|
(11) | EP 0 837 212 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
|
|
| (54) |
Method and device for automatic filling of insulating glass with gas different from air Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur automatischen Füllung von Isolierglasscheiben mit einem Gas verschieden von Luft Procédé et dispositif pour le remplissage automatique des vitrages isolants avec un gaz différent de l'air |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0001] The present application relates to an automatic procedure and an automatic device for filling panels of insulating glass with a gas different from the air. Such gas is employed for improving thermal and acoustic insulation properties of panels, as well as for improving other properties connected with the peculiar characteristics of the employed gas.
[0002] Nowadays the known techniques for the filling of panels of insulating glass with a gas different from the air are divided into manual techniques and automatic techniques.
[0003] The first techniques are based on either the principle of measuring the gas flow and the introduction time of the same or the principle of measuring the concentration of either the gas or the residual oxygen inside the panel of insulating glass during the introduction of the gas itself. The second techniques usually resort to the method of measuring the concentration of either the gas or the residual oxygen inside the panel of insulating glass during the introduction of the gas itself until the desired gas concentration is achieved.
[0004] Leaving aside the manual technique, even though it has really constituted the school and the basis for the development of the automatic technique, we confine ourselves to describing the known technique related to the sole automatic solution, since it is the one from which the present invention starts as well as it is the one which has reached an industrial diffusion of notable interest.
[0005] Moreover, the sensitive increase in demand of panels of insulating glass filled with gas shall necessarily direct the producers of panels of insulating glass to the employment of the sole automatic machines or at least of the semiautomatic ones and, above all, to the selection of those automatic machines that, all the other characteristics being equal, have a limited consumption of gas for the filling of the same panel like the one which is referred to in the present application.
[0006] The above-mentioned demand of panels of insulating glass filled with gas has become in fact diffused not only for those uses for which an improvement in thermal insulation characteristics is requested (in the last years this requirement has been particularly imposed by specific rules and laws binding the obtaining of the building permit itself to the employment of materials having a thermal exchange below certain values), but, particularly in recent times, for those uses, for instance in residential areas in the vicinity of airports or in the hotel estates situated in big metropolises, where acoustic insulation becomes more than important since it constitutes a requisite related to the quality of life.
[0007] Hence, the diffusion has grown of gases having more and more peculiar characteristics, finer characteristics and therefore more expensive characteristics (even more than two orders of magnitude expensive), whereby a need has grown to use methods and machines of filling that minimize the consumption of gas.
[0008] An automatic procedure and an automatic device which have already been the subject of another patent application and which were also exposed in two international fair demonstrations (Düsseldorf 1994 and Milan 1995), even though they have not been installed yet in manufacturing plants, are disclosed in Italian Patent application no. TV94A000125, which is the priority document for European Patent Application no. 95116237.9, U.S.A. Patent Application no. 08/545,275, Japanese Patent Application no. 07-280198, South Korean Patent Application no. 95-37588. The Applicant and the inventors are the same as those of the present application, which discloses an improvement regarding the mechanics and the automation of the device already disclosed in the above-mentioned applications. The starting principle is the same one, therefore the sole modifications which do not constitute equivalence and which have a content of novelty and inventiveness will be hereby described and claimed.
[0009] Other automatic procedures and automatic devices belonging to the prior art are those hereunder listed, all of them however having the important drawback of resorting to a process in which the speed of the moving gas for achieving the "pseudo-filling" of the panel of insulating glass is in the TURBULENT regime, with consequent continuous mixing of the input gas with the air already present inside the panel of insulating glass, so that the filling of the panel with gas does not take place by substitution, but by dilution.
[0010] In the method and device according to the present invention the speed of the gas during the filling is in LAMINAR regime.
[0011] In fact, such known techniques had the target of carrying out the filling in a time rate equal to or less than the one of the longest phase of the cycle of automatic production of the line which produces panels of insulating glass. Accordingly, all such methods cause the fluxing of gas within the chamber of the panel of insulating glass to have such flow rates that they necessarily operate in turbulent regime. Therefore, the resulting process involves a displacement of gases by dilution inside the panel's internal chamber, that is to say that the effect of every introduction of a volume of air equal to the volume of the chamber is to halve the air concentration inside the panel of insulating glass. More clearly, every introduction of a volume of gas equal to the volume of the chamber involves the following progression in the concentration of the air inside the panel of insulating glass: 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16 1/32.... Accordingly, in order to reduce the air concentration inside the panel of insulating glass to a value up to 3%, as much as 5 volumes of gas are necessary, thus wasting the gas itself. Otherwise, air concentrations higher than 3% have to be accepted.
[0012] When Argon is employed (which was the most diffused when the gas filling technology of panels of insulating glass was originally born) the problem of gas waste resulted economically bearable, but the employment of nobler (and therefore more expensive) gases for achieving better physical characteristics of the panels has made the incidence of costs unbearable. Suffice it to consider the fact that Argon has a market price of about 10 Italian Liras/Nliter (where Nliter is the abbreviation for Normal-liter, i.e. a unit of mass for gases equal to the mass of 10-3 m3 of gas at a pressure of 101325 Pa and at a standard temperature), while Krypton costs as much as 1000 Italian Liras/Nliter and Xenon hits 6000 Italian Liras/Nliter.
[0013] Known techniques are disclosed in various patent documents, which are hereunder listed and accompanied by brief comments. The following patents or filings are known:
[0014] Italian Patent no. 1.142.062: it substantially discloses a chamber, provided with seals, in order to contain the panel of insulating glass which is not yet assembled with its components, i.e. glasses and spacer frame, inside which chamber the gas is fluxed, which accordingly occupies also the inside of the insulating glass panel before the assembling phase that is carried out in the same machine. The drawbacks of this system, which works in a turbulent regime, are the elevated consumption of gas and the non-achievement of a high concentration of gas (or the one is improved to the detriment of the other). Moreover, a quantity of additional gas must be used also for the saturation of the volume of the machine chamber which is not occupied by the glass and a further quantity of gas is lost in the transit phases for the entry and the exit of the panel of insulating glass.
[0015] European Patent Application no. EP-A-0 267 647: the main claim concerns the concept of using means acting on the external surfaces of the panel, for example planes of a press, to oppose the overpressure that is established inside the panel during the phase of gas introduction,; in fact, even a small overpressure interesting a very wide surface involves considerable efforts to the extent that either the separation is caused of the sheets from the spacer frame to which the glass sheets are bound through the primary sealant or the explosion of the same sheets is even caused. In addition to the troubles of the preceding case, this technique introduces the additional problem of requiring at least two holes (one located in the bottom part and the other located in the top part of the panel) crossing both the walls of the spacer frame.
[0016] European Patent Application no. EP-A-0 323 333: it deals with a device similar to the previous one except that, for the optimization of both the mechanics of the machine and the working cycle of the process, the holes for the introduction of gas and for the discharge of the mixture air-gas are displaced in the lower part of one of the sides (generally the exit side) of the spacer frame; it is accordingly avoided the time for the translation of the mechanisms that have to operate in correspondence of the discharge hole. In this device the turbulence of the process is even more emphasized and, even though the process globally takes place in less time, the consumption of gas results among the highest ones with respect to the other prior art systems.
[0017] European Patent Application no. EP-A-0 444 391: in order to fill the inside of the insulating glass panel, one of the two sheets, while they are kept between the clamping boards of the press, is pulled out from the spacer frame in correspondence of an edge of the sheet, due to a portion of the same board of the press provided with suckers. In such a way a slit is created through which the operations of introduction of gas and discharge of the mixture air-gas are carried out. This device also operates in a regime of turbulent flow with the drawbacks already described herein above. The sole advantage of this method resides in that the internal part of the spacer frame is kept sound, thus resulting in a valuable aesthetic aspect. Its drawback, besides the known problem of turbulence, is tied to the need of elastically deforming one of the two sheets which constitute the panel of insulating glass, which need cannot be met with all typologies of glass, for example those having a high thickness.
[0018] International Patent Application no. WO 92/01137: it follows the lines of the previous European Patent, with the difference that the pulling of the glass sheet for creating the slit for the introduction of gas and the discharge of the mixture air-gas is carried out in correspondence of a portion of the bottom side rather than in correspondence of an edge.
[0019] European Patent Application no. EP-A-0 603 148: the process of filling the panel of insulating glass with gas takes place, always inside the press, with one of the two glass sheets leant against the spacer frame only in correspondence of the horizontal top side and of part of the vertical sides for the portion along which the elasticity of the glass allows the relative deformation of the same. The gas is introduced from under the spacer frame and the mixture air-gas is expelled through the portion of the vertical sides where the glass is detached from the spacer frame. The above mentioned drawbacks are even amplified in this procedure in that the bottom side, being open, and being open for a significant extension, constitutes an escape for the introduced gas itself.
[0020] Aim of the present invention is to solve the underlined technical problems and to eliminate the drawbacks involved in the prior art, by contriving an automatic procedure and an automatic device for filling panels of insulating glass with gas different from air which, differently from the known automatic corresponding methods and machines, provide for a notable cheapness as regards the consumption of the filling gas and which, with respect to Italian Patent application no. TV94A000125 and to the corresponding European Patent application no. EP-A-0 715 053, allow to provide a device having better functionality and reliability and which further reduce the consumption of gas and allows to take full advantage of the laminar-flow filling technique disclosed in EP-A-0 715 053, speeding up the operation of the machine.
[0021] Within the above indicated aim, another important object is to provide a device which, even though it is inserted in lines for the automatic production of insulating glass panels, meets the productivity of the same lines, allowing at the same time to achieve an acceptable cheapness in the consumption of gas and an achievement of an elevated concentration of gas inside the finished insulating panel and, last but not least, preservation of such obtained concentration over time.
[0022] This aim, this object and other objects which will become apparent from the following description are achieved by the machine and the method according to the appended claims.
[0023] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of a non-limitative embodiment in the accompanying figure 1, which is a cross-sectional view of the filling station of the device, according to the invention.
[0024] In summary, a collector-container is provided which is able to receive, to contain and to distribute at least two (typically, but not exclusively, eight to ten) panels of insulating glass into respective slots.
[0025] The innovative and inventive concept of the method according to the invention, with respect to the prior art such as Italian Patent application no. TV94A000125 by the same applicant and inventors, consists in using a free selection logic rather than a sequential selection logic, in order to receive in input the panels of insulating glass on one of the available slots of the collector-container, to contain the panels of insulating glass in the same collector-container during the phase of filling with gas, to output the panels of insulating glass to the following station from such collector container, for example to the station which carries out the process of automatic sealing of the peripheral edge of the insulating glass panel, in the manufacturing line for the insulating glass panel, according to the logic required by the line itself. To name but a few, said logic can be determined from one of the following criteria: 1) ejecting from the collector-container the first finished panel, in order to minimize by far the waiting times for the following station; 2) ejecting, as far as they are available, the panels having spacer frames of the same thickness, in order not to change the manufacturing parameters of the downstream automatic sealing machine; 3) ejecting, as far as they are available, panels classified according to customer; 4) giving priority to small pieces in order not to have too many glass panels which have been already finished as regards the filling phase, but which are still to be sealed in the openings for introduction of the gas and expulsion of the air, should the kind of machine provide for a separate location for such sealing, and which are therefore held in a filling status, even though with a reduced flow of gas; 5) providing priority at the request of the operator; 6) providing additional uses of the collector-container, in addition to its main function of filling the panels with gas, as an accumulation and waiting container, should the downstream processing stations be temporarily inactive or busy.
[0026] According to its essential aspects, the machine according to the invention particularly comprises a fixed horizontal base frame 1 on which a mobile counter-frame 2 is mounted so as to slide in a transverse direction with respect to the input conveying direction of the panels.
[0027] The counter-frame 2 corresponds to the above-mentioned collector-container and comprises, on its upper side, at least two (typically from eight to ten) backs 3, on which the panels of insulating glass 4 lean when they are conveyed into the counter-frame 2. The backs are vertical or slightly sloped with respect to the vertical plane, i.e. they are directed substantially perpendicularly with respect to the ground.
[0028] The same panels are conveyed into said backs by means of conveying rollers 5 which, in addition to a rotatory motion, are also provided with an alternating upward/downward movement (with respect to the ground) along the same backs 3 by means of a suitable mechanisms globally indicated with 6. Such alternating movement allows to receive the input panel when the rollers are in the raised position, or to evacuate the panel in exit, when the same rollers 5 are in the lowered position, so as to put down the panel on feet-supports 7, which are displaced with an appropriate distribution in the lower part of the each back 3 and rigidly connected with the respective back, as shown in figure 1.
[0029] In position 8, nozzle-holder carriages are displaced for the introduction of the gas through a pre-drilled (in the same machine) hole on the external face of the bottom side of the spacer frame, while probe-holder carriages are located along guides 9, the probe being inserted, through an automatic device, into the pre-drilled holes located in the upper portion of a lateral side of the spacer frame.
[0030] The above mentioned holes are respectively built as follows; one hole is built on the lower side of the spacer frame through an automatic device located immediately upstream of the collector-container, while the other hole is built on a lateral side of the spacer frame either in the same automatic machine that manufactures the spacer frame by folding and joining straight shapes, or manually or semi-automatically by means of a drilling device, in the case of spacer frames having sides precisely cut and joined at the apexes through inserts of a metallic or plastic material.
[0031] In zone 10 the devices are respectively located for centering the nozzle-holder carriages and for sealing of the hole at the bottom side of the spacer frame and the devices for centering the probe-holder carriages and for sealing the hole at the lateral side of the spacer frame.
[0032] An important advantage of the collector-container is to be able to increase the available filling time for the filling station by a factor equal to the number of compartments or slots of the collector-container, with respect to the time of the most critical station of the production line of panels of insulating glass.
[0033] Contrarily, the above cited prior art gives to the gas filling operation a time far shorter than the time of the most critical station of the line, since the machine that carries out the filling with gas is the same one that has also to carry out the joining and the pressing operations of the components forming the panel of insulating glass. For these reasons the automatic procedure and the automatic device according to the present invention object of the present application can operate with a gas flow in a laminar regime while all the other automatic procedures and automatic devices of the prior art, are forced to operate in a (faster) turbulent regime for time reasons.
said spacer frame comprising at its bottom side a microholed manifold for filling the chamber formed between said glass sheets with said gas according to a laminar flow by introducing said gas into a pre-drilled hole located in the external face of said bottom side, the spacer frame further comprising a discharge hole for discharging the air,
said machine comprising upstream stations for joining the glass sheets with the respective spacer frames through side cords of a primary sealant and for conveying the so-formed panels (4) to a filling station for filling the panels (4) with said gas,
characterized in that the filling station comprises a collector-container (2) for receiving a plurality of such panels (4) and for returning them to downstream processing stations according to a sequence defined by a free selection logic, said collector-container comprising a plurality of backs (3) defining a plurality of slots for receiving and supporting respective panels (4) in a substantially vertical position with respect to the ground,
the collector-container (2) being slidably mounted on a base frame (1) so that it is slidable in a transverse direction with respect to the input conveying direction of the panels (4) so as to receive a sequence of input panels and output a sequence of output panels filled with gas,
each slot comprising at its bottom region (8) a nozzle-holder carriage for holding a nozzle for introducing said gas into the panel (4) in the slot through said pre-drilled hole of the spacer frame,
each back (3) comprising guides (9) for guiding a probe-holder carriage comprising a probe for analyzing the air and the exhausted mixture discharged through said discharge hole during said filling;
said filling station further comprising means for selecting the slots available to receive in input a new panel and for ejecting a filled panel according to said free selection logic.
a) ejecting from the collector-container the first finished panel, in order to minimize by far the waiting times for the following station;
b) ejecting, as far as they are available, the panels having spacer frames of the same thickness;
c) ejecting, as far as they are available, panels classified according to customer,
d) ejecting panels by giving priority to small panels;
e) ejecting panels by giving priority at the request of the operator.
providing said spacer frame, at its bottom side, with a microholed manifold;
joining the glass sheets with the respective spacer frames through side cords of a primary sealant;
conveying the so-formed panels (4) to a filling station for filling the panels (4) with said gas;
characterized in that it comprises the steps of, at a collector-container (2),
providing a plurality of backs (3) defining a plurality of slots for receiving and supporting respective panels (4) in a substantially vertical position with respect to the ground;
receiving a plurality of such panels (4) by sliding said collector-container in a transverse direction with respect to the input conveying direction of the panels (4);
filling with said gas the chamber of each panel which is formed between said glass sheets with said gas according to a laminar flow, by introducing said gas into a pre-drilled hole located in said bottom side by means of a nozzle held by a nozzle-holder carriage provided in the bottom region (8) of each slot;
analyzing the air and the exhausted mixture discharged through said discharge hole during said filling by means of a prove held by a probe-holder carriage guided by respective guides (9) provided on each back (3);
returning said panels (4) to downstream processing stations according to a sequence defined by a free selection logic.
a) ejecting from the collector-container the first finished panel, in order to minimize by far the waiting times for the following station;
b) ejecting, as far as they are available, the panels having spacer frames of the same thickness;
c) ejecting, as far as they are available, panels classified according to customer;
d) ejecting panels by giving priority to small panels;
e) ejecting panels by giving priority at the request of the operator.
der Abstandsrahmen auf seiner Unterseite einen mikrogelöcherten Verteiler umfasst, der die Kammer, die zwischen den Glasplatten ausgebildet ist, in einer Laminarströmung mit dem Gas gefüllt wird, indem das Gas in ein vorgebohrtes Loch, das sich auf der Außenfläche der Unterseite befindet, eingeleitet wird, wobei der Abstandsrahmen ferner ein Ableitloch zum Ableiten der Luft umfasst,
die Vorrichtung stromaufwärts liegende Stationen umfasst, um die Glasplatten durch Seftenschnüre einer Primärdichtmasse mit den jeweiligen Abstandsrahmen zu verbinden, und um die so ausgebildeten Paneele (4) zu einer Füllstation zu befördern, in der die Paneele (4) mit dem Gas gefüllt werden,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Füllstation einen Sammelbehälter (2) umfasst, der mehrere solcher Paneele (4) aufnimmt und sie zu stromabwärts liegenden Verarbeitungsstationen gemäß einer von einer freien Auswahllogik festgelegten Abfolge zurück führt, wobei der Sammelbehälter mehrere Rückseiten (3) umfasst, die mehrere Aufnahmen definieren, die die entsprechenden Paneele (4) in einer zum Boden im Wesentlichen vertikalen Lage aufnehmen und halten,
der Sammelbehälter (2) verschiebbar auf einem Grundrahmen (1) befestigt ist, so dass er in einer zur Eingangsförderrichtung der Paneele (4) quer laufenden Richtung verschiebbar ist, um eine Reihe eingehender Paneele aufzunehmen und eine Reihe ausgehender, mit Gas gefüllter Paneele abzugeben,
jede Aufnahme auf ihrem unteren Bereich (8) einen Düsenhalter-Schlitten umfasst, der eine Düse hält, die das Gas in das Paneel (4) in die Aufnahme durch das vorgebohrte Loch des Abstandsrahmens einleitet,
jede Rückseite (3) Führungen (9) umfasst, die einen Sondenhalter-Schlitten führen, der eine Sonde zum Analysieren der Luft und der verbrauchten Mischung, die während des Füllens durch das Ableitloch abgeleitet wurde, umfasst;
die Füllstation ferner Mittel umfasst, die die Aufnahmen auswählen, die eingangsseitig für das Aufnehmen einer neuer Paneele verfügbar sind und die eine gefüllte Paneele gemäß der freien Auswahllogik auswerfen.
a. Auswerfen der ersten fertig gestellten Paneele aus dem Sammelbehälter, um die Wartezeiten für die nächste Station deutlich zu reduzieren,
b. Auswerfen der Paneele, die Abstandsrahmen der gleichen Dicke haben, soweit sie verfügbar sind,
c. Auswerfen von Paneelen, die nach Kunden klassifiziert sind, soweit sie verfügbar sind
d. Auswerfen von Paneelen, wobei kleinere Paneele Vorrang haben,
e. Auswerfen von Paneelen, wobei das Auswerfen auf Veranlassung der Bedienperson Vorrang hat.
Versehen des Abstandsrahmens an seiner Unterseite mit mikrogelöcherten Verteiler, Verbinden der Glasplatten mit den jeweiligen Abstandrahmen durch Seitenstränge einer Primärdichtmasse,
Befördern der so ausgebildeten Paneele (4) zu einer Füllstation, um die Paneele (4) mit dem Gas zu füllen,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass es an einem Sammelbehälter (2) die Schritte umfasst:
Bereitstellen mehrerer Rückseiten (3), die mehrere Aufnahmen definieren, um entsprechende Paneele (4) in einer zum Boden im Wesentlichen vertikalen Lage aufzunehmen und zu halten,
Aufnehmen mehrerer solcher Paneele (4) durch Verschieben des Sammelbehälters in einer zur Eingangsförderrichtung der Paneele (4) quer laufenden Richtung,
Füllen der Kammer jeder Paneele, die zwischen den Glasplatten ausgebildet ist, mit dem Gas in einer Laminarströmung durch Einleiten des Gases in das vorgebohrte Loch, das sich auf der Unterseite befindet, mittels einer Düse, die von einem Düsenhalter-Schlitten gehalten wird, der im unteren Bereich (8) jeder Aufnahme vorgesehen ist,
Analysieren der Luft und der verbrauchten Mischung, die während des Füllens durch das Ableitloch abgeleitet wurde, mittels einer Sonde, die von einem Sondenhalter-Schlitten gehalten wird, der von entsprechenden Führungen (9), die auf jeder Rückseite (3) vorgesehen sind, geführt wird;
Rückführen der Paneele (4) zu stromabwärts liegenden Stationen nach einer von einer freien Logikauswahl festgelegten Abfolge.
a. Auswerfen der ersten fertig gestellten Paneele aus dem Sammelbehälter, um die Wartezeiten für die nächste Station deutlich zu reduzieren,
b. Auswerfen der Paneele, die Abstandsrahmen der gleichen Dicke haben, soweit sie verfügbar sind,
c. Auswerfen von Paneelen, die nach Kunden klassifiziert sind, soweit sie verfügbar sind
d. Auswerfen von Paneelen, wobei kleinere Paneele Vorrang haben,
e. Auswerfen von Paneelen, wobei das Auswerfen auf Veranlassung der Bedienperson Vorrang hat.
ledit cadre d'espacement comportant dans sa face inférieure un distributeur à microtrou pour le remplissage de la chambre formée entre lesdites feuilles de verre à l'aide dudit gaz selon un écoulement laminaire en introduisant ledit gaz dans un trou préalablement percé situé dans la face extérieure de ladite face inférieure, le cadre d'espacement comportant en outre un trou de refoulement pour refouler l'air,
ledit dispositif comportant des postes amont pour réunir les feuilles de verre aux cadres d'espacements respectifs à l'aide de cordons latéraux d'un agent d'étanchéité primaire et pour acheminer les vitrages (4) ainsi formés jusqu'à un poste de remplissage pour remplir les vitrages (4) à l'aide dudit gaz,
caractérisé en ce que le poste de remplissage comporte un bac de regroupement (2) destiné à recevoir une pluralité de ces vitrages (4) et à les renvoyer dans des postes de traitement en aval dans un ordre défini par une logique de libre choix, ledit bac de regroupement comprenant une pluralité de supports (3) définissant une pluralité de rainures destinées à recevoir et à supporter des vitrages respectifs (4) dans une position sensiblement verticale par rapport au sol,
le bac de regroupement (2) étant monté de manière coulissante sur un châssis (1) de façon à pouvoir coulisser dans une direction transversale par rapport à la direction d'introduction des vitrages (4) afin de recevoir une succession de vitrages d'entrée et de délivrer une succession de vitrages de sortie remplis de gaz,
chaque rainure comportant dans son fond (8) un chariot porte-injecteur destiné à supporter un injecteur pour introduire ledit gaz dans le vitrage (4) placé dans la rainure, à travers ledit trou préalablement percé du cadre d'espacement,
chaque support (3) comportant des guides (9) servant à guider un chariot porte-sonde comportant une sonde pour analyser l'air et le mélange éjectés refoulés via ledit trou de refoulement pendant ledit remplissage ;
ledit poste de remplissage comportant en outre un moyen pour sélectionner les rainures disponibles pour recevoir en entrée un nouveau vitrage et pour éjecter un vitrage rempli, suivant ladite logique de libre choix.
a) une éjection du premier vitrage fini depuis le bac de regroupement, afin de limiter fortement les temps d'attente pour le poste suivant ;
b) éjecter, dès qu'ils sont disponibles, les vitrages ayant des cadres d'espacements de la même épaisseur ;
c) éjecter, dès qu'ils sont disponibles, des vitrages placés par client ;
d) éjecter les vitrages en donnant la priorité aux petits vitrages ;
e) éjecter les vitrages en donnant la priorité au choix de l'opérateur.
munir ledit cadre d'espacement, sur sa face inférieure, d'un distributeur à microtrou ;
réunir les feuilles de verre avec les cadres d'espacement respectifs à l'aide de cordons latéraux d'un agent d'étanchéité primaire ;
acheminer les vitrages (4) ainsi formés jusqu'à un poste de remplissage pour remplir les vitrages (4) à l'aide dudit gaz ;
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend les étapes consistant à, dans un bac de regroupement (2),
prévoir une pluralité de supports (3) définissant une pluralité de rainures destinées à recevoir et à supporter des vitrages respectifs (4) dans une position sensiblement verticale par rapport au sol ;
recevoir une pluralité de ces vitrages en faisant coulisser ledit bac de regroupement dans une direction transversale par rapport à la direction d'introduction des vitrages (4) ;
remplir avec ledit gaz la chambre de chaque vitrage formée entre lesdites feuilles de verre à l'aide dudit gaz suivant un écoulement laminaire, en introduisant ledit gaz dans un trou préalablement percé situé dans ladite face inférieure, à l'aide d'un injecteur supporté par un chariot porte-injecteur présent dans la région du fond (8) de chaque rainure ;
analyser l'air et le mélange éjectés refoulés via ledit trou de refoulement pendant ledit remplissage, à l'aide d'une sonde supportée par un chariot porte-sonde guidé par des guides respectifs (9) présents sur chaque support (3) ;
renvoyer lesdits panneaux (4) dans des postes de traitement en aval dans un ordre défini par une logique de libre choix.
a) une éjection du premier vitrage fini depuis le bac de regroupement, afin de limiter fortement les temps d'attente pour le poste suivant ;
b) éjecter, dès qu'ils sont disponibles, les vitrages comportant des cadres d'espacement de la même épaisseur ;
c) éjecter, dès qu'ils sont disponibles, des vitrages classés par client ;
d) éjecter les vitrages en donnant la priorité aux petits vitrages ;
e) éjecter les vitrages en donnant la priorité au choix de l'opérateur.