Patent ID: 8302429
Filing Date: 2012-11-06
Classification: C03B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for bending a glass sheet comprising: conveying a heated glass sheet on an upstream portion of a roller conveyer comprising a plurality of upstream conveying rollers forming an upstream conveying surface such that the heated glass is bent along a conveying direction of the roller conveyor; and conveying the heated glass sheet on a downstream portion of the roller conveyor comprising at least one lower forming roller forming a downstream conveying surface such that the heated glass sheet is nipped between the lower forming roller and an upper forming roller disposed above the lower forming roller and bent along a perpendicular direction with respect to the conveying direction, wherein the lower forming roller comprises a curving roller which is curved along the perpendicular direction on the downstream conveying surface, the conveying of the heated glass sheet on the upstream portion comprises bending the heated glass sheet along the conveying direction by moving the upstream conveying rollers up and down in synchronism with movement of the heated glass sheet such that the upstream conveying rollers form a curved surface configured to bend the heated glass sheet along the conveying direction on the upstream conveying surface, the heated glass sheet is placed on the curved surface while the curved surface is moved in the conveying direction in synchronism with the movement of the heated glass sheet and the heated glass sheet is bent in the conveying direction by an own weight of the heated glass sheet, the upper forming roller is disposed above a space between the lower forming roller and an adjacent lower forming roller in the roller conveyer, the conveying of the heated glass sheet on the downstream portion of the roller conveyor to bend the heated glass sheet along the perpendicular direction comprises pressing down the upper forming roller on a portion of the heated glass sheet between the lower forming roller and the adjacent lower forming roller, and the conveying of the heated glass sheet on the downstream portion of the roller conveyor further comprises moving the upper forming roller, the lower forming roller, and the adjacent lower forming roller up and down in synchronism with the movement of the heated glass sheet such that the upper forming roller, the lower forming roller, and the adjacent lower forming roller form a curved surface configured to bend the heated glass sheet along the perpendicular direction.