KR20120057633A - Apparatus and method for precision edge finishing - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of finishing an edge of a material to be finished is provided, which method includes applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished, and disposing the edge of the material to be finished into the machining area. The method of the present invention further comprises using one or more sensors to sense the position of the removable sensing layer and adjusting the relative position between the device and the edge of the material to be finished based on the sensed position. In one embodiment, the one or more sensors are inductive sensors and the removable sensing layer is a ferromagnetic material.

Description

Precise edge finishing equipment and its method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRECISION EDGE FINISHING}

The present invention relates to a method of finishing the edge of a material to be finished. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of finishing a glass material, such as a glass sheet, which method comprises adjusting the position of a finishing device, such as a grinding wheel, relative to the material to be finished. The present invention is useful, for example, for the precise finishing of the edges of glass sheets suitable for LCD substrates.

Molding of sheet materials to be finished, such as glass sheets, is desirable in a variety of applications. The material to be finished often needs to be machined after the initial molding so that a final product with the necessary peripheral shape and edge properties is obtained.

In order to make the machining constant, there is a need to provide a technique for realizing an edge having excellent characteristics while adjusting an apparatus for machining the edge of the material to be finished.

The matter set forth below is schematically presented to aid in a basic understanding of the various exemplary features disclosed in the detailed description.

Several features of the invention are disclosed herein. It will be appreciated that these features may or may not overlap one another. Thus, some of one feature may fall within the category of another and vice versa, some of the other may fall within the category of one.

Each feature is described in many embodiments, including one or more specific embodiments. It will be appreciated that such embodiments may or may not overlap one another. Accordingly, some of the embodiments of the present invention or some of the specific embodiments may or may not be included within the scope of the other embodiments or the specific embodiments of the present invention, and vice versa.

A first feature of the invention is a method of finishing the edges of the material to be finished, which method

Applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished;

Placing the edge of the material to be finished into a machining area;

Using at least one sensor to sense the position of the removable sensing layer; And

Adjusting the relative position between the device and the edge of the material to be finished based on the sensed position.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the material to be finished comprises a glass sheet.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the material to be finished is for example at most 1000 μm, at most 700 μm, at most 500 μm, at most 300 μm, at most 100 μm, or at most 10 μm. It is made of a glass sheet having a thickness of.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the removable sensing layer comprises a ferromagnetic material.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferromagnetic tape.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the one or more sensors comprise a plurality of sensors, each sensor sensing a corresponding spaced position of the removable sensing layer.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the one or more sensors comprise one or more inductive sensors.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises guiding an edge of the material to be finished through the machining area along the direction of movement, wherein the sensor comprises an axis crossing the direction of movement. Thus, the position of the removable sensing layer is sensed.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the non-contact member adjusts the relative position.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the non-contact member guides the edge of the material to be finished through the machining area while adjusting the relative position.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the non-contact member comprises one or more fluid bearings for discharging the fluid strips to the material to be trimmed to adjust the relative position.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the one or more fluid bearings comprise a pair of opposing fluid bearings.

In a particular embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the controller automatically adjusts the relative position based on the predetermined position and the sensed position of the ferromagnetic material.

A second feature of the invention is a method of finishing the edges of a glass sheet, which method

Applying a ferromagnetic material along the edge of the glass sheet;

Placing the edge of the glass sheet into a machining area;

Using one or more inductive sensors to sense the location of the ferromagnetic material; And

Adjusting the relative position between the edge of the glass sheet and the device based on the sensed position, the relative position being adjusted with one or more fluid bearings that eject a fluid stream relative to the glass sheet.

In a particular embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferromagnetic tape.

In a particular embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the method further comprises guiding an edge of the glass sheet through the machining area along the direction of movement, wherein at least one inductive sensor traverses the direction of movement. It senses the position of the ferromagnetic material along the axis.

In a particular embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the fluid bearing guides the edge of the glass sheet through the machining area while adjusting the relative position.

A third feature of the invention is a method of finishing the edges of the material to be finished, which method comprises:

Applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished;

Placing an edge of the material to be finished into the machining area;

Using at least one sensor to sense the position of the removable sensing layer;

Adjusting a relative position between the device and the edge of the material to be finished based on the sensed position;

Machining the edge of the material to be finished; And

Removing the sensing layer.

In a particular embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the removable sensing layer is made of ferromagnetic material and the one or more sensors comprise one or more inductive sensors.

In a particular embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, machining the edge comprises using an abrasive tool to machine the edge of the material to be finished, and the relative between the edge of the material to be finished and the machine. Adjusting the position includes adjusting the position of the polishing tool with respect to the edge of the material to be finished.

In a particular embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, machining the edge comprises polishing an edge of the material to be finished, adjusting the relative position between the edge of the material to be finished and the device. The step includes adjusting the position of the abrasive tool relative to the edge of the material to be finished.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of adjusting an instrument for machining an edge of a material to be finished comprises applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished, and the edge of the material to be finished. Positioning into a machining area. The method further comprises using one or more sensors to sense the position of the removable sensing layer and adjusting the relative position between the device and the edge of the material to be finished based on the sensed position.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a method of adjusting an apparatus for machining an edge of a glass sheet includes applying a ferromagnetic material along the edge of the glass sheet, and arranging the edge of the glass sheet into a machining region. It includes. The method further includes using one or more inductive sensors to sense the position of the ferromagnetic material and adjusting the relative position between the edge of the glass sheet and the device based on the sensed position. The relative position is adjusted with one or more fluid bearings which discharge the fluid stream with respect to the glass sheet.

In a sixth aspect of the invention, a method of machining an edge of a material to be finished comprises applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished, and placing the edge of the material to be finished into a machining area. And using one or more sensors to sense the position of the removable sensing layer. The method further comprises adjusting the relative position between the edge of the material to be trimmed and the device based on the sensed position, machining the edge of the material to be trimmed, and removing the sensing layer. Include.

One or more embodiments of the various features of the invention have one or more advantages as described below. By the use of sensing and adjusting steps, accurate positional information of the material to be polished is obtained and used to adjust the position with respect to the instrument components suitable for the finishing action, such as a grinding wheel, to enable precise edge finishing of the edges. The process can accommodate bending, warping, bending and various warping and / or movement of thin sheet materials, such as glass sheets, to achieve dynamic edge finishing with high consistency and repeatability. The process is particularly advantageous for edge finishing of glass sheets having a thickness of at most 1000 μm, for example 700 μm or less, 500 μm or less, 300 μm or less, 100 μm or less, or approximately 10 μm or less.

Additional features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following detailed description, which is readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as well as the embodiments and claims of the invention. It could be done.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only, to aid in an overall understanding of the features and characteristics of the invention as specified in the claims.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are included to form a part of this specification.

Many of these features will be better understood from a detailed description set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic illustration of an example apparatus for machining a material to be finished (material to be finished is located outside of the device);
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the edges of the material to be trimmed arranged in the machining area;
4 is A state similar to that of FIG. 3 in which the sensor senses the position of the removable sensing layer;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the relative position between the edge of the material to be trimmed and the device adjusted based on the sensed position; FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view of another example device in which the edge of the material to be finished is disposed in the machining area.

As used herein, the expression “finishing” only refers to mechanical processes and modifications such as, for example, grinding, chamfering, polishing, patterning, cutting, scoring, machining, material removal, material addition, etc .; Chemical processes such as chemical polishing, ion exchange, etching, exposure to various chemicals, and the like; Optical processes such as irradiating, laser ablating, and the like; And material processing processes such as combinations thereof. In the following detailed description of various features and embodiments of the present invention, machining is emphasized. Those skilled in the art upon reading the present invention and understanding the advantages of the present invention will appreciate that the present invention can be readily applied to various edge finishing processes as well.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments are shown, embodiments of the invention are described below in more detail below. Wherever possible, the same part numbers have been used in the drawings to indicate the same or similar parts. However, it will be appreciated that features of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

An example method herein includes a material to be finished, which material is thin in thickness and brittle. The thickness of the material to be finished is wide. For example, although several thinner or thicker thicknesses may be incorporated with another embodiment, the thin glass sheet is in the range of about 100 μm to about 1000+ μm, for example about 600 μm, about 500 μm , About 400 μm, about 300 μm, about 200 μm, about 100 μm, or the like.

As noted above, thin glass sheets are very flexible and tend to bend, warp, bend or otherwise warp when subjected to slight mechanical stress during acceleration or deceleration of edge finishing. This poses a great challenge to the repetitive, consistent and precise edge finishing required for high precision glass sheets, such as glass sheets for LCD substrates. The quality of the polished edges of LCD substrates and various optoelectronic devices has a great impact on the strength of the substrate and the final fabricated device. Because of the nature of the method of the present invention for dynamically detecting and adjusting the relative position of the glass sheet relative to the finishing device, such as the grinding wheel, the method of the present invention is intended for finishing the edges of such thin glass sheets having a thickness of approximately 500 μm or less. Particularly advantageous. Moreover, the method of the present invention is particularly advantageous for finishing moving glass sheets which tend to better form and position glass sheets having a thickness of approximately 500 μm or less.

Materials to be finished include glass, such as transparent, translucent, colored, or various glass types. In another embodiment, the material to be finished may be made of a polymer, such as a composite including glass and polymer. In yet another embodiment, the material to be finished may be made of a material such as crystal, such as quartz construct, ceramic, or glass ceramic. The material to be finished can be used for various fields. In one embodiment, the material to be finished may include glass for a display assembly, such as a liquid crystal display or other display device. For example, as shown, the material 101 to be finished may be provided including a glass sheet material configured for use in the field of LCD displays. The material to be finished can be composed of a wide variety of shapes such as planar, cylindrical, conical, truncated conical shapes, or several shapes.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary device 103 for machining the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. For clarity, it will be appreciated that the machining of only one edge 105 is described herein, and that the instrument 103 can be applied to machine various edges of the material 101 to be finished. For example, the upper and lower edges of the material 101 to be finished can be machined simultaneously.

Various techniques may be used to machine the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. For example, machining may include grinding or scoring alone, in combination or in combination with complete cutting, in which case each process results in the shaping of the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. Let's do it. For example, grinding of edge 105 may be done to increase the ability to withstand vibrations as well as to increase resistance to breakage due to wear and impact during dripping. Machining can be done at virtually any position along the edge. Optionally, machining can be directed at spaced locations along the edges. Moreover, machining can be continuous or pulsed. For example, machining may include pulsed or non-pulsed operation applied at substantially all locations along the edge or at spaced locations.

In the illustrated embodiment, the device 103 may include one or more machining areas 107 for receiving and machining the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. As shown, the device 103 may include an abrasive tool 109, such as a grinding wheel, for grinding the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, the abrasive tool 109 may have an overall circular peripheral working edge of the concave machining profile 201 to machine the edge 105 of the convex profile (not shown). Can be. The concave machining profile 201 is edged with a convex profile having a radius of approximately half the thickness T, such as approximately 250 μm to approximately 350 μm, although several radii may be integrated with other embodiments. It is applied to grinding 105. In addition, the edge 105 can be machined to have a variety of different profiles, such as a chamfer. Moreover or alternatively, the device 103 may include a polishing tool 111, such as a polishing wheel, for polishing or cleaning the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. In one embodiment, the polishing tool 111 may be disposed downstream of the polishing tool 109 to polish or clean the edge 105 after the grinding operation.

The device 103 may further comprise a non-contact member 113 adapted to guide the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished along the direction of movement S through the machining area 107. In one embodiment, the non-contact member 113 is a paired fluid bearing 203, 205 provided with one or more nozzles 207, 209, respectively, for discharging a fluid stream adapted to laterally support the material 101 to be finished. It may include a plurality of members such as). Thus, the material 101 to be finished is not in direct contact with the non-contact member 113, but instead is laterally supported by the fluid stream. In one embodiment, the fluid may include water (ie, water bearings) although a variety of different liquids, gases, and the like may be used. A pair of fluid bearings 203 and 205 may be disposed in facing relationship and various distances may be considered but may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined and fixed distance D, such as about 2 mm to about 2.5 mm. As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid bearings 203, 205 can be positioned on either side of the material 101 to be trimmed and exert external forces on one or both sides of the material 101 to be trimmed to the same or varying degrees. have. Fluid bearings 203 and 205 may also be generally located on the polishing and / or polishing tools 109 and 111 so as not to interfere with machining operations.

The device 103 may further include various various structures adapted to guide the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished through the machining area 107. For example, the device 103 may include one or more rollers 115 or the like to facilitate the movement of the material 101 to be finished along the direction of movement S. The movement of the material 101 to be finished is for example a bottom-edge (ie edge 105) transfer. During machining, when the edge 105 being machined is the lower edge, the fluid bearings 203, 205 may provide lateral support to the face of the material 101 to be finished, and the vacuum chuck 117 moves It can be used to convey the material 101 to be finished according to the direction S. In one embodiment, the width (height) of the vacuum chuck 117 may be approximately 75 mm (eg, up to 3.2 meters) and may extend approximately the length of the sheet. The vacuum chuck 117 may also be located on either or both sides of the material 101 to be finished. The vacuum chuck 117 can run on a linear rail or the like that provides the accuracy and rigidity required to transport the material 101 to be finished. For clarity, the roller 115 and the vacuum chuck 117 are shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 6 and not shown in FIGS. 2-5.

As can be seen, edge grinding of the glass surface by a fixed positioning device can result in a polished edge change. Because of the low lateral stiffness of the glass, the glass can bend or bend while the grinding force is applied and during movement. Such warpage can cause a change in edge grinding as well as contact between the glass and the bearing surface resulting in edge damage or surface damage. An example of adjusting the instrument 103 for machining the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished, to provide a substantially constant necessary edge, and / or to account for glass bending variations and various glass position changes. The method of will be explained.

2-5, the method of one embodiment uses the steps of using one or more sensors 211 to sense the location of the material 101 to be trimmed, and the method of the material 101 to be trimmed based on the sensed position. Adjusting the relative position between the edge 105 and the device 103. In one embodiment, a single sensor 211 can be used to sense a single position of the removable sensing layer 213 or the removable sensing layer as the material 101 to be polished moves through the device 103. It may be used a plurality of times to sense a plurality of positions of 213. In another embodiment, the one or more sensors 211 include a plurality of sensors 601, 603, 605, 607 (see FIG. 6), each of which has corresponding spacing of the removable sensing layer 213. Location can be detected. It is also contemplated that multiple removable sensing layers (not shown) can be used as a single sensor or multiple sensors. Since the material 101 to be finished is generally supported laterally within the device 103 by the fluid discharged from the non-contact fluid bearing, the sensor 211 is operable in a fluid environment. For example, when a pair of fluid bearings 203 and 205 are used, the sensor 211 operates in a water environment where all of the material to be finished 101 or some of the material to be finished is coated with a fluid such as water. You can do it.

In one embodiment, one or more sensors 211 may be inductive sensors. Inductive sensors are electrical proximity sensors that detect metal objects, such as ferromagnetic objects, without touching them. In general, an inductive sensor includes an inductive loop, and a current is provided to generate a magnetic field. The inductance of the loop varies with the material in the magnetic field, and because metal is generally more effective than other materials, the presence of metal increases the current flowing through the loop. This change can be detected to detect a circuit (not shown) that can provide a signal when a metal object is detected. For example, the sensing circuit may be part of the sensor 211, or may be remote from the sensor and used to receive input from the sensor 211. Thus, inductive sensors can be particularly useful for applications where the fluid is present because the magnetic field is not generally affected by a fluid such as water. For clarity, embodiments may include various contact or non-contact sensors such as physical contact sensors, hydraulic sensors or pneumatic sensors, laser sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and / or capacitive sensors, and the like. Although also contemplated as including, one or more sensors 211 that are inductive sensors will be described herein.

In one embodiment, the induction sensor 211 may include a relatively high precision compact sensor having a resolution of approximately 2 microns and a measurement range of approximately 0-10 mm. For example, the induction sensor 211 is an EX of the Keyence induced displacement sensor model that can be paired with an EX-V10 controller of the Keyence model for capturing sensor output through a data acquisition system that can provide an output indicative of positional displacement. It can be a -422V sensor head.

However, several materials 101 to be finished, such as glass sheets, may not include metal members that can be detected by inductive sensors. Thus, the method of the present invention may include applying the removable sensing layer 213 to a portion of the material 101 to be finished. In one embodiment, removable sensing layer 213 may comprise a ferromagnetic material. For example, the ferromagnetic material may include a ferromagnetic tape to which a variety of removable materials can also be used, but removably applied to the material 101 to be finished with an adhesive or the like. The removable sensing layer 213 may be applied along the length or direction of the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished, for example adjacent, off, or in parallel. For example, as shown, the removable sensing layer 213 may be applied to one or more portions of the material 101 to be trimmed along the edge 105.

The removable sensing layer 213 may be applied substantially continuously along the edge 105, or optionally at locations spaced along the edge 105. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the removable sensing layer 213 is applied substantially continuously along one side of the material 101 to be trimmed in parallel and at a distance spaced from the edge 105. It may be desirable to carefully apply the ferromagnetic tape when the material 101 to be trimmed is relatively dry to ensure that the thickness of the tape is substantially constant, such as little or no perturbation or ripple. have. A substantially constant tape thickness is desirable for accurately detecting the position of the material 101 to be trimmed, and obstacles in the ferromagnetic tape, such as waves between the tape and glass, air bubbles, and the like, can cause measurement errors. Since the thickness T of the material 101 to be finished and the spacing D between the fluid bearings 203, 205 are all controlled and determined in general, the removable sensing layer 213 is finished with the device 103. It can be applied to only one portion (eg one side) of the material 101 to be finished to accurately sense the position of the material to be made. Additionally, it may be advantageous to use the fluid-resistant removable sensing layer 213 because of the fluid discharged by the fluid bearings 203, 205.

As shown in FIG. 2, an exemplary method of the present invention may further comprise disposing an edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished into the machining area 107. For example, as shown, the material 101 to be finished can be generally located on the machining area 107 and can be placed in this area by movement in the direction of the arrow P. FIG. In another embodiment, the material 101 to be finished may be disposed in the machining area 107 in accordance with the direction of arrow S in FIG. 1 or by movement in various different directions.

Once placed within the machining area 107, the position of the material 101 to be finished can be sensed to provide a substantially constant desired edge and / or account for glass bending variations and various glass position variations. As shown in FIG. 3, the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished may not be aligned with the concave machining profile 201 of the abrasive tool 109. For example, where the abrasive tool 109 is generally located centrally in a pair of fluid bearings 203, 205, the material 101 to be finished is relatively in one of the fluid bearings 203, 205. Can be located closer. The first offset distance d ₁ between one fluid bearing 203 and one side 301 of the material 101 to be finished is the second side of the material 101 to be trimmed with the other fluid bearing 205. It may be different from the second offset distance d ₂ between the (303). If no adjustment is made, the misaligned profile may be polished by the edge 105.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the method may further comprise using one or more sensors 211 to sense the position of the removable sensing layer 213. For example, one or more inductive sensors 211 can be used to sense the location of the ferromagnetic material through the generation of magnetic field 401. The presence of the removable sensing layer 213 inside the magnetic field can change the inductance of the sensor 211. This change can be detected by sensing a circuit (not shown) connected to the sensor 211, which can provide a signal indicative of the positional displacement between the sensor 211 and the removable sensing layer 213. . For example, sensor 211 can be used to sense the distance between one fluid bearing 203 and an adjacent side 301, which distance is detected between sensor 211 and removable sensing layer 213. May be based on distance.

Since the removable sensing layer 213 has a predetermined thickness, and / or because the sensor 211 can be variously positioned relative to one fluid bearing 203, the output of the sensor 211 is one fluid. It may be calibrated, such as a suitable predetermined parameter, to enable accurate offset distance measurement d ₁ between the bearing 203 and the adjacent side 301. In one embodiment, the calibrator comprises exposing the sensor 211 to the removable sensing layer 213 and using a three-point system, in which case the removable sensing layer 213 is full-scale. And half sized, in contact with the material 101 to be finished. A reading can be recorded and used to interpret the raw eddy current field data provided by the sensor 211 as the distance between the sensor 211 and the material 101 to be finished. Thus, for example, upon completion of calibration and measurement on a set of master sheets, the system can be programmed to compensate for errors in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel.

Sensing the position of the removable sensing layer 213 may be in a static manner (ie, the material 101 to be trimmed is fixed to the device 103), or in a dynamic manner (ie, the material 101 to be trimmed may be applied to the device ( Go to 103). Sensing the position of the removable sensing layer 213 may be done in a static manner after the dynamic manner, or in a dynamic manner after the static manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the method includes guiding an edge 105 to be trimmed through the machining area 107 along the conveying direction of arrow S (ie, FIG. 1). The sensor 211 can sense the position of the removable sensing layer 213 along an axis generally transverse to the direction of travel of arrow S (ie, the Z-axis).

Furthermore or alternatively, sensing the position of the removable sensing layer 213 may be performed in a dry state or a wet state. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensing step may involve discharging the fluid streams 403, 405, respectively, so that the fluid bearings 203, 205 support the material 101 to be polished in the device 103. Can be done during. Since the magnetic field generated by the induction sensor 211 is generally impermeable to the fluid streams 403, 405, the step of sensing the position of the material 101 to be finished is thus not affected by the fluid.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the method further includes adjusting the relative position between the device 103 and the edge 105 of the material 101 to be trimmed based on the sensed position. For example, the edge 105 of the material to be finished 101 is arranged with the relative position between the device 103 and the material 101 to be finished aligned with the concave machining profile 201 of the polishing tool 109. Can be adjusted.

In general, the total spacing D between the fluid bearings 203, 205 is the first offset distance (ie, between one fluid bearing 203 and one side 301 of the material 101 to be finished) It may be equal to the sum of the thickness T of the material 101 to be made and the second offset distance (ie, between the second side 303 of the material 101 to be finished and the other fluid bearing 205). In one embodiment, the edge of the material 101 to be finished when the abrasive tool 109 is generally located intensively between the pair of fluid bearings 203 and 205 and the thickness T does not generally change. The relative position between 105 and the device 103 can be adjusted until the first adjusted offset distance d ₃ becomes generally equal to the second adjusted offset distance d ₄ . Thus, although various various measurements are also made, the position of the removable sensing layer 213 can only be detected from a single side. Subsequently, depending on the contours of the various components of the instrument 103, the relative, as in the case where the abrasive tool 109 (or several tools, etc.) is generally not centrally disposed between the fluid bearings 203, 205. Adjustments can also be made in various ways between the device 103 and the material 101 to be finished.

Relative coordination can be done in a variety of ways. In one embodiment, the non-contact member 113 can adjust the relative position, such as while guiding the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished through the machining area 107. For example, one or more fluid bearings 203, 205 may discharge fluid streams 403, 405 relative to material 101 to be trimmed to adjust the relative position. The bearing force applied by each fluid stream 403, 405 can be individually adjusted in various ways to position the edge 105 of the material 101 to be trimmed in alignment with the abrasive tool 109 (or several tools, etc.). Can be. Fluid streams 403 and 405 may be individually adjusted in a variety of ways, for example by adjusting pressure, mass flow, volume flow, spray pattern, direction, and / or various properties. In another embodiment, where the fluid bearings 203, 205 include a plurality of fluid nozzles 207, 209 (see FIG. 4), the final (net) fluid streams 403, 405 may include one or more of the plurality of fluid nozzles. It can be effectively adjusted by starting or deactivating or adjusting the fluid nozzles 207 and 209.

Furthermore or alternatively, either or both of the fluid bearings 203, 205 may be displaced along one or more displacement axes (ie, X, Y, Z axes) and / or rotation of one or more axes (ie, yaw). It can be physically adjusted in a variety of ways, such as angle adjustment with yaw, pitch, and roll. Furthermore or alternatively, any or all of the various machine members, such as the abrasive tool 109, the polishing tool 111, etc. may be displaced along one or more displacement axes (ie, X axis, Y axis, Z axis) and / or one or more. It can also be physically adjusted in various ways, such as adjusting the angle of rotation of the axis (ie, yaw, pitch, roll).

Sensing the position of the removable sensing layer 213 and then adjusting the relative position of the device 103 and the edge 105 are contemplated to be done in a repeatable manner until the desired goal is achieved. For example, sensing the position and adjusting the relative position may be performed until the sensed position of the removable sensing layer 213 reaches a predetermined threshold, and / or a predetermined range. . In one embodiment, the sensing of the position and the adjusting of the relative position may comprise a predetermined threshold of the detected first offset distance d ₁ between one side 301 of the material 101 to be trimmed. Value distance, and / or within a predetermined range of distance (see FIG. 3). In another embodiment, the sensing of the position and the adjusting of the relative position are performed until the first adjusted offset distance d ₃ is generally equal to the second adjusted offset distance d ₄ . (See FIG. 5). The sensing of the position and the adjusting of the relative position may be based on a single position of the removable sensing layer 213 or a single sensor 211 sensing a plurality of positions, or the removable sensing layer 213. ) Or a plurality of respective sensors 601, 603, 605, 607 that sense a single location or a plurality of locations. Furthermore, or alternatively, sensing the position and adjusting the relative position may comprise two or more sensing using a single sensor 211 or using a plurality of sensors 601, 603, 605, 607. It can be done in an iterative manner based on the comparison of the positions. In one embodiment, the detecting of the position and the adjusting of the relative position may include comparing the detected position between the two plurality of sensors 601, 603 to a predetermined threshold, and / or to a predetermined range. It can be done in an iterative manner until

Upon making the necessary adjustments, the method of machining the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished comprises the steps of machining the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished, and then the sensing layer 213 to be finished. 101). Various post-treatment steps may also be performed to clean the material 101 to be finished after removing the removable sensing layer 213. Thus, the step of machining may be, for example, using an abrasive tool 109 to machine the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished, or the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished. If the polishing tool 111 comprises using the polishing tool 111 to polish the polishing tool 111 and / or the polishing tool 109 for the edge 105 of the material to be trimmed. Adjusting the position of may include.

It is also contemplated that sensing the position of the removable sensing layer 213 and subsequently adjusting the relative position of the device 103 and the edge 105 may be done more than once, such as once or multiple times. In one embodiment, adjusting the relative position may be done once, as in the test sample material 101 to be trimmed or even the material 101 to be trimmed. A variety of times the material 101 to be finished to be produced can be machined. The adjusting may be repeated to check accuracy after a predetermined amount of units and / or a predetermined amount of time, and the like. In another embodiment, the step of adjusting may be performed in each unit of material 101 to be finished to be machined. For example, the material 101 to be finished may have a first displacement during initial grinding and then a second displacement before stabilizing at a new equilibrium position during main and / or final grinding.

Furthermore or alternatively, adjusting the relative position between the edge 105 of the material 101 to be finished and the device 103 can be done in a manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic manner. In one embodiment, adjustment of the device 103 may be made by manually adjusting one or more members of the device 103 based on one or more sensed locations of the removable sensing layer 213. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the adjustment of the device 103 may be done automatically in a single manner or in a continuous manner. For example, the controller 609 can automatically adjust the relative position based on such as the sensed position and the predetermined position of the ferromagnetic material 213. In another embodiment, so that small changes are possible, the controller 609 may be configured such that no correction adjustment is made unless the sensed position is within a predetermined threshold distance or within a predetermined range of distance. The controller 609 may be any or all abrasive tools 109, polishing tools 111, fluid bearings 203, 205, one or more sensors 211, 601, 603, 605, 607, in wired or wireless communication. It can be configured to be any number of members, such as).

The controller 609 may be configured to transmit and / or receive various types of information from or to any or all of the above-described members, such as sensed position data, adjustment data, and the like. For example, the controller 609 may receive sensed position data from one or more sensors 211, 601, 603, 605, 607, and may adjust adjustment data (ie, adjustment commands) to the polishing tool 109, polishing. The tool 111, the fluid bearings 203, 205, or the like may be transmitted to all or part of the tool 111. In another embodiment, the controller 609 may receive reference position data from any or all movable and / or adjustable members. The controller 609 may perform single or continuous, repeating, semi-automatic or fully automatic, sensing and adjustment of the instrument 103. The controller 609 may also control the movement of the material 101 to be finished through the device 103, for example by the roller 115 and / or the vacuum chuck 117 or the like. For example, one or more of the sensors 211, 601, 603, 605, 607 may be moved to a particular portion of the device 103, such as when the material 101 to be finished enters or exits the device 103. Can be used to determine.

Controller 609 may be an electrical controller and may include a processor. The controller 609 may include one or more of a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a discrete logic circuitry (DLC), and the like. . The controller 609 may further include a memory and store program instructions, which cause the controller 609 to provide the functions caused to the controller. The memory may include one or more volatile, nonvolatile, magnetic, optical, or electrical media such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrically-erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, and the like. Controller 609 may further include one or more analog-to-digital (A / D) converters for processing various analog inputs to the controller. The controller 609 may also be integrated into an engine control unit (ECU). Signal conditioning and / or line isolation can be used to provide a cleaner signal and reduce the noise, such as the removal of noise in the signal data.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed by the claims.

Claims (20)

A method of finishing the edges of the material to be finished,
Applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished;
Placing the edge of the material to be finished into a machining area;
Using at least one sensor to sense the position of the removable sensing layer; And
Adjusting the relative position between the edge of the material to be finished and a device based on the sensed position. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And wherein the material to be finished comprises a glass sheet. The method according to claim 1,
And said removable sensing layer comprises a ferromagnetic material. The method according to claim 3,
And the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferromagnetic tape. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein said at least one sensor is comprised of a plurality of sensors, each sensor sensing a corresponding spaced position of said removable sensing layer. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
And said at least one sensor comprises at least one inductive sensor. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Guiding an edge of the material to be finished through the machining area along a direction of movement, wherein the sensor senses the position of the removable sensing layer along an axis transverse to the direction of movement. A method of finishing the edges of the material to be finished. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
And a non-contact member to adjust the relative position. The method according to claim 8,
And the non-contact member adjusts the relative position while guiding the edge of the material to be finished passing through the machining area. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
And the non-contact member includes one or more fluid bearings for discharging a fluid stream relative to the material to be finished to adjust the relative position. The method according to claim 10,
Wherein said at least one fluid bearing comprises a pair of opposing fluid bearings. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
And a controller automatically adjusts the relative position based on the sensed position of the ferromagnetic material and the predetermined position. As a method of finishing the edges of the glass sheet,
Applying a ferromagnetic material along the edge of the glass sheet;
Placing the edge of the glass sheet into a machining area;
Using at least one inductive sensor to sense the location of the ferromagnetic material; And
Adjusting the relative position between the edge of the glass sheet and the device based on the sensed position,
Wherein the relative position is adjusted to one or more fluid bearings that eject a fluid stream relative to the glass sheet. The method according to claim 13,
And the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferromagnetic tape. 14. The method according to claim 13 or 14,
Guiding the edge of the glass sheet along a direction of movement through a machining area, wherein the one or more inductive sensors sense the position of the ferromagnetic material along an axis traversing the direction of movement To finish the edge of the glass sheet. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15,
And the fluid bearing adjusts the relative position while guiding the edge of the glass sheet through the machining area. A method of finishing the edges of the material to be finished,
Applying a removable sensing layer to a portion of the material to be finished;
Placing said edge of material to be finished in a machining area;
Using at least one sensor to sense the position of the removable sensing layer;
Adjusting the relative position between the device and the edge of the material to be finished based on the sensed position;
Machining the edge of the material to be finished; And
Removing the sensing layer; the method of finishing the edge of the material to be finished. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein said removable sensing layer comprises a ferromagnetic material, said at least one sensor comprising at least one inductive sensor. The method according to claim 17 or 18,
Machining the edge of the material to be finished includes using an abrasive tool to machine the edge of the material to be finished, adjusting the relative position between the edge and the machine of the material to be finished. And the step of adjusting the position of the polishing tool relative to the edge of the material to be finished. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19,
Machining the edge of the material to be finished includes polishing the edge of the material to be finished, and adjusting the relative position between the edge of the material to be finished and the device is to adjust the relative position of the material to be finished. Adjusting the position of the abrasive tool relative to the edge.

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