A system for acquiring surface data from one of the surfaces of a curved panel having a specular surface and developing a surface definition of the panel includes a conveyor for conveying the panel in a first direction, at least one display projecting a preselected multi-phase non-repeating contrasting pattern, and at least one camera, each one of the cameras uniquely paired with one of the displays. The system may also include a control programmed to execute logic for controlling each of the camera/display pairs to acquire the desired images, and logic for analyzing and combining the data acquired by the cameras to construct a definition of the surface of the panel.

A system and method for gaging the shape of a curved glass sheet includes, as components, (1) a system and method for acquiring three-dimensional surface data corresponding to the glass sheet, and (2) a system and method for receiving the acquired surface data, comparing the acquired surface to a pre-defined surface description, and developing indicia of the level of conformance of the contoured glass sheet to the pre-defined specification. The surface data acquisition system includes a conveyor for conveying the glass sheet, at least one display projecting a preselected contrasting pattern, and at least one camera. The camera(s) and display(s) are uniquely paired and are mounted in a spaced-apart relationship a known distance and angle from the surface of the glass sheet such that the camera detects the reflected image of the pattern projected on the surface of the glass sheet from its associated display.

A method for evaluating the sensitivity of a glazing to forming quench marks depending on its anisotropy, the sensitivity being evaluated by computing parameter .sub.v, the quench marks resulting from different optical phase shifts in different regions of the glazing for a vision in transmission or reflection and from either side of the glazing, the method including computing a transmission parameter T1, T2 through face 1 or 2 or a reflection parameter R1, R2 from face 1 or 2, this computation being done for a region of the glazing without optical phase shift and for a region of the glazing inducing an optical phase shift ; computing a parameter E() corresponding to the color difference between said regions, based on at least one of T1, T2, R1, R2, and computing .sub.v by applying a function G dependent on computed E() and where appropriate on the one or more corresponding .

A method for measuring optical distortion in a contoured glass sheet includes the steps of conveying the glass sheet in a first direction, employing at least one display to project a preselected multi-phase non-repeating contrasting pattern, and employing at least one camera, and uniquely pairing each one of the cameras one of the displays. The method may also include controlling each of the cameras to acquire the desired images, analyzing and combining the data acquired by the cameras to construct a definition of the surface of the glass sheet, and performing one or more optical processing operations on the surface data to analyze the optical characteristics of the glass sheet.

A glass tempering furnace and a method for heating a glass sheet. The glass sheet is heated in the glass tempering furnace by blowing heating air on the top surface of the glass sheet, and the blowing distance of the heating air from the top surface of the glass sheet is adjusted.

This application discloses a tempering and cooling system for a glass plate. The system comprises a roller table to convey the glass plate, wind gratings to blow air to reduce a surface temperature of the glass plate, and a temperature sensor arranged above and/or below the roller table to detect the surface temperature and enable the system to control a tempering process and/or a cooling process of the glass plate according to the detected surface temperature. The system controls the wind gratings to: produce a first wind pressure when the glass plate is in a tempering stage; produce a second wind pressure when the system determines the detected surface temperature drops to a temperature of a tempering point such that the glass plate enters a cooling stage; produce a third wind pressure when the system determines the detected surface temperature drops to a temperature of a cooling point.

A device and a method temporarily decrease the blowing width of a glass convection cooler based on the width of the glass to be cooled. In the convection cooler, glass is cooled by air jets. The primary purpose of decreasing the blowing width is to decrease the energy consumption of the convection cooler. In the device, the blowing width of several blowing boxes that are consecutive in the direction of the width of the glass is closed by the closing plates attached to the same shaft by changing their position by rotating the shaft passing through the consecutive blowing boxes. Blowing length can be closed, when a glass sheet to be cooled fits to the narrowed blowing width.

A method for measuring optical distortion in a contoured glass sheet includes the steps of conveying the glass sheet in a first direction, employing at least one display to project a preselected multi-phase non-repeating contrasting pattern, and employing at least one camera, and uniquely pairing each one of the cameras one of the displays. The method may also include controlling each of the cameras to acquire the desired images, analyzing and combining the data acquired by the cameras to construct a definition of the surface of the glass sheet, and performing one or more optical processing operations on the surface data to analyze the optical characteristics of the glass sheet.

A method for tempering glass panes involves acquiring an image of a glass pane conveyed on conveyor rollers, acquiring a distribution map of heat absorption coefficient in the glass pane, recognizing, by an electronic processing unit, geometric shape and overall dimensions of the glass pane based on the acquired image, and a position of one or more parts with respective heat absorption coefficient within the geometric shape, conveying the glass pane into a furnace provided with resistances and nozzles, determining, by an electronic processing unit, an instantaneous position of the glass pane and of the one or more parts with respective heat absorption coefficient inside the furnace, and individually activating the resistances and the nozzles as a function of their proximity to the one or more parts with respective heat absorption coefficient, in inversely proportional manner to the respective heat absorption coefficient. A furnace is configured to perform the method.

Provided are a glass tempering furnace and method. The glass tempering furnace includes a preheating furnace section, a heating furnace section, and a soaking furnace section. The preheating furnace section is divided into multiple sections along the glass traveling direction. Each section has a smoke suction port and a smoke ejection port. The preheating furnace section is configured to suck smoke from the heating furnace section through the smoke suction port. The smoke ejection port is configured to deliver the sucked smoke to the preheating furnace section. The heating furnace section has multiple infrared burners. Each infrared burner is a porous medium burner. Multiple air ducts are disposed in the soaking furnace section and configured to generate horizontally parallel airflow on the upper and lower surfaces of glass.