JET SYSTEM FOR JETTING LAMINATED GLASS PANELS OF DIFFERING WIDTHS

Abstract

An emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths, a glass cutting device for processing laminated glass panels of different widths with such an emitter system, a manufacturing method for such an emitter system, and a use of such an emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths. The emitter system includes a plurality of elongated emitters. The elongated emitters are arranged one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis. The elongated emitters each have two ends, which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis. The emitter system is arranged in a glass cutting device.

Claims

1. An emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths, which comprises a plurality of elongated emitters arranged one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis, wherein the elongated emitters each have two ends which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis, and wherein the emitter system is configured to be arranged in a glass cutting device.

2. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the emitters each have a heating coil for heating and/or softening a plastic film inside a laminated glass panel.

3. The emitter system according to claim 2, wherein the ends of each emitter angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis have a bending radius with a vertex and the heating coils in the emitters extend along the common longitudinal axis and beyond the vertices of the bending radii.

4. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter system comprises at least 3 and/or at most 10 elongated emitters.

5. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the emitters have a length of at least 200 mm and/or at most 1,200 mm.

6. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongated emitters are all of equal length.

7. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the power density of the emitter system is between 30 and 50 W/cm.sup.2.

8. The emitter system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the emitters comprises a light exit slit and a reflector, wherein the reflector reflects radiation emitted by the emitter in the direction of the reflector back in the direction of the light exit slit.

9. A glass cutting device for processing laminated glass panels of different widths with an emitter system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter system is arranged in the glass cutting device comprises at least three emitters.

10. The glass cutting device according to claim 9, further comprising a control unit which is configured to switch individual emitters on and off.

11. The glass cutting device according to claim 10, further comprising a sensor which is configured to record the width of a laminated glass panel to be processed and to provide this width as input for the control unit.

12. The glass cutting device according to claim 9, further comprising a cutting device for cutting laminated glass panels of different widths along a cutting axis parallel to the common longitudinal axis of the elongated emitters of the emitter system.

13. The glass cutting device according to claim 9, wherein each individual emitter has a length which is smaller than the width of a laminated glass panel to be irradiated.

14. A manufacturing method for an emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths, comprising the following steps: providing a plurality of elongated emitters, and arranging the emitters in a glass cutting device one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis, wherein the elongated emitters each have two ends, which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis.

15. A method of using the emitter system according to claim 1 for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths.

16. An emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths, the system comprising: at least three elongated emitters arranged one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis, wherein the elongated emitters each have two ends which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis and which have a bending radius with a vertex; a heating coil disposed in each of the emitters for heating and/or softening a plastic film inside a laminated glass panel, each of the heating coils extending along the common longitudinal axis and beyond the vertices of the bending radii; and a light exit slit and a reflector associated with at least one of the emitters, wherein the reflector reflects radiation emitted by the emitter in the direction of the reflector back in the direction of the light exit slit, wherein the emitter system is configured to be arranged in a glass cutting device.

17. The emitter system according to claim 16, wherein the emitter system comprises at most 10 elongated emitters.

18. The emitter system according to claim 16, wherein the emitters have a length of at least 200 mm and/or at most 1,200 mm.

19. The emitter system according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of elongated emitters are all of equal length.

20. The emitter system according to claim 16, wherein the power density of the emitter system is between 30 and 50 W/cm.sup.2.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0059] FIGS. 1a and 1b show an emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths and a glass cutting device with such an emitter system;

[0060] FIGS. 2a to 2e show several views of a single emitter of the emitter system shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b;

[0061] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the glass cutting device for processing laminated glass panels of different widths; and

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a schematical view of a manufacturing method for an emitter system for the irradiation of laminated glass panels of different widths.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS

[0063] FIGS. 1a and 1b show an emitter system 10 for the irradiation of laminated glass panels 20 of different widths and a glass cutting device 30 with such an emitter system 10. FIG. 1b is a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1a. As shown, the emitter system 10 comprises four elongated emitters 11. The term “elongated” means that the emitters 11 are longer than they are wide. More particularly, the length of an elongated emitter is at least ten times greater than the emitter diameter. The elongated emitters 11 are arranged one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis L. The emitters 11 each have two ends 12, which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis L so that the power connections at the ends 12 are not in the plane of the emitter 11. FIGS. 1a and 1b show a single laminated (safety) glass panel 20 consisting of two glass plates with a plastic film 21 interspersed between them.

[0064] The emitters 11 can be infrared (IR) emitters, which emit shortwave infrared radiation in order to heat, soften and possibly cut through the plastic film 21. The emitters 11 are arranged geometrically one after the other in series and can be activated and controlled independently of each other, i.e., they are electrically connected in parallel. Each individual emitter 11 has a length which is smaller than the width of the laminated glass panel 20 to be irradiated. The emitters 11 are of equal length. The emission direction of the emitters 11 is essentially perpendicular to the laminated glass panel 20 to be irradiated. The emitters 11 are supplied with energy via an energy supply 17.

[0065] As four emitters 11 are arranged along a common longitudinal axis L, it is possible that only as many emitters 11 are used as is necessary for the current laminated glass panel width. If a narrower laminated glass panel 20, which is not shown, were being processed, precisely one, precisely two or precisely three of the four emitters 11 could be switched on for example. In this way, energy and time can be saved. The high number of emitters 11 makes it possible to reduce the length of the individual emitters 11. Shorter emitters 11 are considerably easier to use than longer ones.

[0066] The two ends 12 of each of the emitters 11 are angled by 90° in relation to the common longitudinal axis L. In this way, the power connections are moved out of the plane of the emitters 11 so that the power connections are located outside the direct irradiation and remain cooler, which increases their service life. The angled ends 12 or arms of adjacent emitters 11 are in direct contact with each other.

[0067] The emitters 11 each have a diameter of approximately 13.7 mm. The power density of the emitter system 10 is between 30 and 50 W/cm2. Due to the power density of the emitter system 10, a shorter irradiation duration can be made possible, which reduces heating of and thermal damage to the plastic film 21 remaining in the surrounding laminated glass.

[0068] The emitters 11 are held in a holder 16, which, as shown in FIG. 1b, can be moved between a heating position (continuous line) and a parking position (dashed line).

[0069] FIGS. 2a to 2e show several views of a single emitter 11 of the emitter system 10. More specifically, FIG. 2a is a side view, FIG. 2b is a top view, FIG. 2c is an end view, FIG. 2e is a perspective view, and FIG. 2d is an expanded view of the circled portion at the end of FIG. 2e. The emitter 11 has a length of 950 mm from the middle point of one electrical connection to the middle point of the other electrical connection. The overall length of the emitter 11 from the outermost periphery of one arm to the outermost periphery of the other arm is essentially 964 mm. The length of the arm between the free end of the arm and the outer diameter in the elongated part of the emitter can be around 107 mm, for example.

[0070] The emitter 11 is a round tube emitter made of quartz with a heating coil 13 inside it. The heating coil 13 or filament is suitable for heating, softening and, if necessary, dividing the plastic film 21 of the laminated glass panel 20.

[0071] The two ends 12 or arms of the emitter 11, which are angled by approximately 90°, have a bending radius in relation to the longitudinal axis L of the emitter 11. The bending radius is, for example, around R25 on both sides. Both ends 12 of the emitter 11 each form an electrical connection in the form of a wire, possibly with an insulating section.

[0072] In the emitter 11, the heating coil 13 extends along the longitudinal axis L and beyond the vertex S of the two bending radii R. The heating coil 13 therefore ends in the emitter 11 after the two vertices S but still before the ends of the arms 12 of the emitter 11. The free ends of the arms or ends 12 of the emitter 11 therefore do not comprise heating coils 13 and are therefore unheated or at least not directly heated. The incandescent area of the heating coil 13 only begins at a certain distance x of, for example, around 75 mm, from the unheated arm ends 12 of the emitter 11. The total heated length can be approximately 979 mm for example. By “pulling in” the heating coil 13 into the bending radii R and beyond, homogenous irradiation of the component along the plurality of emitters 11 is achieved and possibly inhomogeneity in the transition between two adjacent emitters 11 is reduced or avoided.

[0073] The emitter 11 comprises a light exit slit 14 and a reflector 15. The light exit slit 14 extends over the entire length l of the emitter 11 and serves to emit radiation in the direction of the laminated glass panel 20. The reflector 15 reflects radiation emitted by the emitter 11 in the direction of the reflector 15 back in the direction of the light exit slit 14. The reflector 15 is a gold coating on the periphery of the emitter 11, wherein only the light exit slit 14 is left free. The reflector 15, for example in the form of a gold coating, can extend along the longitudinal axis L and beyond the bending radii R of the angled ends 12 of the emitter 11. The reflector 15 can also extend beyond the heated length, i.e., beyond the heating coils 13. For example, at each end, the reflector 15 can extend approximately another 10 mm beyond the heated length. The reflector 15 enables focusing of the radiation onto as narrow a line as possible along the plastic film 21 in the laminated glass panel 20 and thereby produces as narrow a melting area as possible. In this way, the reflector 15 permits a further reduction in the power density of the emitter 11. In addition, the reflector 15 prevents or reduces heating of the emitter periphery and the surrounding components of the glass cutting device 30.

[0074] In the case of an emitter diameter of around 13.87 mm, the light exit slit 14 can be around 8 mm wide. It can extend along the entire length of the emitter 11. The heating coil 13 can have a diameter of approximately 2 mm. The light exit slit 14 is narrower than in the prior art. The small values possible for the emitter diameter, the light exit slit 14 and/or the heating coil diameter allow better focusing of the radiation onto as narrow a line as possible along the plastic film 21 in the laminated glass panel 20.

[0075] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the glass cutting device 30 for processing laminated glass panels 20 of different widths. The glass cutting device 30 can comprise the above-described emitter system 10 with a plurality of emitters 11.

[0076] The glass cutting device 30 comprises a control unit 31, which is configured to switch only one or several of the total number of emitters 11 on and off. The individual emitters 11 and/or their heating coils 13 are controlled and switched on and off independently of each other. The glass cutting device 30 also comprises a sensor 32 which is configured to record the width of a laminated glass panel 20 to be processed and to provide this width as input for the control unit 31. The component and its dimensions can be identified by RFID tag, for example, or can be measured by a laser for instance. As a function of this capability, the control unit 31 can switch an appropriate number and selection of emitters 11 on and off, or regulate their strength.

[0077] The glass cutting device 30 further comprises a cutting device 33 for cutting laminated glass panels 20 of different widths along a cutting axis parallel to a common longitudinal axis L of the elongated emitters 11 of the emitter system 10.

[0078] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a manufacturing method for an emitter system 10 for the irradiation of laminated glass panels 20 of different widths. The manufacturing method comprises the following steps: provision of at least three elongated emitters 11 (S1) and arrangement of the emitters 11 one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis L (S2).

[0079] The elongated emitters 11 each have two ends 12, which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis L.

[0080] It is additionally pointed out that “comprising” and “having” do not rule out other elements or steps, and “a” or “an” do not rule out a plurality. It is also pointed out that features or steps which have been described with reference to the above examples of embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other examples of embodiments described above.

[0081] Further forms of embodiments are described below with reference to element numbers in parenthesis as illustrated in the figures:

[0082] 1. An emitter system (10) for the irradiation of laminated glass panels (20) of different widths, which comprises a plurality, in particular at least three, elongated emitters (11), wherein the elongated emitters (11) are arranged one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis (L), and wherein the elongated emitters (11) each have two ends (12), which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis (L).

[0083] 2. Emitter system (10) according to embodiment 1, wherein the emitters (11) each have a heating coil (13) for heating and/or softening a plastic film (21) inside a laminated glass panel (20).

[0084] 3. Emitter system (10) according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the ends (12) of the emitter (11) angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis (L) have a bending radius (R) and the heating coils (13) in the emitters (11) extend along the common longitudinal axis (L) and beyond the vertices (S) of the bending radii (R).

[0085] 4. Emitter system (10) according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein the emitter system (10) comprises at least 3 and/or at most 10 elongated emitters (11), preferably at least 6 and/or at most 8 elongated emitters (11).

[0086] 5. Emitter system (10) according to any one of above embodiments, wherein the emitters (11) have a length (C.) of at least 200 mm and/or at most 1,200 mm.

[0087] 6. Emitter system (10) according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein the plurality of elongated emitters (11) are each of equal length.

[0088] 7. Emitter system (10) according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein the power density of the emitter system (10) is between 30 and 50 W/cm2, preferably between 40 and 50 W/cm2.

[0089] 8. Emitter system (10) according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein at least one of the emitters (11) comprises a light exit slit (14) and a reflector (15), wherein the reflector (15) reflects radiation emitted by the emitter (11) in the direction of the reflector (15) back in the direction of the light exit slit (14).

[0090] 9. A glass cutting device (30) for processing laminated glass panels (20) of different widths with an emitter system (10), more particularly according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein the emitter system (10) comprises at least three emitters (11).

[0091] 10. Glass cutting device (30) according to the above embodiments also comprising a control unit (31) which is configured to switch individual, more particularly only one or several, of the total number of emitters (11) on and off.

[0092] 11. Glass cutting device (30) according the above embodiments, further comprising a sensor (32) which is configured to record the width of a laminated glass panel (20) to be processed and to provide this width as input for the control unit (31).

[0093] 12. Glass cutting device (30) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 11, further comprising a cutting device (33) for cutting laminated glass panels (20) of different widths along a cutting axis parallel to a common longitudinal axis (L) of the elongated emitters (11) of the emitter system (10).

[0094] 13. Glass cutting device (30) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 12, wherein each individual emitter (11) has a length which is smaller than the width of a laminated glass panel (20) to be irradiated.

[0095] 14. A manufacturing method for an emitter system (10) for the irradiation of laminated glass panels (20) of different widths, comprising the following steps: [0096] provision of a plurality, more particularly at least three, elongated emitters (11), and [0097] arrangement of the emitters (11) one behind the other on a common longitudinal axis L, [0098] wherein the elongated emitters (11) each have two ends (12), which are angled in relation to the common longitudinal axis (L).

[0099] 15. Use of an emitter system (10) according to any one of the above embodiments for the irradiation of laminated glass panels (20) of different widths.

[0100] Although illustrated and described above with reference to certain specific embodiments and examples, the present disclosure is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the disclosure.