Patent GB-1052199-A (GB)
IPC: C03B33/023
Abstract: 1,052,199. Cutting glass sheets. AMERICAN SAINT GOBAIN CORPORATION. Nov. 7, 1963 [Nov. 7, 1962], No. 44012/63. Heading C1M. [Also in Divisions B8 and G1] A method of cutting, transporting and indexing glass sheets comprises indexing a glass sheet to align one longitudinal edge thereof along a predetermined line, cutting a plurality of transverse score lines on one surface of the glass sheet, and breaking the sheet along said transverse score lines into a plurality of crosscut strips, all of the preceding steps being carried out while maintaining the same direction of travel of the glass sheet and the cross-cut strips, conveying the cross-cut strips along a distributing line to a plurality of transfer stations, picking off a preselected number of said cross-cut strips from the distributing line at at least some of the transfer stations and transferring at least some of the picked off cross-cut strips to secondary lines extending transversely to said distributing line. In an apparatus for carrying out the method a glass sheet is advanced through an indexing station 12 (Fig. 1), a scoring station 22 and a breaker 30 on to a transporting conveyer 36, all of which are in line, and is taken from the conveyer 36 by one of a series of distributing conveyers 86 which each choose a number of cross-cut strips of glass of a determined width, these strips being delivered on to conveyers extending transversely to the main line whereupon they are further processed by being scored and cut into a further number of pieces of glass. A glass sheet is fed on to an indexing table 12 (Fig. 3, not shown) which has powered skewered rollers 14a which forwardly advances the sheet keeping one edge pushed against wheels 16. The sheet is fed into the scoring device 22 in which it is held stationary whilst being transversely scored, there being in this device a series of vertical wheels 28 which maintain one edge portion along a predetermined line. First and second sensing devices 18, 20 in the form of limit switches operate the conveyers 14a and the scoring device so that glass sheets are fed in only one at a time. After being scored the sheet is advanced in the same direction into the breaking device 30 which comprises upper and lower conveyers 34, 32 and may have breaker rollers at its exit. When a sheet exits from the device 30 its leading edge passes consecutively through the beams of three photo-electric sensing devices PR6, PR5, PR4 (Fig. 8, not shown). The device PR6 monitors the number of cross-cut pieces emerging from the breaker and has means for stopping the process if the number of pieces emerging is incorrect. The sensing devices PR5 and PR4 spaced a predetermined distance apart are centrally located above the end roller 60 (Fig. 8) of the take-away conveyer 36. The leading edge of the sheet interrupts the beam of PR5 and this causes a two-speed motor 66 driving the conveyer 36 to operate at its higher speed. If the cross-cut piece is longer than the distance between PR5 and PR4 it will then interrupt beam PR4 before it breaks and falls on to the conveyer. Interruption of beam PR4 causes the two-speed motor to be operated at its slower speed which is the same as the speed at which the sheets are fed from the breaker 30. If the piece of glass is less than the distance between PR5 and PR4 then the piece breaks off before it has had chance to interrupt beam PR4. Thus the pieces are conveyed away from the breaker in such a manner as to be evenly spaced even though they are of different widths. Conveyer 36 is driven at the slower speed when neither or both PR5 and PR4 are interrupted. From the take-away conveyer 86 the cross-cut strips pass on to a conveyer 80 which forms the remainder of the primary line. There are a plurality of transfer conveyers 86 which extend over and in the same direction as conveyer 80, and which are arranged to selectively pick off given cross-cut strips and transfer them to transversely extending secondary lines. The strip passes through a sonic detector device AR1 which operates a piston-and-cylinder assembly 164 (Fig. 12, not shown) which raises and lowers the pivotal and pick-up section 94 of the transfer conveyer. The transfer conveyer comprises the pick-up section 94 which normally is in the lowered picking-up position, a horizontal upper section 96 which terminates with V-belts forming the conveyer passing between certain rollers 128 (Fig. 10, not shown) of a roller conveyer system which extends transversely either side of section 96. The rollers 128 are adapted to be driven either forwardly or backwardly by a chain and sprocket drive actuated by a mechanical sensing mechanism 144 situated in front of an end face of vertical rollers 142. The rollers 128 are also mounted upon a sub-frame 134 which carries them in a position normally below the conveyer 96 but which is movable vertically above the conveyer 96 to lift a crosscut strip thereoff by means of a piston-cylinder 136 actuated by device 144. The front end section 94 of the transfer conveyer is connected to the device 164 through a system of pivotal levers 150, 158, 166. A sheet passes through the beam of the detector AR1 and on to the portion 146 of conveyer 94; when the trailing edge has passed from out of the detector beam the device 164 is actuated to lift section 146 clear of the primary conveyer so that other strips may proceed down the line to other conveyers. The sheet proceeds up the conveyer until it strikes the rollers 142 and the detector device 144. Sub-frame roller assembly 134 is then raised to lift the sheet clear of the conveyer 96 and the rollers driven to move the sheet transversely into the secondary processing line or in the opposite direction to scrap if the sheet is defective. A suitable timing device delays the return of the section 146 of conveyer 94 to its normal pick-up position. The sonic detector AR1 is set to operate after a given number of cross-cut pieces have passed through its beam. If there are any defective strips leaving the breaker they are always transported to scrap up the first transfer conveyer they meet and are followed by the set number of good pieces of the given size for that conveyer system.