Liquid-ejecting bearings for transport of glass sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708136-B2
Application number	US-201113231124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2011
Priority date	Sep 26, 2008
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings ( 3 ) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets ( 13 ), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices ( 22 ) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D 0 ) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings ( 3 ) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate ( 13 ) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face ( 20 ) of the bearing ( 3 ) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing ( 3 ) will lose control of the substrate ( 13 ) or that the substrate ( 13 ) will hit the bearing ( 3 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-contact bearing for use in transporting a glass sheet comprising a front surface which has a plurality of orifices, the front surface facing the glass sheet and the orifices ejecting liquid towards a major surface of the glass sheet during use of the bearing, wherein:
(a) the orifices are distributed on the front surface to form at least one row that is oriented horizontally during use of the bearing; and
(b) the orifices have an average horizontal pitch P which satisfies the relationship:
2≦P≦55,

where P is in millimeters.

2. The non-contact bearing of claim 1 wherein the orifices have an average size which is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters.

3. The non-contact bearing of claim 2 wherein the non-contact bearing is an upper non-contact bearing, and further comprising:
a lower non-contact bearing which comprises a second plurality of orifices having a second average size, wherein the second average size is less than the average size.

4. The non-contact bearing of claim 1 wherein the non-contact bearing is an upper non-contact bearing, and further comprising:
a lower non-contact bearing which comprises a second plurality of orifices having an average horizontal pitch P L , wherein the lower non-contact bearing is vertically below the upper non-contact bearing; and
wherein, P and P L satisfy the relationship:
P L >P.

5. The non-contact bearing of claim 4 wherein the upper non-contact bearing and the lower non-contact bearing are any two adjacent members of an array of non-contact bearings.

6. The non-contact bearing of claim 4 wherein the lower non-contact bearing comprises a second front surface which has the second plurality of orifices, the second front surface facing the glass sheet and the second plurality of orifices ejecting liquid towards a major surface of the glass sheet during use of the bearing, wherein:
(a) the orifices of the second plurality of orifices are distributed on the second front surface to form at least one row that is oriented horizontally during use of the bearing; and
(b) the average horizontal pitch P L satisfies the relationship:
20≦P L ≦55,

where P L is in millimeters.

7. The non-contact bearing of claim 6 wherein the orifices of the second plurality of orifices have an average size which is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters.

8. The non-contact bearing of claim 1 further comprising a sheet transportation path along which the glass sheet is transported, and wherein there are orifices on only one side of the sheet transportation path.

9. The non-contact bearing of claim 8 further comprising an array of non-contact bearings disposed along only one side of the sheet transportation path.

Assignees

• Kudva Gautam Narendra
• Luo Weiwei
• Nakamura Yoshihiro
• Yamada Tetsuzou
• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Kudva Gautam Narendra
• Luo Weiwei
• Nakamura Yoshihiro
• Yamada Tetsuzou

Classifications

• B65G49/065

  supported partially or completely on fluid cushions, e.g. a gas cushion (in general B65G51/00) · CPC title

• B65G2249/02

  Controlled or contamination-free environments or clean space conditions · CPC title

• B65G51/03

  over a flat surface or in troughs · CPC title

• B65G2249/04

  Arrangements of vacuum systems or suction cups · CPC title

• B65G49/063 Primary

  Transporting devices for sheet glass · CPC title