Abstract: An apparatus for bend-shaping a glass sheet is disclosed, which comprises a heating furnace, a plurality of in-furnace beds disposed within the heating furnace, at least one out-furnace bed disposed externally of the heating furnace proximately to an outlet of the heating furnace, and an elevating mechanism disposed below that one of the in-furnace beds which is positioned proximately to the outlet and the out-furnace bed. The in- and out-furnace beds have upper surfaces curved transversely and capable of jetting air to floatingly support a glass sheet. For producing a dual curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to elevate opposed ends of the one in-furnace bed and the out-furnace bed so that these beds jointly form a hill. For producing a single-curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to lower the opposed ends of those beds to their original flat positions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat-reflecting windshield that includes a laminated glass sheet and a detecting device for optically detecting a target object such as water droplets. The laminated glass sheet includes a first glass sheet, a heat-reflecting film formed on the first glass sheet, an intermediate film and a second glass sheet. The detecting device is disposed on a main surface of the laminated glass such that a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element in the device are arranged in a predetermined region of the main surface, and the predetermined region is rubbed by a windshield wiper. The heat-reflecting film includes at least three dielectric layers and at least two metal layers, and the heat-reflecting film is not formed in said predetermined region.

Abstract: An apparatus for bend-shaping a glass sheet is disclosed, which comprises a heating furnace, a plurality of in-furnace beds disposed within the heating furnace, at least one out-furnace bed disposed externally of the heating furnace proximately to an outlet of the heating furnace, and an elevating mechanism disposed below that one of the in-furnace beds which is positioned proximately to the outlet and the out-furnace bed. The in- and out-furnace beds have upper surfaces curved transversely and capable of jetting air to floatingly support a glass sheet. For producing a dual curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to elevate opposed ends of the one in-furnace bed and the out-furnace bed so that these beds jointly form a hill. For producing a single-curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to lower the opposed ends of those beds to their original flat positions.

Abstract: An apparatus for bend-shaping a glass sheet is disclosed, which comprises a heating furnace, a plurality of in-furnace beds disposed within the heating furnace, at least one out-furnace bed disposed externally of the heating furnace proximately to an outlet of the heating furnace, and an elevating mechanism disposed below that one of the in-furnace beds which is positioned proximately to the outlet and the out-furnace bed. The in- and out-furnace beds have upper surfaces curved transversely and capable of jetting air to floatingly support a glass sheet. For producing a dual curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to elevate opposed ends of the one in-furnace bed and the out-furnace bed so that these beds jointly form a hill. For producing a single-curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to lower the opposed ends of those beds to their original flat positions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat-reflecting windshield that includes a laminated glass sheet and a detecting device for optically detecting a target object such as water droplets. The laminated glass sheet includes a first glass sheet, a heat-reflecting film formed on the first glass sheet, an intermediate film and a second glass sheet. The detecting device is disposed on a main surface of the laminated glass such that a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element in the device are arranged in a predetermined region of the main surface, and the predetermined region is rubbed by a windshield wiper. The heat-reflecting film includes at least three dielectric layers and at least two metal layers, and the heat-reflecting film is not formed in said predetermined region.

Abstract: A glass panel including a pair of first and second glass sheets (1A, 1B) disposed with sheet faces thereof opposed to each other, a plurality of spacers (5) being interposed between the pair of glass sheets (1A, 1B) for forming a space (4) therebetween; and a sealing material (S) for bonding peripheral edges (3) of the glass sheets (1A, 1B) together for sealing the space (4), the sealing material having a lower fusing temperature than the softening point of the glass sheets (1A, 1B). Each spacer (5) is formed by disposing spacer-forming paste (11) in a predetermined shape on the sheet face of the glass sheet (1A, 1B). Or, the spacer (5) comprises a plurality of spacer bodies (51) two-dimensionally interconnected to each other via a connecting member (52).

Abstract: An apparatus for bend-shaping a glass sheet is disclosed, which comprises a heating furnace, a plurality of in-furnace beds disposed within the heating furnace, at least one out-furnace bed disposed externally of the heating furnace proximately to an outlet of the heating furnace, and an elevating mechanism disposed below that one of the in-furnace beds which is positioned proximately to the outlet and the out-furnace bed. The in- and out-furnace beds have upper surfaces curved transversely and capable of jetting air to floatingly support a glass sheet. For producing a dual curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to elevate opposed ends of the one in-furnace bed and the out-furnace bed so that these beds jointly form a hill For producing a single-curved glass sheet, the elevating mechanism is operated to lower the opposed ends of those beds to their original flat positions.

Abstract: A glass panel including a pair of first and second glass sheets (1A, 1B) disposed with sheet faces thereof opposed to each other, a plurality of spacers (5) being interposed between the pair of glass sheets (1A, 1B) for forming a space (4) therebetween; and a sealing material (S) for bonding peripheral edges (3) of the glass sheets (1A, 1B) together for sealing the space (4), the sealing material having a lower fusing temperature than the softening point of the glass sheets (1A, 1B). Each spacer (5) is formed by disposing spacer-forming paste (11) in a predetermined shape on the sheet face of the glass sheet (1A, 1B). Or, the spacer (5) comprises a plurality of spacer bodies (51) two-dimensionally interconnected to each other via a connecting member (52).

Abstract: A heating furnace for heating a sheet of glass therein houses an array of beds for transferring the sheet of glass successively over the beds in the furnace in a first direction toward an outlet opening of the heating furnace while shaping the sheet of glass complementarily to an upper surface of the beds. Each of the beds has a plurality of hot air ejection holes for ejecting hot air to keep the sheet of glass out of contact with the beds. The beds include a final bed disposed near the outlet opening and inclined upwardly toward the outlet opening. The final bed has an upper panel which is upwardly convex in both the first direction and a second direction transverse to the first direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending a glass sheet has a heating zone for heating the glass sheet, a shaping zone for shaping the glass sheet, and a cooling zone for cooling the glass sheet. A transfer zone for transferring the glass sheet is disposed immediately before the shaping zone with respect to the direction in which the glass sheet is fed. The glass sheet is fed through the transfer zone, the shaping zone, and the cooling zone by a ring mold mechanism which supports the glass sheet from below.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a curved glass sheet has a glass sheet conveyor mechanism for conveying a glass sheet heated up to its softening point in a heating furnace, and a mold assembly disposed downstream of the heating station with respect to a direction in which the glass sheet is conveyed by the conveyor mechanism, for curving the glass sheet to prescribed curvature. The glass sheet conveyor mechanism includes a pair of fixed rails extending in the glass sheet conveyance direction, a pair of movable rails disposed outwardly of and extending parallel to the fixed rails, the movable rails being movable transversely of the glass sheet conveyance direction, and traveling assemblies guided by the fixed rails for movement between a "standby position" where the softened glass sheet is received from the heating furnace and a "transfer position" where the glass sheet is transferred into the mold assembly.

Abstract: A method of correcting the attitude of an article being conveyed in a feed system including two second feed paths for receiving the article from a first feed path and feeding the article so that a first part and a second part, which are related to each other, of the article will reach a target position for each of the first and second parts. The attitude of the article is corrected until the target positions are reached by compensating for a relative shift beyond a predetermined distance in a feeding direction between the first part and the second part of the article on the first feed path.

Abstract: A ring mold unit for shaping and tempering a glass sheet includes a shaping ring mold for bending a glass sheet heated to a temperature close to the softening point of glass, in association with upper and lower mold members, and a cooling ring mold for supporting the bent glass sheet while the glass sheet is being quenched and tempered by a cooling medium. The shaping ring mold has a thermally insulating member on its upper surface for supporting thereon, in surface-to-surface contact, the glass sheet inwardly of a peripheral edge thereof. The cooling ring mold is disposed outwardly of the shaping ring mold and having a shape complementary to the shape of the peripheral edge of the glass sheet for supporting the peripheral edge of the glass sheet. The cooling ring mold has recesses defined in the upper surface thereof, and is covered with a punched metal.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending a glass sheet has at least a lower mold, a conveyor device for conveying the heated glass sheet to a prescribed position over the lower mold, and a plurality of rolls for supporting the glass sheet in the prescribed position. A method of bending a glass sheet is carried out by utilizing the apparatus. The apparatus also includes a device for lowering the rolls to a position below the shaping surface of the lower mold, and an arrangement in the lower mold for accommodating the rolls which have been lowered. The apparatus may additionally have an upper mold coacting with the lower mold. The method comprises the steps of lowering the rolls below the shaping surface of the lower mold, transferring the glass sheet from the rolls onto the shaping surface of the lower mold while the rolls are lowered, and bending the glass sheet into conformity with the shaping surface of the lower mold under gravitational forces.

Abstract: While a heated glass sheet moves through a quenching section, the glass sheet is blown with air in the same portions so as to be quenched always in the same portions to provide on the glass surface rapidly cooled portions and uncooled portions. Thereby the residual strains on the glass surface are made different to prevent the generation of pieces or splines when the glass sheet is broken.