JP6421302B2 - Product management system for hydrous soft contact lenses - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, by assigning an identification code to a distribution container of a hydrous soft contact lens (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “lens”), information relating to the lens used by the lens user can be traced back to the manufacturing process. It is intended to provide a product management system for hydrous soft contact lenses that can be verified and presented.

  When manufacturing an industrial product in a factory, a large number of parts are used, and a plurality of processes such as processing and assembling them are performed. Each part is given an individual serial number or lot number. Recently, from the request of product quality assurance, what part the product was manufactured from and what process it went through Management is performed so that the manufacturing history can be traced back, such as which products are incorporated.

  For example, a product management system (Patent Document 1) is disclosed for reducing product defects that occur during manufacturing and distribution, and improving the accuracy and speed of aftercare during market distribution. In order to recycle industrial products, not only the product name, manufacturer name, model, year, serial number, etc. are displayed on the product itself, but also the configuration and material name for each part. In addition, there is a product dismantling management method and system (Patent Document 2) that uses these data during dismantling.

  In addition to industrial products consisting of multiple parts, there is now a growing interest in traceability for food and agricultural products, and there is a clear need to record the state of products at the time of shipment. It has become.

  Since it is difficult to assign an identification code or the like to the food or the like, the identification information is attached to the container that stores the food or the like. For example, as a production management system that fills and encloses beverages in can containers, a production management system that can individually manage containers that contain intermediate products that are mass-produced and final products that are mass-produced by placing intermediate products in containers. (Patent Document 3). This method includes a container preparation process P1 for producing a can container and a final product production process P3 for producing an end product by putting an intermediate product into the can container. In the container preparation process P1, individual identification information is stored in a can container. In addition, the identification information symbol indicating the individual identification information is printed on the can container, and the individual container management information in which the individual identification information is linked to the container production information related to the production of the can container is created. In the final product production process P3, final product individual management information in which individual identification information is linked to final product inspection information created by inspecting a can container is created, and the individual container management information and the final product individual management information are integrated. It is a production management system to be managed.

  In addition, the method includes a step of putting food in a container and a step of heat-sealing a film cover on the container using a heating plate to seal the food in the container, and a plate identifier is formed on the film during the heat-sealing step. A food packaging method (Patent Document 4) has been proposed. It is possible to track defects in the sealing process and to determine which heat seal plate is involved.

  The traceability required for industrial products, foods, etc. provides safe and reliable products to consumers, promptly verifies the occurrence of defects, and helps improve and improve manufacturing processes.

  On the other hand, contact lenses classified as highly controlled medical devices have also been thoroughly quality controlled from the past. For example, they are manufactured while being transported on the pallet of the production line pallet transport system in various manufacturing equipment of contact lens manufacturing equipment. Related to quality control barcode tracking system and quality control method for identifying and tracking non-defective and defective contact lenses (Patent Document 5), automated sterilization station for sterilizing a plurality of contact lenses after manufacturing contact lenses, and sterilization A packaging station for packaging contact lenses later, a first means for receiving contact lens data for each lens lot, a plurality of processing control devices for controlling one or more processing stations, and a lens lot Track multiple lens movements Quality control system including a mobile tracking unit or the like (Patent Document 6) have been proposed.

  However, these quality control systems maintain a certain level of quality in the factory, and it is not always clear whether or not the association with the lens products distributed in the market after shipment is maintained. It is unclear whether or not

  In particular, the water-containing soft contact lens is characterized by being manufactured through two environments, unlike many other industrial products. In other words, until the final stage of the manufacturing process, the lens is in a dry state where there is no liquid such as water around the lens, but immediately before shipment, it is immersed in a distribution preservation solution and sealed in order to maintain sterility. It is a state. Since it is difficult to perform physical measurement other than sampling inspection, the quality determination of the lens is mainly performed by optical physical property evaluation and image inspection from the appearance. From the viewpoint of optical evaluation, operability when acquiring an image, resolution of an acquired image, and the like, it is advantageous that no liquid or the like exists around the lens before sealing. Therefore, the inspection results in two environments (not only the state immediately before shipment but also an appropriate stage in the manufacturing process) are very important.

JP 2002-324143 A JP-A-6-168253 JP 2012-221356 A Special table 2013-515654 gazette JP-A-8-215997 JP 2006-338047 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can search for information relating to the quality and the like of hydrous contact lens products retroactively, and promptly provide information when requested by dealers or users. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system capable of disclosing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following constitution. That is, an identification code is provided on the first image acquisition unit for acquiring and storing the first image immediately before the hydration treatment of the hydrous soft contact lens in the production line, and the container for both the hydration treatment and distribution storage of the hydrous soft contact lens. A hydration treatment for filling and discharging a solution for hydration treatment in the lens housing portion of the container; A processing unit, a sterilization processing unit that seals the hydrous soft contact lens that has undergone hydration treatment in a container together with a distribution preservation solution and sterilizes, and the hydrated soft contact lens after sterilization is photographed through the container And a second image acquisition unit for acquiring a second image before shipment, and a management for storing the first image and the second image in association with the identification code. And over data storage unit, a product management system hydrous soft contact lens comprising a.

  Since the first image is before hydration, it can be taken in an environment where there is no liquid around it. Therefore, the photographing operation is easy and an image with high resolution can be obtained, so that image analysis can be performed advantageously.

  In addition, the hydration process is performed at the end of the lens manufacturing process, and is mainly intended to remove the eluting substances from the lens material, so that no physical action is applied to the lens product (later sterilization process). The lens before hydration can be regarded as almost identical to the final product except for the size. Therefore, taking the image is considered to be equivalent to taking an image of the final product.

  The second image is an important image showing the product just before shipment, but the lens is sealed with a container and a sealing material in order to maintain the sterility after sterilization. Existence is a disadvantageous condition for photography. Therefore, the acquisition of the first image is necessary for verifying the product history.

  And the identification code attached to the container that serves as both hydration treatment and distribution storage is stored in association with the first image and the second image, so that the history of the product up to factory shipment can be retroactively stored. It can be done.

  The system of the present invention preferably further includes a non-defective product inspection unit that inspects the acquired first image and determines the presence or absence of a defect, and a selection unit that selects a hydrous soft contact lens determined to be a non-defective product. . This is because a product that has been determined to be defective before proceeding to the sterilization process does not need to be wasted by discarding it.

  In addition, in the case of a production line for hydrous soft contact lenses with an iris pattern, the state after the iris pattern is printed is photographed and acquired as an iris pattern image, and a non-defective product is selected by inspection of the image. It is preferable to have one selection part. In the iris pattern printing process, since the pattern is delicate and it is difficult to transfer the ink constantly and uniformly, there is a high possibility that defective products will be produced as compared with other manufacturing processes. Therefore, by selecting a non-defective product at this stage, the cost of the subsequent process can be further reduced.

  Furthermore, when a mold polymerization method is adopted in the production of the hydrous soft contact lens, after polymerization, the mold is opened and photographed to obtain a post-polymerization image. It is preferable to further include a second selection unit that inspects mixing of bubbles into the material and selects non-defective products. It can be said that the success or failure of the mold polymerization method becomes clear when the male and female molds after polymerization are separated, and it is efficient to select good products at that time.

  And it has a manufacturing history storage part which associates and stores each image of said iris pattern image obtained in each process of the manufacturing line, said image after polymerization, said first image, and said second image together with said identification code As a result, the manufacturing history can be more reliably retroactive. By managing the data of each of these processes, the production line can be improved, which contributes to the improvement of the yield rate.

  The present invention also acquires a first image immediately before the hydration treatment of the hydrous soft contact lens in the production line and stores it, and inspects the acquired first image to determine the presence or absence of a defect. The selected hydrous soft contact lens is transferred to a container that is used for the non-defective product inspection process, the process for selecting the hydrous soft contact lens identified as the non-defective product, and the hydration treatment and distribution storage with the identification code. A hydration treatment step of filling and discharging the hydration solution in the lens housing portion of the container, and sealing the hydrous soft contact lens having been subjected to the hydration treatment to the container together with a circulating preservation solution. , Sterilization process for sterilization, and second image acquisition for capturing the second image before shipment by photographing the hydrous soft contact lens after sterilization through the container Extent and is the the management data storage step of the first image and the second image in association with the identification code, also relates to the product management method of hydrous soft contact lenses having.

  According to the above method, an accurate quality inspection can be performed before the hydration treatment, and the lens judged to be a non-defective product proceeds to the hydration and sterilization process in a one-to-one relationship with the distribution storage container. The first image and the second image can be managed in association with each other.

  The product management system of the present invention ensures that the water-containing soft contact lenses distributed in the market are non-defective, and can search for information related to the quality of the water-containing contact lens products in the past. It has the effect that information can be disclosed promptly when requested by the company.

  Further, the product management method of the present invention is a method of associating and storing the minimum image data required for quality assurance of the hydrous soft contact lens, and can sufficiently ensure the traceability of the product. .

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the product management system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the first image acquisition unit. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an identification code providing unit. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the second image acquisition unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the first selection unit. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the second selection unit.

  The present invention relates to a product management system and product management method for a hydrous soft contact lens, and is characterized by recording each image data before hydration and immediately before shipment in association with an identification code of a distribution container. Hereinafter, specific description will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Contact lenses can be classified into hydrous soft contact lenses that absorb water and have flexibility, and non-hydrous (hard or soft) contact lenses that absorb little water. Hydrous soft contact lenses are introduced to the market in a state of being immersed in a distribution preservation solution. This is because the lens standard is kept constant and can be worn immediately at the user's hand. Since the environment is immersed in the liquid, sterilization is required and the lens is sealed in the lens housing portion during distribution in order to maintain the sterility. Therefore, unless a container with high transparency and no optical distortion is used, it is difficult to accurately inspect the lens after sterilization.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the state of the lens immediately before the hydration process is acquired and stored as the first image. In the production line of the hydrous soft contact lens, the hydration treatment and the sterilization treatment are final stage treatments before shipment, and both treatments hardly add physical action to the lens material. If an unreasonable physical action is not applied, the lens will not be scratched or chipped. In addition, it is assumed that there is no effect on the lens material when it is swollen by hydration or exposed to high temperatures by sterilization. The state can be estimated to be the state of the final product. Therefore, the first image is important information as a product history at the time of factory shipment, and is stored in the first image acquisition unit.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the main configuration of the first image acquisition unit is as follows: (a) a holding unit 10 that individually holds lenses to be photographed; and (b) a first illumination device 11 that irradiates the lens L with measurement light. , (C) a first imaging device 12 that captures a lens and obtains a first image 13, and (d) a storage device 15 that stores the first image.

  The holding means has a function of orienting a lens that is a measurement target with respect to the first illumination device or the first imaging device. In the production line, the lens is continuously produced, so it may stop at the moment of shooting (however, the above components may be taken while moving), but the lens is transferred to the next process sequentially. It is necessary to do. Therefore, the lens is held by some means.

  The holding means is required to have a flexible material and a smooth surface so as not to damage the lens, and is required to have a shape that does not become an obstacle when photographing. The holding action is preferably a simple one, such as suction adsorption or electrostatic adsorption, but the lens may be easily detached from the holding means when transported to a container that is also used for distribution storage. Since it is necessary, the action by suction adsorption is suitable. Considering these conditions, the specific shape of the holding means is a dropper shape as shown in FIG. 2, and is made of a flexible material such as silicone rubber, butadiene rubber, polyisoprene rubber, acrylic rubber or the like. It is preferable.

  The first illuminating device that irradiates the lens with measurement light is a light source such as a fluorescent lamp that irradiates the diffuser plate and emits light to the surface of the diffuser plate; There are those that irradiate a wide range of highly directional light by arranging the LEDs. In this invention, it is preferable to irradiate LED light with strong directivity. The LED light can be irradiated with primary colors such as red, blue, and green in addition to white, and a red LED is preferable because a clear image can be obtained.

  In addition to directly irradiating the lens with the illumination device, as described in Japanese Patent No. 4201532, the holding means is formed of a light-transmitting material, and the illumination device irradiates the holding means with the lens. It is also possible to illuminate with inspection light that is divided into bright and dark from behind. According to this method, there is an advantage that relatively large defects (such as irregularities) can be easily discriminated in addition to small scratches and bubbles.

  A first imaging device that captures a lens and obtains a first image performs imaging processing by forming an image on a commonly used two-dimensional imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. In the present invention, the number of effective pixels of the image sensor is preferably 1 to 2 mega and the output image signal is preferably about 1 to 2 million pixels so that a clear image inspection can be performed. The CCD and CMOS may be color or single color (black and white).

  The storage device for storing the first image is not a special one, but via a built-in hard disk or external storage disk of a general personal computer capable of magnetically writing and reading image data, RAM, flash memory, and communication line A storage device or the like.

  The lens on which the image is recorded by the first image acquisition unit is transferred to a separately prepared container. It is important that the container also serves as each subsequent processing container (hydration process / sterilization process) of the lens and a distribution container in the market. This is because, if they are different, there is a possibility that the first image of the lens cannot be traced back.

  The container is made of a molded plastic substrate having a hemispherical lens housing, and is generally formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, or nylon by injection molding or heat compression molding. The hemispherical lens container is formed to accommodate the lens and store the hydrating liquid or the circulating preservative solution, and it is unnecessary to store the lens for a long period of time. It is preferable to have a hemispherical surface close to the front curve of the lens so that no external force is applied. A flange extends around the lens housing portion in the outer peripheral direction, and an end of the flange forms a quadrangle. A side wall extends from at least one end side downward. The container can be stably placed on a flat surface by grounding the side wall and the bottom of the lens housing (or two or more side walls extending from two or more end sides).

  An identification code unique to each lens is given to the container in which the lens is accommodated. The identification code may be a symbol consisting of a mere number or alphabet, or a striped bar code (one-dimensional code), but is preferably a two-dimensional code formed of a matrix of dot-like bright and dark patterns. The amount of data per unit area is extremely large compared to a one-dimensional code, and a large amount of information can be recorded, and there is an advantage that it can be read by a reading device from any direction of 360 degrees. In addition, data can be recovered even if a part of the code is damaged or dirty, and information can be managed in secret by encrypting the data.

  An identification code such as the two-dimensional code is applied to the container side wall in the identification code applying unit. The flange portion of the container or the outer wall of the lens housing portion may be used, but the flange portion is covered with a sheet material to seal the lens in the lens housing portion in a later sterilization processing portion, and the outer wall of the lens housing portion is curved. Therefore, it is preferable to give an identification code to the side wall for the reason that printing and engraving of the two-dimensional code is likely to become unclear and that it becomes an obstacle at the time of taking a second image described later.

  An example of the identification code assigning unit is shown in FIG. In the container 16, a flange 18 extends around the lens housing portion 17, and in FIG. 3, side walls 20 are extended from two end portions 19. The two-dimensional code 7 is applied to a part of the side wall 20 by the laser 6. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a two-dimensional code is engraved by a laser, but printing by an ink jet or the like, or separately printed on a seal or the like may be affixed.

  The identification code assigned here is read separately by a CCD or the like when a second image of the lens is acquired in a later second image acquisition unit. For example, in the case of a two-dimensional code, after capturing the entire data code as an image, the lightness (black or white) of each unit cell of the matrix is determined, and “black” → (1) or “white” → A value of (0) is assigned to generate matrix data. In the matrix data, the reading reference part is discriminated, the range of the data part is determined, and the data part is decoded to read the information.

  The lens from which the first image has been acquired by the first image acquisition unit is transferred to a hydration treatment / distribution storage container provided with the identification code. At this time, the container and the lens are linked in a one-to-one relationship. The transfer unit that transfers the lens may use the holding unit 10 that holds the lens individually in the first image acquisition unit as it is, or another unit that transfers the photographed lens to the receiving container from the holding unit. It may be. Since the lens is a very small and thin article, it is not preferable to use a conveying means such as a general belt conveyor system. If it is moved to another conveying means, the lens may be lost or scratched during the operation. Therefore, it is preferable to use the holding means as it is. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the holding unit 10 is used as it is.

  Since the holding means holds the lens L by suction and suction, after the lens L is transferred to the opening 8 of the lens housing portion, the suction is stopped or air is discharged from the suction tube to the target container. Can be securely accommodated.

  This transfer part may exist in the stage before the identification code provision part. That is, after the lens is transferred to the combined container, an identification code may be given to the container. What is important is that the lens that acquired the first image can reliably trace the history from the container. For this purpose, it may be preferable to assign an identification code to the container that contains the lens. Since the lens is a small and thin synthetic polymer as described above, it is easily attracted to various devices in the production line due to static electricity. In addition, it is only necessary that the lens is reliably accommodated in the lens accommodating portion, but there may be a case where the lens adheres to the flange of the container and cannot proceed to the subsequent process. This is because, in order to surely eliminate these inconveniences, the identification code may be given after the lens is accommodated in the lens accommodating portion.

  Before entering the transfer unit, it is preferable to have a non-defective product inspection unit that inspects the first image to determine whether there is a defect and a selection unit that selects a lens that has been determined to be non-defective. In a lens production line, it is desirable to remove defects at an early stage by appropriately performing quality inspections along the way. A lens does not become a good product if some parts are replaced or repaired like an industrial product, and it is almost impossible to make a good product if it is determined that there is a defect. Therefore, it is economically obvious to perform various subsequent treatments on the objects to be discarded. Therefore, the presence / absence of a defect is determined based on the acquired first image.

  In the non-defective product inspection section, for example, scratches on the lens surface (contact during transportation, scratches caused by the manufacturing method, transfer of scratches on the mold, etc.), chipped lenses (partial peeling of the surface, chipped edges, etc.), Lens bubbles (due to insufficient degassing of monomer composition, polymerization shrinkage, etc.), irregularities on the lens surface (compression marks, polymerization shrinkage, etc.), poor lens specifications (size, thickness, refractive power, etc.), patterns / marks The presence / absence of a defect is determined by detecting inspection items such as defects (iris pattern blur, pattern shading difference, etc.). For the determination, a visual image inspection, a difference image with respect to a reference non-defective image is obtained to determine pass / fail, or a difference between pixel values of corresponding pixels in each divided region by dividing the first image is a predetermined threshold value. There are various methods such as automatic determination based on whether or not the value exceeds the threshold.

  Since this inspection is not a process for directly handling the lens, it can be performed off-line independently of the production line. The identification code may be given during this examination and may be assigned to the time when the lens is transferred to the container.

  By the way, the first image of the present invention is not an image of the final product. Since the hydrous soft contact lens is shipped after hydration and sterilization, the first image before the treatment is not the same as the lens as a product. The purpose of hydration treatment is to elute unreacted monomer components contained in the lens material so that the effluent from the lens product is not detected in excess of the specified amount. The purpose is not to be contaminated by microorganisms in the process. Both are necessary processes for a hydrous soft contact lens, and when recording the state of the lens of the final product shipped through this process with an image or the like, it must be photographed through a container. Molding the container with a material suitable for photography is likely to increase the manufacturing cost, but it is necessary to respond to the request to record the state at the time of shipment from the factory (the final product) in order to ensure the traceability of the lens. . The present invention is characterized by acquiring and storing not only the final product but also the first image immediately before the hydration treatment in order to solve these two problems. In other words, it is considered that it is difficult to guarantee a product only by an image through a container described later.

  Although the first image is different from the lens state of the final product, the hydration and sterilization treatments for water-containing soft contact lenses are both carried out in water, etc. Since there is no physical contact that would cause the lens to fail, it is unlikely that a new lens defect will occur during this process. Therefore, inspecting the first image by the non-defective product inspection unit has an effect of quality assurance equivalent to inspecting a lens to be shipped. Of course, it is assumed that the correlation between the inspection result of the first image and the inspection result of the final product is confirmed.

  Only lenses that are determined to be non-defective from the inspection result in the non-defective product inspection unit are selected, and the lenses that are determined to be defective are discarded without undergoing subsequent processing. The selection is made before accommodating the lens in the container. This selection unit is preferably set in front of the transfer unit in the production line, but the lens that is inspected during transfer and determined to be defective during transfer is released from the lens holding means during transfer. Also good. For example, if the lens holding means is sucked and sucked, the suction can be stopped, or the defective lens can be selected by blowing it off with an air gun or the like so as to be disposed of more reliably. The selection unit may exist independently of the transfer unit, or both may be integrated into one.

  When the lens is accommodated in the container, the lens accommodating portion is filled with a solution for hydration treatment. This solution may be water, an aqueous solution containing a salt or the like or a small amount of a surfactant, or an aqueous solution containing a hydrophilic organic solvent. A solution heated to some extent is more convenient for removing the eluate from the lens. In addition, it is preferable to deaerate the solution to be filled in advance. When the lens comes into contact with the solution, fine bubbles are likely to form in the solution, and if it adheres to the lens surface, the lens may float or entrain the bubbles and curl the lens, making it impossible to perform sufficient hydration treatment. Because there is.

  A characteristic of the hydration processing unit is that the one-to-one relationship between the lens and the container is not changed. This is because the history of the product can be retroactive only after the lens recognized by the identification code of one container is maintained to be one. As a specific configuration of the hydration processing unit, there is a through hole in a resin lid that covers the lens housing unit of the container, and a hydration for connecting a conduit for passing and discharging the hydration liquid to the through hole. An automatic device (see Japanese Patent No. 4863588) having a unit (see Japanese Patent No. 3738214), a unit for adjusting the water flow rate, and a moving unit for moving the container with the water supply / discharge conduit removed. It is done. The resin lid prevents the lens from flowing out of the housing even when changing the hydrating liquid, and the hydrating liquid will overflow even if the flow rate is at a certain speed. There is an effect to prevent it. The hydration unit having a conduit facilitates individual access to the container, and the lens can be processed without delay as a production line while ensuring a predetermined elution time with the moving unit. The purpose of the hydration treatment is to appropriately discharge the eluting substance from the lens material. Therefore, it is preferable not only to immerse the lens but also to actively generate a water flow and replace the treatment liquid.

  Although the lens is hydrated by the hydration unit having the above units, it is desirable that the entire apparatus be treated in a semi-closed system so as to be a clean area. The lens is sterilized by an autoclave before shipping and distributed aseptically. However, in addition to microorganisms, dust and other dust can be mixed in the lens housing part, and these cannot be removed by the sterilization process. When taking out and putting it on the eyes, it may become a complaint as a foreign body sensation. In the present invention, since the hydration container is sealed as a flow container as it is, it is effective to prevent foreign matter from entering the lens housing part by making the hydration part a clean area.

  In the present invention, since a container that is used for both hydration treatment and distribution storage is used, the soft lens after the hydration treatment is not directly touched by mechanical means for transferring the container. There are several possible causes of scratches on the lens, but after the hydration treatment, it can not be assumed except for the transfer operation to the distribution container. Therefore, the factor which generate | occur | produces a damage | wound can be excluded effectively.

  When the hydration process is completed, the solution in the lens housing portion is replaced with the circulating preservation solution, and the container is unloaded by an appropriate transport means (for example, a conveyor system) and moved to the sterilization processing section. The opening of the container's lens housing is covered with a single flexible cover sheet made of laminate of polypropylene or other suitable plastic film and aluminum foil, and this cover sheet is heat sealed around the lens housing To provide a sealed environment for the contained lens.

  In order to utilize a resin lid that covers the lens housing portion used in the hydration processing section, it is preferable that the cover is heat sealed from above the lid. A part of the cover sheet and the resin lid are bonded, and when the sheet is pulled away from the container, the lid can be pulled away together. A specific configuration is described in Japanese Patent No. 4200203, but the cover sheet is compact and simple by being bonded to the resin lid, the flange portion of the container, and a part of the packaging package. It can be distributed to the market in the form of packaging.

  For the heat seal, two types of mandrels for heating the flange and the cover sheet of the container and a mandrel for heating the resin lid and the cover sheet are prepared, and the lid is avoided while avoiding the fusion between the container and the cover. It is preferable to use a heat-sealing device that makes it possible to remove it together with the cover sheet (see Japanese Patent No. 4618625 for details).

  The heat-sealed container is sterilized under ultraviolet irradiation or high-pressure steam. Sterilization by ultraviolet irradiation is superior to high-pressure steam sterilization in which the container can be processed continuously in a predetermined quantity unit, but if the ultraviolet rays do not reach, the lens housing can be reliably sterilized. However, there is a difficulty in guaranteeing sterility. Considering the influence on the lens material, a high-pressure steam sterilizer is generally used.

  The container including the lens that has passed through the sterilization unit is sent to the second image acquisition unit. When the sterilization process is completed, no processing or processing is performed except that a predetermined number of containers are packaged and packed before shipping. Therefore, since this stage can be said to be the end point of the lens production line, it is very important to save the state at this time as image information.

  However, since the sterilization process has already been completed, the image cannot be acquired by removing the cover sheet, and the image is taken through the lens housing portion wall of the container. This is because the cover sheet is usually an aluminum foil laminate, so that it is almost impossible to photograph through the sheet. It is sufficient if the lens can be clearly photographed through the lens housing part wall, but because of the relationship between the material of the container, the hemispherical shape of the lens housing part, the circulation preservation solution, etc., a clear image cannot always be obtained. An association is required.

  A specific configuration of the second image acquisition unit is shown in FIG. An identification code 7 is given to the side wall 20 of the container 16, and the lens L in the lens housing portion 17 is sealed by a cover sheet 28. The second illumination device 21 emits the lens L, and the third illumination device 31 emits the identification code 7. The second imaging device 22 acquires the second image 23 of the lens, and the third imaging device 32 acquires the image 33 of the identification code. Each of the second lighting device and the third lighting device is arranged with an angle of 30 to 45 ° with respect to a virtual plane including the container. Then, the container 16 is set so as to be positioned on a straight line connecting the second lighting device and the second photographing device and on a straight line connecting the third lighting device and the third photographing device.

  The second and third lighting devices have the same light source as that of the first lighting device. Preferably, the second lighting device is a red LED light source and the third lighting device is a white LED light source. Similarly to the first imaging device, the second and third imaging devices perform imaging processing by forming an image on a commonly used two-dimensional imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS. In the present invention, it is preferable that the effective number of pixels of the image sensor of the second imaging device is 0.3 to 2 mega, and the output image signal is about 30 to 2 million pixels. Further, the third imaging device may have any performance and the number of pixels that can read the identification code. The CCD and CMOS may be color or single color (black and white).

  The first image 13 and the second image 23 obtained in this way are associated with the identification code 7 and stored and stored in the management data storage unit 35. And when it becomes necessary to retroactively review the production record in the market, the history is retroactively based on the identification code written on the container. In this case, for example, when the identification code is read by a terminal such as a lens user's mobile phone and a product inquiry request is transmitted to a terminal such as a lens manufacturing / sales company directly managed store or a handling store, the transmission is performed. An inquiry request is made from the terminal of the received store or the like to the head office server of the manufacturing factory or the lens manufacturing / sales company via the network, and the management data storage unit 35 (not necessarily installed at the factory, the head office, For example, when collated with an identification code stored and stored in a private data storage service or in the cloud), each image information is displayed on the store terminal via the server. A reply is returned to the lens user's terminal by the store manager or the like. In this way, since the history can be verified at any time based on the container identification data, the subsequent actions can be carried out without any problems by promptly and accurately grasping the occurrence of defects and customer problems. It is also possible to improve the degree.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a product management system 1 according to the present invention in the order of arrangement of production lines. After the second image acquisition unit, it is preferable to have a non-defective product inspection unit and a selection unit that sends the non-defective product to the shipping process according to the result. Basically, if it is determined that the product is a non-defective product by the inspection of the first image, no defective product is generated in the subsequent processing, so that it is possible to ship without an inspection process.

  When the product management system as described above is used in a production line for a hydrous soft contact lens with an iris pattern, for example, the following apparatus can be additionally introduced. The iris pattern is printed (or transferred) for each lens, but it is also a process in which printing defects are likely to occur because precise depiction is required so as to exhibit a more natural appearance. Therefore, it is appropriate to include a first selection unit (first selection device) that picks up the image after the iris pattern has been printed, acquires it as an iris pattern image, and inspects this image to select non-defective products. . Even in the case of flat paper, printing failure may occur, and even more because it is printed on a curved surface with a small area like a lens. If there is a defect during this printing process, there is almost no room for correction. Therefore, it is effective to put an inspection process at this stage in order to prevent a defective product from being brought into a subsequent process. It is also an important base point for quality control of the production line and for retrospective history.

  There are various printing methods such as ink jet printing, pad printing, and screen printing, and it is only necessary to select a comprehensive method such as ink components, ease of introduction into the production line, compatibility with lens materials, and the like. . FIG. 5 illustrates the flow after the printing process related to the first selection unit of the present invention. The iris pattern 5 is printed on the lens molding mold 4 flowing on the production line, and is irradiated from the upper side in the horizontal direction by the ring-shaped fourth illumination device 41, and the fourth image 43 is formed as an iris pattern from the lower direction in the drawing. Obtained by the photographing device 42. The iris pattern is not only color shading, but also color unevenness, vividness, and color are important judgment factors, so a color CCD is used for the fourth photographing device, and the effective pixel number of the element is 2 to 5 megabytes. The output image signal is preferably 2 to 5 million pixels. In addition, when an iris pattern is directly printed on the lens, not only the pattern but also a lens chip, a lens bubble, a lens surface unevenness, and the like should be acquired as an image and used as a quality determination item. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of photographing a color image, the fourth lighting device 41 preferably uses a white light source.

  Only those determined to be non-defective products 45 by the first selection section 48 are selected and advanced to the next process, and those determined to be defective 46 are sent to the disposal process. In the production line, the first selection unit exists upstream of the first image acquisition unit.

  Examples of the lens manufacturing method include cutting, single-sided molding, double-sided molding, and spin casting. For example, when adopting mold polymerization in a production line, it may be said that the success or failure of lens molding is revealed when the mold is opened after polymerization. The lens edge and optical surface formed by mold polymerization may be chipped or bubbled due to polymerization shrinkage of the monomer or adhesion / peel strength with the mold, which can be detected in appearance. This is because the mold is opened. Therefore, it is preferable to insert an image inspection process after this.

  FIG. 6 shows an image obtained after polymerization of the hydrous soft contact lens in the mold polymerization production line, with the mold opened, and obtained as an image after polymerization. The image is inspected for chipping of the lens and mixing of bubbles. 2 illustrates the configuration of a second sorting unit that sorts non-defective products. A mixture 26 such as a monomer that becomes a lens is placed between the convex mold 24 and the concave mold 25, and after undergoing a polymerization process, the process proceeds to a process of opening both molds. In the figure, the lens L is attracted to the convex mold 24 and the mold is opened, but a process of attracting to the concave mold may be used. Then, the fifth illumination device 51 irradiates from below, and the superposed image 53 is acquired by the fifth imaging device 52. The illumination at this time is preferably a red LED light source from the viewpoint of image clarity. In addition, it is sufficient to use a monochrome CCD for the fifth imaging device in relation to the inspection items, the effective pixel number of the element is 0.3 to 2 mega, and the output image signal is 300 to 2 million pixels. Preferably there is.

  In the acquired image 53 after polymerization, only the non-defective product 55 that has passed the inspection item is sorted by the second sorting unit and proceeds to the next process, and the one judged as defective 56 is discarded. The second sorting unit is upstream of the first image acquisition unit, but is provided on the downstream side in relation to the first sorting unit.

  It is preferable to further include a manufacturing history storage unit that stores the image of the iris pattern thus obtained, the image after superposition, the first image, and the second image in association with the identification code. As a result, the product history can be retroactively traced in each process, and the system can support efficient production by improving quality and yield by managing and analyzing the inspection results together. It is.

  Now, each device constituting the product management system performs the respective operations, thereby realizing the product management method for the hydrous soft contact lens of the present invention. The product management method includes a first image acquisition process, a non-defective product inspection process, a non-defective lens selection process, a lens transfer process, a hydration process, a sterilization process, a second image acquisition process, and a management data storage process. Since the contents of each process are the same as described in the description of the system, only the feature points are summarized below.

  In the first image acquisition step, an image is acquired by holding and fixing the lens immediately before the hydration treatment. This is because the lens at this time has a certain size difference even when compared with the final product, and there is substantially no difference. In addition, since the lens is immersed in the solution after the hydration process, the moving object is photographed in the liquid, and scratches and the like are rejected by passing through the solution (air and lens This is because the difference in refractive index between water and the lens is smaller than the difference in refractive index, and light scattering is reduced, making it impossible to detect. When the lens passes through this process, it is held by the holding means and the first image is taken, and then moved to the next process.

  While the lens is moving, image analysis of the acquired first image is performed in the non-defective product inspection process. The image analysis confirms that the quality is above the standard by computer processing or visual inspection by an inspector. The minimum condition is that there are no bubbles, scratches on the surface, chipped edges, etc. inside the lens material. In addition, if it can be molded to a predetermined thickness and size, it is estimated that the vision correction power after hydration (final product) is guaranteed. In the non-defective lens selection process, the lens determined to be non-defective in the inspection process is kept selectively or defective products are actively discarded.

  A unique identification code is assigned in advance to a container that is separately formed for both hydration treatment and distribution storage, and the lens transferred in the lens transfer step is stored in the storage section of the container. At this time, the identification code and the first image are associated one-to-one.

  A hydration solution is supplied to and drained from the container housing portion and a hydration treatment process is performed. Finally, after a storage solution is filled and the housing portion is sealed, a sterilization treatment process is performed. In the second image acquisition step, in order to maintain the sealed lens in a sterile state, an image of the lens is taken from the outside of the container, and the first image and the second image together with the identification code are stored as a management data storage step. Stored in association. Accordingly, if retroactively from the identification code, it is possible to follow the history of what state of the lens was supplied.

  In addition, before the first image acquisition process, an image of an iris pattern is acquired and the quality inspection process for inspecting the quality from the image and the first selection process for selecting the non-defective product. It is also possible to include a non-defective product inspection step for acquiring a post-polymerization image taken in a state of opening and inspecting the quality from the image, and a second selection step for selecting good products. A step of storing and storing the image of the iris pattern, the image after superimposition, the first image, and the second image in association with the identification code may be included. If these steps are added, the manufacturing history can be traced back to the important steps, and quality control can be improved and data effective for information disclosure to customers can be accumulated.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a system that can search for information relating to the quality and the like of a hydrous contact lens product retroactively, and can quickly disclose information when requested by a store or a user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Product management system 7 ... Identification code 8 ... Lens accommodating part 10 ... Holding means 13 ... 1st image 23 ... 2nd image 35 ... Management data storage part

Claims (5)

An identification code is put on the first image acquisition unit that acquires and stores the first image immediately before the hydration treatment of the hydrous soft contact lens in the production line, and the container that combines the hydration treatment and distribution storage of the hydrous soft contact lens. A hydration process for performing a hydration process for filling and discharging a solution for hydration treatment in a lens housing part of the container, a transfer part for transporting the hydrous soft contact lens to the container The hydrated soft contact lens having been subjected to hydration treatment is sealed in the container together with a distribution preservation solution, and a sterilization treatment part for performing sterilization treatment, and the hydrated soft contact lens after sterilization treatment are passed through the container. A second image acquisition unit that captures and acquires a second image before shipment; and management data for storing the first image and the second image in association with the identification code. Product management system of hydrous soft contact lens comprising a storage unit. The product management according to claim 1, further comprising: a non-defective product inspection unit that inspects the acquired first image to determine whether there is a defect; and a selection unit that selects a hydrous soft contact lens that has been determined to be non-defective. system. In the production line of the hydrous soft contact lens with an iris pattern, a first selection unit for capturing the image after the iris pattern is printed and acquiring it as an iris pattern image and selecting non-defective products by inspection of the image is further provided. The product management system according to claim 1 or 2. After polymerization of water-containing soft contact lenses in the mold polymerization production line, images are taken with the mold opened and acquired as a post-polymerization image. The product management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second sorting unit. A first image acquisition step of acquiring and storing the first image immediately before the hydration treatment of the hydrous soft contact lens in the production line, a non-defective product inspection step of inspecting the acquired first image and determining the presence or absence of defects, A step of selecting a water-containing soft contact lens discriminated as a non-defective product, a step of transferring the selected water-containing soft contact lens to a container that is used for both hydration treatment and distribution storage provided with an identification code, and A hydration treatment step for filling and discharging the hydration solution in the lens housing portion of the container, and the hydrated soft contact lens after the hydration treatment is sealed in the container together with a distribution preservation solution and sterilized. A sterilization step, a second image acquisition step of photographing the hydrous soft contact lens after sterilization through the container, and acquiring a second image before shipment; Product management method of hydrous soft contact lens comprising image and the second image, and management data storage step of storing in association with said identification code.

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