Method and apparatus for manufacturing flexible display device

• US 9,337,433 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lim, Young-In, Jung, Kyu-Ho, Choi, Sang-Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Minskey, Jacob T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Vishal I
• Application Number:
  US14/079,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20140138009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 156/538, 156/160, 156/556, 156/563, 156/580, 156/443, 156/475, 361/679.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3031 Two-side emission, e.g. transparent OLEDs [TOLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/17 Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a flexible display device includes a first step of providing a three-dimensional cover window having a flat portion, and a curved portion that is bent in a third direction intersecting a first direction of the flat portion while extending to a second direction intersecting the first direction at both sides of the first direction, and a second step of attaching by a line contact at least one of an adhesive film, a touch panel, and a flexible display panel that are stacked at an inner surface of the cover window.

Claims

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

a support that has a curved portion at both sides of a flat portion and that forms a surface corresponding to an outer surface of an extended three-dimensional cover window, the support including;

an adsorption hole that forms a surface in an upper part to correspond to an outer surface of the cover window or forms a surface corresponding to the outer surface of the cover window in a lower portion; and

a negative pressure chamber that provides a negative pressure to the adsorption hole, the negative pressure chamber corresponding to the flat portion

and a portion of the curved portion; and

a line contact body that attaches by a line contact at least one of an adhesive film, a touch panel, and a flexible display panel that are stacked at an inner surface of the cover window, wherein the absorption hole forms a surface in the upper part to correspond to the outer surface of the cover window; and

the line contact body includes;

an attachment member that has an end portion corresponding to an elongation direction of the cover window;

a variable length unit that is connected to the attachment member and that is installed in a rotation center; and

a motor that is connected to the variable length unit at the rotation center.

2. A method of manufacturing a flexible display device using the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising:

a first step of providing the extended three-dimensional cover window having a flat portion; and

a curved portion that is bent in a third direction intersecting a first direction of the flat portion while extending to a second direction intersecting the first direction at both sides of the first direction; and

a second step of attaching by a line contact at least one of the adhesive film, the touch panel, and the flexible display panel that are stacked at the inner surface of the cover window.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at the first step, the support that is formed in an upper part of a surface corresponding to the cover window adsorbs the cover window.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second step includes advancing in the second direction an attachment head having an end portion corresponding to the flat portion and the curved portion in the first direction and the third direction.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second step further includes advancing in the second direction an attachment roll that is provided at one side of the attachment head to correspond to the flat portion in the first direction.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the advancing of the attachment roll in the second direction, attachment rolls are provided in a pair to perform a line contact in a pair in the flat portion.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at the first step, the support that is formed in a lower portion of a surface corresponding to the cover window adsorbs the cover window.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second step includes:

revolving the support about a first rotation center in the second direction; and

revolving an attachment member by revolving a variable length unit that is connected to the attachment member about a second rotation center that is separated to correspond to the first rotation center according to a revolution of the support.

9. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

at the first step, the support that is formed in an upper part of a surface corresponding to the cover window adsorbs the cover window, and

at the second step, an attachment member is revolved by revolving a variable length unit that is connected to the attachment member about a rotation center corresponding to an upper portion of the center of the support according to a surface shape of the support.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first step further includes fixing both ends of one of the adhesive film, the touch panel, and the flexible display panel to a fixing portion that is provided in an upper portion of the third direction of both sides of the support.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the fixing of both ends includes adjusting a tension at both ends of one of the adhesive film, the touch panel, and the flexible display panel with expansion and contraction operations of a cylinder that is connected to the fixing portion.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the adsorption hole forms a surface in the upper part to correspond to the outer surface of the cover window.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the adsorption hole forms a surface corresponding to the outer surface of the cover window in a lower portion.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fixing portion that is provided in an upper portion of opposing sides of the support.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a cylinder that is connected to the fixing portion to perform expansion and contraction operations.

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

a support that has a curved portion at both sides of a flat portion and that forms a surface corresponding to an outer surface of an extended three-dimensional cover window; and

a line contact body that attaches by a line contact at least one of an adhesive film, a touch panel, and a flexible display panel that are stacked at an inner surface of the cover window, the line contact body including;

an attachment head that has an end portion corresponding to the flat portion and the curved portion; and

an attachment roll that is provided at one side of the attachment head to correspond to the flat portion.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein attachment rolls are provided in a pair to perform a line contact in a pair in the flat portion.

16. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a support that has a curved portion at both sides of a flat portion and that forms a surface corresponding to an outer surface of an extended three-dimensional cover window; and

a line contact body that attaches by a line contact at least one of an adhesive film, a touch panel, and a flexible display panel that are stacked at an inner surface of the cover window,

wherein;

the support is connected to a first motor to revolve about a first rotation center, and

the line contact body includes;

an attachment member that has an end portion corresponding to an elongation direction of the cover window;

a variable length unit that is connected to the attachment member and that is installed at a second rotation center corresponding to the first rotation center; and

a second motor that is connected to the variable length unit at the second rotation center.