| US 7,516,628 B2 | ||
| On-line thickness gauge and method for measuring the thickness of a moving glass substrate | ||
| Kenneth C. Chen, Danville, Ky. (US); Edward J. Lenhardt, Elmira, N.Y. (US); Daniel Y. K. Ma, Horseheads, N.Y. (US); Jeffrey C. McCreary, Horseheads, N.Y. (US); and James P. Terrell, Jr., Ithaca, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Corning Incorporated, Corning, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 11, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/34,172. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0150678 A1, Jul. 13, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. C03B 18/02 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 65—29.14 [65/162; 65/203; 65/158; 65/160; 65/176; 250/559.27; 250/559.07; 250/559.19] | 14 Claims |
| 1. An on-line thickness gauge (OLTG) for measuring a thickness of a moving pre-cut glass substrate, said system comprising:
a conveyor that grasps a top of the pre-cut glass substrate and moves the pre-cut glass substrate;
a glass capture device through which the moving pre-cut glass substrate travels where the glass capture device captures both
a front surface and a back surface of the moving pre-cut glass substrate, where the conveyor still grasping the top of the
pre-cut glass substrate moves the pre-cut glass substrate through the glass capture device; wherein said glass capture device
includes: a Y-guide that includes a pair of guides that capture and channel the moving pre-cut glass substrate into place
to be received by a stabilizing device;
said stabilizing device through which the previously captured moving pre-cut glass substrate travels where the stabilizing
device stabilizes both the front surface and the back surface of a bottom of the previously captured moving pre-cut glass
substrate, where the conveyor still grasping the top of the pre-cut glass substrate moves the pre-cut glass substrate through
the glass capture device; wherein said stabilizing device includes a plurality of belt-driven rollers that drives both the
front surface and the back surface of the previously captured pre-cut glass substrate;
a laser source that emits a single beam at a front surface of the stabilized moving pre-cut glass substrate;
a detector that receives a first beam reflected by the front surface of the stabilized moving pre-cut glass substrate and
receives a second beam reflected by a back surface of the stabilized moving pre-cut glass substrate; and
a processor that analyzes the first beam and the second beam received by said detector to determine a distance between the
first beam and the second beam where the distance is used to determine the thickness of the stabilized moving pre-cut glass
substrate.
|