Patent Publication Number: US-2019168472-A1

Title: Method of manufacturing a fiber-based display

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a fiber-based display. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a method of using a cutting machine to cut an optical fiber, and cut fiber sections are collected and arranged in a shaping mold, and a melting operation is performed on the plurality of fiber sections to quickly form a fiber-based display. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, a panel of a display screen is hard to be processed and generates refraction of light easily, and glass or acrylic plate applied on the panel of the display screen may cause some problems. In order to solve the drawbacks, optical fibers are stacked to form a large-sized panel for display screen, and such fiber-based displays are applied to be panels of more and more display screens. In an existing method of manufacturing the fiber-based panel, a panel is drilled to form a plurality of sockets, the optical fiber is cut into multiple short fiber rods, and the short fiber rods are inserted into the sockets of the panel manually. Generally, the fiber rods are arranged in a rectangular shape with a length of 100 fiber rods and a width of 100 fiber rods. However, when the fiber rods are inserted into the sockets of the panel, the fiber rods must be arranged orderly and with symmetry in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, so the existing method is very difficult and the process of manually inserting the fiber rods is also time-consuming and labor-consuming. Furthermore, the fiber-based display manufactured by the existing method may easily have a low product yield and the problem that the fiber rods are not inserted completely or not arranged orderly. Aforementioned factors are disadvantageous to actual application of the fiber-based display. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An objective of the present disclosure to provide a method of manufacturing a fiber-based display. In the method, a cutting tool of a cutting machine cuts an optical fiber into fiber sections with a predetermined length, and the cut fiber sections are collected into a shaping mold; and after a predetermined amount of the fiber sections are stacked in the shaping mold, a melting process is performed on the plurality of fiber sections, so that the plurality of fiber sections can be fixed to form a fiber-based display quickly. As a result, the method can achieve the effect of time saving, labor-saving and manufacturing cost reduction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a flowchart showing the steps in a method of manufacturing a fiber-based display, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view showing the machines used in the method of manufacturing a fiber-based display, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational view of a base of a cutting machine of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view showing an operation of cutting the optical fiber by the cutting machine of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view showing movement of a shaping mold of the cutting machine, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a positioning frame being assembled with the shaping mold, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is an elevational view of the positioning frame of the present disclosure 
         FIG. 8  is an elevational view of the fiber-based display of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 through 8 , which clearly show an operation of the method of manufacturing a fiber-based display of the present disclosure, the machines used in the method and the fiber-based display of the present disclosure, respectively. The method includes following steps. 
     In a step (A), a cutting tool  21  of a cutting machine  2  is used to cut an optical fiber  1  into a plurality of fiber sections  11  with a predetermined length. 
     In a step (B), the cut fiber sections  11  are collected in a shaping mold  22  of the cutting machine  2 . 
     In a step (C), after a predetermined amount of the fiber sections  11  are filled in the shaping mold  22 , a melt process is performed on the plurality of fiber sections  11 , so that the plurality of fiber sections can be fixed to form a fiber-based display  5 . 
     Before the step (A), through a guiding unit  3  outside the cutting machine  2 , the bundled optical fiber  1  can be transported to a transmission tube  231  of a transmission part  23  at a side of the cutting machine  2 , and then transported to a guiding hole  241  of a base  24  of the cutting machine  2  through the transmission tube  231  of the transmission part  23 , so that the optical fiber  1  can be transported to under a cutting slot  242  of the base  24 . Preferably, the optical fiber  1  can be a bare fiber with a diameter in a range of 0.2 mm to 3 mm. 
     In the step (B), the shaping mold  22  of the cutting machine  2  is located under the cutting tool  21 , and the cutting slot  242  of the base  24  is formed between the cutting tool  21  and the shaping mold  22 , and a side of the shaping mold  22  is linked with a driving mechanism  25  which can reciprocate the shaping mold  22 . For example, the driving mechanism  25  can be a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a motor, a screw, or other similar mechanism. The shaping mold  22  is formed with a holding space  220  inside, and the holding space  220  is in a preset shape such as U-like shape. A plurality of guide grooves  221  are longitudinally arranged in interval on two opposite sidewalls of the holding space  220 , respectively. In practical application, the holding space  220  of the shaping mold  22  can be formed with fifty or a hundred guide grooves  221  longitudinally arranged in interval and adjacent to each other, respectively, on the two opposite sidewalls of the holding space  220  thereof. In cooperation with the driving mechanism  25  which drives the shaping mold  22  to reciprocate under the base  24 , the longitudinal guide grooves  221  in the holding space  220  can be separately aligned with an outlet  2420  at a bottom of the cutting slot  242  of the base  24 . In this case, the cutting tool  21  is repeatedly moved upwardly and downwardly over the base  24 , so that the a cutter  211  of the cutting tool  21  can be inserted into the cutting slot  242  of the base  24 , thereby cutting the optical fiber  1 , located in the guiding hole  241  of the base  24 , into the fiber sections  11  with the predetermined length. Next, the cut fiber section  11  falls into the guide groove  221  of the shaping mold  22  through the outlet  2420  at the bottom of the cutting slot  242 , and is positioned in the guide groove  221 , so that the plurality of guide grooves  221  of the shaping mold  22  can be used to hold the 2500 fiber sections  11  which are stacked in a rectangle formation with a length of 50 fiber sections and a width of 50 fiber sections, or 10000 fiber sections  11  which are stacked in a rectangle formation with a length of 100 fiber sections and a width of 100 fiber sections. As a result, by changing an amount of the guide grooves  221  of the shaping mold  22 , the amount of the fiber sections  11  received in the holding space  220  of the shaping mold  22  can be increased or decreased, so as to achieve the effect of holding various amounts of the fiber sections  11 . 
     In the step (C), before the melt process is performed on the predetermined amount of the fiber sections  11  filled in the shaping mold  22 , the shaping mold  22  can be moved out of the cutting machine  2  and a positioning frame  4  is then assembled with the outer side of the shaping mold  22 , so that the predetermined amount of the fiber sections  11  can be arranged and fixed in a preset shape, such as a rectangular shape, a circular shape, a polygonal shape or other geometrical shape. Next, by moving the positioning frame  4 , the plurality of fiber sections  11  can be moved out the shaping mold  22 , and the melting process can be then performed on the plurality of fiber sections  11 . After the melting process, the fiber-based display  5  is completed and can be moved out of the positioning frame  4 . The positioning frame  4  is a hollow rectangular frame body and includes a bottom rod  41 , two side rods  42  movably assembled at two opposite ends of the bottom rod  41 , and a top rod  43  movably assembled at the top portions of the two side rods  42 . A positioning space  40  with a hollow shape is formed by relatively-inner sides of the bottom rod  41 , the two side rods  42  and the top rod  43 , and configured to receive, assemble and position the predetermined amount of the plurality of fiber sections  11 . The bottom portions of the side rods  42  can be locked with the two opposite ends of the bottom rod  41  by a screw  44 , and the top portions of the side rods  42  can also be locked with the two opposite ends of the top rod  43  by the screw  44 . Furthermore, the top rod  43  is formed with mounting slots  430  recessed at the two opposite ends thereof, and the mounting slot  430  can be in, for example, an inverted-V shape, an inverted-U shape, a trapezoid shape or other geometrical shape. Mounting parts  421  of the top portions of the side rods  42  can be engaged and located into the mounting slot  430 . For example, each of the mounting parts  421  can be in inverted-V shape, an inverted-U shape, a trapezoid shape or other geometrical concave-convex shape. The mounting parts  421  can be locked with the mounting slots  430  by the screws  44 , respectively, so that the bottom rod  41 , the side rods  42  and the top rod  43  can be assembled as the positioning frame  4 . 
     Furthermore, in the step (C), a processing machine can be used to trim a surface of the fiber-based display  5 , so as to improve product yield and endurance of the fiber-based display  5 . In an embodiment, the processing machine can be a milling machine, grinding machine or other processing machine. The processing machine is well unknown in the art, so it is not shown in the drawings. After the processing machine performs trimming operation on the fiber-based display  5 , the appearance of the fiber-based display  5  can be shaped to be a rectangular shape, a circular shape, a polygonal shape or other geometrical shape, so as to complete the predetermined type of fiber-based display  5 . For example, the fiber-based display  5  can be used as the panel of different display, such as an at-least-100-inch fiber optic crystal display, a projector screen, a large-sized LCD screen, an advertising screen, or digital billboard or the like. 
     Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the cutting machine  2  cuts the optical fiber  1  into the fiber sections  11 , the fiber sections  11  are automatically collected in the shaping mold  22  without complicated operation including as manual insertion operation; furthermore, the shaping mold  22  is driven by the driving mechanism  25  to collect the plurality of fiber sections  11  into the holding space  220  of the shaping mold  22 , to collect and arrange the plurality of fiber sections  11  more quickly, thereby achieving the effect of time-saving, labor-saving, manufacturing cost reduction and economic benefits. Furthermore, the fiber sections  11  are arranged very orderly and with a high product yield, so as to facilitate sequential melting process and the surface trimming process. After shaped, the fiber-based display  5  can display image on any one of surfaces thereof by image projection. Preferably, the image projection is performed on the back surface of the fiber-based display  5  of the present disclosure. In practical application, the fiber-based display  5  can be used as the panel of different display, such as an at-least-100-inch fiber optic crystal display, a projector screen, an outdoor large-sized LCD screen, an advertising screen, or digital billboard or the like. The refraction, reflection or diffusion of light occurs on the fiber-based display  5  less easily, so that the fiber-based display  5  can display a more stereo and clearer image with good quality and achieve the effect of emitting soft light without damage to eyes. 
     Above-mentioned preferred embodiment is just for exemplary illustration, but the claim scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to the method of manufacturing the fiber-based display of the present disclosure, the cutting tool  21  of the cutting machine  2  is used to cut the optical fiber  1  into fiber sections  11  with the predetermined length, and the cut fiber sections  11  are collected into the shaping mold  22 , and after the predetermined amount of the fiber sections  11  are stacked in the shaping mold  22 , the melting process is performed on the plurality of fiber sections  11 , so that the plurality of fiber sections  11  can be fixed to form the fiber-based display  5 . The method can achieve the effect of time saving, labor-saving and manufacturing cost reduction. The present disclosure disclosed herein has been described by means of specific embodiments. However, numerous modifications, variations and enhancements can be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure set forth in the claims.