JP7336071B2 - Sheet glass manufacturing method and its manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to improvements in sheet glass manufacturing techniques, including techniques for cutting sheet glass along scribe lines.

As is well known, plate glass is used in various fields, typified by glass substrates for displays such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, and organic EL displays, and cover glasses for organic EL lighting. When manufacturing this type of plate glass, a step of cutting a small plate glass from a large plate glass, a step of trimming edges along the sides of the plate glass, and the like are performed. In these processes, usually, after forming a scribe line on the plate glass, the plate glass is cut along the scribe line.

A specific example of a method for breaking this type of sheet glass is the method disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the method disclosed in the document, after scribe lines are formed on the surface of the sheet glass, the back surface of the first area (area on one side of the scribe line) of the sheet glass is supported by a back support member. Then, in this state, the roller (rolling element) rolls along the surface of the second region (the region on the other side of the scribe line) of the plate glass and pushes the second region toward the back side. This pressing operation by the roller causes bending stress to act in the vicinity of the scribe line, thereby breaking the plate glass along the scribe line.

JP 2017-226549 A

By the way, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, if a roller is used to break a plate glass, the following problems arise due to point contact or line contact of the roller with the plate glass.

That is, in some cases, sheet glass before breaking has warpage. When the roller pushes the warped sheet glass toward the back side, the roller comes into point contact or line contact with the portion of the sheet glass that protrudes due to the warp. It acts locally on two areas. Therefore, the bending stress cannot be uniformly applied in the vicinity of the scribe line of the plate glass, and proper cleaving along the scribe line is hindered. As a result, chipping (improper cracking of the cut end face) occurs at the cut portion of the sheet glass, causing problems such as scattering of a large amount of glass powder.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4(b) of the same document, when the roller pushes the sheet glass toward the rear surface side, the entire second region of the sheet glass is curved and deformed. In this state, in order to apply a sufficient bending stress to the vicinity of the scribe line of the plate glass, the moving distance of the roller (the downward moving distance in the figure) is increased to cause bending deformation with a large curvature over the entire surface. need to occur. As a result, there is a possibility that the time required for the cutting work will be prolonged, and the mechanism for moving the rollers will be enlarged.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to properly cut the glass plate along the scribe line by enabling the operation of pushing the glass plate toward the back surface side during cutting.

A first aspect of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the above problems, forms a scribe line on the surface side of a boundary between a first region and a second region of a sheet glass, and along the scribe line, the sheet glass In the method for manufacturing a plate glass, the flat portion of the pressing member contacts the surface of the second region when the back surface supporting member is in a state of supporting the back surface of the first region in the cutting step. The plate glass is cut along the scribe line by pressing the second region toward the rear surface side while rotating in this state. The sheet glass described above preferably has a thickness of 500 μm or less, and more preferably has a thickness of 300 μm or less. Moreover, it is preferable that this plate glass has flexibility.

According to this method, the planar portion of the pressing member is in surface contact with the surface of the second region of the sheet glass when the surface is planar, and when the surface has protrusions or recesses, Multiple points of contact with the surface. Therefore, when the planar portion of the pressing member rotates while being in contact with the surface of the second region of the plate glass and presses the second region toward the back side, the contact area between the two is increased. Therefore, even if the glass sheet is warped, the pressing force acting from the flat portion of the pressing member to the second region is dispersed, the warp of the plate glass is corrected, and the pressing force is less likely to act locally. . As a result, a bending stress acts evenly in the vicinity of the scribe line, and the plate glass can be properly cleaved. As a result, problems such as chipping occurring at the cut portion of the plate glass and scattering of a large amount of glass powder can be avoided. In this case, the warpage of the sheet glass is particularly effective if the scribe line on the surface of the sheet glass and any imaginary straight line parallel thereto are curved. Further, according to this method, when the flat portion of the pushing member pushes the second region toward the rear surface side, the pushing region becomes flat over a wide range, so that the second region is curved and deformed as a whole. Therefore, the contact portion with the flat portion in the second region and the portion from the contact portion to the scribe line have a nearly flat shape. As a result, the vicinity of the scribe line of the second region becomes a shape close to a bent shape, that is, a shape curved with a large curvature, and sufficient bending stress acts, so that the pushing member only moves a short distance toward the back side. , the breaking of the sheet glass can be completed. In this way, the sheet glass can be properly cut along the scribe line, and the time required for the cutting work can be shortened, and the mechanism for moving the pressing member can be made compact.

In this method, the planar portion preferably rotates around an axis extending along the scribe line. Here, the above-mentioned "axis extending in the direction along the scribe line" means an axis extending in the direction along the scribe line formed in a state in which the sheet glass is not warped (the same applies hereinafter).

In this way, the flat portion of the pushing member can be properly rotated while maintaining the state in which the flat portion is in contact with the surface of the second region. More specifically, if the axis line that is the center of rotation of the flat portion does not extend along the scribe line, the contact state between the flat portion and the second region will be biased, and the surface of the second region will be affected. There is a risk that it will be scratched or that bending stress will act unevenly in the vicinity of the scribe line. However, according to the configuration here, such problems are appropriately avoided.

In this method, the axis may be moved in parallel in a direction in which the planar portion pushes the second region toward the back side.

In this way, with a simple configuration, the flat portion of the pushing member can be rotated more appropriately while maintaining the state in which the flat portion is in contact with the surface of the second region.

In this method, the angle of the flat portion is changed in accordance with the change in the angle of the contact portion of the second region with the flat portion as the flat portion pushes the second region toward the rear surface side. may

With this configuration, when the flat portion of the pushing member pushes the second region toward the rear surface side, even if the angle (inclination angle) of the contact portion of the second region with the flat portion changes, the plane The angle of the part will follow the angle of the second region which changes. As a result, the contact state between the pushing member and the second region can always be maintained in a favorable state.

In the above method, in the cutting step, the plate glass may be suspended and supported so that the scribe lines are oriented vertically.

By doing so, it is possible to remarkably obtain the effects described above when the sheet glass is warped. More specifically, when the plate glass is laid flat on a surface plate or the like and cut, the warpage of the plate glass is reduced. , the warpage increases. Even in such a case, since the warp of the plate glass can be properly dealt with as described above, the effect is exceptional.

In the above method, in the cutting step, the back surface of the second region may be held by suction.

In this way, the back surface of the second region is sucked and held, so that the warp of the sheet glass can be supplementarily reduced, so that a uniform bending stress can be applied to the vicinity of the scribe line more reliably. In addition, after cutting, the second area separated from the first area is continuously held by suction, so that the second area is transported to the retracted position without dropping, and disposal and recovery processing can be performed smoothly. It can be carried out.

In the above method, the planar portion may be in contact with the surface of the portion including the edge portion facing the scribe line of the second region.

By doing so, it is possible to avoid problems caused by the roller coming into contact with the edge portion when breaking the plate glass using the roller as disclosed in Patent Document 1. That is, the edges of the plate glass (parts called lugs) are thicker than the central part of the plate glass and have unevenness on the surface. Therefore, when the second region is pushed in with the roller in point contact or line contact with the edge, the contact state between the edge and the roller may vary depending on the pressing position. As a result, rattling occurs between the two, and it may become impossible to properly perform cutting. On the other hand, even if the second region is pushed in while the flat portion is in contact with the edge portion, the contact state between the flat portion and the edge portion is unlikely to change, so that rattling between the two is less likely to occur. Cleavage can be performed well. Further, as a result, even when the dimension in the width direction perpendicular to the scribe line of the second region is narrow, it is possible to satisfactorily cut the sheet while the plane portion is in contact with the edge portion.

In the above method, the pressing member is a plate-like member having one of two surfaces facing each other in the plate thickness direction as the flat portion, and the plate-like member is along the scribe line It may be detachably held by a roller-equipped member having a roller rotatable about an axis extending in the direction.

In this way, depending on the degree of warpage of the plate glass, pressing of the second region by the plate member and pressing of the second region by the roller can be selectively used. More specifically, if the warp of the plate glass may adversely affect the breaking, the plate-like member is pushed into the second region. On the other hand, if the warpage of the sheet glass is not a problem, the plate-shaped member is removed from the member with rollers, and the second region is pushed by the rollers. As a result, it is possible to combine the above-described advantage of pressing with a plate-like member and the advantage of pressing with a roller. The advantages of pushing in the sheet glass with rollers to such an extent that warpage is not a problem are that the surface of the second region is less likely to be damaged during pushing and the structure of the mechanism for moving the rollers is simplified. things, etc.

A second aspect of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, is to cut a plate glass having a scribe line formed on the surface side of the boundary between the first region and the second region along the scribe line. In the plate glass manufacturing apparatus provided with a cutting device that performs the cutting, the cutting device includes a back surface support member that supports the back surface of the first region, and a second region for cutting the plate glass along the scribe line. A pressing member having a flat portion for pressing the second region toward the back side while rotating in contact with the front surface is provided.

According to this manufacturing apparatus, in the same manner as in the manufacturing method described above, the sheet glass is properly cut, and the occurrence of chipping at the time of cutting and the scattering of a large amount of glass powder are avoided. It is possible to shorten the work time required and to make the mechanism for moving the pressing member compact.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the operation|movement which pushes in to the back surface side of plate glass at the time of breaking is performed favorably, and plate glass is broken appropriately along a scribe line.

1 is a perspective view showing a breaking device included in a sheet glass manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are enlarged schematic bottom views of main parts of the breaking device included in the sheet glass manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from below. FIG. 3(a) is a schematic side view of a breaking device included in a sheet glass manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic bottom view of a main part of a cutting device included in the plate glass manufacturing apparatus, as viewed from below; FIGS. 4(a), (b), and (c) are schematic bottom views showing the cutting step included in the method for manufacturing sheet glass according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are schematic bottom views showing a first modification of the cutting step included in the method for manufacturing sheet glass according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic bottom view which shows the 2nd modification of the cutting process included in the manufacturing method of the sheet glass which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic bottom view which shows the 3rd modification of the cutting process included in the manufacturing method of the sheet glass which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic bottom view which shows the 4th modification of the cutting process included in the manufacturing method of the sheet glass which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A method and apparatus for manufacturing plate glass according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a breaking device 1 included in a plate glass manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the sheet glass G has a first region G1 on one side in the width direction (the side in the direction of the arrow A) with a scribe line S formed on the surface side (the side of the symbols Ga and Gx) as a boundary. , the other side in the width direction (the arrow B direction side) is a second region G2. In this embodiment, the first area G1 is the product portion and the second area G2 is the non-product portion. However, both the first area G1 and the second area G2 may be part of the product. In the illustrated example, the scribe line S does not reach the upper and lower ends of the plate glass G, but may reach the upper and lower ends.

The plate glass G is suspended and supported so that the scribe line S is oriented in the vertical direction. The plate thickness of the plate glass G can be, for example, 200 to 2000 μm. The smaller the plate thickness, the more easily warpage occurs and the larger the warpage that occurs, and the effect of correcting warpage of the present invention, which will be described later, becomes remarkable. be. Moreover, it is preferable that the plate glass G has flexibility. In this embodiment, the sheet glass G is warped. This warp has a shape in which the scribe line S on the surface of the plate glass G and any imaginary straight line parallel thereto are curved.

The breaking device 1 breaks a plate glass G along a scribe line S by bending stress. More specifically, the breaking device 1 includes a gripping mechanism 2 that suspends and supports the plate glass G, a back surface support member 3 that supports the back surface Gb side of the first region G1, and a back surface Gy side of the second region G2 that is held by suction. It has a suction mechanism 4 and a pushing member 5 that pushes the second region G2 toward the rear surface Gy side while rotating in the direction of arrow C while being in contact with the front surface Gx of the second region G2. In this embodiment, the pushing member 5 is a plate-like member having two surfaces facing each other in the plate thickness direction, one of which is a flat portion 5a that contacts the surface Gx of the second region G2 (Fig. 2(b)).

The gripping mechanism 2 moves the plate glass G in the width direction while gripping the upper end of the first region G1. The gripping mechanism 2 is slidably held by a rail (not shown) extending in the width direction above the plate glass G. As shown in FIG. When the step of breaking the plate glass G is performed, the gripping mechanism 2 and the plate glass G are stopped. Moreover, the gripping mechanism 2 may be arranged at a plurality of locations in the width direction in the upper end portion of the first region G1.

The back surface support member 3 is arranged on the back surface Gb side at the end portion on the scribe line S side of the first region G1. A distance L1 between the back support member 3 and the scribe line S in the width direction is, for example, 10 to 30 mm, preferably 10 to 20 mm (see FIG. 4A). In this embodiment, the back surface supporting member 3 is a columnar body or a plate-like body (surface plate) having a flat support surface for supporting the back surface Gb of the first region G1 and elongated in the vertical direction. In addition, the shape of the back support member 3 may be a round bar shape or the like. Further, the back support member 3 protrudes vertically from the upper end Gd and the lower end Ge of the first region G1, but the length may be such that it does not reach the upper end Gd and the lower end Ge.

The suction mechanism 4 includes a vertically elongated holding base 6 and a plurality of (five in the figure) suction pads 7 mounted at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the holding base 6 . The holding base 6 is configured to be moved by the operation of driving means (not shown) such as a robot arm. The suction pad 7 is made of an elastic member such as elastic rubber or resin, and suctions the back surface Gy of the second region G2 with negative pressure.

The plate member 5 as a pushing member is arranged on the surface Gx side of the second region G2. A widthwise distance L2 between the plate member 5 and the scribe line S is, for example, 80 to 160 mm (see FIG. 4A). The separation distance L2 here is the separation distance before the second region G2 is pushed. In this embodiment, the plate-like member 5 is a flat plate elongated in the vertical direction, and protrudes vertically from the upper end Gf and the lower end Gg of the second region G2, but does not reach the upper end Gf and the lower end Gg. It can be length.

A member 8 with rollers is arranged on the front side of the plate-like member 5 to detachably hold the plate-like member 5 . The roller-equipped member 8 includes a roller shaft 9 extending in a direction along the scribe line S, a plurality of rollers 10 (five in the example shown) arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction of the roller shaft 9 , the roller shaft 9 and a support 11 for supporting the The scribe line S referred to here is a scribe line when the sheet glass G is not warped at all. In this embodiment, the plate member 5 is connected to the roller shaft 9 using a binding band 12 . The binding band 12 can be wound around and unwound across the plate-like member 5 and the roller shaft 9 , so that the plate-like member 5 can be attached to and detached from the member 8 with rollers. The support 11 is configured to be moved by the operation of driving means (not shown) such as a robot arm, so that the roller-equipped member 8 and the plate-like member 5 are moved synchronously.

2A and 2B are bottom views of the periphery of the plate member 5 viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 2( a ), each roller 10 presses the plate-like member 5 by contacting the surface (having a flat surface) facing the flat portion 5 a of the plate-like member 5 . The plate-like member 5 is configured to rotate around the roller shaft 9 while maintaining contact with the rollers 10 at the same location, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. Therefore, the roller shaft 9 (strictly speaking, the axis 9a that is the center of the roller shaft 9) that serves as the center of rotation of the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is present at a position spaced from the plate-like member 5 toward the front side. . A distance L3 (the radius of the roller 10) between the axis 9a of the roller shaft 9 and the plate member 5 is, for example, 10 to 30 mm.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the plate-like member 5 is configured to keep contact with the roller 10 and move straight in the D direction toward the back side. This D direction is a direction perpendicular to the surface Gx of the second region G2. The surface Gx of the second region G2 referred to here is the surface Gx of the second region G2 before the folding/breaking process, assuming that there is no warpage. As indicated by the dashed line in the figure, when the roller 10 moves straight in the direction D, the angle of the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 changes following the angle change of the second region G2. Here, if the movement path Z of the roller shaft 9 (axis line 9a) is used as a reference, the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 relatively moves toward the scribe line S by a distance L6 as the angle changes. Therefore, the contact position between the flat portion 5a and the second region G2 also moves relative to the movement path Z of the roller shaft 9 toward the scribe line S by a distance L6. In this case, if the roller 10 were in direct contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2 as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the contact position a between the roller 10 and the second region G2 would be less than the distance L6. relative movement toward the scribe line S by a short distance L7.

The planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 is made of a material that does not easily scratch the surface Gx of the second region G2. Therefore, the flat portion 5a is preferably made of resin or the like. Furthermore, it is preferable that the plate-like member 5 has moderate flexibility. More specifically, it is preferable that the plate member 5 has rigidity equal to or higher than that of the plate glass G and has flexibility. From these points of view, the plate-like member 5 is preferably a porous resin plate or foamed resin plate represented by plastic corrugated cardboard or paronia.

Next, a method for manufacturing sheet glass using the manufacturing apparatus configured as described above will be described.

First, in a process on the upstream side of the position shown in FIG. 1, a scribe line S is formed on the surface Gx of the sheet glass G by pressing with a wheel cutter, laser irradiation, or the like while the sheet glass G is suspended and supported by the gripping mechanism 2. do. Next, while the sheet glass G on which the scribe line S is formed is suspended and supported by the gripping mechanism 2, the sheet glass G is conveyed in the width direction and stopped. When the sheet glass G stops, the back support member 3 moves toward the front side and contacts the back surface Gy of the first region G1 of the sheet glass G, as shown in FIG. Further, the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 comes into contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2 by moving the member 8 with the roller toward the back side. Furthermore, as the holding base material 6 of the adsorption mechanism 4 moves toward the front side, the adsorption pad 7 adsorbs the back surface Gy of the second region G2.

Then, the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is kept in surface contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2, and pushes the second region G2 toward the rear surface Gy. At this stage, the periphery of the surface contact portion Gw between the second region G2 and the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 is shown in the side view shown in FIG. 3(a) and the bottom view shown in FIG. ), the flat shape is obtained with almost no warpage. In this case, if the roller 10 is brought into direct contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2 as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, as shown by the chain line in FIG. By making point contact or line contact with the portion that protrudes due to the warpage, the vicinity of the contact portion b with the roller 10 in the second region G2 is locally greatly depressed. Then, this local depression becomes a factor that causes unreasonable deformation in a wide range of the second region G2. Therefore, uniform bending stress is less likely to occur in the vicinity of the scribe line S when the plate glass G is broken. On the other hand, if the plane portion 5a of the plate member 5 is in surface contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2, the periphery of the plane contact portion Gw between the second region G2 and the plane portion 5a becomes flat. Therefore, it does not result in unreasonable deformation in a wide range of the second region G2. As a result, when the sheet glass G is broken, compared with the case disclosed in Patent Document 1, the bending stress acts evenly in the vicinity of the scribe line S, and chipping and scattering of a large amount of glass powder are less likely to occur. . In addition, since the rear surface Gy of the second region G2 is suction-held by the suction pad 7, the effect of further reducing the warpage of the plate glass G can be obtained. However, since the suction pad 7 has a characteristic of being easily deformed such as to expand and contract, the suction pad 7 alone cannot sufficiently reduce the warpage of the plate glass G, and the suction pad 7 plays an auxiliary role in reducing the warpage. fulfill

FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) exemplify steps in chronological order in which the flat portion 5a of the plate member 5 rotates and pushes the second region G2 toward the rear surface Gy to cut the plate glass G. . First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the member 8 with rollers is moved to bring the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 into surface contact with the surface Gx of the second region G2. At this time, the roller 10 is in contact with the plate-like member 5, and both the plate-like member 5 and the holding base 6 are in a non-tilted state (parallel to the surface Ga of the first region G1). This state is hereinafter referred to as an initial state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the roller 10 and the roller shaft 9 are linearly moved (translated) in the direction D, so that the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is moved to the surface Gx of the second region G2. , and rotates around the roller shaft 9 (axis 9a). As a result, the plate glass G bends with the back support member 3 as a starting point. At this time, the angle of the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 changes following the angle change of the surface Gx of the second region G2. In this process, the portion from the surface contact portion Gw of the plate-like member 5 with the planar portion 5a in the second region G2 to the scribe line S becomes nearly flat. The vicinity of S has a shape close to bending, that is, a shape curved with a large curvature. Here, the curved line W indicated by the dashed line in FIG. It is a drawing of the shape when it is bent. This curved line W is curved with a small curvature in the vicinity of the scribe line S of the second region G2. Therefore, the bending stress acting in the vicinity of the scribe line S of the second region G2 is greater when the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 is in surface contact than when the roller 10 is in direct contact. Also, in this process, the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 slides on the surface Gx of the second region G2, and the relative position to the second region G2 moves away from the scribe line S. On the other hand, the position of the suction pad 7 relative to the second region G2 does not change.

After that, the roller 10 and the roller shaft 9 further move straight in the direction D, the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 pushes the second region G2 further, and the bending stress acting in the vicinity of the scribe line S becomes sufficiently large. At this point, the sheet glass G is cut along the scribe lines S as shown in FIG. 4(c). In this case, as already described with reference to FIG. 4B, when the second region G2 is bent, the portion from the surface contact portion Gw of the second region G2 to the scribe line S has a nearly flat shape. become. Therefore, even if the distance for moving the roller 10 straight in the D direction is short, the plate glass G can be cut. As a result, the time required for breaking the plate glass G can be shortened, the work efficiency can be improved, and the mechanism for moving the member 8 with rollers can be made compact. After the second region G2 is separated from the first region G1 by breaking the sheet glass G, the second region G2 does not drop and maintains a state of being sucked and held by the suction pad 7. FIG. After the second area G2 is transported to a retracted position where the first area G1 is not affected, the suction by the suction pad 7 is released and the second area G2 is dropped and collected.

In the plate glass manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the present invention, instead of the configuration illustrated above, as shown in FIG. It may be in contact with the surface Gx of the portion including the opposing edge portion Gz. More specifically, the edge portion Gz of the second region G2 (a portion called an ear portion) is thicker than the other portions of the second region G2 and has irregularities in the vertical direction (the depth direction in the figure). formed. Therefore, when the roller is brought into contact with the edge portion Gz of the second region G2 or the surface Gx in the vicinity thereof as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the roller and the edge portion contact the roller during the straight movement in the D direction. Unstable contact with the edge Gz may cause rattling or the like between the two. On the other hand, when the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is in contact with the portion including the edge portion Gz, even if the plate-like member 5 is linearly moved in the D direction, the plate-like member 5 Since the contact state between the plane portion 5a and the edge portion Gz is stabilized, rattling or the like is less likely to occur between them. Further, in the plate glass G shown in FIG. 5(a), the dimension in the width direction of the second region G2 is short. In order to make the width of the second region G2 narrow, the planar portion 5a of the plate member 5 is brought into contact with the surface of the edge portion Gz, and is protruded from the edge portion Gz in the illustrated example. and can be handled.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5(b), if the plate-like member 5 is made flexible, the flat portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 can be formed into a gap from the edge portion Gz of the second region G2 to the vicinity thereof. Surface contact can be made without or with a slight gap. More specifically, if the rigidity of the plate-like member 5 is higher than that of the plate glass G and the plate-like member 5 has flexibility, then the plate-like member 5 will be in the second region G2 as shown in FIG. is deformed, the plate member 5 itself is also deformed.

In addition, the plate glass manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the present invention can be modified as follows when cutting a plate glass having a smaller warp or no warp than the plate glass G according to the above description. can. That is, first, the banding band 12 of the member 8 with rollers is removed, and the plate member 5 is removed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the roller 10 is brought into rolling contact with the front surface Gx of the second region G2, and the rear surface Gy of the second region G2 is held by the suction pad 7 by suction. Let this state be the initial state. Then, from this initial state, the roller 10 is moved straight in the direction D, so that the second region G2 is bent as in the state shown in FIG. 4B. In this process, the roller 10 rolls on the surface Gx of the second region G2 due to friction generated between the roller 10 and the second region G2. move away from it. Then, when the deflection of the second region G2 becomes large and the bending stress acting on the scribe line S becomes sufficiently large, the sheet glass G is cut as in the state shown in FIG. 4(c). be.

Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of sheet glass according to the present invention can be applied not only to the case of breaking the sheet glass G at one point, but also to the case of breaking the sheet glass G at two points as described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the central region in the width direction of the sheet glass G is defined as a first region G1, the scribe lines S are formed on both sides thereof, and the outer regions in the width direction of each scribe line S are the second regions. Let it be G2. Then, the members with rollers 8 are arranged on the front surface Gx side of each second region G2, and the adsorption mechanisms 4 are arranged on the rear surface Gy side of each second region G2. In addition, the back surface support members 3 are arranged on the back surface Gb side at both ends in the width direction of the first region G1. In this case, if each member 8 with rollers is used as a reference, the center side in the width direction will be the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, and both outer sides in the width direction will be the direction of arrow B in FIG. If these are preconditions, substantially the same action as the already explained action is performed on both sides of the sheet glass G in the width direction, and substantially the same effect as the already explained effect can be obtained.

In order to rotatably support the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5, the plate glass manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the present invention can employ the following configuration. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a bracket 13 fixed to the front side of the plate-like member 5 is passed through a shaft 14 that serves as the center of rotation of the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5. It is supported by a bracket 16 fixed on the back side. As a result, the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is rotatable around the shaft 14 (axis line 14a). Note that the support 15 is moved in the D direction orthogonal to the surface Gx of the second region G2 in the initial state by the operation of the driving means such as the robot arm. In addition to this, another mechanism can be adopted in which the planar portion 5a of the plate-like member 5 is rotatable around the shaft supported by the support 15. FIG.

In the above embodiment, the roller shaft 9 (shaft 14) is configured to move straight in the D direction orthogonal to the surface Gx of the second region G2 in the initial state. It may be moved straight in an oblique direction forming an angle with . Further, the roller shaft 9 (shaft 14) may be moved along a curved orbit such as a circular or similar orbit centered near the back support member 3 or near the scribe line S. Further, the roller shaft 9 (shaft 14) and the holding base material 6 may be moved along the same curved track (for example, the curved track described above).

In the above embodiment, the warpage of the sheet glass G is such that the scribe line S on the surface of the sheet glass G and any imaginary straight line parallel to the scribe line S are curved. It may be warped.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sheet glass G is suspended and supported in a vertical position, but the sheet glass G may be placed horizontally in a lateral position (preferably in a horizontal position). In this case, the lower surface of the sheet glass G is supported by the back support member 3, and the upper surface of the second region G2 of the sheet glass G is pushed downward by the plate member 5. As shown in FIG. Alternatively, the upper surface of the sheet glass G may be supported by the back surface support member 3 and the lower surface of the second region G2 of the sheet glass G may be pushed toward the upper surface side (upward) by the plate member 5 . Further, the attitude of the plate glass G may be an inclined attitude inclined with respect to a vertical plane or a horizontal plane.

In the plate glass manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the present invention, the widthwise dimension L4 (unit: mm, see FIG. 2A) of the plate member 5 is the widthwise dimension of the second region G2 of the plate glass G (mm ), preferably 30% or more, more preferably 50% or more, and most preferably 70% or more. As a result, the vicinity of the scribe line of the second region can be promoted to have a curved shape with a large curvature. On the other hand, the upper limit of the dimension L4 in the width direction of the plate member 5 can be set to 90%, for example. The longitudinal dimension L5 (unit: mm, see FIG. 3(a)) of the plate member 5 is a percentage of the longitudinal dimension (mm) of the plate glass G, and can be, for example, 70% or more. ) may be 100% or more. The thickness T of the plate member 5 can be set to 5 to 15 mm, for example.

In addition, in the plate glass manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the present invention, the pressing member that contacts the surface Gx of the second region G2 is not limited to the plate member 5 . For example, the pushing member may be a columnar body having a semicircular, triangular, quadrangular, or other polygonal cross-section, or a member having a three-dimensional shape other than these, as long as it has a flat portion. Also, the pushing member may not be a single member elongated in the vertical direction, and a plurality of pushing members may be arranged along the vertical direction. However, in this case, it is necessary to configure a plurality of pushing members to rotate around the same axis with the same diameter.

1 Plate glass manufacturing equipment (cutting equipment)
3 back support member 5 plate-shaped member (push-in member)
5a Flat portion 7 Suction pad 8 Member with roller 9 Roller shaft 9a Axis 10 Roller 14 Axis 14a Axis G Plate glass G1 First region G2 Second region Ga Front surface Gb of first region Back surface Gx of first region Surface Gy of second region Rear surface Gz of second region Edge portion S of plate glass Scribe line

Claims (9)

A method for producing a sheet glass, comprising a step of forming a scribe line on the surface side of a boundary between a first region and a second region of the sheet glass, and cutting the sheet glass along the scribe line,
In the cutting step, when the back surface supporting member is in a state of supporting the back surface of the first region, the flat portion of the pressing member is rotated while being in contact with the surface of the second region, and the second region is cut to the back side. A method for producing sheet glass, characterized in that the sheet glass is cut along the scribe line by pressing into. 2. The method of manufacturing sheet glass according to claim 1, wherein the planar portion rotates around an axis extending along the scribe line. 3. The method of manufacturing sheet glass according to claim 2, wherein the axis moves in parallel in a direction in which the flat portion pushes the second region toward the back side. The angle of the flat portion changes according to the angle change of the contact portion of the second region with the flat portion caused by the flat portion pushing the second region toward the rear surface side. Item 4. A method for producing plate glass according to item 3. 5. The method for manufacturing a sheet glass according to claim 1, wherein in the cutting step, the sheet glass is suspended so that the scribe lines are oriented vertically. 6. The method for producing sheet glass according to claim 1, wherein in the cutting step, the back surface of the second region is held by suction. 7. The method of manufacturing sheet glass according to claim 1, wherein the planar portion contacts the surface of the portion including the edge portion facing the scribe line of the second region. The pressing member is a plate-like member having one of two surfaces facing each other in the plate thickness direction as the flat portion, and the plate-like member has an axis extending in a direction along the scribe line. 8. The method for producing sheet glass according to claim 1, wherein the plate glass is detachably held by a roller-equipped member having a roller rotatable therearound. In a plate glass manufacturing apparatus equipped with a breaking device for breaking a plate glass having a scribe line formed on the surface side of a boundary portion between a first region and a second region along the scribe line,
The breaking device includes a back surface supporting member that supports the back surface of the first region, and a second cutting device that rotates while being in contact with the surface of the second region in order to cut the sheet glass along the scribe line. A sheet glass manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a pressing member having a flat portion for pressing a region toward the back side.

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