor can emit laser beams or the like and can read information by receiving all or portions of these beams on the opposite side of the mold units or their associated carrying members. 
     The loading section  4  and unloading section  5  are separated from the molding enclosure  2  by shutters or swinging doors  4   a ,  5   a . The mold units are loaded and unloaded at these sections or are placed in the carrying member  40  at these sections. The carrying member  40  is supported by mount means or supports  12   a  that permit the carrying member to slide or roll over the mount means. 
     FIG. 3 shows a mold and a carrying section that can be used for molding lenses according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the lens-molding device  100  includes a mold composite body  52  that includes both the mold unit and carrying member. The mold unit  20  is used essentially as in the prior art. As with the prior art mold unit  20 , shown in FIG. 1, an optical material  30  is arranged between upper mold  21  and lower mold  22 . The upper and lower molds have a combined height h. One or more mold units  20  are joined with the carrying member  40 . The lower mold  22  is shown joined to a holding mouth  42  of the carrying member  40 . FIG. 4 is a top view of a molding unit and a carrying member. As can be seen in the carrying member  40 , an information or pressing code  41  is formed to provide information on one or more of the parameters to be used by the heating, heating/pressing, and cooling sections in the molding enclosure  2  under computer control. The pressing code  41  is shown provided by a combination of four through-pores or apertures including one oval pore or aperture  41   a  and three circular pores or apertures  41   b.    
     The mold composite body  52  receives the optical material  30  in the mold unit  20  that is held by the carrying member  40 . The carrying member and mold composite body are taken through the shutter  4   a  of loading section  4  of the lens-molding device  100  into the lens-molding enclosure  2 . The mold composite body is shifted onto the mount  12   a , and pushed to the left by a push rod (not shown). When the carrying member and/or mold unit is moved from the loading section  4  and passed under the read sensor  18 , the information or pressing codes  41  provided are scanned and relayed to the computer  17 . The carrying member is sequentially and intermittently moved to the left so that each mold unit spends either a predetermined, or information-amount-dictated, time under each treating section. 
     In the code means used, the oval aperture  41   a  and circular apertures  41   b  indicate “1” or “0”, respectively (one bit of information may be expressed), depending on whether the aperture shape is oval  41   a  or circular  41   b . By the combination of four through-pores, four bits or sixteen different pieces of information may be expressed. This information or pressing code gives the distance the pressing unit is to be lowered by air-pressure driving unit  15   c  of the heating/pressing section  15 . A specific code is associated with a specific mold and includes pressing-stroke distance as well as any other information peculiar to that particular mold. In any event, the read sensor  18  scanning the aperture codes transmits detected signals to the master control unit  17 . The master control unit  17  recognizes the four-bit code  41  signals transmitted from the read sensor  18 , and determines the distance the air-pressure driving unit  15   c  at the heating/pressing section  15  is to be lowered as well as other molding parameters to be controlled. 
     The carrying mechanism  12  moves the mold composite body  52  including the molds across the lens-molding device under the treatment sections  14 , 15 , 16  by being pushed by a push rod (not shown). The mold composite body  52  is heated at the heating section  14  to a predetermined temperature (above the glass transition point) by the heating unit  14   a  under control of the master control unit  17 . As a result, the optical material  30  in the mold unit  20  is plasticized. The temperature sensor  14   b  is used to detect this temperature and relays it to the master control unit  17 . The master control unit  17  stops the heating unit  14   a  when the predetermined temperature has been reached. 
     The mold composite body  52  is then pushed by the push rod to the heating/pressing section  15 . At the heating/pressing section  15 , a predetermined high temperature is maintained by the heating unit  15   a  under control of the temperature sensor  15   b  relaying the temperature to the master control unit  17 . The upper mold  21  of the mold unit is lowered a predetermined distance and presses the optical material  30  by the air-pressure driving unit  15   c . Height sensor  15   d  detects a height of the air-pressure driving unit  15   c  and relays it to the master control unit  17 . The master control unit  17  stops the air-pressure driving unit  15   c  when the predetermined depth has been reached as indicated by the pressing code  41  read by the read sensor  18 . After a predetermined period of time, the driving unit is raised. As a result, the optical material  30  in the mold unit  20  is pressed and molded into the predetermined shape established by the mold surfaces  21   a  and  22   a  of the upper and lower molds  21  and  22 , resepectively. 
     The mold composite body  52  is then pushed by the push rod to the cooling section  16 . The cooling section  16  lowers the mold composite body  52  temperature to a predetermined temperature (e.g. room temperature) by cooling unit  16   a  under control of the master control unit  17 . Temperature sensor  16   b  detects the temperature and relays it to the master control unit  17 . The mster control unit  17  responds to the detected temperature and lowers the temperature of the cooling unit until it reaches the predetermined temperature. As a result, the molded lens in the mold composite body  52  will harden. 
     The carrying member  40  with the mold unit  20  are then pushed by the push rod past the shutter  5   a  to the unloading section  5  of the lens-molding device  100 . The mold composite body  52  is then disassembled and the lens is removed from inside the mold  20 . 
     The information and pressing code  41  placed in or on the mold unit or carrying member  40  is read by the read sensor  18 . The pressing code  41  sets forth the distance the upper mold is to be lowered. This information is relayed to the master control unit  17 . The air-pressure driving unit  15   c  of the heating/pressing section  15  is lowered and the lens element is pressed and molded by pressing it to the code-indicated predetermined position. Even if the lowering distances by the air-pressure driving unit  15   c  are to be different for each of the mold units, the lens-molding device  100  reads and carries out the desired pressing operations. This automatic control of the pressing stroke for each individual mold unit improves operational efficiencies and lowers the manufacturing costs of lens elements. 
     The general process for molding optical components of the present invention includes the steps of placing an optical material  30  in one or more mold units  20 , placing the mold unit(s) in a carrying member  40 , incrementally moving the carrying member  40  in a horizontal direction  13  along a predetermined path, and sequentially positioning the mold unit(s) under optical material treatment sections  14 , 15 , 16 . The mold unit is heated to a predetermined temperature at the heating section  14 , the optical material is pressed at the heating/pressing section  15  and the optical material is cooled at the cooling section  16 . Information  41  in coded form suitable to be read by a sensor or scanner is placed in or on each mold unit or the carrying member  40 . The information or code is read by the reading sensor  18 . The information or code is then relayed to a master control unit  17 . This unit controls the operation of the treating sections according to information provided by the information placed on the mold composite bodies. 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. For example, the invention is not limited to using only convex or concave mold surfaces, as other shapes may be molded, other optical materials than glass may be used, and other optical components, such as mirrors and prisms, may be produced. Further, although the embodiment describes molding optical components by using a lower mold, an upper mold and a guide cylinder wherein the molds are pressed in a vertical direction, other types of molds may be used. For example, an upper mold and a lower mold without a guide cylinder, or a molding device that presses the molds in a horizontal direction may be used. In general, any molding device may be used which presses a first mold and a second mold so that pressure is applied to an optical material. 
     In the embodiment described above, molding information is in the form of a four-bit code that expresses one bit of information using two different aperture shapes. The invention is not limited to this type of coding, as the molding information may be relayed by other means. For example, the information may be expressed using other indicia, such a difference in reflectance, difference in aperture depth, and so on. Also, the information need not be in binary form, and the amount of information may be varied. The configuration of the information reading means also can change in accordance with the types of information relayed. The information may be detected by non-contact methods, such as by using an electric field, magnetic field, or the like, or by other contact methods, such as a probe that mechanically reads information based on other indicia. 
     The carrying member is not necessarily required as long as a means is provided for holding a mold unit on a conveying means. In this case, pressing information and other information may be in the form of a cavity or the like located somewhere on the mold, such as an outside surface of the mold. Also, the pressing information may be read at any time prior to the beginning of pressing, for example the information may be read when the mold unit is in transit from the heating section to the heating/pressing section. 
     The information provided by the codes can include information on heating temperature, heating time, additional pressure, time for applying additional pressure, and the like. Further, the present invention may be configured to control the information sent to the master control unit. The present invention is also applicable to a system where pressing is carried out for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined pressure. In such a control method, a pressure sensor may provide information to the heating/pressing section and a timer (implemented either with hardware or software) may be used to provide information to the master control unit. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention. Rather the scope of the invention shall defined as set forth in the following claims and their legal equivalents. All such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.