JP2014091671A - Glass bending forming method and glass bending forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a glass bending forming method and a glass bending forming apparatus, capable of executing highly accurately and efficiently position adjustment necessary for bending and forming a heated and softened glass plate, and preventing the glass plate from being damaged.SOLUTION: In a glass bending forming method in which a glass plate heated up to a prescribed temperature by a heating furnace is transferred from a roller conveyor to a forming press apparatus, and then bent and formed, a conveyance direction position of the glass plate conveyed on the roller conveyer is measured in the noncontact state, and when the conveyance direction position reaches a prescribed reference position, the glass plate is positioned in the noncontact state and transferred from the roller conveyor to the forming press apparatus.

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass bend forming method and a glass bend forming apparatus, and in particular, a glass bend forming method and a glass bend forming apparatus suitable for bending a glass plate heated to a predetermined temperature into a desired shape having a composite curved surface. About.

  There is known a glass bending apparatus that bends a glass plate heated to near the softening point into a desired shape having a complex curved surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a glass bending apparatus includes: a heating furnace that heats a flat glass plate to near the softening point; and a molding furnace that press-forms the glass plate heated in the heating furnace with a pair of upper and lower ring members and a mold member. I have. The glass plate heated in the heating furnace is carried into the forming furnace by a roller conveyor and transferred to the ring member or the mold member. Then, it is bent into a desired shape having a complex curved surface by sandwiching the ring member and the mold member. In addition, the glass plate bent in the forming furnace is transferred to the quench ring and air-cooled and strengthened.

  By the way, in order to bend the glass plate appropriately and keep its quality uniform, when transferring the glass plate from the roller conveyor to the press device or when transferring the glass plate from the press device to the quench ring, It is necessary to accurately position the glass plate. The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a sensor that detects that a glass plate heated in a heating furnace is conveyed to a predetermined position in the process of being conveyed to a forming position. When the detection is performed by such a sensor, the positioner is moved in the transport direction or a direction orthogonal to the transport direction with a control pattern stored in advance, whereby the glass plate is positioned by the positioner. For this reason, positioning adjustment of a glass plate can be automatically performed without an operator performing it manually.

JP-A-6-247728

  However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to bring a movable positioner into contact with the glass plate in order to adjust the positioning of the glass plate heated to the vicinity of the softening point. For this reason, there is a variation in the stop position of the glass plate due to the difference in the operation of the positioner and the contact state with the positioner, and before the glass plate heated to the vicinity of the softening point is bent and molded, the positioner It becomes easy to be damaged due to contact.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and can perform the positional adjustment necessary for bending and molding a heat-softened glass plate with high precision and efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a glass bending method and a glass bending device that can be realized while preventing damage.

  The above object is a glass bending method in which a glass plate heated to a predetermined temperature in a heating furnace is transferred from a roller conveyor to a forming press apparatus and bent, and the glass plate is conveyed on the roller conveyor. A glass bending method in which the conveyance direction position is measured in a non-contact manner, and when the conveyance direction position reaches a predetermined reference position, the glass plate is positioned in a non-contact manner and transferred from the roller conveyor to the forming press device. Is achieved.

  In addition, the above-mentioned object is to convey a first transfer means for transferring a glass plate heated to a predetermined temperature in a heating furnace from a roller conveyor to a forming press apparatus, and conveyance of the glass plate conveyed on the roller conveyor. When it is determined that the conveyance direction position of the glass plate has reached a predetermined reference position based on the measurement result by the conveyance direction position measurement unit that measures the direction position in a non-contact manner and the conveyance direction position measurement unit, the glass It is achieved by a glass bending apparatus comprising: a transfer control means for positioning a plate in a non-contact manner and transferring the plate from the roller conveyor to the forming press apparatus by the first transfer means.

  In the invention of these aspects, the conveyance direction position of the glass plate heated to the predetermined temperature conveyed on the roller conveyor is measured without contact. And when the conveyance direction position of the glass plate reaches a predetermined reference position, the glass plate is positioned in a non-contact manner and transferred from the roller conveyor to the forming press apparatus. For this reason, it is possible to reduce variations in the stopping position of the glass plate due to variations in the operation of a mechanical device such as a positioner or differences in the contact state between the glass plate and the positioner and wear of the positioner. In addition, since the position of the glass plate in the conveyance direction can be measured regardless of the shape of the glass plate, it is not necessary to adjust and replace the positioner even when the shape of the glass plate is different. Can be shortened to increase productivity. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the glass from being damaged while automatically performing the positioning adjustment necessary for bending the heat-softened glass plate.

  In the above-described glass bending method, the conveyance direction position is measured in a non-contact manner based on the processing result of an image photographed by a camera disposed below or above the conveyance surface of the roller conveyor. Also good.

  Further, in the glass bending apparatus described above, the transport direction position measuring unit is configured to determine the transport direction position based on a processing result of an image taken by a camera disposed below or above the transport surface of the roller conveyor. It is good also as measuring.

  Moreover, in the above-described glass bending method, the measurement of the position in the conveyance direction is performed between the time when the tip of the glass plate reaches the forming press device and the time when the glass plate is transferred to the forming press device. It may be performed. Moreover, it is good also as transferring the said glass plate from the said roller conveyor to the said forming press apparatus, without stopping. Furthermore, the glass plate may be transferred from the roller conveyor to the upper mold of the molding press apparatus by air suction and / or blowing.

  Further, in the above-described glass bending apparatus, the first transfer means may be transferred to the upper mold of the forming press apparatus by air suction and / or blowing without stopping the glass plate. Good.

  By the way, in the above-described glass bending method, the glass plate press-molded by the molding press device is transferred to a cooling ring of a cooling device, and the glass plate is placed on the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed. The position of the glass plate is measured in a non-contact manner, and the glass plate press-molded by the molding press device is transferred to the cooling ring based on the position measurement result of the glass plate on the cooling ring. The first feedback control for adjusting the relative position of the glass plate and the cooling ring at the time may be executed.

  Further, in the above glass bending apparatus, the second transfer means for transferring the glass plate press-formed by the forming press apparatus to the cooling ring, and the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed. A ring upper position measuring means for measuring the position of the glass plate in a non-contact manner, and the cooling ring by the second transfer means based on the measurement result by the ring upper position measuring means. It is good also as providing the transfer position control means which performs 1st feedback control which adjusts the relative position of this glass plate and this cooling ring at the time of transferring to.

  In the inventions of these aspects, the position of the glass plate on the cooling ring on which the press-molded glass plate is placed is measured in a non-contact manner. Then, based on the measurement result, first feedback control for adjusting the relative positional relationship between the glass plate and the cooling ring when the glass plate is transferred to the cooling ring is performed. For this reason, the relative positional relationship between the glass plate and the cooling ring can be automatically set to a desired one. In addition, it is possible to reduce variations in the stopping position of the glass plate due to variations in the operation of a mechanical device such as a positioner, differences in the contact state between the glass plate and the positioner, wear of the positioner, and the like. In addition, since the relative positional relationship between the glass plate and the cooling ring can be measured regardless of the shape of the glass plate, there is no need to adjust and replace the positioner even when the shape of the glass plate is different. Productivity can be increased by reducing time and job change time.

  In the above-described glass bending method, the position information of the plurality of glass sheets whose positions on the cooling ring are measured in a non-contact manner is stored, and the first feedback is based on the position information. Control may be executed. Further, in the above-described glass bending apparatus, the on-ring position measuring unit is configured to perform cooling based on a processing result of an image photographed by a camera photographing the surface of the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed. It is also possible to measure the position of the glass plate on the ring for operation, and further comprises storage means for storing position information of the predetermined plurality of glass plates measured by the position measuring means on the ring. The mounting position control means may execute the first feedback control based on the position information stored in the storage means and predetermined reference position information on the cooling ring.

  Further, in the above glass bending method, the position in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the glass plate conveyed on the roller conveyor is measured in a non-contact manner, and based on the position measurement result in the orthogonal direction, It is good also as performing 2nd feedback control which adjusts the position of the said orthogonal direction of the said glass plate carried in to a heating furnace.

  Further, in the above glass bending apparatus, positioning means provided in front of the heating furnace and determining a position in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the glass plate carried into the heating furnace, and carried into the heating furnace. Based on the measurement result by the orthogonal direction position measurement means, the orthogonal position measurement means for measuring the position of the glass plate in the orthogonal direction in a non-contact manner, and the glass carried into the heating furnace by the positioning means Positioning control means for executing second feedback control for adjusting the position of the plate in the orthogonal direction may be provided.

  In the inventions of these aspects, the position in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the glass plate after being carried into the heating furnace is measured in a non-contact manner. And the position of the orthogonal direction of the glass plate carried in to a heating furnace is adjusted based on the measurement result. According to such a configuration, the position of the glass plate in the orthogonal direction is adjusted by the positioning means before the glass plate is heated to a predetermined temperature. Positioning adjustment necessary for bending can be automatically performed. In addition, it is possible to reduce variations in the stopping position of the glass plate due to variations in the operation of a mechanical device such as a positioner, differences in the contact state between the glass plate and the positioner, wear of the positioner, and the like. Further, since the position of the glass plate carried into the heating furnace can be measured regardless of the shape of the glass plate, there is no need to adjust and replace the positioner even when the shape of the glass plate is different. The adjustment time and job change time can be shortened to increase productivity.

  In the above-described glass bending method, the transport direction in which the glass plate is transported before being transferred to the forming press device, and the transport in which the glass plate is transported after being transferred to the forming press device. The directions may be directions substantially orthogonal to each other.

  Further, in the glass bending apparatus described above, the orthogonal direction position measuring unit is configured to measure a measurement result of a laser displacement meter disposed below or above a conveying surface of the roller conveyor or a processing result of an image photographed by a camera. Based on this, the position of the glass plate in the orthogonal direction may be measured.

  According to the present invention, the positional adjustment necessary for bending and forming a heat-softened glass plate can be efficiently performed with high accuracy, and is realized while preventing the glass plate from being damaged. be able to.

It is a perspective view of the glass bending apparatus which is one Example of this invention. It is a schematic top view of the glass bending apparatus of a present Example. It is principal part sectional drawing of the glass bending apparatus of a present Example. It is a figure showing an example of the operation | movement procedure of the glass bending apparatus of a present Example.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass bending apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment.

  The glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that bends and forms a glass plate 12 used in, for example, automobiles and railroads. In particular, the glass plate 12 applied to a rear glass of a vehicle is changed from a flat plate shape to a composite curved surface. It is bent to a desired curved shape. The glass bending apparatus 10 may be one that bends the glass plate 12 in the conveying direction X, or may be one that bends in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X. May be bent in both directions X and Y, respectively.

  The glass bending molding apparatus 10 includes a heating furnace 14 that heats the glass plate 12 to the vicinity of the softening point, and a molding furnace 16 that bends and forms the glass plate 12 heated to the vicinity of the softening point by the heating furnace 14. The heating furnace 14 and the forming furnace 16 are disposed so as to pass in the order in which the glass plate 12 is conveyed. The glass plate 12 is conveyed to the heating furnace 14 by being conveyed by the roller conveyor 18 including a plurality of conveying rollers, and is moved from the heating furnace 14 to the molding furnace 16.

  A positioning device 20 is disposed on the upstream side of the heating furnace 14. A flat glass plate 12 cut into a predetermined shape is placed on the roller conveyor 18 and carried into the positioning device 20. The positioning device 20 is a device that mainly determines the position in the orthogonal direction Y of the flat glass plate 12 carried into the heating furnace 14. A controller 22 composed of an electronic control unit is electrically connected to the positioning device 20. The positioning device 20 can adjust the position of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction Y according to a command from the controller 22. The glass plate 12 positioned in the orthogonal direction Y by the positioning device 20 is carried into the heating furnace 14 while being conveyed by the roller conveyor 18.

  The heating furnace 14 has a heater, up to a predetermined temperature (for example, about 500 ° C. to 700 ° C.) where the flat glass plate 12 conveyed horizontally by the roller conveyor 18 can be bent using the heater. Heat. The heater is arranged on the ceiling, side walls, and floor surface in the heating furnace 14 and varies the temperature applied to the glass plate 12 according to the composition, shape, size, thickness, etc. of the glass plate 12 to be bent. It is possible. Therefore, the glass plate 12 carried into the heating furnace 14 is heated to a vicinity of a predetermined temperature (softening point) at which bending can be performed.

  A molding furnace 16 is provided on the downstream side of the heating furnace 14. The glass plate 12 heated to the vicinity of the predetermined temperature is carried into the forming furnace 16 by the roller conveyor 18. A laser displacement meter 24 is disposed immediately before the entrance of the molding furnace 16. The laser displacement meter 24 irradiates the laser beam toward the glass plate 12 being conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 immediately before the entrance of the molding furnace 16 and receives the reflected light. A signal corresponding to the position of the flat glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X (for example, the position of the edge end in the orthogonal direction Y of the glass plate 12) is output. The output signal of the laser displacement meter 24 is supplied to the controller 22.

  Based on the output signal of the laser displacement meter 24, the controller 22 measures the orthogonal position of the flat glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 in a non-contact manner. And the controller 22 discriminate | determines whether the orthogonal direction position of the measured glass plate 12 has shifted | deviated more than predetermined with respect to the reference | standard position. The “reference position” is used to form a desired curved shape at a position on the upper mold 30 after the transfer from the roller conveyor 18 of the glass plate 12 to the upper mold 30 (described later) of the molding furnace 16. It is the position in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X on the roller conveyor 18 to be accurate, and the conveyance speed by the roller conveyor 18 and the vertical separation between the conveyance surface of the roller conveyor 18 and the upper mold 30 The distance is set based on the weight, the weight of the glass plate 12, the transfer performance from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper molding die 30, and the like. In addition, this “predetermined” is the maximum amount of deviation between the position of the upper mold 30 after the transfer from the roller conveyor 18 of the glass plate 12 to the upper mold 30 described later of the molding furnace 16 and the reference position. It is acceptable.

  If the controller 22 determines that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction and the reference position does not reach a predetermined value or more, the controller 22 of the flat glass plate 12 carried into the heating furnace 14 thereafter. A command is issued to the positioning device 20 so as to maintain the orthogonal position as before. On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of deviation between the measured orthogonal position of the glass plate 12 and the reference position has reached a predetermined value or more, the orthogonal position of the flat glass plate 12 subsequently carried into the heating furnace 14 A feedback command is issued to the positioning device 20 so as to eliminate the deviation.

  In addition, when calculating the deviation | shift amount of the orthogonal | vertical direction position of the glass plate 12 and the reference position which the controller 22 measured, the memory 26 which can memorize | store the orthogonal | vertical direction position information of the glass plate 12 about at least a predetermined number of sheets. Provided, the memory 26 stores the orthogonal position information of a plurality of continuous glass plates 12, and the controller 22 stores the orthogonal position information of the continuous plurality of glass plates 12 stored in the memory 26. The average amount of deviation calculated in step (b) may be calculated as the amount of deviation described above, or the amount of deviation described above may be calculated for each glass plate 12.

  The forming furnace 16 has an upper forming die 30 and a lower forming die 32 that are a pair of forming dies constituting a forming press device 28 for realizing a desired curved shape of the glass plate 12. The upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 are provided so as to be opposed to each other up and down across the conveyance surface of the roller conveyor 18. The upper mold 30 is an upper press mold that is disposed above the conveying surface of the roller conveyor 18 and is formed in a convex shape downward corresponding to the desired curved shape of the glass plate 12. The lower mold 32 is a member that supports the glass plate 12 from below. Specifically, the lower mold 32 is formed in a shape along the outline of the glass plate 12 so as to be able to support the periphery of the glass plate 12. It is a press ring.

  The glass bending apparatus 10 includes a transfer device 34 for transferring the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30. When the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 carried into the molding furnace 16 reaches a predetermined conveyance direction position, the glass plate 12 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 by the transfer device 34. The transfer device 34 includes a lift jet 34a and a suction device 34b.

  The lift jet 34a is provided below the conveyance surface of the roller conveyor 18, and the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 is lifted against gravity by ejecting air from a number of nozzles formed on the upper surface. Thus, the transfer of the glass plate 12 from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 is realized. The suction device 34 b is for sucking and holding the glass plate 12 that has floated from the roller conveyor 18 by performing air suction through an air suction hole formed densely on the lower surface of the upper mold 30.

  The controller 22 is connected to the transfer device 34. Connected to the controller 22 is a camera 36 that measures the position of the glass plate 12 in the transport direction X in the process of transporting the glass plate 12 carried into the forming furnace 16. The camera 36 is disposed between two transport rollers arranged in the transport direction X constituting the roller conveyor 18 and has an optical axis facing upward. The camera 36 is a CCD camera or the like that photographs the glass plate 12 carried into the molding furnace 16 from between two transport rollers. Imaging information of the camera 36 is supplied to the controller 22.

  The CCD camera may be accompanied by a driving device that changes the camera position in accordance with the shape of the glass plate 12, and is provided with a mechanism for moving to a predetermined reference position that is predetermined for each shape of the glass plate 12. May be. In addition, the CCD camera may include a built-in image process, may be combined with a laser detection device, or may be a camera integrated with the laser detection device. The camera performance can be appropriately selected depending on the conveying speed of the conveyor, the size of the glass plate 12, and the like, but it is desirable that the FPS is 100 or more and the response speed is 10 ms or less.

  The controller 22 processes the image captured by the camera 36 to measure the position in the conveyance direction of the glass plate 12 that is carried into the molding furnace 16 and conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 in a non-contact manner. And it is discriminate | determined whether the conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12 came to the predetermined conveyance direction position which should start transfer to the upper shaping | molding die 30 of the glass plate 12. FIG. As a result, when the controller 22 determines that the transport direction position of the glass plate 12 has reached the predetermined transport direction position, the controller 22 performs lift jet and air suction on the lift jet 34a and the suction device 34b of the transfer device 34. The signal which should start and should start transfer to the upper shaping | molding die 30 of the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 is output. The lift jet 34 a and the suction device 34 b perform lift jet and air suction according to instructions from the controller 22, thereby transferring the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30.

  The lower molding die 32 described above is placed on a shuttle 37 that can move in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the transport direction X with respect to the roller conveyor 18. The shuttle 37 can reciprocate so that the lower mold 32 is inserted into the space between the upper mold 30 and the roller conveyor 18 and the lower mold 32 is withdrawn from the space. The shape of the upper mold 30 and the shape of the lower mold 32 are formed so as to match those required from the thickness of the glass plate 12 and the desired curved shape. When the glass plate 12 is transferred to the upper mold 30, the lower mold 32 is moved in the orthogonal direction Y by the shuttle 37, so that the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 sandwich the glass plate 12. Are arranged opposite each other. Then, the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 are moved up and down relatively by the lifting device, whereby the glass plate 12 is sandwiched between the molds 30 and 32 and bent.

  In order to dispose the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 vertically opposite to each other with the glass plate 12 interposed therebetween, the shuttle 37 on which the lower mold 32 is placed is moved in the transport direction X with respect to the roller conveyor 18. The upper mold 30 having the glass plate 12 adsorbed on the lower surface may be moved in the transport direction X or the orthogonal direction Y by a shuttle or the like.

  A cooling device 38 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the molding furnace 16. The cooling device 38 has an upper air outlet 38 a and a lower air outlet 38 b that are arranged above and below the conveyance surface and eject cooling air. The cooling device 38 is a device that rapidly cools the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 with air by ejecting cooling air from the upper air outlet 38a and the lower air outlet 38b.

  The glass bending apparatus 10 includes an unloading device 40 for unloading the glass plate 12 bent and formed in the forming furnace 16 to the cooling device 38. The carry-out device 40 has a cooling ring (quenching ring) 42 on which the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 is placed. The cooling ring 42 has a shape that substantially matches the desired curved shape of the glass 12 to be molded. The cooling ring 42 can reciprocate between a position just below the upper mold 30 (receiving position) in the molding furnace 16 and the cooling device 38. The carry-out device 40 can adjust the position (mainly the position in the transport direction X) when the cooling ring 42 is at a position directly below the upper mold 30 so as to place the glass plate 12 thereon.

  The controller 22 is connected to the carry-out device 40. Connected to the controller 22 is a camera 44 that measures the position of the glass plate 12 placed on the cooling ring 42 on the cooling ring 42. The camera 44 is a CCD camera or the like that photographs the whole or a part of the cooling ring 42 on which the glass plate 12 is placed from above. Imaging information of the camera 44 is supplied to the controller 22. The CCD camera can be appropriately selected as described above, and it is desirable that the FPS is 100 or more and the response speed is 10 ms or less.

  The controller 22 processes the image captured by the camera 44 to measure the position of the glass plate 12 placed on the cooling ring 42 on the cooling ring 42 in a non-contact manner. And it is discriminate | determined whether the position on the ring 42 for cooling of the glass plate 12 has shifted | deviated more than predetermined with respect to the desired reference position. The “desired reference position” is a desired position on the cooling ring 42 where the glass plate 12 should be positioned when the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 is cooled by the cooling device. is there. Further, the “predetermined” is the maximum allowable deviation amount between the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 and the desired reference position.

  If the controller 22 determines that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 and the desired reference position has not reached a predetermined level, the controller 22 is then placed on the cooling ring 42. The unloading device 40 is instructed to maintain the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 and the desired reference position has reached a predetermined level or more, the glass placed on the cooling ring 42 thereafter. A feedback command is given to the carry-out device 40 so that the position shift of the plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 is eliminated.

  In addition, when calculating the deviation | shift amount of the position on the cooling ring 42 of the glass plate 12 which the controller 22 measured, and a desired reference position, it is possible to store at least a predetermined number of pieces of position information of the glass plate 12. A memory is provided, position information of a predetermined plurality of glass plates 12 continuous in the memory is stored, and position information on the cooling ring 42 of the predetermined plurality of glass plates 12 stored in the memory in the controller 22 The average shift amount calculated based on the above may be calculated as the shift amount, and the shift amount may be calculated for each glass plate 12.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, operation | movement of the glass bending apparatus 10 of a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the glass bending apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the flat glass plates 12 cut into a predetermined shape are carried one by one into the positioning device 20 on the upstream side of the heating furnace 14 while being placed on the roller conveyor 18. The glass plate 12 carried into the positioning device 20 is positioned by the positioning device 20 (step 100). The position in the orthogonal direction Y where the glass plate 12 is positioned by the positioning device 20 is determined in advance by the controller 22.

  The flat glass plate 12 is carried into the heating furnace 14 while being conveyed by the roller conveyor 18 at the timing after being positioned by the positioning device 20, by releasing the positioning. The flat glass plate 12 carried into the heating furnace 14 is heated and softened by a heater in the heating furnace 14 to a temperature at which a predetermined bending can be formed, and then on the roller conveyor 18 from the heating furnace 14 toward the forming furnace 16. Is conveyed (step 102).

  Immediately before the heat-softened glass plate 12 arrives at the molding furnace 16 while being conveyed on the roller conveyor 18, the controller 22 uses the laser displacement meter 24 to orthogonalize the flat glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18. The directional position is measured (step 104). The controller 22 determines whether or not the measured orthogonal position of the glass plate 12 is deviated from the reference position by a predetermined amount or more.

  If the controller 22 determines that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction and the reference position does not reach a predetermined value or more, the controller 22 of the flat glass plate 12 carried into the heating furnace 14 thereafter. A command is issued to the positioning device 20 so as to maintain the orthogonal position as before. In this case, the position in the orthogonal direction when the glass plate 12 is carried into the molding furnace 16 after the positioning of the glass plate 12 carried into the positioning device 20 is maintained near the reference position.

  On the other hand, when the controller 22 determines that the measured deviation amount between the orthogonal position of the glass plate 12 and the reference position has reached a predetermined value or more (step 106), the controller 22 then takes a flat plate shape to be carried into the heating furnace 14. A feedback command is issued to the positioning device 20 so that the deviation of the position of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction is eliminated (step 108). In this case, thereafter, in the above step 100, the positioning of the glass plate 12 by the positioning device 20 is performed in a feedback manner so as to eliminate the above-described misalignment. The position in the orthogonal direction when being carried in is changed to a position close to the reference position.

  After measuring the orthogonal position of the flat glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 using the laser displacement meter 24 as described above, the glass plate 12 is carried into the forming furnace 16 (step 110). When the glass plate 12 heated in the heating furnace 14 is carried into the forming furnace 16, the controller 22 uses the camera 36 on the roller conveyor 18 until the glass plate 12 is transferred to the forming press device 28. The conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12 to be conveyed is measured (step 112). The controller 22 determines whether or not the measured conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12 has reached a predetermined conveyance direction position at which the transfer of the glass plate 12 to the upper mold 30 is to be started.

  When the controller 22 determines that the measured transport direction position of the glass plate 12 has not yet reached the predetermined transport direction position, the controller 22 does not issue a command to the transfer device 34. On the other hand, when it is determined that the measured conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12 has reached the predetermined conveyance direction position (step 114), lift jet and air suction are started on the transfer device 34 and the roller conveyor 18 is moved. A signal to start transfer of the glass plate 12 is output (step 116). In this case, since the lift jet 34a and the suction device 34b of the transfer device 34 perform lift jet and air suction according to instructions from the controller 22, the glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 floats from the roller conveyor 18 and is formed upward. It is sucked and held by the lower surface of the mold 30. Thereby, the transfer of the glass plate 12 from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 is realized.

  When the glass plate 12 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30, the glass plate 12 is heated and softened to a temperature at which bending can be performed. The material is bent into a curved shape along the lower surface. After the glass plate 12 is sucked and held on the lower surface of the upper mold 30, the lower mold 32 placed on the shuttle 37 is moved between the upper mold 30 and the roller conveyor 18 by the movement of the shuttle 37. Inserted into the space. In this case, the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 are opposed to each other vertically with the glass plate 12 interposed therebetween. Then, the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 32 are moved up and down in a direction relatively approaching each other, whereby the glass plate 12 is sandwiched between the molds 30 and 32 and bent (step 118).

  When the bending of the glass plate 12 is completed by the clamping between the two forming dies 30, 32, the lower forming die 32 is moved by the movement of the shuttle 37 while the adsorption of the glass plate 12 to the lower surface of the upper forming die 30 is maintained. The cooling ring 42 of the carry-out device 40 is moved to a position directly below the upper mold 30 while being retracted from the position immediately below the position 30. The position of the cooling ring 42 relative to the upper mold 30 is determined in advance by the controller 22.

  After the cooling ring 42 has moved to a position directly below the upper mold 30, the adsorption of the glass plate 12 to the lower surface of the upper mold 30 by the transfer device 34 is released (step 120). In this case, the glass plate 12 bent by the forming furnace 16 is transferred from the lower surface side of the upper forming die 30 to the cooling ring 42. After the transfer, the glass plate 12 placed on the cooling ring 42 is carried into the cooling device 38 and rapidly cooled with air (step 122). For this reason, the glass plate 12 bent into a desired curved shape in the forming furnace 16 is air-cooled and strengthened by the cooling device 38.

  Further, after the glass plate 12 bent in the molding furnace 16 is transferred to the cooling ring 42, the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 (mainly using the camera 44) in the controller 22. , The position in the transport direction) is measured (step 124). The controller 22 determines whether or not the measured position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 is shifted by a predetermined amount or more with respect to a desired reference position.

  If the controller 22 determines that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 and the desired reference position has not reached a predetermined value or more, then the controller 22 A command is issued to the carry-out device 40 so that the position of the glass plate 12 is maintained as before. In this case, after that, the position when the cooling ring 42 by the carry-out device 40 is directly below the upper mold 30 is maintained as before, and the upper mold 30 of the glass plate 12 is transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42. The transfer position is maintained as before.

  On the other hand, if the controller 22 determines that the amount of deviation between the measured position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 and the desired reference position has reached a predetermined value or more (step 126), the controller 22 then performs cooling. A feedback command is issued to the carry-out device 40 so that the displacement of the position of the glass plate 12 on the ring 42 is eliminated (step 128). In this case, since the position adjustment when the cooling ring 42 by the carry-out device 40 is at the position directly below the upper mold 30 is performed in a feedback manner so as to eliminate the above-described positional deviation in the above step 120. Thereafter, the position of the glass plate 12 placed on the cooling ring 42 is changed to a position close to a desired reference position.

  In this embodiment, the glass plate 12 is (a) positioned by the positioning device 20, (b) heated and softened by the heating furnace 14, (c) bent by the molding furnace 16, and (d) by the cooling device. The cooling steps are performed in this order. Moreover, a series of processes in each of the above steps are sequentially performed with a predetermined time interval for the plurality of glass plates 12. Therefore, in the glass bend forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the glass plate 12 is bent and formed from a flat plate shape to a desired curved shape and then air-cooled and tempered, so that tempered glass having a desired curved shape can be manufactured.

  Further, in the glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the flat glass plate 12 is positioned mainly in the orthogonal direction Y by the positioning device 20 before being carried into the heating furnace 14. Is measured using a laser displacement meter 24 immediately before the glass plate 12 that has flowed on the roller conveyor 18 before the glass plate 12 arrives at the forming furnace 16 and is transferred to the upper mold 30. This is determined according to the deviation of the position of the plate 12 in the orthogonal direction with respect to the reference position. That is, immediately before the flat glass plate 12 heated and softened in the heating furnace 14 is transferred to the upper mold 30 of the forming furnace 16 in the process of flowing on the roller conveyor 18, the position of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction is set. The displacement with respect to the reference position is measured using the laser displacement meter 24, and then the position where the newly loaded glass plate 12 is to be positioned is adjusted in the positioning device 20 in accordance with the measured displacement.

  According to this structure, the orthogonal | vertical direction position of the glass plate 12 just before transferring the flat glass plate 12 heated and softened with the heating furnace 14 on the roller conveyor from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper shaping | molding die 30 is set. The positioning device 20 can be used to adjust the vicinity of the reference position. This reference position is a position in the upper mold 30 after the transfer from the roller conveyor 18 of the glass plate 12 to the upper mold 30 of the molding furnace 16 as described above, and in forming a desired curved shape. This is the position in the orthogonal direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X on the roller conveyor 18 to be accurate. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the glass plate 12 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 by adjusting the positioning position of the glass plate 12 by the positioning device 20 (particularly, the position in the orthogonal direction Y). After that, it is possible to prevent the glass plate 12 from adhering to the position where the glass plate 12 is attracted by the upper mold 30 and, as a result, the shape of the glass plate 12 after bending in the molding furnace 16 is a desired curved shape. Can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in said structure, conveyance of the heat-softened glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 just before the molding furnace 16 which is a parameter required when adjusting the position which should position the glass plate 12 in the positioning apparatus 20 is carried out. A laser displacement meter 24 that performs the measurement in a non-contact manner with respect to the glass plate 12 can be used to measure the deviation of the orthogonal position perpendicular to the direction with respect to the reference position. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, positioning adjustment by the positioning device 20 necessary for bending the heat-softened glass plate 12 can be realized while preventing the glass plate 12 from being damaged. .

  Furthermore, the positioning position of the glass plate 12 by the positioning device 20 is automatically corrected even when there is a variation in the operation of the positioning device 20 or a difference in the contact state between the glass plate 12 and the positioning device 20 or wear of the positioning device 20. Therefore, the variation in the positioning position of the glass plate 12 can be reduced. Moreover, since the relative positional relationship in the orthogonal direction Y between the glass plate 12 and the roller conveyor 18 (that is, the orthogonal direction position of the glass plate 12) can be measured regardless of the shape of the glass plate 12, a plurality of different shapes are used. Even when the glass plate 12 continuously flows, there is no need to adjust or replace the positioning device 20, the adjustment time of the positioning device 20 and the job change time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved. .

  Moreover, in the glass bending molding apparatus 10 of a present Example, the flat glass plate 12 heated and softened by the heating furnace 14 and conveyed on a roller conveyor is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper side of the molding furnace 16 by the transfer apparatus 34. Although it is transferred to the mold 30, this transfer detects that the conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12 conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 has reached a predetermined conveyance direction position using the image captured by the camera 36. It is done at the timing.

  In this regard, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the detection is performed to detect that the transport direction position of the glass plate 12 transported on the roller conveyor 18 has reached a predetermined transport direction position to start transfer. A camera 36 that performs non-contact with the glass plate 12 can be used. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the glass plate 12 which is heated and softened and conveyed on the roller conveyor is transferred to the upper mold 30 of the molding furnace 16 and is transferred by a transfer device 34 necessary for bending. Automatic transfer position adjustment from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 can be realized while preventing the glass plate 12 from being damaged.

  Furthermore, it is possible to reduce variations in the position of transfer of the glass plate 12 to the upper mold 30 due to variations in the operation of a mechanical device such as a positioner or differences in the contact state between the glass plate 12 and the positioner and wear of the positioner. it can. Moreover, since the measurement of the conveyance direction position on the roller conveyor 18 of the glass plate 12 can be performed regardless of the shape of the glass plate 12, the positioner can be used even when a plurality of glass plates 12 having different shapes flow continuously. There is no need to make adjustments or replacements, and the positioner adjustment time and job change time can be shortened, thereby increasing productivity.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, a transfer device 34 for transferring the flat glass plate 12 that is heated and softened and conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 is formed on the upper surface of the lift jet 34a. The glass plate 12 on the roller conveyor 18 resists gravity by spraying hot air from a large number of nozzles and air suction through the air suction holes formed densely on the lower surface of the upper mold 30 by the suction device 34b. Thus, the glass plate 12 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the heat-softened flat glass plate 12 can be transferred to the upper mold 30 while being moved on the roller conveyor 18, and the heat-softened flat glass is used. It is possible to prevent the glass plate 12 from being easily damaged when the plate 12 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the forming furnace 16.

  Further, in the glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the unloading apparatus 40 is used when the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 is transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42 for cooling. The position of the cooling ring 42 when the cooling ring 42 is directly below the upper mold 30 is adjusted. The position of this position adjustment is the glass plate transferred to the cooling ring 42 before the glass plate 12. 12 is determined in accordance with the deviation of the glass plate 12 from the desired reference position measured using the camera 44 when the 12 is placed on the cooling ring 42. That is, after the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 is transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42, the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 is shifted from the desired reference position by the camera. 44, and then transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42 of the glass plate 12 bent and formed in the molding furnace 16 that is newly carried out in the carry-out device 40 in accordance with the measured deviation. The position is adjusted.

  According to such a configuration, the glass plate 12 bent in the molding furnace 16 is transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42, and the cooling ring 42 by the carry-out device 40 is directly below the upper mold 30. The position can be adjusted to the vicinity of the desired reference position by adjusting the position when the The desired reference position is a position on the cooling ring 42 where the glass plate 12 should be positioned when the glass plate 12 bent in the forming furnace 16 is cooled by the cooling device as described above. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the glass plate 12 is transferred from the upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42 by adjusting the transfer position of the glass plate 12 to the cooling ring 42 using the carry-out device 40. It is possible to prevent the glass plate 12 from being greatly varied in position on the cooling ring 42 after being formed. As a result, the glass plate 12 bent into a desired curved shape is formed into the cooling ring 42. It is possible to prevent the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 from being properly cooled by the cooling device while preventing the glass plate 12 from being properly placed thereon.

  Moreover, in said structure, it is a parameter required when adjusting the position when the ring 42 for cooling is in the position right under the upper shaping | molding die 30 in the carrying-out apparatus 40, The glass plate 12 on the ring 42 for cooling is a parameter required. A camera 44 that performs the measurement in a non-contact manner with respect to the glass plate 12 can be used to measure the displacement of the position with respect to the desired reference position. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the glass plate 12 that has been heated and softened and bent and formed is automatically transferred from the upper upper mold 30 to the cooling ring 42 by the carry-out device 40 that is necessary for air-cooling strengthening. Position adjustment can be realized while preventing the glass plate 12 from being damaged.

  Furthermore, it is possible to reduce variations in the movement position of a mechanical device such as a positioner, or variations in the transfer position of the glass plate to the cooling ring 42 due to a difference in the contact state between the glass plate 12 and the positioner or wear of the positioner. . In addition, since the relative positional relationship between the glass plate 12 and the cooling ring 42 can be measured regardless of the shape of the glass plate, the positioner is adjusted even when a plurality of glass plates 12 having different shapes flow continuously. This eliminates the need for replacement, and shortens the positioner adjustment time and job change time, thereby increasing productivity.

  Thus, according to the glass bending apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, from the step of positioning the flat glass plate 12 with the positioning device 20 to the step of cooling the bent glass plate 12 with the cooling device. It is possible to realize the automatic position adjustment while preventing the glass plate 12 from being damaged while automatically performing various position adjustments of the glass plate 12 necessary for the above. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the process cost by appropriately bending the glass plate 12 and eliminating the need for position adjustment by the operator.

  By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer device 34 is a “first transfer means” described in the claims, and the controller 22 uses the camera 36 to carry the plate-like plate conveyed on the roller conveyor 18. Measuring the position in the conveyance direction of the glass plate 12 in a non-contact manner is the “conveyance direction position measuring means” described in the claims, and the position in the conveyance direction of the glass plate 12 measured by the controller 22 using the camera 36 is predetermined. The transfer device 34 is used to transfer the glass plate 12 from the roller conveyer 18 to the upper mold 30 when it is determined that the position has reached the transport direction position of “Transfer control means”. Respectively.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the controller 22 uses the camera 44 to change the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 to the “second transfer means” described in the claims. In the “ring position measuring means” described in the claims, the deviation of the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42 measured by the controller 22 using the camera 44 from the desired reference position Accordingly, the transfer position of the glass plate 12 to the cooling ring 42 is adjusted by adjusting the position when the cooling ring 42 is directly below the upper mold 30 using the carry-out device 40. Corresponds to the “transfer position control means” described in the claims, and the memory 26 corresponds to the “storage means” described in the claims.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the positioning device 20 is the “positioning means” described in the claims, and the controller 22 is orthogonal to the glass plate 12 conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 using the laser displacement meter 24. Measuring the position in a non-contact manner is the "orthogonal direction position measuring means" described in the claims, and the controller 22 uses the laser displacement meter 24 to measure the deviation of the glass plate 12 in the orthogonal direction relative to the reference position. Accordingly, the positioning position in the orthogonal direction of the flat glass plate 12 to be carried into the heating furnace 14 using the positioning device 20 is adjusted to the “positioning control means” described in the claims, respectively. It corresponds.

  In the above embodiment, the laser displacement meter 24 is used to measure the orthogonal position of the glass plate 12 conveyed on the roller conveyor 18, and the camera 36 is used to measure the conveyance direction position of the glass plate 12. , And the camera 44 is used to measure the position of the glass plate 12 on the cooling ring 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. Either a laser displacement meter that performs irradiation / reflection of laser light or a camera that performs imaging may be used.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the flat glass plate 12 heated and softened in the heating furnace 14 and conveyed on the roller conveyor 18 is transferred from the roller conveyor 18 to the upper mold 30 which is a press mold of the molding furnace 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be transferred to the lower mold 32 that is a press ring of the molding furnace 16.

  Further, in addition to the positioning device 20 in front of the heating furnace 14, positioning means for adjusting the position in the direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X of the glass plate 12 after being unloaded from the heating furnace 14 unless the effects of the present application are impaired. It is good also as providing further.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Glass bending apparatus 12 Glass plate 14 Heating furnace 16 Molding furnace 18 Roller conveyor 20 Positioning apparatus 22 Controller 24 Laser displacement meter 26 Memory 28 Mold press apparatus 30 Upper mold 32 Lower mold 34 Transfer apparatus 36, 44 Camera 38 Cooling Equipment 40 Unloading equipment 42 Cooling ring

Claims (17)

A glass bending method in which a glass plate heated to a predetermined temperature in a heating furnace is transferred from a roller conveyor to a forming press device and bent,
Non-contact measurement of the transport direction position of the glass plate transported on the roller conveyor,
A glass bending method characterized in that when the transport direction position reaches a predetermined reference position, the glass plate is positioned in a non-contact manner and transferred from the roller conveyor to the forming press apparatus.   The glass bending method according to claim 1, wherein the position in the transport direction is measured in a non-contact manner based on a processing result of an image photographed by a camera disposed below or above the transport surface of the roller conveyor.   The glass according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measurement of the position in the conveying direction is performed between the time when the tip of the glass plate reaches the forming press device and the time when the glass plate is transferred to the forming press device. Bending method.   The glass bending method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the glass plate is transferred from the roller conveyor to the forming press device without being stopped.   The glass bend forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glass plate is transferred from the roller conveyor to an upper mold of the forming press device by air suction and / or blowing. The glass plate press-molded by the molding press device is transferred to a cooling ring of a cooling device,
Non-contact measurement of the position of the glass plate on the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed,
Based on the position measurement result of the glass plate on the cooling ring, the glass plate and the cooling ring when the glass plate press-molded by the molding press device is transferred to the cooling ring, The glass bend forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a first feedback control for adjusting a relative position of the first is performed.   The glass according to claim 6, wherein position information of the predetermined plurality of glass plates whose positions on the cooling ring are measured in a non-contact manner is stored, and the first feedback control is executed based on the position information. Bending method. Measure the position in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the glass plate conveyed on the roller conveyor in a non-contact manner,
The second feedback control for adjusting the position in the orthogonal direction of the glass sheet carried into the heating furnace based on the position measurement result in the orthogonal direction is executed. Glass bending method.   The transport direction in which the glass plate is transported before being transferred to the molding press device and the transport direction in which the glass plate is transported after being transferred to the molding press device are substantially perpendicular to each other. The glass bending method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A first transfer means for transferring a glass plate heated to a predetermined temperature in a heating furnace from a roller conveyor to a molding press;
A conveyance direction position measuring means for measuring the conveyance direction position of the glass plate conveyed on the roller conveyor in a non-contact manner;
When it is determined that the conveyance direction position of the glass plate has reached a predetermined reference position based on the measurement result by the conveyance direction position measurement unit, the glass plate is positioned without contact and the first transfer unit Transfer control means for transferring from the roller conveyor to the molding press device,
A glass bending apparatus comprising:   The glass bending according to claim 10, wherein the transport direction position measuring unit measures the transport direction position based on a processing result of an image photographed by a camera disposed below or above the transport surface of the roller conveyor. Molding equipment.   The glass bending apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the first transfer means transfers the glass sheet to the upper mold of the forming press apparatus by air suction and / or blowing without stopping the glass plate. A second transfer means for transferring the glass plate press-formed by the forming press device to a cooling ring;
On-ring position measuring means for measuring the position of the glass plate on the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed in a non-contact manner;
Based on the measurement result by the position measurement means on the ring, the relative position between the glass plate and the cooling ring when the glass plate is transferred to the cooling ring by the second transfer means is adjusted. Transfer position control means for executing the first feedback control;
The glass bending apparatus as described in any one of Claims 10 thru | or 12 provided with these.   The position measurement means on the ring is a position of the glass plate on the cooling ring based on a processing result of an image photographed by a camera photographing the surface of the cooling ring on which the glass plate is placed. The glass bending apparatus of Claim 13 which measures. Comprising storage means for storing position information of the predetermined plurality of glass plates measured by the ring position measuring means;
15. The transfer position control means executes the first feedback control based on the position information stored in the storage means and predetermined reference position information on the cooling ring. Glass bending equipment. Positioning means provided in front of the heating furnace, and determining a position in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass sheet carried into the heating furnace;
Orthogonal position measuring means for measuring the position of the glass plate in the orthogonal direction after being carried into the heating furnace in a non-contact manner;
Positioning control means for performing second feedback control for adjusting the position in the orthogonal direction of the glass plate carried into the heating furnace by the positioning means based on the measurement result by the orthogonal direction position measuring means;
The glass bending apparatus as described in any one of Claims 10 thru | or 15 provided with these.   The orthogonal direction position measuring means is based on a measurement result of a laser displacement meter disposed below or above a conveying surface of the roller conveyor or a processing result of an image photographed by a camera, in the orthogonal direction of the glass plate. The glass bending apparatus of Claim 16 which measures the position of.

Images