Heating apparatus for glass-sheet-forming and a bending method for a glass sheet

A method for bending a glass sheet, the method comprising:

• placing a glass sheet on a frame-shaped bending mold;
• heating the glass sheet with a heating apparatus so as to form a predetermined temperature distribution in the glass sheet;
• and
• bending the glass sheet by its own weight,
• wherein the heating apparatus comprises:
• a heating source for heating a glass sheet;
• a temperature-distributing heat shield for partitioning a heating region into a plurality of heat regions and partially shielding radiant heat rays radiated from the heating source toward the glass sheet so as to form a predetermined temperature distribution on a surface of the glass sheet heated by the heating source, wherein the temperature-distributing heat shield is attached to an inner wall face of a heating furnace;
• and
• a heat-ray-adjusting heat shield configured to reduce radiant heat rays from the heating source reaching an adjacent portion of the surface of the glass sheet heated by the heating source, said adjacent portion facing the temperature-distributing heat shield, such that the heat-ray-adjusting heat shield is fixed to the temperature-distributing heat shield.

A method for bending a glass sheet, the method comprising:

• placing a glass sheet on a frame-shaped bending mold;
• heating the glass sheet by radiant heat rays radiated from a heating source towards the glass sheet, such that the radiant heat rays are partially shielded by at least one temperature-distributing heat shield that partitions a heating region into a plurality of heat regions so as to form a predetermined temperature distribution on the glass sheet, wherein the temperature-distributing heat shield is attached to an inner wall face of a heating furnace;
• reducing radiant heat rays from the heating source reaching at least one adjacent portion of a surface of the glass sheet, said adjacent portion facing the temperature-distributing heat shield;
• and
• bending the glass sheet by its own weight,
• wherein:
• the reducing radiant heat rays is such that radiant heat rays from the heating source reaching the adjacent portion of the surface of the glass sheet, which faces the temperature-distributing heat shield, substantially equal radiant heat rays reaching a surrounding portion other than the adjacent portion;
• and
• the reducing radiant heat rays comprises adjusting the radiant heat rays with at least one heat-ray-adjusting heat shield fixed to the at least one temperature-distributing heat shield.