Glass manufacturing – Processes – Repairing or cleaning of apparatus; or batch dust prevention...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-10-16
Colaianni, Michael P. (Department: 1731)
Glass manufacturing
Processes
Repairing or cleaning of apparatus; or batch dust prevention...
C065S168000, C065SDIG001, C134S072000, C134S129000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301930
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning sheets of glass, and a corresponding method. More particularly, this invention relates to such an apparatus where the sheets are curved and successively transported by a conveyor system through washing and/or drying zone(s).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional vehicle windshields, a plurality of curved glass sheets are adhered together via a plastic film such as polyvinyl butyral. Before being adhered, the glass sheets are often heated, bent and/or stacked in an adjacent or overlapping manner. In order to easily separate the sheets and/or to prevent sheets from fusing together during bending, diatomaceous earth powder and/or oxy powder is often sprinkled on or between the sheets. Before the polyvinyl butyral adhesion layer is inserted between the glass sheets, cleaning should be performed in order to remove the powder(s) from the sheet surfaces.
FIG. 1
is a side elevation view of a prior art glass washing (or cleaning) apparatus
3
. The apparatus includes a frame having a plurality of upright support columns
5
connected to horizontal members
7
, and a continuous conveyor adapted to support glass sheets
21
in a generally horizontal plane for movement from loading station
9
, to wetting station
11
, to scrubbing station
13
, to rinsing station
15
, to drying station
17
, and finally to unloading station
19
. Wetting station
11
includes a plurality of fixed nozzles
25
for discharging streams of cleansing liquid against the upper and lower surfaces of glass sheets
21
. At scrubbing station
13
, cleaning brushes
27
rotatingly contact sheets
21
in order to remove dirt therefrom. Sheets
21
are then rinsed at station
15
by a plurality of fixed spray nozzles
29
, and thereafter are blown dry at station
17
by blowers
31
. Additional details of the
FIG. 1
apparatus may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,221, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Unfortunately, it is undesirable to utilize cleaning brushes which contact the glass sheets. Because of the many different sized and shaped glass sheets that may be fed through such an apparatus, it would be time consuming, expensive and burdensome to be often changing brushes as a function of the sheets to be cleaned (different sized and/or shaped brushes may be needed for different shaped sheets). It is also undesirable to keep an inventory of many different brush types, most of which are not even used at the same time. Moreover, brushes may scratch the glass should dirt or other particles become lodged therein. Additionally, powder to be cleaned from the sheet may coagulate on brushes, resulting in frequent brush maintenance.
Another disadvantage associated with the apparatus of
FIG. 1
is that it transports glass sheets through the various stations in a horizontal orientation. Conveyor rolls may be positioned between the glass surface to be cleaned and spray nozzles. This can prevent or inhibit liquid from the nozzles from impacting different points on is the glass.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for an apparatus for cleaning (or washing) curved glass sheets, and a corresponding method, which solves one or more of the aforesaid problems and/or results in one or more of the following advantages: (i) elimination of contacting brushes; (ii) an improved system for cleaning glass sheets; (iii) a more efficient system for cleaning glass sheets; (iv) an improved system/method of drying glass sheets; and/or (v) a system which can transport single sheets of glass through a cleaning apparatus in a substantially upright manner.
It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill any or all of the above-identified needs in the art, as well as other needs which will become apparent to the skilled artisan from the following detailed description of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an efficient apparatus for cleaning and/or drying curved sheets of glass, and a corresponding method for doing the same.
Another object of this invention is to provide a conveyor for transporting glass sheets through a cleaning system in a substantially upright manner.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for cleaning sheets of glass where no rotating brushes are required to substantially contact sheets to be cleaned.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for cleaning sheets of glass wherein a spray tool is maneuvered back and/or forth across a major glass surface to be cleaned so that the tool substantially tracks the sheet's curved contour.
Another object of this invention is to arrange spray nozzles relative to one another so that spray patterns from vertically adjacent nozzles overlap with regard to surface coverage, but do not substantially diffuse one another.
Another object of this invention is to provide a sheet conveyor that is not continuously operated during a cleaning process, but instead is indexed at predetermined intervals in order to move sheets of glass from one zone to the next after expiration of predetermined cycle(s) of wash/rinse time.
Yet another object of this invention is to satisfy any or all of the “objects” listed above.
Generally speaking, this invention fulfills any or all of the above describes needs or objects by providing a glass cleaning apparatus comprising:
a conveyor for moving a curved sheet of glass having a curved contour into a washing zone in a substantially upright orientation;
a first spray tool including a first array of nozzles for spraying a liquid toward the sheet of glass; and
a first arm for moving the first spray tool in a curved path following the curved contour of the sheet of glass so that the first array of nozzles direct the liquid toward a first major surface of the glass sheet when the first spray tool is moving in the curved path.
This invention further fulfills any or all of the above described needs or objects by providing a method of cleaning a curved glass sheet having a curved contour, the method comprising the following steps:
moving the curved glass sheet into a washing zone;
providing a spray tool in the washing zone;
spraying a liquid toward the curved glass sheet via the spray tool; and
moving the spray tool in a curved path following the curved contour of the glass sheet so that the spray tool directs liquid toward a first major surface of the glass sheet while the spray tool is moving in the curved path.
This invention further fulfills any or all of the above described needs or objects by providing a tool for cleaning a major surface of a glass sheet, the tool comprising:
an elongated support member adapted to be oriented in a substantially vertical manner across a first major surface of the glass sheet to be cleaned;
a plurality of nozzle mounts supported by the elongated support member, each of the nozzle mounts supporting first and second spray nozzles for spraying liquid toward the first major surface of the glass sheet; and
wherein on a plurality of the nozzle mounts said first spray nozzle is located on one side of the elongated support member and the second spray nozzle is located on the other side of the elongated support member, and an axis or line drawn through the first and second spray nozzles defines an angle &thgr; of from about 5-30 degrees with an axis perpendicular to a centerline or axis of the elongated support member, so that vertically adjacent spray patterns from vertically adjacent nozzles on a common side of the elongated support member do not substantially diffuse one another.
This invention further fulfills any or all of the above described needs or objects by providing an apparatus for removing liquid from a curved glass sheet having a contour, the apparatus comprising:
a conveyor for moving the curved glass sheet into a drying zone;
a drying tool including first and second elongated air knives thereon for simultaneously directing first and second respective sheets of air at opposite sides of the glass sheet in ord
Johnson Michael
Warner Jeffrey D.
Wetz Christopher
Colaianni Michael P.
Guardian Industries Corporation
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
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