KR101659333B1 - System for measuring total-pitch of optical film thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite optical film total-pitch measurement system according to the present invention relates to a system for measuring the total-pitch of an optical film traveling at a predetermined speed, comprising: a base roller capable of traveling in contact with an optical film; A lighting unit capable of irradiating light toward the base roller; A photographing unit capable of photographing the total-pitch of the optical film by the light reflected from the surface of the base roller; And a transport unit capable of reciprocating the light unit and the photographing unit in the width direction of the optical film at the same time.

Description

&Quot; System for measuring total-pitch of optical film "

The present invention relates to a total-pitch measurement system for optical films, and more particularly to a system for measuring the total-pitch of an optical film such as an FPR film, a polarizing film or a composite film in which an FPR film and a polarizing film are integrated To a total-pitch measuring system of an optical film capable of measuring whether the total-pitch corresponds to a reference value in the manufacturing process of the film, that is, in-line.

Generally, it is known that human being feels three dimensional feeling because the right eye and the left eye perceive objects with time lag. In other words, because the human eyes are spaced about 65 cm apart, the perception of stereoscopic effect is based on the binocular disparity that occurs in the process of viewing images in slightly different directions.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a growing interest in stereoscopic image display systems capable of implementing stereoscopic images by inputting images with parallax in both sides of a person.

In general, stereoscopic image display devices are classified into three types such as a spectacular 3D display such as a shutter glasses, a micro polarizer, a patterned retarder and the like, a parallax barrier, a lenticular lens, A 3D display, and a holographic 3D display. Of these, stereoscopic image display devices have become popular as active systems (shutter glass systems) and passive systems (FPR systems).

In the active display, the left and right screens are alternately transmitted at a very high speed, and the stereoscopic glasses worn by the user in accordance therewith are also operated in conjunction with the output video. That is, the active method is a so-called 'time division method'. In the case of the left eye image, the right eye lens is closed when the left eye lens is opened, whereas the right eye image is a structure in which the left eye lens is closed when the right eye lens is opened. This approach has the advantage of being able to see the screen clearly, but it requires a high level of skill to synchronize the movement of the display with the glasses.

Passive display is a so-called " space division method " in which a left-eye image and a right-eye image having different polarization characteristics can be transmitted, a display having a polarizing filter on the front surface thereof, and polarizing glasses worn by the user . Only the left eye image transmitted from the display is viewed through the left eye lens of the polarizing glasses and only the right eye image is viewed through the right eye lens of the polarizing glasses. This pass method is easy to implement without technical difficulties.

However, the polarizing filter used in the passive system can be attached to the polarizing plate so that the polarizing plate itself is patterned so as to correspond to the left and right eye image display units, or the polarizing plates are respectively associated with the left and right eye image display units Called Pattern-type Patterned Retarder (FPR), such as a patterned retardation plate (optical filter) having a patterned pattern.

In addition, patterned retarders are classified into glass-type and film-type depending on the type of substrate. However, since the glass-type pattern driftader is difficult to meet the trend of enlargement of display, recently patterned retarder film using an organic polymer film as a substrate is popular.

However, the size of a pattern formed in the patterned retarder corresponds to the width of a pixel or a pixel and is very precise, and the shape of the pattern is generally formed in accordance with the row or column of the LCD. When the pattern is formed on the LCD, It is necessary to suppress the generation of dimensional defects in the manufacturing process of the patterned retarder and it is necessary to control the phase due to the damage of the liquid crystal layer and the culture layer of the patterned retarder There is a need to strictly control the defects due to the change (irrelevant to the defect of the display panel for 2D).

In addition, according to the conventional manufacturing method, the completed pattern reliader is attached to a protective film by reason of transportation defect or the like and is led to the display panel manufacturer, and the delivered pattern reliader is transferred to the panel before being finally attached to the panel, , There is a problem in that the defect rate becomes very high because a so-called 'full line' inspection method in which two polarizing plates are crossed and inspected with the naked eye is used, and the measurement of the total-pitch after manufacturing the patterned retarder There is a problem that the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the probability of defects increases.

On the other hand, the patterned retarder film facilitates printing of an alignment film or the like on a substrate by corona treatment of the surface of the substrate during its production. However, such a corona treatment process is a factor that deteriorates the optical linearity of the patterned retarder film finally produced, and a solution thereof is required.

In the production process of film-type patterned retarder (FPR) film, 'total-pitch' is one of the main five factors of quality assurance of FPR products and is one of the main factors affecting the upper and lower viewing angles and 3D implementation .

Generally, FPR films are sensitive to temperature and / or humidity, and therefore the film is likely to shrink or expand during process migration, so in order to ensure the quality of the final produced FPR film, the total- , And equipment for calculating a reference value for such control is required.

In addition, when the total-pitch defect occurs in the manufacturing process of the FPR film, for example, the feasibility of the 3D film composed of 1080 pixel lines is lowered, so that a large loss of the product and a claim for the quality defect from the customer . In order to prevent this problem, equipment for measuring the total-pitch in the manufacturing process of the FPR film itself (in-line) is required.

However, according to the prior arts known to date, not only are there no apparatuses capable of measuring the total-pitch of three-dimensional FPR films, but the use of other facilities of the prior art has made measurement errors too large, There is no problem. On the other hand, in order to measure the total-pitch on the in-line of the manufacturing process of the FPR film, the error due to the change of the total-pitch of the film during the movement after the sampling is also included, and errors due to repeated measurement by the inspector may occur.

Such FPR films are used by display manufacturers to produce displays that require manufacturers to bond with polarizing films. Meanwhile, in recent years, display manufacturers are increasingly demanding an optical film in which FPR film and polarizing film are preliminarily lapped.

In other words, the optical film maker has the advantage of integrating the manufacturing process of the FPR film and the manufacturing process of the polarizing film, thereby reducing the cost of the TAC layer of the polarizing film in the process. Development of an optical film total-pitch measuring system has been required in the production process of optical films.

The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the problems of the related art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a 3DR film production process, in particular, to a process for producing an optical film in which a polarizing plate and a 3DR film are integrated, Control, and monitoring the total-pitch of a polarizing plate (a composite film in which a polarizing plate and a 3DR film are integrated).

In order to solve the above problems, an optical film total-pitch measuring system according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a system for measuring a total-pitch of an optical film traveling at a predetermined speed, A base roller which can be contacted and traveled; A lighting unit capable of irradiating light toward the base roller; A photographing unit capable of photographing a total pitch of the optical film by light reflected from a surface of the base roller; And a transport unit capable of reciprocating the lighting unit and the photographing unit in the width direction of the optical film at the same time.

Preferably, the optical film is a composite film in which a pattern relief film (FPR) portion in which L and R patterns having different optical axes are formed and a polarizing film portion are laminated.

Preferably, the patterned retarded film portion has an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer formed on the substrate; The polarizing film portion includes a PVA layer adhered to the liquid crystal layer and a TAC layer applied to the PVA layer so as to be in contact with the base roller.

Preferably, the composite film further includes a protection member attached to one surface of the patterned retarded film portion.

Preferably, the protective member is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having an optical axis and a phase difference.

Preferably, the PET film is an oriented PET film oriented to have a controlled optical axis deviation or a non-oriented PET film in which the optical axis deviation is not controlled.

Preferably, the composite film is in an in-line state before being wound on the winder.

Preferably, the total-pitch is a distance from a first reference line of one of the edges in the width direction of the optical film to a second reference line of another edge of the optical film.

Preferably, the system further comprises: a first filter unit disposed between the optical film and the photographing unit; And a second filter unit disposed between the optical film and the first filter unit.

Preferably, the first filter unit has a circular polarization filter for separating the L and R patterns of the optical film and for controlling scattering of light.

Preferably, the circular polarization filter is fixed to an end of a camera of the photographing unit.

Preferably, the second filter unit includes a lambda / 4 filter disposed so as to be able to rotate forward and backward at 360 degrees to automatically compensate for the phase change of the optical film.

Preferably, the? / 4 filter comprises: a circular filter body; And a rotating member for rotating the filter body.

Preferably, the rotating member includes: a filter rotor having the filter body rotatably supported by the through-hole by a bearing and having a first pulley on an outer circumferential surface thereof; A second pulley provided on a rotary shaft of a driving source provided in the filter frame; And a belt connecting the first pulley and the second pulley.

Preferably, the lambda / 4 filter further comprises a sensor member for measuring a rotation direction and an angle of the rotary member.

Preferably, the base roller is provided with a reflecting portion capable of reflecting light emitted from the lighting unit to the photographing unit.

Preferably, the reflective portion is coated or surface-treated on the surface of the base roller.

Preferably, the photographing unit has a pair of cameras capable of simultaneously photographing a first baseline portion and a second baseline portion of the total-pitch of the pattern formed on the optical film; The lighting unit includes a pair of LED lights installed to correspond to each of the pair of cameras.

Preferably, the photographing unit and the lighting unit are disposed at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the base roller.

Preferably, the conveying unit includes: a bracket on which the photographing unit and the lighting unit are installed; And an LM guide installed between the bracket and the transfer frame.

The total-pitch measuring system of the optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the photographing unit and the lighting unit are formed in a reflective form on the basis of the optical film, that is, the light emitted from the lighting unit travels on the base film (The base unit does not exist and the lighting unit and the photographing unit are arranged opposite to each other with respect to the optical film as a reference), and the light is reflected from the surface of the optical film and is designed so that the photographing unit can recognize the reflected light. The error caused by the curl and wave of the side portion of the optical film can be overcome.

The total-pitch measurement system of the optical film according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention adopts a structure capable of compensating the retardation of the non-oriented PET protective film. That is, in the above-described reflection structure, the? / 4 filter can be rotatably provided at the front portion of the photographing unit to overcome the phase deviation in the width direction and the phase deviation in the traveling direction of the optical film.

The total-pitch measurement system of an optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention consists of two sets including a camera, an illumination and an LM guide. That is, one illumination is configured to correspond to one camera, and the camera and the illumination are moved integrally by one LM guide. After the cameras and lights of each set are moved by the corresponding LM guides, the camera is subjected to the optimum compensation and then the total-pitch of the optical film is imaged at the same time point to obtain data of a gap type of up to 1/60 second It is possible to overcome the error caused by the film skewing occurring during the movement of the LM guide.

More specifically, the total-pitch measurement system of the optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention recognizes the reference pitch in 1 micrometer movement of the camera and measures the hardware distance difference of the linear motor system within the same time It is possible to calculate the error between the reference pitch and the measurement pitch.

In addition, the total-pitch measurement system of the optical film according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention can measure the total-pitch in the in-line manufacturing process of the composite film in which the patterned retarded film portion and the polarizing film portion are laminated have.

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The total-pitch measuring system of the optical film according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, since two cameras move and perform optimal compensation, two cameras at the same time can take images of the surface of the optical film, and the interval between the two cameras at such an imaging position can be measured as the total-pitch It is possible to measure the total-pitch change of the film due to the temperature and humidity change in the factory or the total-pitch change due to the error of the patterning of the optical film itself, and the total-pitch on the in- And the like can be attempted to improve the quality and yield of the film. For example, if the process temperature decreases by approximately 1 DEG C relative to the reference temperature, the total-pitch is reduced by approximately 100 micrometers. In the in-line process as in the present invention, It is possible to compensate for the temperature part by reflecting the process condition.

Second, the present invention relates to a method of measuring the total-pitch of a photographic unit by reflecting the light irradiated from the lighting unit onto the surface of the base roller and using the light transmitted through the optical film, It is possible to greatly reduce the measurement error caused by skewing, curling, etc. of the side portion of the running optical film.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore the technical idea of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a main configuration of a total-pitch measuring system of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an enlarged view of the "A"
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the total-pitch measurement system of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a front view schematically showing a total-pitch measuring system of a composite optical film according to another preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the main part of Fig. 4. Fig.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the main part of Fig. 4. Fig.
7 is an enlarged plan view schematically showing a part of a light pattern of an optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an enlarged view of the first filter unit and the second filter unit in Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately interpret the concepts of the terms appropriately It should be interpreted in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

Fig. 1 is a conceptual view schematically showing a main configuration of a total-pitch measuring system of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the "A"

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a total-pitch measurement system 100 of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a light source 100 for emitting light to a composite optical film 10 traveling along a base roller 110 The optical device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an illumination device 120 capable of irradiating a light beam with a predetermined wavelength and an illuminating device 120 capable of irradiating the optical film 10, A CPL filter 140 positioned at the end of the camera device 130 and a λ lens provided in a forward and reverse rotatable manner between the composite optical film 10 and the CPL filter 140, / 4 filter 150 as shown in FIG.

2, the composite optical film 10 includes, for example, a pattern relief film (FPR) portion 11 in which L and R patterns having different optical axes are formed, (21) which is water-based or UV-adhered to the polarizing film (11). The FPR part 11 has a base material 14 and an orientation layer 16 and a liquid crystal layer 18 are formed on the surface of the base material 14 facing the surface to which the protective member 12 is attached. As will be described later, the composite optical film 10 is formed such that the FPR portion 11 and the polarizing film portion 21 are wound on a winder (not shown) in the process of being released from each unwinder (not shown) It is preferable to be in the IN-line state before the last.

In an alternative embodiment, the composite optical film total-pitch measurement system 100 may include a patterned retarder film portion 11 that has been fabricated and a polarizing film portion 21 that is laminated with the film- Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be applied to optical filters.

The base material 14 of the composite optical film 10 is made of, for example, a cycloolefin polymer such as triacetylcellulose, polyacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, norbornene derivatives and the like. This base material 14 is the same as that of a conventional FPR. Therefore, it is preferable that the base material 14 is an isotropic base material having almost no in-plane retardation and thickness retardation, or only a retardation value in the thickness direction without in-plane retardation. On the other hand, the width of the composite optical film 10 is substantially determined by the width of the substrate 14, and may be variously configured to have a width of, for example, 1200 mm to 2200 mm.

The orientation layer 16 of the composite optical film 10 has an orientation treatment method and an orientation direction in which the first orientation film and the second orientation film are different from each other. For example, if the first alignment layer is a photo alignment layer, the second alignment layer is a rubbing alignment layer, and if the first alignment layer is a rubbing alignment layer, the second alignment layer is a photo alignment layer. When an alignment film having a different processing method is used, since one alignment film processing method does not affect other alignment films, an alignment film having different alignment directions can be easily formed without going through a complicated process such as a mask or a photoresist. For example, even if the rubbing alignment film is irradiated with UV polarized light, the alignment direction of the alignment film is not changed, and the case where the rubbing process is performed on the photo alignment film is also reversed. Therefore, after the rubbing alignment film is applied, the rubbing process is performed in the first alignment direction to form the rubbing alignment film, the polymer film for the photo alignment film is coated thereon at regular intervals thereon, and the polarized film is polarized in the second alignment direction different from the first alignment direction By the method of irradiating UV polarized light, the first alignment film and the second alignment film having different alignment directions can be formed. It is preferable that the alignment directions of the first alignment film and the second alignment film are perpendicular to each other.

The liquid crystal layer 18 of the composite optical film 10 is formed on the first alignment film and the second alignment film and is patterned into a first region oriented by the first alignment film and a second region oriented by the second alignment film . When the liquid crystal material is applied on the alignment layer, the liquid crystal material is oriented along the alignment direction of the alignment layer. Since the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer have different alignment directions, the liquid crystal layer 18 formed thereon is also oriented The liquid crystal layer 18 is alternately formed, and as a result, a patterned retardation layer can be formed. The pattern of the liquid crystal layer 18 is determined according to the application pattern of the second alignment film. For example, when the second alignment film is in a stripe shape, a liquid crystal layer of a stripe pattern is formed, and when the second alignment film is applied in a checkerboard pattern, a checkerboard pattern liquid crystal layer is formed.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal layer 18 may have various retardations depending on its thickness, and may preferably be a quarter-wave retardation layer. When the liquid crystal layer 18 is a quarter-wave retardation layer, the polarized light is converted into circularly polarized light when the incident light source is linearly polarized light and linearly polarized light when the incident light source is circularly polarized light. This is because it is useful for stereoscopic image display.

The protective member 12 is attached to the base material 14 of the composite optical film 10 so as to face the illumination device 120. [ The protective member 12 is provided on the surface of the composite optical film 10 which is finally produced by the corona treatment performed to increase the binding force between the substrate 14 and the culture layer 16 during the process of manufacturing the composite optical film 10. [ It is preferable to be previously attached to one surface of the substrate 14 before the culture layer 16 is formed in order to prevent the light directivity of the FPR portion 11 from deteriorating. That is, if the substrate 14 to which the protective member 12 is attached is corona-treated, it is possible to solve the problem of deterioration of the optical linear characteristics of the composite optical film 10, that is, the FPR portion 10 finally produced.

The protective member 12 includes a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a specific optical axis and a retardation. The PET film may be an oriented PET film oriented to have a relatively uniform optical axis deviation by controlling the speed of the production line and the tension of the film while controlling the optical axis deviation while producing the film. In this embodiment, however, And relatively inexpensive non-oriented PET films are used. The non-oriented PET film is produced through the same production process using the same resin as the oriented PET film. Alternatively, the person skilled in the art will appreciate that the protective member 12 can be replaced by various plastic films other than PET films.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the retardation and the optical axis of the non-oriented PET protective film can exhibit different properties depending on the measurement position or depending on the lot produced. Generally, in the same lot where the same speed is maintained during the production of the non-oriented PET protective film, the optical axis can be kept relatively constant at the side and center, but if the lot is changed, the optical axis and phase difference are not the same do. That is, the λ / 4 filter 150 is used to correct the optical axis and the phase difference for each lot while the lot is being changed, as will be described later.

The polarizing film portion 21 of the composite optical film 10 has a PVA layer 22 adhered to the liquid crystal layer 18 and a TAC layer 24 applied to the PVA layer 22 to contact the base roller 110 Respectively. Here, the polarizing film portion 21 is similar in structure and material to a conventional polarizing plate except that the TAC layer 24 is formed only on one side of the PVA layer 22. [ The PVA layer 22 of the polarizing film part 21 is formed by stretching polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) that absorbs iodine, which is a polarizer, with a polarizing axis that changes the polarization characteristic of light, with a strong tension. The TAC layer 24 is intended to protect and support the PVA layer 22 and is formed from tri-acetate cellulose films 3, 4.

On the other hand, the polarizing film portion 21 of the composite optical film 10 is prepared by preparing a raw material roll in which the PVA film and the TAC film are respectively wound, washing the raw material roll in a washing tank and drying in a drying oven, Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the PVA film can be formed by laminating a TAC film on one side of the PVA film while stretching the PVA film.

The use of the total-pitch measuring system 100 according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention also allows the patterned retarder film 10 of the composite optical film 10, It is possible to separate the L pattern (left eye pattern) and the R pattern (right eye pattern) of the portion 11 and control the light scattering.

After completion of the film, the above-described composite optical film 10 may have a release film (not shown) or a protective film formed on the surface opposite to the protective member 12, that is, the TAC layer 24, It will be understood by those skilled in the art.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the total-pitch measurement system 100 of an optical film according to an alternative embodiment is capable of measuring the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 without the protective member 12 described above.

The illumination device 120 is for irradiating light toward the composite optical film 10 in order to provide the light required for the camera device 130 to photograph the surface of the composite optical film 10, . Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the lighting device 120 may utilize other common lighting fixtures in addition to LED lighting. The illumination device 120 preferably includes a pair of LED lights capable of moving in the width direction of the traveling composite optical film 10, respectively.

The camera apparatus 130 is configured such that the light irradiated from the illumination apparatus 120 is polarized by the CPL filter 140 to be described later and is compensated through the polarization axis of the composite optical film 10 and / Or a pair of cameras 132 corresponding to a pair of LED lights of the illumination device 120 for imaging the surface of the composite optical film 10 optimized by polarized light. Each camera 122 is positioned to correspond to a pair of LED lights, and travels with each LED lighting of the lighting device 120.

A circularly polarized light (CPL) filter 140 is disposed between the composite optical film 10 and the illumination device 120 to perform a polarization function at a specific angle corresponding to the type of the composite optical film 10 to be measured . In addition, the CPL filter 140 compensates for phase changes along the respective pattern boundary regions of the composite optical film 10. [ That is, the CPL filter 140 detects the phase difference of the protective member 12 attached to the composite optical film 10, for example, before taking the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 through the camera device 130, It is possible to find a suitable position on the optical axis.

As described above, the lambda / 4 filter 150 is arranged to be able to rotate forward and backward at 360 degrees to automatically compensate for the phase change of the protective member 12. [ The? / 4 filter 150 is installed in a? / 4 filter assembly (described below). In the process of continuously producing the composite optical film 10, for example, the? / 4 filter 150 has a structure in which the joint portion of the composite optical film 10 or the joint portion of the protective film 12 has a total- The traveling of the composite optical film 10 is stopped each time the phase difference between the front and rear portions of the composite optical film 10 is changed on the basis of the measurement period and the light is transmitted through the? 4 filter 150 in a state in which the position of the lambda / 4 filter 150 is fixed in a state optimized to the phase difference and the optical axis information of the new composite optical film 10 entering the measurement period while rotating It is for measuring the total-pitch. That is, in the case of the composite optical film 10 produced with the same optical axis and retardation value, for example, in the same lot, the? / 4 filter 150 is optimized While the position of the lambda / 4 filter 150 is fixed at an angle of the state and the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 is measured using the measurement system 100, as is the case with the above- In the measurement of the total-pitch of the portion of the optical film 10 before the joint, another optical film 10 having a retardation and an optical axis value different from the retardation corresponding to the angle of the fixed? / 4 filter 150, And to change the angle of the? / 4 filter 150 so as to correspond to such different retardation and optical axis when the subsequent portion enters the measurement region to optimize it to the new optical film 10 portion.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illumination device 120 and the camera device 130 are installed in a bracket and the bracket can be moved by a linear motion system, such as, for example, an LM guide. This portion will be described later.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the total-pitch measurement system of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the composite optical film 10 includes a first optical pattern 1 having a first reference total-pitch required in a display device and a second optical pattern 3 having a second reference total- . Here, the first optical pattern 1 can be applied to, for example, a 32-inch display device, and the second optical pattern 3 can be applied to, for example, a 40-inch display device. The first optical pattern 1 and the second optical pattern 3 have different sizes and optical characteristics and the first optical pattern 1 and the second optical pattern 3 have different sizes and optical characteristics in the width direction of the composite optical film 10 As shown in Fig. The first edge regions 1a and 1b are provided on both sides of the first optical pattern 1 and the second edge regions 3a and 3b are formed on both sides of the second optical pattern 3 .

In this state, an optical film total-pitch measuring system 100 according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention operates a linear motion system to move a first camera (not shown) of a pair of cameras 132 of the camera device 130 134 and the second camera 136 are moved in the first optical pattern 1 to position the cameras 134 and 136 on the first edge regions 1a and 1b respectively.

Then, the position of the lambda / 4 filter 150 is fixed after optimally compensating for the phase characteristic of the first optical pattern 1 while rotating the lambda / 4 filter 150 in the forward and reverse directions No further rotation of the? / 4 filter 150 occurs until the lot of film 10 is changed).

Next, the first camera 134, which can be finely moved by the linear motion system, is used to check the first edge region 1a on the left side of the first optical pattern 1, and then the first camera 134 And the second camera 136 which can be finely moved by the linear motion system is used to confirm the right first edge region 1b of the first optical pattern 1 and then the second camera 136, (136). In this state, when light is irradiated onto the composite optical film 10 by the illumination device 120, the light is transmitted through the composite optical film 10, reflected by the surface of the base roller 110, ). In this process, the first camera 134 and the second camera 136 are operated to photograph the first edge regions 1a and 1b of the first optical pattern 1. In this process, the CPL filter 140 corrects and / or compensates the phase difference and the optical axis of the composite optical film 10 to help the cameras 132 of the photographing unit 130 make accurate photographing.

The distance between the first camera 134 and the second camera 136 thus measured corresponds to the actual total-pitch of the first optical pattern 1, and such data is transmitted to the control unit. Then, the control unit determines whether the interval (total-pitch) identified above corresponds to the first reference total-pitch limit range.

Next, the linear motion system is operated again, and the first camera 134 and the second camera 136 are moved to the second optical pattern 3. The first camera 134 is positioned on the left edge region 3a of the second optical pattern 3 and the second camera 136 is positioned on the right edge region 3b of the second optical pattern 3 . 3, the positions of the first camera 144 and the second camera 146 in the second optical pattern 3 are the same as those in the first optical pattern 3, Is shifted upward from that of Fig. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the position of the cameras 134,136 does not translate but rather refers to the movement of the composite optical film 10. [

Then, the total-pitch of the second optical pattern 3 can be measured in the same manner as the total-pitch measurement of the first optical pattern 1, as described above.

FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing a total-pitch measuring system of a composite optical film according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part of FIG. 4, 4 is a plan view of the main part of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the first filter unit and the second filter unit in Fig. 1 to 3 are the same member having the same function.

4 to 6 and 8, the total-pitch measuring system 200 according to the present embodiment includes an alignment layer 16 on one side of a substrate 14, A polarizing film portion 21 having a liquid crystal layer 18 and an FPR portion 11 and a PVA layer 22 and a TAC layer 24 on the other side of the substrate 14, A process of producing the composite optical film 10 adhered to the liquid crystal layer 18, that is, a composite process of traveling at a predetermined speed in an in-line state before the composite optical film 10 is wound on a winder (not shown) In order to measure in real time the total-pitch of at least one or more optical patterns formed on the optical film (10). Thus, each total-pitch data measured by the measurement system 200 can be monitored in real time to take necessary actions such as changing production process conditions (e.g., humidity or temperature) in real time, Generation can be significantly reduced.

The system 200 according to the present embodiment includes a base roller 210 that can travel in contact with the composite optical film 10, a lighting unit 220 that can irradiate light toward the base roller 210, A photographing unit 230 having a pair of cameras 234 and 236 capable of photographing the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 by light reflected from the surface of the illumination unit 210 And the photographing unit 230 can be reciprocated in the width direction of the optical film at the same time.

The base roller 210 reflects light irradiated from the lighting unit 220 to the photographing unit 230 as well as to reduce the total-pitch error of the composite optical film 10 photographed by the photographing unit 230 will be.

The base roller 210 is configured such that light irradiated by the lighting unit 220 without the base roller 210 is transmitted through the composite optical film 10 to the photographing unit 230 located on the opposite side of the lighting unit 220 The total-pitch photographed by the photographing unit 230 by the curling or bending phenomenon at the edge of the composite optical film 10 formed long enough in the width direction, etc., The composite optical film 10 is formed by the base roller 210 having a substantially flat surface so as to prevent occurrence of a difference from the pitch, that is, by the curled or bent state, Pitch of the composite optical film 10 in a state in which no error is generated in the actual total-pitch of the composite optical film 10. To this end, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the base roller 210 should be surface treated to have sufficient flatness.

4 and 8, the base roller 210 includes a reflection unit 212 for reflecting the light emitted from the illumination unit 220 toward the photographing unit 230. [ When the reflective portion 212 is made of stainless steel or a metal having excellent surface roughness, the reflective portion 212 may reflect light of the lighting unit 220 by a mirror surface treatment. However, the reflective portion 212 of the base roller 210 according to the present embodiment may be formed by coating a surface of the base roller 210 with a material having excellent glass, silver, or other reflectance, And surface treatment in a similar manner.

The photographing unit 230 can simultaneously and continuously photograph the edge regions 1a or 1b or the edge regions 3a and 3b of the total pattern of the predetermined pattern formed on the traveling composite optical film 10 And includes a first camera 234 and a second camera 236. The first camera 234 and the second camera 236 are installed in the first bracket 252 and the second bracket 254, respectively, and a CCD camera having a normal resolution is used.

The lighting unit 220 includes a first LED lighting unit 222 and a second LED lighting unit 222 mounted on the first bracket 252 and the second bracket 254 to correspond to the first camera 234 and the second camera 236, (224).

The above-described lighting unit 220 and the photographing unit 230 are disposed at a 45 degree angle with respect to the surface of the base roller 210. That is, the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 of the photographing unit 230 are arranged in parallel with respect to the horizontal plane, while the first LED light 222 and the second LED light of the lighting unit 220 224 are disposed obliquely at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal line.

The transfer unit 250 includes a first bracket 252 provided with the first camera 234 of the photographing unit 230 and a first LED illuminator 222 of the lighting unit 220, A second bracket 254 provided with a second camera 236 of the first illumination unit 230 and a second LED illumination unit 224 of the illumination unit 220 and a second bracket 254 provided between the first bracket 252 and the first transfer frame 251 And a second LM guide 258 disposed between the second LM guide 256 and the second bracket 254 and the second transfer frame 253. Such an LM guide moves the illumination unit 220 and the photographing unit 230 provided in each of the brackets 252 and 254 by a single bracket, for example, by 1 micrometer unit, . The transfer unit 250 is provided with an anti-collision sensor 260 for preventing the first bracket 252 and the second bracket 254 from colliding with each other.

As described above, the first bracket 252 includes a first camera 234 and a corresponding first LED illuminator 222 as a set, and the second bracket 254 includes a second camera 236, And the corresponding second LED illumination 224 are installed together as one set.

The first bracket 252 is movable in the width direction of the composite optical film 10 by the first LM guide 256 coupled to the first guide rail 255 provided in the first transfer frame 251, The second bracket 254 is movable in the width direction of the composite optical film 10 by a second LM guide 258 coupled to a second guide rail 257 provided on the second transfer frame 253.

The first camera 234 described above is for photographing the first edge regions 1a and 3a corresponding to any one side of any one of the optical patterns 1 and 3 of the composite optical film 10 And the second camera 236 are positioned above the second edge regions 1b and 3b of the above-described optical patterns 1 and 3 to photograph such edge regions. Therefore, when the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 simultaneously photograph the optical patterns 1 and 3 on the first edge regions 1a and 3a and the second edge regions 1b and 3b The distance between the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 becomes the total-pitch of the actual optical patterns 1 and 3.

As described in the above-described embodiment, the composite optical film 10 has the in-line (before being wound on the winder) in the course of the lamination of the patterned retarded film portion 11 and the polarizing film portion 21, In-line state, and the TAC layer 24 of the polarizing film portion 21 is in contact with the base roller 210. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, on the other hand, that the composite optical film 10 can be any other film on which a light pattern with a total-pitch is formed, for example, a polarizing film itself or a patterned resist film itself.

7 is an enlarged plan view schematically showing a part of a light pattern of a patterned retarder film portion of a composite optical film according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

7, the longitudinal direction of FIG. 7 is a direction in which the cameras 234 and 236 of the photographing unit 230 and the illuminating unit 220 are moved by the conveying unit 250 in the width direction of the composite optical film 10, In the direction of movement. Here, the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 means the total-pitch of each optical pattern in one or more optical patterns 1 and 3 formed in the composite optical film 10, 7 means the distance between the first reference line 201 on the upper edge of an arbitrary optical pattern of the composite optical film 10 and the second reference line 203 on the lower edge. Here, the first reference line 201 is a line between a third pattern region P3 and a fourth pattern region P4 from the top, a second reference line 203 is a line between the fourth pattern region P2 from the bottom, And is a line between the pattern regions P1. Also, in Figure 7, the total-pitch is the sum of the individual pitches of the 1080 pattern areas. Here, 1080 pattern areas correspond to the pixel lines of the display device, and each of the two pattern areas of the upper and lower edges is discarded when used in the final display device.

Generally, the total-pitch of the composite optical film 10 including the FPR portion 11 is determined between approximately 60 micrometers and 150 micrometers, although it may vary depending on the size of the display device or the customer's requirements.

4 and 8, the total-pitch measuring system 200 according to the present embodiment includes a first filter unit 270 disposed between the composite optical film 10 and the photographing unit 230, And a second filter unit 280 disposed between the first filter unit 10 and the first filter unit 270.

The first filter unit 270 is for automatically compensating for the phase change of the composite optical film 10 and for separating the L and R patterns of the composite optical film 10 and for controlling scattering of light. And a circular polarizing filter fixed to the end of the camera 232 of FIG. Specifically, the first filter unit 270 includes a first λ / 4 filter 282 located proximate to the first LED illumination 222 and a second circular polarization filter 282 located proximate to the second LED illumination 224, (274).

The second filter unit 280 includes a first lambda / 4 filter 282 and a second lambda / 4 filter 282 installed at the ends of the respective circular polarization filters 272 and 274 of the first filter unit 730, and a? / 4 filter 284. The first? / 4 filter 282 and the second? / 4 filter 284 have the same structure and operation principle. Therefore, only the first? / 4 filter 282 will be described below.

The first lambda / 4 filter 282 has a circular filter body 282 and a rotating member for rotating the filter body 282. The rotating member sequentially measures the total-pitch of each of the optical patterns (for example, 32-pattern, 40-inch pattern, and the like) in the width direction of the composite optical film 10, The total-pitch is measured by rotating the first lambda / 4 filter 282 so as to be suitable for the pattern so as to be optimized for the polarizing characteristic of the 40-inch and / or the phase difference of the protective member 12 in the case of the next 40- And is for rotating the first? / 4 filter 282. That is, the rotating member is for compensating or optimizing the optical characteristics inherent to the optical pattern when the photographing unit 230 is moved between sections having different optical patterns.

The rotating member includes a filter rotator 281 rotatably supporting the filter body 282 with the through hole 284 by a bearing 286 and provided with a first pulley 288 on the outer circumferential surface thereof, A second pulley 287 provided on the rotary shaft of the driving source 285, a belt 299 connecting the first pulley 288 and the second pulley 287, And a sensor member (290)

The filter body 282 is constructed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is made of aluminum or a synthetic resin. The filter body 282 can communicate with the through hole 284 and is provided with an internal space in which the second pulley 287 can be located. The filter rotator located within the through hole 284 is supported by a bearing 286 and the bearing 286 is coupled to one side of the filter body 282 and has an opening coaxially disposed with the channel And is coupled into the through hole 284 by a bearing cover. The filter frame 283 has a? / 4 filter 282
And a channel communicating with the housing and the housing. The? / 4 filter 282 is fixed by a filter cover 292. Preferably, the first pulley 288 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the filter frame 283 and has the structure of a timing pulley.

The driving source 285 may be constituted by, for example, a stepping motor capable of rotating forward and backward. The drive source 285 is protected by a motor cover (not shown) coupled to the filter frame 283. A second pulley 287 in the form of a timing pulley is mounted on the rotary shaft of the driving source 285. The first pulley 288 and the second pulley 287 are provided with a belt 299 having a structure of a timing belt.

The sensor member 290 includes a sensor dog 294 and a sensor dog 294 provided at the end of the rotational axis of the drive source 285 proximate to the second pulley 287 and provided with a reference comprising one or more grooves or holes. And a photo sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. The sensor member 290 can determine the rotation angle and direction of the? / 4 filter 282 by the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the driving source 285. [

The measurement flow of the total-pitch measuring system of the optical film according to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig.

As shown in Fig. 3, first, the fabric structure of the composite optical film 10 is recognized. That is, the composite optical film 10 recognizes that it has the first optical pattern 1 and the second optical pattern 3 in the width direction, respectively.

Next, a first bracket 252, a second camera 236, and a second LED illuminator 224 provided with a first camera 234 and a first LED illuminator 222 as measurement points of the first optical pattern 1, And the second bracket 254 provided with the second bracket 254 is moved. Here, the first camera 234 is located in the left edge region of the first optical pattern 1, and the second optical pattern 3 is located in the right edge region of the first optical pattern 1. [

4 filter 282 of the second filter unit 280 is rotated so that the photographing unit 230 can photograph the first optical pattern 1 in an optimal state while the first optical pattern 1 and the? / 4 filter 282 are matched.

Next, the transfer unit 250 is driven to move the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 to the upper portion of the edge region of the first optical pattern 1 so that the first and second reference lines 201, The transfer unit 250 is moved finely to confirm the transfer unit 203. When the fine movement is completed, the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 of the photographing unit 230 photograph the corresponding area at the same time. The actual total-pitch of the first optical pattern 1 of the composite optical film 10 is measured by measuring the mechanical distance between the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 at this shooting moment. The distance between the first camera 234 and the second camera 236 is calculated based on the distance between the first LM guide 256 and the second LM guide 258 of the transfer unit 250.

The first LM guide 256 and the second LM guide 258 of the transfer unit 250 are moved to the first and second brackets 252 and 252, respectively, 2 bracket 254 to the measurement point of the second optical pattern 3. The first λ / 4 filter 282 disposed adjacent to the first camera 234 and the first LED illumination 222 moves together by the movement of the first bracket 252, And the second lambda / 4 filter 284 provided adjacent to the second LED illumination 224 are moved together by the movement of the second bracket 254. Since the method of measuring the total-pitch of the second optical pattern 3 is the same as that of the first optical pattern 1 described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted. When the measurement is completed, the transfer unit 250 moves the first bracket 252 and the second bracket 254 to the area of the first optical pattern 1 of the composite optical film 10, And places the camera 234 and the second camera 236 on the respective areas.

10 ... Optical film
100, 200 ... Total-pitch measuring device
110, 210 ... Base roller
120, 220 ... Lighting unit
130, 230 ... Shooting unit
140,270 ... The first filter unit
150,280 ... The second filter unit

Claims (25)

A system for measuring the total-pitch of an optical film traveling at a predetermined speed,
A base roller which is movable in contact with the optical film and whose surface is a reflecting portion;
And a first and a second illumination capable of independently irradiating light toward the base roller, each independently moving along a width direction of the optical film to one side and the other side edge region corresponding to the total pitch of the optical film, Unit;
A first camera for picking up the side edge area by light transmitted through the optical film after being reflected from the surface of the base roller and being transported together with the first illumination in a position corresponding to the first illumination; And a second camera which is associated with the illumination and which is transported together with the second illumination and which is reflected from the surface of the base roller and then picks up the other edge region by the light transmitted through the optical film; And
And a transfer unit capable of independently reciprocating the first illumination and the first camera together and the second illumination and the second camera together along the width direction of the optical film,
Wherein a total-pitch of the optical film is measured by a distance between the first camera that has picked up the one side edge area and a second camera that picks up the other side edge area.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the optical film is a composite film in which a pattern relief film (FPR) portion in which L and R patterns having different optical axes are formed and a polarizing film portion are laminated.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the patterned retarded film portion has an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer formed on the substrate;
Wherein the polarizing film portion comprises a PVA layer bonded to the liquid crystal layer and a TAC layer applied to the PVA layer so as to be in contact with the base roller.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the composite film further comprises a protective member attached to one surface of the patterned retarded film portion.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the protective member is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having an optical axis and a phase difference.
The method of claim 5,
Wherein the PET film is an oriented PET film oriented to have a controlled optical axis deviation or a non-oriented PET film whose optical axis deviation is not controlled.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the composite film is in an in-line state before being wound on the winder.
delete The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A first filter unit disposed between the optical film and the photographing unit; And
Further comprising a second filter unit disposed between the optical film and the first filter unit.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first filter unit comprises a circular polarization filter for separating L and R patterns of the optical film and for controlling scattering of light.
The method of claim 10,
Wherein the circular polarization filter is fixed to an end of a camera of the photographing unit.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein the second filter unit comprises a lambda / 4 filter disposed so as to be able to rotate forward and backward at 360 degrees to automatically compensate for the phase change of the optical film. .
The method of claim 12,
The? / 4 filter comprises:
A circular filter body; And
And a rotating member for rotating the filter body.
14. The method of claim 13,
The rotating member comprises:
A filter body rotatably supported on the through hole by a bearing and having a first pulley on an outer circumferential surface thereof;
A second pulley provided on a rotary shaft of a driving source provided in the filter frame; And
And a belt connecting the first pulley and the second pulley.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the? / 4 filter further comprises a sensor member for measuring a rotation direction and an angle of the rotation member.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reflective portion is coated or surface-treated on the surface of the base roller.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first illumination and the second illumination are LED illumination.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first illumination and the first camera are disposed at a 45 degree angle relative to the base roller,
Wherein the second illumination and the second camera are disposed at a 45 degree angle relative to the base roller.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transfer unit comprises:
A transfer frame;
A first bracket provided with the first illumination and the first camera;
A second bracket provided with the second illumination and the second camera; And
And an LM guide provided between the first and second brackets and the transport frame. delete delete delete delete delete

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