JP2013136472A - Method of bending and molding glass plate and bend molding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of bending and molding a glass plate and a bending/molding apparatus by which a glass plate conveyed can be bent and molded precisely with a simple constitution.SOLUTION: While a glass plate G heated is conveyed in a conveying direction X by a roller conveyor 17 in which a conveyor surface is formed by a plurality of rollers parallelly aligned in the conveying direction X, a specific curved surface curving at one part of the conveying surface in the conveying direction X is formed and the glass plate G is pinched between the lower roller 25 and the upper roller 21 disposed above and below the conveying surface interposing between in order to be bent and molded. During the process, along with the conveyance of the glass G in the conveying direction X, the upper roller 21 is pressed to the glass sheet G by moving the upper roller 21 between two lower rollers 25 peripheral to each other in the conveying direction X from the downstream side to the upstream side of the conveying direction. Accordingly, the glass sheet G is bend-molded from the tip side to the rear side in the conveying direction successively.

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass sheet bending method and a bending apparatus, and in particular, while conveying a heated glass plate on a conveying surface formed by a plurality of conveying rollers arranged in parallel in the conveying direction, the conveying surface thereof. The present invention relates to a glass sheet bending method and a bending apparatus that are suitable for bending by sandwiching between a lower roller and an upper roller disposed above and below the upper roller.

  Conventionally, a technique is known in which a glass plate heated to a temperature at which bending can be performed is bent to a desired curvature while being conveyed in the conveying direction (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the glass plate is transported in the transport direction by a roller conveyor composed of a plurality of transport rollers forming a transport surface. A nip roller is disposed above the transport roller. In this technique, the glass plate conveyed in the conveyance direction is sandwiched between a conveyance roller and a nip roller disposed above and below the conveyance surface and bent. Moreover, in the technique of said patent document 2, the some roller arrange | positioned at the upper and lower sides of a conveyance surface is provided. In this technique, the glass plate conveyed in the conveyance direction is sandwiched and bent between a plurality of rollers arranged above and below the conveyance surface.

Japanese Patent No. 3948686 Japanese Patent No. 3968538

  By the way, in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, the nip roller above the conveyance surface is provided swingably with respect to the axis of one of the plurality of conveyance rollers. The glass plate is positioned between the conveying rollers and positioned in the normal direction of the curved surface that is curved in the conveying direction formed in the section, or in the direction inclined from the normal direction by a predetermined angle α on the bending side. Hold it. However, in such a structure, since the movement of the nip roller for sandwiching the glass plate is limited to around the single conveying roller, the pressing force acting on the glass plate is limited. There is a possibility that it is difficult to accurately bend the sheet to a desired curvature from the front end in the transport direction to the rear end in the transport direction.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the lower roller that constitutes one of the conveying rollers and the upper roller that is disposed above the lower roller across the conveying surface are made of a glass plate. The glass plate is sandwiched and bent while moving in the transport direction along with the transport. Specifically, when bending the front end of the glass plate in the conveyance direction, after the upper roller and the lower roller start moving from the substantially same conveyance direction position to the conveyance direction, the upper roller is slower than the conveyance speed of the glass plate. The lower roller is moved along the arcuate locus at a speed higher than the conveying speed of the glass plate in synchronization with the movement of the upper roller while being moved in the conveying direction at a speed. On the other hand, when bending the rear end of the glass plate in the conveyance direction, the upper roller is fixed, and the upper roller adjacent to the lower roller and the upstream side in the conveyance direction is faster than the conveyance speed of the glass plate. Is moved obliquely upward in the conveying direction. Then, the lower roller and the upper roller return to their original positions until the next glass plate arrives. However, in such a configuration, in order to bend and form the entire glass plate with a desired curvature with high accuracy, it is necessary to move both the lower roller and the upper roller in a complicated manner. Therefore, the moving mechanism and control of each roller are complicated. There is a risk.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a glass sheet bending method and a bending apparatus capable of realizing accurate bending of the entire conveyed glass plate with a simple configuration. The purpose is to do.

  The above-mentioned object is that a heated glass plate is conveyed by a roller conveyor in which a conveyance surface is formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction, and a predetermined curve that curves in a part of the conveyance surface in the conveyance direction is provided. A curved surface is formed, and the glass plate is sandwiched between a lower roller that forms part of the plurality of transport rollers that form the predetermined curved surface and an upper roller that is disposed above the lower roller. A glass sheet bending method, wherein the upper roller is moved along with the conveyance of the glass plate in the conveying direction, and the downstream roller constituting one of the lower rollers and the downstream side The roller is pressed against the glass plate while moving along the predetermined curved surface from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction between upstream rollers adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction of the rollers. More is achieved by the method for bending a glass sheet is bent along the forward toward the transport direction rear end side the glass sheet from the conveying direction leading end side.

  Further, the above object is to form a roller conveyor in which a conveyance surface is formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction of the glass plate, and a predetermined curved surface that is curved in the conveyance direction on a part of the conveyance surface. A glass plate bending apparatus comprising: a lower roller that constitutes a part of the plurality of transport rollers; and an upper roller disposed above the lower roller, wherein the upper roller is a part of the lower roller. The upper roller that moves along the predetermined curved surface from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction between the downstream roller constituting one of the rollers and the upstream roller adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction of the downstream roller As the roller moving mechanism and the heated glass plate are conveyed in the conveying direction, the upper roller is moved between the downstream roller and the upstream roller by the upper roller moving mechanism. While moving along the predetermined curved surface to the upstream side in the transport direction from the downstream side feed, and the upper roller position control means for pressing to the glass plate is achieved by the apparatus for bending a glass sheet comprising a.

  In the inventions of these aspects, as the heated glass plate is transported in the transport direction, the upper roller moves between the transport direction positions of two transport rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction from the downstream side in the transport direction. It moves along the predetermined curved surface to the upstream side. If the movement of the upper roller from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction is performed, the glass plate is bent in the order from the front end side in the transport direction to the rear end side in the transport direction. Can be realized by using the same upper roller, and the lower roller itself can be bent and formed by the upper and lower rollers. This can be realized without moving in the transport direction. In this respect, even when the lower roller only moves up and down, the glass plate can be deeply bent and formed on the front end side in the transport direction and the rear end side in the transport direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, the entire glass plate to be conveyed can be bent with high accuracy, and the bending with high accuracy can be realized with a simple configuration.

  In the above-described method for bending a glass plate, the upper roller and the downstream roller sandwich the front end of the glass plate in the conveyance direction, and then bend and form the glass plate in the conveyance direction. Accordingly, the upper roller may be moved to the upstream side, and the upper roller and the upstream roller may be sandwiched between the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass plate and bend-formed.

  Further, in the above-described glass plate bending apparatus, the upper roller position control means is configured such that when the upper roller and the downstream roller sandwich and bend and form the glass plate in the conveying direction, the upper roller position control means Is positioned in the vicinity of the downstream roller, and when the upper roller and the upstream roller sandwich and bend the glass plate in the conveying direction, the upper roller is moved to the upstream roller. It may be located in the vicinity.

  In these aspects of the invention, with the upper roller positioned in the vicinity of the downstream roller, the front end side in the transport direction of the glass plate is sandwiched between the upper roller and the downstream roller and bent. After that, the upper roller is moved upstream with the conveyance of the glass plate in the conveyance direction and is positioned in the vicinity of the upstream roller, and the rear end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate is the upstream roller and the upstream side. It is sandwiched between rollers and bent. According to such a configuration, the same upper roller is used for the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the rear end side in the transportation direction of the same glass plate This can be realized by using the lower roller itself without moving the lower roller in the conveying direction. In this respect, even when the lower roller only moves up and down, the glass plate can be deeply bent and formed on the front end side in the transport direction and the rear end side in the transport direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, the entire glass plate to be conveyed can be bent with high accuracy, and the bending with high accuracy can be realized with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the above-described method for bending a glass plate, the predetermined curved surface is formed by vertically moving each of the plurality of transport rollers, and the glass plate is positioned on the predetermined curved surface. Is moved in the transport direction in conjunction with the transport of the glass plate, so that the glass plate is bent along the predetermined curved surface by its own weight, and the downstream roller is When the downstream end of the curved surface is formed, the downstream roller and the upper roller sandwich and bend the front end side of the glass plate in the transport direction, and then the predetermined curved surface in the transport direction. Along with the movement, the upper roller is moved up and down along the predetermined curved surface to the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the upstream roller forms the upstream tip of the predetermined curved surface. When the, it may be bent by sandwiching the conveying direction trailing end side of the glass sheet between the upstream side rollers and the upper rollers.

  Further, in the above-described glass plate bending apparatus, the predetermined curved surface is formed by a conveyance roller moving mechanism that moves each of the plurality of conveyance rollers up and down, and a vertical movement of each of the plurality of conveyance rollers by the conveyance roller movement mechanism. Transport roller control means for moving the predetermined curved surface in the transport direction in conjunction with the transport of the glass plate while forming and positioning the glass plate on the predetermined curved surface, the upper roller When the downstream roller forms the downstream tip of the predetermined curved surface, the position control means is arranged so that the tip of the glass plate is sandwiched between the downstream roller and the upper roller. When the roller is positioned in the vicinity of the downstream roller, and the upstream roller forms the upstream tip of the predetermined curved surface, the upstream roller and the upper roller So as to sandwich the conveying direction trailing end side of the glass plate and la, it is also possible to position the said upper roller in the vicinity of the upstream side roller.

  In the inventions of these aspects, when the downstream roller forms the downstream end of the predetermined curved surface, that is, the predetermined curved surface moves from the upstream side to the downstream side by the vertical movement of the conveying roller, When the downstream end of the curved surface reaches the downstream roller, the upper roller is positioned in the vicinity of the downstream roller, and the front end in the conveyance direction of the glass plate is sandwiched between the upper roller and the downstream roller and bent. Molded. Then, when the upper roller is moved upstream as the glass plate is conveyed in the conveyance direction, and the upstream roller forms the upstream tip of the predetermined curved surface, that is, the predetermined curved surface is When the upstream side of the curved surface reaches the upstream roller by moving up and down by the vertical movement of the transport roller, the glass roller is transported with the upper roller positioned near the upstream roller. The rear end side in the direction is sandwiched between the upper roller and the upstream roller and bent. According to such a configuration, the same upper roller is used for the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the rear end side in the transportation direction of the same glass plate This can be realized by using the lower roller itself without moving the lower roller in the conveying direction. In this respect, even when the lower roller only moves up and down, the glass plate can be deeply bent and formed on the front end side in the transport direction and the rear end side in the transport direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, the entire glass plate to be conveyed can be bent with high accuracy, and the bending with high accuracy can be realized with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the above-described glass plate bending method, the upper roller and the downstream side are positioned while the axial center of the upper roller is positioned upstream with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the downstream roller and the glass plate. The front end of the glass plate in the conveyance direction is sandwiched between rollers and bent into an arcuate shape downward with respect to the conveyance direction, and then the axial center of the upper roller is at the contact point between the upstream roller and the glass plate. While being positioned downstream with respect to the normal line, the upper roller and the upstream roller sandwich the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass plate and bend and form an arch downward in the transport direction. Also good.

  Further, in the above-described glass plate bending apparatus, the upper roller position control means is configured such that the upper side roller and the downstream side roller sandwich the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and bow downward with respect to the conveyance direction. The upper roller is positioned at the upstream side of the normal line at the contact point between the downstream roller and the glass plate, and the upper roller and the upstream roller In order to sandwich the rear end side of the glass plate in the conveyance direction and bend in an arcuate shape downward with respect to the conveyance direction, the axial center of the upper roller is normal to the normal line at the contact point between the upstream roller and the glass plate. It is good also as positioning downstream.

  In the inventions of these aspects, the front end side of the glass plate in the transport direction is positioned on the upstream side with respect to the upper roller and the downstream side with the axial center of the upper roller positioned upstream with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the downstream roller and the glass plate. It is sandwiched between rollers and bent into an arcuate shape downward in the conveying direction. After that, with the axial center of the upper roller positioned downstream from the normal line at the contact point between the upstream roller and the glass plate, the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass plate is the upper roller and the upstream roller. It is pinched and bent into an arcuate shape downward in the conveying direction. According to such a configuration, the same upper roller is used for the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and the bending forming of sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers on the rear end side in the transportation direction of the same glass plate This can be realized by using the lower roller itself without moving the lower roller in the conveying direction. In this regard, even when the lower roller only moves up and down, the glass plate can be deeply bent and formed on the front end side in the transport direction and the rear end side in the transport direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, the entire glass plate to be conveyed can be bent with high accuracy, and the bending with high accuracy can be realized with a simple configuration.

  In these inventions, “curving in the conveying direction” means to bend around a horizontal axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass sheet.

  According to the present invention, accurate bending of the entire conveyed glass plate can be realized with a simple configuration.

It is a perspective view of the bending apparatus of the glass plate which is one Example of this invention. It is a figure when the principal part structure of the bending apparatus of a present Example is seen in parallel with respect to the conveyance direction X. FIG. It is a figure at the time of seeing the upper roller with which the bending apparatus of a present Example is provided, and the structure of its periphery in parallel with respect to the orthogonal direction Y. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the bending forming operation | movement of the glass plate by each roller which the bending forming apparatus of a present Example has. It is a principal part block diagram of the bending apparatus of the glass plate which is a modification of this invention.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a glass sheet bending method and a bending apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass sheet G bending apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that bends and forms at least the conveying direction X of a glass plate G used in transportation equipment such as automobiles and railways, buildings, and the like. In addition, the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that can bend and form the glass plate G in a horizontal direction (hereinafter referred to as an orthogonal direction) Y that is orthogonal to the conveying direction X together with the conveying direction X.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a heating furnace 12, a forming part 14, and an air cooling strengthening part 16. The heating furnace 12, the molding part 14, and the air cooling strengthening part 16 are arrange | positioned so that it may pass in order in the process in which the glass plate G is conveyed. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, a part of the molding unit 14 is disposed in the heating furnace 12.

  A flat glass plate G is placed on the conveyor, positioned and carried into the heating furnace 12. The heating furnace 12 has a heater, and heats the glass plate G transported horizontally by a conveyor to a temperature at which it can be bent (for example, about 600 ° C. to 700 ° C.).

  The forming unit 14 includes a roller conveyor 17 that transports the glass plate G in the transport direction X. The roller conveyor 17 has a plurality of transport rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction X at a predetermined distance, and a transport surface is formed by the plurality of transport rollers. The conveying rollers of the roller conveyor 17 are composed of a plurality of straight rollers 18 and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) curved rollers 20. The forming unit 14 conveys the glass plate G in the conveyance direction X using the straight roller 18 and the curved roller 20.

  Each straight roller 18 has a shaft that extends linearly toward a horizontal orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G, that is, a non-curved shaft. They are arranged side by side with a predetermined distance from adjacent ones. Each bending roller 20 has a flexible shaft that can be bent downward in a convex shape (bow shape) in an orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G. They are arranged side by side with a predetermined distance from adjacent ones. Further, the curved roller 20 is disposed adjacent to the straight roller 18 on the downstream side.

  Further, the straight roller 18 and the bending roller 20 form a conveyance surface for conveying the glass plate G in the conveyance direction X. In addition, the space | interval in the conveyance direction X between the mutually adjacent rollers 18 and 20 is set so that the one glass plate G may be supported by the four rollers 18 and 20, for example.

  In addition, the molding unit 14 includes an upper roller 21 that is disposed above the conveyance roller of the roller conveyor 17 with the conveyance surface interposed therebetween. The upper roller 21 includes a straight roller 22 and a curved roller 24. The forming unit 14 also uses a straight roller 18 and a curved roller 20 as conveying rollers and a straight roller 22 and a curved roller 24 as upper rollers 21 to convey a glass plate G conveyed in the conveying direction X. Accordingly, bending is performed in the transport direction X and the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X.

  The straight roller 22 is a part of the straight roller 18 (specifically, one or two or more straight rollers 18 on the downstream end side of all the straight rollers 18 arranged in the transport direction X (hereinafter referred to as “straight rollers 18”). This is referred to as a bending straight roller 19. In this embodiment, there are two bending forming straight rollers 19))). The straight roller 22 extends linearly in a horizontal orthogonal direction Y perpendicular to the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G with the conveyance surface of the glass plate G sandwiched between the straight roller 19 for bending and forming, that is, curved. Has a shaft that is not. The bending roller 24 is disposed above the bending roller 20. The bending roller 24 has a shaft that can be bent downward in a convex shape (bow shape) in an orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X of the glass plate G with the conveying surface of the glass plate G sandwiched between the bending roller 20 and the conveying direction X of the glass plate G. doing.

  Hereinafter, the bending straight roller 19 is referred to as a bending downward straight roller 19, the bending roller 20 is referred to as a downward bending roller 20, the straight roller 22 is referred to as an upper straight roller 22, and the bending roller 24 is referred to as an upward bending roller 24, respectively. . The lower straight roller 19 for bending and the lower curved roller 20 are collectively referred to as a lower roller 25, and the upper straight roller 22 and the upper curved roller 24 are collectively referred to as an upper roller 21, respectively.

  The upper straight roller 22 is provided between two lower straight rollers 19 for bending, which are adjacent to each other in the transport direction. The upper curved roller 24 is provided between two lower curved rollers 20 adjacent to each other in the transport direction. One upper straight roller 22 and one upper curved roller 24 are provided. Therefore, the lower straight roller 19 for bending and the upper straight roller 22 are arranged so that lines connecting the centers of the axes form a triangle when viewed from the side while facing each other across the conveying surface of the glass plate G. Yes. Further, the lower bending roller 20 and the upper bending roller 24 are arranged so that lines connecting the centers of the respective axes form a triangle when viewed from the side while facing each other across the conveying surface of the glass plate G.

  If there are three or more bending straight lower straight rollers 19 and lower curved rollers 20 as conveying rollers, a plurality of upper straight rollers 22 and curved straight rollers 22 may be provided in accordance with the number of the lower straight rollers 19 and the lower curved rollers 20. In this case, the bending straight lower roller 19, the upper straight roller 22, the lower curved roller 20, and the upper curved roller 24 are connected to each other with the conveying surface of the glass plate G facing each other while connecting the axial centers as viewed from the side. The lines are arranged to form a parallelogram.

  The lower straight roller 19 for bending, the upper straight roller 22, the lower curved roller 20, and the upper curved roller 24 are provided to forcibly bend by sandwiching the glass plate G conveyed by the conveying roller. The lower straight roller 19 for bending, the upper straight roller 22, the lower curved roller 20, and the upper curved roller 24 each have a large shaft diameter (thick) so as to have higher rigidity than the normal (upstream end side) lower straight roller 18. And is formed so as to have the same diameter from the axial center regardless of the position in the orthogonal direction Y on the shaft.

  Each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 includes a flexible shaft configured in a rod shape with an elastic flexible material, and a ring roller having a hollow roller structure. The ring roller is inserted through the flexible shaft, and a plurality of the ring rollers are provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The ring rollers adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction are provided with a predetermined gap so that the flexible shaft can be bent to a predetermined shape, and the rotations around the flexible shaft can be transmitted to each other. Meshing in direction. Each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 can be bent in a convex shape (bow shape) downward in the orthogonal direction Y, and each of the ring rollers of the bending rollers 20 and 24 can be rotated at the center of the flexible shaft.

  The straight rollers 18 and 22 and the curved rollers 20 and 24 are supported so as to be rotatable and vertically movable with respect to the conveyor frame. That is, each of these rollers 18 to 24 can rotate about the shaft center and can move up and down in a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the glass plate G with respect to the conveyor frame. The rollers 18 to 24 are driven to rotate independently by corresponding motors, and the rollers 18 to 24 are also driven to move up and down independently by motors mounted on the corresponding lifting devices. . Each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 can be bent in a convex shape (bow shape) downward in an orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the glass sheet G. Each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 is independently bent by driving a corresponding motor.

  The air-cooling strengthening unit 16 has the blow heads 30 and 32 arranged above and below the roller conveyor 28, and the glass plate G conveyed by the roller conveyor 28 after being bent by the forming unit 14 is used. Air cooling is enhanced by air blown from the blow heads 30 and 32. In addition, the cooling capacity of the air cooling strengthening part 16 is suitably set according to the raw material and thickness of the glass plate G.

  Next, the flow of a process in which the glass sheet G is bent and formed in the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

  In this embodiment, the flat glass plate G cut into a predetermined shape is placed and positioned at the upstream portion of the conveyor at the entrance of the heating furnace 12 and then conveyed into the heating furnace 12 by the conveyor. The And the glass plate G is heated by a heater during conveyance in the heating furnace 12, and is heated to the temperature (for example, about 600 degreeC-700 degreeC) in which the shaping | molding part 14 can be bent.

  The glass plate G heated in the heating furnace 12 is conveyed to the forming unit 14 by a conveyor. The glass plate G is bent in the conveyance direction X by its own weight during conveyance by the roller conveyor 17 in the molding unit 14 and is bent in the conveyance direction X by a bending operation by the straight rollers 18 and 22. At the same time, the bending is performed in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X by the bending operation by the bending rollers 20 and 24.

  The glass plate G bent by the forming unit 14 is conveyed by the roller conveyor 28 into the air-cooling strengthening unit 16 installed on the downstream side of the forming unit 14. And the glass plate G is air-cooled and tempered by the air blown from the air outlet heads 30 and 32 during the conveyance in the air-cooling tempering section 16. The glass plate G that has been air-cooled and tempered by the air-cooling and tempering unit 16 is conveyed from its outlet toward the inspection device of the next process by a roller conveyor.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, a bending method using the rollers 18 to 24 in the forming unit 14 of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows a view of the main configuration of the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment when viewed in parallel with the transport direction X. FIG. 2 shows a portion where the straight rollers 19 and 22 are arranged. FIG. 3 shows a view of the configuration of the upper roller 21 and its surroundings provided in the bending apparatus 10 of this embodiment when viewed in parallel with the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X. Further, FIG. 4 shows a diagram for explaining the forced bending operation of the glass sheet G by the rollers 19, 20, 22, and 24 included in the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. 4A to 4H sequentially show the bending process of the glass plate G.

  In the present embodiment, the bending apparatus 10 has an elevating device 34 that elevates and lowers the straight rollers 18 and 19 or the curved roller 20 constituting the conveying rollers of the roller conveyor 17. One lifting device 34 is provided for each of the rollers 18, 19, and 20. Each lifting device 34 has a slider 38 that is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction at each side portion in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G with respect to the fixed frame 36 fixed to the ground. ing. The corresponding roller 18, 19, 20 is rotatably supported by the slider 38 via a bearing. The rollers 18, 19, and 20 are movable in the vertical direction with respect to the fixed frame 36 by the vertical movement of the slider 38.

  The slider 38 has a guide rail 42 slidably engaged with a guide block 40 attached to the fixed frame 36. The slider 38 is provided with a rack 44 that protrudes downward at a lower portion thereof. The rack 44 is engaged with a pinion 48 attached to a rotary shaft 46 extending in a horizontal orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X. The rotation shaft 46 is rotatably supported at the end portion with respect to the fixed frame 36, and the shaft of the servo motor 50 is connected to one end thereof. The housing of the servo motor 50 is fixed to the fixed frame 36. The rotating shaft 46 is rotated by driving the servo motor 50 and transmits the rotational force to the pinion 48. The rotational force transmitted to the pinion 48 is converted into a linear motion in the vertical direction by the rack 44 to raise and lower the slider 38.

  Further, the bending apparatus 10 includes an elevating device 52 that elevates and lowers the upper roller 21 constituting the upper straight roller 22 and the bending roller 24. One lifting device 52 is provided for each upper roller 21. Each lifting / lowering device 52 has a slider 56 supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction at each side portion in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G with respect to the fixed frame 54 fixed to the ceiling. ing. One upper roller 21 corresponding to the slider 56 is rotatably supported via a bearing or the like. The upper roller 21 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the fixed frame 54 by the vertical movement of the slider 56.

  The slider 56 has a guide block 60 slidably engaged with a guide rail 58 attached to the fixed frame 54. The slider 56 is provided with a rack 62 that protrudes downward at a lower portion thereof. The rack 62 is engaged with a pinion 66 attached to a rotary shaft 64 extending in a horizontal orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X. The rotating shaft 64 is rotatably supported at the end portion with respect to the fixed frame 54, and the shaft of the servo motor 68 is connected to one end thereof. The housing of the servo motor 68 is fixed to the fixed frame 54. The rotating shaft 64 is rotated by driving the servo motor 68 and transmits the rotational force to the pinion 66. The rotational force transmitted to the pinion 66 is converted into a linear motion in the vertical direction by the rack 62 and moves the slider 56 up and down.

  Further, the bending apparatus 10 includes a displacement device 70 that moves the upper roller 21 in the transport direction X. The displacement device 70 can move the upper roller 21 from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction, and can move from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction. Hereinafter, the direction from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction is defined as a forward direction X + in the transport direction X, and the direction from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction is defined as a reverse direction X− in the transport direction X. One displacement device 70 is provided for each upper roller 21 (that is, for each upper straight roller 22 and each curved roller 24).

  Each displacement device 70 is movable in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− in the transport direction X at each side portion in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X of the glass plate G with respect to the slider 56 of the elevating device 52. The slider 72 is supported. The corresponding upper roller 21 is rotatably supported by the slider 72 via a bearing. The upper roller 21 is displaced in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− of the slider 72 by the forward direction X + from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the slider 56 and from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction. It is possible to move in the opposite direction X-. In this embodiment, the lower roller 25 cannot move in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− of the transport direction X, and can move only in the vertical direction.

  The slider 72 has a guide rail 76 slidably engaged with a guide block 74 attached to the slider 56. The guide block 74 is connected to the rack 62 of the lifting device 52. The guide block 74 is provided with a rack 75 extending in the transport direction X. The rack 75 is engaged with a pinion 79 attached to a rotary shaft 77 extending in a horizontal orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X. The rotating shaft 77 is rotatably supported at the end portion with respect to the slider 72, and the shaft of the servo motor 78 is connected to one end thereof. The housing of the servo motor 78 is fixed to the slider 72. The rotating shaft 77 is rotated by driving the servo motor 78 and transmits the rotational force to the pinion 79. The servo motor 78 is rotated so as to relatively displace the guide block 74 and the guide rail 76 in the transport direction X. The rotational force of the servo motor 78 displaces the slider 72 in the transport direction X with respect to the slider 56. The displacement of the upper roller 21 in the transport direction X by the displacement device 70 is located in a region between the transport direction positions of the two lower rollers 25 that are arranged below the upper roller 21 and are adjacent to each other in the transport direction X. Limited.

  Further, the bending apparatus 10 rotates the rotation device 80 that rotates the straight rollers 18 and 19 and the bending roller 20 as the conveying rollers of the roller conveyor 17, and the upper straight roller 22 and the bending roller 24 as the upper roller 21. A rotating device 82 is provided. One rotating device 80 is provided for each of the rollers 18, 19, and 20. One rotating device 82 is provided for each of the rollers 22 and 24.

  The rotating devices 80 and 82 have servo motors 84 and 86 whose housings are fixed to the sliders 38 and 72, respectively. The rotation shafts of the rollers 18 to 24 are connected to the motor shafts of the servo motors 84 and 86. The rotation shafts of the rollers 18 to 24 are rotated by driving servo motors 84 and 86.

  A controller 90 is electrically connected to the servo motors 50 and 68 of the lifting devices 34 and 52, the servo motor 78 of the displacement devices 70, and the servo motors 84 and 86 of the rotation devices 80 and 82. When the glass plate G heated in the heating furnace 12 is conveyed into the forming unit 14, the controller 90 adjusts each roller according to the conveyance position of the glass plate G in order to convey the glass plate G in the conveyance direction X. Each of 18-24 is rotated. Specifically, a rotation command is issued to each of the servo motors 84 and 86 so that the glass plate G is transported at a desired speed in the transport direction X on the transport surface of the plurality of transport rollers for each of the rollers 18 to 24. .

  In addition, the controller 90 is configured to bend the glass plate G to be conveyed by its own weight or to be deeply bent locally by forcing force in the process in which the glass plate G is conveyed in the conveying direction X in the forming unit 14. The rollers 18 to 24 are moved up and down. Specifically, the entrance of the glass plate G to the forming unit 14 is detected using a photoelectric sensor or the like, and the conveyance position of the glass plate G after the entrance detection is calculated using a pulse generator or the like. And according to the data necessary to bend and mold the glass sheet G of the type being conveyed stored in advance to a desired curvature in the conveying direction X and the orthogonal direction Y, the calculated conveying position of the glass plate G being conveyed In response, rotation commands are issued to the servomotors 50 and 68 so that the rollers 18 to 24 are moved up and down.

  When a rotation command is issued to the servo motors 50 and 68, the rotational force of the rotary shafts 46 and 64 is transmitted to the pinions 48 and 66, and then converted by the conversion between the pinions 48 and 66 and the racks 44 and 62. It is converted into a linear motion of the racks 44 and 62. In this case, when the sliders 38 and 56 are moved up and down in accordance with the linear motion of the racks 44 and 62, the corresponding rollers 18 to 24 are moved up and down.

  The controller 90 controls the rotational driving of the rollers 18 to 24 by the servo motors 84 and 86 in accordance with the vertical positions of the rollers 18 to 24. Specifically, for each of the rollers 18 to 24, rotation driving is performed so that the conveying direction component of the tangential speed at the contact point with the glass plate G is the same for all the rollers 18 to 24. When such rotation control of the rollers 18 to 24 is performed, the rollers 18 to 24 can move the glass plate G in the transport direction X at the same transport direction speed. For the curved rollers 20 and 24, it is only necessary that the conveying direction components of the tangential speed at the contact point with the glass plate G at the center in the orthogonal direction Y coincide.

  In addition, the controller 90 sets each curved roller 20, 24 in a desired manner in order to bend the glass plate G to be conveyed in the orthogonal direction Y in the process in which the glass plate G is conveyed in the conveyance direction X in the forming unit 14. It is good also as curving to curvature. Specifically, the bending rollers 20 and 24 were calculated according to data necessary to bend the glass sheet G of the type being conveyed, which is stored in advance, to a desired curvature in the conveying direction X and the orthogonal direction Y. A drive command is issued to an actuator (not shown) so that each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 is curved to a desired curvature according to the conveyance position of the glass plate G being conveyed. When the bending control of each of the bending rollers 20 and 24 is performed, the flexible shafts of the bending rollers 20 and 24 are bent downward with a predetermined angle in the orthogonal direction Y.

  Further, the controller 90 includes the lower rollers 25, which are rollers 19, 20, 22, and 24, so as to locally deep-bend and form the front end side and the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass plate G to be transported by a forced force. When the upper roller 21 is moved up and down, the upper roller 21 is displaced from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction X in the opposite direction X− in accordance with the vertical position. Specifically, the transport position of the glass plate G being transported is calculated in accordance with data necessary for bending the glass sheet G of the transporting type stored in advance to a desired curvature mainly in the transport direction X. In response to this, a rotation command is issued to the servo motor 78 so that the upper roller 21 is displaced in the reverse direction X− of the transport direction X. When the position control of the upper roller 21 in the transport direction X is performed, the slider 72 is moved in the reverse direction X− of the transport direction X with respect to the slider 56, so that the corresponding upper roller 21 is reverse to the transport direction X. It is displaced in the direction X-.

  In the configuration of the bending apparatus 10 described above, when the glass plate G is not carried into the forming unit 14, all the conveying rollers of the conveyor roller 17 are in the uppermost position, and the conveying surface formed by the plurality of conveying rollers is horizontal. It is. When the glass plate G is conveyed to the forming unit 14, the straight roller 18 is sequentially lowered and raised from the upstream side in the conveyance direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction with the conveyance of the glass plate G. In this case, at the beginning of conveyance, the plurality of straight rollers 18 are simultaneously lowered to form a curved surface in which the conveyance surface is curved in a convex shape downward, and thereafter, each straight roller 18 is accompanied by conveyance of the glass plate G. Are moved in the transport direction X by lowering and raising each. As the conveyance of the glass plate G proceeds, the maximum descending amount of the straight roller 18 increases, and the curvature radius of the curved surface formed on the conveyance surface decreases.

  That is, in the process in which the glass plate G is transported in the transport direction X, a plurality of straight rollers 18 form a curved surface that is convex downward in the transport direction X, and the curved surface is moved along with the transport of the glass plate G. It proceeds in the transport direction X while reducing the curvature. During this process, the glass sheet G is kept in the normal transport level at the front end in the transport direction and the rear end in the transport direction, while the central portion in the transport direction is in accordance with the amount of lowering of the straight roller 18 by its own weight. It hangs below the level. Since the glass plate G needs to be bent as it travels downstream, the amplitude of the conveying surface, that is, the amplitude of the vertical movement of the straight roller 18 increases toward the downstream.

  When the straight roller 18 moves up and down to form a curved surface curved in the transport direction X on the transport surface, the heated glass plate G transported is transported by the transport roller as the straight roller 18 rotates. While moving in the transport direction X on the surface, it is bent downward along the curved surface formed on the transport surface by its own weight, and deformed into a shape along the curved surface. Then, the glass plate G is bent downward as the conveyance in the forward direction X + of the conveyance direction X proceeds and is bent in the conveyance direction X.

  When the glass plate G is bent and formed in the conveying direction X by its own weight as described above when passing through the straight roller 18 of the forming unit 14, the glass plate G then reaches the bending forming lower straight roller 19. This glass plate G is conveyed in the forward direction X + of the conveying direction X by rotating the straight rollers 19 and 22 disposed above and below the conveying surface by servo motors 84 and 86. When the glass plate G is conveyed, the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 are moved up and down by servo motors 50 and 68 in accordance with the shape of the glass plate G that is bent in the conveying direction X by its own weight. In this case, the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 bend deeply in the transport direction X with the glass plate G on the transport surface interposed therebetween.

  Accordingly, the glass sheet G is sandwiched between the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 when being bent in the forward direction X + in the transport direction X after being bent in the transport direction X due to its own weight. As a result, deep bending is performed in the conveying direction X.

  Further, when the glass sheet G is forcibly deep-bently formed in the conveying direction X as described above when passing through the bending-formed lower straight roller 19, the glass sheet G then reaches the lower-curving roller 20. The glass plate G is conveyed in the forward direction X + of the conveying direction X by rotating the curved rollers 20 and 24 disposed above and below the conveying surface by servo motors 84 and 86. When the glass plate G is conveyed, the upper and lower curved rollers 20 and 24 are respectively curved by the servo motors 50 and 68 according to the shape of the glass plate G that is bent in the conveying direction X while being curved in the orthogonal direction Y. Moved up and down. In this case, the upper and lower curved rollers 20 and 24 sandwich the glass plate G on the conveyance surface and bend it in an orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X, or, in addition to bending in the orthogonal direction Y, The glass plate G is bent in the transport direction X in order to adjust the bending shape in the transport direction X.

  Accordingly, the glass plate G is sandwiched between the upper and lower curved rollers 20 and 24 when being conveyed in the forward direction X + in the conveying direction X after being bent in the conveying direction X, and in the conveying direction. It is bent in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to X, or is further bent in the conveying direction X to adjust the bending shape at the same time.

  In the molding unit 14 of the present embodiment, a plurality of glass plates G are successively conveyed one by one sequentially at a predetermined interval, and the plurality of glass plates G are simultaneously based on the respective conveyance positions. Then, it is bent by the molding part 14. That is, each time the rollers 18 to 24 of the forming unit 14 convey a single glass plate G, the rollers 18 to 24 are lowered and raised in one cycle in order to bend and form the glass plate G in the conveying direction X and the orthogonal direction Y. Repeat movement and bending movement.

  As described above, according to the molding unit 14 of the present embodiment, the plurality of straight rollers 18 are moved up and down in conjunction with the conveyance of the glass plate G to form a curved surface that curves to a predetermined curvature on a part of the roller conveyance surface. The glass plate G is transported in the transport direction X by moving the curved surface in the transport direction X in conjunction with transport in the transport direction of the glass plate G while positioning the glass plate G on the curved surface. However, it can be bent in the transport direction X by its own weight. Further, by moving the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 up and down in conjunction with the conveyance of the glass plate G, the glass plate G can be bent and formed in the conveyance direction X by being sandwiched by the straight rollers 19 and 22. Further, the upper and lower curved rollers 20 and 24 are moved up and down while being curved at a predetermined curvature in the orthogonal direction Y in conjunction with the conveyance of the glass plate G, so that the glass plate G is sandwiched by the curved rollers 20 and 24 in the conveyance direction. It can be bent in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to X, or can be further bent in the transport direction X.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the glass plate G is sandwiched between the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 and is sandwiched between the bending rollers 20 and 24 and forcedly bent as described above. The forced bending operation by the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 and the forced bending operation by the upper and lower bending rollers 20 and 24 are not different except for the presence or absence of bending of the rollers themselves. Below, both bending forming operation | movement is demonstrated collectively. Of the two lower rollers 25 of the same type (only the bending straight lower roller 19 or only the lower curved roller 20) adjacent to each other in the transport direction X, the lower roller 25 on the downstream side is a lower roller 25a on the downstream side, The lower roller 25 on the upstream side is referred to as an upstream lower roller 25b.

  As described above, the controller 90 is a lower roller that is the rollers 19, 20, 22, and 24 in order to deep-bend and form the front end side and the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass plate G to be transported locally by a forcible force. When the 25 and the upper roller 21 are moved up and down, the upper roller 21 is displaced from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction X in the reverse direction X− in accordance with the vertical position.

  Specifically, after the glass plate G is bent in the transport direction X by its own weight while passing through the straight roller 18, the glass plate G bent in the transport direction X is lowered so as not to be deformed by collision. While moving the roller 25 up and down, the upper roller 21 is moved up and down along the curved surface of the transport roller. Further, when the front end in the transport direction of the curved surface by the plurality of transport rollers (or the front end in the transport direction of the glass plate G bent in the transport direction X) reaches the downstream lower roller 25a, the axial center of the upper roller 21 is reached. Is positioned on the upstream side with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the lower roller 25a on the downstream side and the glass plate G (more specifically, the front end in the transport direction), while the front end in the transport direction of the glass plate G and the upper roller 21 are The upper roller 21 is positioned at a conveyance direction position such that a distance on the glass plate with a position in contact with the glass plate G is a predetermined distance C1 (FIG. 4B). Then, the lower roller 25a closer to the downstream side is appropriately moved up in a state where the upper roller 21 is positioned at the transport direction position. When the position of the upper roller 21 is controlled as described above, the upper roller 21 is moved at a midpoint in the conveyance direction between the conveyance direction position of the upstream lower roller 25b and the conveyance direction position of the downstream lower roller 25a (more specifically, , A vertical line passing through the midpoint). Further, the predetermined distance C1 described above is a predetermined distance.

  When the position control of the upper roller 21 and the vertical movement control of the downstream lower roller 25a are performed, the front end side of the glass plate G in the transport direction is bent deeply in the transport direction X. Therefore, according to such control, the front end side in the transport direction of the glass sheet G can be deep bent in the transport direction X by being sandwiched between the upper roller 21 and the downstream lower roller 25a.

  When the leading end side in the transport direction of the glass plate G is bent by sandwiching the upper roller 21 and the downstream lower roller 25a as described above, the leading end in the transport direction of the glass plate G is then transported along with the transport of the glass plate G. When the distance on the glass plate between the upper roller 21 and the position where the upper roller 21 is in contact with the glass plate G reaches a predetermined distance C2, the upper roller 21 is moved in the reverse direction of the conveying direction X from the downstream side in the conveying direction to the upstream side in the conveying direction. Move in the direction X− (FIGS. 4C to 4E). When the movement of the upper roller 21 in the reverse direction X- is controlled, the upper roller 21 is moved up and down so as to move along the curved surface by the lower roller 25 (that is, along the concave surface of the glass plate G). . The predetermined distance C2 is a distance that is longer than the predetermined distance C1 and is a predetermined distance.

  Then, when the rear end in the conveyance direction of the curved surface by the plurality of conveyance rollers (or the rear end in the conveyance direction of the glass plate G) reaches the lower upstream roller 25b, the axial center of the upper roller 21 is the lower lower roller on the upstream side. The rear end of the glass plate G in the transport direction and the upper roller 21 are positioned on the downstream side with respect to the normal line at the contact point of 25b and the glass plate G (more specifically, the rear end in the transport direction). The upper roller 21 is positioned at a position in the conveyance direction such that the distance on the glass plate with the position in contact with the predetermined distance D1 (FIG. 4F). Then, the upstream lower roller 25b is appropriately moved up in a state where the upper roller 21 is positioned at the transport direction position. In the above-described position control of the upper roller 21, the upper roller 21 is positioned upstream of the midpoint in the conveyance direction between the conveyance direction position of the upstream lower roller 25b and the conveyance direction position of the downstream lower roller 25a. Position. Moreover, the above-mentioned predetermined distance D1 is a predetermined distance.

  When the position control of the upper roller 21 and the vertical movement control of the upstream lower roller 25b are performed, the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass sheet G is bent deeply in the transport direction X. Therefore, according to such control, the rear end side in the transport direction of the glass sheet G can be deep bent in the transport direction X by sandwiching the upper roller 21 and the upstream lower roller 25b.

  When the rear end of the glass sheet G in the conveying direction is bent and formed by sandwiching the upper roller 21 and the upstream lower roller 25b as described above, the position control of the upper roller 21 is stopped and the upper roller 21 is conveyed. It moves to the forward direction X + of the direction X and returns to the reference position (for example, the intersection of the vertical line passing through the middle point in the transport direction between the upstream lower roller 25b and the downstream lower roller 25a). Thereafter, each time the glass sheet G is conveyed, the upper roller 21 is moved to the opposite direction X− of the conveying direction X as described above, thereby bending the glass sheet G mainly in the conveying direction X. I do.

  Thus, according to the shaping | molding part 14 of a present Example, the glass plate G heated conveyed in the forward direction X + of the conveyance direction X is bending-formed by pinching | interposing the lower roller 25 and the upper roller 21 one by one. In order to do this, first, the upper roller 21 is positioned closer to the downstream side to realize the holding of the front side of the glass plate G in the transport direction with the lower side lower roller 25a, and then the upper roller 21 is moved downstream. By moving the position in the direction X- opposite to the conveyance direction X from the side to the upstream side and positioning it on the upstream side, the holding of the same glass plate G on the rear end side in the conveyance direction between the upstream side lower roller 25b is realized. Can be made.

  That is, the upper roller 21 is moved in the conveyance direction X of the glass plate G in a process in which the glass plate G is bent and formed in order from the conveyance direction front end side to the conveyance direction rear end side by sandwiching the upper and lower rollers 25 and 21 one by one. As a result of this transport, it can be moved from the downstream side in the transport direction toward the upstream side in the transport direction between the two lower rollers 25 adjacent to each other. Specifically, after the front end side of the glass plate G in the conveyance direction is deeply bent by sandwiching the upper roller 21 and the downstream lower roller 25a, the rear end side of the same glass plate G in the conveyance direction is connected to the upper roller 21. The upper roller 21 can be moved from the downstream side toward the upstream side when bending deeply by sandwiching with the upstream lower roller 25b.

  According to such a configuration, the upper roller 21 can be moved in the vertical direction by the lifting device 52 and at the same time can be moved in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− in the transport direction X by the displacement device 70. It can be avoided that the movement of the camera becomes restrictive. In addition, both bending forming by the upper and lower rollers 25a, 21 on the front end side in the conveying direction of the glass plate G and bending forming by sandwiching by the upper and lower rollers 25b, 21 on the rear end side in the conveying direction of the same glass plate G, This can be realized using the same upper roller 21. Furthermore, the lower roller 25 itself is not moved in the forward direction X and the reverse direction X− in the transport direction X, that is, while the transport direction position of the lower roller 25 is fixed, only the upper roller 21 is moved in the forward direction X and the transport direction X. By moving both rollers 25 and 21 up and down while moving in the reverse direction X−, it is possible to realize bending forming on the leading end side in the conveying direction and bending forming on the trailing end side in the conveying direction, respectively.

  For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the lower roller 25 only moves up and down and does not move in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− in the transport direction X, and the front side in the transport direction of the glass plate G and the rear in the transport direction. Each end side can be bent deeply as required. In this regard, it is not necessary to complicate the movement of the upper and lower rollers 25 and 21 as a whole in realizing accurate bending of the glass plate G. Therefore, according to the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the accurate bending with a simple configuration while accurately bending the glass sheets G one by one to a desired curvature. ing.

  When the upper roller 21 is moved in the forward direction X + and the reverse direction X− in the transport direction X as described above, the rotational drive of the upper roller 21 is appropriately controlled according to the position in the transport direction. That's fine. Specifically, regardless of the position of the upper roller 21 in the conveying direction, the conveying direction component of the tangential speed at the contact point with the glass plate G may be the same for all the rollers 18 to 24 including the upper roller 21.

  Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, one upper straight roller 22 is disposed so that the center of the shaft is located between the positions of the two lower straight rollers 19 for bending forming in the conveying direction, and two lower curved portions are provided. One upward curved roller 24 is disposed so that the center of the axis is located between the positions of the rollers 20 in the conveying direction. In such a structure, first, the glass plate G is supported by the upper straight roller 22 supporting an area between the two straight straight rollers 19 for bending in the surface of the glass plate G to be conveyed. The glass sheet G is orthogonally orthogonal to the transport direction X by being bent in the transport direction X and then supported by the upper curved roller 24 in the region between the transport direction positions of the two lower curved rollers 20. It is securely bent in the direction Y.

  Therefore, according to the bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the number of the upper and lower straight rollers 19 and 22 and the bending rollers 20 and 24 is reduced as much as possible when the glass sheet G is bent in the conveyance direction X and the orthogonal direction Y. Therefore, it is possible to realize the bending of the glass plate G with a simple configuration, and it is possible to shorten the length of the forming unit 14 in the transport direction. For this reason, the number of rollers 19 and 20 (lower roller 25) and rollers 22 and 24 (upper roller 21) is reduced to simplify the apparatus, and the glass plate G is high in both the transport direction X and the orthogonal direction Y. It is possible to ensure molding accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical movement of the lower roller 25 and the upper roller 21 and the movement of the upper roller 21 in the transport direction are realized arbitrarily and freely by driving the servo motors 50, 68 and 78 by the controller 90. In this respect, the controller 90 changes the timing of starting and stopping the movement of the rollers 25 and 21 and the amount of movement, and the timing of starting and stopping the movement of the upper roller 21 in the conveying direction and the amount of movement as appropriate. Therefore, since the glass plates G of different types can be bent, the replacement work of the rollers 25 and 21 can be omitted when bending the glass plates G, and the job change time is substantially reduced. Can be eliminated and productivity can be increased.

  Furthermore, the glass plate G is not only bent into a curved surface having a single radius of curvature, by appropriately changing the amount of movement of the bending rollers 20 and 24 and the movement in the conveying direction under the control of the controller 90. Since the glass plate G can be bent and formed into a curved surface in which the curvature radii are combined, the curved rollers 20 and 24 themselves are replaced with various glass plates G having different desired shapes in the transport direction X and the orthogonal direction Y. Each of them can be appropriately bent in the transport direction X or the orthogonal direction Y.

  In the above-described embodiment, the displacement device 70 is in the “upper roller moving mechanism” described in the claims, and the controller 90 controls the position in the conveyance direction of the upper roller 21 in the claims. It corresponds to “upper roller position control means”, respectively.

  By the way, in the above embodiment, one upper straight roller 22 and one upper curved roller 24 constituting the upper roller 21 are provided, but two or more each may be provided.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the lower straight roller 18 and the lower curved roller 20 (lower roller 25) are first lowered and then raised so that the curved surface has a convex (arched) shape downward on the conveying surface. And the glass plate G is curved to be convex downward, but conversely, the lower straight roller 18 and the lower curved roller 20 (lower roller 25) are first raised and thereafter It is possible to form a convex (bow-shaped) curved surface upward on the transport surface and to advance in the transport direction, and to curve the glass plate G so as to protrude upward.

  In this modification, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), two upper rollers 21 and one lower roller 25 are provided, the upper roller 21 is prohibited from moving in the conveying direction, and only the vertical movement is allowed. In addition, it is preferable that both the movement and the vertical movement of the lower roller 25 are allowed. In such a configuration, first, when the leading end in the conveyance direction of the curved surface by the plurality of conveyance rollers (the leading end in the conveyance direction of the glass plate G) reaches the upper roller 21a closer to the downstream, the shaft center of the lower roller 25 is located closer to the upper upstream side. The front end in the transport direction of the glass plate G and the lower roller 25 are positioned on the glass plate G while being positioned upstream from the normal line at the contact point between the roller 21a and the glass plate G (more specifically, the front end in the transport direction). By positioning the lower roller 25 at a position in the conveyance direction such that the distance on the glass plate with the contact position is a predetermined distance C1, the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate G is bent deeply. Next, when the distance on the glass plate between the front end of the glass plate G in the conveyance direction and the position where the lower roller 25 is in contact with the glass plate G becomes a predetermined distance C2 along with the conveyance of the glass plate G, The roller 25 is moved in the reverse direction X− from the downstream side to the upstream side. When the rear end in the conveyance direction of the curved surface by the plurality of conveyance rollers (the rear end in the conveyance direction of the glass plate G) reaches the upstream upper roller 21b, the axial center of the lower roller 25 is the upstream upper roller 21b. The rear end in the transport direction of the glass plate G and the lower roller 25 are in contact with the glass plate G while being positioned downstream with respect to the normal line at the contact point with the glass plate G (more specifically, the rear end in the transport direction). By positioning the lower roller 25 at a position in the conveyance direction such that the distance on the glass plate with respect to the position is the predetermined distance D1, the rear end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate G is bent deeply. Therefore, even in the configuration of the modified example, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Glass plate bending apparatus 14 Molding part 18 Lower straight roller 19 Lower straight roller for bending 20 Lower curved roller 21 Upper roller 22 Upper curved roller 24 Upper straight roller 25 Lower roller 70 Displacement device 90 Controller G Glass plate X Transport direction X + Forward direction from upstream side to downstream side X- Reverse direction from downstream side to upstream side

Claims (8)

While the heated glass plate is conveyed by a roller conveyor having a conveyance surface formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction, a predetermined curved surface that is curved in the conveyance direction is formed on a part of the conveyance surface. The glass plate is sandwiched between a lower roller that constitutes a part of the plurality of transport rollers forming the predetermined curved surface and an upper roller disposed above the lower roller, and is bent and formed. A method of bending a plate,
Along with the conveyance of the glass plate in the conveyance direction, the upper roller is made up of a downstream roller constituting one of the lower rollers and an upstream roller adjacent to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the downstream roller. The glass plate is sequentially bent from the front end side in the transport direction to the rear end side in the transport direction by pressing the glass plate while moving along the predetermined curved surface from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction. A method for bending a glass plate, comprising molding.   The upper roller and the downstream roller sandwich the front end of the glass plate in the transport direction and bend it, and then move the upper roller upstream as the glass plate is transported in the transport direction. The glass plate bending method according to claim 1, wherein the upper roller and the upstream roller sandwich and bend the glass plate in the transport direction.   The predetermined curved surface is formed by the vertical movement of each of the plurality of conveying rollers, and the predetermined curved surface is interlocked with the conveyance of the glass plate while the glass plate is positioned on the predetermined curved surface. By moving in the direction, the glass plate is bent along the predetermined curved surface by its own weight, and when the downstream roller forms the downstream end of the predetermined curved surface, The downstream roller and the upper roller sandwich and bend the front end of the glass plate in the transport direction, and then move the upper roller up and down as the predetermined curved surface moves in the transport direction. When the upstream roller forms the upstream tip of the predetermined curved surface, the upstream roller and the upper roller move forward along the predetermined curved surface. Method for bending a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein for bending by sandwiching the conveying direction trailing end side of the glass plate.   While the axial center of the upper roller is positioned on the upstream side with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the downstream roller and the glass plate, the upper end of the glass plate in the transport direction is moved between the upper roller and the downstream roller. While being sandwiched and bent into an arcuate shape with respect to the conveying direction, the axial center of the upper roller is then positioned downstream with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the upstream roller and the glass plate, The method for bending a glass plate according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the upper roller and the upstream roller sandwich the rear end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and bend it in an arcuate shape downward with respect to the conveyance direction. A roller conveyor in which a conveyance surface is formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction of the glass plate, and one of the plurality of conveyance rollers that forms a predetermined curved surface curved in the conveyance direction on a part of the conveyance surface. A glass plate bending apparatus comprising: a lower roller constituting a portion; and an upper roller disposed above the lower roller,
The upper roller is moved from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction between a downstream roller constituting one of the lower rollers and an upstream roller adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction of the downstream roller. An upper roller moving mechanism for moving along a predetermined curved surface;
As the heated glass plate is transported in the transport direction, the upper roller is moved from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction between the downstream roller and the upstream roller by the upper roller moving mechanism. An upper roller position control means for pressing the glass plate while moving it along a predetermined curved surface;
An apparatus for bending a glass plate, comprising:   The upper roller position control means positions the upper roller in the vicinity of the downstream roller when the upper roller and the downstream roller are bent and sandwiched at the front end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate. The glass plate according to claim 5, wherein the upper roller is positioned in the vicinity of the upstream roller when the upper roller and the upstream roller are bent to sandwich the rear end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate. Bending device. A conveying roller moving mechanism that moves each of the plurality of conveying rollers up and down, and the predetermined curved surface is formed by the vertical movement of each of the plurality of conveying rollers by the conveying roller moving mechanism, and the glass is formed on the predetermined curved surface. Transport roller control means for moving the predetermined curved surface in the transport direction in conjunction with transport of the glass plate while positioning the plate,
The upper roller position control means sandwiches the front end side of the glass plate in the transport direction between the downstream roller and the upper roller when the downstream roller forms the downstream end of the predetermined curved surface. The upper roller is positioned in the vicinity of the downstream roller, and when the upstream roller forms the upstream tip of the predetermined curved surface, the upstream roller and the upper roller serve as the glass plate. The glass sheet bending apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the upper roller is positioned in the vicinity of the upstream roller so as to sandwich the rear end side in the conveying direction.   The upper roller position control means includes a shaft of the upper roller so that the upper roller and the downstream roller sandwich the tip end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate and bend it into an arch shape downward with respect to the conveyance direction. The center is positioned on the upstream side with respect to the normal line at the contact point between the downstream roller and the glass plate, and the upper end roller and the upstream roller sandwich the rear end side in the conveyance direction of the glass plate, and 8. The axial center of the upper roller is positioned downstream with respect to a normal line at a contact point between the upstream roller and the glass plate so as to be bent in an arcuate shape downward in the conveying direction. Glass plate bending equipment.

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