Glass Panel Unit Assembly with Segmented Partitions for Uniform Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing glass panel units face inefficiencies due to uneven heating, leading to reduced production yield, as hot air passes through internal spaces of glass panel units inadequately, causing insufficient heating and gas emissions from binder materials.
Innovation Solution
A glass panel unit assembly with a method that includes a peripheral wall and partitions forming ventilation paths to facilitate even heating, using hot air to pass through ventilation paths while heating, and gas adsorbents to remove unnecessary gases, thereby improving the production yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the internal space is partitioned by a partitioning member into first space and second space, then the glass panel unit can be manufactured with vacuum space, but hot air passes through the internal space unsmoothly causing insufficient heating and reduced production yield
Solution Approach 1:
The partitioning member is divided into multiple segments (first partitioning member and second partitioning member) arranged in parallel. This segmentation allows hot air to flow through multiple separate paths simultaneously, improving heating uniformity while maintaining the vacuum space function. Each segment creates an independent air passage, preventing the unsmooth flow that occurs with a single continuous partition.
Solution Approach 2:
The partitioning members are extended in the width direction (horizontal dimension) rather than only in the depth direction. By arranging multiple partitioning members side by side in the width direction, the patent creates a three-dimensional heating pathway that allows hot air to penetrate the internal space more uniformly from multiple locations, resolving the insufficient heating problem.
2Reliability
If partitions are made to close air passages by deformation, then vacuum space is sealed, but binder materials emit gases during heating that reduce production yield
Solution Approach 1:
The partitioning members are designed with preliminary deformation capabilities that allow controlled closing of air passages at specific heating stages. The material composition and geometric design enable the partitions to deform and seal at predetermined temperatures, ensuring vacuum sealing occurs after gas emissions from binder materials are minimized, thus preventing harmful gases from compromising the vacuum space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes temperature-dependent parameter changes in the partitioning member materials. The materials are selected to undergo phase transitions or softening at specific temperature ranges, allowing the partitions to deform and close air passages only after the heating process has sufficiently evaporated gases from binder materials. This parameter-based control ensures sealing occurs at the optimal moment to exclude harmful gases.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures sufficient heating of the glass panel units and effectively removes gases emitted by binder materials, enhancing the production yield by ensuring efficient heating and gas removal processes.
Implementation Method 1
letting hot air blow in the second direction to melt the peripheral wall once
Implementation Method 2
hot air passes through ventilation paths while heating
Implementation Method 3
letting hot air blow in the second direction to melt the peripheral wall once and thereby hermetically bond the pair of glass substrates together
Implementation Method 4
gas adsorbents to remove unnecessary gases
Implementation Method 5
The air in the first space is exhausted to an external environment through an air passage, the second space, and a ventilation port to evacuate the first space to a vacuum
Data Source
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AI summary
The problem to overcome is to provide a glass panel unit assembly, a method for manufacturing a glass panel unit, and a method for manufacturing the glass panel unit assembly, all of which contribute to increasing the production yield of glass panel units. An assembly (100) includes: a pair of glass substrates (200, 300); a peripheral wall (410) disposed between the glass substrates (200, 300); partitions (420); an evacuation port (700); and air passages (600). The partitions (420) are provided to partition an internal space (500), surrounded with the glass substrates (200, 300) and the peripheral wall (410), into an evacuation space (511) and a ventilation space (520). The evacuation port (700) connects the ventilation space (520) to an external environment. The air passages (600) are used to evacuate the evacuation space (511) through the evacuation port (700). The air passages (600) include particular air passages (610) arranged in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction, in which the glass substrates (200, 300) face each other, to constitute a ventilation path (P10) running through the internal space (520) in the second direction.