Glass Tempering Furnace Control Using Real-Time Energy Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing glass plate tempering process faces challenges in precisely controlling heating temperatures and timing, leading to substandard tempering stress, flatness issues, and increased energy waste, due to reliance on experience-based methods rather than scientific control.
Innovation Solution
An actuating mechanism control method that monitors real-time energy consumption by the heating element and uses set thresholds to determine the optimal moment for discharging the glass plate from the furnace or activating the cooling fan, ensuring precise control and reducing operator dependence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If heating time is controlled based on experience (thickness multiplied by time coefficient), then the control method is simple, but the heating temperature cannot be precisely controlled leading to substandard tempering quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces real-time feedback by monitoring the actual temperature of the glass plate during heating and comparing it with the target temperature. The control system adjusts the heating power based on the temperature difference, forming a closed-loop control system that ensures precise temperature control while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the experience-based mechanical estimation method (thickness × time coefficient) with an intelligent control system that uses temperature sensors, microcontrollers, and algorithms to automatically determine heating time and adjust heating parameters, achieving precise control without relying on operator experience.
2Manufacturing precision
If heating time is extended to ensure sufficient heating, then heating quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors glass plate temperature and compares it with the target temperature. When the target temperature is reached or exceeded, the system automatically stops heating, preventing both insufficient heating and excessive energy consumption. This real-time feedback ensures heating quality while minimizing energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations to determine the optimal heating time based on glass plate thickness, material properties, and desired final temperature. This preliminary action allows the system to stop heating at the precise moment when the target temperature is reached, avoiding both quality defects and energy waste from extended heating.
3Manufacturing precision
If cooling fan is switched on early to ensure sufficient wind pressure, then tempering quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system monitors glass plate temperature in real-time and determines the optimal moment to switch on the cooling fan based on the temperature difference between the glass plate and ambient air. This ensures the fan starts at the precise moment needed for effective tempering, achieving quality requirements while minimizing energy consumption from premature operation.
4Ease of operation
If operator experience is relied upon for control decisions, then flexibility is maintained, but labor costs increase and quality stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed to automatically perform all critical control decisions including determining heating time, adjusting heating power, and timing the cooling fan activation. The system uses embedded algorithms and real-time sensor data to make these decisions without human intervention, eliminating reliance on operator experience while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the human operator's experience-based decision-making with an intelligent control system that uses temperature sensors, microcontrollers, and control algorithms to automatically determine optimal processing parameters. This substitution eliminates variability in human judgment while maintaining flexibility through programmable control strategies.
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
This method allows for more precise control of the heating and cooling processes, improving the quality of tempered glass products, reducing energy waste, and stabilizing production costs by eliminating reliance on operator experience.
Implementation Method 1
a glass plate is firstly heated to a softening temperature (for example, 600°C to 700°C)
Implementation Method 2
the tempering treatment is completed by rapid cooling... by using a fan to blow to rapidly cool the glass plate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Provided is an actuating mechanism control method for a glass plate tempering process, where after a glass plate is conveyed into a heating furnace, a monitoring unit monitors in real time energy consumed by a heating element of the heating furnace, and sends the energy consumed to a control unit to compare with a set threshold; and when the energy consumed by the heating element of the heating furnace is greater than or equal to the set threshold, the control unit sends an instruction to an actuating mechanism to control the actuating mechanism to act to complete a corresponding tempering process procedure. Unlike a conventional time-based control method, in the method, by monitoring in real time the energy consumed by the heating element of the heating furnace by using the monitoring unit, a heating procedure of the glass plate is more scientifically and precisely controlled, and therefore, a discharging moment of the glass plate can be accurately determined, insufficient heating temperature or over-sintering of the glass plate can be avoided, and the quality of finished products of tempered glass can be improved.