Glass panel and method of forming the same

Details Glass panel and method of forming the same Glass panel and method of forming the same

2000-01-31

2002-10-22

Loney, Donald J. (Department: 1772)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Light transmissive sheets, with gas space therebetween and...

C156S109000, C052S786130

Reexamination Certificate

active

06468610

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a glass panel with an improved heat-insulating property as compared with ordinary plate glass, and a manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a glass panel including numerous spacers interposed between a pair of plate glasses, an outer peripheral closing portion provided between outer peripheries of the pair of plate glasses, and a sucking portion provided in one plate glass of the pair of plate glasses for vacuum-closing a void portion between the two plate glasses, and to a method of manufacturing a glass panel in which the glass panel is formed by sealing the sucking the portion after sucking gas in the void portion through the sucking portion.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, as this kind of a glass panel, there is known a glass panel in which a sucking portion
3
is constructed by fixing a glass tube
21
to a sucking mouth
1
a
formed in one plate glass
1
A for communication, and a protruding tip end
21
a
of the glass tube
21
is formed to be capable of being closed by heat melting, as shown in FIG.
23
and FIG.
24
.
Further, in a method for forming this kind of a glass panel, a glass tube
21
is fixed to the sucking mouth la for communication as shown in
FIG. 23
; the void portion V is vacuumized by suction through the glass tube
21
; and the protruding tip end
21
a
is melted by heating to close an opening of the end of the glass tube, as shown in FIG.
24
.
However, according to the above-mentioned conventional glass panel and method for forming a glass panel, the glass tube
21
remains in a protruding state on a surface of the plate glass
1
A in the sucking portion
3
, whereby appearance tends to be deteriorated. Also, there is a problem that other objects are likely to collide with the glass tube
21
and destruction of the sucking portion
3
caused by strong external force exerted on the glass tube
21
deteriorates the vacuum state of the void portion V to decrease the heat-insulating property as a glass panel.
Further, use of a cap for protection of the protruding portion of the glass tube
21
further deteriorates the appearance more.
Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a glass panel and a method for manufacturing the same in which the above-mentioned problems are solved, and the collision and the like of other objects against the sucking portion is avoided, with reduced deterioration of the appearance.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The characteristic constructions of the glass panel and the method for manufacturing the same are as follows.
A glass panel according to claim 1 is a glass panel including numerous spacers interposed between a pair of plate glasses, an outer peripheral closing portion provided between outer peripheries of the two plate glasses, and a sucking portion provided in one plate glass of the pair of plate glasses for vacuum-closing a void portion between the two plate glasses, as exemplified in FIG.
2
and
FIG. 16
to FIG.
20
.
Particularly, in constructing the sucking portion, a sucking mouth is provided in the one plate glass, and a closing plate is disposed to lie along a plane of the one plate glass for covering the sucking mouth. The plate glass and the closing plate are integrated by a bonding portion disposed between the plate glass and the closing plate.
According to this construction, the closing plate can seal the sucking portion with an extremely small amount of protrusion on the surface of the one plate glass. Therefore, it is easier to prevent breakage of the sucking portion caused by another object abutting to or being caught by the sucking portion, as compared with the conventional one.
As a result, the facility in handling the glass panel is improved, and the heat insulating property can be maintained more easily. Further, since the amount of protrusion from the surface of the plate glass is small, the sucking portion is less likely to be conspicuous and the deterioration of the appearance as a glass panel can be prevented more easily.
In the invention according to claim 2, the bonding portion can be constructed with a bonding member having a melting point within a temperature range lower than a softening point of the plate glass and higher than an ambient temperature of use of the plate glass; and the closing plate can be constructed with a closing member having a melting point higher than the bonding portion, as shown in FIG.
2
.
This construction produces the following effect in addition to the function and effect produced by the invention of claim 1.
Namely, the closing member and the one plate glass can be bonded with each other integrally and in close contact by solidification of the bonding member by raising the ambient temperature of the sucking portion with the bonding member and the closing member superposed on the sucking portion for melting the bonding member and then lowering the ambient temperature.
Accordingly, the bonding step can be carried out simply by controlling the temperature of the sucking portion either in an environment of atmospheric pressure or in an environment of reduced pressure, whereby the selectivity of the working environment can be improved, and it can be adapted to various glass panel manufacturing methods carried out under various environments.
In a glass panel according to claim 3, a ring-shaped metal plate can be interposed between the plate glass and the closing plate; and the bonding portion can be constructed with a low melting point glass sintered layer integrally interposed between a surface of the plate glass on an edge of the sucking mouth and the ring-shaped metal plate, and with a solder layer integrally interposed between the ring-shaped metal plate and the closing plate, as shown in FIG.
16
and FIG.
17
.
This construction produces the following effect in addition to the function and effect produced by the invention of claim 1.
For example, it is possible to adopt a method of sealing the sucking portion in which the bonding portion made of a low melting point glass sintered layer is formed under an environment of atmospheric pressure, and the bonding portion made of the solder layer is formed under an environment of reduced pressure.
Incidentally, the low melting point glass sintered layer is formed by sintering a low melting point glass and, if the temperature is raised under an environment of reduced pressure, there is a problem that a gas is generated from the low melting point glass to deteriorate the efficiency of hermetic closing between the two plate glasses. However, in the case of the glass panel of this construction, the bonding portion made of the low melting point glass sintered layer can be formed under an environment of atmospheric pressure, so that the low melting point glass can be used without hindrance. As a result of this, another object can be bonded to the glass in a more stable state.
Further, after the ring-shaped metal plate is bonded to the plate glass by the low melting point glass sintered layer, the bonding portion made of the solder layer can bond the closing plate further more strongly under an environment of reduced pressure with no generation of gas from the low melting point glass sintered layer. As a result of this, the sucking portion can be sealed without adopting a sophisticated method.
Here, the ring shape as referred to in the shape of the metal plate is not limited to a circular ring shape, but may be a polygonal ring shape or a ring shape with non-specified shape. These shapes as a whole are referred to as a ring shape.
In a glass panel according to claim 4, the closing plate can be constructed with a second solder plate; a ring-shaped metal plate can be interposed between the plate glass and the closing plate; and the bonding portion can be constructed with a low melting point glass sintered layer integrally interposed between a surface of the plate glass on an edge of the sucking mouth and the ring-shaped metal plate, as shown in
FIG. 18
to FIG.
20
.
This construction produces the following effect

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