Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03B—MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
  • C03B29/00—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins
  • C03B29/04—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins in a continuous way
  • C03B29/06—Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins in a continuous way with horizontal displacement of the products
  • C03B29/08—Glass sheets
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P40/00—Technologies relating to the processing of minerals
  • Y02P40/50—Glass production, e.g. reusing waste heat during processing or shaping
  • Y02P40/57—Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method of heating glass panels for tempering, said method comprising heating horizontal glass panels by upper and lower convection blast and by upper and lower radiation heating, reading information that represents a load of the glass panels and that is used for the control and/or regulation of heating, controlling and/or regulating the upper radiation heating in the way of a matrix by a profiling both in a conveying direction and in a direction lateral thereto.
• the present invention relates to an apparatus for heating glass panels for tempering, said apparatus comprising horizontal conveyor rolls, upper and lower convection blast elements and upper and lower radiation heating elements, a detector capable of reading information that represents a load of the glass panels, control devices for controlling and/or regulating the convection blast elements and radiation heating elements by means of the load-representing information, and said upper and lower radiation heating elements being divided in a conveying direction and in a direction lateral thereto into segments which have their heating effects adapted to be independently controlled and/or regulated.
• This type of method and apparatus are capable of heating also the bottom side of glass in a profiled manner in a direction lateral to the conveying direction.
• a drawback is that production is relatively inflexible. I n other words, running a mixed production, which may involve a considerable variation in glass panel sizes, will be awkward and insufficient in terms of the adjustment of radiation heating and convection blast. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate or substantially mitigate the above drawbacks.
• One of the objectives for a method and apparatus of the present invention is to provide flexible production by virtue of heat regulation capabilities.
• a method of the present invention is characterized in that at least the upper convection blast is controlled and/or regulated in various sections of the lehr in the way of a matrix by a profiling both in a conveying direction and a direction lateral thereto, and that the relative blast effects of convection blast elements successive in the conveying direction are regulated to provide a profiling in the conveying direction.
• an apparatus applying a method of the present invention is characterized in that the upper convection blast elements are divided in the conveying direction and in a direction lateral thereto into segments or blocks which have their blast effects in various sections of the lehr adapted to be controlled and/or regulated in the way of a matrix, and that the convection blast elements are provided with associated regulators for the regulation of relative blast effects of the successive convection blast elements.
• Fig. 1 shows schematically an apparatus of the invention
• Fig. 2 shows schematically a control for upper convection blast elements
• Fig. 3 shows schematically a control for lower convection blast elements.
• a glass panel is designated with reference numeral 3.
• the apparatus comprises a conveyor, which is indicated by reference numeral 1.
• the conveyor comprises successive transfer rolls 2, having their longitudinal axes set in a common horizontal plane.
• the glass panel 3 is carried in a conveying direction K into a lehr 4 for heating the glass panel 3 therein.
• the glass panel 3 Prior to its transfer into the lehr 4, the glass panel 3 has its pertinent information read by a detector 9 provided for this purpose.
• the detector 9 includes at least one line camera 9c.
• a light source 9a is disposed below the glass panel 3 and directed at an acute angle relative to a normal of the glass panel 3.
• the light source 9a is used for transmitting light (indicated by a dashed line) to the glass panel's 3 surface.
• the light reflected from the glass panel's 3 bottom is directed by means of a deflection mirror 9b to the camera 9c.
• the camera 9c transmits the image information to a control system 21 , 23 of the apparatus over a transmission path 20.
• I mage information is preferably first transmitted to a logic 21 or a corresponding processing device for interpreting and processing the image information therein.
• the logic interprets the light reflected to the camera as a glass panel.
• the image information is processed for appropriate control data or a parameter, which is transferred further to a heating control and regulation device 23 over a transmission path 22.
• Other prior known devices used for identifying articles can of course be employed as well.
• the lehr 4 includes upper radiation heating elements 5, a number of which are disposed both side by side laterally to the conveying direction and successively along the conveying direction. According to the example shown in fig. 2, the number of radiation heating elements 5 is four side by side and four in succession.
• the electric power supplied to each upper radiation heating element 5 is controlled and regulated independently by means of the control and regulation device 23, the adjusted electric powers being delivered therefrom over transmission paths 5b to the radiation heating elements 5.
• the lehr 4 is provided with lower radiation heating elements 6, a number of which are disposed both side by side laterally to the conveying direction (for example four) and successively along the conveying direction (for example four).
• the electric power supplied to each lower radiation heating element 6 is controlled and regulated independently by means of the control and regulation device 23, the adjusted electric powers being delivered therefrom over transmission paths 6b to the radiation heating elements 6.
• the lehr 4 is further provided with upper convection blast pipes 7a for delivering convection air to the glass panel's 3 top surface.
• Fig. 2 illustrates schematically one inventive way of disposing the convection blast pipes 7a above the glass panel 3 in the lehr 4, as well as for controlling and regulating the same.
• Fig. 2 visualises a basic concept of the invention, according to which the upper convection blast pipes 7a are divided both in a direction lateral to the advancing direction of a glass panel 3 and along the advancing direction of a glass panel 3 into segments for various sections of the lehr. I n each section of the lehr, the glass panel 3 can have the same spot of its top surface subjected to a desired blast effect.
• each individual radiation heating element 5 is provided in its vicinity with discrete convection blast pipes 7a, such that the pipes 7a and the radiation heating elements 5 have their lengthwise dimension essentially in alignment with an advancing direction K of the glass panels 3.
• the pipes 7a are disposed in four parallel zones.
• each parallel zone is divided in the glass panel's 3 advancing direction K, i.e. lengthwise of the lehr, into four successive zones. Accordingly, the convection blast as a whole consists of sixteen components distributed in various sections of the lehr.
• the blast air is preferably delivered from a compressor's pressure vessel P to a main supply pipe 70.
• the main supply pipe 70 is branched for four supply pipes 7.
• Each supply pipe 7 is in turn provided for one lateral zone of the lehr 4 to be in communication with each of the four convection blast pipes 7a of the relevant zone.
• This is implemented preferably by providing branch pipes 7b between the supply pipe 7 and each convection blast pipe 7a.
• the air is blasted by way of holes formed in the bottom part of a convection blast pipe 7a to the top surface of a glass panel 3 presently underneath the discussed pipe 7a (see fig. 1 ). I nstead of holes, it is conceivable to employ for example jet pipes as described in the Applicant's patent application PCT/ FI 03/00673.
• pressure regulators 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d In association with all four supply pipes 7 are provided pressure regulators 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. Each individual regulator is used for regulating a blast pressure of the supply pipe 7 in communication therewith and thereby concurrently a blast pressure or a total amount of air of the four convection blast pipes 7a present in the respective lateral zone.
• the regulator 12a is used for regulating the first lateral zone in the lehr 4.
• the regulators 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are controlled according to control data supplied over respective transmission paths 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d. This enables an independent regulation regarding the blast effects of each lateral zone.
• each branch pipe 7b is fitted with valves 10. Controlling the valves 10 in a subsequently described manner enables varying the amounts and/or blasting times of convection air delivered through a convection blast pipe 7a in communication with a respective branch pipe.
• the valves 10 are controlled according to control data supplied from the control and regulation device 23 over transmission paths 11 a, 11 b, 11c and 11 d. I n this case, control of the valves 10 is organised by controlling simultaneously the valves 10 of those convection blast pipes 7a which are located in one lengthwise zone, i.e. essentially in succession.
• valves 10 are on/off type valves but, as desired, can be supplemented with a stepless or stepped regulation for the amount of convection air.
• convection blasts in successive pipes can all be switched on at the same time, but the relative blast effects thereof can be regulated by means of the regulators 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d set in connection with the supply pipes 7 for providing a lengthwise profiling in the convection blast.
• convection blasts in parallel pipes of a lateral zone can be switched on and off at various times for various durations for providing a lateral profiling in the convection blast.
• the apparatus in addition to the upper convection blast pipes 7a, the apparatus includes also lower convection blast pipes 8a.
• Fig. 3 depicts a schematic view for applying a convection blast from below to the glass panel's 3 bottom surface.
• the blast air is preferably delivered from a pressure vessel P to a main supply pipe 80 which is branched for four supply pipes 8.
• Each supply pipe 8 is in turn provided for one lateral zone of the lehr 4 to be in communication with each of the four convection blast pipes 8a of the relevant zone.
• a pressure regulator 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d set in communication with each of the four supply pipes 8 is used for regulating a blast pressure in the supply pipe 8 presently in communication with the regulator.
• the regulators 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d are controlled according to control data supplied from the control and regulation device 23 over transmission paths 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d.
• the control applies to a blast pressure or a total amount of air of the four convection blast pipes 8a located in the respective lateral zone, as described in reference to the top-side convection blast pipes. This enables an independent regulation regarding the blast effects of each lateral zone.
• Each branch pipe 8b is fitted with valves 14, which can be controlled for varying the amounts and/or blasting times of convection air delivered through a convection blowpipe 8a in communication with a respective branch pipe.
• the valves 14 are controlled according to control data supplied from the control and regulation device 23 over transmission paths 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, also in this case preferably by controlling simultaneously the valves 14 of those convection blast pipes 8a which are located in one lengthwise zone, i.e. essentially in succession.
• the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, but can be modified in many aspects.
• the number of lengthwise and lateral zones may vary, control and regulation for various zones can be provided also in other ways than connected in series by way of the branch pipes 7b, 8b.
• Each convection blast pipe can be controlled and regulated independently as desired.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Re-Forming, After-Treatment, Cutting And Transporting Of Glass Products (AREA)
• Tunnel Furnaces (AREA)
• Joining Of Glass To Other Materials (AREA)
• Resistance Heating (AREA)
• Waste-Gas Treatment And Other Accessory Devices For Furnaces (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32104256

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (10)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2004
  • 2004-04-07 FI FI20045128A patent/FI120734B/fi active IP Right Grant
• 2005
  • 2005-03-16 AT AT05717341T patent/ATE471919T1/de active
  • 2005-03-16 US US10/558,677 patent/US8322162B2/en active Active
  • 2005-03-16 RU RU2005141135/03A patent/RU2312821C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-03-16 WO PCT/FI2005/050088 patent/WO2005097694A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2005-03-16 CN CNB2005800004139A patent/CN100363284C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-16 EP EP05717341A patent/EP1737800B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-16 MX MXPA06011572A patent/MXPA06011572A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2005-03-16 JP JP2007506793A patent/JP2007532452A/ja active Pending
  • 2005-03-16 DE DE602005021961T patent/DE602005021961D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-16 BR BRPI0509768-1A patent/BRPI0509768A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2005-03-16 CA CA002528447A patent/CA2528447A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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