METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20190329540A1
• Filed: 04/09/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.), Toptec Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.), Toptec Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, So Hyun, SON, Yang Han, CHO, Sang Sik, CHOI, Sang Hee
• Granted Patent: US 11,198,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/04 of plates or sheets B29C63/04 takes precedence; bending or folding paper B31F1/0003; folding films B65H45/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7465 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/748 Releasability
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/206 Organic displays, e.g. OLED
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/281 comprising polyimides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/10 characterised by the pressing technique, e.g. using action of vacuum or fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/12 characterised by using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0012 Mechanical treatment, e.g. roughening, deforming, stretching
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/1866 conforming the layers or laminate to a convex or concave profile
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133325 Assembling processes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133331 Cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a display device includes: preparing a cover window including a bent part on a side surface thereof, and a guide film including a surface on which a display panel and an adhesive layer are arranged; arranging the cover window and the guide film in a face-to-face manner such that the adhesive layer faces the cover window; seating the guide film onto a seating pad of a first jig; pre-forming the display panel by bringing opposite ends of the guide film into close contact with opposite side surfaces of the seating pad using a pair of push members; and joining the display panel with the cover window by bringing the adhesive layer into contact with the cover window.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:

preparing a cover window including a bent part on a side surface thereof, and a guide film including a surface on which a display panel and an adhesive layer are arranged;

arranging the cover window and the guide film in a face-to-face manner such that the adhesive layer faces the cover window;

seating the guide film onto a seating pad of a first jig;

pre-forming the display panel by bringing opposite ends of the guide film into close contact with opposite side surfaces of the seating pad using a pair of push members; and

joining the display panel with the cover window by bringing the adhesive layer into contact with the cover window.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-forming of the display panel comprises deforming the display panel in a shape corresponding to a shape of the cover window.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-forming of the display panel comprises moving a region of each of the push members or a region of the guide film into a corresponding one of grooves formed in the respective opposite side surfaces of the seating pad.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the preparing of the guide film comprises:

attaching the display panel to a central region of the guide film such that the opposite ends of the guide film are exposed; and

forming the adhesive layer on an upper portion of the display panel before or after the attaching of the display panel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the arranging of the cover window and the guide film in the face-to-face manner comprises:

transferring the cover window to a position over the first jig using a second jig; and

holding the opposite ends of the guide film using a pair of clamps and arranging the guide film between the first jig and the cover window.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the arranging of the cover window and the guide film in the face-to-face manner further comprises moving, when the second jig moves, at least one of the first jig and the pair of clamps in response to the movement of the second jig.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the seating the guide film onto the seating pad of the first jig comprises bringing a rear surface of the guide film into close contact with the seating pad by moving at least one of the seating pad and the pair of clamps.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-forming of the display panel comprises concurrently moving the pair of clamps and the pair of push members to positions close to the opposite side surfaces of the seating pad.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-forming of the display panel comprises individually moving the pair of clamps and the pair of push members to positions close to the opposite side surfaces of the seating pad.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-forming of the display panel comprises:

arranging the pair of push members on respective opposite sides of the seating pad; and

moving the pair of push members toward the grooves formed in the opposite side surfaces of the seating pad, and pressing the opposite ends of the guide film such that the opposite ends of the guide film are brought into close contact with the respective opposite side surfaces of the seating pad.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising removing the guide film from the first jig after the joining of the display panel with the cover window.

12. An apparatus for manufacturing a display device, the apparatus comprising:

a first jig comprising a seating pad including grooves in respective opposite side surfaces thereof, and a first plate coupled to a lower portion of the seating pad;

a pair of clamps at respective opposite sides of the first jig;

a pair of push members arranged, along with the respective clamps, at the respective opposite sides of the first jig, each of the pair of push members having a size corresponding to an associated one of the grooves of the seating pad;

a drive unit configured to move the push members to positions close to the respective grooves of the seating pad; and

a second jig over the first jig.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the pair of push members comprises a roller or a bar.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the pair of clamps comprise a first clamp at a first side of the first jig, and a second clamp at a second side of the first jig such that the second clamp faces the first clamp, and

wherein the pair of push members comprise a first push member around the first clamp, and a second push member around the second clamp.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first clamp and the first push member are integrally connected or mounted to each other, and the second clamp and the second push member are integrally connected or mounted to each other.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the drive unit comprises:

a first clamp drive unit configured to move the first clamp and the first push member; and

a second clamp drive unit configured to move the second clamp and the second push member.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first and the second clamps are provided separately from the first and the second push members, and the drive unit comprises separate drive units configured to respectively move the first and second clamps and the first and second push members.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the seating pad comprises an upper surface including a convex curved surface, and the opposite side surfaces, each of which has a convex curved surface on an upper end region thereof extending from the upper surface to the corresponding groove.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, in the seating pad, at least the upper surface and the upper end regions of the opposite side surfaces are made of an elastic material.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a central portion of the upper surface has a hardness less than a hardness of the upper end region of each of the opposite side surfaces.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the second jig comprises a second plate facing the seating pad, and

wherein the second plate comprises side surfaces having shapes corresponding to the respective upper end regions of the opposite side surfaces of the seating pad.