Apparatus and Method for Separating a Composite Safety Glass Panel

Abstract

An apparatus for separating a composite safety glass panel along at least one predefinable dividing line, wherein the composite safety glass panel has at least one composite film and at least two glass panels, wherein the composite film is arranged between the glass panels and connects the glass panels to each other, the apparatus having at least one separating means for separating the glass panels along the at least one dividing line and at least one heating means for heating the composite film at least along the dividing line. The invention further relates to a method for separating a composite safety glass panel. A method and an apparatus for separating a composite safety glass panel, wherein the cycle times for separating are shortened, are realized in that the heating means has at least one laser device having at least one plurality of laser radiation sources arranged adjacent to each other, and wherein a plurality of adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles for heating the composite film at least along a portion of the dividing line can be produced by means of the laser device.

Claims

1. A device for separating a composite safety glass panel along at least one predefinable dividing line, wherein the composite safety glass panel has at least one composite film and at least two glass panels, wherein the composite film is placed between the glass panels and bonds the glass panels to one another, having at least one separating means for separating the glass panels along the at least one dividing line and at least one heating means for heating the composite film at least along the dividing line, wherein the heating means contains at least one laser device that has at least multiple adjacently arranged laser beam sources, and in that multiple adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles can be generated with the laser device to heat the composite film at least along a segment of the dividing line.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the multiple adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles form a laser line.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the laser device contains at least one beam-shaping assembly for forming the individual intensity profiles.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the beam-shaping assembly forms the individual intensity profiles from substantially parallel laser radiation in the direction of at least one axis.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the combined length of the multiple individual intensity profiles corresponds to between 30 times and 1700 times the width of an individual profile or that the combined length of the multiple individual intensity profiles corresponds to at least the length of the dividing line.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the individual intensity profiles are straight, or in that at least one individual intensity profile is curved, at least in part.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each laser beam source contains at least one laser diode or wherein each laser beam source contains an arrangement of multiple laser diodes.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the laser beam source is between 5 W and 50 W, and/or wherein the wavelength of the laser radiation emitted from the laser beam source is between 1200 nm and 2200 nm.

9. The device according to a claim 1, wherein at least a part of the laser device and/or the beam-shaping assembly, is supported such that it can oscillate and/or move.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam sources can be controlled individually, or wherein the laser beam sources can be controlled in groups, in order to set the number of individual intensity profiles or the length of the laser line.

11. A method for separating a composite safety glass panel, wherein the composite safety glass panel contains at least one composite film and at least two glass panels, wherein the composite film is placed between the glass panels and bonds the glass panels to one another, comprising the steps: separating the two glass panels along at least one predefinable dividing line; heating the composite film along the dividing line; pulling apart the glass panels along the dividing line; and separating the composite film; wherein the composite film is heated with multiple adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles along at least one segment of the dividing line with a laser device that has at least multiple adjacently arranged laser beam sources.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the multiple individual intensity profiles collectively form a laser line.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composite film is heated prior to pulling apart the glass panels.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composite film is separated by the pulling apart after the heating thereof.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composite film is heated at least in part during the separation of the two glass panels.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the glass panels are separated by the mechanical scoring and by the heating of the composite film, or wherein the glass panels are separated by scoring with at least one laser, and by heating the composite film.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least a part of the laser device at least during the heating is oscillated or moved.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the combined length of the multiple individual intensity profiles corresponds to between 30 times and 1700 times the width of the individual profiles or the combined length of the multiple individual intensity profiles corresponds to at least the length of the dividing line.

19. A device for processing along at least one predefinable processing line, containing at least one heating means for heating the processing line, at least along one segment thereof, wherein the heating means contains at least one laser device that has at least multiple adjacently arranged laser beam sources, and that multiple adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles can be generated with the laser device to heat the processing line, at least along a segment thereof.

20. Use of a device according to claim 1 to join at least two sections of composite safety glass, in particular to heat the composite film to bond at least two sections of composite safety glass to one another.

21. Use of the device according to claim 20, wherein, in particular the at least two sections of composite safety glass are joined by to heating the composite film to bond at least two sections of composite safety glass to one another.

22. The device according to claim 2, wherein the individual intensity profiles overlap at least in part in their edge regions, in order to form the laser line.

Description

[0081] In detail, there are now multiple design and development possibilities for the device and method according to the invention. Reference is made in this regard to both the claims dependent on claims 1 and 11 and the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawings.

[0082] Therein:

[0083] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a device, in a partially cutaway side view;

[0084] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a device in a side view;

[0085] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sequence of a method; and

[0086] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a device in a side view.

[0087] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a part of a device 1 for separating a composite safety glass panel 2 along at least one predefinable dividing line 3. The device 1 is shown in an at least partially cutaway side view in a plane perpendicular to the dividing line. The composite safety glass panel 2 comprises at least one composite film 4 and at least to glass panels 5. The composite film 4 is located between the glass panels 5 and bonds these to one another.

[0088] To be able to heat the composite film 4 at least along the dividing line 3 to a temperature at which the composite film 4 is sufficiently soft along the dividing line 3, in order to be able to deform it, the device 1 contains a heating means 6, which is a laser device 7 in this exemplary embodiment. The laser device 7 contains multiple adjacently arranged laser beam sources 8 in the form of laser diodes and a beam-shaping assembly 9. The laser device 7 generates multiple individual intensity profiles 11—also shown in particular in FIG. 2—which form individual laser lines in this exemplary embodiment, and which form at least one laser line 10 along the dividing line 3 for heating the composite film 4.

[0089] FIG. 1 shows a lateral projection perspective of the laser line 10, or an individual intensity profile 11, from which it can be seen schematically that the beam-shaping assembly 9 acts as a collimator, and that aligns the laser radiation such that it is substantially parallel—with a slight divergence—at least in the direction of extension, along the dividing line 3, such that an individual intensity profile 11, or a laser line 10 here, is obtained that has a constant width. The “width” of the individual intensity profile 11 or the laser line 10 refers to its extension in the direction orthogonal to the dividing line 3. According to FIG. 1, the width of the individual intensity profile 11, or the laser line 10, can be seen schematically below and above the separation between the glass panels 5. The width is measured on the surface of the composite safety glass panel 2. One of the glass panels 5 has an outer coating 14 on which the laser beam that has passed through the composite safety glass panel 2 is at least partially reflected.

[0090] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of part of the device 1 in a side view. The heating means 6 in the form of a laser device 7 contains multiple laser beam sources 8 in the form of laser diodes. The beam-shaping assembly 9 has a separate lens 12 for each laser beam source 8 in this exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 shows that the laser line 10 is composed of multiple individual intensity profiles 11, wherein each individual intensity profile 11 is formed by a laser beam source 8, together with the respective lens 12. By way of example, each individual intensity profile 11 is indicated by multiple arrows starting from the laser beam source 8. The individual intensity profiles 11 form individual laser lines. By overlapping the individual intensity profiles 11, or the individual laser lines, in their edge regions along the dividing line 3, a substantially homogenous beam intensity is ensured over the course of the laser line 10. The laser line 10 preferably has a width of approx. 3 mm.

[0091] The laser devices 7 are supported such that they can be oscillated and/or moved groupwise in the direction of the double arrow. The laser devices 7 are either oscillated to homogenize the beam intensity of the laser line 10, or the laser devices 7 are moved along the extension of the dividing line 3, in order to heat the composite film 4 along the dividing line 3.

[0092] The lenses 12 form cylindrical lenses, in particular aspherical cylindrical lenses. The lenses 12 act as a collimator, and ensure that the beams emitted from the laser beam sources 8 strike the surface of the composite safety glass panel 2 in the form of substantially parallel radiation in the plane perpendicular to the dividing line—with a slight divergence—at a substantially constant width, such that the laser line 10 acts along the dividing line 3 to heat the composite film 4. The laser device 7 is supported such that the distance between the lenses 12 and the composite film 4 is approx. 70 mm when in operation. Because the laser line 10 is formed by parallel radiation, at least to limit the width of the laser line 10, a slight change in the distance when in operation will be insignificant to the heating.

[0093] FIG. 3 schematically shows the sequence of a method 100 for separating a composite safety glass panel 2 along at least one dividing line 3. According to the method 100, the glass panels 5 are first separated 101 through mechanical scoring 101a and subsequent breaking 101b of each glass panel in this exemplary embodiment. After or during the breaking 101b, the composite film 4 is heated 102 along the dividing line 3 by means of the laser line 10 formed by the individual intensity profiles 11, which is generated with the laser device 7 that has multiple adjacently arranged laser beam sources 8 and at least one beam-shaping assembly 9. As soon as the composite film 4 is heated to the necessary temperature of, e.g., approx. 170° C., the glass panels 5 are pulled apart 103 by applying a separating force to the glass panels 5, or by holding one part of the composite safety glass panel 2 in place, and applying a force to the other part of the composite safety glass panel 2. The composite film 4 is subsequently separated 104 by cutting it with a blade 13 in this exemplary embodiment, by means of which the composite safety glass panel 2 is subsequently divided along the dividing line 3. Alternatively, it is also provided that the separation 104 of the composite film 4 by pulling the panels apart 103 takes place after the heating 102. The heated, and therefore readily deformed composite film 4 is consequently torn apart along the dividing line 3.

[0094] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of part of the device 1 in a side view. The heating means 6 in the form of a laser device 7 contains multiple laser beam sources 8. The beam-shaping assembly 9 contains a separate lens 12 for each laser beam source 8 in this exemplary embodiment. Each laser beam source 8 emits three individual intensity profiles 11 that are spaced apart from each other in this exemplary embodiment, which are indicated in FIG. 4 by three separate arrows, by way of example. The individual intensity profiles 11 from two adjacent laser devices 7—the laser beam source 8 and beam-shaping assembly 9, in particular the lens 12—are likewise spaced apart from one another. This spacing can also be selected such that it corresponds to the distance between two individual intensity profiles 11 from a laser device 7, such that all of the individual intensity profiles 11 have the same spacing along the dividing line 3. The individual intensity profiles 11 preferably have a width of approx. 3 mm, orthogonal to the dividing line 3.

[0095] The laser devices 7 are supported such that they can oscillate in the direction of the double arrow in the drawing. The laser devices 7 oscillate such that the energy input from two adjacent individual intensity profiles 11 from two adjacent laser devices 7 border or overlap one another, such that a substantially homogenous energy input is ensured for heating the composite film 4 along the course of the dividing line 3.

[0096] The lenses 12 form cylindrical lenses, in particular aspherical lenses. The lenses 12 act as a collimator and ensure that the radiation emitted by the laser beam sources 8 strikes the surface of the composite safety glass panel 2 as substantially parallel radiation in the plane perpendicular to the dividing line—with a slight divergence—at a substantially constant width, such that the individual intensity profiles 11 act along the dividing line 3 to heat the composite film 4. The laser device 7 is supported such that the distance between the lenses 12 and the composite film 4 is 70 mm when in operation.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0097] 1 device [0098] 2 composite safety glass panel [0099] 3 dividing line [0100] 4 composite film [0101] 5 glass panels [0102] 6 heating means [0103] 7 laser device [0104] 8 laser beam source [0105] 9 beam-shaping assembly [0106] 10 laser line [0107] 11 individual intensity profile [0108] 12 lenses [0109] 13 blade [0110] 14 coating [0111] 100 method [0112] 101 separating the glass panels 5 [0113] 101a scoring [0114] 101b breaking [0115] 102 heating [0116] 103 pulling apart [0117] 104 separating the composite film 4