WO2012030108A2

WO2012030108A2 - Device for laser-processing light guide plate having particle cleaning means

Info

Publication number: WO2012030108A2
Application number: PCT/KR2011/006292
Authority: WO
Inventors: 박해광; 이호연
Original assignee: 레이져라이팅(주)
Priority date: 2010-08-31
Filing date: 2011-08-25
Publication date: 2012-03-08
Also published as: KR101021571B1; WO2012030108A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for laser-processing a light guide plate having a cleaning means for eliminating particles from the end portion of a laser beam irradiation unit, which is in closest proximity to the light guide plate to be processed, and comprises: a frame; a laser oscillation unit for generating a laser beam; the laser irradiation unit for receiving the laser beam from the laser oscillation unit and irradiating same, while being transferred back and forth along a line on the frame, for forming a predetermined pattern on the light guide plate; and the cleaning means for removing particles from the end portion of the laser beam irradiation unit which is in closest proximity to the light guide plate, wherein the cleaning means further comprises a duct having one surface open toward the end portion of the irradiation unit, a cleaning brush which is rotatably installed inside the duct and arranged so that one side comes into contact with the end portion of the irradiation unit, and a cleaning motor for actuating the cleaning brush. (Representative drawing) fig. 1

Description

Light Guide Plate Laser Processing Equipment with Particle Cleaning Means

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the processing of a light guide plate for a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, by providing cleaning means for removing particles from a laser beam irradiation end nearest to the light guide plate to be processed, a high quality light guide plate having a precise pattern can be processed. A light guide plate laser processing apparatus.

As a light source for a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light guide plate (LGP) used for a back light unit (BLU) is a plate made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin, which is disposed on the side or bottom. The predetermined pattern is formed so that the light irradiated from the light source may be uniformly diffused toward the front surface. This pattern achieves the desired purpose by reflecting or refracting light, and the uniformity of the luminance on the entire surface of the light guide plate is determined by the shape of the pattern. Therefore, the pattern of the light guide plate is increasingly required to be complicated and precise, and according to the large area of the display device, it is urgent to shorten the time required for pattern formation.

In order to solve this problem, techniques for forming a pattern on a synthetic resin sheet using a laser beam have been developed. The light guide plate laser processing apparatus according to the prior art includes a laser irradiation part which receives a laser beam generated by a laser oscillator and finally irradiates the light guide plate to be processed. The laser irradiation part may form a predetermined pattern over the entire surface of the light guide plate. In order to improve the processing speed, the feed speed is also gradually increasing.

However, in the process of forming a pattern by processing a light guide plate made of synthetic resin with a laser beam, particles such as dust or fine particles are inevitably generated. These particles float in the air and partially block the laser beam or adhere to the light guide plate, thereby preventing the pattern formed on the light guide plate from being accurately formed in the shape or size originally made.

On the other hand, at the last end (hereinafter referred to as the 'irradiation end') where the laser beam passes from the laser irradiation part toward the light guide plate, an optical lens for adjusting the cross-sectional diameter of the laser beam, the end of the guide tube for guiding the path of the laser beam, or the naked eye. The physical configuration is arranged, such as a plate formed with a through hole to confirm the final trajectory of the laser beam is difficult to confirm. These are the parts closest to the light guide plate to be processed, and particles such as dust and fine particles generated while the laser beam is processing the light guide plate are attached.

If particles are attached to the irradiation end of the laser irradiation part, the laser beam can be partially blocked even in that state, and the pattern formed on the light guide plate is scattered due to the movement of the laser irradiation part and penetrated into the path of the laser beam or transferred to the light guide plate. It prevents it from being formed in the exact shape or size that was originally intended. This, in turn, causes the quality of the light guide plate to be finally processed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and with respect to particles generated during laser processing, in particular, a light guide plate laser capable of precisely processing the light guide plate by removing particles attached to the irradiation end through which the laser beam finally passes. It is an object to provide a processing apparatus.

Other objects, specific advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In order to achieve the above object, the light guide plate laser processing apparatus provided with the particle cleaning means according to the present invention, the frame, a laser oscillation unit fixed to the frame and generating a laser beam, and the linear reciprocating transfer on the frame while the laser A laser irradiator for forming a predetermined pattern on the light guide plate to be processed by receiving and irradiating a laser beam from the oscillator, a laser transmitter for forming a transmission path of the laser beam between the laser irradiator and the laser oscillator, and on the frame And a transport plate for straight reciprocating transfer in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the laser irradiator to support the light guide plate as a processing object, and cleaning means for removing particles from the irradiated end portion closest to the light guide plate of the laser irradiator. , The irradiation end And a cleaning brush rotatably installed in the duct, the cleaning brush disposed to be in contact with the irradiation end, and a cleaning motor for operating the cleaning brush.

In the light guide plate laser processing apparatus provided with the particle cleaning means which concerns on this invention, it is preferable that the said cleaning means further includes the lifting and lowering actuator which raises and lowers the said duct. In this case, when the lifting actuator is raised, the cleaning brush is in contact with the irradiation end, and at the same time it is preferable to control the cleaning motor to operate.

In the light guide plate laser processing apparatus having the particle cleaning means according to the present invention, the cleaning means preferably further comprises an air pump for forcibly discharging the air inside the duct to the outside.

According to the present invention, since the laser irradiation unit can easily remove and discharge the particles attached to the portion closest to the light guide plate to be processed, it is minimized to obstruct the progress and action of the laser beam, and as a result, process the light guide plate having a precise pattern formed. can do.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of a light guide plate laser processing apparatus having particle cleaning means according to the present invention;

2 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG.

3 is a left partial perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG.

4 is a front view of an example of the cleaning means in the light guide plate laser processing apparatus provided with the particle cleaning means according to the present invention;

5 is a left side view of the cleaning means of FIG. 4;

6 is a plan view of the cleaning means of FIG.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of a light guide plate laser processing apparatus having a particle cleaning means according to the present invention.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of a light guide plate laser processing apparatus having particle cleaning means according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the embodiment of FIG.

Frame 110 is to support other components, the shape, material, structure can be implemented as needed by conventional techniques. However, the frame 110 includes a portion for supporting the transfer plate 150 so that the linear reciprocating movement, and a portion for supporting the laser irradiation unit 130 to move the reciprocating line linearly above the transfer plate 150. desirable.

The laser oscillator 120 generates a laser beam and emits it to the outside, and the laser beam eventually reaches the laser irradiator 130 and is irradiated to a processing target which is a synthetic resin plate to form a predetermined optical pattern on the synthetic resin plate. As a result, the synthetic resin plate can be manufactured as a light guide plate. The laser oscillator 120 is fixed to the frame 110.

The laser irradiator 130 receives the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 120 and irradiates the light guide plate to be processed. In order to irradiate a laser beam over the entire surface of the light guide plate, the laser irradiator 130 is installed to be linearly reciprocated in one direction with respect to the frame 110. Meanwhile, the synthetic resin plate to be processed is transferred in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the laser irradiation unit 130, thereby forming a pattern over the entire surface of the synthetic resin plate. Therefore, the feed plate 150 supporting the synthetic resin plate to be processed is installed to be linearly reciprocated with respect to the frame 110, and the transfer direction thereof is the same projection surface as the direction in which the laser irradiation unit 130 is transferred, for example, as shown in FIG. As viewed from the top view, the direction is substantially perpendicular.

In this way, the laser transmission unit is provided to smoothly transmit the laser beam from the laser oscillation unit 120 fixedly fixed to the frame 110 to the laser irradiation unit 130 which is reciprocally transported with respect to the frame 110. Although the laser transmission unit may be designed in various forms, in the present embodiment, the laser transmission unit includes a plurality of

reflectors

141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 131, and the moving

reflectors

142, 143, which are some of these

reflectors

141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 131, are linked to the transport of the laser irradiation unit 130. However, it is illustrated as being conveyed at a feed rate of 1/2 in the opposite direction with respect to the transfer of the laser irradiation unit 130. In the transmission path of the laser beam, the laser oscillator 120 passes through the

reflectors

141, 142, 143, 144, and 145 in order to reach the last reflector 131 installed in the laser irradiator 130 to be irradiated to the light guide plate 50 to be processed. When the 142 and 143 are conveyed at a speed of 1/2 opposite to the conveying direction of the laser irradiator 130, the length of the laser beam transmission path does not change despite the position of the laser irradiator 130. Therefore, since the cross-sectional diameter of the laser beam irradiated to the light guide plate 50 is unchanged, a high quality pattern can be precisely formed. A drive motor 160 is provided to transfer the laser irradiation unit 130 and the moving

reflectors

142 and 143 at a constant speed ratio, and the drive motor 160 transfers the laser irradiation unit 130 and the moving

reflectors

142 and 143 through a belt mechanism. Let's do it. That is, the laser irradiator 130 and the moving

reflectors

142 and 143 are fixed to the belt, respectively, and the driving motor 160 operates these belts through the pulleys. In addition to the belt mechanism, the laser irradiation unit 130 and the moving reflecting

mirrors

142 and 143 may be transferred through a linear actuator such as a linear motor. Such a configuration is described in more detail in Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2010-0065320 and 10-2010-0067056.

On the other hand, the cleaning means 200 is installed in the frame 110. The position at which the cleaning means 200 is installed is a position corresponding to a predetermined point to be positioned when the laser irradiation unit 130 is not operated. In general, this place corresponds to either end of both ends of the transport range of the laser irradiation unit (130). 1 to 3 illustrate that the cleaning means 200 is located at the left end of the transfer range of the laser irradiation unit 130 based on the front view, but may be located at the opposite end.

4 to 6 each show an example of the cleaning means 200 in the light guide plate laser processing apparatus provided with the particle cleaning means according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a front view of an example of the cleaning means, Figure 5 is FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cleaning means of FIG.

The cleaning means 200 includes a duct 210, a cleaning brush 220, and a cleaning motor 221.

The duct 210 is a container-shaped member having one end of the laser irradiation part 130, that is, one surface facing the irradiation end. The duct 210 functions to accommodate the particles removed from the irradiated end by the cleaning brush 220 so as not to scatter to the outside.

The cleaning brush 220 is rotatably installed in the duct, and one side thereof is disposed to contact the irradiation end. The cleaning motor 221 rotates the cleaning brush 220. The cleaning brush 220 is rotated while being in contact with the irradiation end to remove particles from the irradiation end.

In FIGS. 4 to 6, the cleaning brush 220 is illustrated as being a rotating circular brush, but is not necessarily limited to such a shape. The brush may be in contact with the irradiation end while being driven straight and reciprocated as a flat brush. have. Of course, in this case, the cleaning motor 221 is a combination of a linear motion converter or a rotary motor, or should be composed of a linear actuator.

On the other hand, even when the laser irradiation unit 130 is in a stopped state, it may not be necessary for the cleaning means 200 to be in constant contact with the irradiation end. To this end, the elevating actuator 240 for elevating the duct 210 with respect to the frame 110 is further provided. When the lifting actuator 240 lifts the duct 210, the cleaning brush 220 installed in the duct 210 is in contact with the irradiation end of the laser irradiation unit 130, and the cleaning motor 221 operates to clean the brush. 220 is rotated. When the cleaning means 200 does not need to operate, the lifting actuator 240 lowers the duct 210, and the cleaning brush 220 is spaced apart from the irradiation end, wherein the cleaning motor 221 stops the operation.

When the cleaning brush 220 removes particles from the irradiation end, most of the particles remain in the duct 210. However, some particles are suspended and scattered out of the duct 210, and particles accumulated in the duct 210 need to be removed.

To this end, an air pump (not shown) is connected to the duct 210. The air pump is connected to the internal space of the duct 210 through the suction pipe 230, by forcibly discharging air from the inside of the duct 210 to the outside, the particles accumulated in the duct 210 as well as the duct (210) It sucks up particles floating around and discharges them to a specific point outside.

An embodiment of the present invention described above and illustrated in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can change and change the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, such improvements and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

Frame,

A laser oscillation unit fixed to the frame to generate a laser beam,

A laser irradiation part for forming a predetermined pattern on the light guide plate to be processed by receiving and irradiating a laser beam from the laser oscillation part while being linearly reciprocated on the frame;

A laser transfer unit forming a transfer path of the laser beam between the laser irradiation unit and the laser oscillation unit;

A transfer table for straight reciprocating transfer in the direction intersecting the transfer direction of the laser irradiator on the frame and supporting the light guide plate as the processing target;

And cleaning means for removing particles from an irradiation end of the laser irradiation part closest to the light guide plate,

The cleaning means,

A duct open at one side toward the irradiation end;

A cleaning brush rotatably installed in the duct and disposed to be in contact with one side of the irradiation end;

A light guide plate laser processing apparatus having particle cleaning means comprising a cleaning motor for operating the cleaning brush.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning means,

And a lifting actuator for lifting and lowering the duct.
The method of claim 2,

And the cleaning brush is brought into contact with the irradiation end when the lifting actuator is raised, and the cleaning motor is operated at the same time.
The cleaning means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

The light guide plate laser processing apparatus having the particle cleaning means further comprises an air pump for forcibly discharging the air inside the duct to the outside.