KR20200082025A - Vacuum laminating appratus and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a vacuum laminating apparatus to smoothly perform a laminating process between a panel and a cover glass, and a method thereof. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum laminating apparatus comprises: a pressing tool pressing a carrier film toward the cover glass, wherein the carrier film supports a panel to allow the panel to be laminated with the cover glass to enter the cover glass; and a film clamping unit disposed adjacent to the pressing tool and clamping the carrier film to reduce an initial volume of the pressing tool when the laminating process between the film and the cover glass is performed.

Description

Vacuum laminating device and method {VACUUM LAMINATING APPRATUS AND METHOD THEREFOR}

The present invention relates to a vacuum laminating apparatus and method, and more specifically, a cover glass (cover) having an inlet width narrower than that of a panel because the bending edge portion forms a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion. glass) is applied, it relates to a vacuum laminating apparatus and method that can induce the panel to enter into the cover glass without interference.

Recently, a flexible display device having a flexible substrate made of a flexible material such as plastic has been developed. The flexible display device is not only light in weight due to the characteristics of the material, but also very resistant to impact. Accordingly, such a flexible display device is widely applied to recently released smart phones.

In particular, the flexible display device can be folded or rolled in a flexible form because it has a flexible property, and thus, it can be used in various fields because it can maximize portability.

The flexible display device may include a display element formed on the flexible substrate. Display elements that can be used for flexible display devices include organic light emitting diode display elements, liquid crystal display elements, and electrophoretic display (EPD) elements.

The above-described display elements commonly include a thin film transistor. Therefore, in order to manufacture a flexible display device, the flexible substrate must go through several thin film processes. The flexible substrate subjected to the thin film process may be sealed by an encapsulation substrate. The flexible substrate described above, a thin film transistor formed on the flexible substrate, and the encapsulation substrate may form a panel, which is one component of the flexible display device.

A cover glass is attached to one side of the panel as a means for protecting the panel, that is, laminated, and a product in which the panel and the cover glass are laminated is called a flexible display device. For reference, when the panel and the cover glass are laminated, a so-called double-sided tape type optical clear adhesive (OCA) is interposed between the panel and the cover glass.

Conventionally, a cover glass having a flat plate was mainly used, but recently, as an edge product, a cover glass having a bent edge with a bent end is widely used. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

1 and 2 are layout views between panels and different types of cover glass.

Referring to these drawings, the panel 10 is a module in a state in which a flexible substrate that can be bent freely undergoes a thin film process several times, and then seals it with a sealing substrate, and then combines a polarizing film and a touch panel on one side thereof. Refers to the product. A double-sided tape type optical clear adhesive (OCA) is applied to the surface of the panel 10 for laminating.

The cover glass 30 and 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are all attached to one side of the panel 10, that is, laminated to protect the panel 10. As mentioned earlier, a product in which the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 and 30 are laminated may be referred to as a flexible display device. A double-sided tape type optical clear adhesive (OCA) is applied to the surface of the panel 10.

In applying the means for protecting the panel 10, flat glass (not shown) has been used in the past, but recently, the cover glass 20 and 30 having a bent edge whose end is bent as an edge product is used. It is a widely used trend.

The cover glasses 20 and 30 may include front surfaces 21 and 31 constituting the front surface and bending edge parts 22 and 32 bent at the ends of the front surfaces 21 and 31. The bending edge portion 22 of FIG. 1 forms an acute angle θ1 less than 90 degrees with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion 21, and the bending edge portion 32 of FIG. 2 shows the front portion 31 It forms a right angle or an obtuse angle (θ2) with respect to the connecting virtual axis.

On the other hand, the laminating process between the panel 10 and the cover glass 20 of FIG. 1 is performed in such a way that the panel 10 is pressed to enter the inlet of the cover glass 20.

In this case, in the structure as shown in FIG. 1, the cover glass 20 because the bending edge portion 22 forms an acute angle θ1 smaller than 90 degrees with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion 21 of the cover glass 20. The inlet width L1 of the panel 10 is wider (larger) than the width L of the panel 10. Therefore, when the laminating process is performed, the panel 10 can enter into the cover glass 20 without any interference, and thus the laminating process can proceed smoothly.

However, when the bent edge portion 32 forms a right angle or an obtuse angle θ2 with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion 31 of the cover glass 30 as shown in FIG. 2, the inlet width of the cover glass 30 ( Since L2) is narrower (smaller) than the width L of the panel 10, the panel 10 cannot enter into the cover glass 30 without interference.

As shown in FIG. 2, when it is difficult for the panel 10 to enter the cover glass 30 without interference, the laminating process between the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 may not proceed smoothly, and the diarrhea panel 10 may include a cover glass ( 30) In consideration of the fact that the laminating quality is inevitably deteriorated even when the laminating process proceeds as it is forcibly entered, a need for a new concept vacuum laminating device and method for solving this emerges.

Korea Patent Office Application No. 10-2015-0007026

Therefore, the technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is that the panel interferes even if a cover glass having an entrance width narrower than that of the panel is applied because the bending edge portion forms a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to the virtual axis connecting the front portion. It can be induced to enter into the cover glass without, thereby providing a vacuum laminating apparatus and method that can smoothly proceed with the laminating process between the panel and the cover glass, as well as improve the laminating quality than before.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a pressing of pressing a carrier film supporting the panel toward the cover glass side so that a cover glass and a panel to be laminated enter the cover glass. A pressing tool; And a film clamping unit disposed around the pressing tool and clamping the carrier film when the laminating process of the film and the cover glass is performed to reduce the initial volume of the pressing tool. A vacuum laminating device can be provided.

The film clamping unit may induce the width of the panel to be smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by interaction with the pressing tool during the laminating process.

The film clamping unit may be provided to be movable or spaced apart from the pressing tool, and may include a movable side clamp that clamps a side region of the carrier film during the laminating process.

The movable side clamps are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pressing tool and can be operated simultaneously.

The movable side clamp includes a fixed clamp; A moving clamp approaching or spaced apart from the fixed clamp so that the carrier film is clamped between the fixed clamp; And a clamp cylinder coupled to the moving clamp and driving or moving the moving clamp to or away from the fixed clamp.

The film clamping unit may further include a side clamp driver connected to the movable side clamp and driving the movable side clamp to move the movable side clamp during the laminating process.

The side clamp driving unit may be a clamp driving cylinder having a regulator for setting a pressing force.

The film clamping unit is interlocked with the pressing operation of the pressing tool so that the width of the panel becomes smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by the compression of the carrier film to the pressing tool during the laminating process. The side clamp may further include a controller that controls the operation of the side clamp driving unit to be approached toward the pressing tool.

In order to adjust the relative alignment of the panel and the cover glass, an image capturing unit that captures an image of at least one of the panel and the cover glass may be further included.

The image photographing unit may be a mobile image photographing unit moved to a corresponding position in order to photograph at least one of the panel and the cover glass.

The cover glass may include a front surface forming a front surface; And a bent edge portion formed bent at an end portion of the front portion but forming a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion.

The pressing tool includes: an elastic body for pressing the panel, which is gradually degraded toward the side from a center of an upper end contacting the panel to a side, and elastically spreads and deforms when pressed to the panel; And an elastic body supporter supporting the elastic body for pressing the panel, and the film clamping unit may reduce the initial volume of the elastic body for pressing the panel by clamping the carrier film during the laminating process.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a carrier film loading step in which a carrier film supporting a cover glass and a panel to be laminated is loaded; And a film clamping step of clamping the carrier film when the laminating process of the film and the cover glass proceeds to reduce the initial volume of the pressing tool pressing the carrier film toward the cover glass. A vacuum laminating method can be provided.

In the film clamping step, the width of the panel can be induced to be smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by interaction with the pressing tool during the laminating process.

In the film clamping step, a movable side clamp movably disposed around a pressing tool that presses the carrier film toward the cover glass during the laminating process, a film side region clamping a side region of the carrier film It may include a clamping step.

The film clamping step is interlocked with an up operation of the pressing tool during the laminating process to interlock the movable side clamp such that the movable side clamp approaches the pressing tool, so that the carrier film is tightly compressed to the pressing tool. By this, it may include a side clamp interlocking step of inducing the width of the panel to be smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass.

After the step of the film clamping step, the panel may further include a panel entry step in the cover glass, which enters the cover glass.

After the step of entering the panel in the cover glass, the clamping of the clamped carrier film is released to induce the panel to return to the original width while the film clamping release and removal step of removing the carrier film may be further included. have.

After the process of loading the carrier film, an image capturing step of capturing at least one image of the panel and the cover glass may be further included to adjust the relative alignment of the panel and the cover glass.

According to the present invention, the panel enters into the cover glass without interference even if a cover glass having an entrance width narrower than that of the panel is applied because the bending edge portion forms a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to the virtual axis connecting the front portion. It can be induced as much as possible, and as a result, the laminating process between the panel and the cover glass can proceed smoothly, and the laminating quality can be improved more than before.

1 and 2 are layout views between panels and different types of cover glass.
3 is a structural diagram of a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an enlarged perspective view of the image photographing unit shown in FIG. 3.
5 is a view of the unit moving portion in FIG. 4 with a dotted line.
6 is a front view of FIG. 4.
7 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of FIG. 5.
8 is an enlarged structural diagram of the cover glass photographing module.
9 is a partial perspective view of the lower structure of FIG. 3.
FIG. 10 is a front view of FIG. 9 and is a view in which the bellows are removed.
11 is a side view of FIG. 10.
12 to 18 are views showing the laminating process of the panel and the cover glass step by step.
19 is a control block diagram of a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
20 is a flowchart of a vacuum laminating method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and the contents described in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in each drawing denote the same members.

3 is a structural diagram of a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the image photographing unit shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a view of the unit moving part in FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is an enlarged structural view of the cover glass imaging module, FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the substructure of FIG. 3, and FIG. 10 is a view As a front view of FIG. 9, the bellows is removed, FIG. 11 is a side view of FIG. 10, and FIGS. 12 to 18 are steps showing the laminating process of the panel and the cover glass, and FIG. 19 is an embodiment of the present invention. A control block diagram of a vacuum laminating apparatus according to an example, and FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a vacuum laminating method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 together with these drawings, according to the vacuum laminating apparatus and method according to the present embodiment, the bending edge portion 32 is a right angle or an obtuse angle (θ2) with respect to a virtual axis connecting the front portion 31 ), even if the cover glass 30 having the inlet width L2 narrower than the width L of the panel 10 is applied, it is possible to induce the panel to enter into the cover glass without interference. The laminating process between the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 can proceed smoothly, and the laminating quality can be improved more than before.

The cover glass 30 applied to the present embodiment may be that shown in FIG. 2. That is, the cover glass 30 may include a front portion 31 constituting the front surface, and a bending edge portion 32 bent at an end of the front portion 31, wherein the bending edge portion 32 is a front portion ( 31) It forms a right angle or an obtuse angle (θ2) with respect to the imaginary axis connecting them. Although FIG. 2 shows that the bent edge portion 32 forms an obtuse angle θ2 with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion 31, the same process as below may be performed even in a right angle. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the shape of the drawings.

When the bending edge portion 32 forms a right angle or an obtuse angle θ2 with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion 31 of the cover glass 30 as shown in FIG. 2, the inlet width L2 of the cover glass 30 Because the panel 10 is narrower (smaller) than the width L, the panel 10 cannot enter the cover glass 30 without interference.

In fact, in the case of the prior art, no method has been proposed to solve this problem. Thus, in this embodiment, a new concept method, that is, a method of reducing the initial volume of the pressing tool 140 is applied to induce the panel 10 to enter the cover glass 30.

In other words, by reducing the initial volume of the pressing tool 140, it is possible to induce the width L of the panel 10 to decrease, thereby allowing the panel 10 to smoothly enter the cover glass 30. . When the panel 10 enters the cover glass 30, the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 may be laminated by causing the width L of the panel 10 to return to its original state.

As such, a carrier film 50 supporting the panel 10 may be used to reduce the initial volume of the pressing tool 140, that is, to reduce the width L of the panel 10.

A vacuum laminating apparatus (see FIG. 3) and a method (see FIG. 20) as in the present embodiment may be applied for the process.

In the case of the present embodiment, considering that the curved cover glass 30 with an edge is used as described above, the flexible panel 10 is three-dimensionally laminated to the cover glass 30 according to the present embodiment. The vacuum laminating device may also be referred to as a 3D vacuum laminating device (or vacuum laminating device).

Vacuum laminating apparatus according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 12 to 18, the carrier film 50 supporting the panel 10 so that the panel 10 enters into the cover glass 30 It includes a pressing tool 140 that is pressed toward the cover glass 30 and a film clamping unit 180 that is disposed around the pressing tool 140 and interacts with the pressing tool 140 to allow the laminating process to proceed.

As will be described later in detail, the film clamping unit 180 clamps the carrier film 50 when the laminating process of the film 10 and the cover glass 30 is performed, but is pressed by interaction with the pressing tool 140. By reducing the initial volume of the tool 140, as a result, it serves to induce the width L of the panel 10 to be smaller than the inlet width L2 of the cover glass 30.

In addition, the vacuum laminating apparatus according to the present embodiment takes an image of capturing the images of the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130 where the actual laminating operation is performed, and the cover glass 20 and the panel 10 before the laminating operation. It may include a unit 210.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the upper chamber 130, the lower chamber 110, the imaging unit 210, and the components attached to or connected to the lower chamber 110 shown in FIG. 3 will be sequentially described. .

First, the upper chamber 130 will be described. The upper chamber 130 is a chamber provided to be movable up/down relative to the lower chamber 110 in the upper region of the lower chamber 110, as shown briefly in FIGS. 3 and 12. .

In other words, after the upper chamber 130 is down-operated toward the lower chamber 110 fixed in position, the upper chamber 130 is bonded to the lower chamber 110, and then the laminating operation of the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 is performed. As much as possible. In the laminating operation, the interior space of the upper chamber 130 and the lower chamber 110 cemented to each other is maintained in a vacuum.

The upper chamber 130 is provided with an upper chamber up/down driving means (not shown) so that the upper chamber 130 can be driven up/down, which is omitted for convenience. For reference, in the present embodiment, the lamination process is performed while the upper chamber 130 is driven up/down, but on the contrary, the lamination process is performed while the lower chamber 110 is driven up/down. It may proceed, it should be said that all of these belong to the scope of the present invention.

A glass seating jig 131 on which the cover glass 30 is seated is provided inside the upper chamber 130 as shown in FIG. 12. Although not shown, a load cell is connected to the glass seating jig 131 to measure the strength of the cover glass 30 seated on the glass seating jig 131.

Next, the lower chamber 110 is a chamber bonded to the upper chamber 130 during the laminating operation, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 to 11. Unlike the upper chamber 130 driven up/down, the lower chamber 110 applied to the present embodiment is positioned.

When laminating the panel 10 and the cover glass 30, a vacuum line 111 is provided in the lower chamber 110 so that the inner spaces of the upper chamber 130 and the lower chamber 110 adhered to each other can be maintained in vacuum. Connected. The vacuum line 111 may be connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

The above-described film clamping unit 180 is provided inside the lower chamber 110, and the panel 10 is loaded into the lower chamber 110 in such a way that the carrier film 50 is clamped by the film clamping unit 180. Can be.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, the image photographing unit 210 serves to photograph the images of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10 before the laminating operation.

In other words, when the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130 are opened, as shown in FIG. 3, the image capturing unit 210 is disposed between them, and the cover glass 30 on the upper chamber 130 side and the lower chamber 110 ) Takes an image of the panel 10 on the side. The image information of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10 photographed by the image photographing unit 210 is transmitted to the controller 190, which will be described later, and based on this, the controller 190 through the stage driver 122, which will be described later. Alignment of the panel 10 with respect to the cover glass 30 is performed by driving the alignment stage 120 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis.

In the present embodiment, the image photographing unit 210 is applied to the mobile image photographing unit 210 that is moved to a corresponding location for image photographing and photographed and then taken out. Therefore, it does not interfere with the laminating process.

The image photographing unit 210 includes an image of the cover glass photographing module 220 for photographing the image of the cover glass 30 on the upper chamber 130 side, and the panel 10 of the lower chamber 110 side. A panel photographing module 230 for photographing may be included.

The cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 are provided to be connected to each other in one body. At this time, the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 connected to one body are applied in two pairs. Therefore, it is possible to increase the speed in photographing both side regions of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10.

The structures of the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 constituting the image photographing unit 210 are substantially the same. However, the cover glass photographing module 220 includes a portion of the cover glass 30 having different photographic focus positions, for example, a front portion 31 and a bending edge portion 32 of the cover glass 30 having different photographic focus positions as illustrated in FIG. 8. ) Can be taken at the same time.

The cover glass photographing module 220 includes a camera 221, a single lens 222 coupled to one side of the camera 221, an illumination member 223 connected to the single lens 222, and a cover glass 30 It may include a glass box 225 that is detachably coupled to a portion of the entire region of one end of the lighting member 223 toward ().

The camera 221 may be applied as a CCD-charged device camera (CCD camera) in this embodiment. The CCD camera 221 is a digital camera, and refers to a device that converts an image into an electrical signal using a charge-coupled device (CCD) and stores the digital data in a storage medium such as a flash memory. There is an advantage of excellent image quality.

The short lens 222 is a lens also called a short focus lens or a focus fixed lens, and has a high aperture opening value, so that the image quality is excellent. The lighting member 223 may use LED lighting.

On the other hand, the glass box 225 is a block structure having a certain thickness made of glass, and serves to make the refractive index of light different. Since the glass box 225 is made of glass, a difference may occur in the refractive index of light passing through it.

The glass box 225 may be detachably coupled to the detachable portion 224 provided at the end of the lighting member 223. As such, when the glass box 225 is detachably coupled to the detachable portion 224, the glass box 225 can be easily replaced. In particular, there is an advantage that it is possible to select and apply various types of glass boxes (not shown) to adjust the focal length.

When the glass box 225 is installed on one side of the lighting member 223 as in the present embodiment, the cover glass through the virtual first shooting line passing through the glass box 225 from the lighting member 223 as shown in FIG. 30) the image of the front portion 31 is taken, the image of the bending edge portion 32, which is a bent portion of the cover glass 30 through the virtual second shooting line that does not pass through the glass box 225 Can be filmed. That is, since the refractive index is changed by the glass box 225, it is possible to simultaneously photograph images for each part of the cover glass 30 having different shooting focal positions.

Actually, as described above, in order to focus each of the front portion 31 and the bending edge portion 32 of the cover glass 30 with the single lens 222 of the camera 221, the position of the single lens of the camera 221 is adjusted. It is inevitable to consider using a stage (not shown) or mounting multiple cameras (not shown). However, when applying the single lens position adjustment stage of the camera 221, there is a hassle of adjusting the single lens position of the camera whenever the shooting focus position is changed, and when applying multiple cameras, the structure of the device Must be complicated.

However, in the case of the present embodiment, the glass box 225 having a simple, effective, and compact structure is applied to the complicated control or structure. Since the refractive index is changed by the glass box 225 as described above, it is possible to simultaneously photograph images of the front part 31 and the bending edge part 32 of the cover glass 30 having different shooting focal positions.

The panel photographing module 230 is provided independently of the cover glass photographing module 220 and serves to photograph an image of the panel 10. The panel imaging module 230 has the same structure as the cover glass imaging module 220 except for the glass box 225.

The cover glass photographing module 220 is mounted on the first module mounting portion 241, the panel photographing module 230 is mounted on the second module mounting portion 242, and the first and second module mounting portions 241 and 242 are module supports It is integrally connected to 243. Therefore, the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 may be connected in one body.

The module support 243 is connected to the unit moving unit 250 and moved. The unit moving unit 250 is a type of linear motor and is connected to each other and is responsible for moving the positions of the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 that form one body. That is, only when photographing is necessary, the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 are driven between the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130.

Meanwhile, a pressing tool 140 is provided inside the lower chamber 110. 12 to 18, the carrier film 50 supporting the panel 10 is pressed toward the cover glass 30 so that the panel 10 enters the cover glass 30.

The pressing tool 140 is formed to have a gradually lower inclination toward the side from the center (center) of the upper end contacting the panel 10, the elastic body for pressing the panel elastically deformed when pressed to the panel 10 ( 141), and an elastic body supporter 142 for supporting the elastic body 141 for pressing the panel.

For the up/down operation of the pressing tool 140, a tool up/down shaft 143 is connected to the pressing tool 140. That is, the upper end of the tool up/down shaft 143 is connected to the pressing tool 140 and drives the pressing tool 140 up/down.

The tool up/down shaft 143 is an axis disposed along the up-down direction and provides the driving force provided by the shaft driving unit 150 to the pressing tool 140 so that the pressing tool 140 is pressed toward the glass mounting jig 131 In the meantime, it is possible to perform a laminating operation on the panel 10 and the cover glass 30.

The tool up/down shaft 143 may be connected to the alignment stage 120 via a shaft hole 125a formed in the upper plate 125 forming the lower portion of the lower chamber 110. In addition, a shaft bellows 144 is provided on the outside of the tool up/down shaft 143 so as to be extendable. Therefore, even if the tool up/down shaft 143 is operated up and down, it is possible to prevent the vacuum in the upper and lower chambers 130 and 110 from leaking.

The shaft driving unit 150 is provided so that the tool up/down shaft 143 can be driven up/down. The shaft driving unit 150 is provided on the alignment stage 120, but is connected to the lower end of the tool up/down shaft 143, and serves to drive the tool up/down shaft 143 up/down. Do it. The shaft driving unit 150 may include a power generation unit 156, a ball screw 159, and a motion conversion transmission unit 160.

The power generator 156 serves to generate power so that a pressing force for laminating work is provided to the pressing tool 140 through the tool up/down shaft 143. The power generating unit 156 is connected to a servo motor 157 that can be controlled, the servo motor 157 and the ball screw 159, and decelerates the rotational force of the servo motor 157 to be transmitted to the ball screw 159 Reducer 158 may be included.

The ball screw 159 is connected to the power generator 156 along a direction intersecting the tool up/down shaft 143 and is rotated in the forward and reverse direction by the power generator 156.

The motion conversion transmission unit 160 is connected to the ball screw 159, and serves to convert and transmit rotational motion of the ball screw 159 to vertical motion of the tool up/down shaft 143.

The motion conversion transmission unit 160 is connected to the ball screw 159, the first inclined pressing block 161 and the first inclined type press which is linearly moved when the ball screw 159 is rotated, but one surface is inclined. Block 161 is disposed to correspond to the lower end of the tool up / down shaft 143 is connected, and includes a second inclined pressing block 162 that is vertically moved when the horizontal movement of the first inclined pressing block 161 can do.

Accordingly, when the ball screw 159 is rotated in one direction by the operation of the power generating unit 156, the first inclined pressurizing block 161 moves horizontally, and at this time, the second inclined pressurizing block facing each other inclined ( 162) is pushed, the second inclined pressing block 162 is vertically moved upward. As such, when the second inclined pressurizing block 162 is vertically moved upward, the tool up/down shaft 143 can be pressed up and press the pressing tool 140 toward the glass seating jig 131. .

As such, a large output is output to the servo motor 157 and the reducer 158 that can be controlled, and the motion conversion transmission unit 160 converts the rotational motion of the ball screw 159 into the vertical motion of the tool up/down shaft 143. By converting and transferring, the panel 10 can be laminated by pressing it toward the cover glass 30 with great force. Therefore, it can meet the recent laminating purpose of preventing air bubbles.

As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, the pressing tool 140 is connected to the alignment stage 120 but operates with the alignment stage 120 when the panel 10 is aligned with respect to the cover glass 30. It becomes aligned. Therefore, the center of the pressing tool 140 and the center of the panel 10 aligned with respect to the cover glass 30 can always be exactly matched, thereby improving the laminating quality.

In other words, when the pressing tool 140 is connected to the alignment stage 120 as in the present embodiment, the pressing tool 140 also aligns the stage 120 when the panel 10 is aligned with respect to the cover glass 30. It is aligned while working with it. Therefore, the center of the pressing tool 140 and the center of the panel 10 aligned with respect to the cover glass 30 can always be exactly matched, thereby improving the laminating quality.

The alignment stage 120 serves to perform the alignment operation of the panel 10 with respect to the cover glass 30 for the laminating operation of the panel 10 and the cover glass 30. The base plate 121 and the stage driver 122 are provided below the alignment stage 120 so that the alignment stage 120 can be moved.

The base plate 121 forms a lower portion of the alignment stage 120. And the stage driver 122 is provided on the base plate 121 and is connected to the alignment stage 120, and serves to drive the alignment stage 120 in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ-axis with respect to the plate surface. . The stage driving units 122 are respectively disposed in four corner regions of the base plate 121 to drive the alignment stage 120 in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ-axis with respect to the plate surface. The stage driving unit 122 may be applied by a combination of a motor and a ball screw.

The upper plate 125 is provided on the alignment stage 120. The upper plate 125 is disposed in parallel with the alignment stage 120, and forms a place where the panel seating portion 170 is installed. Between the alignment stage 120 and the top plate 125, a plurality of connection supports 126 for connecting and supporting the alignment stage 120 and the top plate 125 are provided. And the support bellows 127 are coupled to the outside of the connection supports 126.

On the other hand, the film clamping unit 180 is disposed around the pressing tool 140, as shown in Figures 12 to 18, the film 10 and the cover glass 30 when the laminating process of the carrier film ( 50) by clamping but reducing the initial volume of the pressing tool 140 by interaction with the pressing tool 140, resulting in the width L of the panel 10 being the inlet width L2 of the cover glass 30 It serves to induce smaller.

The film clamping unit 180 may include a plurality of movable side clamps 182 and a side clamp driving unit 184.

The movable side clamp 182 is provided to be movable or accessible to the pressing tool 140 on both sides of the pressing tool 140, and clamps the side region of the carrier film 50 as shown in FIGS. 12 to 13 during the laminating process. Plays a role. The movable side clamps 182 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the pressing tool 140 and operated simultaneously for stable and accurate clamping.

The movable side clamp 182 includes a fixed clamp 182a, a movable clamp 182b approaching or spaced apart from the fixed clamp 182a so that the carrier film 50 is clamped between the fixed clamp 182a, and a movable clamp ( 182b), and may include a clamp cylinder 182c that drives or moves the moving clamp 182b to a fixed clamp 182a. Accordingly, according to the operation of the clamp cylinder 182c, the movable clamp 182b may be operated down as shown in FIGS. 12 to 13, and the carrier film between the fixed clamp 182a and the movable clamp 182b due to its action. The side region of 50 may be clamped.

The side clamp driving unit 184 is connected to the movable side clamp 182 as illustrated by arrows in FIGS. 15 and 17, and serves to drive the movable side clamp 182 so that the movable side clamp 182 is moved during the laminating process. Do it. In this embodiment, the side clamp driving unit 184 is applied as a clamp driving cylinder 184 having a regulator for setting a pressing force.

Meanwhile, the controller 190 is mounted in the vacuum laminating apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the laminating process, the controller 190, as shown in FIGS. 13, 15, and 17, compresses the carrier film 50 closely to the pressing tool 140, so that the width L of the panel 10 is the entrance width of the cover glass 30. The movable side clamp 182 is linked to the up operation of the pressing tool 140 so as to be smaller than (L2), thereby controlling the operation of the side clamp driving unit 184 such that the movable side clamp 182 is approached toward the pressing tool 140. The width L of the panel 10 is controlled by the interaction with the pressing tool 140 by allowing the movable side clamp 182 to move based on the predetermined pressure by the control of the controller 190. It can be induced to be smaller than the inlet width (L2) of, it is possible to induce the panel 10 to enter into the cover glass 30 without interference.

The controller 190 performing this role may include a central processing unit 191 (CPU), a memory 192 (MEMORY), and a support circuit 193 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT).

The central processing unit 191 may be one of various computer processors that can be applied industrially. The memories 192 and MEMORY are connected to the central processing unit 191. The memory 192 may be installed in a local or remote location as a computer-readable recording medium, and is readily available, for example, random access memory (RAM), ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, or any digital storage form. It may be at least one memory. The support circuit 193 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT) is combined with the central processing unit 191 to support the typical operation of the processor. The support circuit 193 may include a cache, a power supply, a clock circuit, an input/output circuit, a subsystem, and the like.

In this embodiment, the controller 190 in the laminating process, the carrier film 50 is tightly compressed to the pressing tool 140 so that the width L of the panel 10 is smaller than the inlet width L2 of the cover glass 30. To control the operation of the side clamp driving unit 184 so that the movable side clamp 182 is approached toward the pressing tool 140 in conjunction with the up operation of the pressing tool 140 to perform the operation. 192. Typically, software routines may be stored in memory 192. Software routines may also be stored or executed by other central processing units (not shown).

Although the process according to the invention has been described as being executed by a software routine, it is also possible that at least some of the processes of the invention are performed by hardware. As such, the processes of the present invention may be implemented in software executed on a computer system, hardware such as an integrated circuit, or a combination of software and hardware.

Hereinafter, the operation of the vacuum laminating device will be described.

First, a state in which the upper panel 130 and the upper chamber 130 are spaced apart from the lower chamber 110 to be loaded on the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130 side is the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 which are the laminating objects. Becomes.

Subsequently, the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 are loaded (S10) by separate loading devices (not shown). At this time, the cover glass 30 is seated on the glass mounting jig 131 of the upper chamber 130.

And the panel 10 is clamped to the film clamping unit 180 as shown in FIGS. 12 to 13 while being supported by the carrier film 50 (S20). At this time, the movable clamp 182b of the movable side clamp 182 is clamped by the fixed clamp 182a, thereby clamping the side region of the carrier film 50 therebetween (S21).

Next, the image capturing unit 210 is operated. That is, the cover glass photographing module 220 and the panel photographing module 230 are moved and disposed between the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130 under the action of the unit moving unit 250. Then, images of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10 are photographed (S22). In particular, since the glass box 225 is applied to the cover glass photographing module 220, images of the front portion 31 and the bending edge portion 32 of the cover glass 30 having different photographing focus positions can be simultaneously photographed. .

When imaging of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10 is completed, the imaging unit 210 returns to its original position. Then, the image information of the cover glass 30 and the panel 10 photographed by the image photographing unit 210 is transmitted to the controller 190, and based on this, the controller 190 aligns the stage through the stage driver 122. Alignment of the panel 10 with respect to the cover glass 30 is performed by driving the 120 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis. That is, the alignment operation of the panel 10 is performed based on the cover glass 30.

In this embodiment, when the alignment stage 120 is operated, the pressing tool 140 is also operated and aligned, so that the panel 10 aligned with the center of the pressing tool 140 and the cover glass 30 is aligned. )'S center can always be exactly matched.

Next, when the alignment operation of the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 is completed, the movable side clamp 182 approaches the pressing tool 140 by being interlocked with the up operation of the pressing tool 140 as shown in FIG. 15. The mobile side clamp 182 is interlocked (S23). Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the carrier film 50 is compressed in close contact with the pressing tool 140, so that the initial volume of the pressing tool 140 may be reduced, whereby the width L of the panel 10 is covered glass 30. It can be induced to be smaller than the inlet width (L2) of the. Therefore, the panel 10 can be easily entered into the cover glass 30.

This will be explained in more detail. When the pressing tool 140 is operated up, the carrier film 50 clamped with the movable side clamp 182 is transferred to the side clamp driving unit 184 as a clamp driving cylinder 184 having a regulator. Due to this, the tension is gradually released while being in close contact with the pressing tool 140. This action proceeds until the carrier film 50 reaches a position close to approximately 90 degrees.

Subsequently, when the pressing tool 140 is operated up and the carrier film 50 reaches a position close to approximately 90 degrees, the movable side clamp 182 is caused by the side clamp driving unit 184 to press the pressing tool 140. ), and thereby the tension of the carrier film 50 is relaxed. Therefore, when the carrier film 50 is positioned at the center of the pressing tool 140 and the width of the pressing tool 140 is forcibly compressed, interference occurs when the panel 10 enters the cover glass 30. The phenomenon will not occur.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper chamber 130 is operated down to adhere to the lower chamber 110. At this time, the panel 10 having a reduced width L can easily enter the cover glass 30. (S30). Then, the clamping of the clamped carrier film 50 is released to induce the panel 10 to return to its original width while removing the carrier film 50 (S40).

Thereafter, the inside of the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 130 is formed in a vacuum, and then the pressing tool 140 is further operated up. When the pressing tool 140 is further operated up, the elastic body 141 for pressing the panel is deformed according to the curvature of the cover glass 30 by this force, thereby covering the entire area of the panel 10. Pressure (see FIG. 18). Therefore, the panel 10 can be laminated to the cover glass 30 without the lifting portion.

When the laminating operation is completed, the upper chamber 130 is opened. Since the panel 10 is in a laminated state on the cover glass 30, the laminated product is raised upward along the upper chamber 130, and then taken out by the transfer machine.

According to this embodiment having the structure and action as described above, the width of the panel 10 because the bending edge portion 32 forms a right angle or an obtuse angle θ2 with respect to a virtual axis connecting the front portion 31 Even if the cover glass 30 having a narrower inlet width L2 than (L) is applied, the panel can be induced to enter the cover glass without interference, and thereby the panel 10 and the cover glass 30 Not only can the laminating process of the liver go smoothly, but also the laminating quality can be improved than before.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to belong to the claims of the present invention.

10: panel 30: cover glass
31: front portion 32: bending edge portion
50: carrier film 110: lower chamber
130: upper chamber 131: glass jig for seating
140: pressing tool 141: elastic member for pressing the panel
142: elastic supporter 143: tool up / down shaft
180: film clamping unit 182: movable side clamp
182a: fixed clamp 182b: movable clamp
182c: Clamp cylinder 184: Side clamp drive
190: controller 210: video recording unit

Claims (19)

A pressing tool for pressing a carrier film supporting the panel toward the cover glass so that a cover glass and a panel to be laminated enter the cover glass; And
Vacuum disposed on the periphery of the pressing tool, characterized in that it comprises a film clamping unit for reducing the initial volume of the pressing tool by clamping (clamping) the carrier film when the laminating process of the film and the cover glass is in progress Laminating device. According to claim 1,
The film clamping unit, the vacuum laminating device, characterized in that by inducing the width of the panel smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by interaction with the pressing tool during the laminating process. According to claim 1,
The film clamping unit,
A vacuum laminating device comprising a movable side clamp which is provided to be movable or spaced apart from the pressing tool and clamps a side region of the carrier film during the laminating process. According to claim 3,
The movable side clamp is arranged symmetrically on both sides of the pressing tool and the vacuum laminating device, characterized in that the simultaneous operation. According to claim 3,
The movable side clamp,
Fixed clamp;
A moving clamp approaching or spaced apart from the fixed clamp so that the carrier film is clamped between the fixed clamp; And
A vacuum laminating device coupled to the moving clamp and comprising a clamp cylinder that drives or moves the moving clamp to or from the fixed clamp. According to claim 3,
The film clamping unit,
A vacuum laminating device connected to the movable side clamp, further comprising a side clamp driving unit for driving the movable side clamp so that the movable side clamp is moved during the laminating process. The method of claim 6,
The side clamp driving unit is a vacuum laminating apparatus, characterized in that the clamp driving cylinder having a regulator (regulator) for setting the pressing force. According to claim 2,
The film clamping unit,
During the laminating process, the mobile film is interlocked with the pressing operation of the pressing tool so that the width of the panel becomes smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by compressing the carrier film against the pressing tool. And a controller to control the operation of the side clamp driving unit to be accessed. According to claim 1,
A vacuum laminating apparatus further comprising an image photographing unit that photographs at least one of the panel and the cover glass to adjust relative alignment of the panel and the cover glass. The method of claim 9,
The imaging unit,
A vacuum laminating apparatus, characterized in that it is a mobile image capturing unit moved to a corresponding position in order to capture at least one image of the panel and the cover glass. According to claim 1,
The cover glass,
A front part forming a front surface; And
A vacuum laminating apparatus comprising a bending edge portion formed at an end portion of the front portion and forming a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to an imaginary axis connecting the front portion. According to claim 1,
The pressing tool,
A panel pressing elastic member that gradually decreases in inclination toward the side from the center of the upper end contacting the panel to the side, and elastically spreads and deforms when pressed to the panel; And
An elastic body supporter supporting the elastic body for pressing the panel,
The film clamping unit, the vacuum laminating device, characterized in that for clamping (clamping) the carrier film during the laminating process to reduce the initial volume of the elastic body for pressing the panel. A carrier film loading step in which a carrier film supporting a cover glass and a panel to be laminated is loaded; And
And a film clamping step of clamping the carrier film when the laminating process of the film and the cover glass is in progress to reduce an initial volume of a pressing tool that presses the carrier film toward the cover glass. Laminating method. The method of claim 13,
In the film clamping step,
Vacuum laminating method, characterized in that by inducing the width of the panel smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass by interaction with the pressing tool during the laminating process. The method of claim 13,
The film clamping step,
In the laminating process, a movable side clamp movably disposed around a pressing tool that presses the carrier film toward the cover glass includes a film side region clamping step of clamping a side region of the carrier film Vacuum laminating method characterized by. The method of claim 15,
The film clamping step,
In the laminating process, the width of the panel is compressed by the carrier film being closely compressed to the pressing tool by interlocking the movable side clamp so that the movable side clamp is approached toward the pressing tool in connection with the up operation of the pressing tool And a side clamp interlocking step leading to be smaller than the inlet width of the cover glass. The method of claim 13,
After the process of the film clamping step,
Vacuum laminating method, characterized in that it further comprises the step of entering the panel into the cover glass, the panel enters the cover glass. The method of claim 17,
After the step of entering the panel in the cover glass,
And releasing the clamping of the clamped carrier film to induce the panel to return to its original width, while further releasing and removing the film to remove the carrier film. The method of claim 13,
After the progress of the carrier film loading step,
And an image capturing step of taking an image of at least one of the panel and the cover glass in order to adjust the relative alignment of the panel and the cover glass.

Images