Method of Centering an Ophthalmic Lens on a Rimless Frame

• US 20090066914A1
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Essilor International SA (EssilorLuxottica SA)
• Original Assignee: Essilor International SA (EssilorLuxottica SA)
• Inventors: Moinard, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 7,628,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/204
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 13/005 Measuring geometric parameters required to locate ophtalmic lenses in spectacles frames apparatus for testing or instruments for examining the eyes per se A61B3/00; machines or devices and accessories for grinding the edges of lenses using spectacles as a template B24B9/144

Abstract

A method of centering a target ophthalmic lens presenting a known shape on a target rimless frame, includes identifying the pupillary point on the presentation lens of a presentation frame identical to the target frame, measuring the pupillary height and the pupillary half-distances of the pupillary points, identifying the optical frame of reference of the target lens, transferring the pupillary height and the pupillary half-distances onto the target lens, and deducing the centering position of the target lens. For the presentation lens presenting an outline different from the outline that the target lens will have after edging, the measurements on the presentation lens are taken in a frame of reference associated with the presentation lens, and the position of the target lens is deduced in a frame of reference associated with the target frame.

Claims

1. A method of centering a target ophthalmic lens (11, 12) of target eyeglasses (10) on a target frame (13) of the rimless type presenting a final outline (21) of known shape, with a bridge (14) and arms (15, 16) fastened to the target lens at anchor points (17, 18, 19, 20) defined relative to the final outline (21), the method comprising the steps of:

a) fitting the wearer with presentation eyeglasses (30) comprising a presentation frame (33) identical to said target frame (13) and at least one presentation lens (31, 32) associated with the same eye as said target lens;

b) pointing out manually, or identifying automatically, on the presentation lens (31, 32) the pupillary point (Pu2) with which the pupil (50) of the corresponding eye (51) of the wearer is in register;

c) measuring the pupillary height of the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32);

d) measuring the pupillary distance or half-distance (Eg, Ed) of the wearer;

e) identifying the optical frame of reference of the target lens (11, 12) and in particular the centering point (Pc1) of the target lens (11, 12) that is to come into register with the pupil (50) of the wearer when the wearer is wearing the target eyeglasses (10);

f) transferring the pupillary height and the pupillary distance or half-distance onto the target lens (11, 12) from said centering point (Pc1) of the target lens (11, 12); and

g) deducing therefrom the centering position of the target lens (11, 12) relative to the target frame (13), or vice versa;

characterized in that, for the presentation lens (31, 32) presenting an outline (41) of shape and/or position relative to the presentation frame differing from the shape and/or position intended for the final outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12) after edging and mounting on the target frame, the following steps are performed;

directly or indirectly measuring in step c), the height (h) of the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) in a frame of reference based on the presentation frame (33) and independent of the shape of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32); and

deducing, in step g), the centering position of the target lens (11, 12) relative to the target frame (13), or vice versa, so that the centering point (Pc1), in a frame of reference based on the target frame (13) corresponding to the frame of reference of the presentation frame (33), is situated at the same height (h) as the pupillary point (Pu2) in the frame of reference of the presentation frame (33).

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

directly or indirectly measuring, in step c), the height difference (h) between the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and a presentation remarkable point (Pr2) associated with the presentation frame (33) and physically identifiable on said frame; and

deducing, in step g), the centering position of the target lens (11, 12) relative to the target frame (13), or vice versa, so that a target remarkable point (Pr1) associated with the target frame (13), corresponding to the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) of the presentation frame, presents the same height difference (h) relative to the centering point (Pc1) as the height difference of the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) relative to the pupillary point (Pu2).

3. A method according to claim 2, in which the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) of the presentation frame (33) is an anchor point of said frame on the presentation lens (31, 32).

4. A method according to claim 3, in which the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) is an anchor point of the bridge (34) of the presentation frame (33) on the presentation lens (31, 32) concerned.

5. A method according to claim 3, in which the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) is an anchor point for an arm (35, 36) of the presentation frame (33) on the presentation lens (31, 32) concerned.

6. A method according to claim 2, in which, in step c), the height difference (h) between the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and the presentation remarkable point (Pr2) of the presentation lens (33) is measured directly.

7. A method according to claim 2, including the following steps:

numerically acquiring the shape of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) and the position of said outline relative to the presentation frame, by outline reading and/or feeling and/or image recognition, or on the basis of an electronic file representative of its shape and position relative to the presentation frame;

measuring, in step c), the height difference (Hb2;

Hsp2) between the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and a presentation reference point (Pref2) of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32);

performing calculation, taking account of the known shape of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and of the known position of said outline (41) relative to the presentation frame (33), to deduce the height (H2;

H′

2) of said presentation reference point (Pref2) in the frame of reference associated with the presentation frame (33); and

deducing therefrom the height (h) of the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) in the frame of reference of the presentation frame (33).

8. A method according to claim 7, including, in step c), performing calculation, taking account of the known state of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) to determine the height difference between the presentation reference point (Pref2) and said presentation remarkable point (Pr2), and deducing therefrom the height difference (h) between the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and said presentation remarkable point (Pr2).

9. A method according to claim 7, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the lowest point of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32).

10. A method according to claim 7, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the point of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) that is situated vertically below the pupillary point (Pu2).

11. A method according to claim 1, in which the final outline (21) of the target lens (11, 21) is selected from a database corresponding to the selected target frame (13).

12. A method according to claim 1, in which the final outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12) is selected by deforming the outline (41) of the presentation lenses (31, 32).

13. A device for implementing the method according to claim 7, the device comprising measurement means suitable for identifying the optical frame of reference of the target lens (11, 12), input or acquisition means for inputting or acquiring the shape of the outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12), and an electronic and/or computer system designed to perform the transfer and the deduction of steps f) and g) from the frame of reference of the target lens (11, 12) identified in step e) by the measurement means and from the shape of the outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12) acquired with the help of said input or acquisition means.

14. A device according to claim 13, in which the electronic and/or computer system is designed to execute calculation of the height (H2;

H′

2) of the presentation reference point (Pref2) in the frame of reference associated with the presentation frame (33), and to deduce from said calculation the height (h) of the pupillary point (Pu2) in the frame of reference associated with the presentation frame (33).

15. A device for implementing the method according to claim 1, the device comprising measurement means suitable for identifying the optical frame of reference of the target lens (11, 12), input or acquisition means for inputting or acquiring the shape of the outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12), and an electronic and/or computer system designed to perform the transfer and the deduction of steps f) and g) from the frame of reference of the target lens (11, 12) identified in step e) by the measurement means and from the shape of the outline (21) of the target lens (11, 12) acquired with the help of said input or acquisition means.

16. A method according to claim 1, including the following steps:

numerically acquiring the shape of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) and the position of said outline relative to the presentation frame, by outline reading and/or feeling and/or image recognition, or on the basis of an electronic file representative of its shape and position relative to the presentation frame;

measuring, in step c), the height difference (Hb2;

Hsp2) between the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and a presentation reference point (Pref2) of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32);

performing calculation, taking account of the known shape of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32) and of the known position of said outline (41) relative to the presentation frame (33), to deduce the height (H2;

H′

2) of said presentation reference point (Pref2) in the frame of reference associated with the presentation frame (33); and

deducing therefrom the height (h) of the pupillary point (Pu2) of the presentation lens (31, 32) in the frame of reference of the presentation frame (33).

17. A method according to claim 8, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the lowest point of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32).

18. A method according to claim 8, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the point of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) that is situated vertically below the pupillary point (Pu2).

19. A method according to claim 16, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the lowest point of the outline (41) of the presentation lens (31, 32).

20. A method according to claim 16, in which the presentation reference point (Pref2) associated with the presentation lens (31, 32) is the point of the outline of the presentation lens (31, 32) that is situated vertically below the pupillary point (Pu2).