TWI524962B - Separation of glass sheets from a laser-scored curved glass ribbon - Google Patents

Description

Separate glass sheets from a curved glass strip

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/286,961, filed on Dec. 16, 2009.

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for separating a glass sheet from a curved glass ribbon that has been scored by laser.

The following discussion relates to a glass ribbon that moves in a vertical direction, which is a typical application of the methods and apparatus disclosed herein. However, this direction is only assumed to assist the description and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure in any way.

It is customary to use mechanical tools to complete the marking of the glass. However, there are alternatives that use laser radiation, for example, CO ₂ laser radiation at a wavelength of 10.6 μm to heat the glass and create tensile stress via a temperature gradient. U.S. Patent No. 5,776,220, entitled "Method of Apparatus for Breaking Brittle Materials", and "US Patent No. "Control of median crack depth in laser scoring", for the use of lasers for the scoring of glass. Discussed in 6,327,875.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vent is created in the major surface 114 of the glass 112 along the reticle 115 during laser scribing. In order to create the via hole, a small initial crack 111 is formed on the surface of the glass near one edge of the glass surface, and then a small initial crack is formed by diffusing the laser beam 121 generated by the laser 141 and having the footprint 113 across the glass surface. The 111 is converted into a through hole, and then a cooling zone is generated by the cooling nozzle 119. Heating the glass with a laser beam and then immediately quenching it with a coolant creates a thermal gradient and a corresponding stress field that is responsible for the formation of vias that cause the initial crack to grow.

A system for laser scribing of a moving glass ribbon is described in US Pat. The line of motion of the glass ribbon, the linear track is inclined at an angle α.

Figures 2 and 3 of the present application provide a summary of the system of the '994 publication. In these drawings, reference numeral 13 denotes a glass ribbon, reference numeral 14 denotes a traveling carriage, reference numeral 15 denotes a linear track, reference numeral 11 denotes a support structure (support frame) for a track, and reference numeral 9 denotes a device for producing a glass ribbon, For example, a fusion draw machine. The '994 application discussed, viewed from the reference coordinates fixed (e.g., FIG. 2 of reference coordinates xyz), the glass ribbon speed of _{the glass ribbon} in the S direction vector 16 of movement, and speed of the carriage in _{the carriage} S The direction of the vector 17 is moved, wherein the S _{glass ribbon} , the S _bracket, and the angle α satisfy the following relationship:

S _bracket = S _{glass ribbon} / sinα. Equation (1)

In this manner, the carriage remains synchronized with the glass ribbon, or more precisely, the magnitude of the velocity component of the carriage parallel to the direction of motion of the glass ribbon is equal to the S- _{glass ribbon} . Therefore, viewed from the glass ribbon, the carrier is simply given by the following formula S _scribing speed in the moving direction of the vector 18, i.e., along a line perpendicular to the direction of movement of the glass ribbon across the glass ribbon 7:

S _scoring = S _bracket cosα. Equation (2)

As disclosed in the '994 publication, a light-emitting device that provides a laser beam and a nozzle that provides a flow of a cooling fluid (eg, water) are coupled to the carrier and, when the carrier moves along a linear track, form a spanning glass ribbon Through hole of width. In some embodiments, a mechanical scoring head (eg, a scoring wheel) is also coupled to the bracket to form an initial crack in the glass ribbon. Alternatively, initial cracks may be formed by equipment that is separate from the carrier.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of these aspects of the '994 publication, wherein the component symbols 21, 22 and 23 represent (1) the footprint of the cooling fluid, (2) the footprint of the laser beam, and (3) the initial crack, in the characterization The position at the beginning of the process, and the component symbols 31 and 32 represent the later time points after the initialization has been completed, the footprint of the cooling fluid, and the position of the footprint of the laser beam.

In the case of cutting a separate glass sheet 13 from the glass ribbon 33, the '994 publication relates to the use of conventional bending techniques in which an automatic machine with a suction cup grasps the glass ribbon underneath the score line and bends the glass ribbon, thereby causing it to Separated at the score line. In accordance with the present disclosure (see below), it has been found that the score lines produced by the laser have different characteristics than the score lines produced by the mechanical scoring device. Thus, the bending techniques that have long been used successfully for mechanically scribed glass ribbons have been found to cause undesirable edge quality to laser-scribed glass ribbons, for example, jagged, hackle-containing hackles. edge. As is known in the art to which the present invention is known, poor edge quality can result in rupture of the glass sheet and a higher degree of defect during subsequent handling and finishing operations. The present disclosure addresses this problem and provides a method and apparatus for the use of a bending technique for separating a glass sheet from a laser-marked glass strip wherein the quality of the edges is at least substantially equal to that achieved by mechanical scribing.

According to a first aspect, a method of making a glass sheet (13) is disclosed, and the method comprises the steps of:

(I) forming a glass ribbon (33) having a first side (501) and a second side (502);

(II) Forming a plurality of glass sheets (13) from the glass ribbon (33), each glass sheet (13) being produced by a process comprising the following steps:

(A) forming a score line (7) in the first side (501) of the glass ribbon (33) using a laser (141);

(B) separating the glass sheet (13) from the glass ribbon (33) at the score line (7), the separation process including rotating the sheet-engaging assembly (530) about the axis passing through the score line (7) to apply a bending moment To the laser-engraved glass line (7), the sheet-engaging assembly (530) includes a frame (520) and a plurality of tape/sheet holding devices carried by the frame (520) (eg, suction cups (510) The tape/sheet holding device engages at least the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33), and the distance between the score line (7) and the tape/sheet holding device closest to the score line (7) is L;

among them:

(i) during the step (II) (B), the convex portion (540) contacts the scribe line (7) of the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33), and the convex portion (540) is in the direction across the glass ribbon Flat; and

(ii) selecting a length L sufficient to contact the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33) before the rotation of step (II) (B) causes any glass sheet (13) to separate from the glass ribbon (33). A raised portion (540) that spans the overall width of the glass ribbon (33).

According to a second aspect, a method of enhancing the edge quality of a glass sheet (13) produced by a process is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of:

(I) forming a glass ribbon (33) having a first side (501) and a second side (502);

(II) Forming a plurality of glass sheets (13) from the glass ribbon (33), each glass sheet (13) being produced by a process comprising the following steps:

(A) forming a score line (7) in the first side (501) of the glass ribbon (33) using a laser (141);

(B) separating the glass sheet (13) from the glass ribbon (33) at the score line (7), the separation process comprising: rotating the sheet-engaging assembly (530) about the axis passing through the score line (7) while making the glass The second side (502) of the strap (33) contacts the projection (540), the projection (540) being flat across the direction of the glass ribbon, the sheet-engaging assembly (540) including the frame (520) and by the frame (520) Carrying a plurality of tape/sheet holding devices (eg, suction cups (510)), during rotation, the tape/sheet holding device engages at least the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33), the score line (7) and The distance between the strip/sheet holding device closest to the score line (7) is L; the method comprises the steps of increasing the L from the baseline value suitable for mechanical scoring in order to enhance the separation of the glass strip from the glass ribbon (33) (13) Edge quality.

According to a third aspect, a method of making a glass sheet (13) is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of:

(I) forming a glass ribbon (33) having a first side (501) and a second side (502);

(II) Forming a plurality of glass sheets (13) from the glass ribbon (33), each glass sheet (13) being produced by a process comprising the following steps:

(A) forming a score line (7) in the first side (501) of the glass ribbon (33) using a laser (141);

(B) separating the glass sheet (13) from the glass ribbon (33) at the score line (7), the separation process including rotating the sheet-joining assembly (530) about the axis passing through the score line (7) to apply the bending moment to At the laser-engraved glass line (7), the sheet-engaging assembly (530) includes a frame (520) and a plurality of strip/sheet holding devices (eg, suction cups (510)) carried by the frame (520), The tape/sheet retaining device engages at least the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33); wherein:

(i) during step (II), the projection (540) carried by the frame (520) engages the second side (502) of the glass ribbon (33) at the score line (7),

(ii) After step (II), the method includes the steps of moving the raised portion (540) away from the separated glass sheet (13) to expose the upper edge (690) of the glass sheet (13).

The apparatus for carrying out the above method is also disclosed.

The element symbols used in the various aspects of the above disclosure are only for the convenience of the reader, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the invention

The additional features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the Detailed Description of the Detailed Description of the Invention, which is to be understood by those skilled in the art. The drawings are also included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. It will be appreciated that various features of the invention disclosed in this specification and the drawings may be utilized in any or all combinations. Exemplary combinations of specific features that are additional aspects of the invention are set forth below.

According to a fourth aspect, in the method of any of the first to third aspects, the convex portion is carried by the frame.

According to a fifth aspect, in the method of any of the first to fourth aspects, the convex portion has a curved transverse cross section.

According to a sixth aspect, in the method of any of the first to fifth aspects, the convex portion has a circular transverse cross section.

According to a seventh aspect, in the method of any of the first to sixth aspects, the convex portion is rotatable about an axis parallel to the scribe line.

According to an eighth aspect, in the method of any of the first to seventh aspects, the glass ribbon is formed by a pull-down process.

According to a ninth aspect, in the method of any one of the first to eighth aspects, the glass piece is a substrate of the display device.

According to a tenth aspect, in the method of any of the second or fourth to ninth aspects, the frame is operated by an automaton and L is increased by changing one or more operational parameters of the automaton.

According to an eleventh aspect, the method of any one of the first to tenth aspect, further comprising the steps of: engaging the exposed top of the separated glass piece and transferring the glass piece to a subsequent processing station .

According to a twelfth aspect, in the method of any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the tape/sheet holding device includes a plurality of pads for engaging the first side of the glass ribbon, and A plurality of suction cups are coupled to the second side, and the method includes the steps of: using a liner to move the glass ribbon to engage the suction cup.

According to a thirteenth aspect, in the method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the convex portion is flat in a direction across the glass ribbon.

As described above, the present disclosure relates to the discovery that the score lines produced by the laser have different characteristics from the score lines produced by the mechanical scoring apparatus. Thus, when the mechanical scoring device produces a score line, it physically moves the glass at and below the scribe line of the glass surface. This process produces a large number of glass particles, many of which can be found buried in the glass at the score line and near the score line. As a result, if the mechanically scribed glass is simply allowed to remain as it is, even if no bending force is applied, it will usually spontaneously separate at the mechanical score, that is, the physical damage to the glass, as well as by the machinery. The stress caused by the sizing device pressing the particles entering the glass at the scribe line causes the spontaneous separation of the glass.

The engraved lines formed by the laser are very different. First of all, lasers usually do not remove the glass material from the score line, nor do they produce particles that are buried in the glass near the score line. Conversely, the laser operates by attenuating the chemical bonding at the location of the laser and cooling fluid. If the status quo is allowed to be maintained rather than spontaneously separated, the line drawn by the laser can actually heal, especially in a humid atmosphere where water can participate in the re-formation of chemical bonds. Thus, it has been found that separating the glass sheets from the glass ribbon at the line of the laser scoring is substantially different from separating the glass sheets at the mechanically scored lines.

In particular, for a glass ribbon having a curvature, it has been found that when a glass sheet separation process is carried out, a glass bending procedure that has been successfully used for mechanical marking is used for laser marking. In the case of lines, bad edge quality is produced, and everything else is equal. In fact, it has been found that the edge quality becomes poor and that a large percentage of the product glass cannot be used for the intended purpose, for example, as a substrate for a liquid crystal display.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, by modifying the bending process, before the portion of the glass ribbon containing the score line is not substantially flat, the separation is not started at the line marked by the laser, which can be overcome. Conventional bending techniques are used in the case of laser-engraved lines. In practice, where the glass is scored and where the separation occurs (generally referred to as "bottom of the draw" or BOD), the glass ribbon has a non-flat across-the-draw shape. This is especially true for glass ribbons composed of thin glass (for example, glass having a thickness of 0.7 mm or less) and having a large width (for example, 0.5 m or more). For example, the glass ribbon can be arcuate with its concave surface on either side of the glass ribbon. It is also possible for the glass ribbon to assume a more complex shape such as an M shape or a W shape.

5 and 6 illustrate an example of an arcuate glass ribbon 33 in which the concave surface of the glass ribbon faces the suction cup 510 of the sheet-engagement assembly 530 and the frame 520. As shown in these figures, the suction cup 510 and the projection 540 engage the second side 502 of the glass ribbon 33. Although the suction cup is used as the tape/sheet holding device in Figures 5 and 6, it should be understood that the holding device can have a variety of other configurations known or to be developed in the art to which the present invention pertains. For example, as depicted in Figures 11 through 15, the retaining device can include a pad that engages the first side 501 of the glass ribbon and a suction cup that engages the second side of the glass ribbon. The suction cups on the second side of the glass ribbon in Figures 11 through 15 can be replaced by a liner such that the glass ribbon is clamped between sets of pads that are joined to opposite sides thereof as another variation.

As shown in Fig. 7, during the separation process, the sheet-engaging assembly 530 can be rotated about the axis of the score line by, for example, the industrial robot 700, and the projection 540 can serve as a rotating terminator or fulcrum. In this figure, as in Figures 5 and 6, the laser-engraved line is located on the first side 501 of the glass ribbon, that is, on the side opposite the convex portion 540, and the frame and the tape/sheet holding device (The suction cup in this embodiment) rotates clockwise. As can be seen in Figure 6, because the glass ribbon is not flat, there is a gap 560 between the raised portion 540 and the second side 502 of the glass ribbon.

The rotation of the sheet-engagement assembly 530 applies a bending moment to the score line of the glass ribbon. When the bending moment becomes large enough, that is, when the stress caused by the bending in the glass exceeds the breaking stress of the glass, the glass ribbon is broken at the score line, thereby releasing the glass piece from the glass ribbon. A further description of the bending process can be found in U.S. Patent No. 6,616,025, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Initially, the unevenness of the glass ribbon at the convex portion, for example, the presence of the gap 560 in Fig. 6, is not considered to be related to the poor edge quality that can be seen by the laser scribing. However, through experiments and computer analysis, it can be judged that this unevenness actually causes poor edge quality. In particular, it has been found that if the glass ribbon is in an uneven state at the beginning of the glass sheet separation process, a large amount of shear stress develops along the line of the laser-engraved line. When the separation of the glass sheets releases this shear stress, jagged edges are created. In the case of mechanical scoring, the relatively simple separation of the score lines limits the amount of stress, including the amount of shear stress that can be generated prior to separation, so that even for non-flat glass ribbons, the resulting edge quality is acceptable. . On the other hand, in the case of laser scoring, the amount of stress allowed for a relatively difficult-to-separate reticle, including the amount of shear stress, is grown to an extent sufficient to produce jagged edges.

Experiments and computer analysis further show the stress at the reticle, which is related to the distance L between the scribe line and the closest strip/piece holder of the sheet-engagement assembly (in this particular embodiment, the suction cup) (see section 10). Figure). In particular, it has been experimentally observed that the separation must always begin in the region of the score line, with the score line being above or adjacent to the position of the holding device (eg, the suction cup). Computer analysis shows that the principal stress intensity at the reticle at this location depends on the distance L. This effect is illustrated in Figure 8, where the vertical axis shows the first principal stress (arbitrary unit) at the calculated score line and the horizontal axis shows the distance (also in arbitrary units) calculated from the center of the glass ribbon. The inner and outer edges of the retaining device (suction cup) are indicated by vertical lines 810 and 820. Curve 800 shows the calculated stress distribution baseline for the L value applicable to mechanical scoring, while curves 801 and 802 show the effect of reducing and increasing L by nearly 25%, respectively. As can be seen, increasing L reduces the stress at the score line (curve 802), while decreasing L increases the stress at the score line (curve 801).

From this analysis, it can be seen that by moving the closest tape/sheet holding device further away from the score line, the strength of the stress generated by the place can be reduced. This means that the sheet-engagement assembly can be further rotated about the score line before the separation of the glass sheets begins. Because such rotation causes the glass ribbon to lie flat against the convex portion, and in particular, because a greater degree of rotation is equivalent to flattening, the stress generated by increasing the L reduction allows the rotation of the sheet-engaging assembly to be large enough to substantially The glass ribbon is completely flat against the projections before the separation begins.

The flattening effect associated with the rotation of the sheet-engagement assembly is illustrated in Fig. 9, wherein the gap 560 is substantially reduced as a result of the rotation as compared to Fig. 6. Further rotation will bring the glass into contact with the projections, thus providing the desired substantially complete flat configuration. In this manner, that is, by increasing L, when the stress caused by the rotation eventually exceeds the breaking stress of the glass, the glass ribbon will have flattened against the convex portion, and thus will not be subjected to a large amount of shear stress. Without a large amount of shear stress, the edges of the glass sheets are not jagged, which is the desired result.

This way to improve the edge quality of the glass sheet from the laser-engraved glass ribbon depends on the convex portion remaining flat in the direction across the glass ribbon. However, it has been found that if the convex portion has a curved transverse cross section such that the second side of the glass ribbon is in contact with the convex portion substantially along a single line, the edge quality can be further enhanced. The convex portion thus curved is shown in Fig. 10. In this figure, the symbol 570 shows the direction of rotation of the patch-engagement assembly 530. The curved projections can be fixed or can be rotated about an axis parallel to the score line. A variety of materials are available for the projections, one of which is a silicone rubber. Similarly, the curved protrusions can have a variety of curvatures. For example, it has been found that a diameter of 50 mm is suitable for a projection having a circular transverse section. Although the convex portion having the curved transverse cross section can improve the edge quality, if necessary, the convex portion having other cross-sectional shapes (for example, square shape) can be used to carry out the flattening aspect of the present disclosure.

In practice, the reticle and the closest band can be determined by observing the gap 560 and increasing L until the separation is obstructed by a sufficient amount, causing the gap to close and the second side 502 of the glass ribbon to contact the protrusion before separation begins. / The distance L between the sheet holding devices, which produces an acceptable edge quality. Alternatively, the edge quality itself can be used as a parameter to determine if L is large enough, and L can be increased until the incidence of jagged edges is reduced to a desired level, for example, until there are substantially no jagged edges. In either case, the adjustment of L is straightforward, particularly when the sheet-joining assembly is operated by an industrial robot, where the change in L can be accomplished by changing one or more operating parameters of the robot.

It should be noted that since the longer L means that the sheet-engagement assembly 530 needs to rotate further around the score line before the split occurs, the action rate of the glass ribbon 33 sets an upper limit on the increase in L. For a given rate of rotation (e.g., the rate of rotation that can match the elastic properties of the glass), the rotating piece-engaging assembly 530 takes longer and, therefore, at some point in time, the speed of the separation process Will be behind the speed of glass ribbon production. However, in practice, it has been found that L can be increased to the extent that the problem of jagged edges can be substantially eliminated while still maintaining the rate of glass ribbon action.

11 through 16 illustrate a specific embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the above method for enhancing the edge quality of a glass sheet separated from the glass ribbon at the line of the laser scribing. This apparatus also illustrates a further aspect of the present disclosure in which the projections are integrated with the glass sheet handling equipment, the glass sheet handling equipment: (1) applying a bending moment to separate the glass sheets from the glass ribbon, and (2) moving the separated glass sheets Leave the glass ribbon and (3) transfer the separated glass sheets to the conveyor equipment that engages the top of the glass sheets. Such an integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly reduces cost and simplifies the equipment subordinate at the bottom of the stretch.

In addition to the use as a pivot (fulcrum) for the glass ribbon bending process, it is also possible to use the convex portion of the integrated component as a backing for forming an initial crack (see element symbol 23 in Fig. 4), or as A support for the entire scoring process that performs mechanical scoring rather than laser scribing. When used only for the formation of initial cracks, not as a fulcrum for glass sheet separation or as a mechanically scored support spanning the full width of the glass ribbon, the protrusions of the assembly need not extend across the full width of the glass ribbon, but only It is long enough to make an initial crack.

The integrated components of Figures 11 through 16 can be operated by an industrial robot, wherein the components are attached to the robot at, for example, a nominal center 670 of the device. As shown in Fig. 15, the assembly may include a vacuum crucible 620 positioned above and below the projections to collect the shards of glass produced when the glass sheets are separated from the glass ribbon. The vacuum crucible can be connected to a vacuum system (not shown) through a vacuum plenum 630. The integrated assembly can also include a connector assembly 650 of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 6,616,025, which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that the separation of the glass sheets can be allowed to automatically fall away from the traveling glass strip when separation occurs.

As noted above, in one embodiment, the assembly can utilize a glass sheet holding unit 660 that utilizes a suction cup that engages the second side 502 of the glass ribbon and a clamping pad that engages the first side 501 of the glass ribbon. The pneumatic pad 680 is used to move the clamping pad against the glass ribbon. In practice, the suction cup can be brought close to the second side of the glass ribbon and then the gripping pad can be used to press the glass sheet against the suction cup. A combination of the suction cup and the gripping pad like this can increase the support capacity, widen the process window, for example, can allow the glass belt to be used to exhibit a large and skewed bow at the stretched bottom, and reduce the suction cup consumption. When having a convex portion, the pad and the suction cup may be composed of various materials including, for example, silicone rubber.

The integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly also includes an air cylinder 640 for moving the projection into and out of a plane defined by the glass gripping unit, that is, when the glass ribbon has been engaged with the glass gripping unit, the glass ribbon The nominal plane on the two sides. In particular, when supporting the glass ribbon during mechanical scoring and separation of the glass sheets, the projections need to be positioned in this plane, but during the transfer of the glass sheets to subsequent operational equipment, the projections need to be positioned outside of this plane to expose The top edge of the glass piece. In an extended configuration (see Figures 11 through 14), the air cylinder moving projection enters the plane, and in the retracted configuration (see Figure 15), the air cylinder moves the projection away from the plane to expose the top edge 690. . Of course, other linkages than those shown in Figures 11 through 15 can be used to move the projection between the two points of the projection, for example, a servo motor can be used for this purpose.

Representative actions of the integrated raised/glass sheet operating assembly during the separation of the glass sheets from the moving glass ribbon are illustrated in Figures 11-15. Figure 11 shows the assembly before the glass ribbon is engaged, and Figure 12 shows the assembly just after engagement with the glass ribbon. Once engaged with the glass ribbon, the automaton moves the component down against the glass ribbon as the initial crack is formed and the laser scoring progresses. Thereafter, the robot rotates the assembly around the score line (or equivalently around the leading edge of the projection) to first flatten the glass ribbon against the projection and then separate the glass sheet from the glass ribbon. Figure 13 shows the resulting configuration of the system immediately after the glass sheets were separated from the glass ribbon. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 14, the automaton moving assembly and the separated glass sheets are separated from the glass ribbon. Finally, in Fig. 15, the cylinder 640 moves the projection away from the top edge of the glass sheet so that subsequent operational equipment can engage the glass sheet from above. The automaton then returns the assembly to the position shown in Figure 11 and repeats the aforementioned process for the next glass piece.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; The scope of the following claims is intended to cover the particular embodiments of the invention,

11. . . Support structure (support frame)

13. . . Glass piece

14. . . Travel bracket

15. . . Linear orbit

16, 17, 18. . . vector

111. . . Initial crack

112. . . glass

113. . . Footprint

114. . . surface

115. . . Mark line

119. . . Cooling nozzle

121. . . Laser beam

141. . . Laser

twenty one. . . Cooling fluid footprint

twenty two. . . Laser beam footprint

twenty three. . . Initial crack

31. . . Cooling fluid footprint

32. . . Laser beam footprint

33. . . Glass belt

501. . . First side

502. . . Second side

510. . . Suction cup

520. . . frame

530. . . Slice-connecting component

540. . . Convex

560. . . gap

570. . . Direction of rotation

630. . . Vacuum duct

640. . . Air cylinder

650. . . Connector assembly

660. . . Glass plate clamping unit

670. . . Nominal center

680. . . Pneumatic cylinder

690. . . Top edge

7. . . Mark line

700. . . Automatic machine

800, 801, 802. . . curve

810. . . Inner edge

820. . . Outer edge

9. . . device

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram depicting a laser scribing process.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram depicting a laser scoring system according to the '994 publication.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the operation of the bracket of Fig. 2 in more detail.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram depicting the location of the cooling fluid, the laser beam, and the initial crack at the beginning of the scribing process and at a later point in time.

Figure 5 depicts a schematic view of the patch-engagement assembly and the projections that engage the curved glass ribbon.

Figure 6 is a schematic view of the sheet-engagement assembly, the projections, and the curved glass ribbon of Figure 5 as viewed from above.

Figure 7 depicts a schematic representation of the rotation of the ribbon to create a bending moment at the score line.

Figure 8 is a plot of calculation data showing the effect of the change in distance between the score line and the strip/sheet holding device of the closest piece-engagement assembly (in particular, the closest suction cup in this example).

Figure 9 is a schematic view of the sheet-engagement assembly, the projections and the curved glass ribbon of Figure 5 as viewed from above after the glass ribbon has been rotated as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 10 depicts a schematic view of a convex portion having a curved cross section.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly in front of the glass ribbon.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly after the glass ribbon is engaged.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly just after separating the glass sheets from the glass ribbon.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly after the robot has removed the assembly and its attached separate glass sheets from the glass ribbon.

Figure 15 shows that the automaton has removed the assembly and its attached separate glass sheets from the glass ribbon and has removed the projections of the assembly from the top edge of the glass sheet to allow the operating equipment to engage the glass sheet from the top. After that, a perspective view of the integrated projection/glass sheet operating assembly.

Fig. 16 is a side view showing the convex portions in the figures 11 to 15 in more detail.

33. . . Glass belt

502. . . Second side

510. . . Suction cup

520. . . frame

530. . . Slice-connecting component

540. . . Convex

Claims (18)

A method of making a glass sheet comprising the steps of: (I) forming a glass ribbon having a first side and a second side; and (II) forming a plurality of glass sheets from the glass ribbon, each glass sheet Produced by a process comprising the steps of: (A) forming a score line in the first side of the glass ribbon using a laser; and (B) separating the glass sheet from the glass ribbon at the score line The separation process includes rotating a piece-engaging assembly about an axis passing through the reticle to apply a bending moment to the reticle of the laser scribed glass, the sheet-engaging assembly comprising a frame and by the frame a plurality of tape/sheet holding devices carried, the tape/sheet holding device engaging at least the second side of the glass ribbon, the distance between the score line and the tape/sheet holding device closest to the score line being L Wherein: (i) during the step (II) (B), a convex portion contacts the reticle of the second side of the glass ribbon, the convex portion being flat across the direction of the glass ribbon, wherein the convex portion Part is carried by the framework; and (ii) selecting a sufficiently long L such that in step (II)(B) Moving the glass sheet from causing any prior separation of the glass ribbon, the glass ribbon contacts the second side of the projecting portion substantially across the entire width of the glass ribbon. The method of claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a curved transverse cross section. The method of claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a circular transverse cross section. The method of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is rotatable about an axis parallel to the score line. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass ribbon is formed by a one-shot process. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass sheets are used for a substrate used in a display device. A method of enhancing the edge quality of a glass sheet produced by a process comprising the steps of: (I) forming a glass ribbon having a first side and a second side; and (II) from the glass ribbon Forming a plurality of glass sheets, each glass sheet being produced by a process comprising the steps of: (A) forming a score line in the first side of the glass ribbon using a laser; (B) separating the glass sheet from the glass ribbon at the score line, the separation process comprising the steps of: rotating a piece-engagement assembly about one of the axes through the score line while contacting the second side of the glass ribbon a convex portion that is flat in a direction across the glass ribbon, the sheet-engaging assembly comprising a frame and a plurality of tape/sheet holding devices carried by the frame, wherein the convex portion is carried by the frame, During rotation, the tape/sheet holding device engages at least the second side of the glass ribbon, the distance between the score line and the tape/sheet holding device closest to the score line is L; the method comprises the following steps: One of the baseline values for mechanical scoring is increased by L to enhance the edge quality of the glass sheets separated from the glass ribbon. The method of claim 7, wherein the framework is operated by an automaton and the L is increased by changing one or more operational parameters of the automaton. The method of claim 7, wherein the convex portion has a curved transverse cross section. The method of claim 7, wherein the convex portion has a circular transverse cross section. The method of claim 7, wherein the protrusion is rotatable about an axis parallel to the score line. A method of making a glass sheet comprising the steps of: (I) forming a glass ribbon having a first side and a second side; and (II) forming a plurality of glass sheets from the glass ribbon, each glass sheet Produced by a process comprising the steps of: (A) forming a score line in the first side of the glass ribbon using a laser; and (B) separating the glass sheet from the glass ribbon at the score line The separation process includes rotating a piece-engaging assembly about an axis passing through the reticle to apply a bending moment to the reticle of the laser scribed glass, the sheet-engaging assembly comprising a frame and by the frame a plurality of tape/sheet holding devices carried, the tape/sheet holding device engaging at least the second side of the glass ribbon; wherein: (i) during the step (II), a convex portion carried by the frame is The score line engages the second side of the glass ribbon, (ii) after step (II), the method includes the step of moving the projection away from the separated glass sheet to expose the upper edge of the glass sheet. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of: engaging the exposed top of the separated glass piece and the glass The slice is transferred to a subsequent processing station. The method of claim 12, wherein the tape/sheet holding device comprises a plurality of pads for engaging the first side of the glass ribbon, and a plurality of suction cups for engaging the second side, And the method comprises the steps of using the pads to move the glass ribbon to engage the suction cups. The method of claim 12, wherein the convex portion is flat in the direction across the glass ribbon. The method of claim 12, wherein the convex portion has a curved transverse cross section. The method of claim 12, wherein the convex portion has a circular transverse cross section. The method of claim 12, wherein the protrusion is rotatable about an axis parallel to the score line.