Method for manufacturing glass film and manufacturing apparatus for glass film

Abstract

When performing manufacturing-related processing while transporting the glass film (G1) using the belt conveyor (22g), the belt conveyor (22g) includes a belt (23g) capable of supporting and transporting the glass film (G1), a first restricting member (37) that restricts the movement of the belt (23g) in the width direction, and a second restricting member (38) that restricts the upward movement of the belt (23g). Lower step surfaces (40) extending in the length direction of the belt (23g) and located on the lower step of the support and transport surface (39) of the glass film (G1) are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt (23g), and a pressing portion (43) that extends toward the center side in the width direction of the belt (23g) and is capable of pressing the lower step surface (40) downward is provided on the second restricting member (38).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass film and an apparatus for manufacturing a glass film. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of a glass film, manufacturing-related processes such as cutting and printing are usually performed on the glass film while the glass film is being conveyed in a predetermined direction. At this time, there is a case where the glass film is conveyed in a state of being in contact with the surface of a belt by a belt conveyor in the area where the manufacturing-related processes are performed or in its vicinity (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). By using a belt conveyor in the conveyance of the glass film, there are advantages such as being able to convey the glass film in a non-contact state on one side and being able to stably hold the glass film even when the conveyance stops.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-31031 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the case where manufacturing-related processes such as cutting are performed while conveying the glass film by a belt conveyor as described above, the belt that is the driving part of the belt conveyor sometimes moves up and down (moves in the thickness direction). Since this up-and-down movement is of course also transmitted to the glass film supported by the belt, there is a problem that the height direction position of the glass film carried into the part where the manufacturing-related process is performed becomes unstable, and it is difficult to perform an accurate manufacturing-related process.

[0008] For the belt conveyor as described above, for example, as Figure 8 shown, a method of suppressing the up-and-down movement of the belt by using a suction mechanism is considered. Here, reference numeral 101 denotes a belt, reference numeral 102 denotes a support body that supports the belt from below, reference numeral 103 denotes a guide member that guides both ends in the width direction of the belt 101, and reference numeral 104 denotes an exhaust space that can exhaust to the outside of the support body 102. By adopting such a structure, when exhausting the exhaust space 104 in the support body 102, the belt 101 located above the support body 102 receives a suction action from the exhaust space 104 through a hole 105 provided in the upper part of the support body 102. Thus, it is expected that the belt 101 is adsorbed downward by the adsorption action to suppress the up-and-down movement of the belt 101, and the glass film G can be conveyed while being supported in contact with the upper surface of the belt 101.

[0009] However, between the belt 101 and the guide members 103 disposed at both ends in its width direction, due to relative movement, there must be a gap 106 in the width direction (see Figure 9 ). Therefore, when the belt 101 is sucked by suction, the suction effect may spread to the glass film G in contact with the belt 101 through the gap 106 between the belt 101 and the guide member 103. Alternatively, when the belt 101 is bent and deformed in a downwardly convex direction by strong suction, a corresponding gap 106 is also generated between the belt 101 and the guide member 103. Thus, the glass film G is constrained by the above-described suction effect, and thus wrinkles or other deformations may be generated in the glass film G. If the portion where wrinkles or other deformations are generated is carried into a portion such as the above-described cutting portion that undergoes manufacturing-related processing, it may cause processing defects in the manufacturing-related processing and breakage of the glass film G.

[0010] In view of the above reasons, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent wrinkles or other deformations from being generated in the glass film and effectively suppress the up and down movement of the belt when the glass film is transported by a belt conveyor, so as to perform good manufacturing-related processing on the glass film.

[0011] Solution for Solving the Problem

[0012] The solution to the above problem is achieved by the manufacturing method of the glass film of the present invention. That is, in the manufacturing method, a belt conveyor is used to transport the glass film and perform manufacturing-related processing. The belt conveyor includes a belt capable of supporting and transporting the glass film, a first restricting member that restricts the movement of the belt in the width direction, and a second restricting member that restricts the upward movement of the belt. Lower surfaces that extend in the length direction of the belt and are located on the lower step of the support and transport surface of the glass film are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, and a pressing portion that extends toward the center side in the width direction of the belt and can press the lower surface downward is provided on the second restricting member. It should be noted that the width direction of the belt here refers to the direction orthogonal to both the length direction and the thickness direction of the belt. In addition, the meaning of being located on the lower step of the support and transport surface here means being located below the support and transport surface with a step therebetween.

[0013] Thus, in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present invention, in addition to the first restricting member that restricts the movement of the belt in the width direction, a second restricting member that restricts the movement of the belt upward is also provided. Further, lower step surfaces that extend in the length direction of the belt and are located on the center side in the thickness direction of the belt with respect to the support conveyance surface are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, and a pressing portion that can press the lower step surface downward is provided on the second restricting member. As a result, the upward movement of the belt is restricted corresponding to the position of the pressing portion, and thus the vertical movement of the belt can be suppressed within a specified range. Further, since the belt can be pressed downward by the lower step surfaces provided on both sides in its width direction, the second restricting member (the pressing portion thereof) can be retracted from the support conveyance surface toward the center side in the thickness direction of the belt. Thereby, the vertical movement of the belt can be effectively suppressed, and the case where the glass film interferes with the second restricting member can be avoided, and the glass film can be safely conveyed. The above-described effects are remarkable when the present invention is applied to each belt conveyor in the case of supporting and conveying a belt-shaped glass film by using a plurality of belt conveyors, for example.

[0014] Further, in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present invention, it may be that the belt conveyor further has a support body that supports the lower surface of the belt, and the belt conveyor is configured such that the belt cannot be adsorbed to the support body.

[0015] According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, as described above, by suppressing the vertical movement of the belt, a good manufacturing-related process for the glass film can be implemented. Further, the vertical movement of the belt can be suppressed only by arranging the respective restricting members. Thereby, an apparatus for specifically adsorbing the belt is not required, and thus the belt conveyor including the support body can be further simplified.

[0016] Further, in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present invention, it may be that the second restricting member is fixed to the first restricting member.

[0017] Since the first restricting member can restrict the movement of the belt in the width direction, it is usually fixed in a state of being positioned on a support body or the like of the belt. Therefore, by fixing the second restricting member of the present invention to the first restricting member, the second restricting member can be easily and accurately positioned and fixed.

[0018] Further, in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present invention, it may be that a specified gap in the width direction is provided between the pressing portion of the second restricting member and the belt.

[0019] Although the movement of the belt in the width direction is restricted by the first restricting member, in order to drive the belt smoothly, it is necessary to leave some clearance (amount of movement) in the width direction in advance. Therefore, by providing a predetermined clearance in the width direction between the pressing portion of the second restricting member and the belt, it is possible to avoid the situation where the belt contacts the second restricting member in the width direction when the belt vibrates in the width direction, and smooth driving of the belt can be achieved.

[0020] In addition, in the method for manufacturing a glass film of the present invention, the support and transport surface of the belt that contacts the glass film and the lower step surface that contacts the pressing portion may be formed of different materials.

[0021] As described above, according to the method for manufacturing a glass film of the present invention, a structure is adopted in which a part (pressing portion) of the second restricting member can press the belt provided with the lower step surface downward. Therefore, the belt needs to be driven in a predetermined direction while contacting not only the glass film but also the pressing portion. Here, it is assumed that the pressing portion (second restricting member) and the glass film are of course formed of different materials. Therefore, by forming the support and transport surface of the belt that contacts the glass film and the lower step surface that contacts the pressing portion of different materials, it is possible to obtain not only a good contact state with respect to the glass film but also a good contact state with respect to the pressing portion.

[0022] In addition, in this case, in the method for manufacturing a glass film of the present invention, the belt may integrally include a first layer provided with the support and transport surface and a second layer located below the first layer and provided with the lower step surface. In addition, in this case, the first layer may be formed of a material having good contact with the glass film, and the second layer may be formed of a material having good slidability with respect to the pressing portion.

[0023] There are various methods for forming the support and transport surface and the lower step surface of the belt of different materials. Among them, it is preferable to form the belt into a two-layer structure as described above. In the case of a two-layer structure, it is only necessary to form each layer of the belt using a material having good contact with the glass film and a material having good slidability with respect to the pressing portion, respectively. In addition, by simply overlapping the first layer having the support and transport surface and the second layer having the lower step surface, the belt having the above structure can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to simply manufacture the belt having the above structure without performing complicated operations such as applying a film-forming process to a specified portion. In addition, at this time, by forming the first layer of a material having good contact with the glass film and the second layer of a material having good slidability with respect to the pressing portion, it is possible to prevent the glass film from being damaged due to contact between the glass film and the belt, and a smooth sliding state can be formed between the belt and the pressing portion.

[0024] In addition, according to the manufacturing method of the glass film described above, when the glass film is conveyed by a belt conveyor, wrinkles and other deformations are prevented from occurring in the glass film, and the up-and-down movement of the belt is effectively suppressed. As a result, good manufacturing-related processing can be performed on the glass film. Therefore, for example, as manufacturing-related processing, the present invention is applied to a cutting process of cutting the glass film along the length direction of the glass film, so that accurate cutting of the glass film can be stably performed.

[0025] In addition, the solution to the above problem is also achieved by the manufacturing apparatus for a glass film of the present invention. That is, the manufacturing apparatus includes a belt conveyor capable of supporting and conveying a glass film and a manufacturing-related processing apparatus for performing manufacturing-related processing on the glass film conveyed by the belt conveyor. The belt conveyor includes a belt capable of supporting and conveying the glass film, a first restricting member for restricting the movement of the belt in the width direction, and a second restricting member for restricting the upward movement of the belt. Lower surfaces extending in the length direction of the belt and located on the lower step of the support and conveyance surface of the glass film are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, and a pressing portion extending toward the center side in the width direction of the belt and capable of pressing the lower surface downward is provided on the second restricting member.

[0026] As described above, in the manufacturing apparatus for a glass film of the present invention, in addition to the first restricting member for restricting the movement of the belt in the width direction, a second restricting member for restricting the upward movement of the belt is provided. In addition, lower surfaces extending in the length direction of the belt and located at a position closer to the center in the thickness direction of the belt than the support and conveyance surface are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, and a pressing portion capable of pressing the lower surface downward is provided on the second restricting member. As a result, the upward movement of the belt is restricted corresponding to the position of the pressing portion, so that the up-and-down movement of the belt can be suppressed within a specified range. In addition, since the belt can be pressed downward by the lower surfaces provided on both sides in its width direction, the second restricting member (the pressing portion) can be retracted toward the center in the thickness direction of the belt from the support and conveyance surface. Thereby, the up-and-down movement of the belt can be effectively suppressed, and the situation where the glass film interferes with the second restricting member can be avoided, and the glass film can be safely conveyed.

[0027] Advantages of the Invention

[0028] As described above, according to the present invention, when the glass film is conveyed by a belt conveyor, wrinkles and other deformations can be prevented from occurring in the glass film, and the up-and-down movement of the belt can be effectively suppressed, so that good manufacturing-related processing can be performed on the glass film. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a side view showing the overall structure of a manufacturing apparatus for a glass film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 isFigure 1 Top view of the conveying device shown

[0031] Figure 3 is Figure 2 Side view of the conveying device shown

[0032] Figure 4 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveying device along the cutting line A-A in Figure 2

[0033] Figure 5 is a view obtained by magnifying the part indicated by arrow B in Figure 4

[0034] Figure 6 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveying device along the cutting line C-C in Figure 2

[0035] Figure 7 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveying device along the cutting line D-D in Figure 2

[0036] Figure 8 is a magnified cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveying device of other inventions

[0037] Figure 9 is a view obtained by magnifying the part indicated by arrow E in Figure 8 Detailed implementation mode

[0038] Hereinafter, based on Figures 1 - 7 An embodiment of the manufacturing method of the glass film of the present invention will be described. It should be noted that hereinafter, the case where the glass film is wound in a roll shape and finally a glass roll is obtained will be taken as an example for description

[0039] As Figure 1 shown, the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the glass film (glass roll) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a forming part 2 that forms a strip-shaped base glass film G; a direction conversion part 3 that converts the traveling direction of the base glass film G from vertically downward to horizontally; a first conveying part 4 that conveys the base glass film G horizontally after the direction conversion; a first cutting part 5 that cuts both ends in the width direction of the base glass film G; and a first winding part 6 that winds the glass film (hereinafter, referred to as the first glass film.) G1 from which both ends in the width direction have been removed in a roll shape to obtain a first glass roll GRL1. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the vertical direction is the plumb direction and the horizontal direction is the horizontal direction

[0040] ​​​​​In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the glass roll further includes: a pulling-out unit 7 that pulls out the first glass film G1 from the first glass roll GRL1; a second conveying unit 8 that conveys the first glass film G1 pulled out from the pulling-out unit 7 in the lateral direction; a second cutting unit 9 that cuts a part of the first glass film G1; and a second winding unit 10 that winds the glass films (hereinafter referred to as the second glass films) G2a and G2b cut by the second cutting unit 9 in a roll shape to obtain the second glass rolls GRL2a and GRL2b. It should be noted that the second cutting unit 9 in the present embodiment corresponds to the manufacturing-related processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0041] The forming unit 2 includes: a forming body 11 having a substantially wedge-shaped cross-section, with an overflow groove 11a formed at its upper end; an edge roller 12 disposed directly below the forming body 11 and sandwiching the molten glass GM that has overflowed from the forming body 11 from both the front and back sides; and an annealing furnace 13 provided directly below the edge roller 12.

[0042] The forming unit 2 causes the molten glass GM that has overflowed from the overflow groove 11a of the forming body 11 to flow down along both side surfaces respectively, and the molten glass GM converges at its lower end to form a film shape. The edge roller 12 restricts the widthwise contraction of the molten glass GM to adjust the widthwise dimension of the base glass film G. The annealing furnace 13 is used to perform a strain-relieving treatment on the base glass film G. The annealing furnace 13 has annealing rollers 14 arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

[0043] Support rollers 15 that sandwich the base glass film G from both the front and back sides are disposed below the annealing furnace 13. A tension for promoting the thinning of the base glass film G is applied between the support rollers 15 and the edge roller 12 or between the support rollers 15 and any of the annealing rollers 14.

[0044] The direction conversion unit 3 is provided at a position below the support rollers 15. A plurality of guide rollers 16 that guide the base glass film G are arranged in a curved shape in the direction conversion unit 3. These guide rollers 16 guide the base glass film G conveyed in the vertical direction to the lateral direction.

[0045] The first conveying unit 4 is arranged in front (downstream side) of the direction conversion unit 3 in the traveling direction. The first conveying unit 4 drives a driving unit having a support conveying surface to convey the base glass film G that has passed through the direction conversion unit 3 downstream along its length direction. It should be noted that the first conveying unit 4 can adopt any structure. For example, it can be composed of one or more belt conveying mechanisms. In this case, the driving unit having a support conveying surface is a belt, and by driving this belt, the base glass film G can be conveyed according to the above-mentioned scheme. Of course, the first conveying unit 4 is not limited to the above-exemplified structure, and a roller conveyor, various other conveying devices can also be used.

[0046] The first cutting unit 5 is disposed above the first conveying unit 4. In the present embodiment, the first cutting unit 5 is configured to be able to cut the base glass film G by laser cutting. Specifically, the first cutting unit 5 includes: a pair of laser irradiation devices 17a; and a pair of cooling devices 17b, which are disposed on the downstream side of the laser irradiation device 17a. After the first cutting unit 5 irradiates the laser L on a specified portion of the transported base glass film G from each laser irradiation device 17a and heats it, the refrigerant R is released from the cooling device 17b to cool the heated portion.

[0047] The first winding unit 6 is provided on the downstream side of the first conveying unit 4 and the first cutting unit 5. The first winding unit 6 winds the first glass film G1 in a roll shape by rotating the core 18. The obtained first glass roll GRL1 is transported to the position of the pulling-out unit 7. The pulling-out unit 7 pulls out the first glass film G1 from the first glass roll GRL1 obtained by the first winding unit 6 and supplies it to the second conveying unit 8.

[0048] The second conveying unit 8 conveys the first glass film G1 pulled out from the first glass roll GRL1 in the pulling-out unit 7 along the lateral direction (hereinafter referred to as the conveying direction X). Here, as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, the second conveying unit 8 includes: an upstream side conveyor 19, which is relatively located on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the first glass film G1; and a downstream side conveyor 20, which is located on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the first glass film G1 with respect to the upstream side conveyor 19. In this case, the second cutting unit 9 as a manufacturing-related processing device is disposed between the upstream side conveyor 19 and the downstream side conveyor 20. Therefore, the cutting region 21 of the first glass film G1 cut by the second cutting unit 9 ( Figure 2 the region surrounded by the single-dot chain line in) does not exist on either the support conveying surface of the upstream side conveyor 19 or the support conveying surface of the downstream side conveyor 20.

[0049] The upstream side conveyor 19 is composed of a belt conveyor mechanism. In the present embodiment, the upstream side conveyor 19 includes a plurality of upstream side belt conveyors 22a to 22g. The plurality of upstream side belt conveyors 22a to 22g are all configured to be able to convey the first glass film G1 in contact and supported downstream in the same direction by belts (hereinafter referred to as the first belts 23a to 23g). Here, each of the first belts 23a to 23g is, for example, an endless belt, and each of the first belts 23a to 23g is set at the same height direction position so that the entire region in contact with the first glass film G1 in the length direction of the first glass film G1 is maintained in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0050] Here, each of the upstream side belt conveyors 22a to 22g has the same belt drive structure. If at the most end side in the width direction (Figure 2 Taking the upstream belt conveyor 22g on the lower side) as an example, as Figure 3 shown, the upstream belt conveyor 22g has: the above-mentioned annular first belt 23g; a plurality of pulleys 24 for applying tension to the first belt 23g and arranging the first belt 23g at a specified position; and a first support 25 for supporting the plurality of pulleys 24. The first support 25 is fixed to the floor surface. In addition, a driving source 26 such as a motor is connected to a specified pulley 24 (driving pulley 24a) among the plurality of pulleys 24 (refer to Figure 2 ), and the driving source 26 applies a driving force to the driving pulley 24a, so that the first belt 23g of the upstream belt conveyor 22g can be driven in a specified direction.

[0051] In addition, the plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g having the above structure are respectively arranged at specified width direction positions. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of first glass films G1 having different width direction dimensions are conveyed on the upstream conveyor 19, and the width direction positions of the first belts 23a to 23g are set so as to contact and support both ends in the width direction of each of the assumed first glass films G1. In addition, in the present embodiment, the upstream belt conveyor 22d is arranged so that all the first glass films G1 can be contact-supported at the central position in the width direction of the first glass film G1 regardless of the size of the width direction dimension (refer to Figure 2 ). In the present embodiment, the upstream belt conveyor 22d at the central position in the width direction is configured to be able to adsorb the first glass film G1 on the surface of the first belt 23d that is its support and conveyance surface. The support structure of each of the first belts 23a to 23g including this adsorption structure will be described later.

[0052] The downstream conveyor 20 is composed of a belt conveyor. In the present embodiment, the downstream conveyor 20 includes a plurality of downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. The plurality of downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g are all configured to be able to convey the cut first glass film G1, that is, the second glass films G2a and G2b, in the same direction while contact-supporting them downstream by using belts (hereinafter referred to as second belts 28a to 28g). Here, each of the second belts 28a to 28g is, for example, an annular belt, and each of the second belts 28a to 28g is set at the same height direction position so that the entire area where the second glass films G2a and G2b are in contact in the length direction of the second glass film is maintained in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0053] Here, each of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g has the same belt drive structure. If the downstream belt conveyor 27g at the end side in the width direction ([[]] Figure 2 on the lower side) is taken as an example, then asFigure 3 As shown, the downstream belt conveyor 27g has: the above-mentioned endless second belts 28a to 28g; a plurality of pulleys 29 for applying tension to the second belts 28a to 28g and disposing the second belts 28a to 28g at a prescribed position; and a first support body 30 for supporting the plurality of pulleys 29. In addition, a drive source 31 such as a motor is connected to a prescribed pulley 29 (drive pulley 29a) among the plurality of pulleys 29 (refer to Figure 2 ), and the drive source 31 applies a driving force to the drive pulley 29a, so that the second belts 28a to 28g of the respective downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g can be driven in a prescribed direction. The drive source 31 is separately and independently provided from the drive sources 26 of the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g. Therefore, the drives of the respective drive sources 26 and 31 can be controlled independently of each other without being interlocked, and furthermore, the drives of the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g and the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g can be controlled independently of each other without being interlocked.

[0054] In addition, in the present embodiment, the plurality of downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g can be respectively disposed at prescribed positions in the width direction, and are configured to be able to adjust the positions of the respective second belts 28a to 28g in the width direction of the first glass film G1. Specifically, a guide rail portion 32 extending in the width direction of the first glass film G1 is disposed below each of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. And a sliding portion 33 capable of relatively moving between the guide rail portion 32 is installed at the lower part of each first support body 30 constituting each of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. Thereby, the sliding portion 33 of each first support body 30 slides in the width direction with respect to the guide rail portion 32, so that the plurality of pulleys 29 supported by each first support body 30 and the second belts 28a to 28g supported by these pulleys 29 can slide integrally in the width direction. It should be noted that the drive pulleys 29a of the respective downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g are supported so as to be able to slide in the width direction with respect to a common shaft portion 34. Therefore, the position in the width direction with respect to the shaft portion 34 can be freely changed, and driving can be performed while receiving the driving force from the drive source 31 at an arbitrary position in the width direction. It should be noted that in the illustrated example, the downstream belt conveyor 27a located at the uppermost side at the other end side in the width direction Figure 2 is disposed at a position (retreat space 35) deviated in the width direction from the conveyance path of the second glass films G2a and G2b.

[0055] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2As shown, the second belts 28a to 28g of all the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g are configured to be able to adsorb the second glass films G2a and G2b to the surfaces 28a1 to 28g1 that serve as their support and conveyance surfaces. The support structures of the respective second belts 28a to 28g including this adsorption structure will be described later.

[0056] Next, details of the belt support structures of the respective belt conveyors 22a to 22g and 27a to 27g will be described.

[0057] Among the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g, the remaining upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c and 22e to 22g excluding the upstream belt conveyor 22d at the center in the width direction form the same belt support structure. Hereinafter, details of the belt support structure will be described taking the upstream belt conveyor 22g on one end side in the width direction as an example.

[0058] As described above, the upstream belt conveyor 22g has an endless first belt 23g, a plurality of belt pulleys 24, a first support 25, and a drive source 26 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), and as Figure 4 shown, also has a second support 36 that supports the first belt 23g from below, a first restricting member 37 that restricts the movement of the first belt 23g in the width direction, and a second restricting member 38 that restricts the upward movement of the first belt 23g.

[0059] Among them, as enlarged in Figure 5 , the first belt 23g has a stepped structure on both sides in its width direction. Specifically, it has a lower step surface 40 that extends along the length direction of the first belt 23g ( Figure 5 the direction passing through the paper surface) and is located below the support and conveyance surface 39 of the first glass film G1. In the present embodiment, the first belt 23g integrally has a first layer 41 that provides the support and conveyance surface 39 and a second layer 42 that is located below the first layer 41 (on the side of the second support 36) and provides the lower step surface 40. Therefore, the width direction dimension of the second layer 42 is larger than the width direction dimension of the first layer 41, and the second layer 42 protrudes from the first layer 41 on both sides in its width direction. The protruding portions form the lower step surface 40.

[0060] Here, the materials and structures of the first layer 41 and the second layer 42 are arbitrary. For example, in consideration of the contact property with respect to the first glass film G1, the base material of the first layer 41 is formed of a material having good contact property with respect to the first glass film G1. Here, a material having good contact property with respect to the glass film G1 means a material that does not cause scratches or the like on the glass film G1 even when in contact with the glass film G1 and has a certain degree of frictional force with respect to the glass film G1 for smoothly transporting the glass film G1. In addition, in consideration of the slidability of at least one of the first restricting member 37 and the second restricting member 38 described later, the base material of the second layer 42 is formed of a material having good slidability with respect to at least one of the first restricting member 37 and the second restricting member 38.

[0061] The first restricting member 37 is, for example, in the shape of a strip plate and is disposed outside the width direction of the first belt 23g and extends along the length direction of the first belt 23g. In the present embodiment, as Figure 5 shown, it is fixed to the second support body 36. Thereby, the movement of the first belt 23g in the width direction can be restricted within a specified range.

[0062] The second restricting member 38 integrally has, for example, a pressing portion 43 that extends toward the center side in the width direction of the first belt 23g and can press the lower step surface 40 downward, and a connecting portion 44 that connects the pressing portion 43 and the second support body 36. In the present embodiment, both the pressing portion 43 and the connecting portion 44 are in the shape of a plate, and one end in the length direction of the pressing portion 43 is connected to one end in the length direction of the connecting portion 44 to form a bent portion. In addition, the connecting portion 44 and the second support body 36 are connected to each other via the first restricting member 37. In a state where the second restricting member 38 is fixed to the second support body 36 by using the connecting portion 44 in this way, the second restricting member 38 is positioned in the vertical direction, and thereby the upward movement of the first belt 23g can be restricted within a specified range.

[0063] In addition, as described above, in a state where the second restricting member 38 is fixed to the second support body 36, the width direction gap 45 between the first layer 41 and the pressing portion 43 is set to a specified size so that the first layer 41 of the first belt 23g and the pressing portion 43 do not interfere with each other. Specifically, in consideration of the range in which the movement of the first belt 23g in the width direction is restricted by the first restricting member 37, the size of the width direction gap 45 is set to an appropriate size, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. The size of the width direction gap 45 is preferably wider than the gap provided between the first restricting member 37 and the second layer 42. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the first layer 41 and the pressing portion 43 from sliding.

[0064] Further, as described above, when the second restricting member 38 is fixed to the second support 36 and the first glass film G1 is supported and conveyed by the support and conveyance surface 39 of the first belt 23g, the step between the support and conveyance surface 39 and the lower step surface 40 or the thickness dimension of the pressing portion 43 is set such that a predetermined gap is generated between the first glass film G1 and the pressing portion 43 of the second restricting member 38, in other words, the first glass film G1 does not interfere with the pressing portion 43.

[0065] The second support 36 is attached to the first support 25 and thus fixed to the floor surface. The second support 36 is formed of a hollow-shaped frame body, such as a square pipe, in the present embodiment. On the other hand, the internal space of the second support 36 and the space between the second support 36 and the first belt 23g are in a blocked state, and further, a structure is formed such that no exhaust action is generated. Therefore, the first belt 23g is not adsorbed to the second support 36 (configured not to be adsorbed).

[0066] Next, details of the belt support structure of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g will be described. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g have the same belt support structure, details of the belt support structure will be described taking the downstream belt conveyor 27g on the one end side in the width direction ( Figure 2 the lowermost side) as an example.

[0067] As described above, the downstream belt conveyor 27g has an endless second belt 28g, a plurality of belt pulleys 29, a first support 30, and a drive source 31 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), and as shown in Figure 6 , also has a second support 46 that supports the second belt 28g from below, a first restricting member 47 that restricts the movement of the second belt 28g in the width direction, and a second restricting member 48 that restricts the upward movement of the second belt 28g.

[0068] Among them, the second belt 28g has a lower step surface 50 that extends along the length direction of the second belt 28g ( Figure 6 the direction penetrating the paper surface) and is located below the support and conveyance surface 49 of the second glass films G2a and G2b, similar to the first belt 23g. In the present embodiment, the second belt 28g integrally has a first layer 51 provided with the support and conveyance surface 49 and a second layer 52 located below the first layer 51 and provided with the lower step surface 50.

[0069] Here, the materials and structures of the first layer 51 and the second layer 52 are arbitrary, and for example, the same materials and structures as the first layer 41 and the second layer 42 of the first belt 23g described above can be adopted.

[0070] In addition, the shape of the first restricting member 47 and its arrangement relative to the second belt 28g and the second support 46 are the same as the shape and arrangement of the first restricting member 37.

[0071] The second restricting member 48 integrally has a pressing portion 53 and a connecting portion 54 in the same manner as the upstream belt conveyor 22g. Regarding the shapes of these pressing portion 53 and connecting portion 54 and their arrangements relative to the second belt 28g and the second glass film G2, they are also the same as the shape and arrangement of the second restricting member 38.

[0072] The second support 46 is attached to the first support 30, whereby it can move integrally with the first support 30. The second support 46 is formed of a hollow-shaped frame body, such as a square pipe, in the present embodiment. The second support 46 has an exhaust space 55 capable of exhausting air inside thereof, and the exhaust space 55 is connected to a blower 56 as an exhaust device. In addition, communication portions for communicating the space between the second belt 28g and the second support 46 and the exhaust space 55 are provided in the second support 46 and the second belt 28g. In the example of this figure, as Figure 6 shown, a groove portion 57 extending along the length direction of the second belt 28g and a hole portion 58 for communicating the groove portion 57 with the exhaust space 55 are provided in the upper portion of the second support 46. In addition, a plurality of through holes 59 are provided at positions overlapping the groove portion 57 in the width direction of the second belt 28g. Thereby, the exhaust space 55 is exhausted by driving the blower 56, and thus a downward attracting force acts on the second glass films G2a and G2b on the second belt 28g via the groove portion 57, the hole portion 58, and the through holes 59, whereby the second glass films G2a and G2b can be adsorbed to the second belt 28g.

[0073] On the other hand, among the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g, the upstream belt conveyor 22d at the center in the width direction forms a belt support structure different from the remaining upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g and the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g.

[0074] The upstream belt conveyor 22d has an annular first belt 23d, a plurality of belt pulleys 24, a first support 25, and a drive source 26 as described above (refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), and as Figure 7 shown, also has a second support 36 and a first restricting member 37 in the same manner as the other upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g. The second restricting member 38 is not provided in the upstream belt conveyor 22d.

[0075] Among them, the first belt 23d integrally has, in the same manner as the other first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g, a first layer 41 that provides a support and conveyance surface 39 and a second layer 42 that provides a lower step surface 40 located at a lower step of the support and conveyance surface 39.

[0076] The second support 36 is mounted on the first support 25 and is thus fixed to the floor surface. In addition, the second support 36 has an exhaust space 55 therein that can exhaust air, and the exhaust space 55 is connected to a blower 56 that serves as an exhaust device. Further, a groove portion 57 extending in the length direction of the first belt 23d and a hole portion 58 that communicates the groove portion 57 with the exhaust space 55 are provided in the upper portion of the second support 36. In addition, a plurality of through holes 59 are provided at positions overlapping the groove portion 57 in the width direction of the first belt 23d. Thus, by exhausting the exhaust space 55 by driving the blower 56, a downward attractive force acts on the first glass film G1 on the first belt 23d via the groove portion 57, the hole portion 58, and the through holes 59, and thus the first glass film G1 can be adsorbed to the first belt 23d.

[0077] The second cutting portion 9 is disposed above a region between the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20 in the second conveying portion 8 (see Figure 1 and Figure 3 ). In the present embodiment, the second cutting portion 9 is configured to be able to cut the first glass film G1 by laser cutting and includes: a plurality of laser irradiation devices 60; and a cooling device 61 disposed on the downstream side of each laser irradiation device 60. In this case, the cooling device 61 is arranged in the same number as the laser irradiation devices 60. In the present embodiment, the cutting regions 21 of the first glass film G1 cut by the second cutting portion 9 are provided at three positions in the width direction (see Figure 2 ), and thus three laser irradiation devices 60 and three cooling devices 61 are respectively provided. The second cutting portion 9 having the above structure is configured to release a refrigerant R from the cooling device 61 after irradiating a specified portion of the conveyed first glass film G1 with laser L from each laser irradiation device 60 and heating it, so as to be able to cool the heated portion.

[0078] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2As shown in the figure, a first platform 62 is disposed at a position separated in the width direction from the cutting area 21 of the first glass film G1 described above, and is capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 carried by the second transfer unit 8. Specifically, the first platform 62 is disposed at a position corresponding to the center side in the width direction of the cut first glass film G1 (second glass films G2a, G2b). In the present embodiment, since two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out from one first glass film G1, the first platforms 62 are respectively disposed at positions in the width direction with respect to the cutting area 21 and corresponding to the center in the width direction of each second glass film G2a, G2b. These first platforms 62 are provided on the floor surface and fixed, and are always in a stationary state, and the illustration thereof is omitted.

[0079] In addition, as Figure 2 shown, the first platform 62 has a first support surface 63 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 and a first suction portion 64 capable of attracting the first glass film G1 toward the first support surface 63. According to the first suction portion 64, when the first glass film G1 is carried on the first support surface 63 of the first platform 62, the first glass film G1 can be attracted to the first support surface 63.

[0080] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, a second platform 65 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 is disposed in the cutting area 21 of the first glass film G1 described above. In the present embodiment, the first glass film G1 is cut at three positions in the width direction, so three second platforms 65 are respectively disposed for the cutting areas 21 at the three positions. These second platforms 65 are provided on the floor surface and fixed, and are always in a stationary state, and the illustration thereof is omitted.

[0081] Here, the second platform 65 has a second support surface 66 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 and a second suction portion 67 capable of attracting the first glass film G1 toward the second support surface 66. According to the second suction portion 67, when the first glass film G1 is carried on the second support surface 66 of the second platform 65, the first glass film G1 can be attracted to the second support surface 66.

[0082] A gap forming portion 68 for forming a width direction gap between a set of second glass films G2a, G2b adjacent in the width direction is provided at a position downstream of the second transfer unit 8. In the present embodiment, the gap forming portion 68 has barrel-shaped support rollers 69a, 69b with the largest diameter at the center in the width direction, so that each second glass film G2a, G2b is bent and deformed in a direction protruding upward. In the present embodiment, two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out, so two support rollers 69a, 69b are provided.

[0083] The second winding section 10 is disposed at a position downstream of the second transfer section 8. Specifically, the second winding section 10 winds the second glass films G2a, G2b transferred by the second transfer section 8 using the cores 70a, 70b to obtain the second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b. In the present embodiment, two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out, and thus these two second glass films G2a, G2b are wound respectively to obtain two second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b.

[0084] As the material of the second glass films G2a, G2b (first glass film G1) manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above structure, silicate glass, silica glass is used, preferably borosilicate glass, soda-lime glass, aluminosilicate glass, chemically strengthened glass is used, and most preferably non-alkali glass is used. Here, the non-alkali glass means glass that substantially does not contain an alkali component (alkali metal oxide), specifically, glass having a weight ratio of the alkali component of 3000 ppm or less. In the present invention, the weight ratio of the alkali component is preferably 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, and most preferably 300 ppm or less.

[0085] In addition, the thickness dimension of the second glass films G2a, G2b (first glass film G1) is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and most preferably 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

[0086] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the second glass films G2a, G2b (second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b in the present embodiment) using the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above structure will be described. This method includes a forming step S1, an end removal step S2, a first winding step S3, a pulling step S4, a cutting step S5, and a second winding step S6.

[0087] In the forming step S1, as Figure 1 shown, the molten glass GM overflowing from the overflow trough 11a of the forming body 11 in the forming section 2 flows down along both side surfaces of the forming body 11 respectively and joins at its lower end to be formed into a film shape. At this time, the widthwise shrinkage of the molten glass GM is restricted by the edge rolls 12 to form a base glass film G having a specified width. Then, the base glass film G is subjected to a strain removal treatment (annealing step) using the annealing furnace 13. Under the action of the tension of the support rolls 15, the base glass film G is formed into a specified thickness.

[0088] In the end removal step S2, similarly as Figure 1As shown, while feeding the base glass film G downstream using the direction conversion unit 3 and the first transfer unit 4, in the first cutting unit 5, a laser L is irradiated from the laser irradiation device 17a onto a part of the base glass film G for heating. After that, a refrigerant R is blown onto the heated part using the cooling device 17b. Thereby, thermal stress is generated in the base glass film G. Initial cracks are pre-formed in the base glass film G, and the cracks develop under the action of the thermal stress. As a result, both end portions in the width direction of the base glass film G are removed, and the first glass film G1 is formed.

[0089] In the subsequent first winding process S3, similarly as Figure 1 shown, by winding the first glass film G1 around the core 18, the first glass roll GRL1 is obtained. After that, the first glass roll GRL1 is transferred to the pulling-out unit 7. In the pulling-out process S4, the first glass film G1 is pulled out from the first glass roll GRL1 transferred to the pulling-out unit 7, and the first glass film G1 is transferred to the cutting area 21 on the second transfer unit 8 using the second transfer unit 8 (refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 ).

[0090] In the cutting process S5, a laser L is irradiated onto the part of the first glass film G1 passing through the cutting area 21 on the second transfer unit 8 using the laser irradiation device 60, and a refrigerant R is blown onto the irradiated area, thereby cutting the first glass film G1 in the direction along the transfer direction X. In addition, at this time, the first glass film G1 is transported in the direction along the transfer direction X by the upstream conveyor 19. At this time, with respect to the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g constituting the upstream conveyor 19, for the upstream belt conveyor 22d corresponding to the central position in the width direction of the first glass film G1, the exhaust space 55 in its second support 36 is exhausted using the blower 56, so that an upward adsorption force acts on the first glass film G1 on the first belt 23d via the groove portion 57, the hole portion 58, and the through hole 59 (refer to Figure 7 ). Thereby, the first glass film G1 is transported in the state of being adsorbed on the first belt 23d of the upstream belt conveyor 22d in the direction along the transfer direction X.

[0091] Regarding the remaining upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g, they are configured such that the first glass film G1 cannot be adsorbed on the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g (refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5), so the first glass film G1 is conveyed along the conveying direction X in a state of being in contact with and supported by the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g. At this time, no attraction force acting on the second support 36 is generated in the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g, and no downward pressing force caused by attracting the first glass film G1 directly above is generated either. Therefore, these first belts 23a to 23, 23e to 23g not only generate movement in the width direction but also generate vertical movement along with the drive, but the upward movement of these first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g is in a state restricted by the second restricting member 38 (see Figure 4 and Figure 5 ). Therefore, the first glass film G1 can be conveyed along the conveying direction X while suppressing the vertical movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g.

[0092] In the cutting process S5, as described above, while the first glass film G1 is conveyed along the specified conveying direction X by the upstream side belt conveyors 22a to 22g, multiple laser beams L are irradiated from the laser irradiation unit of the laser irradiation device 60 to the first glass film G1 (laser irradiation process).

[0093] By the irradiation of the laser L as described above, the first glass film G1 is heated. After that, when the heated portion in the first glass film G1 reaches directly below the cooling device 61, it is cooled by being sprayed with the refrigerant R sprayed downward from the cooling device 61. Thermal stress is generated in the first glass film G1 under the action of the expansion caused by the local heating of the laser irradiation device 60 and the contraction caused by the cooling of the cooling device 61. Initial cracks are pre-formed in the first glass film G1 by a mechanism not shown, and the initial cracks are developed by the above thermal stress, so that the first glass film G1 is continuously cut (severed) at a specified position in its width direction. In the present embodiment, by performing the above laser cutting at three positions in the width direction, the two end portions in the width direction of the first glass film G1 are discarded, and two second glass films G2a, G2b having specified width direction dimensions are cut out (see Figure 2 ). These second glass films G2a, G2b are conveyed by the downstream conveyor 20 located at a position downstream of the cutting area 21 in the conveying direction X to the second winding portion 10 located at a position downstream of the downstream conveyor 20 in the conveying direction X.

[0094] At this time, a structure capable of adsorbing the second glass films G2a, G2b supported and conveyed is provided in the plurality of downstream side belt conveyors 27a to 27g constituting the downstream conveyor 20 (see Figure 6)。Therefore, by exhausting the exhaust space 55 in each second support 46 using the blower 56, a downward suction force is applied to the second glass films G2a and G2b on the second belts 28a to 28f via the groove portion 57, the hole portion 58, and the through hole 59. Thus, the second glass films G2a and G2b are transported along the transport direction X in a state of being adsorbed to the second belts 28a to 28f of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27f.

[0095] In the second winding step S6, the second glass films G2a and G2b are wound around the cores 70a and 70b disposed at predetermined positions, respectively. By winding the second glass films G2a and G2b of a predetermined length, the second glass rolls GRL2a and GRL2b are obtained.

[0096] In addition, in the present embodiment, support rollers 69a and 69b serving as gap forming portions 68 are disposed between the downstream conveyor 20 and the second winding portion 10. Therefore, the second glass films G2a and G2b passing over the support rollers 69a and 69b are transported downstream while being deformed in accordance with the outer peripheral surface shape of the support rollers 69a and 69b (here, bent and deformed in a direction protruding upward). As a result, a predetermined width direction gap is formed between the second glass films G2a and G2b immediately after cutting, and thus interference between the cut surfaces can be avoided and they can be transported to the second winding portion 10 separately.

[0097] As described above, in the method for manufacturing the glass film (second glass films G2a and G2b) of the present embodiment, in addition to the first restricting members 37 that restrict the movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g in the width direction, second restricting members 38 that restrict the upward movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g are also provided. In addition, lower step surfaces 40 extending in the length direction of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g and located on the center side in the thickness direction of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g with respect to the support transport surface 39 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g, and pressing portions 43 capable of pressing the lower step surfaces 40 downward are provided on the second restricting members 38 (refer to Figure 5) Accordingly, the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g are restricted from moving upward corresponding to the position of the pressing portion 43, so that the vertical movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g can be suppressed within a specified range. In addition, the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g are configured to be pressed downward by the lower step surfaces 40 provided on both sides in the width direction thereof, so that the pressing portion 43 of the second restricting member 38 can be retracted from the supporting and conveying surface 39 toward the center in the thickness direction of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g. Therefore, the vertical movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g can be effectively suppressed, and the situation where the first glass film G1 interferes with the second restricting member 38 can be avoided, and the first glass film G1 can be safely conveyed.

[0098] In particular, as in the present embodiment, when the strip-shaped first glass film G1 is supported and conveyed by the plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g, the influence of the vertical movement of the first belts 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g on the first glass film G1 becomes large. However, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the vertical movement of each of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g can be separately and reliably suppressed. Therefore, stable conveyance of the first glass film G1 and further stable cutting processing can be performed on the first glass film G1.

[0099] In addition, in the present embodiment, the upstream belt conveyor 22d disposed at a position corresponding to the center in the width direction of the first glass film G1 among the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g is configured to be able to adsorb the first glass film G1, and the remaining upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g are configured not to be able to adsorb. In this way, the first glass film G1 is adsorbed and conveyed at symmetric positions in the width direction, so that the positional deviation in the plane direction during the conveyance of the entire first glass film G1 can be effectively prevented. In addition, the remaining upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g are used to contact and support the outer sides in the width direction of the first glass film G1 while suppressing the vertical movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g, so that the positional deviation (deviation) in the height direction caused by the vertical movement of the first belts 23a to 23c, 23e to 23g can be minimized. As described above, according to the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g of the present embodiment, the positional deviation of the first glass film G1 in all directions can be prevented, and more accurate cutting processing can be performed.

[0100] In addition, in the present embodiment, the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g are configured to be capable of adsorption, and the belt support structure of the present invention is also applied to these downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. When adsorbing the second glass films G2a and G2b by the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g, if the adsorption force is too strong, unnecessary deformation may be caused to the second glass films G2a and G2b immediately after cutting, and contact between the cut surfaces may occur. In contrast, by configuring the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g as described above, the adsorption force can be adjusted to give the second glass films G2a and G2b the necessary minimum binding force and suppress the vertical movement of the second belts 28a to 28g. Thereby, the second glass films G2a and G2b are constrained with an appropriate force to prevent position deviation and unnecessary deformation, and the vertical movement of the second belts 28a to 28g is suppressed, enabling accurate winding.

[0101] As described above, one embodiment of the method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass film of the present invention has been described. However, the manufacturing method and apparatus can of course take any form within the scope of the present invention.

[0102] For example, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which both the first belts 23a to 23g and the second belts 28a to 28g are two-layer structures, and the second layers 42 and 52 protrude from the first layers 41 and 51 in the width direction, and the protruding portions are used as the lower step surfaces 40 and 50. However, it is of course not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to prepare a single-layer belt and thin the two sides in the width direction of the single-layer belt to form steps, that is, the lower step surfaces 40 and 50, and the illustration thereof is omitted.

[0103] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the material of the first layer 41 is selected in consideration of the contact property with the first glass film G1, and the material of the second layer 42 is selected in consideration of the slidability with respect to the pressing portion 43 of the second restricting member 38, so as to give the support and conveyance surface 39 good contact property with respect to the first glass film G1, and give the lower step surface 40 good slidability with respect to the pressing portion 43. However, of course, other structures can also be adopted. For example, it is also possible to perform a film-forming treatment on the region that becomes the support and conveyance surface 39 with a material having good contact property with respect to the first glass film G1, and perform a film-forming treatment on the region that becomes the lower step surface 40 with a material having good slidability with respect to the pressing portion 43, and the illustration thereof is omitted. In addition, when there are other required characteristics in addition to the sliding characteristics, the materials of the support and conveyance surface 39 and the lower step surface 40 can be set to satisfy the required characteristics.

[0104] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, as the second restricting members 38 and 48, a restricting member having a shape in which a strip-shaped member is bent into a substantially right angle is illustrated, but of course, it is not limited thereto. For example, as long as it is accommodated between the respective glass films G1, G2a, G2b and the lower step surfaces 40 and 50, the shapes of the pressing portions 43 and 53 are arbitrary. In addition, the dimension in the direction along the conveyance direction X thereof is also arbitrary. For example, the conveyance direction dimension may be larger than the width direction dimension of the pressing portion 43.

[0105] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a case where the same belt support structure (the second restricting members 38 and 48, the lower step surfaces 40 and 50) is provided in the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g and the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g is illustrated, but of course, it is not limited thereto. For example, mutually different belt support structures may be applied to the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g and the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. In addition, mutually different belt support structures may be applied among the plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g or the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. In addition, the belt support structure of the present invention may be applied to a part of the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g, or the belt support structure of the present invention may be used for a part of the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g. Of course, in the case where an adsorption structure is provided in the downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g, the belt support structure of the present invention may be applied only to the upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22c, 22e to 22g.

[0106] In addition, in the above description, a case where the second platform 65 is disposed in the cutting region 21 of the first glass film G1 and the first platform 62 is disposed at a position separated from the cutting region 21 in the width direction is illustrated, but of course, it is not limited thereto. As long as it does not have such a great influence on the laser cutting, a third conveyor (not shown) may be disposed such that the cutting region 21 passes through the support conveyance surface, and at least one of the first platform 62 and the second platform 65 may be omitted.

[0107] In addition, the support conveyance surface of the conveyance device (the second conveyance unit 8) does not necessarily have to be disconnected at a position corresponding to the cutting region 21 in the conveyance direction X. For example, the support conveyance surface of the second conveyance unit 8 may be disconnected at a position shifted downstream in the conveyance direction X from the cutting region 21.

[0108] It should be noted that in the above description, an example is given where both the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20 formed by dividing the second transfer unit 8 as a transfer device by the cut-off area 21 are constituted by belt conveyors. However, of course, other methods can also be adopted. For example, at least one of the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20 can be constituted by a roller conveyor or various other transfer devices, and the other can be constituted by a belt conveyor having the belt support structure of the present invention.

[0109] In addition, in the above description, an example is given where the second transfer unit 8 includes two conveyors 19 and 20 in its transfer direction X. However, of course, it is not limited thereto. For example, the second transfer unit 8 can be constituted by a single belt conveyor over the entire range of its transfer direction X, a cut-off area 21 can be provided on this belt conveyor, and the belt support structure of the present invention can be applied.

[0110] In addition, in the above description, an example is given where the second transfer unit 8 is constituted by a plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22a to 22g and downstream belt conveyors 27a to 27g adjacent in the width direction of the first glass film G1. However, of course, other structures can also be adopted. For example, the upstream conveyor 19 can be constituted by a single belt conveyor. Or the downstream conveyor 20 can be constituted by a single belt conveyor.

[0111] In addition, in the above description, an example is given where two (or three) second glass films G2a and G2b (G2a to G2c) are cut out from one first glass film G1. However, of course, the present invention can also be applied when cutting out a single second glass film G2a with different width direction dimensions, and the present invention can also be applied when cutting out four or more second glass films G2a....

[0112] In addition, in the above description, the application of the present invention to the first glass film G1 obtained by cutting the width direction ends of the base glass film G by the first cutting unit 5 is described. However, the present invention can also be applied to the cutting of the base glass film G by the first cutting unit 5. In this case, the present invention can be implemented by the first transfer unit 4 adopting the same structure as the second transfer unit 8 shown in Figure 2 etc. In addition, for these first cutting unit 5 and second cutting unit 9, a structure capable of performing cutting other than laser cutting can also be adopted.

[0113] In addition, in the above description, a case where a cutting process in the longitudinal direction is performed as a process related to the manufacture of the glass film is illustrated. However, of course, other processes such as coating, film formation, and lamination of laminates can also be applied to the belt conveyor of the present invention as long as they can be performed from the formation of the glass film to the shipment of the final product in a state of being transported by the belt conveyor. That is, the belt conveyor of the present invention can be applied to a process for performing any manufacturing-related process.

[0114] In addition, in the above description, a case where the present invention is applied to the strip-shaped first glass film G1 is described. However, of course, the present invention can also be applied to the first glass film G1 having other forms. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a single sheet of plate glass (glass film) such as a rectangular shape, and the illustration thereof is omitted. In addition, it is not necessary to wind the cut second glass film G2a... in a roll shape. In other words, the present invention can also be applied to a manufacturing process of the second glass film G2a... that is not wound in a roll shape.

[0115] Explanation of reference numerals

[0116] 1: Manufacturing apparatus for glass roll, 2: Forming section, 3: Direction conversion section, 4: First conveying section, 5: First cutting section, 8: Second conveying section, 9: Second cutting section, 11: Formed body, 17a: Laser irradiation device, 17b: Cooling device, 19: Upstream conveyor, 20: Downstream conveyor, 21: Cutting area, 22a - 22g: Upstream belt conveyor, 23a - 23g: First belt, 24, 29: Pulley, 25, 30: First support, 26, 31: Drive source, 27a - 27g: Downstream belt conveyor, 28a - 28g: Second belt, 29: Pulley, 29a: Driving pulley, 30: First support, 31: Drive source, 32: Guide rail section, 33: Sliding section, 36, 46: Second support, 37, 47: First restricting member, 38, 48: Second restricting member, 39, 49: Support conveying surface, 40, 50: Lower step surface, 41, 51: First layer, 42, 52: Second layer, 43, 53: Pressing section, 44, 54: Connecting section, 45: Width direction gap, 55: Exhaust space, 56: Blower, 57: Groove section, 58: Hole section, 59: Through hole, 60: Laser irradiation device, 61: Cooling device, 62: First platform, 63: First support surface, 64: First suction section, 65: Second platform, 66: Second support surface, 67: Second suction section, 101: Belt, 102: Support, 103: Guide member, 104: Exhaust space, 105: Hole, 106: Gap, G, G1, G2a, G2b: Glass film, GRL1, GRL2a, GRL2b: Glass roll, L: Laser, R: Refrigerant, X: Conveying direction.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method of a glass film, which performs manufacturing-related processes by conveying the glass film using a belt conveyor, wherein, the belt conveyor includes a belt capable of supporting and conveying the glass film, a first restricting member for restricting the movement of the belt in the width direction, and a second restricting member for restricting the upward movement of the belt, lower step surfaces are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, extending along the length direction of the belt, located below the supporting and conveying surface of the glass film with a step therebetween, and being upward-facing surfaces, and the second restricting member is provided with a pressing portion extending toward the center side in the width direction of the belt and capable of pressing the lower step surface downward by abutting against the lower step surface.

2. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 1, wherein, the belt conveyor further has a support body for supporting the lower surface of the belt, the belt conveyor is configured such that the belt cannot be adsorbed to the support body.

3. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the second restricting member is fixed to the first restricting member.

4. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, a prescribed gap in the width direction is provided between the pressing portion of the second restricting member and the belt.

5. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the supporting and conveying surface of the belt that contacts the glass film and the lower step surface that contacts the pressing portion are formed of different materials.

6. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 5, wherein, the belt has a first layer on which the supporting and conveying surface is provided and a second layer located below the first layer on which the lower step surface is provided, the first layer is formed of a material with good contact property with respect to the glass film, and the second layer is formed of a material with good sliding property with respect to the pressing portion.

7. The manufacturing method of a glass film according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the manufacturing-related process is a cutting process of cutting the glass film along the length direction of the glass film.

8. A manufacturing apparatus of a glass film, including a belt conveyor capable of supporting and conveying the glass film and a manufacturing-related process device for performing manufacturing-related processes on the glass film conveyed by the belt conveyor, wherein, the belt conveyor includes a belt capable of supporting and conveying the glass film, a first restricting member for restricting the movement of the belt in the width direction, and a second restricting member for restricting the upward movement of the belt, lower step surfaces are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt, extending along the length direction of the belt, located below the supporting and conveying surface of the glass film with a step therebetween, and being upward-facing surfaces, and the second restricting member is provided with a pressing portion extending toward the center side in the width direction of the belt and capable of pressing the lower step surface downward by abutting against the lower step surface.

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