KR102053946B1 - Film laminating apparatus for curved cover glass - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a film attachment device and a method thereof and, more specifically, to a device for attaching a film to an inner surface of a cover glass including a curved surface and to method thereof. The film attachment device of the present invention is that the film is mounted on the outside, and comprises an expansion member for attaching the film to the inner surface of the cover glass as expanded in a state positioned inside the cover glass.

Description

Apparatus for attaching film to curved cover glass and method thereof {FILM LAMINATING APPARATUS FOR CURVED COVER GLASS}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a film, and more particularly, to an apparatus for attaching a film to an inner surface of a cover glass including a curved surface.

In general, a display device employed in a smartphone, a tablet, a TV, a vehicle, or the like is provided with a cover glass on the outermost side to protect the inside with an external shock, and inside the cover glass is attached an element such as an OLED and various films. Recently, display devices including various types of curved surfaces, such as rounded edges (so-called 'edges') of electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets or TVs, or vehicle displays, or curved surfaces (so-called 'curved') In such curved display devices, the operation of attaching the film to the inner side of the curved cover glass is more difficult than the flat surface. As a method of attaching a film to a curved surface, a method of pressing and attaching a film while moving a roller along a film has been conventionally used. Various devices for moving a roller on a curved cover glass surface are complicated and have a large curvature. The film is not completely adhered at the portion, the peeling phenomenon occurs frequently during use, there was a problem that the cover glass is damaged by the movement and pressing action of the roller.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0056669 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0108481

The present invention was devised to solve the problem of the method of attaching the film to the inner surface of the cover glass of the conventional curved display as described above, the structure is simple and can be firmly attached to the inner surface of the curved cover glass, An object of the present invention is to provide a film attachment device that can prevent damage to a cover glass.

The present invention for achieving the object as described above is a device for attaching a film on the inner surface of the cover glass including a curved surface, the film is mounted on the outside, as the expanded in the state positioned inside the cover glass An expansion member for attaching the film to the inner surface of the cover glass.

Here, the expansion member is preferably an air bag that is inflated or contracted according to the gas injection or discharge.

And, the glass mounting bracket for mounting the cover glass; An expansion stage for supporting the expansion member; It is preferable to further include a film fixing tool for fixing and supporting the film located on the outside of the expansion member.

In addition, the expansion member and the expansion stage is preferably configured to be movable in and out of the cover glass mounted on the glass holder.

In addition, it is preferable to further include an upper cover configured to be movable upward and downward from the upper side of the glass holder, and to press the outer surface of the cover glass mounted on the glass holder from above.

In addition, the expansion stage is composed of a plate member corresponding to the inner surface contour shape of the cover glass, it is preferable that the expansion member is mounted on the outer surface.

In addition, the film fixing tool is preferably a cylinder for pressing and fixing the end of the film mounted on the outside of the expansion member.

On the other hand, the present invention relates to a method for attaching a film on the inner surface of the cover glass including a curved surface, comprising the steps of mounting the film on the outside of the expansion member; Moving the expansion member to the inside of the cover glass; And expanding the expansion member while the expansion member is positioned inside the cover glass to press-fit the film to the inner surface of the cover glass.

And after the film is attached to the inner surface of the cover glass, shrinking the expansion member to separate the film and the expansion member; Moving the contracted expansion member to the outside of the cover glass.

According to the present invention as described above, since the film is attached to the inner surface of the cover glass by the expansion action of the expansion member without the roller and the auxiliary devices for driving the roller, the structure is simple and the film is attached to the inner surface of the curved cover glass. It can be firmly attached, and the expansion member is composed of a flexible elastic material to prevent the collision of the cover glass and a rigid structure such as a roller has an excellent advantage that can prevent the damage to the cover glass.

1 is a perspective view of a film attachment device according to the present invention,
2 is a front sectional view of a film attachment device according to the present invention;
3 is a view schematically showing a state in which a film is mounted on the expansion member of the film attachment device according to the present invention,
4 is a view showing a state in which the film is closely attached to the cover glass according to the expansion action of the expansion member of the film attachment device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the film applying apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

First, the basic film attaching method of the film attaching device according to the present invention inserts the expandable and contractible expandable member 30 inside the cover glass CG including a concave curved surface in a contracted state, and the expandable member ( As the expansion member 30 is expanded while the film F is mounted on the outside of the expansion member 30, the expansion member 30 covers the film F mounted on the outside of the expansion member 30. It is to be adhered to the inner surface of the close contact. Hereinafter, a film attachment device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for implementing such a method will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film attachment device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the film attachment device according to the present invention, the glass support 10, the upper cover 20, the expansion member 30, the expansion stage 40 and the film fixture 50. Such a film attachment device is provided inside the vacuum chamber 1, and the film attachment process is performed under vacuum.

The glass holder 10 is a portion for mounting the cover glass (CG) including a curved surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the glass holders 10 are arranged to face each other one by one on both sides, and are configured to support left and right edges of the glass holders 10. In the present specification, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the cover glass CG is configured as an example in which both edge portions are curved downward, and thus, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the cover glass CG. The glass bracket 10 according to the example is generally configured in the form of a 'T' to 'a' shape having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion, and at the end of the horizontal portion, the concave surface of the left and right sides of the cover glass CG is seated. It is preferable that the seating groove 10a is formed. Here, the mounting groove 10a is preferably formed corresponding to the shape and curvature of the lower left and right edges of the cover glass CG. On the other hand, the glass bracket 10 is preferably configured to be adjustable in position in accordance with the specifications of the cover glass (CG) is mounted. That is, although not shown, the glass holder 10 may be horizontally moved by horizontal transfer means such as a cylinder or a ball screw, so that the cover glass CG of various sizes may be mounted on a universal basis. Through this configuration, the glass mounting bracket 10 mounts the cover glass CG in such a state that the inner surface (the surface including the concave curved portion) is disposed downward.

The upper cover 20 is configured to be movable upward and downward from the upper side of the glass holder 10, and presses the outer surface of the cover glass (CG) mounted on the glass holder (10) from above. The upper cover 20 is a film on the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) by pressing and fixing so that the cover glass (CG) mounted on the glass holder 10 does not escape upward when the expansion member 30 to be described later expands Allow (F) to be attached effectively. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper cover 20 is formed in a generally flat plate shape, and a concave groove is formed on the lower surface so that the cover glass CG may be seated. The left and right edges of the grooves may also be formed to correspond to the curvature and shape of the upper and left edges of the cover glass CG.

Expansion member 30 is for attaching the film (F) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) mounted on the glass holder 10, it is composed of an elastic material capable of expansion and contraction. This inflation member 30 may preferably be an airbag. That is, the volume may be configured to expand or contract by injecting or discharging gas therein. As such, the expansion member 30 is not limited in type as long as it can change its volume by injecting a specific material therein. For example, a liquid such as water may be injected instead of the gas, or small solid grain particles may be injected to change the volume and shape of the expansion member 30. In the present specification, a description will be made on the basis of an airbag method for injecting gas therein for convenience. The expansion member 30 is prepared in advance so that the shape of the expanded state by injecting a gas or the like into the inside of the expansion member 30 corresponds to the shape of the outer surface of the cover glass (CG).

As shown in Figure 1, the expansion member 30 is mounted on the outside of the expansion stage (40). The expansion stage 40 is a plate member for supporting the expansion member 30 is generally composed of a plate member corresponding to the inner surface contour shape of the cover glass (CG) but smaller in size. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the expansion stage 40 is composed of a generally flat plate member, it is preferable that the left and right edges are formed in a rounded form corresponding to the left and right side curvature of the cover glass (CG). .

On the other hand, the expansion stage 40 is fixedly supported at a height corresponding to the height of the glass bracket 10 by the support post 42 protruding on the lower base plate 44. Here, the lower side of the base plate 44 is provided with an LM guide 46, the expansion stage 40 and the expansion member 30 mounted therein to be able to move in and out of the glass fixture (10). It is composed.

The expansion member 30 is mounted on the outside of the expansion stage 40. The expansion member 30 may be attached and fixed by an adhesive along the outer surface of the expansion stage 40, or may be mounted in a manner of being fitted around the expansion stage 40 by using elasticity of a material. More specifically, the expansion member 30 is formed with an opening (not shown) configured to the extent that the support post 42 can be inserted in the lower side, the contour shape is generally the outer contour shape of the expansion stage 40 It is configured to correspond to the lower opening may be elastically deformed by inserting the expansion stage 40 by inserting the expansion stage 40 and then release the force can be closely mounted to the expansion stage 40 while the expansion member 30 is contracted.

Meanwhile, a film fixing tool 50 is further provided below the expansion member 30 mounted on the expansion stage 40. As described below, the film fixing tool 50 has the edges of both sides of the expansion member 30, that is, the curved portion when the film F is mounted on the outside of the expansion member 30, as described below. In order to fix and support in a wrapped state, as shown in FIG. 1, the base plate 44 is disposed at both lower left and right sides of the expansion member 30. The film fixture 50 is composed of a cylinder, it is preferably configured to fix the lower end of the film (F) as the cylinder rod is extended upwards as the expansion. This action will be described in more detail later.

2 is a front cross-sectional view of the film applying apparatus according to the present invention having the structure as described above. In this case, the cover glass (CG) is mounted on the glass bracket 10, the upper cover 20 is lowered to securely mount the cover glass (CG), the base plate 44 along the LM guide 46 By moving, the expansion stage 40 and the expansion member 30 are inserted into the cover glass CG mounted on the glass holder 10. The film F used in this example is an OLED carrier film. For reference, the OLED carrier film is a medium for attaching the OLED (O) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG), the OLED (O) is attached to the upper side, only the OLED (O) in the cover glass (CG) Only the OLED carrier film is removed while attached to the side. Although the figure shows such an OLED carrier film as an example, it is obvious that it can be applied to all types of films.

As shown in FIG. 2, an expansion member 30 is mounted outside the expansion stage 40, and a film F is attached to an outer surface of the expansion member 30. The expansion member 30 is connected to the air flow path 60 to receive the gas from the outside. For example, the air flow path 60 may be connected to the expansion member 30 by extending along the support post 42 after being connected inwardly from one side of the base plate 44, and the air flow path 60 may be provided outside. It may be connected by an air supply means (not shown) and the air hose 62. This structure is illustrative and is not necessarily limited thereto.

In FIG. 2, since no gas is currently supplied into the expansion member 30, the film F and the inner surface of the cover glass CG are spaced apart from each other without contact with each other in the contracted state of the expansion member 30. Is in a state.

On the other hand, the film (F) is fixed by the film fixing device 50 in a state in close contact with the outside of the expansion member (30). This method of fixing the film F is schematically shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3A, the film F is placed on the upper side of the expansion member 30 in a flat state, and the left and right edge ends of the film F are expanded by an operator (or a specific mechanism). The film 30 is folded and bent downward corresponding to the rounded edge shape of the member 30, and then, as shown in FIG. Push the edge from the bottom to fix it. This film fixing operation is preferably performed before the expansion stage 40 and the expansion member 30 enter the inside of the cover glass (CG).

4 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the film F is attached to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) by the expansion action of the expansion member 30 of the film attachment device according to the present invention. As shown, when gas is supplied to the expansion member 30 through the air hose 62 and the air flow path 60 from the external air supply means (not shown), the expansion member 30 is expanded and bulky You lose. At this time, since the expansion member 30 is manufactured in advance so that the shape of the expanded member 30 in the expanded state corresponds to the inner surface shape of the cover glass CG, the expansion member 30 is expanded and mounted on the outside thereof. The film F is moved outward and pressed against the inner surface of the cover glass CG, thereby firmly attaching the film F over the entire inner surface of the cover glass CG.

When the film attaching operation is completed, the gas injected into the expansion member 30 is discharged to the outside through the air flow path 60 again, and thus the expansion member 30 is contracted again, and at the same time the film fixing device 50 It also shrinks to release the fixing of the film F. FIG. At this time, since the adhesive material is attached to the surface of the film (F) in contact with the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) or the OLED (O), the film (F) is maintained as it is attached to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) And the expanded contraction member 30 is separated from the film F only. In this state, the base plate 44 moves along the LM guide 46 so that the expansion stage 40 and the expansion member 30 are moved out of the cover glass CG to perform subsequent film mounting. At the same time, the upper cover 20 is lifted, and the cover glass CG is taken out and transferred to the next process.

So far, the left and right edges have been described as an example of attaching the film (F) to the cover glass (CG) of the rounded downward shape as an example, the apparatus according to the present invention is expanded in accordance with the shape of the cover glass (CG) 40) and the shape and curvature of the expansion member 30 can be applied to the film F of the cover glass (CG) having a variety of shapes and curvature.

In the above, specific Example of this invention was described. However, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Those who have it will understand. Therefore, since the embodiments described above are provided to completely inform the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, it should be understood that they are exemplary in all respects and not limited. The invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

1: vacuum chamber 10: glass holder
10a: seating groove 20: top cover
30: expansion member 40: expansion stage
42: support post 44: base plate
46: LM Guide 50: Film Fixture
60: air passage 62: air hose
CG: Cover Glass F: Film
O: OLED

Claims (9)

An apparatus for attaching the film (F) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) comprising a curved surface of both edges rounded downward,
The film (F) is mounted on the outside, and the expansion member 30 attaches the film (F) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) as it is expanded in the state positioned inside the cover glass (CG) and;
Glass holders (10) disposed on the left and right sides of the cover glass (CG) to face each other to support the left and right edges of the cover glass (CG) from the lower side;
The left and right edges of the cover glass CG correspond to the contours of the inner surface of the cover glass CG, and the plate members are rounded to correspond to the left and right side curves of the cover glass CG. An expansion stage 40 supported;
Fixed to support the film (F) mounted on the outside of the expansion member 30, the left and right edge ends of the film (F) is folded to be folded downward to surround the rounded curved edge of the expansion member (30) A film fixing tool (50) for pressing and fixing the edge of the film (F) in the lower state;
The upper cover 20 is configured to be movable up and down from the upper side of the glass holder 10, and presses the outer surface of the cover glass (CG) mounted on the glass holder (10) from above. A film applying device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
The expansion member 30 is a film attachment device, characterized in that the air bag is inflated or contracted in accordance with the gas injection or discharge. delete The method of claim 1,
The expansion member (30) and the expansion stage (40) is a film attachment device, characterized in that configured to move in and out of the cover glass (CG) mounted on the glass holder (10). delete delete The method of claim 1,
The film fixing device 50 is a film attachment device, characterized in that the cylinder for pressing and fixing the end of the film (F) mounted on the outside of the expansion member (30). As a method of attaching the film (F) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG) comprising a curved surface of both edges rounded downward,
Placing the film (F) in a flat state on an upper side of the expansion member (30) rounded at left and right sides corresponding to the edge shape of the cover glass (CG);
Bending left and right edge ends of the film (F) downward to correspond to the rounded edge shape of the expansion member (30);
The edge of the folded film (F) is fixed by pressing from below;
Moving the expansion member (30) to the inside of the cover glass (CG);
And expanding the expansion member 30 in a state where the expansion member 30 is positioned inside the cover glass CG to press-fit the film F to the inner surface of the cover glass CG. The film sticking method. The method of claim 8,
Separating the film (F) and the expansion member (30) by contracting the expansion member (30) after attaching the film (F) to the inner surface of the cover glass (CG);
Moving the contracted expansion member 30 to the outside of the cover glass (CG) film attachment method further comprising.

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