Holder for pneumatically blocking an optical lens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969051-B2
Application number	US-201415039225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A holder ( 1 ) for pneumatically blocking an optical lens ( 300 ) on a surfacing machine, includes:—a gripping part ( 10 ) for fixing it to a corresponding member ( 200 ) of the surfacing machine, and—a part ( 100 ) for blocking the optical lens, which includes a body ( 110 ) from which there protrude abutments which are designed to afford the optical lens a rigid seat, and a seal ( 170 ) against which the optical lens is able to be brought to bear in order to delimit with the body a vacuum chamber ( 180 ). The abutments include first rods ( 160 ) which are mounted so as to be movable in translation with respect to the body in order to bear by way of their free ends ( 161 ) against the optical lens, and provision is made of return elements ( 179, 190 ) for returning the first rods against the optical lens.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pneumatic blocking support for blocking an optical lens on a surfacing machine, comprising:
a holding part for fixing it to a corresponding member of said surfacing machine, and
a lens-blocking part for blocking said optical lens and which comprises a body from which there project stops arranged to offer the optical lens a rigid footing, and a seal against which the optical lens is able to be made to bear so as to delimit with said body a reduced-pressure chamber,
wherein said stops comprise first rods which are mounted with translational mobility with respect to said body so as to come to bear via their free ends against the optical lens, and
return means are provided for returning said first rods against the optical lens.

2. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said return means comprise, inside said body, a raised-pressure chamber which houses part of each first rod and which is configured in such a way that a raised pressure in the raised-pressure chamber generates thrust on said first rods, toward the optical lens.

3. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said body delimits an air circulation duct which opens into said raised-pressure chamber and which is equipped with a shutoff valve designed to block the circulation of air in said duct.

4. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said return means comprise springs each interposed between part of each first rod and part of said body in such a way that they generate thrust on said first rods toward the optical lens.

5. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said stops comprise second rods which are mounted translationally fixed with respect to said body and which have free ends against which the optical lens is intended to come to bear.

6. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 5 , wherein exactly three second rods are provided, which together form a tripod supporting said optical lens.

7. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein stop means are provided, which are designed to adopt two states alternately, one state being a blocking state in which they translationally block each of said first rods with respect to the body, and one state being a release state in which they release each of said first rods in terms of translation with respect to the body.

8. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first rods are mounted with translational mobility on the body along parallel axes of translation.

9. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
said first rods are mounted with translational mobility on the body along parallel axes of translation,
the body comprises a sleeve and a piston through which said first rods pass and which are mounted with translational mobility relative to one another along an axis parallel to the axes of translation of said first rods,
said stop means comprise deformable rings each slipped over one of said first rods so as to be interposed between the sleeve and the piston, and
an operating means is provided and is designed to push the piston against the sleeve to compress the deformable rings from their release state into their blocking state.

10. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said operating means comprises a nut screwed into a threaded rod of said piston which passes through said sleeve.

11. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said body delimits an air circulation duct which opens into said reduced-pressure chamber and which is equipped with a shutoff valve designed to block the circulation of air in said duct.

12. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least six first rods are provided.

13. The pneumatic blocking support as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the free end of each first rod comprises a flexible cap.

Assignees

• Essilor Int Compagne Generale Doptique
• Essilor Int

Inventors

• Lafon Fabien
• Sauze Hanna

Classifications

• B24B41/061 Primary

  axially supporting turning workpieces, e.g. magnetically, pneumatically · CPC title

• B24B13/005

  Blocking means, chucks or the like; Alignment devices · CPC title