Glass plate bend-breaking machine

A machine for bend-breaking a glass plate comprising:

• a flexible member on which the glass plate with a cut line formed thereon is configured to be placed;
• a supporting mechanism having a supporting surface configured to support the glass plate at a central portion of a lower surface of the glass plate by means of said flexible member;
• a glass plate receiving device having a glass plate receiving surface configured to receive the glass plate from a lower surface of the glass plate by means of said flexible member and disposed below said flexible member;
• a first moving device configured to move the glass plate receiving device;
• a press-breaking device disposed above said flexible member and having a pressing surface configured to press break along a cut line the glass plate with the cut line formed thereon;
• and
• a second moving device configured to move said press-breaking device,
• wherein said glass plate receiving device includes a raising and lowering mechanism for the glass plate receiving surface which, in the press-breaking of the glass plate along the cut line by the pressing surface of the press-breaking device, raises the glass plate receiving surface so as to cause a deflection in the glass plate between the cut line on the glass plate and a predetermined pressing area of the glass plate to be pressed by the pressing surface, before pressing of the predetermined pressing area of the glass plate to be pressed by the pressing surface,
• a movable receiving member having the glass plate receiving surface formed on one end surface thereof,
• a supporting member on which the movable receiving member is mounted so as to be vertically movable, and
• a base on which the supporting member is mounted,
• wherein:
• said raising and lowering mechanism has a cylinder unit which is mounted on the supporting member and has a piston rod which is movably passed via the supporting member and is connected to the movable receiving member,
• said first moving device is configured to move said glass plate receiving device such that, at the time of press-breaking of the glass plate by the pressing surface, the glass plate receiving surface is disposed at a position outside a region of the glass plate surrounded in a plan view by the cut line,
• said second moving device is configured to move said press-breaking device such that, at the time of press-breaking of the glass plate by the pressing surface, the pressing surface is disposed at the position outside the region of the glass plate surrounded in a plan view by the cut line, in correspondence with the glass plate receiving surface, and
• when press-breaking of the glass plate along the cut line by the pressing surface, the cylinder unit is actuated so as to raise the glass plate receiving surface above the support surface of the support mechanism via the movable receiving members, thereby causing an upwardly oriented deflection the glass plate between the cut line on the glass plate and a predetermined pressing area of the glass plate to be pressed by the pressing surface, in the state in which such a deflection has been caused, thereby causing the pressing surface to abut against the glass plate outside the region surrounded by the cut line, and press-breaking the glass plate along the cut line.