Glass handling assembly
AssigneeFirst Solar, Inc.
InventorBrad J. Hart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Assemblies are provided for stabilizing sheets of glass during handling. The assemblies may include rollers of different varieties for stabilization. Crowder rollers may be provided to contact edges of the sheets. One or more of the crowder rollers may have an outer surface having a noncylindrical portion with an increasing diameter in an upward direction relative to the conveyance plane of the sheets. Conveyor rollers may be arranged so as to define a conveyor for conveying the sheets. One or more of the conveyor rollers may be a support roller in substantial registration with a strip applicator for contacting a bottom side of the sheets below the strip applicator during application of a strip.
Claims20
An assembly for stabilizing a sheet of glass during application of a strip by a strip applicator, the assembly comprising:
- a series of conveyor rollers arranged so as to define a conveyor for conveying the sheet into and within a strip application zone, each conveyor roller having a central conveyance axis, the respective central conveyance axes of the conveyor rollers extending substantially parallel to each other along a conveyance plane;
- and
- at least one pair of crowder rollers, each crowder roller having a central crowder axis extending substantially perpendicular to the conveyance plane, each crowder roller being respectively positionable so as to contact a given edge of the sheet to register the sheet in the strip application zone relative to the strip applicator, at least one of the crowder rollers located within the strip application zone in registration with the strip applicator, at least one of the crowder rollers having an outer surface having a noncylindrical portion, the noncylindrical portion having an increasing diameter in an upward direction relative to the conveyance plane, the noncylindrical portion providing a counteracting downward force to the respective given edge of the sheet if operation of the strip applicator causes an upward force at the respective given edge of the sheet, thereby maintaining the sheet in a substantially planar condition.
An assembly for stabilizing a sheet of glass during application of a strip by a strip applicator, the assembly comprising:
- a series of conveyor rollers arranged so as to define a conveyor for conveying the sheet into and within a strip application zone, each conveyor roller having a central conveyance axis, the respective central conveyance axes of the conveyor rollers extending substantially parallel to each other along a conveyance plane;
- one of the conveyor rollers being a support roller in substantial registration with the strip applicator for contacting a bottom side of the sheet below the strip applicator during application of the strip, the support roller providing a counteracting upward force to the bottom side of the sheet if operation of the strip applicator causes a downward force, thereby maintaining the sheet in a substantially planar condition;
- and
- a plurality of crowder rollers, each crowder roller having a central crowder axis extending substantially perpendicular to the conveyance plane, each crowder roller being respectively positionable so as to contact a given edge of the sheet to register the sheet in the strip application zone relative to the strip applicator, at least one crowder roller located within the strip application zone.
An assembly for stabilizing a sheet of glass during application of a strip by a strip applicator, the assembly comprising:
- a conveyor comprising a plurality of conveyor rollers for conveying the sheet into and within a strip application zone along a conveyance plane and defining a conveyance direction;
- a first crowder roller assembly comprising at least one crowder roller disposed in relation to the conveyor such that the at least one crowder roller extends through the conveyance plane and is positionable to contact a first side of the sheet upstream of the strip applicator in the conveyance direction, the first side substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction;
- and
- a second crowder roller assembly comprising at least one crowder roller disposed in relation to the conveyor such that the at least one crowder roller extends through the conveyance plane and is positionable to contact a second side of the sheet downstream of the strip applicator in the conveyance direction, the second side opposite the first side and substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.