WO2014119458A1

WO2014119458A1 - Sheet material handling method, and sheet material handling device

Info

Publication number: WO2014119458A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/051345
Authority: WO
Inventors: 剛夫谷田; 和幸天山
Original assignee: 日本電気硝子株式会社
Priority date: 2013-02-04
Filing date: 2014-01-23
Publication date: 2014-08-07
Also published as: KR20150115723A; TWI541180B; CN104871303A; TWI570044B; KR102173674B1; TW201431763A; TW201627217A; CN104871303B

Abstract

Provided is a sheet material handling method that enables safe, quick, reliable, and efficient operation for transporting or loading sheet material subject to the influence of external force, such as thin plates of glass or glass sheets, to a subsequent step or onto a pallet and the like. The sheet material handling method, which handles sheet material (S) in continuous steps, handles the sheet material (S) in a curved state protruding in a direction of flow of the continuous steps. The continuous steps include a holding step of holding the sheet material (S), and a placing step of placing the sheet material (S) being held on an inclined surface (31). In the holding step, the sheet material (S) is held in the curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface (31). In the placing step, the hold of the sheet material (S) is released, and the sheet material (S) is placed on the inclined surface (31) while being returned to a flat state.

Description

Sheet material handling method and sheet material handling apparatus

The present invention relates to a sheet material handling method and a sheet material handling apparatus for handling a sheet material such as a glass sheet in a continuous process.

Thin glass used for liquid crystal substrate glass and the like is required to have nano-level smoothness, and is manufactured, for example, by an overflow downdraw method that does not require a polishing step. The overflow down draw method is a method in which molten glass is continuously supplied to an overflow tank formed in the upper part of a molded body having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, and the molten glass is allowed to overflow from the overflow tank so as to overflow the sidewall of the molded body. After flowing down along the bottom of the molded body to form a single plate-like form, when the plate glass of this form is solidified, by pulling it downward while holding it with a tension roller, This is a method for producing a single sheet glass. The thin glass produced by the overflow downdraw method is cut into a sheet of a predetermined size to form a glass sheet, conveyed to each step, and then loaded on a pallet. At this time, the thin glass is transported in a state where the vicinity of the upper end is held by the chuck so that the effective surface is not damaged, and is loaded on the pallet from that state.

Since thin glass has a large area while being lightweight, it is easily affected by external forces such as vibration, wind pressure and inertial force. In particular, as thin glass in recent years has been made thinner and the area has been increased to increase production efficiency, it is more susceptible to external forces during handling (for example, during transportation and loading). It is easily deformed by an external force. If the thin glass is affected by external force, for example, the thin glass may be deformed in an unexpected direction during transportation, and the stability during transportation will be impaired. There is also a risk of damage due to concentration. For this reason, it is difficult to increase the conveyance speed of the thin glass, which has been one of the factors that reduce the production efficiency.

Conventionally, as a device for transporting a glass substrate composed of a thin glass plate, there has been a glass substrate transport device configured to swing a holding means for holding a glass substrate in a direction perpendicular to the glass substrate surface (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

In the glass substrate transport apparatus of Patent Document 1, when wind pressure acts on the front surface of the glass substrate being transported, the sandwiching means tilts in the direction opposite to the transport direction, so that the wind pressure is released, thereby preventing the glass substrate from being damaged. It is easy to maintain the conveyance speed. There is also a device for stopping the swinging of the glass substrate in a short time when the conveyance of the glass substrate is stopped.

Further, as a conventional technique for stacking a glass sheet (glass plate) on a pallet, one in which the glass plate is stacked on a pallet is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

The glass plate stacking device of Patent Document 2 includes a glass adsorbing unit that adsorbs and holds a glass plate with an adsorbing pad, and an interleaf holding unit that holds an interleaf. Is operated, and glass plates and slip sheets are alternately stacked on the pallet. The glass plate stacking apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3 also loads a glass plate and a slip sheet alternately on a pallet by a robot.

JP 2011-190039 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-60063 JP 2008-162760 A

In the glass substrate transfer device of Patent Document 1, since the rigidity of the glass substrate becomes insufficient when the thickness of the glass substrate to be transferred becomes small, the upper and lower portions of the glass substrate have different bending conditions. It will be difficult to stop the oscillation of the glass substrate over time.

In addition, when continuously transporting glass substrates, it is necessary to keep the distance between the glass substrates at a certain level or more in consideration of the rocking width before and after the glass substrate being transported. Even if the speed can be increased, there is a problem that it is difficult to efficiently transport the glass substrate.

On the other hand, as in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, in the case where the glass plate is placed on the pallet, particularly when handling a thin glass sheet having a small thickness, as shown in FIG. After the glass sheet is held by the chuck and conveyed to the inclined surface of the pallet, (b) the chuck is released and placed on the pallet. However, at this time, (c) the thin plate glass may be folded back in the direction away from the pallet and damaged. In order to prevent the thin glass from being folded, it is conceivable that the thin glass is loaded in a state where the thin glass is sufficiently tilted to the placement surface side by laying the placement surface of the pallet. However, if the mounting surface of the pallet is largely laid, it is necessary to move the chuck holding the thin glass in the vertical and forward / backward directions when loading the thin glass on the pallet, which takes time to load. . Furthermore, since the installation area of a pallet with a large mounting surface is increased, the space efficiency of the loading device is also reduced.

Moreover, since the glass plate stacking apparatus of Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 lifts the effective surface of the glass plate by sucking it with a suction pad, the posture of the glass plate is greatly changed when the glass plate is loaded on the pallet. There is a need. At this time, external forces such as vibration, wind pressure, and inertial force act on the glass plate. Therefore, when the object to be loaded is a thin plate glass such as a liquid crystal substrate glass, the glass plate may be swung or bent. Could be damaged. Further, if the posture changes greatly when the glass plate is loaded on the pallet, the amount of movement until the glass plate is loaded on the pallet is inevitably increased, so that the efficiency of the loading operation is reduced. Further, when the effective surface of the glass plate is adsorbed by the adsorption pad, there is a problem that the surface of the glass plate is easily damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and for sheet materials that are easily affected by external forces such as thin glass and glass sheets, it is safe to carry them to the next process or load them onto pallets. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material handling method and a sheet material handling apparatus that can be performed quickly, reliably, and efficiently.

The characteristic configuration of the sheet material handling method according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a sheet material handling method for handling a sheet material in a continuous process, wherein the sheet material protrudes in the flow direction of the continuous process. It is to be handled in a curved state.

According to the sheet material handling method of this configuration, the sheet material is handled in a curved state protruding in the flow direction of the continuous process, whereby the stiffness (toughness) is generated in the sheet material and the bending rigidity can be increased. . For this reason, even when an external force such as vibration, wind pressure, or inertial force is applied to the sheet material during handling of the sheet, the sheet material can maintain a stable posture and prevent swinging, bending, breakage, and the like. .

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, the continuous process includes a holding process for holding the sheet material and a placing process for placing the held sheet material on an inclined surface. The sheet material is held in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface, and in the placing step, the holding of the sheet material is released and the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface while returning to a flat state. It is preferable.

According to the sheet material handling method of this configuration, since the sheet material is held in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface in the holding step, the bending rigidity in the vertical direction of the sheet material is increased during the holding step. The sheet material can be kept in the state.
In the placing step, the sheet material is elastically restored from the curved state to the original flat state, and placed on the inclined surface as it is. Here, if the holding | maintenance of the curved sheet material which protrudes with respect to an inclined surface is cancelled | released, a sheet | seat material will be mounted in an inclined surface, bouncing so that it may approach an inclined surface, and a folding will not generate | occur | produce easily. Therefore, the sheet material stacking operation can be performed quickly and reliably. Further, since the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface in a state where the bending rigidity is increased due to the bending, the sheet material is easily adhered to the inclined surface, and as a result, the sheet material is densely stacked on the inclined surface. be able to.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, a buffer sheet for protecting the sheet material is waited between the sheet material and the inclined surface, and in the holding step, the sheet material is received by the buffer sheet. Then, by deforming the buffer sheet, the sheet material is held in the curved state, and in the placing step, the holding of the sheet material is released in a state where the sheet material and the buffer sheet are stacked, It is preferable that the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface via a buffer sheet.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, the buffer sheet for protecting the sheet material is placed on standby between the sheet material and the inclined surface. It becomes possible to place it on the inclined surface in a state of being stacked on the surface. Further, when the buffer sheet receives the sheet material, the sheet material can be held in a curved state by deforming the buffer sheet. In this case, since the sheet material and the buffer sheet overlap with each other in a state where there is no gap, the sheet material is hardly displaced from the buffer sheet.
In the placing process, since the holding of the curved sheet material is released in a state where the sheet material and the buffer sheet overlap, the sheet material elastically returns from the curved state to the original flat state, and quickly becomes an inclined surface. Placed. At this time, the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface while being bounced so as to approach the inclined surface together with the buffer sheet, so that folding does not easily occur. Furthermore, since the sheet material and the buffer sheet are placed on the inclined surface in a stacked state, a large impact is less likely to be transmitted to the sheet material as compared with the case where the sheet material is placed alone. Therefore, even if the holding is released at a position relatively away from the inclined surface, the sheet material is hardly damaged, and the stacking operation can be executed safely.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, in the placing step, the holding of the sheet material is released in a state in which at least a part of the buffer sheet overlapped with the sheet material is in contact with the inclined surface, It is preferable that the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface via the buffer sheet.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, the holding of the sheet material is released and the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface in a state in which at least a part of the buffer sheet overlapped with the sheet material is in contact with the inclined surface. Thereby, the contact | adherence effect of a sheet | seat material or a buffer sheet | seat, and an inclined surface further increases, and a sheet | seat material can be closely stacked on an inclined surface.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the buffer sheet waiting between the sheet material and the inclined surface is held at the upper part and the lower part on both sides by a holder.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, the cushion sheet is held by the upper part and the lower part of both sides by the holder, so that when the cushion sheet receives the sheet material, the cushion sheet is unlikely to become wrinkles, It is possible to superimpose the sheet material and the buffer sheet in a state in which the sheet material and the buffer sheet are in contact with each other. In addition, since the posture when the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface is stable, the sheet material can be accurately positioned with respect to the inclined surface.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the holder is configured to be capable of adjusting a holding interval of the buffer sheet.

According to the sheet material handling method of this configuration, since the holding interval of the buffer sheet can be adjusted by the holder, the buffer sheet can be deformed into a more appropriate shape according to the curved state of the sheet material. . Further, if the holding interval of the buffer sheet is adjusted in a state where the sheet material and the buffer sheet are overlapped, the curved state of the sheet material can be adjusted.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that in the holding step, the sheet material is held in a curved state protruding from the inclined surface in a plan view.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, since the sheet material is held in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface in plan view, it is possible to particularly increase the rigidity of the sheet material against bending in the vertical direction. .

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, in the holding step, it is preferable to hold the sheet material in the curved state using a plurality of chucks capable of individually changing the timing of holding or releasing the sheet material. .

According to the sheet material handling method of this configuration, the posture when the sheet material is delivered to the buffer sheet by holding the sheet material using a plurality of chucks that can individually change the timing of holding or releasing the sheet material And time can be adjusted easily. Further, the buffer sheet is unlikely to become wrinkles when the sheet material is received, and can be overlapped in a state where the sheet material and the buffer sheet are in reliable contact.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, in the holding step, the sheet material is preferably held in a suspended state from above.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, since the sheet material is held in a suspended state from above, it is possible to increase the bending rigidity by curving the upper side of the sheet material that is particularly easy to be folded away from the inclined surface. it can. Further, if the sheet material is held in a suspended state from above, the curved state of the sheet material becomes gentler downward, and it is possible to place the sheet material on the inclined surface with the lower end side being substantially linear. If the sheet is held in this manner, the sheet material can be easily positioned with respect to the inclined surface. In addition, when the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface, the lower side of the sheet material and the inclined surface (the lower side of the buffer sheet and the inclined surface when the buffer sheet is interposed) are easily in close contact with each other. Misalignment with respect to the lower end of the inclined surface hardly occurs. Furthermore, because of the close contact effect, it is difficult to collect air between the stacked sheet materials, so that the sheet materials can be densely stacked on the inclined surface.

In the sheet material handling method according to the present invention, the continuous process includes a holding process for holding the sheet material and a conveying process for conveying the held sheet material, and in the conveying process, the sheet material is conveyed. It is preferably conveyed in a curved state protruding in the direction.

According to the sheet material handling method of the present configuration, since the sheet material being conveyed is in a curved state protruding in the conveyance direction, the bending rigidity in the vertical direction is increased. For this reason, even if external forces such as vibration, wind pressure, and inertial force act on the sheet material during conveyance, the sheet material maintains a stable posture and prevents the sheet material from swinging, bending, breakage, etc. be able to. Further, since the sheet material protrudes in the conveying direction, it is possible to easily receive the wind from the front to the rear. As a result, it becomes easy to increase the conveying speed of the sheet material, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

A characteristic configuration of a sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-described problem is a sheet material handling apparatus that handles a sheet material in a continuous process, and projects the sheet material in a flow direction of the continuous process. There exists in providing the curve formation part made into a curve state.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of this configuration, the sheet material is provided with a curve forming portion that projects in the flow direction of the continuous process, thereby generating stiffness (stickiness) in the sheet material and increasing bending rigidity. Can be increased. For this reason, even when an external force such as vibration, wind pressure, or inertial force is applied to the sheet material during handling of the sheet, the sheet material can maintain a stable posture and prevent swinging, bending, breakage, and the like. .

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, the sheet material is stacked on an inclined surface, and the curve forming portion can hold the sheet material in a curved state protruding from the inclined surface. At the same time, it is preferable to have a holding portion for releasing the holding of the sheet material and placing the sheet material on the inclined surface while returning the sheet material to a flat state.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of the present configuration, the sheet material can be continuously held in a state in which the bending rigidity in the vertical direction of the sheet material is increased, similarly to the above-described sheet material handling method, with respect to the inclined surface. When the holding of the protruding curved sheet material is released, the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface while being bounced so as to approach the inclined surface, and the folding is difficult to occur. Further, the sheet material can be easily adhered to the inclined surface, and as a result, the sheet material can be densely stacked on the inclined surface. Therefore, the sheet material stacking operation can be performed quickly and reliably.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, the sheet material is conveyed, and the curve forming unit has a holding unit capable of holding the sheet material in a curved state protruding in a conveyance direction, It is preferable to further include a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet material by moving the holding unit.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of this configuration, when the sheet material is conveyed, since the holding unit holds the sheet material in a curved state protruding in the conveyance direction, the sheet material being conveyed is curved and the bending rigidity in the vertical direction is increased. Will increase. For this reason, even if external forces such as vibration, wind pressure, and inertial force act on the sheet material during conveyance, the sheet material maintains a stable posture and prevents the sheet material from swinging, bending, breakage, etc. be able to. Further, since the sheet material protrudes in the conveying direction, it is possible to easily receive the wind from the front to the rear. As a result, it becomes easy to increase the conveying speed of the sheet material, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, the holding unit includes a plurality of chucks that hold the upper end portion of the sheet material in a suspended state, and the plurality of chucks hold the sheet material in a flat state. It is preferable to be configured to be changeable between a linear array that is an array and a curved array that is an array when the sheet material is held in a curved state.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of the present configuration, the plurality of chucks provided in the holding unit hold the upper end portion of the sheet material in a suspended state, so that the conveyance can be performed without contacting the effective surface of the sheet. In addition, since the arrangement of the plurality of chucks can be appropriately changed according to the situation, the holding operation and the conveying operation of the sheet material can be reliably performed.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of chucks are configured to be able to change the posture following the shape change of the sheet material while holding the sheet material.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of this configuration, when the sheet material is bent so as to protrude in the conveyance direction, the posture of the plurality of chucks can be changed following the curved shape of the sheet material. The curved state can be maintained without imposing a burden on the material. Even when the sheet material is returned to the original flat state, the postures of the plurality of chucks immediately change, and the sheet material can be held in an optimum posture.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, the plurality of chucks include an inner chuck that holds the inner side of the sheet material and an outer chuck that holds the outer side of the sheet material, and the conveyance direction of the sheet material is y When the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in the horizontal plane is the x direction, the inner chuck is configured to be free of movement in movement in the x and y directions and rotation in the xy plane, and the outer chuck is Preferably, the sheet material is changed between a flat state and a curved state by adjusting a relative position in the xy plane of the outer chuck with respect to the inner chuck. .

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of this configuration, the sheet material can be stably held from both the inside and the outside by providing the inner chuck and the outer chuck as a plurality of chucks. Also, the operation free range is changed between the inner chuck and the outer chuck. When the sheet material transport direction is the y direction and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction in the horizontal plane is the x direction, the inner chuck is in the x direction. And movement in the y-direction and rotation in the xy plane, and the outer chuck is configured to be operation-free in rotation in the xy plane. For this reason, if the outer chuck is moved in the x direction and the y direction, the held sheet material is curved according to the movement amount, and the outer chuck is moved within the xy plane according to the curvature of the sheet material. Rotate. The inner chuck moves in the x direction and the y direction and rotates in the xy plane so as to follow the curvature of the held sheet material. As a result, the plurality of chucks have a curved arrangement according to the curvature of the sheet material without performing complicated control, and can be easily curved without damaging the sheet material. Note that the shape (degree of bending) of the sheet material can be freely changed between the flat state and the curved state by adjusting the relative position of the outer chuck with respect to the inner chuck in the xy plane.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that a lock mechanism for fixing the arrangement of the plurality of chucks is provided.

According to the sheet material handling device of this configuration, when the sheet material is in a desired curved state, the lock mechanism can be operated to fix the arrangement of the plurality of chucks, so the posture of the sheet material during conveyance Can be made more stable.

In the sheet material handling apparatus according to the present invention, there is provided a return mechanism for returning the plurality of chucks from the curved array to the linear array when the plurality of chucks release the holding of the curved sheet material. It is preferable.

According to the sheet material handling apparatus of the present configuration, when the conveyance unit finishes conveying the sheet material in the curved state and releases the holding unit, the plurality of chucks are immediately recovered by the return mechanism when the next sheet material is taken. Since the curved array is returned to the linear array, the operation can be performed efficiently without interruption.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a glass sheet conveying apparatus. 2A is a front view of the outer chuck, and FIG. 2B is a plan view thereof. 3A is a front view of the inner chuck, and FIG. 3B is a plan view thereof. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship before and after the movement of the chuck holding the glass sheet. FIG. 5 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the glass sheet stacking apparatus. 6A is a front view of the operation free chuck, and FIG. 6B is a plan view thereof. FIG. 7 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a glass sheet stacking apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a glass sheet stacking apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a problem in placing a thin glass plate with a conventional glass sheet stacking apparatus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sheet material handling apparatus for carrying out the sheet material handling method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiments, the sheet material handling apparatus will be described as a sheet material conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet material or a sheet material stacking apparatus that loads a sheet material. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the configurations described in the embodiments and drawings described below.

<Sheet material conveying device>
A sheet material conveying apparatus which is one of the sheet material handling apparatuses of the present invention is an apparatus used for conveying a sheet material. The sheet material to be conveyed is a thin material having a certain degree of elasticity, and examples thereof include a glass sheet, a resin film, a paper product, a fiber product, a metal sheet, and a wooden sheet. In this specification, a glass sheet will be described as an example of the sheet material to be conveyed. Accordingly, in the following description, the sheet material conveyance device is treated as a “glass sheet conveyance device”.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100. In the figure, the steps of conveying the glass sheet G to the pallet 30 by the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 are shown step by step in the order of (a) to (e). The conveying direction of the glass sheet G is the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 includes a chuck 10 as a holding unit that holds the glass sheet G, and a base 20 as a conveying unit that conveys the glass sheet G. The chuck 10 serves as a curve forming portion capable of holding the glass sheet G in a curved state protruding in the flow direction of a continuous process. In addition, about the base 20, in order to make the operation | movement of the chuck | zipper 10 easy to see, it has shown with the virtual line (broken line). The glass sheet G to be conveyed is, for example, a thin glass sheet having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less manufactured by the overflow down draw method. A glass sheet G formed by cutting a thin glass sheet into sheets of a predetermined size is held in a suspended state at the upper end by the chuck 10, and the base 20 is operated in this suspended holding state to perform subsequent steps (for example, Pallet loading process).

The base 20 that conveys the glass sheet G includes a moving mechanism (not shown) that is driven by a driving source (not shown) such as a motor. A chuck 10 is attached below the base 20. A plurality of chucks 10 are provided so that the glass sheet G can be stably held. In the present embodiment, four chucks 10 a to 10 d are provided below the base 20 as the chuck 10. Among these, the

chucks

10a and 10d are outer chucks that hold the outside of the glass sheet G (close to the edge in the vertical direction), and the

chucks

10b and 10c are internal chucks that hold the inside (close to the center) of the glass sheet G. is there. As will be described later, the chucks 10a to 10d include a “linear array” that is an array when the glass sheets G are held in a flat state, and a “curve array” that is an array when the glass sheets G are held in a curved state. It is configured as a movable chuck that can be changed between. Further, the chucks 10a to 10d are configured as operation-free chucks that can change the posture following the shape of the glass sheet G while holding the glass sheet G. Here, the operation free chuck is a chuck that can operate freely in a direction in which the external force acts when an external force is applied. Further, the chucks 10a to 10d are configured so that the holding force can be adjusted so that the thin glass sheet can be held safely and reliably. The operations of the chucks 10a to 10d as a movable chuck and an operation-free chuck are as follows. When the conveyance direction A of the glass sheet G is the y direction and the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction A in the horizontal plane is the x direction, the movement in the x direction is performed. , Movement in the y direction, and rotation in the xy plane. In each of FIGS. 1A to 1E, the x direction and the y direction are shown. For reference, the length direction (longitudinal direction) of the glass sheet G held in a suspended state by the chuck 10 is shown as the z direction. The specific structure of the chucks 10a to 10d functioning as the movable chuck and the operation-free chuck will be described in detail in the item of “chuck configuration” described later.

When holding the flat glass sheet G before conveyance, the chucks 10a to 10d are arranged in a straight line as shown in FIG. 1 (a). In this linear arrangement, the chucks 10a to 10d are arranged at substantially equal intervals to suspend and hold the upper end portion of the glass sheet G (holding step). Further, while holding the glass sheet G, the chucks 10a to 10d pull the glass sheet G in the z direction to a position where the lower end portion of the glass sheet G is lifted in the air as necessary. When the holding of the glass sheet G is completed, the glass sheet G is transported in the transport direction A (y direction).

When the glass sheet G held by the chuck 10 is transported, the chucks 10a to 10d are arranged in a curved line on the curve as shown in FIG. In order to obtain a curved array, for example, the

chucks

10a and 10d located on the outer side are separated from the

chucks

10b and 10c located on the inner side in the transport direction A (that is, the y direction), and the transport direction. In the direction perpendicular to A (that is, the x direction), the chuck is moved in a direction approaching the

chucks

10b and 10c located inside. At this time, since the held glass sheet G is curved, the

chucks

10 a and 10 d that are configured to freely rotate are rotated in opposite directions so as to be in a posture along the curvature of the glass sheet G. And the chuck |

zipper

10b and 10c located inside move and rotate so that the curve of the glass sheet G currently hold | maintained may be followed. As a result, the chucks 10a to 10d are arranged in a curved shape protruding in the conveyance direction A of the glass sheet G. At the same time, the glass sheet G held by the chucks 10a to 10d is also in a curved state protruding in the transport direction A. At this time, since the upper end portion of the glass sheet G is held by the chucks 10a to 10d, the curved state of the glass sheet G is the steepest at the upper end portion and becomes gentler downward, and the lower end portion is almost a straight line. Become. In the curved state in which the glass sheet G protrudes in the transport direction A, the base 20 is driven to transport the glass sheet G in the transport direction A (transport process). At this time, since the glass sheet G is in a curved state, the rigidity (stickiness) against bending in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) of the glass sheet G is increased. For this reason, the glass sheet G is stable even when an external force acts on the glass sheet G, such as vibration is applied to the glass sheet G, wind pressure is applied from the front, or inertia force acts on the glass sheet G. Maintaining the posture, it is possible to prevent rocking, bending, and breakage. Moreover, since the glass sheet G protrudes in the conveyance direction A, the wind from the front can be easily received backward. As a result, it becomes easy to raise the conveyance speed of the glass sheet G, and it can improve manufacturing efficiency.

The base 20 conveys the glass sheet G to the position (loading position) of the pallet 30 as shown in FIG. Here, the pallet 30 has a placement surface 31 on which the glass sheet G is placed. The mounting surface 31 is configured by a rectangular surface having a size larger than that of the glass sheet G so that the glass sheet G can be received. The placement surface 31 is provided so as to be inclined at an inclination angle α such that the lower side of the rectangular surface is the front side and the upper side is the back side when viewed from the transport direction A. The inclination angle α of the mounting surface 31 can be set to an arbitrary value. For example, it is set in the range of 10 to 30 degrees, but is set to 18 degrees in the present embodiment. Since the placement surface 31 of the pallet 30 is inclined so as to fall from the near lower side to the far side, when the base 20 conveys the glass sheet G in the conveyance direction A, the glass sheet G is brought to the position of the pallet 30. When it arrives, the lower end part of the glass sheet G contacts the mounting surface 31 of the pallet 30 first. Since the lower end portion of the glass sheet G is almost in a straight line state as described above, it makes line contact with the placement surface 31 of the pallet 30. When the base 20 further advances in the transport direction A from this state, the glass sheet G is in close contact with the placement surface 31 so as to expand upward from the lower end side. Then, when the adhesion area of the glass sheet G to the mounting surface 31 has increased to some extent, the holding of the glass sheet G by the chucks 10a to 10d is released as shown in FIG. 1 (d). Then, the glass sheet G elastically returns from the curved state to the original flat state, and is loaded on the placement surface 31 of the pallet 30 as it is, as shown in FIG. When the glass sheet G is stacked on the placement surface 31, a buffer sheet is sandwiched between the glass sheet G and the placement surface 31 as necessary. When the glass sheets G are stacked, a buffer sheet is further arranged on the placed glass sheet G, and the glass sheets G are stacked so as to sandwich the buffer sheets.

When the placement of the glass sheet G on the pallet 30 is completed, the chucks 10a to 10d in the curved array return to the original linear array so that the next new glass sheet G can be held. Return to the position to hold the glass sheet G. The return of the chucks 10a to 10d from the curvilinear array to the linear array can be performed by performing an operation reverse to the operation of changing the array of the chucks 10a to 10d from FIG. 1 (a) to FIG. 1 (b). . In addition, in order to return the chucks 10a to 10d whose postures are changed by the operation free to the postures before the change, an elastic member (not shown) is attached to the chucks 10a to 10d to constitute a return mechanism, and the chucks 10a to 10d When the hold is released, it automatically returns to the original posture. In this case, when the glass sheet transport apparatus 100 finishes transporting one glass sheet G, releases the holding, and picks up the next glass sheet G, the chucks 10a to 10d are immediately returned from the curved array by the return mechanism. Therefore, the work can be efficiently transported without interruption. In this case, the elastic force (restoring force) of the elastic member may be set smaller than the elastic force of the glass sheet G.

<Chuck configuration>
2 and 3 show one of the plurality of chucks 10 provided in the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100. FIG. 2A is a front view of the chuck 10a which is an outer chuck, and FIG. 2B is a plan view thereof. (A) The inside of the blowing in the front view shows a state in which the holding portion 18 of the chuck 10a is rotated by 90 °. The chuck 10d, which is another outer chuck, has the same configuration as the chuck 10a. 3A is a front view of the chuck 10b, which is an inner chuck, and FIG. 3B is a plan view thereof. (A) The inside of the blowing in the front view shows a state in which the holding portion 18 of the chuck 10b is rotated by 90 °. The chuck 10c, which is another inner chuck, has the same configuration as the chuck 10b. As described above, the chucks 10a to 10d are configured as movable chucks that can change between a “linear array” and a “curved array”, and the glass sheet G is held while the glass sheet G is held. It is configured as an operation-free chuck that can change its posture following the shape of. As described above, the operations of the chucks 10a to 10d as the movable chuck and the operation free chuck are a combination of the movement in the x direction, the movement in the y direction, and the rotation in the xy plane. 3, the x direction and the y direction are indicated by double arrows.

As shown in FIG. 2, the

chucks

10a and 10d, which are outer chucks, include an x operation mechanism 11 including a guide portion 19 operable in the x direction and a y operation mechanism including a guide portion 19 operable in the y direction. 12. That is, the

chucks

10a and 10d are configured as chucks having a drive mechanism. The x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 are provided with a ball screw 13 and a motor 14, respectively. As the motor 14, it is preferable to use a servo motor capable of accurately controlling the moving distance (that is, the rotation speed). When the motor 14 rotates the ball screw 13 to operate the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12, respectively, the

chucks

10a and 10d move in the x direction and the y direction. When the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 are operated at the same time, the

chucks

10a and 10d move directly to the positions interpolated between both directions. At this time, the

chucks

10 a and 10 d are not restricted in rotating operation, and are configured to be free to rotate in the xy plane via the ball bearing 15. For this reason, the

chucks

10a and 10d rotate freely following the shape change of the glass sheet G being held, and change their postures. Therefore, even after the operations of the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 are completed, the glass sheet G does not receive stress from the

chucks

10a and 10d.

As shown in FIG. 3, the

chucks

10b and 10c, which are inner chucks, include an x moving mechanism 16 having a guide portion 19 movable in the x direction and a y moving mechanism having a guide portion 19 movable in the y direction. 17. The movable range (stroke) of the x moving mechanism 16 and the y moving mechanism 17 may be set smaller than the movable range (stroke) of the x operating mechanism 11 and the y operating mechanism 12 provided in the

chucks

10a and 10d. Further, the x moving mechanism 16 and the y moving mechanism 17 do not have a driving mechanism such as a ball screw or a motor provided in the x operating mechanism 11 and the y operating mechanism 12. The

chucks

10b and 10c are not restricted in operation in the x and y directions and in rotation, and are configured to be free of movement in the x and y directions and rotation in the xy plane. It can freely move and rotate following the shape of the glass sheet G, and its posture can be changed. Therefore, when the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 moves the

chucks

10a and 10d by controlling the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 that operate the outer chuck in order to bend the glass sheet G, the glass sheet G is moved accordingly. Is deformed, following the shape change of the glass sheet G, the x moving mechanism 16 and the y moving mechanism 17 provided in the inner chuck are operated, and the

chucks

10b and 10c are moved. In this case, since the

chucks

10b and 10c are operation free, the glass sheet G is not subjected to stress from the

chucks

10b and 10c.

As described above, since the chucks 10a to 10d can move so as to follow the shape of the glass sheet G being held, they can be changed between a linear array and a curved array. If the chucks 10a to 10d are configured as operation-free chucks as described above, the chucks 10a to 10d can move during the conveyance of the glass sheet G, but the shape of the glass sheet G changes during the conveyance. If it is not necessary, a lock mechanism for fixing the arrangement of the chucks 10a to 10d is preferably provided. The lock mechanism can be configured, for example, by providing a brake mechanism in each guide portion 19 of the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 and in each guide portion 19 of the x movement mechanism 16 and the y movement mechanism 17. In this case, the chucks 10a to 10d are locked in a curved arrangement and can be conveyed while maintaining the curved state of the glass sheet G, so that the posture of the glass sheet G during conveyance can be further stabilized. it can.

<Adjustment of chuck movement>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relative positional relationship before and after the movement of the chucks 10a to 10d holding the glass sheet G. FIG. The adjustment of the movement amount of the chucks 10a to 10d for setting the curved state of the glass sheet G will be described with reference to FIG. The curved state of the glass sheet G is appropriately determined according to the glass sheet G to be conveyed, but the curved state is set by adjusting the movement amount of the chucks 10a to 10d. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in a case where a glass sheet G having a width of 2000 mm is held at intervals of 500 mm by chucks 10a to 10d, the glass sheet G is curved so as to form an arc having a radius R = 1000 mm. The movement amount (Δx1, Δy1) of the chuck 10a is obtained as follows.
Δx1 = 750 (mm)-x1 ≒ 68 (mm)
Δy1 = 1000 (mm) −y1≈268 (mm)
As shown in FIG. 4, x1 and y1 in the above formula are the positions (x1, y1) of the chuck 10a after movement based on the center of the arc obtained by bending the glass sheet G.

Similarly, the movement amount (Δx2, Δy2) of the chuck 10b is obtained as follows.
Δx2 = 250 (mm)-x2 ≒ 3 (mm)
Δy2 = 1000 (mm) −y2≈31 (mm)
In the above formula, x2 and y2 are the positions (x2, y2) of the chuck 10b after the movement with reference to the center of the arc obtained by curving the glass sheet G, as shown in FIG.

The amount of movement of the chuck 10d and the chuck 10c can also be obtained by the same calculation as described above. The chuck 10d has substantially the same amount of movement as the chuck 10a, and the chuck 10c has substantially the same amount of movement as the chuck 10b. If the movement amount thus obtained is set in the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 and the

chucks

10a and 10d are moved, the chucks 10a to 10d become an arcuate curved array, and the glass sheet G is set. Can be deformed into a curved state. In this embodiment, since only the

chucks

10a and 10d need to be moved, complicated control is unnecessary.

As described above, according to the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100, it is possible to convey the glass sheet G in a state in which the glass sheet G is rigid as it is easily bent in the vertical direction. Therefore, the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 can be suitably used for conveying a thin glass sheet having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less or a G11 class glass sheet having a length exceeding 3000 mm. Further, the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 can be realized by a small-scale improvement in the conventional glass sheet conveying apparatus by simply replacing the fixed chuck with a movable operation free chuck. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the loading efficiency of the glass sheets G while suppressing the equipment cost, and it can be said that the apparatus is excellent in practicality.

<Another Embodiment of Sheet Material Conveying Device>
(1) In the above embodiment, the ball screw 13 and the motor 14 are used as drive sources for the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 that move the

chucks

10a and 10d in the x direction and the y direction. It is also possible to adopt a system in which a conductive actuator is connected to 10d and driven in the x and y directions, or a driving system using a belt. In this case, the configuration of the drive source can be simplified.

(2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the x operation mechanism 11 and the y operation mechanism 12 are driven and controlled so that the

outer chucks

10a and 10d move in the x direction and the y direction has been described. It is also possible to drive and control the rotation operation. In this case, since only one rotation driving motor is required for each of the

chucks

10a and 10d, the configuration of the drive source can be simplified.

(3) In the above embodiment, the driving source is connected only to the

outer chucks

10a and 10d, and the

inner chucks

10b and 10c are moved following the deformation of the glass sheet G accompanying the movement of the

chucks

10a and 10d. Although configured, it is also possible to connect a driving source to the

chucks

10b and 10c, and to comprehensively control the movement of all the chucks 10a to 10d in the x and y directions and the rotation operation in the xy plane. In this case, the arrangement of the chucks 10a to 10d can be positively switched, and the switching response can be improved.

(4) Although the four chucks 10a to 10d are provided as the chuck 10 for holding the glass sheet G in the above embodiment, the number of chucks 10 can be further increased. When the number of chucks 10 is set to 5 or more, the curved state of the glass sheet G can be set more finely. On the other hand, the number of chucks 10 may be at least three. In this case, the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

<Sheet material loading device>
A sheet material stacking apparatus, which is one of the sheet material handling apparatuses of the present invention, is an apparatus used for stacking sheet materials on an inclined surface. The sheet material to be stacked is the same as the sheet material handled by the above-described sheet material conveying apparatus. In this specification, a glass sheet will be described as an example of the sheet material to be stacked. Accordingly, in the following description, it is assumed that the sheet material stacking apparatus is handled as a “glass sheet stacking apparatus”.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200. In FIG. 5, the steps of holding and transporting the glass sheet G by the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 and stacking the transported glass sheet G on the pallet 30 are shown step by step in the order of (a) to (d). The conveyance direction of the glass sheet G is the direction shown by the arrow A during each process of FIG. The glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 includes a chuck 10 as a holding unit that holds the glass sheet G, and a base 20 to which the chuck 10 is attached. The chuck 10 serves as a curve forming portion capable of holding the glass sheet G in a curved state protruding in the flow direction of a continuous process. Thus, the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 has the same configuration as that of the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 described above. Therefore, the detailed description regarding the chuck 10 and the base 20 is omitted.

5 (a) to 5 (d), the x direction and the y direction are set in order to explain the operation and state of the glass sheet G. The x direction is a direction perpendicular to the transport direction A, and the y direction is the same direction as the transport direction A. For reference, the vertical direction is shown as the z direction. When holding the glass sheet G in a flat state before conveyance, the chucks 10a to 10d suspend and hold the upper end portions of the glass sheet G in a line at substantially equal intervals as shown in FIG. ). While holding the glass plate G, the chucks 10a to 10d pull the glass plate G in the z direction to a position where the lower end portion of the glass plate G is lifted in the air as necessary. When the holding of the glass plate G is completed, the glass plate G is transported in the transport direction A (y direction). The transported glass sheet G is placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 arranged at the transport destination (placement process).

When stacking the glass sheet G on the pallet 30, the buffer sheet S may be sandwiched between the glass sheets G in order to protect the effective surface of the glass sheet G. As the buffer sheet S, for example, a resin sheet having flexibility (for example, a non-crosslinked foamed polyethylene sheet “Miramat (registered trademark)” commercially available from JSP Corporation) is used. In the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 of this embodiment, the buffer sheet S is kept in a hollow standby state between the glass sheet G and the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. The buffer sheet S in standby is held on both sides in the width direction (x direction) by the holder 40. Note that the holder 40 can continue to hold the buffer sheet S as it is even after the glass sheet G has moved to the buffer sheet S, as will be described later. That is, the holder 40 holds the buffer sheet S, thereby indirectly holding the glass sheet G. Therefore, the holder 40 also has a function as a holding portion that holds the glass sheet G.

The holder 40 includes an upper holder 40a and a lower holder 40b, and holds an upper part and a lower part on both sides of the buffer sheet S. The posture of the buffer sheet S held by the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b is basically maintained parallel to the glass sheet G. However, the buffer sheet S in standby is preferably in a state in which at least a part thereof is in contact with the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 in order to smoothly perform the subsequent placing process. For example, the lower end portion of the buffer sheet S is in line contact with the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. In this case, positioning of the buffer sheet S with respect to the inclined surface 31 can be performed reliably. More preferably, a region extending from the lower end of the buffer sheet S to a predetermined width above is in surface contact with the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. In this case, in addition to improving the positioning accuracy of the buffer sheet S with respect to the inclined surface 31, due to the close contact effect between the buffer sheet S and the inclined surface 31, air between the buffer sheet S and the buffer sheet S and the inclined surface 31. Can be prevented from entering, so that the glass sheets G can be densely stacked on the inclined surface 31.

The upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b are configured to be movable along the x direction, and the holding interval of the buffer sheet S can be adjusted. Further, the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b can be moved in the x direction while holding the buffer sheet S. For this reason, for example, if the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b are moved in the direction approaching each other along the x direction while holding the buffer sheet S, the held buffer sheet S may be loosened. it can. The holding interval of the buffer sheet S by the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b can be set separately. In this case, the slackness of the buffer sheet S can be made different between the upper side and the lower side of the buffer sheet S. .

In executing the placing process, the base 20 is driven from the state of FIG. 5A and approached to the vicinity where the glass sheet G held by the chucks 10a to 10d contacts the outside of the buffer sheet S. At the time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the glass sheet G is released from the holding of the

outer chucks

10a and 10d, and the glass sheet G is further held in the state where the glass sheet G is held only by the

inner chucks

10b and 10c. Move forward. Here, the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b holding the buffer sheet S move slightly in the direction approaching each other along the x direction. Thereby, the buffer sheet S is in a slightly loosened state. Further, the buffer sheet S itself extends slightly. As a result, the glass sheet G comes into contact with the outer side of the buffer sheet S, and is bent so as to be wound backward, thereby being in a curved state. The curved state of the glass sheet G is the largest at the upper end side held by the

inner chucks

10b and 10c, becomes gentler downward, and can be made substantially linear at the lower end side. As will be described later in another embodiment, a driving mechanism is provided in at least a part of the chucks 10a to 10d, and the arrangement of the chucks 10a to 10d is changed to a curved shape, so that the glass sheet G is positively curved. It can also be formed. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the glass sheet G is in a curved state, the rigidity (stickiness) of the glass sheet G against bending in the vertical direction increases, and a stable posture can be maintained. For this reason, even if an external force such as vibration, wind pressure, or inertial force acts on the glass sheet G, it is possible to prevent the glass sheet G from being swung, bent, damaged, or the like.

Next, when the glass sheet G is further advanced in the transport direction A from the state of FIG. 5B, the curved glass sheet G held by the

inner chucks

10b and 10c is inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 in plan view. Therefore, the vicinity of the center in the width direction (x direction) of the glass sheet G (particularly, the vicinity of the center of the upper end of the glass sheet G) is in contact with the buffer sheet S that is waiting in the hollow state. Touch. At this time or just before this, the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b holding the buffer sheet S are appropriately moved in the direction approaching each other along the x direction, so that the buffer sheet S matches the curved state of the glass sheet G. To be deformed. Then, when the

chucks

10b and 10c holding the glass sheet G are released in this state, as shown in FIG. 5C, the curved glass sheet G is exchanged between the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b. It is received by the buffer sheet S loosened by the approach. At this time, since the glass sheet G overlaps with the buffer sheet S substantially in contact with the buffer sheet S, the buffer sheet S is unlikely to become wrinkles and air does not easily accumulate between the glass sheet G and the buffer sheet S. Therefore, the glass sheet G is not easily displaced from the buffer sheet S. In addition, since the glass sheet G is delivered to the buffer sheet S in standby, the movement amount (stroke) of the chucks 10a to 10d can be reduced as compared with the case where the glass sheet G is directly placed on the pallet 30. .

Next, the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b holding the buffer sheet S are released from the state of FIG. Then, the glass sheet G is elastically returned from the curved state to the original flat state while being overlapped with the buffer sheet S, and is placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 as shown in FIG. The inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 is configured by a rectangular surface having a larger size so that the glass sheet G and the buffer sheet S can be received. Further, the inclined surface 31 is provided so as to be inclined at an inclination angle α so that the lower side of the rectangular surface is the front side and the upper side is the back side when viewed from the conveyance direction A. The inclination angle α of the inclined surface 31 can be set to an arbitrary value, and is set, for example, in the range of 10 to 30 degrees, and is set to 18 degrees in the present embodiment. In the present invention, since the glass sheet G is placed on the pallet 30 from the state in which the bending rigidity is increased, the glass sheet G is inclined even when the inclination angle α of the inclined surface 31 is relatively small. It is difficult to turn back in a direction away from the surface 31. In addition, it is difficult for positional deviation with respect to the lower end of the inclined surface 31 to occur. Therefore, it is possible to reliably load the glass sheet G onto the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 while suppressing an increase in the movement amount of the chucks 10a to 10d.

In placing the glass sheet G on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30, as a procedure for releasing the upper holder 40 a and the lower holder 40 b holding the buffer sheet S, the holding of the upper holder 40 a is first released, and then It is preferable to release the holding of the lower holder 40b. In this case, when the upper holder 40a is released, the lower part of the cushioning sheet S is still fixed by the lower holder 40b, so that the lower end of the cushioning sheet S is positioned with respect to the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. The glass sheet G can be placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. For this reason, the shift | offset | difference of the stacking position of the glass sheet G decreases, and stacking accuracy improves. In addition, since the adhesion between the buffer sheet S and the inclined surface 31 is increased, air hardly accumulates between the stacked glass sheets G, and the glass sheets G can be densely stacked on the inclined surface 31.

In the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200, the chucks 10a to 10d can be configured as operation-free chucks, similarly to the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 described above. The operation of the chucks 10a to 10d as an operation-free chuck is one of movement in the x direction, movement in the y direction, and rotation in the xy plane, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 6 exemplifies the structure of the chuck 10a which is one of the outer chucks configured as an operation free chuck, and shows (a) a front view and (b) a plan view of the chuck 10a, respectively. (A) The inside of the blowing in the front view shows a state in which the holding portion 18 of the chuck 10a is rotated by 90 °. The chuck 10d, which is another outer chuck, has the same configuration as the chuck 10a. The basic configuration of the

chucks

10b and 10c, which are inner chucks, is the same as that of the

chucks

10a and 10d, but the movable range in the x direction and the y direction may be smaller than the

chucks

10a and 10d. As described above, the chucks 10a to 10d provided in the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 adopt the same configuration as the chucks 10a to 10d of the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100 described above, and can be operated similarly. Similarly to the glass sheet conveying apparatus 100, the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 may be provided with a lock mechanism that fixes the arrangement of the chucks 10a to 10d and a drive mechanism that actively changes the arrangement of the chucks 10a to 10d. it can.

After the chucks 10a to 10d release the holding of the glass sheet G, an elastic member (not shown) is attached to the chucks 10a to 10d in order to return the chucks 10a to 10d whose posture has changed due to operation free. Is attached to form a return mechanism, and when the holding of the chucks 10a to 10d is released, the return posture is automatically returned. In this case, when the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 finishes the conveyance of one glass plate G, releases the holding, and goes to pick up the next glass plate G, the chucks 10a to 10d are immediately returned from the curved array by the return mechanism. Therefore, the work can be efficiently transported without interruption. In this case, the elastic force (restoring force) of the elastic member may be set smaller than the elastic force of the glass plate G.

If the glass sheet stacking method of the present invention is executed using the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 described above, the glass sheet G is held in a curved state protruding from the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 in the holding step. Therefore, the rigidity with respect to the bending of the glass sheet G can be increased. For this reason, even if an external force such as vibration, wind pressure, or inertial force acts on the glass sheet G until the glass sheet G is held and placed on the inclined surface 31, the glass sheet G maintains a stable posture. Thus, the glass sheet G can be prevented from swinging, bending, breakage, and the like. Therefore, the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 can be suitably used for transporting a thin glass sheet having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less or a G11 class glass sheet having a length exceeding 3000 mm.

In the glass sheet stacking method of the present invention, in the placing step, the glass sheet G is elastically restored from the curved state to the original flat state and placed on the inclined surface 31 as it is. Here, if the holding | maintenance of the glass sheet G of the curved state which protrudes with respect to the inclined surface 31 is cancelled | released, since the glass sheet G will be mounted on the inclined surface 31 while bouncing so that it may approach the inclined surface 31, from the inclined surface 31 It becomes difficult to return in the direction of separation. In addition, it is difficult for positional deviation with respect to the lower end of the inclined surface 31 to occur. Therefore, the operation of loading the glass sheet G onto the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 can be performed quickly and reliably. Further, since the glass sheet G is placed on the inclined surface 31 from a state where the bending rigidity is increased by the bending, the glass sheet G is easily adhered to the inclined surface 31. As a result, the stacking operation of the glass sheets G can be performed quickly and reliably while densely stacking the glass sheets G on the inclined surface 31.

In addition, the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 of the present invention can be realized by a small-scale improvement in the conventional glass sheet conveying apparatus by simply replacing the fixed chuck with an operation free chuck. Therefore, it can be said that the efficiency of the stacking operation of the glass sheets G can be increased while suppressing the equipment cost, and the apparatus is excellent in practicality.

<Another Embodiment of Sheet Material Loading Device>
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the buffer sheet S is made to stand by between the glass sheet G and the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30, but the buffer sheet S is inclined to the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 (the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30). In the case where the glass sheet G is placed on the glass sheet G, the glass sheet G is placed in advance on the uppermost glass sheet G), and the placing process of the glass sheet G can be executed in that state. FIG. 7 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 according to another embodiment. In FIG. 7, as in FIG. 5, the steps of holding and transporting the glass sheet G by the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 and stacking the transported glass sheet G on the pallet 30 are stepwise in order of (a) to (d). It is shown.

In executing the placing process, the base 20 is driven from the state of FIG. 7A, and the buffer sheet on which the glass sheet G held by the chucks 10a to 10d is placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30. When approaching the vicinity of contact with S, as shown in FIG. 7B, the chucks 10a to 10d are changed to an arcuate curved array. Then, the glass sheet G is bent so that the outer side is wound backward, and is in a curved state. When the glass sheet G is brought close to the buffer sheet S and at least the lower end side of the glass sheet G comes into contact with the buffer sheet S, the glass sheet G is held by the chucks 10a to 10d as shown in FIG. Is released. Then, the glass sheet G is elastically restored from the curved state to the original flat state, and is loaded on the buffer sheet S placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 as shown in FIG. The

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the buffer sheet S waits in a flat state until it receives the glass sheet G, but it can also be kept in a slack state in advance. FIG. 8 is a plan view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 according to another embodiment. In FIG. 8, similarly to FIG. 5, the steps of holding and transporting the glass sheet G by the glass sheet stacking apparatus 200 and stacking the transported glass sheet G on the pallet 30 are stepwise in order of (a) to (d). It is shown.

In executing the placing process, the base 20 is driven from the state of FIG. 8A, and the glass sheet G held by the chucks 10a to 10d comes into contact with the outside of the buffer sheet S that is loosened. When approaching the vicinity, as shown in FIG. 8B, the chucks 10a to 10d are changed to an arcuate curved array. Then, the glass sheet G is bent so that the outer side is wound backward, and is in a curved state. In this state, the glass sheet G is further advanced. When at least the glass sheet G contacts the outside of the buffer sheet S, the holding of the glass sheet G by the chucks 10a to 10d is released as shown in FIG. Then, the curved glass sheet G is received by the buffer sheet S that has been slackened. At this time, by moving the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b holding the buffer sheet S in the directions approaching each other along the x direction, the shape of the glass sheet G that is curving the shape of the buffer sheet S Make sure to match. As a result, since the glass sheet G overlaps with the buffer sheet S in a substantially entirely contacted state, the buffer sheet S is unlikely to become wrinkles and air does not easily accumulate between the glass sheet G and the buffer sheet S. Therefore, the glass sheet G is not easily displaced from the buffer sheet S. It is also possible to reduce the degree of slackening of the buffer sheet S when the glass sheet G is received with the buffer sheet S in standby being loosened. Next, the upper holder 40a and the lower holder 40b holding the buffer sheet S are released from the state of FIG. Then, the glass sheet G is elastically returned from the curved state to the original flat state while being overlapped with the buffer sheet S, and is placed on the inclined surface 31 of the pallet 30 as shown in FIG.

(3) In the above embodiment, the four chucks 10a to 10d are provided as the chuck 10 for holding the glass sheet G. However, the number of chucks 10 can be further increased. When the number of chucks 10 is set to 5 or more, it becomes easy to optimize the timing when the glass sheet G is delivered to the buffer sheet S, and further the accuracy of delivery of the glass sheet G to the buffer sheet S is improved. be able to. On the other hand, the number of chucks 10 may be at least three. In this case, the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

The sheet material handling apparatus and the sheet material handling method of the present invention can be used in the case of conveying a glass sheet or loading a glass sheet on a pallet or the like, but it is a material other than glass and has a certain degree of elasticity. It can also be applied to transporting and stacking thin materials such as resin films, paper products, textile products, metal sheets, wooden sheets and the like.

10 Chuck (holding part)
10a, 10d

outer chuck

10b, 10c inner chuck 11 x operation mechanism 12 y operation mechanism 13 ball screw 14 motor 15 ball bearing 16 x movement mechanism 17 y movement mechanism 18 clamping unit 19 guide unit 20 base (conveying unit)
30 Pallet 31 Inclined surface 40 Holder (holding part)
40a Upper holder 40b Lower holder 100 Glass sheet conveying device (sheet material handling device)
200 Glass sheet stacking device (sheet material handling device)
G Glass sheet (sheet material)
S Buffer sheet A Conveying direction

Claims

A sheet material handling method for handling sheet material in a continuous process,
The sheet material handling method which handles the said sheet material in the curved state which protrudes in the flow direction of the said continuous process.
The successive steps include
A holding step for holding the sheet material;
A placing step of placing the held sheet material on an inclined surface;
Including
In the holding step, the sheet material is held in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface,
The sheet material handling method according to claim 1, wherein in the placing step, the holding of the sheet material is released and the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface while returning to a flat state.
A buffer sheet for protecting the sheet material is placed on standby between the sheet material and the inclined surface,
In the holding step, the sheet material is received by the buffer sheet, and by deforming the buffer sheet, the sheet material is held in the curved state,
3. The placement step according to claim 2, wherein the holding of the sheet material is released in a state where the sheet material and the buffer sheet are overlapped, and the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface via the buffer sheet. Sheet material handling method.
In the placing step, the holding of the sheet material is released in a state in which at least a part of the buffer sheet overlapped with the sheet material is in contact with the inclined surface, and the sheet material is removed via the buffer sheet. The sheet material handling method according to claim 3, wherein the sheet material is placed on the inclined surface.
The sheet material handling method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the buffer sheet waiting between the sheet material and the inclined surface holds an upper part and a lower part on both sides by a holder.
The sheet material handling method according to claim 5, wherein the holder is configured to be capable of adjusting a holding interval of the buffer sheet.
The sheet material handling method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein in the holding step, the sheet material is held in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface in a plan view.
The sheet material according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein in the holding step, the sheet material is held in the curved state by using a plurality of chucks capable of individually changing the timing of holding or releasing the sheet material. Sheet material handling method.
The sheet material handling method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein in the holding step, the sheet material is held in a suspended state from above.
The successive steps include
A holding step for holding the sheet material;
A transporting process for transporting the held sheet material;
Including
The sheet material handling method according to claim 1, wherein in the conveyance step, the sheet material is conveyed in a curved state protruding in a conveyance direction.
A sheet material handling apparatus that handles sheet materials in a continuous process,
A sheet material handling apparatus comprising a curve forming portion that makes the sheet material in a curved state protruding in the flow direction of the continuous process.
A sheet material handling apparatus for loading the sheet material on an inclined surface,
The curve forming portion can hold the sheet material in a curved state protruding with respect to the inclined surface, and release the holding of the sheet material to return the sheet material to a flat state while returning to the inclined surface. The sheet | seat material handling apparatus of Claim 11 which has a holding part to mount.
A sheet material handling apparatus for conveying the sheet material,
The curve forming portion has a holding portion capable of holding the sheet material in a curved state protruding in the conveyance direction,
The sheet material handling apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet material by moving the holding unit.
The holding portion includes a plurality of chucks that hold the upper end portion of the sheet material in a suspended state,
The plurality of chucks are configured to be changeable between a linear array that is an array when the sheet material is held in a flat state and a curved array that is an array when the sheet material is held in a curved state. The sheet material handling device according to claim 13.
15. The sheet material handling apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of chucks are configured to be able to change postures following the shape change of the sheet material while holding the sheet material.
The plurality of chucks includes an inner chuck that holds the inner side of the sheet material, and an outer chuck that holds the outer side of the sheet material,
When the conveyance direction of the sheet material is the y direction and the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction in the horizontal plane is the x direction, the inner chuck is free to operate in the movement in the x direction and the y direction and the rotation in the xy plane. Configured, the outer chuck is configured to be free of movement in rotation in the xy plane,
The sheet material handling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sheet material is changed between a flat state and a curved state by adjusting a relative position of the outer chuck in the xy plane with respect to the inner chuck.
The sheet material handling apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein a lock mechanism for fixing the arrangement of the plurality of chucks is provided.
18. A return mechanism is provided for returning the plurality of chucks from the curved array to the linear array when the plurality of chucks release the holding of the curved sheet material. The sheet material handling apparatus described in 1.