System for Assembling Optical Films for Displays

• US 20160018587A1
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Koraishy, Babar M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,435,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/202 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/72 For measuring or regulating, e.g. systems with feedback loops
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/18 involving the assembly of discrete sheets or panels only
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/10 Removing layers, or parts of layers, mechanically or chemically
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/162 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/1841 during laying up
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/1858 using vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/61 Display device manufacture, e.g. liquid crystal displays
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/0816 separating from the top of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/48 Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/40 Vacuum or mangetic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

Display backlight structures may provide backlight illumination that passes through display layers in the display. Computer-controlled equipment such as robotic arms with gripper structures may be used in assembling backlight layers such as a reflector, light guide plate, diffusers, and prism films into a backlight unit. The grippers may include mechanical grippers and vacuum heads. A vacuum gripper head may have a plenum to which a perforated plate and porous layer are attached for distributing the vacuum. Computer-controlled air sources may be used to blow streams of deionized air between backlight layers to separate the backlight layers during assembly. Release liners may be removed using robotic arms and grippers. Translation stages may move a backlight layer storage frame between stations. A cleaning tool with a solvent dispenser and air jets may clean backlight layers. A camera system may be used during alignment and positioning operations.

Claims

1. A system for assembling a display backlight unit, comprising:

a robotic arm;

a gripper mounted on the robotic arm; and

a controller that directs the robotic arm and the gripper to assemble display backlight layers to form the backlight unit.

2. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the gripper comprises a vacuum gripper.

3. The system defined in claim 2 wherein the vacuum gripper includes a layer of porous material.

4. The system defined in claim 3 wherein the vacuum gripper comprises:

a plenum that receives vacuum; and

a perforated plate interposed between the plenum and the layer of porous material.

5. The system defined in claim 4 wherein the perforated plate has rows and columns of perforations.

6. The system defined in claim 5 further comprising:

a camera system, wherein the controller controls the robotic arm based on information from the camera system.

7. The system defined in claim 6 further comprising deionized air sources controlled by the controller.

8. The system defined in claim 7 further comprising backlight layer storage frame, wherein the deionized air sources blow streams of air across the backlight layer storage frame to separate the backlight layers.

9. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one pressurized air nozzle that blows a puff of air between the backlight layers to separate the backlight layers.

10. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a source of the backlight layers; and

a temporary storage frame configured to receive the backlight layers, wherein the controller is configured to direct the robotic arm and the gripper to move the backlight layers from the source of backlight layers into the temporary storage frame.

11. The system defined in claim 10 further comprising a translation stage that laterally moves the temporary storage frame.

12. The system defined in claim 11 wherein further comprising a cleaning tool that includes a solvent dispenser that dispenses solvent onto the backlight layers and a nozzle that blows air to remove the solvent from the backlight layers.

13. The system defined in claim 12 further comprising a computer-controlled release liner removal tool that peels release liner layers from the backlight layers.

14. A system for assembling a display backlight unit, comprising:

a source of backlight layers;

computer-controlled equipment that assembles the backlight layers from the source to form the backlight unit;

a controller that controls the equipment; and

air sources controlled by the controller.

15. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the air sources comprise deionized air sources that blow streams of deionized air between the backlight layers to separate the backlight layers.

16. The system defined in claim 15 wherein the computer-controlled equipment includes at least one robotic arm.

17. The system defined in claim 16 wherein the computer-controlled equipment includes a vacuum gripper mounted to the robotic arm that holds the backlight layers during movement of the robotic arms and wherein the backlight layers comprise layers selected from the group consisting of:

a reflector layer, a light guide plate, a diffuser layer, and a prism film layer.

18. A method of assembling backlight layers to form a backlight unit, comprising:

separating the backlight layers from each other by blowing air between the backlight layers with a computer-controlled air source; and

using a robotic arm to place the backlight layers in a support structure.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein using the robotic arm comprises:

with a vacuum head attached to the robotic arm, holding the backlight layers.

20. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising:

removing release liners from the backlight layers using a computer-controlled gripper.