Method for manufacturing glass sheet, raw sheet process device, machining process device, glass sheet manufacturing system, and recording medium

Abstract

A glass original plate is simply associated with original plate data. The glass plate manufacturing method includes: a storage step (S102, S104, S107) in which original plate data related to processing of a glass original plate (G) loaded on a tray (14) is stored in a storage device in association with a loading order for each glass original plate, and original plate identification information is stored in the storage device (30, 51, 61) in association with original plate data representing a glass original plate at a predetermined loading order; an information output step (S108) in which original plate identification information is output to an information recording medium (15); a reading step (S112) in which original plate identification information is read from the information recording medium; and an acquisition step (S113) in which original plate data representing a glass original plate identified by the read original plate identification information is used as a starting point, and a predetermined number of original plate data in association with a loading order in succession is acquired from the storage device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for manufacturing glass plates. Background Technology

[0002] In general, the manufacturing of glass sheets aims to produce products with minimal defects, foreign objects, unevenness, and other irregularities, resulting in a flat surface. Minimizing these irregularities is particularly important in the manufacture of glass substrates for flat panel displays. Most of the glass sheets described above are manufactured by forming molten glass into a strip in a furnace, then cooling the strip thoroughly and cutting it to specified dimensions. In the forming of this glass strip, in addition to float glass forming, methods such as overflow drawing (melt drawing) or orifice drawing are commonly used.

[0003] Furthermore, after the aforementioned process, the glass substrates formed from glass strips (including large-sized glass substrates for large displays and small glass substrates with multiple bevels, etc.) are sent to an inspection process for inspecting the surface features of the glass substrates, such as unevenness, using the inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 1. The glass substrates that have passed the inspection process are then sent to a packaging process. In the packaging process, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, multiple glass substrates and protective sheets are alternately stacked and placed on a tray to form a package. The package consisting of the tray and multiple glass substrates is then transported to a processing plant that processes the glass substrates.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-236771;

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-75752. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] Typically, in processing plants or similar facilities where processing steps are performed, source plate data related to the processing is referenced. For example, source plate data may contain information determining methods for cutting glass sheets from source glass sheets, and is referenced to properly and efficiently cut products such as glass substrates from source glass sheets. For instance, source plate data is created for each source glass sheet based on the inspection results obtained in the aforementioned inspection process. Then, in the processing step, the source plate data corresponding to the source glass sheet to be processed is read out.

[0010] As a method for reading the original plate data corresponding to the original glass plate, one could consider adding individual identification information to each original glass plate to identify it. However, adding individual identification information to each original glass plate requires a significant amount of labor and is costly. Therefore, there is a need for a method that can easily establish the correspondence between the original glass plate and the original plate data with less labor and cost.

[0011] One objective of this invention is to provide a method and system for easily establishing a correspondence between a glass substrate and its data.

[0012] Technical means to solve the problem

[0013] To address the aforementioned problems, one method of manufacturing glass according to the present invention includes: a raw plate step, wherein multiple raw glass plates are loaded onto a tray; and a processing step, wherein each raw glass plate loaded onto the tray is removed and processed to manufacture a glass plate. The raw plate step includes: a storage step, wherein for each tray, raw plate data related to the processing of the raw glass plate is correlated with the loading order of the raw glass plates in the tray for each plate loaded onto the tray, and representative raw plate identification information for identifying representative raw glass plates located in a predetermined loading order in the tray is associated with the raw plate data of the representative raw glass plate and stored in a storage device; and an information output step, wherein the representative raw plate identification information is output to an information recording medium for each tray. The processing steps include: a reading step, reading the representative original plate identification information from each of the information recording media; and an acquisition step, processing each tray by acquiring a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading order, starting from the original plate data of the representative glass original plate identified by the read representative original plate identification information in the original plate data stored in the storage device.

[0014] To address the aforementioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a raw glass processing apparatus that controls a raw glass loading process of multiple raw glass sheets onto a tray. This apparatus includes: for each tray, a process that establishes a correspondence between raw glass sheet data related to the processing of each raw glass sheet loaded onto the tray and the loading order of the raw glass sheets in the tray; and a process that associates representative raw glass sheet identification information for identifying representative raw glass sheets located in a predetermined loading order in the tray with the raw glass sheet data of that representative raw glass sheet, storing this information in a storage device; and an output control unit that outputs the representative raw glass sheet identification information to an information recording medium for each tray.

[0015] To address the aforementioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a processing apparatus that controls the removal and processing of each glass sheet loaded onto a tray. This apparatus includes: an identification information reading unit that reads representative original sheet identification information from each information recording medium corresponding to the tray, the representative original sheet identification information being used to identify representative glass sheets in a predetermined loading order among the glass sheets loaded onto the tray; and a data acquisition unit that, for each tray, starting with the original sheet data of the representative glass sheet identified by the read representative original sheet identification information, acquires a predetermined number of consecutive original sheet data corresponding to the loading order from a storage device, the storage device storing original sheet data related to the processing of each glass sheet in the tray in a correspondence with the loading order of the glass sheets in the tray, and storing the representative original sheet identification information in an association with the original sheet data of the representative glass sheet.

[0016] To address the aforementioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a glass plate manufacturing system, comprising: a raw plate process apparatus for controlling a raw plate process of loading multiple raw glass plates onto a tray; and a processing process apparatus for controlling a processing process of removing each of the raw glass plates loaded onto the tray and processing it. The raw plate process apparatus includes: a data management unit for each tray, which establishes a correspondence between raw plate data related to the processing of the raw glass plate and the loading order of the raw glass plates in the tray for each of the trays, and associates representative raw plate identification information for identifying representative raw glass plates located in a predetermined loading order in the tray with the raw plate data of the representative raw glass plates, storing this information in a storage device; and an output control unit for outputting the representative raw plate identification information to an information recording medium for each tray. The processing apparatus includes: an identification information reading unit for reading the representative original plate identification information from each of the information recording media; and a data acquisition unit for processing each of the trays by acquiring a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading sequence, starting from the original plate data of the representative glass original plate identified by the read representative original plate identification information in the original plate data stored in the storage device.

[0017] The original board process apparatus of various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by a computer. In this case, by making the computer operate as each part (software element) of the original board process apparatus, the information processing program of the original board process apparatus implemented by the computer and the computer-readable recording medium recording the program are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0018] The processing apparatus of various embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer. In this case, by making the computer operate as each part (software element) of the processing apparatus, the information processing program of the processing apparatus implemented by the computer, and the computer-readable recording medium recording the program, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0019] Invention Effects

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily establish a correspondence between the original glass plate and the original plate data. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a glass plate manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the main structural components of the original plate processing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the main structural components of a processing apparatus 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the information held by the information recording medium 15 corresponding to the tray 14.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the original board management database stored in a storage device.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram showing the process flow of the glass plate manufacturing method executed by the glass plate manufacturing system 100.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure used to load interrupt information 512.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure representing the processing interruption information 612. Detailed Implementation

[0029] [Implementation Method 1]

[0030] <Glass Plate Manufacturing System>

[0031] The following is a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1This is a schematic diagram illustrating a glass plate manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The glass plate manufacturing system 100 is a system for manufacturing glass plates by processing raw glass plates. The glass plate manufacturing method implemented in the glass plate manufacturing system 100 is generally divided into a raw plate process and a processing process. In the raw plate process, multiple raw glass plates are manufactured, loaded onto pallets, and shipped. The raw plate process can, for example, be implemented in a raw glass plate manufacturing plant. In the processing process, the raw glass plates loaded onto the pallets are individually processed to manufacture glass plates. The processing process can, for example, be implemented in a glass plate manufacturing plant. There are no particular restrictions on the location of the raw glass plate manufacturing plant and the glass plate manufacturing plant. As an example, the raw glass plate manufacturing plant may be located in a first country, and the glass plate manufacturing plant may be located in a second country, a country different from the first country.

[0032] (Regarding the equipment used in the original board manufacturing process)

[0033] The glass plate manufacturing system 100, for example, serves as equipment for the raw glass plate process, including a raw glass plate process apparatus 10, a raw glass plate manufacturing equipment 11, an inspection device 12, and a loader 13. In this embodiment, as an example, the raw glass plate process apparatus 10, acting as a link server, and the inspection device 12 and loader 13 are connected via wired or wireless means to communicate through a communication network (not shown). The communication network (not shown) could, for example, be a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0034] The raw glass manufacturing equipment 11 is an apparatus for manufacturing raw glass sheets from molten glass, and performs processes such as forming, slow cooling, and sheet taking in the raw glass manufacturing process. The raw glass manufacturing equipment 11 includes, for example, a forming furnace 111, a slow cooling furnace 112, a cooling chamber 113, and a cutting chamber 114. Figure 1 The glass substrate manufacturing equipment 11 shown is a device for forming glass substrates using a drop-draw method, but the forming method of the glass substrate is not particularly limited. For example, a float glass process, in which glass substrates are formed in a float glass bath, can also be used. Based on the glass substrate manufacturing equipment 11, for example, glass products used in electronic devices such as glass substrates for flat panel displays, glass substrates for chip supports, and glass substrates for cover glass of solid-state imaging elements, as well as glass products used in imaging equipment, can also be manufactured.

[0035] The forming furnace 111 forms the supplied molten glass into a strip. The glass formed into a strip by the forming furnace 111 is conveyed to a slow cooling furnace 112 located vertically below the forming furnace 111. Hereinafter, the glass in the manufacturing process from being formed into a strip in the forming furnace 111 until it is cut will be referred to as strip glass G1. The slow cooling furnace 112 slowly cools the strip glass G1 in the forming furnace 111. A plurality of rollers 221 are provided on the slow cooling furnace 112.

[0036] Rollers 221 are arranged in pairs to clamp strips of glass G1. Figure 1 In this example, four pairs of rollers 221 are arranged along the conveying direction (+Y direction) of the strip glass G1. Furthermore, in Figure 1 Only the roller 221 near the front of the strip glass G1 is shown in the diagram; the inner roller is not shown. Roller 221 clamps the strip glass G1, preventing it from shrinking in the width direction (±X-axis direction) under the influence of surface tension, etc., and conveys the strip glass G1 in the vertically downward direction (+Y-axis direction). Furthermore, although in Figure 1 The illustration is omitted, but a heater is provided on the slow cooling furnace 112, which is configured to heat the strip glass G1 with the heater while it is slowly cooled.

[0037] The strip glass G1, slowly cooled by the slow-cooling furnace 112, is transferred to the cooling chamber 113 and cooled to a specified temperature range. Then, the strip glass G1, cooled to the specified temperature range, is transferred to the cutting chamber 114 and cut to a specified size, and is produced as a sheet of glass. Hereinafter, the glass sheet produced to the specified size is referred to as the raw glass sheet G.

[0038] Inspection device 12 is used to inspect the quality of each glass sheet G that has been extracted, and performs an inspection step in the sheet processing. Inspection device 12 may be, for example, a protrusion inspection device that confirms the presence or absence of unevenness on the surface of the glass sheet G and identifies the location of any detected unevenness. In this embodiment, inspection device 12 performs the inspection step and generates sheet data related to the processing of each glass sheet G. Sheet data may be, for example, inspection result data indicating the results of protrusion inspection. Inspection result data, for example, for the glass sheet G being inspected, includes determination information indicating the presence or absence of unevenness and position information indicating the location of any unevenness on the glass sheet G if it is detected. In this embodiment, inspection device 12 associates the sheet data generated for each glass sheet G, i.e., the inspection result data, with a unique glass number assigned to each glass sheet G, and sends it to the sheet processing apparatus 10.

[0039] In other examples, the inspection device 12 may also generate cutting position data as original plate data, representing the cutting position determined based on the aforementioned determination information and position information obtained from the inspection results. The cutting position data may include, for example, a cutting position for cutting the glass plate in a manner that avoids unevenness on the original glass plate G and minimizes waste. The inspection device 12 may also send the cutting position data as original plate data, associated with the glass number, to the original plate processing device 10. Additionally, the inspection device 12 may, as needed, perform an edge-cutting process to cut off the corners of the original glass plate G corresponding to the left and right ends of the strip glass G1.

[0040] The loader 13 is a device that loads glass sheets G onto a pallet 14 that holds multiple glass sheets G, thus performing the loading process in the sheet loading process. The loader 13 can also, as needed, perform an edge-cutting process to remove the corners of the glass sheets G corresponding to the left and right ends of the strip glass G1.

[0041] The loader 13 loads the glass sheets G removed from the inspection device 12 onto the pallet 14. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the glass sheets G are loaded onto the pallet 14 by the loader 13 in the order they were inspected by the inspection device 12. For example, the glass sheets G are inspected and removed by the inspection device 12 in the order they were picked up by the sheet manufacturing equipment 11, and then loaded onto the pallet 14 by the loader 13.

[0042] The loader 13 can also be configured to load a pre-set maximum number of glass sheets G (hereinafter referred to as the full load) onto a pallet 14. For example, the loader 13 can also be configured to always load 100 glass sheets G onto a pallet 14.

[0043] The pallet 14 and the full set of glass plates Gs loaded on the pallet 14 are packaged and shipped as a single package during the packaging and shipping process. In this embodiment, an information recording medium 15 is packaged within the package, which holds information codes for reading information related to the glass plate sets Gs loaded on the pallet 14. The package containing the information recording medium 15 is transported to the glass plate manufacturing plant where the processing process takes place. Alternatively, multiple pallets 14 may be transported from one glass plate manufacturing plant to another. The information codes are output to the information recording medium 15 for each shipped pallet 14 via the plate processing device 10. Details of the information codes output to the information recording medium 15 and the information related to the glass plate sets Gs that can be obtained through these information codes will be described later. Alternatively, the pallets 14 (not shown) and the glass plate sets Gs may be covered with bags and transported to the glass plate manufacturing plant.

[0044] The raw glass processing apparatus 10 is an information processing device that controls the loading of multiple raw glass sheets onto a tray. Specifically, the raw glass processing apparatus 10 manages information related to the group of raw glass sheets Gs loaded onto the tray 14. The raw glass processing apparatus 10 may be, for example, a data link server. However, the raw glass processing apparatus 10 is not limited to this example, as long as it is a device capable of performing the various information processing tasks performed by the raw glass processing apparatus 10 as described later. The raw glass processing apparatus 10 may also be, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, etc.

[0045] Information related to the glass sheet group Gs processed by the sheet processing unit 10 is accumulated per tray and used as a sheet management database (hereinafter referred to as sheet management DB), which is referenced in the glass sheet manufacturing system 100. The sheet management DB can be stored in a storage unit (storage device, sheet processing storage device) held locally by the sheet processing unit 10, or in an external storage device 30 (storage device) such as a cloud service shared by the sheet processing unit 10 and the processing unit 20 described later. Alternatively, the sheet management DB can be sent from the sheet processing unit 10 to the processing unit 20 via a wide area network (W) such as the Internet and stored in a storage unit (storage device, processing storage device) held locally by the processing unit 20. Hereinafter, the storage device storing the sheet management DB will be collectively referred to as a storage device unless it is necessary to distinguish between the storage unit of the sheet processing unit 10, the storage device 30, and the storage unit of the processing unit 20.

[0046] (Regarding the equipment used in each processing step)

[0047] The glass plate manufacturing system 100, for example, serves as equipment for performing processing steps and includes a processing step device 20, a reader 21, and a processing machine 22. In this embodiment, as an example, the processing step device 20, which acts as a server, and the reader 21 and processing machine 22 are communicatively connected via wired or wireless means. Communication may also be conducted via a communication network (not shown) such as a LAN (Local Area Network), or via a short-range wireless communication unit.

[0048] The reader 21 is a device for reading information codes from the information recording medium 15 packaged together with the packaging. The reader 21 can be appropriately configured according to the way the information recording medium 15 holds the information codes. For example, if the information recording medium 15 is printing paper and the information code is a barcode or two-dimensional code printed on the paper, the reader 21 is configured as a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reader. If the information recording medium 15 is an electronic tag such as an RF tag or IC tag, the reader 21 is configured as an electronic tag reader that reads the information codes embedded in the electronic tag. The reader 21 sends the information codes read from the information recording medium 15 to the processing device 20. Furthermore, the reader 21 can be a dedicated device for reading information codes, or it can be a portable communication terminal with multiple functions, such as a smartphone.

[0049] The processing device 20 is an information processing device that controls the removal and processing of glass substrates G loaded on the tray 14. Specifically, the processing device 20 acquires information related to the glass substrate group Gs loaded on the tray 14 required for processing the glass substrate G and supplies it to the processing machine 22. The processing device 20 may be, for example, a server. However, the processing device 20 is not limited to this example as long as it is capable of performing the various information processing tasks performed by the processing device 20 as described later. The processing device 20 may also be, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, etc.

[0050] The processing device 20 retrieves information related to the glass substrate group Gs loaded on the tray 14 from the substrate management DB based on the information code obtained via the reader 21. The information code includes information used to identify the information related to the glass substrate group Gs loaded on the tray 14 within the information related to the glass substrate group Gs contained in the substrate management DB. The information related to the glass substrate group Gs may, for example, include the substrate data of each individual glass substrate G described above.

[0051] The processing machine 22 is an apparatus that removes glass sheets G one by one from the tray 14 and processes the glass sheets G. The processing machine 22 may include, for example, a cutting machine that cuts glass sheets of a specified size from predetermined positions on the glass sheets G to manufacture glass sheets as products. The processing machine 22 receives information from the processing unit 20 related to the glass sheet group Gs loaded on the tray 14, and processes each glass sheet G according to this information. For example, the processing machine 22 cuts the glass sheet G according to its original sheet data to manufacture glass sheets.

[0052] <Structure of the original plate processing device>

[0053] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the main structural components of a primary board processing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As an example, the primary board processing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 50, a storage unit 51, a communication unit 52, and an output unit 53.

[0054] The control unit 50 provides unified control over all parts of the original board processing device 10. The control unit 50 may also be composed of a control device such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a dedicated processor.

[0055] As an example, the control unit 50 includes a data management unit 71 and an output control unit 72. Each part of these control units 50 can read the program stored in a storage device (such as storage unit 51) implemented by a CPU or other control device into RAM (random access memory) and execute it.

[0056] Storage unit 51 (storage device, original board process storage device) is a storage device used to store data used by control unit 50 for information processing and data processed by control unit 50. As an example, storage unit 51 may also store the aforementioned original board management DB. Hereinafter, original board management DB will be referred to as original board management DB 511. The data structure of original board management DB 511 will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, loading interrupt information 512 may be omitted in storage unit 51.

[0057] The communication unit 52 communicates with other devices via a communication network. For example, the communication unit 52 can also communicate with the inspection device 12 and the loader 13 via a factory communication network such as a LAN. For example, the communication unit 52 can access the storage device 30 or communicate with the processing device 20 via a wide area communication network NW such as the Internet.

[0058] The output unit 53 outputs the data processed by the control unit 50 to the outside. In this embodiment, in particular, the output unit 53 outputs the information code generated by the control unit 50 to the information recording medium 15. The output unit 53 can be appropriately configured according to the way the information recording medium 15 holds the information code. As an example, when the information recording medium 15 is printing paper, the output unit 53 is configured as a printing device for printing information codes such as barcodes or two-dimensional codes on the printing paper. When the information recording medium 15 is an electronic tag, the output unit 53 is configured as an electronic tag writer for writing information codes to the electronic tag.

[0059] The data management unit 71 manages the original glass management DB511, specifically performing the process of registering the original glass data of the original glass sheets G in the original glass management DB511. Specifically, the data management unit 71 establishes a correspondence between the original glass data of each original glass sheet G loaded on the tray 14 and the loading order of the original glass sheets G on the tray 14. Additionally, the data management unit 71 performs the process of associating the representative glass number (representative glass sheet identification information) used to identify the representative glass sheet located in the predetermined loading order on the tray 14 with the original glass data of that representative glass sheet and storing it in a storage device. Specifically, the data management unit 71 registers the original glass data of the representative glass sheet together with the representative glass number in the original glass management DB511 stored in at least one of the storage units: the storage unit 51, the storage device 30, and the storage unit 61 of the processing device 20 (described later). The data management unit 71 may also perform the above-described process of storing the original glass data of the representative glass sheet together with the representative glass number in a storage device for each shipped tray 14.

[0060] The output control unit 72 performs the process of outputting a glass number to the information recording medium 15. For example, the output control unit 72 outputs an information code representing the glass number located in a predetermined loading order in the tray 14 to the information recording medium 15. The output control unit 72 may also perform the above-described process of outputting a glass number to the information recording medium 15 for each tray 14 shipped.

[0061] The data management unit 71 may also designate the final glass plate that is last loaded onto the tray 14 as the representative glass plate. That is, the representative glass plate may also be the final glass plate that is last (e.g., the 100th) in the loading order of the tray 14.

[0062] In other examples, the data management unit 71 may also designate the glass plate G initially loaded on the tray 14, i.e., the first in the loading order, as the representative glass plate. In yet another example, the data management unit 71 may also designate any glass plate G in the loading order from the first to the last (e.g., the 50th, etc.) as the representative glass plate.

[0063] As an example, the inspection device 12 inspects 100 sheets of raw glass G loaded on a tray 14, generating 100 sheets of raw glass data. The inspection device 12 may perform the inspections, for example, in the order in which the raw glass Gs are manufactured by the raw glass manufacturing equipment 11, sending the 100 sheets of raw glass data to the raw glass processing unit 10. Alternatively, the inspection device 12 may send one sheet of raw glass data sequentially to the raw glass processing unit 10 each time it completes the inspection of a single sheet of raw glass G. Alternatively, the inspection device 12 may associate each of the 100 sheets of raw glass data with a glass number containing information indicating the manufacturing time or manufacturing sequence of each sheet of raw glass G, and then send the 100 sheets of raw glass data centrally to the raw glass processing unit 10.

[0064] In this embodiment, as an example, the glass serial number consists of a string containing numbers representing the manufacturing date and the manufacturing time in seconds. For example, a glass plate G manufactured on January 15, 2021 at 1:50:01 PM could be assigned a glass serial number such as "20210115_135001". The glass serial number may include a separator between the numbers representing the manufacturing date and the numbers representing the manufacturing time.

[0065] For example, when the communication unit 52 receives a notification from the loader 13 that the loading of 100 glass sheets G onto the tray 14 is complete, the data management unit 71 associates the loading sequence with the sheet data of each glass sheet G received from the inspection device 12 and registers it in the sheet management DB 511. As an example, the data management unit 71 associates the loading sequence of the sheet data with the manufacturing or inspection sequence of the 100 sheets of sheet data in a manner consistent with the order in which they were manufactured or inspected. Specifically, the data management unit 71 associates the initial loading sequence, i.e., the "first," with the sheet data among the 100 sheets of sheet data that is associated with the glass number indicating the earliest manufacturing date and time.

[0066] The output control unit 72 may also control the output unit 53, which is a printing device, to print information codes embedded with glass numbers onto the information recording medium 15, which is a paper medium. The output unit 53 outputs the information recording medium 15 printed with the information codes. This information recording medium 15 may also be packaged together with the tray 14 containing the glass plates in a single package.

[0067] For example, the data management unit 71 registers all 100 original glass plates in the original glass plate management DB 511, associating them with the loading order. The output control unit 72 reads the representative glass number of the representative glass plate associated with a predetermined loading order, such as "the 100th" from the original glass plate management DB 511. The output control unit 72 prints a two-dimensional code embedded with the read representative glass number on an information recording medium 15 such as paper and outputs it. The output information recording medium 15 is added to a tray 14 containing the aforementioned 100 glass plates G, and they are all packaged together in one unit.

[0068] Based on the above structure, by reading the information code from the information recording medium packaged with the tray, the original plate data of all loaded glass plates can be obtained before the tray is unpacked and the glass plates are removed one by one. Therefore, after unpacking, whenever the glass plates are fed into the processing machine 22 one by one, the cumbersome process of reading the glass number of the glass plate to obtain the original plate data of that glass plate can be omitted.

[0069] <Structure of the processing device>

[0070] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the main structural components of a processing apparatus 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As an example, the processing apparatus 20 includes a control unit 60, a storage unit 61, a wireless communication unit 62, and a communication unit 63.

[0071] The control unit 60 provides unified control over all parts of the processing device 20. The control unit 60 may be composed of a control device such as a CPU or a dedicated processor.

[0072] As an example, the control unit 60 includes a read control unit 81 (identification information read unit) and a data acquisition unit 82. In this embodiment, the control unit 60 may also include a data output unit 83. In this embodiment, the process management unit 84 may be omitted from the control unit 60. Each of these control units 60 can be implemented by reading the program stored in a storage device (such as storage unit 61) implemented by ROM into RAM and executing it through a control device such as a CPU.

[0073] Storage unit 61 (storage device, processing step storage device) is a storage device used by control unit 60 to store data used for information processing and data processed by control unit 60. As an example, storage unit 61 may also store the aforementioned original board management DB. Hereinafter, the original board management DB stored in storage unit 61 will be referred to as original board management DB 611. Hereinafter, as original board management DB, without needing to distinguish which one is stored in storage unit 51, original board management DB stored in storage unit 61, and original board management DB stored in storage device 30, they will not be marked with reference numerals and will be referred to as original board management DB.

[0074] The original board management DB611 may also include all the original board data contained in the original board management DB511. That is, the original board management DB611 and the original board management DB511 may refer to the same original board management DB. Alternatively, the original board management DB611 may also include original board data related to one or more pallets 14 arriving in a single shipment from the original board data contained in the original board management DB511. That is, the original board management DB611 may also be a partial set of the original board management DB511. The original board management DB611 has essentially the same data structure as the original board management DB511. This data structure will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, the processing interruption information 612 may also be omitted from the storage unit 61.

[0075] The wireless communication unit 62 can communicate wirelessly with other devices located close to the processing unit 20 or with other devices via the factory's communication network. For example, the wireless communication unit 62 can also communicate wirelessly with the reader 21.

[0076] The communication unit 63 communicates with other devices via a communication network. For example, the communication unit 63 can communicate with the processing machine 22 via a factory communication network such as a LAN. The communication unit 63 can replace the wireless communication unit 62 to communicate with the reader 21 via the factory communication network. In addition, for example, the communication unit 63 can also access the storage device 30 or communicate with the original board processing device 10 via a wide area communication network such as the Internet.

[0077] The read control unit 81 performs the process of reading the representative glass number embedded in the information code from the information recording medium 15. For example, the read control unit 81 reads the representative glass number of the representative glass plate located in a predetermined loading order (e.g., the 100th) among the glass plates G loaded on the tray 14 from the information recording medium 15. Specifically, the read control unit 81 may also obtain the representative glass number read by the reader 21 via the wireless communication unit 62. The read control unit 81 may also perform the above-described process of obtaining the representative glass number from the information recording medium 15 for each information recording medium 15 corresponding to the tray 14.

[0078] The data acquisition unit 82 acquires the original plate data of each glass original plate G loaded on the tray 14 from the storage device of the original plate management DB. The data acquisition unit 82 is capable of acquiring 100 sheets of original plate data loaded on the tray 14 whose representative glass number has been read, stored in the original plate management DB of the storage device. In the original plate management DB, the loading order of the glass original plates G in the tray 14 and the original plate data of the glass original plates G are stored accordingly. Here, the reading control unit 81 determines the representative glass number of the representative glass original plate loaded in the predetermined loading order (100th). The data acquisition unit 82 performs the process of acquiring a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading order, starting from the original plate data of the representative glass original plate identified by the read representative glass number in the original plate data registered in the original plate management DB. For example, the data acquisition unit 82 acquires consecutive original plate data associated with the loading order from the original plate management DB, starting from the original plate data of the representative glass original plate associated with the 100th glass original plate determined by the representative glass number. That is, the data acquisition unit 82 acquires 100 pieces of original board data, starting from the 100th and consecutively associated with the loading sequence, from the original board management DB. The data acquisition unit 82 performs the above-described process of acquiring original board data from the original board management DB on a pallet-by-pallet basis for each transported pallet 14.

[0079] When the glass substrate is the last one loaded onto tray 14, the data acquisition unit 82 retrieves a predetermined number of substrate data in descending order, associated with the loading sequence, starting from the substrate data of the last glass substrate associated with the serial number read from the information recording medium 15. For example, if the loading sequence of the last glass substrate is the 100th, the data acquisition unit 82 retrieves 100 substrate data points associated with the loading sequence, namely the 100th, 99th, 98th, ..., 1st, from the storage device.

[0080] Based on the above structure, the raw material data of each glass sheet loaded on the same tray is obtained in a state where the loading order is known. During the processing step, the glass sheets are taken out in the reverse order of their loading onto the tray. When processing is performed according to the order of removal, the processing machine 22 can obtain the raw material data of each sheet, starting with the final raw material data of the glass sheet, in the reverse order of the corresponding loading order. Thus, by referring to the raw material data according to the processing order, a simple correspondence can be established between the glass sheets and their raw material data.

[0081] The control unit 60 may also include a data output unit 83. The data output unit 83 outputs the specified number of raw plate data acquired by the data acquisition unit 82 to the glass processing apparatus such as the processing machine 22 in the reverse order of their respective loading sequences.

[0082] According to the above structure, in the processing step, each glass sheet loaded on the tray is taken out in the reverse order of its loading onto the tray, and processing is preferably performed in the order of removal. According to the above structure, the raw glass sheet data is input into the processing machine 22 in the reverse order of its loading onto the tray, i.e., the order in which the raw glass sheets are fed into the processing machine 22. Therefore, the processing machine 22 can process each glass sheet based on the correct raw glass sheet data.

[0083] <Data Structures>

[0084] (Information recording medium)

[0085] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure of the information held by the information recording medium 15 corresponding to the tray 14. The information recording medium 15 at least holds the representative glass numbers of the representative glass plates loaded onto the tray 14 in a predetermined loading order.

[0086] The information recording medium 15 may also retain the factory name as information that uniquely identifies the factory that manufactures the glass substrate assembly Gs loaded on the tray 14, as needed. Furthermore, the information recording medium 15 may also retain, for example, the production line name as information that uniquely identifies the production line in the aforementioned factory that manufactures the aforementioned glass substrate assembly Gs.

[0087] For example, the output unit 53 of the original glass processing device 10 prints and embeds the aforementioned factory name, production line name, and representative glass number representing the original glass sheet on the information recording medium 15 corresponding to the tray 14. The information recording medium 15 printed with the aforementioned information code is packaged together with the tray 14 and shipped.

[0088] (Original Board Management DB)

[0089] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure of the original glass plate management database (DB) stored in a storage device. In the original glass plate management database, a record is created and registered for each original glass plate G. Record group P1 represents information related to a tray, for example, a group of 100 original glass plates Gs loaded on the first tray, and record group P2 represents information related to other trays, for example, a group of 100 original glass plates Gs loaded on the second tray.

[0090] As an example, each record consists of data items including factory name, production line name, glass number, raw material data, and loading order. The factory name uniquely identifies the factory that manufactures the raw glass G. The production line name uniquely identifies the production line within the aforementioned factory that manufactures the raw glass G. The glass number uniquely identifies the raw material of the raw glass G. As described above, as an example, the glass number may also be structured to include: a numerical column representing the year, month, and day of manufacturing the raw glass G; a numerical column representing the manufacturing time in seconds; and separators between these numerical columns.

[0091] The raw glass data is information related to the processing of the raw glass sheet G generated by the inspection device 12. The raw glass data may be, for example, inspection result data, or it may include determination information indicating the presence or absence of irregularities and positional information indicating the location of the irregularities. In other examples, the raw glass data may also be cutting position data used to process the raw glass sheet G without waste, avoiding irregularities.

[0092] The loading sequence is information indicating the order in which the glass substrate G is loaded onto the tray 14. For example, according to... Figure 5 The topmost record in the original plate management DB shows that glass plate G with glass number "20210115_135001" is the first one in tray 14, meaning it was the first one loaded. Furthermore, according to record R1, glass plate G with glass number "20210115_135036" is the 100th one in the same tray 14, meaning it was the last one loaded. Moreover, since it is associated with the predetermined loading order of the 100th one, it can be known that glass plate G with the number "20210115_135036" is the representative glass plate of the same tray 14. Additionally, it can be known that "20210115_135036" is the representative glass number in the aforementioned tray 14.

[0093] The data management unit 71 of the original plate processing device 10 receives the original plate data and glass number of 100 sheets loaded on the same tray 14 from the inspection device 12.

[0094] Data Management Department 71 establishes a corresponding order for the loading sequence, starting from the manufacturing date and time indicated by the glass serial number, and then, as follows: Figure 5 As shown, 100 records, such as record group P1, are registered in the original board management DB. When the data management unit 71 receives 100 sheets of original board data for other trays 14 from the inspection device 12, it registers 100 records, such as record group P2, in the original board management DB using the same method.

[0095] The data management unit 71 can also receive a notification from the loader 13 indicating that the loading of 100 glass sheet groups Gs onto the pallet 14 is complete. The data management unit 71 can also begin processing the registration of 100 record groups into the sheet management DB based on the 100 sheet data received from the inspection device 12 and the aforementioned notification received from the loader 13.

[0096] <Processing Flow>

[0097] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram showing the process flow of the glass plate manufacturing method executed by the glass plate manufacturing system 100. Figure 6 The manufacturing method described above can also be triggered by the inspection device 12 generating data on a full number of glass plates G loaded onto a tray, for example, data on 100 plates, and starting upon receiving this data from the plate processing device 10. Furthermore, the manufacturing method described above can also be triggered by receiving notification from the loader 13 that the loading of the full number of glass plates G has been completed.

[0098] The glass manufacturing method performed by the glass manufacturing system 100 generally includes a raw material process and a processing process.

[0099] In the original glass process, the original glass process apparatus 10 performs the following steps: a storage step, for each original glass sheet G loaded on the tray 14, establishing a correspondence between the original glass sheet data related to the processing of the original glass sheet G and the loading order of the original glass sheets G in the tray 14, and performing a process for each tray 14 to establish an association between the representative glass number (representative original glass identification information) used to identify the representative original glass sheet located in the predetermined loading order in the tray 14 and the original glass sheet data of the representative original glass sheet and storing it in the storage unit 51 (storage device); and an information output step, performing a process for each tray 14 to output the representative glass number to the information recording medium 15.

[0100] In the processing step, the processing device 20 performs the following steps: a reading step, reading the representative glass number from each of the information recording media 15; and an acquisition step, for each tray 14, starting from the original plate data of the representative glass original plate identified by the read representative glass number in the original plate data stored in the storage device, processing to acquire a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading sequence from the storage device.

[0101] In the processing step, the processing device 20 can also perform a data output step, which outputs a specified number of original plate data obtained in the acquisition step to the processing glass original plate device in the reverse order of the corresponding loading sequence.

[0102] The original board process includes, for example, the following: Figure 6The steps S101, S102, S104, S107, and S108 are shown. Alternatively, the original board process may also include steps S101 to S111, as needed. The processing steps, for example, include... Figure 6 The steps S112 to S114 are shown.

[0103] In step S101, the data management unit 71 of the raw plate processing apparatus 10 refers to the raw plate data set of one tray quantity sent from the inspection device 12. For example, the data management unit 71 may also refer to the data of 100 raw plates of 100 glass raw plates G loaded on the first tray. The raw plate data set sent from the inspection device 12 is, for example, pre-stored in the storage unit 51 or a primary storage device (not shown) provided by the raw plate processing apparatus 10.

[0104] In step S102 (storage step), the data management unit 71 establishes a correspondence between a loading order and a piece of original board data. For example, the data management unit 71 may also establish the corresponding loading order in ascending order according to the order in which the 100 pieces of original board data are received. Alternatively, the data management unit 71 may establish the corresponding loading order in ascending order, starting from the older manufacturing time indicated by the glass number corresponding to each of the 100 pieces of original board data.

[0105] In step S103, the data management unit 71 determines whether the loading order established in S102 is the prescribed loading order. For example, in S102, the data management unit 71 establishes a correspondence between the loading order of "100th" and the latest manufacturing time of the original board data among the 100 original board data. If the prescribed loading order is "100th", the data management unit 71 determines "yes" in S103 and proceeds to step S104. If the loading order established in S102 is not the prescribed loading order "100th", the data management unit 71 determines "no" in S103 and proceeds to step S105.

[0106] In step S104 (storage step), the data management unit 71 determines the 100th glass plate G in the prescribed loading order as the representative glass plate, and establishes an association between the representative glass number and the original plate data of the aforementioned representative glass plate corresponding to the 100th glass plate in the prescribed loading order. Here, if the original plate data of the representative glass plate referenced in S101 already contains a corresponding glass number, the data management unit 71 may directly use the original glass number obtained in S101 as the representative glass number. Alternatively, the data management unit 71 may generate a representative glass number consisting of a string that can uniquely identify the original plate data of the representative glass plate, and establish an association with the original plate data of the representative glass plate.

[0107] In step S105, the data management unit 71 determines whether the loading order of all the original board data referenced in S101 has been matched. For example, if the data management unit 71 finds that some of the original board data referenced in S101 does not match the loading order, it proceeds from "No" in S105 to step S106. If the data management unit 71 has matched the loading order of the 1st to the 100th original board data with the 100 original board data, it proceeds from "Yes" in S105 to step S107.

[0108] In step S106, the data management unit 71 refers to the next unprocessed original board data, increments the corresponding loading order by one step and returns to S102, and repeats the subsequent processing.

[0109] In step S107 (storage step), the data management unit 71 establishes a correspondence between each original plate data and the loading order, and stores at least one tray quantity of original plate data group that associates the original plate data representing the glass number with the original plate data representing the glass original plate in the storage device. For example, the data management unit 71 may also register the above-mentioned original plate data group in the original plate management DB511.

[0110] In step S108 (information output step), the output control unit 72 outputs the representative glass number, which was associated with the original plate data representing the original glass plate in S104, to the information recording medium 15. As an example, the output control unit 72 controls the output unit 53 to print the information code containing the aforementioned representative glass number onto the information recording medium 15, which is a paper medium. The printed information recording medium 15 is packaged together with the tray 14 (the first tray in the above example) as a single package.

[0111] In this embodiment, as an example, the data management unit 71 may also repeat the above steps for each of the multiple pallets shipped from the same glass plate manufacturing plant.

[0112] In step S109, the data management unit 71 determines whether steps S102, S104, S107, and S108 have been performed for all pallets scheduled for shipment. If there are unprocessed original board data groups remaining on other pallets, the data management unit 71 proceeds from "No" in S109 to step S110. If the data management unit 71 completes the registration with the original board management DB511 and the output to the information recording medium 15 for all pallets, the data management unit 71 proceeds from "Yes" in S109 to step S111.

[0113] In step S110, the data management unit 71 refers to the original board data group of the next tray and returns to step S102 to repeat the subsequent processing.

[0114] In step S111, the data management unit 71 may also notify the processing apparatus 20 that the original plate management DB containing information related to the processing of the glass original plate G is stored in a storage device that the processing apparatus 20 can read. For example, the data management unit 71 may also send the original plate management DB 511 stored locally in the storage unit 51 directly to the processing apparatus 20 via the communication unit 52. Alternatively, the data management unit 71 may upload the original plate management DB 511 to the storage device 30 and notify the processing apparatus 20 of this. Alternatively, the data management unit 71 may also send an access permission notice for the original plate management DB 511 stored in the storage unit 51 to the processing apparatus 20.

[0115] In step S112 (reading step), the reading control unit 81 of the processing device 20 reads the representative glass number from the information recording medium 15 corresponding to the object tray (hereinafter referred to as the work-on-processing object tray) of the glass substrate G. Specifically, the reader 21 reads the representative glass number of the representative glass substrate in the work-on-processing object tray from the information code printed on the information recording medium 15 packaged together with the work-on-processing object tray. The reading control unit 81 obtains the representative glass number read by the reader 21.

[0116] In step S113 (acquisition step), the data acquisition unit 82 acquires the raw plate data set of each glass raw plate G loaded on the work-in-process tray from the storage device. As an example, the data acquisition unit 82 may also extract 100 raw plate data corresponding to 100 glass raw plates G loaded on the work-in-process tray from the raw plate management DB generated by the raw plate process device 10.

[0117] Specifically, the data acquisition unit 82 starts with the original plate data of the original plate data stored in the storage device, which is identified by the original glass number read in S112, and acquires a predetermined number of original plate data that are consecutively established and correspond to the loading order from the storage device.

[0118] Let's illustrate with a specific example. Suppose that in S112, the control unit 81 reads the representative glass number as "20210115_135036". The data acquisition unit 82 then... Figure 5 The original plate management DB shows the record R1 of the original glass plate associated with the original glass plate number "20210115_135036".

[0119] The data acquisition unit 82 extracts 100 consecutive records from the original plate management DB, starting from record R1 which is the 100th record in the loading order, corresponding to the loading sequence. Here, this means the original glass plate is the last, i.e., the 100th, glass plate loaded on tray 14. Therefore, the data acquisition unit 82 extracts a group of 100 records from the original plate management DB, starting from record R1, which is the original plate data of the final glass plate, in descending order, corresponding to the loading sequence. Figure 5 In the example shown, a record group P1 is extracted from the original board management DB, consisting of 100 records that are consecutively ordered in descending order starting from "the 100th record" and corresponding to the loading order (the 99th, 98th, ..., the 1st record).

[0120] In step S114 (data output step), the data output unit 83 outputs a predetermined number of original plate data obtained in S113 to the glass plate processing device in the reverse order of the corresponding loading order. For example, the data output unit 83 outputs 100 records from record group P1 extracted in S113 to the processing machine 22 in descending order, starting from the final loading order, i.e., the "100th" record R1. When unpacking the work-to-be-processed pallet, the processing machine 22 sequentially removes the glass plates G one by one, starting from the last one loaded onto the pallet, and feeds them into the cutting machine. Because the original plate data of the glass plates G are input into the cutting machine according to the order in which the glass plates G are fed in, the cutting function can cut the glass plate G based on the correct original plate data corresponding to the glass plate G.

[0121] <Effects>

[0122] According to the above structure and method, in the raw glass process, for a tray, the raw glass data of each raw glass sheet loaded on the tray is stored in a storage device in association with the loading order to the tray. Here, for the raw glass data of a representative raw glass sheet loaded on the tray in a predetermined loading order (e.g., the last 100th), a representative glass number for identifying the representative raw glass sheet is associated and stored in the storage device.

[0123] During the processing, the representative glass number is read from the information recording medium. Then, starting with the original plate data of the representative glass original plate identified from the representative glass number, a predetermined number of original plate data that are consecutively associated with the loading sequence (e.g., 100 consecutive plates in descending order starting from the predetermined loading sequence "100th") are read from the storage device.

[0124] In this way, the raw material data of each glass sheet loaded onto the same tray containing the representative glass sheets is read along with the loading order in which they were loaded onto the tray. Because the loading order is mapped to the raw material data, in the factory where the processing steps are performed, it is possible to correctly map each glass sheet on the tray to its raw material data based on this loading order. By correctly mapping, the glass sheets can be processed appropriately.

[0125] Based on the above structure and method, it is not necessary to directly add glass numbers to the glass plates loaded on the tray. For representative glass plates loaded in a predetermined loading order, it is sufficient to keep the representative glass number on the information recording medium.

[0126] As described above, the glass plate manufacturing method described above allows for a simple correspondence between the original glass plate and the original plate data.

[0127] Furthermore, in the process of directly printing individual identification information such as two-dimensional codes onto each glass substrate, it is considered that large-scale equipment (such as a dedicated inkjet printer for printing on large-size glass) is required for printing two-dimensional codes onto the glass substrate. According to the glass substrate manufacturing method described above, such large-scale equipment can be eliminated, thus yielding particularly advantageous results from the perspective of labor and cost reduction.

[0128] [Implementation Method 2]

[0129] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, components having the same function as those described in the above embodiments will be labeled with the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0130] In this embodiment, the loader 13 may, depending on the situation, complete the loading of a pallet 14 with a fraction of the total number of sheets (hereinafter referred to as the fractional number). In this embodiment, in the notification that the loader 13 has completed loading the pallet 14, the number of sheets of glass substrate G loaded on the pallet 14 is sent to the substrate processing device 10.

[0131] In this embodiment, for example, in Figure 6 In step S104 shown, the data management unit 71 of the raw glass processing apparatus 10 can also establish a correspondence between the number of raw glass sheets G loaded on the tray 14 and the representative glass number and store them in the storage device. In other examples, in Figure 6 In step S108 shown, the output control unit 72 can also output the number of glass plates G loaded on the tray 14 and the representative glass number to the information recording medium 15.

[0132] In this embodiment, Figure 6In S113 shown, the data acquisition unit 82 of the processing device 20 acquires the same number of original plate data as the number of plates corresponding to the glass number established from the storage device.

[0133] A specific example is given below. The number of sheets corresponding to the representative glass number of the 80th representative glass substrate is set to "80 sheets". In this case, the data acquisition unit 82, starting with the substrate data of the representative glass substrate, acquires the aforementioned number of substrate data in descending order from the storage device, corresponding to the loading order. That is, the data acquisition unit 82 acquires the data of 80 substrates from the storage device, with the loading order from "80th" to "1st".

[0134] <Effects>

[0135] According to the above structure and method, even when the number of glass sheets loaded on each pallet is different, the original sheet data of multiple glass sheets loaded on one pallet can be appropriately obtained from the storage device. Therefore, the glass sheet manufacturing method of the present invention can be applied, for example, to situations where pallets with different maximum loading numbers are mixed together, and also to situations where pallets with a full load number and pallets with a partial load number are mixed together. That is, the glass sheet manufacturing system 100 of the present invention can be applied to all shipping situations.

[0136] [Implementation Method 3]

[0137] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, components having the same function as those described in the above embodiments will be labeled with the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0138] In this embodiment, each tray 14 is assigned a tray ID to uniquely identify each tray. In this embodiment, a recording medium 16 for storing the tray ID is provided on the tray 14 (see reference). Figure 1 ).

[0139] In the original plate process, the loader 13 can also be communicatively connected to a reader (not shown) for reading the tray ID from the information recording medium 16 provided on the tray 14. For example, the loader 13 can obtain the tray ID of the tray 14 loaded with the original glass plate G from the information recording medium 16 via the aforementioned reader.

[0140] <Regarding the interruption of loading operations>

[0141] In this embodiment, as an example, the original plate process device 10 can also use a tray ID to manage the progress of the loading operation of the original glass plate G onto the tray 14.

[0142] In this embodiment, the loading interruption information 512 may also be stored in the storage unit 51 of the original plate processing apparatus 10. The loading interruption information 512 is information indicating the progress of the loading operation of the original glass plate G onto the tray 14 for each tray 14.

[0143] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure for load interruption information 512. As an example, load interruption information 512 consists of two data items: tray ID and number of loaded sheets. In other examples, load interruption information 512 may also have a status data item, depending on the requirements.

[0144] The tray ID is the unique identifier for tray 14. The number of sheets loaded indicates the number of glass plates G already loaded onto tray 14. The number of sheets loaded can also be represented, for example, as a fraction with the full number of trays 14 as the denominator and the current number of sheets loaded onto tray 14 as the numerator. The status indicates the progress of the loading operation on tray 14.

[0145] In this embodiment, before loading the glass substrate G onto the tray 14, the loader 13 obtains the tray ID of the tray 14 via the aforementioned reader. The loader 13 sends the obtained tray ID to the substrate processing device 10, notifying the substrate processing device 10 to begin loading onto the tray 14 corresponding to the tray ID.

[0146] The data management unit 71 of the original board processing device 10 registers the notified pallet ID in the loading interruption information 512. The data management unit 71 may also associate the "loading" status, which indicates that the current loading operation is in progress, with the pallet ID.

[0147] When the loader 13 interrupts the loading operation during a period when the number of glass plates G loaded is less than the full number, it sends the pallet ID of the interrupted pallet 14 and the number of plates already loaded on the pallet 14 to the original plate process device 10 to notify the original plate process device 10 of the interruption of the loading operation.

[0148] For trays 14 where the number of glass sheets G loaded is less than the maximum (upper limit), the data management unit 71 can also perform a step of establishing a correspondence between the tray ID (tray identification information) used to identify the tray 14 and the number of sheets already loaded on the tray 14 (information indicating the number of sheets loaded), and storing this correspondence in the storage unit 51. The information corresponding to the tray ID and the number of sheets loaded is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 51, but can also be stored in any storage device that the glass sheet processing device 10 can refer to, such as the storage device 30.

[0149] Based on the above structure, when loading restarts, it is possible to determine how many glass sheets are loaded on the tray and which number of the next glass sheet to be loaded on that tray, based on the tray ID and the number of sheets loaded. Therefore, even if loading is interrupted midway, it is possible to restart and store the sheet data in the correct loading order until the tray is full.

[0150] For example, the data management unit 71 establishes a correspondence with the notified pallet ID and registers the number of loaded sheets in the same way in the loading interruption information 512. The data management unit 71 may also register the "interruption" status, which indicates that the current loading operation is interrupted, in association with the pallet ID.

[0151] When the loading operation to the interrupted pallet 14 is restarted, the loader 13 will read the pallet ID of the pallet 14 and send it to the original pallet processing device 10, and notify the original pallet processing device 10 to restart the loading of the pallet 14 corresponding to the pallet ID.

[0152] If the number of loaded sheets corresponding to the notified pallet ID is registered in the loading interruption information 512, the data management unit 71 replies the number of loaded sheets to the loader 13.

[0153] Based on the received number of sheets loaded, the loader 13 can restart loading the glass substrate G from the next sheet. The loader 13 can also send the pallet ID and the number of sheets loaded to the substrate processing device 10 when the loading of the glass substrate G has reached a predetermined number, thus notifying the substrate processing device 10 that the loading has been completed.

[0154] Upon receiving a notification from the loader 13 indicating that loading is complete, the data management unit 71 may also delete various information corresponding to the pallet ID included in the notification from the loading interruption information 512. Alternatively, the data management unit 71 may register the pallet ID, the number of loaded sheets, and the "complete" status indicating that loading is complete into the loading interruption information 512.

[0155] <Regarding the interruption of processing operations>

[0156] In this embodiment, as an example, the processing device 20 can also use the tray ID to manage the progress of the processing operation of the glass plate G in the work-starting tray.

[0157] In this embodiment, the processing interruption information 612 may also be stored in the storage unit 61 of the processing process apparatus 20. The processing interruption information 612 is information indicating the progress of the processing operation of the glass raw plate G in the work-on tray for each tray 14.

[0158] In this embodiment, the control unit 60 also includes a process management unit 84. The process management unit 84 uses the processing interruption information 612 to manage the progress of the processing operation of the glass plate G in the work-starting tray.

[0159] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure for processing interruption information 612. As an example, processing interruption information 612 consists of two data items: tray ID and number of sheets retrieved. In other examples, processing interruption information 612 may also have status data items, depending on the requirements.

[0160] The tray ID is the unique identifier for tray 14. The number of sheets removed indicates the number of glass sheets G removed from tray 14. This number can also be represented as a fraction with the full number of trays 14 as the denominator and the number of sheets removed from tray 14 as the numerator. The status indicates the progress of the processing operation associated with tray 14.

[0161] In this embodiment, reader 21 or other reader (not shown) reads the tray ID of tray 14 from information recording medium 16. Before starting the processing of the glass substrate G loaded on tray 14, processing machine 22 obtains the tray ID of tray 14 via reader 21 or other reader (not shown). Processing machine 22 sends the obtained tray ID to processing device 20, notifying processing device 20 that it is about to begin processing of tray 14 corresponding to the tray ID.

[0162] The process management unit 84 of the processing device 20 registers the notified pallet ID in the processing interruption information 612. The process management unit 84 may also register the status indicating that the current processing operation is in progress by associating it with the pallet ID.

[0163] When the processing machine 22 interrupts the processing operation while there are glass plates G remaining on the tray 14, it sends the tray ID of the interrupted tray 14 and the number of sheets taken out from the tray 14 to the processing unit 20, and notifies the processing unit 20 of the interruption of the processing operation.

[0164] The process management unit 84 can also perform a process recording step that establishes a correspondence between the tray ID (tray identification information) used to identify the tray 14 and the number of glass sheets G taken out, indicating the number of sheets taken out from the tray 14, and stores it in the storage unit 61. The information that establishes the correspondence between the tray ID and the number of sheets taken out is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 61, but can also be stored in any storage device that the process device 20 can refer to, such as the storage device 30.

[0165] Based on the above structure, using the tray ID and the number of sheets removed, when resuming retrieval, it is possible to determine which glass sheet from the tray is being retrieved from this point onward. Therefore, even if processing is interrupted midway, the correct sheet data corresponding to the glass sheet retrieved at the start can be read, and processing can resume.

[0166] For example, the process management department 84 establishes a correspondence with the notified pallet ID and records the number of sheets retrieved in the same notification in the processing interruption information 612. The process management department 84 may also further associate the "interruption" status, indicating that the current processing operation has been interrupted, with the pallet ID.

[0167] When the processing operation for the interrupted pallet 14 is restarted, the processing machine 22 reads the pallet ID of the pallet 14 and sends it to the processing device 20, notifying the processing device 20 to restart the processing operation for the pallet 14 corresponding to the pallet ID.

[0168] If the number of sheets taken out is registered in the processing interruption information 612 corresponding to the notified tray ID, the process management department 84 replies the number of sheets taken out to the processing machine 22.

[0169] The processing machine 22 can restart the removal of glass substrates G from the received number of substrates removed. Furthermore, the data output unit 83 can sequentially output substrate data to the processing machine 22 starting from the substrate data of the restarted glass substrates G. When all glass substrates G on the tray 14 have been processed, the processing machine 22 can also send the tray ID to the processing unit 20 and notify the processing unit 20 that the removal and processing are complete.

[0170] Upon receiving a notification from the processing machine 22 indicating that processing of tray 14 is complete, the process management unit 84 may also delete various information corresponding to the tray ID contained in the notification from the processing interruption information 612. Alternatively, the process management unit 84 may register the tray ID and the "completed" status indicating processing completion in the processing interruption information 612.

[0171] [Software-based implementation example]

[0172] The function of the original board process device 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") is to enable the computer to function as the device through a program that enables the computer to function as each control block of the device (especially each part included in the control unit 50).

[0173] The function of the processing device 20 (hereinafter referred to as "the device") is to enable the computer to function as the device through a program that enables the computer to function as each control block of the device (especially each part included in the control unit 60).

[0174] In this case, the aforementioned device comprises a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory), serving as hardware for executing the aforementioned program. By executing the program using the control device and the storage device, the functions described in the above embodiments are realized.

[0175] The above-described program can also be recorded on one or more non-transitory computer-readable recording media. This recording medium may or may not have the aforementioned device. In the latter case, the program can also be supplied to the aforementioned device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0176] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the aforementioned control blocks can also be implemented using logic circuits. For example, integrated circuits that form the logic circuits that enable the functions of the aforementioned control blocks are also included within the scope of this invention. In addition, the functions of the aforementioned control blocks can also be implemented using a quantum computer, for example.

[0177] Furthermore, the processes described in the above embodiments can also be performed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​can operate either through the aforementioned control device or through other devices (such as edge computers or cloud servers).

[0178] This invention is not limited to the various embodiments described above. Various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this invention.

[0179] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0180] 10 Original Plate Processing Equipment

[0181] 11 Original board manufacturing equipment

[0182] 12 Inspection Device

[0183] 13 loaders

[0184] 14 trays

[0185] 15 Information Recording Media

[0186] 20 processing steps device

[0187] 21 Reader

[0188] 22 machining center

[0189] 30 storage devices

[0190] 50 Control Department

[0191] 51 Storage Department (Storage Devices, Original Board Process Storage Devices)

[0192] 52 Ministry of Communications

[0193] 53 Output Section

[0194] 60 Control Department

[0195] 61. Storage Department (Storage Devices, Processing Step Storage Devices)

[0196] 62 Wireless Communications Department

[0197] 63 Ministry of Communications

[0198] 71 Data Management Department

[0199] 72 Output Control Unit

[0200] 81 Reading Control Unit (Identification Information Reading Unit)

[0201] 82 Data Acquisition Department

[0202] 83 Data Output Department

[0203] 84 Process Management Department

[0204] 100 Glass Plate Manufacturing System

[0205] G glass plate

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a glass plate, comprising: The raw glass process involves loading multiple raw glass sheets onto a tray. The process involves removing each sheet of raw glass from the tray and processing it to manufacture a glass sheet, wherein... The original board process includes: The storage step involves processing each tray as follows: for each of the glass sheets loaded on the tray, establishing a correspondence between the sheet data related to the processing of the glass sheet and the loading order of the glass sheets in the tray, and storing it in a storage device; and associating representative sheet identification information for identifying representative glass sheets located in a predetermined loading order in the tray with the original sheet data of that representative glass sheet, and storing it in the storage device; and The information output step involves processing each tray to output the original board identification information to the information recording medium. The processing steps include: The reading step involves reading the representative original board identification information from each of the information recording media; and The acquisition step involves processing each tray as follows: starting with the original plate data representing the original glass plate identified by the read original plate identification information from the original plate data stored in the storage device, a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading order are acquired from the storage device. The original plate identification information is the representative glass number.

2. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to claim 1, wherein, The representative glass plate is the final glass plate in the loading sequence of the tray. In the acquisition step, starting with the original plate data of the final glass original plate, a predetermined number of original plate data corresponding to the loading order are acquired from the storage device in descending order.

3. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to claim 2, wherein, The processing steps further include: a data output step, in which the specified number of original plate data obtained in the acquisition step are output to the device for processing the glass original plate in the reverse order of the loading sequence established.

4. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The information recording medium is packaged together with the tray containing the representative glass plate. In the information output step, the information recording medium printed with the information code embedded with the original board identification information is output.

5. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, In the storage step, the number of original glass plates loaded on the tray and the identification information of the representative original plates are also stored in the storage device in a corresponding manner. In the acquisition step, the number of sheets corresponding to the original board identification information is used as the specified number to acquire the original board data.

6. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The original plate process further includes an original plate process recording step, in which, for a tray whose loading number of original glass plates is less than the upper limit, the tray identification information used to identify the tray and the information indicating the loading number are correspondingly stored in the original plate process storage device.

7. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The processing step further includes a processing step recording step, which establishes a correspondence between the pallet identification information used to identify the pallet and the information indicating the number of glass plates taken out from the pallet and stores them in the processing step storage device.

8. A raw glass processing apparatus for controlling the loading of multiple raw glass sheets onto a tray, wherein, have: The data management department performs the following processing on each of the trays: for each of the glass sheets loaded on the tray, it establishes a correspondence between the sheet data related to the processing of the glass sheet and the loading order of the glass sheets in the tray and stores it in a storage device; and it establishes an association between the representative sheet identification information of the representative glass sheet located in the predetermined loading order in the tray and the sheet data of the representative glass sheet and stores it in the storage device. as well as The output control unit processes each of the trays to output the original board identification information to the information recording medium. The original plate identification information is the representative glass number.

9. A computer-readable recording medium containing an information processing program for enabling a computer to function as the original board processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein, This enables the computer to function as both the data management unit and the output control unit.

10. A processing apparatus for controlling the removal and processing of each sheet of raw glass loaded on a tray, wherein, have: The identification information reading unit processes each information recording medium corresponding to the tray for maintaining the identification information of the representative original plate, and reads the identification information of the representative original plate from the information recording medium. The identification information of the representative original plate is used to identify the representative glass original plate in the glass original plate loaded on the tray and located in a predetermined loading order. as well as The data acquisition unit performs the following processing on each tray: starting with the original plate data representing the original glass plate identified by the read original plate identification information, it acquires a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading order from the storage device. The storage device stores, for each original glass plate loaded on the tray, original plate data related to the processing of the original glass plate in a corresponding manner with the loading order of the original glass plates in the tray, and stores the original plate identification information in an associated manner with the original plate data representing the original glass plate. The original plate identification information is the representative glass number.

11. A computer-readable recording medium containing an information processing program for enabling a computer to function as the processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein, This enables the computer to function as both the identification information reading unit and the data acquisition unit.

12. A glass plate manufacturing system, in, It includes: a raw glass processing device for controlling the loading of multiple raw glass sheets onto a tray; and a processing device for controlling the removal of each of the raw glass sheets loaded onto the tray and processing them. The original plate processing device has the following features: The data management department performs the following processing on each of the trays: for each of the glass sheets loaded on the tray, it establishes a correspondence between the sheet data related to the processing of the glass sheet and the loading order of the glass sheets in the tray and stores it in a storage device; and it establishes an association between the representative sheet identification information of the representative glass sheet located in the predetermined loading order in the tray and the sheet data of the representative glass sheet and stores it in the storage device. as well as The output control unit processes each of the trays to output the original board identification information to the information recording medium. The processing apparatus has: The identification information reading unit reads the representative original board identification information from each of the information recording media; and The data acquisition unit performs the following processing on each tray: starting with the original plate data representing the glass original plate identified by the read original plate identification information from the original plate data stored in the storage device, it acquires a predetermined number of consecutive original plate data corresponding to the loading order from the storage device. The original plate identification information is the representative glass number.

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