KR20150042353A - Film attaching apparatus and attaching method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A film attaching apparatus in the present invention includes: multiple loading parts separated at regular intervals; pressure part moving along the surface of the multiple loading parts; and a transferring part, located between the above multiple loading parts and the pressure part, unrolling the film at the same interval as the multiple loading parts.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a film adhering device and a film adhering method using the film adhering device.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a film and a method of attaching the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), such as mobile phones, navigation devices, digital cameras, electronic books, portable game machines, Various applied mobile electronic devices are used.

In a typical display device used in such a mobile device, a transparent window is provided in front of the display panel so that the user can see the display portion. Since the window is formed at the outermost portion of the apparatus, it must be strong against external impact so as to protect the display panel inside the apparatus.

In addition, in recent years, a structure using a touch panel integrated with a display screen has been widely used instead of a conventional method using a switch or a keyboard as an input device. Thus, compared to a conventional mobile device, And a stronger strength is required.

Meanwhile, research on a curved display device has been actively conducted in recent years, and such a curved window may have a laminated structure including a film. However, there is a problem that the processing time is long and the alignment is inaccurate in laminating such a film. Also, if the alignment is not correct, there is a risk of cracking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a film attaching apparatus for providing a window for a display device in which alignment between a polymer resin layer and a film is correct.

In addition, a method of attaching a film is simple in that a process of depositing a polymer resin layer and a film is simple.

A film adhering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of stacking portions spaced apart at a predetermined interval, a pressing portion moving along the upper surface of the stacking portion, and a plurality of stacking portions positioned between the stacking portion and the pressing portion, And a transporting unit for transporting the film spaced at the same interval as the transporting unit.

The upper surface may be of a curved shape.

The pressing portion may include a pressing roller.

The pressing portion may further include an elastic member connected to the pressing roller, and the elastic member may repeat the elastic movement along the upper surface.

The pressing roller can apply a constant pressure to the upper surface.

And a conveyance belt for conveying the plurality of stacking units.

And an inspection unit for inspecting the window on which the film is squeezed.

The time required for the pressing portion to press the film may be about 10 seconds or less.

A method of attaching a film according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of preparing a plurality of curved polymer resin layers, placing the curved polymer resin layers on a plurality of stacking portions, Releasing the film, and pressing the film onto the curved polymer resin layer.

The pressing step may use a pressed part moving along the surface of the curved polymer resin layer.

The pressing unit may further include a pressing roller and an elastic member connected to the pressing roller, and the elastic member may repeat the elastic movement along the surface of the curved polymeric resin layer.

The pressing roller can apply a constant pressure to the surface of the curved polymeric resin layer.

And a conveyance belt for conveying the plurality of stacking units.

And inspecting the window where the film is squeezed.

The time required for the pressing portion to press the film may be about 10 seconds or less.

According to the film adhering apparatus as described above, it is easy to form an accurate curved window by aligning the polymer resin layer and the film, and the manufacturing process is simple, thereby saving time and cost.

1 is a schematic view of a film adhering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A to 2D are manufacturing steps according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a curved window fabricated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
4A and 4B are cross-sectional views and images of a misaligned curved window as a comparative example.
5A and 5B are cross-sectional views and images of a misaligned curved window as a comparative example.
6A and 6B show an image of a window where a crack occurs as a comparative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: FIG. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In the drawings, the thickness is enlarged to clearly represent the layers and regions. Like parts are designated with like reference numerals throughout the specification. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, plate, or the like is referred to as being "on" another portion, it includes not only the element directly over another element, Conversely, when a part is "directly over" another part, it means that there is no other part in the middle.

Throughout this specification, when an element is referred to as "including " an element, it is understood that the element may include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "about," " substantially, "and the like are used herein to refer to or approximate the numerical value of manufacturing and material tolerances inherent in the stated sense, Accurate or absolute numbers are used to prevent unauthorized exploitation by unauthorized intruders of the mentioned disclosure.

The apparatus for attaching a film according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a loading unit 110, a pressing unit 310, and a transfer unit 350.

The loading unit 110 has a curved upper surface of the curved polymer resin layer 130 and a top surface similar in shape to the polymer resin layer 130 in plan view. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the loading unit 110 may also be a flat type, depending on the shape of the polymer resin layer 130.

As shown in FIG. 1, the loading unit 110 is moved to proceed with the film adhering process. Any member can be used for the loading process. For example, the conveying belt 100, the conveyor belt, or the like can be used.

The loading unit 110 has a plurality of units, and the polymer resin layer 130 is loaded on each loading unit 110. At this time, the plurality of stacking units 110 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance W1. The predetermined interval W1 may be constant but may be spaced apart at different intervals depending on the manufacturing process or required requirements.

The pressing part 310 presses or attaches the film to the upper surface of the polymer resin layer 130 conveyed through the loading part 110. Any member for squeezing the film is possible, but as an example of the present invention, the squeezing unit 310 may be a squeezing roller.

The pressing roller 310 is rotated by a driving member such as a motor (not shown). The motor drives the pressing roller 310 at a predetermined constant rotational speed, and the pressing roller 310 rotates accordingly. The polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 are attached through the rotation of the compression roller 310.

The pressing portion 310 moves along the upper surface of the loading portion 110 so as to attach a film to the upper surface of the polymer resin layer 130.

The pressing portion 310 further includes an elastic member 330 connected to the pressing roller 310 to perform a cylinder movement.

Hereinafter, a case where the pressing roller 310 moves along the upper surface of the loading unit 110 with respect to the elastic member 330 will be described as an example.

2A, the pressing roller 310 and the elastic member 330 have a predetermined height and align the ends of the film 170 and the polymer resin layer 130 with each other.

Next, the compression roller 310 moves along the surface of the loading part 110 and the polymer resin layer 130, as shown in FIG. 2B. When the surface is not flat, the elastic member 330 is compressed, Move along.

2C, when the surface of the stacking unit 110 and the polymer resin layer 130 are flat, the compression roller 310 moves naturally along the stacking unit 110, and the film and the polymer resin layer 130 are compressed .

Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, after the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 are completely pressed, the elastic member 330 expands again to have a predetermined height as shown in FIG. 2A.

That is, the compression of the polymeric resin layer 130 and the loading portion 110 having different heights can be performed through the cylinder movement of the elastic member 330 moving up and down.

The compression roller 310 applies a constant pressure to the upper surface of the loading portion 110 and the film 170. When the upper surface of the loading unit 110 is curved, the pressing roller 310 moves along the upper surface of the loading unit 110 while the elastic member 330 connected to the pressing roller 310 repeatedly performs elastic movement .

The transferring unit 350 is located between the press-bonding unit 310 and the loading unit 110 and guides and transfers the film according to the manufacturing process. The film to be transferred is provided so as to be aligned at both ends with the polymer resin layer 130 disposed at the loading section 110. In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, Lt; / RTI >

At this time, the interval W2 between the films and the interval W1 between the plurality of stacking units 110 are the same. However, if the spacing between the plurality of stacking units is not constant and is different, the spacing between the films may correspondingly differ.

In order to provide the film through the transfer part 350, a film 170 may be formed and wound on a roll to prepare a film roll. The film roll is mounted on a roll rotation shaft provided in the vicinity of the transfer unit 350, and then the film 170 is wound to a predetermined size.

The inspection unit 400 confirms that the curved windows manufactured by the loading unit 110 and the pressing unit 310 are correctly aligned. Particularly, it is checked whether the alignment of the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 is not misaligned at both ends of the window. This allows the defective window to be discarded or reattached to the film.

Next, a method of attaching a film according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, a plurality of curved polymer resin layers 130 are prepared. The prepared polymer resin layer 130 is respectively mounted on the loading part 110 and one surface of the polymer resin layer 130 and the top surface of the loading part 110 correspond to each other. Although the present specification describes the polymer resin layer as an example, other panels mainly made of glass or synthetic resin are also possible.

The step of preparing the resin layer means that the polymer resin layer 130 is formed so that the loading part 110 is positioned at a position where the polymer resin layer 130 starts to be transferred.

Next, the film 170 spaced apart by a distance between the adjacent loading portions 110 is removed. Any member may be used to release it, but the conveyance unit 350 shown in FIG. 1 may be used as an example of the present invention.

The film 170 to be wound is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on one surface thereof, and a releasing paper is attached to the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive to prevent the pressure-sensitive adhesive from adhering to the film when winding or unwinding the film. And rolls the roll through the transporting unit 350 to a predetermined size.

In the case where the pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied on the surface of the film and the releasing paper is adhered, the film adhering step will be described in more detail. When the film 170 wound on the film roll is unwound together with a releasing paper (not shown), the film 170 enters between the pressing roller 310 and the loading portion 110 through the conveying portion and the releasing paper is separated from the film 170 And then rewound to the release paper roll.

At this time, the film 170 is pressed on the surface of the polymer resin layer 130 by the adhesive applied to the film 170, so that the film 170 is attached to the polymer resin layer 130.

The pressing portion 310 moves along the upper surface of the loading portion 110 to attach the film 170 to the upper surface of the polymer resin layer 130.

The attaching process using the roller 310 connected to the elastic member 330 will be described in detail.

2A, the pressing roller 310 and the elastic member 330 have predetermined heights and align the ends of the film and the polymer resin layer 130 with each other.

Next, the compression roller 310 moves along the surface of the loading part 110 and the polymer resin layer 130, as shown in FIG. 2B. When the surface is not flat, the elastic member 330 is compressed, Move along.

2C, when the surfaces of the loading part 110 and the polymer resin layer 130 are planar, the film and the polymer resin layer 130 are compressed while naturally moving.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, after the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 are pressed together, the elastic member 330 again expands to have a predetermined height as shown in FIG. 2A.

In the above operation, the compression roller 310 applies a constant pressure to the upper surface of the loading portion 110 and the film 170. When the upper surface of the loading unit 110 is curved, the pressing roller 310 moves along the upper surface of the loading unit 110 while the elastic member 330 connected to the pressing roller 310 repeatedly performs elastic movement .

In summary, the film 170 wound by the transferring unit 350 and the pressing roller 310 is aligned with both ends of the polymeric resin layer 130 moved by the transfer belt and the loading unit 110, And rotational motion. When the transport direction of the polymer resin layer 130 is defined as the left and right direction of the plane, the alignment of the polymer resin layer and the film 170 can also be viewed as left-to-right alignment.

At this time, when the distance W1 between the adjacent loading portions 110 is the same as the distance W2 between the separated films 170 and the alignment of the film 170 with the polymer resin layer to be first pressed is matched, The alignment between the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 is automatically matched. Therefore, defects of the window due to misalignment do not occur.

Next, an inspection step is performed to confirm that the curved windows produced by the loading part 110 and the pressing part 310 are correctly aligned. Particularly, both ends of the window are inspected to see whether the alignment of the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 is misaligned. This allows the defective window to be discarded or reattached to the film.

When such a film adhering method or a film adhering apparatus is used, the time required for pressing the film by the adhering section may be about 10 seconds or less. The time required for the manufacturing process through the film adhering device according to an embodiment of the present invention and the cost Can be effectively reduced.

A display device manufactured by a film adhering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. Figure 3 is a curved window fabricated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The display panel 10 may be an organic light emitting display panel. On the other hand, the display panel 10 may be a display panel other than the organic light emitting display panel, for example, a liquid crystal display panel. In this embodiment, the organic light emitting display panel will be described as an example for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, although a flat panel display panel is shown as an example of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a curved display panel is also possible.

The curved window 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a curved polymer resin layer 130, an adhesive layer 150, and a hardness film 170. [

The polymer resin layer 130 is the window body. The shape of the polymer resin layer 130 substantially determines the shape of the window 20, and may be curved according to an embodiment of the present invention, but it is also possible to have a plane shape.

As the material of the curved polymer resin layer 130, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resin or polycarbonate (PC) resin may be used, but not limited thereto, transparency is secured after curing, Any applicable material is possible.

In the specific embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned film and the curved polymer resin layer are attached using the adhesive layer 150 as an adhesive material between the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170. In particular, the adhesive layer 150 may be, for example, an optical clear adhesive (OCA) film.

The film 170 may be any film to maintain the rigidity of the window according to one embodiment of the present invention and may adhere to the curved polymeric resin layer 130 to protect the window.

4A to 6B, a window manufactured by a comparative example will be described. FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views and images of a misaligned curved window as a comparative example, FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views and images of a misaligned curved window as a comparative example, and FIGS. 6b is an image of a window in which a crack occurs as a comparative example.

4A and 4B, the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 are not aligned with each other, and in particular, the polymer resin layer 130 is more protruded. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4B, the polymer resin layer 130 further protrudes outward. Such unequal windows have poor physical properties such as strength and hardness.

5A and 5B, the polymer resin layer 130 and the film 170 are not aligned with each other. Particularly, the film 170 protrudes outward by about 400 탆 at most compared to the polymer resin layer 130. This affects the strength and hardness described above.

Specifically, as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, there is a problem that cracks are generated from the projected portion as a starting point, and a window is broken.

However, according to the film adhering apparatus and the film adhering method according to an embodiment of the present invention, since such a misalignment problem does not occur, a curved window having excellent physical properties can be stably supplied.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, And falls within the scope of the invention.

10: display panel 20: window
110: loading part 130: polymer resin layer
150: adhesive layer 170: film
310: pressed part 330: elastic member
350: transfer part 400: inspection part

Claims (15)

A plurality of loading portions spaced apart at regular intervals,
A pressing portion moving along the upper surface of the loading portion, and
And a conveying unit which is located between the loading unit and the pressing unit and releases films spaced at equal intervals from the plurality of loading units,
And a film attaching device. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the upper surface is curved. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the pressing portion includes a pressing roller. 4. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the pressing portion further comprises an elastic member connected to the pressing roller,
Wherein the elastic member repeats elastic movement along the upper surface. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the pressing roller applies a constant pressure to the upper surface. The method of claim 1,
And a conveyance belt for conveying the plurality of stacking units. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising: an inspection unit for inspecting the window where the film is squeezed. The method of claim 1,
And the time required for the pressing section to press the film is about 10 seconds or less. Preparing a plurality of curved polymer resin layers,
Placing the curved polymeric resin layer in a plurality of loading portions, respectively,
Releasing a film spaced apart by a distance between the adjacent loading portions, and
And pressing the film onto the curved polymer resin layer. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the pressing step uses a pressed part moving along the surface of the curved polymer resin layer. 11. The method of claim 10,
The press-
A pressing roller, and
And an elastic member connected to the pressing roller,
Wherein the elastic member repeats elastic movement along the surface of the curved polymeric resin layer. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the pressing roller applies a constant pressure to the surface of the curved polymeric resin layer. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a conveyance belt for conveying the plurality of stacking units. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising inspecting a window in which the film is squeezed. The method of claim 9,
And the time required for the pressing section to press the film is about 10 seconds or less.

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