Glass-plate working apparatus

A glass-plate working apparatus comprising:

• a glass-plate placement structure having a glass-plate placing surface to place a glass plate thereon;
• a first movable base which is movable along the glass-plate placing surface in two directions perpendicular to each other;
• a first movement structure to linearly move said first movable base along the glass-plate placing surface in said two directions;
• a second movable base provided on said first movable base movably in a direction perpendicular to the glass-plate placing surface so as to be capable of moving toward or away from the glass-plate placing surface;
• a second movement structure to move for moving under control said second movable base in a vertical direction perpendicular to the glass-plate placing surface;
• a grinding wheel provided on said second movable base in such a manner as to be capable of being linearly lifted or lowered with respect to said second movable base in a vertical direction and having a perpendicular axis perpendicular to the vertical axis which extends in the same direction as the direction in which said second movable base is moved by said second movement structure;
• a rotating structure to rotate said grinding wheel about the perpendicular axis;
• a resilient pressing structure interposed between said second movable base and said grinding wheel to linearly lower said grinding wheel with respect to said second movable base along the vertical axis so as to press the grinding wheel resiliently against one surface of the glass plate;
• and
• an orienting structure provided on said second movable base to swivel said grinding wheel about said vertical axis so as to orient said grinding wheel in a direction of movement of said first movable base by said first movement structure, a portion of one surface of the glass-plate on which the grinding wheel abuts and the axis of said grinding wheel being aligned on said vertical axis.

A glass-plate working apparatus comprising:

• glass-plate placing means having a glass-plate placing surface for placing a glass plate thereon;
• a first movable base which is movable along the glass-plate placing surface;
• first moving means for moving said first movable base along the glass-plate placing surface;
• a second movable base provided on said first movable base movably in a direction perpendicular to the glass-plate placing surface so as to be capable of moving toward or away from the glass-plate placing surface;
• second moving means for moving said second movable base so as to cause said second movable base to move toward or away in a direction perpendicular to the glass-plate placing surface;
• a grinding wheel provided on the second movable base in such a manner as to be capable of being lifted or lowered with respect to said second movable base and having an axis perpendicular to a vertical axis;
• rotating means for rotating said grinding wheel about its axis;
• resilient pressing means interposed between said second movable base and said grinding wheel for lowering said grinding wheel with respect to said second movable base along the vertical axis extending in the same direction as the direction in which said second movable base is moved by said second moving means so as to press the grinding wheel resiliently against one surface of the glass plate;
• grinding-wheel supporting means connecting to the grinding wheel and the resilient pressing means;
• and
• detecting means for detecting a position of the grinding wheel, a connecting line connecting a portion of the grinding wheel abutting one surface of the glass plate with a rotational axial center of the grinding wheel on said axis of the grinding wheel being aligned on said vertical axis, the operation of said second moving means being adapted to control the level of lowering of the grinding wheel on the basis of detection by said detecting means, grinding-wheel supporting means having a collar portion secured to the grinding wheel, and the detecting means having a sensor provided on said second movable base for detecting the position of the grinding-wheel supporting means with respect to the second movable base, said sensor detecting a position of a collar portion of said grinding-wheel supporting means in the vertical direction to thereby detect the lifted or lowered position of the grinding wheel with respect to the second movable base in a state in which the grinding wheel resiliently press the glass plate.