ES2258274T3 - PROCEDURE AND DEVICE FOR FILLING AUTOMATICALLY INSULATING GLASSES WITH A GAS DIFFERENT FROM THE AIR. - Google Patents

Abstract

The introduction of the gas and the expulsion of the air happen in laminar regime, avoiding therefore the mixing of the gas in entry with the present air inside the panel of insulating glass (4). To allow the obtaining of the laminar regime, the inferior side of the spacer frame is properly used with functions of distribution manifold. Such procedure and device, due to their peculiar configurations, allow a notable saving in the costs reducing, respect the traditional automatic methods, the quantity of the gas necessary to the filling at a quantity nearly close to that corresponding to the volume of the room of the panel of glass.

Description

Procedure and device to fill in automatically insulating glass with a different gas than air.

This application refers to a automatic procedure and to an automatic device to fill  Insulated glass panels with a gas other than air. Said gas It is used to improve thermal insulation properties and acoustic panels, as well as to improve other properties related to the peculiar characteristics of gas employee.

Currently, the techniques known for the filling of insulating glass panels with a different gas than Air is divided into manual techniques and automatic techniques.

The first techniques are based either on the measurement of a gas flow and its introduction time or in measuring the concentration of gas or oxygen residual inside the insulating glass panel during the introduction of the gas itself. The second techniques they normally resort to measuring the concentration of gas or of residual oxygen inside the insulating glass panel during the introduction of the gas itself until it Get the desired gas concentration.

Manual technique aside, despite that this has really constituted the school and the basis for the automatic technique development, we will focus on the description of the known technique related exclusively to the automatic solution, since it is the technique from which the present invention which is the one that has reached a diffusion Industrial of remarkable interest.

In addition, the noticeable increase in demand for insulated glass panels filled with gas will necessarily lead  to the manufacturers of insulated glass panels to the use of automatic machines exclusively, or at least machines semi-automatic, and, above all, the selection of those automatic machines that, all others being equal features, have a limited consumption of gas for the filling of the panel as the one taken as reference here request.

The aforementioned demand for panels of insulated glass filled with gas has increased not only in those applications for which an improvement in the thermal insulation characteristics (in recent years this requirement has been imposed particularly by rules and laws specific binding for obtaining permission from construction, which require the use of materials with a thermal exchange below certain values), but particularly in recent times demand has increased, to those uses, eg in residential areas close to airports or hotel facilities located in large metropolis, in which sound insulation becomes more important because it constitutes a requirement related to the quality of life.

Consequently, gases have proliferated with more and more peculiar characteristics, with more characteristics precise and refined and therefore more expensive (even twice more expensive), having increased the need to use filling procedures and machines that minimize the consumption of gas.

An automatic procedure and device that have already been the subject of another patent application and they were also exhibited at two international fairs (Düsseldorf 1994 and Milan 1995), but have not yet been mounted in facilities, are described in Italian patent application no. TV 94A000125, which is the priority patent for the application for European Patent No. 95116237.9, US Patent Application No. 08/545275, Japanese Patent Application No. 07,280,198, the South Korean patent application No. 95-37588. The applicant and the inventors are the same as those of the present application, which exposes an improvement in mechanics and device automation already exposed in the requests mentioned above. The starting point is the same, for consequently only the non-equivalent modifications that present novelty principles and inventive

Other procedures and automatic devices that belong to the previous type are the ones listed to then suffering all of them, however, from the great inconvenience of having to resort to a procedure in which the gas speed that travels to get the "pseudo-filled" insulating glass panel is regime TURBULENT with the consequent continuous mixing of the inlet gas with the air already existing inside the glass panel insulator, so that the filling of the panel with gas is not effected by substitution but by dilution.

In the procedure and device according to the In the present invention, the gas velocity during filling is LAMINATE.

Actually, these known techniques are intended fill in a time equal to or less than the cycle Long automatic production of the manufacturing line that Produces insulated glass panels. Therefore, all these procedures make the gas flow inside the The insulating glass panel chamber has such flow rates that they necessarily have to work in turbulent regime. By consequently, the resulting procedure involves a displacement of gases by dilution inside the internal chamber of the panel, that is, that each introduction of an equal volume of air chamber volume reduces air concentration by half inside the insulated glass panel. More clearly, each introduction of a volume of gas equal to the chamber volume entails the following progression in the concentration of air in the Insulated glass panel inside: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 ... Therefore, to reduce the concentration of air in the 3% insulated glass panel inside, 5 required gas volumes, which is a waste of the gas itself saying. Otherwise, air concentrations must be accepted greater than 3%.

When argon is used (which was the most used when the gas filling technology of the insulated glass panels) gas waste resulted economically bearable, but the use of more noble gases (and therefore more expensive) to get better physical characteristics of the panels has made the unsustainable cost impact. Just think that argon has a Market price of approximately 10 Italian liras / Nlitro (Nlitro being the abbreviation of normal liter, that is a unit of mass for gases equal to the mass of 10 -3 m 3 at a pressure of 101,325 Pa and at a standard temperature), while the costs of the krypton are 1,000 Italian liras / Nlitro and those of the Xenon amount to 6,000 Italian lira / Nlitro.

Known techniques are set forth in various patents, which are listed below and that are accompanied by brief comments The following patents are known or patent applications:

Italian Patent No. 1,142,062: discloses substantially a chamber provided with sealing gaskets to contain the insulating glass panel that is not yet assembled with its components, that is, the glasses and the frame spacer, inside whose chamber the gas flows, which occupies also accordingly the inner side of the glass panel insulator before assembly that is carried out on the same machine. The disadvantages of this system, which works in regime turbulent, are the high consumption of gas and the impossibility of get a high concentration of gas (or get the improvement of one to the detriment of the other). In addition, it must be used also an additional amount of gas for volume saturation of the machine chamber that is not occupied by the glass and a additional amount is lost in the transit of the entrance and the insulated glass panel outlet.

European patent application EP-A-0.267.647: the claim main refers to the use of means that act on the external surfaces of the panel, for example plates of press, to oppose overpressure inside the panel during the introduction of gas; indeed, even a small overpressure that affects a very large surface implies some considerable efforts to the point that either the sheets relative to the spacer frame to which the glass sheets are joined by the primary sealant or are ejected from The same leaves. In addition to these problems, this technique requires at least two holes (one at the bottom and the other at the top of the panel) crossing both frame walls spacer

European patent application EP-A-0323333: this is a device similar to the previous one, except that for the optimization of mechanism of the machine and the process work cycle, the holes for the introduction of the gas and for the discharge of the air-gas mixture are displaced in the part bottom of one of the sides (usually the exit side) of the spacer frame; therefore the necessary time is saved for the translation of the mechanism that must work in correspondence with the discharge hole. On that device the turbulence of the procedure is even more pronounced and, although all the procedure lasts less time, the gas consumption is one of the most high compared to other previous systems.

European patent application EP-A-0444391: to fill in the inside the insulated glass panel, one of the two sheets, while these are held between the clamping plates of the press, is removed from the spacer frame in correspondence with a edge of the sheet, because a part of the same plate of the Press is provided with suction cups. This creates a slit through which the operations of introduction of gas and discharge of the mixture air-gas This device also works in turbulent flow regime with the drawbacks already described earlier than that supposes. The only advantage of this procedure is that the inner part of the spacer frame is keeps intact, giving it a good aesthetic appearance. its inconvenient, in addition to the known problem of turbulence, lies in the need to elastically deform one of the two sheets that constitute the insulating glass panel, and this need cannot be satisfied with all types of glass, for example with those with a high thickness.

International patent application WO 92/01137: Follow the guidelines of the previous European patent, with the difference that the traction of the glass sheet to create the slit for the introduction of gas and the discharge of the mixture air-gas is performed in correspondence with a party from the lower side instead of being made in correspondence with a edge.

European patent application EP-A-0603148: the procedure of insulating glass panel filling with gas happens, always in the inside of the press, with one of the two glass sheets supported against the spacer frame only in correspondence with the horizontal upper side, and with a part of the vertical sides for the part along which the elasticity of the glass allows the relative deformation of it. The gas is introduced by under the spacer frame and the air-gas mixture it is ejected from the part of the vertical sides in which the glass It is separated from the spacer frame. The inconveniences previously mentioned are even expanded in this procedure since the bottom side is open in an extension Significant constitutes an escape for the introduced gas.

The objective of the present invention is to solve the technical problems indicated and eliminate the inconveniences that implies the previous type, devising a procedure and a device automatic to fill insulated glass panels with gas different from the air than, unlike the corresponding ones known automatic procedures and machines, provide a noticeable lowering in regards to gas consumption of filler and that, with respect to Italian patent application no. TV 94A000125 and the corresponding European application EP-A-0715053, allow to provide a device with better functionality and reliability and that also reduce gas consumption and allow full use The advantages of the laminar flow filling technique exposed in EP-A-0715053, augmented The machine's operating speed.

The objective mentioned above includes provide a device that, although inserted in lines of manufacture for the automatic production of glass panels insulator, meet their productivity requirements manufacturing lines, allowing at the same time to get a Acceptable lowering of gas consumption and high gas concentration inside the finished insulation panel and last but not least, preservation throughout of the concentration time obtained.

This purpose, this and other objectives are set manifest from the following description and are reached with the machine and with the method according to the claims attached.

Other features and additional advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment but not exclusive of the invention illustrated, in an embodiment not limiting, in the attached figure 1, which is a sectional view transverse of the filling station of the device according to the invention.

In summary, a collecting container is provided able to receive, contain and distribute at least two (typically, but not exclusively, from eight to ten) panels of insulating glass in the respective slots.

The ingenious novelty principles of method according to the invention, compared to the type earlier as that of Italian patent application No. TV94A 000.125 of the same applicants and inventors, consists of use a free selection logic instead of a logic of sequential selection for reception at the entrance of the panels insulating glass in one of the available slots of the container collector to contain insulating glass panels in it collecting vessel during the gas filling stage, for deliver insulated glass panels to the next station to from said collecting container, for example to the station that perform automatic edge sealing procedure insulating glass panel peripheral, in the manufacturing line for the insulating glass panel, according to the logic required by the Own manufacturing line. To name just a few criteria, this logic can be determined from one of the following criteria: 1) expel from the collecting container the first finished panel, to significantly minimize the times of wait for the next station; 2) eject, when they are available, the panels provided with spacer racks of the same thickness, so as not to change the parameters of automatic sealing machine manufacturing there downstream; 3) eject, as soon as they are available the panels classified according to the client; 4) prioritize small pieces to not have too many glass panels that already have been finished in relation to the filling stage, but that they must still be sealed in the openings for the introduction of gas and air expulsion, if the type of machine provides a separate location for said sealing, and that by consequently they remain in the state of refilling, although with a reduced gas flow; 5) provide priority to the request of operator; and 6) provide additional uses of the collector, in addition to its main function of filling its panels with gas, as an accumulation vessel and waiting for cases where the downstream treatment stations are temporarily inactive or busy.

According to its essential characteristics, the machine according to the present invention particularly comprises a frame of fixed horizontal base 1 on which a counterframe is mounted mobile 2 so that it can slide in one direction transverse with respect to the input transport direction of panels.

The counterframe 2 corresponds to the container collector mentioned above and comprises, on its upper side, at least two (typically eight to ten) brackets 3, in which insulating glass panels 4 are supported when transported in the counterdrive 2. The supports are arranged vertically or slightly inclined with respect to the vertical plane, that is, substantially perpendicular to the ground.

These panels are transported on supports by means of conveyor rollers 5 which, in addition to a rotation movement, they are also provided with a movement alternative ascending / descending (with respect to the ground) at along the same supports 3 by means of a suitable mechanism that identifies globally with the reference number 6. Said Alternate movement allows you to receive the input panel when the rollers are in the raised position, or eject the panel in output, when said rollers 5 are in the position of lowered, so that the panel is removed on support legs 7, which are displaced with an appropriate distribution in the inside of each support 3 and are connected respectively with the respective support said as shown in the figure one.

In position 8, some portatobera cars are displace for the introduction of gas through a hole previously drilled (on the same machine) on the outer face of the inner side of the spacer frame while cars sensor holder are arranged along the guides 9, being inserted the sensor through an automatic device in the pre-drilled holes arranged on top of one side of the spacer frame.

The holes mentioned above are respectively performed as follows: a hole is performs on the underside of the spacer frame using a automatic device located immediately upstream of the collecting vessel, while the other hole is made in one side of the spacer frame or on the same machine automatic manufacturing the spacer frame by folding and joining straight forms, either manually or semi-automatically using a drilling device, in the case of spacer racks that they have sides cut precisely and joined at the vertices through inserts of a metallic or plastic material.

In zone 10 they are arranged respectively the devices for centering portatobera cars and for hole sealing on the inner side of the frame spacer and car centering devices sensor holder and for sealing the hole in the side side of the spacer frame.

An important advantage of the collecting container is which can increase the filling time available for the station of filling a number of times equal to the number of compartments or manifold-connector slots, compared to the time of the most critical station of the production line of Insulated glass panels.

On the contrary, the type mentioned above gives the gas filling operation a much shorter time that the time of the most critical station on the line, since the machine that fills with gas is the same as it should also perform the joining and pressing operations of the components that form the insulating glass panel. For these reasons the automatic procedure and device according to the present invention object of the present application may work with a gas flow in a laminar regime while all other automatic procedures and devices of the above type are they are forced to operate in a turbulent (faster) regime by reasons of time.

Claims (10)

1. Automatic filling machine, with gas other than air, insulating glass panels (4) of the type comprising two sheets of glass with a spacer frame interposed between them, said spacer frame comprising in its bottom side a distributor with micro holes to fill the chamber formed between said glass sheets with said gas according to a laminar flow introducing said gas into a hole previously drilling located on the outer face of said lower side, the spacer frame further comprising a discharge hole to discharge the air, said running machine comprising above some stations for the union of the glass sheets with the respective spacer racks by means of cords of a primary sealing agent and for transporting the panels (4) configured in this way to a filling station to fill the panels (4) with said gas, characterized in that the filling station comprises a collecting container (2) to receive a plurality of said panels (4) and to return them to the treatment stations provided downstream, according to a sequence defined by a free selection logic, said collecting container containing a plurality of supports (3) defining a plurality of grooves to receive and support the respective panels (4) in a substantially vertical position with respect to the ground, the collecting container (2) of such being mounted so that it can slide on a base frame (1) being able to slide in a transverse direction relative to the direction of input transport of the panels (4) so that it can be receive a sequence of input panels and deliver a sequence of gas-filled exit panels, each slot comprising in its lower zone (8) a portatobera car to hold a nozzle to introduce said gas in the panel (4) in the groove through said hole pre-drilled spacer frame, each support (3) comprising guides (9) to guide a sensor carriage comprising a sensor for analyze the air and the exhaust mixture discharged through said discharge hole during said filling; further comprising said filling station a means to select the slots available to receive the entry of a new panel and to eject a panel already filled according to said free selection logic. 2. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said expulsion is selected from a set of possibilities comprising:

to)

eject from the collecting container the first finished panel, in order to minimize waiting times for the next station;

b)

eject, when available, the panels provided with spacer racks thereof thickness;

C)

eject, when available, panels classified according to the client;

d)

eject panels giving priority to small panels;

and)

eject panels giving priority to the operator request

3. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that each support (3) comprises a small wheel that can automatically approach the panel in such a way as to release it from the support (3) and center the discharge hole of the panel with respect to the sensor . 4. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said nozzle has a conical shape, to achieve a gas-tight connection with the annular wall of the hole previously drilled in the lower side of the spacer frame. 5. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors of the filling station are connected to an individual analyzer to analyze the discharge air or the discharged gas-air mixture, said analyzer being controlled by a sequential logic programmer for scanning cyclically all slots in the collecting container. 6. Automatic machine according to claim 5, characterized in that said analyzer is selected from among those in the group comprising paramagnetic type analyzers and zirconium oxide analyzers. 7. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a method calculator for controlling the machine, performing the functions of user interface, diagnosis and statistics and for synoptically representing the filling state of each insulating glass panel. 8. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterized in that each gas introduction system is equipped with an individual safety valve to avoid overpressures inside the chamber of the insulating glass panel. 9. Procedure to fill in automatically, with gas other than air, insulated glass panels (4) of a type comprising two sheets of glass with a spacer frame interposed between them and comprising a discharge hole to discharge the air, which comprises the following stages: provide said spacer frame, in its bottom side, a distributor with micro holes; join the glass sheets with the respective spacer racks by means of lateral cords of a primary sealing agent; transport the panels (4) thus formed to a filling station for filling the panels (4) with said gas; characterized in that it comprises the stages, in a collecting container (2) of provide a plurality of supports (3) that define a plurality of slots to define and support the respective panels (4) in a substantially vertical position with with respect to the ground; receive a plurality of said panels (4) sliding said collecting container transversely with respect to to the entrance transport direction of the panels (4); fill the chamber of each panel with said gas formed between said glass sheets with said gas according to a flow laminar, introducing said gas into a hole previously drilling located on said lower side by means of a nozzle supported by a portatobera car provided in the lower zone (8) of each slot; analyze the air and the exhaust mixture discharged through said discharge hole during said filling by a sensor supported by a sensor carrier car guided by respective guides (9) provided in each support (3); return said panels (4) to stations of treatment arranged downstream according to a defined sequence by a logic of free selection. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that said expulsion is selected from the following evacuation group:

to)

eject from the collecting container the first finished panel, to minimize waiting times for next station;

b)

eject, when available, the panels with spacer racks of the same thickness;

C)

eject, when available, the panels classified according to the client;

d)

eject panels giving priority to small panels;

and)

eject panels giving priority to the operator request