Glass plate manufacturing device and manufacturing method

Abstract

The supporting device of the manufacturing device of the glass plate includes a plurality of supporting members arranged in the vertical direction. When the vertical distance between the supporting member located at the top and the supporting member located at the bottom is set to D, and the middle position is set to the position of D / 2, at least one supporting member located in the range from the middle position to the supporting member located at the bottom includes a contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon, a first holding portion that holds the contact portion, and a second holding portion that supports the first holding portion. The first holding portion has a long strip shape protruding downward from the second holding portion. The contact portion is arranged in a manner along the length direction of the first holding portion.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] As is well known, glass plates are widely used as glass substrates for panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays, and cover glasses for smartphones, tablet PCs, and the like.

[0003] As one of the methods for producing a glass sheet, there is a method in which a glass ribbon continuously formed by a down-draw method represented by an overflow down-draw method is cut into predetermined lengths to cut out a glass sheet from the glass ribbon.

[0004] An example of an apparatus used in such a manufacturing method is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The manufacturing apparatus for a glass sheet includes a scoring mechanism that follows the descent of a glass ribbon that is conveyed downward after being formed and forms a score line on one surface of the glass ribbon, and a breaking mechanism that follows the descent of the glass ribbon and applies bending stress to a portion where the score line is formed to break and cut the glass ribbon.

[0005] The scoring mechanism includes a cutter wheel in contact with one surface of the glass ribbon and a support rod in contact with the other surface of the glass ribbon.

[0006] The scoring mechanism moves downward at the same speed as the conveying speed of the glass ribbon and moves the cutter wheel in the width direction of the glass ribbon while the support rod is in contact with the glass ribbon, thereby forming a scoring line on one surface of the glass ribbon.

[0007] The breaking mechanism includes a fulcrum rod that serves as a fulcrum for breaking and cutting a portion of the glass ribbon where the scored line is formed and contacts the other surface of the glass ribbon, and a breaking arm that is a supporting device that supports a portion of the glass ribbon.

[0008] The breaking arm includes a frame (arm body) extending in the up-down direction, and a plurality of supporting members (chucks) attached to the frame at intervals from each other in the up-down direction.

[0009] The breaking mechanism applies bending stress to the glass ribbon by rotating the frame around the contact position between the fulcrum rod and the glass ribbon while the fulcrum rod is in contact with the glass ribbon and a part of the glass ribbon is clamped by a plurality of supporting members.

[0010] The manufacturing apparatus can cause cracks starting from the scribe line to develop in the thickness direction of the glass ribbon under the action of the bending stress, thereby cutting out a part of the glass ribbon supported by the supporting member into a glass sheet.

[0011] Prior art literature

[0012] Patent Literature

[0013] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-90446 Summary of the invention

[0014] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0015] In conventional glass sheet manufacturing devices and methods, there is a case where glass sheets of different sizes are manufactured after a certain number of glass sheets are manufactured from a glass ribbon. In particular, when a glass sheet having a large longitudinal (vertical) dimension is cut from a glass ribbon, the lower end of the glass ribbon protrudes significantly downward from the breaking arm.

[0016] In a state where the lower end of the glass ribbon protrudes greatly downward from the support member of the breaking arm, the protruding portion bends greatly in accordance with the rotational motion of the breaking arm, which may cause damage to the glass ribbon.

[0017] On the other hand, when the supporting member is configured to support the lower end of the glass ribbon, an excessive force acts on the glass ribbon, and thus the glass ribbon may be damaged.

[0018] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a technical object of the present invention is to prevent damage to a glass ribbon in a cutting step.

[0019] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0020] The present invention is a glass sheet manufacturing device for solving the above-mentioned problems, which manufactures a glass sheet by cutting a glass ribbon conveyed downward in a longitudinal posture along a width direction, wherein the glass sheet manufacturing device is characterized in that the glass sheet manufacturing device includes a supporting device, the supporting device supports a part of the glass ribbon and is configured to be able to change its posture to impart bending stress to the glass ribbon, the supporting device includes a plurality of supporting members arranged along the vertical direction and clamping the glass ribbon, and when the vertical distance between the uppermost supporting member and the lowermost supporting member among the plurality of supporting members is set to D, and the middle position is set to a position of D / 2, at least one supporting member located in the range from the middle position to the lowermost supporting member includes a contact portion contacting the glass ribbon, a first holding portion holding the contact portion, and a second holding portion supporting the first holding portion, the first holding portion having a long strip shape protruding downward from the second holding portion, and the contact portion is arranged in a manner along the length direction of the first holding portion.

[0021] As described above, the first retaining portion of at least one of the plurality of support members for clamping the glass ribbon, which is located in the range from the middle position to the lowest support member, is configured to be a long strip protruding downward from the second retaining portion, and the contact portion in contact with the glass ribbon is arranged in a manner along the length direction of the first retaining portion, so that the force (clamping force) with which the contact portion presses the glass ribbon can be reduced as it tends to be downward.

[0022] Thus, when the glass ribbon is deformed by changing the posture of the support device, excessive force from the contact portion can be prevented from acting on the glass ribbon. Thus, the deformation amount (bending amount) of the glass ribbon can be reduced as much as possible, and as a result, damage to the glass ribbon in the cutting process can be prevented.

[0023] In the manufacturing device having the above structure, the contact portion may be formed by arranging a plurality of the contact portions along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion. In this way, by arranging a plurality of contact portions, when a part of the contact portions is damaged, it is possible to easily replace them.

[0024] In the manufacturing device having the above structure, the second holding portion may have an elongated shape extending in a direction different from that of the first holding portion. In this way, the force (clamping force) of the contact portion pressing the glass ribbon can be reliably reduced as it goes downward.

[0025] In the manufacturing device having the above structure, the support member located at the bottom of the plurality of support members may include the contact portion, the first holding portion, and the second holding portion. In this way, the force (clamping force) of the contact portion pressing the glass ribbon can be gradually reduced as it goes downward.

[0026] The present invention is a method for manufacturing a glass plate for solving the above-mentioned problems. The glass plate is manufactured using a manufacturing device with the above-mentioned structure. The method for manufacturing a glass plate is characterized in that it includes: a scoring step of forming a scoring line on the glass ribbon; and a bending stress imparting step of changing the posture of the supporting device while the part of the glass ribbon is supported by the supporting member, thereby imparting bending stress to the portion of the glass ribbon where the scoring line is formed.

[0027] According to this structure, as described above, the first retaining portion of the lowest supporting member among the multiple supporting members for clamping the glass ribbon is set to a long strip shape protruding downward from the second retaining portion, and the contact portion in contact with the glass ribbon is arranged in a manner along the length direction of the first retaining portion, so that the force (clamping force) of the contact portion pressing the glass ribbon can be gradually reduced as it goes downward.

[0028] Thus, in the bending stress imparting step, when the glass ribbon is deformed by changing the posture of the support device, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the glass ribbon by the contact portion. Thus, the deformation amount (bending amount) of the glass ribbon is minimized, thereby preventing damage to the glass ribbon in the bending stress imparting step.

[0029] Effects of the Invention

[0030] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent damage to the glass ribbon in the cutting step. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a front view of the manufacturing apparatus of a glass plate.

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the supporting member.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the supporting member.

[0035] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view showing a scribing step in the method for manufacturing a glass plate.

[0036] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view showing a bending stress imparting step in the method for producing a glass sheet.

[0037] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing a bending stress imparting step in the method for producing a glass sheet.

[0038] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of a support member according to another embodiment.

[0039] Fig. 9 It is a front view of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass plate which concerns on another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 7 An embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of the glass plate of the present invention is described.

[0041] The manufacturing device of the glass sheet includes a cutting device for cutting a glass ribbon conveyed downward in a vertical posture. Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, the cutting device 1 includes a scoring mechanism 2 for forming a scored line SL on the glass ribbon GR and a breaking mechanism 3 for breaking the glass ribbon GR.

[0042] The scribing mechanism 2 is configured to be movable in the up-down direction by the lifting mechanism. The scribing mechanism 2 can be lowered simultaneously with the glass ribbon GR at the same speed as the downward moving speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0043] The scoring mechanism 2 includes a cutter wheel 4 for forming a scoring line SL on one surface (hereinafter referred to as “first main surface”) GRa of the glass ribbon GR and a support rod 5 for supporting the other surface (hereinafter referred to as “second main surface”) GRb of the glass ribbon GR.

[0044] The cutter wheel 4 is formed in a disk shape with a blade (edge) at the peripheral edge. The cutter wheel 4 is configured to be movable in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. Thus, the cutter wheel 4 can form a scribed line SL from one end to the other end in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR.

[0045] The cutter wheel 4 is configured to be able to approach and move away from the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR. Figure 2 There is a standby position separated from the glass ribbon GR as indicated by a solid line, and a contact position in contact with the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR as indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0046] The support rod 5 is composed of a rod-shaped member or a plate-shaped member that is elongated along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR, but is not limited to this shape. The support rod 5 is arranged to face the cutter wheel 4 across the glass ribbon GR. The support rod 5 is configured to be able to approach or move away from the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR. The position of the support rod 5 can be changed to Figure 2 In the figure, there is a standby position separated from the glass ribbon GR as indicated by a solid line, and a contact position in contact with the glass ribbon GR as indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0047] The scoring mechanism 2 is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and may also include a cylindrical support roller instead of the support rod 5. In this case, the scoring mechanism 2 can be configured to move synchronously along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR while sandwiching the glass ribbon GR from both the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb by the support roller and the cutter wheel 4.

[0048] The breaking mechanism 3 includes a fulcrum rod 6 that forms a fulcrum for breaking the glass ribbon GR, and support devices 7A and 7B that support a part of the glass ribbon GR and are configured to be able to change their postures so as to apply bending stress to the glass ribbon GR.

[0049] The fulcrum rod 6 is composed of a rod-shaped member or a plate-shaped member that is elongated along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR, but is not limited to this shape. The fulcrum rod 6 is arranged below the scoring mechanism 2. The fulcrum rod 6 is configured to be able to approach and move away from the glass ribbon GR. The fulcrum rod 6 can change its position to Figure 2The support rod 6 is a standby position separated from the glass ribbon GR and waiting as shown by the solid line, and a contact position contacting the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR as shown by the double-dashed line. The support rod 6 is configured to be movable in the up-down direction. The support rod 6 can move downward at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0050] The support devices 7A and 7B are arranged below the fulcrum rod 6. The support devices 7A and 7B include a first support device 7A supporting one end of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction and a second support device 7B supporting the other end of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction. The first support device 7A and the second support device 7B are arranged to face each other in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR.

[0051] Each of the support devices 7A and 7B includes a plurality of support members (chuck members) 8A to 8D arranged at predetermined intervals in the up-down direction, and a frame 9 that supports each of the support members 8A to 8D.

[0052] In the present embodiment, each support device 7A, 7B includes four support members 8A to 8D, but the number of support members 8A to 8D is not limited to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, each support member 8A to 8D is referred to as the first support member 8A, the second support member 8B, the third support member 8C, and the fourth support member 8D in order from the top. Each support member 8A to 8D is composed of a pair of support members in a manner of clamping the glass ribbon GR from both sides of the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb. And, as Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the position (height) of the first support member 8A located at the top is set to H1, and the position (height) of the fourth support member 8D located at the bottom is set to H2, the distance (H1-H2) between these support members in the vertical direction is D1 (D). In addition, the middle position MP is set at a position of D1 / 2 (0.5D1) between the first support member 8A and the fourth support member 8D. In this case, the fourth support member 8D is located below the middle position MP.

[0053] Figure 3 It is a perspective view of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C. Figure 4 8D. Each of the pair of support members 8A to 8D includes a pair of contact portions 10 that come into contact with the glass ribbon GR and a pair of holding portions 11 that support the contact portions 10 .

[0054] The contact portion 10 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, elastomer, or resin. The contact portion 10 is formed in a plate or block shape, but is not limited to this shape. The contact portion 10 can be fixed to the holding portion 11 by an adhesive material, or can be fixed to the holding portion 11 by a fixing member such as a bolt so as to be detachable. The contact portion 10 has a contact surface 10a that contacts the glass ribbon GR. The contact surface 10a is formed in a rectangular shape, but is not limited to this shape. The contact portion 10 has a predetermined length dimension L1 along the up-down direction.

[0055] The holding portion 11 is a plate-like body or a rod-like body made of metal, for example, but the material and shape of the holding portion 11 are not limited to the present embodiment. The holding portion 11 has a holding surface 12 that holds the contact portion 10. One end of the holding portion 11 is supported by the frame 9.

[0056] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 3 As shown, the holding portion 11 of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C is configured as a linear shape protruding from the frame 9 along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. The holding portion 11 of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C holds one contact portion 10, but the number of contact portions 10 held by the holding portion 11 is not limited to this embodiment. The holding portion 11 has a predetermined length dimension L2 along the up-down direction.

[0057] The structure of the holding portion 11 of the fourth supporting member 8D is different from the structures of the holding portions 11 of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C. Figure 4 As shown, the holding portion 11 of the fourth supporting member 8D includes a first holding portion 11 a that holds the plurality of contact portions 10 and a second holding portion 11 b that supports the first holding portion 11 a.

[0058] The first holding portion 11a has an elongated shape along the vertical direction. The first holding portion 11a protrudes downward from the second holding portion 11b. The upper end of the first holding portion 11a is fixed to the second holding portion 11b. The first holding portion 11a has a predetermined length dimension L3 along the longitudinal direction. The length dimension L3 of the first holding portion 11a is larger than the length dimension L2 of the holding portion 11 of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C.

[0059] The plurality of contact portions 10 held by the first holding portion 11a are arranged linearly along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. The plurality of contact portions 10 are fixed to the holding surface 12 of the first holding portion 11a so that the long sides of the rectangular contact surfaces 10a are along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a.

[0060] The plurality of contact portions 10 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. The present invention is not limited to this structure, and the plurality of contact portions 10 may be fixed to the holding surface 12 of the first holding portion 11a in a state of contacting each other.

[0061] The plurality of contact portions 10 are arranged as described above to form a strip shape along the length direction of the first holding portion 11a as a whole. The total length L4 of the strip shape formed by the plurality of contact portions 10 is greater than the length L1 of the contact portions 10 of the first to third support members 8A to 8C.

[0062] The contact area (the total of the contact areas) of the plurality of contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D with respect to the glass ribbon GR is larger than the contact areas of the contact portions 10 of the first to third support members 8A to 8C with respect to the glass ribbon GR.

[0063] Note that, from the viewpoint of maintainability, it is desirable to use the same contact portions 10 as those of the first to third support members 8A to 8C for each of the contact portions 10 held by the first holding portion 11 a .

[0064] The second holding portion 11b is a strip-shaped portion that protrudes from the frame 9 in a manner along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. The second holding portion 11b is a strip-shaped portion that extends in a direction different from that of the first holding portion 11a, and one end of the second holding portion 11b supports the upper end of the first holding portion 11a, and the other end of the second holding portion 11b is fixed to the frame 9.

[0065] The frame 9 is configured to perform a predetermined swinging motion (rotational motion) so as to provide bending stress to the glass ribbon GR. The frame 9 is connected to a driving mechanism for performing the swinging motion.

[0066] The frame 9 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by the lifting device. With this structure, the breaking mechanism 3 can move downward at the same speed as the downward movement speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0067] The frame 9 supports a driving device that moves a pair of holding portions 11 in each supporting member 8A to 8D toward and away from each other. The driving device enables the first supporting member 8A to the fourth supporting member 8D, which are formed of a pair of supporting members, to be freely opened and closed by performing a closing operation for clamping the glass ribbon GR and an opening operation for releasing the clamping of the glass ribbon GR. The driving device can open and close each supporting member 8A to 8D separately.

[0068] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a glass sheet using the manufacturing apparatus (cutting apparatus 1) having the above-mentioned structure will be described. This method includes a cutting step of breaking a part of the glass ribbon GR to cut out a glass sheet.

[0069] In the cutting step, a portion of the vertical glass ribbon GR formed above the cutting device 1 and conveyed downward is cut by the cutting device 1. The cutting step includes a scoring step of forming a score line SL in the glass ribbon GR and a bending stress applying step of applying bending stress to the glass ribbon GR.

[0070] In the scribing step, a scribing line SL along the width direction is formed in the middle of the glass ribbon GR by the scribing mechanism 2. The scribing mechanism 2 forms the scribing line SL on the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR while descending at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR. In addition, in the scribing step, the support devices 7A and 7B of the breaking mechanism 3 are descended at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR under the scribing mechanism 2 while supporting (sandwiching) a part of the glass ribbon GR by the support members 8A to 8D.

[0071] like Figure 5 As shown, the scoring mechanism 2 moves the cutter wheel 4 and the support rod 5 from the standby position to the contact position. The scoring mechanism 2 moves the cutter wheel 4 from one end to the other end in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR while the support rod 5 is in contact with the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR.

[0072] Thereby, the linear scribed line SL along the width direction is formed on the 1st main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR. When the scribed line SL is formed, the scribing mechanism 2 moves the cutter wheel 4 and the support rod 5 to the standby position.

[0073] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the bending stress imparting step, the breaking mechanism 3 moves the fulcrum rod 6 located at the standby position to the contact position while maintaining the downward movement. As a result, the fulcrum rod 6 contacts a portion of the second main surface GRb corresponding to the position where the scribed line SL is formed in the glass ribbon GR. The breaking mechanism 3 lowers the fulcrum rod 6 and the supporting devices 7A and 7B at the same speed as the lowering speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0074] like Figure 7 As shown, the breaking mechanism 3 rotates the frame 9 while the glass ribbon GR is supported by the supporting members 8A to 8D of the supporting devices 7A and 7B during its descent. In this case, the frame 9 rotates to form a predetermined angle with the contact position of the fulcrum rod 6 and the glass ribbon GR as the center (fulcrum). As a result, the supporting devices 7A and 7B change their posture from a vertical posture to a breaking posture (inclined posture).

[0075] In this way, the support devices 7A and 7B (frames 9) change their postures, thereby applying bending stress to the portion of the glass ribbon GR where the score line SL is formed. Under the action of this bending stress, cracks starting from the score line SL develop in the thickness direction of the glass ribbon GR. As a result, a portion of the glass ribbon GR supported by the support devices 7A and 7B is cut out as a glass sheet GS.

[0076] In the bending stress imparting step, the fourth support member 8D located at the bottom of the support members 8A to 8D of the support devices 7A and 7B sandwiches the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR at the lower end of the glass ribbon GR using the plurality of contact portions 10 .

[0077] As described above, the first holding portion 11a in the fourth supporting member 8D is configured as a strip shape protruding downward from the second holding portion 11b. With this configuration, the clamping force applied to the first holding portion 11a by driving the second holding portion 11b by the driving device becomes smaller as it moves downward from the second holding portion 11b. That is, the force (pressure) with which the plurality of contact portions 10 (contact surfaces 10a) held in the first holding portion 11a press the main surfaces GRa and GRb of the glass ribbon GR decreases from the upper end of the first holding portion 11a toward the lower end.

[0078] As described above, the contact area of ​​the plurality of contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D with respect to the glass ribbon GR is larger than the contact area of ​​the contact portions 10 of the other support members 8A to 8C. Therefore, when the support members 8A to 8D are driven by the driving device with the same force, the force (pressure) with which all the contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D press the glass ribbon GR is smaller than the force (pressure) with which the contact portions 10 of the other support members 8A to 8C press the glass ribbon GR.

[0079] Therefore, in the glass ribbon GR, the portion clamped by the fourth support member 8D is clamped with a smaller force as it approaches the lower end of the glass ribbon GR, and is clamped with a smaller force than the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C. Therefore, in the bending stress imparting step, when the lower end side of the glass ribbon GR is partially deformed in accordance with the posture change of the support devices 7A and 7B, it is possible to prevent an excessive force based on the contact portion 10 of the fourth support member 8D from acting on the glass ribbon GR. Therefore, the deformation amount (bending amount) of the glass ribbon can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, damage to the glass ribbon in the cutting step can be prevented.

[0080] Furthermore, by arranging a plurality of contact portions 10 on the first holding portion 11 a , when a part of the contact portions 10 is damaged, the contact portions 10 can be easily replaced.

[0081] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, nor is it limited to the above-described effects. The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0082] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the fourth support member 8D of the breaking mechanism 3 includes a plurality of contact portions 10, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. Figure 8 The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes one contact portion 20 formed in a strip shape along the length direction of the first holding portion 11a. In this case, the contact portion 20 can be arranged along the length direction of the first holding portion 11a. The contact portion 20 has a contact surface 20a that contacts the main surfaces GRa and GRb of the glass ribbon GR.

[0083] When a glass sheet having a small longitudinal (vertical) dimension is cut out from a glass ribbon, only the first to third support members 8A to 8C may be used without using the first support device 7A and the fourth support member 8D of the second support device 7B.

[0084] In addition, when a glass plate with a smaller longitudinal (up and down) dimension is cut from a glass ribbon, the fourth supporting member 8D of the first supporting device 7A and the second supporting device 7B can also be removed from the frame 9 of the supporting devices 7A and 7B, and a supporting member of the same shape as the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C can be installed on the frame 9.

[0085] Regarding the fourth support member 8D of the first support device 7A and the second support device 7B, the first holding portion 11a may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from the second holding portion 11b. When a glass sheet having a smaller dimension in the longitudinal direction (up and down direction) is cut out from the glass ribbon, the first holding portion 11a of the fourth support member 8D may be removed from the second holding portion 11b, and a member having the same shape as the front end portion of the first holding portion 11a of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C may be attached to the second holding portion 11b.

[0086] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the fourth support member 8D located at the bottom among the plurality of support members 8A to 8D of the breaking mechanism 3 includes the first holding portion 11a and the second holding portion 11b, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. Fig. 9 As shown, the breaking mechanism 3 may include a fifth supporting member 8E located below the fourth supporting member 8D in addition to the first supporting member 8A to the fourth supporting member 8D illustrated in the above embodiment. The structure of the fifth supporting member 8E is the same as that of the first supporting member 8A to the third supporting member 8C.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, the fourth support member 8D located at the bottom among the plurality of support members 8A to 8D includes the first holding portion 11a and the second holding portion 11b. However, in this example, the fourth support member 8D is arranged between the first support member 8A located at the top and the fifth support member 8E located at the bottom.

[0088] Specifically, the fourth support member 8D is preferably arranged between the middle position MP set between the first support member 8A and the fifth support member 8E and the fifth support member 8E. This is not limiting, and a plurality of support members having the same structure as the fourth support member 8D may be arranged in the range from the middle position MP to the fifth support member 8E. On the basis of this structure, the fifth support member 8E may also have the same structure as the fourth support member 8D.

[0089] That is, in the present invention, at least one support member (fourth support member 8D) having the first holding portion 11a and the second holding portion 11b can be arranged in the range from the middle position MP to the lowest support member (fifth support member 8E) in the vertical direction.

[0090] Here, when the position (height) of the uppermost supporting member (first supporting member 8A) is set to H3, the position (height) of the lowermost supporting member (fifth supporting member 8E) is set to H4, and the distance between these supporting members in the up and down directions (H3-H4) is set to D2 (D), the middle position MP is set to the position of D2 / 2 (the position of 0.5D2).

[0091] Description of Reference Numerals

[0092] 7A First support device

[0093] 7B Second support device

[0094] 8A First supporting member

[0095] 8B Second supporting member

[0096] 8C Third support member

[0097] 8D Fourth support member

[0098] 8E Fifth support member

[0099] 10 Contact Department

[0100] 20 Contact Department

[0101] 11a First holding portion

[0102] 11b Second holding portion

[0103] D1 Distance between the uppermost support member and the lowermost support member

[0104] D2 The distance between the uppermost support member and the lowermost support member

[0105] GR Glass Ribbon

[0106] GS Glass Sheet

[0107] SL Score Line.

Claims

1. A glass sheet manufacturing device, which manufactures a glass sheet by cutting a glass ribbon conveyed downward in a vertical posture in a width direction, The glass sheet manufacturing device is characterized in that: The glass sheet manufacturing device includes a support device that supports a portion of the glass ribbon and is configured to change its posture by rotating from a vertical posture to an inclined posture to apply bending stress to the glass ribbon. The supporting device includes a plurality of supporting members arranged in the up-down direction and sandwiching the glass ribbon. When the distance in the vertical direction between the uppermost supporting member and the lowermost supporting member among the plurality of supporting members is set to D, and the middle position is set to a position of D / 2, at least one supporting member located in the range from the middle position to the lowermost supporting member includes a contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon, a first holding portion that holds the contact portion, and a second holding portion that supports the first holding portion. The first holding portion has a strip shape protruding downward from the second holding portion, The contact portion is arranged along a longitudinal direction of the first holding portion.

2. The glass sheet manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact portion is formed by arranging a plurality of the contact portions along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion.

3. The glass sheet manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second holding portion has an elongated shape extending in a direction different from that of the first holding portion.

4. The glass sheet manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The support member located at the bottom of the plurality of support members includes the contact portion, the first holding portion, and the second holding portion.

5. A method for manufacturing a glass plate, comprising manufacturing a glass plate using the glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The method for manufacturing the glass plate is characterized by comprising: A scoring process of forming a scoring line on the glass ribbon; as well as The bending stress imparting step is to change the posture of the supporting device in a state where the portion of the glass ribbon is supported by the supporting member, thereby imparting bending stress to a portion of the glass ribbon where the scored line is formed.

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