IP Library Granted Patent US 10,620,137
Granted Patent B2
US 10,620,137 · App. 16/123,273 · Granted Apr 14, 2020

Contact lens inspection system

Inventors: Sarah Unterkofler (Grosswallstadt, DE); Matthias Schwab (Grosswallstadt, DE)
Assignee: Alcon Inc.
G01N21/958G01M11/0257G01M11/0278G02B27/0075G06T7/001G06T7/557H04N5/2256H04N5/22541H04N5/265G01N2021/9583G06T2207/10004G06T2207/10052G06T2207/20212G06T2207/30041
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,620,137
App. No.
16/123,273
Granted
Apr 14, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A contact lens inspection system, in particular for soft contact lenses, comprises a light source ( 40 ) for illuminating a contact lens to be inspected; a plenoptic camera ( 1 ) for producing an electronic plenoptic image; a processing unit ( 103 ) adapted for electronically processing the electronic plenoptic image of the contact lens and configured for refocusing the image.

Claims (8)

1. A method for inspecting a contact lens, the method comprising:

illuminating a contact lens to be inspected;

generating an electronic plenoptic image by a plenoptic camera ( 1 ) comprising different views of a contact lens field received by the photodetector ( 13 ), which is a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) array; and

electronically processing the electronic plenoptic image of the contact lens to produce a final image by using different views of the contact lens field to adjust a plane-of-focus;

wherein generating the electronic plenoptic image by the plenoptic camera ( 1 ) comprises

receiving light from a contact lens, particularly arranged on a lens holder, at a lenslet array ( 11 ) comprising optical elements and located between an objective lens ( 10 ) and a photodetector ( 13 ) of the plenoptic camera, wherein each optical element in the lenslet array ( 11 ) receives light from the contact lens field from a different angle than the other optical elements in the lenslet array ( 11 ) and directs a different view of the contact lens field onto the photodetector ( 13 ); and

receiving light from the lenslet array ( 11 ) at a photodetector ( 13 ), wherein the photodetector ( 13 ) receives a different view of the contact lens field from each optical element in the lenslet array ( 11 ); and

further wherein the final image has a plane of focus arranged along a curved surface of the contact lens.

Assignments (3)
CONFIRMATORY DEED OF ASSIGNMENT EFFECTIVE APRIL 8, 2019 Recorded Dec 10, 2019
From: NOVARTIS AG
To: ALCON INC.
Reel/Frame 051454/0788 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2018
From: SCHWAB, MATTHIAS; UNTERKOFLER, SARAH
To: CIBA VISION GMBH
Reel/Frame 046938/0830 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2018
From: CIBA VISION GMBH
To: NOVARTIS AG
Reel/Frame 046938/0933 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62555357 · Sep 7, 2017
Related Publication 20190072499A1 · Mar 7, 2019