Method for automatically selecting polishing process for lens

Abstract

The method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner comprises: determining (10), in an automated manner, whether the lens is embedded in the frame; selecting (12) a soft polishing process if the lenses have been embedded in the frame; if the lens is not embedded in the frame, a standard polishing process is selected (14).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a spectacle frame in an automated manner. Background Art

[0002] In the field of ophthalmic lens edging technology, the polishing step is often considered the bottleneck because it is the step with the greatest impact in terms of equipment productivity. In fact, even if only about 30% of eyeglass orders require polishing, the polishing step has a significant impact on productivity savings.

[0003] In the prior art, no satisfactory solutions are provided for improving industrial performance in this respect.

[0004] Therefore, a new method is needed to determine the polishing process to be performed on the edged lenses fitted in the frames to improve productivity. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art.

[0006] To this end, the present disclosure provides a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner, which is characterized in that the method comprises:

[0007] determining in an automated manner whether a lens is embedded in a frame;

[0008] If the lens is already embedded in the frame, choose a soft polishing process;

[0009] If the lenses are not embedded in the frame, select the standard polishing process.

[0010] Therefore, the method according to the present disclosure makes it possible to automatically decide whether the polishing process to be performed is a soft polishing process or a standard polishing process without any manual intervention. Therefore, the productivity is greatly improved.

[0011] In an embodiment, the determining step is performed by a computing engine.

[0012] In an embodiment, the determining step comprises comparing the maximum edge thickness of the lens to the frame thickness in an automated manner.

[0013] In an embodiment, the frame thickness is provided by a tracer.

[0014] In an embodiment, the frame thickness is extracted from a frame shape file.

[0015] In an embodiment, the maximum edge thickness is obtained by comparing edge thicknesses of the lens at a predetermined radius provided by a predetermined model of the lens, and selecting a maximum value among the edge thicknesses as the maximum edge thickness.

[0016] For the same purpose as above, the present disclosure also provides a computer program product, which is characterized in that the computer program product includes one or more instruction sequences that can be accessed by a processor, and when the one or more instruction sequences are executed by the processor, the processor implements a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner, the method comprising:

[0017] determining in an automated manner whether a lens is embedded in a frame;

[0018] If the lens is already embedded in the frame, choose a soft polishing process;

[0019] If the lenses are not embedded in the frame, select the standard polishing process.

[0020] For the same purpose as above, the present disclosure further provides a non-transitory information storage medium, which is characterized in that the non-transitory information storage medium stores one or more instruction sequences that can be accessed by a processor, and when the one or more instruction sequences are executed by the processor, the processor implements a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner, the method comprising:

[0021] determining in an automated manner whether a lens is embedded in a frame;

[0022] If the lens is already embedded in the frame, choose a soft polishing process;

[0023] If the lenses are not embedded in the frame, select the standard polishing process.

[0024] Since the specific features and advantages of the computer program product and the information storage medium are similar to those of the method, they are not repeated here.

[0025] The computer program product is advantageously configured for performing the method in any of its execution modes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] For a more complete understanding of the description provided herein and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following brief description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.

[0027] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method according to a certain embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the following description, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and certain features may be shown in generalized or schematic form for the purpose of clarity and simplicity or for information purposes. In addition, although the manufacture and use of different embodiments are discussed in detail below, it should be understood that many inventive concepts that can be embodied in a variety of contexts are provided as described herein. The embodiments discussed herein are merely representative and do not limit the scope of the invention. It is also apparent to those skilled in the art that all technical features defined relative to the method can be transposed to the device alone or in combination, and conversely, all technical features relative to the device can be transposed to the method alone or in combination.

[0029] The terms "comprise" (and any grammatical variations thereof, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any grammatical variations thereof, such as "has" and "having"), "contain" (and any grammatical variations thereof, such as "contains" and "containing"), and "include" (and any grammatical variations thereof, such as "includes" and "including") are open-ended linking verbs. They are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof. Thus, a method or step in a method that "comprises", "has", "contains" or "includes" one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to only those one or more steps or elements.

[0030] Figure 1 Steps of a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner are shown, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] The first step 10 of the method consists in determining in an automatic manner whether the lens is embedded in the frame. The lens is considered embedded in the frame when no edge portion of the lens is visible from the outside of the frame. In terms of calculation, as a basic rule, this means that the maximum edge thickness of the lens is less than the minimum thickness of the frame. As an optimized rule, this means that the edge thickness of the lens is less than the frame thickness at each predetermined value angle (for example, every 10°).

[0032] This step can be performed by a calculation engine.

[0033] In an embodiment applying the above basic rules, step 10 may, for example, comprise comparing the maximum edge thickness of the lens with the thickness of the frame in an automated manner (eg, in a computing engine).

[0034] The thickness of the frame can be provided by a tracer. The frame thickness can be extracted from a frame shape file storing thickness values ​​of multiple frames having various shapes.

[0035] The maximum edge thickness of the lens can be obtained by using a predetermined model of the lens in the same reference system, which predetermined model is defined as a complete description of the three-dimensional lens, including the front surface of the lens, the back surface of the lens and the center thickness of the lens.

[0036] The lens model will provide edge thickness values ​​for the lens at a predetermined radius. The maximum of these edge thickness values ​​will then be selected as the maximum edge thickness.

[0037] If it is determined at step 10 that the lens has been inserted into the frame, the next step is step 12, which comprises selecting a soft polishing process for the lens to be fitted and inserted into the frame. Soft polishing itself is well known and will therefore not be described in detail here.

[0038] Otherwise, if it is determined at step 10 that the lens is not embedded in the frame, the next step is step 14, which includes selecting a standard polishing process for a lens that fits into the frame but is not embedded therein. Standard polishing is well known per se and will therefore not be described in detail here.

[0039] Standard polishing makes it possible to obtain a glossy lens edge, whereas soft polishing is faster on the equipment and provides a lens edge that is not as glossy as that obtained with standard polishing.

[0040] Of course, in the case where polishing is not requested in the order from the eye care professional (ECP) or the customer, the polishing step is not performed and it is not necessary to apply the method according to the present disclosure. Therefore, optionally, before step 10, a preliminary step can be performed, which includes checking whether the order from the ECP or the customer includes a requirement for polishing the edged lens fitted in the frame.

[0041] In certain embodiments, the method according to the present disclosure is computer-implemented. That is, the computer program product includes one or more instruction sequences that can be accessed by a processor, and the one or more instruction sequences, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner. The processor is configured to perform steps 10, 12, and 14 as described above.

[0042] The software may be hosted remotely, for example in the cloud, or locally on the computer.

[0043] The sequence of instructions may be stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, including a predetermined location in the cloud.

[0044] While representative methods and apparatus have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that various substitutions and modifications may be made without departing from the scope described and defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a spectacle frame in an automated manner, characterized in that The method comprises: determining (10) in an automated manner whether the lens is embedded in the frame; If the lens is already embedded in the frame, select (12) soft polishing process; If the lens is not embedded in the frame, select (14) standard polishing process.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determination (10) is performed by a computing engine.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The determining (10) includes comparing the maximum edge thickness of the lens with the thickness of the frame in an automated manner.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The frame thickness is provided by a tracer.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The frame thickness is extracted from the frame shape file.

6. The method according to claim 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The maximum edge thickness is obtained by comparing edge thicknesses of the lens at a predetermined radius provided by a predetermined model of the lens and selecting a maximum value among the edge thicknesses as the maximum edge thickness.

7. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises one or more sequences of instructions accessible to a processor and which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner, the method comprising: determining (10) in an automated manner whether the lens is embedded in the frame; If the lens is already embedded in the frame, select (12) soft polishing process; If the lens is not embedded in the frame, select (14) standard polishing process.

8. A non-transitory information storage medium, characterized in that: The non-transitory information storage medium stores one or more instruction sequences that are accessible to a processor, and the one or more instruction sequences, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a method for selecting a polishing process for an edged lens fitted in a frame in an automated manner, the method comprising: determining (10) in an automated manner whether the lens is embedded in the frame; If the lens is already embedded in the frame, select (12) a soft polishing process; If the lens is not embedded in the frame, select (14) standard polishing process.

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