Device and method for independently conveying two glass panes in a pane-processing device

Abstract

To increase the amount of glass panes which can be processed within a predetermined time.SOLUTION: A transport device and a method for transporting a glass pane in a vertical position in a glass pane processing device, wherein a first horizontal conveyor (11) forms an upwardly facing first transport surface (13), a second horizontal conveyor (12) forms an upwardly facing second transport surface (14), a suction conveyor comprises a perforated suction belt (16), and a part of the suction belt (16) runs over a suction chamber (22) for sucking the glass pane, A section of the suction belt 16 extends in the support plane parallel to the transport direction B from a region above the first transport surface 13 to a region above the second transport surface 14, wherein the transport device 2 is configured such that the second transport surface 14 can be moved synchronously with or independently of the first transport surface 13, wherein a spacer that is movable relative to the support wall is arranged in the region above the second transport surface 14, the guide surface of which spacer can be moved into a working position on the side of the support plane facing away from the suction chamber 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention is based on a conveying device having the features of the preamble of claim 1. Such conveying devices are known in practice from various applications and have essentially proven their worth when glass panes are conveyed, processed, and conveyed again one after another to glass pane processing devices. The pane processing devices used in practice, for example devices for applying spacer strands to glass panes, are primarily sized to the maximum size of glass panes that can still be processed by the device. If glass panes of smaller dimensions are also processed by such devices, it would take a considerable amount of time to convey the relatively small glass panes into and out of the device over relatively long distances. [Background technology]

[0002] At this stage, there is no prior art device or method for independently transporting two panes of glass within a pane processing device. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The object of the present invention is to improve an apparatus of the type described above so as to increase the quantity of glass panes that can be processed in a given time. Another object of the present invention is to provide a corresponding method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] This object is achieved by a conveying device having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 10. Advantageous further embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0005] The conveying device according to the present invention is configured to transport glass panes in a vertical position in a glass pane processing device. The pane processing device includes a processing unit that can move up and down along a support plane formed by a support wall for the glass pane. A glass pane in the sense of the present invention can mean a single glass sheet, an assembly of several glass sheets, or an insulating glass pane. A pane processing device in the sense of the present invention can be a device for applying flexible spacer strands to glass panes. The processing unit can be designed as an application head that is guided along at least a portion of the edge of the glass pane to apply the spacer strands. The processing unit can be used in a manner known per se to apply the flexible spacer strands to the glass panes in a vertical position along their edges. The spacer strands applied along the entire edge of the glass pane form a spacer frame in the finished insulating glass pane to hold two adjacent sheet panes at a distance from each other. The flexible spacer strands may be paste-like spacer strands made of a thermoplastic material and / or a reactive cross-linking material that subsequently solidifies, and the strands are applied to the glass panes using a nozzle. The flexible spacer strands may also be unwound as a ribbon-like material from a supply roll and applied to the glass panes. The glass pane processing device may also be a device known per se for sealing the end joints of insulating glass panes.

[0006] The conveying device includes a first horizontal conveyor, a second horizontal conveyor, and a suction conveyor. The first horizontal conveyor is disposed in a lower region of the support wall. The first horizontal conveyor forms an upwardly facing first conveying surface. The first conveying surface is movable linearly along the horizontal conveying direction and conveys glass panes in an upright position on the conveying surface. The second horizontal conveyor is disposed in a straight line with the first horizontal conveyor. This results in a single-track pane processing device. The second horizontal conveyor forms an upwardly facing second conveying surface. The second conveying surface can also be movable linearly along the conveying direction.

[0007] Each conveying surface can be formed by a conveyor belt and / or a roller conveyor. Thus, each conveying surface forms an upward-facing contact surface for the upright glass panes, which can be supported by the support walls. Each conveying surface can carry the upright glass panes on its lower edge. The support walls form a support plane extending parallel to the conveying direction. This support plane can be formed in a manner known per se, for example, by an arrangement of multiple air nozzles and / or rollers. The support wall can have two spaced apart portions, the spacing of which provides free space for the movement of the processing units. The "upright" feature means that the support wall and the support plane formed thereby are not exactly vertical or aligned at a steep angle, but are inclined backward by a few degrees so that upright glass panes leaning against the support wall do not tilt forward, i.e., away from the support wall. The support plane of the support wall can have an inclination of approximately 6° to 8° relative to the vertical.

[0008] The suction conveyor consists of a perforated suction belt. The suction belt contains multiple suction ports and is guided over a suction chamber exposed to a pressure lower than ambient pressure. The portion of the suction belt that runs over the suction chamber extends parallel to the conveying direction of the horizontal conveyor within the support plane. The surface of the suction belt away from the suction chamber can be parallel to the support plane. The suction chamber, and therefore the suctioned portion of the suction belt, extends from the area above the first conveying surface to the area above the second conveying surface. Glass panes being transported from the first horizontal conveyor to the second horizontal conveyor (or vice versa) can be simultaneously sucked by the suction conveyor. The conveying device is designed and configured so that the two conveying surfaces move synchronously with each other, i.e., at the same speed along the conveying direction. The suction conveyor can assist in transporting glass panes from one horizontal conveyor to the other. In this case, the first conveying surface, the second conveying surface, and the suction conveyor all move at the same speed. In particular, the suction conveyor can prevent relatively small glass panes from falling into the gap and provide the necessary space between the two horizontal conveyors for the processing unit to lower to the area below the conveying surface. In particular, the synchronous conveying of the glass panes by the two horizontal conveyors and the suction conveyor can be carried out in a manner known per se while the processing unit applies spacer strands along the lower or upper edge of the glass pane. The first horizontal conveyor, the second horizontal conveyor, and the suction conveyor can each include a controllable drive. The conveying device can include a central control device for controlling each drive at a predetermined speed.

[0009] The conveying device according to the present invention is also configured, particularly in accordance with the method according to the present invention, to move the second conveying surface independently from the first conveying surface. In the method according to the present invention for independently conveying two glass panes in a glass pane processing device, the first glass pane stands on a first horizontal conveyor at a slight angle. The first glass pane is supported by a support wall and sucked onto a suction conveyor. The first glass pane is linearly conveyed along the horizontal conveying direction at a first speed by the suction conveyor and the first horizontal conveyor. The second glass pane stands on a second horizontal conveyor at a slight angle. The second glass pane is spaced from the suction conveyor by a spacer and linearly conveyed along the conveying direction at a second speed by the second horizontal conveyor. The second speed is different from the first speed. One of the speeds can be zero. Thus, one of the two glass panes can be stationary while the other glass pane moves horizontally. The spacer can position the second glass pane at a position away from the suction part of the suction belt, and in particular can guide it to this position during conveyance. The spacer is arranged in the conveying device so as to be movable relative to the support wall. The spacer is arranged on the second conveying surface. The spacer is arranged in an upper region of the second conveying surface. The spacer can be moved to a working position in which the guide surface of the spacer is located on the opposite side of the suction chamber of the suction belt from the support surface. In this case, the guide surface is located on the opposite side of the suction chamber from the support surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention has great advantages.

[0011] By using the invention, it is possible to transport two glass panes independently of each other in the pane processing device, in particular by means of spacers assigned to the suction conveyor.

[0012] The spacer can also prevent the second glass pane from being attracted to the vacuum belt, so the second glass pane can move at a different speed than the vacuum belt and the first glass pane.

[0013] As the first glass pane leaves the second conveying surface, the second glass pane can be simultaneously transported to the glass pane processing device on the second horizontal conveyor. When the first glass pane leaves the second conveying surface, it is still in the processing unit area. The first glass pane can be further moved at the required speed by the suction conveyor and the first horizontal conveyor to complete its processing. It is also possible to stop the first glass pane and, for example, apply spacers to its rear edge from bottom to top.

[0014] The second glass pane following the first glass pane can be transported into the pane processing device and immediately before the processing unit while the first glass pane is still being processed, resulting in an overall time saving, which can be relatively large, especially in the case of relatively large glass pane processing devices in which the second horizontal conveyor has a relatively long length.

[0015] The present invention allows for a shorter cycle time for processing glass panes, which means that more glass panes can be processed in a given amount of time.

[0016] The glass pane processing device or the production line in which it is installed is designed for the maximum size of glass panes to be processed therein. The present invention allows for particularly significant time savings during the processing of glass panes smaller than said maximum size.

[0017] In a further embodiment, the guide surface of the spacer can be formed by at least one guide roller and / or at least one air nozzle. The spacer can be arranged below or above the suction conveyor. The spacer can be moved transversely to the support plane, in particular between a waiting position and a working position. In the waiting position, the spacer can be located on the same side of the support plane as the suction chamber. The support length of the spacer, measured along the conveying direction, can be equal to or greater than the length of the section of the suction belt extending in the support plane above the second conveying surface.

[0018] In a further embodiment, additional spacers can be arranged in the region above the first conveying surface. In this way, the method according to the present invention can be carried out in the opposite direction to the conveying direction. Once the processing of the first glass pane is complete, it can be positioned away from the suction conveyor by the spacers arranged above the first conveying surface, and the subsequent second glass pane can be sucked onto the suction conveyor. Processing of the second glass pane by the processing unit can begin before the first glass pane is transported from the pane processing device by the first horizontal conveyor. This saves even more time overall. The support length of the spacer can be equal to or greater than the length of the section of the suction belt extending in the support plane above the conveying surface to which the spacer is assigned.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the method, the second glass pane can be returned to the support plane by a post-positioning device. The post-positioning device can be a counter-push device that pushes the second glass pane back against the suction conveyor. This ensures that the second glass pane that would otherwise be sucked by the suction conveyor is actually safely sucked onto the suction belt. The post-positioning device is a component of the conveying device and can be moved relative to the support wall. The post-positioning device can be located both in the area above the first conveying surface and in the area above the second conveying surface. The spacer and / or post-positioning device can each be composed of a roller holder having multiple freely rotatable guide rollers. The outer peripheral surfaces of the guide rollers form the guide surfaces of the spacer or post-positioning device. The guide rollers of the roller holder can be arranged along a straight line extending parallel to the support plane. All guide rollers of one roller holder can have the same outer diameter. The roller holder allows for easy and reliable change of the position of the spacer and / or post-positioning device.

[0020] Further details and advantages of the present invention will be explained with reference to embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, in which identical and corresponding components are provided with corresponding reference numerals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a glass pane processing device constituting a first embodiment of a conveying device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] Enlarged view of part of Figure 1 [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the conveying device shown in FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic side view of the pane processing device of FIG. 1, with the spacer in the working position and the rear positioner in the waiting position; [Figure 5] Similar to Figure 4, with the spacer in the standby position and the rear positioner in the working position [Figure 6]Similar to Figure 4, with the spacer and rear positioner in standby position [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a second embodiment of the transport device according to the invention; [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the spacer in FIG. 7 is in the working position and the rear positioning device is in the standby position. [Figure 9] A view similar to FIG. 8, showing the spacer in the standby position and the rear positioner in the standby position. [Figure 10] Similar to Figure 8, but with the spacer and rear positioner in standby position DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The pane processing device 1 comprises a conveying device 2, a processing unit 3, and a support wall 4. The support wall 4 comprises two portions 4a and 4b, which are spaced apart by a distance 4c. The support wall 4 forms, in a manner known per se, a support plane 5, which is arranged at a slight inclination relative to the vertical. The processing unit 3 comprises a nozzle 6 for applying spacer strands (not shown) to the glass panes 7, 8, and for this purpose is movable up and down along a guide rail 9 in the direction of the double arrow A. The guide rail 9 extends parallel to the support plane 5.

[0023] The conveying device 2 includes a first horizontal conveyor 11 having a first conveying surface 13, a second horizontal conveyor 12 having a second conveying surface 14, and a suction conveyor 15 having a suction belt 16. The conveying surface 13 is formed by a conveyor belt 17 and three conveying rollers 18 and can be moved by a drive unit (not shown). The conveying surface 14 is formed by a conveyor belt 19 and three conveying rollers 20 and can also be moved by a drive unit (not shown). The first glass pane 7 stands slightly inclined on the first conveying surface 13 and is supported by a support wall 4 (see FIG. 1). The glass pane 7 is conveyed into the glass pane processing device 1 by moving the conveying surfaces 13 and 14 along a horizontal conveying direction B (see FIG. 1). The suction belt 16 includes multiple through-holes 21 and is endlessly guided over a suction chamber 22. Some of the through-holes 21 are shown in FIG. 3. The suction chamber 22 extends from the area above the first conveying surface 13 to the area above the second conveying surface 14. The suction belt 16 can be moved over the suction chamber 22 by a drive (not shown). A negative pressure is applied to the suction chamber 22 via a suction port 23. A suction area 24 of the suction belt 16, which is sucked by the suction chamber 22, extends parallel to the conveying direction B within the support plane 5 and can suck the glass pane 7 in a manner known per se.

[0024] To apply spacer strands (not shown) to the glass pane 7, the nozzle 6 is guided along the edge of the glass pane 7. For application along the leading and trailing edges, the processing unit 3 is moved in the operating direction A. For application along the top and bottom edges, the glass pane 7 is transported past the stationary processing unit 3 in the conveying direction B or against the conveying direction B by means of synchronously moving horizontal conveyors 11 and 12 and a suction conveyor 15. Such application of spacer strands is known per se and therefore does not require further detailed description.

[0025] The conveying device 2 comprises a first spacer 25, a second spacer 26, a first rear positioning device 27, and a second rear positioning device 28. The spacers 25, 26 and the rear positioning devices 27, 28 are each designed as roller holders 29 and, as shown in FIG. 3, are each composed of a number of freely rotatable guide rollers 30. The spacers 25, 26 and the rear positioning devices 27, 28 are each movable between a standby position and a working position along a direction of movement C oriented transversely to the support surface 5 (see FIGS. 4 to 6 and 8). In this first embodiment, the spacers 25, 26 are arranged above the suction conveyor 15. The support length L1 of the first spacer 25, measured along the conveying direction B, is greater than the length L2 of the suction belt 16 extending in the support surface 5 above the conveying surface 13 to which the spacer 25 is assigned.

[0026] When the processing of the first glass pane 7 is almost complete and the glass pane 7 leaves the conveying surface 14 in the conveying direction B, it is sufficient to transport the glass pane 7 using only the conveying surface 13 and the suction belt 16. As a result, the second horizontal conveyor 12 is no longer required to transport the finished glass pane 7 from the pane processing device 1 in the conveying direction B, and the second conveying surface 14 does not need to move synchronously with the conveying surface 13 and the suction belt 16. Instead, the conveying surface 14 moves independently after the first glass pane 7 leaves the conveying surface 14. In this way, the second glass pane 8 can be transported to the pane processing device 1 before the processing of the first glass pane 7 is completed (see FIG. 4). For this purpose, the spacer 26 is moved to a working position where the guide surface 31 of the spacer 26, formed by the circumferential surface of the guide roller 30, is located on the opposite side of the suction chamber 22 with respect to the suction belt 16 or the support plane 5, as shown in FIG. 4. A portion of the support plane 5 is formed by the surface of the suction belt 16. Thus, the glass panes 8 standing on the conveying surface 14 are guided at a distance from the suction belt 16 while being conveyed by the horizontal conveyor 12. As a result, the glass panes 8 are not attracted to the suction belt 16, and can be conveyed at a speed different from that of the suction belt 16.

[0027] Once the processing of the first glass pane 7 is complete, it can be transported out of the pane processing device 1 solely by the first horizontal conveyor 11. The vacuum in the suction chamber 22 is turned off, and the spacer 25 is moved to its working position so that the glass pane 7 is not sucked onto the suction belt 16. The vacuum in the suction chamber 22 is then turned on again. The spacer 26 is then returned to its standby position (see FIG. 5). At the same time, the rear positioning device 28 (see FIG. 5) is advanced to its working position so that the second glass pane 8 can return to the support plane 5 and be safely sucked onto the suction belt 16. The second glass pane 8 is transported by the horizontal conveyor 12 and the suction conveyor 15 so that the processing unit 3 can begin processing the glass pane 8. The spacer 26 and rear positioning device 28 can each be in their standby positions (see FIG. 6). When the first glass pane 7 is completely removed from the glass pane processing device 1 and moves away from the conveying surface 13, the conveying surface 13 moves again in synchronization with the conveying surface 14 and the suction belt 16 to take over the second glass pane 8 coming from the second horizontal conveyor 12.

[0028] In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, spacers 25 and 26 are arranged below the suction conveyor 15. Otherwise, the pane processing device 1 of the second embodiment is designed similarly to the first embodiment, so please refer to the above description to avoid repetition. The spacer 26 in its working position, as shown in FIG. 8, guides the glass pane 8 at a distance from the suction belt 16, so that the glass pane 8 is not sucked by the suction conveyor 15 and can be transported by the conveying surface 14 regardless of the speed of the suction belt 16. When the processing of the first glass pane 7 is completed and the spacer 25 is in its working position, the spacer 26 is returned to its standby position, as shown in FIG. 9. At the same time, the rear positioning device 28 is moved to its working position (see FIG. 9). The rear positioning device 28 returns the glass pane 8 to the support plane 5, so that the glass pane 8 is stationary relative to the suction belt 16. After that, the rear positioning device 28 is returned to its standby position (see FIG. 10). The rest of the procedure is the same as in the first embodiment, so please refer to the above description to avoid repetition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1...Panel processing device 2...Transportation device 3...Processing unit 4…Supporting wall 4a...Part of the supporting wall 4b...Part of the supporting wall 4c…interval 5…Support plane 6...Nozzle 7...First glass pane 8...Second glass pane 9...Guide rail 11...First horizontal conveyor 12...Second horizontal conveyor 13...First conveying surface 14...Second conveying surface 15...Suction conveyor 16...Adsorption belt 17...Conveyor belt 18...Transport roller 19...Conveyor belt 20...Transport roller 21...Through hole 22...Suction chamber 23...Suction port 24…Suction area 25...First spacer 26...Second spacer 27...First rear positioning 28...Second rear positioning 29...Roller holder 30...Guide roller 31...Guide surface A...Operation direction B: Conveying direction C…Operation direction L1: Spacer support length L2: Length of the suction belt area

Claims

1. A conveying device (2) for conveying glass panes (7, 8) in an upright position in a pane processing device (1) having a processing unit (3) that is movable up and down along a support plane (5) formed by a support wall (4), The conveying device (2) is designed as follows: a first horizontal conveyor (11) arranged in the lower region of the support wall (4) and forming an upwardly facing first conveying surface (13), said first conveying surface (13) being linearly movable along a horizontal conveying direction (B) for conveying the glass panes (7) in an upright position thereon; a second horizontal conveyor (12) arranged in line with the first horizontal conveyor (11) and forming an upwardly facing second conveying surface (14) linearly movable along the conveying direction (B); The suction conveyor (15) is made of a perforated suction belt (16), A portion of the suction belt (16) runs over a suction chamber (22) so that the glass pane (7) can be sucked onto the suction belt (16); the portion of the suction belt (16) extends in the support plane (5) parallel to the conveying direction (B) from an area above the first conveying surface (13) to an area above the second conveying surface (14); the conveying device (2) is configured to move the second conveying surface (14) synchronously with the first conveying surface (13) or independently of the first conveying surface (13); and a spacer (26) movable relative to the support wall (4) is arranged in an area above the second conveying surface (14), and the spacer (26) is movable to a working position in which its guide surface (31) is positioned on the side of the suction belt (16) facing the suction chamber (22).

2. In claim 1, A conveying device in which a further spacer (25) is arranged in the region above said first conveying surface (13).

3. In claim 1, A conveying device characterized in that the support length (L1) of a spacer (25; 26), measured along the conveying direction (B), is equal to or greater than the length (L2) of the suction belt area of ​​the suction belt (16) located in the support plane (5) above the conveying surface (13; 14) to which the spacer (25; 26) is assigned.

4. In claim 1, A conveying device, characterized in that it comprises a rear positioning (27; 28) movable relative to said support wall (4).

5. In claim 1, 10. A conveying device, characterized in that rear positioning devices (27; 28) are arranged both in the region above the first conveying surface (13) and in the region above the second conveying surface (14).

6. In claim 1, A conveying device characterized in that the spacers (25; 26) and / or post-positioners (27; 28) each include a roller holder (29) having guide rollers (30) consisting of a plurality of rotatably arranged free rollers.

7. In claim 6, A conveying device characterized in that the guide rollers (30) of the roller holder (29) are arranged along a straight line extending parallel to the support plane (5).

8. In claim 6 or 7, A conveying device characterized in that the roller holder (29) is displaceable laterally relative to the support plane (5).

9. In any one of claims 4 to 6, 1. A conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the post-positioning (27; 28), in particular its guide rollers (30), are arranged at a height between the suction conveyor (15) and the conveying surface (13; 14) of each of the horizontal conveyors (11; 12).

10. The first glass pane (7) is placed on a first horizontal conveyor (11) at a slight incline; A second glass pane (8) is placed on a second horizontal conveyor (12) at a slight incline; The first glass pane (7) is supported by a support wall (4) and is sucked onto a suction conveyor (15) extending to an area above the first horizontal conveyor (11) and an area above the second horizontal conveyor (12); The first glass pane (7) is linearly conveyed at a first speed along a horizontal conveying direction (B) by the suction conveyor (15) and the first horizontal conveyor (11); The method for independently transporting two glass panes (7, 8) in a pane processing device (1) is characterized in that the second glass pane (8) is positioned at a distance from the suction conveyor (15) by a spacer (26), and is linearly transported at a second speed along the transport direction (B) by the second horizontal conveyor (12).

11. In claim 10, The method for independently transporting two glass panes (7, 8) in the pane processing device (1) is characterized in that the spacer (26) is moved away from the second glass pane (8), which is then returned by a post-positioning (28) into the support plane (5), in particular onto the suction conveyor (15).

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