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(11) | EP 1 093 907 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A method and apparatus for automatic attachment of a finishing block to a lens |
| (57) A method and apparatus for automatic determination of a location and orientation
of a finishing block to be attached to a lens. The lens has either visible reference
features or invisible reference features associated with a prescribed or predetermined
value of at least one optical characteristic of the lens, with respect to which reference
features the location and orientation of the finishing block are in a predetermined
geometric relationship. The apparatus comprises a support (3) for carrying the lens
(A); a reference features finder (5) for obtaining a graphic image of the lens (A)
if the reference features are distinguishable when imaged, and/or obtaining a mapping
image of the lens (A) based on which the optical characteristic of the lens (A) may
be calculated, if the reference features are non-distinguishable when imaged, and
a computer (24) for processing the graphic and/or mapping image of the lens (A), to
derive therefrom the coordinates of the reference features and to determine the location
and orientation of the finishing block (1) based on their predetermined geometrical
relationship with the reference features and using the coordinates of the reference
features. |