Transport container for holding several ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production facility

Abstract

Transport container (10) for holding several ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production plant, the transport container (10) comprising: - a plurality of lens holders (12) for each receiving a spectacle lens blank, wherein the lens holders (12) each form a concave recess (14) into which one of the plurality of spectacle lens blanks can be inserted to receive the spectacle lens blank; characterized in that - the lens holders (12) are designed such that the concave depressions (14) have an increasing gradient radially outwards.

Description

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transport container for holding a plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production facility.

[0002] Conventional transport containers for holding multiple ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production facility can be disadvantageous in that they can cause problems when holding a lens blank blocked on a block piece and can be susceptible to contamination.

[0003] In addition, automating the removal and pick-up of ophthalmic lens blanks into and from conventional transport containers using appropriate machines can be technically difficult.

[0004] It is therefore the object of the present disclosure to provide a transport container for accommodating a plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production plant, which is suitable for overcoming the disadvantages inherent in the prior art.

[0005] The problem is solved by a transport container having the features of claim 1.

[0006] A transport container is provided for holding a plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production facility. The transport container has a plurality of lens holders, each of which holds a single ophthalmic lens blank. The lens holders each form a concave recess into which one of the plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks can be inserted to receive the ophthalmic lens blank. The lens holders are designed such that the concave recesses have an increasing slope radially outward.

[0007] A transport container can be a container in which several ophthalmic lens blanks can be placed and, if necessary, stored between different processing steps of the ophthalmic lens blanks or the resulting ophthalmic lenses. The transport container can be designed to enable and / or facilitate automated insertion and / or removal of the ophthalmic lens blanks into the transport container. The transport container can be designed to accommodate additional items, such as documentation material, relating to the ophthalmic lens blanks and / or an associated order. The transport container can be designed to store information in electronic form, such as information about the order to which the ophthalmic lens blanks belong. The transport container can be designed to be transported by means of a production system for ophthalmic lens blanks or ophthalmic lenses.Transport can take place between several processing stations, where the ophthalmic lens blanks are removed from the transport container for processing and optionally stored in the transport container after processing. Optionally, the transport container can also be used to store the ophthalmic lens blanks separately from a production line.

[0008] A lens holder can represent a holder that positions a lens arranged thereon and / or therein in a predetermined orientation in the transport container. Optionally, the lens holder can secure an inserted ophthalmic lens blank against unwanted changes in positioning and / or orientation relative to the transport container. The fact that the ophthalmic lens blank can be inserted into the lens holder can also be understood to mean that the ophthalmic lens blank can be placed on the lens holder to receive the ophthalmic lens blank, can be inserted into the lens holder, or is otherwise restricted and / or fixed in its positioning and / or orientation relative to the transport container by the lens holder.

[0009] The fact that the concave depressions of the lens holders have an increasing gradient radially outwards can mean that the concave depressions are curved inwards, ie that the height profile of the depressions in the radially outward direction has a second derivative greater than zero.

[0010] A lens blank can refer to an unprocessed precursor of a ophthalmic lens, such as a lens blank with an unprocessed front surface and an unprocessed back surface. The lens blank can be produced using a molding process. However, the lens blank can also refer to a partially processed precursor of a ophthalmic lens, such as a semi-finished lens or a finished lens. For example, the lens blank can have a partially or fully processed front surface, which may be coated with a protective film or coating. As generally understood and defined in section 3.8.1 of ISO 13666:2019(E), a lens blank can be a piece of optical material with an optically processed surface for the manufacture of an ophthalmic lens.In the context of the present disclosure, a spectacle lens blank can also be understood as a spectacle lens semi-finished product and / or a spectacle lens finished product.

[0011] As generally understood and defined in clause 3.5.2 of ISO 13666:2019 (E), a spectacle lens may be a spectacle lens as defined in clause 3.5.1 of ISO 13666:2019 (E) that is worn in front of, but not in contact with, the eyeball.

[0012] The disclosure offers the advantage that the design of the lens holders allows for automatic centering of the inserted ophthalmic lens blanks relative to the respective lens holders. The concave recesses can, under the effect of gravity on the respectively received ophthalmic lens blank, cause the ophthalmic lens blank to automatically center relative to the respective lens holder. This can enable precise positioning and / or orientation of the ophthalmic lens blank relative to the lens holder and / or the transport container with minimal effort, i.e., without necessarily requiring precise manual positioning and / or orientation.Optionally, this can facilitate the automated insertion of the ophthalmic lens blanks into the transport container, since even small deviations from the desired positioning and / or orientation can be at least partially compensated by the automatic centering.

[0013] The transport case can have exactly two lens holders. This can offer the advantage of storing two lenses from the same order together in the transport case. This can reduce or eliminate the risk of confusing the matching lens blanks with lens blanks from other orders.

[0014] The concave recesses of the lens holders can have a conical or parabolic shape. This can promote self-centering of the inserted lens blanks relative to the lens holders. Other shapes are also possible, such as a polynomial shape.

[0015] The transport container can comprise concave recesses in the lens holders, each formed by a support structure of the respective lens holder. The support structure can form a support surface for a lens blank.

[0016] The support structures of the lens holders can have recesses to facilitate the mechanical removal of a lens blank held in the respective lens holder. This can facilitate the mechanical or automated handling of the lens blanks in a production facility.

[0017] The transport container can comprise lens holders, each having a base element to which a block piece can be fastened. By fastening the block piece to the base element, a spectacle lens blank fastened to the block piece can be received in the lens holder in the respective lens holder. This can offer the advantage that the spectacle lens blanks can be received by the lens holders of the transport container both in an unblocked state and in a blocked state, in the latter case together with the block piece. This can offer the advantage that the transport containers can be used continuously by production systems even when both handling of the unblocked spectacle lenses and handling of the blocked spectacle lenses is required.

[0018] The transport container can include lens holders on a top side of the transport container, so that during transport of the transport container in the production facility, ophthalmic lens blanks are held in the lens holders by gravity. This can eliminate the need for separate fastening of the ophthalmic lenses to prevent them from falling out of the lens holder.

[0019] The transport container can have at least three receiving elements, each for receiving an RFID chip, on an underside of the transport container facing away from the top side. An RFID chip (Radio Frequency Identification Chip) is an electronic component that can wirelessly receive and transmit data via radio waves in order to uniquely identify and / or track objects. The at least three receiving elements can enable an RFID chip to be attached at different locations on the underside of the transport container. Alternatively or additionally, several RFID chips can be arranged on the underside of the transport container. The at least three receiving elements can enable the transport container to be adapted to different production systems, which optionally require the RFID chip to be arranged at different locations.This can improve the flexibility of use of the transport container.

[0020] Optionally, two of the receiving elements can be arranged at different corners of the bottom of the transport container, and one of the receiving elements can be arranged in the center of the bottom of the transport container. This can enable a particularly variable arrangement of the RFID chips at locations that can be particularly easily located based on orientation on the transport container.

[0021] The receiving elements can each be designed to positively attach an RFID chip to the transport container. Optionally, the positive attachment can be achieved by a clamp connection and / or a snap-in connection. Alternatively or additionally, the RFID chip can be attached to the transport container using a lid and / or closure. This can facilitate the installation of an RFID chip on the transport container. Alternatively or additionally, the receiving elements can each have at least one through-hole through the underside of the transport container in order to attach an RFID chip to the receiving element using a screw fastening. This can offer great flexibility in attaching the RFID chip.

[0022] The transport container can have several elevations on its underside that allow a stopper of the production system to engage, positioning the transport container at a position specified by the stopper and the respective elevation. This can facilitate the automated positioning of the transport container by a stopper of the production system. The multiple elevations can also enable or facilitate the use of the transport container with multiple production systems, as several elevations are available for the stopper to engage. Alternatively or additionally, the multiple elevations can facilitate the positioning of the transport container in multiple spatial directions.

[0023] The raised portions can be designed as webs, ribs, or struts and can run along a longitudinal or transverse direction of the transport container. The raised portions can be used to trigger a tactile signal from the stopper and / or to slow down and / or lock the transport container by impacting the respective raised portion against a stopper.

[0024] The transport container can have a side wall that at least partially encloses an interior of the transport container. The lens holders can be arranged in the interior of the transport container. The side wall can be designed to prevent or impede the lateral penetration of objects into the interior of the transport container. The side wall can also enable stacking of several transport containers on top of one another, thereby avoiding mechanical contact between the ophthalmic lens blanks contained in the transport containers.

[0025] The transport container can comprise grooves on at least two sides of the side wall in order to enable automated detection of an orientation of the transport container based on the grooves. The grooves can optionally be arranged vertically in and / or on the transport container. Optionally, the grooves can be formed in / and or on a side wall of the transport container. Optionally, the grooves can be arranged in the region of a corner of the transport container. Optionally, the plurality of grooves can comprise exactly two grooves. The grooves can optionally be designed such that metal elements can be inserted into the grooves, which can then be detected to detect the orientation of the transport container. Optionally, the metal elements can be inductively detectable, so that the orientation of the transport container can be inductively detected by means of induction sensors based on the metal elements inserted into the grooves.The insertable metal elements can be cylindrical, optionally in the form of metal pins, which can optionally be inserted into the grooves from above. Optionally, the metal elements can be secured in the grooves with a force-fitting and / or form-fitting connection when inserted. Optionally, the grooves and / or the metal elements can be designed to snap into the grooves. Optionally, the grooves and / or the metal elements can be designed so that the inserted metal elements can be removed from the grooves again. Optionally, a metal element can be inserted into each groove.

[0026] Inductive detection of the grooves or the metal elements inserted into the grooves can ensure correct positioning of the transport container, for example on a conveyor belt. This can optionally prevent the transport container from being positioned twisted on a conveyor belt or even upside down. According to the Poka-Yoke principle, this can prevent or complicate the occurrence of errors caused by incorrect positioning and / or orientation of a transport container and thus reduce the rejection of defective ophthalmic lens blanks. Optionally, processing of the ophthalmic lens blanks can be interrupted if the presence of metal elements in the grooves (or the absence of metal elements) indicates that no transport container is in the expected position and / or orientation.

[0027] Optionally, the grooves can be designed to be open at the sides. This can simplify the production of the transport container with the grooves and / or reduce manufacturing costs. Optionally, the recesses of the grooves can have an approximately semicircular cross-section, with the lateral openings of the grooves optionally being designed in such a way that metal elements inserted into the grooves can be reliably prevented from falling out sideways. For this purpose, the lateral opening angle of the grooves can optionally be less than 180°.

[0028] Furthermore, the transport container can optionally have horizontal recesses on the outside or side wall, which can be used to align the transport container. Optionally, a sheet metal can be inserted into one or more of the vertical recesses.

[0029] The features and embodiments mentioned above and explained below are not only to be regarded as disclosed in the respective explicitly mentioned combinations, but are also encompassed by the disclosure content in other technically meaningful combinations and embodiments.

[0030] Further details and advantages will now be explained in more detail using the following examples and optional embodiments with reference to the figures. Fig. 1A shows a transport container according to an optional embodiment in a perspective view, Fig. 1B shows the bottom of the transport container according to the optional embodiment, Fig. 1C shows the top of the transport container according to the optional embodiment, and Fig. 2A-2E show the transport container according to the optional embodiment in side and cross-sectional views.

[0031] In the following figures, identical or similar elements in the various embodiments are designated by identical reference numerals for the sake of simplicity.

[0032] Fig. 1A shows a transport container 10 for accommodating a plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production facility. The transport container 10 has a plurality of lens holders 12, each for accommodating a respective ophthalmic lens blank. The lens holders 12 each form a concave recess 14, into which one of the plurality of ophthalmic lens blanks can be inserted to receive the ophthalmic lens blank. The lens holders 12 are configured such that the concave recesses 14 have an increasing slope radially outward.

[0033] The transport container 10 can optionally have exactly two lens holders 12.

[0034] The concave recesses 14 of the lens holders 12 can have a conical or parabolic shape.

[0035] The concave recesses 14 of the lens holders 12 can each be formed by a support structure 18 of the respective lens holder 12. The support structures 18 of the lens holders 12 can have recesses 22 to facilitate mechanical removal of a spectacle lens blank received in the respective lens holder 12.

[0036] The lens holders 12 can each have a base element 24 to which a block piece can be fastened in order to receive a spectacle lens blank fastened to the block piece in the lens holder 12 by fastening the block piece to the base element 24 in the respective lens holder 12.

[0037] The lens holders 12 are formed on an upper side 28 of the transport container, so that during transport of the transport container 10, ophthalmic lens blanks picked up in the production plant are held in the lens holders 12 by gravity.

[0038] Grooves 25 can be formed on at least two sides of the side wall 20 to enable automated detection of an orientation of the transport container 10 based on the grooves 25 or based on metal elements inserted into the grooves. The grooves 25 are arranged vertically in and / or on the transport container. The grooves 25 are formed in / and or on a side wall of the transport container. The grooves 25 are arranged in the region of a corner of the transport container. The transport container 10 has exactly two such grooves 25. The grooves 25 are designed such that metal elements can be inserted into the grooves 25, which can then be detected to detect the orientation of the transport container 10. The metal elements can be inductively detectable, so that the orientation of the transport container 10 can be inductively detected by means of induction sensors based on the metal elements inserted into the grooves 25.The insertable metal elements can be cylindrical, optionally in the form of metal pins, which can be inserted into the grooves 25 from above. Optionally, the metal elements can be secured in the grooves 25 in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner when inserted. Optionally, the grooves 25 and / or the metal elements can be designed to snap into the grooves 25. The grooves and / or the metal elements can be configured so that the inserted metal elements can be removed from the grooves 25 again. Optionally, a metal element can be inserted into each groove 25.

[0039] Fig. 1B shows the transport container 10 according to the Fig. 1A shown optional embodiment from its underside 30. The transport container 10 has at least three receiving elements 32 for receiving one RFID chip each on the underside 30 of the transport container facing away from the top side 28 of the transport container.

[0040] Two of the receiving elements 32 are arranged at different corners of the bottom 30 of the transport container and one of the receiving elements 32 is arranged in the middle of the bottom 30 of the transport container 10.

[0041] The receiving elements 32 are each designed to positively attach an RFID chip to the transport container 10.

[0042] The receiving elements 32 each have a through-hole 34 through the underside of the transport container in order to fasten an RFID chip in the receiving element by means of a screw fastening.

[0043] The transport container 10 has a plurality of elevations 38 on the underside 30, which allow engagement of a stopper of the production system in order to position the transport container 10 at a position predetermined by the stopper and the respective elevation 38.

[0044] The elevations 38 can each be designed as a web, rib or strut and run along a longitudinal direction 110 or along a transverse direction 120 of the transport container.

[0045] The transport container 10 has a side wall 20 which at least partially encloses an interior space 36 of the transport container.

[0046] The lens holders 12 are arranged in the interior 36 of the transport container.

[0047] Horizontal recesses 26 can be formed on at least two sides of the side wall 20 to enable alignment of the transport container by engaging in the horizontal recesses 26, optionally by inserting a sheet metal into the horizontal recesses.

[0048] In Fig. 1C shows the transport container 10 according to the Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B in plan view. The lens holders 12 are particularly visible. An additional space 40 is also available in the interior 36 of the transport container, which can be used for additional functions and offers scope for possible further developments of the manufacturing process and / or the production system and / or the transport container.

[0049] The Fig. 2A to 2E show the transport container 10 according to the Fig. 1A to 1C in side and cross-sectional views. The illustration in Fig. Figure 2B represents a cross-sectional view through a cut along the section line 200 in Fig. 2A. List of reference symbols 10 Transport container 12 lens holder 14 concave recess 18 Support structure 20 side wall 22 Recess 24 Base element 25 grooves 26 horizontal recess 28 Top 30 subpage 32 recording elements 34 through hole 36 Interior 38 Survey 40 additional space 110 Longitudinal direction 120 transverse direction 200 cutting line

Claims

[1] Transport container (10) for holding several ophthalmic lens blanks for transport in a production plant, the transport container (10) comprising: - a plurality of lens holders (12) for each receiving a spectacle lens blank, wherein the lens holders (12) each form a concave recess (14) into which one of the plurality of spectacle lens blanks can be inserted to receive the spectacle lens blank; characterized by , that - the lens holders (12) are designed such that the concave depressions (14) have an increasing gradient radially outwards. [2] Transport container (10) according to claim 1, wherein the transport container (10) has exactly two lens holders (12). [3] Transport container (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concave recesses (14) of the lens holders (12) have a conical or parabolic shape. [4] Transport container (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the concave depressions (14) of the lens holders (12) are each formed by a support structure (18) of the respective lens holder (12) and wherein the support structures (18) of the lens holders (12) have recesses (22) to facilitate mechanical removal of a spectacle lens blank received in the respective lens holder (12). [5] Transport container (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lens holders (12) each have a base element (24) to which a block piece can be fastened in order to receive a spectacle lens blank fastened to the block piece in the lens holder (12) by fastening the block piece to the base element (24) in the respective lens holder (12). [6] Transport container (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lens holders (12) are formed on an upper side (28) of the transport container, so that during transport of the transport container in the production plant, ophthalmic lens blanks picked up are held in the lens holders (12) by gravity. [7] Transport container (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport container (10) has at least three receiving elements (32) for receiving one RFID chip each on a bottom side (30) of the transport container facing away from the top side (28) of the transport container. [8] Transport container (10) according to claim 7, wherein two of the receiving elements (32) are arranged at different corners of the underside (30) of the transport container and one of the receiving elements (32) is arranged in the middle of the underside (30) of the transport container. [9] Transport container (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the receiving elements (32) are each designed to positively fasten an RFID chip to the transport container (10). [10] Transport container (10) according to one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the receiving elements (32) each have a through-hole (34) through the underside (30) of the transport container in order to fasten an RFID chip in the receiving element (32) by means of a screw fastening. [11] Transport container (10) according to one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the transport container (10) has on the underside (30) a plurality of elevations (38) which allow engagement of a stopper of the production plant in order to position the transport container (10) at a position predetermined by the stopper and the respective elevation (38). [12] Transport container (10) according to claim 11, wherein the elevations (38) are each designed as a web, rib or strut and run along a longitudinal direction or along a transverse direction of the transport container. [13] Transport container (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport container (10) has a side wall (20) which at least partially encloses an interior space (36) of the transport container. [14] Transport container (10) according to claim 13, wherein the lens holders (12) are arranged in the interior (36) of the transport container. [15] Transport container (10) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein grooves (25) are formed on at least two sides of the side wall (20), into each of which a metal element can be inserted in order to enable automated detection of an orientation of the transport container based on the grooves (25) and / or based on inductive detection of the metal elements inserted into the grooves (25).

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