TWI472467B - Liquid-ejecting bearings for transport of glass sheets - Google Patents

Description

Liquid injection bearing for glass sheet transport

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting a glass sheet, for example, used as a substrate in the manufacture of a liquid crystal display (LCD). More particularly, the present invention relates to the transport of glass sheets without mechanical contact with the major surfaces of the glass sheets.

The process of fabricating a liquid crystal display substrate includes several steps during which the glass sheet must be supported and transported without damaging the major surface of the glass sheet, particularly without damaging display elements such as thin film transistors and color filters. A glass sheet quality surface formed thereon. For example, during the substrate fabrication process, the glass sheets need to be cut to size, edge-grinded, rinsed, and packaged, or supplied to the display manufacturer. In performing these steps, not only the glass sheets need to be transported between stations, but in some cases the glass sheets also need to be rotated (rotated) during one step.

When the size of the glass sheet grows from 1 meter length to more than 2 meters, and the corresponding thickness increases, the lateral stiffness of the glass sheet is also significantly reduced. At the same time, the transmission speed requirement is either fixed or increased. Therefore, the current problems of transporting liquid crystal display glass substrates can be described as attempting to move large glass sheets whose mechanical properties are not like toilet paper at high speed and without touching the main surface of the glass sheet.

The present invention provides at least one patterned glass by providing a non-contact bearing The main surface of the glazing film ejects a liquid (such as water) to solve this problem during the transfer at a rate that stabilizes the glass sheet to reduce the lateral movement of the glass sheet, that is, the direction in which the glass sheet and the transport direction are orthogonal. In this way, large and thin glass sheets can be transported safely and at high speed.

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a method of transporting a glass sheet (13) in a substantially vertical direction, the method comprising: (a) providing a movable transport belt (2) designed to contact the edge of the glass sheet (13) And moving the glass sheet (13) at a transport speed; (b) providing a non-contact bearing (3) designed to eject a portion of the liquid (40) to the major surface of the glass sheet (13); and (c) moving The conveyor belt (2) contacts the edge of the glass sheet (13) to move the glass sheet (13) at a transport speed, and on the one hand, ejects the liquid (40) from the non-contact bearing (3) to a part of the main surface of the glass sheet (13). Wherein the non-contact bearing (3) includes a plurality of orifices (22) for ejecting the liquid (40) to a portion of the major surface of the glass sheet (13), and the method has at least one of the following characteristics: (i) The speed at which the contact bearing (3) emits the liquid (40), the average value over the orifice (22) ranges from 100 to 800 ml/min/flow orifice; or (ii) the average horizontal spacing of the orifice (22) It is 20-25 mm; or (iii) the average size (D0) of the orifice (22) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 mm.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the invention provides a method of transporting a glass sheet (13) in a substantially vertical direction, comprising: (a) providing a movable transport belt (2) designed to contact the glass sheet (13) Edge and moving the glass sheet (13) at the transport speed; (b) ejecting the liquid (40) to the main surface of the glass sheet (13) And (c) ejecting the liquid (40) to a lower end portion of the main surface of the glass sheet (13); and wherein: (i) the upper end portion is vertically above the lower end portion; and (ii) each unit The amount of liquid (40) that is ejected to the upper end portion of time exceeds the amount of liquid (40) that is ejected to the lower end portion per unit time.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the invention provides a non-contact bearing (3) for transporting a glass sheet (13) having a plurality of orifices (22) front end surface (20), front end surface (20) Facing the glass sheet (13) and the orifice (22), the liquid (40) is directed toward the main surface of the glass sheet (13) during use of the bearing (3), wherein: (a) the orifice (22) is distributed on the front end surface ( 20) to form at least one column (23, 24, 25) which is horizontal during use of the bearing (3); and (b) the orifice (22) has an average horizontal spacing P which satisfies the following relationship: 20 ≦ P≦55, where P is mm.

The above description of the various embodiments of the present invention is intended to be a In particular, it is to be understood that the foregoing general description,

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated herein as part of the description. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention, and are in the

As discussed above, the present invention provides a non-contact bearing that can be used to eject liquid in a vertical or nearly vertical direction. The bearing emits (distributes) a liquid (such as water) to a portion of the main surface of the glass sheet. The liquid to be ejected is preferably water, although other liquids may be used if desired. The liquid may include one or more additives such as biocides to avoid bacterial growth in the case of using recycled water.

The glass sheet is preferably suitable for use in the manufacture of substrates for flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays. Currently, the largest substrate available to flat panel display manufacturers is the Gen 10 substrate, which measures 2850mm x 3050mm x 0.7mm.

The non-contact bearings described herein can be used with such substrates, as well as larger substrates for future development, as well as smaller substrates that have been developed in the past.

Figure 1 shows a representative embodiment of a device 10 for transporting a glass sheet 13 using a non-contact bearing 3 that can be used to eject liquid. As shown in the figure, the array of bearings 3 is supported by supports 31. The support is then supported by a platform 49 that includes casters 7 for transporting the device to different points of the manufacturing plant.

The number of non-contact bearings used in any particular application and the length of each bearing are based on the size of the glass piece to be transported. For example, in the preferred embodiment of the Gen 10 substrate, approximately 10 bearings are used, each bearing length. About 1.5 meters. Of course, more or fewer bearings can be used as needed, as well as longer and shorter bearings. For example, if The glass piece to be transported is a straight bearing with respect to the lateral direction to use more bearings. In general, when bearing arrays are used, the bearings preferably have a vertical height in the range of 50-150 mm, and the vertical spacing between the bearings is preferably in the range of 200-400 mm.

As shown in Figure 1, the support 31 can be fixed in the vertical direction, or at an angle from vertical, such as from 1 to 20 degrees from vertical (as used herein, the term "substantially vertically positioned" refers to the vertical. Positioning between 0 and 20 degrees). It is generally best to position vertically.

As shown in Figure 1, the platform 49 includes a conveyor belt 2 such as a V-shaped or U-shaped belt to engage the bottom edge of the glass sheet 13. For example, the conveyor belt drives the glass sheet at a desired transport speed using an electric motor (not shown). Shipping speed is based on the specific application. The transport speed is preferably equal to or greater than 15 meters per minute. For example, the transport speed can be in the range of 15 to 22 meters per minute, although slower speeds such as down to 7 meters per minute can be used if desired.

Figure 10 shows the front surface 20 (the face facing the glass sheet) representing the liquid injection bearing 3. As seen in the figure, the front surface includes a plurality of orifices 22 arranged in this example into three columns 23, 24, 25, each column having the same number of orifices, and the orifices of adjacent columns being vertically aligned. Also in this figure, the orifices have a uniform size (i.e., a uniform diameter D0). This arrangement is very successful in implementation, but many different arrangements can be used if needed. As a representative example, the liquid injection bearing may include approximately three rows of orifices, each of which may have a different number of orifices, and the orifices of adjacent columns may be staggered rather than vertically aligned, thus the orifice is large The horizontal spacing (pitch) between small and some or all of the orifices can have different values. Alternatively, the orifice does not necessarily need to be circular, in which case the orifice size is no longer the diameter of the orifice but the size of its largest cross section.

During use, the orifice of the bearing 3 is connected to a source of pressurized liquid. For example, a pump can be used to distribute the pressurized liquid from the reservoir to the plenum to distribute the liquid to the respective orifices, such as through an elastomeric conduit to the inlet end of the orifice at the back of the bearing. A wide variety of equipment available in the industry are known to those skilled in the art to provide pressurized liquid. Alternatively, a dedicated device can be constructed if needed.

Non-contact bearings can be used on only one side of the glass sheet (see solid line in Figure 2) or on both sides of the glass sheet (see solid and dashed lines in Figure 2), depending on the operation to be performed on the glass sheet. And set. During the substrate manufacturing process, such as cutting to an appropriate size, glass sheet rotation, glass sheet transport, glass sheet grinding and glass sheet rinsing steps, bearings can be used to support and transport the glass sheets. Examples of such use of bearings and other applications are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0271756, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

During use, the liquid ejected from the bearing forms a film that supports the glass sheet so that it does not contact the front surface of the bearing. More specifically, the bearing utilizes a localized acceleration flow to create a negative pressure, and thus a suction force that secures the glass sheet for the touch shaft during transport. Figures 3 through 7 illustrate this phenomenon.

In these figures, 100 is a region of high positive pressure (liquid injection point), 110 is a region of negative pressure generated by locally accelerating liquid tangential to the surface of the glass, and 120 is a region of low positive pressure surrounding. For the purpose of illustration, the figure shows positive The negative pressure area is calculated from a single orifice without the surrounding orifice. The area shown in each of Figures 3 to 7 is 50 mm x 50 mm. The calculations performed were performed using an industry-available fluid dynamics program sold by ANSYS, Inc. (Canonsburg, PA) under the trademark FLUENT. Of course, other non-commercial programs can also be used to perform the calculations of Figures 3 through 7, as well as other calculations discussed herein.

Figures 3 through 7 show various combinations of positive and negative pressure distributions: 1) the spacing between the outflow end of the orifice and the surface of the substrate, and 2) the flow rate through the orifice. Table 1 presents the specific values used, as well as the total overall pressure (total force) on the surface of the substrate. A positive total force means that the glass piece is pushed away from the orifice (pushing away from the bearing), while the negative total force means that the glass piece is pushed toward the orifice (attracted to the bearing).

As shown in Figures 3 through 7 and Table 1, the combination of various orifice to substrate spacing and flow rates achieves positive and negative net forces. In particular, these data show that the reduced interval can reach a positive force (push open force), while a larger interval can reach a negative force (attractive force). Thus, a balance point (equilibrium interval) can be found in the glass piece that has not been pulled in or pushed away from the orifice. If the spacing between the orifices and the glass sheets is less than the equilibrium spacing, the glass sheets are pushed away from the orifices toward the equilibrium point. If the spacing between the orifice and the glass sheet is greater than the equilibrium spacing, the glass piece will be dragged back to the equilibrium point. In this way, the spacing between the orifices and the glass sheets will be rounded off around the equilibrium interval.

In particular, as the glass sheet is transported across the orifice, the spacing between the orifice and the sheet of glass will wander around the equilibrium interval. This transport can cause the spacing between the glass sheet and the orifice to change over time due to 1) vibration of the moving glass sheet and/or 2) glass sheet bending, waves, warping, or other Non-flat surface characteristics of glass sheets. Because the net force applied to the glass sheet by ejecting liquid from the orifice changes the sign of the equilibrium point, and these variations in orifice-to-glass spacing can be provided by setting the orifice parameters, including the flow rate of the liquid, creating a balance The value of the point and the attraction/push off force on both sides of the balance point, although the inevitable change in the spacing between the flow hole and the glass piece, the glass piece can be fixed on the bearing.

Figures 3 through 7 show data for a single orifice. In fact, a single orifice does not generate enough force to hold the moving glass piece on the bearing that ejects the liquid. Thus, an array of orifices can be used. In general, generally used in the transport of glass sheets is an array of bearings that eject liquid, such as two or more liquid-emitting bearings placed one upon another (see Figures 1 and 2), especially when the size of the glass sheets increases. . Each fluid-emitting bearing has its own array of orifices, all of which can be identical if desired, or different between bearings.

We have found that the effect of the array of orifices on the glass sheet is substantially more complex than the effect of a single orifice. Similarly, we have also found that bearing arrays that eject liquid exhibit more complex behavior than bearings that eject liquid. To investigate these effects, we performed the experiments using the device types shown in Figures 8 and 9. In these figures, 13 is a glass piece, 2 is a glass piece conveyor belt, 3 is a liquid-emitting bearing, 14 is a power converter, 15 is a position sensor, 18 is a converter/sensor support, 17 is a conversion And the leads of the sensor, while 16 is the device that records the converter and sensor output.

Figure 10 shows a representative injection of liquid bearing 3 for experimentation. In addition to the structure of the bearing, the figure also shows the parameters that changed during the experiment, ie The average spacing parameter P, the average spacing from the center of the circle to the center of the orifice in the direction of movement of the glass, and the average orifice size parameter, in this example, in particular the average diameter D0 of the orifice.

Figure 11 is an average pressure diagram applied to the glass sheet in kilopascals (kPa). The spacing between the front surface of the bearing and the glass sheet in one millimeter (mm) between one of the orifice pairs of the bearing orifice array (Or between the outlet end of the orifice and the glass piece, because the outlet end of the orifice is usually flush with the bearing surface). In this figure and in Figures 12 to 14, positive pressure represents the push-off force between the bearing and the glass sheet, while negative pressure represents the attractive force. The hatched portion of this figure represents the operating window of the bearing, that is, the use of bearings to reliably perform the pressure-to-space curve portion of the high speed transport of the glass sheet.

Using the device type shown in Figures 8 and 9 and the bearing pattern shown in Figure 10, the pressure versus spacing curve can be determined over a wide range of parameters. From the results of these experiments, we found that the key parameters are: 1) the average horizontal spacing between the orifices, 2) the average orifice size, and 3) the average flow rate through the orifice, in each case, the average refers to the bearing The average of the orifices. We have further found that the specific range of values of these parameters produces the actual operational window pattern shown in Figure 11. Figures 12, 13, and 14 show representative data illustrating the average horizontal spacing, average orifice size, and average flow rate for this range, respectively.

The 15 mm average horizontal spacing (solid triangle data points) shown in Figure 12 produces an unacceptably large lift force on the glass sheet as the glass sheet is driven closer to the bearing surface. Therefore, since the attraction is not sufficient to limit the glass piece, the glass piece can easily fly away from the bearing. In other words, 65 mm flat The average horizontal pitch (x data point) will produce insufficient pushing force, and the glass piece will not be damaged due to contact with the bearing during use.

An average horizontal spacing of 43 mm (open square data points) and an average horizontal spacing of 30 mm (open diamond data points) all produce the required pressure versus spacing curve, with an average horizontal spacing of 30 mm and a diameter of 43 mm. Better, this is because the 30 mm pitch push-off pressure and at least some of the suction pressure are larger than the 43 mm pitch. Based on these and similar data, it is determined that the average horizontal spacing should be in the range of 20 to 55 mm, preferably in the range of 25 to 50 mm, more preferably in the range of 30 to 40 mm (for example, about 35 mm). In each case, the value of the endpoint is also included in the range.

Figure 13 shows the parameters for the average orifice size. In this example, we found that the average orifice size of 5 mm (solid triangle data points) produced too little push-off pressure on the glass spacer spacing for small bearings, and an average orifice size of 0.5 mm (x data points) ) produces too much push-off pressure.

The average orifice size of 3 mm (open square data points) and the average orifice size of 1.4 mm (open diamond data points) all produce the required pressure-to-space curve, with an average orifice size of 1.4 mm. The size of 3 mm is better because the average orifice size of 1.4 mm is pushed away from the pressure and the amount of suction pressure is larger than 3 mm. Based on these and similar data, it is determined that the average orifice size should be in the range of 1.0 to 4.5 mm, preferably in the range of 1.0 to 3.5 mm, more preferably in the range of 1.25 to 2.25 mm, in each case, The value of the endpoint is also included in the range

Figure 14 shows the average flow rate. In this example, we found 900 The average flow rate per mm/min/flow orifice (solid triangle data points, 14.3) produces too much push-off pressure on the glass spacing in small bearings, and an average flow rate of 80 mm/min/flow orifice (x data points, 14.4) Produces too little push-off pressure.

Average flow rate of 350 mm/min/flow orifice (open square data point, 14.2) and average flow rate of 190 mm/min/flow orifice (open diamond data point, 14.1) than 350 mm/min/flow orifice average The flow rate is good because the lower average flow rate means less liquid consumption and therefore means that a smaller, less expensive device is needed to supply the liquid. Based on these and similar data, the average flow rate should be in the range of 100 to 800 mm/min/average flow rate, preferably in the range of 125 to 300, more preferably in the range of 150 to 190, in each case, The value of the endpoint is also included in the range.

Each of the key parameters, namely the average horizontal spacing, the average orifice size, and the average flow rate, are beneficial to the system and thus for some applications, only one or two parameters are discussed above. In general, the average flow rate parameter is the most important, followed by the horizontal spacing, the size of the orifice size.

In many applications, the average horizontal spacing, average orifice size, and average flow rate are preferably within the ranges specified above, more preferably in the above preferred range, and even better in the above preferred range. While maintaining this mode, the data shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14 are the parameter values for the other two figures "open diamonds". Therefore, with respect to Figure 12, the average orifice size is 1.4 mm, and the average flow rate is 190 mm/min/runhole, while in Figure 13, it is flat. The average horizontal spacing is 30 mm and the average flow rate is 190 mm/min/via. As for Figure 14, the average horizontal spacing is 30 mm and the average orifice size is 1.4 mm.

In addition to the average horizontal spacing, average orifice size and average flow rate parameters, the total force applied to the major surface of the glass sheet, that is, the pressure across the major surface is preferably in the range of -0.6 Newtons to +0.6 Newtons. The value of the point is also included in the range. When the distance between the glass sheet and the bearing changes, the total force also changes over time, but it is best to remain in the above range. The total force is preferably a measured value, but it can also be a value calculated using a fluid dynamics software for system simulation, such as the FLUENT program discussed above. The total force range can be used as a useful reference for selecting the number, size, and flow rate of the orifice. Especially when selecting the flow rate of the orifice, it is better to choose to generate negative pressure, but in terms of other parameters of the system (such as the total number of orifices, orifice spacing and orifice size), there is no excessive rate, that is, preferably The total force is less than or equal to the upper limit of the above range.

We have found that the average horizontal spacing, average orifice size, and average flow rate for the above ranges provide effective glass sheet transport with controlled variations in the spacing between the glass sheet and the bearing front surface. In particular, when the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing has an average flow rate in the range of 100-800 ml/min orifice, an average orifice size in the range of 1.0-4.5 mm, and an average horizontal spacing in the range of 20 to 55 mm, at 15 m. /min transport speed to test, the glass modulus used is 73GPa is 2 meters long, 2 meters high, 0.7 mm thick, at all points on the front surface of the bearing, between the glass piece and the front surface of the bearing The average time interval is in the range of 500-1000 microns, while the axis For all points on the front surface, the time-average peak-to-spike interval does not vary by more than 100 microns. This small change from the average spacing means that the possibility of any part of the glass sheet contacting the bearing during glass transport cannot be ignored. It also means that the possibility of the glass sheet becoming detached from the bearing cannot be ignored.

As noted above, the more complex the orifice is used, the more complex the situation becomes, and the more complex the situation becomes when using a orifice array. Figures 15 and 16 show the interactions between the bearings we found.

In Fig. 15, three bearings 3U, 3M and 3L project liquid 40 against the glass sheet 13. As indicated by the arrow 41, in fact, the liquid ejected from the bearing 3U interacts with the liquid ejected from the bearing 3M, and the liquid ejected from the bearing 3M (and some of the liquid ejected from the bearing 3U) and the ejected from the bearing 3L. Liquid interaction. In particular, we have found that when the three bearings are of the same flow rate, the spacing between the glass sheet 13 and the front surface of the bearing is greater than the bearing 3U in the bearing 3M and the bearing 3L, wherein the spacing of the bearings 3L is the largest. (Remember that since the glass piece 13 is very thin, it is highly elastic, so although the bearings 3U, 3M and 3L can be vertically aligned, the lower portion of the glass piece may still be bent away from the bearing 3M and the bearing 3L to produce a larger interval).

Figure 16 is a system for quantifying two bearings, such as bearings 3M and 3L of Figure 15. The horizontal axis of Figure 16 shows the average flow rate through the bearing 3L, while the vertical axis shows the spacing between the front surface of the bearing 3L and the glass sheet. The solid diamond data points show the zero interval through the bearing 3L, that is to say F M=0. As shown, the spacing to the glass piece will follow the level of the bearing 3L. The average flow rate increases and increases.

The open diamond data points show the average flow rate effect through the bearing 3M of 200 mm/min/flow. Moreover, the spacing between the bearing 3L and the glass sheet increases with the average flow rate through the bearing 3L, but all values now move up to a larger interval. Accordingly, in order to maintain an equal spacing between all of the bearings in the glass sheet and the bearing array, the operational parameters and/or physical properties of the bearings must be different. In particular, the operational parameters and/or physical properties of the bearings must be different so that the amount of liquid exiting the lower bearing is less than the amount of liquid ejected from the upper bearing. This can be done in a variety of ways.

For example, the average liquid flow rate of the lower bearing can be reduced. For example, the average flow rate through the bearing 3M of 200 mm / min / orifice, and the average flow rate through the bearing 3L of 150 mm / min / orifice can add up to the essence between the bearing 3L and the glass piece The same interval is taken as the average flow rate of 250 mm/min/flow through the bearing 3L alone. The same information can be generated in three or more bearings, reducing the average flow rate through the lower bearing, resulting in a fairly uniform spacing of the bearing to the glass in all bearings. (Note that in some applications it is best to have different spacings, which can be achieved by adjusting the average flow rate of the different bearings according to this instruction.)

As an alternative to using different flow rates, the physical properties of the bearings can be different. For example, the average horizontal spacing of the lower bearings can be made larger than the upper bearing, and/or the average orifice size can be made smaller. In many applications, the physical properties are better than the flow rate because the need to individually control/monitor the flow of liquid through each bearing can be avoided.

From the above we can see that the supplied liquid bearing can successfully transport flexible glass sheets, such as LCD substrates, at high speeds, such as 15 meters per minute and above. In order to achieve this result, the operating parameters and physical properties of the bearing are to be satisfied, preferably all of the following conditions: (a) the average flow velocity of the bearing orifice is in the range of 100-800 mm / min / orifice; b) The average horizontal spacing of the orifices is in the range of 20-55 mm; (c) the average size of the orifices is in the range of 1.0-4.5 mm. With these conditions, the time-averaged peak-to-peak variation between the LCD substrate passing through at a speed of 15 meters per minute and the bearing surface of the liquid exiting can be reduced to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the bearing's inability to control the substrate or substrate. The chance of hitting the bearing.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are capable of many changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure and the invention is protected by the following claims.

For example, any one or more of the following items may be specifically implemented in the present invention. Among them.

Item 1: A method of transporting a glass sheet in a substantially vertical direction, the method comprising: (a) providing a movable transport belt designed to contact an edge of the glass sheet and moving the glass sheet at a transport speed; (b) Providing a non-contact bearing designed to eject liquid to a portion of the major surface of the glass sheet; and (c) moving the glass sheet at a transport speed by contacting the edge of the glass sheet with a moving conveyor belt, on the one hand from a non-contact bearing Ejecting a portion of the liquid onto a major surface of the glass sheet; wherein the non-contacting bearing includes a plurality of orifices for ejecting liquid to a portion of the major surface of the glass sheet, and the method has at least one of the following characteristics: (i) from non-contact The average speed of the bearing to eject the liquid in the orifice is in the range of 100-800 ml / min / orifice; or (ii) the average horizontal spacing of the orifice is in the range of 20-25 mm; or (iii) the orifice The average size is in the range of 1.0-4.5 mm.

Item 2: The method of item 1, wherein the method has the feature (i).

Item 3: The method of item 2, wherein the liquid is sprayed by the non-contact bearing out of the orifice with an average flow rate of 125-300 ml/min/flow.

Item 4: The method of item 2, wherein the liquid is sprayed by the non-contact bearing out of the orifice at an average flow rate of 150-190 ml/min/flow.

Item 5: The method of any of items 1-4, wherein the method has the feature (ii).

Item 6: The method of item 5, wherein the average horizontal spacing of the orifices is in the range of 25-50 mm.

Item 7: The method of item 5, wherein the average horizontal spacing of the orifices is in the range of 30-40 mm.

Item 8: The method of any of items 1-7, wherein the method has the feature (iii).

Item 9: The method of item 8, wherein the average orifice size is in the range of 1.0 to 3.5 mm.

Item 10: The method of item 8, wherein the average orifice size is in the range of 1.25-2.25 mm.

Item 11: Any of the methods of item 1-10, wherein the method has features (i) and (ii).

Item 12: Any of the methods of item 1-10, wherein the method has features (i) and (iii).

Item 13: The method of any of items 1-10, wherein the method has characteristics (i), (ii) and (iii).

Item 14. The method of any of items 1-13, wherein the method further has the feature that the total force applied to the major surface of the sheet ranges from -0.6 Newtons to +0.6 Newtons.

Item 15: The method of any of items 1-14, wherein the method further has the following characteristics: when the transport modulus is 73 GPa and the size is 2 m long, 2 m high, and 0.7 mm thick glass, the transport speed is equal to At 15 m/min, the average time between the front end face of the bearing and the transport glass at all points on the front face is 500-1000 microns and the average peak-to-spike variation at all points on the front face is no more than 100 microns.

Item 16: A method of transporting a glass sheet in a substantially vertical direction, comprising: (a) providing a movable transport belt designed to contact the glass sheet Edge and moving the glass sheet at a transport speed; (b) ejecting the liquid to the upper end portion of the main surface of the glass sheet; and (c) ejecting the liquid to the lower end portion of the main surface of the glass sheet; and wherein: (i) the upper end portion is Vertically above the lower end portion; and (ii) the amount of liquid that is ejected to the upper end portion per unit time exceeds the amount of liquid that is ejected to the lower end portion per unit time.

Item 17: The method of item 16, wherein: (a) the liquid is sprayed to the upper end portion using the upper end non-contact bearing, and includes a plurality of orifices having an average horizontal spacing PU; (b) the liquid is injected to the lower end portion using the lower end non-contact bearing , which includes a plurality of orifices with an average horizontal spacing PL; and (c) PU and PL satisfy the following relationship: PL>PU.

Item 18. The method of item 17, wherein: the upper non-contact bearing and the lower non-contact bearing are any two adjacent members of the non-contact bearing array.

Item 19: A non-contact bearing for transporting a glass sheet having a plurality of orifice front end surfaces, the front end surface facing the glass sheet and the orifice exposing the liquid toward the main surface of the glass sheet during use of the bearing, wherein: The orifices are distributed on the front end surface to form at least one column that is horizontal during use of the bearing; and (b) the orifice has an average horizontal spacing P that satisfies the following relationship: 20 ≦ P ≦ 55, where P units are Mm.

Item 20: The non-contact bearing of item 19, wherein the orifice has an average size in the range of 1.0-4.5 mm.

2‧‧‧Transportation belt

3‧‧‧ Bearing

7‧‧‧ casters

10‧‧‧ device

13‧‧‧Stainless glass

14‧‧‧Power Converter

15‧‧‧ position sensor

16‧‧‧Output device

17‧‧‧ lead

18‧‧‧Support

20‧‧‧ front surface

22‧‧‧Rout

23,24,25‧‧‧Routing columns

31‧‧‧Support

40‧‧‧Liquid

41‧‧‧ arrow

49‧‧‧ platform

100‧‧‧High positive pressure area

110‧‧‧negative pressure area

120‧‧‧Low positive pressure area

1 and 2 are schematic views of a glass sheet transfer apparatus employing an array of non-contact injection liquid bearings. 1 is a front view and FIG. 2 is a side view.

Figures 3 through 7 show a graph of the calculation of the pressure distribution across the glass sheets from the flow of the orifices and the flow of liquid through the liquid orifice. Table 1 reveals that Figures 3 through 3 use specific parameters.

Figures 8 and 9 are schematic views of a device for transporting a glass sheet using a non-contact injection liquid bearing to test the effects of various parameters. Figure 8 is a front view and Figure 9 is a side view.

Figure 10 shows the surface before the non-contact injection of the liquid bearing.

Figure 11 is a pressure/flow hole pair in millimeters (kPa) of the glass sheet (y-axis) surface between the glass sheet and the front surface of the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing (x-axis). The interval diagram of the unit. The hatched portion of this figure shows the operating window of the bearing.

Figure 12 is a pressure/flow orifice pair in millimeters (kPa) between the glass sheet and the front surface of the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing (x-axis). The interval chart for the unit, the average horizontal spacing is 15, 30, 43 and 65 mm.

Figure 13 is a pressure/flow orifice pair in millimeters (kPa) of the surface of the glass sheet (y-axis) between the glass sheet and the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing (x-axis). The interval chart for the unit, the average orifice size is 0.5, 1.4, 3.0 and 5.0 mm.

Figure 14 is a pressure/flow hole pair in millimeters (kPa) of the glass sheet (y-axis) surface between the glass sheet and the front surface of the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing (x-axis). The interval chart for the unit, the average flow rate is 80, 190, 350 and 900 mm / min / orifice.

Figure 15 is a schematic view showing the interaction between the respective bearings of the bearing array of the non-contact ejection liquid.

Figure 16 is the average flow rate through the bearings above the two bearings at zero and 200 mm/min/flow, in millimeters (mm) between the glass sheet and the front surface of the non-contact liquid-emitting bearing (y-axis) The interval is the average flow rate in mm/min/perforation of the lower bearing through the two non-contacting liquid-emitting bearings (x-axis).

2‧‧‧Transportation belt

3‧‧‧ Bearing

13‧‧‧Stainless glass

14‧‧‧Power Converter

15‧‧‧ position sensor

16‧‧‧Output device

17‧‧‧ lead

18‧‧‧Support

Claims (2)

A non-contact bearing for transporting a glass sheet, comprising a front end surface having a plurality of flow holes, the front end surface facing the glass sheet and the flow holes facing the glass surface during use of the bearing a major surface ejecting liquid, wherein: (a) the orifices are distributed on the front end surface to form at least one row of horizontal orientation during use of the bearing; and (b) the orifices have an average horizontal spacing P, the average horizontal pitch P satisfies the following relationship: 20 ≦ P ≦ 55, where P is in mm. A non-contact bearing according to the first aspect of the patent application, wherein the orifices have an average size ranging from 1.0 to 4.5 mm.