Display substrate with diffuser coating

• US 7,507,438 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tallon, Brian M., Halsey, Eugene L. IV, Cherif, Mondher
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; Alain L
• Application Number:
  US11/218,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20060078691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 427/600, 427/248.1, 427/372.2, 427/168, 427/162, 427/163.3, 118/612
• US Class Current: 427/168
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0615 spray being produced at the free surface of the liquid or other fluent material in a container and subjected to the vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/066 with an inner liquid outlet surrounded by at least one annular gas outlet
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0815 with at least one gas jet intersecting a jet constituted by a liquid or a mixture containing a liquid for controlling the shape of the latter
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/002 for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/11 from solutions or suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission

Abstract

A system for coating a substrate surface with a diffuser coating includes an ultrasonic vibrating device, a supply device and a low pressure air source. The supply device supplies a liquid coating material or precursor solution to the ultrasonic vibrating device. The ultrasonic vibrating device is operable to vibrate to atomize the coating material and to discharge airborne particles at a discharge end of the ultrasonic vibrating device. The low pressure air source generates low pressure air flow generally proximate to the discharge end to guide at least some of the airborne particles onto the substrate surface. The ultrasonic vibrating device may be at a coating chamber and the substrate may be positionable within the coating chamber. A conveyor may be operable to convey substrates through the coating chamber, whereby the coating particles are guided onto the substrate surface as the substrate moves through the coating chamber.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a diffuser surface coating on a substrate surface, said method comprising:

providing a transparent substrate having a surface;

providing an ultrasonic vibrating device;

supplying a liquid coating material to said ultrasonic vibrating device;

vibrating said ultrasonic vibrating device to atomize the coating material such that particles of the coating material are airborne;

guiding said airborne particles via a low pressure air flow to guide said airborne particles onto the substrate surface to establish a coating of said coating material at said substrate surface, said low pressure air flow comprising an air flow of less than about 100 p.s.i; and

curing said coating to form a durable diffuser coating at said substrate surface that provides reduced glare and that provides sufficient transparency and resolution when viewing through said coating and said transparent substrate when said diffuser coated substrate is used as a substrate for at least one of (a) a display device and (b) a touch screen device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said low pressure air flow is at a pressure of less than about 80 p.s.i.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said low pressure air flow is at a pressure of less than or equal to about 40 p.s.i.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic vibrating device is at a coating chamber.

5. The method of claim 4 including conveying said substrate through said coating chamber, said particles being guided onto the substrate surface as said substrate moves through said coating chamber.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said low pressure air flow guides said particles in a band that encompasses the width of the substrates as said substrate moves through said coating chamber.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein conveying said substrate includes conveying said substrate through a washing process before conveying said substrate through said coating chamber.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein conveying said substrate includes conveying said substrate through a curing process after conveying said substrate through said coating chamber.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises a glass substrate having a thickness of less than about 1 mm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises an ultrathin glass substrate having a thickness of less than or equal to about 0.1 mm.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic vibrating device atomizes said liquid coating material into particles having a diameter substantially within a range of 1 micron to 40 microns.

12. The method of claim 1 including providing a low pressure air flow at a discharge of said ultrasonic vibrating device to further atomize the coating material.