Method for producing an optical element of glass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12565439-B2
Application number	US-202318339359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2023
Priority date	Jun 23, 2022
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for producing an optical element (202), wherein a blank of transparent material is heated and/or provided and, after heating and/or after being provided between a first mold (UF) and at least one second mold (OF), is press molded, for example on both sides, to form the optical element (202) and is then exposed to a treatment atmosphere.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method for producing a headlight lens, the method comprising:
providing a transport element with a support surface; providing a treatment chamber; providing an evaporation chamber with a passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber; providing a blank of glass; providing a surface treatment agent comprising a solvent as well as an active solid dissolved in the solvent, wherein the active solid comprises sulfate; press molding the blank to form a headlight lens comprising a light inlet surface within an intended light path of the headlight lens, a light outlet surface within the intended light path of the headlight lens, and a support surface outside the intended light path of the headlight lens; depositing the headlight lens on the transport element such that the support surface of the transport element is in contact with the support surface of the headlight lens; evaporating an amount of the surface treatment agent in the evaporation chamber to generate a treatment atmosphere, wherein the passage is closed; placing the transport element together with the headlight lens in the treatment chamber; afterwards opening the passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber such that treatment atmosphere flows into the treatment chamber to obtain a surface treated headlight lens; afterwards withdrawing the headlight lens from the treatment chamber; and passing the transport element together with the headlight lens through a cooling path, without the light inlet surface of the headlight lens being touched and without the light outlet surface of the headlight lens being touched.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the active solid comprises ammonium sulfate.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the proportion of active solid in the solvent is not less than 10% by weight.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the proportion of active solid in the solvent is not more than 40% by weight.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the solvent comprises water.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the headlight lens is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for no longer than 14 seconds.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the surface treatment agent is evaporated in a predetermined dosage in the evaporation chamber for generating the treatment atmosphere.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the headlight lens is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for not less than 1 second.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the glass is a soda-lime silicate glass.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the active solid essentially consists of ammonium sulfate.

11 . A method for producing an optical element, the method comprising:
providing a treatment chamber; providing an evaporation chamber with a passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber; providing a blank of glass; providing a surface treatment agent comprising a solvent as well as an active solid dissolved in the solvent; press molding the blank to form an optical element; evaporating an amount of the surface treatment agent in the evaporation chamber to generate a treatment atmosphere; placing the optical element in the treatment chamber; afterwards opening the passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber such that the treatment atmosphere flows into the treatment chamber to obtain a surface treated optical element; withdrawing the surface treated optical element from the treatment chamber; and cooling of the surface treated optical element in a cooling path for cooling with an addition of heat.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the treatment chamber is positioned on top of the evaporation chamber.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the active solid comprises ammonium sulfate.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the active solid comprises sulfate.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the active solid comprises ammonium sulfate.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the solvent comprises water, wherein the proportion of active solid in the solvent is not less than 10% by weight, and wherein the proportion of active solid in the solvent is not more than 40% by weight.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the optical element is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for no longer than 14 seconds.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the optical element is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for no longer than 14 seconds.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the optical element is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for not less than 1 second.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the glass is a soda-lime silicate glass.

21 . A method for producing an optical element, the method comprising:
providing a treatment chamber; providing an evaporation chamber with a passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber; providing a blank of non-borosilicate glass is; providing a surface treatment agent comprising a solvent as well as an active solid dissolved in the solvent, wherein the active solid comprises sulfate; press molding the blank to form an optical element; evaporating an amount of the surface treatment agent in the evaporation chamber to generate a treatment atmosphere; placing the optical element in the treatment chamber; afterwards opening the passage between the treatment chamber and the evaporation chamber such that the treatment atmosphere flows into the treatment chamber to obtain a surface treated optical element; withdrawing the surface treated optical element from the treatment chamber; and cooling of the surface treated optical element in a cooling path for cooling with an addition of heat.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the active solid comprises ammonium sulfate.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the proportion of ammonium sulfate in the solvent is not less than 10% by weight and not more than 40% by weight.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the optical element is exposed to the treatment atmosphere for no longer than 14 seconds.

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Dittmann Christoph
• Diatta Annegret
• Kuppe Alexander
• Polle Ralf
• Schnoor Toni

Classifications

• C03B2215/66

  Means for providing special atmospheres, e.g. reduced pressure, inert gas, reducing gas, clean room · CPC title

• F21S41/255

  Lenses with a front view of circular or truncated circular outline · CPC title

• C03B2215/49

  Complex forms not covered by groups C03B2215/47 or C03B2215/48 · CPC title

• C03B2215/414

  Arrays of products, e.g. lenses · CPC title

• C03B35/00

  Transporting of glass products during their manufacture, {e.g. hot glass lenses, prisms}(conveying systems for fragile sheets, e.g. glass B65G49/06) · CPC title