KR102329139B1 - Stage apparatus for supporting foldable display device and inspection equipment thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a stage apparatus for supporting foldable display devices and inspection equipment using the same. The stage apparatus for supporting foldable display devices comprises: a base frame; a first supporter coupled to an upper end of the base frame and sucking and supporting one side of a foldable display device having at least one folding section; a second supporter sucking and supporting the other side of the foldable display device at a position spaced apart from the first supporter by a predetermined distance, and coupled to the upper end of the base frame to be able to move in a direction closer to or away from the first supporter; a prop member disposed between the first supporter and the second supporter to support a lower surface of the foldable display device; and a mover configured to move the second supporter, wherein the prop member is disposed in the folding section of the foldable display device. The stage apparatus of the present invention can support the mounted foldable display device over the entire area including the folding section which may easily sag during an inspection.

Description

A stage device for supporting a foldable display device and an inspection equipment applying the same {STAGE APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING FOLDABLE DISPLAY DEVICE AND INSPECTION EQUIPMENT THEREOF}

The present invention is applied to inspection equipment for inspecting a foldable display element and relates to a stage device for supporting a display element to be inspected.

The display device provides various types of visual content, such as news, photos, or images, to a user through a screen. As such a display device, a TV, a monitor, a smart phone, a tablet PC, a smart watch, a display device for automobiles, etc. may be considered.

Recently, the screen constituting the display device, that is, the display field is developing in the direction of viewing visual contents on a clearer and larger wide screen, and one of these studies is a display that can be flexibly bent or folded (eg, foldable display) has been proposed.

Such a foldable display device can increase space utilization through shape transformation, and representative examples include Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) and Colorless Polyimide (CPI). Among them, ultra-thin glass is thin and easy to bend, yet retains the original strength and transparency of glass. It has been applied as a cover window of

On the other hand, the display device can be finally produced as a finished product in a good state only when the surface inspection for inspecting the surface of the display elements, such as scratches or dents.

At this time, in general inspection equipment for inspecting the display device, a line scan camera scans the plane of the display device loaded on the stage device, and determines the quality of the display device to be inspected through image analysis taken by the camera. That is, the stage device must be provided in a configuration that can properly support the loaded display so that the display can be properly scanned by the line scan camera.

However, the conventional stage device is provided to flatten the loaded display element by adsorbing or holding both ends of the object to be inspected, that is, the display element, and then spreading the stacked display element at a predetermined interval. In the case of a foldable display element, the screen size Since the inches are increased compared to the conventional display device as the display device is manufactured to be variable, there is a limit in supporting so that the flatness of the loaded inspection object is maintained by adsorbing or holding only both ends of the object to be inspected, and between both ends of the object to be inspected. Since the gap is wide, deflection due to gravity and tension can occur at the midpoint.

At this time, when the test object is loaded in a sagging or bent state on the stage device, the reliability of the test result is lowered. the current situation.

However, there is no prior art on a stage device suitable for a foldable display device, and in calibrating and maintaining an inspection target to be inspected in a flat state, the conventional stage device that sucks or holds only both ends of the inspection object is applied as it is. is difficult

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0010801 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0016576 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0078958

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a stage device for supporting a foldable display device supporting the loaded foldable display device to be corrected and maintained in a flat state over the entire area, and inspection equipment to which the same is applied. There is a purpose.

In order to achieve this object, a stage device for supporting a foldable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base frame; a first supporter coupled to the upper end of the base frame and adsorbing and supporting one side of a foldable display device having at least one folding section; a second supporter that is spaced apart from the first supporter by a predetermined distance to adsorb and support the other side of the foldable display device, and is coupled to the upper end of the base frame so as to be movable in a direction closer to or away from the first supporter; a support member disposed between the first supporter and the second supporter to support a lower surface of the foldable display device; and a mover for moving the second supporter, wherein the support member may be disposed in a folding section of the foldable display.

Here, the foldable display device may be made of ultra-thin glass (UTG).

And, the support member is provided in the shape of a line having a predetermined thickness, and the support member is a synthetic fiber, a fiber reinforced composite material, a super fiber, It may be provided with any one of a steel wire (steel wire).

In addition, the stage device is coupled to the upper end of the base frame, the fixing device for fixing both ends of the support member, respectively; may further include.

In addition, the first support unit may include: a first suction plate having vacuum holes formed thereon for adsorbing and supporting the foldable display device by a vacuum suction force; and a first support frame supporting the first adsorption plate; can be provided.

In addition, the base frame, a guide member for guiding the movement of the second supporter; And, the guide member may include a guide projection formed to protrude outward.

The second support unit may include: a second adsorption plate having vacuum holes for adsorbing and supporting the foldable display device by a vacuum adsorption force; a second support frame for supporting the second adsorption plate; and a moving frame having an upper end in contact with the lower end of the second support frame, the lower end of which is movably coupled to the base frame; It includes, wherein the moving frame includes: a guide rail through which the guide protrusion is introduced so that the movement is guided by the guide member; can be provided.

Meanwhile, an inspection site for inspecting a foldable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be easily implemented by applying the above-described stage device.

As described above, according to the present invention, there are the following effects.

First, in the case of a foldable display device that is provided so that the screen size can be changed, since the inch increases, only both ends of the foldable display device are adsorbed or gripped and then spread out to be flat by widening the distance between the ends. Although sagging due to tension may occur, there is a limit in supporting the foldable display device so that flatness is maintained during inspection. By providing a support member for the, it is possible to overcome the limitation.

Second, by having a plurality of supporters and support members, the stage device proposed by the present invention can support the stacked foldable display device to be corrected and maintained in a flat state over the entire area.

Third, since the flat state is continuously maintained during the inspection process of the foldable display device, reliability of the inspection can be guaranteed in the inspection equipment to which the stage device of the present invention is applied.

1 schematically shows a general inspection equipment for inspecting a display device.
2 is a diagram illustrating inspection equipment to which a stage device (hereinafter, referred to as a 'stage device') for supporting a foldable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary view illustrating a fixture in the stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining the movement of the second support by the mover in the stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but already known technical parts will be omitted or compressed for the sake of brevity of description.

<A brief description of the inspection equipment for inspecting the foldable display element>

1 schematically shows a general inspection equipment for inspecting a display device, and FIG. 2 is a stage device for supporting a foldable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as a 'stage device'). Shows the inspection equipment to which is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, the inspection equipment TE includes a stage device 100, a moving device MA, a loading device LA, an unloading device UA, a line scan camera LC, and a judgment device EA. may be included.

The stage device 100 can load the foldable display device FD, and is provided to be movable by a moving device MA, which will be described later.

The moving device MA reciprocates the stage device 100 between the loading position LP and the unloading position UP.

The loading apparatus LA loads the display DD to be inspected on the stage apparatus 100 in the loading position LP, and the unloading apparatus UA is the stage apparatus 100 in the unloading position UP. The foldable display device FD, which has been inspected, is unloaded.

The line scan camera LC lines-scans the plane of the foldable display device FD mounted on the stage device 100 that has been moved to the test position TP by the moving device MA. At this time, the line scan camera LC scans the plane of the foldable display device FD that is moved together as the stage device 100 is moved by the moving device MA, or when the stage device 100 is stationary. In this case, the line scan camera LA may be moved and configured to scan the plane of the foldable display device FD loaded on the stage device 100 .

The determination device EA determines whether the foldable display device FD is good or bad through the image captured by the line scan camera LC. In this case, by applying the foldable display device FD determined to be a good product, a display device including the same can be finally produced.

At this time, the inspection equipment 10 for inspecting the foldable display device FD according to the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is obtained by applying the stage device 100 to be described later to the inspection equipment TE having the above basic configuration. that can be easily implemented.

Hereinafter, the stage device 100 proposed by the present invention will be described in detail.

<Description of the stage device for supporting the foldable display device>

3 to 4 show a stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is an illustration for explaining a fixture in the stage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a view of the present invention It is shown to explain the movement of the second supporter by the mover in the stage device according to an embodiment.

For reference, prior to the detailed description of the stage device 100, the stage device 100 presented in the present invention was designed to support the foldable display device FD made of ultra-thin glass (UTG), but the present invention Of course, the technical features presented are not limited thereto and can be applied to a foldable display device (FD) implemented with transparent polyimide (CPI) or the like.

2 to 6 , the stage device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base frame 110 , a first supporter 120 , a second supporter 130 , and a support member 140 . ), is configured to include a fixture 150 and a mobile device (160).

The base frame 110 is a plate-shaped member to which a first supporter 120 and a second supporter 130, which will be described later, are coupled to the upper surface. In this case, the base frame 120 has an open central portion, and a first supporter 120 and a second supporter 130, which will be described later, may be disposed at both ends by being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. At this time, the shape of the base frame 110 is on the inspection area when the foldable display device FD adsorbed and supported by the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 is scanned by the line scan camera. This is to place only the foldable display device FD.

In addition, the base frame 110 may include a guide member 111 for guiding the movement of the second supporter 130 to be described later. In this case, the guide member 111 may include a guide protrusion GB formed to protrude outward. A detailed description thereof will be described later along with the configuration of the second supporter 130 .

For reference, the base frame 110 is a configuration provided to install each configuration to be described later, which may be provided to be movable along the moving rail MR in the inspection equipment 10 shown in FIG. 2 .

The first supporter 120 is coupled to the upper end of the base frame 110 to adsorb and support one side of the foldable display device FD having at least one folding section FS section. In this case, the first supporter 120 includes a first adsorption plate 121 and a first adsorption plate 121 having vacuum holes VH for supporting the stacked foldable display device FD by vacuum adsorption force. It may include a first support frame 122 for supporting the.

The second supporter 130 is spaced apart from the first supporter 120 by a predetermined interval to adsorb and support the other side of the foldable display device FD, but can move in a direction closer to or farther from the first supporter 120 . It is coupled to the top of the base frame 110 to do so.

Here, the second supporter 130 includes a second adsorption plate 131 having vacuum holes VH for supporting the stacked foldable display device FD by vacuum adsorption force, and supporting the second adsorption plate. The second support frame 132 and the upper end may include a moving frame 133 that faces the lower end of the second support frame 132 , the lower end of which is movably coupled to the base frame 110 .

For reference, the first support so that the first adsorption plate 121 provided on the first supporter 120 and the second adsorption plate 131 provided on the second supporter 130 can be positioned on the same horizontal surface. The height of the frame 122 may have a length corresponding to the sum of the height of the second support frame 132 and the height of the moving frame MF.

In addition, the moving frame 133 is provided with a guide rail GR into which the guide protrusion GB provided in the guide member 111 is introduced so that the movement is guided by the guide member 111 provided in the base frame 110 . can do.

When the movement of the second supporter 130 is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6 , the guide member 111 provided at the upper end of the base frame 110 is a guide rail ( GR) to guide the horizontal movement of the second supporter 130 . Here, the guide member 111 includes at least one guide protrusion GB formed to protrude outward, and these guide protrusions GB are recessed in the longitudinal direction in the guide rail GR groove (not shown). time), and as a result, the guide member 111 moves along the groove of the guide rail GR.

At this time, in the stage device 100 of the present invention, when the second supporter 130 is moved, the foldable display device FD loaded on the second suction plate 131 is not removed from the second supporter 130 . A movement limiting member (MLP) for limiting the movement distance may be provided.

For reference, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 are provided with a plurality of adsorption plates, respectively, and the adsorption plates provided on the first supporter 120 and The adsorption plates provided in the second supporter 130 are symmetrically arranged. In the case of the foldable display device FD, the area thereof may be the same as or wider than that of the conventional display device, depending on implementation. In this case, both ends may be supported by one suction plate provided in each of the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 , and in the case where the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 are provided wider, the first supporter 120 and the second supporter may be supported. Both ends thereof may be supported by a plurality of adsorption plates respectively provided on the group 130 .

The support member 140 is disposed between the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 to support the lower surface of the foldable display device FD. At this time, the support member 140 is provided in the shape of a line having a predetermined thickness, and the support member 140 having a thin and long linear shape is provided in the first supporter 120 and the second supporter 130 , respectively. The adsorption plates 121a, 121b, 131a, and 131b arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction may be arranged parallel to the arrangement direction.

At this time, the support member 140 is preferably located in the folding section FS of the foldable display device FD so as not to affect the determination of whether the foldable display device FD through the line scan camera. can For reference, by applying an algorithm according to the camera specification for the inspection of the foldable display device (FD) so that the support member 140 is not visible in the photographed image, it may be implemented so that the determination is made, in this case, the support Of course, the member 140 may be disposed in a section other than the folded section FS of the foldable display device FD.

Here, the support member 140 is made of synthetic fibers, fiber reinforced composite materials, It may be provided with any one of a super fiber (super fiber), a steel wire (steel wire).

Both ends of the support member 140 may be fixed to each other by a fixture 150 coupled to the upper end of the base frame 110 .

5, the fixing unit 150 is a fixing block 151 for fixing the support member 140, from the side facing the fixing block 151 so as to surround both sides from the lower end of the fixing block 151; The first body 152 and the lower end of the first body 152 are provided with both ends having a shape extending by a predetermined length in the upper direction to support the fixing block 151, and the first body 152 is located in the longitudinal direction. It may be configured to include a second body 153 that is movably coupled.

At this time, a vertical moving member (VMP) for elevating/lowering the fixed block 151 may be provided on the inner surface of the first body 152 and both sides of the fixed block 151 in contact with the second body. A horizontal moving member (HNP) for moving the first body 152 in the longitudinal direction may be provided at the upper portion of the 153 and the lower portion of the first body 152 in contact therewith.

Here, as the fixing unit 150 includes the vertical moving member VMP and the horizontal moving member HMP, the arrangement position of the supporting member 140 may be changed to match the shape of the foldable display device FD. . At this time, as the support member 140 is finely adjusted to be positioned on the same horizontal line as the upper surfaces of the first adsorption plate 121 and the second adsorption plate 122 through the vertical moving member (VMP), the stage device 100 The stacked foldable display device FD is flattened and sagging of the center thereof can be prevented.

At this time, the vertical moving member (VMP) and the horizontal moving member (HMP) may be configured to include the moving rails (VMP_R, HMP_R) and the projections (VMP_B, HMP_B), but is not limited thereto, and the fixed block 151 and the first If the body 152 is provided to be movable, any configuration is applicable. For reference, the change in the arrangement position of the supporting member 140 through the vertical moving member (VMP) and the horizontal moving member (HMP) is performed by a control unit (not shown) for controlling each component constituting the stage device 100 . The position can be adjusted.

And, in the stage device 100 proposed by the present invention, the fixing unit 150 is configured to limit the arrangement position of the supporting member 140 , and is provided to simply perform a function of fixing both ends of the supporting member 140 . could be That is, since the fixture 150 shown in FIG. 5 is one embodiment, it goes without saying that the configuration may be changed according to implementation.

For reference, in the case of the foldable display device FD, one or more folding sections FS may be provided as it is manufactured. It should be provided in the number corresponding to the folding section (FS) provided in the . Accordingly, the stage device 100 of the present invention is provided such that the first body 152 and the fixing block 151 except for the second body 153 in the fixing device 150 are detachably attached to the second body 153 . , it may be considered to be able to couple or remove the fixing block 151 and the first body 152 to the second body 153 so as to correspond to the required number of supporting members 140 . In addition, by preparing at least one fixing unit 150 provided with a different number of fixing blocks 151 and first body 152 in one second body 153, the foldable display device FD to be inspected is prepared. ) may also be considered to change and couple the fixture 150 itself in the base frame 110 .

The mover 160 is configured to move the second supporter 130 . At this time, the mover 160 may be provided with a motor or a cylinder capable of moving the second supporter 130 in the left and right directions, but is not limited thereto, and the second supporter 130 may be moved in the longitudinal direction. Any configuration is applicable.

According to the above-described configuration, in the stage device 100 of the present invention, the foldable display device FD is installed in the stage device 100 in a state in which the second supporter 130 is moved to the first supporter 120 side. When loaded, both ends of the foldable display device FD are adsorbed and supported by vacuum pressure generated through the vacuum holes VH of the suction plates 121 and 131, respectively. Thereafter, the second supporter 130 is moved to the right by a preset movement distance, that is, in a direction away from the first supporter 120 , and the stacked foldable display device FD is spread flat. In this case, it is possible to prevent the central portion of the foldable display device FD from sagging downward while the lower surface is additionally supported by the support member 140 .

That is, the stage device 100 of the present invention can support the stacked foldable display device FD to be corrected and maintained in a flat state over the entire area.

For reference, the technical feature of the stage device 100 proposed by the present invention is to transport the stage device 100 applied to the inspection section, as well as the foldable display device FD, which is the inspection object, to the loading position LP. It can also be applied to a transfer device (not shown).

More specifically, the transfer device provided in the conventional loading section applies air floating technology to provide air to the lower part of the test object loaded in the transfer device to transport the test object to the loading position LP, the center of the was prevented from sagging downward, but the support member 140 and the fixture 150 of the present invention were applied to replace the configuration for A-floating in this transfer device to support the lower surface of the object to be inspected during transport. Of course.

That is, the technical feature proposed by the present invention supports the foldable display device FD required for transport and handling of the foldable display device FD in the manufacturing process as well as the inspection process of the foldable display device FD. It can be applied to devices for

As described above, the detailed description of the present invention has been made by the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but since the above-described embodiments have only been described with preferred examples of the present invention, the present invention is limited only to the above embodiments It should not be understood as being, and the scope of the present invention should be understood as the following claims and their equivalents.

100: stage device
110: base frame
111: guide member
GB: guide projection
120: first support group
121: first adsorption plate
122: first support frame
130: second support group
131: second adsorption plate
132: second support frame
133: moving frame
GR : guide rail
MLP: Movement restriction member
140: support member
150: fixture
151: fixed block
152: first body
153: second body
VMP : Vertical moving member
HMP : Horizontal moving member
160: mover
FD: foldable display device
MR : moving rail

Claims (8)

A stage device for supporting a foldable display device, comprising:
base frame;
a first supporter coupled to the upper end of the base frame and adsorbing and supporting one side of a foldable display device having at least one folding section;
a second supporter that is spaced apart from the first supporter by a predetermined distance to adsorb and support the other side of the foldable display device, and is coupled to the upper end of the base frame so as to be movable in a direction closer to or away from the first supporter;
a support member disposed between the first supporter and the second supporter to support a lower surface of the foldable display device, wherein the support member is provided in a line shape having a predetermined thickness;
a fixing device coupled to the upper end of the base frame to fix both ends of the support member; and
a mover for moving the second supporter;
including,
The support member is disposed in a folding section of the foldable display,
The fixture is:
a fixing block for fixing the support member;
a first body supporting the fixing block; and
A second body positioned at the lower end of the first body to which the first body is movably coupled in the longitudinal direction
including,
The first body is provided with a vertical moving member for elevating the fixed block,
The second body is provided with a horizontal moving member for moving the first body in the longitudinal direction of the second body.
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
According to claim 1,
The foldable display device is characterized in that it is provided with ultra-thin glass (UTG)
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
According to claim 1,
The support member, characterized in that provided in any one of synthetic fibers (synthetic fiber), fiber reinforced composite material (Fiber reinforced materials), super fiber (super fiber), steel wire (steel wire)
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
delete According to claim 1,
The first support group,
a first adsorption plate having vacuum holes for adsorbing and supporting the foldable display device by a vacuum adsorption force; and
and a first support frame supporting the first suction plate.
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
6. The method of claim 5,
The base frame includes a guide member for guiding the movement of the second supporter;
The guide member is characterized in that it comprises a guide projection formed to protrude outward.
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
7. The method of claim 6,
The second support group,
a second adsorption plate having vacuum holes for adsorbing and supporting the foldable display device by a vacuum adsorption force;
a second support frame for supporting the second adsorption plate; and
a moving frame having an upper end in contact with a lower end of the second support frame, the lower end of which is movably coupled to the base frame; includes,
The moving frame may include: a guide rail through which the guide protrusion is introduced so that movement is guided by the guide member; characterized by having
A stage device for supporting a foldable display device.
The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, or claims 5 to 7 is applied
Inspection equipment for inspecting foldable display devices.

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