WO2023046695A1

WO2023046695A1 - Device for processing a multiple glazing unit

Info

Publication number: WO2023046695A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/076127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Katarzyna Chuda; Erwan BAQUET; Pierrick FLORIN
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France
Priority date: 2021-09-21
Filing date: 2022-09-20
Publication date: 2023-03-30
Also published as: FR3127141A1; FR3127141B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for processing a used multiple glazing unit (2), comprising a conveying assembly (3) suitable for the flat transport of the multiple glazing unit (2), and a fragmentation assembly (4) suitable for fragmenting the glazing units (2') of the multiple glazing unit (2) during said transport.

Description

Title of the invention: MULTIPLE GLAZING TREATMENT DEVICE

The present invention relates to the field of building glazing for interior and exterior applications and more specifically, to the recycling of used multiple glazing (double or triple glazing). The invention relates in particular to a device for treating multiple glazing, as well as the associated treatment method.

[0002] The recycling of multiple glazing is today a problem of primary importance, having in particular for stakes the reduction of the costs of vitrifiable raw material and the reduction of the environmental footprint of the newly manufactured products.

Such multiple glazing (windows) are generally in the form of double glazing or triple glazing. The term “double glazing” means a set of two glazing units spaced apart and separated by a gas or vacuum layer and by “triple glazing” a set of three glazing units spaced apart and separated by two respective layers of gas or vacuum. Traditionally, the glazing is separated two by two by an intermediate frame (spacer) made of metal, generally aluminum, as well as by sealing joints to ensure the tightness of the gas blades.

[0004] In a problem of recycling for the manufacture of flat glass, it is now necessary to separate the glass from the other components (non-glass) of the multiple glazing. Such a separation is traditionally operated mechanically, that is to say via a direct contact action, and involves the fragmentation of the glazing composing said used window, as evidenced by patent document WO2020/002640.

[0005] However, experience in the field has shown that during the mechanical fragmentation of multiple glazing, for example using hammers, a significant quantity of glass remained attached to the spacer frame, up to approximately 25% of the total mass of glazing contained in a window. In the particular case of windows incorporating laminated glazing and/or frames flexible spacers, which absorb part of the energy of fragmentation, the part of glazing remaining attached to the frame, and therefore not recovered, is greater than 50%, hence an equivalent loss of efficiency.

The invention aims to respond to the drawbacks described above. More particularly, in at least one embodiment, the proposed technique relates to a device for processing used multiple glazing, comprising a conveying assembly suitable for transporting said multiple glazing flat, and a fragmentation assembly suitable for fragmenting the panes of said multiple panes during said transport, said processing device being characterized in that it comprises an assembly for cutting the panes of said multiple panes arranged upstream of said fragmentation assembly.

[0007] Throughout the description, the fragmentation of the glass designates the action of breaking, breaking into pieces, crushing, breaking the glazing of a used multiple glazing (a window). Intuitively and for illustrative purposes, the front and rear, as well as the upstream and downstream of the device are defined along the longitudinal axis of the conveyor assembly, which is thus defined as a mechanical device suitable for transporting a used window flat, from its rear end (located upstream) to its front end (located downstream). Such a conveying assembly is preferably formed of one or more band or belt conveyors.

[0008] Within the meaning of the invention, the generic term “cutting” refers to the material division of a previously united assembly. By this action, the glass of a multiple glazing can thus be separated, separated, disunited, disjointed, disassembled from its frame. The term “cutting” also encompasses the action of notching the surface of the glass, in order to physically delimit the portion of the glazing intended to be separated from the frame. We then speak of pre-cut glazing.

[0009] The arrangement of a glazing cutting assembly upstream of the fragmentation assembly makes it possible to limit the quantity of glass remaining integral with the frame at the end of treatment, and thus to increase the percentage of glass recovered on each treated multiple glazing. According to a particular embodiment, said multiple glazing is double or triple glazing for the building, which preferably comprises at least one laminated, tempered and/or annealed glazing.

[0011] According to a particular embodiment, said cutting assembly comprises a cutting system of the mechanical, laser and/or water jet type.

According to a particular embodiment, said cutting assembly is of the mechanical type and comprises a series of wheels/discs or segmented wheels (diamond or other) which preferably move either by oscillation or on a rail in a single movement to create the fracture in the glass.

[0013] Within the framework of the processing of a laminated glass, the implementation of a laser-type cutting system has the advantage of allowing the interlayer film to be degraded at least in part, in order to make the subsequent fragmentation easier. glazing.

According to a particular embodiment, said cutting system is mounted on a movable arm above and/or below the multiple glazing. According to an alternative embodiment, said cutting system is mounted on a frame whose dimensions are adjustable to those of the multiple glazing to be cut.

[0015] According to a particular embodiment, said cutting assembly comprises a visual detection system adapted to determine the geometric dimensions of the glazings of the multiple glazing.

According to a particular embodiment, said visual detection system comprises at least one camera and a processing module suitable for determining from one or more images transmitted by the camera, the geometric dimensions of the glazing integrated in said glazing multiple.

According to a particular embodiment, said visual detection system is also suitable for determining whether said multiple glazing comprises laminated glazing and/or tempered glazing.

[0018] A processing device thus adapted for the detection of particular glazing can modify the processing method to be implemented accordingly, depending on the multiple glazing to be processed. Thus, in the presence of laminated glazing, to which an interlayer film gives increased resistance to fragmentation, the glazing cutting step proves to be essential, whereas the subsequent fragmentation step is optional. By contrast, in the presence of a tempered or annealed glazing, which is more difficult to cut and tends, if necessary, to break into a multitude of small fragments, it is preferable not to implement the cutting step, for be limited to the single fragmentation step.

According to a particular embodiment, said cutting assembly comprises a holding system adapted to immobilize said multiple glazing during the cutting step.

According to a particular embodiment, said holding system is in the form of an adjustable frame to the dimensions of the glazing.

According to a particular embodiment, said processing device comprises at least one sorting device for the spacer frame of said multiple glazing, arranged between said cutting assembly and said fragmentation assembly.

[0022] By the term “selective sorting”, we mean any action making it possible to collect, recover, extract the frame(s) of the multiple glazing in order to move it away, to separate it spatially from the previously cut glazing.

[0023] The arrangement of such a selective sorting device downstream of the cutting assembly, and upstream of the fragmentation assembly, makes it possible to extract the frame before the fragmentation step, in order to limit the risks of pollution of the fragmented glass by components of said frame.

[0024] According to a particular embodiment, the selective sorting device comprises a magnet, which makes it possible to isolate the metal spacer frames from the cut glazing. According to alternative embodiments, the sorting device implements an optical detection system coupled to a bar or air jet ejection system.

According to a particular embodiment, said processing device has a width of less than 2.55 meters, a length of less than 6.20 meters, and a height of less than 3 meters. [0026] A processing device satisfying such dimensional constraints can advantageously be transported to a deconstruction site, in a truck container.

[0027] According to a particular embodiment, the invention relates to a processing method characterized in that it comprises a step of processing used multiple glazing by means of a processing device comprising a conveying assembly adapted to flat transport of said multiple glazing, and a fragmentation assembly suitable for fragmenting the glazing of said multiple glazing during said transport, said processing device comprising an assembly for cutting the glazing of said multiple glazing arranged upstream of said fragmentation assembly.

[0028] According to a particular embodiment, said processing method implements said cutting assembly for a step of cutting the glazings of said multiple glazing close to their visible edges.

[0029] Within the meaning of the invention, the visible edges of the glazings of a window designate the peripheral edges of these glazings as perceived by an outside observer, and thus correspond to the limit between the said glazings and their spacer frame. A person skilled in the art will be able to adjust or program the exact positioning of the cutting tools close to these visible edges, so that, taking into account the margins of error of said tools, a maximum of glass is cut without removing portions of the interlayer frame . In practice, the distance separating the cutout area from the visible edges is of the order of a millimeter.

[0030] According to a particular embodiment, said processing method comprises a step of visually determining the geometric dimensions of the glazings of the multiple glazing before said cutting step.

[0031] It is thus possible to automate the step of cutting the glazing close to their visible edges.

[0032] According to a particular embodiment, said processing method comprises a step of selective sorting of the spacer frame of said multiple glazing, subsequent to the cutting step and prior to the fragmentation step. [0033] According to a particular embodiment, said processing method comprises a subsequent step of separate collection of the fragmented glass on the one hand, and of the frame of said window on the other hand. The glass and the frame being of different composition, their separate collection, for example in separate receptacles or bins, facilitates recycling.

According to a particular embodiment, at least one of the cutting and fragmentation steps is implemented, depending on the multiple glazing to be processed.

According to a particular embodiment, the invention relates to a computer program downloadable from a communication network and/or recorded on a recording medium adapted to be read by a computer and executed by a processor, comprising a instruction code for implementing such a processing method.

This program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form.

According to a particular embodiment, the invention relates to a computer recording medium, on which such a computer program is recorded.

The recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a read only memory, a rewritable non-volatile memory, for example a USB key, an SD card, an EEPROM, or even a magnetic recording means, for example a Hard disk. The recording medium can also be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method. The recording medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means. The program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded onto a computer network.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of particular embodiments, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting examples, and appended figures, for which:

[0040] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a fragmentation device according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0041] [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a cutting device implemented in a fragmentation device according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a cutting device implemented in a fragmentation device according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

[0043] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the successive steps of a method for treating multiple glazing according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

The various elements illustrated by the figures are not necessarily represented on a real scale, the emphasis being more on the representation of the general operation of the invention.

In the various figures, unless otherwise indicated, the reference numerals which are identical represent similar or identical elements.

[0046] As illustrated by Figure 1, a treatment device 1 for a used multiple glazing 2, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, comprises a conveying assembly 3 adapted for flat transport of the glazing multiple 2, and a fragmentation assembly 4 suitable for fragmenting the glazings 2' of said multiple glazing 2 during said transport. Said processing device 1 comprises in particular an assembly 5 for cutting the glazings 2′ of said multiple glazing 2 arranged upstream of said fragmentation assembly 4.

Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the successive steps of a processing method implementing such a device. During a first step not illustrated, a multiple glazing 2 is loaded at the rear end of the processing device 1, on a conveyor 6 of the cutting assembly 5. Use is then made of a detection device optical, in this case a camera 7, to determine (step S1) the positioning, the dimensions and the nature of the multiple glazing 2. The various glazings 2' integrated into the multiple glazing 2 are then cut out (step S2) at the periphery, close to the inner edge of their spacer frame 8, to be separated therefrom.

According to the particular embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, such a cutting step S2 is carried out by means of a mobile laser 9. Such a cutting system 9 can however take different forms. Thus, according to alternative embodiments, the cutting system 5 is of the water jet type and is driven either by a mechanical arm or by a frame adjustable to the dimensions of the multiple glazing 2, as illustrated respectively by the Figures 2 and 3. Throughout this cutting step S2, the multiple glazing 2 is preferably held in position via a dedicated device.

Once the glazing 2' has been separated from the spacer frame 8, a selective sorting step (step S3) is implemented, during which the spacer frame, which in this case is metallic, is extracted from the process at means of an electromagnet 10. According to alternative embodiments, and in particular when the intermediate frame is made of plastic, the selective sorting is implemented via an optical detection system coupled to a bar or jet ejection system. 'air. The cut glazings 2' are transferred onto a second conveyor 3 in order to be brought to the level of the fragmentation assembly 4. According to a particular embodiment, and as illustrated by FIG. 1, such an assembly fragmentation comprises a rotating cylinder equipped with a plurality of hammers which strike and fragment (step S4) the panes 2′ into a multitude of glass fragments 2″ which are collected downstream.

According to a particular embodiment, at least one of the S3 cutting and S4 fragmentation steps is implemented, depending on the multiple glazing 2 to be processed. Thus, in the presence of a laminated glazing, to which an interlayer film confers increased resistance to fragmentation, the step of cutting out the glazing is implemented without a subsequent step of fragmentation of the glazings 2′ cut out. By contrast, in the presence of a tempered or annealed glazing, which is more difficult to cut and tends, if necessary, to break into a multitude of small fragments, the cutting step is not implemented and all of the multiple glazing is directly transferred to the fragmentation assembly, to be fragmented there.

Claims

[Claim 1 ] 1 . Device (1) for processing used multiple glazing (2), comprising a conveying assembly (3) adapted for flat transport of said multiple glazing (2), and a fragmentation assembly (4) adapted to fragment the glazing (2') of said multiple glazing (2) during said transport, said processing device (1) being characterized in that it comprises a cutting unit (5) for the glazing (2') of said multiple glazing (2) arranged upstream of said fragmentation assembly (4).

[Claim 2] 2. Processing device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said cutting assembly (5) comprises a cutting system (9) of the mechanical, laser and/or water jet type.

[Claim 3] 3. Processing device (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said cutting assembly (5) comprises a visual detection system (7) adapted to determine geometric dimensions of the glazing (2') of the multiple glazing (2).

[Claim 4] 4. Treatment device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said visual detection system (7) is also suitable for determining whether said multiple glazing (2) comprises laminated glazing and/or glazing soaked.

[Claim 5] 5. Processing device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said cutting assembly (5) comprises a holding system adapted to immobilize said multiple glazing (2) during the cutting step.

[Claim 6] 6. Processing device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises at least one selective sorting device (10) of the spacer frame (8) of said multiple glazing (2 ), arranged between said cutting assembly (5) and said fragmentation assembly (4).

[Claim 7] 7. Treatment device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it has a width less than 2.55 meters, a length less than 6.20 meters, and a height less than 3 meters.

[Claim 8] 8. Process for treating used glazing characterized in that it comprises a step for treating used multiple glazing (2) by means of a processing device (1) comprising a conveyor assembly (3) adapted for flat transport of said multiple glazing (2), and a fragmentation assembly (4) adapted to fragment the glazing (2') of said multiple glazing (2) during said transport, said processing device (1) comprising a cutting assembly (5) for the glazing (2') of said multiple glazing (2) arranged upstream of said fragmentation assembly (4).

[Claim 9] 9. A method of treating used glazing according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one step of cutting (S2) and/or fragmentation (S4) of the glazing (2') of said multiple glazing is implemented.

[Claim 10] 10. A method of treating used glazing according to claim 9, characterized in that the cutting step (S2) implements the cutting assembly (5) close to the visible edges of said glazing ( 2').

[Claim 11] 11. Process for treating used glazing according to one of Claims 9 and 10, characterized in that it comprises a step of visual determination (S1) of the geometric dimensions of the glazing (2') of the glazing multiple (2) before said cutting step (S2).

[Claim 12] 12. Process for treating used glazing according to one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a selective sorting step (S3) of the spacer frame (8) of said multiple glazing (2 ), subsequent to the cutting step (S2) and prior to the fragmentation step (S4).

[Claim 13] 13. Computer program downloadable from a communication network and/or recorded on a recording medium adapted to be read by a computer and executed by a processor, comprising an instruction code for implementing a treatment process according to one of claims 8 to 12.

[Claim 14] 14. Computer recording medium on which is recorded a computer program according to claim 13. |