Computer system for quality control correlations

• US 5,696,686 A
• Filed: 05/01/1995
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Reinhart, Leonard Ross, Johnson, Lars William, Pricer, Kenneth Kurt, Miars, James K., Abrams, Richard Wayne, Walker, Craig William, Wang, Daniel Tsu-Fang, Martin, Wallace Anthony, Lepper, John Mark, Sanka, Ravi Sankar
• Primary Examiner(s): RUGGIERO, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US08/431,632
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468.01, 364/468.02, 364/468.15, 364/468.16, 364/468.17, 364/468.24, 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/552, 264/1.1, 264/1.6, 264/2.6, 264/40.1, 425/808, 425/162, 425/169
• US Class Current: 700/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 12/04 Heat A61L12/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32182 If state of tool, product deviates from standard, adjust system, feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32187 Correlation between controlling parameters for influence on quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32196 Store audit, history of inspection, control and workpiece data into database
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line that manufactures a plurality of contact lenses defining a lens lot, the manufacturing line including an automated sterilization station for sterilizing the lens lot after their manufacture, the automated sterilization station including a sterilizer process controller for controlling one or more phases of a sterilization process and periodically generating sterilization process data during each sterilization phase includes a device for receiving the sterilization process data from the sterilizer process controller and a device for automatically parsing the sterilization data into text information and sterilizer parameter information and further processing the text information and sterilizer parameter information to automatically generate a sterilization run report associated with a lot number for the sterilized lens lot.

Claims

1. A quality control system for an automated production line producing contact lenses, said production line having a plurality of contact lens process stations, including an automated sterilization station for sterilizing a plurality of contact lenses after their manufacture, and a packaging station for packaging said lenses after sterilization, wherein the system comprises:

(a) a first means for receiving contact lens data including an associated lot number and lens power for a lens lot prior to their manufacture;

said lens lot defining at least one batch of contact lenses;

(b) a plurality of process controllers for controlling one or more process stations, each of said controllers regulating a plurality of process control devices at said process stations for manufacturing said contact lenses;

(c) means for tracking movement of said plurality of lenses defined by said lens lot from a said plurality of processing stations to said automated sterilization station and said packaging station;

(d) means for receiving data representing the number of lenses that are input to said packaging station together with reason codes for contact lenses lost at said sterilization station;

(e) means for generating a summary report of the total number of lenses input to said sterilization station for a predetermined lens lot and the actual number of lenses sterilized and packaged from said lot, said summary report including lot number and lens power data for each batch of contact lenses.

2. The quality control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lens lot comprises a plurality of batches of lenses, said sterilization station sterilizing said one batch of contact lenses at a time and generating a sterilization cycle run number for each batch sterilized.

3. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said summary report reconciles the number of lenses input to said sterilization station with the number of lenses packaged from said batch for each sterilization cycle run number.

4. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each lens lost or removed has associated therewith a reason code, said summary report generating means including the lens package removal code with a sterilization cycle run number.

5. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, further including means for automatically calculating a thickness specification and product code for a given lens power.

6. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for calculating a thickness specification and product code includes a look-up table.

7. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, further including means for automatically calculating an expiration date for a given lens lot.

8. The quality control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said tracking means includes means for displaying the location of a particular lot on said production line.

9. A sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line for manufacturing a plurality of contact lenses defined by a lens lot, said contact lens manufacturing line including an automated sterilization station for sterilizing said lens lot after their manufacture, said automated sterilization station including a sterilizer process controller for controlling one or more operating phases of a sterilization process, said process controller periodically generating sterilization process data during each said sterilization phase, said system including:

(a) means for receiving said sterilization data from said sterilizer process controller; and

,

(b) means for automatically parsing said sterilization data into text information and sterilizer parameter information, said means further processing said text information and sterilizer parameter information to automatically generate a sterilization run report associated with a lot number for said sterilized lens lot.

10. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means further conveys said sterilizer parameter information to data acquisition devices in said automated contact lens manufacturing line for display and storage thereof.

11. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said process controller generates alarm condition information, said processing means further conveying said alarm condition information to data acquisition devices in said automated contact lens manufacturing line for display thereof.

12. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means further includes means for evaluating the success or failure of a sterilization run based on said text information and sterilizer control parameter information for indication on said sterilization run report.

13. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means further includes means for evaluating whether a complete set of data has been obtained for the current sterilizer run.

14. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said text information includes the current operating phase of said sterilization process.

15. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said sterilizer parameter information includes a plurality of isolated process values generated by said sterilization process controller during each operating phase of said sterilization process.

16. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means further includes means for determining a phase duration time for each said operating phase of said sterilization run, wherein said phase duration time is included in said sterilization run report.

17. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means further includes means for determining a minimum value and maximum value of isolated process values for each said sterilization phase, wherein said minimum and maximum of said isolated process values are included in said sterilization run report.

18. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 15, wherein said processing means further includes means for generating phase files for storing phase file information for each of said sterilizer operating phases.

19. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9 wherein said sterilizer process controller generates sterilizer data at a first prespecified time interval, said sterilizer data processing system further including means for determining whether said receiving means receives said sterilization data from said sterilizer process controller within said time interval.

20. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 19 wherein said means for determining whether said receiving means receives said sterilization data from said sterilizer process controller within said time interval includes a time server for generating a wakeup message during each said first time interval.

21. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 20, wherein said processing means generates a communication timeout alarm message in the event that said sterilization data is not received during each said first time interval.

22. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9 wherein said receiving means is a communication server.

23. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 9 wherein said processing means is a sterilization server.

24. The sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line as claimed in claim 11 wherein said sterilizer process controller generates alarm condition information at a second prespecified time interval.

25. A method for processing data generated in an automated contact lens manufacturing line for manufacturing a plurality of contact lenses defined by a lens lot, said contact lens manufacturing line including an automated sterilization station for sterilizing said lens lot after their manufacture, said automated sterilization station including a sterilizer process controller for controlling one or more phases of a sterilization process, said process controller periodically generating sterilization process data during each said sterilization phase, said method including the steps of:

(a) receiving said sterilization data from said sterilizer process controller; and

,

(b) automatically parsing said sterilization data into text information and sterilizer parameter information; and

,

(c) further processing said text information and sterilizer parameter information to automatically generate a sterilization run report associated with a lot number for said sterilized lens lot.