PROCESS AND PLANT FOR MANUFACTURING AN INSULATING GLAZING UNIT

Abstract

A process includes the assembling of an insulating glazing subassembly which includes a spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet, the spacer frame being formed of four profiles angularly assembled at their ends, where each profile has a groove for receiving one edge of the central glass sheet. The assembling of the insulating glazing subassembly includes successive steps wherein: the four edges of the central glass sheet are inserted into the grooves of the four profiles; the ends of the profiles are assembled by welding at each corner of the spacer frame without an alignment bracket, using the edges of the central glass sheet inserted in the grooves of the profiles as a frame of reference for guiding the profiles at each corner of the spacer frame into a configuration where their end faces are aligned by superposition in one and the same plane.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing an insulating glazing unit, comprising assembling an insulating glazing subassembly which comprises a spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet, the spacer frame being formed of four profiles angularly assembled at their ends, where each profile has a groove for receiving one edge of the central glass sheet, wherein the assembling of the insulating glazing subassembly comprises successively: inserting the four edges of the central glass sheet into the grooves of the four profiles; assembling by welding the ends of the profiles at each corner of the spacer frame without an alignment bracket, using the edges of the central glass sheet inserted in the grooves of the profiles as a frame of reference for guiding the profiles at each corner of the spacer frame into a configuration where their end faces are aligned by superposition in one and the same plane.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ends of the profiles are assembled at each corner of the spacer frame by ultrasonic welding.

3. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein, at each corner of the spacer frame, during the ultrasonic welding of the ends of the two profiles, one or more sonotrodes of the welding device surround the corner of the spacer frame by being applied against an outer transverse wall of each of the two profiles.

4. The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein, at each corner of the spacer frame, the assembling of the ends of the two profiles is carried out using two sonotrodes which are configured in order to surround the corner of the spacer frame by each being applied against the outer transverse wall of one of the two profiles.

5. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein, at each corner of the spacer frame, the central glass sheet has a support function which holds the two profiles in a fixed position during the welding.

6. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the assembling of the ends of the profiles is carried out simultaneously at the four corners of the spacer frame.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for each profile of the spacer frame, each end face of the profile is inclined relative to an outer transverse wall of the profile at an angle of the order of 45.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein each profile of the spacer frame is based on thermoplastic polymer.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for the insertion of the four edges of the central glass sheet into the grooves of the four profiles, the following steps are carried out: each of the four profiles is positioned on movable supports of an assembly device, where the movable supports are in an initial loading configuration, the four profiles on their movable supports in initial loading configuration defining a frame, open at the corners, capable of surrounding a parallelepiped having a same thickness as the central glass sheet but having a length and a width which are greater than those of the central glass sheet; the central glass sheet is positioned in the assembly device so that each of its edges is facing the groove of a profile when this the profile is positioned on its movable support(s) in initial loading configuration; the four edges of the central glass sheet are inserted in the grooves of the four profiles by moving the four profiles with the aid of the movable supports of the assembly device.

10. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, before the insertion of the four edges of the central glass sheet in the grooves of the four profiles, the central glass sheet is passed through a washing station of a plant for manufacturing insulating glazing units.

11. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, once assembled, the insulating glazing subassembly comprising the spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet received in an internal peripheral groove of the spacer frame is moved through successive stations of a plant for manufacturing insulating glazing units with the aid of a gripping device comprising both members for gripping the spacer frame and members for gripping the central glass sheet.

12. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein, once assembled, the insulating glazing subassembly comprising the spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet received in an internal peripheral groove of the spacer frame passes successively: through a station for depositing a seal at a periphery of the spacer frame on the two side walls of the frame each intended to be adjacent to an outer glass sheet of the insulating glazing unit; through a station for mounting two outer glass sheets to the spacer frame; through a station for sealing at the outer periphery of the spacer frame between the two outer glass sheets.

13. An insulating glazing subassembly comprising a spacer frame formed of four profiles and at least one central glass sheet having edges, the edges of the at least one central glass sheet are received in internal peripheral grooves of the profiles of the spacer frame, wherein, at each corner of the spacer frame, the end faces of the two profiles forming the corner are aligned by superposition in one and the same plane owing to the cooperation of the edges of the central glass sheet in the grooves of the profiles and the spacer frame comprises a weld without alignment bracket at a join between the two profiles forming the corner.

14. An insulating glazing unit, comprising an insulating glazing subassembly as claimed in claim 13 and two outer glass sheets fastened on either side of the spacer frame, being substantially parallel to the central glass sheet.

15. A plant for manufacturing insulating glazing units, comprising an assembly station for assembling an insulating glazing subassembly comprising a spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet, where the spacer frame is formed of four profiles assembled angularly at their ends and each profile has a groove for receiving one edge of the central glass sheet, the assembly station comprising an assembly device which has, on the one hand, a plurality of movable supports capable of receiving four profiles in order to position them with their grooves gripping the edges of the central glass sheet and, on the other hand, a device for welding the ends of the profiles at each corner of the spacer frame when the profiles of the spacer frame are positioned with their grooves gripping the edges of the central glass sheet.

16. The plant as claimed in claim 15, wherein each welding device has one or two sonotrodes configured to surround the corner of the spacer frame by being applied against an outer transverse wall of each of the two profiles.

17. The plant as claimed in claim 15, further comprising: a station for washing glass sheets; a station for depositing a seal at the a periphery of the spacer frame on the two side walls of the frame each intended to be adjacent to an outer glass sheet of the insulating glazing unit; a station for mounting two outer glass sheets to the spacer frame; and a station for sealing an insulating glazing unit at the outer periphery of the spacer frame between the two outer glass sheets.

18. The plant as claimed in claim 17, wherein the station for assembling an insulating glazing subassembly and the station for depositing a seal are stations that are located parallel to a main line comprising the station for washing glass sheets, the station for mounting outer glass sheets to the spacer frame and the station for sealing an insulating glazing unit.

19. The plant as claimed in claim 15, further comprising, in order to hold the insulating glazing subassembly in the assembly station and to move it from one station to another of the plant, a gripping device comprising both members for gripping the spacer frame and members for gripping the central glass sheet.

20. The plant as claimed in claim 19, wherein, in the gripping device, each member for gripping the spacer frame is mounted on a retractable arm so as to free up access to the periphery of the spacer frame.

21. The plant as claimed in claim 19, wherein, in the gripping device, each member for gripping the central glass sheet is mounted on an actuator, with a possibility of elastic releasing of a rod of the actuator so that the member for gripping the central glass sheet allows the central glass sheet to accompany the movement of the spacer frame when the spacer frame is mechanically stressed.

Description

[0055] The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description of embodiments of a process and of a plant for manufacturing insulating glazing units according to the invention, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0056] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spacer frame profile that can be used for the manufacture of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention;

[0057] FIG. 2 is a partial cross section of an insulating glazing unit, the spacer frame of which comprises the profile from FIG. 1;

[0058] FIGS. 3 to 9 are schematic views of successive steps of a process for manufacturing insulating glazing units similar to the one shown in FIG. 2;

[0059] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an assembly device used within the context of the process;

[0060] FIG. 11 is a larger-scale view of the detail XI from FIG. 10;

[0061] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a robot equipped with a gripping device used within the context of the process;

[0062] FIG. 13 is a larger-scale view of the detail XIII from FIG. 12;

[0063] FIG. 14 is a larger-scale view of the detail XIV from FIG. 12;

[0064] FIG. 15 is a transverse cross section along the plane XV from FIG. 13;

[0065] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a seal deposition device (or butyl depositing device) used within the context of the process; and

[0066] FIG. 17 is a front view of a station for positioning and measuring glass sheets that is capable of being used for the manufacture of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention.

[0067] The figures illustrate a process and a plant for manufacturing triple glazing units 10, which comprise two outer glass sheets 12 and 14 positioned on either side of a spacer frame 20 and a central glass sheet 16 received in an internal peripheral groove of the spacer frame. In accordance with the invention, the manufacture of the insulating glazing unit 10 involves the assembling of the spacer frame 20 around the central glass sheet 16, by insertion of the edges of the central glass sheet 16 in grooves 3 of the constituent profiles 1 of the spacer frame 20, then welding of the ends 1A, 1B of the profiles 1 at each corner of the spacer frame without an alignment bracket.

[0068] The spacer frame 20 is formed of four profiles 1, which are assembled as miter cut at their ends. As shown in FIG. 1, each profile 1 is formed by a body 2 comprising two juxtaposed tubular portions 4. In this example, the body 2 is made of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN), reinforced with around 35% of glass fibers. The two tubular portions 4 define between them a groove 3 intended to receive one edge of the central glass sheet 16. Each tubular portion 4 of the profile 1 comprises two side walls, respectively 41, 43 and 45, 47. The walls 41 and 47 laterally define the groove 3 for receiving the central glass sheet 16, whilst the walls 43 and 45 are intended, in the insulating glazing unit 10, to be adjacent respectively to the outer glass sheet 12 and to the outer glass sheet 14.

[0069] Each tubular portion 4 also comprises two transverse walls which, in the insulating glazing unit 10, extend transversely relative to the glass sheets 12, 14 and 16, comprising an inner transverse wall 42 or 44 oriented toward an internal cavity 17 or 19 of the insulating glazing unit and an outer transverse wall oriented toward the outside of the insulating glazing unit. The outer transverse walls of the two tubular portions 4 are portions of an outer transverse wall 8 of the profile 1, which also defines the bottom of the groove 3. In order to reduce the heat transfer through the body 2 of the profile to the cavities 17 and 19 of the insulating glazing unit, the body 2 comprises a thermally insulating depositing 22 on the outer surface of the transverse wall 8.

[0070] The bond between each glass sheet 12 or 14 and the adjacent wall 43 or 45 of the profile 1 is provided by a respective butyl sealing bead 13 or 15. The insulating glazing unit 10 also comprises an external sealing barrier 18 made of polysulfide resin, which is applied over the entire outer perimeter of the spacer frame between the two glass sheets 12 and 14, so as to hold the glass sheets 12 and 14 together and against the spacer frame. Furthermore, the profile 1 comprises a liner 11 positioned in the groove 3 for receiving the edge of the central glass sheet 16. This liner 11 is made of EPDM and makes it possible to ensure a stress-free fastening of the central glass sheet 16 in the groove 3. The liner 11 also acts as a mechanical and sound damper, in particular during the insertion of the edges of the central glass sheet 16 in the grooves of the profiles 1 in order to form the spacer frame 20 around the central glass sheet.

[0071] Each tubular portion 4 of the profile 1 defines a housing 5, delimited by the side and transverse walls of the tubular portion, found in which is a desiccant material 6 that may be, for example, a molecular sieve or silica gel. The inner transverse walls 42 and 44 of the tubular portions 4 are provided with a plurality of perforations 49, so that the desiccant material 6 is capable of absorbing the moisture within each cavity 17 and 19 of the insulating glazing unit, which makes it possible to prevent the formation of condensation between the glass sheets 12 and 16 and between the glass sheets 14 and 16. The profile 1 also comprises two gas flow through-orifices 9, which are made in one and the other tubular portions 4 in the vicinity of the end 1B of the profile. Each through-orifice 9 opens into the two transverse walls of the corresponding tubular portion 4. Once the profile 1 is integrated in an insulating glazing unit, the through-orifices 9 may be used to fill the cavities 17 and 19 with an insulating gas and/or to evacuate air out of the cavities 17 and 19.

[0072] As is clearly visible in FIG. 1, each end face S1 of the profile 1 is inclined relative to the outer transverse wall 8 of the profile at an angle of the order of 45, so that the profile 1 can be assembled according to a miter cut assembly with other similar profiles 1 to form the spacer frame 20. The assembling between the ends of the profiles 1 at each corner of the spacer frame 20 is obtained, in this example, by ultrasonic welding at the end faces S1 of the profiles.

[0073] FIGS. 3 to 9 show successive steps of a process for manufacturing triple glazing units 10 that are similar to the one from FIG. 2. As can be seen in these figures, the plant for manufacturing triple glazing units 10 comprises:

[0074] a store 30 of preprepared profiles 1, in which a robot gripper R1 picks up profiles 1 to bring them to a station 50 for assembling the spacer frame 20 around the central glass sheet 16;

[0075] a station 40 for washing the glass sheets 12, 14, 16, at the outlet of which is a station 48 for inspecting the glass sheets;

[0076] a station 50 for assembling the spacer frame 20 around the central glass sheet 16, arranged in which is an assembly device 51 that comprises, on the one hand, movable supports 53 configured to hold and move the four constituent profiles 1 of the spacer frame, in order to position them with their grooves 3 gripping the edges of the central glass sheet 16 and, on the other hand, a welding device 55 comprising four ultrasonic welding heads provided to weld the ends of the profiles 1 at each of the four corners of the spacer frame;

[0077] a station 60 for butyl depositing the subassembly 7 comprising the spacer frame 20 assembled around the central glass sheet 16, in which the butyl sealing beads 13 and 15 are deposited at the periphery of the spacer frame 20, on the side walls 43 and 45 of the spacer frame against which the outer glass sheets 12 or 14 of the insulating glazing unit will be added, this butyl-depositing station 60 comprising a butyl-depositing head 61 that can be moved in translation on a rail 69;

[0078] a station 70 for mounting the two outer glass sheets 12 and 14 to the spacer frame 20, comprising, on the one hand, a first post 71 for applying the first outer glass sheet 14 to the subassembly 7 at the sealing bead 15 and, on the other hand, a second post 73 which is a press in which the second outer glass sheet 12 is applied to the subassembly 7 at the sealing bead 13; optionally, the filling of the two cavities 17 and 19 defined between the glass sheets of the triple glazing unit with insulating gas may also take place in the press 73;

[0079] a sealing station, not represented in the figures, which is located at the outlet of the press 73 and in which the external sealing barrier 18 made of polysulfide resin is applied to the outer perimeter of the spacer frame 20 between the two glass sheets 12 and 14, so as to hold the glass sheets 12 and 14 together and against the spacer frame.

[0080] The plant also comprises a conveyor belt 38, which passes through the washing station 40, the inspection station 48, the mounting station 70 and the sealing station. Furthermore, in order to hold the subassembly 7 in the assembly station 50 and to move the subassembly 7 between the assembly station 50 and the butyl-depositing station 60, then to move it within the butyl-depositing station 60, then to move it between the butyl-depositing station 60 and the post 71 of the mounting station 70, the plant comprises two robots R2 and R3.

[0081] The robots R2 and R3 are each provided with a gripping device 90 comprising both supports 93 for gripping the spacer frame 20 and suction pads 92 for gripping the central glass sheet 16. As shown in FIG. 12, the supports 93 and the suction pads 92 are borne by a frame 91 of the device 90. Very advantageously, the supports 93 and the suction pads 92 ensure an independent gripping of each of the two elements of the subassembly 7 which are the spacer frame 20 and the central glass sheet 16, while allowing in particular a relative movement of these two elements that may be necessary in certain steps for manufacturing the insulating glazing unit.

[0082] More specifically, as seen in FIGS. 12 to 14, each of the supports 93.1 to 93.18 for gripping the spacer frame 20 is fastened to an arm 94, which is itself mounted on a cylinder 95. In this example, each of the cylinders 95 is a pneumatic cylinder. Each cylinder 95 enables a retraction of the corresponding arm 94, and therefore of the support(s) 93 borne by this arm 94, when it is desirable to free up access to the periphery of the spacer frame 20.

[0083] Steps that require access to the periphery of the spacer frame 20 comprise, in particular, the step of ultrasonic welding of the ends of the profiles 1 at each corner of the spacer frame in the assembly station 50, and the step of depositing sealing beads 13 and 15 on the side walls 43 and 45 of the spacer frame in the butyl depositing station 60.

[0084] Furthermore, as can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, each of the four suction pads 92 for gripping the central glass sheet 16 is connected to the rod 96 of a cylinder 97. In this example, each of the cylinders 97 is a pneumatic cylinder. This arrangement of the suction pads 92 offers the choice of the possibility of a rigid gripping of the central glass sheet 16, by locking the rod of each cylinder 97 in translation, or the possibility of a flexible gripping of the central glass sheet 16, by leaving the rod of each cylinder 97 slidably movable against an elastic load that is suitably chosen so that the central glass sheet 16 can smoothly accompany the movement of the spacer frame 20 when the latter is mechanically stressed.

[0085] In particular, in order to avoid any damaging of the central glass sheet 16, a flexible gripping of the central glass sheet 16 is required when a pressing force is applied on the spacer frame 20. Steps involving a pressing force exerted on the spacer frame 20 comprise, in particular, the step of ultrasonic welding of the ends of the profiles 1 at each corner of the spacer frame in the assembly station 50, and the step of pressing the outer glass sheet 14 against the spacer frame in the post 71 of the mounting station 70.

[0086] During the pressing of the outer glass sheet 14 against the butyl-deposited side wall 45 of the spacer frame in the post 71, the spacer frame 20 tends to move in the direction of the frame 91 of the device 90, as shown by the arrow F from FIG. 15. A needle 98 is provided in the vicinity of each support 93 to create a plurality of points for bearing against the side wall 43, which is also butyl-deposited, of the spacer frame opposite the wall 45, and to thus limit the movement of the spacer frame 20 in the direction of the arrow F.

[0087] By way of example, the process for manufacturing a triple glazing unit 10 comprises steps as described below, which are illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 9.

[0088] Firstly, the constituent profiles 1 of the spacer frame 20 are prepared in a profile preparation plant, not represented, which is located upstream of the store 30 and which supplies the store 30 with profiles 1. The preparation of the profiles 1 comprises the cutting of the profile to the desired length, the shaping of its ends 1A and 1B according to a 45 bevelled shape, the filling of the two tubular portions 4 of the profile with a desiccant material 6 such as a molecular sieve or silica gel, the piercing of the profile to create a gas flow through-orifice 9 in each of the two tubular portions 4.

[0089] Four profiles 1 thus prepared are collected by the robot gripper R1 from the store 30, in order to form the spacer frame 20 of the insulating glazing unit in the assembly station 50. In the process illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 9, the robot R1 handles the profiles 1 successively, in order to position them one by one on the movable supports 53 of the device 51 which are in the initial loading configuration. As a variant, the robot R1 may of course be designed to handle several profiles 1 at once. According to another variant, the collecting of the profiles 1 from the store 30 and the positioning thereof on the movable supports 53 of the assembly device 51 may be carried out manually by an operator.

[0090] While the robot R1 positions the profiles 1 in the assembly device 51, the robot R2 will look for a central glass sheet 16 in the inspection station 48, that has previously passed through the washing station 40. The robot R2 holds the central glass sheet 16 by means of the suction pads 92 of its gripping device 90. The robot R2 moves the central glass sheet 16 from the inspection station 48 to the assembly station 50, where it positions it so that each of its edges is opposite the position that is or will be occupied by the groove 3 of a profile 1 positioned on the movable supports 53 in initial loading configuration. FIG. 8 shows a configuration of the assembly station 50 in which the robot R1 has positioned the four profiles 1 on their movable supports 53 in initial loading configuration and the robot R2 holds the central glass sheet 16 correctly positioned in the space defined between the profiles 1, with its edges opposite the grooves 3 of the profiles.

[0091] The assembly device 51 is programmed to detect this configuration and to trigger a simultaneous movement of the movable supports 53 bearing the profiles 1, so as to simultaneously insert the four edges of the central glass sheet 16 in the grooves 3 of the four profiles 1. The spacer frame 20 of the insulating glazing unit is thus formed around the central glass sheet 16. Very advantageously, the central glass sheet 16 is used as a frame of reference for the assembling of the frame 20, which greatly limits the appearance of geometric defects of the frame. The movable supports 53 hold the profiles 1 in contact with the edges of the central glass sheet 16. In particular, at each corner of the spacer frame 20, the movable supports 53 hold the end faces S1 of the profiles in a configuration where they are aligned by superposition in one and the same plane.

[0092] Starting from this configuration, the assembly device 51 automatically actuates the four welding heads 55 so that they carry out the welding of the ends of the profiles 1 at each corner of the spacer frame 20. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 11, each welding head 55 comprises two sonotrodes 52 pointed perpendicular with respect to one another, which are configured in order to surround the corner of the spacer frame 20 by each being applied against the outer transverse wall 8 of one of the two profiles 1 forming the corner. The pressing force exerted during the welding by each sonotrode 52 on the wall 8 of the corresponding profile is perpendicular to the transverse wall 8. Each welding head 55 also comprises a stop 56, which, during the welding, confines the side walls of the two profiles 1 forming the corner, so as to limit the deformations of the profiles. The central glass sheet 16 acts as the support for each of the two sonotrodes 52, by holding the two profiles 1 in a fixed position during the welding. In this example, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration for the welding is 35 kHz.

[0093] Once the welding has been carried out at each corner of the spacer frame 20, the robot R2 removes the subassembly 7 comprising the spacer frame 20 assembled around the central glass sheet 16 from the assembly station 50 and transfers it to the robot R3 in the butyl-depositing station 60, this transfer step between the robot R2 and the robot R3 being able to be seen in FIG. 3. The robot R3 then moves the subassembly 7 by making it rotate about itself opposite the butyl-depositing head 61, which itself moves in translation along the direction of the rail 69 by moving back and forth on this rail, so as to deposit the sealing beads 13 and 15 at the periphery of the spacer frame 20 on the two side walls 43 and 45 of the frame.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 16, the structure of the butyl-depositing head 61 is adapted to enable a simultaneous butyl depositing of the two walls 43 and 45, owing to the presence of two injection nozzles 62 and 64 each connected to a respective butyl reservoir 63 or 65. The two injection nozzles 62 and 64 are positioned on either side of a carriage 67 equipped with two rollers 68, which are provided to move along the outer transverse wall 8 of the frame 20 while the two injection nozzles 62 and 64 deposit the butyl beads 13 and 15 on the walls 43 and 45.

[0095] When the spacer frame 20 of the subassembly 7 has been butyl deposited over its entire periphery, the robot R3 moves the subassembly 7 to the post 71 of the mounting station 70, where a first outer glass sheet 14 is waiting. The outer glass sheet 14 is then pressed against the butyl-deposited side wall 45 of the spacer frame which is still held, in the same way as the glass sheet 16, by the robot R3 with the aid of its gripping device 90. The assembly comprising the glass sheet 14 and the subassembly 7, which are attached at the butyl bead 15, is then conveyed on the conveyor belt 38 into the press 73, where a second outer glass sheet 12 is applied to the subassembly 7 at the butyl bead 13. The filling with insulating gas of the two cavities 17 and 19 defined between the glass sheets 12, 14, 16 may also take place in the press 73, before the assembly is transferred to a sealing station, not visible in the figures, which is located at the outlet of the press 73 and in which the external sealing barrier 18 made of polysulfide resin is applied to the outer perimeter of the spacer frame 20 between the outer glass sheets 12 and 14.

[0096] As it emerges from FIGS. 3 to 9, in this embodiment, the assembly station 50 and the butyl-depositing station 60 are stations located in parallel with a main line comprising the conveyor belt 38 which passes through the washing station 40, the inspection station 48, the mounting station 70 and the sealing station. Of course, other configurations of the plant can be envisaged. In particular, according to one variant, the butyl-depositing station 60 may involve a conveyor belt parallel to the conveyor belt 38 of the main line instead of a robot gripper.

[0097] Furthermore, according to another variant, it may be envisaged to replace the assembly of the inspection station 48 and of the post 71 of the mounting station 70 by a single station 80 for positioning and measuring glass sheets, as shown for example in FIG. 17, which is located on the main line comprising the conveyor belt 38 and which is associated with a single robot similar to the robot R2 described previously instead of two robots R2 and R3. The positioning and measuring station 80 makes it possible to position a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 in a reference position (shown by dotted lines in FIG. 17) and to measure the sides of the glass sheet 12, 14, 16 along two orthogonal directions X and Y, which are in particular a horizontal direction X and a vertical direction Y, and also optionally along the thickness direction Z of the glass sheet.

[0098] In the example shown in FIG. 17, the positioning and measuring station 80 comprises a frame having a horizontal portion 81, which supports a horizontal wedging device 83 making it possible to define the reference position along the vertical direction Y, and a vertical portion 82, that supports a vertical wedging device 86 making it possible to define the reference position along the horizontal direction X.

[0099] The horizontal wedging device 83 comprises a plurality of wedges 85 positioned between the rollers of the conveyor belt 38 and attached to one and the same support that is movable between a low position, visible as solid lines in FIG. 17, in which the wedges 85 are set back relative to the surface of the rollers of the conveyor belt 38 so that a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 can be brought by the conveyor belt 38 to the station 80, and a high position, visible as dotted lines in FIG. 17, in which the wedges 85 jut out in the Y direction relative to the surface of the rollers of the conveyor belt 38. During the movement of the wedges 85 from the low position to the high position, a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 received in the station 80 and bearing via its lower edge against the wedges 85 is moved vertically to the reference position.

[0100] The vertical wedging device 86 comprises a single wedge, which is movable between a retracted position, in which the wedge 86 is set back relative to the zone of movement of glass sheets on the rollers of the conveyor belt 38, so that a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 can be brought by the conveyor belt 38 to the station 80, and a deployed position, visible as dotted lines in FIG. 17, in which the wedge 86 juts out in the X and Z directions relative to the portion 83 of the frame. In the deployed position of the wedge 86, a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 received in the station 80 may be moved horizontally to the reference position in order to bear via its left side edge against the wedge 86.

[0101] The station 80 also comprises measurement heads for measuring the dimensions of a glass sheet 12, 14, 16 received in the station 80 in the reference position, comprising a head 87 for measuring the dimension along the horizontal direction X and a head 88 measuring the dimension along the vertical direction Y. Generally, the measurement of the dimensions along the X, Y, Z directions of a glass sheet received in the station 80 may be carried out on the fly, by a mobile sensor, etc. The precise measurement of the dimensions along the X, Y, Z directions of each glass sheet used for the manufacture of an insulating glazing unit 10, starting from the reference position, makes it possible in particular to:

[0102] ensure a consistency between the dimensions of the central glass sheet 16 and the dimensions of the profiles 1 that are collected from the store 30 and positioned in the assembly station 50 by the robot R1 in order to form the spacer frame 20;

[0103] have a precise focusing of each glass sheet 12, 14, 16 of the insulating glazing unit 10;

[0104] take into account any discrepancies possibly measured in order to correct the manufacturing parameters in the plant for preparing the profiles 1 upstream of the store 30 and/or in the butyl-depositing station 60 and/or in the station where the first outer glass sheet 14 is pressed against the butyl-deposited side wall 45 of the spacer frame.

[0105] By way of example, the process for manufacturing a triple glazing unit 10 using the station 80 shown in FIG. 17, instead of the inspection station 48 and the post 71 of the mounting station 70, and a single robot similar to the robot R2 described previously, instead of two robots R2 and R3, comprises steps as described below.

[0106] A central glass sheet 16, previously passed through the washing station 40, is brought to the station 80 by the conveyor belt 38, then is positioned in the reference position by means of the horizontal wedging device 83 and vertical wedging device 86. More specifically, once the central glass sheet 16 has arrived at the station 80, the portion of the conveyor belt 38 positioned in the station 80 is immobilized, the vertical wedge 86 is deployed, the rollers of the portion of the conveyor belt 38 positioned in the station 80 make a slight backward movement so as to bring the left vertical edge of the glass sheet 16 to bear against the wedge 86, the wedges 85 of the horizontal wedging device are moved into the high position with the glass sheet 16 bearing via its lower edge against the wedges 85. The central glass sheet 16 is then in the reference position, and the measurement heads 87, 88 carry out the measurement of the dimensions along the X, Y, Z directions of the central glass sheet 16 in the reference position. The data from the measurements along the X, Y, Z directions of the central glass sheet 16 in the reference position are sent to the plant for preparing the profiles 1 upstream of the store 30 in order to verify and/or adjust the dimensions of the profiles 1.

[0107] While the robot R1 positions the profiles 1 in the assembly device 51, the robot R2 will look for the central glass sheet 16 in the reference position in the station 80, by means of the suction pads 92 of its gripping device 90. The robot R2 then positions the central glass sheet 16 in the assembly station 50, and the process in the assembly station 50 continues in a similar manner to that which was described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

[0108] Once the welding has been carried out at each corner of the spacer frame 20, the robot R2 removes the subassembly 7 comprising the spacer frame 20 assembled around the central glass sheet 16 from the assembly station 50 and positions it in the butyl-depositing station 60, where it moves it opposite the butyl-depositing head 61, so as to deposit the sealing beads 13 and 15 at the periphery of the spacer frame 20 on the two side walls 43 and 45 of each of the four sides of the frame.

[0109] When the spacer frame 20 of the subassembly 7 has been butyl-deposited over its entire periphery, the robot R2 brings the subassembly 7 back to the station 80, where a first outer glass sheet 14 is waiting in the reference position. In the station 80, the measurement of the dimensions along the X, Y, Z directions of the outer glass sheet 14 in the reference position has taken place, which makes it possible to adapt the parameters for the pressing of the outer glass sheet 14 against the butyl-deposited side wall 45 of the spacer frame of the subassembly 7 held by the robot R2. The outer glass sheet 14 is then pressed against the butyl-deposited side wall 45 of the spacer frame which is still held, in the same way as the glass sheet 16, by the robot R2 with the aid of its gripping device 90. The assembly comprising the glass sheet 14 and the subassembly 7, which are attached at the butyl bead 15, is then conveyed on the conveyor belt 38 into the press 73, where a second outer glass sheet 12 is applied to the subassembly 7 at the butyl bead 13, as described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

[0110] As it emerges from the preceding examples, the process according to the invention may be carried out in a completely automated manner, which makes it possible to increase the productivity and to reduce the production costs of insulating glazing units containing at least three glass sheets. The process according to the invention also has the advantage of guaranteeing a precise positioning of the end faces of the profiles of the spacer frame, by means of the assembling of the frame around at least one central glass sheet, which makes it possible to limit the appearance of geometric defects of the spacer frame and therefore to ensure a good durability of the insulating glazing units.

[0111] The invention is not limited to the examples described and represented. In particular, the process according to the invention has been described in the case where it is completely automated, but it is of course possible to carry out the invention with a partial automation, or even without automation. Furthermore, the invention has been described with an assembling of the profiles of the spacer frame at their ends by ultrasonic welding. Other assembly techniques are however also possible, as long as they are compatible with the fact that the spacer frame is assembled around at least one central glass sheet. As already mentioned, the number of tubular portions of the profiles of the spacer frame may also be greater than two, with a groove defined by each pair of adjacent tubular portions, which enables the manufacture of insulating glazing units comprising four or more glass sheets. In this case, the process for manufacturing the insulating glazing unit may be similar to that described above for the manufacture of triple glazing units, with the difference that the assembling of the spacer frame no longer takes place around a single central glass sheet, but several juxtaposed central glass sheets.