Apparatus for selecting input raw materials, and method for selecting input raw materials.

Abstract

This device for choosing a raw material to be inputted comprises: a first registration unit; a first setting unit; an iron concentration prediction unit; and a first choice unit. The first registration unit registers, in a first inventory database, identification information of a first IC tag and information about the iron concentration of a virgin raw material in association with each other, for each first container stored in a first warehouse. The first setting unit sets the amount of the virgin raw material to be inputted in a melting tank, on the basis of the demand for glass, in each predetermined period of time. The iron concentration prediction unit predicts the iron concentration of the glass that would be attained in the future, from the iron concentration of the virgin raw material inputted into the melting tank in the past. The first choice unit chooses a first container that is to be taken out of the first warehouse, on the basis of the information about the iron concentration of the virgin raw material, the set amount of the virgin raw material to be inputted, the predicted iron concentration of the glass, and a threshold for the iron concentration of the glass.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device for selecting input raw materials and a method for selecting input raw materials.

Background Art

[0002] As the main raw materials for glass, silica sand and the like are used (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition to silica sand, at least one selected from aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, dolomite, and boric acid may be used. These raw materials are also called virgin raw materials. Each virgin raw material may be a natural raw material or a chemically synthesized raw material. Each virgin raw material contains some of the elements that make up glass and contains a metal element or a semi-metal element. A plurality of types of virgin raw materials are mixed at a preset mixing ratio to obtain a mixture. The molten glass obtained by melting the mixture is formed into a desired shape and then cooled and solidified to obtain glass. In addition, as the main raw materials for glass, cullet raw materials may also be used. Cullet raw materials are obtained by pulverizing glass that does not become a product.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Virgin raw materials contain impurities. A typical example of an impurity is iron. Iron reduces the visible light transmittance of glass. An example of glass that requires a high visible light transmittance is display glass.

[0005] The iron concentration of the virgin raw material is measured in advance, and the virgin raw material with an iron concentration below the reference value is delivered to the glass manufacturer together with the measurement data of the iron concentration.

[0006] Previously, even when using virgin raw materials with iron concentrations below the standard value, the visible light transmittance of the glass sometimes fell below the lower limit.

[0007] The inventors investigated the iron concentration of virgin raw materials used in the past and found that when virgin raw materials with relatively high iron concentrations are used continuously, the visible light transmittance of the glass falls below the lower limit.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure provides a technology for stabilizing the transmittance of glass above a lower limit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An input raw material selection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a first registration unit, a first setting unit, an iron concentration prediction unit, and a first selection unit. The first registration unit links the identification information of a first IC tag provided in the first storage unit with the iron concentration information of the virgin glass raw material stored in the first storage unit, for each first storage unit stored in the first warehouse, and registers this information in the first inventory database. The first setting unit sets the amount of the virgin raw material to be input into the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass. The iron concentration prediction unit predicts the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future based on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material previously input into the melting tank. The first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank by selecting the first storage unit to be dispatched from the first warehouse, based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database, the input amount of the virgin raw material set by the first setting unit, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to select a virgin raw material with an appropriate iron concentration according to the predicted iron concentration of the glass, stabilize the iron concentration of the glass below a threshold, and stabilize the transmittance of the glass above a lower limit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a raw material input management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the components of the selection device in terms of functional blocks. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of information stored in the first inventory database. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the information stored in the first performance database. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the results of setting the raw material input amount. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the selection results for virgin raw materials. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or corresponding components in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numeral, and their descriptions may be omitted. The "~" symbol indicating a numerical range means that the numbers before and after it are included as the lower and upper limits, respectively.

[0013] Referring to Figure 1, a raw material input management system 1 according to one embodiment will be described. The management system 1 manages the glass raw materials that the input machine 21 puts into the melting tank 22. Silica sand is used as the main raw material for glass. In addition to silica sand, at least one selected from aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, dolomite, and boric acid may also be used. These raw materials are also called virgin raw materials. Each virgin raw material may be a natural raw material or a chemically synthesized raw material. Each virgin raw material contains some of the elements of the multiple elements that make up glass, and contains metallic elements or metalloid elements. Multiple types of virgin raw materials are mixed in a predetermined mixing ratio to obtain a mixture. The molten glass obtained by melting the mixture is molded into a desired shape, and then cooled and solidified to obtain glass. In addition to virgin raw materials, cullet raw materials may also be used as the main raw material for glass. Cullet raw materials are crushed glass that does not make it into a product.

[0014] The glass manufacturing line 2 includes a feeder 21 that feeds raw materials selected by the management system 1 into the melting tank 22, and a melting tank 22 that melts the raw materials fed in by the feeder 21. The melting tank 22 has a heater (not shown) that heats the raw materials fed in by the feeder 21. The heater can be a gas burner, an electrode, or an electric heater. A gas burner forms a flame above the molten glass and heats the molten glass from above. An electrode is inserted into the molten glass and heats the molten glass by passing an electric current through it. An electric heater heats the molten glass from the inside or outside. The type of heater is not particularly limited. Glass is obtained by shaping the molten glass obtained in the melting tank 22 into a desired shape and then cooling and solidifying it. Methods for shaping sheet glass include the float method, the fusion downdraw method, or the slit downdraw method. The shape of the glass is not limited to a sheet.

[0015] The glass is, for example, for a display, and more specifically, a substrate on which a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) or a color filter or the like is formed, or a cover glass. The display is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display or the like.

[0016] The glass may be a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer, or a carrier substrate that is bonded to a semiconductor chip. The carrier substrate is, for example, bonded to the semiconductor wafer before thinning of the semiconductor wafer and reinforces the semiconductor wafer during thinning of the semiconductor wafer. After thinning of the semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor wafer and the carrier substrate are separated. Alternatively, the carrier substrate may be bonded to a plurality of semiconductor chips and position the plurality of semiconductor chips before encapsulating the plurality of semiconductor chips with resin. After encapsulating the plurality of semiconductor chips with resin, the plurality of semiconductor chips and the carrier substrate are separated.

[0017] The glass is, for example, non-alkali glass, aluminosilicate glass, borosilicate glass or soda-lime glass or the like. Non-alkali glass means glass that does not substantially contain alkali metal oxides such as Na2O and K2O. Here, not substantially containing alkali metal oxides means that the total content of alkali metal oxides is 0.1 mass% or less.

[0018] When the use of the glass is a cover glass, the glass is chemically strengthened glass. Chemically strengthened glass contains alkali metal oxides, unlike non-alkali glass.

[0019] Chemically strengthened glass contains, for example, in terms of mol% based on oxides, SiO2: 62% to 68%, Al2O3: 6% to 12%, MgO: 7% to 13%, Na2O: 9% to 17%, K2O: 0% to 7%, and the difference obtained by subtracting the Al2O3 content from the total content of Na2O and K2O is less than 10%. When it contains ZrO2, its content is 0.8% or less.

[0020] Another chemically strengthened glass contains, in terms of mol% based on oxides, SiO2: 65% to 85%, Al2O3: 3% to 15%, Na2O: 5% to 15%, K2O: 0% to less than 2%, MgO: 0% to 15%, ZrO2: 0% to 1%, and the total content of SiO2 and Al2O3, SiO2 + Al2O3, is 88% or less.

[0021] Another chemically strengthened glass contains, in terms of mol% based on oxides, SiO2: 50% to 75%, Al2O3: 9% to 20%, Na2O: 10% to 20%, K2O: 0% to 6%, MgO: 0% to 15%, the total of CaO, SrO and BaO (CaO + SrO + BaO): 0% to 10%, the total of ZrO2 and TiO2 (ZrO2 + TiO2): 0% to 5%, B2O3: 0% to 10%, and Li2O: 0% to 20%.

[0022] When the use of the glass is a substrate on which TFT or color filters are formed, etc., the glass is an alkali-free glass. Different from the chemically strengthened glass, the alkali-free glass substantially does not contain alkali metal oxides.

[0023] The alkali-free glass contains, for example, in terms of mass% based on oxides, SiO2: 50% to 73%, Al2O3: 10.5% to 24%, B2O3: 0% to 12%, MgO: 0% to 10%, CaO: 0% to 14.5%, SrO: 0% to 24%, BaO: 0% to 13.5%, MgO + CaO + SrO + BaO: 8% to 29.5%, and ZrO2: 0% to 5%.

[0024] When the alkali-free glass achieves both a high strain point and high solubility, preferably, in terms of mass% based on oxides, it contains SiO2: 58% to 66%, Al2O3: 15% to 22%, B2O3: 5% to 12%, MgO: 0% to 8%, CaO: 0% to 9%, SrO: 3% to 12.5%, BaO: 0% to 2%, and MgO + CaO + SrO + BaO: 9% to 18%.

[0025] Alkali-free glass, especially when a high strain point is desired, preferably contains the following oxide-based mass percentages: SiO2: 54%~73%, Al2O3: 10.5%~22.5%, B2O3: 0%~5.5%, MgO: 0%~10%, CaO: 0%~9%, SrO: 0%~16%, BaO: 0%~2.5%, and MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO: 8%~26%.

[0026] The thickness of the glass is selected according to its intended use. If the glass is used as cover glass for a display, the thickness is typically 0.1mm to 2.0mm. On the other hand, if the glass is used as a glass substrate for a display, the thickness is typically 0.1mm to 0.7mm. The glass thickness is measured at the center of the glass in the width direction.

[0027] By the way, virgin glass raw materials contain impurities. A typical example of an impurity is iron. Iron reduces the visible light transmittance of glass. Display glass is an example of glass that requires high visible light transmittance. The visible light transmittance of display glass is, for example, 90% to 100%, preferably 95% to 100%.

[0028] The iron concentration of virgin raw materials is measured in advance, and virgin raw materials with an iron concentration below the standard value are delivered to glass manufacturers along with the iron concentration measurement data.

[0029] Previously, even when using virgin raw materials with iron concentrations below the standard value, the visible light transmittance of the glass sometimes fell below the lower limit.

[0030] The inventors investigated the iron concentration of virgin raw materials used in the past and found that when virgin raw materials with relatively high iron concentrations are used continuously, the visible light transmittance of the glass falls below the lower limit.

[0031] The management system 1 manages the glass raw materials that the input machine 21 puts into the melting tank 22 in order to stabilize the glass transmittance above a lower limit. The management system 1 includes, for example, a first IC tag 31, a first warehouse 41, a first receiving IC tag reader 42, a first outgoing IC tag reader 43, a first transport machine 44, a second IC tag 51, a second warehouse 61, a second receiving IC tag reader 62, a second outgoing IC tag reader 63, a second transport machine 64, a reader 71, and a selection device 80.

[0032] The first IC tag 31 is attached to the first storage section 32. The first storage section 32 stores virgin raw materials. The virgin raw materials stored in the first storage section 32 are not particularly limited, but for example, silica sand. Silica sand is a raw material for SiO2, the main component of glass, and is used in much larger quantities than other virgin raw materials. Therefore, it is important to control the iron concentration of the silica sand.

[0033] The first storage compartment 32 is, for example, a bag or a container. The first storage compartment 32 is provided by the raw material manufacturer of the virgin raw material. The raw material manufacturer delivers the virgin raw material to the glass manufacturer in the state in which it is stored in the first storage compartment 32. The raw material manufacturer also measures the quality information of the virgin raw material in advance and delivers the measured quality information to the glass manufacturer.

[0034] The quality information of virgin raw materials is measured for each lot of virgin raw materials. One lot is divided and stored in multiple first storage compartments 32.

[0035] Quality information for virgin raw materials includes, for example, composition data. Composition data includes, for example, iron concentration. Composition data may also include concentrations of at least one selected from water, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium as impurities other than iron.

[0036] Quality information for virgin raw materials may also include particle size data. Particle size data may include, for example, the 50% particle size. The 50% particle size is the particle size corresponding to 50% of the cumulative volume in the cumulative distribution (by volume) of particle sizes. In other words, it is the particle size at which the cumulative volume, accumulated from the smallest particle size, becomes 50% of the total volume of all particles. For example, the 50% particle size for silica sand is 30 μm to 40 μm.

[0037] When the glass manufacturer receives the first storage unit 32, it attaches a first IC tag 31 to each first storage unit 32. The first IC tag 31 is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. The first IC tag 31 has an IC chip and an antenna, although these are not shown in the diagram.

[0038] Each IC chip stores unique identification information for each first IC tag 31. The identification information includes information representing the variety of virgin raw material, information representing the lot number of the virgin raw material, and information representing the serial number assigned to each lot number. Serial numbers are assigned because one lot is divided and stored in multiple first storage compartments 32.

[0039] The antenna receives radio waves, which are converted into electricity, from the IC tag reader and transmits the identification information stored on the IC chip to the IC tag reader.

[0040] The glass manufacturer receives quality information of the virgin raw materials stored in the first storage section 32, for example, in the form of a printout on paper. The glass manufacturer then uses a reader 71 to read the quality information printed on the paper.

[0041] The reader 71 is, for example, an OCR (Optical Character Recognition / Reader). The reader 71 transmits the read quality information to the selection device 80. The selection device 80 receives the quality information of the virgin raw material from the reader 71. The selection device 80 may also receive the quality information of the virgin raw material via the internet from the computer of the measuring device that measures the quality information.

[0042] The first warehouse 41 stores multiple first storage units 32. For each first storage unit 32, the storage location of the first storage unit 32 and the identification information of the first IC tag 31 attached to the first storage unit 32 are linked and managed.

[0043] The first receiving IC tag reader 42 is installed at the entrance of the first warehouse 41. When the first storage unit 32 is brought into the first warehouse 41, the first receiving IC tag reader 42 reads the identification information of the first IC tag 31 and transmits it to the selection device 80.

[0044] The first IC tag reader 43 for outbound shipments is installed at the exit of the first warehouse 41. When the first storage unit 32 is released from the first warehouse 41, the first IC tag reader 43 reads the identification information of the first IC tag 31 and transmits it to the selection device 80.

[0045] The first transport machine 44 transports the virgin raw material in the first storage unit 32. The first transport machine 44 then retrieves the first storage unit 32 from the first warehouse 41. After that, the virgin raw material is mixed with other virgin raw materials and fed into the dissolution tank 22 by the feeding machine 21.

[0046] The second IC tag 51 is attached to the second storage section 52. The second storage section 52 stores cullet raw material. Cullet raw material is crushed glass that is not suitable for use in finished products. Using cullet raw material as a raw material for glass not only helps to conserve resources but also helps to improve the quality of the glass. This is because cullet raw material contains a wider variety of components than virgin raw material and melts at a lower temperature.

[0047] The second storage section 52 is, for example, a bag or a container. The second storage section 52 is provided by the glass manufacturer. The glass manufacturer measures the quality information of the cullet raw material in advance. The quality information of the cullet raw material is measured for each lot of cullet raw material. The lot of cullet raw material is determined, for example, by the glass manufacturing date. One lot may be divided and stored in multiple second storage sections 52.

[0048] The quality information of the cullet raw material includes, for example, composition data. The composition data includes, for example, iron concentration. The composition data may also include the concentration of at least one other impurity selected from water, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium. The quality information of the cullet raw material may also include particle size data. The particle size data includes, for example, 50% particle size. The quality information of the cullet raw material is transmitted from the computer of the measuring device that measures the quality information to the selection device 80 via the internet.

[0049] The glass manufacturer stores the cullet raw material in the second storage section 52 and attaches a second IC tag 51 to each second storage section 52. The second IC tag 51 is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. The second IC tag 51 has an IC chip and an antenna, although it is not shown in the figure.

[0050] Each IC chip stores unique identification information for each second IC tag 51. The identification information includes information representing the variety of cullet raw material and information representing the lot number of the cullet raw material. If one lot is divided and stored in multiple second storage compartments 52, the identification information further includes information representing a serial number assigned to each lot number.

[0051] The antenna receives radio waves, which are converted into electricity, from the IC tag reader and transmits the identification information stored on the IC chip to the IC tag reader.

[0052] The second warehouse 61 stores multiple second storage units 52. For each second storage unit 52, the storage location of the second storage unit 52 and the identification information of the second IC tag 51 attached to the second storage unit 52 are linked and managed.

[0053] The second IC tag reader 62 for receiving goods is installed at the entrance of the second warehouse 61. When the second storage unit 52 is brought into the second warehouse 61, the second IC tag reader 62 reads the identification information of the second IC tag 51 and transmits it to the selection device 80.

[0054] The second IC tag reader 63 for outbound storage is installed at the exit of the second warehouse 61. When the second storage unit 52 is released from the second warehouse 61, the second IC tag reader 63 reads the identification information of the second IC tag 51 and transmits it to the selection device 80.

[0055] The second transporter 64 transports the cullet raw material in the second storage unit 52. The second transporter 64 then removes the second storage unit 52 from the second warehouse 61. After that, the cullet raw material is put into the dissolution tank 22 by the inputting machine 21. The cullet raw material may be put into the dissolution tank 22 separately from the virgin raw material, or it may be mixed with the virgin raw material and then put into the dissolution tank 22.

[0056] The selection device 80 is, for example, a computer. The selection device 80 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81 and memory 82 such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The memory 82 stores programs that control various processes executed in the management system 1. The selection device 80 controls the operation of the management system 1 by causing the CPU 81 to execute the programs stored in the memory 82.

[0057] The selection device 80 includes an input interface 83, an output interface 84, and a communication interface 85. The selection device 80 receives signals from the outside through the input interface 83 and transmits signals to the outside through the output interface 84. The selection device 80 transmits or receives information with an external computer connected via a network through the communication interface 85.

[0058] Next, referring to Figure 2, the components of a selection device 80 according to one embodiment will be described. Note that the functional blocks shown in Figure 2 are conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. All or part of the functional blocks shown in Figure 2 can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit. Each processing function performed in each functional block can be implemented, in whole or in part, by a program executed on a CPU, or by hardware using wired logic.

[0059] The selection device 80 includes, for example, a data receiving unit 101, a data transmission unit 102, a first registration unit 103, a first setting unit 104, an iron concentration prediction unit 105, a first selection unit 106, a second registration unit 107, a second setting unit 108, and a second selection unit 109, as shown in Figure 2. The selection device 80 also includes a product information database 111, a demand database 112, a first quality database 113, a first inventory database 114, a first performance database 115, a second quality database 116, a second inventory database 117, and a second performance database 118.

[0060] The data receiving unit 101 receives various types of information using the input interface 83 or the communication interface 85. The information received includes, for example, identification information of the first IC tag 31, quality information of virgin raw materials, identification information of the second IC tag 51, quality information of cullet raw materials, information about glass products, information about glass demand, and information about glass yield. Information about glass products includes, for example, a threshold for the iron concentration of the glass.

[0061] The data transmission unit 102 transmits various types of information using the output interface 84 or the communication interface 85. The information to be transmitted includes, for example, a command for the first transport aircraft 44 and a command for the second transport aircraft 64. The command for the first transport aircraft 44 includes a command to release the first storage unit 32, selected by the first selection unit 106, from the first warehouse 41. The command for the second transport aircraft 64 includes a command to release the second storage unit 52, selected by the second selection unit 109, from the second warehouse 61.

[0062] The first registration unit 103 links the identification information of the first IC tag 31 with the quality information of the virgin raw material for each first storage unit 32 stored in the first warehouse 41, and registers it in the first inventory database 114. The quality information of the virgin raw material includes, for example, composition data. The composition data includes, for example, iron concentration. The composition data may also include the concentration of at least one impurity other than iron, selected from water, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium. The quality information of the virgin raw material may also include particle size data.

[0063] The first inventory database 114 stores the identification information of the first IC tag 31 and the quality information of virgin raw materials in a linked manner (see Figure 3). The first inventory database 114 is updated when the first storage unit 32 is received into the first warehouse 41, and is also updated when the first storage unit 32 is taken out of the first warehouse 41.

[0064] Quality information of virgin raw materials before they are stored in Warehouse 1 41 is stored in Quality Database 1 1 113. On the other hand, quality information of virgin raw materials after they have been shipped out of Warehouse 1 41 is stored in Performance Database 1 115 (see Figure 4). Only quality information of virgin raw materials currently stored in Warehouse 1 41 is stored in Inventory Database 1 114.

[0065] The second registration unit 107 links the identification information of the second IC tag 51 with the quality information of the cullet raw material for each second storage unit 52 stored in the second warehouse 61 and registers it in the second inventory database 117. The quality information of the cullet raw material includes, for example, composition data. The composition data includes, for example, iron concentration. The composition data may also include the concentration of at least one impurity other than iron, selected from water, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium. The quality information of the cullet raw material may also include particle size data.

[0066] The second inventory database 117 stores the identification information of the second IC tag 51 and the quality information of the cullet raw material in a linked manner. The second inventory database 117 is updated when the second storage unit 52 is received into the second warehouse 61, and is also updated when the second storage unit 52 is taken out of the second warehouse 61.

[0067] Quality information of cullet raw materials before they are stored in warehouse 2 61 is stored in the second quality database 116. On the other hand, quality information of cullet raw materials after they are shipped out of warehouse 2 61 is stored in the second performance database 118. Only quality information of cullet raw materials stored in warehouse 2 61 is stored in the second inventory database 117.

[0068] The first setting unit 104 sets the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank 22 at predetermined intervals (for example, one month), based on, for example, the demand for glass and the yield of glass. The second setting unit 108 sets the amount of cullet raw material to be added to the melting tank 22 at predetermined intervals, based on the amount of virgin raw material set by the first setting unit 104 and the demand for glass. The first setting unit 104 and the second setting unit 108 set the amounts of virgin raw material and cullet raw material to be added, for example, so that the inventory of cullet raw material remains within an acceptable range.

[0069] Next, we will explain an example of setting the raw material input amounts, referring to Figure 5. Note that the values ​​in Figure 5 are normalized relative values ​​for each item. The relative magnitudes of the values ​​between items are not meaningful. For example, the relative magnitudes of the input amount for virgin raw materials and the input amount for cullet raw materials are not meaningful.

[0070] In January, for example, glass demand is 100, glass yield is 100, virgin raw material input is 100, and cullet raw material input is 100. The figures from February onwards are relative values ​​normalized by the January figures.

[0071] In February, glass demand has halved from 100 to 50 compared to January, but the glass yield remains at 100. Therefore, in February, the input of virgin raw materials will be halved from 100 to 50, and the input of cullet raw materials will also be halved from 100 to 50.

[0072] In March, while glass demand remains at 100 compared to January, glass yield has increased from 100 to 110. Therefore, in March, the input of virgin raw materials will be increased from 100 to 107, and the input of cullet raw materials will be decreased from 100 to 80.

[0073] As mentioned above, cullet raw material is made by crushing glass that cannot be used in products. When the glass yield increases, the amount of glass that cannot be used in products decreases, and therefore the amount of cullet raw material produced decreases.

[0074] Therefore, if the glass yield increases, the amount of virgin raw material added is increased so that the consumption of cullet raw material decreases. This ensures that a stock of cullet raw material is maintained, and glass can be manufactured using both cullet and virgin raw materials.

[0075] In April, while glass demand remains at 100 compared to January, glass yield has decreased from 100 to 90. Therefore, in April, the input of virgin raw materials will be reduced from 100 to 90, and the input of cullet raw materials will be increased from 100 to 130.

[0076] As described above, the first setting unit 104 sets the amount of virgin raw material to be input into the melting tank 22 based on the glass yield in addition to the demand for glass. This ensures that a stock of cullet raw material is secured and that glass can be manufactured using both cullet raw material and virgin raw material.

[0077] Furthermore, the first setting unit 104 can also set the amount of virgin raw material to be input to the melting tank 22 based solely on the demand for glass. When the stock of cullet raw material is insufficient, the glass yield can be temporarily reduced and the production of cullet raw material can be increased.

[0078] The iron concentration prediction unit 105 predicts the iron concentration of future glass based, for example, on the iron concentration of virgin raw materials previously put into the dissolution tank 22 and the iron concentration of cullet raw materials previously put into the dissolution tank 22. The iron concentration of virgin raw materials previously put into the dissolution tank 22 is obtained from the first performance database 115. The iron concentration of cullet raw materials previously put into the dissolution tank 22 is obtained from the second performance database 118.

[0079] The iron concentration prediction unit 105 predicts the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future, for example, the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained from the molten glass currently stored in the melting tank 22. The molten glass is molded into the desired shape and then cooled and solidified. As a result, glass is obtained. The time it takes for the molten glass stored in the melting tank 22 to become glass is, for example, several days.

[0080] As will be described later, the quality of the glass is stabilized when the first selection unit 106 selects virgin raw materials. Cullet raw materials are made by crushing glass and have a certain level of quality. Therefore, the iron concentration prediction unit 105 may predict the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future using only the iron concentration of the virgin raw materials. However, the accuracy of the prediction can be improved by using the iron concentration of the cullet raw materials in addition to the iron concentration of the virgin raw materials.

[0081] The first selection unit 106 selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank 22 by selecting the first storage unit 32 to be dispatched from the first warehouse 41, based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database 114, the input amount of virgin raw material set in the first setting unit 104, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit 105, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass.

[0082] Next, an example of virgin raw material selection will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Note that the numerical values ​​in Figure 6 are normalized relative values ​​for each item. The iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit 105 and the iron concentration of the virgin raw material selected by the first selection unit 106 are values ​​when the threshold for the iron concentration of the glass is set to 100.

[0083] The threshold for iron concentration in glass is the one registered in the product information database 111. The iron concentration in glass is the Fe2O3 concentration. The threshold for Fe2O3 concentration in glass is, for example, 0.10 mass% or less, preferably 0.05 mass% or less.

[0084] The first selection unit 106 selects the virgin raw material to be added to the dissolution tank 22 next time, based on the predicted iron concentration of the glass this time and the amount of virgin raw material to be added this time (i.e., the amount to be added next time), so that the predicted iron concentration of the glass next time falls within a threshold of 45% to 75%. The predicted value of the iron concentration of the glass is preferably 55% to 65%.

[0085] The virgin raw material selected this time will be taken out of warehouse 1 41 and put into the dissolution tank 22, which will affect the iron concentration of the glass predicted next time. The higher the iron concentration of the virgin raw material selected this time, the higher the iron concentration of the glass predicted next time will be.

[0086] On January 1st, the input amount of virgin raw material set by the first setting unit 104 is 100, and the predicted iron concentration of the glass by the iron concentration prediction unit 105 is 55. The predicted value of the iron concentration of the glass falls within a desirable range (55% to 65%). Therefore, for example, virgin raw material with an iron concentration higher than the desirable range is selected by the first selection unit 106.

[0087] On January 2nd, the input amount of virgin raw material set by the first setting unit 104 is 100, and the predicted iron concentration of the glass by the iron concentration prediction unit 105 is 65. The predicted value of the iron concentration of the glass is maintained within a desirable range (55% to 65%). Therefore, for example, virgin raw material with an iron concentration higher than the desirable range is selected by the first selection unit 106.

[0088] On January 3rd, the input amount of virgin raw material set in the first setting unit 104 is 100, and the predicted iron concentration of the glass by the iron concentration prediction unit 105 is 70. The predicted value of the iron concentration of the glass exceeds the preferred range (55% to 65%). Therefore, virgin raw material with an iron concentration lower than the preferred range is selected by the first selection unit 106.

[0089] On January 4th, the amount of virgin raw material input set by the first setting unit 104 was 50, and the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit 105 was 53. The predicted value of the iron concentration of the glass falls below the preferred range (55% to 65%). Also, the amount of virgin raw material input is relatively small. Therefore, the first selection unit 106 selects virgin raw material with an iron concentration significantly above the preferred range. On January 4th, virgin raw material with an iron concentration higher than the threshold for the iron concentration of the glass was selected.

[0090] As described above, the first selection unit 106 selects virgin raw materials to be introduced into the dissolution tank 22 based on the information on the iron concentration of virgin raw materials registered in the first inventory database 114, the amount of virgin raw materials to be introduced set in the first setting unit 104, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit 105, and the threshold value for the iron concentration of the glass. Therefore, virgin raw materials with an appropriate iron concentration can be selected according to the predicted iron concentration of the glass, the iron concentration of the glass can be stabilized below the threshold value, and the transmittance of the glass can be stabilized above the lower limit value. In addition, virgin raw materials with a relatively large standard deviation of iron concentration can be used, and inexpensive virgin raw materials can be used.

[0091] As mentioned above, the virgin raw material is, for example, silica sand. The iron concentration of silica sand is the Fe2O3 concentration. The standard deviation of the Fe2O3 concentration of silica sand is, for example, 0.005% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less, preferably 0.01% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.02% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less. Compared with the threshold Fe2O3 concentration of glass, it can be seen that the standard deviation of the Fe2O3 concentration of silica sand is relatively large. The threshold Fe2O3 concentration of glass is, for example, 0.10% by mass or less, and preferably 0.05% by mass or less, as mentioned above.

[0092] The first selection unit 106 may also select virgin raw materials to be introduced into the dissolution tank 22 based on the iron concentration information of the cullet raw materials registered in the second inventory database 117 and the amount of cullet raw materials to be introduced set in the second setting unit 108. By considering the iron concentration of the cullet raw materials in addition to the iron concentration of the virgin raw materials, the iron concentration of the glass can be stabilized with high accuracy.

[0093] The first selection unit 106 may select virgin raw materials to be introduced into the dissolution tank 22 based on the moisture content information of virgin raw materials registered in the first inventory database 114 and the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. The temperature of the dissolution tank 22 is measured by a thermometer 23 shown in Figure 1. The thermometer 23 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is a radiation thermometer. The thermometer 23 transmits the measured data to the selection device 80. The first selection unit 106 selects virgin raw materials with a lower moisture content the lower the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. Moisture absorbs heat when it vaporizes, lowering the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. By selecting virgin raw materials with a moisture content corresponding to the temperature of the dissolution tank 22, the temperature of the dissolution tank 22 can be stabilized.

[0094] The first selection unit 106 may also select virgin raw materials to be introduced into the dissolution tank 22 based on the moisture content information of the cullet raw materials registered in the second inventory database 117 and the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. By considering the moisture content of the cullet raw materials in addition to the moisture content of the virgin raw materials, the temperature of the dissolution tank 22 can be stabilized with high accuracy.

[0095] The second selection unit 109 selects the cullet raw material to be put into the dissolution tank 22 by selecting the second storage unit 52 to be dispatched from the second warehouse 61, based on the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material registered in the second inventory database 117, the amount of cullet raw material to be input set by the second setting unit 108, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit 105, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass. The selection of cullet raw material is the same as the selection of virgin raw material, so the explanation is omitted.

[0096] The second selection unit 109 may select cullet raw materials to be put into the dissolution tank 22 based on the moisture content information of the cullet raw materials registered in the second inventory database 117 and the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. The second selection unit 109 will select cullet raw materials with lower moisture content the lower the temperature of the dissolution tank 22. This will stabilize the temperature of the dissolution tank 22.

[0097] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the above embodiment. [Note 1] A first registration unit registers the identification information of a first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the iron concentration information of the virgin glass raw material stored in the first storage unit into a first inventory database for each first storage unit stored in the first warehouse. A first setting unit sets the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass, An iron concentration prediction unit predicts the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future based on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material previously put into the dissolution tank, A first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank by selecting the first storage unit to be dispatched from the first warehouse based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database, the amount of virgin raw material to be put into the first setting unit set in the first setting unit, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass. A raw material selection device equipped with the following features. [Note 2] The first setting unit sets the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass and the yield of the glass, as described in Appendix 1, for the input raw material selection device. [Note 3] The first registration unit registers, for each of the first storage units stored in the first warehouse, the identification information of the first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the moisture content information of the virgin raw material stored in the first storage unit, in the first inventory database. The first selection unit is a raw material selection device for input according to Appendix 1 or 2, which selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank based on the moisture content information of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database and the temperature of the dissolution tank. [Note 4] A second registration unit registers the identification information of a second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit into a second inventory database for each second storage unit located within the second warehouse. A second setting unit sets the amount of cullet raw material to be added to the melting tank at each predetermined period based on the amount of virgin raw material to be added set by the first setting unit and the demand for the glass, Equipped with, The first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material registered in the second inventory database and the amount of cullet raw material to be introduced set by the second setting unit, as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3. [Note 5] The second registration unit registers, for each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, the identification information of the second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the moisture content information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit, in the second inventory database. The first selection unit is a raw material selection device for input as described in Appendix 4, which selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank based on the moisture content information of the cullet raw material registered in the second inventory database and the temperature of the dissolution tank. [Note 6] The glass contains SiO2 as its main component, and the virgin raw material is silica sand, and the raw material selection apparatus for input materials is as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5. [Note 7] The raw material selection apparatus described in Appendix 6, wherein the iron concentration of the silica sand is the Fe2O3 concentration, and the standard deviation of the Fe2O3 concentration of the silica sand is 0.005% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less. [Note 8] The raw material selection apparatus for input according to any one of the appendices 1 to 7, wherein the iron concentration of the glass is the Fe2O3 concentration, and the threshold for the Fe2O3 concentration of the glass is 0.10% by mass or less. [Note 9] The aforementioned glass is display glass, and the input material selection apparatus is as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 8. [Note 10] (A) For each storage unit located within the first warehouse, the identification information of the first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the information on the iron concentration of the virgin glass raw material stored in the first storage unit are linked and registered in the first inventory database. (B) Setting the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass, (C) Predicting the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future from the iron concentration of the virgin raw material previously put into the dissolution tank, (D) Selecting the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank by selecting the first storage unit to be taken out of the first warehouse based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in (A) above, the amount of virgin raw material to be put in set in (B) above, the iron concentration of the glass predicted in (C) above, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass, A method for selecting input raw materials, having the following characteristics. [Note 11] The method for selecting input raw materials according to Appendix 10, wherein (B) above includes setting the amount of virgin raw material to be input to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass and the yield of the glass. [Note 12] The above (A) includes, for each of the first storage units stored in the first warehouse, registering the identification information of the first IC tag provided in the first storage unit and the moisture content information of the virgin raw material stored in the first storage unit in the first inventory database, The method for selecting input raw materials according to Appendix 10 or 11, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the information on the moisture content of the virgin raw material registered in (A) and the temperature of the dissolution tank. [Note 13] (E) For each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, the identification information of the second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the information on the iron concentration of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit are linked and registered in the second inventory database. (F) At each predetermined period, the amount of cullet raw material to be added to the melting tank is set based on the amount of virgin raw material to be added in (B) above and the demand for glass, It has, The method for selecting input raw materials according to any one of the appendices 10 to 12, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the information on the iron concentration of the cullet raw material registered in (E) and the amount of cullet raw material to be introduced set in (F). [Note 14] The above (E) includes, for each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, registering the identification information of the second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the moisture content information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit in the second inventory database, The method for selecting input raw materials as described in Appendix 13, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the information on the moisture content of the cullet raw material registered in (E) and the temperature of the dissolution tank. [Note 15] The method for selecting input raw materials according to any one of the appendices 10 to 14, wherein the glass contains SiO2 as its main component, and the virgin raw material is silica sand. [Note 16] The method for selecting input raw materials as described in Appendix 15, wherein the iron concentration of the silica sand is the Fe2O3 concentration, and the standard deviation of the Fe2O3 concentration of the silica sand is 0.005% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less. [Note 17] The method for selecting input raw materials according to any one of the appendices 10 to 16, wherein the iron concentration of the glass is the Fe2O3 concentration, and the threshold for the Fe2O3 concentration of the glass is 0.10% by mass or less. [Note 18] The aforementioned glass is display glass, and the method for selecting input raw materials is as described in any one of the appendices 10 to 17.

[0098] The above describes the apparatus and method for selecting input raw materials related to this disclosure. However, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions, deletions, and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims. These also naturally fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0099] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-113050, filed with the Japan Patent Office on July 7, 2021, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-113050 are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 22 Dissolution tank 31. First IC Tag 32. First storage compartment 41 Warehouse No. 1 80 Selection device 103 Registration Section 1 104 First Setting Section 105 Iron concentration prediction section 106 1st Selection Department 114. First Inventory Database

Claims

1. A first registration unit registers the identification information of a first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the iron concentration information of the virgin glass raw material stored in the first storage unit into a first inventory database for each first storage unit stored in the first warehouse. A first setting unit sets the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass, An iron concentration prediction unit predicts the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future based on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material previously put into the dissolution tank, A first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank by selecting the first storage unit to be dispatched from the first warehouse based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database, the input amount of the virgin raw material set in the first setting unit, the iron concentration of the glass predicted by the iron concentration prediction unit, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass. A raw material selection device equipped with the following features.

2. The input raw material selection device according to claim 1, wherein the first setting unit sets the amount of virgin raw material to be input to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass and the yield of the glass.

3. The first registration unit registers, for each of the first storage units stored in the first warehouse, the identification information of the first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the moisture content information of the virgin raw material stored in the first storage unit, in the first inventory database. The input raw material selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the moisture content information of the virgin raw material registered in the first inventory database and the temperature of the dissolution tank.

4. A second registration unit registers the identification information of a second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit into a second inventory database for each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse. A second setting unit sets the amount of cullet raw material to be added to the melting tank based on the amount of virgin raw material to be added set by the first setting unit and the demand for the glass, for each predetermined period, Equipped with, The input material selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material registered in the second inventory database and the amount of cullet raw material to be introduced set by the second setting unit.

5. The second registration unit registers, for each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, the identification information of the second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the moisture content information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit, in the second inventory database. The input raw material selection device according to claim 4, wherein the first selection unit selects the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the moisture content information of the cullet raw material registered in the second inventory database and the temperature of the dissolution tank.

6. The glass is SiO ２ The input raw material selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the virgin raw material is silica sand, and the device contains as a main component.

7. The iron concentration of the aforementioned silica sand is Fe ２ O ３ Concentration, where Fe of the silica sand ２ O ３ The raw material selection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the standard deviation of the concentration is 0.005% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less.

8. The iron concentration of the glass is Fe ２ O ３ concentration, and the threshold value of the Fe ２ O ３ concentration of the glass is 0.10% by mass or less. The apparatus for selecting input raw materials according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The input material selection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass is display glass.

10. (A) For each first storage unit stored in the first warehouse, the identification information of the first IC tag installed in the first storage unit and the information on the iron concentration of the virgin glass raw material stored in the first storage unit are linked and registered in the first inventory database. (B) Setting the amount of virgin raw material to be added to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass, (C) Predicting the iron concentration of the glass to be obtained in the future from the iron concentration of the virgin raw material previously put into the dissolution tank, (D) Selecting the virgin raw material to be put into the dissolution tank by selecting the first storage unit to be taken out of the first warehouse based on the information on the iron concentration of the virgin raw material registered in (A) above, the amount of virgin raw material to be put into set in (B) above, the iron concentration of the glass predicted in (C) above, and the threshold value of the iron concentration of the glass, A method for selecting input raw materials, having the following characteristics.

11. The method for selecting input raw materials according to claim 10, wherein (B) includes setting the amount of virgin raw material to be input to the melting tank at predetermined intervals based on the demand for the glass and the yield of the glass.

12. The above (A) includes, for each of the first storage units stored in the first warehouse, registering the identification information of the first IC tag provided in the first storage unit and the moisture content information of the virgin raw material stored in the first storage unit in the first inventory database, The method for selecting an input raw material according to claim 10 or 11, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the information on the moisture content of the virgin raw material registered in (A) and the temperature of the dissolution tank.

13. (E) For each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, the identification information of the second IC tag installed in the second storage unit and the information on the iron concentration of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit are linked and registered in the second inventory database. (F) At each predetermined period, the amount of cullet raw material to be added to the melting tank is set based on the amount of virgin raw material to be added as set in (B) above and the demand for glass, It has, The method for selecting input raw materials according to claim 10 or 11, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the iron concentration information of the cullet raw material registered in (E) and the amount of cullet raw material to be introduced set in (F).

14. The above (E) includes, for each second storage unit stored in the second warehouse, registering the identification information of the second IC tag provided in the second storage unit and the moisture content information of the cullet raw material stored in the second storage unit in the second inventory database, The method for selecting an input raw material according to claim 13, wherein (D) includes selecting the virgin raw material to be introduced into the dissolution tank based on the information on the moisture content of the cullet raw material registered in (E) and the temperature of the dissolution tank.

15. The glass is SiO ２ The method for selecting an input raw material according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the virgin raw material is silica sand, and the method for selecting an input raw material according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the virgin raw material is silica sand.

16. The iron concentration of the aforementioned silica sand is Fe ２ O ３ Concentration, where Fe of the silica sand ２ O ３ The method for selecting input raw materials according to claim 15, wherein the standard deviation of the concentration is 0.005% by mass or more and 0.03% by mass or less.

17. The iron concentration of the glass is Fe ２ O ３ Concentration, and the Fe of the glass ２ O ３ The method for selecting input raw materials according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the concentration threshold is 0.10% by mass or less.

18. The method for selecting input raw materials according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the glass is display glass.

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