Drop batch builder technology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214366-B2
Application number	US-201715483467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2017
Priority date	Apr 10, 2017
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A drop batch builder is provided for organizing a plurality of glass sheets into a desired batch arrangement on a conveyor. The drop batch builder includes an upper conveyor line and a lower conveyor line. The upper conveyor has a drop region configured to drop a first glass sheet from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line, whereupon the lower conveyor line is configured to convey the first glass sheet along the lower path of substrate travel to the overpass region where the first glass sheet is positioned under the upper conveyor line. Methods of using a drop batch builder are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of using a drop batch builder, the drop batch builder having an upper conveyor line and a lower conveyor line, the upper conveyor line being at a higher elevation than the lower conveyor line, the lower conveyor line passing under the upper conveyor line at an overpass region, the method comprising:
operating the upper conveyor line to convey a first glass sheet along a first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the first glass sheet along a second upper path of substrate travel until reaching a drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the first glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line; and
operating the lower conveyor line to convey the first glass sheet along a lower path of substrate travel to the overpass region where the first glass sheet passes under the upper conveyor line;
wherein the first and second upper paths of substrate travel are crosswise to each other, and wherein the lower path of substrate travel is crosswise to the first upper path of substrate travel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein when the first glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line the first glass sheet lands in a horizontal position on the lower conveyor line.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein when the first glass sheet is conveyed along the first upper path of substrate travel, the first glass sheet is maintained in a horizontal orientation while being conveyed in a horizontal direction, and when the first glass sheet is conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel, the first glass sheet is maintained in a horizontal orientation while being conveyed in a horizontal direction.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the lower path of substrate travel is perpendicular to the first upper path of substrate travel and is parallel to the second upper path of substrate travel.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating the lower conveyor line to convey the first glass sheet along a lower path of substrate travel, wherein the lower path of substrate travel extends from a landing region, downstream to the overpass region, and further downstream to an egress region, the landing region being a region of the lower conveyor line where glass sheets dropped from the drop region of the upper conveyor line are received on the lower conveyor line, the overpass region being a region where glass sheets are conveyed along the lower conveyor line so as to pass beneath the upper conveyor line, and the egress region being a region of the lower conveyor line where glass sheets are conveyed away from the upper conveyor line, such that the method comprises conveying the first glass sheet from the landing region, through the overpass region, and along the egress region.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising conveying the first glass sheet along the lower conveyor line and to a glass tempering furnace.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a glass seaming station is upstream of the upper conveyor line, and the method comprises conveying the first glass sheet from the glass seaming station to the upper conveyor line.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first upper path of substrate travel is parallel to a width of the lower conveyor line and perpendicular to the lower path of substrate travel, said operating the upper conveyor line being performed so as to convey the first glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel to a desired lateral position on the upper conveyor line, said operating the upper conveyor line thereafter being performed so as to convey the first glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel to the drop region such that the first glass sheet is thereupon dropped down onto the lower conveyor line at a desired lateral position along the width of the lower conveyor line.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating the upper conveyor line to convey a second glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the second glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel, the second glass sheet being conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel until reaching the drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the second glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to be positioned in a side-by-side pair with the first glass sheet.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising operating the upper conveyor line to convey a third glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the third glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel, the third glass sheet being conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel until reaching the drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the third glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to be positioned in a front-to-back pair with the first glass sheet, the second glass sheet, or both.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating the upper conveyor line to convey a second glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the second glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel, the second glass sheet being conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel until reaching the drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the second glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to be positioned in a front-to-back pair with the first glass sheet.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising operating the upper conveyor line to convey a third glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the third glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel, the first and second upper paths of substrate travel being crosswise to each other, the third glass sheet being conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel until reaching the drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the third glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to be positioned in a side-by-side pair with the first glass sheet, the second glass sheet, or both.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating the upper conveyor line to convey a second glass sheet along the first upper path of substrate travel, and thereafter operating the upper conveyor line to convey the second glass sheet along the second upper path of substrate travel, the second glass sheet being conveyed along the second upper path of substrate travel until reaching the drop region of the upper conveyor line whereupon the second glass sheet is dropped from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to be positioned in a diagonal pair with the first glass sheet.

14. The method of claim 1 comprising operating the drop batch builder so as to drop a plurality of glass sheets from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to organize such glass sheets in a first batch arrangement on the lower conveyor line.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising operating the drop batch builder so as to drop another plurality of glass sheets from the upper conveyor line downwardly onto the lower conveyor line so as to o

Assignees

• Cardinal Ig Co

Inventors

• Milewski Michael J
• Buchanan Robert C
• Wyman Jonathan D

Classifications

• B65G2201/022

  Flat · CPC title

• B65G49/064 Primary

  in a horizontal position (B65G49/066 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G49/06

  for fragile sheets, e.g. glass · CPC title

• B65G47/54 Primary

  at least one of which is a roller-way · CPC title

• B65G15/12

  with two or more endless belts · CPC title