Patent Publication Number: US-2016229166-A1

Title: Film attaching apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0020265 filed on Feb. 10, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and entitle: “Film Attaching Apparatus,” is incorporated by refrence herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a film attaching apparatus. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A flexible display device may use a flexible display panel which may be bent to be able to display an image at a front and a side. The flexible display device may be variously applied to mobile devices such as a smart phone, a television set, an electronic book terminal, and an electronic newspaper terminal. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments may be realized by providing a film attaching apparatus for attaching a film to an object including a curved surface, including a support member having the object on an upper portion thereof; a belt member spaced apart from the support member upwardly and having a lower surface to which the film adheres and an upper surface having a first friction reducing layer; and an adherer spaced apart from the belt member upwardly and moving along an outer surface of the object to apply a pressure to the belt member so as to make the belt member adhere to the object on the support member. 
     The adherer may include a body part having an inner space; a pressed part adhering to the belt member and at one portion of the body part so that at least one portion of the pressed part is exposed outside the body part; a first slip part having a band shape, the first slip part to be slid along an end of the pressed part adhering to the belt member; a supply part to supply the first slip part to the pressed part; and a winding part to wind with the first slip part slid along the pressed part. 
     The adherer may further include a second friction reducing layer on at least one surface of the first slip part. 
     The adherer may include a body part having an inner space; a pressed part adhering to the belt member and at one portion of the body part so that at least one portion of the pressed part is exposed outside the body part; a second slip part having a band shape of a closed curved line, the second slip part to be slid along an end of the pressed part adhering to the belt member; and a rotating part to supply the second slip part slid along the pressed part to the pressed part. 
     The adherer may further include a third friction reducing layer on at least one surface of the second slip part. 
     The end of the pressed part adhering to the belt member may be rounded. 
     A radius of the end of the pressed part may range from 1 mm to 5 mm. 
     The first friction reducing layer may include fluororesin or silicone. 
     The belt member may include metal. 
     The belt member may include stainless steel. 
     A thickness of the belt member may range from 20 μm to 200 μm. 
     The film attaching apparatus may further include a driver coupled with the adherer to move the adherer in multiple directions. 
     The film attaching apparatus may further include a rotator having a first portion coupled with the driver and a second portion rotatably coupled with the adherer. 
     The film attaching apparatus may further include a controller to control rotation of the rotator so that the adherer is in a vertical state to a virtual tangential line of the curved surface of the object. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features will become apparent to those of skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram of a film attaching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a diagram of an example of a structure of an adhesion unit included in the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a diagram of a modified example of the adhesion unit included in the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a diagram of a rotating unit in the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 5 to 7  illustrate diagrams for describing a process of attaching a film to a window using the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by an adhesion unit, a center of a belt member; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by an adhesion unit, the belt member while the adhesion unit moving in a left direction based on a center of an object; and 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by the adhesion unit, the belt member while the adhesion unit moving in a right direction based on the center of the object. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, they may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey exemplary implementations to those skilled in the art. 
     In the drawing figures, the dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     In addition, in several exemplary embodiments, components having the same configuration will be representatively described using the same reference numerals in an exemplary embodiment, and only components different from those of an exemplary embodiment will be described in the other exemplary embodiments. 
     In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram of a film attaching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a film attaching apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment may be a film attaching apparatus  100  for attaching a film  10  to an object  11  including a curved surface and may include a support member  110 , a belt member  120 , and an adhesion unit  130 . 
     The support member  110  may have the object  11  seated on an upper portion thereof. The upper portion of the support member  110  may be provided with a groove in which the object  11  may be seated. The support member  110  may be fixed to a ground or a structure. As a method for fixing, by the support member  110 , the object  11 , a vacuum adsorption method may be used. In an embodiment, any method for fixing, by the support member  110 , the object  11  may be used. 
     The object  11  may be a window which may protect a display outputting an image in a mobile communication terminal. The window may be formed in, for example, a curved surface as a whole. As another example, the window may have left and right edge portions which may be only formed in a curved surface and a middle portion which may be formed in a plane. 
     The film  10  attached to the object  11  may be, for example, an optical clear tape. The optical clear tape may be attached with a flexible panel. The optical clear tape may be attached to an outer surface of a display panel of a mobile communication terminal but a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The belt member  120  may be positioned to be spaced apart from the support member  110  upwardly. The film  10  may adhere to a lower surface of the belt member  120 . The first friction reducing layer  121  for reducing a friction force, e.g., between the pressed part  131  and the belt member  120 , may be formed on an upper surface of the belt member  120 . The first friction reducing layer  121  may be made of materials, such as fluororesin or silicone. For example, the fluororesin may be less expensive and have better friction reducing performance than other materials. 
     When the adhesion unit  130  to be described below contacts the belt member  120 , the friction between the adhesion unit  130  and the belt member  120  may be reduced by the first friction reducing layer  121 , and the adhesion unit  130  may more smoothly and rapidly move along the upper surface of the belt member  120 . The time to attach the film  10  may be reduced, and the tact time to attach the film  10  to the object  11  may be reduced as a whole. When the film attaching apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment is used to manufacture the mobile communication terminal, the manufacturing time of the mobile communication terminal may be shortened, and productivity may be improved. 
     The foregoing belt member  120  may be made of metal. For example, the belt member  120  may be made of stainless steel. A thickness of the belt member  120  may range from 20 μm to 200 μm. 
     The adhesion unit  130  may be formed to be spaced apart from the belt member  120  upwardly. The adhesion unit  130  may move along the outer surface of the object  11  to apply a pressure to the belt member  120  to make the belt member  120  adhere to the object  11  seated on the support member  110 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a diagram of an example of a structure of the adhesion unit included in the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a detailed structure of the foregoing adhesion unit  130  may include, for example, a body part  134 , a pressed part  131 , a first slip part  135 , a supply part  132 , and a winding part  133 . 
     The body part  134  may be provided with an inner space. The inner space may be provided with the pressed part  131 , the first slip part  135 , the supply part  132 , and the winding part  133  which will be described below. 
     The pressed part  131  may be positioned at one portion of the body part  134  so that at least one portion of the pressed part  131  may be exposed outside the body part  134 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the pressed part  131  may be formed so that a lower end of the pressed part  131  may be partially exposed downwardly from the body part  134 . A portion exposed from the pressed part  131  may press the belt member  120 . 
     The pressed part  131  may adhere to the belt member  120 . A shape of the pressed part  131  may be, for example, a triangle. The belt member  120  may adhere to the object  11  by the pressed part  131 . 
     An end of the pressed part  131  adhering to the belt member  120  may be formed to be rounded. As the end of the pressed part  131  is formed to be rounded, the pressed part  131  may more smoothly move while the pressed part  131  moves while pressing the belt member  120 . 
     A radius R of the end of the pressed part  131  which may be formed to be rounded may range from 1 mm to 5 mm, and even though a curvature radius of the curved portion of the object  11  may be as small as 1 mm, the pressed part  131  may attach the film  10  to the curved portion of the object  11  without any gap. 
     The first slip part  135  may have a band shape, and may be positioned to be slid along the end of the pressed part  131  adhering to the belt member  120 . 
     The supply part  132  may supply the first slip part  135  to the pressed part  131 . 
     The winding part  133  may be wound with the first slip part  135 , which may be slid along the pressed part  131 . One end of the first slip part  135  may be fixed to the supply part  132  and the other end thereof may be fixed to the winding part  133 . When the first slip part  135  wound around the supply part  132  is completely wound around the winding part  133  while the adhesion unit  130  moves along the belt member  120 , the supply part  132  may rotate for the time during which the adhesion unit  130  may not be operated, and the first slip part  135  wound around the winding part  133  may be wound around the supply part  132 . The supply part  132  may be provided with a motor. 
     The adhesion unit  130  may further include a second friction reducing layer  122 . The second friction reducing layer  122  may be formed on at least one surface of the first slip part  135  to reduce a friction force, e.g., between the pressed part  131  and the belt member  120 . For example, the second friction reducing layer  122  may be formed on a contact surface with the belt member  120  in the first slip part  135  and may be formed on a contact surface with the pressed part  131 . The second friction reducing layer may be formed on both surfaces of the first slip part  135 . The second friction reducing layer may be made of the same material as the foregoing first friction reducing layer  121 . 
     While the adhesion unit  130  having the above structure moves along the outer surface of the belt member  120 , the friction between the adhesion unit  130  and the belt member  120  may be reduced while the first slip part  135  moves in an opposite direction to a moving direction of the adhesion unit  130 . For example, when the adhesion unit  130  moves to the left along the outer surface of the belt member  120 , the first slip part  135  may move to the right while being released from the supply part  132  to be wound around the winding part  133 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a diagram of a modified example of the adhesion unit  130  included in the film attaching apparatus  100  according to the exemplary embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a detailed structure of an adhesion unit  230  according to the modified example may include, for example, the body part  233 , the pressed part  131 , a second slip part  234 , and a rotating part  232 . 
     The body part  233  and the pressed part  131  may be the same as the body part  134  and the pressed part  131  included in the above-mentioned adhesion unit  130 , and the descriptions thereof will be omitted. 
     The second slip part  234  may be formed in a band shape of a closed curved line. The second slip part  234  may be positioned to be slid along the end of the pressed part  131  adhering to the belt member  120 . For example, the pressed part  131  and the rotating part  232  may be positioned inside the second slip part  234  and may tightly support the second slip part  234 . 
     The rotating part  232  again may supply the second slip part  234  slid along the pressed part  131  to the pressed part  131 . The rotating part  232  may be, for example, a roller. The second slip part  234  may smoothly rotate by the rotating part  232 . 
     The adhesion unit  130  may further include a third friction reducing layer  123 . The third friction reducing layer  123  may be formed on at least one surface of the second slip part  234  to reduce a friction force, e.g., between the pressed part  131  and the belt member  120 . For example, a third friction reducing layer  123  may be formed on a contact surface with the belt member  120  in the second slip part  234  and may also be formed on a contact surface with the pressed part  131 . The third friction reducing layer may be formed on both surfaces of the second slip part  234 . The third friction reducing layer may be made of the same material as the foregoing first friction reducing layer  121  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     The adhesion unit  230  according to the modified example may have a simpler structure than the foregoing adhesion unit  130  (see  FIG. 2 ), and manufacturing time may be shortened and manufacturing costs may be saved. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the film attaching apparatus  100  according to the exemplary embodiment may include the driving unit  140 . The driving unit  140  may move the adhesion unit  130  along the outer surface of the object  11 . The driving unit  140  may be coupled with the adhesion unit  130 . The driving unit  140  may move the adhesion unit  130  in multiple directions. 
     The driving unit  140  may include, for example, an air cylinder and a rail. The air cylinder may move the adhesion unit  130  in a direction far away from or closed to the support member  110 . A rail may move the adhesion unit  130  along a length direction of the support member  110 . The air cylinder may move the adhesion unit  130  vertically and the rail may move the adhesion unit  130  horizontally. 
     The rail may be, for example, a linear motion (LM) guide. The LM guide is an apparatus which may be used to linearly move the specific member in one direction and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a diagram of the rotating unit in the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     The film attaching apparatus  100  (see  FIG. 1 ) according to the exemplary embodiment may further include the rotating unit  150 . 
     The rotating unit  150  may be formed at a portion where the driving unit  140  may be connected to the adhesion unit  130 . The rotating unit  150  may be rotatably coupled with the adhesion unit  130 . The rotating unit  150  may make the adhesion unit  130  rotate corresponding to a curved surface of the object  11  (see  FIG. 1 ). 
     The rotating unit  150  may include, for example, a rotating motor. The adhesion unit  130  may be coupled with a rotating shaft of the rotating motor. A reducer may be installed in the rotating motor and then may be coupled with the adhesion unit  130 . The reducer may increase or reduce a torque of the adhesion unit  130 . The reducer may be used to change the torque in a general mechanism, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The film attaching apparatus  100  (see  FIG. 1 ) according to the exemplary embodiment may further include a controller. 
     The controller may control the rotation of the rotating unit  150  so that the adhesion unit  130  is in a vertical state to a virtual tangential line of the curved surface of the object  11  (see  FIG. 1 ). The controller may control the rotation of the rotating unit  150  depending on shape information of the object  11  (see  FIG. 1 ). The controller may be a microprocessor, which may be installed in one of, for example, the rotating unit  150  and the adhesion unit  130 . In an embodiment, the controller may be used to control the film attaching apparatus  100  (see  FIG. 1 ) according to the exemplary embodiment as a whole. 
     A method for controlling, by a controller, a rotation of a rotating unit  150  may control the rotation of the rotating unit  150  by, for example, analyzing data of the curved portion from pre-stored window shape data. In an embodiment, when the window shape data is not stored, the controller may scan the window shape using a separate camera to acquire image data and then may analyze the acquired image data to control the rotation of the rotating unit  150 . 
     In an embodiment, a method for controlling, by a controller, a rotation of a rotating unit  150  may vary from the foregoing method. 
       FIGS. 5 to 7  illustrate diagrams for describing a process of attaching a film to a window using the film attaching apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     Hereinafter, a process of attaching a film  10  to a window which may be an object  11  using the film attaching apparatus  100  according to the exemplary embodiment having the structure as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by an adhesion unit, a center of a belt member. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the pressed part  131  of the adhesion unit  130  may compress a portion corresponding to a middle portion of the object  11  in the belt member  120 . The film  10  adhering to the lower surface of the belt member  120  may be attached to the middle portion of the window  11 . Next, the adhesion unit  130  may move to the left or right. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by an adhesion unit, the belt member while the adhesion unit moving in a left direction based on a center of an object. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the film  10  may be attached to the window  11  by pressing the belt member  120  while the adhesion unit  130  moves to the left. When the adhesion unit  130  moves along the window  11  and then is positioned at the curved portion of the left edge of the window  11 , the adhesion unit  130  may be positioned to correspond to the curved surface of the window  11  while rotating clockwise. Therefore, the pressed part  131  may be vertically positioned to the virtual tangential line of the curved portion of the window  11 , a force may be uniformly applied to the belt member  120 , and the film  10  may be more stably attached to the window  11 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a diagram of a process of compressing, by the adhesion unit, the belt member while the adhesion unit moving in a right direction based on the center of the object. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the film  10  may be attached to the window  11  by pressing the belt member  120  while the adhesion unit  130  moves to the right. When the adhesion unit  130  moves along the window  11  and then is positioned at the curved portion of the right edge of the window  11 , the adhesion unit  130  may be positioned to correspond to the curved surface of the window  11  while rotating counterclockwise. 
     In an embodiment, the adhesion unit  130  may move in the left direction based on the center of the object  11  and then may move in the right direction. In an embodiment, the adhesion unit  130  may move in the right direction based on the center of the object  11  and then may move in the left direction may be possible. The movement direction of the adhesion unit  130  may be freely changed according to a design. 
     The film attaching apparatus  100  according to the exemplary embodiment having the foregoing structure may include the belt member  120  formed with the first friction reducing layer  121  (see  FIG. 1 ). It may be possible to more smoothly and rapidly move the adhesion unit  130  along the upper surface of the belt member  120  by using the first friction reducing layer  121  (see  FIG. 1 ) to reduce the friction between the adhesion unit  130  and the belt member  120 . 
     Therefore, the time to attach the film  10  may be reduced, and the tact time to attach the film  10  to the object  11  may be reduced as a whole. Therefore, when the film attaching apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment is used to manufacture the mobile communication terminal, the manufacturing time of the mobile communication terminal may be shortened, and productivity may be improved. 
     By way of summation and review, a flexible display device may include a cover window on an uppermost end of a stacked layer to protect the flexible display panel. An optical film may be interposed between the panel and the cover window. 
     When the cover window has a two-dimensional plane structure, an optical film may be attached by a comparative pressure rolling attachment scheme or vacuum surface compression scheme. 
     The comparative pressure rolling attachment scheme and vacuum surface compression scheme may generate bubbles at the time of bonding the flexible display panel to the cover window having a three-dimensional structure, which may lead to deterioration in quality of the flexible display device. 
     When the cover window has a three-dimensional shape including a curved surface, it may be difficult to machine a roller corresponding to the cover window in three dimension, and it may be difficult for the comparative pressure rolling attachment scheme to bond the three-dimensional cover window to the flexible display panel. 
     Provided is a film attaching apparatus that may easily attach an optical film to a window including a curved surface. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, the film attaching apparatus may include a belt member in which the first friction reducing layer may be formed. It may be possible to more smoothly and rapidly move the adhesion unit along the upper surface of the belt member by using the first friction reducing layer to reduce the friction between the adhesion unit and the belt member. 
     It may be possible to reduce the tact time to attach the film to the object as a whole by reducing the film attached time, and when the film attaching apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment is used to manufacture the mobile communication terminal, the manufacturing time of the mobile communication terminal may be shortened, and productivity may be improved. 
     Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In some instances, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art as of the filing of the present application, features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwise specifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.