WO2019186065A1

WO2019186065A1 - Improved conveyor assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2019186065A1
Application number: PCT/FR2019/050702
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicolas CORDERO; Lorenzo CANOVA; Nicolas DESBOEUFS; Jean-Phlippe SCHWEITZER; Daniel LIEBREICH
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France
Priority date: 2018-03-29
Filing date: 2019-03-27
Publication date: 2019-10-03
Also published as: CN112074474A; EP3774610A1; FR3079507A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor assembly (100) for the travelling of a sheet-type glass product, said assembly comprising a first part (101) and a second part (102), each part comprising a frame (103) on which conveyor elements (110) for allowing the travelling of said glass product are arranged, the travelling taking place from the first part to the second part, the first part and the second part being arranged such that there is a space between the conveyor elements of the first part and the conveyor elements of the second part, characterised in that at least the conveyor elements of the first part are mounted movably in at least one direction of adjustment in order to be moved so as to modify the distance between the conveyor elements of the first part and the conveying elements of the second part.

Description

IMPROVED CONVEYOR ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to the field of conveying glass substrate.

PRIOR ART

Currently, the glass sheets are transported to the production and processing and packaging plants via conveyor means 1. These conveying means are generally in the form of rollers 2 arranged on a frame 3, some rollers 2 are driven by an engine. These rollers driven by motors can send a displacement pulse to said glass sheets, the other rollers allowing the sheet to slide. These conveying means form conveying lines as can be seen in FIG.

However, in some cases, these conveyor lines are not continuous, that is to say that there are gaps between the different parts. These spaces may be present when going from one conveyor line to another or in the case of a heat treatment.

Indeed, for the case of a laser heat treatment, a space is necessary so that the laser beam can be arranged and its beam recovered, thereby avoiding any interaction with the conveyor line.

However, in the case of transporting a sheet of glass, this can be a problem.

Indeed, glass is a material that deforms by gravity or when it is subjected to a temperature gradient, especially during a heat treatment, significantly when it is in the form of a large plate and fine. There is a risk, with this space between the conveying lines, of appearance of bending of the glass. This bending will be maximum at the front end and / or rear of the glass sheet in the direction of travel and may lead, for example, to a shock of the glass sheet with said conveying module as can be seen in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c. This shock can cause the deformation of the glass to see the breakage of the sheet of glass. In addition, in the case of a heat treatment, the deformation of the glass may cause a shift between the focusing point of the laser beam used to perform the heat treatment and said coating to be treated. Thus, the glass substrate is not properly, uniformly treated and has defects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore proposes to solve these disadvantages by providing an adjustable conveying assembly to accompany the natural curvature of the glass to prevent deformation.

To this end, the invention relates to a conveying assembly for the scrolling of a glass product in the form of a sheet, said glass assembly comprising a first part and a second part, each part comprising a frame on which conveying elements adapted to allow scrolling of said glass product are arranged, scrolling from the first part to the second part, the first part and the second part being arranged so that a space is present between the conveying elements of the first part and the elements conveying the second part, characterized in that at least the conveying elements of the first part are movably mounted in at least one direction of adjustment to be moved to change the spacing between the conveying elements of the first part and the conveying elements of the second part.

This invention advantageously makes it possible to have a conveyor capable of limiting the drop in input and / or the drop at the outlet of the glass substrate during the passage between the first part and the second part by adjusting the position of the conveying elements of at least one of the two parts of the conveyor assembly.

In one example, the first portion and the second portion are movably mounted in at least one adjustment direction to vary the spacing between the conveying members of the first portion and the conveying members of the second portion. According to an example, the at least first movable portion provided with movable mounted conveying elements comprises height adjustment means allowing adjustment in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the substrate.

According to an example, which height adjustment means are means for adjusting the height of the chassis positioned between the ground and the frame.

In one example, the height adjustment means are means for adjusting the height of the conveying elements positioned between the frame and the conveying elements.

According to one example, the at least first movable portion provided with movable mounted conveying elements comprises pivoting adjustment means for adjustment in a pivoting direction.

According to one example, pivoting adjustment means are arranged between the conveying elements and the frame, said conveying elements being fixed to said frame so as to be rotated by action of the pivoting adjustment means.

According to one example, first and second pivoting adjustment means are arranged between the conveying elements and the frame, said first and second pivot adjustment means being positioned at two distinct points in the direction of movement and controlled independently.

According to one example, the pivoting adjustment means allow adjustment in a pivoting direction and in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the substrate.

In one example, the height adjustment means are wedges stacking on each other.

In one example, the height adjustment means and / or the pivoting adjustment means are hydraulic cylinders or micrometer screw elements.

According to one example, the displacement of at least the conveying elements of the first part is controlled by at least one control signal generated by a calculation unit. According to one example, the displacement of the conveying elements of each part is controlled by at least one control signal generated by a calculation unit.

According to one example, the displacement of the conveying elements of each part is controlled manually by the operator.

According to an example, the first part and the second part are arranged so that a space between them is present, this space allowing a heat treatment device to be installed between the first part and the second part.

The invention further relates to a method of operating a conveyor assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

simulating the flat conveying of the substrate of defined thickness in order to obtain drop-in values and drop-out values specific to said substrate of defined thickness;

using the input drop and the output drop values in a glass adjustment calculation algorithm for calculating the adjustment amplitude to be operated;

-Generation of at least one control signal representative of the adjustment amplitude to be operated;

- Sends said at least one control signal representative of the adjustment amplitude to operate at least one of the parts of said set.

According to an example, at least two control signals representative of the adjustment amplitude to be operated are generated, at least one signal being sent to each part of said conveyor assembly

In one example, the step of simulating the flat conveying of the substrate is performed for a plurality of substrates each having a specific thickness, said method further comprising, after this simulation step, a step of selecting one of the substrates for the use of its specific fall-in and fall-out values.

According to an example, the simulation step is performed for the flat conveying of the substrate is substrates undergoing heat treatment. According to an example, said at least one control signal is sent to the height adjustment means and / or to the pivot adjustment means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other particularities and advantages will emerge clearly from the description which is given hereinafter, by way of indication and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a conveyor assembly according to the prior art and;

-the figs. 2a, 2b and 2c are schematic representations of a glass conveyor and its deformation in a conveyor assembly according to the prior art;

-the figs. 3a and 3b are schematic representations of a conveyor assembly according to the invention;

-the figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic representations of a conveying assembly with height adjustment according to the invention;

-the figs. 6 to 9 are diagrammatic representations of a conveying assembly with pivoting adjustment according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a conveyor assembly according to the invention in a laser treatment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In Figures 3a and 3b is shown a conveyor assembly 100 according to the invention. This conveyor assembly 100 comprises a first portion 101 and a second portion 102. Each portion consists of a frame 103 on which conveying elements 110 are arranged. These conveying elements 110 are, for example, rollers 111 mounted between two rails 112. Some rollers 111 are connected to an engine in order to allow a glass product or glass substrate S to scroll. This glass substrate can have various dimensions and, in particular, be a "jumbo" size sheet (6 mx 3.21 m). It will be defined that the sheet has a length of 6m and a width of 3.21m and that the conveyor assembly 100 allows said glass sheet to move along its length. The substrate S thus comprises a first edge S1 or entry edge corresponding to the first edge of the substrate bearing on the conveyor assembly 100. The substrate comprises a second edge S2 or exit edge corresponding to the last edge of the substrate S in support on the conveyor assembly.

Cleverly according to the invention, the conveyor assembly 100 is arranged so that the conveying elements 110 of each portion 101, 102 are mounted mobile. More specifically, these conveying elements 110 are movably mounted to allow the profile, in the plane of the length of the glass, to conform to the bending of said glass sheet.

The conveying elements 110 are arranged to be movable in at least one direction.

According to a first embodiment, a first displacement direction D1 is substantially orthogonal to the plane of the glass S and allows a height adjustment. For this, the frame 103 comprises height adjustment means 120.

In a first solution visible in FIG. 4, the height adjustment means 120 are means for adjusting the height of the frame 121 arranged to allow height adjustment of the frame 103. For this purpose, the means for adjusting the height of the frame 121 can take various forms.

In a first example, these means for adjusting the height of the frame 121 are shims added to the interface between the ground F and the frame 103. These shims, of defined height, are added or removed for height adjustment.

In a second example, the means for adjusting the height of the frame 121 are hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical adjustment elements arranged at the frame 103, for example in the feet. These hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical adjustment elements make it possible, by hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical action, to raise or lower the frame 103. Hydraulic or pneumatic adjustment elements may be cylinders whereas mechanical adjustment elements may comprise a toothed tube and a toothed wheel allowing, following the rotation of the wheel, the displacement of the notched tube.

In a second solution visible in FIG. 5, the height adjustment means 120 are means for adjusting the height of the conveying elements 122 arranged to allow height adjustment of the conveying elements 110, that is to say the rails. 112 and rollers 111. For this, the height adjustment means of the frame can take various forms.

In a first example, these means for adjusting the height of the conveying elements 122 are shims added to the interface between the conveying elements 110 and the frame 103. These shims, of defined height, are added or removed for the adjustment. height.

In a second example, the means for adjusting the height of the conveying elements 122 are hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical adjustment elements arranged at the level of the rails between which the rollers 111 are mounted. These hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical adjustment elements allow, by hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical action, raising or lowering said conveying elements. Hydraulic or pneumatic adjustment elements may be cylinders whereas mechanical adjustment elements may comprise a toothed tube and a toothed wheel allowing, following the rotation of the wheel, the displacement of the notched tube.

It may, for example, provide that the height adjustment means of the conveying elements 122 are, for each part, four points that is to say two points per rail 112 thus ensuring a constant and stable trim .

According to a second embodiment compatible with the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a second direction of displacement is envisaged and is an angular displacement. Such angular displacement consists of a pivoting of the conveying elements that is to say the rails 112 and the rollers 111, with respect to an axis. It is understood that the inclination of the conveying elements is modified.

In a first example, the pivot axis is defined to be the axis of rotation of the first roller 111, that is to say the first roller on which the glass substrate S is supported in the direction of travel.

To effect this pivoting movement, pivoting adjusting means 130 are used and several solutions are possible.

A first solution visible in Figure 7 is to have the conveying elements 110 fixed at one point to the frame 103, this fixing allowing the setting in rotation along an axis. The conveying elements 110 are connected to the frame, at a second point, by means of pivoting adjustment means 130. These pivoting adjustment means 130 are arranged to allow the height displacement of the conveying elements 110. the attachment to the frame 103 and pivoting adjustment means are defined to allow the last roller in the running direction to be moved. Indeed, with the attachment to the frame 103 and the pivot adjustment means 130 positioned at each end, an action on the pivoting adjustment means 130 causes a height displacement of the conveying elements 110 opposite said pivoting adjustment means. 130. Off, since the conveying elements 110 are also attached to the frame 103, a pivoting movement of the conveying elements occurs.

A second solution consists in having pivoting adjustment means 130 arranged along the conveying elements 110 as can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9. Preferably, the pivoting adjustment means 130 are arranged in two distinct longitudinal positions. The pivoting adjusting means 130 of the first longitudinal position and the pivoting adjusting means 130 of the second longitudinal position are independently controlled and allow raising or lowering in height said conveying elements.

This configuration advantageously makes it possible to operate the pivoting movement. Indeed, by operating differently on the pivoting adjustment means of the first longitudinal position P1 and the adjustment means pivoting the second position P2, creates a differential movement in height between the two longitudinal positions. This differential implies that the conveying elements operate a pivoting movement. This pivoting movement is characterized in that the pivot axis is not fixed. Indeed, according to the positioning of the pivoting adjustment means 130 and the height displacement of each of them, the pivot axis varies.

This second solution is advantageous because it allows adjustment in both directions D1 and D2, that is to say in height and pivoting

Thus, in the case of the conveyor assembly, the first part and the second part will be arranged so that the angular displacement is complementary between these two parts. It is then understood that the angular displacement of the first part is operated so as to have an upward slope while the angular displacement of the second part is operated so as to have a downward slope.

This conveyor assembly operates as follows.

In a first step, simulations are performed. These simulations are intended to determine the behavior of a given substrate S on a non-adjustable conveying assembly. For this, the parameters of the conveyor assembly and the parameters of the substrate (dimension, thicknesses), see of a possible heat treatment are entered in a computing unit whose purpose is to simulate the behavior of a glass substrate S on said non-adjustable conveying assembly.

More precisely, this simulation makes it possible to obtain offset values of the first edge and the second edge of the substrate S during scrolling. Indeed, during the passage of the space between the first portion 101 and the second portion 102, the first edge and the second edge is found in overhanging, unsupported. This cantilever position causes a bending of the glass under the effect of gravity. This bending depends on the thickness of the glass and the conditions in which it is located, especially if it is heated, this rise in temperature inducing a greater bending.

There is therefore an entry jump that is to say a shift between the position of the first edge of the substrate S and the position of the first roll of the second part 102 and an exit jump that is to say an offset between the position of the second edge of the substrate S and the position of the last roll of the first part 101.

This simulation is carried out for substrates of the same width and length but of different thicknesses. The results of these simulations are preferentially stored in a database.

The conveying assembly according to the invention is cleverly associated with a computing unit. This association consists of a simple use of a computing unit or the integration of the computing unit with the conveyor assembly.

This calculation unit is used to operate the displacement of the conveying elements 110 of each part 101, 102. Indeed, this computing unit is connected to input means allowing an operator to input data, to means display for displaying results and memory means for storing an algorithm. This algorithm is a program for calculating and determining the movement to be applied to the conveying elements of each part in order to limit as much as possible the difference between the position of the first edge and the position of the first roller of the second part 102 and between the position of the second edge and the position of the last roll of the first portion 101.

This algorithm is an algorithm that also simulates the passage of the glass substrate S on the conveyor assembly 100 by integrating a calculation mouth in which the conveying elements 110 of the first part 101 and those of the second part 102 are moved according to the first and / or second direction of displacement. This calculation loop is programmed so that the offsets are as small as possible.

Once this computation loop is complete, there are two possibilities.

The first possibility consists in simply displaying the information of the movements to be performed on display means so that the operator can retranscribe them manually. The different adjustment means are then provided with an interface allowing manual adjustment by the operator. This manual interface can be completely manual, that is to say include a gear coupled to a wheel or a crank for adjust. The interface can also be semi-manual, that is to say that the adjustment is via a gear coupled to one or more motors or via pumps. These motors or pumps are activated manually by the operator.

A second possibility is to allow said calculation unit to generate control signals. These control signals are sent via a wired or wireless connection type Wifi or Bluetooth or via radio waves. This second possibility is possible in that the means for adjusting the different directions can use cylinders and / or micrometer screws electrically controllable via motors or pumps.

Thus, during the operation of the conveying line to which the conveyor assembly according to the invention is integrated, the operator selects the substrate to be conveyed. This selection is made by selecting the thickness of the glass and the heat treatment or not. Once this selection is made, the adjustment is made manually by the operator via a display of the displacement values to be made or automatically following the generation of control signals to the height adjustment means and / or to the pivoting adjustment means.

This invention can be used in different applications. A first application is conveying and in particular the transfer of a conveyor line to another. Indeed, in a glass plant, it is possible to have different conveyor lines, each line being used for a specific step: manufacture of the glass sheet, treatment of said sheet, cutting or inspection. This separation of the different lines is generally the opportunity to have a movable conveying element that is to say operating as a drawbridge to allow transport operators or conveyors to pass.

The present invention is also used in the case of heat treatment as visible in FIG. 10. In fact, a laser heat treatment consists in generating a focused laser beam in the form of a line under which the glass substrate passes in order to be treated. This glass substrate may have received a surface layer requiring heat treatment for its optimal operation. It is therefore appropriate that the treatment is homogeneous on the surface of the glass substrate. However, with a laser treatment, it is necessary to have a vacuum space between the first part and the second part for the passage of the laser, the presence of this empty space leading to the aforementioned problems of bending the glass. This bending of the glass, in addition to being able to interfere with the conveying, causes above all a displacement of the glass substrate with respect to the point of focus of the laser resulting in a non-optimal heat treatment. It is thus understood that the glass does not keep a constant plate. This heat treatment may be non-optimal or irregular, resulting in the scrapping of the glass substrate

The present invention, with the two-part conveying assembly, each of which is movable in at least one direction, makes it possible to adapt the conveying to the curvature of the glass substrate so that the glass substrate is positioned so that the point of focus is always placed in order to obtain optimal and regular heat treatment. Indeed, by adjusting the position in the first direction and / or the second direction of the first part and / or the second part, the present invention is capable of allowing the glass substrate to maintain a constant attitude at the point of treatment of the laser, that is to say the point of focus. As a result, the heat treatment is done in a homogeneous manner.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example but is susceptible of various variations and modifications that will occur to those skilled in the art.

Claims

A conveying assembly (100) for the scrolling of a glass product in sheet form (S), said glass assembly comprising a first portion (101) and a second portion (102), each portion comprising a frame (103) on which conveying elements (110) adapted to allow the scrolling of said glass product are arranged, scrolling from the first part to the second part, the first part and the second part being arranged so that a space (e) is present between the conveying elements of the first part and the conveying elements of the second part, characterized in that at least the conveying elements of the first part are movably mounted in at least one direction of adjustment in order to be moved to change the spacing between the conveying elements of the first part and the conveying elements of the second part.

The conveyor assembly of claim 1, wherein the first portion (101) and the second portion (102) are movably mounted in at least one direction of adjustment to vary the spacing between the conveying members of the first portion. and the conveying elements of the second part.

3. Conveying assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least first movable portion provided with movable mounted conveying elements comprises height adjustment means (120) for adjustment in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the substrate. .

4. Conveying assembly according to the preceding claim, wherein the height adjustment means (120) are means for adjusting the height of the frame 121 positioned between the ground and the frame (102).

Conveying assembly according to claim 3, wherein the height adjustment means (120) are means for adjusting the height of the conveying elements (122) positioned between the frame (102) and the conveying elements (110). .

6. Conveying assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least first movable portion provided with elements movably mounted conveying means comprises pivoting adjustment means (130) for adjusting in a pivoting direction.

7. Conveying assembly according to the preceding claim, wherein pivoting adjustment means (130) are arranged between the conveying elements and the frame, said conveying elements being fixed to said frame so as to be rotated by action. pivoting adjustment means.

Conveying assembly according to claim 6, wherein first and second pivoting adjusting means (130) are arranged between the conveying elements and the frame, said first and second pivoting adjusting means being positioned at two distinct points. (P1, P2) according to the scroll direction and controlled independently.

9. Conveying assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivoting adjustment means allow adjustment in a pivot direction and in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the substrate.

10. Conveying assembly according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the height adjustment means are wedges stacking on each other.

11. Conveying assembly according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the height adjustment means and / or the pivoting adjustment means are hydraulic cylinders or micrometer screw elements.

12. Conveying assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the displacement of at least the conveying elements of the first part is controlled by at least one control signal generated by a calculation unit.

13. Conveying assembly according to one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the displacement of the conveying elements of each part is controlled by at least one control signal generated by a calculation unit.

14. Conveying assembly according to one of claims 2 to 11, wherein the displacement of the conveying elements of each part is controlled manually by the operator.

15. Conveying assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part and the second part are arranged for a space between them is present, this space allowing a heat treatment device to settle between the first part and the second part.

16. Method of operation of a conveyor assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

simulating the flat conveying of the substrate (S) of defined thickness to obtain input drop and drop-out values specific to said substrate of defined thickness;

Generating at least one control signal representative of the adjustment amplitude to be operated;

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least two control signals representative of the adjustment amplitude to be operated are generated, at least one signal being sent to each part of said conveyor assembly.

18. Method according to one of claims 16 or 17, wherein the step of simulating the flat conveying of the substrate is performed for a plurality of substrate each having a specific thickness, said method further comprising, after this simulation step , a step of selecting one of the substrates for the use of its specific input fall and fall output values.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the simulation step is performed for the flat conveying of the substrate is substrates undergoing heat treatment.

20. Method according to one of claims 16 to 19, wherein said at least one control signal is sent to the height adjustment means and / or the adjustment means pivoting.