TWI867093B - Glass roll manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The glass roll R is obtained by forming a ribbon-shaped glass film G and conveying the formed ribbon-shaped glass film G in the horizontal direction by the lateral conveying section, and then winding it into a roll by the winding section 6. The roller conveyor 15 disposed in the lateral conveying section 4 includes a staggered roller conveyor 15b in at least the downstream area of the conveying direction, and the staggered roller conveyor 15b supplies the ribbon-shaped glass film G to the winding section 6.

Description

Glass roll manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a ribbon-shaped glass film and a method for transporting the glass film.

Mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet personal computers (PCs) are required to be thin and lightweight, so the demand for thinner glass substrates incorporated into these terminals is increasing. Under such circumstances, glass substrates that are thinned to a film-like shape (for example, a thickness of less than 300μm), namely glass films, are being developed and manufactured.

In addition, the manufacturing process of the glass film generally includes the manufacturing process of the ribbon-shaped glass film which is the basis thereof. Moreover, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a method for manufacturing a ribbon-shaped glass film by a down-drawing method represented by an overflow down-drawing method, a re-drawing method, a slit down-drawing method, etc.

The method disclosed in the document includes: a forming step, using a forming device to draw the ribbon-shaped glass film vertically downward while forming it; a transport direction conversion step, using a roller conveyor arranged below the lead of the forming device to transport the formed ribbon-shaped glass film along a curved transport path, thereby converting its transport direction from vertical downward to horizontal; a horizontal transport step , the ribbon glass film whose transport direction has been changed is transported horizontally along the horizontal transport path; the cutting and removing step, using a laser cutting device, cuts and removes the ineffective parts existing at both ends of the width direction of the ribbon glass film during the horizontal transport process; and the winding step, using a winding unit to wind the ribbon glass film with the ineffective parts cut and removed to form a glass roll.

In addition, sometimes the formed ribbon glass film is inspected, especially the appearance inspection, at the final stage of the lateral transport step, that is, just in front of the upstream side of the winding part in the transport direction. The inspection device has a structure in which a light source is arranged on one of the front and back sides of the ribbon film and a camera for photographing the surface of the glass film is arranged on the other side. By analyzing the image data obtained by the camera using an information processing device, it is determined whether the surface of the glass film (front and back or end face) has defects such as scratches, and based on the determination result, it is determined whether the wound glass roll is good.

[Prior art literature]

[Patent Literature]

Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-44709

In order to inspect the ribbon glass film, it is necessary to pass the light from the light source through the glass film and the conveyor. There is no particular difficulty in passing the light through the glass film. On the other hand, if a belt conveyor is used as a conveyor, the light is blocked by the belt, so the light path cannot be ensured and the necessary inspection cannot be performed. Based on this situation, in the inspection step, a roller conveyor is often used as a conveyor for conveying the ribbon glass film. If it is a roller conveyor, there is a gap between the adjacent rollers in the conveying direction, so the gap can be effectively used as the light path, and as a result, the above inspection can be performed.

In this way, when a roller conveyor is arranged in the horizontal transport section, there is a risk that the end of the flexible glass film may enter the gap between the rollers and the glass film may be cracked due to the subsequent transport action.

The technical problem of the present invention formed in view of the above situation is to prevent cracks or damage to the glass film during the transportation process using the lateral transportation unit, especially before the glass film is transferred from the lateral transportation unit to the winding unit.

The present invention created to solve the above problem is a method for manufacturing a glass roll. The method for manufacturing a glass roll comprises forming a ribbon-shaped glass film, transporting the formed ribbon-shaped glass film in a horizontal direction by a horizontal transporting section, and then winding the formed ribbon-shaped glass film into a roll by a winding section to obtain a glass roll. The method is characterized in that a roller conveyor including a plurality of rollers is arranged in the horizontal transporting section, and at least a staggered roller conveyor is included in a region on the downstream side of the transporting direction of the roller conveyor. The staggered roller conveyor includes a roller unit having a plurality of rollers separately arranged in the width direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film, the roller units are arranged at a plurality of locations along the conveying direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film, and the rollers of other roller units adjacent to the roller unit are arranged in such a manner that the spaces between the rollers adjacent to the roller unit in the width direction face each other in the conveying direction, and the ribbon-shaped glass film is supplied to the winding section by the staggered roller conveyor.

Thus, in this method, by including a staggered roller conveyor in at least the area on the downstream side of the conveying direction in the roller conveyor, the gap between adjacent roller units becomes a concave-convex shape in the conveying direction. Therefore, it is difficult for the end of the ribbon glass film to enter the gap between the roller units. Therefore, after the processing of the glass film such as inspection is completed, before it is transferred from the transverse conveying section to the winding section, the ribbon glass film can be prevented from breaking. Furthermore, it is also considered that the area on the downstream side of the conveying direction includes a belt conveyor, but it is not preferable because the conveying line becomes thin and long, and there is a risk of interference between the winding section and the belt conveyor.

In this method, it is preferred that the distance between the axes of the adjacent roller units is smaller than the diameter of the roller.

Thus, the outer peripheral surface of each roller enters the space between the rollers of other roller units adjacent in the width direction, so that a long and large linear gap (greatly exceeding the width of the ribbon-shaped glass film being transported) extending in the width direction will not be formed between the adjacent roller units. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the ribbon-shaped glass film from invading the gap between the roller units.

In the present method, it is preferred that a spacer having an outer diameter smaller than that of the roller exists between adjacent rollers in the width direction of each roller unit.

This can narrow the width of the gap facing the outer peripheral surface of each roller in the conveying direction. Even if the end of the ribbon glass film is about to fall into the gap between the roller units, the end of the ribbon glass film will further overlap the adjacent roller by the end of the ribbon glass film resting on the spacer, and the end of the ribbon glass film can be returned to the conveying line without being damaged. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the ribbon glass film from intruding into the gap between the roller units.

In this method, the ratio of the outer diameter of the roller to the outer diameter of the spacer is preferably greater than 1.1 and less than 1.5.

If the ratio is less than 1.1, the overlap between the adjacent roller units becomes smaller, so the gap between the roller units becomes close to a straight line extending in the width direction. As a result, the end of the ribbon glass film easily enters the gap. If the ratio exceeds 1.5, the diameter of the spacer is reduced, so when the end of the ribbon glass film falls into the gap between the spacer and the roller facing the spacer in the conveying direction, the end is difficult to hitch to the roller, and the ribbon glass film is difficult to return to the conveying line.

In the present method, it is preferred that the axial length of the roller is shorter than the axial length of the spacer.

This can prevent contact interference between adjacent roller units and reduce friction on staggered roller conveyors.

In this method, an inspection device for inspecting the ribbon glass film may be arranged in a region of the roller conveyor that is closer to the upstream side in the conveying direction than the staggered roller conveyor.

In this way, by configuring the inspection device in the area of the roller conveyor that is more upstream in the conveying direction than the staggered roller conveyor, product inspection can be performed at the final stage of the manufacturing process of the strip glass. Therefore, the defective rate of the glass roll can be reduced.

In this method, a light source is provided in the inspection device, and the gap between adjacent rollers in the conveying direction in the area upstream in the conveying direction of the roller conveyor can be used as a passage path for the light irradiated from the light source.

If a belt conveyor is used as a transport mechanism in the inspection device, the light irradiated by the light source of the self-inspection device is blocked by the belt, making it difficult to conduct inspection. By using the gap between adjacent rollers in the transport direction in the area on the upstream side of the transport direction in the roller conveyor as a passage for the light irradiated by the light source of the self-inspection device, the inspection device can be used for inspection.

In addition, the present invention created to solve the above problem is characterized in that when a glass film is transported in a horizontal direction by a horizontal transport section, a roller conveyor including a plurality of rollers is arranged in the horizontal transport section, the roller conveyor includes a staggered roller conveyor, the staggered roller conveyor includes a roller unit having a plurality of rollers separately arranged in the width direction of the glass film, the roller unit is arranged at a plurality of locations along the transport direction of the glass film, and the rollers of other roller units adjacent to the roller unit are arranged in the transport direction in such a manner that the spaces between the rollers adjacent to the roller unit in the width direction face each other.

When a glass film (including a single-sheet glass film in addition to a strip-shaped glass film) is transported by a lateral transport section, a part of the lateral transport section may have to include a roller conveyor for some reason. In this case, as described above, there is a risk that the front end of the transported glass film enters the gap between the rollers and causes cracks in the glass film. By including the staggered roller conveyor as described above, the gap between the roller units becomes a concave-convex shape in the transport direction, so that the end of the glass film is difficult to enter the gap, which can prevent the glass film from being damaged.

According to the present invention, cracks or damage to the glass film can be prevented when the glass film is transported by the lateral transport unit.

2: Forming section

2a: Main forming section

3: Transport direction conversion unit

4: Horizontal transport section

5: Cutting and removing part

5aa: Laser irradiator

5ab: Coolant injector

6: Winding part

6a: Roll core

7: Formed body

7a: Overflow tank

8: Cooling Roll

9: Annealing furnace roller

10: Annealing furnace

11: Support roller

12: Guide roller

13a: First conveyor

13aa, 13ba, 13ca: belt

13b: Main conveyor

13c: Second conveyor

15, 15': Roller conveyor

15a: Universal roller conveyor

15b: Staggered roller conveyor

16: Inspection device

16a: Light source

16b: Camera mechanism

151, 151', 152: Roller

153: Spacer

154: Roller unit

D1: The outer diameter of the roller

D2: Outer diameter of the spacer

g: front end

G: Strip glass film

G1: Invalid part

Ga, Gb: molten glass

L1: Axial dimension of the roller

L2: Axial dimension of the spacer

M: Distance between roller axes

R: Glass roll

r, r1, r2: sheet roll

S: Protective film

S1, S2: sheet belt

α, α', β: gap

FIG1 is a longitudinal sectional side view schematically showing the method for manufacturing a glass roll according to the present embodiment.

FIG2 is a plan view showing a roller conveyor used in the glass roll manufacturing method of this embodiment.

FIG3 is an enlarged plan view showing a portion of the staggered roller conveyor in the roller conveyor shown in FIG2.

FIG4A is a plan view showing a method for manufacturing a glass roll using a universal roller conveyor.

FIG. 4B is a side view showing a method for manufacturing a glass roll using a universal roller conveyor.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the glass film of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached diagram.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the manufacturing method of the glass film of the present embodiment comprises: a forming section 2, which forms a strip glass film G while drawing it out in a longitudinal downward direction by a down-draw method, such as an overflow down-draw method; a transport direction conversion section 3, which converts the transport direction of the formed strip glass film G from a longitudinal downward direction to a transverse direction by transporting it along a curved transport path; a transverse transport section 4, which transports the strip glass film G whose transport direction has been changed in a transverse direction along the transverse transport path; a cutting and removing section 5, which cuts and removes an ineffective portion G1 from the strip glass film G in the process of being transported in a transverse direction; and a winding section 6, which winds up the strip glass film G including only the effective portion to produce a glass roll R. Furthermore, the thickness of the ribbon-shaped glass film (effective part) G where the ineffective part is cut off and removed is set to be less than 300 μm, preferably less than 200 μm, and more preferably less than 100 μm.

The forming section 2 includes: a forming body 7 having an overflow groove 7a formed at the upper end and having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section; a cooling roller 8 disposed directly below the forming body 7 and holding a ribbon-shaped molten glass Gb from both the front and back sides; and an annealing furnace 10 having an annealing furnace roller 9 disposed directly below the cooling roller 8 and disposed in multiple stages in the vertical direction. Specifically, when focusing on the function of the forming section 2, the main forming section 2a includes: a forming body 7 that allows the molten glass Ga overflowing from the upper side of the overflow groove 7a to flow down along both side surfaces and merge at the lower end to form a ribbon-shaped molten glass Gb; and a cooling roller 8 that contracts the ribbon-shaped molten glass Gb in a predetermined width direction and forms a ribbon-shaped glass film G of a predetermined width. Furthermore, the forming section 2 is formed by arranging an annealing furnace 10 for performing a strain removal treatment on the ribbon-shaped glass film G below the main forming section 2a.

A support roller 11 is provided below the annealing furnace 10 to hold the ribbon-shaped glass film G from both the front and back sides, and a tension is applied between the support roller 11 and the cooling roller 8 or between the support roller 11 and any annealing furnace 9 to promote the thinning of the ribbon-shaped glass film G.

The ribbon glass film G is formed to a thickness that can provide flexibility. Furthermore, the formed ribbon glass film G includes: an effective part, which exists in the center of the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Figure 1), and then becomes a product; and a pair of ineffective parts G1, which exist on the outer side of the width direction relative to the effective part and become the object of removal. Furthermore, in the ineffective part G1, the part located at the end of the ribbon glass film G in the width direction forms an ear part with a thickness greater than other parts.

A transport direction conversion unit 3 is provided below the support roller 11, and the transport direction conversion unit 3 converts the transport direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film G from the vertical downward direction to the horizontal direction. In the transport direction conversion unit 3, a plurality of guide rollers 12 as guide members for guiding the direction conversion of the ribbon-shaped glass film G are arranged in a curved shape on the back side of the ribbon-shaped glass film G, and the guide rollers 12 are in contact with the back side of the ribbon-shaped glass film G. Furthermore, the guide rollers 12 may also support the ribbon-shaped glass film G in a non-contact manner by spraying airflow to the back side of the ribbon-shaped glass film G, for example. In addition, as a guide member, a member in the shape of a curved belt conveyor may be used, or a guide member may not be provided in the transport direction conversion section 3, and the direction conversion may be performed without the strip glass film G being affected by external force from the back side. In addition, a part of the guide rollers 12 among the plurality of guide rollers 12 may be in contact with the back side of the strip glass film G. Furthermore, the guide rollers 12 may only support a part of the strip glass film G (for example, both ends in the width direction).

The lateral conveying section 4 is included on the downstream side of the conveying direction conversion section 3, and the lateral conveying section 4 conveys the ribbon-shaped glass film G in the lateral direction. In the lateral conveying section 4, three belt conveyors 13a, 13b, and 13c are arranged in series in the conveying direction, and a roller conveyor 15 and an inspection device 16 are arranged on the downstream side. The conveying surfaces of the belt conveyors 13a, 13b, and 13c and the conveying surface of the roller conveyor 15 constitute a lateral conveying path.

In this embodiment, as three belt conveyors arranged in series, a main conveyor 13b, a first conveyor 13a arranged on the upstream side of the main conveyor 13b, and a second conveyor 13c arranged on the downstream side of the main conveyor 13b can be used. In this embodiment, the lateral conveying section 4 is configured to convey the belt-shaped glass film G in the horizontal direction, but the conveying direction can also be inclined within a range of less than 45° (preferably less than 30°) relative to the horizontal direction in the upper and lower directions.

The first conveyor 13a can spray gas (e.g., air) onto the back of the ribbon glass film G. The ribbon glass film G is transported on the first conveyor 13a in a state where only the center of the width direction (mainly the effective part) is floating. The first conveyor 13a includes: an annular belt 13aa for transporting the non-floating part (mainly the ineffective part) of the ribbon glass film G; and a gas ejector (not shown in the figure), which is arranged on the inner circumference of the belt 13aa and ejects gas upward. A plurality of fine through holes (not shown in the figure) are formed on the belt 13aa, and the gas ejected from the gas ejector reaches the back of the ribbon glass film G through the through holes.

In the main conveyor 13b, a stretchable sheet belt S1 containing a foamed resin is overlapped on the upper surface of the belt 13ba. The upper surface of the sheet belt S1 becomes a conveying and supporting surface for conveying and supporting the strip-shaped glass film G. A sheet roll r1 formed by winding the sheet belt S1 is provided below the main conveyor 13b. The sheet belt S1 drawn upward from the sheet roll r1 passes through the upper surface of the belt 13ba from the upstream side end of the belt 13ba and is sent downward from the downstream side end of the belt 13ba. The sheet belt S1 is held on the upper surface of the belt 13ba by negative pressure adsorption in a stretchable state.

A cutting and removing section 5 is arranged above the central part of the main conveyor 13b in the conveying direction. The cutting and removing section 5 cuts and removes the ineffective parts formed at both ends of the ribbon-shaped glass film G in the width direction. The cutting and removing section 5 is provided with a laser irradiator 5aa for locally heating the boundary between the ineffective part and the effective part of the ribbon-shaped glass film G, and a coolant sprayer 5ab for cooling the heated part based on the laser irradiator 5aa. The laser irradiator 5aa continuously irradiates the laser along the boundary between the effective part and the ineffective part of the ribbon-shaped glass film G passing below itself. The coolant sprayer 5ab continuously sprays the coolant (for example, mist water) to the laser-irradiated part of the ribbon-shaped glass film G.

Thus, due to the temperature difference between the portion heated by the laser and the portion cooled by the coolant, thermal stress is generated in the ribbon glass film G, and due to the thermal stress, a cutting line (the portion where the effective portion and the ineffective portion are separated) is continuously formed along the boundary between the effective portion and the ineffective portion. In this way, the ribbon glass film G is continuously cut along the long side direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ribbon glass film G is cut by the laser cutting method, but the ribbon glass film G can also be cut by the laser melting method.

The ribbon-shaped glass film G whose ineffective portion G1 is cut and removed is transferred from the main conveyor 13b to the second conveyor 13c. On the other hand, the ineffective portion G1 removed from the ribbon-shaped glass film G is not transferred to the second conveyor 13c, but is separated downward from the horizontal conveying path and discarded.

In the second conveyor 13c, a stretchable sheet belt S2 containing a foamed resin is overlapped on the upper surface of the belt 13ca, and the upper surface of the sheet belt S2 constitutes a conveying and supporting surface for conveying and supporting the strip-shaped glass film G. A sheet roll r2 formed by winding the sheet belt S2 is provided below the second conveyor 13c, and the sheet belt S2 taken upward from the sheet roll r2 passes through the upper surface of the belt 13ca from the upstream side end of the belt 13ca, and is sent downward from the downstream side end of the belt 13ca. The sheet belt S2 is not adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the belt 13ca.

A roller conveyor 15 is arranged at the terminal end of the lateral conveying section 4. In the roller conveyor 15, the upstream area includes the universal roller conveyor 15a that has been commonly used so far, and the downstream area includes the staggered roller conveyor 15b in which rollers 152 (see Figure 2) are arranged in a staggered manner. In addition, an inspection device 16 is arranged in the middle of the conveying direction of the universal roller conveyor 15a. The details of the roller conveyor 15 and the inspection device 16 will be described later.

A winding section 6 is disposed downstream of the roller conveyor 15 in the conveying direction. The winding section 6 winds the ribbon-shaped glass film G from which the ineffective portion G1 is removed around a winding core 6a into a roll to produce a glass roll R. In the winding section 6, the winding core 6a is driven and rotated in synchronization with the conveying speed of each of the conveyors 13a, 13b, 13c, and 15 to wind the ribbon-shaped glass film G. A sheet roll r formed by winding a protective sheet S is disposed below the winding section 6. The protective sheet S taken out from the sheet roll r is overlapped with the ribbon-shaped glass film G in the winding section 6 and is further wound together with the ribbon-shaped glass film G to produce the glass roll R. Through the above, all steps of the manufacturing method of the ribbon glass film G are completed.

Next, the details of the roller conveyor 15 and the inspection device 16 are described.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in the roller conveyor 15 , in the universal roller conveyor 15a on the upstream side, each roller 151 has a uniform outer diameter dimension over the entire length in the width direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film G. In addition, the gap α of the roller 151 is formed into a straight line without bumps along the width direction.

As shown in FIG1 , an inspection device 16 is arranged in the middle of the conveying direction of the universal roller conveyor 15a. The inspection device 16 is, for example, a device for inspecting the appearance of the ribbon-shaped glass film G. In this embodiment, as an example of the inspection device 16, the following inspection device 16 can be used, which includes: a light source 16a for irradiating light to the ribbon-shaped glass film G, and a camera mechanism 16b such as a charge coupled device (CCD) camera arranged opposite to the light source 16a. In FIG1 , the light source 16a is arranged at a position higher than the ribbon-shaped glass film G, and the camera mechanism 16b is arranged at a position lower than the ribbon-shaped glass film G, but the upper and lower position relationship of the light source 16a and the camera mechanism 16b may be reversed. By using the camera mechanism 16b to photograph the area illuminated by the light from the light source 16a, the image data is analyzed by an unillustrated information processing device to determine whether there are defects such as scratches on the front, back, or both sides of the ribbon glass film G.

In the universal roller conveyor 15a, in the shooting area based on the camera mechanism 16b, the gap α between the rollers (see FIG. 2) becomes the passage path of the light from the light source 16a. The width of the gap between the rollers 151 in the universal conveyor 15b is different from the shooting area based on the inspection device 16 and other areas except the shooting area. As shown in FIG. 1, in the shooting area, the width of the gap α is larger than the width of the gap in other areas. In this way, a sufficiently wide shooting area can be ensured, and high-precision inspection can be achieved. Of course, if the inspection accuracy performed by the inspection device 16 is not a problem, the width of the gap between the rollers in the shooting area can also be reduced, for example, the width of the gap α between all the rollers 151 can be made equal.

As shown in FIG2 , in the roller conveyor 15 , in the staggered roller conveyor 15 b on the downstream side, a plurality of rollers 152 are separated in the width direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film G and are arranged on the same axis. A spacer 153 is arranged between the rollers 152 separated in the width direction. As shown in FIG3 , the outer diameter dimension D1 of the roller 152 is larger than the outer diameter dimension D2 of the spacer 153 (D1>D2). The roller 152 is fixed to the shaft, and the spacer 153 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft by gap fitting, or is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft via a bearing, thereby being rotatable relative to the shaft. The roller 152 and the spacer 153 mounted on the common shaft constitute a roller unit 154 with the shaft. In the staggered roller conveyor 15b, the roller units 154 are arranged parallel to each other at multiple locations along the conveying direction. Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the roller conveyor 15 is shown with spacers 153 arranged between the rollers 152, but the spacers 153 may be omitted. In addition, as the spacers 153, roller-shaped spacers are illustrated, but spherical spacers 153 may also be used.

In the staggered roller conveyor 15b, the rollers 152 of other roller units adjacent to each roller unit 154 are arranged so that the space between the rollers 152 adjacent to each roller unit 154 in the width direction faces each other in the conveying direction. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface of each roller 152 faces the outer peripheral surface of the spacer 153 of the other roller unit 154 with a small gap β between them. The width of the gap β is smaller than the width of the gap α between the rollers 151 in the universal roller conveyor 15a.

In the staggered roller conveyor 15b, the axial distance M between the adjacent roller units 154 is preferably smaller than the outer diameter (diameter) of the roller 152. In addition, the axial dimension L1 of the roller 152 is preferably smaller than the axial dimension L2 of the spacer 153 (L1<L2). In the above structure, the outer peripheral surface of each roller 152 enters the space between the rollers of the other roller units 154 that are adjacent in the width direction. Therefore, when viewed from the width direction of the strip-shaped glass film G, the contours of the outer peripheral surfaces of the roller 152 of one of the adjacent roller units 154 partially overlap with the contours of the roller 152 of the other roller unit. By making the axial dimension L1 of the roller 152 smaller than the axial dimension L2 of the spacer 153, the contact interference between the rollers 152 between the adjacent roller units 154 can be prevented, and the friction of the staggered roller conveyor 15b can be reduced.

The ratio (D1/D2) of the outer diameter dimension D1 of the roller 152 and the outer diameter dimension D2 of the spacer 153 is preferably greater than 1.1 and less than 1.5. If the ratio is less than 1.1, the overlap between the rollers 152 of the adjacent roller units 154 becomes smaller, so the gap between the adjacent roller units 154 becomes close to the straight line in the width direction, and the end of the ribbon glass film G easily enters the gap. If the ratio exceeds 1.5, the spacer 153 is reduced in diameter, so when the end of the ribbon glass film G falls into the gap between the spacer 153 and the roller 152 facing the spacer in the conveying direction, the end is difficult to overlap the roller 152, and the ribbon glass film G is difficult to return to the conveying line.

FIG1 illustrates a case where the outer diameter of the roller 151 of the universal roller conveyor 15a is equal to the outer diameter of the roller 152 of the staggered roller conveyor 15b. In this case, in order to make the conveying speeds of the two conveyors 15a and 15b equal, the two rollers 151 and 152 are driven at the same rotational speed. The outer diameter of the roller 151 of the universal roller conveyor 15a and the outer diameter of the roller 152 of the staggered roller conveyor 15b can be different in size, but in this case, the two rollers 151 and 152 must be driven at different rotational speeds to make the conveying speeds of the two conveyors 15a and 15b the same.

In the conventional method for manufacturing the glass roll R, as shown in FIG. 4A , the roller conveyor 15 ′ provided at the terminal end of the lateral conveying section 4 includes as a whole a roller conveyor which makes the outer diameter of the roller 151 ′, which is a universal roller conveyor, uniform in the width direction of the ribbon glass film G. In this case, the gap α′ between the rollers 151 ′ is a straight line extending over the entire length in the width direction of the ribbon glass film G. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B , when the ribbon glass film G is conveyed, the front end g thereof easily enters the gap α′. If the front end of the ribbon glass film G enters the gap α′, the ribbon glass film G is cracked or damaged, and therefore the production line needs to be temporarily stopped for repair work, and the production efficiency of the ribbon glass film G is reduced. In particular, as the thinning of the ribbon glass film G progresses, the front end g is more likely to enter the gap α' between the rollers 151', and the problem becomes more serious. Even if the gap between the rollers 151' of the roller conveyor 15' is narrowed, the same problem may occur. If the roller conveyor 15' is replaced with a belt conveyor, the problem can be eliminated, but in this case, it is difficult to use the inspection device 16 to perform product inspection using light transmission.

In contrast, if the staggered roller conveyor 15b described above is used, the gap β between the roller units 154 becomes a curved shape with concave and convex shapes in the conveying direction as shown in FIG2. Therefore, the front end g of the ribbon glass film G is difficult to enter the gap, and the above-mentioned disadvantage can be eliminated.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the axial distance M between adjacent roller units 154 is smaller than the diameter dimension D1 of the roller 152 (M<D1), the outer peripheral surface of each roller 152 enters the space between the rollers 152 adjacent to each other in the width direction of the other roller units 154. Therefore, a long and large (much larger than the width of the ribbon-shaped glass film being transported) linear gap extending in the width direction will not be formed between the adjacent roller units 154. Therefore, the ribbon-shaped glass film can be reliably prevented from invading the gap between the roller units 154.

In the above description, the roller conveyor 15 for supplying the ribbon-shaped glass film G to the winding section 6 is exemplified as including the staggered roller conveyor 15b only in the downstream area and the universal roller conveyor 15a in the upstream area. However, if the passage path of light required for inspection by the inspection device 16 can be ensured in the gap between the roller units 154, the entire roller conveyor 15 may also include the staggered roller conveyor 15b.

In addition, in addition to forming part or all of the roller conveyor 15 for supplying the ribbon-shaped glass film G to the winding section 6 by the staggered roller conveyor 15b, if a roller conveyor needs to be installed for some reason at any part of the lateral transport section in the manufacturing apparatus for the glass roll R (or the manufacturing apparatus for the ribbon-shaped glass film) shown in FIG. 1 , part or all of the roller conveyor may also include the staggered roller conveyor 15b described in the present embodiment. Furthermore, not only in the case of conveying a continuous ribbon glass film G, but also in the case of conveying a single-piece glass film that is pre-cut in the width direction of the ribbon glass film G by using a lateral conveying section, even when a roller conveyor is provided in the lateral conveying section, a part or all of the roller conveyor may include the staggered roller conveyor 15b described in the above embodiment.

In the above description, the overflow down-draw method is used to form the ribbon-shaped glass film G, but other down-draw methods such as the slit down-draw method or the re-draw method may be used instead. In addition, as a method for forming the ribbon-shaped glass film G, a floating method may be used in which the ribbon-shaped glass film is extracted from a floating bath and transported by a lateral transport unit.

6: Winding part

6a: Roll core

15: Roller conveyor

15a: Universal roller conveyor

15b: Staggered roller conveyor

16: Inspection device

151, 152: Roller

153: Spacer

154: Roller unit

α, β: gap

Claims (7)

A method for manufacturing a glass roll, wherein a ribbon-shaped glass film is formed and the formed ribbon-shaped glass film is transported in a transverse direction by a transverse transport section and then rolled into a roll by a winding section to obtain a glass roll. The method for manufacturing a glass roll is characterized in that a roller conveyor including a plurality of rollers is arranged in the transverse transport section, and a staggered roller conveyor is included in at least a region on the downstream side of the transport direction of the roller conveyor, and the staggered roller conveyor The invention comprises a roller unit in which a plurality of rollers are separately arranged in the width direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film, the roller unit is arranged at a plurality of locations along the conveying direction of the ribbon-shaped glass film, and the rollers of other roller units adjacent to the roller unit are arranged in such a manner that the spaces between rollers adjacent to the roller unit in the width direction face each other in the conveying direction, and the ribbon-shaped glass film is supplied to the winding section by the staggered roller conveyor. A method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 1, wherein the distance between the axes of adjacent roller units is smaller than the diameter of the roller. A method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a spacer having an outer diameter smaller than that of the roll exists between adjacent rolls in the width direction of each roll unit. A method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 3, wherein the ratio of the outer diameter of the roll to the outer diameter of the spacer is greater than 1.1 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 3, wherein the axial length of the roll is made shorter than the axial length of the spacer. The method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 1, wherein an inspection device for inspecting the ribbon-shaped glass film is arranged in the roller conveyor in an area further upstream in the conveying direction than the staggered roller conveyor. A method for manufacturing a glass roll as described in claim 6, wherein a light source is provided in the inspection device, and the gap between adjacent rolls in the conveying direction in the upstream area of the roll conveyor is used as a path for light irradiated from the light source.

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