EP1730378A2

EP1730378A2 - Method for positioning sheets of glass in a vertical assembly and press device for insulating glass panes

Info

Publication number: EP1730378A2
Application number: EP05707604A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Karl Lenhardt
Original assignee: Plus Inventia AG; Lenhardt Karl
Current assignee: Plus Inventia AG
Priority date: 2004-02-25
Filing date: 2005-02-24
Publication date: 2006-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-24
Also published as: WO2005080734A2; EP1730378B1; DE102004009858B4; DE102004009858A1; CA2555828A1; CA2555828C; US7785432B2; US20070175733A1; WO2005080734A3; ATE473345T1; DE502005009863D1

Abstract

The invention describes a method and a device for positioning insulating glass panes (24, 25) that are arranged in pairs one opposite the other in a vertical assembly and pressing device for insulating glass panes which is part of a production line for insulating glass panes, in which a first glass sheet (24) and a second glass sheet (25) carrying a spacer (27), intended for one insulating glass pane, are fed into the assembly and pressing device in upright position, standing on a horizontal conveyor and leaning against a first supporting device (1, 31), the assembly and pressing device comprising an arrangement consisting of two pressure plates (la, 2a) that can be transferred from a first position, in which they are inclined in opposite directions, to a second position in which they are positioned one in parallel to the other.

Description

Method for positioning glass sheets in a vertical assembly and pressing device for insulating glass panes

The invention is based on a method with the features specified in the preamble of claim 1 and on a device with the features specified in the preamble of claim 8.

From EP 0615 044 AI a device for assembling, gas filling and pressing insulating glass panes is known, which has two press plates, which in their starting position face each other in a V-shaped arrangement, so that they are inclined by a few degrees in opposite directions. Below each press plate there is a horizontal conveyor which is formed from a row of synchronously drivable rollers which have an axis of rotation oriented at right angles to the press plate. The assembly, gas filling and pressing device is part of a production line for insulating glass panes, in which, for an insulating glass pane, a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet provided with a spacer stand on a horizontal conveyor passing through the production line and lean against an inclined support device Assembly, gas filling and pressing device are supplied. The device is referred to as "vertical" because in it the glass panels are conveyed upright rather than lying down and assembled to form the insulating glass pane. The assembly, gas filling and pressing device is preceded by a transport device which has two support devices which are arranged in a V-shape in the same way as the pressing plates. Through this conveying device, a section of the horizontal conveyor extends at the same height as in the assembly, gas filling and pressing device, which section is formed in the same way as there from two rows of synchronously operable rolls running side by side. This transport device conveys two glass tapes intended for an insulating glass pane, one of which is provided with a spacer, in pairs and in a V arrangement into the assembly, gas filling and pressing device, in which they are congruently opposite one another in the vicinity of the front end of the pressing plates required become. They are then fixed to the press plates by suction. For this purpose, a plurality of openings are distributed over the press plates, which are connected to a blower. Air can either be sucked or blown through the openings of the press plates. If glass sheets are moved along the press plates, air is blown out of the openings, so that an air cushion is formed between the press plates and the glass sheets, on which the glass sheets can slide. To fix the glass panels, you switch from bubbles to suction. Once the press plates have sucked the glass sheets firmly in place, the two rows of rollers of the horizontal conveyor are moved away from the edge of the press plates and the press plates swiveled into a vertical position and moved so close to one another that a gap of a defined width remains between the one glass sheet and the spacer opposite it , The front vertical section of the gap is sealed by a hanging sealing device provided at the front end of the press plates. The rear vertical section of the gap is sealed by a horizontally displaceable, hanging sealing device which can be inserted from behind between the press plates. At the lower edge of the press plates and the glass panels, a gas filler bar, which rises from below, lies tightly, by which the lower section of the gap is sealed. A heavy gas is introduced ascending between the two glass panels from below. If the heavy gas has displaced the air from the space between the two glass panels, the press plates are brought closer to one another to a distance which corresponds to the thickness of the insulating glass pane to be produced, and the insulating glass pane is thereby closed and pressed. The gas filler beam is then lowered again, the hanging sealing devices are moved back into their starting position, the suction process on one of the pressing plates is ended and both pressing plates are moved back into their V-shaped starting position, one of the pressing plates taking the insulating glass pane with them. The two rows of driven rollers are moved back to their original position at the bottom of the press plates. On the press plate on which the insulating glass pane rests, suction switches to bubbles, so that an air cushion is created on which the insulating glass pane is challenged from the press. Due to the many work steps that take place in the assembly, gas filling and pressing device, it is the slowest station in a production line for insulating glass panes and determines their cycle time and thereby limits their performance.

In order to increase the performance of an assembly, gas filling and pressing device, it is already known from DE 42 12 256 C2 to design such a device in such a way that two insulating glass panes can be filled with gas, assembled and pressed at the same time. For this purpose, the known device has a first fixed, inclined press plate designed as an air cushion wall, which two mutually half-sized movable press plates are located opposite each other in parallel. The two half-sized press plates are designed as suction plates. This known device works essentially differently than that known from EP 0 615 044 AI: The first glass sheet for the first insulating glass pane is transported into the device on a horizontal conveyor which is formed from a row of driven rollers and which is arranged at the lower edge of the fixed press plate and stopped near the front edge of the fixed press plate. The front of the two movable press plates is moved against the glass sheet, sucks it up and lifts it off the horizontal conveyor and from the fixed press plate. The second glass sheet, provided with a spacer, for the first insulating glass pane is then conveyed into the device and positioned congruently with the first glass sheet. These processes are repeated for the two glass panes from which the second insulating glass pane is assembled, with the special feature that they are positioned near the rear end of the fixed press plate and that the lifting movement is carried out by the small rear press plate. Suction devices on the two movable press plates slightly bend the two attached glass panels at the front or rear edge, bring them closer to the fixed press plate until, with the exception of the point where they are bent, they stick to the opposite spacer. Heavy gas is then introduced through the remaining open gap between the respective pair of glass panels. If the heavy gas has displaced the air between the glass panels, the bending of the glass panels is reversed, whereby the insulating glass panes are closed. They are then pressed and conveyed out of the device standing on the horizontal conveyor. In addition to the fact that this press is technically complex, the cycle time gained by filling two insulating glass panes with a heavy gas at the same time is largely negated by the fact that more time is required to position the four glass panels in the assembly, gas filling and pressing device is used in a device known from EP 0615 044 AI.

A method and a device for assembling and pressing insulating glass panes are known from EP 0 857 849 A2, in which the glass panels for two insulating glass panes are already placed in pairs opposite one another and at the same time one behind the other in the assembly and pressing device before the assembly and pressing device be promoted. The glass panels are aligned parallel to each other from the outset and set up at the same inclination typical of vertical production lines. However, since the individual glass panes are first fed towards one another, this requires either a turning station or a transversely displaceable transport path with separate conveying and supporting devices for the glass panels which are parallel to one another. This requires considerable expenditure on equipment. In addition, an additional height-adjustable support device for one of the two glass sheets of each pair of glass sheets is also required in the assembly and pressing device between their press plates, and this additional support device must be moved out of the space between the press plates before the insulating glass panes are closed and pressed. This also makes the known device extremely complex. In addition, both the rotating device and the press, which have two movable press plates one behind the other, cannot be assembled more than two insulating glass panes at the same time. Because of its disadvantages, the device known from EP 0 857 849 A2 has not found its way into practice.

The present invention has for its object to show a way how the cycle time and thus the performance of a production line for insulating glass panes, which contains a device for assembling and pressing insulating glass panes, which is preferably also set up for gas filling, increased without great effort and the manufacture of insulating glass panes can be made cheaper without having to pay for the quality of the insulating glass panes.

This object is achieved by a method with the features specified in patent claim 1 and by a device with the features specified in patent claim 8. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

According to the invention, the glass sheets for two or more than two insulating glass panes are positioned on a section of the horizontal conveyor lying in front of the assembly and pressing device in pairs in a V-shaped arrangement opposite one another and in pairs one after the other and then conveyed together and in the same direction into the assembly and pressing device and there stopped.

The invention has significant advantages:

♦ The positioning of two or more than two pairs of disks on a second section of the horizontal conveyor located in front of the assembly and pressing device can take place, while in the assembly and pressing device an assembly and pressing process, optionally also a gas filling process, takes place.

♦ The fact that the pairs of glass panels are positioned in a V-shaped arrangement, transferred to the assembly and pressing device and only aligned there parallel to one another, means that less effort is required than in the case of EP 0 615 044 AI and EP 0857 849 A2 and in particular requires no rotatable or displaceable transport routes and no additional support devices between the press plates of the assembly and pressing device.

♦ The conveying of the glass sheet sections positioned on the second section of the horizontal conveyor into the assembly and pressing device does not require more time than is required for the transfer of a single pair of glass panes into the assembly and pressing device. ♦ The time required for positioning at least one pair of glass panels can be saved compared to the prior art.

^♦ The fact that the pairs of glass panes are fed into the assembly and pressing device in the same direction means that their positioning relative to one another is not lost.

^♦ The invention is applicable to the production of insulating glass panes which are filled with a heavy gas, as well as to the production of insulating glass panes which contain ordinary air.

♦ The device according to the invention can not only be used to transfer several pairs of glass sheets in the same way into the assembly and pressing device and, if necessary, to fill, assemble and compress them with a heavy gas, but is also suitable for filling, assembling and compressing gas only one insulating glass pane, in particular of exceptionally long insulating glass panes. In any case, it is preferred to consecutively position as many pairs of glass panels in the assembly and pressing device as they can accommodate without the last pair of glass sheets protruding beyond the rear end of the assembly and pressing device. Insofar as the terms "before" and "behind" are used in this context, they refer to the conveying direction of the horizontal conveyor. In this sense, the rear end of the assembly and pressing device is the end at which the pairs of glass panes are conveyed into the assembly and pressing device.

♦ The additional equipment required to be able to position two or more pairs of glass panes in pairs opposite and in succession before the assembly and pressing device is comparatively low, since only one positioning task has to be accomplished before the assembly and pressing device , for which components and assemblies can be used, which are already used as standard in production lines for insulating glass panes, namely horizontal conveyors, on which glass panels can be conveyed standing upright, support devices, for example frames, which carry a field of free-running rollers, or an air cushion wall which the glass panels can lean on while standing on the horizontal conveyor and finally means for transferring a glass sheet from an inclined support to an opposite, oppositely inclined support, which in the simplest case can be an air cushion wall, a plate which has an arrangement of holes through which air is blown selectively by means of a blower can, so that an air cushion is generated between the plate and an adjacent glass sheet, on which the glass sheet can slide during transport, or through which air is sucked in, whereby a glass sheet lying on the plate is sucked in and fixed. Another possibility is to supplement a support device which has a field of free-running tubes to suction devices which can be moved in planes running transversely to the conveying direction, so that they can be placed on a glass sheet, suck on them and then take them with them. ♦ The way in which pairs of glass sheets are positioned in front of the assembly and pressing device and then transferred into them at the same time does not limit the possibilities for how insulating glass panes in the assembly and pressing device can be filled, assembled and pressed with a gas other than air ,

It is most advantageous if the glass sheets transferred into the assembly and pressing device are brought into a position parallel to one another by pivoting one of the two pressing plates, then are brought closer to one another by parallel displacement of the movable pressing plate to a predetermined small distance, in which between the respective Spacer and the opposite glass sheet there is a sufficient gap for gas filling, for example 2 mm to 6 mm wide. In this position, after arranging seals on the front edge of the foremost pair of glass panes and on the rear edge of the rearmost pair of glass panes in the assembly and pressing device, the space between the pairs of glass panels can be filled with a heavy gas ascending from below, in order to then move the parallel plate further movable press plate against the fixed press plate to close and press the insulating glass panes. A particularly advantageous way of filling insulating glass panes with a heavy gas in an assembly and pressing device according to the invention is in the German patent application filed by the same applicant on the same day and attached here as an appendix with the title "Method and device for filling insulating glass panes with a gas other than air ", which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. The combination of these two inventions is particularly advantageous.

♦ The invention is particularly suitable for the production of insulating glass panes with standard dimensions. Most insulating glass panes have a length of no more than one meter. In contrast, an assembly and pressing device usually has a length of 4 m or even more in order to be able to machine even very large insulating glass panes. In such an assembly and pressing device, for example, four insulating glass panes of equal thickness with a length of not more than 1 m or with the same or different heights can be positioned at the same time, filled with a gas different from air, closed and pressed. The productivity gain that can be achieved is enormous.

♦ Existing production lines for insulating glass panes can be retrofitted according to the invention and achieve a considerable increase in their productivity with comparatively little effort.

The device according to the invention is intended to be part of a production line through which a horizontal conveyor extends, which is divided into several separately drivable sections. The method according to the invention can be carried out with this device. In front of an assembly and pressing device, it has a first section of the horizontal conveyor, to which two supporting devices inclined in opposite directions are assigned, namely a first supporting device, against which, leaning against it, the two glass sheets required for an insulating glass pane are transported, and a second supporting device, to the system to which the first coming glass sheet, which is not provided with a spacer, is transferred transversely to the conveying direction. Between the first section of the horizontal conveyor and the assembly and pressing device there is a second section of the horizontal conveyor, which two further support devices inclined in opposite directions are assigned, neither of which has to be movable and is also not. On this second section of the horizontal conveyor, the pairs of glass plates, which are to be transferred together and in the same direction to the assembly and pressing device, are positioned in close succession in pairs in a V-shaped arrangement. The second section of the horizontal conveyor is therefore preferably of the same length as the press plates of the assembly and pressing device. In contrast, the first section of the horizontal conveyor can be shorter than the second section and the third section of the horizontal conveyor located in the assembly and pressing device. The first section is preferably not more than half as long as the press plates. This means that the largest glass sheets that can be assembled into an insulating glass pane in the assembly and pressing device can still be handled, because unlike gas filling and pressing, glass sheets may protrude when positioning over the station in which they are positioned.

For the purposes of the invention, horizontal conveyors with different conveying goods can be used. The conveyor links can be, for example, synchronously drivable rollers or chains equipped with supports, preferably belts, in particular toothed belts. At least one of the sections of the horizontal conveyor preferably has conveying members on which both glass panels intended for an insulating glass pane are conveyed, wherein they are arranged next to one another on the same conveying members in a V-shaped arrangement. This ensures the best possible synchronization of two glass panels that are positioned congruently opposite one another. This is important so that the congruent counterpart, which the glass plates on the first section of the horizontal conveyor receive, is exactly preserved when transferring to the second and finally to the third section of the horizontal conveyor, without it being necessary to prevent the glass plate pairs against predetermined stops to position, which would require considerable additional effort to position several pairs of glass panes with changing formats in close succession. However, it is also possible to use separate conveying members for the glass panels lying opposite one another if these can be driven in unison. This can happen, for example, in that, in the case of a roller conveyor, pairs of adjacent roUs are attached to a common drive shaft. Another possibility is to use two toothed belts lying next to one another as conveying members which are driven by toothed wheels which are fastened on a common shaft.

It is particularly preferred to use in all three sections of the horizontal conveyor of the device according to the invention as a conveyor belt which, so that it does not sag, is to be supported, for example by a sequence of rollers or by a guide rail. On such a belt, both glass sheets of a pair of glass sheets can be conveyed opposite one another; this prevents slippage particularly reliably and ensures optimal synchronization of the glass panels.

The first section and the second section as well as the second section and the third section of the horizontal conveyor can preferably be driven and set independently of one another. This is particularly beneficial for achieving a short cycle time. It is preferably carried out in such a way that a pair of glass sheets, which have been positioned opposite one another on the first section of the horizontal conveyor, are transferred as early as possible to the second section of the horizontal conveyor, for which purpose both are briefly driven in unison. The pair of glass sheets is preferably positioned on the second section of the horizontal conveyor such that the rear edges of the glass sheets remain in the immediate vicinity of the rear end of the second section. During the transfer of the glass sheet pair to the second section, the first glass sheet of the subsequent glass sheet pair can already run into the first section of the horizontal conveyor and be positioned there, whereupon it is converted into its reverse inclined position. If there is only a single conveyor link or adjacent conveyor links for both glass panels of a pair, which can only be driven together, then the first glass panel of a pair of glass panels is lifted from the horizontal conveyor and transferred into its intermediate position in order to transfer it into its reverse inclined position held before it is placed back on the horizontal conveyor. While it is in its intermediate position, the second glass sheet provided with a spacer can run into the first section of the horizontal conveyor and can be positioned there exactly opposite the first glass sheet. Once this has been done, the first glass sheet can be transferred from its intermediate position back to its intended starting position, in which it is inclined in a direction opposite to the second glass sheet and in which it comes back onto the horizontal conveyor. To achieve this, a movable support device in the form of a plate is preferably used in the region of the first section of the horizontal conveyor, onto which the first glass sheet can be sucked. This plate is preferably pivotable about an axis paraüele to the conveying direction, which lies below the horizontal conveyor.

The formation of opposing pairs of glass plates on the first section of the horizontal conveyor and the transfer of these pairs of glass plates to the second section of the horizontal conveyor are preferably repeated as often as the sequence of pairs of glass plates forming on the second section of the horizontal conveyor does not become longer than the pressing plates. To form this sequence, the pairs of glass panels standing on the second section of the horizontal conveyor preferably advance by only slightly more than the length of the subsequent pair of glass panels, so that the distance between the glass panel pairs on the second section of the horizontal conveyor and accordingly also in the assembly and pressing device is as possible remains low. As soon as a pair of glass panels is positioned on the first section of the horizontal conveyor which can no longer be accommodated on the second section of the horizontal conveyor, this is held back on the first section of the horizontal conveyor until the ongoing assembly and pressing process has ended and the assembly and pressing have been completed - The device has opened again, whereupon the removal of the insulating glass panes assembled therein begins. Then the pairs of glass panels stowed on the second section of the horizontal conveyor can be transferred to the assembly and pressing device and at the same time the next pair of glass panels can be transferred from the first section of the horizontal conveyor to the second section of the horizontal conveyor and there with its rear edge in the vicinity of the rear end of the second section be positioned. To The rear end of the second section of the horizontal conveyor can be assigned a position sensor which responds to the glass panels and which stops the drive of the second section of the horizontal conveyor as soon as the rear edge of the glass panels reaches the position sensor.

In the area of the first section of the horizontal conveyor, the first support device, against which the glass panels are leaning, is expediently immovable. In the area of the second section of the horizontal conveyor, both support devices are expediently arranged immovably in their V-shaped position. One of the two press plates is also expediently arranged immovably in the assembly and pressing device. The second, movable press plate and the movable support device in the first section of the horizontal conveyor expediently have a starting position in which they are aligned with the corresponding support device in the second section of the horizontal conveyor.

The plate, which is preferably provided as a movable support device in the first section of the horizontal conveyor, has openings through which air can optionally be sucked or blown by means of a blower. This plate can be approximated to the opposing first support device and aligned parallel to it, preferably in that it can be pivoted both about a pivot axis parallel to the conveying direction of the horizontal conveyor and also parallel to itself at right angles to the conveying direction, the pivot axis is preferably lower than the horizontal conveyor. This has the advantage that a glass sheet which is to be transferred from the one inclined position to the opposite inclined position is lifted off the conveying top of the horizontal conveyor without difficulty. This is particularly important because the conveyor links of the horizontal conveyor usually have a surface made of a resilient plastic, in particular a polyurethane known under the trade name Vulkollan, in which the sharp-edged edges of the glass panels can be slightly pressed in so that they can only be moved or it would be impossible to move it sideways. It is particularly expedient to combine a pivoting movement with a rectilinear parallel displacement of the glass panel for moving a glass panel from the one inclined position to the oppositely inclined position, as a result of which greater freedom in the choice of the position of the pivot axis and easier handling of different thick glass panels ,

The sequence of movements for the plate preferably provided in the first section of the horizontal conveyor is also suitable for the movable press plate in the assembly and pressing device, because a straight-line parallel displacement of the movable press plate is required anyway in order to achieve the insulating glass pane after the two press plates have reached a parallel position to one another close and compress in parallel.

In the area of the first section of the horizontal conveyor, the position of the pivot axis of the movable plate preferably provided there is advantageously arranged in such a way that the glass plate, which it has received from the immovable support device and converted into the opposite inclination, in the starting position of the movable plate still has a small distance from the conveying top of the horizontal conveyor, so that no friction between the sharp-edged lower edge of the glass sheet and the conveying top of the horizontal conveyor makes it difficult to reach the starting position. When the movable plate has reached its starting position again, the suction of the glass sheet can be stopped, so that it slides down along the plate onto the horizontal conveyor, which is completely unproblematic at a small distance, which is preferably not more than 2 mm.

The upper tangential planes of the conveying members of the horizontal conveyor (in the case of a belt the top of its upper part, in the case of a row of synchronously drivable rollers the common upper tangential plane thereof) can be oriented at different angles with respect to the V-shaped support devices. The angle which they enclose with the V-shaped support devices in the assembly and pressing device with the mutually facing sides of the two pressing plates in their oppositely inclined output control is preferably greater than 90 °. Especially it is preferred if the tangential planes lie horizontally and enclose an equally large angle with both V-shaped support devices that is greater than 90 °. The angle is preferably 96 ° in each case, which means that the support devices enclose an acute angle of 12 ° with one another.

In each of the three sections of the horizontal conveyor, a belt, in particular a toothed belt, is preferred as the only conveying member. In the first and in the second section of the horizontal conveyor it preferably has a width of 100 mm to 120 mm, in the assembly and pressing station a width of preferably 120 mm to 140 mm, which makes it easier for gas filling between the belt and the lower edge of the Press plates to create a seal.

A particular advantage of the invention is that it can also be used in existing vertical production lines for insulating glass panes by retrofitting.

Embodiments of the invention are shown - partly schematically - in the accompanying drawings. The same or corresponding parts are designated in the various drawings with the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a mating station with V-shaped support devices,

FIG. 2 shows this mating station in a view as in FIG. 1, but with supporting devices standing parallel to one another,

FIG. 3 shows as a detail and enlarged compared to FIG. 1 a vertical section through a lower area of the mating station with its V-shaped support devices, a glass panel resting on one of these, FIG. 4 shows the mating station in a representation corresponding to FIG. 3, but with mutually opposite supporting devices, a glass sheet resting on both,

FIG. 5 shows the mating station in a representation corresponding to FIG. 4, but with V-shaped support devices in their starting position,

FIG. 6 shows, in a representation corresponding to FIG. 5, a vertical section through the lower region of a buffer station following the pairing station

FIGS. 7 to 10 show a schematic plan view of a section of a production line for insulating glass panes in successive phases of insulating glass production,

FIG. 11 shows, in a representation corresponding to FIG. 5, a vertical section through the lower region of a device for assembling, gas filling and pressing insulating glass panes, with the press plates in their V-shaped starting position,

FIG. 12 shows, in a representation corresponding to FIG. 11, a section through the device for assembling, gas filling and pressing insulating glass panes, but with pressing plates parallel to one another with the insulating glass pane not yet closed, in the gas filling phase,

FIG. 13 shows a vertical section through the lower region of the device for assembling, gas filling and pressing insulating glass panes in the same phase as in FIG. 12, but through an intermediate wall of the channel for supplying heavy gas, FIG. 14 shows, in a representation corresponding to FIG. 12, the device for assembling, gas filling and pressing in the phase of the pressing process,

FIG. 15 shows a longitudinal section through the device for assembling, gas filling and pressing according to FIG. 12 along the section line XV-XV in FIG. 12, specifically before the gas filling process begins,

FIG. 16 shows the section from FIG. 15 in a later phase of the gas filling process,

FIG. 17 shows the section from FIG. 15 at the end of the gas filling process, after the insulating glass panes have been closed, the press plates assuming the position shown in FIG. 14,

FIG. 18 shows in detail the section XVπi-XVHI, which is perpendicular to one of the press plates, through the region of a seal arranged between the ends of the press plate and through a further seal arranged at the front end of the press plates, and

FIG. 19 shows in a representation as in FIG. 13 a detail of a device for assembling, gas filling and pressing with a modified sealing concept.

The pairing station shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 has two opposing support devices 1 and 2 on a frame 3. The two support devices 1 and 2 each have a plate 1 a and 2 a, which has through holes 4 at many locations distributed over the plates, which are covered on the back of the respective plate la and 2a by a hood 5, which is connected to a blower, not shown, through which air can optionally be blown into the chamber 6 formed under the hood 5 or air can be sucked out of the chamber 6. The first support device 1 stands on a base 7 fixedly connected to the frame 3; its upper end is supported on the rear by struts 8 on the frame 3. The arrangement is such that the plate 1a is inclined to the rear by an angle of, for example, 6 ° to the vertical. The horizontal floor on which the frame 3 stands is designated by the reference number 9.

The second support device 2 is pivotally mounted on a slide 11 about a horizontal axis 10, which runs perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIGS. 1 and 2, which in turn can be displaced in a straight line on rails 12 which lie in planes perpendicular to the pivot axis 10 and about the same Angles are inclined to the horizontal 9, as the plate la is inclined to the vertical. Accordingly, the chute 11 is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the plate la. The carriage 11 is displaced by means of a motor 13 which drives a spindle 15 of a spindle gear 14, the spindle nut of which is located in a housing 16 and is pivotally connected to the carriage 11 about a horizontal axis parallel to the conveying direction. The spindle 15 is also mounted about an axis parallel to the conveying direction in a holder 17 which is fastened on the frame 3.

The upper ends of the support devices 1 and 2 are connected to one another by a further spindle gear 14a, the spindle 15a of which is pivotally mounted in a holder 17a fastened to the first support device 1 and is driven by a motor 13a. The associated spindle nut is located in a housing 16a and is pivotally mounted in a holder 18 which is fastened to the movable support device 2. The spindle gears 14 and 14a are provided twice, preferably in the vicinity of the four corners of the plates 1 and 2a, which are rectangular in outline.

By driving the spindles 14a, the second support device 2 can be pivoted from its initial position shown in FIG. 1, in which the plates 1a and 2a are V-shaped to one another at an angle of, for example, 12 °, into the intermediate position shown in FIG which opposes the movable plate 2a to the immovable plate la in parallel, preferably at a distance of 5 cm to 7 cm. Out 2, the movable support device 2 can be further approximated by synchronously driving the lower and upper spindles 15 and 15a of the fixed support device 1, the parallelism between them being maintained.

At the lower edge of the fixed support device 1, a horizontal conveyor 20 is fastened, which can be driven by a motor 21. The horizontal conveyor 20 is a first section of a horizontal conveyor composed of several sections, which extends through the entire production line in which the invention is to be used. It can be a row of rollers with a cylindrical lateral surface, which are arranged with mutually parallel, horizontal axes of rotation below the two support devices 1 and 2 and are so wide, preferably 10 cm to 12 cm, that they are in the starting position movable second support device 2 existing gap 23 at the lower edge of the plates la and 2a. Characterized in that the axes 22 of the Roüen of the horizontal conveyor 20 run horizontally, these enclose with the plates la and 2a in the starting position shown in Figure 1 each an equal angle of, for example, 96 °.

The horizontal conveyor 20 can be formed not only by a sequence of synchronously drivable rollers, but also by a belt 20a, in particular by a toothed belt, which can be driven by the motor 21 by means of a drive wheel, in particular a toothed wheel. To avoid sagging, such a belt 20a is supported by a series of free-running rollers or by a horizontal rail on which the upper run of the belt 20a can slide.

Individual glass sheets 24 and 25 can be fed to the pairing station by means of a feed conveyor 26, which essentially consists of a horizontal conveyor aligned with the horizontal conveyor 20 and of a supporting device, the front of which is aligned with the front of the first supporting device 1 in the pairing station. The feed conveyor 26 is shown schematically in FIGS. 7 to 10. In order to position two glass sheets 24 and 25 lying congruently opposite one another in a V-shaped arrangement, a first glass sheet 24 is first conveyed from the feed conveyor 26 into the pairing station and there, adjacent to the first support device 1, is stopped in a predetermined first position, preferably in one position which the front edge of the first glass sheet 24 has near the front end of the first immovable plate 1a. During the conveying, air is blown into the chamber 6, which exits through the holes 4 and creates an air cushion between the plate 1 a and the first glass plate 24, on which the first glass plate 24 slides with little friction during conveying and at the same time due to the negative pressure prevailing in the air cushion the plate la is held. When the first glass portion 24 has reached its predetermined first position, no further air is blown into the chamber 6.

Now the second, movable plate 2a of the support device 2 is first pivoted by driving the spindles 15a into a position parallel to the first plate la and then by synchronously driving all the spindles 15 and 15a parallel to itself until it strikes the first glass panel 24 postponed. This sequence of movements is shown in dashed lines in FIG. Now air is sucked out of the chamber 6 behind the movable plate 2a and thereby the first glass sheet 24 is sucked firmly onto the movable plate 2a, so that it is fixed thereon. The spindles 15 and 15a are now driven in the opposite direction, thereby removing the plate 2a parallel to itself from the fixed plate 1a. Here, because of the angle of the rail 12 relative to the horizontal 9, the glass sheet 24 is lifted off the horizontal conveyor 20 at the same angle and temporarily stopped in a raised intermediate position, as shown in FIG. Now, without the position of the first glass sheet 24 changing, on the same path on which the glass sheet 24 was conveyed into the mating station, a second glass sheet 25, which is provided with a spacer 27, can be conveyed into the mating station; it is stopped there in the same first position in which the first glass sheet 24 was also stopped. The two glass sheets 24 and 25 are now congruent and opposite each other, see Figure 4. Now, by driving the upper spindles 15a, the second, movable plate 2a is pivoted back into its starting position shown in Figures 1 and 3. The position of the pivot axis 10 and Swivel angle matched to one another so that the first glass sheet 24 does not yet touch the horizontal conveyor 20 when the second, movable plate 2a has reached its starting position again. Once this has been done, the suction of air from the chamber 6 behind the second, movable plate 2a is stopped, so that the first glass sheet 24 is no longer fixed, but instead slides down on the second plate 2a until it hits the leveling device 22 hits (see Figure 5). In doing so, it covers a distance of, for example, 1 mm to 2 mm, which is completely harmless for the first glass sheet 24.

The two glass sheets 24 and 25 now lie congruently opposite one another in a V-shaped arrangement and stand with their lower edges facing away from one another on the horizontal conveyor 20. The pairing process for these two glass sheets 24 and 25 is thus completed. The two glass sheets 24 and 25 are now conveyed by driving the horizontal conveyor 20 into a buffer station following the pairing station (see FIG. 8). A partial section at right angles to the conveying direction through the lower region of the buffer station is shown in FIG. In the illustration of FIG. 6, the conveying direction is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The buffer station has a first support device 31 and a second support device 32, both of which are equipped with a field of free-running rollers 33 with a vertical axis 34. The rollers 33 of the first support device 31 have a common tangential plane 35 and the rollers of the second support device 32 have a common tangential plane 36. The tangential planes 35 and 36 are inclined in opposite directions to the vertical. The tangential plane 35 is aligned with the front of the first plate 1 a in the mating station. The tangential plane 36 is aligned with the front of the second plate 2a in the mating station when it is in its starting position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5. The axes 34 of the rollers 33 are arranged in a stationary manner, so that the position of the tangential planes 35 and 36 cannot be changed. Below the support devices 31 and 32 there is a further horizontal conveyor 30, the upper side of which is aligned with the upper side of the horizontal conveyor 20 in the pairing station and can be designed in exactly the same way as this. The horizontal conveyor 30 is a second section of the horizontal conveyor extending through the production line. It should be pointed out that in the pairing station the first support device 1 there can alternatively also be designed in the same way as the first support device 31 in the buffer station.

The horizontal conveyor 30 can be driven independently of the horizontal conveyor 20. By driving in the same direction, the glass panels 24 and 25 (FIG. 5) opposite one another in the pairing station are conveyed into the buffer station (FIG. 6) and positioned there in a predetermined second position, in such a way that the glass panels 24 and 25 have their rear edge as far as possible are close to the rear end of the buffer station, as shown in FIG. 7 using the example of a pair of glass panels D1 / D2.

Since the glass panels 24 and 25 are not perpendicular to the horizontal conveyors 20 and 30, but are inclined in opposite directions, they stand with their outer lower edges on the respective horizontal conveyor 20, 30. The sharp glass edges bring about a good adhesion between the glass panels 24 and 25 and the usually somewhat flexible surface of the horizontal conveyor 20, 30, which consists for example of the polyurethane known under the trade name VulkoUan. As a result of the good adhesion, slippage between the glass panels 24 and 25 and the horizontal conveyors can be ruled out, so that the glass panels 24 and 25 do not move against one another during conveying, but rather their position relative to one another is maintained.

The processes of pairing glass panels, ie arranging a pair of glass panels exactly opposite one another, and the transfer of the glass panel pair into the buffer station are repeated according to the invention as often as the buffer station can accommodate further pairs of glass panels, as is shown schematically in FIGS. 7 to 10 is: Figure 7 shows the time at which a pair of glass panels D1 / D2 was positioned at the rear end of the buffer station. Already during the transfer of the glass plate pair D1 / D2 into the buffer station, a subsequent first glass plate E1 can be conveyed into the pairing station by the feed conveyor 26 and positioned there at the front end of the first support device 31 (FIG. 7) before it is in this position in the manner described sucked in by the second support device 32 and in the opposite inclined position is transferred. Once this has been done, the second glass sheet E2 provided with a spacer 27 is conveyed into the pairing station and positioned there so that it lies congruently with the glass sheet El. Now the pair of glass panels E1 / E2 is transferred to the buffer station and at the same time the pair of glass panels D1 / D2 is further conveyed in the buffer station to make room for the subsequent pair of glass panels E1 / E2 (see FIG. 8). During this, the next first glass sheet F1 of another pair of glass sheets F1 / F2 can already enter the pairing station. In order to reduce the distance between the glass plate pairs D1 / D2 and E1 / E2 compared to the distance that they still have in FIG. 7 to a small distance that they still have in the phase shown in FIG. 8, the drive of the horizontal conveyor 20 switched on somewhat earlier than the drive of the horizontal conveyor 30. The drive of the horizontal conveyor 30 is stopped again when the rear edges of the glass plate pair E1 E2 have passed the rear end of the buffer station, so that the rear edges of the glass plate pair E1 / E2 are in the "second" position occupy the rear edges of the pair of glass panels D1 D2 in the phase shown in FIG. 7, see FIG. 9. The drive of the horizontal conveyor 20 in the pairing station is switched off at a later point in time when the subsequent glass panel Fl with its front edge on has arrived at the front end of the mating station (see FIG. 9). Now the pair of glass panels F1 / F2 is paired and when this is done (FIG. 9), the pair of glass panels F1 / F2 is transferred to the buffer station in the manner already described and positioned there in the "second" position, in which the rear edges of the glass panel pair F1 / F2 are at the rear end of the buffer station, where the glass panel pair El and E2 with its rear edges were previously positioned. There is no more space in the buffer station for the subsequent pair of glass panels G1 / G2. The glass plate pair G1 / G2 can only be transferred to the buffer station when the further transport of the glass plate pairs D1 / D2, E1 / E2 and F1 / F2 begins in the subsequent assembly and pressing device. In the phase in which the buffer station was occupied with the glass panel pairs D1 / D2, E1 E2 and F1 / F2, three preceding glass panel pairs A1 / A2, B1 / B2 and C1 / C2 are in the assembly and pressing device following the buffer station Filling with heavy gas positioned, filled with heavy gas, closed to insulating glass panes and pressed. Fundamentally, the construction of the assembly and pressing device is similar to the construction of the pairing station, so that the description of the construction of the pairing station made with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 applies to the assembly and pressing device. The difference is that the assembly and pressing device is longer than the pairing station, namely so long that it can accommodate all the pairs of glass panels with which the buffer station is occupied. The length of the buffer station and the assembly and pressing device are therefore matched to one another. Another difference is that the assembly and pressing device is provided with sealing devices with regard to the process of gas filling with devices for supplying a heavy gas and for avoiding heavy gas losses. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 18. Because of the extensive analogy in the structure of the mating station and the assembly and pressing device, the same reference numbers are used for corresponding parts. With regard to the task of pressing the insulating glass panes, the press plates can be made stiffer than the plates la and 2a in the pairing station.

In the assembly and pressing device, the pressing plates la and 2a as well as the corresponding plates la and 2a in the pairing station are provided with holes through which air can be blown at choice to produce an air cushion on which glass plates can slide during transport and through which air can be sucked in, in order to fix glass panels to them. These openings have not been shown in FIGS. 11 to 18 only for reasons of better clarity. The mutually facing sides of the press plates la and 2a are provided with a layer 43 made of rubber or another elastomeric material. This layer can be 3 mm to 4 mm thick, for example. In the press plates la and 2a, which are in alignment with the fixed plate la of the mating station or with the movable plate 2a of the mating station in their starting position, there is a longitudinal groove which is provided in the lower edge of the press plates la and 2a Hose 41 or 42, which can either be evacuated or inflated. If it is evacuated, then, as shown in FIG. 11, it has no contact with the horizontal conveyor 40. The horizontal conveyor 40 in the assembly and pressing device has a belt 40a, in particular a toothed belt, as a conveying member, through which the gap between the two Glass panels 24 and 25 completed is and there is also a seal between the belt 40a and the hoses 41 and 42 in the two press plates la and 2a. The hose 42 extends essentially over the full length of the press plates 1a and 2a. The hose 41 can, as will be explained, be divided into separate sections.

Behind the hose 42 there is a horizontal channel 44, which is divided into separate sections by partition walls 45, see FIG. 12. A gas different from air can be supplied to the sections of the channel 44 by means of feed lines 46 which can be shut off separately. At least one branch channel 47 leads downward from each section of the channel 44, preferably a longitudinal slot or a series of branch channels, and opens at the lower edge of the movable press plate 2a in the area between the hose 42 and the layer 43 made of rubber, see FIG. 11 ,

At the points at which the channel 44 is divided by intermediate walls 45, there is in each case a slider 48, see FIG. 13, which is flush with the surface of the layer 43 made of rubber and a layer at its lower end directed against the belt 40a 49 from a resilient sealing material. The slider 48 can be moved up and down by means of a two-armed lever 50, on which a pressure medium cylinder engages.

Opposite the sliders 48, sealing strips 52 are provided in the fixed press plate 1 a, which run from top to bottom and can be pushed against the movable press plate 2 a and the slider 48 thereof. For this purpose, the hose 41 can be divided into separate sections, so that the sealing strip 52 can be pushed forward through a gap between two sections of the hose 41, which is closed by the sealing strip 52. Another possibility, in which the hose 41 can pass over the entire length of the press plate 1 a, is to design the drive for the displacement of the sealing strips 52 such that they can be pushed over the hose 41 against the movable press plate 2 a and then onto the Belts 40a are lowerable. Another possibility is to support the belt 40a by means of a rail which protrudes so far above the belt 40a under the fixed press plate 1a that in one In addition to the longitudinal groove running along the belt 40a, a hose can be attached which extends over the full length of the fixed press plate 1a. If the hose is inflated, it lies sealingly against the underside of the fixed press plate la. If the tube 42 is inflated, it lies sealingly on the belt 40a (FIG. 12).

A further possibility of creating a seal between the fixed press plate 1 a and the belt 40 a is shown in FIG. 19. The belt 40a is a toothed belt, the teeth 40b of which do not extend across the full width of the underside of the belt 40a and run in a recess in a flat rail 59 which is fastened on an elongate support 60 which has the shape of a hollow profile. The bracket 60 is fastened to the underside of the immovable pressing plate 1 a with an angle rail 61. The carrier 60 and the angle rail 61 extend over the full length of the press plate la. Therefore, no heavy gas can escape below the fixed press plate la transversely to the conveying direction of the belt 40a.

FIG. 19 also shows how the sealing strip 52 can be designed and arranged. It is located opposite the slide 48 in a vertical slot 62 of the fixed press plate, in which it can be pushed back and forth by means of two pressure medium igniters 63. One of the pressure medium igniters 63 is shown in FIG. 19 and is located at the lower end of the sealing strip 52. In a corresponding manner, there is a second pressure medium igniter at the upper end of the sealing strip, which is not shown in FIG. 19. At the front edge of the sealing strip there is a rubber strip 64 with which the sealing strip 52 meets the opposite movable press plate 2a when it is pushed forward. At the lower end of the sealing strip 52, a cutout is provided which is open at the bottom and towards the opposite pressing plate 2a and in which a brush 65 is inserted, the bristles of which extend to the angle rail 61 and to the upper run of the belt 40a. Another brush 66 is attached to the angle rail over its entire length and fills a gap which fills between the angle rail on one side and the belt 40a and the rail 59, the bristles extending from the angle rail 61 to the opposite side surface of Belt 40a and the rail 59 extend. The brushes 65 and 66 counteract an outflow of heavy gas in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction. Otherwise, the structure of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 19 corresponds to the structure shown in FIG. 13.

In conjunction with the slide 48, which the advanced sealing strip 52 meets, it provides a lateral sealing of the space in which the insulating glass panes which have not yet been assembled are located, and prevents heavy gas from flowing out of the area of the insulating glass panes during the introduction of heavy gas , Argon is a heavy gas used for the purposes of the invention.

FIG. 15 shows that some such sealing strips 52 can be arranged in the rear region of the pressing plate la, whereas at the front end of the pressing plate la a further sealing strip 54, which can be pivoted by means of a pneumatically actuated quadrangle 58, can be pivoted against the vertical edges of the two press plates la and 2a in order to effect a seal against the pressure plates 1a and 2a and against the belt 40a, so that at the front end of the assembly and pressing device, during the filling of heavy gas, the escape of heavy gas is counteracted.

The device for assembling and pressing insulating glass panes works as follows:

Glass plate pairs with which the buffer station was occupied, for example the glass plate pairs A1 / A2, B1 / B2 and C1 / C2, are conveyed into the assembly and pressing device by driving the horizontal conveyors 30 and 40 in the same direction and positioned there so that the front glass plates A1 / A2 lie with their front edge on the front edge of the press plates la and 2a. The press plate 2a is then initially still in the initial position shown in FIG. 11. As already described with reference to the mating station, the movable pressing plate 2 a is first pivoted into an intermediate position that is approximated to the first pressing plate 1 a and parallel to it. As a result, the first glass sheet 24 is lifted off the belt 40a. After swiveling in the parallel position the movable press plate 2a parallel to itself further approximates the fixed press plate la into a second intermediate position, in which there is only a gap a few millimeters wide between the first glass sheet 24 and the spacer 27, for which there is, for example, a gap width of 2 mm up to 6 mm. The two intermediate positions of the first glass sheet 24 are shown in dashed lines in FIG. The second intermediate position of the movable press plate 2a is shown in FIG. The gas filling can take place in this second intermediate position. For this purpose, the sealing strip 54 (see FIG. 18) is first placed on the front edge of the two press plates 1a and 2a and placed on the belt 40a in order to complete the device there. In the rear area of the assembly and pressing device, that sealing strip 52 is pushed out of the fixed pressing plate 1 a, which lies closest to the rear edge of the rear glass panel pair C1 / C2, in order to effect a seal there (see FIG. 18). In addition, the slider 48, which is opposite the sealing strip 52 to be displaced, is pushed down against the belt 40a and seals the gap between the belt 40a and the lower edge of the movable press plate 2a (see FIG. 13). This prevents heavy gas from escaping, which is supplied via the channel 44 and the branch channels 47, counter to the conveying direction. As a result of the filling process, the heavy gas rises upwards between the glass plate pairs A1 / A2, B1 B2, C1 / C2, see FIG. 16. Due to the inclined position of the glass plates 24 and 25 on the belt 40a, there is a gap between the first glass plate 24 and the Belt 40a, depending on the thickness of the insulating glass pane to be produced, between approx. 2 mm to approx. 5 mm wide, which is sufficient for a uniform, almost pressure-free supply of the gas into the space between the glass panels 24 and 25, over the entire length of the glass panel pairs to push the lighter air upwards without major turbulence and to quickly achieve a high level of heavy gas with low losses of heavy gas. The heavy gas does not rise up to the upper edge of the highest pair of glass panels A1 / A2, rather the supply of heavy gas can already be stopped at a lower level 53, as shown in FIG. 16, because the insulating glass panes are pushed against the immovable press plate by advancing the movable press plate 2a Ia still have to be closed and pressed, see FIG. 14, the heavy gas located between the glass panel pairs is additionally displaced upwards by this closing movement and leads to a complete or almost complete one Filling the insulating glass panes with heavy gas. The gas volume to be displaced when the insulating glass panes are closed can easily be calculated and taken into account when dimensioning the heavy gas supply.

When the insulating glass panes are fired, the sealing strip 52 is first pushed back into the fixed pressing plate la by a corresponding amount and, after the insulating glass panes are closed and pressed, completely retracted into the fixed pressing plate la. By closing the insulating glass panes, the level 53 of the heavy gas rises above the upper edge of the highest insulating glass pane A1 / A2, as shown in FIG. 17. After the insulating glass panes have been closed and pressed, they are conveyed out of the assembly and pressing device by driving the horizontal conveyor 40 onto a removal conveyor 55, see FIGS. 10 and 17, which has a horizontal conveyor 56 aligned with the horizontal conveyor 40 and a support device 57. which is aligned with the fixed press plate 1 a and can be an air cushion wall, but preferably, as shown in FIG. 16, is designed in the manner of the support devices 31 and 32 in the buffer station and accordingly has an array of free-running rollers 33.

In order to keep heavy gas losses to a minimum, it is recommended to make sure during production planning that the insulating glass panes are assembled in such a sequence that the jointly assembled insulating glass panes differ as little as possible in height.

As soon as the assembled insulating glass panes A1 / A2, B1 / B2, C1 / C2 leave the assembly and pressing device, the subsequent pairs of glass panels D1 / D2, E1 / E2, F1 / F2 can be conveyed together into the assembly and pressing device, see FIG. 10 ,

The fact that the glass sheets in the assembly and pressing device do not stand on the belt 40a at right angles, but rather at an angle and only press on the belt 40a with one of their lower edges, enables them to be conveyed without slippage, so that their exact Alignment with each other is not lost. They can also be filled from below over their full length with heavy gas in an advantageous manner not previously known in the prior art, without using a permeable belt that is pulled over a gas fill channel or two belts that run parallel and at a distance would require in the horizontal conveyor, between which heavy gas could be introduced between the glass panels. Instead, according to the invention, a uniform, absolutely tight belt 40a can be used as the conveying member, because the heavy gas can be introduced easily from the side of the movable press plate 2a through a gap between the belt 40a and one of the glass panels 24. This enables a much simpler construction of the assembly and pressing device set up for gas filling than previously known in the prior art and allows short cycle times and cheaper insulating glass production than before by the simultaneous filling of two or more insulating glass panes, particularly when manufacturing Insulated glass panes with frequently occurring standard dimensions. The invention is very versatile, because not only rectangular insulating glass panes can be produced, but also so-called model panes, which have an outline shape that deviates from the rectangular shape. Examples of these are shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 and 15 to 17. It is also possible to produce triple insulating glass panes. To do this, first assemble two glass panels filled with gas, as described, and then convey the third glass panes, which were previously positioned one behind the other in the buffer station, into the assembly and pressing device in order to connect them to the already assembled first and second glass panes, as described in 18 is shown.

In addition, it is possible to produce large-sized insulating glass panes which are so large that only one of them can be accommodated in the assembly and pressing device, as in a conventional insulating glass production line. This can be done, for example, in such a way that the two glass panes, leaning against the immovable support devices, are conveyed through the pairing station and the buffer station into the assembly and pressing device and only then positioned opposite one another in pairs by the movable pressing plate 2a, the first one that has run in Sucks in glass, takes over and thus creates space for moving in the second glass panel, which is covered with a spacer.

In all of these cases, the heavy gas can rise between parallel glass plates in a steady upward flow without major turbulence and push the lighter air upwards without mixing with it too much.

Finally, it is also possible to assemble insulating glass panes without filling them with a heavy gas.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS:

1. Support device la. plate

2. Support device

2a. plate

3rd frame

4. Holes

5. Hood

6th chamber

7. Base

8. Strive

9. Horizontal

10th axis

11. Sledge

12. Rails

13. Engine

13a. engine

14. Spindle gear

14a. spindle gear

15. Spindle

15a. spindle

16. Housing

16a. casing

17. Bracket

17a. bracket

18. Bracket

20. Horizontal conveyor, first section

20a. belt

21. Engine

22. Axes

23rd gap

24. Glass panel

25. Glass panel

26. Feeder

27. Spacers 30. Horizontal conveyor, second section

31. Support device

32. Support device

33. Roles

34th axis

35. Tangential plane

36. Tangential plane

40. Horizontal conveyor, third section

40a. belt

40b. teeth

41. Hose

42. hose

43. Rubber layer

44th channel

45. Partitions

46. Supply line

47. stub channel

48. Slider

49. Layer made of sealing material

50th lever

51. Pressure fluid igniter

52. Sealing strip

53rd level

54. Sealing strip

55. Conveyor

56. Horizontal conveyor

57. Support device

58 .. Quadrilateral joint

59. Rail

60th carrier

61. Angle rail

62. slot

63. Pressure fluid igniter

64. Rubber strips

65. Brush

66. Brush

Claims

Expectations:

1. Method for positioning glass sheets (24, 25) lying opposite one another in pairs in a vertical assembly and pressing device for insulating glass panes, which is part of a production line for insulating glass panes, in which a first glass sheet (24) and a second, glass plate (25) provided with a spacer (27) standing on a horizontal conveyor and leaning against an inclined first support device (1, 31) can be fed to the assembly and pressing device, which has an arrangement of two pressing plates (la, 2a), which consists of a first position, in which they are inclined in opposite directions, can be transferred to a second position, in which they are parallel to one another

(a) conveying the first glass sheet (24) leaning against the first support device (1, 31) on a first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor to a predetermined first position in which it is stopped,

(b) transfer of the first glass sheet (24) transversely to the conveying device of the horizontal conveyor into a position opposite the first position, in which it is leaning on the horizontal conveyor against a second support device (2, 32) which is inclined in the opposite direction is as the first support device (1, 31),

(c) conveying the second glass sheet (25) leaning against the first support device (1, 31) to the first position, (d) conveying the first and second glass sheets (24, 25) in the same direction against their respective support device (1 , 2, 31, 32) leaned onto a second section (30) of the horizontal requester, which can be driven separately from the first section (20) of the horizontal requester, into a predetermined second position,

(e) repeating steps (a) to (d) at least once for glass panels which are intended for the assembly of at least one further insulating glass pane,

(f) co-conveying the pairs of glass sheets (24, 25) standing on the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor into the open assembly and Pressing device which has a third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor which can be driven separately from the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor,

(g) Supporting the pairs of glass sheets (24, 25) in the assembly and pressing device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that on at least one of the sections (20, 30, 40) of the horizontal conveyor, which has conveying members (20a, 40a), both glass panels (24, 25) intended for an insulating glass pane in opposite directions be inclined conveyed standing on the same conveyor member (40a).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that on at least one of the sections (20, 30, 40) of the horizontal conveyor, the two glass plates (24, 25) intended for an insulating glass pane are inclined in opposite directions on conveyor elements lying next to one another in pairs be promoted by driving them in unison.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least the Fördergüeder (40a) of the third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor belts, in particular toothed belts.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second layer is selected so that in it the rear edge of the respective first (24) and second glass sheet (25) the front end of the first section (20) of the balance right sponsor is neighboring.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pairs of first and second glass sheets (24, 25) are positioned in close succession on the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor is either driven separately from the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor or driven in synchronism with it and stopped.

8. Device for positioning pairs of opposing glass sheets (24, 25) in a vertical assembly and pressing device for insulating glass panes, which is intended for insertion into a production line for insulating glass panes, in which a first glass sheet (24) and a second for an insulating glass pane , With a spacer (27) provided glass plate (25) standing on a horizontal conveyor divided into several sections (20, 30, 40) and leaning against an inclined first support device (1, 31) are fed to the assembly and pressing device, in which a third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor is located and which above the horizontal conveyor has an arrangement of two opposing press plates (la, 2a) which can be transferred from a first control unit, in which they are inclined in opposite directions, to a second position, in which they are parallel to each other, with a before the Z Assembly and pressing device arranged second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor, which is both separate from the third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor and can be driven and stopped simultaneously with it, with two supporting devices (31, above the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor 32), which are inclined in opposite directions in such a way that they are flush with the pressure plates (la, 2a) when they are in their first position, characterized in that in front of the second section (30) of the leveling device a first one Section (20) of the horizontal conveyor is arranged, which is both separate from the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor and can be driven and stopped simultaneously with it, that above the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor, a first and a second support device (1, 2) are arranged, which are arranged inclined in opposite directions in such a way that they are flush with the press plates (la, 2a) when they are in alignment are in their first position (starting position of the movable press plate 2a), and in the area of the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor means for transferring the respective first glass sheet (24) from the first support device (1) to the second support device (2) in of the first support device (1) oppositely inclined control are provided.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor is both separately from the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor and can be driven and stopped simultaneously with it.

10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least one of the sections (20, 30, 40) of the horizontal conveyor has conveying members (20a, 40a), which are designed so that they are both glass plates intended for an insulating glass pane (24, 25) inclined opposite to each other.

11. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that at least one of the sections (20, 30, 40) of the horizontal conveyor has conveyor links which lie in pairs next to one another and can be driven in unison by common drive elements.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, characterized in that at least the conveying members (40a) of the third section (40) of the horizontal conveyor are belts, in particular toothed belts.

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rear end of the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor is assigned a position sensor which responds to the glass panels (24, 25) and which drives the drive of the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor can.

14. Device according to one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the second section (30) of the horizontal conveyor is at least as long as the press plates (la, 2a), preferably of the same length.

15. The device according to one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor is shorter than the press plates (la, 2a).

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor is at most half as long as the press plates (la, 2a).

17. Device according to one of claims 8 to 16, characterized in that the second support device (2) provided above the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor has a plate (2a) provided with openings or holes (4), through which plate a plate (2a) is formed Blower optionally air can be sucked or blown, and that this plate (2a) of the opposing first support device (1) can be approximated and aligned parallel to it.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the first support device (1) is immobile.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the plate (2a) for approaching the opposing first support device (1) from its in alignment with the second press plate starting position by one to the conveying direction of the Horizontal conveyor parallel axis (10) in an intermediate position parallel to the first support device (1) is pivotable and parallel to itself at right angles to the conveying direction.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the pivot axis (10) is below the conveying top of the horizontal conveyor.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the plate (2a) can be stopped in the intermediate position.

22. Device according to one of claims 8 to 20, characterized in that the horizontal conveyor in its first, second and third section (20, 30, 40) has coincident upper tangential planes (35, 36) which face each other of the two press plates (la, 2a) in their oppositely inclined position enclose angles which are greater than 90 ° and preferably the same size as one another.

23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that the upper tangent planes (35, 36) are horizontal.

24. Device according to one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that the second press plate (2a) can be moved in the same way as the second plate (2a) in the region of the first section (20) of the horizontal conveyor.

25. Device according to one of claims 8 to 24, characterized in that the first press plate (1 a) is immobile.

26. The device according to claim 24 and 25, characterized in that the second press plate (2a) from a distance of at least 45 mm, preferably 50 to 60 mm, from the first press plate () placed parallel to this and further approximated by linear parallel displacement can be.

27. Device according to one of claims 19 to 26, characterized in that the position of the pivot axis (10) is selected such that a first glass sheet (1) sucked in by the movable plate (2a) and removed by the first support device (1) opposite it ( 24) when the movable plate (2a) has reached its starting position aligned with the second press plate (2a) in its starting position, in which case it has an inclination opposite to the first supporting device (1), the lower edge of the first glass sheet ( 24) has a small distance from the conveying top of the horizontal conveyor, which is preferably not more than 2 mm.

28. Device according to one of claims 13 to 27 in combination with claims 10 and 12, characterized in that the belt (20a) is at least 100 mm wide, in particular 100 mm to 120 mm.

29. Device according to one of claims 13 to 28 in combination with claims 10 and 12, characterized in that the belt (40a) in the assembly and pressing device is at least 120 mm wide, in particular 120 mm to 140 mm.