KR101473301B1 - System and method for conveying glasses with function of processing broken glasses - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a glass conveying system comprising: a peeling conveyor for conveying a carrier for attracting and supporting glass; An adsorption unit installed on an upper portion of the peeling conveyor to detach the glass from the carrier; A pin-up conveyor for conveying the detached glass from the peeling conveyor to determine whether the glass is damaged; And a direction switching conveyor for shifting the conveying direction according to whether the glass is damaged or not by transferring the determined glass from the pin up conveyor and discharging the glass.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a glass transfer system and a glass transfer system,

The present invention relates to a glass conveying system and a glass conveying system including a broken glass treatment function and, more particularly, to a glass conveying system and a glass conveying system including a broken glass processing function capable of automatically recognizing and treating broken glass To a glass transfer system and method.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) is equipped with a flat glass (glass substrate) on the front surface of a screen. In the production process of such a glass, the glass is supported and fixed by a supporting means such as a rubber material carrier (pad), subjected to a predetermined processing process, and then peeled off (separated) from the carrier and transported for next processing.

However, when the glass is peeled from the carrier, the glass may be broken. Conventionally, when the glass breakage occurs, the glass is manually taken out by the operator and discarded from the conveyor of the glass production process. However, there is a problem that the entire process is inefficient due to the manual operation when the glass breakage occurs in the entire automation process, and accordingly, there is a need to improve the production efficiency of glass by effectively treating the broken glass.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention concept, it is possible to provide a glass transfer system capable of automatically processing broken glass generated during glass peeling.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention concept, it is possible to provide a glass feeding system capable of improving the efficiency of the entire process by automatically processing broken glass in a glass manufacturing process.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, there is provided a glass transport system comprising: a peeling conveyor for transporting a carrier for attracting and supporting glass; An adsorption unit installed on an upper portion of the peeling conveyor to detach the glass from the carrier; A pin-up conveyor for conveying the detached glass from the peeling conveyor to determine whether the glass is damaged; And a direction changing conveyor for shifting the conveying direction according to whether the glass is damaged or not by transferring the determined glass from the pin up conveyor and discharging the glass.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, there is provided a glass conveying method using a glass conveying system, comprising the steps of: peeling a glass from a carrier which adsorbs and supports a glass in a first conveyor; Determining whether the glass peeled off from the second conveyor is damaged; And a step of switching the conveying direction of the glass according to whether the glass is broken at the third conveyor and discharging the glass.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention concept, there is an effect that the broken glass generated during the glass peeling can be automatically processed.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention concept, the efficiency of the entire process can be improved by automatically processing broken glass in the glass manufacturing process.

1 is a perspective view of a glass transport system according to one embodiment,
2 is a plan view of a glass transport system according to one embodiment, which is a view for explaining a flow when processing a normal glass,
3 is a plan view of a glass transfer system according to one embodiment, which is a view for explaining the flow when processing broken glass,
Figs. 4A to 4C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a pin up conveyor according to an embodiment; Figs.
5 is a side view for explaining a state in which a pin rises in a pin up conveyor according to an embodiment;
6A to 6C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a direction change conveyor according to an embodiment,
FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, for explaining a state in which the glass conveying direction is switched in the direction changing conveyor according to the embodiment,
8A-8C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a broken glass carrier tilting conveyor according to one embodiment, and
9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the glass transfer system according to an embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when an element is referred to as being on another element, it means that it can be formed directly on the other element, or a third element may be placed therebetween.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. As used in the specification, "comprises" and / or "comprising" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the stated element.

The expression "connected" or "coupled" to another element in this specification means not only a direct connection between the elements but also an indirect connection via another third element do.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In describing the specific embodiments below, various specific details have been set forth in order to explain the invention in greater detail and to assist in understanding it. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from such specific details. In some instances, it should be noted that portions of the invention that are well known in the description of the invention and not significantly related to the invention do not describe confusion in describing the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass conveying system according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of a glass conveying system. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a flow of processing a normal glass.

1 and 2, a glass conveying system 100 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of conveyors for conveying the glass 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of conveyors comprise a feed conveyor 20, a peeling conveyor 30, a pin up conveyor 40, a redirecting conveyor 50, a carrier transport conveyor 70, and a carrier tilting conveyor 80 .

The feed conveyor 20 conveys the glass 10 adsorbed on a carrier (not shown) made of rubber to the peeling conveyor 30 of the glass conveying system 100. The peeling conveyor 30 peels (removes) the glass 10 placed on the carrier from the carrier. To this end, the peeling conveyor 30 may include at least one adsorption unit 33 and a support frame 31 for supporting the adsorption unit 33.

Each adsorption unit 33 is provided with a suction part on the lower surface, that is, the surface facing the glass 10, and is supported by the support frame 31 so as to be movable up and down as well as moving the advancing direction of the peeling conveyor 30 It is also possible to move back and forth. Thus, the adsorption unit 33 can be lifted after the adsorption unit adsorbs the glass 10, and the glass 10 can be removed from the carrier. A plurality of air nozzles and / or water nozzles may be installed on the left and right sides of the peeling conveyor 30 along the traveling direction of the peeling conveyor 30, and air and / Or the glass 10 is easily detachable from the carrier by water.

The pin-up conveyor 40 inspects whether the glass 10 is damaged before it is transferred to the subsequent process 60 after the glass 10 detached from the carrier is transferred from the peeling conveyor 30 . The pin-up conveyor 40 will be described later with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

The direction changing conveyor 50 can transfer the glass 10 in different transport directions depending on whether the glass 10 transferred from the pin-up conveyor 40 is normal glass or broken glass. For example, in the case where the glass 10 transported in an arbitrary direction (first direction) is a normal glass which has not been broken, the glass is continuously advanced in the first direction. If the transported glass 10 is broken glass, (Second direction) which is a predetermined angle with the one direction. Alternatively, if the transferred glass 10 is normal glass, the glass may be redirected in the second direction and the glass 10 may proceed in the first direction if the transferred glass 10 is broken glass. The direction changing conveyor 50 will be described later with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

The carrier conveying conveyor 70 is a conveyer for conveying a carrier (not shown) supporting the glass 10. [ In the illustrated embodiment, the carrier conveying conveyor 70 is connected to the rear end of the peeling conveyor 30. In this configuration, after the glass 10 is detached from the carrier at the peeling conveyor 30, the carrier can be transported along the carrier conveying conveyor 70.

Also, in one embodiment, if the glass 10 is already broken before being detached from the carrier, the broken glass 10 can be transferred to the carrier transport conveyor 70 without being detached from the carrier. In this case, the carrier having the damaged glass 10 intact is conveyed along the carrier conveying conveyor 70 and conveyed to the carrier tilting conveyor 80.

The carrier tilting conveyor 80 picks up the broken glass and separates the broken glass from the transferred carrier. As an example of separating the broken glass, the glass can be separated from the carrier by tilting the carrier at an angle. The carrier tilting conveyor 80 will be described later with reference to Fig.

In the above-described glass transfer system, the flow of processing normal glass is indicated by arrows in Fig. The glass 10 is detached from the carrier by the suction unit 33 while advancing along the peeling conveyor 30 as indicated by the arrow (1). Thereafter, the glass 10 enters the pin-up conveyor 40 as indicated by the arrow (2) and determines whether or not the glass 10 is normal. If the glass 10 is normal glass, .

If the glass is broken, the glass 10 is processed by the flow shown in Fig. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a glass conveying system according to an embodiment, and is a view for explaining a flow when processing broken glass. FIG.

Referring to Fig. 3, the glass 10 is detached from the carrier by the adsorption unit 33 while advancing along the peeling conveyor 30 as indicated by the arrow (1). Thereafter, the glass 10 enters the pin-up conveyor 40 as indicated by the arrow (2), and determines whether the glass 10 is normal or not. If the glass 10 is broken glass, And proceeds to the broken glass processing section.

If the glass 10 is already broken before being detached from the carrier, the broken glass 10 is not tilted from the carrier as indicated by the arrow (3), and the carrier tilting And conveyed to the conveyor 80. Thereafter, the broken glass is separated from the carrier at the carrier tilting conveyor 80 as indicated by the arrow (4). As shown by way of example, the separated broken glass can be carried on the collection box 91, for example, and then along the rail 90 to the breakage glass treatment section.

The pin-up conveyor 40 will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4A to 4C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a pin up conveyor 40 according to an embodiment.

4A to 4C, the pin-up conveyor 40 includes a support base 41, a plurality of roller shafts 48 provided on the upper portion of the support base, and a plurality of rollers 47 coupled to the roller shaft 48 .

A plurality of roller shafts 48 are rotatably fixed along both sides of the upper surface of the support table 41 and a plurality of rollers 47 coupled to the roller shaft 48 are all installed to rotate in the same direction . Although not shown, a driving device for applying a rotational driving force to at least a part of the plurality of roller shafts 48 may be provided. According to this configuration, the glass 10 can be placed on the pin-up conveyor 40, that is, on the plurality of rollers 47, and can be transported in a predetermined direction.

In one embodiment, the pin-up conveyor 40 further includes one or more elevating units 42 and a plurality of pins 46 which are vertically movable by the operation of the elevating unit 42. 4A and 4C, each of the lift units 42 can be disposed on the side surface of the pin-up conveyor 40, and the horizontal connection bar 43 can be moved up and down. The plurality of pins 46 are attached to and supported by the pin support bar 45 and the pin support bar 45 can engage with the horizontal connection bar 43 through a connection means such as a vertical connection bar 44. The pin support bar 45 may be directly connected to the horizontal connection bar 43 or the pin support bar 45 may be directly connected to the lift unit 42 to move up and down .

In this configuration, as the pin support bar 45 moves upward and downward by the operation of the unit 42, the plurality of pins 46 can protrude to the top of the roller 47 or descend below the roller 47 have. 5 is a side view for explaining a state in which a pin is lifted in a pin up conveyor according to an embodiment.

5 and 5, the horizontal connecting bar 43 is elevated by the operation of the elevating unit 42 so that the pin supporting bar 45 connected to the horizontal connecting bar 43 is moved upward, So that the plurality of fins 46 protrude upward from the rollers 47. Therefore, when the glass 10 enters the pin-up conveyor 40, the glass 10 can be lifted up by the plurality of fins 46 by the operation of the lift unit 42. In this state, It is possible to judge whether or not the glass is damaged by using a sensing means (not shown) such as a sensor.

The detecting means for judging whether or not the glass is damaged is not limited to any specific configuration or method. For example, as an example of the sensing means, a light irradiation means may be provided above the pin-up conveyor 40, and a light sensor may be provided below the pin-up conveyor 40. In this case, when the light irradiating means irradiates light toward the glass 10, the optical sensor can recognize the light refracted by the surface of the glass 10, and judge whether the glass 10 is broken or not.

The direction changing conveyor 50 will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6A to 6C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a direction change conveyor according to an embodiment.

6A to 6C, the orientation-changing conveyor 50 includes a support 51, a plurality of first roller shafts 54 mounted on top of the support, and a plurality of first roller shafts 54 coupled to the first roller shaft 54. [ A first roller 53 and a plurality of second roller shafts 57 and a plurality of second rollers 56 coupled to the second roller shafts 57.

The plurality of first roller shafts 54 are rotatably fixed by two first roller shaft support bars 52 provided one on each side of the upper surface of the support table 51, (Hereinafter referred to as "first direction"). Similarly, the plurality of second roller shafts 57 are rotatably fixed respectively by two second roller shaft supporting bars 55, which are provided one by one along the remaining two sides of the upper surface of the support table 51, The plurality of second rollers 56 coupled to the shaft 57 are all installed to rotate in the same direction (hereinafter referred to as "second direction"). In one embodiment, the first direction and the second direction are at a 90 degree angle. However, it goes without saying that the first and second directions may be different from each other according to the embodiment.

A first driving device for applying a rotational driving force to at least a part of the plurality of first roller shafts 54 although not shown and a second driving device for applying a rotational driving force to at least a part of the plurality of second roller shafts 57 A driving device may be installed.

In the preferred embodiment, the second roller shaft support bar 55 is disposed below the first roller shaft support bar 52, and the second roller shaft support bar 55 is disposed on the drive means 59 You can move up and down by. The second roller shaft supporting bar 55 is lowered downward and the first roller 53 protrudes upward from the second roller 56 and the second roller 56 is moved upward by the driving means 59, When the roller supporting bar 55 rises, the second roller 56 may protrude upward from the first roller 53.

7A and 7B are a perspective view and a side view showing a state in which the second roller shaft supporting bar 55 of the direction changing conveyor 50 is moved upward to switch the conveying direction of the glass 10. [

As can be seen from the comparison between Figs. 6A and 7A and the comparison between Figs. 6C and 7B, the second roller shaft support bar 55 is raised in Fig. 7A or 7B, As shown in Fig.

In this configuration, the glass 10 enters the direction changing conveyor 50 in the first direction (arrow ①) by the first roller 53, and the driving means 59 is moved in the state in which the glass 10 is fully entered. The second roller shaft supporting bar 55 is lifted by the second roller 56 and the glass 10 is contacted and supported by the second roller 56 to be discharged in the second direction (arrow 2).

In the preferred embodiment, the up and down movement of the second roller shaft support bar 55 by the drive means 59 is controlled in accordance with the result of determining whether the glass 10 in the pin up conveyor 40 is broken or not. For example, when the glass 10 is a normal glass which is not broken, the second roller shaft supporting bar 55 remains lowered without rising. Therefore, the glass 10 which has entered the direction switching conveyor 50 along the first direction is continuously conveyed in the first direction. However, when the glass 10 judged to be broken has entered the direction changing conveyor 50 along the first direction, the second roller shaft supporting bar 55 is raised and the glass 10 is moved by the second roller 56 And can be discharged in the second direction.

On the other hand, in an alternative embodiment, the direction in which the glass is discharged according to the breakage of the glass may be set differently from the above embodiment. For example, if the glass entering the direction changing conveyor 50 is broken glass, it may continue along the first direction, and if it is normal glass that has not been broken, the glass may be redirected in the second direction to discharge the glass.

The carrier tilting conveyor 80 will now be described in detail with reference to Fig. 8A-8C are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, of a broken glass carrier tilting conveyor according to one embodiment.

8A to 8C, the carrier tilting conveyor 80 may include a support frame 81, a tilting bar 82, and a driver 84. [

The support frame 81 is hinged to the tilting bar 82 by the hinge 83 to support the tilting bar 82. The tilting bar 82 is coupled to the hinge portion 83 and is rotatable by the driving portion 84. Preferably, the tilting bar 82 rotates between a horizontal position and a tilted position at a predetermined angle (e.g., 45 degrees). When the tilting bar 82 is in the horizontal position, the carrier transferred from the carrier transporting conveyor 70 (that is, the carrier which is attracting the broken glass) can enter the upper portion of the tilting bar 82. Thereafter, the tilting bar 82 is tilted by about 45 degrees by the driving unit 84 to support the carrier in an inclined manner, and in this state, the broken glass 10 can be separated from the carrier.

Meanwhile, in the illustrated embodiment, the carrier tilting conveyor 80 may further include a nozzle portion 85 disposed on the upper portion of the support frame 81. The nozzle portion 85 may include, for example, an air nozzle and / or a water nozzle, and the air nozzle and the water nozzle may respectively inject compressed air and water toward the carrier. Preferably, the nozzle unit 85 is configured such that when the tilting bar 82 is tilted to a fully tilted position, that is, a position inclined at approximately 45 degrees, the carrier supported by the tilting bar 82 and the carrier And is arranged at a position where the compressed air or water can be injected between the glass (10).

The glass 10 separated from the carrier by the injection of compressed air and / or water in an inclined state falls along the inclined surface to the collection box 91. Thereafter, the collection box 91 is moved along the rail 90 to the broken glass treatment section .

When the glass is completely detached from the carrier, the tilting portion 82 rotates to the horizontal position again, and the carrier is transferred to the carrier conveying conveyor 70, and the carrier conveying conveyor 70 returns the carrier to a predetermined position.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the overall operation of the glass transport system according to one embodiment will be described.

Referring to Fig. 9, the glass transport system 100 can determine whether glass breakage has occurred in step S110. This step may be performed, for example, before conveying the carrier from the supply conveyor 20 to the peeling conveyor 30. [ As a method for judging whether or not the glass breakage has occurred, any conventionally used judgment method can be used. For example, it is possible to determine whether the glass 10 is damaged from light reflected from the glass rods 10 after irradiating light from an upper portion of the carrier supporting the glass 10 by suction.

If it is determined that the glass is broken (step S120-Y), the process proceeds to step S130. That is, the broken glass 10 is transferred to the carrier tilting conveyor 80 via the carrier conveying conveyor 70 without being detached from the carrier.

Thereafter, at step S140, as described with reference to Fig. 8, the carrier tilting conveyor 80 removes the broken glass from the carrier and transfers it to the broken glass processing unit.

If the glass is not broken (step S120-N), the glass 10 is detached from the carrier by the suction unit 33 (step S150) while moving along the peeling conveyor 30.

The separated glass 10 is transferred to the pin-up conveyor 50, and the pin-up conveyor 50 again judges whether or not the glass 10 is damaged (step S160). At this time, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 as a concrete example, it is possible to determine whether the glass is broken by raising the glass 10 by a plurality of fins 46 and then irradiating light.

As a result of the determination, if the glass is broken (step S170-Y), the process proceeds to step S180 to switch the feeding direction of the broken glass 10. 6 and 7, after the glass 10 is transferred to the direction switching conveyor 50, the direction of conveyance of the glass 10 is switched in the direction switching conveyor 50, and thereafter, (10) to the damaged glass processing unit (step S140).

If the determination result indicates that the glass has not been broken (step S170-N), the glass is continuously transferred to the subsequent processing step (10). That is, from the pin-up conveyor 40 to the subsequent process 60 via the redirecting conveyor 50.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a glass feeding system capable of automatically processing broken glass when the glass is broken before peeling or peeling off the glass from the carrier, The efficiency can be improved.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiments and drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. This is possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the equivalents of the claims, as well as the claims.

10: Glass 20: Feed conveyor
30: Peeling conveyor 33: Absorption unit
40: Pin-up conveyor 50: Conversion conveyor
60: Subsequent hole 70: Carrier conveying conveyor
80: Carrier tilting conveyor 90: Rail
100: Glass conveying system

Claims (16)

In a glass transfer system,
A peeling conveyor for conveying a carrier for attracting and supporting glass;
An adsorption unit installed on an upper portion of the peeling conveyor to detach the glass from the carrier;
A pin-up conveyor for conveying the detached glass from the peeling conveyor to determine whether the glass is damaged; And
And a direction switching conveyor for conveying the determined glass to the pin-up conveyor and switching the conveying direction according to whether the glass is damaged or not,
Wherein the direction changing conveyor discharges the glass along a first direction when the glass entering the direction changing conveyor is a normal glass which has not been broken, and, when the entered glass is a broken glass, In a second direction different from the first direction. The method according to claim 1,
The pin-up conveyor includes light irradiating means for irradiating light to the glass, and light sensor for sensing light refracted from the glass surface,
And determines whether the glass is damaged based on the light sensed by the optical sensor. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the direction-
A plurality of first roller shafts coupled with a plurality of first rollers rotating in the first direction;
A first roller shaft supporting bar for fixing the plurality of first roller shafts rotatably to the upper surface of the direction changing conveyor;
A plurality of second roller shafts coupled with a plurality of second rollers rotating in the second direction; And
And a second roller shaft supporting bar for fixing the plurality of second roller shafts rotatably to the upper surface of the direction changing conveyor. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the second roller shaft support bar is disposed below the first roller shaft support bar and is movable up and down,
The first roller is projected upward from the second roller in contact with the glass while the second roller shaft support bar is lowered,
And the second roller is projected upward from the first roller and is in contact with the glass when the second roller shaft supporting bar is raised. 5. The method of claim 4,
And the glass having passed through the pin-up conveyor is conveyed to the direction changing conveyor along the first direction. 5. The method of claim 4,
And the glass having passed through the pin-up conveyor is conveyed to the direction changing conveyor along the second direction. The system of claim 1, wherein the glass transport system comprises:
A carrier conveying conveyor connected to a rear end of the peeling conveyor for conveying the carrier; And
And a carrier tilting conveyor connected to the carrier transporting conveyor and capable of detaching the glass from the carrier. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein when the glass is broken before entering the peeling conveyor, the peeling conveyor transfers a carrier for attracting and supporting the glass to the carrier conveying conveyor,
Wherein the carrier transport conveyor transfers the carrier to the carrier tilting conveyor. 9. The method of claim 8,
The carrier tilting conveyor includes:
A support frame;
A tilting bar hinged to the support frame; And
And a driving unit for rotationally driving the tilting bar about a hinge connection part,
Wherein the tilting bar is rotatable between a horizontal position and a tilted position at a predetermined angle. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the carrier enters the upper portion of the tilting bar at a horizontal position of the tilting bar and the glass is separated from the carrier after the tilting bar rotates to the tilting position at a predetermined angle by the driving unit. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the carrier tilting conveyor further comprises a nozzle portion disposed in the support frame,
Wherein the nozzle unit is capable of jetting air and / or water toward the carrier. A glass transfer method using a glass transfer system,
Peeling the glass from the carrier which adsorbs and supports the glass in the first conveyor;
Determining whether the glass peeled off from the second conveyor is damaged; And
And switching the conveying direction of the glass depending on whether the glass is broken at the third conveyor and discharging the glass,
Wherein the step of discharging the glass from the third conveyor discharges the glass along the first direction if the glass entering the third conveyor is a normal glass which has not been broken and if the glass entering the third conveyor is broken glass, And discharging the glass in a second direction different from the first direction. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the step of determining at the second conveyor determines whether the glass is damaged by irradiating the glass with light and sensing light refracted from the glass. delete 13. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising the step of determining whether the glass is broken ("before peeling") before the step of peeling the glass from the first conveyor. 16. The method of claim 15,
If it is determined that the glass is broken in the pre-peeling determination step,
Wherein the carrier for attracting and supporting the glass is transferred to the fourth conveyor, and the glass is peeled from the carrier at the fourth conveyor.

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