KR20230111358A - Uv curing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A UV curing device is disclosed. A UV curing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a panel support unit supporting a panel on which a liquid curable adhesive layer is laminated; and a UV irradiation unit capable of irradiating UV by selectively adjusting an opposite direction and an opposite position to the liquid-curable adhesive layer.

Description

UV curing device {UV CURING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a UV curing device, and more particularly, to a UV curing device capable of securing the curing stability of a liquid curing type adhesive layer.

Display devices include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like, depending on a light emitting method.

A display device is composed of different functional panels, and each panel is bonded to each other with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween. The adhesive layer includes a film type adhesive layer and a liquid curing type adhesive layer according to its type.

The liquid-curable adhesive layer is formed by applying a liquid-type adhesive and then irradiating and drying it with a UV (ultraviolet) light source.

UV is used in various industrial fields. Among them, a UV light source is irradiated during drying or curing, and the product surface cured using UV has a very strong hardness, and the drying and curing speed of the cured object is fast, so productivity can be dramatically improved.

In a conventional UV curing device, a UV light source faces an object to be cured, and the object to be cured receives UV light in a vertical direction. At this time, the UV LED as a light source has a structure arranged so as to correspond to the object on a plane.

However, the conventional UV curing device is limited to a certain thickness including the surface of the curing object, so the curing performance per area is non-uniform, and since the UV LEDs are arranged on a flat surface, it is not easy to arrange and wire, and if the curing object has a certain curved shape, the curing performance for each region of the curing object has a problem.

Since the conventional UV curing apparatus only proceeds in an upper curing method, there is a problem in that additional equipment is provided or an installation place is required when curing is required on a separate side surface and a lower portion.

Korean Publication No. 10-2018-0003376 (published date: 2018.01.09.)

One technical problem to be solved by the present invention relates to a UV curing device capable of rapidly and stably curing a liquid curable adhesive laminated on a panel within a short time.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a UV curing device.

A UV curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a panel support unit supporting a panel on which a liquid curable adhesive layer is laminated; and a UV irradiation unit capable of irradiating UV by selectively adjusting an opposite direction and an opposite position to the liquid-curable adhesive layer.

According to one embodiment, the UV irradiation unit may include a UV light source disposed to correspond to one area of the liquid curing type adhesive layer and irradiating the UV; a first moving module capable of adjusting an opposite position of the UV light source to the liquid curing type adhesive layer; and a second movement module capable of adjusting the opposite direction of the UV light source to the liquid-curable adhesive layer.

According to an embodiment, the first movement module may be capable of location movement along a first movement path formed in the second movement module.

According to an embodiment, a support frame having a second movement path may be further included, and the second movement module may be positionally movable along the second movement path.

According to one embodiment, a support frame capable of adjusting the opposite direction and opposite position of the second moving module to the liquid curable adhesive layer may be further included.

According to one embodiment, the panel support unit may include a support arm for supporting the panel on an end portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the UV irradiation unit has an advantage of increasing the curing efficiency of the liquid curable adhesive layer by irradiating the UV light source in a different direction and opposite position to the liquid curable adhesive layer.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the panel is provided while being fixed on the panel support unit, and as the UV irradiation unit irradiates UV in different opposite directions and opposite positions, panel movement is minimized and positional displacement of the panel can be prevented. There is an advantage.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, as the UV irradiation unit is capable of UV irradiation in multiple directions, there is an advantage in that the compatibility of the UV curing device can be increased according to the characteristics of the panel and user requirements.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the position of the UV light source can be freely changed with respect to the panel provided on the panel support unit by the first and second movement modules, so that the position of the UV irradiation unit with respect to the panel can be freely changed. As long as the panel support unit stably supports the panel, there is an advantage that the positional accuracy of the panel on the panel support unit is alleviated.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a flat panel seating surface is formed on the panel support unit, so that panels of various sizes and shapes can be supported.

1(a) to 1(c) are views sequentially showing panels having different shapes according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 (a) and 2 (b) are views showing a UV curing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a UV irradiation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 (a) and 4 (b) are views showing a UV curing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a UV curing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6(a) and 6(b) are perspective views of a panel support unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosed content will be thorough and complete and the spirit of the present invention will be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when an element is referred to as being on another element, it means that it may be directly formed on the other element or a third element may be interposed therebetween. Also, in the drawings, shapes and sizes are exaggerated for effective description of technical content.

In addition, although terms such as first, second, and third are used to describe various elements in various embodiments of the present specification, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as a first element in one embodiment may be referred to as a second element in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiments. In addition, in this specification, 'and/or' is used to mean including at least one of the elements listed before and after.

In the specification, expressions in the singular number include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, the terms "comprise" or "having" are intended to indicate that the features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but it should not be understood as excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof. In addition, in this specification, "connection" is used to mean both indirectly and directly connecting a plurality of components.

In addition, in the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

1 (a) to 1 (c) are views showing panels P1 having different shapes according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are views showing a UV curing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a UV irradiation unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are UV curing devices according to another embodiment of the present invention ( 10), FIG. 5 is a view showing a UV curing device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are panel support units according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of 100.

Hereinafter, each component constituting the UV curing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The panel P1 and the panel to be bonded (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may be any one of a display panel such as an LCD, OLED, and PDP panel, a touch panel, or a window panel, or a panel made of multiple layers by stacking and combining them. In addition, the panel P1 may include a flexible panel made of a flexible material capable of being bent, folded, or rolled as well as a rigid panel.

In the present invention, it is assumed that the panel P1 is a display panel and the panel to be bonded (not shown) is a window panel. Also, in order to bond the panel P1 and the panel to be bonded (not shown), a liquid curing type adhesive layer A may be interposed between the panel P1 and the panel to be bonded (not shown).

The panel P1 and the panel to be bonded (not shown) may be partitioned into a central area and an edge area along the edge of the central area. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the edge region may have a planar shape or may have a curved shape perpendicular to at least one direction by 90 degrees as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c).

Hereinafter, the panel P1 may include a panel P1 in which the liquid curable adhesive layer A is laminated or a panel to be bonded (not shown) and a panel P1 in which the liquid curable adhesive layer A is laminated.

Referring to FIGS. 1(a) to 1(c) , the liquid curable adhesive layer (A) may be formed on one surface of the panel (P1). It may be laminated and formed by jetting the liquid curable adhesive layer (A) by an inkjet printing method on the panel (P1) from which the protective film (PF) has been removed.

The liquid curable adhesive layer (A) may be any one or a mixture of acrylic, epoxy, silicone, or rubber-based resins, and preferably may be a UV curable resin curable by UV light.

The UV curing device 10 can cure the liquid curable adhesive layer (A) laminated on the panel (P1). The UV curing apparatus 10 may include a panel support unit 100 and a UV curing unit 200 .

A transfer unit (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may move the panel P1 to the UV curing apparatus 10 . The transfer unit (not shown) may load the panel P1 to the panel support unit 100 or unload the panel P1 from the panel support unit 100 . The panel P1 is brought in and out from the outside by a transfer unit (not shown), and the panel support unit 100, which will be described later, can support the panel P1 without moving it.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6 , the panel support unit 100 may mount the panel P1 . The panel support unit 100 may support the panel P1 on which the liquid curable adhesive layer A is laminated. The panel support unit 100 may include a support chuck 110 and may further include a support arm 120 .

The support chuck 110 may support the panel P1 while facing one area of the panel P1 in a plate shape. The support chuck 110 may have a plate-shaped panel seating surface. The panel mounting surface may have a plate-shaped flat surface corresponding to one surface of the panel P1 . The support chuck 110 may have a width corresponding to the length of the panel P1 in one direction.

The support chuck 110 may be made of only a flat panel seating surface except for the fixed end side so as to support the panel P1 of various sizes. Accordingly, the supporting chuck 110 has a size corresponding to one surface of the panel P1 having a curved edge area, and can support the panel P1 without interference of the edge area.

The support chuck 110 may be a support chuck using an electrostatic force or a vacuum suction method. According to an embodiment, when the support chuck 110 is a vacuum intake type, at least one vacuum intake hole may be formed on the seating surface of the panel P1 at regular intervals. A vacuum intake hole according to an embodiment may have various shapes such as a circular shape. A vacuum connection line (not shown) connecting the vacuum pump and the vacuum intake hole may be provided on the rear surface of the support chuck 110 .

The support arm 120 may be provided extending from the support chuck 110 in a cantilever shape. The support arm 120 may have a cantilever shape by having a fixed end and a free end protruding from the fixed end.

The UV irradiation units 200, 300, or 400 according to the present invention may irradiate UV while adjusting opposite directions and opposite positions according to different embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 .

Hereafter, each UV irradiation unit 200, 300 or 400 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the UV irradiation unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may irradiate UV to cure the liquid curable adhesive layer A stacked on the panel P1 . The UV irradiation unit 200 may irradiate UV while selectively adjusting the opposite direction and opposite position. The UV irradiation unit 200 includes a UV light source 210, a first movement module 220, and a second movement module 230, and may further include a support frame 240.

The UV light source 210 may irradiate UV. The UV light source 210 may irradiate UV of a specific wavelength. The UV light source 210 according to an embodiment may be disposed to correspond to one area of the liquid curable adhesive layer A by the first moving module 220 and the second moving module 230 to be described later.

The first movement module 220 may adjust the opposite position of the UV light source 210 to the liquid curing type adhesive layer (A). The first movement module 210 according to an embodiment may move the UV light source 210 according to linear movement in one direction.

The second movement module 230 may adjust the direction of the UV light source 210 facing the liquid curing type adhesive layer (A). The second movement module 230 according to an embodiment may move the position of the UV light source 210 by angular movement in the circumferential direction.

The second moving module 230 according to an embodiment may have a length corresponding to that of the panel P1 in one direction. In the second movement module 230 according to an embodiment, a first movement path 231 may be formed along the longitudinal direction. The first movement module 220 may move the location along the first movement path 231 . The first movement path 231 may limit the movement path and movement radius of the first movement module 220 .

According to one embodiment, the first movement path 231 may be an LM guide rail of a certain length, and the first movement module may be an LM guide block.

The first movement path 231 according to another embodiment is a screw shaft formed in the longitudinal direction of the second movement module 230, and the first movement module 220 may be a conveying screw in which a ball rolls between the first movement path 231 and a nut.

The support frame 240 forms a wall and may support the second movement module 230 . A second movement path 241 may be formed in the support frame 240 . The second movement path 241 according to an embodiment may provide an angular motion path in a circumferential direction. The second movement module 230 may move the location along the second movement path 241 . The second movement path 241 may limit the movement path and movement radius of the second movement module 230 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the UV irradiation unit 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention may irradiate UV to cure the liquid curable adhesive layer A stacked on the panel P1 . The UV irradiation unit 300 may irradiate UV while selectively adjusting the opposite direction and opposite position. The UV irradiation unit 300 includes a UV light source 310, a first movement module 320, and a second movement module 330, and may further include a support frame 340.

The UV light sources 310a and 310b can emit UV. The UV light sources 310a and 310b may emit UV of a specific wavelength. The UV light sources 310a and 310b according to an embodiment may be arranged to correspond to one area of the liquid curable adhesive layer A by the first moving module 320 and the second moving module 330 to be described later. A plurality of UV light sources 310a and 310b may be provided and spaced apart from each other.

The first movement module 320 may adjust the opposite position of the UV light source 310 to the liquid curing type adhesive layer (A). The first movement module 320 according to an embodiment may move the UV light source 310a according to linear movement in one direction.

The second movement module 330 may adjust the opposite direction of the UV light source 310b to the liquid curing adhesive layer A. The second movement module 330 according to an embodiment may move the position of the UV light source 310b by angular movement in the circumferential direction. A pair of the second moving modules 330 according to an embodiment may face each other based on the panel support unit 100 .

The second moving module 330 according to an embodiment may have a length corresponding to that of the panel P1 in one direction.

The second moving module 330 according to an embodiment may have a length corresponding to that of the panel P1 in one direction. The second moving module 330 according to an embodiment is articulatedly coupled to the support frame 340 so that a direction facing the panel P1 and a separation distance from the panel P1 may be adjusted. The second movement module 330 may move the location along the second movement path 342 . The second movement path 342 may limit the movement path and movement radius of the second movement module 330 .

The support frame 340 according to an embodiment may form a wall and support the first movable module 320 and the second movable module 330 . A first movement path 341 and a second movement path 342 may be formed in the support frame 340 .

A first movement path 341 may be formed in the support frame 340 along the longitudinal direction. The first movement path 341 may have a length corresponding to that of the panel P1 in one direction. The first movement module 320 may perform location movement along the first movement path 341 . The first movement path 341 may limit the movement path of the first movement module 320 .

The first movement path 341 according to an embodiment may be an LM guide rail of a certain length, and the first movement module 320 may be an LM guide block.

The first movement path 341 according to another embodiment is a screw shaft formed in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 340, and the first movement module 320 is a ball between the first movement path 341 and a nut. It may be a conveying screw that makes a rolling motion.

The support frame 340 may support the second movement module 330 . A second movement path 342 may be formed in the support frame 340 . The second movement path 342 according to an embodiment may provide an angular motion path in a circumferential direction. The second movement module 330 may move the location along the second movement path 342 . The second movement path 342 may limit the movement path and movement radius of the second movement module 330 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the UV irradiation unit 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention may irradiate UV to cure the liquid curable adhesive layer A stacked on the panel P1 . The UV irradiation unit 400 may irradiate UV while selectively adjusting the opposite direction and opposite position. The UV irradiation unit 400 includes a UV light source 410, a first movement module 420, and a second movement module 430, and may further include a support frame 440.

The UV light sources 410a and 410b can emit UV. The UV light sources 410a and 410b may emit UV of a specific wavelength. The UV light sources 410a and 410b according to an embodiment may be disposed to correspond to one area of the liquid curable adhesive layer A by the first moving module 420 and the second moving module 430 to be described later. A plurality of UV light sources 410a and 410b may be provided and spaced apart from each other.

The first movement module 420 may adjust the opposite position of the UV light source 410a to the liquid curable adhesive layer A. The first movement module 420 according to an embodiment may move the UV light source 410a according to linear movement in one direction.

The second moving module 430 may have a length corresponding to that of the panel P1 in one direction. The second moving module 430 according to an embodiment is articulatedly coupled to the support frame 440 so that a direction facing the panel P1 and a separation distance from the panel P1 may be adjusted. The second movement module 430 is linked to the support frame 440 and can adjust the opposing direction and opposing distance. Accordingly, the second movement module 330 may limit the movement path and the movement radius. A pair of the second moving modules 430 according to an embodiment may face each other based on the panel support unit 100 .

The support frame 440 forms a wall and may support the second moving module 430 . The support frame may be coupled to the second movement module 430 by a link in an articulated manner.

Links can be adjusted in length in the longitudinal direction.

The second movement module 430 according to an embodiment is linked to the support frame 440 and may perform angular movement in a circumferential direction based on an axis. The second movement module 430 may adjust the opposite direction and the opposite distance while being linked.

Hereinafter, a method of operating a UV curing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

By operating the transfer unit, the position of the panel P1 on the support chuck of the panel support unit can be moved.

The panel may be cured by UV irradiated by UV light sources provided on the first moving module and the second moving module while being supported by the panel support unit.

A UV light source provided on the first movement module may move in one direction on the first movement path and irradiate UV light to one region of the panel. More specifically, the UV light source may be provided in a vertical direction orthogonal to the liquid curing adhesive layer.

The UV light source provided on the second moving module may move along the circumferential direction on the second moving path and irradiate UV light to one area of the panel. More specifically, the direction of the UV light source facing the liquid curing type adhesive layer may be adjusted at different angles.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments, and should be interpreted by the appended claims. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10: UV curing device
100: panel support unit 110: support chuck
120: support arm
200: UV irradiation unit 210: UV light source
220: first movement module 230: second movement module
231: first movement path 240: support frame
241: second movement path
300: UV irradiation unit 310a, 310b: UV light source
320: first movement module 330: second movement module
340: support frame 341: first movement path
342: second movement path
400: UV irradiation unit 410a, 410b: UV light source
420: first movement module 430: second movement module
440: third movement module
P1: Panel A: Liquid Curing Adhesive Layer

Claims (6)

a panel support unit supporting the panel on which the liquid curing type adhesive layer is laminated; and
A UV curing device including a UV irradiation unit capable of irradiating UV by selectively adjusting an opposing direction and an opposing position with the liquid curing type adhesive layer.
According to claim 1,
The UV irradiation unit,
a UV light source disposed to correspond to one area of the liquid-curable adhesive layer and irradiating the UV light;
a first moving module capable of adjusting an opposite position of the UV light source to the liquid curing type adhesive layer; and
A UV curing device comprising a second moving module capable of adjusting an opposite direction of the UV light source to the liquid curing adhesive layer.
According to claim 2,
The first mobile module,
A UV curing device capable of positional movement along a first movement path formed in the second movement module.
According to claim 2,
Further comprising a support frame formed with a second movement path,
The second movement module is capable of (rotational) positional movement along the second movement path, UV curing device.
The second movement path provides a rotation path of the second movement module, UV curing device.
According to claim 2,
Further comprising a support frame capable of adjusting the opposite direction and opposite position of the second moving module to the liquid curable adhesive layer, the UV curing device.
According to claim 1,
The panel support unit,
A UV curing apparatus consisting of a support arm supporting the panel on the end.