CN114845946A

CN114845946A - Glass plate packing device

Info

Publication number: CN114845946A
Application number: CN202080086574.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 三宅幸雄; 奥山勋; 堂谷尚正
Original assignee: Nippon Electric Glass Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nippon Electric Glass Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2020-12-09
Publication date: 2022-08-02
Also published as: JP7334609B2; JP2021098567A; WO2021125012A1; KR20220116446A

Abstract

The invention provides a glass plate packing device capable of preventing poor bending of a sheet material when forming a laminated body formed by alternately arranging the glass plate and the sheet material. A device (8) for packaging glass plates (GS), which is provided with a device for loading rectangular glass plates (GS) on a tray (7), wherein the device (8) for packaging glass plates (GS) is further provided with: a sheet conveying device (18) which conveys a rectangular protective sheet (20) in a vertical posture; and a second transfer mechanism (23) as a loading device that receives the protective sheet (20) from the sheet conveying device (18) and loads the protective sheet (20) onto the tray (7), wherein the sheet conveying device (18) includes a clamping mechanism (25a) as a conveying chuck that holds the protective sheet (20), the second transfer mechanism (23) includes a clamping mechanism (31a) as a loading chuck that holds the protective sheet (20), either the conveying chuck or the loading chuck includes a hand that holds an upper corner portion (20a1) of the protective sheet (20), and the other includes a hand that holds a lower portion and a lateral portion of an upper corner portion (20a1) of the protective sheet (20).

Description

Glass plate packing device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a glass plate packing apparatus.

Background

As is well known, glass sheets used in various fields, such as glass substrates for displays such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and organic EL displays (OLEDs), are required to have strict product quality with respect to surface defects and undulations.

In order to meet such a demand, a down-draw method is widely used as a method for producing a glass sheet.

As the down-draw method, an overflow down-draw method and a slit down-draw method are known.

The overflow downdraw method is as follows: molten glass is caused to flow into an overflow trough provided in the upper portion of a forming body having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, and molten glass overflowing from the overflow trough to both sides is caused to flow down along the side wall portions on both sides of the forming body and is fused and integrated at the lower end portion of the forming body, thereby continuously forming a glass ribbon.

In addition, the slit downdraw method is as follows: a slit-shaped opening is formed in the bottom wall of the refractory to which molten glass is supplied, and the molten glass is caused to flow downward through the opening, thereby continuously forming a glass ribbon.

In particular, in the overflow downdraw method, both the front and back surfaces of the formed glass ribbon are formed without contacting any part of the formed body during the forming process, and therefore, a forged surface which is very smooth and free from defects such as scratches is obtained.

As disclosed in patent document 1, a glass sheet manufacturing apparatus using the overflow down-draw method includes a forming section having a forming body therein, an annealing section provided below the forming section, and a cooling section and a cutting section provided below the annealing section.

The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus is configured to overflow molten glass from the top of a forming body, fuse the molten glass at the lower end portion thereof to form a glass ribbon, pass the glass ribbon through an annealing section to remove internal strain, cool the glass ribbon to room temperature in a cooling section, and then cut out a glass sheet having a predetermined size from the glass ribbon in a cutting section.

The cut glass sheets are carried out of the cutting section, packed in a dedicated tray, and conveyed.

In this case, a plurality of glass plates are stacked vertically on the tray.

When glass plates are loaded on a tray in a vertical state, protective sheets (sheets) serving as cushioning materials and spacers are interposed between the glass plates for the purpose of preventing scratches caused by direct contact between the glass plates, breakage of the glass plates during conveyance, and the like.

In this way, a laminate in which glass plates and protective sheets are alternately arranged is formed on the tray.

As a sheet feeding device for placing a protective sheet on a tray, patent document 2 discloses a sheet feeding device having a cutting mechanism for cutting a strip-shaped sheet material to form a protective sheet and a holding mechanism for holding the protective sheet.

The holding mechanism is configured to be movable in a vertical direction (up-down direction) and a lateral direction (front-back direction), and is configured to move and load the protective sheet held at a position near the cutting mechanism onto the tray.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2012 and 197185

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2014-223965

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

As shown in fig. 11, the tray 7 on which the stacked body in which the glass plates GS and the protective sheets 20 are alternately arranged is placed includes a back surface support portion that supports the back surface of the stacked body and a bottom surface support portion that supports the bottom edges of the plurality of glass plates GS.

The back surface support portion is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and the bottom surface support portion is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

With this configuration, the stacked body is supported by the tray 7 in a vertical posture slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

Here, in forming such a laminate, a corner portion (also simply referred to as an upper corner portion) of the upper portion of protective sheet 20 may be tilted forward (see fig. 11) by wind or the like generated from air conditioning or the like, and may be bent in a triangular shape like a dog's ear, for example.

The bent portion (portion indicated by reference numeral 20D in fig. 12) is a bending failure of the protective sheet 20 and is also called a so-called dog-ear.

If such a corner is formed, the edges of the glass sheets may contact each other during conveyance, and may be scratched.

Further, when the bevel is formed between the glass plates, a gap is formed during conveyance, and dust or the like enters.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the current state, and an object of the present invention is to provide a glass plate packaging apparatus capable of preventing a sheet from being bent poorly when forming a laminate in which glass plates and sheets are alternately arranged.

Means for solving the problems

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above, and a solution to the problems will be described below.

That is, the glass plate packaging device of the present invention includes a device for loading rectangular glass plates onto a pallet, and is characterized by further including: a conveying device for conveying the rectangular sheet in a vertical posture; and a loading device that receives the sheet from the conveying device and loads the sheet onto the tray, wherein the conveying device includes a conveying chuck that holds the sheet, the loading device includes a loading chuck that holds the sheet, one of the conveying chuck and the loading chuck includes a hand that holds an upper corner portion of the sheet, and the other includes a hand that holds a lower portion and a lateral portion of an upper corner portion of the sheet.

According to the glass-plate packaging apparatus having such a configuration, when a laminate in which glass plates and sheets are alternately arranged is formed, the upper corners of the sheets are held by the hand holding the upper corners of the sheets and the hand holding the lower portions and the lateral portions of the upper corners of the sheets, and thus the upper corners of the sheets can be prevented from being bent (so-called dog-ear).

This can prevent, for example, the upper corners of the glass sheets from contacting each other during conveyance and causing scratches.

In the glass plate bundle packaging device according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the conveying chuck has a hand for holding an upper corner portion of the sheet, and the loading chuck has a hand for holding a lower portion and a lateral portion of the upper corner portion of the sheet.

According to the glass plate packing apparatus having such a configuration, the conveyance chuck for holding the upper corner portion is positioned above the loading chuck.

Therefore, even if the conveying chuck is raised to convey the next sheet, the conveying chuck does not interfere with the loading chuck, and therefore the sheet can be efficiently conveyed and loaded.

In the glass plate bundle packaging device according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the loading chuck has a hand for holding a lower portion and a lateral portion of the sheet material on the tray side.

According to the glass plate packing apparatus having such a configuration, even if the sheet loaded on the tray is inclined to the side opposite to the tray side (the laminated body side), the sheet can be efficiently corrected by the hand on the tray side when the sheet is loaded.

Therefore, the upper corners of the loaded sheets can be prevented from falling toward the stacked body and being sandwiched between the loaded sheets and the loaded glass plates.

In the glass plate bundle packaging device according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the loading chuck has another hand for holding a lower portion of an upper corner portion of the sheet material.

Here, when the loading chuck for loading the sheets on the tray opens and closes the tray-side hand, the loading chuck comes into contact with the loaded sheets and the tray and is fixed.

Therefore, the loading gripper holds and releases the sheet in association with the opening and closing of the other hand.

In this case, when the other hand holds the horizontal portion of the upper corner portion, the other hand is less likely to interfere with the conveyance chuck (conveyance device) when moved in an open state.

As described above, if the lower portion of the upper corner portion is held by the other hand, interference with the conveyance chuck (conveyance device) can be easily prevented.

In the glass plate bundle packaging device of the present invention, it is more preferable that the loading chuck has a convex portion for bending an upper corner portion of the sheet material toward the tray side.

According to the glass plate packing apparatus having such a configuration, when the sheet is held by the loading collet, the protrusion can prevent the tip of the upper corner of the sheet from falling toward the tray and being clamped by the loaded glass plate.

In the glass plate packing apparatus according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the packing apparatus further includes: a feeding device that unwinds a belt-shaped sheet from a roll and feeds the belt-shaped sheet; and a cutting device that cuts the sheet from the strip-shaped sheet, wherein the conveying device conveys the sheet cut by the cutting device, and wherein the loading device is configured to load the sheet in a state in which one of both surfaces of the sheet, which is positioned on an inner peripheral side in the roll, is positioned on a tray side.

In a material roll which is a supply material of a band-shaped sheet, the band-shaped sheet is in a wound state.

Therefore, when a strip-shaped sheet is unwound from a roll and cut out from the strip-shaped sheet, the sheet has a characteristic of being rounded.

When one of the two surfaces of the sheet, which is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the roll, is disposed on the side opposite to the tray side (the laminated body side), the sheet already loaded on the tray is likely to fall down toward the side opposite to the tray side (the laminated body side).

On the other hand, if the surface of the roll on the inner peripheral side is disposed on the tray side, the sheets already loaded on the tray are liable to fall down toward the tray side.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the sheets loaded on the tray fall down to the opposite side (the stacked body side) to the tray side.

Effects of the invention

The following effects are exhibited as the effects of the present invention.

That is, according to the glass plate packaging apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the upper corners of the sheets from being bent (so-called dog-ears) when forming a laminate in which glass plates and sheets are alternately arranged.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall structure of a glass sheet manufacturing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet conveying apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing the glass plate, the laminate, and the package.

Fig. 4 is a side view for explaining a packaging process.

Fig. 5 is a side view for explaining a packaging process.

Fig. 6 is a side view for explaining a packaging process.

Fig. 7A is an explanatory view for explaining an operation of conveying the protective sheet by the clamping mechanism (conveyance chuck) of the first holding portion and the clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and shows a state in which the clamping mechanism of the third holding portion is in a standby state in an open state and a state in which the protective sheet is in the middle of being lowered by the first holding portion.

Fig. 7B is an explanatory view for explaining an operation of conveying the protective sheet by the clamping mechanism (conveyance chuck) of the first holding portion and the clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and is a view showing a state in which the clamping mechanism of the third holding portion is in a standby state in an open state and a state in which the lowering of the protective sheet by the first holding portion is stopped.

Fig. 7C is an explanatory view for explaining an operation of conveying the protective sheet by the clamping mechanism (conveying chuck) of the first holding portion and the clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and is a view showing a state where the clamping mechanism of the third holding portion is in a closed state.

Fig. 7D is an explanatory view for explaining a protective sheet conveying operation by the clamping mechanism (conveying chuck) of the first holding portion and the clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and shows a state where the first holding portion is separated from the protective sheet.

Fig. 8A is an explanatory view for explaining a clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and is a front view showing an open state of the clamping mechanism.

Fig. 8B is an explanatory diagram for explaining the clamping mechanism (loading chuck) of the third holding portion, and is a side sectional view showing a closed state of the clamping mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a side view for explaining a packaging process.

Fig. 10 is a side view for explaining a packaging process.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view showing a folding failure of the protective sheet.

Fig. 12 is an explanatory view showing a defective folding of the protective sheet.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 to 10 show an embodiment of a glass-plate packing apparatus according to the present invention.

For convenience, the vertical direction shown in fig. 1, 2, 4 to 6, and 8 to 10 will be described as the vertical direction of the packaging device.

In fig. 1, the left-right direction is defined as the front-back direction, and the directions orthogonal to the front-back direction and the up-down direction are defined as the width direction of the packaging device.

As shown in fig. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes: a forming section 2 for continuously forming a molten glass GM into a glass ribbon GR by a down-draw method; an annealing section 3 for removing the internal strain of the glass ribbon GR below the forming section 2; a cooling section 4 provided below the annealing section 3; a cutting unit 5 provided below the cooling unit 4; a conveying unit 6 that conveys the glass sheet GS cut out from the glass ribbon GR by the cutting unit 5; and a packaging device 8 that constitutes a packaging portion on which the glass sheets GS are placed in a state of being mounted on the tray 7.

The forming section 2 includes, inside the furnace wall: a forming body 9 that performs an overflow downdraw method; and edge rolls 10 for drawing out the molten glass GM that has overflowed from the forming body 9 as a glass ribbon GR.

The molded body 9 is formed in a long shape, and includes an overflow tank 11 formed at a top portion, and a vertical surface portion 12 and an inclined surface portion 13 which constitute a pair of side wall portions facing each other.

The pair of inclined surface portions 13 gradually approach downward and intersect each other, and constitute a lower end portion 14 of the molded body 9.

The edge rollers 10 are configured as a pair of left and right rollers so as to sandwich the end portions of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction.

The annealing section 3 anneals the glass ribbon GR lowered from the forming section 2, thereby suppressing the occurrence of internal strain during temperature reduction.

That is, the temperature in the annealing portion 3 is set to have a predetermined temperature gradient.

The temperature of the glass ribbon GR gradually decreases as it falls within the annealing portion 3.

The annealing section 3 guides the glass ribbon GR vertically downward by the guide rollers 15 arranged in a plurality of vertical stages inside.

The cooling unit 4 further cools the glass ribbon GR transferred from the annealing unit 3 by passing the glass ribbon GR.

The cooling section 4 cools the glass ribbon GR to around room temperature.

The glass ribbon GR cooled by the cooling section 4 is sent to the cutting section 5 below.

The cutting section 5 includes a breaking device 16 for cutting the glass ribbon GR, which is transferred downward from the cooling section 4, into a predetermined size.

The glass ribbon GR continuously formed by the forming section 2 is cut into a rectangular shape by the breaking device 16, and a rectangular glass sheet GS is obtained.

The cut glass sheet GS is subjected to a process of cutting and removing thick portions (ear portions) formed at both ends in the width direction of the cut glass sheet GS, and an inspection of the cut glass sheet GS is performed as necessary.

The cut glass sheet GS is carried out of the cutting unit 5 by the carrying unit 6 and sent to the packaging device 8.

The conveyance unit 6 is a glass supply device for placing the glass sheet GS on the tray 7.

The conveyance unit 6 includes a plurality of holding units 17 for moving the glass sheet GS.

Each holding portion 17 has a clamping mechanism 17a capable of gripping the glass sheet GS.

The conveying unit 6 grips the upper part GSa of the glass sheet GS in the vertical posture by the clamp mechanism 17a of the holding unit 17, and conveys the glass sheet GS in such a manner that the front surface of the glass sheet GS faces the moving direction thereof, in other words, in the direction perpendicular to the front surface of the glass sheet GS.

The conveyance unit 6 conveys the glass sheet GS without holding the lower portion GSb of the glass sheet GS.

The respective holding portions 17 can be moved three-dimensionally by a robot arm or other various moving mechanisms.

The packaging device 8 includes a sheet conveying device 18 that conveys a protective sheet 20, which is an example of a rectangular sheet, in a vertical posture (including an inclined posture) and supplies the protective sheet to the tray 7.

The sheet conveying device 18 includes: a cutting device 21 that cuts the protective sheet 20 from the strip-shaped sheet material 19 fed from the material roll; a first transfer mechanism 22 (corresponding to the conveying device of the present invention) which is disposed below the cutting device 21 and transfers the protective sheet 20 in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction); a second transfer mechanism 23 (corresponding to the loading device of the present invention) that transfers the protective sheet 20 in the lateral direction (front-back direction); and a control device 24 that mainly controls the first transfer mechanism 22 and the second transfer mechanism 23.

In the packaging apparatus 8, the glass sheets GS and the protective sheets 20 are alternately stacked on the tray 7 in a vertical posture (including an inclined posture) by the operation of the conveying unit 6 and the sheet conveying device 18.

The tray 7 includes a first support surface 7a that supports one surface of the glass sheet GS and one surface of the protective sheet 20, and a second support surface 7b (placement surface) that supports the lower end GSc of the glass sheet GS.

The first bearing surface 7a intersects the second bearing surface 7b at 90 °.

The first support surface 7a is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction.

The second support surface 7b is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

As the belt-like sheet material 19 (protective sheet 20) supplied from the sheet conveying device 18, a resin sheet, paper, or other various materials are used.

As the resin sheet, a foamed resin sheet such as a highly foamed polyethylene sheet can be preferably used.

The cutting device 21 cuts the strip-shaped sheet material 19 with the cutting blade 21a thereof in a state where a part of the strip-shaped sheet material 19 is held by the first transfer mechanism 22.

The cutting device 21 is supported by the first transfer mechanism 22.

The first transfer mechanism 22 includes a first holding portion 25 and a second holding portion 26 that are movable in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction), and a first guide member 27 that guides the holding

portions

25 and 26.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first holding portion 25 holds the widthwise end portion of the upper portion 20a of the protective sheet 20.

The second holding portion 26 holds the widthwise end portion of the lower portion 20b in the protect sheet 20.

Each of the holding

portions

25 and 26 has a

clamping mechanism

25a and 26a for holding both ends of the protective sheet 20 in the width direction.

The clamping mechanisms 25a and 25b correspond to the conveyance chuck of the present invention, and convey the protective sheet 20 to the second transfer mechanism 23 while holding the widthwise end portion thereof, which will be described in detail later.

The first guide member 27 is an elongated member that guides the holding

portions

25 and 26 in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction).

The first guide member 27 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction.

The inclination angle of the first guide member 27 is desirably equal to the inclination angle of the first support surface 7a of the tray 7.

The first guide member 27 includes a drive mechanism for moving the holding

portions

25 and 26 in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction).

The drive mechanism is configured by a belt transmission mechanism, but is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured by, for example, a ball screw mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear motor, or the like.

The first guide member 27 is suspended and supported by a feeding mechanism 28 disposed above the tray 7.

The feeding mechanism 28 is divided into two upper and lower parts, i.e., a base part 29 and a moving part 30.

The base portion 29 is fixed to a beam as a structure of a building.

The moving portion 30 is supported on the lower surface of the base portion 29 so as to be movable in the lateral direction (front-rear direction).

The base portion 29 moves the moving portion 30 in a lateral direction (front-rear direction) inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

That is, the moving portion 30 is movable in the lateral direction (front-rear direction) parallel to the second support surface 7b that is formed as an inclined surface in the tray 7.

The base portion 29 includes a driving mechanism for moving the moving portion 30 in the lateral direction (front-rear direction).

The drive mechanism is constituted by, for example, a ball screw mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear motor, a belt transmission mechanism, and the like.

The second transfer mechanism 23 includes a third holding portion 31 and a fourth holding portion 32 that hold the protective sheet 20, and a second guide member 33 and a third guide member 34 that move the holding

portions

31 and 32 in the lateral direction (front-rear direction).

The third holding portion 31 holds the upper portion 20a of the protective sheet 20, and the fourth holding portion 32 holds the lower portion 20b of the protective sheet 20.

The holding

portions

31 and 32 hold the portion of the protective sheet 20 protruding from the glass sheet GS.

Each of the holding

portions

31 and 32 has a

clamping mechanism

31a and 32a (see fig. 2) capable of gripping the protective sheet 20.

The gripper mechanism 31a corresponds to a loading chuck of the present invention, and holds the widthwise end of the protective sheet 20, conveys the sheet to the tray 7, and loads the sheet onto the glass sheet GS, which will be described in detail later.

The second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 are elongated members intersecting (e.g., orthogonal to) the first guide member 27.

The second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 are fixed to the first guide member 27.

Therefore, the second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 are configured to change the lateral (front-rear) position in accordance with the movement of the first guide member 27 by the feeding mechanism 28.

The second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

The inclination angles of the second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 are desirably equal to the inclination angle of the second support surface 7b of the tray 7.

The second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 support the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 so as to be movable in the lateral direction (the front-rear direction, more specifically, the oblique direction along the second support surface 7 b).

The second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 have a drive mechanism for moving the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 in the lateral direction (the front-rear direction and the oblique direction).

The drive mechanism is composed of a belt transmission mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear motor, and other feed mechanisms.

Thus, the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 are configured to be movable forward and backward along a predetermined oblique direction (lateral direction).

The control device 24 controls operations such as gripping and releasing, lifting, moving, and stopping of the glass sheet GS in the conveying unit 6.

The controller 24 controls the first and

second transfer mechanisms

22 and 23 and the feeding mechanism 28 so that the protective sheet 20 is superimposed on (brought into contact with) the first supporting surface 7a of the tray 7 or the glass sheet GS placed on the tray 7 in a state where the lower end portion 20c of the protective sheet 20 is separated from the second supporting surface 7b of the tray 7 by a predetermined distance.

The control device 24 includes, for example, a computer (PC or the like) on which various hardware such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, monitor, input/output interface, and the like are mounted.

The control device 24 includes: an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) that executes various operations; a storage unit (ROM, RAM, HDD) that stores various data; and a communication unit that performs transmission and reception of signals to and from the conveying unit 6, the

transfer mechanisms

22 and 23, and the feeding mechanism 28.

The communication unit of the control device 24 is communicably connected to the conveyance unit 6, the

transfer mechanisms

22 and 23, and the feeding mechanism 28.

A method of manufacturing the glass sheet GS by the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, a method of manufacturing the laminate LM in which the glass sheet GS and the protective sheet 20 are laminated, and a method of manufacturing the package body PC in which the laminate LM is mounted on the tray 7 will be described below.

As shown in fig. 3, the method mainly includes a forming step S1, an annealing step S2, a cooling step S3, a cutting step S4, a conveying step S5, and a packaging step S6.

In the forming step S1, the molten glass GM supplied to the forming body 9 of the forming section 2 overflows from the overflow vessel 11 and flows down along the vertical surface portion 12 and the inclined surface portion 13.

The molten glass GM is fused and integrated at the lower end 14 of the forming body 9 to form a glass ribbon GR.

The edge rollers 10 hold the respective ends of the glass ribbon GR in the width direction and guide the glass ribbon GR downward.

In the annealing step S2, the glass ribbon GR that has descended from the forming section 2 passes through the annealing section 3.

At this time, the glass ribbon GR is annealed at a predetermined temperature gradient while being guided downward by the guide roller 15.

In the cooling step S3, the glass ribbon GR is further cooled by natural cooling in the cooling section 4.

Thereafter, the glass ribbon GR is cut into glass sheets GS of a predetermined size by the breaking apparatus 16 in the cutting step S4.

The glass sheet GS configured into a rectangular shape by cutting is discharged from the cutting section 5 in the conveying step S5, and is conveyed toward the tray 7 disposed in the packaging device 8.

Between the cutting step S4 and the conveying step S5, a step of cutting and removing the thick portions formed at both ends in the width direction of the glass sheet GS and a step of inspecting the glass sheet GS are provided as necessary.

In the conveying step S5, the upper portion GSa of the glass sheet GS is held by the holding portion 17 (clamping mechanism 17a) of the conveying portion 6.

The holding portion 17 conveys the glass sheet GS from the cutting portion 5 to the tray 7 in a suspended state in which the lower portion GSb of the glass sheet GS is separated from the floor surface.

Packaging step S6 is a step performed by packaging device 8, and includes a sheet supply step of supplying protective sheet 20 to tray 7 by sheet conveying device 18, and a placement step of placing glass sheet GS on tray 7 by conveying unit 6.

In the packaging step S6, the sheet supplying step and the placing step are performed simultaneously.

The operation of the packaging device 8 in the sheet supply step and the mounting step will be described below with reference to fig. 4 to 10.

In the following example, a case will be described in which the first protective sheet 20A and the second protective sheet 20B, and the first glass sheet GS1 and the second glass sheet (not shown) are alternately loaded on the tray 7.

In the sheet supplying step, the sheet conveying device 18 operates the feeding mechanism 28 by the control device 24, and moves the cutting device 21, the first transfer mechanism 22, and the second transfer mechanism 23 to predetermined positions (loading start positions).

In this case, the second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34 of the second transfer mechanism 23 are disposed above the second support surface 7b of the tray 7.

The second transfer mechanism 23 arranges the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 at positions capable of receiving the first protective sheet 20A (see fig. 4).

The sheet conveying device 18 supplies the strip-shaped sheet material 19 to the cutting device 21.

As shown in fig. 4, the holding

portions

25 and 26 of the first transfer mechanism 22 are on standby at positions near the cutting device 21.

The second holding portion 26 grips the widthwise end portion of the strip-shaped sheet material 19 by the clamping mechanism 26 a.

In this case, the strip-shaped sheet material 19 is gripped with the lower end portion 19a projecting downward from the second holding portion 26.

The projecting length LSa of the lower end portion 19a can be adjusted by the position control of the second holding portion 26 by the control device 24.

The second holding portion 26 moves downward along the first guide member 27 when gripping the strip-shaped sheet material 19 (see fig. 5).

Thereby, the tape-like sheet material 19 is fed downward.

The second holding portion 26 stops after moving a predetermined distance.

Thereafter, the clamping mechanism 25a of the first holding portion 25 grips the widthwise end portion of the strip-shaped sheet material 19.

Thus, the tape-like sheet material 19 is held by the first holding portion 25 and the second holding portion 26 in a state fed out by a predetermined length from the cutting device 21.

Next, the cutting device 21 brings the cutting blade 21a into contact with the strip-shaped sheet material 19, and cuts the strip-shaped sheet material 19 over the entire length in the width direction at a position above the first holding portion 25.

Thereby, the first protective sheet 20A is cut out from the strip-shaped sheet raw material 19.

The first protective sheet 20A is held by the clamping mechanism 25a of the first holding portion 25 and the clamping mechanism 26a of the second holding portion 26 at the upper corner portion 20A1 and the width direction end portion of the lower portion 20b of the upper portion 20A.

The lower end portion 19a of the strip-shaped sheet material 19 serves as the lower end portion 20c of the first protective sheet 20A.

Thereafter, the first transfer mechanism 22 moves the first holding portion 25 and the second holding portion 26 down along the first guide member 27, and moves the first protective sheet 20A downward.

As shown in fig. 6, the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 of the second transfer mechanism 23 stand by at positions where the first protective sheet 20A can be received from the first transfer mechanism 22.

Specifically, the clamping

mechanisms

31a and 32a of the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 are all on standby in an open state (see fig. 7A for the clamping mechanism 31 a).

At this time, the clamp mechanism 25a of the first holding portion 25 holds the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A by both hands 25a1, 25a2 of the clamp mechanism 25 a.

That is, in the present embodiment, the gripping mechanism 25a corresponding to the conveyance chuck includes the hands 25a1 and 25a2 that hold the upper corner 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A.

The first holding portion 25 and the second holding portion 26 of the first transfer mechanism 22 are stopped after being lowered to positions where the first protective sheet 20A can be transferred to the second transfer mechanism 23 (see fig. 7B).

Next, the second transfer mechanism 23 closes the clamping

mechanisms

31a and 32a of the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32, thereby gripping the first protective sheet 20A (see fig. 7C).

Thereafter, the first transfer mechanism 22 releases the grip of the first protective sheet 20A by the clamping

mechanisms

25a and 26a of the first holding portion 25 and the second holding portion 26.

Thereby, the first protective sheet 20A is transferred from the first transfer mechanism 22 to the second transfer mechanism 23.

The configuration and operation of the clamping mechanism 31a, which is one of the loading chucks when the first protective sheet 20A is transferred from the first transfer mechanism 22 to the second transfer mechanism 23, will be specifically described.

The clamp mechanism 31a includes: a first hand 36 having a substantially L-shaped front view and disposed on the tray 7 (first support surface 7a) side; a first arm 38 supporting the first hand 36; a second hand 37 having a substantially rectangular shape in front view, which is disposed so as to face the first hand 36 when the clamp mechanism 31a is in the closed state (see fig. 7C); and a second arm 39 supporting the second hand 37.

In the following, the "tray 7 side" is defined as the first support surface 7a side of the tray 7.

Hereinafter, the "laminated body side" is defined as the side opposite to the "tray 7 side" and is defined as the side in the direction in which the glass sheet GS and the protective sheet 20 are alternately laminated.

In fig. 7 and 8, the tray 7 side is indicated by an arrow P.

The first hand 36 includes a substantially rectangular first body portion 36a and an elongated finger-like extension portion 36b extending upward by a predetermined length from an upper end of one end side in the width direction of the first body portion 36 a.

The first hand 36 is fixed to one end of the first arm 38, and is supported substantially parallel to the first support surface 7a of the tray 7.

That is, the first hand 36 is placed on the back surface side of the carried protective sheet 20 and stands by in a state of being substantially parallel to the protective sheet 20.

The first hand 36 is a hand that holds the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A by the first body portion 36a and the lateral portion (the portion positioned on the left side toward the upper corner portion 20A1 in fig. 7C) of the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A when the clamp mechanism 31a is in the closed state (see fig. 7C).

In addition, in the extended portion 36b, when the protective sheet 20 loaded on the tray 7 is disposed on the tray 7 side of the extended portion 36b, the extended portion supports the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 so as not to fall down toward the laminate side.

The second hand 37 includes a substantially rectangular second body 37a and a side-view reverse L-shaped pressing jig 37b extending upward from the upper end of the second body 37 a.

The pressing jig 37b has: a rectangular base portion 37b1 disposed on the outer side surface of the second body portion 37a and extending upward along the outer side surface; and a convex portion 37b2 protruding from the front end of the base portion 37b1 toward the tray 7 side.

The convex portion 37b2 of the pressing jig 37b is disposed at a position not interfering with the extending portion 36b of the first hand 36 when the first hand 36 and the second hand 37 are in the closed state.

When the first protective sheet 20A is held by the first hand 36 and the second hand 37, the convex portion 37B2 of the pressing jig 37B has a tip of the convex portion 37B2 formed to protrude toward the tray 7 side from the back side of the first body portion 36a of the first hand 36 in a side view (see fig. 8B).

The second body 37a of the second hand 37 has substantially the same size as the first body 36a of the first hand 36 in the front view.

The second hand 37 is fixed to one end of the second arm 39, and the other end of the second arm 39 is supported by an arm shaft (not shown) of the third holding portion 31.

The second hand 37 is supported to be rotatable by driving the second arm 39.

The second hand 37 is a hand which holds the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A by the second body portion 37a and bends the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A by the convex portion 37b2 as shown in fig. 7D when the clamp mechanism 31a is in the closed state (see fig. 7C).

In the clamping mechanism 31a, when the protective sheet 20 is gripped, the first hand 36 is disposed on the back surface side of the protective sheet 20 so as to be substantially parallel to the first supporting surface 7a of the tray 7, and the second hand 37 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the first hand 36.

The shape of the convex portion 37b2 is not limited to a plate shape as in the present embodiment, and may be, for example, a rod shape, a hemispherical shape, or a single or a plurality of convex portions.

The first hand 36 and the second hand 37 are opened by rotating only the second hand 37 in a direction to open one end of each of the first arm 38 and the second arm 39, and closed by rotating only the second hand 37 in a direction to bring one end of the second arm 39 closer to one end of the first arm 38 when gripping both ends in the width direction of the first protective sheet 20A (see fig. 8A).

The pressing jig 37b is a jig for bending the upper corner portion 20A1 of the first protective sheet 20A toward the tray 7 side when the first protective sheet 20A is held by the first hand 36 and the second hand 37.

In the present embodiment, the tip of the convex portion 37b2 is formed to protrude toward the tray 7 side from the back side of the first body portion 36a of the first hand 36, but is not particularly limited.

For example, the tip of the convex portion 37b2 may be formed in the following dimensions: when the first protective sheet 20A is held by the first hand 36 and the second hand 37, at least the first protective sheet 20A can be brought into contact with each other and the contact portion can be bent toward the tray 7 without being bent.

The operation of holding the first protective sheet 20A by the first hand 36 and the second hand 37 described above is similarly performed for the second protective sheet 20B described later, and is applied to the step of forming the laminate LM.

By configuring the first hand 36 and the second hand 37 in this manner, when forming the laminate LM in which the glass sheets GS and the protective sheet 20 are alternately arranged, the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 is held by the first hand 36, the lateral portion of the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 is held, and the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 is held by the second hand 37, whereby the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 can be prevented from being bent (so-called dog-ear).

This can prevent the upper corners 20a1 of the glass sheets GS from contacting each other and causing scratches during the conveyance of the laminate LM, for example.

As shown in fig. 7C, according to the packaging device 8, the clamp mechanism 25a serving as a conveyance chuck that holds the upper corner portion 20a1 is positioned above the clamp mechanism 31a serving as a loading chuck.

Therefore, even if the clamping mechanism 25a is raised to convey the next protective sheet 20, the clamping mechanism 25a does not interfere with the clamping mechanism 31a, and therefore, the protective sheet 20 can be efficiently conveyed and loaded.

The clamping mechanism 31a as a loading chuck has a first hand 36 for holding the lower and lateral portions of the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20 on the tray 7 side.

Thus, even if the protective sheet 20 loaded on the tray 7 falls down to the side opposite to the tray 7 (the side of the laminate), the protective sheet 20 can be efficiently corrected while being held by the extending portion 36b of the first hand 36 on the tray 7 side when the protective sheet 20 is loaded.

Therefore, the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protect sheet 20 loaded can be prevented from falling down toward the laminated body side and being sandwiched between the loaded protect sheet 20 and the loaded glass sheet GS.

In the packaging device 8, the second hand 37, which is the other hand of the gripper mechanism 31a serving as the loading chuck, holds the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protective sheet 20.

Here, the clamping mechanism 31a for loading the protective sheet 20 on the tray 7 is fixed so as not to operate when the first hand 36, which is the hand for opening and closing the tray 7 side, comes into contact with the loaded protective sheet 20 and tray 7.

Therefore, the clamp mechanism 31a holds and releases the holding of the protective sheet 20 in association with the opening and closing of the second hand 37, which is the other hand.

In this case, when the second hand 37 serving as the other hand holds the lateral portion of the upper corner portion 20a1, the second hand 37 tends to interfere with the clamp mechanism 25a serving as the conveyance chuck when moved in the opened state.

However, if the second hand 37, which is the other hand, is configured to hold the lower portion of the upper corner portion 20a1 as described above, interference with the clamp mechanism 25a can be easily prevented.

The clamping mechanism 31a serving as a loading chuck has a convex portion 37b2 for bending the upper corner portion 20a1 of the protect sheet 20.

Thus, when protective sheet 20 is held by clamping mechanism 31a, the tip of upper corner portion 20a1 of protective sheet 20 can be prevented from falling toward tray 7 and being pinched by glass sheet GS loaded by projection 37b 2.

The packaging device 8 further includes: a supply device (not shown) which is disposed upstream of the sheet conveying device 18 and which unwinds the strip-like sheet material 19 from the material roll and supplies the same to the sheet conveying device 18; and a cutting device 21 that cuts the protective sheet 20 from the strip-like sheet material 19.

The sheet conveying device 18 conveys the protective sheet 20 cut out from the cutting device 21, and the second transfer mechanism 23 as a loading device is configured to load the protective sheet 20 in a state where one of both surfaces of the protective sheet 20, which is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the roll, is positioned on the tray 7 side.

Since the strip-shaped sheet material 19 is wound around the material roll, when the strip-shaped sheet material 19 is unwound from the material roll and the protective sheet 20 is cut out from the strip-shaped sheet material 19, the protective sheet 20 is characterized by being rounded to return to its original shape.

Therefore, if the surface of the roll positioned on the inner peripheral side of the protective sheet 20 is disposed on the side opposite to the tray 7 (the side of the laminate), the protective sheet 20 already mounted on the tray 7 is likely to fall down toward the side opposite to the tray 7 (the side of the laminate).

On the other hand, if the surface of the roll on the inner circumferential side is disposed on the tray 7 side, the protective sheet 20 already loaded on the tray 7 is likely to fall down toward the tray 7 side.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that protective sheet 20 loaded on tray 7 falls down to the side opposite to tray 7 (the side of the laminate).

In this way, after the first protective sheet 20A is transferred from the first transfer mechanism 22 to the second transfer mechanism 23, as shown in fig. 6 and 9, the second transfer mechanism 23 moves the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 that hold the first protective sheet 20A in and out from the standby position along the second guide member 33 and the third guide member 34.

When the second transfer mechanism 23 moves the first protective sheet 20A to the loading position PS1 with respect to the tray 7, the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 are stopped.

The controller 24 controls the holding unit 17 of the conveying unit 6 to move the first glass sheet GS1 so as to place the first glass sheet GS1 at a predetermined loading position.

As shown by the solid line in fig. 10, the holding portion 17 is temporarily stopped at a position above the second supporting surface 7b of the tray 7.

Thereafter, the controller 24 controls the holding unit 17 to move the first glass sheet GS1 obliquely downward (in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 10) from the stop position toward the predetermined loading position.

The first glass sheet GS1 is placed at a predetermined loading position on the second support surface 7b of the tray 7 so as to overlap the first protective sheet 20A.

Thereafter, the holding unit 17 of the conveying unit 6 releases the holding of the first glass sheet GS1 and moves to the cutting unit 5.

When the first glass plate GS1 is placed at the predetermined placement position, the lower end portion 20c of the first protective sheet 20A is separated from the second support surface 7b and is sandwiched between the first support surface 7a and the first glass plate GS 1.

When the placement of the first glass sheet GS1 is completed, the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 of the second transfer mechanism 23 release the holding of the first protective sheet 20A.

More specifically, in the case of the third holding portion 31, the holding of the first protective sheet 20A is released by rotating only the second hand 37.

In this state, the third holding portion 31 draws the first hand 36 from the laminate LM by moving the clamping mechanism 31a in the width direction of the first glass sheet GS 1.

Thereafter, the third holding portion 31 and the fourth holding portion 32 of the second transfer mechanism 23 are retracted to hold the second protective sheet 20B after that.

The next second protective sheet 20B is held by the sheet conveying device 18, and is moved to a predetermined loading position on the front surface side of the first glass sheet GS1 placed on the tray 7, similarly to the first protective sheet 20A.

By repeating the above operations, a laminate LM in which a predetermined number of glass plates GS and protective sheets 20 are alternately laminated is formed.

At the same time, a package body PC is formed by mounting the laminate LM on the tray 7.

Thereafter, the protective cover is covered with the laminate LM.

The protective cover is fixed to the tray 7.

In this way, the packaging step S6 ends.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above embodiments, and is not limited to the above operational effects.

The present invention can be variously modified within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1 manufacturing apparatus

7 tray

8 packaging device

18-piece conveying device

20 protective plate (sheet material)

22 first transfer mechanism (carrying device)

23 second transfer mechanism (loader)

GS glass plate

And an LM laminated body.

Claims

1. A glass plate packing device is provided with a device for loading rectangular glass plates on a tray,

the glass-plate packing apparatus is characterized in that,

the glass plate packing device further comprises:

a conveying device for conveying the rectangular sheet in a vertical posture; and

a loading device that receives the sheet from the conveying device and loads the sheet to the tray,

the conveying device is provided with a conveying chuck for holding the sheet,

the loading device is provided with a loading chuck for holding the sheet,

one of the conveying chuck and the loading chuck has a hand for holding an upper corner portion of the sheet, and the other has a hand for holding a lower portion and a lateral portion of the upper corner portion of the sheet.

2. The glass-sheet bale packing apparatus according to claim 1,

the conveyance chuck has a hand for holding an upper corner of the sheet,

the loading chuck has a hand for holding a lower portion and a lateral portion of an upper corner of the sheet.

3. The glass-sheet bale packing apparatus according to claim 2,

the loading chuck has a hand for holding a lower portion and a lateral portion of an upper corner of the sheet on the tray side.

4. The glass-sheet bale packing apparatus according to claim 3,

the loading jaw has another hand for holding a lower portion of an upper corner of the sheet.

5. The glass-sheet bale packing apparatus according to claim 4,

the loading chuck has a convex part for bending the upper corner of the sheet to the tray side.

6. A glass-sheet packing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

the packaging device further includes:

a feeding device that unwinds a belt-shaped sheet from a roll and feeds the belt-shaped sheet; and

a cutting device that cuts out the sheet from the band-shaped sheet,

the carrying device carries the sheet cut out from the cutting device,

the loading device is configured to load the sheet in a state in which one of both surfaces of the sheet, which is positioned on an inner peripheral side of the roll, is positioned on a tray side.