This disclosure is directed to techniques for utilizing various sensors and models to evaluate glass as it progresses through the tempering process in order to ensure that the tempered glass is of a proper quality. If, according to any of the various sensor measurements, the tempered glass is not of a proper quality, the system may automatically adjust one or more settings in any of the various components of the system in order to bring future panes of tempered glass back to having the proper quality. The system can measure for any number of glass characteristics or system characteristics, including edge quality, vertical flatness, haze, washing process variables, thermal imaging, distortion, blower information, production data, and furnace process data.

Methods for providing feedback control of converters for converting glass tubes to glass articles include a model predictive control framework. The methods include operating the converter, providing target values for attributes of the glass articles or glass tubes, measuring the attributes for the glass articles and glass tubes, conditioning the measurement data to remove outlier data points and calculating statistics representative of the measured attributes, and determine updated settings for one or more process parameters from the previous settings, the statistical properties, and the target values, where the updated settings are those that minimize an objective control function for the converter. The methods further include adjusting the process parameters to the updated settings. The model predictive control framework enables feedback control of the converter that compensates for disturbances that act on the process.

Methods for controlling a converter for converting glass tubes to glass articles include preparing condition sets including settings for a plurality of process parameters, operating the converter to produce glass articles, measuring attributes of the glass articles, operating the converter at each of the condition sets, associating each glass article with a condition set used to produce the glass article and the attributes measured, developing operational models from the attributes measured and the condition sets, determining run settings for each of the plurality of process parameters based on the operational models, and operating the converter with each of the process parameters set to the run settings determined from the operational models.

The invention refers to an anomaly processing system suitable for processing a malfunction of a glass forming machine, comprising a malfunction detection unit for detecting a malfunction of the glass forming machine; a presence detection unit for detecting the presence of an operator; and in the event of a detected malfunction, a control unit for controlling the glass forming machine. The anomaly processing system is configured such that, in the event of a malfunction, the control of the glass forming machine by the anomaly processing system is dependent on whether the presence of an operator is detected.

The computer-implemented method for glass bending includes obtaining a deviation of a real shape of a glass from a desired shape of the glass, the glass is produced by a glass bending process; determining a variation of at least one parameter associated with the glass bending process, at least in part based on the deviation of the real shape from the desired shape; and adjusting the at least one parameter based on the variation for compensation of the deviation.

A computer implemented methods for estimating at least one quality function of a given layered coating on a transparent substrate allows to predict at least one non in-process measured quality function of a given layered coating on a transparent substrate from an in-process measured quality function which can be acquired on the coated substrate as deposited at any location, preferably at the end of a coating process. The method allows to get rid of in-process real-time continuous measurements of quality functions of the coated transparent substrate and real-time monitoring of coating process parameters.

A system for acquiring surface data from one of the surfaces of a curved glass sheet and developing a surface definition of the glass sheet includes a conveyor for conveying the glass sheet 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 glass sheet.

A method for generating a cutting plan of a complex glazing product including a glass sheet and a layer other than a glass sheet, the method including obtaining a map of the defects of the glass sheet; obtaining at least one other defect map, the defects of the other map not being defects of a glass sheet; each of the maps including, for each of its defects, a position of the defect, a size of the defect, and a criticality level of the defect; generating a cutting plan of the complex glazing product using the maps and a specification taking into account the criticality levels, the cutting plan including a cutting line and being such that none of the cutting lines passes through an exclusion zone of the defect of the glass sheet, wherein a cutting line passes through an exclusion zone of a defect of the other map.

A method for product guidance in a stretch blow molding and/or filling system for bottles, and a corresponding production system are described. Preform parameters of preforms provided for stretch blow molding are measured in an automated manner and initial data acquired in the process is stored. Bottle parameters of the blown empty bottles and/or subsequently filled bottles are measured and machine error states are optionally detected. Results data acquired in the process are individually associated with the preforms and stored. At least one lead-out criterion applicable in the downstream production operation is calculated for deciding whether or not to lead out faulty preforms or bottles, based on the initial data and results data. The lead-out criterion is additionally updated in an automated manner while taking into consideration the acquired initial data and results data.

A method for product guidance in a filling system for glass bottles, and a corresponding production system are described. Empties parameters for filling the empty glass bottles are measured in an automated manner. Initial data for filling a liquid product into the bottles is acquired and stored. Fulls parameters are measured when the bottles are filled, where machine error states are also detected, and respective results data acquired relating to the filling process are savored and individually associated with the empty bottles. At least one lead-out criterion applicable in the downstream production operation is calculated for deciding whether or not to lead-out faulty empty bottles or filled bottles based on the initial data and results data stored. The lead-out criterion is additionally updated in an automated manner while taking into consideration the acquired initial data and results data.