Method and apparatus for automated intraocular lens delivery - Patents.com

Abstract

A method is disclosed for automated transport of an intraocular lens (1) including an optical lens body (10) and two haptics (11) attached to and extending outwardly from the periphery of the optical lens body (10). The method includes the steps of picking up the intraocular lens (1) at a start position, moving the intraocular lens (1) to a destination position, and releasing the intraocular lens (1) at the destination position, where picking up the intraocular lens (1) at the start position includes gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Claiming priority This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 233,420, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATED TRANSFER OF AN INTRAOCULAR LENS," filed August 16, 2021, inventors of which are David Heemyung, Christoph Ludwig, and Gerhard Klokow, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein as if fully and completely set forth herein.

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of working with intraocular lenses (IOLs), and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the automated transfer of an intraocular lens from a starting position to a destination position. [Background technology]

[0003] As the name suggests, intraocular lenses are implanted in a patient's eye, and very often intraocular lenses are used to replace the eye's natural crystalline lens (e.g., in the treatment of cataracts). An intraocular lens typically includes an optical lens body (providing the required refractive power) and two haptics attached to the periphery of the optical lens body and extending outward from the periphery of the lens body. The purpose of the haptics is to properly position the intraocular lens including the optical lens body in the capsular bag of the patient's eye. Thus, obviously, intraocular lenses are delicate medical products that must be treated with the utmost care possible during manufacture and handling, since the optical lens body of an intraocular lens that provides the required refractive power when implanted in the patient's eye must be completely free of defects that may adversely affect the patient's vision.

[0004] During production and subsequent packaging, intraocular lenses must be transferred between different stations / locations. For example, intraocular lenses must be transferred from one carrier or fixture supporting the intraocular lens during a first production step to another carrier or fixture supporting the intraocular lens in a subsequent production step (e.g. from a carrier or fixture used during cleaning of the intraocular lens to a carrier or fixture used during inspection of the intraocular lens). At present, many of the handling / transfer steps are more or less manually performed by the surgeon using specific instruments, such as, for example, a specific instrument (similar to forceps) that allows to carefully grasp the intraocular lens at the periphery of the optical lens body to avoid scratches or other damage to the optical lens body, which may lead to the rejection of the intraocular lens during inspection. However, these manual handling / transfer steps are cumbersome for the surgeon and, even if the surgeon is very careful, are not easily done manually, so that the various intraocular lenses are not necessarily placed in the same place on the carrier or fixture. Thus, from the standpoint of reproducibility and reliability, and from the standpoint of efficiency, manual processes are disadvantageous.

[0005] Another problem that occurs with intraocular lenses made of flexible materials is that the haptics may be slightly bent or curved during the manufacturing process. However, during inspection, not only is the optical lens body inspected for its integrity and conformity to the standard, but also the overall dimensions of the intraocular lens, including the haptics, are measured to determine whether the overall dimensions of the intraocular lens meet the predetermined standard. If the haptics are bent or curved during manufacturing so that they do not have a regular orientation, this may lead to the intraocular lens being rejected during inspection (because it does not meet the standard in terms of the overall dimensions of the intraocular lens), even though the intraocular lens will meet the standard if the haptics are properly oriented. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a method and device which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a device and a method as defined by the features of the respective independent claims. Advantageous aspects of the method and the device are defined in the respective dependent claims.

[0008] In particular, a method for automated delivery of an intraocular lens including an optical lens body and two haptics attached to a periphery of the optical lens body and extending outwardly from the periphery of the optical lens body, comprising: Picking up the intraocular lens at a starting position; moving the intraocular lens to a target position; Releasing the intraocular lens at the target location. Including, Picking up the intraocular lens at the starting position comprises: This involves gripping the intraocular lens only at the haptics of the intraocular lens.

[0009] According to one aspect of the method of the present invention, gripping the intraocular lens only at its haptics is performed using a gripper including a suction port for attaching the intraocular lens to the gripper only at its haptics by positioning the suction port of the gripper adjacent to the haptics of the intraocular lens and applying a vacuum to the suction port. Releasing the intraocular lens from the gripper at the target location is performed by applying overpressure to the suction port to detach the haptics of the intraocular lens from the suction port.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the method according to the invention, the suction port of the gripper is disposed at a distal end of the gripper and includes two suction ports projecting distally away from the gripper, each of the two suction ports including a suction opening at its distal end surrounded by the lens mounting surface. According to this aspect, the method includes: positioning a distal end of one of the two suction ports adjacent to one of the two haptics of the intraocular lens such that a suction opening of the one of the two suction ports is covered by a portion of the one of the two haptics disposed adjacent thereto; positioning the other of the two suction ports adjacent to the other of the two haptics of the intraocular lens such that a suction opening of the other of the two haptics is covered by a portion of the other of the two haptics; applying a vacuum to the suction openings of the two suction ports to attach one of the two haptics to the lens mounting surface of one suction port and the other of the two haptics to the lens mounting surface of the other suction port; Further includes.

[0011] In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the grasper is a grasper having two suction ports fixedly disposed at a distal end of the grasper.

[0012] In another aspect of the method according to the invention, the gripper is a gripper having two suction ports rotatably disposed at a distal end of the gripper, each of the two suction ports being rotatably disposed about a respective predetermined axis of rotation perpendicular to a plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces of the two suction ports.

[0013] According to yet a further aspect of the method according to the invention, the method comprises the steps of: determining an actual rotational orientation of each of two haptics of the intraocular lens prior to applying a vacuum to the suction openings of the two suction ports; rotating each of the two suction ports about a respective predetermined rotation axis until a rotational orientation of one of the haptics matches the determined actual rotational orientation of one of the two haptics and a rotational orientation of the other of the two haptics matches the determined actual rotational orientation of the other of the two haptics; and applying a vacuum to the suction openings of the two suction ports to attach one of the two haptics to the lens mounting surface of one suction port and the other of the two haptics to the lens mounting surface of the other suction port; Further includes.

[0014] Moreover, according to a further aspect of the method according to the invention, the method comprises: If the actual rotational orientation of one of the two haptics of the intraocular lens or the other of the two haptics deviates from the respective predetermined rotational orientations, rotating one suction port together with one of the two haptics attached to the lens mounting surface of the one suction port and / or the other suction port together with the other of the two haptics attached to the lens mounting surface of the other suction port about respective predetermined rotational axes until each of the two haptics has a predetermined rotational orientation; applying overpressure to the suction openings of the two suction ports with each of the two haptics having a predetermined rotational orientation at the target position; Further includes.

[0015] An apparatus for automated delivery of an intraocular lens including an optical lens body having a periphery and two haptics attached to the periphery of the optical lens body and extending outwardly from the periphery of the optical lens body includes a gripper, the gripper comprising: a pressure supply connector for supplying vacuum or overpressure; two suction ports disposed at a distal end of the gripper and projecting distally away from the gripper, each of the two suction ports including a suction opening at its distal end surrounded by a lens mounting surface; two separate fluid flow paths, each of the two separate fluid flow paths fluidly connecting a respective suction port of the two suction ports with a pressure supply connector for supplying a vacuum or overpressure to form two separate fluid connections between the pressure supply connector and the suction opening of the suction port; Includes.

[0016] The two suction ports are spaced apart from each other by a distance in the range of 5 mm to 17 mm (millimeters) measured in a plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces for grasping the intraocular lens only at the haptics by attaching the haptics of the intraocular lens to the lens mounting surfaces of the suction ports, and for releasing the intraocular lens by detaching the haptics of the intraocular lens from the lens mounting surfaces.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the two suction ports are fixedly arranged at the distal end of the grasper.

[0018] According to another aspect of the device according to the invention, two suction ports are rotatably arranged at a distal end of the gripper, each of the two suction ports being rotatably arranged about a respective predetermined axis of rotation perpendicular to a plane defined by the lens mounting surface.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the device according to the invention, the gripper further comprises two independent rotation motors, a first rotation motor and a second rotation motor, each having a rotation drive shaft, the rotation drive shaft of the first rotation motor being connected by a torque resistant connector to a first gripper finger having one of the two suction ports arranged at a distal end of the first gripper finger, and the rotation drive shaft of the second rotation motor being connected by a further torque resistant connector to a second gripper finger having the other of the two suction ports arranged at a distal end of the second gripper finger.

[0020] According to yet a further aspect of the device according to the invention, the torque-resistant connector and the further torque-resistant connector each include a magnetic clutch including a permanent magnet and two pins made of a magnetically sensitive material. The permanent magnet is mounted to a distal end of the rotating drive shaft to withstand torque and faces towards a proximal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger, respectively. The two pins are arranged at a proximal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger, respectively, and face towards the permanent magnet. The distal ends of the two pins are fixedly connected to the first gripper finger or second gripper finger of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger, respectively, and the proximal ends of the two pins are magnetically coupled to the permanent magnet.

[0021] According to yet a further aspect of the device according to the invention, the first gripper finger includes an abutment flange arranged immediately proximal to one of the suction ports and the second gripper finger includes a further abutment flange arranged immediately proximal to the other of the suction ports. The gripper includes at its distal end a first abutment protrusion and a second abutment protrusion projecting distally from the distal end of the gripper on either side of the gripper. The first abutment protrusion forms a stop for the abutment flange for determining a predetermined rotational orientation of one of the suction ports when the abutment flange of the first gripper finger abuts against the first abutment protrusion and the second abutment protrusion forms a stop for the further abutment flange for determining a predetermined rotational orientation of the other of the suction ports when the further abutment flange of the second gripper finger abuts against the second abutment protrusion.

[0022] According to a further aspect of the device according to the invention, the device further includes an illumination source for illuminating the intraocular lens supported by the lens carrier and a camera for capturing an image of the illuminated intraocular lens supported by the lens carrier to determine a location of the intraocular lens supported by the lens carrier and a rotational orientation of the haptics of the intraocular lens. The device further includes a control unit coupled to the camera and the gripper for moving the gripper with the two suction ports to a location where the two suction ports are disposed adjacent to the haptics of the intraocular lens such that the rotational orientation of the two suction ports corresponds to the determined actual rotational orientation of the two haptics of the intraocular lens.

[0023] Moreover, according to a further aspect of the device according to the invention, the device further comprises a support plate including a plurality of mounting positions for mounting different types of lens carriers to the support plate, the device further comprises at least two different lens carriers of different types mounted at the mounting positions, the support plate, the mounting positions and the at least two different lens carriers of different types are configured such that intraocular lenses disposed on said lens carriers are disposed in the same plane parallel to a plane defined by the lens mounting surface of the suction port regardless of the type of lens carrier.

[0024] The method according to the invention is advantageous in that it is an automated method that can be performed with high reproducibility and reliability. In particular, the IOL can be picked up by gripping it only at two haptics and repeatedly placing it at the target position (e.g. on a carrier) in the same way and at the same place. Thus, the IOL is not gripped at the optical lens body at all (even at its periphery), so that scratches or damage to the optical lens body of the IOL can be completely avoided.

[0025] If grasping of the IOL is performed with a grasping tool including a suction port, the suction port may be positioned adjacent to the haptics of the IOL, and a vacuum may be applied to the suction port to attach the IOL to the suction port (or more precisely, to the lens mounting surface of the suction port) only at the haptics. Ejecting the IOL from the grasping tool at the desired location may be performed through application of overpressure to the suction port to detach the haptics of the IOL from the suction port (or more precisely, from the lens mounting surface of the suction port). This allows for very careful handling of the IOL without the grasping tool touching the optical lens body.

[0026] For example, a gripper with two suction ports may be used, each of which includes a suction opening at its distal end surrounded by the lens mounting surface, with the distal end of one suction port positioned adjacent to one of the two haptics and the distal end of the other suction port positioned adjacent to the other of the two haptics. The suction ports are positioned such that the suction opening of each suction port is covered by a portion of the respective haptic. The term "covered" in this regard does not imply that an IOL is already attached to the lens mounting surface surrounding the suction opening, nor that the suction opening is completely covered by a portion of the haptic. Rather, the term "covered" is intended to describe a constant overlap of at least 50% between a portion of each haptic and each suction opening.

[0027] A vacuum is then applied to the suction openings to attach the haptics to the lens mounting surface surrounding the lens mounting openings. This may result in a scenario where the suction openings of the suction port are not completely covered by a portion of the respective haptics after the gripping action, but the respective haptics remain firmly attached to the respective lens mounting surface despite a small amount of leakage flow. However, ideally, the suction openings are completely covered by a portion of the respective haptics, so that there is no leakage flow at all and the haptics are strongly attached to the lens mounting surface when the IOL is attached to the gripper.

[0028] Generally, the haptics are attached to the optical lens body in a well-defined position and a well-defined (desired) orientation. Therefore, it is possible to use a gripper with a suction port fixedly positioned at its distal end (where the suction port has a distance and orientation that matches the well-defined position and orientation of the haptics). Therefore, it is possible to reliably pick up the IOL with a gripper that is relatively simple from a structural standpoint.

[0029] Alternatively, a gripper may be used in which two suction ports are rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripper, each rotatable about a respective predefined axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane defined by the lens mounting surface of the suction port. Although such a gripper is more complex from a constructional point of view, it may take into account deviations of the actual position and orientation of the haptics from the well-defined (desired) position and orientation.

[0030] When using such a gripper, it is possible to first determine the actual position and orientation of each of the two haptics of the IOL, and then rotate each of the suction ports about a given axis of rotation such that maximum overlap occurs between the suction opening and the respective portion of the haptic. Only then is a vacuum applied to the suction opening to cause the haptics of the IOL to attach to the lens mounting surface of the suction port with maximum overlap, ideally with the haptics completely covering the suction opening.

[0031] Regarding the device according to the invention, it is advantageous because the device is capable of gripping the IOL by attaching it to the gripper only at its haptics through applying a vacuum to the suction openings of the suction ports. To achieve this, a vacuum is applied to the pressure supply connector, from which a vacuum is further applied to the suction openings of the two suction ports at the distal end of the gripper using two separate fluid flow paths. The haptics of the IOL (more precisely, a part of the haptics) are then attached to the lens mounting surface surrounding the suction openings of the suction ports. When the IOL is to be removed from the gripper, an overpressure is applied to the pressure supply connector, from which an overpressure is further applied to the suction openings of the suction ports, thus removing the IOL from the gripper (the IOL is carefully blown out). The suction ports are spaced apart from each other by a distance ranging from 5 mm to 17 mm, typically ranging from 9 mm to 10 mm.

[0032] The two suction ports can be fixedly arranged at the distal end of the gripper, i.e., arranged at a fixed distance between the suction ports. As already mentioned, generally, the haptics are attached to the optical lens body at a well-defined position and a well-defined (desired) orientation. The fixedly arranged suction ports are then arranged at a fixed distance that corresponds to the distance between the portions of the haptics of the IOL that are to be adsorbed to the lens attachment surface of the suction ports. Thus, it is possible to reliably pick up the IOL with a gripper that is relatively simple from a construction point of view.

[0033] Alternatively, the two suction ports can be rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripper, with each of the suction ports being rotatably arranged about a respective predefined rotation axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lens mounting surface. Although such a gripper is more complex from a construction point of view, it can take into account deviations of the actual position and orientation of the haptics from the well-defined (desired) position and orientation. It is then possible to first determine the actual position and orientation of each of the two haptics of the IOL, and then rotate each of the suction ports about a predefined rotation axis to the actual position and orientation of the haptics, such that there is a maximum overlap between the suction opening and the respective part of the haptics that is adsorbed to the lens mounting surface. Only after that is a vacuum applied to the suction opening in order to make the haptics of the IOL attach to the lens mounting surface of the suction port with a maximum overlap, ideally with the haptics completely covering the suction opening.

[0034] To determine the actual position and orientation of the two haptics of the IOL, the device may include an illumination source (e.g., configured for dark field illumination) for illuminating the IOL supported by the lens carrier. The device may further include a camera for capturing an image of the illuminated IOL. From this image of the IOL, the actual location and orientation of the two haptics of the IOL supported by the lens carrier can be determined (e.g., through image analysis). The device may further include a control unit coupled to the camera and the gripping tool. Depending on the location and orientation determined from the image of the IOL captured by the camera, the control unit moves the gripping tool with the two suction ports to a location where the two suction ports are located adjacent to the haptics of the IOL. If the gripping tool includes the aforementioned rotatably arranged suction ports, the suction ports may be rotated to the actual position and orientation of the haptics such that the maximal overlap between the suction openings and the corresponding parts of the haptics occurs, ideally with the haptics completely covering the suction openings. If the gripper includes a fixedly positioned suction port, the gripper is moved to a location where maximum overlap occurs between the suction port and the corresponding portion of the haptic. As already mentioned, this may result in a scenario where the suction opening of the suction port is not completely covered by a portion of the respective haptic after the gripping action. However, even if a small amount of leakage flow occurs, the respective haptic remains firmly attached to the respective lens mounting surface.

[0035] To further increase reproducibility and reliability, the apparatus may further include a support plate including multiple mounting positions where different types of lens carriers (e.g., a lens carrier used for cleaning IOLs and a lens carrier used for testing IOLs) may be mounted. Two (or more) lens carriers of different types may be mounted in the mounting positions of the support plate, for example, to transfer an IOL from one type of lens carrier (e.g., a lens carrier for cleaning IOLs) to a different type of lens carrier (e.g., a lens carrier for testing IOLs). The support plate, the mounting positions and the different types of lens carriers are configured such that an IOL placed on said lens carrier is always positioned in the same plane parallel to the plane defined by the lens mounting surface of the suction port, regardless of the type of lens carrier. This allows the gripper to be fixedly attached to a robot that moves the gripper in a z-direction perpendicular to said plane (i.e., toward and away from the mounting plate) and in a plane parallel to said plane. And, at least for the z-direction, the robot can be taught to move the gripper beyond a certain location in the z-direction to avoid collision of the gripper with either the IOL or with the lens carriers disposed on the support plate. The robot can also be taught where the optimal locations in the z-direction are for picking up the IOL. These locations may only be taught to the robot once, even if the gripper has to be replaced, as long as the new gripper that is installed has the same dimensions as the gripper that is being replaced.

[0036] To rotate the two rotatably arranged suction ports, the gripper may include two independent rotation motors, a first rotation motor and a second rotation motor. Each of the first and second motors has a rotation drive shaft. The rotation drive shaft of the first motor is connected to the first gripper finger by a torque resistant connector. The first gripper finger has a first suction port disposed at a distal end of the first gripper finger. Similarly, the rotation drive shaft of the second motor is connected to the second gripper finger by a torque resistant connector. The second gripper finger has a second suction port disposed at a distal end of the second gripper finger. This allows the first and second gripper fingers to be independently rotated, thereby rotating each suction port to a location where the suction opening of each suction port has a maximum overlap with a corresponding portion of a respective haptic of the IOL. The torque-resistant connection of the drive shafts of the first and second rotary motors allows very precise adjustment of the respective rotational positions of the respective suction ports located at the distal ends of the first or second gripper fingers.

[0037] While many torque-resistant connections (including form-locking connections) are generally contemplated, one advantageous example of such a torque-resistant connection is a magnetic clutch including a permanent magnet and two pins made of a magnetically sensitive (magnetizable) material. The permanent magnet may be mounted on the distal end of the rotary drive shaft of each rotary motor to withstand torque and faces toward the proximal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger of each first gripper finger or second gripper finger. The two pins made of a magnetically sensitive material are also disposed on the proximal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger of each first gripper finger or second gripper finger and face toward the permanent magnet. The distal ends of the two pins are fixedly connected to the first or second gripper fingers of the first or second gripper fingers, respectively (e.g., the distal ends of the two pins are press-fitted into corresponding holes), while the proximal ends of the two pins are magnetically coupled to a permanent magnet (e.g., the proximal end faces of the two pins can abut against the distal end faces of the permanent magnet). Such a magnetic clutch is simple from a constructional point of view and at the same time forms a reliable, torque-resistant connection. When the rotary drive shaft of the respective motor is rotated, the two pins also rotate, which, being fixedly connected to the respective first or second gripper fingers, rotates the respective first or second gripper fingers by exactly the same angle as the rotary drive shaft rotates. This allows for very precise adjustment of the rotational position of each of the suction ports located at the distal end of the first grasper finger or the second grasper finger.

[0038] The first gripper finger may additionally include an abutment flange arranged immediately proximal to one of the suction ports (of the two suction ports), and the second gripper finger may include a further abutment flange arranged immediately proximal to the other of the suction ports (of the two suction ports). The gripper may include at its distal end a first abutment protrusion and a second abutment protrusion protruding distally from the distal end of the gripper on either side. The first abutment protrusion forms a stop for the abutment flange for determining a predetermined rotational orientation of one of the suction ports (of the two suction ports) when the abutment flange of the first gripper finger abuts against the first abutment protrusion. Similarly, the second abutment protrusion forms a stop for the further abutment flange for determining a predetermined rotational orientation of the other of the suction ports (of the two suction ports) when the further abutment flange of the second gripper finger abuts against the second abutment protrusion.

[0039] This represents a constructive means for individually defining the predetermined rotational orientation of the two suction ports. For example, each of the gripper fingers can be rotated to a position where its abutment flange abuts the respective abutment protrusion. Then, starting from this predetermined orientation, each of the suction ports can be rotated to a desired rotational orientation where the overlap between the suction opening of each of the suction ports and the gripped portion of each of the haptics of the IOL is maximized. For example, these well-defined predetermined orientations can be stored in the control unit such that, upon taking an image of the IOL and determining the actual rotational orientation of each of the haptics of the IOL, each of the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger can be rotated (starting from this well-defined predetermined orientation) to the actual rotational orientation of the respective haptics. This allows a very precise adjustment of the desired orientation of the two suction ports.

[0040] Further advantageous aspects of the method and device according to the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention using schematic drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1]1 illustrates a transfer process from a lens carrier used during manufacturing of an intraocular lens (IOL) to a lens carrier used during inspection of the IOL. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a device for automated delivery of an intraocular lens according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the transfer of an IOL from a respective starting position to a respective destination position. [Figure 4] 3 shows a perspective view of some components of the embodiment of the device of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a gripping tool of a device according to the invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section through the assembled gripper of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of detail VII of FIG. [Figure 8] 6 shows a top perspective view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 6 shows a bottom perspective view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5. [Figure 11] 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the end piece of the gripper of FIG. 5. [Figure 12] 9 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the endpiece of FIG. 8. [Figure 13] Detail XIII of FIG. 11 is shown. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates an IOL grasped at its haptics by a first embodiment of a grasper. [Figure 15] 1 shows a top perspective view of a part of an inspection carrier during loading of an IOL with a first embodiment of a gripping tool. [Figure 16] 2 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a gripping tool of a device according to the invention; [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows a side view of the embodiment of the gripper shown in FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 18 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the gripping tool taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 17. [Figure 19]19 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the gripping tool taken along line XIX-XIX in FIG. 18. [Figure 20] 17 shows a perspective view of a gripper finger of the gripper of FIG. 16. [Figure 21] 20 shows a side view of the gripper finger of FIG. 19. [Figure 22] 22 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the gripper finger taken along line XXII-XXII of FIG. 21. [Figure 23] Detail XXIII of FIG. 22 is shown. [Figure 24] 21 shows a top view of the gripper finger of FIG. 20. [Diagram 25] 21 shows a bottom view of the gripper finger of FIG. 20. [Figure 26] Detail XXVI of FIG. 25 is shown in an enlarged view. [Figure 27] FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of the grasper of FIG. 16 with an IOL attached that has regular orientation of the haptics. [Figure 28] FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of the grasper of FIG. 16 with an IOL having irregular haptic orientation attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] As used herein, including the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include the plural, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. When the term "about" is used in relation to a particular numerical value or range of values, this term should be understood to mean that the particular numerical value referred to in connection with the term "about" is included and expressly disclosed, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, when a range of "about" numerical value a to "about" numerical value b is disclosed, this should be understood to include and expressly disclose the range of numerical value a to numerical value b. Also, whenever a feature is combined with the term "or", the term "or" should be understood to also include "and", unless it is clear from the specification that the term "or" must be understood to be exclusive.

[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates the process of transferring an intraocular lens 1 (hereinafter referred to as "IOL") from a first type of lens carrier 2 that may be used during the manufacture of the IOL 1 to a second type of lens carrier 3 (which may or may not be different from the first type) that may be used during the testing of the IOL 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the IOL 1 includes an optical lens body 10 and two haptics 11 extending outwardly from the periphery of the optical lens body 10, as is conventional and well understood by those skilled in the art. The optical lens body 10 is a particularly delicate component of the IOL 1 since it is the component of the IOL 1 that generates an image on the retina of the eye after the IOL 1 is implanted in the capsular bag of the patient's eye, whereas the two haptics 11 aid in the proper positioning of the entire IOL 1, and in particular the optical lens body 10 within the capsular bag.

[0044] As already mentioned further above, the optical lens body 10 of the IOL 1 is not only inspected for its completeness and conformity to standards, but also the overall dimensions of the intraocular lens including the haptics are measured. By way of example, the diameter of the optical lens body 10 has a predetermined value, which is a value in the range of 4.9 mm to 7.1 mm, and the overall diameter of the IOL 1 (the distance between the tips of the two haptics 11) typically ranges from 10.5 mm to 14.5 mm, but may even be larger. By way of example only, the diameter of the optical lens body 10 may be 6.0 mm or 6.3 mm, and the overall diameter of the IOL 1 (including the haptics) may be 13.3 mm.

[0045] The IOL is typically made from a material (e.g., silicone hydrogel) that exhibits high flexibility so that the dimensions of the IOL1 can be temporarily reduced to as small as possible during a surgical procedure, so that only a small incision is required in the eye to insert the IOL1 through the incision (scleral tunnel) and into the capsular bag.

[0046] Due to the flexibility of the material from which the IOL 1 is made, the haptics 11 may be slightly bent or curved during the manufacturing process. To illustrate this, two such lens carriers 2 of a first type are shown in Figure 1. The first type of lens carrier 2 includes several small pins 21 (or studs) to hold the IOL 1 in place on the lens carrier 2.

[0047] The haptics 11 of the IOL1 on the lens carrier 2 shown on the left side of FIG. 1 are arranged in a regular orientation with respect to the optical lens body 10, whereas one of the two haptics 11 of the IOL1 on the lens carrier 2 shown on the right side of FIG. 1 is bent or curved away from the optical lens body 10, while the other of the two haptics 11 is bent or curved toward the optical lens body 10. Typically, this bending or curving of the haptics 11 means that each haptic 11 is slightly pivoted about the part where the haptic 11 is attached to the lens body 10. And, although the optical lens body 10 of the IOL1 shown on the lens carrier 2 on the right side of FIG. 1 is displaced and the haptics 11 are bent from the regular orientation with respect to the optical lens body 10, the dimensions of the IOL1 are well within the standard range even if the haptics 11 are arranged in a regular orientation with respect to the optical lens body 10.

[0048] Thus, a simple transfer of the IOL 1 from a first type of lens carrier 2 shown on the left side of Figure 1 to a second type of lens carrier 3 used for testing the IOL 1 may lead to a "pass" (i.e., positive result) upon testing (assuming the IOL 1 is completely free of defects), whereas a simple transfer of the IOL 1 from the lens carrier 2 to the lens carrier 3 shown on the right side of Figure 1 may lead to a "fail" (i.e., negative result) upon testing because the overall diameter of the intraocular lens is out of specification. The latter test result is undesirable (because the IOL 1 has the proper dimensions when the haptics are properly oriented) and can be avoided.

[0049] The second type of lens carrier 3 includes several small pins 31 (or studs) for holding the IOL 1 in place on the lens carrier 3. The lens carrier 3 further includes an inspection opening 30, and the IOL 1 is placed on the lens carrier 3 such that the lens body 10 of the IOL 1 is placed over the inspection opening 30 to allow inspection of the lens body 10 of the IOL 1 through this inspection opening 30. The step of transferring the IOL 1 from the first type of lens carrier 2 shown on the left side of Fig. 1 or from the first type of lens carrier 2 shown on the right side of Fig. 1 to the second type of lens carrier 3 is illustrated by the respective arrows 4.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a device 5 for the automated transfer of an IOL 1. This embodiment of the device 5 comprises a haptic plate 50 comprising a number of individual mounting positions 500 for mounting different types of lens carriers to the haptic plate 50. These mounting positions 500 are arranged in a matrix-like arrangement of rows and columns, as will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 2, one lens carrier 3 of a second type is shown as being mounted to the haptic plate 5 in one of the mounting positions, while a lens carrier 2 of a first type (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 1) can be mounted in the mounting position 500 pointed to by the arrow head. In the illustrated embodiment, the individual mounting positions and the different types of lens carriers are arranged such that an IOL 1 mounted on such a lens carrier is always positioned in the same plane (parallel to the plane of the haptic plate 50), regardless of the type of lens carrier.

[0051] The apparatus 5 further comprises an illumination source 51, a camera 52 (not visible in FIG. 2, see FIG. 4), and a control valve 53 for controlling the supply of vacuum or overpressure. The apparatus 5 further comprises a gripper 6 for gripping the IOL 1 only at its two haptics 11, as will be explained in more detail below, for transferring the IOL 1 from one type of lens carrier arranged on the haptic plate 50 to another type of lens carrier arranged on the haptic plate 50. As an example, the IOL 1 can be transferred from a first type of lens carrier 2 (used during the manufacture of the IOL 1) to a second type of lens carrier 3 (used during the inspection of the IOL 1) shown in FIG. 1.

[0052] The apparatus 5 may further include an additional camera 59 (schematically shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2 ) for verifying that the IOL 1 is properly gripped by the gripper 6 and how the IOL 1 and haptics 11 are actually attached to the gripper 6 before placing the IOL 1 on the second type of lens carrier 3. This camera has a view from below, i.e., the view is from below towards the distal end of the gripper 6 where the IOL 1 is attached. Thus, the additional camera 59 may help to verify that the haptics 11 are in the proper rotational orientation to ensure that the IOL 1 can be successfully placed on the lens carrier 3.

[0053] A schematic diagram illustrating the transfer of the IOL 1 from a respective starting position to a respective destination position is shown in Fig. 3, with this exemplary schematic diagram corresponding to the respective mounting positions 500 on the haptic plate 50 shown in Fig. 2. The respective mounting positions 500 are arranged along rows indicated by rA, rB, rC, rD, and rE, and columns indicated by c1, c2, c3, and c4. Thus, in the bottom row of the schematic diagram, the respective mounting positions are indicated by A1 (row A, column 1), A2, A3, and A4, while in the top row of the schematic diagram, the respective mounting positions are indicated by E1, E2, E3, and E4, with the center of each mounting position 500 indicated by a crosshair.

[0054] For example, in row rA, the transfer of an IOL 1 (see FIG. 1 ) from a first type lens carrier 2 (see FIG. 1 ) arranged in mounting position A3 to a second type lens carrier 3 (see FIG. 1 ) arranged in mounting position A4 is indicated by solid arrow 4. After successful testing, the IOL can be transferred from the second type lens carrier 3 in mounting position A4 to a third type lens carrier (receiving carrier, not shown) arranged in mounting position A2, which is indicated by dashed arrow 40.

[0055] Turning again to the device 5 shown in Fig. 2, for movement along the respective rows, the gripper 6 and the other components (illumination source 51, camera 52, control valve 53) are mounted on a slide 54 which can be moved along a fixedly arranged arm 55 of the device 5. For movement in the direction of the columns, the support plate 50 is mounted on a further slide 56 which is movable along a rail 57. The gripper 6 is movable separately (i.e. without the other components) towards or away from the support plate 50 in a direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the support plate 50 in which the IOL 1 is arranged on the respective lens carrier 2 of the first type or on the lens carrier 3 of the second type (or any further lens carrier).

[0056] Figure 4 shows some components of the embodiment of the apparatus of Figure 2 mounted on a slide 54, in particular the illumination source 51, the camera 52, the control valve 53 and the gripper 6. The illumination source 51 is an annular illumination source for emitting light downwards towards the support plate 5 and has a central through opening 510 extending longitudinally along an axis 511 through which the camera 52 can take an image of the IOL 1 (not shown in Figure 4) to be inspected. The IOL 1 to be inspected can thus be illuminated in a dark field illumination configuration.

[0057] As mentioned above, the gripping tool 6 is movable in a direction towards and away from the support plate 50 (z direction perpendicular to the xy direction of the rows and columns), which direction is indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 4. The gripping tool 6 is therefore mounted on the mounting shaft 58 in a manner that will be explained in more detail below. This mounting shaft 58 is arranged at a constant and predefined lateral displacement (position in the xy plane) with respect to the axis 511. So, once the position (in the xy plane) of the IOL 1 to be picked up has been determined using the camera 52, the known lateral displacement of the mounting shaft 58 with respect to the axis 511 makes it known to the device 5 exactly to which position the gripping tool 6 (mounted on the mounting shaft 58) must be moved in order to pick up the IOL 1. The gripping tool 6 mounted on the mounting shaft 58 has a predefined overall length, so that once mounted on the mounting shaft 58, it is only necessary to determine the lowest position (position in the z direction) to which the distal end of the gripping tool 6 can be moved once. In this lowest position, the distal end of the gripping tool 6 (the suction port for gripping the IOL 1, as described below) is located slightly above the IOL 1 located on the respective lens carrier. The IOL 1 is always located in the same plane, as already mentioned above, regardless of the type of lens carrier used. In this lowest position, the gripping tool 6 can pick up the IOL 1 from the respective lens carrier, as described in more detail below. If the gripping tool 6 has to be replaced, it can be simply removed from the mounting shaft 58 and a new gripping tool 6 can be mounted on the mounting shaft. Since the new gripping tool 6 has the same dimensions as the old gripping tool 6, it is not necessary to teach the device the lowest position of the gripping tool 6 again, but rather the lowest position already determined can be maintained, so that the IOL 1 cannot be damaged when it is picked up. Although the gripping tool is assigned the reference number 6 in Figures 2 and 4, in the following description of the gripping tool embodiments, the gripping tool is assigned a reference number other than 6 in order to be able to better distinguish between the gripping tool embodiments.

[0058] A first embodiment of a gripping tool 7 of a device 5 according to the invention will be described below with the aid of Figs. 5 to 15. The first embodiment of the gripping tool 7 shown in Fig. 5 in an exploded view comprises a mounting stud 70 having a through hole 700 extending transversely through the mounting stud 70, so that the entire gripping tool 7 can be mounted on the mounting shaft 58 of the device 5 by means of a mounting screw 581 extending through a through hole 580 provided in the mounting shaft 58 of the device 5 and through the through hole 700 of the mounting stud 70 of the gripping tool 7 (see Fig. 6). The gripping tool 7 further comprises a gripping tool body 71 with two pressure supply connectors 72, e.g. small hose stems, mounted on the gripping tool body 71. Vacuum or overpressure can alternatively be supplied to each of the supply connectors 72. The gripping tool 7 further comprises a gripping tool end piece 73 with two suction ports 730 mounted on the distal end of the gripping tool body 71. To achieve proper positioning of the end piece 73 relative to the gripper body 71 during mounting, two locating pins 710 are located at the distal end of the gripper body 71 and project distally away from the gripper body. The gripper end piece 73 is mounted to the gripper body 71 using a small tension bolt 74 having a conical notch 740 located at the proximal end of the tension bolt 74 for engagement of a set screw 75 having a conical tip. The set screw 75 is threaded into a threaded through hole 711 of the gripper body 71 to engage within the conical notch 740 of the tension bolt 74 to properly position the tension bolt 74, which pulls the gripper end piece 73 against the gripper body 71. Two separate supply channels (i.e., supply channels that are not fluidly connected to each other) are provided inside the gripper body 71, one such supply channel 712 is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 shows the assembled gripper 7 mounted on the mounting shaft 58, and FIG. 7 details how the set screw 75 engages into the conical notch 740 of the tension bolt 74, pulling the tension bolt 74 upward to the desired location, thereby pulling the gripper end piece 73 against the gripper body 71.

[0059] 8-13 show the gripper endpiece 73 in more detail. The gripper endpiece 73 includes two (hollow) suction ports 730, each with a suction opening 731 having the shape of a curved slot, surrounded by a lens mounting surface 732. From the top perspective view shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the gripper endpiece 73 includes two blind holes 737 (see also FIG. 12) for receiving two locating pins 710 that project distally away from the gripper body 71 in order to properly position the gripper endpiece 73 relative to the gripper body 71. The gripper endpiece 73 further includes a central stepped through hole 733 (see also FIG. 11) for receiving the tension bolt 74, and two recesses 734. From the bottom of each of the recesses 734, a supply hole 735 extends downwards to the respective suction port 730 and opens into the suction opening 731 of the respective suction port 730. As can be seen already in Figure 10, but better seen in Figures 11 and 13, supply holes 735 have a circular cross-section and terminate some axial distance from suction opening 731. Also as shown in Figure 11, an O-ring 736 is disposed within each of recesses 734, each O-ring 736 having an axial height such that it projects upwardly beyond the upper surface of gripper end piece 73.

[0060] Upon mounting the gripper endpiece 73 to the gripper body 71, the two locating pins 710 projecting distally away from the gripper body 71 enter blind holes 737 in the gripper endpiece 73, and when the set screws 75 begin to engage the conical notches 740 in the tensioning bolts 74, the tensioning bolts 74 are pulled upward, thereby pulling the gripper endpiece 73 against the gripper body 71. Through this pulling action, the two O-rings 736 are compressed such that two separate pressure-resistant fluid flow paths are established, each fluidly connecting one of the pressure supply connectors 72 to the suction openings 731 of the respective suction ports 730 for supplying a vacuum to the respective suction port 730 (to pick up the IOL1) or for supplying an overpressure to the respective suction port 730 (to eject the IOL1). Each pressure resistant fluid flow path is formed by a supply passage 712 extending through the gripper body 71 , and further by a recess 734 and a supply hole 735 extending downwardly from the bottom of the recess 734 to the suction opening 731 of the suction port 730 .

[0061] As can be seen in Figures 8 to 13, the two suction ports 730 are fixedly arranged at the distal end of the gripper 7, or more precisely at the distal end of the gripper end-piece 73 of the gripper 7. The term "fixedly arranged" means that the distance d (see Figure 10) between the two suction ports 730 and their rotational orientation relative to each other cannot be changed. The distance d between the two suction ports has a value ranging from 5 mm to 17 mm, this distance d being in any case larger than the diameter of the optical body 10 of the IOL 1 to be gripped, so that the IOL 1 can be gripped only at the haptics 11). More preferably, the value of this distance d ranges from 8 mm to 12 mm, and by way of example, the value of the distance d can be 9.8 mm. The distance d is measured in a plane defined by the mounting surfaces 732 of the suction ports 730, which plane is indicated by a dashed line in Figure 11 and which extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.

[0062] As shown on the left side of FIG. 1, to grasp an IOL 1 with haptics 11 regularly arranged on a first type of lens carrier 2, the grasper 7 is moved towards the IOL 1 until the lens mounting surface 732 of the suction port 730 is positioned adjacent to the haptics 11 of the IOL 1, i.e., a short distance (e.g., in the range of 0.05-0.5 mm, preferably about 0.15 mm) above the haptics 11. Next, a vacuum is supplied to the suction opening 731 of the suction port 730 through the pressure supply connector 72 and through the pressure-resistant fluid flow path, thus grasping the IOL 1 from the lens carrier 2 (the IOL 1 is picked up) by sucking the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 to the lens mounting surface 732 of the suction port 730. This state in which the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 are attached to the lens mounting surface 732 is shown in FIG. 14 (only the grasper end piece 73 of the grasper 7 is shown therein). When the IOL 1 is grasped, the actual applied vacuum is increased compared to when the IOL 1 is not grasped, and therefore it is possible to detect that the IOL 1 is grasped.

[0063] The gripping tool 7 with the IOL 1 attached is then moved to a destination position, for example a position above the second type of lens carrier 3 shown in FIG. 1. Both the starting position and the destination position are precisely determined using the camera 52 (see FIG. 4) so ​​that the device 54 knows exactly the position where the IOL 1 is picked up (in particular also the precise position of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1) and the position where the IOL 1 is to be removed from the gripping tool 7 (i.e. the position of the lens carrier 3 and the pins 31 and the inspection opening 30). This is illustrated in FIG. 15, which shows diagrammatically the two suction ports 730 of the gripping tool 7, the position of the carrier 3 on which the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 are placed, and the pins 31 for holding the IOL 1 in place. To remove the IOL 1 from the gripping tool, overpressure is supplied to the suction opening 731 of the suction port 730 through the pressure supply connector 72 and through the pressure-resistant fluid flow path. The alternating supply of vacuum (during grasping and transport of the IOL 1) or overpressure (during removal of the IOL 1) is controlled by a control valve 53 (see FIG. 4).

[0064] A second embodiment of the gripping tool 8 of the device 5 according to the invention is described below with reference to figures 16 to 28. One major difference of this second embodiment of the gripping tool 8 compared to the first embodiment of the gripping tool 7 (see figures 5 to 15), as will be explained in more detail below, is that in this second embodiment of the gripping tool 8 the (hollow) suction ports 860 and 870 are arranged rotatably about a given axis of rotation. As can be seen in the perspective view of the gripping tool 8 shown in figure 16 and in the side view of the gripping tool 8 shown in figure 17, the gripping tool 8 comprises a mounting stud 80 having a through hole 800 extending transversely through the mounting stud 80, so that the entire gripping tool 8 can be mounted on the mounting shaft 58 of the device 5 by means of a mounting screw 581 extending through a through hole 580 provided in the mounting shaft of the device 5 (see figure 6) and through the through hole 800 of the mounting stud 80 of the gripping tool 8. The gripper 8 further includes a gripper body 81 having an upper body portion 810 and a lower body portion 811 attached to one another using screws 812 (see FIG. 18 ). The gripper 8 further includes two pressure supply connectors 82, each for alternately supplying vacuum or overpressure to the suction port (similar to the first gripper embodiment).

[0065] Moreover, gripper 8 includes two independent rotation motors, a first rotation motor 84 and a second rotation motor 85. As best seen in Fig. 18, first rotation motor 84 includes a rotation drive shaft 840 and second rotation motor 85 includes a rotation drive shaft 850. Rotation drive shaft 840 of first rotation motor 84 is connected to first gripper finger 86 via a torque resistant connector, and rotation drive shaft 850 of second rotation motor 85 is connected to second gripper finger 87 via a further torque resistant connector.

[0066] The torque-resistant connector connecting the rotary drive shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84 to the first gripper finger 86 includes a magnetic clutch. This magnetic clutch includes a permanent magnet 841 attached (e.g., glued) to the distal end of the rotary drive shaft 840 in a torque-resistant manner, in addition to two pins 842, 843 (see FIG. 19) made of a magnetically sensitive material, for example a magnetically sensitive stainless steel. The permanent magnet 841 is disposed in a drive bushing 844 that is torque-resistantly mounted in a sleeve 845, which in turn is torque-resistantly mounted on the drive shaft 840 of the first rotary motor 84. The two pins 842, 843 extend through respective openings in the distal end face of the drive bushing 844 and are press-fitted into respective blind holes 862, 863 in the proximal end face of the first gripper finger 86 (see also FIG. 22). To ensure proper mounting, the two pins 842, 843 may have different diameters. By way of example, gripper fingers 86 may be made from a hard, durable plastic material. Thus, the torque resistant connector ensures that first gripper fingers 86 also rotate when first rotational motor 84 drives rotational drive shaft 840.

[0067] Similarly, a further torque-resistant connector connecting the second rotary drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85 to the second gripper finger 87 comprises a magnetic clutch. This magnetic clutch again comprises a permanent magnet 851 torque-resistantly mounted (e.g., glued) on the distal end of the second rotary drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85, in addition to two pins 852, 853 (only pin 852 is visible in FIG. 18 ) made of a magnetically sensitive material, for example a magnetically sensitive stainless steel. The permanent magnet 851 is disposed within a drive bushing 854 torque-resistantly mounted in a sleeve 855, which in turn is torque-resistantly mounted on the drive shaft 850 of the second rotary motor 85. The two pins 852, 853 extend through respective openings in the distal end face of the drive bushing 854 and are press-fit into respective blind holes (similar to blind holes 862, 863 of the first gripper finger 86 shown in FIG. 22) in the proximal end face of the second gripper finger 87. Again, to ensure proper fit, the two pins 852, 853 may have different diameters. The second gripper finger 87 may also be made from a hard, durable plastic material. Thus, the additional torque-resistant connector ensures that the second gripper finger 87 also rotates when the second rotation motor 85 drives the rotation drive shaft 850.

[0068] Since the first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 are of similar construction, only the first gripper finger 86 will be described in more detail below with the aid of Figs. 20-26. The first gripper finger 86 includes a suction port 860 located at the distal end of the first gripper finger 86 (with the suction port 860 located eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the gripper finger 86). The suction port 860 includes a suction opening 861 surrounded by a lens mounting surface 864 (these elements have a similar construction to that of the first embodiment of the gripper). The gripper finger 86 further includes blind holes 862 and 863 (see Fig. 19) for receiving the pins 842 and 843 of the magnetic clutch, as already explained above. The gripper finger 86 further includes three grooves, namely an upper groove 865, a middle groove 866, and a lower groove 867. The upper groove 865 and the lower groove 867 are each dedicated to receive an O-ring 88 (see Figures 18 and 19), while the intermediate groove 866 remains empty. Thus, a pressure-resistant arrangement of the first gripper finger 86 within the lower body portion 811 of the gripper body 81 is achieved, while at the same time the first gripper finger 86 is rotatable within the lower body portion 811 of the gripper body 81.

[0069] The rotation of the first gripper finger 86 can take place around a given first axis of rotation (corresponding to the line XIX-XIX in FIG. 18) which coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the rotation shaft 840 of the first rotation motor 84. The same applies to the second gripper finger 87 which is rotatable around the central longitudinal axis of the rotation shaft 850 of the second rotation motor 85. Both axes of rotation are perpendicular to the plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces 864 and 874 of the suction ports 860 and 861, which plane is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 17 and which extends perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.

[0070] A fluid flow passage 868 extends radially from the bottom (radially innermost surface) of the intermediate groove 866 into the interior of the gripper finger 86 and downward to the suction opening 861 of the suction port 860. The pressure-resistant arrangement of the first gripper finger 86 in the lower body portion 811 of the gripper body 81 allows vacuum or overpressure supplied through the pressure supply connector 82 to be supplied through a fluid flow passage fluidly connecting the pressure supply connector 82 and the suction opening 861 of the suction port 860, the fluid flow passage being formed through the intermediate groove 866 and the fluid flow passage 868 extending downward to the suction opening 861 of the suction port 860.

[0071] The first gripper finger 86 further includes an abutment flange 869 disposed immediately proximal to the suction port 860. As can be best seen in FIG. 16 , the gripper 8 includes at its distal end (or more precisely, at the distal end of the lower body portion 811 of the gripper body 81) a first abutment protrusion 813 and a second abutment protrusion 814 (one for the abutment flange 869 of the first gripper finger 86 and the other for the abutment flange 879 of the second gripper finger 87). The first abutment protrusion 813 and the second abutment protrusion 814 project distally from the distal end of the lower body portion 810 and thus from the distal end of the gripper body 81. These first abutment projections 813 form stops for the abutment flanges 869 of the first gripper fingers 86, and the second abutment projections 814 form stops for the abutment flanges 879 of the second gripper fingers 87. The first abutment projections 813 thus determine a predefined rotational orientation of the suction port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 when the abutment flanges 869 abut against the first abutment projections 813, and the second abutment projections 814 determine a predefined rotational orientation of the suction port 870 of the second gripper finger 87 when the abutment flanges 879 abut against the second abutment projections 814. Therefore, the first and second abutment protrusions 813, 814 may serve as a reference rotational position for the first and second gripper fingers 86, 87 about which the first and second gripper fingers 86, 87 may be rotated during a reference movement. From this reference rotational position, the first and second gripper fingers 86, 87 may be rotated to a desired rotational position.

[0072] Of course, the gripping tool 8 is particularly suitable for reliably picking up an IOL 1 whose haptics 11 are arranged in a regular orientation (i.e., the haptics 11 are arranged as shown for the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the left side of FIG. 1). However, the gripping tool 8 is also particularly suitable for reliably picking up an IOL 1 whose haptics 11 are arranged in an irregular orientation (i.e., the haptics 11 are bent or curved as shown for the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right side of FIG. 1). This will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28.

[0073] FIG. 27 shows an IOL1 with the haptics 11 of the IOL1 attached to the lens mounting surfaces of the suction ports 860 of the first gripper finger 86 and the suction ports 870 of the second gripper finger 87. In this case, the haptics 11 of the IOL1 are arranged in a regular orientation, as shown for the IOL1 on the lens carrier 2 on the left side of FIG. 1. When the camera 52 captures an image of the IOL1, an image analysis is performed, and from this image analysis, a rotational orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL1 is determined. If the haptics 11 are arranged in a regular orientation, a control unit (not shown) coupled to the camera 52 and the gripper 8 moves the gripper 8 to a position (in the xy plane) where the IOL1 is located. The first gripper finger 86 is rotated to the rotational orientation shown in FIG. 27, where the suction ports 860 of the first gripper finger 86 have a given orientation that matches the orientation of the associated haptics 11 of the IOL1. To achieve this, the control unit drives the first rotation motor 84, thereby rotating the first gripper finger 86 (using a magnetic clutch as described in detail above) until the suction port 860 has a given orientation that coincides with the orientation of the associated haptic 11. Similarly, the control unit drives the second rotation motor 85, thereby rotating the second gripper finger 87 (again using a magnetic clutch as described in detail above) until the suction port 870 has a given orientation that coincides with the orientation of the associated haptic 11. In this orientation, the distance e between the two suction ports 860 and 870 can be about 9.8 mm, which is in any case larger than the diameter of the optic body 10 of the IOL 1 to be gripped, so that the IOL 1 can be gripped only at the haptic 11). Typically, this distance e is in the range of 5 mm to 17 mm, more preferably, the distance e is in the range of 8 mm to 12 mm. Thus, once the camera 52 (see FIG. 4) captures an image of the IOL 1 placed on the carrier, the center of the optic body 10 of the IOL 1 can be determined using image processing software, and then the rotational orientation of the haptics 11. The first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 are then rotated to the rotational orientation of the haptics 11.

[0074] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the distance e is not fixed but can vary depending on the rotational orientation of the suction port 860 and the suction port 870. Next, the gripping tool 8 is lowered until the suction port 860 and the suction port 870 are each located a short distance (e.g., 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.15 mm) above the associated haptic 11. Then, a vacuum is supplied to the pressure supply connector 82 using the control valve 53, so that the haptic 11 of the IOL1 is attracted to the lens mounting surface of the suction port 860 and the lens mounting surface of the suction port 870, respectively, and thus the IOL1 is picked up. When the IOL1 is gripped, the vacuum actually applied is increased compared to when the IOL1 is not gripped, so that it can be detected that the IOL1 has been gripped. Next, the gripping tool 8 with the IOL1 attached (the IOL1 is gripped only at the haptic 11) is raised again and then moved to the position (in the xy plane) of the lens carrier 3 (FIG. 1). The gripper 8 is then lowered again until the suction ports 860 and 870 are located a short distance above the carrier 3. The IOL 1 is then detached from the gripper 8 through the supply of overpressure to the pressure supply connector 82, which is again controlled by the control valve 53.

[0075] This can also be done for an IOL 1 with haptics 11 arranged in an irregular orientation, as shown for an IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right side of Fig. 1. This is evident from Fig. 28. Because the orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the right side of Fig. 1 is different from the regular orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 on the left side of Fig. 1, the first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 of the gripper 8 must be rotated to a different rotational orientation (i.e., to an irregular rotational orientation) so that the suction port 860 of the first gripper finger 86 and the suction port 870 of the second gripper finger 87 have the required orientation that matches the orientation of the associated haptics 11 of the IOL 1 arranged on the lens carrier 2 shown on the right side of Fig. 1. This rotation is again performed through image analysis performed to determine the random rotational orientation of the haptics 11 of the IOL 1, using the camera 52 to capture an image of the IOL 1 with its haptics 11 arranged in a random orientation. As can be seen, in this orientation, the distance e between the two suction ports 860 and 870 can be about 9.8 mm. Once the suction ports 860 of the first gripper finger 86 and the suction ports 870 of the second gripper finger 87 have been rotated to the required orientation, the gripper 8 is lowered and a vacuum is applied to the pressure supply connector 82, so that the haptics 11 of the IOL are sucked onto the lens mounting surfaces of the respective suction ports, thus picking up the IOL 1. The gripper 8 with the IOL 1 attached (the IOL 1 is again only gripped at the haptics 11 that still have a random orientation) is then moved to the lens carrier 3 (FIG. 1). During the transfer of the IOL 1 to the lens carrier 3, after raising the gripper 8 or when it has reached a position above the lens carrier 3, but in either case before releasing the IOL 1 from the gripper 8, the first gripper finger 86 and the second gripper finger 87 are rotated again so that the haptics 11 of the IOL 1 have a regular orientation. The gripper 8 is then lowered and the IOL 1 is detached from the gripper 8 and placed on the lens carrier 3 through the supply of overpressure to the supply connector 82, which supply is again controlled by the control valve 53.

[0076] The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather many changes and modifications are possible without departing from the teachings underlying the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection is not limited to the described embodiments, but rather is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for automated delivery of an intraocular lens (1) comprising an optical lens body (10) and two haptics (11) attached to a periphery of the optical lens body (10) and extending outward from the periphery of the optical lens body (10), the method comprising: picking up the intraocular lens (1) at a starting position; moving the intraocular lens (1) to a target position; and releasing the intraocular lens (1) at the target position, Picking up the intraocular lens (1) at the starting position comprises: gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1); A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein gripping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) is performed using the gripping tool (7; 8) including suction ports (730; 860, 870) for attaching the intraocular lens (1) to the gripping tool only at the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) by positioning the suction ports (730; 860, 870) of the gripping tool adjacent to the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) and applying a vacuum to the suction ports (730; 860, 870), and releasing the intraocular lens (1) from the gripping tool at the target location is performed by applying overpressure to the suction ports (730; 860, 870) to remove the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) from the suction ports (730; 860, 870).

3. The suction ports (730; 860, 870) of the gripping tool (7; 8) comprise two suction ports (730; 860, 870) arranged at a distal end of the gripping tool and projecting distally away from the gripping tool, each of the two suction ports (730; 860, 870) comprising a suction opening (731; 861, 871) at its distal end surrounded by a lens mounting surface (732; 864), and the method comprises: positioning the distal end of one of the suction ports (730; 860) adjacent to one of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) such that the suction opening (731; 861) of the one of the suction ports (730; 860) is covered by a part of the one of the two haptics (11) arranged adjacent thereto; positioning the other suction port (730; 870) of the two suction ports adjacent to the other of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) so that the suction opening (730; 871) of the other suction port (730; 870) is covered by a part of the other haptic (11) of the two haptics; Applying the vacuum to the suction openings (731; 861, 871) of the two suction ports to attach one of the two haptics (11) to the lens mounting surface (732, 864) of one of the suction ports (730; 860) and the other of the two haptics (11) to the lens mounting surface (732; 874) of the other suction port (730; 870); The method of claim 2 further comprising:

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gripper (7) is a gripper having the two suction ports (730) fixedly disposed at the distal end of the gripper (7).

5. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gripping tool (8) is a gripping tool having the two suction ports (860, 870) rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripping tool, and each of the two suction ports (860) is rotatably arranged about a respective predetermined rotation axis perpendicular to a plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces (864, 874) of the two suction ports (860, 870).

6. The method comprises: determining the actual rotational orientation of each of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) before applying the vacuum to the suction openings (861, 871) of the two suction ports (860, 870); rotating each of the two suction ports (860, 870) about the respective predetermined rotation axes until the rotational orientation of one of the suction ports (860) matches the determined actual rotational orientation of one of the two haptics (11) and the rotational orientation of the other of the haptics (11) matches the determined actual rotational orientation of the other of the two haptics (11); and thereafter applying the vacuum to the suction openings (861, 871) of the two suction ports to attach one of the two haptics (11) to the lens mounting surface (864) of one of the suction ports (860) and the other of the two haptics (11) to the lens mounting surface (874) of the other of the suction ports (870); The method of claim 5 further comprising:

7. The method comprises: When the actual rotational orientation of one of the two haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) or the other of the two haptics (11) deviates from the respective predetermined rotational orientations, rotating the one suction port (860) together with one of the two haptics (11) attached to the lens mounting surface (864) of the one suction port (860) and / or the other suction port (870) together with the other of the two haptics (11) attached to the lens mounting surface (874) of the other suction port (870) around the respective predetermined rotation axes until each of the two haptics (11) has the predetermined rotational orientation; applying the overpressure to the suction openings (861, 871) of the two suction ports (860, 870) in the target position with each of the two haptics (11) having the predetermined rotational orientation; The method of claim 6 further comprising:

8. 1. A device (5) for automated transfer of an intraocular lens (1) comprising an optical lens body (10) having a periphery and two haptics (11) attached to the periphery of the optical lens body (10) and extending outward from the periphery of the optical lens body (10), the device comprising a gripper (7; 8) a pressure supply connector (72; 82) for supplying vacuum or overpressure; two suction ports (730; 860, 870) disposed at a distal end of the gripping tool and projecting distally away from the gripping tool, each of the two suction ports (730; 860, 870) including at its distal end a suction opening (731; 861, 871) surrounded by a lens mounting surface (732; 864, 874); two separate fluid flow paths (712, 734, 735; 866, 868), each of which fluidly connects a respective suction port of the two suction ports with the pressure supply connector (72; 82) for supplying a vacuum or overpressure, forming two separate fluid connections between the pressure supply connector (72; 82) and the suction openings (731; 861, 871) of the suction ports (730; 860, 870); and The gripping tool (7; 8) comprises The two suction ports are spaced apart from each other by a distance (d; e) in the range of 5 mm to 17 mm measured in a plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces (732; 864, 874), for grasping the intraocular lens (1) only at the haptics (11) by attaching the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens to the lens mounting surfaces (732; 864, 874) of the suction ports (730; 860, 870), and for releasing the intraocular lens (1) by detaching the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1) from the lens mounting surfaces (732; 864, 874).

9. 9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the two suction ports (730) are fixedly arranged at the distal end of the grasper (7).

10. 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the two suction ports (860, 870) are rotatably arranged at the distal end of the gripping tool (8), and each of the two suction ports (860, 870) is rotatably arranged about a respective predetermined axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane defined by the lens mounting surface (864, 874).

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the gripper further comprises two independent rotary motors, a first rotary motor (84) and a second rotary motor (5), each having a rotary drive shaft (840, 850), the rotary drive shaft (840) of the first rotary motor (84) being connected by a torque-resistant connector to a first gripper finger (86) having one of two suction ports (860) located at a distal end of the first gripper finger (86), and the rotary drive shaft (850) of the second rotary motor (5) being connected by a further torque-resistant connector to a second gripper finger (87) having the other of two suction ports (870) located at a distal end of the second gripper finger (87).

12. Each of the torque-resistant connector and the further torque-resistant connector comprises a magnetic clutch including a permanent magnet (841, 851) and two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) made of a magnetically sensitive material, the permanent magnet (841, 851) being mounted to a distal end of the rotary drive shaft (840, 850) to withstand torque and facing towards a proximal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger (86, 87), respectively, and the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) being mounted to a distal end of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger (86, 87) to withstand torque.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) are arranged at the proximal end of the respective first gripper finger or second gripper finger (86, 87) of the two gripper fingers (86, 87) and face toward the permanent magnet (841, 851), the distal ends of the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) are fixedly connected to the respective first gripper finger or second gripper finger (86, 87) of the first gripper finger or second gripper finger (86, 87), and the proximal ends of the two pins (842, 843, 852, 853) are magnetically coupled to the permanent magnet (841, 851).

13. The first gripper finger (86) includes an abutment flange (869) located immediately proximal to the one suction port (860), the second gripper finger (87) includes a further abutment flange (879) located immediately proximal to the other suction port (870), and the gripper (8) includes at its distal end first and second abutment protrusions (813, 814) protruding distally from the distal end of the gripper on either side of the gripper, the first abutment protrusion (813) being in contact with the abutment flange of the first gripper finger (86).

13. The device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the abutment flange (869) forms a stop for the abutment flange (869) to determine a predetermined rotational orientation of the one suction port (860) when the abutment flange (869) abuts the first abutment protrusion (813), and the second abutment protrusion (814) forms a stop for the further abutment flange (879) of the second gripper finger (87) to determine a predetermined rotational orientation of the other suction port (870) when the further abutment flange (879) abuts the second abutment protrusion (814).

14. The device further comprises an illumination source (51) for illuminating an intraocular lens (1) carried by a lens carrier (2), and a camera (52) for capturing an image of the illuminated intraocular lens (1) carried by the lens carrier (2) to determine the location of the intraocular lens (1) carried by the lens carrier (2) and the rotational orientation of the haptics (11) of the intraocular lens (1), wherein the rotational orientation of the two suction ports (730; 860, 870) determines the location of the intraocular lens (1) carried by the lens carrier (2).

13. The device according to claim 8, further comprising a control unit coupled to the camera and the gripping tool for moving the gripping tool with the two suction ports to a location where the two suction ports are positioned adjacent to the haptics of the intraocular lens, in accordance with the determined actual rotational orientation of the two haptics of the intraocular lens.

15. 15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising a support plate (50) including a plurality of mounting positions (500) for mounting different types of lens carriers (2, 3) to the support plate (50), and further comprising at least two different lens carriers (2, 3) of different types mounted in the mounting positions (500), wherein the support plate (50), the mounting positions (500), and the at least two different lens carriers (2, 3) of different types are configured such that intraocular lenses placed on the lens carriers (2, 3) are positioned in the same plane parallel to the plane defined by the lens mounting surfaces (732; 864, 874) of the suction ports (730; 860, 870), regardless of the type of lens carrier.

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