CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HEATING IN A GLASS BENDING OVEN

Abstract: A control system for heating in a glass bending oven including preheating sections (E1 - E6) equipped with heating elements (3) and a bending section (T), an arrangement for moving a mould holding a glass plate through preheating sections to a bending section, where the glass plate held by a mould bend to a desired form and the bending happens with the help of gravitational force after the glass temperature has reached the temperature needed for bending. The system controls for a glass type or glass type groups resembling each other chosen bending time (Tj) in the bending section to stay constant and the system controls the temperature rise of the glass coming through preheating sections so that glasses moving to the bending section (T) have essentially the same temperature in respect to each other.

Description: CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HEATING IN A GLASS BENDING OVEN The invention relates to a control system for heating of a multicha ber oven used in glass bending, in which system the heating of the oven and glass is performed by heating elements placed in chambers and the bending of glass happens by means of gravitational force. In known solutions a bending oven usually includes several preheating sections, possibly a prebending section and always the actual bending section. Typical solution is 10-15 heating sections. In every section there is a movable carriage, and in each of them can be equipped with a different type of glass meant to bend with it's mould. The line of carriages moves always one step forward when the glass in a bending section has reached the form corresponding the mould. If every carriage has the same kind of mould and glass type meant to bend, a very simple control system of heating is sufficient. In every heating section there is a controller, the purpose of which is with on/off control of resistance elements to keep the temperature of air around the glass constant and after in advance fixed time to move the carriage line a step forward. A weekness of this method is that it does not suit well for 1-shift production, because the stability of the temperature in the oven is reached only after several operating hours and only then a sufficient recurrence can be reached. The above mentioned fact can be problematic when there is a need for a short series production. In this case it would be advantageous to have a different kind of bendable glass in every carriage. The temperature level of the last preheating section should be set so low that even the glass which bends most easily, will not in any case have time to bend to it's final form totally. This naturally leads to that a consider¬ ably great increase in glass temperature has always to be done in the heating section, which in it's turn lowers capacity. Traditionally in this kind of situation the final bending has been followed visually and necessary control measures of heat¬ ing resistance field in bending section have been done manual¬ ly. Naturally the result, in capacity as well as in quality, depends essentially on the professional skill of the operator. The above mentioned problem has been tried to reduce by means of automation. Nowadays a well known technique is to use a pyrometer at least in the actual bending section, possibly also in the previous section, in order to continuosly measure the temperature of glass and on that basis to control by on/ off control the functioning of heating elements by the aid of a computer. Also known is to share the heating elements to several parts in order to get more precise temperature distribution. The purpose of this invention is to remove the problem of controlling which typically occurs during short production series, when the circumstances continuously change and demand controlling measures. The invention is characterized in the claims. Due to the invention every glass of bendable glass type can have bending circumstances which are very close to each other and they can essentially be even the same. Even if heatings of bendable glasses of the same type would differ from each other in the first preheating sections, with the help of control system glasses have the same temperature distribution when they get into the bending section and glasses stay in the section in respect to each other the same period both in time and circumstances. With a control system according to this invention glasses of the same type can be bent to an identic form. Specially this is a condition in bending wind shields. When in the control system the length of the period has been programmed to be just the same for several different glass types the glass type can be changed to another right in the next vacated mould carriage by changing another mould to it during the period. At the same time the control system must be informed of the change of the glass type. In the following the invention is described in detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side view of a multichamber oven as a scheme. Figure 2 shows warming curves of glass as a time function. Figure 3 shows a control situation as a scheme. Figure 1 shows a side view of a multichamber bending oven, in which glasses 1 to be bent move along the upper line held by a mould 2 in special mould carriages through preheating sections El - E6 to bending section T. After the glass is bent the mould carriage is lowered to the lower line where the cooling sections are situated and finally the removing of the finished glass 1 and replacement of it by a new glass into a mould. Mould carriages move forward on the line one period at a time from section to another. The length of the period in time is Tj in all sections. In preheating sections E4 - E6 there is a pyrometer 5 as also in the bending section T and they are used for measuring the glass temperature at a certain in advance defined point of the glass. Figure 2 shows as a scheme one of target curve groups I - V in heating control system. Each curve I - V corresponds to a cer¬ tain degree of difficulty in bending. The curves are in the memory of the control system and they have been formed experi¬ mentally or formulated by an experienced glass bender. The length of the period Tj is the same with all target curves I - V. So the glass stays in every section time Tj. Glass types corresponding each target curve resemble one another in size and steepness of bending. Target curves I - V, as usually target curves of also other types of glasses, usually end to a different bending temperature, which typically varies between 590° - 625° C. Figure 3 shows functioning of the control system according to the invention, which accordingly to the invention starts to operate when the glass comes to the first with a pyrometer equipped preheating section, which is shown by reference E4 in the embodiment. The Figure shows target curve 6 characteristic of a glass type and in Fig. 3 can be seen that the glass is appr. 30° C below the target curve when it comes to section E4. As control system works so called fuzzy control, which starts to raise glass temperature faster than it would rise according to the target curve, because the glass temperature is lower than target temperature. Glasses under warming stay at the level of their target curves usually when of the heating capacity in the section is being used appr. 40 - 60%. Generally in preheating sections are used resistance patterns, in which case some of the elements are not at all turned on. In spite of this in each heating section E4 - T there is left power reserve so that the fuzzy control can raise the glass temperature to the level of target curve. Controlling by fuzzy control is continuous and controlling includes measurement of the temperature of each glass in sections E4 - T, data transfer to the control system, a check of warming rate of the glass i.e. check of the slope of curve 7 and capacity control of resistance elements. The control system checks measuring points i.e. pyrometers f. ex. once in a second or f.ex. every third second. Capacity of resistance elements can be controlled even in such short periods when as the control system of capacity is used triac-control, in which case every separate element can get a different share of the voltage supplied in form of sine-waves. With this arrangement can be reached practically a steppless control of capasity. A control system computer controls the rise of curve 7 in Fig. 3 so that curve 7 does not get up to the level of target curve 6 too soon. Getting up to the level of curve 6 can be reached f. ex. during the last but one period E6, most suitably in the end of it. This has significance also from t'e point of view of saving energy. The control system has data of the approximate capacity which is needed for a glass type to reach a certain temperature rise rate. A controlled approach of the level of target curve is in that way easily possible with a simple with feedback equipped control by giving instructions of when the level of the target curve 6 should be reached. The so called fuzzy control follows a certain logic in approaching the level of target curve, as f.ex., that within a given approach time, f. ex. within 2,5 periods, curve 7 is raised essentially to the level of target curve 6 at even approach rate. If the temperature of the glass is above the target curve 6 when coming into section E4, the control system reduces heat¬ ing capacity so that the glass reaches the level of target curve at the latest in section E6. With a control system according to the invention can be solved the previous problems in changing the bendable glass type, such as a need for circulating empty mould carriages in the oven and an unidentic bending between glasses, which is caused by, that glasses will stay in bending section different time periods. For this last one the reason has been that the temp¬ erature in the oven does not become even immediately in the beginning of the work or after the change of glass type. Also a change in circumstances outside the oven has effect on bending of a glass.

Claims: — D — CLAIMS 1. A control system for heating in a glass bending oven comp¬ rising with heating elements (3) equipped preheating sections (El - E6) of which at least a some are equipped with glass temperature measuring devices (5), a bending section (T) , an arrangement for moving a mould (2) holding a glass plate (1) through preheating sections to the bending section where the glass held by a mould bends to a desired form and the bending happens with the help of gravitational force after the temp¬ erature of the glass has reached the temperature needed for bending, as well as control devices for controlling the heat¬ ing capacity of heating elements, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that - the glass temperature is measured in preheating sections (E4 - E6) when the system controls the capacity of heating ele ments (3) in each preheating section in order to bring the glass temperature nearer to the level of target curve (6) , - the system controls the chosen bending time (Tj) in the bending section (T) of the glass type or glass type groups resembling each other to stay constant by controlling the temperature rise rate of the glass in the bending section, - the system controls the temperature rise of glass moving through one or more preheating sections so that glasses of same type move to the bending section (T) having essentially the same temperature in respect to each other. 2. A system according to claim 1 c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it includes for different glass types meant several target curves (I - V) saved in the control system and that at least some of the curves are adapted to the same length of period (Tj) . 3. A system according to claims 1 and 2 c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the chosen heating element patterns turned on both in preheating sections and in the bending section effects on each glass plate the same time so that an identic tempera¬ ture distribution of the glass plates can be achieved.

Inventors: LAMMI ESA, LAMMI PETRI, LAMMI, ESA, LAMMI, PETRI
Applicants: GLASSROBOTS OY, LAMMI ESA, LAMMI PETRI, LAMMI, ESA, LAMMI, PETRI
Application year: 1997
Main classification: C03B23
IPC codes: C03B23, C03B29