Patent Description:
In particular, the invention refers to a separating apparatus for glass slabs which can be assembled on a rack for storing slabs, or be independent and self-carrying, configured to insert a wire or a plurality of wires between two adjacent glass slabs during the storage of the slabs on the rack, mutually abutted, to store them by keeping them separated according to claim <NUM>.

It is known in the art to use spacer materials to separate glass slabs which are stored mutually abutted on racks, to solve the problem of damaging the glass slabs due to scoring which are generated after a slithering of the slabs when they are laid and returned on the racks or during their handling on transport means.

Such known spacer materials are for example sheets of paper, adhesive spacers made of cork or grommets glued onto the glasses, and have several problems: the connection/disconnection of spacer materials cannot be automated and slows down the storage operations; the spacer materials can be reused with difficulty because they could have deteriorated during the transport of the pack of slabs or their detachment from the slab, and can leave residues to be cleaned on the glass slabs. A human intervention is therefore required for checking and possibly cleaning the slabs before the following operation (silk screening, tempering, etc.).

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems by providing a separating apparatus for glass slabs capable of using a spacing wire or a plurality of wires to mutually separate glass slabs stored as mutually abutted, allowing to automate the operation of inserting the wires between the slabs, speeding up their storage and allowing to recover the wire when discharging the slabs for their following re-use.

Other objects of the present invention are providing a separating apparatus for glass slabs which allows storing glass slabs separated by a spacing wire or a plurality of wires, in order not to leave on the slabs residues of the spacing material; the slab-separating apparatus of the invention can further be moved in front of other machines for following workings.

A further object of the present invention is providing a process of separating glass slabs, performed with the separating apparatus for glass slabs of the invention.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a separating apparatus for glass slabs and a process as claimed in the respective independent claims <NUM> and <NUM>. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is intended that all enclosed claims are an integral part of the present description.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:.

With reference to the Figures, a preferred embodiment of the separating apparatus for glass slabs of the present invention is shown and described.

The separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention comprises a supporting structure <NUM>, winding/unwinding means <NUM> of a spacing wire <NUM> of the glass slabs <NUM>, and fastening means <NUM> of an end of the spacing wire <NUM>.

The separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention further comprises lifting means <NUM> connected to the supporting structure <NUM> and to the winding/unwinding means <NUM> and configured for lifting/lowering the winding/unwinding means <NUM> between a lower position and an upper position, and actuating means <NUM> controlled by a control system and configured for actuating the winding/unwinding means <NUM> and the lifting means <NUM> in order to keep the spacing wire <NUM> taut between the fastening means <NUM> and the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, and in contact with the glass slab <NUM> during the storage operations of the mutually abutted glass slabs <NUM>, to allow storing them separated by at least one spacing wire <NUM> interposed between two adjacent glass slabs <NUM>; preferably, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> and the lifting means <NUM> are configured to store the glass slabs <NUM> mutually separated by at least one or more spacing wires <NUM> interposed between two adjacent glass slabs <NUM>.

According to the invention, the separating apparatus <NUM> comprises clutching means <NUM> associated with the winding/unwinding means <NUM> and designed to allow the recovery of the spacing wire <NUM> during its rewinding.

In a preferred way, the supporting structure <NUM> is associated with a base support <NUM> configured to support the glass slabs <NUM> abutted thereon, and the end of the spacing wire <NUM> is fastened by the fastening means <NUM> to the base support <NUM>, in order to keep the spacing wire <NUM> taut between the base support <NUM> and the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, before loading the first slab <NUM> on the base support <NUM>, as will be explained below in more detail.

In particular, the invention refers to a separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs which can be assembled on a rack <NUM> for storing slabs comprising the base support <NUM> and a side support <NUM>, on which the glass slabs <NUM> are stored, with an edge <NUM> abutted onto the base support <NUM> and a surface <NUM> abutted onto the side support <NUM> or onto the surface of an adjacent slab <NUM>, with the spacing wire <NUM> interposed between the slabs <NUM> or between the slab <NUM> and the side support <NUM>; alternatively, the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention can be independent and self-carrying.

The separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs can be rested on supporting feet <NUM> or on wheels, both in the configuration where it is assembled on the rack <NUM> for storing slabs, and in the self-carrying configuration, fastened to the ground or moved on the wheels or through the help of transport means in front of other machinery for following workings of the slabs <NUM>.

In a preferred embodiment of the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> are reels <NUM> rotating connected to the lifting means <NUM>, and the clutching means <NUM> comprise a clutch of a known type connected to the reel <NUM> and configured for recovering the spacing wire <NUM> during its rewinding; preferably, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> are composed of at least one reel <NUM>, on each of which a spacing wire <NUM> is wound; the rotation of the reel <NUM> for the automatic rewinding of the wire <NUM> is controlled by the control system, depending on height and width of the glass slab <NUM> and/or of the diameter of the winding coil of the wire <NUM> on the reel <NUM>, through sensors of a known type associated with the reel <NUM> or through electronic measuring systems, such as for example a brushless motor or an encoder.

Preferably, the lifting means <NUM> are composed of an oscillating support <NUM> comprising two arms <NUM> connected by a first rotation shaft <NUM> of the support <NUM> and by a second rotation shaft <NUM> of the reels <NUM>; said shafts <NUM>, <NUM> being transverse, preferably perpendicular, to the arms <NUM>.

In a preferred way, the actuating means <NUM> comprise an electric motor <NUM> connected through motion transmission means of a known type, for example kinematisms or chains, to the first rotation shaft <NUM> of the support <NUM> and to the second rotation shaft <NUM> of the reels <NUM>.

Preferably, the control system comprises an electronic drive and control unit of a known type, comprising a microcontroller to control the actuating means <NUM>, the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, the lifting means <NUM> through the sensors or the electronic measuring systems and a managing software.

The separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs can further be connected to a source of energy and to a data transmission network, for example of the Wi-Fi (or Bluetooth) type, to download all data about the glass slabs <NUM> present on the storage rack <NUM>, and keep trace of the type of stored slabs <NUM>.

Preferably, the spacing wire <NUM> has a diameter included between <NUM> and <NUM>, is made of plastic material, for example multi-filament polypropylene PPM with a diameter of <NUM>; the spacing wire <NUM> can have any diameter and/or material upon the user's choice.

In a known way, the glass slabs <NUM> are loaded or unloaded from an external warehouse to the apparatus <NUM> by means of a slab loading/unloading system, for example comprising a manipulator with a system of suckers, or manually.

<FIG> shows the operating steps of the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs according to the present invention, which occur under the control of the electronic drive and control unit.

In a first step of the process, designated with references <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> in <FIG>, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> are lifted by the actuating means <NUM> in an upper position, which allows passing the glass slab <NUM> to be stored below the winding/unwinding means <NUM> during its loading operations, while the spacing wire <NUM> is kept taut between the fastening means <NUM> and the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, and in contact with the glass slab <NUM>, till the first glass slab <NUM> is stored.

In the embodiment of the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention comprising the winding/unwinding means <NUM> composed of two reels <NUM> collected rotating to the oscillating support <NUM>, on each of which a spacing wire <NUM> is wound, and the rack <NUM> for storing slabs comprising the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>, the first step of the process comprises: a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the reels <NUM> are lowered by the actuating means <NUM> in the lower position and the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the rack <NUM> for storing slabs, through the slab loading/unloading system, or manually, till one gets in contact with the two spacing wires <NUM> taut between the fastening means <NUM> and the respective reels <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the side support <NUM> keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> in contact with the glass slab <NUM>, in a preferred way against the surface <NUM> of the glass slab <NUM>, in order to unwind the wires <NUM> due to the action of the clutch connected to the reel <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is loaded on the rack <NUM> abutted onto the base support <NUM> and onto the side support <NUM>, preferably with its edge <NUM> rested on the base support <NUM> and its surface <NUM> rested onto the side support <NUM>, keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> interposed between the glass slab <NUM> and the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>.

In a second step of the process, designated with references <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> in <FIG>, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> are lowered by the actuating means <NUM> in a lower position, which allows passing the glass slab <NUM> to be stored above the winding/unwinding means <NUM> during its storage operations, while the spacing wire <NUM> is kept taut between the first loaded glass slab <NUM> and the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, and in contact with the second glass slab <NUM> to be loaded, till the second glass slab <NUM> is stored with the spacing wire <NUM> interposed between the glass slabs <NUM>.

In the embodiment of the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention, comprising the winding/unwinding means <NUM> composed of two reels <NUM> connected rotating to the oscillating support <NUM>, on each of which a spacing wire <NUM> is wound, and the rack <NUM> for storing slabs comprising the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>, the second step of the process comprises: a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the reels <NUM> are lowered by the actuating means <NUM> in the lower position; a sub-step <NUM> wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the rack <NUM> for storing slabs, through the slab loading/unloading system or manually, till one gets in contact with the two spacing wires <NUM> taut between the first stored glass slab <NUM> and the respective reels <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the side support <NUM> keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> in contact with the glass slab <NUM> to be stored, in a preferred way against its edge <NUM>, in order to unwind the wires <NUM> due to the action of the clutch connected to the reel <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is loaded on the rack <NUM> with its edge <NUM> rested on the base support <NUM>, and the glass slab <NUM> to be stored, preferably its surface <NUM>, abutted onto the first stored glass slab <NUM>, keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> interposed between the glass slabs <NUM> and the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>, and between the adjacent glass slabs <NUM>.

In a third step of the process, designated with references <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> in <FIG>, the winding/unwinding means <NUM> are lifted by the actuating means <NUM> in an upper position, which allows passing the glass slab <NUM> to be stored below the winding/unwinding means <NUM> during its storage operations, while the spacing wire <NUM> is kept taut between the glass slab <NUM> loaded in the previous step and the winding/unwinding means <NUM>, and in contact with the glass slab <NUM> to be loaded, till this glass slab <NUM> is stored with the spacing wire <NUM> interposed between the glass slabs <NUM>.

In the embodiment of the separating apparatus <NUM> for glass slabs of the invention comprising the winding/unwinding means <NUM> composed of two reels <NUM> connected rotating to the oscillating support <NUM>, on each of which a spacing wire <NUM> is wound, and the rack <NUM> for storing slabs comprising the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>, the third step of the process comprises: a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the reels <NUM> are lifted by the actuating means <NUM> in the upper position; a sub-step <NUM> wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the rack <NUM> for storing slabs, through the slab loading/unloading system or manually, till one gets in contact with the two spacing wires <NUM> taut between the glass slab <NUM> stored in the previous step and the respective reels <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is moved towards the side support <NUM> keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> in contact with the glass slab <NUM> to be stored, in a preferred way against its edge <NUM>, in order to unwind the wires <NUM> due to the action of the clutch connected to the reel <NUM>; a sub-step <NUM>, wherein the glass slab <NUM> to be stored is loaded on the rack <NUM> abutted onto the base support <NUM>, preferably with its edge <NUM>, and abutted onto the stored glass slab <NUM>, keeping the two spacing wires <NUM> interposed between the glass slabs <NUM> and the base support <NUM> and the side support <NUM>, and between the adjacent glass slabs <NUM>.

The process further comprises the following steps, in which the second step and the third step are alternated till the end of the loading operations of the glass slabs <NUM>.

Claim 1:
Separating apparatus (<NUM>) for glass slabs comprising:
- a supporting structure (<NUM>),
- winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) of a spacing wire (<NUM>) for spacing the glass slabs (<NUM>),
- lifting means (<NUM>) connected to the supporting structure (<NUM>) and to the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) and configured for lifting/lowering the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) between a lower position and an upper position, in order to keep the spacing wire (<NUM>) in contact with a glass slab (<NUM>) during the storage operations of mutually abutted glass slabs (<NUM>), to allow storing them separated by at least one spacing wire (<NUM>) interposed between two adjacent glass slabs (<NUM>),
wherein the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) are composed of at least one reel (<NUM>) rotatably connected to the lifting means (<NUM>); and
wherein the lifting means (<NUM>) are composed of an oscillating support (<NUM>) comprising two arms (<NUM>) connected by a first rotation shaft (<NUM>) of the support (<NUM>) and by a second rotation shaft (<NUM>) of the reels (<NUM>), said shafts (<NUM>, <NUM>) being transverse to the arms (<NUM>),
said separating apparatus being characterized in that it comprises:
- fastening means (<NUM>) of an end of the spacing wire (<NUM>),
- actuating means (<NUM>) controlled by a control system and configured for actuating the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) and the lifting means (<NUM>) in order to keep the spacing wire (<NUM>) taut between the fastening means (<NUM>) and the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>), and
- clutching means (<NUM>) associated with the winding/unwinding means (<NUM>) and designed to allow the recovery of the spacing wire (<NUM>) during its rewinding, the clutching means comprising a clutch connected to the reel (<NUM>) and configured for recovering of the spacing wire (<NUM>) during its rewinding.