Glass plate manufacturing apparatus and method

Abstract

This glass plate manufacturing device includes a support device that comprises a plurality of supporting members disposed along the up / down direction. When the up / down direction distance between the support member located at the top and the support member located at the bottom is defined as D, and a middle position is set at D / 2, at least one support member located between the middle position and the support member located at the bottom has a contact part that is in contact with a glass ribbon, a first retaining part that retains the contact part, and a second retaining part that supports the first retaining part. The first retaining part protrudes downward from the second retaining part, and has an elongated shape. The contact part is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the first retaining part.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing glass sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, glass plates are widely used as glass substrates for panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays, and as cover glasses for smartphones, tablet PCs, and the like.

[0003] One method for producing a glass sheet is to cut a glass ribbon continuously formed by a down-draw method, such as an overflow down-draw method, into a predetermined length, and then cut out a glass sheet from the glass ribbon.

[0004] An example of an apparatus used in such a manufacturing method is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a scribing mechanism that follows and descends along the glass ribbon transported downward after forming, while forming a scribe line on one side of the glass ribbon, and a bending mechanism that follows and descends along the glass ribbon, while applying bending stress to the portion where the scribe line is formed, thereby bending and cutting the glass ribbon.

[0005] The scribing mechanism includes a wheel cutter that contacts one side of the glass ribbon and a support bar that contacts the other side of the glass ribbon.

[0006] The scribing mechanism moves downward at the same speed as the conveying speed of the glass ribbon while keeping the support bar in contact with the glass ribbon and moving the wheel cutter in the width direction of the glass ribbon to form a scribe line on one side of the glass ribbon.

[0007] The breaking mechanism includes a fulcrum bar that contacts the other side of the glass ribbon at the portion where the scribe line is formed and serves as a fulcrum for breaking and cutting, and a breaking arm as a support device that supports a portion of the glass ribbon.

[0008] The splitting arm includes a frame (arm body) extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of support members (chucks) attached to the frame at intervals along the vertical direction.

[0009] The bending mechanism applies bending stress to the glass ribbon by bringing a fulcrum bar into contact with the glass ribbon and clamping a portion of the glass ribbon between multiple support members, and rotating the frame around the contact position between the fulcrum bar and the glass ribbon.

[0010] The manufacturing equipment uses the bending stress to propagate a crack starting from the scribe line in the thickness direction of the glass ribbon, thereby cutting out a portion of the glass ribbon supported by the support member as a glass plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-90446 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] In a conventional glass sheet manufacturing apparatus and method, after a certain number of glass sheets are manufactured from a glass ribbon, glass sheets of different sizes may be manufactured. In particular, when a glass sheet having a large vertical dimension is cut out from the glass ribbon, the lower end of the glass ribbon significantly protrudes downward from the breaking arm.

[0013] In a state in which the lower end of the glass ribbon significantly protrudes downward from the support member of the breaking arm, this protruding portion will be significantly deflected in response to the pivoting movement of the breaking arm, which may result in damage to the glass ribbon.

[0014] On the other hand, when the support members are configured to support the lower end portion of the glass ribbon, an excessive force acts on the glass ribbon, which may cause damage to the glass ribbon.

[0015] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its technical object to prevent damage to the glass ribbon during the cutting process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides an apparatus for manufacturing a glass sheet by cutting a glass ribbon, which is transported downward in a vertical position, along a width direction, the apparatus comprising: a support device configured to support a portion of the glass ribbon and to be able to change its position so as to impart bending stress to the glass ribbon, the support device comprising a plurality of support members arranged along a vertical direction and clamping the glass ribbon, wherein a vertical distance between an uppermost support member and a lowermost support member among the plurality of support members is defined as D, and when an intermediate position is set at a position of D / 2, at least one support member located within a range from the intermediate position to the lowermost support member comprises a contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon, a first retaining portion that holds the contact portion, and a second retaining portion that supports the first retaining portion, the first retaining portion has an elongated shape that protrudes downward from the second retaining portion, and the contact portion is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first retaining portion.

[0017] As described above, among the multiple support members that clamp the glass ribbon, at least one support member located in the range from the intermediate position to the lowest support member has a long first retaining portion that protrudes downward from the second retaining portion, and the contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first retaining portion, so that the force (clamping force) with which this contact portion presses against the glass ribbon can be made smaller as it moves downward.

[0018] This makes it possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the glass ribbon by the contact portion when the glass ribbon is about to be deformed due to a change in the posture of the supporting device, thereby reducing the deformation amount (deflection amount) of the glass ribbon as much as possible, and as a result, it becomes possible to prevent damage to the glass ribbon in the cutting process.

[0019] In the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, the contact portion may be configured by arranging a plurality of the contact portions along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion. By arranging a plurality of the contact portions in this manner, when some of the contact portions are damaged, they can be easily replaced.

[0020] In the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, the second holding portion may have an elongated shape extending in a direction different from that of the first holding portion. By doing so, the force (clamping force) with which the contact portion presses the glass ribbon can be reliably reduced downward.

[0021] In the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration, the support member located at the lowest position among the plurality of support members may include the contact portion, the first holding portion, and the second holding portion. In this manner, the force (clamping force) with which the contact portion presses the glass ribbon can be gradually reduced downward.

[0022] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a method for manufacturing a glass plate using a manufacturing apparatus of the above-mentioned configuration, comprising: a scribing step of forming a scribe line in the glass ribbon; and a bending stress imparting step of imparting bending stress to the portion of the glass ribbon where the scribe line is formed by changing the posture of the supporting device while the portion of the glass ribbon is supported by the supporting member.

[0023] According to this configuration, as described above, among the multiple support members that clamp the glass ribbon, the first retaining portion of the support member located lowest is made to have an elongated shape protruding downward from the second retaining portion, and the contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first retaining portion, so that the force (clamping force) with which this contact portion presses against the glass ribbon can be gradually reduced as it moves downward.

[0024] This makes it possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the glass ribbon by the contact portion when the glass ribbon is about to be deformed due to a change in the posture of the supporting device in the bending stress applying step, and thereby makes it possible to prevent damage to the glass ribbon in the bending stress applying step by reducing the deformation amount (deflection amount) of the glass ribbon as much as possible. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, damage to the glass ribbon during the cutting process can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the glass sheet manufacturing apparatus. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a scribing step in the method for producing a glass plate. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a bending stress imparting step in the manufacturing method of a glass sheet. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a bending stress imparting step in the manufacturing method of a glass sheet. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a support member according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a front view of a glass sheet manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 7 show an embodiment of a glass plate manufacturing apparatus and method according to the present invention.

[0028] The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a cutting device that cuts a glass ribbon that is conveyed downward in a vertical position. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the cutting device 1 includes a scribing mechanism 2 that forms a scribe line SL in the glass ribbon GR, and a bending and breaking mechanism 3 that bends and breaks the glass ribbon GR.

[0029] The scribing mechanism 2 is configured to be movable in the up and down direction by a lifting mechanism. The scribing mechanism 2 can be lowered simultaneously with the glass ribbon GR at the same speed as the downward movement speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0030] The scribing mechanism 2 includes a wheel cutter 4 that forms a scribe line SL on one surface (hereinafter referred to as the "first main surface") GRa of the glass ribbon GR, and a support bar 5 that supports the other surface (hereinafter referred to as the "second main surface") GRb of the glass ribbon GR.

[0031] The wheel cutter 4 is formed in a disk shape having a blade (edge) on its periphery. The wheel cutter 4 is configured to be movable along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. This allows the wheel cutter 4 to form a scribe line SL from one end to the other end in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR.

[0032] The wheel cutter 4 is configured to be capable of approaching and moving away from the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR. The wheel cutter 4 can change its position between a standby position away from the glass ribbon GR as shown by a solid line in Fig. 2 and a contact position in contact with the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR as shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0033] The support bar 5 is composed of a rod-like member or a plate-like member configured in an elongated shape along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR, but is not limited to this shape. The support bar 5 is arranged to face the wheel cutter 4 across the glass ribbon GR. The support bar 5 is configured to be able to approach and move away from the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR. The position of the support bar 5 can be changed between a standby position separated from the glass ribbon GR as shown by a solid line in Fig. 2 and a contact position in contact with the glass ribbon GR as shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0034] Without being limited to the above configuration, the scribing mechanism 2 may include a cylindrical support roller instead of the support bar 5. In this case, the scribing mechanism 2 may be configured such that the support roller and the wheel cutter 4 move synchronously along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR in a state in which the glass ribbon GR is sandwiched between the support roller and the wheel cutter 4 from both the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb.

[0035] The bending mechanism 3 includes a fulcrum bar 6 that forms a fulcrum for bending the glass ribbon GR, and support devices 7A, 7B that support a portion of the glass ribbon GR and are configured to be able to change their posture so as to apply bending stress to the glass ribbon GR.

[0036] The fulcrum bar 6 is configured of a rod-like member or a plate-like member configured in an elongated shape along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR, but is not limited to this shape. The fulcrum bar 6 is disposed below the scribing mechanism 2. The fulcrum bar 6 is configured to be able to approach and move away from the glass ribbon GR. The fulcrum bar 6 can change its position between a standby position where it waits away from the glass ribbon GR as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, and a contact position where it contacts the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR as shown by a two-dot chain line. The fulcrum bar 6 is configured to be able to move in the vertical direction. The fulcrum bar 6 can move downward at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0037] The supporting devices 7A and 7B are disposed below the fulcrum bar 6. The supporting devices 7A and 7B include a first supporting device 7A that supports one end of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction, and a second supporting device 7B that supports the other end of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction. The first supporting device 7A and the second supporting device 7B are disposed to face each other in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR.

[0038] Each of the supporting devices 7A, 7B includes a plurality of supporting members (chuck members) 8A to 8D arranged at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction, and a frame 9 supporting each of the supporting members 8A to 8D.

[0039] In this embodiment, each of the support devices 7A and 7B includes four support members 8A to 8D, but the number of the support members 8A to 8D is not limited to this embodiment. Hereinafter, the support members 8A to 8D are referred to as the first support member 8A, the second support member 8B, the third support member 8C, and the fourth support member 8D, in order from the top. Each of the support members 8A to 8D is composed of a pair of support members so as to sandwich the glass ribbon GR from both sides of the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb. As shown in FIG. 1, if the position (height) of the first support member 8A located at the top is H1 and the position (height) of the fourth support member 8D located at the bottom is H2, the distance (H1-H2) between these support members in the vertical direction is D1 (D). Between the first support member 8A and the fourth support member 8D, an intermediate position MP is set at a position of D1 / 2 (a position of 0.5D1). In this case, the fourth support member 8D is located below the intermediate position MP.

[0040] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fourth support member 8D. Each of the pair of support members 8A to 8D includes a pair of contact portions 10 that contact the glass ribbon GR and a pair of holding portions 11 that support the contact portions 10.

[0041] The contact portion 10 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, elastomer, or resin. The contact portion 10 is configured in a plate or block shape, but is not limited to this shape. The contact portion 10 may be fixed to the holding portion 11 by an adhesive, or may be detachably fixed to the holding portion 11 by a fixing member such as a bolt. The contact portion 10 has a contact surface 10a that contacts the glass ribbon GR. The contact surface 10a is configured in a rectangular shape, but is not limited to this shape. The contact portion 10 has a predetermined length dimension L1 along the up-down direction.

[0042] The holding portion 11 is, for example, a plate-like or rod-like body made of metal, but the material and shape of the holding portion 11 are not limited to those in this embodiment. The holding portion 11 has a holding surface 12 that holds the contact portion 10. One end of the holding portion 11 is supported by the frame 9.

[0043] 1 and 3, the holding portion 11 of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C is configured in a linear shape protruding from the frame 9 along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. Although the holding portion 11 of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C holds one contact portion 10, the number of contact portions 10 held by the holding portion 11 is not limited to this embodiment. The holding portion 11 has a predetermined length dimension L2 along the up-down direction.

[0044] The configuration of the retaining portion 11 associated with the fourth support member 8D is different from the configurations of the retaining portion 11 associated with the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C. As shown in Fig. 4, the retaining portion 11 associated with the fourth support member 8D has a first retaining portion 11a that retains the multiple contact portions 10 and a second retaining portion 11b that supports the first retaining portion 11a.

[0045] The first retaining portion 11a has an elongated shape along the up-down direction. The first retaining portion 11a protrudes downward from the second retaining portion 11b. The upper end of the first retaining portion 11a is fixed to the second retaining portion 11b. The first retaining portion 11a has a predetermined length dimension L3 along the longitudinal direction. The length dimension L3 of the first retaining portion 11a is greater than the length dimension L2 of the retaining portion 11 relating to the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C.

[0046] The multiple contact portions 10 held by the first holding portion 11a are linearly arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. The multiple contact portions 10 are fixed to the holding surface 12 of the first holding portion 11a such that the long sides of the rectangular contact surface 10a are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a.

[0047] The multiple contact portions 10 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. This configuration is not limited to the above, and the multiple contact portions 10 may be fixed to the holding surface 12 of the first holding portion 11a in a state of contacting each other.

[0048] The contact portions 10 are arranged as described above to have an elongated shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a as a whole. The total length dimension L4 of the elongated shape formed by the contact portions 10 is greater than the length dimension L1 of the contact portions 10 associated with the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C.

[0049] The contact area (total contact area) of the plurality of contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D with the glass ribbon GR is larger than the contact areas of the contact portions 10 of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C with the glass ribbon GR.

[0050] From the viewpoint of ease of maintenance, it is preferable that the individual contact portions 10 held by the first holding portion 11a are the same as the contact portions 10 associated with the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C.

[0051] The second retaining portion 11b has an elongated shape protruding from the frame 9 along the width direction of the glass ribbon GR. The second retaining portion 11b has an elongated shape extending in a direction different from that of the first retaining portion 11a. One end of the second retaining portion 11b supports an upper end portion of the first retaining portion 11a, and the other end of the second retaining portion 11b is fixed to the frame 9.

[0052] The frame 9 is configured to perform a predetermined swinging motion (rotating motion) in order to impart bending stress to the glass ribbon GR. The frame 9 is connected to a drive mechanism for performing this swinging motion.

[0053] The frame 9 is configured to be movable up and down by a lifting device. With this configuration, the breaking mechanism 3 can move downward at the same speed as the downward movement speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0054] The frame 9 supports a drive device that moves a pair of holding portions 11 of each of the support members 8A to 8D toward and away from each other. The drive device enables the first support member 8A to the fourth support member 8D formed by the pair of support members to be opened and closed by performing a closing operation for clamping the glass ribbon GR and an opening operation for releasing the clamping of the glass ribbon GR. The drive device can open and close each of the support members 8A to 8D individually.

[0055] Hereinafter, a method for producing a glass sheet using the production apparatus (cutting apparatus 1) configured as described above will be described. This method includes a cutting step of cutting out a glass sheet by bending and breaking a part of the glass ribbon GR.

[0056] In the cutting process, a portion of the glass ribbon GR in a vertical position that is formed above the cutting device 1 and transported downward is cut by the cutting device 1. The cutting process includes a scribing process of forming a scribe line SL in the glass ribbon GR, and a bending stress imparting process of imparting bending stress to the glass ribbon GR.

[0057] In the scribing process, a scribe line SL is formed in the width direction in a midway portion of the glass ribbon GR by the scribing mechanism 2. The scribing mechanism 2 forms the scribe line SL on the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR while descending at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR. Also, in the scribing process, the supporting devices 7A, 7B of the breaking mechanism 3 descend at the same speed as the descending speed of the glass ribbon GR, while supporting (clamping) a part of the glass ribbon GR below the scribing mechanism 2 with the supporting members 8A to 8D.

[0058] 5, the scribing mechanism 2 moves the wheel cutter 4 and the support bar 5 from a standby position to a contact position. With the support bar 5 in contact with the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR, the scribing mechanism 2 moves the wheel cutter 4 from one end to the other end in the width direction of the glass ribbon GR.

[0059] As a result, a linear scribe line SL is formed along the width direction on the first main surface GRa of the glass ribbon GR. When the scribe line SL is formed, the scribing mechanism 2 moves the wheel cutter 4 and the support bar 5 to a standby position.

[0060] 6, in the bending stress imparting step, the breaking mechanism 3 moves the fulcrum bar 6 from the standby position to the contact position while maintaining the downward movement. As a result, the fulcrum bar 6 contacts a part of the second main surface GRb corresponding to the position where the scribe line SL is formed in the glass ribbon GR. The breaking mechanism 3 lowers the fulcrum bar 6 and the support devices 7A and 7B at the same speed as the lowering speed of the glass ribbon GR.

[0061] 7, during its descent, the bending and cutting mechanism 3 rotates the frame 9 while maintaining support of the glass ribbon GR by the support members 8A to 8D of the support devices 7A and 7B. In this case, the frame 9 rotates to a predetermined angle around the contact position between the fulcrum bar 6 and the glass ribbon GR as the center (fulcrum). As a result, the support devices 7A and 7B change their postures from a vertical posture to a bending and cutting posture (inclined posture).

[0062] In this way, by changing the posture of the supporting devices 7A, 7B (frame 9), bending stress is applied to the portion of the glass ribbon GR where the scribe line SL is formed. Due to the action of this bending stress, a crack starting from the scribe line SL propagates in the thickness direction of the glass ribbon GR. As a result, a part of the glass ribbon GR supported by the supporting devices 7A, 7B is cut out as a glass sheet GS.

[0063] In the above-mentioned bending stress applying process, the fourth support member 8D, which is located at the lowest among the support members 8A to 8D of the support devices 7A, 7B, clamps the first main surface GRa and the second main surface GRb of the glass ribbon GR at a position near the lower end of the glass ribbon GR with multiple contact portions 10.

[0064] As described above, the first holding portion 11a in the fourth support member 8D is configured to have an elongated shape protruding downward from the second holding portion 11b. With this configuration, the clamping force applied to the first holding portion 11a by driving the second holding portion 11b with the driving device becomes smaller as it moves downward away from the second holding portion 11b. That is, the force (pressure) with which the multiple contact portions 10 (contact surfaces 10a) held by the first holding portion 11a press the glass ribbon GR against each of the main surfaces GRa, GRb becomes smaller from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the first holding portion 11a.

[0065] In addition, as described above, the contact area of ​​the multiple contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D with respect to the glass ribbon GR is larger than the contact areas of the contact portions 10 of the other support members 8A to 8C. Therefore, when the support members 8A to 8D are driven with the same force by a drive device, the force (pressure) with which all the contact portions 10 of the fourth support member 8D press against the glass ribbon GR is smaller than the force (pressure) with which the contact portions 10 of the other support members 8A to 8C press against the glass ribbon GR.

[0066] Therefore, the portion of the glass ribbon GR that is clamped by the fourth support member 8D is clamped with a smaller force as it approaches the lower end of the glass ribbon GR, and is clamped with a smaller force than the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C. This makes it possible to prevent an excessive force from the contact portion 10 of the fourth support member 8D from acting on the glass ribbon GR when the portion on the lower end side of the glass ribbon GR is deformed in response to a change in the posture of the support devices 7A and 7B in the bending stress applying step. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of deformation (deflection) of the glass ribbon as much as possible. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent damage to the glass ribbon in the cutting step.

[0067] Furthermore, by arranging a plurality of contact portions 10 on the first holding portion 11a, if some of the contact portions 10 are damaged, the contact portions 10 can be easily replaced.

[0068] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, nor is it limited to the above-mentioned effects and advantages. Various modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the fourth support member 8D of the breaking mechanism 3 has a plurality of contact portions 10, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As shown in Fig. 8, the fourth support member 8D may have one contact portion 20 configured in an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. In this case, the contact portion 20 may be arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion 11a. The contact portion 20 has a contact surface 20a that contacts the main surfaces GRa, GRb of the glass ribbon GR.

[0070] In addition, when cutting out glass plates with small vertical (up-down) dimensions from a glass ribbon, it is possible to use only the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C without using the fourth support member 8D of the first support device 7A and the second support device 7B.

[0071] In addition, when cutting out glass plates with small vertical (up-down) dimensions from a glass ribbon, the fourth support member 8D of the first support device 7A and the second support device 7B may be removed from the frames 9 of the support devices 7A, 7B, and support members having the same shape as the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C may be attached to the frame 9.

[0072] Regarding the fourth support member 8D of the first support device 7A and the second support device 7B, the first holding portion 11a may be configured to be detachable from the second holding portion 11b. When a glass plate having a small vertical (up-down) dimension is cut out from the glass ribbon, the first holding portion 11a of the fourth support member 8D may be detached from the second holding portion 11b, and a member having the same shape as the tip portion of the first holding portion 11a of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C may be attached to the second holding portion 11b.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the fourth support member 8D located at the lowest position among the multiple support members 8A to 8D of the folding and cutting mechanism 3 is provided with the first holding portion 11a and the second holding portion 11b, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As shown in Fig. 9, the folding and cutting mechanism 3 may include a fifth support member 8E located below the fourth support member 8D in addition to the first support member 8A to the fourth support member 8D exemplified in the above embodiment. The configuration of the fifth support member 8E is the same as the configurations of the first support member 8A to the third support member 8C.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the fourth support member 8D, which is located at the lowest among the multiple support members 8A to 8D, was provided with a first retaining portion 11a and a second retaining portion 11b, but in this example, the fourth support member 8D is disposed between the first support member 8A, which is located at the highest, and the fifth support member 8E, which is located at the lowest.

[0075] Specifically, it is desirable that the fourth support member 8D is disposed between the fifth support member 8E and an intermediate position MP that is set between the first support member 8A and the fifth support member 8E. Without being limited to this, a plurality of support members having the same configuration as the fourth support member 8D may be disposed in the range from the intermediate position MP to the fifth support member 8E. In addition to this configuration, the fifth support member 8E may also have the same configuration as the fourth support member 8D.

[0076] In other words, in the present invention, a configuration can be adopted in which at least one support member (fourth support member 8D) having a first retaining portion 11a and a second retaining portion 11b is arranged in the range from the intermediate position MP to the lowest support member (fifth support member 8E) in the vertical direction.

[0077] Here, if the position (height) of the uppermost support member (first support member 8A) is H3, the position (height) of the lowermost support member (fifth support member 8E) is H4, and the vertical distance between these support members (H3-H4) is D2 (D), then the intermediate position MP is set at the position D2 / 2 (position 0.5D2). [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 7A First support device 7B Second support device 8A First support member 8B Second support member 8C Third support member 8D Fourth support member 8E Fifth support member 10 Contact part 20 Contact part 11a First holding part 11b Second holding part D1 The uppermost support member and the lowermost support part Distance from material D2 The uppermost support member and the lowermost support part Distance from material GR Glass Ribbon GS Glass Plate SL Scribe line

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a glass sheet by cutting a glass ribbon conveyed downward in a vertical position along a width direction, A support device configured to support a portion of the glass ribbon and to be able to change its posture so as to impart bending stress to the glass ribbon, The support device includes a plurality of support members that are arranged along a vertical direction and that hold the glass ribbon, When a vertical distance between an uppermost support member and a lowermost support member among the plurality of support members is defined as D and an intermediate position is set at a position of D / 2, at least one support member located within a range from the intermediate position to the lowermost support member includes a contact portion that contacts the glass ribbon, a first holding portion that holds the contact portion, and a second holding portion that supports the first holding portion, The first holding portion has an elongated shape protruding downward from the second holding portion, The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that the contact portion is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion.

2. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is configured by arranging a plurality of the contact portions along the longitudinal direction of the first holding portion.

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

4. The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the support member located at the lowest position among the plurality of support members includes the contact portion, the first holding portion, and the second holding portion.

5. A method for producing a glass sheet by the manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a scribing step of forming a scribe line in the glass ribbon; a bending stress imparting step of imparting bending stress to a portion of the glass ribbon where the scribe line is formed by changing the posture of the support device while the portion of the glass ribbon is supported by the support member.

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