TW201831266A - Method and apparatus for finishing glass sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for finishing an edge of a glass sheet are described. The edge of the glass sheet is finished using a grinding wheel mounted on one end of a spindle, the grinding wheel having a peripheral edge that contacts the edge of the glass sheet during the grinding. The edge of the glass sheet is further finished by polishing the edge of the glass sheet with a polishing wheel mounted on one end of a spindle, the polishing wheel having an end face which contacts the glass edge during polishing.

Description

Method and device for processing glass plate

This case relates to a method and apparatus for processing glass plates.

In the manufacturing process of various products, glass plates are processed by grinding and polishing the edges of the glass plates, such as a light guide plate (LGP), which is used as a backlight for edge-emitting liquid crystal display (LCD) devices. To evenly distribute the light source on the display panel. The side-emitting backlight unit for these devices includes an LGP, which is usually made of a highly transmissive plastic material, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The trend for thin displays has been limited by challenges related to the use of polymer light guide plates (LGP). Although this plastic material has excellent properties such as light transmission, these materials have poor mechanical properties such as rigidity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and hygroscopicity. In particular, polymer LGP lacks the dimensional stability required for ultra-thin displays. When a polymer LGP is subjected to heat or humidity, the LGP will bend and swell, sacrificing opto-mechanical properties. The instability of polymer LGP requires designers to add a wider frame and a thicker backlight with an air gap to compensate for this movement.

Glass plates are used as an LGP replacement for displays, but these glass plates must have appropriate properties to achieve sufficient light efficiency, such as transmission, dispersion, and optical coupling. The glass plate used as the light guide plate must meet these edge specifications, such as verticality, straightness, and flatness. The glass plate is cut to size to make an LGP, and a "crack" is formed by mechanical scribing, which is a recessed line partially protruding into the glass surface. The slit acts as a separation line, and applies mechanical force to the glass plate at the slit line to control the crack propagation to two discontinuous sheet glass plates. Glass LGPs with a 1.78-meter diagonal are currently available for displays with thicknesses ranging from 0.7 mm and 2.0 mm, dimensional tolerances of +/- 0.5 mm, and average roughness of less than 0.2 microns at the edges. Corning Corporation, which sells Corning Iris ^(TM) glass that can be used for LGP, exhibits high transmission rates close to 90% or higher in the wavelength range of 400 and 650 nm.

In order to achieve the required roughness at the edges after scribing, the processing of the glass edges can be achieved by grinding and polishing the edges with grinding and polishing wheels. Alternatively, hydrofluoric acid can be used for etching and / or polishing with a polishing solution. However, hydrofluoric acid etching has safety and environmental considerations, and the etched edges may not provide the required glass penetration. Compared to polishing with a polishing wheel, polishing liquid polishing requires a longer time to remove the material on the edge of the glass, and it is difficult to control the size of the glass edge using polishing with a polishing liquid. The conventional grinding and polishing using many wheels is also very time consuming because the grinding and polishing wheels need to be replaced, and the polishing wheels will wear quickly. Therefore, there is a need to provide a method and an apparatus for processing an edge of a glass plate, particularly a glass plate used as an LGP. In addition to grinding and polishing, there is also a need for devices and methods that provide additional functions, such as forming holes in glass plates.

A first aspect of the present case relates to a device for processing the edge of a glass plate by grinding and polishing the edge of the glass plate. In one embodiment, the device includes a worktable that supports the glass plate when the edges are ground and polished, wherein an X-axis is on a plane of a glass plate on the worktable. A lateral movement direction, a Y-axis is a longitudinal movement direction on the plane perpendicular to the X-axis, and a Z-axis is an upright movement direction relative to the plane; a turntable can be along the X-axis Moving with the Y axis, the rotary table has a rotary table rotary axis; a first spindle and a second spindle are mounted to the rotary table having a common spindle rotation axis, the first spindle and the first spindle Two mandrels rotate around the common main shaft rotation axis, the common main shaft rotation axis is orthogonal to the rotary table rotation axis; and a grinding wheel mounted on the first mandrel and the second mandrel A polishing wheel configured to polish an edge of the glass plate having the common spindle rotation axis parallel to the Z axis, and the polishing wheel configured to polish the common An edge of the glass plate of the main shaft rotation axis.

A second aspect of the present case relates to a method for processing an edge of a glass plate. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of supporting a glass plate on a surface, wherein an X-axis is a lateral movement direction on a plane of a glass plate on the surface, and a Y-axis is on the plane. A longitudinal movement direction perpendicular to the X axis, and a Z axis is a movement direction orthogonal to the plane; the edge of the glass plate is ground by a grinding wheel mounted on one end of a first mandrel The first mandrel is oriented along the Z axis during grinding, and the grinding wheel includes a peripheral edge that contacts the edge of the glass plate during grinding; and is mounted on a second An end surface of a polishing wheel at one end of the mandrel polishes the edge of the glass plate, and the second mandrel is positioned parallel to the plane during polishing.

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments and examples are described in the accompanying illustrations and drawings.

In the following description, in the several views shown in the drawings, the same element symbols represent the same or corresponding parts. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "top", "bottom", "outward", "inward" are for convenience of explanation and are not to be construed as limiting terms. In addition, whenever a group is described as including at least one of a group of elements and combinations thereof, it should be understood that the group may include essentially consisting of the elements, or consisting of any number of the elements . Similarly, whenever a group is described as consisting of at least one group of a group of elements or a combination thereof, it should be understood that the group may be composed of any number of the listed elements individually or mutually. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical ranges recited include the upper and lower limits of the range and any range therebetween. As used herein, the indefinite articles "a", "an" and the corresponding definite article "the", unless stated otherwise, mean "at least one" or "one or more". It should also be understood that the various features disclosed in the description and the drawings can be used in any and all combinations.

Described herein is a method and apparatus for processing the edges of a glass sheet. In a specific embodiment, the glass plate is processed through grinding and polishing to provide a light guide plate that can be used in a backlight unit consistent with the embodiments of the present invention. In a specific embodiment, a light guide plate is provided, which has similar or superior optical characteristics to a light guide plate made of PMMA, and has better mechanical properties than PMMA light guide plates, Such as rigidity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and dimensional stability under high humidity conditions.

1-6, an edge processing device 100 for processing the edge 12 of the glass plate 10 includes a table 102 that can support the glass plate 10 when the edge 12 is ground and polished. According to one or more embodiments, the device can be used to grind and / or polish the edge 12 and / or the second edge 14, the third edge 13, and the fourth edge 15. Although the workbench 102 is shown as being parallel to a horizontal plane in the illustrated embodiment, this case does not limit the workbench 102 to be on the horizontal plane. The term "horizontal plane" is relative to the XY plane in Figs. 1-6, wherein in Figs. 1 and 3, an X-axis marked X is a transverse direction on a horizontal plane of the glass plate 10 on the table 102. Movement direction, a Y axis marked Y is a longitudinal movement direction perpendicular to the X axis on the horizontal plane, and a Z axis marked Z is an upright movement relative to the horizontal plane (XY plane) The directions are represented by the X, Y, and Z coordinates shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. However, according to an alternative embodiment, the X-Y plane may be a plane different from the horizontal plane.

Referring to FIG. 5, the edge processing device 100 further includes a rotary table 104 and is movable along the X axis and the Y axis. The rotary table 104 has a rotary table rotation axis 105. The edge processing device 100 as shown in FIGS. 1-6 further includes a first mandrel 106 and a second mandrel 108 mounted to a rotating table 104, and the rotating table 104 has a common main shaft rotating shaft 107, the first mandrel The second spindle system rotates around a common spindle rotation axis 107 which is orthogonal to the rotary table rotation axis 105. The edge processing device 100 further includes a grinding wheel 110 removably mounted on the first mandrel 106 and a polishing wheel 112 removably mounted on the second mandrel 108, wherein the grinding wheel 110 is configured to The edge 12 of the glass plate 10 is ground, and its common main axis of rotation axis 107 is located in a vertical orientation (ie, parallel to the Z axis), and the polishing wheel 112 is configured to polish the edge 12 of the glass plate 10, and its common axis of rotation 107 Located in a horizontal orientation (ie, parallel to the X or Y axis, or in the XY plane or the horizontal plane of the glass plate 10).

One or more embodiments of the edge processing device 100 further include a plurality of first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 120 configured in an annular shape. The plurality of first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 120 are disposed adjacent to the grinding wheel 110 and are configured to cool the cooling wheel. The liquid is directed towards the peripheral grinding edge 111 of the grinding wheel 110. According to one or more embodiments, "adjacent" means that the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 120 has a distance from the surrounding grinding edge 111 of the grinding wheel 110, and has a range of about 1-10 cm, about 1-8 cm, about 1 –6 cm, about 1–4 cm, or about 1–2 cm. The cooling liquid for the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 120 may flow to the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 120 through the first cooling line 121. In one or more embodiments, the device further includes a plurality of second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 130 configured in an annular shape, and the second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 130 are adjacent to the grinding wheel 110. The cooling liquid for the second peripheral cooling nozzles may flow to the second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 130 through the second cooling circuit 131. The cooling liquid provided to the first cooling circuit 121 and the second cooling circuit 131 can be supplied by a first supply circuit 127 (preferably shown in FIGS. 2 and 4), and the first supply circuit 127 can be connected to a coolant source (not shown) (Shown), such as a tap that supplies tap water or a pump connected to a water tank (not shown) containing deionized and / or demineralized water. The first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 120 and the second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 130 arranged in a ring shape provide efficient cooling of the wheels during grinding and polishing, and process edges and reduce edge burnout and Chipping of the edges 12.

In one or more embodiments, the edge processing device 100 further includes a plurality of remote liquid cooling nozzles 140 disposed away from the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112, and the remote liquid cooling nozzles 140 are cooled during grinding and / or polishing. The liquid is directed towards an edge 12 of the glass plate. In one or more embodiments, "located away from" means that the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 is at a distance from the edge of the glass plate and / or the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 are in a range of about 10-200 cm, about 40–200 cm, about 80–200 cm, about 100–200 cm, or about 150–200 cm. In FIGS. 1-4, the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 is shown as being disposed on the housing 150, which holds the rotating table 104 on the bracket 152. The cooling liquid may flow to the remote liquid cooling nozzle 140 through the third cooling line 141. The cooling liquid provided to the third cooling circuit 141 can be supplied by a second supply circuit 147 (preferably shown in Figs. 2 and 4). The second supply circuit 147 can be connected to a coolant source (not shown), such as supplying tap water A faucet or a pump connected to a water tank (not shown) containing deionized and / or demineralized water.

In one or more embodiments, the plurality of first surrounding liquid cooling nozzles and the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 are configured to be opened during the grinding of the glass plate. The plurality of first surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 120 may include any suitable number of nozzles to provide sufficient cooling during grinding and / or polishing. For example, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 120 may be provided. Likewise, the plurality of second surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 130 may include any suitable number of nozzles to provide sufficient cooling during grinding and / or polishing. For example, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles 130 may be provided. Regarding the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140, any number of nozzles may be provided and fixed on the housing 150. As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 is supplied on both sides of the housing 150. Each side of the housing can have any number of nozzles, such as one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten remote liquid cooling nozzles 140, to Provide sufficient cooling during grinding and / or polishing. During grinding and / or polishing, the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 may be any suitable distance from the edge 10 of the glass plate. The remote liquid cooling nozzle 140 may be 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm, 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm from the edge 12 of the glass plate 10 during the grinding and / or polishing operation. , 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm, 90 cm, 100 cm, 125 cm, 150 cm, 200 cm, or up to 500 cm. Each of the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 120, the second surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 130, and the remote liquid cooling nozzle 140 can be adjusted in size and shaped as required to achieve a desired cooling effect. For example, the opening diameters of the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 120, the second surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 130, and the distal liquid cooling nozzle 140 may be 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, or 10 mm. Conventional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other plastic pipes or metal pipes can be used for each of the first cooling circuit 121, the second cooling circuit 131, and the third cooling liquid circuit 141, and the first supply circuit 127 and the second supply Each of the lines 147. The cooling liquid may include water, chilled water, or other cooling liquids.

7A and 9C and 7B and 9A and 9B, in one or more embodiments, the grinding wheel 110 includes a cylindrical wheel, the cylindrical wheel includes a peripheral grinding edge 111, and the polishing wheel 112 includes a cup A shaped or cup-shaped grinding wheel includes a peripheral polished edge 161 and a polished end surface 162. As shown in FIGS. 7B, 9A, and 9B, the cup-shaped grinding wheel includes a concave region 164. The polishing wheel 112 shown in FIG. 9A includes a groove 166 provided on the polishing end surface 162, which is provided with a grooved surface that contacts the edge 12 of the glass plate during polishing. Suitable cup-shaped grinding wheels include a 2000 mesh (2000 #) grooved epoxy cup grinding wheel, a 5000 mesh (5000 #) epoxy wheel, and a 9000 mesh (9000 #) epoxy resin. Wheel for fine polishing and has Cu content up to 50% by volume to reduce heat.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 9C, the grinding wheel 110 includes a lead angle 125 that can be used to form a lead angle 19 on the edge 12 of the glass plate 10. In one or more embodiments, the first mandrel 106 and the grinding wheel 110 are configured such that during grinding, the surrounding grinding edge 111 contacts an edge 12 of the glass plate 10, and the second mandrel 108 and the polishing wheel 112 are It is configured such that the polishing end surface 162 contacts an edge of the glass plate during polishing.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-4, the rotary table 104 is mounted on a bracket 152. The bracket 152 is movable along the Y axis, and the rotary table 104 is movable along the X axis. The bracket 152 is movable on a Y-axis carrier 180 along the track 182. It can be understood that the configuration shown is exemplary and the linear movement of the bracket 152 along the Y axis can be achieved in other ways, for example, using a worm gear assembly that includes a threaded rod, a rotary nut, and a motor driver (Not shown). The turntable 104 is movable on an X-axis carrier 190 along a track 192. It can be understood that the configuration shown is exemplary, and the linear movement of the rotary table 104 along the X axis can be achieved in other ways, for example, a worm gear assembly including a threaded rod, a rotary nut, and a motor driver (Not shown).

The operation of the edge processing apparatus 100 is described next. The edge processing device 100 may be part of a computer numerical control (CNC) machine 200. The grinding wheel 110 including a handle 195 can be mounted on the first mandrel 106 through a chuck or a jacket (not shown), and the chuck or jacket can be driven by a motor (not shown) to be wound. The first mandrel 106 and the grinding wheel 110 are rotated about the rotation shaft 107. Similarly, the polishing wheel 112 including a handle 197 can be mounted on the second mandrel 108 through a chuck or a jacket (not shown), which can be received by a motor (not shown) It is driven to rotate the mandrel and the polishing wheel 112 around the rotation shaft 107. The grinding wheel 110 is rotatable when translated in the direction of the Y axis along the edge 12 to remove material from the edge 12 of the glass plate 10. The CNC machine 200 includes a controller 210 that controls the rotation and translation of the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112. The controller 210 communicates with the CNC machine 200 via hardware wiring or wireless connection. The controller 210 may be any suitable component capable of controlling the translation and rotation of the components of the CNC machine 200 and the edge processing device 100. For example, the controller 210 may be a computer including a central processing unit, a memory, appropriate circuits, and power storage. The CNC machine 200 may further include one or more position sensors 212, which may, for example, include a machine vision system including a camera, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) camera, to accurately track the grinding wheel, polishing wheel, The edge position of the edge of the ground and polished glass plate, and information is provided to the controller 210 to align the grinding wheel with the polishing wheel. A camera with a resolution of 0.001 microns can monitor a flat single edge, a rectangular part, and a round part.

The positioning of the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 in the X-Y plane can be controlled by a roller type or a sliding track system to realize the movement of the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 in the X direction and the Y direction. As mentioned above, the Y-axis translation of the bracket 152 is achieved by the Y-axis carrier 180 on the track 182, and the X-axis translation is achieved by the X-axis carrier 190 on the track 192. The position sensor 212 communicates with the controller 210 to provide the controller with feedback of the positions of the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 and feedback of the position of the glass plate 10 during the glass plate processing. The controller 210 of the CNC machine 200 can also be used to control the flow of the cooling liquid, which can communicate with a valve and a pump (not shown) to pass the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 120, the second surrounding liquid cooling nozzles 130, and Each of the distal liquid cooling nozzles 140 controls the pressure, flow rate, and time interval of the cooling liquid flow.

According to one or more embodiments, the rotating table 104 allows the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 to rotate about a rotation axis 105 which is orthogonal to the rotation axis 107 of the first and second mandrels 106 and 108. The turntable 104 can be labeled or rotated in any desired number of increments, for example, 1 degree, 5 degree, 10 degree, 15 degree, 20 degree, 45 degree, 90 degree, and 180 degree increments. A suitable rotary table 104 is a rotary table of Detron GX-170P model from Detron Machine Co., Ltd. of Taiwan. According to some embodiments, during use, during a grinding operation, the first mandrel 106 is in a vertical orientation parallel to or along the Z axis as shown in FIG. 1. The first mandrel 106 rotates around the axis 107 and translates along the Y axis to remove material from the edge 12. In one or more embodiments, the edges 13, 15 can be processed by rotating the first mandrel 106 about the rotation axis 107, while the first mandrel is translated along the X axis to remove material from the edges 13, 15. When the grinding operation is completed, the controller 210 of the CNC machine 200 sends a signal to rotate the first mandrel 106 by ninety degrees around the rotation axis 105 so that the second mandrel 108 is located parallel to the XY plane or the table at this time. 102 is a horizontal plane with the glass plate 10 so that the end surface 162 can contact the edge 12 of the glass plate 10 during a polishing operation. It can be understood that the orientation of the worktable 102 and the glass plate may be non-horizontal, and in some embodiments, the worktable 102 and the glass plate may be inclined at an angle relative to the horizontal. During a polishing operation of the edge 12, the second mandrel 108 is rotated about the rotation axis 107, and the second mandrel 108 is translated along the Y axis. The polishing operation can also be performed on the edge 14 in a similar manner.

Therefore, it can be understood that the rotating table 104 allows grinding of the first mandrel 106 in a vertical orientation (parallel to the Z axis) and the second center in a horizontal orientation (parallel to the horizontal plane or XY plane) Polishing of the shaft 108. With a grinding wheel 110 mounted on the first mandrel 106 and a polishing wheel 112 mounted on the second mandrel 108, the wheel 12 can be quickly and effectively placed on the edge 12 of the glass plate 10 without changing the wheel. , 14 for polishing and grinding operations. The cooling provided by the first surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 120, the second surrounding liquid cooling nozzle 130, and the remote liquid cooling nozzle can effectively cool the edges of the glass plate while processing, and during the grinding and polishing process Then, the grinding wheel and the polishing wheel are cooled.

In general, it is difficult to hold the flat end surface 162 on the polishing wheel 112, especially after the polishing wheel 112 has been polished off many edges. A trimming process can make the wheel flatter and remove burned areas to improve polishing efficiency. Referring next to FIG. 8, the dressing tool 300 is shown to include a motor 302 and a dressing wheel 304. The dressing wheel 304 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 305. While the dressing wheel 304 contacts the end surface 162 of the polishing wheel 112, the polishing wheel 112 rotates about the rotation axis 107 and translates in the direction 309. The finishing tool 300 may be off-line, that is, located away from or different from the edge processing device 100. Alternatively, the finishing tool 300 may be mounted on or adjacent to the edge processing device 100. When the polishing wheel 112 was rotated at 3000 rpm, a GC (green silicon carbide) 120 mesh (120 #) dressing wheel having an outer diameter of 75 mm, an inner diameter of 12.7 mm, and a thickness of 25 mm was passed through at 147. Trim the polishing wheel 112 at rpm, and translate the polishing wheel to a depth of 0.01 mm at 800 mm / min to trim the edge of the glass to obtain an improved flatness of the end surface 162 after trimming, from 14 microns to less than 1 Microns.

Referring next to FIG. 10, the drilling tool 400 may be coupled to the first mandrel 106 or the second mandrel 108 to form a hole in the glass plate 10. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, the method may include the step of forming a hole in the glass plate by a drilling tool coupled to the first mandrel or the second mandrel. The step of forming the holes in the glass plate may be performed before or after the grinding and polishing described herein.

According to one or more embodiments, the edge processing device 100 may form an edge 12 perpendicular to a main plane of a glass plate, and provide improved edge roughness to Ra <0.5 micron, Ra <0.4 micron, Ra <0.3 micron Or an edge with Ra <0.2 micron without the need to etch the edge with hydrofluoric acid and / or polish the edge with an abrasive. Stated another way, a glass plate with edge roughness Ra <0.5 micron, Ra <0.4 micron, Ra <0.3 micron, or Ra <0.2 micron can use the edge according to one or more embodiments disclosed in this case. The processing device 100 is manufactured by grinding and polishing. The average roughness (Ra) of the edges of the glass plate after grinding and polishing, according to ISO 4288: 1996, Keyence company model VK-8510 / VK-8500, which is visible at www.keyence.com, is used. Shape measurement microscope to measure. The edge processing device 100 can process various glass plate sizes, for example, glass plates having X-Y dimensions ranging from 10 ´ 10 mm to 3600 mm ´ 1725 mm and larger.

Another aspect of this case relates to a method of grinding and polishing an edge of a glass plate. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of supporting the glass plate on a surface, such as the table 102 shown in Figures 1-2, where the X-axis is on a plane of a glass plate on the surface. In a lateral movement direction, the Y axis is a longitudinal movement direction on the plane perpendicular to the X axis, and the Z axis is a movement direction orthogonal to the plane. In a specific embodiment, the X axis is a lateral movement direction on a horizontal plane of a glass plate on a horizontal surface, the Y axis is a longitudinal movement direction on the horizontal plane perpendicular to the X axis, and the Z axis It is an erect moving direction with respect to this horizontal plane. The method further includes the steps of grinding the edge of the glass plate by a grinding wheel mounted on one end of a first mandrel, the first mandrel being oriented along the Z axis during grinding, and the grinding wheel having A peripheral edge that contacts the edge of the glass plate during the grinding. The method further includes the step of polishing the edge of the glass plate by an end surface of a polishing wheel mounted on one end of a second mandrel, the second mandrel being positioned parallel to the plane and the polishing wheel during polishing. There is an end surface that can touch the edge during polishing. In a particular embodiment where the table is level with the glass plate, the second mandrel is positioned horizontally (ie, parallel to the X-Y plane) during polishing.

In one or more embodiments, the method includes the steps of directing a cooling fluid at the peripheral edge of the grinding wheel by first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles configured in a ring shape, and the first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles are grinding It abuts the peripheral edge of the grinding wheel. In one or more embodiments, the method includes the steps of: at the edge of the glass plate during polishing, by the plurality of distal liquid cooling nozzles located away from the edge of the glass plate, and / or The cooling fluid is guided at the grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 during polishing. In one or more embodiments, the method includes the steps of: by the plurality of distal liquid cooling nozzles disposed away from the edge of the glass plate, at the edge during grinding, and / or during grinding The grinding wheel 110 and the polishing wheel 112 guide cooling fluid.

In one or more embodiments, the method includes the steps of: during the grinding and polishing of the edge of the glass plate, moving the first mandrel and the second relative to the glass plate in one direction along the Y axis Mandrel. In one or more embodiments of the method, the first spindle and the second spindle have a common spindle rotation axis 107, and the first spindle and the second spindle rotate about the common spindle rotation axis 107.

In one or more embodiments of the method, the polishing wheel is a cup-shaped grinding wheel. In one or more embodiments of the method, the polishing wheel is a cup-shaped grinding wheel that includes a groove on the end surface of the cup-shaped grinding wheel. In one or more embodiments of the method, the processed glass plate can be used as a light guide plate, wherein the edge is a processed edge after grinding and polishing, and the processed edge has a An average roughness.

In one or more embodiments of the method, the processed edge has a perpendicularity, so that the glass plate can be used as a light guide plate with a light source injection edge after grinding and polishing of the edge, and the light source injection edge The light is dispersed within an angle of less than 12.8 degrees FWHM. In one or more embodiments of the method, wherein the processed edge of the glass plate has a light transmission of at least 95% to a wavelength of 450 nm. A glass plate having such a high transmittance is suitable as a light guide plate.

In one or more embodiments, the edge of the glass plate is a first edge subjected to grinding and polishing to provide an edge that can be used as a light source injection edge of a light guide plate product. The method may further include grinding and polishing two edges adjacent to the injection edge of the first light source. In one or more embodiments of the method, the glass plate comprises SiO ₂ in a range of 50 mole percent concentration (mol%) to 80 mole percent concentration (mol%), and 0 mole percent concentration ( mol%) to Al ₂ O ₃ in a range of 20 mol% concentration (mol%) and B in a range of 0 mol% (mol%) to 25mol% concentration (mol%) ₂ O ₃ , and iron (Fe) at a concentration of less than 50 ppm by weight.

As indicated above, the devices and methods described herein can be used in the manufacture of glass light guide plates. FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of a light guide plate that can be made by the method and apparatus of the present case to process a glass plate by grinding and polishing an edge. The glass plate has a general shape and structure of a light guide plate, and includes a glass plate having a first surface 610 that may be a front surface, and a rear surface that may be opposite to the first surface. A second side. The first and second masks have a height H and a width W. In one or more embodiments, the first and / or the second surface has an average roughness (R _a ) of less than 0.6 nm.

The glass plate 600 has a thickness T between the front surface and the rear surface, wherein the thickness forms four edges. The thickness of the glass plate is generally smaller than the height and width of the front and rear surfaces. In various embodiments, the thickness of the light guide plate is less than 1.5% of the height of the front and / or rear surface. In one or more embodiments, the thickness T may be about 2 mm, about 1.9 mm, about 1.8 mm, about 1.7 mm, about 1.6 mm, about 1.5 mm, about 1.4 mm, about 1.3 mm, about 1.2 mm, About 1.1 mm, about 1 mm, about 0.9 mm, about 0.8 mm, about 0.7 mm, about 0.6 mm, about 0.5 mm, about 0.4 mm, or about 0.3 mm. The height, width, and thickness of the light guide plate are configured and sized for an LGP in an LCD backlight application.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first edge 630 is a light source injection edge that receives, for example, a light source provided by a light emitting diode (LED). In some embodiments, the light source injection edge scatters light within an angle of full-width-at-half-width (FWHM) in transmissions of less than 12.8 degrees. The light source injection edge can be obtained by grinding and polishing the first edge 630 in accordance with the device and method described in this case.

The glass plate further includes a second edge 640 adjacent to the light source injection edge 630 and a third edge 660 opposite to the second edge 640 and adjacent to the light source injection edge 630, wherein the second edge 640 and / or the third edge 660 Scatter light within an angle of full-width at half maximum (FWHM) in reflections less than 12.8 degrees. The second edge 640 and / or the third edge 660 may include a diffusion angle of less than 6.4 degrees in the reflection. The glass plate includes a fourth edge 650 opposite to the first edge 630.

According to one or more embodiments, three of the four edges of the LGP have a mirror-polished surface for two reasons: LED coupling and total internal reflection (TIR) at the two edges. According to one or more embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 12, light injected into a first edge 630 may be at a second edge 640 adjacent to the injection edge and a third edge 660 adjacent to the injection edge as Incident light, where the second edge 640 is relative to the third edge 660. In the absence of hydrofluoric acid etching and / or polishing edges with abrasive fluid, the second and third edges may also include a low average at edges less than 0.5 microns, 0.4 microns, 0.3 microns, or 0.2 microns The roughness is such that the incident light undergoes total internal reflection from two edges adjacent to the first edge.

Light may be injected into the first edge 630 from an array 700 of LEDs disposed along the first edge 630. These LEDs may be located at a distance less than 0.5 mm from the first edge 630. According to one or more embodiments, the LEDs may have a thickness or height that is less than or equal to the thickness of the glass plate to provide efficient light coupling to the light guide plate 600. According to one or more embodiments, the two edges 640, 660 may also include a diffusion angle in reflections less than 6.4 degrees.

example

The transmittance value is determined by a plurality of glass plates having an X-Y-Z dimension of 200 mm ´ 200 mm ´ 1.1 mm, which are subjected to grinding and polishing using different grinding and polishing wheels described below using the edge processing apparatus 100 and the following. The transmittance after grinding and polishing was measured using Keyence's Model VK-8510 / VK-8500 Keyence Ultra-Deep Shape Measuring Microscope visible from www.keyence.com. A 200 mm ´ 200 mm ´ 1.1 mm glass plate is used in the Y dimension (200 mm) using a laser light source (EQ-99X LDLS from Energetiq Technology, Inc.) at a wavelength ranging from 400 nm to 700 nm The transmittance is measured by guiding the light source on the bottom surface and the polished edge, and measuring the light transmitted by the sample on the opposite edge with a microscope. Measurements were performed at wavelengths of 400 nm, 560 nm, and 630 nm. The measured values of the transmittance of the samples with the bottom surface and the polished edges were measured in the Y dimension (200 mm) with a glass plate having the same XYZ dimension after cutting but before grinding and polishing of the edges. The measured transmission values above are compared to provide a percentage value compared to the cut edge sample. The light transmitted through the sample is measured by guiding the light source at the cutting edge and at the opposite edge to measure the transmittance of the sample with the cutting edge. A sample measured after being cut but before grinding and polishing of the edges has a glass penetration of 100.00% at the cut edges. The transmittance values provided below are an average of measurements performed at wavelengths of 400 nm, 560 nm, and 630 nm.

The average roughness is determined by a plurality of glass plates having X-Y-Z dimensions of 1219 mm ´ 150 mm ´ 1.1 mm, which are subjected to grinding and polishing using different grinding and polishing wheels described below using the edge processing apparatus 100 and the following. The surface roughness of the edges after grinding and polishing is measured in accordance with ISO 4288: 1996 using Keyence's Model VK-8510 / VK-8500 from Keyence, which is visible at www.keyence.com. Measurement.

example 1

An 800 mesh (800 #) diamond grinding wheel with a concave metal bond was used to grind an edge of a glass plate by removing a 0.10 mm edge at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min. Next, a 2000 mesh (2000 #) cup-shaped grinding wheel with a Cu content of more than 50% by using a grooved epoxy resin bond as the end surface can be passed at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min. A 0.03 mm way to remove a second edge polishing step. A third step involves using a 5000-mesh (5000 #) resin cup-shaped grinding wheel with a Cu content of 50% by volume with a groove-free end surface at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min. Remove 0.005 mm for polishing. Using a Keyence microscope, the average roughness Ra measured using the techniques described above was 0.04 microns. The light transmittance was measured as described above, and the light transmittance exceeded 99.5%, and the measurement was 99.8%.

Example 2

An 800 mesh (800 #) diamond grinding wheel with a straight (non-concave) metal bond was used to remove a 0.10 mm edge at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min to grind an edge of a glass plate. Next, a second edge grinding step is performed with a 800 mesh (800 #) concave metal bonded diamond grinding wheel at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min, which can remove 0.05 mm after one pass. A third step involves using a 5000-mesh (5000 #) resin cup-shaped grinding wheel with a Cu content of 50% by volume with an end surface without grooves at a translation speed of 6000 mm / min. Remove 0.005 mm for polishing. Using a Keyence microscope, the average roughness Ra measured using the techniques described above was 0.035 microns.

The light transmittance is measured using the above technique, and it exceeds 99.5%, and the measurement is 99.8%.

The materials, methods, and articles described herein are subject to various modifications and changes. Other aspects of the materials, methods, and articles described herein should be apparent after considering the materials, methods, and articles in the description and practice of this case. The description and examples should be considered exemplary. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

10‧‧‧ glass plate

12‧‧‧ edge

13‧‧‧ edge

14‧‧‧ edge

15‧‧‧ edge

19‧‧‧Leading angle

100‧‧‧Edge processing device

102‧‧‧Workbench

104‧‧‧Turntable

105‧‧‧rotation axis

106‧‧‧ first mandrel

107‧‧‧ Spindle rotation axis

108‧‧‧ second mandrel

110‧‧‧ grinding wheel

111‧‧‧ around ground edges

112‧‧‧Polishing Wheel

120‧‧‧first cooling circuit

121‧‧‧The first surrounding liquid cooling nozzle

125‧‧‧lead angle

127‧‧‧The first supply line

130‧‧‧Second ambient liquid cooling nozzle

131‧‧‧second cooling circuit

140‧‧‧ distal liquid cooling nozzle

141‧‧‧Third cooling circuit

147‧‧‧Second Supply Line

150‧‧‧shell

152‧‧‧ Bracket

161‧‧‧ around polished edges

162‧‧‧polished face

164‧‧‧ concave area

166‧‧‧Trench

180‧‧‧Y-axis carrier

182‧‧‧ track

190‧‧‧X-axis carrier

195‧‧‧ handle

197‧‧‧ handle

200‧‧‧ computer numerical control (CNC) machine

210‧‧‧ Controller

212‧‧‧Position Sensor

300‧‧‧ Renovation tools

302‧‧‧Motor

304‧‧‧dressing round

305‧‧‧Arrow

309‧‧‧direction

400‧‧‧ Drilling tools

600‧‧‧ glass plate

610‧‧‧First

630‧‧‧first edge

640‧‧‧Second Edge

650‧‧‧ fourth edge

660‧‧‧ Third Edge

700‧‧‧ array

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate a number of aspects described below.

1 is a perspective view of a device for processing an edge of a glass plate, showing a grinding wheel according to one or more embodiments, which is positioned to grind an edge of the glass plate;

2 is a detailed perspective view of a part of the device shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a perspective view of a device for processing an edge of a glass plate, showing a polishing wheel according to one or more embodiments, which is positioned to grind an edge of the glass plate;

4 is a detailed perspective view of a part of the device shown in FIG. 3;

5 is a detailed perspective view of a polishing wheel on a mandrel according to one or more embodiments;

6 is a detailed perspective view of a grinding wheel of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments;

7A is a side view of a grinding wheel showing an edge of a glass plate;

7B is a side view of a polishing wheel showing an edge of a glass plate;

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a polishing wheel according to one or more embodiments, the polishing wheel being trimmed by a trimming wheel;

9A is a perspective view of a polishing wheel according to one or more embodiments;

9B is a perspective view of a polishing wheel according to one or more embodiments;

9C is a perspective view of a grinding wheel according to one or more embodiments;

10 is a perspective view of a drilling tool according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide plate; and

FIG. 12 illustrates the total internal reflection of light at two adjacent edges of a glass LGP.

Domestic hosting information (please note in order of hosting institution, date, and number) None

Information on foreign deposits (please note in order of deposit country, institution, date, and number) None

Claims (23)

An apparatus for processing an edge of a glass plate includes: a table supporting the glass plate when the edges are ground and polished, wherein an X axis is a glass on the table A lateral movement direction on a plane of the board, a Y axis is a longitudinal movement direction on the plane perpendicular to the X axis, and a Z axis is an upright movement direction with respect to the plane; a rotary table, Movable along the X-axis and the Y-axis, the rotary table has a rotary table rotary axis; a first spindle and a second spindle are mounted to the rotary table having a common spindle rotation axis, the first A mandrel and the second mandrel rotate around the common main shaft rotation axis, the common main shaft rotation axis is orthogonal to the rotary table rotation axis; and a grinding wheel mounted on the first mandrel and mounted on A polishing wheel on the second mandrel, the grinding wheel is configured to grind an edge of the glass plate having the common main axis rotation axis parallel to the Z axis, and the polishing wheel is configured to polish having an edge parallel to the X The glass plate of the common spindle rotation axis An edge. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles arranged in a ring shape, the first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles adjoining the first mandrel and arranged to guide the cooling liquid toward A peripheral edge of the grinding wheel. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles arranged in a ring shape, and the second peripheral liquid cooling nozzles are adjacent to the second mandrel. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of remote liquid cooling nozzles, which are arranged away from the grinding wheel and the polishing wheel, and are arranged to guide the cooling liquid toward an edge of the glass plate. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of first ambient liquid cooling nozzles and distal liquid cooling nozzles are configured to be turned on during grinding of the glass plate. The device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of first ambient liquid cooling nozzles include four cooling nozzles. The device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of first ambient liquid cooling nozzles include six cooling nozzles. The device according to claim 1, wherein the grinding wheel includes a cylindrical wheel, the cylindrical wheel includes a peripheral grinding edge, and the polishing wheel includes a cup-shaped grinding wheel, the cup-shaped grinding wheel includes a peripheral polishing edge and a Polished end faces. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first mandrel and the grinding wheel are configured to contact an edge of the glass plate through the surrounding grinding edge during grinding, and the second mandrel and the polishing wheel are configured An edge of the glass plate is contacted through the polished end surface. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the polished end surface of the cup-shaped grinding wheel includes a grooved surface. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary table is mounted on a bracket that is movable along the y-axis, and the rotary table is movable along the x-axis. The device according to claim 11, wherein the support is movable along a y-axis carrier, and the turntable is movable along an x-axis carrier. A method of grinding and polishing an edge of a glass plate includes the following steps: supporting a glass plate on a surface, wherein an X axis is a lateral movement direction on a plane of a glass plate on the surface, a Y axis is a longitudinal movement direction on the plane perpendicular to the X axis, and a Z axis is a movement direction orthogonal to the plane; grinding is performed by a grinding wheel mounted on one end of a first mandrel The edge of the glass plate, the first mandrel is oriented along the Z axis during grinding, and the grinding wheel includes a peripheral edge that contacts the edge of the glass plate during grinding; and An end surface of a polishing wheel mounted on one end of a second mandrel polishes the edge of the glass plate, and the second mandrel is positioned parallel to the plane during polishing. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of: directing a cooling fluid at the peripheral edge of the grinding wheel by a plurality of first peripheral liquid cooling nozzles arranged in a ring shape, the first peripheral liquid cooling The nozzle abuts the peripheral edge of the grinding wheel. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of: during the polishing, directing a cooling fluid at the edge by the plurality of distal liquid cooling nozzles provided away from the edge of the glass plate. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of directing a cooling fluid at the edge during the grinding by the plurality of distal liquid cooling nozzles provided away from the edge of the glass plate. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of: during the grinding and polishing of the edge of the glass plate, moving the first mandrel and the second relative to the glass plate in a direction along the Y axis. Mandrel. The method according to claim 17, wherein the first mandrel and the second mandrel rotate around a common main axis rotation axis. The method according to claim 15, wherein the polishing wheel is a cup-shaped grinding wheel. The method of claim 19, wherein the cup-shaped grinding wheel includes a groove on the end surface of the cup-shaped grinding wheel. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of: forming a hole in the glass plate by a drilling tool coupled to the first mandrel or the second mandrel. The method of claim 13, wherein the edge is a processed edge after grinding and polishing, and the processed edge has an average roughness of less than about 0.2 microns. The method of claim 22, wherein the glass plate comprises SiO ₂ in a range of 50 mol% to 80 mol%, and in a range of 0 mol% to 20 mol%. Al ₂ O ₃ , and B ₂ O ₃ in a range of 0 mol% to 25 mol%, and Fe less than 50 ppm by weight.