Laser Tip-off for Vacuum Insulating Glass Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laser tip-off systems for vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units are complex due to the need for thermal insulation and cooling of the laser source, which complicates the design and causes temperature uniformity issues, and require significant vertical space, limiting the number of units that can be stacked.
Innovation Solution
The laser source is positioned outside the oven, with the laser beam directed through a window and reflected by a mirror inside the oven to seal the pump-out tube, eliminating the need for thermal insulation and cooling, and allowing for a more compact design by reducing the vertical profile of the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the laser source is positioned inside the oven, then the laser beam can directly seal the pump-out tube, but the laser source requires thermal insulation and cooling systems which complicate the design and increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The laser source is extracted from the oven interior and positioned externally. The laser beam passes through a window in the oven wall to reach the pump-out tube. This extraction eliminates the need for thermal insulation and cooling systems around the laser source, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining the sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
A window is introduced as an intermediary element in the oven wall to transmit the laser beam from the external source to the internal pump-out tube. This mediator allows the laser energy to penetrate the oven boundary without requiring the laser source to be thermally isolated within the oven, solving the thermal management problem.
2Ease of manufacture
If the laser source is positioned inside the oven, then the sealing function is achieved, but significant vertical space is required which limits the number of units that can be stacked
Solution Approach 1:
The laser source is repositioned from a vertical arrangement inside the oven to a horizontal arrangement outside the oven. The laser beam travels horizontally through the oven wall window rather than vertically from above. This dimensional change reduces the vertical profile requirement, allowing more units to be stacked in the vertical space.
3Ease of manufacture
If the laser source is positioned inside the oven, then the sealing process works, but temperature uniformity issues arise in the oven
Solution Approach 1:
The laser source is removed from the oven interior to eliminate its impact on the thermal field. By positioning the laser source externally, the system avoids localized heating or cooling effects that would disrupt temperature uniformity within the oven, while the sealing function is maintained through the window-transmitted beam.
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 solution simplifies the design, maintains temperature uniformity, and allows for a higher number of units to be stacked by reducing the vertical space required, while keeping the laser source at a lower temperature, thus avoiding the need for complex insulation and cooling systems.
Implementation Method 1
a laser source located outside of the oven and configured to emit a laser beam towards the at least one mirror
Implementation Method 2
the at least one mirror being located so as to redirect the laser beam onto the pump-out tube
Implementation Method 3
An oven has an oven interior which is heatable to at least 300 °C
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to apparatuses for sealing the tips of pump-out tubes of vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units, and/or associated methods. In certain example embodiments, a laser source used in sealing the pump-out tube is thermally insulated from the VIG unit and emits a laser beam through one or more windows in an oven towards a mirror located therein. The mirror is located so as to redirect the laser beam onto the pump-out tube to thereby seal it. For instance, a substantially horizontal laser beam emitted from a laser source located outside the oven enters into the oven through one or more windows and is reflected by a mirror towards the pump-out tube to be sealed. The repositioning of the laser source advantageously can change its effective focal length and/or the location of the laser beam, e.g., because of the fixed location of the mirror.