glassplate 2 by anotherworking head having a polishing wheel, and the other working head may be comprised of a similar arrangement to those of the moving means 10, 12, 17, and 19 and the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 in accordance with this embodiment. 

[0050] In this embodiment, each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 has the grinding wheel 25, and in the case where polishing is performed with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 ofthe glass plate 2,each ofthe work- ing heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may have a polishing wheel in substitution for the grinding wheel 25. 

[0051] In this embodiment, each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 has the grinding wheel 25, and in the case where grinding and polishingare consecutivelyper- formed with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2, each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may further have a polishing wheel in addition to the grinding wheel25.In thiscase,since eachofthe working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 is provided with the grinding wheel 25 and the polishing wheel, it is unnecessary to perform polishing with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 in the separate process (online or offline), and the operation ranging from grinding to pol- ishing can be performed continuouslywith respectto both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2, thereby making it possible to shorten the working time in grinding and polishing. 

[0052] Each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 has the grinding wheel 25 or the polishing wheel, or the grinding wheel 25 and the polishing wheel. However, by combining these grinding wheel(s) 25 and the polishing wheel(s), each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may have, for example, the grinding wheel 25 and a plu- ralityofpolishing wheels,ora pluralityofgrinding wheels 25 and a polishing wheel,ora pluralityofgrinding wheels and a plurality of polishing wheels. 

[0053] Furthermore, each of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may be comprised of pluralities of working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18. According to the glass-plate working apparatus 1 having such pluralities of working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18, grinding or polishing, or both grinding and polishing, can be performed with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 by the plu- ralities of working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18, the working time with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 can be made even shorter, and the glass-plate working apparatus 1 with high productivity can be ob- tained. 

[0054] Each of the pluralities of working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may have any one of at least one grinding wheel 25 or at least one polishing wheel, or at least one grinding wheel 25 and at least one polishing wheel. 

[0055] In this embodiment, each of the moving means 10, 12, 17, and 19 and the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may be numericallycontrolled independently,oreach of the moving means 10, 12, 17, and 19 and the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may be numerically controlled synchronously. 

[0056] In this embodiment, as each of the moving means 10, 12, 17, and 19 and the working heads 7, 11, 14,and18 isnumericallycontrolledindependentlyorsyn- chronously, both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 may be ground respectively continuously. 

5 

[0057] In this embodiment, although each of both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 is adapted to be ground,workingmay beprovided foreither one endface between both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2 . 

[0058] In this embodiment, each of the working heads 7and11 effectsworking ofthe end face in the respective regions R1, R2 and R3 of the glass plate 2 by moving in the X direction along the end face in the region R1 and the regions R2 and R3 of the glass plate 2, while each of the working heads 14 and 18 effects working of the end face in the respective regions R3, R4, and R6 of the glass plate 2 by moving in the X direction along the end face in the region R4 and the regions R5 and R6 of the glass plate 2.However,an arrangementmay beprovided such that, as the servo motors 72 of the driving means 63 ofthe moving means 10,12,17,and 19 and the servo motors 78 of the cutting amount adjusting means 64 are numerically controlled synchronously, the respective ones of the working heads 7, 11, 14, and 18 may be moved in the X direction and the Y direction (made to undergo XY plane coordinate movement) along the end face in the regions R1, R2, and R3 and the regions R4, R5, and R6 of the glass plate 2 so as to effect working of both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2, e.g., working of curves with respect to both end faces 6 and 13 of the glass plate 2. 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

[0059] In this embodiment, although the working point A of the glass plate 2 is provided on the one end 8 side of the glass plate 2,the working point A may be provided on the otherend 9 sideof the glass plate 2,or the vicinity of a central portion on the end face 6 side of the glass plate 2, or a central portion in the X direction of the end face 6 of the glass plate 2 (this central portion being lo- cated between the one end 8 and the other end 9 of the end face 6 of the glass plate 2 in the X direction). In addition, although the working point B of the glass plate 2 is provided on the one end 15 side of the glass plate 2, in the same way as the working point A, the working point B may be provided on the other end 16 side of the glass plate 2, or the vicinity of a central portion on the end face 13 side of the glass plate 2, or a central portion in the X direction of the end face 13 of the glass plate 2 (this central portion being located between the one end 15 and the other end 16 of the end face 13 of the glass plate 2 in the X direction). In each case, it is possible to shorten the working time of the grinding or polishing, or both grinding and polishing, of the glass plate 2. 

35 

40 

45 

50 

[0060] In this embodiment, the glass plate 2 has arec- tangular flat plate shape, and the glass plate 2 may al- ternatively have any shape among an elliptical shape, a circular shape, a polygonal shape, a square shape, a quadrilateral shape, and the like. 

55 

[0061] In this embodiment, as the servo motor 72 of 

