# US 10,870,545 B2 · Device and method for safely and quickly transferring new glass sheets from the production line to a transport vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,545 B2 - Document ID: US10870545B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/621,515 - Filed: 2018-06-18 - Published: 2020-06-04 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-20 - Assignees: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH - Applicants: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH - Inventors: Edwin Lang; Christian Herfert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870545B2 ## CPC - B65G 49/067: {Sheet handling, means, e.g. manipulators, devices for turning or tilting sheet glass (suction cups B65G49/061; combined with vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; stacking and destacking B65G49/068)} - B65G 49/061: {Lifting, gripping, or carrying means, for one or more sheets forming independent means of transport, e.g. suction cups, transport frames (suction means as load-engaging elements attached to the lifting or lowering gear of cranes B66C1/02; suction cups for attaching purposes F16B47/00; suction cups on gripping heads B25J15/0616; suction cups in general B65G47/91; suction cups combined with cutting means on vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; devices for turning sheets B65G49/067; suspending devices B65G49/066)} - B65G 49/068: {Stacking or destacking devices; Means for preventing damage to stacked sheets, e.g. spaces (stacking in general B65G57/00; destacking in general B65G59/00; spacer sheets in general B65H)} - B65G 67/04: Loading land vehicles {(loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10)} - B65G 2249/04: Arrangements of vacuum systems or suction cups - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) ## Abstract The invention relates to a device and to a method for safely and quickly transferring new glass sheets from the production line to a transport vehicle, having the following features; a) a glass-sheet roller conveyor (8) having a glass-rack gripping and stacking device (7) for receiving glass sheets (9) from a production line, b) two parallel running rails (12) extending centrically at a right angle toward the glass-sheet roller conveyor (8), an underfloor energy supply rail (24) being arranged in the region between the running rails (12), c) at least one glass-rack carriage (3), which moves on the running rails (12) and which has at least one glass rack (4, 6) lying on said glass-rack carriage, a glass rack (4, 6) being able to be loaded with obliquely positioned glass sheets (9) and the glass racks (4, 6) being fixed in the oblique position by means of a pivoting device (14), and d) a rotary device (2) arranged in the course of the running rails for rotating a glass-rack carriage (3) by 180 degrees for loading one glass-rack carriage (3) at a time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for safely and quickly transferring a glass sheet from a production line to a transport vehicle, comprising: a glass sheet roller conveyor (8) having a glass rack gripping and stacking device (7) for receiving a glass sheet (9) from the production line, two parallel rails (12) running at right angles to a longitudinal direction of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8), wherein an underfloor energy supply rail (24) is arranged in a region between the rails (12), at least one glass rack carriage (3) moving along the two parallel rails (12) having at least one glass rack (4, 6) supported thereon, wherein a glass rack of the at least one glass rack (4, 6) can be loaded with obliquely positioned glass sheets (9) and wherein the glass rack of the at least one glass rack (4, 6) is fixed in an oblique position by a pivoting device (14), and a rotary device (2), arranged within a course of the parallel rails, for rotating a glass rack carriage (3) of the at least one glass rack carriage by 180 degrees for loading the glass rack carriage (3) of the at least one glass rack carriage on the transport vehicle, wherein said rotary device rotates about a vertical axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a stabilizing device (10) provided on an upper side of a center wall (5) of the rotary device (2) for detection of the integrity of a glass rack (4, 6), wherein a 3D scanning device (17) is mounted on each arm (16) of the stabilization device (10). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transfer track (29), which extends transversely to the two parallel rails (12) and has transfer slides (30, 28) for receiving the glass rack carriage (3) of the at least one glass rack carriage with the glass rack of the at least one glass rack. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a detection device (22) for the loading a glass rack of the at least one glass rack carriage at a loading position (23) in a region of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8) on both sides of the respective glass rack carriage (3). ### Claim 5 A method for safely and quickly transferring a glass sheets from a production line to a transport vehicle, comprising: supplying a glass sheet (9) from a conveyor line by a roller conveyor (8) to a glass rack (4, 6) which is supported on a glass rack carriage (3), moving, once the glass rack carriage (3) has been filled in a manner predetermined in numbers for the glass rack (4, 6), said glass rack carriage along the two parallel rails (12) running at right angles to a longitudinal direction of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8) toward and onto a rotary device (2), fixing the glass rack carriage on the rotary device (2) with a stabilizing device (10), and rotating the glass rack carriage by 180 degrees about a vertical axis for loading with a further glass rack carriage (3), and conveying, once the rotary device (2) has been loaded with two glass rack carriages (3), said glass rack carriages into the respective glass transport vehicle (1). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising providing a further rail in a form of a transfer track (29) with a transfer carriage (30, 28) in case of glass breakage or possible faults. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method as claimed in claim 5, a further comprising providing a detection device (22) at the loading position (23) in a region of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8) on both sides of a glass rack carriage (3). ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) A computer program having a program code for carrying out the method steps as claimed in claim 5 when the program is executed in a computer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) A machine-readable carrier having a program code of a computer program for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 5 when the program is executed in a computer. ### Claim 10 A device for safely and quickly transferring new glass sheets from a production line to a transport vehicle, comprising: a glass sheet roller conveyor (8) having a glass rack gripping and stacking device (7) for receiving glass sheets (9) from the production line, two parallel rails (12) running at right angles to a longitudinal direction of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8), wherein an underfloor energy supply rail (24) is arranged in a region between the two parallel rails (12), at least one glass rack carriage (3) moving along the two parallel rails (12) having at least one glass rack (4, 6) supported thereon, wherein a glass rack of the at least one glass rack (4, 6) can be loaded with obliquely positioned glass sheets (9) and wherein the glass rack of the at least one glass rack (4, 6) is fixed in the oblique position by a pivoting device (14), a rotary device (2), arranged within the course of the two parallel rails, for rotating a glass rack carriage (3) by 180 degrees for loading a glass rack carriage of the at least one glass rack carriage (3), wherein said rotary device is adapted so that said obliquely positioned glass sheets (9) maintain an oblique position during the 180 degree rotating. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a stabilizing device (10) having at least two arms provided on an upper side of a center wall (5) of the rotary device (2) for detecting the integrity of a glass rack (4, 6), wherein a 3D scanning device (17) is mounted on each arm (16) of the stabilization device (10). ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a transfer track (29), which extends transversely to the two parallel rails (12) and has transfer slides (30, 28) for a carriage (3) with a glass rack. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a detection device (22) for the loading the glass rack carriage of the at least one glass rack carriage at a loading position (23) in a region of the glass sheet roller conveyor (8) on both sides of the respective glass rack carriage (3).