公开(公告)号：US20210080347A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-18

申请号：US17021305

申请日：2020-09-15

Applicant: ALCON INC.

Inventor： Bernhard Pfaff ,  Roger Biel ,  Susanne Fechner ,  Daniel Kessler

IPC: G01M11/02

Abstract: A lens inspection module comprises: a lens insertion station, at least one lens inspection station, and a lens removal station as well as a closed-loop transportation rail, a cuvette transportation shuttle with a plurality of inspection cuvettes, and a self-driving cleaning shuttle for cleaning the rail. Cleaning shuttle comprises a driving unit a cleaning head, a suction unit, and a tube connecting cleaning head and suction unit. Cleaning head is spaced apart from suction unit and driving unit in the transportation direction and is pivotally arranged about a pivot axis. Cleaning head may comprise a distance sensor for detecting the distance between cleaning shuttle and transportation shuttle. Driving unit is configured to change the speed of the self-driving cleaning shuttle when the distance between the cleaning shuttle and the transportation shuttle is shorter than a predetermined threshold distance.

公开(公告)号：US11852902B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17149213

申请日：2021-01-14

Applicant: ALCON INC.

Inventor： Felix Brinckmann ,  Nils Schweizer ,  Roger Biel

IPC: G02C13/00 ,  A47L5/12 ,  A47L7/00

CPC classification number: G02C13/008 ,  A47L5/12 ,  A47L7/0052

Abstract: A cleaner for cleaning grippers for the transport of ophthalmic lenses comprises:



an exhaust air box comprising

at least one inlet opening for allowing ambient air as well as lenses, lens parts, debris and fluid adhered to the grippers to be sucked into an interior of the exhaust air box,
an outlet opening in fluid communication with the interior of the exhaust air box




and

a cleaner head arranged on the exhaust air box and comprising

a plurality of receiver sleeves for receiving the grippers to be cleaned,
a plurality of shutters, wherein each individual shutter of the plurality of shutters is arranged to open or close the fluid communication of at least one receiver sleeve (5) of the plurality of receiver sleeves (5) and the interior of the exhaust air box (1).

公开(公告)号：US11745452B2

公开(公告)日：2023-09-05

申请号：US17457147

申请日：2021-12-01

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Roger Biel ,  Karin Stoller ,  Daniel Kessler ,  Burkhard Dietrich ,  Jens Hof

IPC: B29D11/00 ,  G02C7/02 ,  G02C7/04

CPC classification number: B29D11/00009 ,  B29D11/00125 ,  B29D11/00259 ,  G02C7/024 ,  G02C7/04 ,  B29D11/00509

Abstract: A production line (PL) for the production of ophthalmic lenses (7) comprises



a manufacturing module (MM),
an inspection module (IM), and
a packaging module (PP) in which the lenses identified by the inspection module (IM) as being acceptable are packed into primary packages.




The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352). At least one of these manufacturing stations (310; 320, 321, 322, 330, 331) is configured to apply a lens identification code (70, 71, 72) to the respective lens. The lens identification code (70, 71, 72) includes information indicative of the type of the respective lens.
Either the inspection module (IM) or the packaging module (PP) includes a lens detection station (502, 604) configured to read the lens identification code (70, 71, 72) applied to the respective lens and to detect the type of the lens from the lens identification code (70, 71, 72) read from the respective lens in order to determine whether the type of lens detected actually is the type of lens which is expected to be detected by the lens detection station (502, 604) at that time.

公开(公告)号：US20230080433A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US17931178

申请日：2022-09-12

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Matthias Schwab ,  Roger Biel ,  Matthias Braun ,  Jens Eppig ,  Shu Zong

IPC: B29D11/00

Abstract: An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises: a production line front end (1) comprising: a first injection-molding machine (10) and a second injection-molding machine (12) a casting module (14) comprising a filling station (144) and a capping station (145); a stacking module (15) and a curing module (16); a destacking module (17) and a demolding and delensing module a production line back end (2) comprising: a scalable treatment module (20); an inspection module (21); a primary packaging module (22), Wherein the first and second injection-molding machines allow for a quick exchange of the tooling plates used in the injection molding machine without the need to decrease the temperature of the injection molding machine by pre-configured tooling plates.

公开(公告)号：US20230079414A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US17931223

申请日：2022-09-12

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Matthias Schwab ,  Matthias Braun ,  Roger Biel ,  Shu Zong

IPC: B29D11/00

Abstract: An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:
a production line front end (1) comprising: a first injection-molding machine (10) and a second injection-molding machine (12) a casting module (14) comprising a filling station (144) and a capping station (145); a stacking module (15) and a curing module (16); a destacking module (17) and a demolding and delensing module a production line back end (2) comprising:
a treatment module (20),
an inspection module (21),
wherein the production line has the easy adaptability of curing times and temperatures, and in the capability of using different treatment liquids and treatment times in the extraction module to achieve the product flexibility.

公开(公告)号：US20240300751A1

公开(公告)日：2024-09-12

申请号：US18597071

申请日：2024-03-06

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Felix Brinckmann ,  Michel Mühlig ,  Johannes Neumann ,  Nils Schweizer ,  Roger Biel

IPC: B65G47/91 ,  B25J15/06

CPC classification number: B65G47/918 ,  B25J15/0616

Abstract: A gripper system comprises:

a gripper shaft;
a vacuum source;
a first valve arranged between the vacuum source and the suction tube;
a liquid reservoir;
a source of pressurized gas;
a second valve arranged between the source of pressurized gas and the suction tube or the liquid reservoir;
a control unit for controlling the first valve and the second valve such that:
for picking the ophthalmic lens up, suction is supplied to the suction tube;
during transporting the ophthalmic lens, the suction tube is filled with liquid from the liquid supply tube;
for releasing the ophthalmic lens from the gripper head, liquid is pressed through the fluid channel and through the suction opening of the gripper head.

公开(公告)号：US20230083845A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US17931227

申请日：2022-09-12

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Matthias Schwab ,  Matthias Braun ,  Roger Biel ,  Nils Schweizer ,  Nicholas Gollas ,  Shu Zong

IPC: B29D11/00 ,  B65B25/00

Abstract: An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:
a production line front end comprising: a first and a second injection-molding machine, a casting module, a filling station and a capping station, a stacking module and a curing module, a destacking module and a demolding and delensing module a production line back end comprising:
a treatment module,
an inspection module,
wherein self-driving shuttles in the inspection module can form a queue and act as a buffer for the primary packaging module if an interruption of the primary packaging module and variations of the cycle time in the primary packaging module are buffered so that the extraction module is able to operate largely independently from the upstream and downstream components of the manufacturing line.

公开(公告)号：US11215844B2

公开(公告)日：2022-01-04

申请号：US16109044

申请日：2018-08-22

Applicant: Alcon Inc.

Inventor： Roger Biel ,  Karin Stoller ,  Daniel Kessler ,  Burkhard Dietrich ,  Jens Hof

IPC: B29D11/00 ,  G02C7/02 ,  G02C7/04

Abstract: A production line (PL) for the production of ophthalmic lenses (7) comprises a manufacturing module (MM), an inspection module (IM), and a packaging module (PP) in which the lenses identified by the inspection module (IM) as being acceptable are packed into primary packages. The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352). At least one of these manufacturing stations (310; 320, 321, 322, 330, 331) is configured to apply a lens identification code (70, 71, 72) to the respective lens. The lens identification code (70, 71, 72) includes information indicative of the type of the respective lens.
Either the inspection module (IM) or the packaging module (PP) includes a lens detection station (502, 604) configured to read the lens identification code (70, 71, 72) applied to the respective lens and to detect the type of the lens from the lens identification code (70, 71, 72) read from the respective lens in order to determine whether the type of lens detected actually is the type of lens which is expected to be detected by the lens detection station (502, 604) at that time.

公开(公告)号：US20210318468A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-14

申请号：US17199110

申请日：2021-03-11

Applicant: ALCON INC.

Inventor： Shu Zong ,  Peter Hagmann ,  Roger Biel ,  Axel Heinrich ,  Stephan Pirl

IPC: G02B1/04 ,  B29D11/00 ,  G02C7/02

Abstract: A manufacturing module (MM) for contact lenses comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352) arranged in a closed loop and a plurality of lens mold carriers (1, 2) which are transported through the manufacturing stations. Each lens mold carrier (1, 2) comprises a frame (10, 20) having a predetermined number of mounting sites (100, 200) arranged along the frame. Each lens mold carrier (1, 2) further comprises a predetermined number of molds (112, 212) removably mounted to the frame (10, 20) at the mounting sites (100, 200), the molds being reusable male or female molds (212, 112). Two lens mold carriers (1, 2) are assigned to each other to form a pair, so that upon mating the pair of lens mold carriers (1, 2) the male and female molds (212, 112) are mated to form mold cavities defining the shape of the lenses. The manufacturing stations comprise a mold changing station (300, 301, 302) configured to be capable of removing a mold from its mounting site (100, 200) and mounting a different mold at the said mounting site (100, 200), or configured to change the rotational position of a mold (112, 212) mounted to the frame (10, 20), or both.