Patent Publication Number: US-2021163330-A1

Title: Wide area forming device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0155048, filed Nov. 28, 2019, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a forming device that is configured for forming a wide area object. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Wide area glass having a curved portion is widely used for a front window or a back cover of a mobile or a display device. The glass having the curved portion may be used as a lens of a camera. 
     An object to be formed may be heated and pressed in a wide area mold unit to form a desired 3-dimentional (3D) shaped glass or a desired 3D shaped lens. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to propose a wide area forming device using a mold unit with a wide area or a great weight. 
     In order to achieve the above objective, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wide area forming device. The wide area forming device includes a vertical transfer means configured to raise and lower a mold unit and a horizontal transfer means configured to transfer the mold unit in a horizontal direction, when the mold unit receiving an object to be formed is transferred from a first position to a second position, wherein the vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means may be configured to be alternately brought into contact with a lower portion of the mold unit at the first position or the second position. 
     The wide area forming device of the present disclosure may include a mold unit having an upper mold and a lower mold in which an object to be formed may be received between the upper mold and the lower mold, wherein, while the upper mold is raised from the lower mold and then pivots, a molding surface of the upper mold or the lower mold may be cleaned. 
     The wide area forming device of the present disclosure may include a mold unit configured to receive an object to be formed; and a main chamber comprising an upper block and a lower block, the upper block being configured to press the mold unit for forming the object to be formed and the lower block configured to support the mold unit, wherein a plurality of upper blocks may face one mold unit. 
     The transfer unit of the present disclosure can transfer the wide area mold unit between blocks by raising the mold unit. When the mold unit is transferred along a first direction, which is a transfer direction of the mold unit, the mold unit may be fundamentally prevented from contacting/sliding with the lower block. 
     Accordingly, when each bock or the mold unit may be repeatedly used under a severe condition in the high-temperature main chamber, abrasion or generation of foreign matter can be prevented. 
     Non-contact transfer of the wide area mold unit may be advantageous for preventing abrasion or generation of foreign matter. Furthermore, the countermeasure may be required to prevent collision or interference between the transfer means at a point where transfer directions vertically cross. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view showing a wide area forming device according to the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 2 to 4  are side view showing a state in which a mold unit is transferred from a middle discharge portion to an external cooling portion according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view showing a state in which the mold unit is transferred from the external cooling portion to an outlet according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a section view showing an upper block and a lower block of a main chamber according to the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 7  is a view showing operation of a cleaning portion according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinbelow, referring to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , a wide area forming device according to the present disclosure may include a main chamber  3 . 
     In the following description, an object to be formed may include a camera lens, glass having a curved portion, cover glass for a watch, dashboard glass for a vehicle, glass covering various measuring devices, sapphire, a light transmitting plate, a front window and a back cover for a mobile device or a display device. Portion or all of the object to be formed may be formed to have a curved surface and a 3D shape. 
     Hereinbelow, a first direction may be an x-axis direction, a second direction may be a y-axis direction, and a third direction may be a z-axis direction. A forward transfer direction may be a positive x-axis direction, and a reverse transfer direction may be a negative x-axis direction. A transfer direction of a middle discharge portion  5  or an auxiliary cooling portion may be a positive y-axis direction or a negative y-axis direction. A height direction may be the third direction or the z-axis direction. 
     The main chamber  3  may include an upper block  310  that is brought into contact with an upper side of a mold unit  200  and a lower block  320  that is brought into contact with a lower side of the mold unit  200 . For convenience of transferring the wide area mold unit  200 , an input chamber  2  may be installed in an entrance side of the main chamber  3 , and a discharge chamber  4  may be installed in a discharge side of the main chamber  3 . 
     The input chamber  2 , the main chamber  3 , and the discharge chamber  4  may be arranged in a row in the first direction. In order to insert the mold unit  200  into the input chamber  2 , a preliminary inlet  1  may be provided perpendicularly to the main chamber  3  with the input chamber  2  as the center. In the preliminary inlet  1 , the object to be formed in an initial state may be inserted into the mold unit  200 . In the preliminary inlet  1 , the object to be formed is inserted between an upper mold  210  and a lower mold  220 , and the upper mold  210  and the lower mold  220  may be assembled to each other. 
     The mold unit  200 , in which forming has been completed, may be discharged in the discharge chamber  4 . The middle discharge portion  5  may be provided perpendicularly to the main chamber  3  with the discharge chamber  4  as the center. In a reverse direction of a transfer direction of the main chamber  3 , an external cooling portion  6  to which the mold unit  200  is transferred may be provided in parallel to the main chamber  3 . The middle discharge portion  5  may be a passage that connects the discharge chamber  4  to the external cooling portion  6 . A transfer direction from the discharge chamber  4 , the middle discharge portion  5 , toward the external cooling portion  6  is the second direction, and a transfer direction from the external cooling portion  6  toward an outlet  7  is the negative X-axis direction. The transfer direction may be bent by 90 degrees with the external cooling portion  6  as the center. The vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means may be provided at a junction where the middle discharge portion  5  and the external cooling portion  6  cross each other. 
     The mold unit  200 , which has been slowly cooled in the external cooling portion  6 , is disassembled in the outlet  7 , and the object to be formed may be taken out from the mold unit  200 . After the object to be formed is taken out from the outlet  7 , the mold unit  200  may be transferred to a cleaning portion  8 . The cleaning portion  8  may clean a molding surface of the mold unit  200 . 
       FIG. 7  is a view showing configuration of the cleaning portion  8  in detail. The cleaning portion  8  may be configured as follows. A lower mold arm  820  clamps the lower mold  220  and may be movable for the purpose. An upper mold arm  810  may move or pivot centering around a cleaning jig  830 , and may clamp the upper mold  210 . The upper mold  210  clamped by the cleaning jig  830  may be adjusted to a height and an angle suitable for cleaning while being raised and lowered or pivoting. 
     A sliding portion  850  may be raised and lowered the upper mold arm  810 . The sliding portion  850  may move in a straight line along a support  860 . A pivot portion  840  may pivot the upper mold arm  810  or the cleaning jig  830 . The upper mold arm  810  or the cleaning jig  830  may pivot around the pivot portion  840 . 
     The sliding portion  850  may be raised from the upper mold arm  810  by which the upper mold  210  is clamped so that the upper mold  210  may be separated from the lower mold  220 . When the upper mold  210  is separated from the lower mold  220 , the object to be formed may be taken out from the cleaning portion  8 . 
     The upper mold arm  810  may pivot around the pivot portion  840  and the molding surface of the upper mold  210  may be cleaned. Foreign matter may be removed from the molding surface by rubbing the molding surface with a brush. 
     Linear movement and rotational movement of the cleaning jig  830  may be performed by extension and contraction of a cylinder  870 . Accordingly, the pivot portion  840 , the cylinder  870 , and a cylinder fixed point  880  may be provided. The extendable cylinder  870  may be provided between the sliding portion  850  and the support  860 . The pivot portion  840  and the cylinder fixed point  880  may be installed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. When the cylinder  870  is extended, the cleaning jig  830  by which the upper mold  210  is clamped may pivot around the pivot portion  840 . When the sliding portion  850  moves along the support  860 , the cleaning jig  830  by which the upper mold  210  is clamped may be raised and lowered. 
     Referring  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the mold unit  200  may include the lower mold  220  facing the lower block  320  and the upper mold  210  facing the upper block  310 . 
     The main chamber  3  may include at least one of a preheating unit provided for heating the mold unit  200  to a preheat temperature, a forming unit provided for heating the mold unit  200  to a forming temperature and pressing the mold unit  200  to form a curved surface of the object to be formed, and a cooling unit provided for cooling the mold unit  200  in which the forming has been completed. The upper block  310  or the lower block  320  may be provided in at least one of the preheating unit, the forming unit, and the cooling unit. 
     The wide area mold unit  200  has a great weight or a wide area and requires a special transfer means for preventing abrasion or generation of foreign matter during transfer, and the upper block  310  or the lower block  320  also needs a specially designed configuration. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the main chamber  3 , the input chamber  2 , and the discharge chamber  4  may be arranged in a row along the first direction. The mold unit  200  may be transferred in a straight line along the first direction. The input chamber  2  may be installed at the entrance side of the main chamber  3 . The discharge chamber  4  may be installed at the discharge side of the main chamber  3 . 
     In order to preheat, form, and cool the wide area mold unit  200 , the upper block  310  and the lower block  320  may advantageously have a structure consisting of a plurality of upper blocks  310  or a plurality of lower blocks  320 , rather than a structure consisting of a single upper block  310  or a single lower block  320 . Considering the weight and the high temperature state, the structure consisting the plurality of upper blocks or the plurality of lower blocks is good for maintaining flatness due to bending or thermal deformation. Preferably, the plurality of upper blocks  310  and the plurality of lower blocks  320  may face the single mold unit  200 . The upper block  310  or the lower block  320  may have a heater  340 , and may have a passage for cooling water. The mold unit  200  may be heated or cooled by contact conduction. 
     In order to adjust flatness of the lower block  320 , a means to apply an external force may be required for each of the lower blocks  320 . A pull bolt  350  and a push bolt  360  may be positioned between the lower block  320  and a bottom surface of the main chamber  3 . The pull bolt  350  or the push bolt  360  may face a common cooling plate  330  to which each of the lower blocks  320  is connected. 
     The pull bolt  350  may pull the lower block  320  toward the bottom surface. The push bolt  360  may push the lower block  320  from the bottom surface. Bending or flatness of the lower block  320  may be adjusted by fastening the pull bolt  350  or the push bolt  360 . 
     Meanwhile, non-contact transfer of the wide area mold unit  200  may be advantageous to prevent abrasion or attachment of generation of foreign matter. Furthermore, a countermeasure may be required to prevent collision or interference of the transfer means at a point where transfer directions cross each other perpendicularly. The means for preventing collision between the transfer means and for allowing the mold unit  200  to be transfer without sliding, at the point where the transfer directions cross each other, such as the preliminary inlet  1 , the input chamber  2 , the discharge chamber  4 , the middle discharge portion  5 , the external cooling portion  6 , but excluding the main chamber  3 . 
     When the mold unit  200  in which the object to be formed is received is transferred from a first position to a second position, the present disclosure may separately have the vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means. 
     The vertical transfer means may raise and lower the mold unit  200  in a vertical direction. The horizontal transfer means may transfer the mold unit  200  in a horizontal direction. The vertical direction is the third direction, and the horizontal direction may be the first direction or the second direction. 
     The vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means may be alternately brought into contact with a lower portion of the mold unit  200  at the first position or the second position. For example, at the first position, the vertical transfer means raises the mold unit  200 , and the horizontal transfer means may approach the lower portion of the mold unit  200 . When the vertical transfer means is lowered, the mold unit  200  is placed on the horizontal transfer means, and when the horizontal transfer means moves, the mold unit  200  may be horizontally transferred from the first position to the second position. The vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means may alternately transfer the mold unit  200  without collision at the cross point. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the mold unit  200  is placed on a telescopic plate  500  at the middle discharge portion  5 . The telescopic plate  500  may extend from the middle discharge portion  5  toward the external cooling portion  6 . 
     An upper cooling plate  610  or a lower cooling plate  620  that are provided in the external cooling portion  6  may be brought into contact with the mold unit  200  and may cool the mold unit  200 . The upper cooling plate  610  may be raised and lowered relative to the upper mold  210 . The lower cooling plate  620  may have a structure in which the lower cooling plate is divided into a plurality of portions for avoiding collision or interference occurring on a transfer path. The lower cooling plate  620  may include a main cooling plate  621  and an auxiliary cooling plate  622 . The main cooling plate  621  may be connected to a main cooling plate shaft  623 . The auxiliary cooling plate  622  may be connected to an auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624 . The main cooling plate shaft  623  and the auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624  may be connected to each other by a connection shaft  625 . 
     A spring  627  may be inserted between the connection shaft  625  and the auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624 . When the connection shaft  625  is raised, the main cooling plate  621  may be brought into contact with a center portion of the mold unit  200 . The auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624  elastically biased by the spring  627  when the connection shaft  625  is raised may be brought into contact with an outer portion of the mold unit  200 . Accordingly, contact performance is improved and cooling performance may be improved. 
     The spring  627  may be inserted between the connection shaft  625  and the auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624 . A spring fixing bolt  626  may be fastened to the connection shaft  625  or the auxiliary cooling plate shaft  624  so as to fix the spring  627 . 
     The telescopic plate  500  may extend from the middle discharge portion  5  corresponding to the first position toward the external cooling portion  6  corresponding to the second position while being loaded with the mold unit  200 . In order to prevent collision between the lower cooling plate  620  of the external cooling portion  6  corresponding to the second position and the telescopic plate  500 , the lower cooling plate  620  may be in a lowered state by the connection shaft  625 . 
     In order to return the telescopic plate  500  in the second position to an initial position thereof or to the first position, a means for raising the mold unit  200  loaded on the telescopic plate  500  is required. A raising and lowering pin  640  may be raised and lowered through a hole or a groove formed on the telescopic plate  500 . When the raising and lowering pin  640  is raised, the mold unit  200  may be spaced apart from the telescopic plate  500 . The telescopic plate  500  may be return to the initial position thereof or the first position. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , after the telescopic plate  500  is returned to the initial position or the first position, the lower cooling plate  620  may be raised to a height at which the lower cooling plate  620  may support the mold unit  200 . The raising and lowering pin  640  loaded with the mold unit  200  may place the mold unit  200  on the lower cooling plate  620  while being lowered. While the upper cooling plate  610  is lowered, the upper cooling plate  610  may be in contact with an upper portion of the mold unit  200 , thereby improving the cooling performance. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the mold unit  200  may be transferred in the negative first direction in the external cooling portion  6 . A shuttle block  650  may be installed as the horizontal transfer means. When the upper cooling plate  610  is raised and the lower cooling plate  620  is lowered, the mold unit  200  may be seated on the shuttle block  650 . The lower cooling plate  620  may be configured to be divided into the main cooling plate  621  and the auxiliary cooling plate  622 , and the shuttle block  650  may be positioned in a gap between the main cooling plate  621  and the auxiliary cooling plate  622 . The shuttle block  650  may reciprocate along a linear guide  660  in the first direction. The shuttle block  650  may not need to be raised and lowered. The auxiliary cooling plate  622  may act as to the vertical transfer means and the shuttle block  650  may act as the horizontal transfer means. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the mold unit  200  may be transferred from the external cooling portion  6  to the outlet  7 . A pusher unit  700  that extends and contracts may be installed as the horizontal transfer means. The pusher unit  700  may include a pusher extension part  730  extending and contracting along the transfer direction and a pusher  710  pivoting around an end of the pusher unit  700 . The pusher  710  may pivot around a pusher pivot portion  840 ,  720 . 
     The pusher extension part  730  may extend and approach to one side of the mold unit  200  with the pusher  710  in a folded state. While the pusher  710  is unfolded and the pusher extension part  730  contracts, the pusher  710  pulls the one side of the mold unit  200 , so that the mold unit  200  may be transferred to the lower cooling plate  620  in the outlet  7 . 
     As described above, the vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means are configured to prevent collision between the vertical transfer means and the horizontal transfer means and to minimize sliding contact of the mold unit  200 .