Roll operator for glass sheet conveyor of bending system

In a glass sheet bending system including a furnace having a heating chamber, a horizontal roller conveyor for conveying glass sheets through the heating chamber for heating thereof, said conveyor including elongated rolls extending horizontally transverse to the direction of conveyance in a parallel relationship to each other, each roll having opposite ends respectively aligned with the ends of the other rolls and having a central rotational axis through the roll, a friction drive mechanism for rotatively driving the rolls about the rotational axes thereof to convey glass sheets supported thereby, and bending apparatus including a holder within the heating chamber above the conveyor for receiving a heated glass sheet therefrom and a bending mold for thereafter receiving the glass sheet from the holder for bending thereof, a roll shifter comprising:

• a connector that connects aligned sets of ends of a plurality of rolls adjacent the bending apparatus for shifting movement along the direction of conveyance while maintaining the parallel relationship thereof and permitting continued rotational driving of these rolls about the rotational axes thereof;
• an actuator that moves the connector along the direction of conveyance to shift the rolls connected thereto and thereby control the conveyance of any glass sheet supported thereby adjacent the bending apparatus;
• and a sensor for detecting glass sheet conveyance adjacent the bending apparatus to operate the actuator in response thereto in preparation for bending.

In a glass sheet bending system including a furnace having a heating chamber, a horizontal roller conveyor for conveying glass sheets through the heating chamber for heating thereof, said conveyor including elongated rolls extending horizontally transverse to the direction of conveyance in a parallel relationship to each other, each roll having opposite ends respectively aligned with the ends of the other rolls and having a central rotational axis through the roll, a friction drive mechanism including a pair of continuous drive loops for respectively supporting and frictionally driving the opposite ends of the rolls so as to convey glass sheets supported thereby, the drive mechanism also including horizontal support members over which the pair of drive loops are respectively driven, and bending apparatus including a holder within the heating chamber above the conveyor for receiving a heated glass sheet therefrom and a bending mold for thereafter receiving the glass sheet from the holder for bending thereof, a roll shifter comprising:

• a connector that connects aligned sets of ends of a plurality of rolls adjacent the bending apparatus for shifting movement along the direction of conveyance while maintaining the parallel relationship thereof and permitting continued rotational driving of these rolls about the rotational axes thereof;
• bearings that support the connector for movement on the horizontal support members along the direction of conveyance;
• an actuator that moves the connector along the direction of conveyance to shift the rolls connected thereto and thereby control the conveyance of any glass sheet supported thereby adjacent the bending apparatus;
• and a sensor for detecting glass sheet conveyance adjacent the bending apparatus to operate the actuator in order to stop each glass sheet with respect to the holder of the bending apparatus upon being received thereby in preparation for bending.

In a glass sheet bending system including a furnace having a heating chamber, a horizontal roller conveyor for conveying glass sheets through the heating chamber for heating thereof, said conveyor including elongated rolls extending horizontally transverse to the direction of conveyance in a parallel relationship to each other, each roll having opposite ends respectively aligned with the ends of the other rolls and having a central rotational axis through the roll, a friction drive mechanism including a pair of continuous drive loops for respectively supporting and frictionally driving the opposite ends of the rolls so as to convey glass sheets supported thereby, the drive mechanism also including horizontal support members over which the pair of drive loops are respectively driven, and bending apparatus including a holder within the heating chamber above the conveyor for receiving a pair of leading and trailing heated glass sheets therefrom and a pair of bending molds for thereafter receiving said pair of heated glass sheets from the holder for bending thereof, a roll shifter comprising:

• a connector that connects aligned sets of ends of a plurality of rolls adjacent the bending apparatus for shifting movement along the direction of conveyance while maintaining the parallel relationship thereof and permitting continued rotational driving of these rolls about the rotational axes thereof;
• bearings that support the connector for movement on the horizontal support members along the direction of conveyance;
• an actuator that moves the connector along the direction of conveyance to shift the rolls connected thereto and thereby control the conveyance of any glass sheet supported thereby adjacent the bending apparatus;
• and a sensor for detecting glass sheet conveyance upstream from the roll shifter to operate the actuator with said leading glass sheet on the shifted rolls and said trailing glass sheet upstream therefrom in order to provide the proper positioning thereof with respect to each other in preparation for being received by the holder and the molds to perform the bending.

In a glass sheet bending system including a furnace having a heating chamber, a horizontal roller conveyor for conveying glass sheets through the heating chamber for heating thereof, said conveyor including elongated rolls extending horizontally transverse to the direction of conveyance in a parallel relationship to each other, each roll having opposite ends respectively aligned with the ends of the other rolls and having a central rotational axis through the roll, a friction drive mechanism including a pair of continuous drive loops for respectively supporting and frictionally driving the opposite ends of the rolls so as to convey glass sheets supported thereby, the drive mechanism also including horizontal support members over which the pair of drive loops are respectively driven, and bending apparatus including a holder within the heating chamber above the conveyor for receiving a pair of leading and trailing heated glass sheets therefrom and a pair of bending molds for thereafter receiving the pair of heated glass sheets from the holder for bending thereof, a roll shifter comprising:

• a connector that connects aligned sets of ends of a plurality of rolls adjacent the bending apparatus for shifting movement along the direction of conveyance while maintaining the parallel relationship thereof and permitting continued rotational driving of these rolls about the rotational axes thereof;
• bearings that support the connector for movement on the horizontal support members along the direction of conveyance;
• an actuator that moves the connector along the direction of conveyance to shift the rolls connected thereto and thereby control the conveyance of any glass sheet supported thereby adjacent the bending apparatus;
• and sensing means for sensing glass sheet conveyance adjacent the bending apparatus to:
• (1) initially operate the actuator with said leading glass sheet on the shifted rolls and said trailing glass sheet upstream therefrom in order to provide the proper positioning thereof with respect to each other in preparation for bending, and (2) thereafter operate the actuator in order to stop both glass sheets with respect to the holder of the bending apparatus upon being received thereby in preparation for bending.