Sheet glass processing apparatus and method for manufacturing sheet glass

Abstract

A plate glass processing device 1 is provided with a servo mechanism 3 that moves a processing tool B in a direction for pressing the processing tool B against an end surface of plate glass A. The servo mechanism 3 is provided with a coreless linear motor 7.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet glass processing apparatus for processing an end face of a sheet glass and a method for manufacturing a sheet glass.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to meet the demand for improving the production efficiency of liquid crystal displays and the like, the demand for improving the production efficiency of glass substrates used in such displays and the like has been increasing. Here, in the production of glass substrates, one or a plurality of glass substrates are cut out from a large glass mother plate (forming mother plate). Thereby, a glass substrate having a desired size can be obtained.

[0003] On the other hand, since the end face of the glass substrate cut out from the glass mother plate is usually a cut surface or a broken surface, there are often minute scratches (defects). If there is a scratch on the end face of the glass substrate, cracks or the like may occur from the scratch. Therefore, in order to prevent this, grinding (rough processing) and polishing (finishing processing) are performed on the end face of the glass substrate.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a constant pressure type sheet glass processing apparatus that processes the end face of a sheet glass by relatively moving the sheet glass and a processing tool in a feed direction. The sheet glass processing apparatus includes an arm member that rotatably supports a processing tool, a support shaft portion that rotatably supports the arm member, and a servo mechanism that causes a force with which the processing tool presses the end face of the sheet glass to be generated in the arm member.

[0005] The servo mechanism of the sheet glass processing apparatus has a rotation shaft and includes a servo motor that drives the arm member to be rotatable around the support shaft member, and a link mechanism that connects the rotation shaft of the servo motor and the arm member.

[0006] The servo mechanism can adjust the pressing force of the processing tool against the plate glass by transmitting the power of the servo motor to the arm member via the link mechanism. Further, the servo mechanism can accurately machine the end face of the plate glass by its feedback control.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in conventional plate glass processing apparatuses, since the arm member and the link mechanism are used, the width dimension of the plate glass processing apparatus in the feeding direction becomes large. For this reason, for example, when a plurality of processing tools are arranged in parallel and the plate glass is processed one by one by these plurality of processing tools, it has been difficult to shorten the processing time (tact time).

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a technical problem of reducing the width dimension of the plate glass processing apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The present invention is for solving the above problems, and is a plate glass processing apparatus that machines an end face of the plate glass by relatively moving the plate glass and a processing tool, the processing tool being provided with a servo mechanism that moves in a direction of pressing the end face of the plate glass, and the servo mechanism being characterized by including a coreless linear motor.

[0011] According to such a configuration, the servo mechanism includes a coreless linear motor, and can move in the direction of pressing the end face of the plate glass without using a rotating member (arm member) or a link mechanism as in the prior art. Since the coreless linear motor is configured without winding a coil around an iron core (core), the dimensions of the plate glass processing apparatus can be reduced compared to the case of using a rotating member or a link mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the width dimension of the plate glass processing apparatus in the feeding direction and efficiently process the plate glass.

[0012] In the plate glass processing apparatus according to the present invention, the servo mechanism may linearly move the processing tool along a cutting direction that intersects the feeding direction, which is the direction along the end face of the plate glass.

[0013] By moving the processing tool in this way, the width dimension of the plate glass processing apparatus in the feeding direction can be made smaller.

[0014] In the plate glass processing apparatus according to the present invention, the servo mechanism includes a support member that supports the processing tool and is driven by the coreless linear motor, and a guide mechanism that linearly guides the support member, and the coreless linear motor and the guide mechanism may be arranged so as to overlap in the feeding direction.

[0015] In this way, by arranging the coreless linear motor and the guide mechanism so as to overlap in the feeding direction, it is possible to further reduce the width dimension of the plate glass processing apparatus in the feeding direction.

[0016] In the plate glass processing apparatus having the above configuration, the coreless linear motor may be disposed below the support member. Thereby, the center of gravity of the plate glass processing apparatus can be set as low as possible. Therefore, the plate glass processing apparatus can support the processing tool in a stable posture.

[0017] The manufacturing method of the sheet glass according to the present invention is characterized by including a step of processing the end face of the sheet glass by the above-described sheet glass processing apparatus.

[0018] In this way, it becomes possible to efficiently process the sheet glass by a sheet glass processing apparatus having a smaller width dimension than before.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to reduce the width dimension of the sheet glass processing apparatus in the feeding direction of the sheet glass.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The sheet glass A to be processed by the sheet glass processing apparatus has a rectangular plate shape. The plate thickness of the sheet glass A is, for example, 0.05 mm to 10 mm. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to the processing of sheet glass A having a shape other than rectangular (for example, a polygon or a circle, etc.) and the processing of sheet glass A having a plate thickness other than 0.05 mm to 10 mm.

[0023] The end face of the sheet glass A is processed by the processing tool B. The end face processing of the sheet glass A by the processing tool B includes, for example, chamfering processing (grinding treatment) of the end face of the sheet glass A. Further, the end face processing of the sheet glass A by the processing tool B can also be a polishing treatment for making the unevenness of the end face uniform after the chamfering processing. The processing tool B is, for example, a grindstone that is rotationally driven about a rotation axis, and this grindstone grinds or polishes the end face of the sheet glass A while rotating. As the processing tool B for grinding, for example, a so-called electroplated grindstone in which diamond abrasive grains, which are high-rigidity grindstones, are fixed by electroplating bond, or a so-called metal grindstone in which abrasive grains are fixed by a metallic binder can be preferably used.

[0024] The plate glass A and the processing tool B move relative to each other. Hereinafter, the direction in which the plate glass A and the processing tool B move relative to each other along the end face of the plate glass A is referred to as the "feeding direction". In the present embodiment, for example, processing can be performed with the processing tool B fixed while the plate glass A moves along the feeding direction C. Alternatively, processing may be performed while the processing tool B moves along the feeding direction C with respect to the fixed plate glass A.

[0025] Further, the processing tool B is configured to be able to approach and separate from the end face of the plate glass A in a direction (for example, a perpendicular direction) intersecting the feeding direction C. Thereby, the processing tool B can adjust the processing amount (cutting amount) of the end face of the plate glass A. Hereinafter, the direction in which the processing tool B approaches and separates from the end face of the plate glass A is referred to as the "cutting direction". In the cutting direction D, the direction in which the processing tool B approaches the end face of the plate glass A is referred to as the "front of the cutting direction", and the direction in which the processing tool B separates from the end face of the plate glass A is referred to as the "rear of the cutting direction".

[0026] Figs. 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of a plate glass processing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the plate glass processing apparatus 1 includes a rotational drive device 2 that drives the processing tool B, a servo mechanism 3 that moves the processing tool B in a direction of pressing the end face of the plate glass A, and a control device 4 that executes control of the rotational drive device 2 and the servo mechanism 3.

[0027] The rotational drive device 2 is an electric motor that rotates a grindstone as the processing tool B around a rotation axis. As the electric motor, a synchronous motor, an induction motor, a servo motor, or the like can be used, but is not limited thereto. The rotational drive device 2 is connected to the control device 4, and its start, stop, rotational speed, etc. can be controlled.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the servo mechanism 3 includes a support member 5 that supports the cutting tool B and the rotary drive device 2, guide mechanisms 6a and 6b that linearly guide the support member 5 along the cutting direction D, a coreless linear motor 7 that drives the support member 5, a detector 8 that detects the position of the cutting tool B, a control unit 9 (servo amplifier, driver) that executes control of the coreless linear motor 7, and a base 10 that supports the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b and the coreless linear motor 7. The servo mechanism 3 executes feedback control of the coreless linear motor 7 by the detector 8 and the control unit 9.

[0029] The support member 5 is composed of a long plate member, but is not limited to this shape and can be composed of a block shape or other various shapes. The support member 5 can be arranged below the cutting tool B. The support member 5 supports the rotary drive device 2 and the detector 8 on its upper surface. Also, the support member 5 supports a part of the coreless linear motor 7 on its lower surface. The lower surface of the support member 5 is fixed to the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b. By being supported by the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b, the support member 5 can move linearly along the cutting direction D.

[0030] The guide mechanisms 6a and 6b are arranged below the support member 5. The guide mechanisms 6a and 6b are linear guide mechanisms composed of, for example, a cross roller guide or the like. The guide mechanisms 6a and 6b include a first guide mechanism 6a and a second guide mechanism 6b. The first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b are arranged at intervals in the feed direction C. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the interval S1 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b in the feed direction C is set to be equal to or greater than the width dimension W1 of the coreless linear motor 7 in the feed direction C.

[0031] Each of the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b includes a movable part 11 and a base part 12 that movably supports the movable part 11. The movable part 11 is fixed to the lower surface of the support member 5. The base part 12 is fixed to the base 10. The base part 12 supports the movable part 11 via cross rollers (not shown) so as to be movable along the cutting direction D.

[0032] The coreless linear motor 7 is disposed below the support member 5. The coreless linear motor 7 is disposed behind the cutting direction DB with respect to the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b. Thereby, even when a liquid for cooling or cleaning is used for the cutting tool B, it is possible to prevent this liquid from adhering to the coreless linear motor 7. Further, the coreless linear motor 7 is positioned between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b in the feed direction C or in a front view (see FIG. 2).

[0033] The coreless linear motor 7 includes a stator 13 and a mover 14.

[0034] The stator 13 is fixed to the base 10. The stator 13 includes a plurality of magnets 15 and a mounting seat 16 that supports the magnets 15. The mounting seat 16 includes a pair of support portions 16a and 16b that are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and a connecting portion 16c that connects the first support portion 16a and the second support portion 16b.

[0035] The pair of support portions 16a and 16b project in the same direction from the connecting portion 16c along the horizontal direction. The pair of support portions 16a and 16b each support a plurality of magnets 15. The connecting portion 16c supports the pair of support portions 16a and 16b in a state where they are separated from each other in the vertical direction.

[0036] The pair of support portions 16a and 16b includes a first support portion 16a located above and a second support portion 16b located below. A groove portion into which the mover 14 is inserted is formed between the first support portion 16a and the second support portion 16b. The groove portion opens in the horizontal direction and extends along the cutting direction D.

[0037] The first support portion 16a is positioned below the support member 5 without contacting the support member 5. The second support portion 16b is fixed to the base 10. Each of the support portions 16a, 16b supports a plurality of magnets 15 such that the polarities of the adjacent magnets 15 in the cut direction D are different from each other. That is, the plurality of magnets 15 supported by each of the support portions 16a, 16b are arranged such that the N-pole magnets 15 and the S-pole magnets 15 are alternately arranged in the cut direction D.

[0038] The magnet 15 supported by the first support portion 16a and the magnet 15 supported by the second support portion 16b face each other in the vertical direction. Each of the support portions 16a, 16b supports a plurality of magnets 15 such that the polarities of the magnets 15 facing each other in the vertical direction are different. That is, for example, the N-pole magnet 15 supported by the first support portion 16a faces the S-pole magnet 15 supported by the second support portion 16b.

[0039] The armature 14 includes an armature winding 14a inserted into the groove portion of the stator 13 and a holding portion 14b that holds the armature winding 14a.

[0040] The armature winding 14a has a plurality of coils and is covered with a mold resin. The holding portion 14b holds one end portion of the armature winding 14a outside the groove portion in a state where the armature winding 14a is inserted into the groove portion of the stator 13. The upper end portion of the holding portion 14b is fixed to the lower surface of the support member 5. Since the armature winding 14a is configured without winding a coil around an iron core (core) in this way, it is possible to suppress an increase in operating resistance or the occurrence of cogging due to the attraction between the core and the magnet.

[0041] The detector 8 is constituted by, for example, a linear encoder. In the present embodiment, a magnetic linear encoder is exemplified as the detector 8, but an optical linear encoder or the like may also be used. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the detector 8 includes a magnetic sensor 17 fixed to the upper surface of the support member 5 and a magnetic scale 18 fixed to a structure arranged in the vicinity of the support member 5. The detector 8 can detect the position of the cutting tool B in the cutting direction D by the magnetic sensor 17 reading the position relative to the magnetic scale 18 as the support member 5 moves.

[0042] The control unit 9 is connected to the detector 8 and the control device 4 and can transmit a signal from the detector 8 to the control device 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 9 includes a speed pressure force / position control unit 19 and a power conversion unit 20.

[0043] The speed pressure force / position control unit 19 executes control to maintain the moving speed (hereinafter simply referred to as "speed") and / or the pressure force of the cutting tool B in the cutting direction D at a constant value. That is, in the speed pressure force / position control unit 19, target values (reference values) for maintaining the speed and pressure force of the cutting tool B detected by the detector 8 and the power conversion unit 20 at a constant value are set, and feedback control (hereinafter referred to as "speed pressure force control mode") for maintaining these target values is executed. Note that the target value of the speed in the present embodiment is set to 0. Also, the pressure force is obtained by calculation from the speed at which the cutting tool B moves along the feed direction C, the machining cost of the cutting tool B with respect to the plate glass A, the rotational speed of the cutting tool B, and the like.

[0044] This speed pressure force control mode is executed in a composite manner while properly using both the speed control and the pressure force control of the cutting tool B. Also, the speed pressure force control mode includes a control mode in which the speed control of the cutting tool B (hereinafter referred to as "speed control mode") is executed at the start of control, and then the pressure force control of the cutting tool B (hereinafter referred to as "pressure force control mode") is executed. Note that the speed pressure force / position control unit 19 can execute only the speed control mode for maintaining the speed of the cutting tool B at a constant value or only the pressure force control mode for maintaining the pressure force of the cutting tool B at a constant value.

[0045] Also, the speed pressing force and position control unit 19 can also execute control to maintain the position of the processing tool B constant. That is, the speed pressing force and position control unit 19 sets a target value (reference value) to maintain the value of the position of the processing tool B (the position of the support member 5) detected by the detector 8 constant, and can execute feedback control (hereinafter referred to as "position control mode") to maintain this target value.

[0046] The power conversion unit 20 converts the values related to speed, pressing force, and position input from the speed pressing force and position control unit 19 into signals for driving the coreless linear motor 7.

[0047] The base 10 is composed of a long plate member, but is not limited to this configuration. The base 10 has a support surface 10a that supports the bases 12 of the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b and the stator 13 of the coreless linear motor 7.

[0048] The control device 4 includes a computer (e.g., a PC) that implements various hardware such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, monitor, and input / output interface. The control device 4 controls the start, stop, and rotation speed of the processing tool B by the rotation drive device 2. The control device 4 controls the cutting position of the processing tool B, the moving speed of the processing tool B in the cutting direction D, and the pressing force of the processing tool B against the end face of the plate glass A based on the signal from the control unit 9 of the servo mechanism 3.

[0049] Hereinafter, a method of processing the plate glass A by the plate glass processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration (a method of manufacturing the plate glass A) will be described.

[0050] First, a large plate glass E is formed by a known forming method such as a float method, a roll-out method, a down-draw method, or a redraw method. Then, the plate glass E is cut into a predetermined size to obtain the plate glass A to be processed by the plate glass processing apparatus 1. The cutting of this plate glass E is performed by, for example, scribe cutting.

[0051] Hereinafter, this scribing cut will be described with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, a scribing wheel F is run along a cutting planned line CL of a large plate glass E. Thereby, a scribing line having a predetermined depth is formed on the plate glass E along the cutting planned line CL. Thereafter, a bending moment is applied to the periphery of this scribing line, and the plate glass E is folded along this scribing line. By this folding, a plurality of plate glasses A are obtained.

[0052] Next, the plate glass processing apparatus 1 performs grinding (chamfering) on the end faces of each side of the plate glass A. FIGS. 6(a) to 6(e) show the steps of grinding the plate glass A by the plate glass processing apparatus 1. FIG. 6(a) shows the state of the cutting tool B immediately before the start of processing.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6(a), in the state before the start of processing, the cutting tool B is positioned at the initial position by a stopper (not shown) under the control of the control device 4. The control mode of the speed pressing force and position control unit 19 is switched to the speed pressing force control mode.

[0054] Also, the control device 4 drives the coreless linear motor 7 of the servo mechanism 3 and applies a force in the forward direction DF of the cutting direction to the cutting tool B via the support member 5. Further, the control device 4 drives the rotation drive device 2 to rotate the cutting tool B.

[0055] FIG. 6(b) shows the state when the cutting tool B contacts the plate glass A. Further, FIG. 7 shows the behavior of the cutting tool B after contacting the plate glass A until it relatively moves a predetermined distance (hereinafter referred to as “initial processing distance”) L. In this FIG. 7, in order to clearly show the behavior of the cutting tool B, the end face of the plate glass A is shown as a flat surface (linear in plan view).

[0056] Just before the plate glass A comes into contact with the processing tool B, the regulation of the processing tool B by the stopper is released. As shown in FIGS. 6(b) and 7, the processing tool B collides with the starting end portion A1 of the plate glass A with the set pressing force. As a result, the processing tool B tries to separate from the plate glass A. That is, the processing tool B moves in the rearward direction DB of the cutting direction. In this case, the detector 8 and the power conversion unit 20 input signals regarding the speed, position, and pressing force to the speed pressing force - position control unit 19, and based on this signal, the speed pressing force control mode is executed.

[0057] In the speed pressing force control mode, the ratio of speed control to pressing force control is changed according to the change in speed (position). The switching condition of the ratio can be changed by gain setting. Also, in the speed pressing force control mode, when starting the processing with a large change in speed (position), the speed control ratio becomes large, generating a force in the forward direction DF of the cutting direction on the plate glass A. The support member 5 generates a force (pressing force) that suppresses the processing tool B from separating from the plate glass A due to this force. As a result, the processing tool B can continue grinding while maintaining contact with the plate glass A.

[0058] By the above control, while the processing tool B moves the initial processing distance L, it can perform the end face processing while ensuring the processing allowance G without separating from the end face of the plate glass A. Thereby, at the start of processing, the bounce phenomenon in which the processing tool B repeatedly separates from and contacts the end face of the plate glass A is prevented.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 6(c), when processing the middle part of the end face of the plate glass A, the above speed pressing force control mode may be maintained, or the grinding process may be performed by switching to the pressing force control mode.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 6(d), when the tool B approaches the end portion A2 of the plate glass A, the control unit 9 of the servo mechanism 3 switches the control mode to the position control mode. The control device 4 transmits a trigger signal necessary for this switching to the control unit 9. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6(d) and 6(e), the plate glass processing apparatus 1 performs end surface grinding by the position control mode in the range from the middle portion of one side of the plate glass A to the end portion A2 of the plate glass A.

[0061] In the position control mode, a target value (reference value) for maintaining the position of the tool B (position of the support member 5) detected by the detector 8 is set, and feedback control for maintaining this target value is executed. The position control mode is continuously executed until the tool B passes through the end portion A2 of the plate glass A. Therefore, even when the tool B reaches the end portion A2 of the plate glass A and tries to leave this end portion A2, it does not excessively scrape off this end portion A2.

[0062] After the grinding process for the end surface of the plate glass A as described above is performed, a polishing process is performed on the end surfaces of each side of the plate glass A. This polishing process is performed by the plate glass processing apparatus 1 provided with a polishing tool B (grinding wheel). When the polishing process is completed, a chamfering process is performed on the corner portion of the plate glass A. This chamfering process may be performed before or simultaneously with the grinding process by the plate glass processing apparatus 1.

[0063] According to the sheet glass processing apparatus 1 and the method for manufacturing the sheet glass A according to the present embodiment described above, the servo mechanism 3 is configured by a linear motion mechanism using a coreless linear motor 7, so that, without using an arm member which is a rotating member and a link mechanism for operating this arm member as in the prior art, the processing tool B can be moved in the direction of pressing the end face of the sheet glass A. Since the coreless linear motor 7 is configured without winding a coil around an iron core (core), the dimensions of the sheet glass processing apparatus 1 can be made smaller compared to the case of using a rotating member and a link mechanism. Therefore, the width dimension of the sheet glass processing apparatus 1 in the feed direction C can be made as small as possible, and the sheet glass A can be processed efficiently.

[0064] Figs. 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the sheet glass processing apparatus. The positional relationship between the guide mechanism and the coreless linear motor in the present embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment. That is, the distance S2 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b of the sheet glass processing apparatus 1 is smaller than the distance S1 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b in the first embodiment. Thereby, a part of the coreless linear motor 7 and a part of the guide mechanisms 6a, 6b are arranged so as to overlap in the feed direction C or in a front view (see Fig. 9).

[0065] In the present embodiment, the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b are overlapped with the coreless linear motor 7 in the feed direction C so that the distance S2 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b becomes smaller. Thus, by making the distance S2 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b smaller, the width dimensions of the support member 5 and the base 10 in the feed direction C can be made as small as possible, and the overall width of the sheet glass processing apparatus 1 can also be made smaller.

[0066] Figs. 10 and 11 show a third embodiment of the sheet glass processing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the coreless linear motor of the servo mechanism in the sheet glass processing apparatus is different from that in the first embodiment.

[0067] The stator 13 of the coreless linear motor 7 has a groove that opens upward. Specifically, the mounting seat 16 of the stator 13 includes a pair of support portions 16a and 16b that are spaced apart in the feed direction C, and a connecting portion 16c that connects the pair of support portions 16a and 16b. The pair of support portions 16a and 16b are erected upward from the connecting portion 16c. The connecting portion 16c is fixed to the support surface 10a of the base 10. The magnet 15 supported by the first support portion 16a and the magnet 15 supported by the second support portion 16b face each other in the horizontal direction (feed direction C).

[0068] The mover 14 of the coreless linear motor 7 includes an armature winding 14a arranged along the vertical direction and a holding portion 14b that holds the armature winding 14a. In the above-described first embodiment, the armature winding 14a was arranged along the horizontal direction, but in this embodiment, by arranging the armature winding 14a along the vertical direction, the width dimension W2 of the coreless linear motor 7 in the feed direction C can be made smaller than the width dimension W1 of the coreless linear motor 7 according to the first embodiment.

[0069] FIGS. 12 and 13 show a fourth embodiment of the plate glass processing apparatus. In this embodiment, the positional relationship between the guide mechanism of the servo mechanism and the coreless linear motor in the plate glass processing apparatus is different from that of the third embodiment.

[0070] The interval S2 in the feed direction C between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b of the plate glass processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is smaller than the interval S1 between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b in the third embodiment. That is, in the plate glass processing apparatus 1, a part of the first guide mechanism 6a and a part of the second guide mechanism 6b are arranged so as to overlap a part of the coreless linear motor 7 having the same configuration as that of the third embodiment in the feed direction C or in a front view (see FIG. 13).

[0071] FIGS. 14 and 15 show a fifth embodiment of the plate glass processing apparatus. In this embodiment, the positional relationship between the guide mechanism of the servo mechanism and the coreless linear motor is different from that of the second embodiment.

[0072] In the plate glass processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, in the feeding direction C or in a front view, the coreless linear motor 7 overlapped with both the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b. However, in the plate glass processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the coreless linear motor 7 overlaps only with the first guide mechanism 6a and does not overlap with the second guide mechanism 6b.

[0073] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the coreless linear motor 7 is displaced closer to the first guide mechanism 6a with respect to the center line O1 drawn between the first guide mechanism 6a and the second guide mechanism 6b.

[0074] Not limited to the above configuration, the coreless linear motor 7 may be arranged to overlap only with the second guide mechanism 6b. Further, the configuration of the plate glass processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is also applicable to the plate glass processing apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

[0075] FIGS. 16 and 17 show a sixth embodiment of the plate glass processing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the configuration is such that the plate glass processing apparatus of the first embodiment is turned upside down.

[0076] Specifically, the servo mechanism 3 of the plate glass processing apparatus 1 is located above the processing tool B. The support member 5 of the servo mechanism 3 supports the rotation drive device 2 and the detector 8 (magnetic sensor 17) on its lower surface. The support member 5 supports the mover 14 of the coreless linear motor 7 on its upper surface. The upper surface of the support member 5 is fixed to the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b.

[0077] The guide mechanisms 6a and 6b of the servo mechanism 3 are arranged above the support member 5. The movable parts 11 of the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b are fixed to the upper surface of the support member 5. The bases 12 of the guide mechanisms 6a and 6b are fixed to a base 10 located above the support member 5.

[0078] The coreless linear motor 7 of the servo mechanism 3 is disposed above the support member 5. In the stator 13 of this coreless linear motor 7, the first support portion 16a is located below, and the second support portion 16b is located above. The mover 14 (holding portion 14b) of the coreless linear motor 7 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the support member 5.

[0079] The support surface 10a of the base 10 in the servo mechanism 3 faces downward and supports the stator 13 (second support portion 16b) of the coreless linear motor 7.

[0080] Not limited to the configuration of this embodiment, the present invention may adopt a configuration in which the sheet glass processing apparatus according to the second to fifth embodiments is turned upside down.

[0081] Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, nor is it limited to the above-described operational effects. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0082] 1 Sheet glass processing apparatus 3 Servo mechanism 5 Support member 6a First guide mechanism 6b Second guide mechanism 7 Coreless linear motor A Sheet glass B Processing tool C Feed direction D Cutting direction

Claims

1. A sheet glass processing apparatus for processing an end face of the sheet glass by relatively moving the sheet glass and a processing tool, comprising a servo mechanism that moves the processing tool in a direction of pressing the end face of the sheet glass, wherein the servo mechanism includes a coreless linear motor, the servo mechanism linearly moves the processing tool along a cutting direction that intersects a feed direction which is a direction along the end face of the sheet glass, the servo mechanism includes a support member that supports the processing tool and is driven by the coreless linear motor, and a guide mechanism that linearly guides the support member, the coreless linear motor is disposed behind the guide mechanism in the cutting direction, and the coreless linear motor and the guide mechanism are disposed so as to overlap in the feed direction, the sheet glass processing apparatus being characterized by this.

2. The sheet glass processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coreless linear motor is disposed below the support member.

3. A method for manufacturing a sheet glass, comprising a step of processing the end face of the sheet glass by the sheet glass processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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