Apparatus and method for manufacturing glass plate

Abstract

To take out a glass plate from a laminate without causing a flaw due to friction.SOLUTION: An apparatus for manufacturing a glass plate G includes a take-out device 1 for taking out the glass plate G from a laminate LM formed by laminating the glass plate G and a protective sheet PS in a vertical posture. The take-out device 1 includes a suction pad 3 for sucking the glass plate G to separate at least a part of the glass plate G from the laminate LM, and a gap forming member 5 inserted between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS to form a gap S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In the manufacturing process of glass plates, a laminate in which glass plates and protective sheets are alternately stacked is usually stored in a storage unit such as a pallet, and then transported or stored.

[0003] In this case, a step (removal step) of removing the glass plates one by one from the laminate is carried out at a predetermined timing. In this removal step, when the frontmost glass plate is removed from the pallet, the protective sheet on the back side of the frontmost glass plate may adhere to the frontmost glass plate and be removed together, which may cause problems in subsequent steps.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a glass plate transfer device that can prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring. This transfer device includes a main frame provided with glass plate suction means for supporting the glass plate by suction, and a sub-frame provided with interleaf suction means for supporting the lower edge of the interleaf paper on the back of the glass plate by suction. Furthermore, this transfer device has a parallel link formed by opposing the main frame and the sub-frame (see claim 1 and paragraph 0018 of the same document).

[0005] In addition, this transfer device separates the glass plate and the interleaf by operating a link drive cylinder provided on the subframe to raise the position of the glass plate adsorbed by the glass plate adsorption means and adsorbing the lower edge of the interleaf on the back of the glass plate by the interleaf adsorption means (see claim 1 and paragraphs 0028 and 0029 of the same document). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-297033 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the conventional transfer device, when the glass plate held by the glass plate suction means is moved upward during the removal process, if foreign matter such as glass powder is present between the glass plate and the interleaf, there is a risk that the glass will be scratched or the interleaf will be torn. Also, if the glass plate has uneven thickness, for example, when the glass plate is moved upward, there is a risk that scratches will occur due to strong friction between the front and rear glass plates via the interleaf.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its technical object to remove a glass plate from a laminate without breaking the protective sheet protecting the glass plate or scratching the glass plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] (1) The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a glass plate manufacturing apparatus including a removal device that removes a glass plate from a stack formed by stacking a glass plate and a protective sheet in a vertical position, wherein the removal device includes a suction pad that adsorbs the glass plate and separates at least a portion of the glass plate from the stack, and a gap forming member that is inserted between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap.

[0010] According to this configuration, the gap forming member can be inserted between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap between the glass plate and the protective sheet, which makes it possible to remove the glass plate from the laminate without scratching the glass plate or tearing the protective sheet when separating the glass plate and the protective sheet, and even if the glass plate has uneven thickness, without scratching the glass plate.

[0011] (2) In the glass plate manufacturing apparatus described in (1) above, the stack may be inclined relative to the vertical direction, and the gap forming member may move downward from an upper position of the stack along the inclined direction of the stack when removing the glass plate.

[0012] According to this configuration, the gap-forming member positioned above the laminate can be moved downward along the inclined direction of the laminate, thereby allowing the gap-forming member to be suitably inserted between the inclined glass plate and the protective sheet.

[0013] (3) In the glass plate manufacturing apparatus described in (1) or (2) above, the gap forming member has a first contact surface that contacts the glass plate and a second contact surface that contacts the protective sheet, and the first contact surface and the second contact surface may be inclined with respect to a center line of the gap forming member so that the end of the gap forming member is tapered.

[0014] According to this configuration, the first contact surface and the second contact surface of the gap forming member are inclined surfaces, and the end of the gap forming member is tapered, so that this end can be easily inserted between the glass plate and the protective sheet that are in close contact in the laminate.

[0015] (4) In the glass sheet manufacturing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the take-out device may include a positioning member that determines an insertion position of the gap forming member.

[0016] According to this configuration, the insertion position of the gap forming member can be set with high precision by the positioning member, and a gap can be reliably formed between the glass plate and the protective sheet.

[0017] (5) In the apparatus for producing a glass plate according to any one of the above (1) to (4), the thickness deviation of the glass plate may be 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

[0018] According to this configuration, even if the glass plate has thickness variations, by forming a gap between the glass plate and the protective sheet using the gap-forming member, the glass plate can be separated from the laminate without causing scratches due to friction between the front and rear glass plates.

[0019] (6) The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a method for manufacturing a glass plate, comprising a removal step of removing the glass plate from a laminate formed by laminating a glass plate and a protective sheet, characterized in that the removal step comprises a suction step of suctioning the glass plate with a suction pad, and a gap forming step of inserting a gap forming member between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap.

[0020] According to this configuration, in the gap forming step, the gap forming member is inserted between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap between the glass plate and the protective sheet, which makes it possible to remove the glass plate from the laminate without scratching the glass plate or tearing the protective sheet when separating the glass plate and the protective sheet, and even if the glass plate has uneven thickness, without scratching the glass plate.

[0021] (7) In the method for manufacturing a glass plate according to (6) above, the removing step may include a positioning step of determining an insertion position of the gap forming member.

[0022] According to this configuration, the positioning step allows the insertion position of the gap forming member to be set with high precision, and a gap can be reliably formed between the glass plate and the protective sheet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present invention, the glass plate can be removed from the laminate without causing breakage of the protective sheet protecting the glass plate or scratches on the glass plate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1]1 is a side view of a glass plate take-out device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the glass plate take-out device. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a removal process. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are side views showing a positioning step and a gap forming step. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a side view of a glass plate take-out device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front view of the glass plate take-out device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of an apparatus and method for manufacturing a glass plate according to the present invention.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the manufacturing apparatus includes a take-out device 1 that takes out glass sheets G one by one from a laminate LM formed by stacking glass sheets G and protective sheets PS in a vertical position.

[0027] The laminate LM is placed in a vertical position on a pallet P. The pallet P has a bottom surface Pa that supports the lower end of the laminate LM, and side surfaces Pb that support the sides of the laminate LM.

[0028] The bottom surface Pa of the pallet P is an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. The side surface Pb of the pallet P is an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. In the pallet P according to this embodiment, for example, the bottom surface Pa and the side surface Pb are connected so as to form a right angle. Due to such a configuration of the bottom surface Pa and the side surface Pb, the laminate LM mounted on the pallet P is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the glass sheets G constituting the laminate LM are also supported by the bottom surface Pa and the side surface Pb of the pallet P in a vertical position inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

[0029] In this embodiment, the case of producing a crystallized glass plate is illustrated, but the glass plate produced by the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the glass plate G is rectangular and has an upper end Ga, a lower end Gb, and a side end Gc when placed in a vertical position on a pallet P. Also, as shown in Fig. 1, the glass plate G has a first main surface GS1 facing the side surface Pb of the pallet P and a second main surface GS2 located on the opposite side of the first main surface GS1 in the thickness direction.

[0030] The thickness of the glass sheet G is preferably, for example, 1 to 23 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness deviation of the glass sheet G is, for example, 0.05 to 0.2 mm. Here, the thickness deviation of the glass sheet G means that the thickness of the glass sheet G is not constant and some thin and thick portions are generated. Specifically, the thickness deviation is calculated as the difference between the maximum thickness and the minimum thickness of the glass sheet G.

[0031] 1 and 2, the take-out device 1 mainly includes a main body frame 2, a plurality of suction pads 3 for separating the glass plate G from the laminate LM, a positioning member 4, and a gap forming member 5. In addition, the take-out device 1 includes a suction pad (not shown) for separating the protective sheet PS from the laminate LM.

[0032] 2, the main body frame 2 has a pair of support posts 2a that are spaced apart in the width direction of the glass sheet G and that extend in the vertical direction, and connecting members 2b that connect the support posts 2a. The number and positions of the support posts 2a and connecting members 2b are not limited to those in this embodiment. The main body frame 2 has suction pads 3, positioning members 4, and gap forming members 5 integrally attached thereto.

[0033] The main body frame 2 is supported by a support device (not shown) so that its position can be changed from a vertical position along the vertical direction (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1) to an inclined position along a direction inclined relative to the vertical direction (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1). The support device can adjust the inclination angle of the main body frame 2. The support device also supports the main body frame 2 so that it can move up and down and horizontally. Therefore, the main body frame 2 can change its position in the vertical and horizontal directions relative to the stack LM mounted on the pallet P, and is also configured to be able to move towards and away from the stack LM.

[0034] The suction pads 3 are used to suck the glass sheet G and separate at least a part of the glass sheet G from the laminate LM. Each suction pad 3 is connected to a suction pump (not shown).

[0035] The plurality of suction pads (six in this example) are supported by a frame 6. The frame 6 separates the plurality of suction pads 3 at regular intervals. The frame 6 is fixed to the lower part of the main frame 2.

[0036] The positioning member 4 is used to determine the position of the main body frame 2 relative to the laminate LM, in other words, the position (insertion position) of the gap forming member 5 relative to the laminate LM. The positioning member 4 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, but the material of the positioning member 4 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0037] The positioning member 4 is disposed obliquely above the suction pad 3. The positioning member 4 is provided at the upper part of the main body frame 2. Specifically, the positioning member 4 is provided at the tip of an arm portion 2c protruding from each of a pair of support columns 2a in the main body frame 2.

[0038] In the present embodiment, two positioning members 4 are provided on the main body frame 2, but the number of the positioning members 4 is not limited to the present embodiment. By the movement of the main body frame 2, each positioning member 4 is configured to approach or separate from the glass plate G in the laminate LM in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the positioning member 4 has a first regulating surface 4a that contacts the upper end portion Ga of the glass plate G in the laminate LM, and a second regulating surface 4b that contacts the second main surface GS2 of the glass plate G.

[0040] The first regulating surface 4a is configured as a flat surface facing downward. The second regulating surface 4b is constituted by a flat surface facing in the horizontal direction. The first regulating surface 4a and the second regulating surface 4b are integrally formed so as to form a right angle, for example. The angle formed by the first regulating surface 4a and the second regulating surface 4b is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0041] The horizontal length L of the first regulating surface 4a is preferably greater than 1 times and less than or equal to 2 times the thickness T of the glass plate G (T < L ≦ 2T), and for example, is preferably 1.2 to 40 mm. With this configuration, when the second regulating surface 4b of the positioning member 4 is brought into contact with the second main surface GS2 of the glass plate G located at the forefront of the laminate LM, the upper end portion of the protective sheet PS can be bent toward the side surface Pb side of the pallet P, so that the gap forming member 5 can be more reliably inserted between the forefront glass plate G and the protective sheet PS.

[0042] The gap forming member 5 is inserted between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS, which are overlapping and tightly adhered in the laminate LM, to form a gap. The gap forming member 5 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, but the material of the gap forming member 5 is not limited to this embodiment. The gap forming member 5 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the up and down direction by a driving device 7, such as an air cylinder device.

[0043] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which two gap forming members 5 are provided on the main body frame 2, but the number of gap forming members 5 is not limited to this embodiment. Each gap forming member 5, together with a drive unit 7, is provided at the end of a connecting member 2b provided on the upper part of the main body frame 2. The end of this connecting member 2b protrudes outward in the width direction beyond the support pillar 2a of the main body frame 2. Therefore, each gap forming member 5 provided at the end of the connecting member 2b is located outward in the width direction beyond the positioning member 4 provided on the support pillar 2a. In other words, the positioning member 4 is located between two gap forming members 5 arranged apart in the width direction. The gap forming member 5 and the drive unit 7 are provided at the tip of an arm portion 2d protruding from the end of the connecting member 2b.

[0044] The gap forming member 5 has a first contact surface 5a that comes into contact with the glass plate G when forming a gap between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS, and a second contact surface 5b that comes into contact with the protective sheet PS.

[0045] 1, the first contact surface 5a and the second contact surface 5b intersect at an acute angle in a side view. The angle formed by the first contact surface 5a and the second contact surface 5b is preferably 3 to 10°. In other words, the first contact surface 5a and the second contact surface 5b are configured as flat surfaces inclined at an acute angle with respect to the center line CL of the gap forming member 5. With this configuration, the end of the gap forming member 5 is tapered (pointed), making it easier to insert between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS.

[0046] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a glass sheet G using the above-described take-out device 1, particularly a step of taking out a glass sheet G from a laminate LM mounted on a pallet P (hereinafter referred to as the "take-out step") will be described.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the removal process includes a positioning process S1, a suction process S2, a gap forming process S3, a separation process S4, and a transport process S5.

[0048] The positioning step S1 is a step of determining the position of the main body frame 2 relative to the laminate LM and the position of the gap forming member 5. This is a process for determining the position (insertion position). First, the support device that supports the main body frame 2 is activated to tilt the main body frame 2 at a predetermined angle so that it is parallel to the side surface Pb of the pallet P. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, in the positioning process S1, the support device is activated to move the take-out device 1 closer to the stack LM on the pallet. As a result, the positioning member 4 is placed in a standby position diagonally above the stack LM. Thereafter, the support device moves the main body frame 2, and moves the second control surface 4b of the positioning member 4 closer to the second main surface GS2 of the glass sheet G located at the forefront of the stack LM from the second main surface GS2 side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the second control surface 4b of the positioning member 4 comes into contact with the second main surface GS2 of the glass sheet G located at the forefront on the pallet P.

[0049] The positioning member 4 is equipped with a sensor that detects that the second restriction surface 4b has come into contact with the glass plate G. When the sensor detects that the second restriction surface 4b has come into contact with the glass plate G, the support device stops the moving main body frame 2 (positioning member 4).

[0050] Next, the positioning member 4 is moved downward along the inclined direction of the side surface Pb of the pallet P, and the first control surface 4a of the positioning member 4 is brought into contact with the upper end Ga of the glass plate G (the upper part of the laminate LM), as shown in Fig. 6. At this time, the upper end of the protective sheet PS protruding upward from the upper end Ga of the glass plate G in the laminate LM is bent backward (towards the side surface Pb of the pallet P) by the first control surface 4a.

[0051] Thereafter, in the suction step S2, the support device presses the suction pads 3 against the second main surface GS2 of the glass plate G. Furthermore, the suction pump is operated to suction all of the suction pads 3 against the second main surface GS2 of the foremost glass plate G. As a result, the main frame 2 is fixed integrally to the glass plate G.

[0052] Furthermore, as the main body frame 2 tilts, the gap forming member 5 assumes an inclined position. As a result, the gap forming member 5 is placed in a standby position above the laminate LM. In this state, if the gap forming member 5 is moved downward, it can be moved to an insertion position (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6) between the frontmost glass plate G and the protective sheet PS behind it. That is, in the positioning step S1, the standby position and insertion position of the gap forming member 5 can be set.

[0053] The gap forming step S3 is a step of inserting a gap forming member 5 between the frontmost glass sheet G in the stack LM and the protective sheet PS that is in close contact with this glass sheet G to form a gap. In the gap forming step S3, as shown by the solid line and the two-dot chain line in Fig. 6, the drive device 7 moves the gap forming member 5 from the standby position toward the insertion position for the stack LM. At this time, the gap forming member 5 moves downward from a position above the stack LM along the inclination direction of the stack LM (glass sheets G).

[0054] 7, the tip of the gap forming member 5 is inserted between the foremost glass plate G in the laminate LM and the protective sheet PS laminated on this glass plate G. At this time, the first contact surface 5a of the gap forming member 5 contacts the first main surface GS1 of the glass plate G. In addition, the second contact surface 5b of the gap forming member 5 contacts the protective sheet PS located behind the glass plate G.

[0055] The insertion depth H of the gap forming member 5 is preferably set to, for example, 5 to 60 mm. With this configuration, a gap can be reliably formed between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS located behind it.

[0056] In this case, the first contact surface 5a and the second contact surface 5b are inclined at an acute angle with respect to the center line LC of the gap forming member 5, so that the contact area between the first contact surface 5a and the glass plate G and the contact area between the second contact surface 5b and the protective sheet PS can be made as small as possible. This makes it possible to suppress wear of the gap forming member 5 and extend its lifespan. The gap forming step S3 separates a portion of the first main surface GS1 of the glass plate G from the protective sheet PS, forming a gap S between the upper part of the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS.

[0057] In the separation step S4, the support device moves the main body frame 2 away from the side surface Pb of the pallet P. As a result, the entire first main surface GS1 of the glass plate G is separated from the protective sheet PS. The support device then moves the main body frame 2 upward. As a result, the lower end Gb of the glass plate G is separated from the bottom surface Pa of the pallet P. The support device then separates the main body frame 2 from the pallet P. As a result, the protective sheet PS that was overlaid on the glass plate G is exposed.

[0058] Thereafter, a suction pad (not shown) for the protective sheet PS adheres to the protective sheet PS to remove the exposed protective sheet PS. Then, this suction pad moves away from the pallet P while holding the protective sheet PS. As a result, the protective sheet PS is separated from the laminate LM and removed from the pallet P. Once the protective sheet PS is removed, the second main surface GS2 of the glass plate G to be removed next is exposed in the laminate LM. After being removed from the pallet P, the protective sheet PS is discarded.

[0059] In the transport step S5, the main frame 2 transports the glass sheet G to the next step while holding the glass sheet G with the suction pads 3. However, in the transport step S5, the glass sheet G may be transferred from the take-out device 1 to another transport device.

[0060] After the transporting step S5, various steps are carried out, such as a crystallization step for subjecting the glass sheet G to a crystallization treatment, a cutting step for cutting the glass sheet G, a polishing step for polishing the glass sheet G, a cleaning step, and an inspection step.

[0061] According to the manufacturing apparatus (removal device 1) and manufacturing method (removal process) for the glass plate G of this embodiment described above, in the gap forming process S3, a gap forming member 5 can be inserted between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS to form a gap S between the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS.

[0062] By forming the gap S in this manner, in the separation step S4, when the glass plate G and the protective sheet PS are separated, the glass plate G can be separated from the laminate LM without causing scratches on the glass plate G or tears on the protective sheet PS, and even if the glass plate G has uneven thickness, the glass plate G can be separated from the laminate LM without causing scratches on the glass plate G.

[0063] 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus (take-out device 1) for a glass sheet G. In the first embodiment described above, the suction pad 3, the positioning member 4, and the gap forming member 5 are integrally configured via the main body frame 2, but in the take-out device 1 according to this embodiment, the suction pad 3, the positioning member 4, and the gap forming member 5 are configured to move independently.

[0064] That is, the suction pad 3 is held by the first main body frame 2A, and the positioning member 4 and the gap forming member 5 are held by the second main body frame 2B configured separately from the first main body frame 2A. Each main body frame 2A, 2B is supported individually by a support device. As a result, the first main body frame 2A and the second main body frame 2B are configured to be independently position-adjustable and independently movable in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0065] According to the removal device 1 of this embodiment, the suction pad 3, the positioning member 4, and the gap forming member 5 are configured separately, so that, for example, the suction step S2 may be performed before the positioning step S1, or the positioning step S1 and the suction step S2 may be performed simultaneously.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, nor is it limited to the above-described effects. The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the positioning member 4 has the first and second restricting surfaces 4a and 4b, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the positioning member 4 may have only the first restricting surface 4a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 Removal device 3 suction pads 4 Positioning member 5 Gap forming member 5a First contact surface 5b Second contact surface CL Center line of gap forming member G Glass plate LM laminate PS protective sheet S Gap S1 Positioning process S2 adsorption process S3 Gap formation process

Claims

1. A glass plate manufacturing apparatus including a take-out device that takes out a glass plate from a stack formed by stacking a glass plate and a protective sheet in a vertical position, the removal device comprises a suction pad that adsorbs the glass plate and separates at least a portion of the glass plate from the laminate, and a gap forming member that is inserted between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap.

2. the laminate is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gap forming member moves downward from a position above the stack along the inclination direction of the stack when removing the glass sheet.

3. the gap forming member has a first contact surface that contacts the glass plate and a second contact surface that contacts the protective sheet, The glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface are inclined with respect to a center line of the gap forming member so that an end portion of the gap forming member is tapered.

4. The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the take-out device includes a positioning member that determines an insertion position of the gap forming member.

5. 3. The glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness deviation of the glass plate is 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

6. A method for manufacturing a glass plate, comprising: removing the glass plate from a laminate obtained by laminating a glass plate and a protective sheet; The method for manufacturing a glass plate, wherein the removal process includes a suction process of suctioning the glass plate with a suction pad, and a gap forming process of inserting a gap forming member between the glass plate and the protective sheet to form a gap.

7. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to claim 6 , wherein the removing step includes a positioning step of determining an insertion position of the gap forming member.

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