JP2010059020A - Bending device and bending method for glass plate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bending device and a bending method for a glass plate where the glass plate is sucked to a forming face by introducing negative pressure into a chamber in a simple and inexpensive constitution. <P>SOLUTION: The bending device comprises: a mold 30 mounted with a glass plate G; a shuttle 22 fitted with the mold 30 and movable so as to carry the glass plate G to a carrying direction; a plurality of air holes 34 provided at a forming face 32 in contact with the glass plate G in the mold 30; a chamber 36 provided at the inside of the mold 30 and communicating with the air holes 34, and into which negative pressure sucking the glass plate G to the forming face 32 is introduced; and a negative pressure feed mechanism 40 introducing negative pressure into the chamber 36. The negative pressure feed mechanism 40 comprises: a positive pressure generation source installed and fixed to the outside of the shuttle and generating pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure; flexible piping 78 composed of a flexible member and whose one end is connected to the positive pressure generation source; a venturi tube 80 fitted to the shuttle 22 and whose one end is connected to the other edge of the flexible piping 78 and also other edge is opened to the air; and a negative pressure passage 39 whose one end is connected to the throttling part 82 of the venturi tube 80 and also other edge is connected to the chamber 36. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass sheet bending apparatus and method, and in particular, when a glass sheet heated and softened in a heating furnace is bent into a predetermined shape, the glass sheet is placed on a shuttle and conveyed. The present invention relates to a bending apparatus and a bending method that are suitable for suctioning negative pressure on a molding surface.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a glass plate bending apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated and softened in a heating furnace into a shape following the molding surface by suctioning the molding surface of the female mold through negative holes. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The bending apparatus includes a female mold on which a heat-softened glass plate is placed, a shuttle provided with the female mold, and moved to transport the female mold on which the glass plate is placed in a transport direction, A chamber is provided inside the female mold and includes a chamber for introducing a negative pressure for sucking the glass plate to the molding surface of the female mold through an air hole, and a negative pressure supply mechanism for introducing the negative pressure to the chamber. The negative pressure supply mechanism has a negative pressure passage connected to the chamber, and an air pump connected to the negative pressure passage to generate negative pressure.

In the bending apparatus described above, when the air pump is driven, the air in the chamber is sucked into the air pump through the negative pressure passage so that a negative pressure is introduced into the chamber. When negative pressure is introduced into the chamber, the glass plate is sucked into the molding surface of the female mold. Therefore, according to the bending molding apparatus described above, it becomes possible to bend and mold the heat-softened glass plate into a shape following the molding surface of the female mold.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-206458 (particularly FIG. 8)

  By the way, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, an air pump that generates a negative pressure is used to introduce a negative pressure into the chamber. In this configuration, the air pump is installed and fixed on the floor, and the negative pressure passage connecting the air pump and the chamber of the female mold attached to the shuttle extends and contracts so that the shuttle can move in the transport direction. Possible flexible piping is provided.

  However, since the air pump installed and fixed on the floor generates a negative pressure as described above, the negative pressure is introduced into the flexible piping that expands and contracts. Further, since the glass plate placed on the female mold is heated, the air sucked from the chamber through the negative pressure passage to the air pump is in a high temperature state. In this regard, in the above-described apparatus, if the flexible piping through which negative pressure air flows is not set to a large thickness or diameter, and if the heat resistance of the negative pressure passage and the air pump including the flexible piping is not secured, the piping is Thus, it becomes difficult to continuously introduce a predetermined negative pressure into the chamber.

  Here, if the air pump is attached to the shuttle so that it can be moved integrally with the shuttle, it is not necessary to provide a flexible pipe between the air pump and the chamber, so that negative pressure leakage from the pipe is less likely to occur. . However, in such a configuration, since the air pump that generates negative pressure is disposed close to the high-temperature glass plate, the air pump and the negative pressure passage are heated to extremely high temperatures. Therefore, in order to ensure the function of the air pump, it is not appropriate to attach the air pump to the shuttle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is a glass plate bending apparatus and a bending device capable of sucking a glass plate to a forming surface by introducing a negative pressure to the chamber with a simple and inexpensive configuration. An object is to provide a forming method.

  An object of the present invention is a glass plate bending apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated and softened in a heating furnace into a predetermined shape, the mold on which the glass sheet is mounted, the mold is attached, and the glass A shuttle movable to transport the plate in the transport direction, a plurality of air holes provided in a molding surface in contact with the glass plate of the mold, provided in the mold, communicated with the air holes, and A negative pressure supply mechanism for introducing a negative pressure for sucking the glass plate to the molding surface; and a negative pressure supply mechanism for introducing the negative pressure to the chamber. The negative pressure supply mechanism is installed and fixed outside the shuttle, and has an atmospheric pressure. A positive pressure generating source that generates a higher pressure, a flexible pipe made of a flexible member having one end connected to the positive pressure generating source, and one end attached to the shuttle. A glass plate bending apparatus comprising: a venturi tube connected to the other end and the other end opened to the atmosphere; and a negative pressure passage having one end connected to the throttle portion of the venturi tube and the other end connected to the chamber. Is achieved.

  Further, the above object is a glass plate bending method for bending a glass plate heated and softened in a heating furnace into a predetermined shape, wherein a mold having a plurality of air holes on a forming surface that is in contact with the glass plate. A mounting step of mounting the glass plate, a transporting step of transporting the shuttle to which the mold is attached in the transport direction in a state where the glass plate is mounted on the mold, and the interior of the mold. A suction step of generating a negative pressure in the chamber and sucking the glass plate to the molding surface through the air holes, wherein the suction step has a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure installed and fixed outside the shuttle. While supplying high-pressure air from a generated positive pressure source to a venturi pipe attached to the shuttle via a flexible pipe made of a flexible member, the throttle portion of the venturi pipe It is achieved by the method for bending a glass sheet for guiding a negative pressure to the chamber from the negative pressure passage to be connected.

  In the inventions of these aspects, the glass plate placed on the mold is passed through a flexible pipe made of a flexible member from a positive pressure generating source that generates a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure installed and fixed outside the shuttle. High-pressure air is supplied to a venturi tube attached to a shuttle that is moved so as to be transported in the transport direction, and the atmosphere is released. In this case, a negative pressure is introduced from the throttle portion of the venturi tube to the chamber through the negative pressure passage. When a negative pressure is introduced into the chamber, the heat-softened glass plate is sucked into the molding surface.

  In such a configuration, air having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure flows from the positive pressure generation source to the flexible piping, so that the thickness and diameter of the flexible piping can be reduced as compared with the flow of negative pressure air. It is. Further, since the high-temperature air sucked into the negative pressure passage from the chamber flows to the atmosphere side without flowing to the positive pressure generation source side via the venturi pipe, a situation where the positive pressure generation source is heated to a high temperature is avoided. . Furthermore, since the positive pressure source is installed and fixed outside the shuttle without being placed on the shuttle, it is relatively far away from the glass plate as the heat source, so that the positive pressure source is also heated to a high temperature. The situation is avoided.

  In the above-described glass plate bending apparatus, if the positive pressure generating source has a pressure adjusting mechanism for adjusting the generated pressure, the suction method in the glass plate bending method described above may be used. If the step is to adjust the pressure generated by the positive pressure generating source to change the force for attracting the glass plate placed on the mold to the molding surface, the molding surface of the glass plate As a result, it is possible to perform suction with a suitable force as appropriate.

  In the glass plate bending apparatus described above, a positive pressure passage having a positive pressure supply mechanism for guiding a positive pressure for separating the glass plate from the molding surface is connected to the chamber, in addition to the negative pressure passage. Assuming that the glass plate is sucked to the molding surface, the glass plate can be easily detached from the molding surface.

  The glass plate bending apparatus may further include pressure control means for selectively switching the pressure guided to the chamber between the negative pressure from the negative pressure passage and the positive pressure from the positive pressure passage. For example, the suction to the molding surface of the glass plate and the separation from the molding surface can be selectively performed.

  The glass plate bending method further includes a detaching step of guiding the positive pressure from the positive pressure passage of the positive pressure supply mechanism to the chamber and detaching the glass plate from the molding surface after the suction step. In this case, it is possible to appropriately perform the suction to the molding surface of the glass plate and the separation from the molding surface.

  According to the present invention, the glass plate can be sucked to the molding surface by introducing a negative pressure into the chamber with a simple and inexpensive configuration, and the molding surface is conveyed while the glass plate placed on the mold is conveyed by the shuttle. It is possible to mold by adsorption.

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

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a glass sheet bending apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 shows the principal part enlarged view of the bending apparatus 10 of a present Example. As shown in FIG. 1, the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a heating furnace 12 and a forming furnace 14 that are sequentially provided from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the glass sheet G. The bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that bends and shapes a glass sheet G softened by heating in a heating furnace 12 into a predetermined shape in a forming furnace 14.

  The heating furnace 12 is divided into a plurality of zones, and includes a ceiling heater, a floor heater, a side heater, and the like. The heating furnace 12 heats the flat glass sheet G conveyed from the upstream side in the conveying direction to a predetermined bending temperature (temperature near the softening point; for example, 650 ° C. to 720 ° C.).

  A roller conveyor 16 and a flat mold 18 are provided between the heating furnace 12 and the molding furnace 14. The roller conveyor 16 is composed of a plurality of rollers extending in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and conveys the glass sheet G heated and softened in the heating furnace 12 to the downstream side in the conveying direction. The flat mold 18 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the transport direction between the downstream end of the roller conveyor 16 in the transport direction and the molding furnace 14, and is configured to be lifted up and down by a lifting device.

  The flat mold 18 has a lower surface having a sufficiently large area as compared with one surface area of the glass plate G. A large number of air injection / suction holes are formed on the lower surface. The flat mold 18 also has an upper surface on which an air intake port is formed and a hollow chamber to which both the air injection / suction hole and the air intake port are connected. A combustion blower and air suction means (both not shown) are connected to the air intake port of the flat mold 18 via piping.

  The flat mold 18 injects positive pressure air from the air injection / suction hole when air having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as positive pressure air) is supplied from the combustion blower to the chamber. When air having a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as negative pressure air) is supplied from the means to the chamber, external air is taken in from the air injection / suction holes. The flat mold 18 adsorbs the glass plate G conveyed by the roller conveyor 16 to the lower surface thereof by taking in external air and is moved in the conveying direction while maintaining the adsorption. If it carries in to the predetermined position of the shaping furnace 14, the suction of the glass plate G to the lower surface will be cancelled | released by injecting positive pressure air.

  The molding furnace 14 includes a molding device 20. The molding apparatus 20 includes a shuttle 22 that can move in the transport direction. The shuttle 22 is made of steel and has legs that extend to the lower side of the hearth 24 through slits provided in the hearth 24, and is connected to a rail 26 installed and fixed on the floor in the transport direction. It is supported movably. The shuttle 22 can move upstream in the transport direction to a position where the glass plate G adsorbed on the lower surface of the flat mold 18 can be received from the flat mold 18.

  A female mold 30 is attached to the upper portion of the shuttle 22. The female mold 30 is moved together with the movement of the shuttle 22. On the upper surface of the female mold 30, a molding surface 32 having a sufficiently large area compared to one surface area of the glass plate G is formed. On the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30, the heat-softened glass plate G is transferred from the flat mold 18.

  The molding surface 32 has a shape that is concavely curved downward, and a large number of air holes 34 are formed. The molding surface 32 is covered with a cloth over substantially the entire surface. The cloth has a function of covering the air holes 34 to prevent transfer of the air holes 34 to the surface of the glass plate G during suction and to increase the efficiency of using negative pressure.

  The female mold 30 has a hollow chamber 36 through which air holes 34 communicate. An air intake port 38 formed on the lower surface of the female mold 30 communicates with the chamber 36. A negative pressure supply mechanism 40 that guides a pressure (negative pressure) lower than the atmospheric pressure and a positive pressure that guides a pressure (positive pressure) higher than the atmospheric pressure are connected to the air intake 38 through a heat-resistant pipe 39. Both pressure supply mechanisms (not shown) are connected, and a negative pressure for sucking the glass plate G to the molding surface 32 and a positive pressure for releasing the glass plate G from the molding surface 32 are guided. The negative pressure supply mechanism 40 and the positive pressure supply mechanism will be described in detail later.

  The molding apparatus 20 also includes a male mold 44 that cannot move in the transport direction. The male mold 44 is supported on the furnace ceiling so as to be movable up and down by an elevating device (for example, a hydraulic cylinder or the like; not shown). The shuttle 22 can be moved downstream in the transport direction to the support position of the male mold 44. The male mold 44 and the female mold 30 are formed by sandwiching a heat-softened glass plate G placed on the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 in the vertical direction so that the glass follows the molding surface of both. The plate G is bent and formed.

  On the lower surface of the male mold 44, a molding surface 46 having a surface area that substantially matches one surface area of the glass plate G is formed. The molding surface 46 has a shape curved downward and has a number of air holes 48 formed therein. The molding surface 46 is covered with a cloth over substantially the entire surface. The cloth covers the air holes 48, thereby preventing the air holes 48 from being transferred to the surface of the glass plate G during suction and increasing the efficiency of using negative pressure. The male mold 44 has a hollow chamber 50 through which air holes 48 communicate. An air intake 52 formed on the lower surface of the male mold 44 communicates with the chamber 50. A blower and air suction means (both not shown) are connected to the air inlet 52 of the male mold 44 via a pipe 54.

  Next, the operation of the glass sheet bending apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the heating furnace 12 heats the flat glass sheet G conveyed from the upstream side in the conveying direction to a predetermined bending temperature. The flat glass sheet G heated to a predetermined bending temperature is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the roller conveyor 16. And if it conveys to a predetermined position, it will be positioned by the positioning device in the position.

  When the flat glass plate G is positioned at a predetermined position, the flat mold 18 is moved downward by the lifting device at the downstream end in the transport direction of the roller conveyor 16. The flat mold 18 sucks and holds the flat glass plate G on its lower surface by supplying negative pressure air from the air suction means to the chamber. The flat mold 18 is moved downstream in the conveying direction with the glass plate G sucked and held on the lower surface thereof, and the glass plate G is carried into a predetermined position of the molding furnace 14.

  When the flat mold 18 is positioned just above the shuttle 22 in a situation where the shuttle 22 is waiting at the transfer position of the glass plate G, the supply of negative pressure air by the air suction means to the chamber is stopped and the chamber When positive pressure air is supplied from the combustion blower, suction of the glass plate G to the lower surface is released. In this case, the glass plate G falls from the lower surface of the flat mold 18 and is placed on the female mold 30 of the shuttle 22.

  In the present invention, the step of placing the glass plate on the female mold is not limited to the above method, and any known method may be used. For example, it may be transferred from the roller conveyor while being transferred to the flat mold, transferred to the downstream side while being attracted to the lower surface of the flat mold, positioned, and placed on the female mold. In the case of two-stage press molding, the glass plate adsorbed by the former male mold may be placed on the female mold by releasing the adsorption holding of the male mold.

  When the glass plate G is placed on the female mold 30 of the shuttle 22, the negative pressure is supplied from the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30. Suction to the molding surface 32. As described above, the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 is curved concavely downward. For this reason, when the glass plate G is placed on the female mold 30, the glass plate G is deformed by its own weight, and is deformed following the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 by the negative pressure suction of the female mold 30. The deformation of the glass plate G due to its own weight or the negative pressure suction of the female mold 30 is performed in the process in which the shuttle 22 is moved in the transport direction to the support position of the male mold 44, and is 20% to 80% of the final shape. Up to%.

  When the shuttle 22 is moved in the conveying direction to the support position of the male mold 44 in a state where the glass plate G is placed on the female mold 30, the male mold 44 is moved downward by the lifting device. In this case, the glass plate G is bent by the female mold 30 and the male mold 44 to be bent in a shape following the molding surfaces 32 and 46 thereof. In addition, the glass plate G is stopped by the supply of negative pressure air from the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 and further the supply of positive pressure air to the chamber 36 from the positive pressure supply mechanism. The suction to the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 is released and the molding surface 46 of the male mold 44 is pressed, and negative pressure air is supplied from the air suction means to the chamber 50 of the male mold 44 so that the male mold 44 is pressed. By being sucked into the molding surface 46 of the mold 44, it is sucked and held by the male mold 44.

  In the process of bending the glass plate G, the negative pressure supplied to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 and the chamber 50 of the male mold 44 is started and ended at an appropriate timing and is appropriately changed. Thus, the glass plate G can be efficiently bent and formed along the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 and the molding surface 46 of the male mold 44 without applying an excessive load on the glass plate G.

  When the bending of the glass plate G is completed, the male mold 44 is raised by the lifting device in a state where the glass plate G is sucked and held on the molding surface 46. Then, when the shuttle 22 is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction and the moving means (for example, quench ring) to the next process is moved directly below the male mold 44, supply of negative pressure air to the chamber 50 by the air suction means. Is stopped and positive pressure air is supplied to the chamber 50 from the blower, thereby releasing the suction of the glass plate G to the molding surface 46 of the male mold 44. In this case, the glass plate G is detached from the molding surface 46 of the male mold 44 and placed on the upper surface of the moving means for the next process. Then, the flow proceeds to the next process by the movement of the moving means in the mounted state.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 provided in the glass sheet bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 4 shows the principal part block diagram of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 of a present Example. The negative pressure supply mechanism 40 includes a compressor 60 that compresses air. The high-pressure air compressed by the compressor 60 is supplied to the receiver tank 70 via the air filter 62, the mist separator 64, the pressure increasing valve 66, and the electromagnetic regulator 68. The pressure increasing valve 66 has a function of increasing the pressure of the high-pressure air from the compressor 60. The receiver tank 70 has a predetermined capacity, and a positive pressure regulated to a predetermined pressure (for example, 20 MPa) is introduced.

  One end of a flexible pipe 78 is connected to the receiver tank 70 via an electromagnetic regulator 72 and a process valve 74 and a regulator 76 connected in parallel. The regulator 76 has a function of adjusting the positive pressure guided from the receiver tank 70 to the flexible pipe 78 (for example, 0 to 20 MPa). Each component in the path from the compressor 60 to the process valve 74 and the regulator 76 in the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 is installed and fixed on the floor outside the shuttle in which the molding furnace 14 is installed, and in the conveying direction with respect to the floor. It is not moved along. The flexible pipe 78 is made of a flexible member such as rubber and can be deformed and bent.

  One end of a venturi pipe 80 is connected to the other end of the flexible pipe 78. The Venturi tube 80 is attached to the shuttle 22. That is, the compressor 60 and the receiver tank 70 side and the Venturi pipe 80 side can be relatively displaced as the shuttle 22 moves in the transport direction via the flexible pipe 78. The other end of the venturi tube 80 is open to the atmosphere. The positive pressure air generated on the receiver tank 70 side flows to the atmosphere through the flexible pipe 78 and the venturi pipe 80.

  In the central portion of the venturi tube 80, a throttle portion 82 having a smaller cross-sectional area than those at one end and the other end is provided. In the throttle portion 82, an air flow faster than the air flow velocity at one end and the other end is generated, and a pressure lower than the pressure at one end and the other end is generated in the throttle portion 82. The pressure of the throttle 82 is a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure corresponding to the ratio of the flow rate at the throttle 82 and the flow rate at other parts.

  An air inlet 38 of the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 is connected to the throttle portion 82 of the venturi pipe 80 via a pipe 39. A negative pressure generated in the throttle portion 82 of the venturi tube 80 is guided to the chamber 36.

  Note that a controller is connected to the compressor 60, the pressure increasing valve 66, and various valves of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40, and each of these parts is controlled by the controller. That is, the adjustment of the negative pressure led from the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 is realized by the controller.

  In the configuration described above, when a negative pressure is to be introduced into the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, positive pressure air is generated using the compressor 60, the receiver tank 70, etc. of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 described above. When such positive pressure air is generated, the positive pressure air passes through the flexible pipe 78 and enters the venturi pipe 80, and then is released to the atmosphere. When such a flow of positive pressure air occurs, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in the throttle portion 82 of the venturi pipe 80. This negative pressure is guided to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 through the pipe 39.

  Therefore, according to the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 of the present embodiment, the positive pressure air is generated on the receiver tank 70 side, and the positive pressure air is caused to flow to the venturi pipe 80 via the flexible pipe 78, so that the female mold 30. It is possible to introduce a negative pressure into the chamber 36.

  In this embodiment, the shuttle 22 to which the female mold 30 and the venturi tube 80 are attached is movable in the conveying direction, and a part of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 such as the compressor 60 and the receiver tank 70 is fixedly installed on the floor outside the shuttle. However, a flexible pipe 78 is communicated between the two, and positive pressure air flows through the flexible pipe 78 to introduce a negative pressure to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30.

  Here, in order to introduce a negative pressure to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, a negative pressure pump or the like that generates a negative pressure is provided outside the shuttle 22, and the negative pressure pump is directly connected to the female in the shuttle 22 via a flexible pipe. A configuration (hereinafter referred to as a comparison configuration) connected to the chamber 36 of the mold 30 is conceivable. However, in such a contrast configuration, since a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure flows through the movable flexible pipe, the flexible pipe may be blocked or crushed. To avoid such a situation, the wall thickness and diameter are large. It is necessary to use strong flexible piping. In addition, since negative pressure flows through a relatively long path, it is difficult to introduce a large negative pressure to the chamber 36.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the air flowing through the flexible pipe 78 is in a positive pressure state, the thickness and diameter of the flexible pipe 78 can be made smaller than that of the above-described comparative configuration. Therefore, it is possible to make the piping compact. In addition, since the negative pressure flows only in the path from the throttle portion 82 of the venturi pipe 80 to the chamber 36 through the pipe 39 in the shuttle 22, negative pressure leakage from a gap in the pipe or the like is unlikely to occur. Thus, a large negative pressure can be guided to the chamber 36.

  Further, in this embodiment, when a negative pressure is introduced to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, the glass plate G placed on the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 is sucked by the molding surface 32 and the molding surface 32. Deforms following the shape. At this time, the glass plate G and the surrounding high-temperature air are sucked into the chamber 36 through the air holes 34. Then, it flows into the venturi pipe 80 through the pipe 39 and is released to the atmosphere together with the positive pressure air from the receiver tank side 70 of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40. In such a structure, the high-temperature air on the glass plate G side does not flow to the main component side of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 such as the receiver tank 70 and the compressor 60 through the flexible pipe 78. It is possible to avoid being heated to a high temperature, and the durability of each component can be improved.

  Further, in this embodiment, the main components of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 such as the receiver tank 70 and the compressor 60 are not placed on the shuttle 22 that travels in the heating furnace 12 and the molding furnace 14 that are heat sources, and are outside the shuttle. It is installed and fixed at a location away from the heating furnace 12 and the molding furnace 14 to some extent. Also from this point, it is possible to prevent the main components of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 from being heated to a high temperature, and it is possible to improve the durability of each component.

  Therefore, according to the glass sheet bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately guide the negative pressure to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30 with a simple and inexpensive configuration, and the molding surface of the glass sheet G The suction to 32 can be performed appropriately.

  In this embodiment, when it is desired to increase the negative pressure introduced to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, the positive pressure generated on the receiver tank 70 side so that relatively high-speed air flows through the throttle portion 82 of the venturi tube 80. The regulator 76 is set to be relatively high, and the regulator 76 is opened and closed so that the set positive pressure is generated. On the other hand, when it is desired to reduce the negative pressure guided to the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, the positive pressure generated on the receiver tank 70 side is set to be relatively low so that relatively low-speed air flows through the throttle portion 82 of the venturi tube 80. Then, the regulator 76 is opened and closed so that the set positive pressure is generated.

  If the negative pressure guided to the chamber 36 is changed, the force for attracting the glass plate G to the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 is changed. Specifically, the suction force increases when the negative pressure is large, and the suction force decreases when the negative pressure is small. Here, if the state where the suction force is large continues for a long time, the glass plate G may be in close contact with the molding surface 32, and the cross mark may be transferred to the surface of the glass plate G. Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of such a situation, in the process of sucking the glass plate G to the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30, the negative pressure guided to the chamber 36 is changed to change the force for sucking the glass plate G. Is desirable. Specifically, at the beginning of suction (when the glass plate G is not yet in contact with the molding surface 32), the negative pressure leading to the chamber 36 is increased (to the vacuum side) to increase the suction force, and then ( After the glass plate G comes into contact with the molding surface, it is desirable to reduce the negative pressure leading to the chamber 36 (to the atmospheric pressure side) to reduce the suction force.

  In the present embodiment, in consideration of the above points, the controller changes the negative pressure introduced to the chamber 36 in the process of sucking the glass plate G to the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 as described above. As described above, the force for attracting the surface to the molding surface 32 is changed. According to this configuration, in the process of sucking the glass plate G to the molding surface 32, the suction can be appropriately performed with an appropriate force. Therefore, according to the bending molding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the glass plate The glass sheet G can be appropriately sucked onto the molding surface 32 without transferring the cross mark to the surface of G, and the bending can be realized.

  Next, the positive pressure supply mechanism (not shown) of the present embodiment will be described. The positive pressure supply mechanism is composed of components common to the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 described above. Specifically, it has a bypass passage that connects the upstream side of the venturi pipe 80 and the vicinity of the chamber 36 of the pipe 39. An electromagnetic valve that switches the connection destination to either the bypass passage or the venturi pipe 80 is provided at a connection portion between the bypass passage and the upstream side of the venturi pipe 80. This solenoid valve is opened and closed so that the connection destination is the venturi tube 80 when a negative pressure is introduced into the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, while the connection destination is a bypass passage when a positive pressure is introduced into the chamber 36. Open and close.

  Therefore, when a negative pressure is introduced into the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, no air flows to the chamber 36 through the bypass passage, and air is sucked from the chamber 36 through the pipe 39 to the venturi tube 80, thereby releasing the atmosphere. Is done. On the other hand, when a positive pressure is introduced into the chamber 36 of the female mold 30, no air is sucked from the chamber 36 into the venturi tube 80, and an air flow through the bypass passage is generated.

  As described above, in this embodiment, negative pressure introduction and positive pressure introduction into the chamber 36 are selectively performed according to opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve provided at the connection portion between the upstream side of the venturi pipe 80 and the bypass passage. Can be done. Therefore, according to the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to selectively perform the suction of the glass plate G to the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 and the separation from the molding surface 32. At the same time, it is possible to appropriately perform both suction and separation.

  In the present embodiment, when the glass plate G is bent by suction to the forming surface 32 of the female mold 30 and then bent by the press of the female mold 30 and the male mold 44, the female mold 30 The pressure guided to the chamber 36 is switched from a negative pressure by the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 to a positive pressure by the positive pressure supply mechanism 42. When a positive pressure is introduced into the chamber 36, air is jetted from the chamber 36 through the air hole 34 toward the glass plate G side. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the glass plate G sucked by the forming surface 32 of the female mold 30 can be easily formed by switching the pressure guided to the chamber 36 from the negative pressure to the positive pressure at the above timing. And can be pressed against the molding surface 46 of the male mold 44.

  In the above embodiment, the molding surface 32 of the female mold 30 is the “molding surface” described in the claims, and the compressor 60 and the receiver tank 70 are the “positive pressure generating source” described in the claims. The piping 39 corresponds to the “negative pressure passage” described in the claims, and the regulator 76 corresponds to the “pressure adjusting mechanism” described in the claims.

  By the way, in the above embodiment, a part of the configuration of the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 and a part of the configuration of the positive pressure supply mechanism 42 are combined, but the present invention is not limited to this. These may be independent of each other.

  In the above embodiment, the negative pressure supply mechanism 40 is configured as shown in FIG. 3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and generates a positive pressure and supplies it to the venturi tube 80. Any other configuration may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the bending apparatus 10 provided with one female mold 30 and one male mold 44 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the female mold 30 and the male mold are used. Each of 44 may be applied to a bending apparatus in which two or more are arranged in parallel in the transport direction. In this case, what is necessary is just to make the bending shape of the glass plate G deep bend, so that the mold of the conveyance direction downstream.

It is a block diagram of the bending apparatus of the glass plate which is one Example of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of the bending apparatus of a present Example. It is a block diagram of the negative pressure supply mechanism with which the bending forming apparatus of the glass plate of a present Example is provided. It is a principal part block diagram of the negative pressure supply mechanism of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Glass plate bending apparatus 12 Heating furnace 14 Molding furnace 20 Molding apparatus 22 Shuttle 30 Female mold 32 Molding surface 34 Air hole 36 Chamber 39 Piping 40 Negative pressure supply mechanism 60 Compressor 70 Receiver tank 78 Flexible piping 80 Venturi pipe 82 Restriction part

Claims (7)

A glass plate bending apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated and softened in a heating furnace into a predetermined shape,
A mold for placing the glass plate;
A shuttle attached to the mold and movable to transport the glass plate in a transport direction;
A plurality of air holes provided in a molding surface in contact with the glass plate of the mold;
A chamber that is provided inside the mold, communicates with the air holes, and leads to a negative pressure that sucks the glass plate to the molding surface;
A negative pressure supply mechanism for introducing a negative pressure to the chamber,
The negative pressure supply mechanism is
A positive pressure source that is installed outside the shuttle and generates a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
A flexible pipe made of a flexible member having one end connected to the positive pressure source;
A venturi pipe attached to the shuttle, having one end connected to the other end of the flexible pipe and the other end open to the atmosphere;
A negative pressure passage having one end connected to the throttle portion of the venturi tube and the other end connected to the chamber;
An apparatus for bending a glass sheet, comprising:   The glass plate bending apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positive pressure generating source includes a pressure adjusting mechanism that adjusts the generated pressure.   3. The glass plate according to claim 1, wherein a positive pressure passage having a positive pressure supply mechanism that guides a positive pressure that separates the glass plate from the molding surface is connected to the chamber separately from the negative pressure passage. Bending molding equipment.   The glass plate bending apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising pressure control means for selectively switching a pressure led to the chamber between a negative pressure from the negative pressure passage and a positive pressure from the positive pressure passage. A glass plate bending method of bending a glass plate heat-softened in a heating furnace into a predetermined shape,
A placing step of placing the glass plate on a mold having a plurality of air holes on a molding surface with which the glass plate is in contact;
A transport step of transporting the shuttle to which the mold is attached in the transport direction in a state where the glass plate is placed on the mold;
Generating a negative pressure in a chamber provided inside the mold, and including a suction step of sucking the glass plate to the molding surface through the air holes;
In the suction step, a high pressure is generated from a positive pressure source that generates pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure installed and fixed outside the shuttle to a venturi pipe attached to the shuttle via a flexible pipe made of a flexible member. A method for bending a glass plate, wherein a negative pressure is guided from a negative pressure passage connected to a throttle portion of the venturi pipe to the chamber while air is supplied.   The glass plate according to claim 5, wherein the suction step changes a force for sucking the glass plate placed on the mold to the molding surface by adjusting the pressure generated by the positive pressure generation source. Bending method.   The glass plate bending process according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a detaching step of guiding a positive pressure from a positive pressure passage of a positive pressure supply mechanism to the chamber and detaching the glass plate from the forming surface after the suction step. Method.

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