Curved display bonding apparatus

• US 10,603,843 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Daehong
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Vishal I
• Application Number:
  US15/837,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20190099958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/01 General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined B29C65/76, B29C65/82 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3475 Displays, monitors, TV-sets, computer screens
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1303 Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements

Abstract

A curved display bonding apparatus includes an upper adsorption mechanism to which a display is adsorbed, a flexible stage having a deformable outer appearance, and a wire stage on which a curved glass is seated, wherein the wire stage includes a plurality of wires, at least some of which are located above the flexible stage, such that the curved glass is seated on outer surfaces of the wires, at least a pair of the plurality of wires are spaced apart from each other, and the plurality of wires are seated on the flexible stage or are spaced apart from the flexible stage.

Claims

1. A curved display bonding apparatus to bond a display to a curved glass, the curved display bonding apparatus comprising:

a lower chamber including a lower space;

an upper chamber arranged above the lower chamber and including an upper space;

an upper adsorption mechanism accommodated in the upper space and configured to be elevated, and to which the display is adsorbed;

a flexible stage accommodated in the lower space and having a deformable outer surface; and

a wire hangar on which the curved glass is seated, wherein the wire hangar includes a plurality of wires, at least some of which are located above the flexible stage, such that the curved glass is seated on outer surfaces of the wires, wherein at least a pair of the plurality of wires are spaced apart from each other, and wherein the plurality of wires are seated on the flexible stage or are spaced apart from the flexible stage.

2. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inner space in which fluid is accommodated is formed inside the flexible stage, and

wherein a fluid adjuster configured to adjust an amount of the fluid inside the inner space is connected to the flexible stage.

3. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an upper adsorption arm configured to transfer the display to a space between the lower space and the upper space.

4. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an upper chamber driving mechanism configured to elevate the upper chamber.

5. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible stage includes,

a flexible body having an inner space formed therein and configured to be expanded or contracted by fluid in the inner space, and

an adhesive layer formed on an outer surface of the flexible body.

6. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of wires includes,

an inner metal wire, and

an adhesive coating surrounding the inner metal wire.

7. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wire hangar includes a tension adjuster configured to adjust a tension of the plurality of wires.

8. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tension adjuster includes:

a rotor to which the wires are connected; and

a motor configured to rotate the rotor.

9. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wire hangar includes:

a tension adjuster frame supporting the tension adjuster;

a connector spaced apart from the rotor and to which the plurality of wires are connected; and

a connector frame supporting the connector.

10. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 9, further including:

a wire hangar elevating mechanism configured to elevate the tension adjuster frame and the connector frame.

11. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the tension adjuster frame and the connector frame includes:

an elevating body connected to the wire hangar elevating mechanism and configured to be elevated, and

a moving body arranged in the elevating body to be moved forward and rearward in a transverse direction.

12. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a lower adsorption arm configured to seat the curved glass on the plurality of wires.

13. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 12, wherein the curved glass includes a first curved surface and a second curved surface, and wherein the lower adsorption arm seats, on the wires, the first curved surface that is opposite to the second curved surface on which resin is formed.

14. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 12, wherein the lower adsorption arm includes:

a lower frame;

a pair of arms provided on the lower frame; and

adhesive coatings arranged on the pair of arms to be in line contact with or in point contact with the curved glass, wherein a distance between the pair of arms in a first direction is smaller than a distance between the plurality of wires in the first direction.

15. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the pair of arms is slidably connected to the lower frame.

16. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 14, wherein the lower frame includes:

a main frame, and

at least one moving frame arranged to be linearly moved along the main frame.

17. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the pair of arms includes:

an arm base connected to the lower frame, and

protrusions protruding from an upper surface of the arm base, wherein the adhesive coatings surround outer surfaces of the protrusions.

18. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper adsorption mechanism includes:

an upper adsorption chuck arranged in the upper space and configured to be elevated; and

an upper adsorption pin to which an upper surface of the display is adsorbed, and which transfers the display to the upper adsorption chuck.

19. A curved display bonding apparatus configured to bond a display to a curved glass and comprising:

a lower chamber that forms a lower space;

an upper chamber that forms an upper space corresponding to the lower space;

an upper adsorption chuck including an upper adsorption body having first and second surfaces and a first adhesive layer on one of the first and second surfaces, the upper absorption chuck being accommodated within the upper space;

a flexible body including a second adhesive layer on an upper surface of the flexible body, the flexible body being accommodated within the lower space;

a wire hangar including a plurality of wires upon which the curved glass is seated;

an upper adsorption arm configured to locate the display between the upper chamber and the lower chamber; and

a lower adsorption arm configured to locate the curved glass between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

20. The curved display bonding apparatus of claim 19, further including:

a controller that controls movement of the upper adsorption chuck, the flexible body, the wire hangar, the upper adsorption arm, and the lower adsorption arm; and

a camera located in the upper chamber and configured to position the display and the curved glass between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.