Device for supporting a glass sheet, particularly in a washing facility

Abstract

A device for holding and capable of conveying a sheet of glass includes a holder intended to support the sheet of glass, in particular in a substantially horizontal position, wherein the device includes a surround including a plurality of support elements which are able to support the sheet of glass locally.

Claims

1. A device for holding and capable of conveying a sheet of glass comprising: a holder configured to support the sheet of glass, the holder comprising a surround and a plurality of support elements secured to the surround which are able to support the sheet of glass locally, wherein the holder is configured to support the sheet of glass in a substantially horizontal position and such that edges of the sheet of glass are located within an interior contour of the surround, wherein the support elements comprise pads and the holder comprises a delivery system configured to deliver pressurized air and/or water jets, in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surround, the pressurized jets being constructed and arranged to be sprayed onto an upper face of the sheet of glass which is the opposite face to the one supported by the pads, wherein the delivery system corresponds to air and/or water jets intended to clean the sheet of glass on the upper face thereof, whereas other jets are sprayed at the same time onto an opposite underside face, the jets sprayed onto the upper face of the sheet of glass being higher powered than the jets sprayed onto the underside face.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surround is intended to surround the sheet of glass at some distance away therefrom, the surround comprising an interior contour, and the support elements are associated as projections from the interior contour of the surround.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the interior contour of the surround has a geometry identical or near-identical to that of the sheet of glass.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surround bears the support elements in a plane coplanar with its upper face or in a plane situated above its upper face, when the surround is in a position of use.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support elements constitute a system configured to hold the sheet of glass by clamping the sheet of glass by suction on a supported face of the sheet of glass.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support elements are suction cups connected to at least one vacuum pump.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein each suction cup of the plurality of suction cups comprises elastic means of the soft foam or deformable membrane type, arranged at an interface between a termination of the suction cup intended to be in contact with the sheet of glass and a body bearing the suction cup.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of support elements are a plurality of clamps, configured and arranged to hold the sheet of glass by clamping the sheet of glass by gripping two opposite faces of the sheet of glass.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein each support element of the plurality of support elements forms a gripper configured to press against the two opposite faces of the sheet of glass, sandwiching a thickness of the sheet of glass.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein each gripper comprises two opposing jaws, one of them mobile.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein each gripper comprises, between and laterally with respect to the two jaws and on an interior side of the gripper, an end stop against which the peripheral lateral edge face of the sheet of glass can rest.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein each jaw comprises a plurality of spaced-apart protuberances and a water removal device.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support elements comprise spaced-apart wires extending at least between two opposite sides of the surround, and the holder comprises a delivery system configured to deliver pressurized air and/or water jets, the pressurized jets being intended to be sprayed onto an upper face of the sheet of glass which is an opposite face to the one supported by the wires.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the wires form a net in the form of a network of spaced-apart and parallel wires extending, in the position of conveying of the device, parallel to the direction of conveying or alternatively criss-crossed, comprising a multiplicity of meshes.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pads take a form of spheres, or have a parallelepipedal or trapezoidal or pyramid-shaped geometry or have a geometry on a spherical base provided with at least two projecting terminations or pins angularly separated at an acute angle.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support elements are made from a polymeric plastics material.

17. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a conveying device, characterized in that the surround is borne by the conveying device without the sheet of glass resting on the conveying device.

18. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of glass is supported only by the plurality of support elements and only at portions of the sheet of glass proximate at least one edge of the sheet of glass.

19. A device for holding and capable of conveying a sheet of glass comprising: a holder configured to support the sheet of glass, the holder comprising a surround and a plurality of support elements secured to the surround which are able to support the sheet of glass locally, wherein the holder is configured to support the sheet of glass in a substantially horizontal position and such that edges of the sheet of glass are located within an interior contour of the surround, wherein the support elements comprise pads and the holder comprises a delivery system configured to deliver pressurized air and/or water jets, in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surround, the pressurized jets being intended to be sprayed onto an upper face of the sheet of glass which is the opposite face to the one supported by the pads, in combination with washing and drying jets, configured to clean sheets of glass for vehicle glazing supported by the holder.

Description

(1) The present invention is now described with the aid of examples which are purely illustrative and do not in any way restrict the scope of the invention, and on the basis of the attached illustrations in which:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a schematic view in a plane (vertical plane) that is transverse with respect to a longitudinal axis of conveying, of a sheet of glass supported by the holding device of the invention in a washing facility, the support elements depicted being grippers;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the holding device of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3a is a detailed view in cross section of a support element in the form of a gripper of FIG. 1, the gripper being in the open position;

(5) FIG. 3b corresponds to FIG. 3a, the gripper being in the position of clamping against the sheet of glass;

(6) FIG. 4a is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a gripper in the closed position;

(7) FIG. 4b illustrates a partial schematic view from above of a horizontal section on the plane containing the upper face of the sheet of glass, of the gripper of FIG. 4a associated with the sheet of glass;

(8) FIG. 4c is another exemplary embodiment of a jaw of a gripper;

(9) FIG. 5a is a detailed view in cross section of another embodiment of a support element, in the form of a suction cup;

(10) FIG. 5b is an alternative form of FIG. 5a.

(11) FIGS. 6a to 6c are side views of three respective alternative forms of a support element of the device of the invention in the form of pads;

(12) FIG. 7 is another embodiment in which the support elements are wires.

(13) The device 1 of the invention for holding and capable of conveying illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is intended to hold a sheet of glass 2 in a substantially horizontal plane, to convey it in a direction F and to hold it in position without any effect of amplitude or at the very least minimizing these effects of amplitude, when subjected to strong vibrations on its two faces, in particular by pressurized water and air jets.

(14) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates in a view in cross section a conveying and air spraying facility 3 comprising a conveying system 4 comprising two parallel and spaced-apart drive belts 40 and 41, and pressurized water or air jets symbolized by the arrows F1 and F2 directed respectively vertically upward and vertically downward.

(15) According to the invention, the device 1 for holding and capable of conveying rests horizontally on the drive belts 40 and 41 and holds the sheet of glass 2 in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the jets.

(16) The sheet of glass has its two opposite faces, the underside face 20 and the upper face 21, extending horizontally. The underside face 20 faces downward.

(17) For a curved sheet of glass, the underside face 20 corresponds to the concave face 20; the concavity of the sheet of glass therefore faces downward, which means to say faces the conveyor 4.

(18) With reference to FIG. 2, the device 1 for holding and capable of conveying comprises a surround 10 and a plurality of support elements 11A to 11N which are secured to and project from the interior periphery 12 of the surround.

(19) The surround 10 is made for example from four tubular profile sections joined together.

(20) Advantageously, the surround 10 has its interior contour 12 identical or substantially similar in geometry to the geometry of the sheet of glass. It too has a curvature which follows that of the sheet of glass.

(21) The support elements 11A to 11N are distributed over the periphery of the surround in a balanced manner.

(22) The sheet of glass 2 is positioned on or between each support element 11A to 11N.

(23) Each support element engages locally, particularly via points of contact or lines of contact, with at least the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass.

(24) In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, clamping is obtained by gripping of the sheet of glass, the holding elements taking the form of grippers illustrated in FIGS. 3a to 4b.

(25) According to another embodiment, clamping is achieved by suction on the underside face of the sheet of glass, the holding elements taking the form of suction cups 5, as illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 5b.

(26) According to yet another embodiment, the support elements take the form of pads (FIGS. 6a to 6c) on which the sheet of glass 2 is intended to rest, and the device comprises means 10A, 10B of delivering pressurized jets (FIG. 1) at least to the upper part, in order to press the sheet of glass firmly against the pads. When the sheet of glass is subjected to the washing or drying jets, the upper jets F2 apply a higher pressure than the lower jets F1, so as to press the sheet of glass 2 firmly against the pads and minimize the risk of this sheet oscillating.

(27) According to a final embodiment (FIG. 7), the support elements take the form of taut wires 7 connecting at least two opposite sides of the surround 10, and the device comprises means 10A, 10B (FIG. 1) of delivering pressurized jets at least to the upper part, so as to press the sheet of glass firmly against the wires. When the sheet of glass is subjected to the washing or drying jets, the upper jets F2 apply a higher pressure than the lower jets F1, so as to press the sheet of glass 2 firmly against the wires and minimize the risk of this sheet oscillating.

(28) The holding elements 11A to 11F are applied locally against the glass, as illustrated in FIG. 2, near the opposing lateral edges 22 of the sheet of glass.

(29) In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, this collaboration of the holding elements is by gripping, and therefore on the two opposing and facing faces of the sheets of glass.

(30) Advantageously, local engagement of the support elements apart from the wires is achieved from the lateral edge 22 of the sheet of glass or near the edge, particularly at a distance of at most 50 mm from each lateral edge of the sheet of glass toward the center thereof, and for preference at a distance of at most 20 mm or even of at most 10 mm.

(31) In the embodiment of the elements of FIGS. 1 to 3b, each support element forms a gripper and comprises two opposing jaws, a lower jaw 13 and an upper jaw 14, which are intended respectively to engage with the underside 20 and upper 21 faces of the sheet of glass 2.

(32) Each jaw 13, 14 for preference comprises several lower protuberances 13A, 13B, 13C and upper protuberances 14A to 14C respectively intended to press via points of contact or via a line of contact against the faces 20 and 21 respectively of the sheet of glass 2.

(33) The lower jaw 13 is fixed while the upper jaw 14 is mobile, for example in pivoting in a vertical plane about an axis parallel to the associated edge of the surround. The pressing of the jaws against the faces of the glass produces clamping. The clamping is tailored so that it does not generate risks of breakage or rupture initiators.

(34) Prior to clamping, the upper jaw 14 is opened by being moved vertically (FIG. 3a), which means to say transversally to the plane in which the sheet of glass 2 is intended to extend, so that the sheet of glass can be brought from above the device and laid onto the protuberances 13A and 13B.

(35) After the sheet of glass 2 has been applied against the lower protuberances 13A, 13B and 13C, the upper jaw 14 is swung toward the lower jaw 13 to sandwich the sheet of glass (FIG. 3b), the upper protuberances 14A to 14C coming to press against the upper face 21 of the sheet of glass. The lower protuberances 13A to 13C are arranged facing the respective upper protuberances 14A and 14C. The pressure applied by the upper jaw 14 is tailored to apply a clamping force of the order for example equivalent to a mass of 200 grams or more, which is sufficient to hold the glass in position with respect to the pressure of the water and air jets that the sheet of glass is going to experience, while at the same time avoiding a risk of breakage or rupture initiator.

(36) Furthermore, the material of which the support elements, particularly the protuberances pressed against the glass, are made is tailored to avoid the creation of rupture initiators when the glass experiences vibrations due to washing and to drying. For preference, the material is a plastics material of the polymer type which does not risk scratching the glass, for example with a Shore D hardness of less than and advantageously soft enough, for example being made of soft rubber, or in particular of a Shore A hardness comprised between 20 and 80, able to adapt to the local curvature of the glass without exerting too great a reaction force on the glass.

(37) In order to minimize the areas of contact with the glass and optimize the surface area washed, the protuberances 13A to 13C, 14A to 14C have contact surfaces which engage in the manner of lines of contact (view in cross section of FIG. 4b). The protuberances may extend lengthwise perpendicular or indeed parallel to the sides of the sheet of glass as illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 4b and form spaced-apart lines of contact as illustrated schematically in FIG. 4b which shows the upper protuberances 14A to 14C pressed against the glass (the upper part of the jaw is not visible in this cross-sectional view). The lines are spaced by 6 mm for example, and the width of each line is 1 mm.

(38) The protuberances 13A to 13C and 14A to 14C are derived for example from notched or wavy surfaces (FIG. 4a) affording an alternation of ribs (protuberances) and voids 15 in alternation and parallel. In the alternative form of FIG. 4c, the protuberances form pyramids the truncated or non-truncated tips of which are intended to engage with the glass. Other geometries are conceivable, such as spheres or half-spheres even.

(39) Each jaw 13, 14 is designed to remove the water during the washing and drying. The jaws comprise removal grooves 15 between the protuberances and in the lower part of the lower jaw a removal spout 16, substantially facing the free lateral edge 22 of the sheet of glass.

(40) Moreover, each holding element comprises, between and laterally with respect to the two jaws 13 and 14 and on the interior side of the gripper, an end stop 17, preferably made of a substantially elastic material, against which the free peripheral edge 22 of the sheet of glass can rest. The material of the stop is in particular identical to that of the protuberances.

(41) The actuation of the grippers of the device of the invention is performed in an automated manner.

(42) FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate the second alternative form of embodiment of a holding and clamping element in the form of a suction cup 5.

(43) The suction cup 5 engages only with the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass 2. The suction cup is borne by a body projecting from the inside 12 of the surround, and has a contact termination 50 arranged in a plane parallel to the mid-plane of the surround, or which may be contained in this mid-plane.

(44) The termination 50 of the suction cup is intended to have the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass 2 resting against it, which sheet is brought in as for the embodiment with gripper, vertically over the surround.

(45) Like with the elements 11A to 11N, a plurality of suction cup elements 5 is distributed along the length of the four sides of the sheet of glass, this being some slight distance from the interior contour 12 of the surround.

(46) The suction cup 5 comprises an air suction duct 51 which is connected to the termination 50 of the suction cup and opens to the outside facing the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass. This suction duct 51 is housed in a flexible pipe 52 connecting the termination 50 to the surround 10. The suction duct 51 is then extended into the surround 10 and connected to a vacuum pump (not illustrated) supported for example by the surround.

(47) In the position for clamping of the sheet of glass a vacuum is imposed in the duct 51, sucking air in the direction of the arrow F3 and fixing the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass by suction, while at the same time controlling the pressure in order to avoid any risk of breakage or rupture initiator in the glass. The vacuum is created in such a way that a residual pressure at the interface between the glass and the suction cup is preferably comprised 0.1 and 1 bar, for example of the order of 0.5 bar.

(48) In the alternative form of FIG. 5b, the suction cup 5 comprises, at the interface between the termination 50 and the base of the suction cup, elastic means 53, such as soft foam, so as to adapt more easily to the geometry of the sheet of glass and guarantee close application of the sheet of glass facing the entirety of the contact surface of the suction cup, and removal of the sheet of glass from the surround after the drying operation.

(49) The contact surface of the suction cup head 50 has a diameter for example between 10 and 50 mm, a central hole of 3 mm being enough to create the vacuum. This area of contact is very small and remains localized to a few points with respect to the entirety of the surface area of the sheet of glass. This embodiment with suction cup elements is rather reserved for sheets of glass intended to constitute the sheet of glass referred to as the inner sheet in a laminated glazing, namely on the concave side in the case of a windshield, given that the part of the glass in contact with the suction cup will not in this case ultimately be the one in contact with the plastic interlayer.

(50) In the embodiment of the pads of FIGS. 6a to 6c, the pads 6 have, purely by way of entirely nonlimiting illustration, different shapes. The shape in FIG. 6a illustrates a sphere, the surface in contact with the glass being rounded. The shape in FIG. 6b is trapezoidal and the surface in contact with the glass is planar. FIG. 6c illustrates a spherical pad surmounted by at least two pins 6a and 6b oriented at an angle to one another. The pads could also have geometries such as the protuberances illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4c.

(51) Associated with these support elements which have the sole function of supporting the underside face 20 of the sheet of glass are the means 10A, 10B of delivering pressurized air and/or water jets as used at least on the side of the opposite face 21 of the glass, so as to obtain an overpressure on the upper face of the sheet of glass 21 to press the sheet of glass firmly against the pads and thus hold it in position.

(52) In order to minimize the areas of contact with the glass so as to optimize the surface area washed, the pads have areas of contact with the glass that take the form of points of contact, preferably with a surface area of at most 25 mm.sup.2.

(53) According to the invention, the material of which the support elements in contact with the glass are made is tailored to avoid the creation of rupture initiators when the glass experiences vibrations due to washing and drying; for preference, the material is a plastics material of the polymer type, for example rubber, in particular having a hardness comprised between 20 and 90 on the Shore scale.

(54) Finally, FIG. 7 illustrates an additional example of support elements in the form of a multitude of wires 7.

(55) The wires 7 are supported and stretched between two opposing sides of the surround 10, preferably between the four sides. They form a net, in this instance preferably having criss-crossed wires.

(56) Advantageously, the spacing of the wires or the width of a mesh of a net is comprised between 5 mm and 200 mm, for preference is of the order of 50 mm.

(57) The diameter of the wires is limited in order to minimize the area of contact; it is comprised between 0.5 mm and 15 mm, and for preference is of the order of 2 or 1 mm.

(58) Moreover, the wires are designed to cause the water to slip off and not to be retained. Particularly, the wires have a smooth surface (without being twisted). The material of the wires is for example a polyamide such as nylon.

(59) Associated with the surround 10 with the wires 7 are the means 10A, 10B of delivering air and/or water jets implemented at least on the side of the upper face of the glass 21 so as to obtain an overpressure on the upper face of the sheet of glass 21 in order to press the sheet of glass firmly against the wires and therefore hold it in position. In particular, when the sheet of glass is subjected to the washing jets, the upper jets F2 apply a higher pressure than the lower jets F1, so as to press it firmly against the net 7 and minimize the risk of oscillation of the sheet of glass 2.

(60) Each wire in contact with the sheet of glass engages with the periphery of the sheet of glass; specifically, because of the curvature of the sheet of glass and the relative flatness of the taut nets, the zones of contact of the sheet of glass 2 with the wires are limited to points of contact between the wires of the net and the periphery of the sheet of glass.