Patent Publication Number: US-2022212977-A1

Title: Energy-saving wind box, cooling device and energy-saving cooling system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a glass cooling processing technology, in particular to an energy-saving wind box, a cooling device and an energy-saving cooling system that can adjust the wind output region according to a size and a position of the glass and correspondingly regulate an output wind power which corresponds to a rotating speed of a motor. 
     Related Art 
     Glass has excellent penetration rate and scratch resistance, so it is widely used in daily life. At present, related glass products can be seen not only in buildings and general daily necessities, but also in electronic appliances and vehicles. It can be seen that the peripheral products of glass have flooded people&#39;s lives. 
     Glass is mostly made through batching, melting, forming, annealing and other processes. After the glass is made, further processing can be performed to improve the functionality of the glass. For example, the annealed glass can be cut to the required size, then the glass is heated by a glass heating furnace to soften the glass, and then the glass is rapidly cooled down by a cooling device, so the temperature of the glass surface is decreased below the annealing temperature for rapid hardening and shrinking. When the inside of the glass shrinks, it will cause a compressive stress on the surface, and the inside of the glass will have a tensile stress, which can increase the strength of the glass to form a so-called strengthened glass. 
     Generally speaking, the aforementioned cooling device at least includes components, such as, a motor, a wind box, and a plurality of wind outlet structures. The wind box includes air outlets arranged horizontally in an upper row and a lower row on the surface of the wind box, and each of the wind outlet structures is connected to the corresponding air outlets. Between the wind outlet structures arranged in the upper and lower rows, rollers are installed and used to carry the glass. When the motor of the cooling device operates, wind can be generated. The wind can then be passed through the wind outlet structure and blown to the glass on the rollers, so that the glass can be cooled down. 
     The size of the glass to be performed for the cooling process is different each time, but the conventional cooling device can only output the wind in the whole wind output region every time when it is started. The conventional cooling device and cannot adjust the wind output region according to the glass size and cannot correspondingly adjust the rotating speed of the motor. Therefore, it will result in waste of energy and unnecessary costs. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an energy-saving wind box, cooling device and an energy-saving cooling system that can adjust the wind area according to the size and the position of the glass, and further can correspondingly regulate the output wind power which corresponds to the rotating speed of the motor. 
     According to one objective of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an energy-saving wind box, comprising: a wind box body, wherein an outer surface of the wind box body has a plurality of air outlets, the air outlets are horizontally arranged in an upper row and a lower row, the air outlets in an upper row are arranged respectively opposite to the air outlets in the lower row, and each of the air outlets has a wind hole; a plurality of slot plates, wherein the slot plates are respectively disposed in the wind holes; and a plurality of driving components, wherein each of the driving components is connected to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row, the corresponding two slot plates are controlled by the driving component to pivot to close or open the two corresponding wind holes. 
     According to the above technical features, the driving component comprises: a base, wherein the base is connected to the outer surface of the wind box body; a cylinder, wherein one end of the cylinder is connected to the base; an adapter, wherein one end of the adapter is connected to another one end of the cylinder, and the other one end of the cylinder is opposite to the end of the cylinder which is connected to the base; a pivot, wherein one end of the pivot is connected to the another one end of the adapter, and the other one end of the adapter is opposite to the end of the adapter which is connected to the cylinder; and a connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod is connected to another one end of the pivot, the other one end of the pivot is opposite to the end of pivot which is connected to the adapter, and two opposite ends of the connecting rod are connected to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row. 
     According to the above technical features, an inner surface of the wind box body has a plurality of through holes arranged horizontally in the lower row and the upper row, the through holes arranged in the lower row are arranged respectively opposite to the through holes arranged in the upper row, and the through holes are respectively connected to the wind holes; wherein energy-saving wind box further comprises: a lifting structure, wherein the lifting structure is disposed on the inner surface of the wind box body; and a shield plate, wherein the shield plate is connected to the lifting structure, the shield plate is controlled by the lifting structure to rise or descend, so as to close the through holes in the upper row or the through holes in the lower row. 
     According to the above technical features, the lifting structure comprises: two bracket components, wherein the two bracket components are respectively arranged on an upper part and a lower part of the inner surface of the wind box body; and at least one transmission component, wherein the transmission component comprises two transmission gears and a transmission chain, the two transmission gears are respectively disposed on the two bracket components, and the transmission chain surrounds the two transmission gears and is connected to the shield plate. 
     According to the above technical features, the energy-saving wind box further comprises: a guide frame, wherein the guide frame is disposed on the inner surface of the wind box body and connected to the shield plate, and the shield plate is controlled by the lifting structure to slide on the guide frame. 
     According to one objective of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a cooling device, comprising: a motor; an air blower, wherein the air blower is connected to the motor; a first wind supply pipe, wherein one end of the first wind supply pipe is connected to the air blower; the above energy-saving wind box, wherein a wind inlet of the energy-saving wind box is connected to another one end of the first wind supply pipe, and the other one end of the first wind supply pipe is opposite to the end of the first wind supply pipe which is connected to the air blower; a plurality of second wind supply pipes, wherein one end of each of the second wind supply pipes is connected to the corresponding air outlet of the energy-saving wind box; and a plurality of wind outlet structures, wherein each of the wind outlet structures is connected to another one end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe, the other one end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe is opposite to the end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe which is connected to the energy-saving wind box; wherein the motor adjusts a rotating speed according to a number of the opened wind holes of the energy-saving wind box, so as to control the air blower to generate a corresponding wind power, and then the wind power is output by the wind outlet structure. 
     According to one objective of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an energy-saving cooling system, comprising: a plurality of slot plates, wherein the slot plates are disposed in a wind box body, an outer surface of the wind box body has a plurality of air outlets, the air outlets are horizontally arranged in an upper row and a lower row, the air outlets in an upper row are arranged respectively opposite to the air outlets in the lower row, each of the air outlets has a wind hole, and the slot plates are respectively disposed in the wind holes; a plurality of driving components, wherein each of the driving components is connected to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row, the corresponding two slot plates are controlled by the driving component to pivot to close or open the two corresponding wind holes; a controlling device, wherein the controlling device is connected to the driving components and a motor, the controlling device controls the driving components to adjust a rotating speed of the motor according to a control signal; and a detection device, wherein the detection device is connected to the controlling device, the controlling device generates the control signal according to a position and a dimension of a piece of glass to be cooled down, and the position and the dimension of the piece of the glass to be cooled down are detected by the detection device. 
     According to the above technical features, the driving component comprises: a base, wherein the base is connected to the outer surface of the wind box body; a cylinder, wherein one end of the cylinder is connected to the base; an adapter, wherein one end of the adapter is connected to another one end of the cylinder, and the other one end of the cylinder is opposite to the end of the cylinder which is connected to the base; a pivot, wherein one end of the pivot is connected to the another one end of the adapter, and the other one end of the adapter is opposite to the end of the adapter which is connected to the cylinder; and a connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod is connected to another one end of the pivot, the other one end of the pivot is opposite to the end of pivot which is connected to the adapter, and two opposite ends of the connecting rod are connected to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate in the upper row. 
     According to the above technical features, an inner surface of the wind box body has a plurality of through holes arranged horizontally in the lower row and the upper row, the through holes arranged in the lower row are arranged respectively opposite to the through holes arranged in the upper row, and the through holes are respectively connected to the wind holes; wherein energy-saving wind box further comprises: a lifting structure, wherein the lifting structure is disposed on the inner surface of the wind box body and connected to the controlling device, and the controlling device controls the lifting structure according to the control signal; and a shield plate, wherein the shield plate is connected to the lifting structure, the shield plate is controlled by the lifting structure to rise or descend, so as to close the through holes in the upper row or the through holes in the lower row. 
     According to the above technical features, the lifting structure comprises: two bracket components, wherein the two bracket components are respectively arranged on an upper part and a lower part of the inner surface of the wind box body; and at least one transmission component, wherein the transmission component comprises two transmission gears and a transmission chain, the two transmission gears are respectively disposed on the two bracket components, and the transmission chain surrounds the two transmission gears and is connected to the shield plate. 
     According to the above technical features, the energy-saving cooling system further comprising: a guide frame, wherein the guide frame is disposed on the inner surface of the wind box body and connected to the shield plate, and the shield plate is controlled by the lifting structure to slide on the guide frame. 
     Based on the above, the present disclosure is mainly based on the arrangement of the slot plates in the wind holes of the outer surface of the wind box body, each slot plate is connected to the corresponding driving component, and the slot plate can be pivoted through the control of the driving component to close or open the corresponding wind hole. Furthermore, the present disclosure can also set a shield plate on the inner surface of the wind box body. The shield plate can be longitudinally displaced under the control of the lifting structure to selectively shield the through holes which are located on the inner surface and communicated with the wind holes. Therefore, the cooling device of the present disclosure can adjust the wind output region according to the size and the position of the glass, and can further adjust the rotating speed of the motor according to the number of opened wind holes of the wind box body, so as to achieve energy saving and cost reduction. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a first schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a second schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a third schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a fourth schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a fifth schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a sixth schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a first schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a second schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a third schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of a cooling device of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of an energy-saving cooling system of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following drawings are dedicated for description, and they are schematic and exemplary, being not drawn and precisely allocated in accordance with the actual ratio, thus not limiting the present disclosure. 
     The energy-saving wind box, cooling device and energy-saving cooling system of the present disclosure can be applied to glass cooling processing technology. When the glass is heated and softened by a heating furnace, the present disclosure can be used to rapidly cool down the glass and make the glass rapidly harden and shrunken, thereby increasing the strength of the glass. Further, the present disclosure can control the wind output range and region according to the size and the position of the glass, avoiding the output of wind to the region where the glass does not exist, so as to save energy and cost. 
     Refer to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3  are respectively a first through third schematic diagrams of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the drawings, the energy-saving wind box  100  mainly comprises a wind box body  10 , slot plates  20  and driving components  30 . An outer surface  11  of the wind box body  10  has a plurality of air outlets  12 . The air outlets  12  are horizontally arranged in an upper row and a lower row on the outer surface  11 , the air outlets  12  in an upper row are arranged respectively opposite to the air outlets  12  in the lower row, and each of the air outlets  12  has a wind hole  121 . The air outlet  12  is connected to a corresponding one of wind outlet structures  600  directly or indirectly. The wind power flow to the wind outlet structure  600  via the corresponding wind hole  121  of the corresponding air outlet  12 . Then through the wind outlet structure  600 , the wind power is output to cool down the glass. The main technical feature of the present disclosure is that the slot plates  20  are provided in the wind holes  121  of the air outlets  12 , respectively. Each of the driving components  30  is connected to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate  20  in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row. The corresponding two slot plates  20  are controlled by the driving component  30  to pivot to close or open the two corresponding wind holes  121 . In this way, the corresponding wind hole  121  can be opened according to the size and the position of the glass to be cooled down, so that the wind output region can be controlled. 
     Refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , and  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  are respectively a fourth and fifth schematic diagrams of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the driving component  30  comprises a base  31 , a cylinder  32 , an adapter  33 , a pivot  34  and a connecting rod  35 . The base  31  is connected to the outer surface  11  of the wind box body  10 . One end of the cylinder  32  is connected to the base  31 . One end of the adapter  33  is connected to another one end of the cylinder  32 , and the other one end of the cylinder  32  is opposite to the end of the cylinder  32  which is connected to the base  31 . One end of the pivot  34  is connected to the another one end of the adapter  33 , and the other one end of the adapter  33  is opposite to the end of the adapter  33  which is connected to the cylinder  32 . The connecting rod  35  is connected to another one end of the pivot  34 , the other one end of the pivot  34  is opposite to the end of pivot  34  which is connected to the adapter  33 , and two opposite ends of the connecting rod  35  are connected to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate  20  in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row. When the cylinder  32  activates, the pivot  34  pivots to drive the connecting rod  35 , and the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate  20  in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row can rotate by the power transmission of the connecting rod  35 . When the maximal surface of the slot plate  20  is parallel to the output wind direction of the wind hole  121 , the wind hole  121  is opened, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 4 . When the maximal surface of the slot plate  20  is vertical to the output wind direction of the wind hole  121 , the wind hole  121  is closed as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 6  is a sixth schematic diagram of an energy-saving wind box according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the drawings, in one embodiment, when the size of the glass B to be cooled down on the rollers A is detected by human judgment or the device automatically, the energy-saving wind box  100  of the present disclosure opens the corresponding wind holes  121  according to the dimension and the position of the glass B, and the wind holes which correspond to the non-existence region of the glass B are closed. In this way, only the wind outlet structures  600  which correspond to the position of the glass B output the wind power, so that the cooling operation can be completed with the most energy saving. 
     Refer to  FIG. 7  through  FIG. 9 , and  FIG. 7  through  FIG. 9  are respectively a first through third schematic diagrams of an energy-saving wind box according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The energy-saving wind box  100  in the second embodiment has the components of the energy-saving wind box  100  in the first embodiment, and further comprises a lifting structure  40 , a shield plate  50  and at least one guide frame  60 . The inner surface  13  of the wind box body  10  has a plurality of through holes  14  arranged horizontally in the lower row and the upper row, the through holes  14  arranged in the lower row are arranged respectively opposite to the through holes  14  arranged in the upper row, and the through holes  14  are respectively connected to the wind holes  121 . The lifting structure  40  is disposed on the inner surface  13  of the wind box body  10 . The shield plate  50  is connected to the lifting structure  40 . The guide frame  60  is disposed on the inner surface  13  of the wind box body  10  and connected to the shield plate  50 , and the shield plate  50  is controlled by the lifting structure  40  to slide on the guide frame  60 , so that the shield plate can rise or descend. The through holes  14  in the upper row or the lower row can be closed by the shield plate  50  according to the requirements, so that the wind power can only be output from the wind holes  121  in the upper row or the lower row. Further, the guide frame  60  has a position limiting function. 
     According to the above descriptions, specifically, the lifting structure  40  comprises two bracket components  41  and at least one transmission component  42 . The two bracket components  41  are respectively arranged on an upper part and a lower part of the inner surface  13  of the wind box body  10 . The transmission component  42  has two transmission gears  421  and a transmission chain  422 . The two transmission gears  421  are respectively disposed on the two bracket components  41 , and the transmission chain  422  surrounds the two transmission gears  421  and is connected to the shield plate  50 . When at least one of the two bracket components  41  rotates, the transmission chain  422  can be driven by the transmission gears  421 , and then the longitudinal position of the shield plate  50  can be changed through the transmission chain  422 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 10 , and  FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of a cooling device of the present disclosure. As shown in the drawings, the cooling device at least comprises a motor  200 , an air blower  300 , a first wind supply pipe  400 , the energy-saving wind box  100  of the first or second embodiment, second wind supply pipes  500  and wind outlet structures  600 . The air blower  300  is connected to the motor  200 . One end of the first wind supply pipe  400  is connected to the air blower  300 . A wind inlet of the energy-saving wind box  100  is connected to another one end of the first wind supply pipe  400 , and the other one end of the first wind supply pipe  400  is opposite to the end of the first wind supply pipe  400  which is connected to the air blower  300 . One end of each of the second wind supply pipes  500  is connected to the corresponding air outlet  12  of the energy-saving wind box  100 . Each of the wind outlet structures  600  is connected to another one end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe  500 , the other one end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe  500  is opposite to the end of the corresponding second wind supply pipe  500  which is connected to the energy-saving wind box  100 . The motor  200  adjusts a rotating speed according to a number of the opened wind holes  121  of the energy-saving wind box  100 , so as to control the air blower  300  to generate a corresponding wind power, and then the wind power is output by the wind outlet structure  600 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 11 , and  FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of an energy-saving cooling system of the present disclosure. As shown in the drawings, the energy-saving cooling system of the present disclosure at least comprises the slot plates  20 , the driving components  30 , a controlling device  700  and a detection device  800 , or can further comprise the lifting structure  40 , the shield plate  50  and the at least one guide frame  60 . The slot plates  20  are respectively disposed in the wind holes  121  of the wind box body  10 . The driving components  30  is connected to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row and the corresponding slot plate  20  in the lower row which is arranged opposite to the corresponding slot plate  20  in the upper row. The lifting structure  40  and the guide frame  60  are disposed on the wind box body  10  and connected to the shield plate  50 . The controlling device  700  is connected to the driving components  30 , the lifting structure  40  and the motor  200  of the cooling device. The detection device  800  is connected to the controlling device  700 . 
     The position and the dimension of the piece of the glass to be cooled down are detected by the detection device  800 . The controlling device  700  generates the control signal according to a detection result (i.e. the position and the dimension of the piece of the glass) of the detection device  800 . The controlling device  700  controls the driving component  30  and the lifting structure  40  according to the control signal, so that the whole wind holes  121  in both of the upper and lower rows or the partial wind holes  121  in the upper and lower rows are opened for the cooling process. The controlling device  700  can adjust the rotation speed of the motor  200  according to the control signal, so that the air blower  300  generates the corresponding wind power, thereby achieving the best energy-saving efficiency. 
     Specifically, the present disclosure is mainly based on the arrangement of the slot plates in the wind holes of the outer surface of the wind box body, each slot plate is connected to the corresponding driving component, and the slot plate can be pivoted through the control of the driving component to close or open the corresponding wind hole. Furthermore, the present disclosure can also set a shield plate on the inner surface of the wind box body. The shield plate can be longitudinally displaced under the control of the lifting structure to selectively shield the through holes which are located on the inner surface and communicated with the wind holes. Therefore, the cooling device of the present disclosure can adjust the wind output region according to the size and the position of the glass, and can further adjust the rotating speed of the motor according to the number of opened wind holes of the wind box body, so as to achieve energy saving and cost reduction. 
     The present disclosure is not anticipated by the prior art known by the inventors, and the Applicant believes the present disclosure meets the specifications associated with the provisions of the patent law. Thus, the Applicant submits the application of the present disclosure to respectfully request a substantial examination for obtaining the patent right. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.