Method for producing an optical element from plastic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12377585-B2
Application number	US-202117791002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2021
Priority date	Jan 15, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for producing an optical element ( 42, 43 ) having at least one optically effective surface, wherein, by means of a first injection mold of an injection-molding machine ( 500, 500 ′) liquid transparent plastic ( 54 , P 4014 , P 4017 ) is injection-molded to form a preform and/or a pre-molded part ( 20 ) having at least one preform ( 22, 23 ), the preform or the pre-molded part ( 20 ) subsequently being cooled outside the first injection mold and/or outside the injection-molding machine ( 500, 500 ′), and the preform ( 22, 23 ) to form the optical element subsequently being injection-molded and/or over-molded in a second injection mold by applying at least one layer of plastic, which forms the optically effective surface ( 42, 43 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing an optical lens element having at least one optically effective light exit surface and having at least one optically effective light entrance surface, the method comprising:
providing a first injection mold;
providing a second injection mold;
liquefying a transparent plastic;
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the first injection mold to form a pre-molded part comprising a sprue, a first preform, and a second preform, wherein the first preform and the second preform are connected via the sprue;
cooling the pre-molded part outside the first injection mold;
placing the pre-molded part in the second injection mold; and
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the second injection mold which over-molds the first preform and the second preform to form a first optical lens element and a second optical lens element, respectively, wherein the first optical lens element comprises a first layer that comprises a first optically effective light exit surface and the second optical lens element comprises a second layer that comprises a second optically effective light exit surface, wherein at least 70% of the first layer and at least 70% of the second layer are not thicker than 1 mm;
separating the sprue from the first optical lens element; and
separating the sprue from the second optical lens element.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical element is a projection lens.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the second lens optical element is a projection lens.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least 90% of the first layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least 90% of the second layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between the first optically effective light exit surface of the first optical lens element and an optically effective light entrance surface of the first optical lens element is not greater than 40 μm.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between the second optically effective light exit surface of the second optical lens element and an optically effective light entrance surface of the second optical lens element is not greater than 40 μm.

8. The method of producing an optical lens element having at least one optically effective light exit surface and having at least one optically effective light entrance surface, the method comprising:
providing a first injection mold;
providing a second injection mold;
liquefying a transparent plastic;
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic via a hotrunner into the first injection mold to form a pre-molded part comprising a sprue, a first preform, and a second preform, wherein the first preform and the second preform are connected via the sprue;
cooling the pre-molded part outside the first injection mold;
placing the pre-molded part in the second injection mold;
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the second injection mold, via the hotrunner, which over-molds the first preform and the second preform to form a first optical lens element and a second optical lens element, respectively, wherein the first optical lens element comprises a first layer that comprises a first optically effective light entrance surface and the second optical lens element comprises a second layer that comprises a second optically effective light entrance surface, wherein at least 80% of the first layer and at least 80% of the second layer are not thicker than 1 mm;
separating the sprue from the first optical lens element; and
separating the sprue from the second optical lens element.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between an optically effective light exit surface of the first optical lens element and the first optically effective light entrance surface of the first optical lens element is not greater than 40 μm.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between an optically effective light exit surface of the second optical lens element and the second optically effective light entrance surface of the second optical lens element is not greater than 40 μm.

12. A method of producing an optical lens element having at least a first optically effective surface and at least a second optically effective surface, the method comprising:
providing a first injection mold;
providing a second injection mold;
providing a third injection mold;
liquefying a transparent plastic;
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the first injection mold to form a pre-preform;
cooling the pre-preform outside the first injection mold;
placing the pre-preform in the second injection mold;
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the second injection mold which over-molds the pre-preform to form a preform that comprises a first layer comprising the first optically effective surface, wherein at least 80% of the first layer is not thicker than 1 mm;
cooling the preform outside the second injection mold;
placing the preform in the third injection mold; and
injecting the liquefied transparent plastic into the third injection mold which over-molds the preform to form the optical lens element that comprises a second layer comprising the second optically effective surface, wherein at least 80% of the second layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first layer is an optically effective light exit surface and wherein the second layer is an optically effective light entrance surface.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first layer is an optically effective light entrance surface and wherein the second layer is an optically effective light exit surface.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the second layer is not thicker than 1 mm.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between the optically effective light exit surface and the optically effective light entrance surface of the optical element is not greater than 40 μm.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the maximum deviation of the actual value from the target value of the distance between the optically effective light exit surface and the optically effective light entrance surface of the optical element is not greater than 40 μm.

19. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the pre-preform is connected to a sprue, and the method further comprising separating the sprue from the optical element.

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Pilz Florian
• Fröhlich Sven

Classifications

• B29L2011/0016

  Lenses · CPC title

• B29K2995/0018

  having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent · CPC title

• B29C45/1679

  applying surface layers onto injection-moulded substrates inside the mould cavity, e.g. in-mould coating [IMC] (applying suface layers after ejection B29C45/0053) · CPC title

• B29C2045/14131

  using positioning or centering means forming part of the insert · CPC title

• B29C45/372

  provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles · CPC title