Patent Abstract:
A tray for a flat display panel. The tray includes a frame including a seating portion on which the flat display panel sits; a clamping device for clamping the panel so as not to be separated from the seating portion; and a size adjusting device for adjusting a size of the frame to correspond to a size of the panel. The tray allows the frame to be safely and firmly supported and transported, thereby greatly preventing the panel from being damaged during an examination of the panel and improving efficiency of the examination.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0127256, filed on Nov. 30, 2011, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The following description relates to a tray for supporting a flat display panel. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, during manufacturing of a flat display panel, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel or a liquid crystal panel, there is a need to perform an examination for examining whether the flat display panel has a defect. 
         [0006]    So far, a flat display panel has been transferred without using additional protective equipment during the examination. However, the flat display panel is often damaged during transfer of the flat display panel. Recently, as flat display panels have become large, a flat display panel may more likely to be damaged when being transferred. In particular, since an OLED panel does not include a backlight unit, such as a liquid crystal panel, the OLED panel has relatively low rigidity, and thus, the OLED panel may be easily damaged when being transferred. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there is a need to develop a method of easily transferring and examining a flat display panel. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a tray that enables a user to safely and effectively handle a flat display panel. 
         [0009]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a tray capable of being effectively used to safely transport the flat display panel during handling. 
         [0010]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a tray for a flat display panel, the tray including: a frame including a seating portion on which the flat display panel sits; a clamping device for clamping the panel so as not to be separated from the seating portion; and a size adjusting device for adjusting a size of the frame to correspond to a size of the flat display panel. 
         [0011]    The clamping device may include: a push lever that is rotatably installed on the frame; and a spring for providing elastic force so that the push lever presses the panel in a direction of the seating portion. 
         [0012]    The clamping device may include: a pair of rotational blocks that are rotatably installed on the frame; a push bar connected to the rotational blocks; and a plurality of fixing fins for respectively fixing the rotational blocks when the panel is pressed in a direction of the seating portion and when the pressing of the panel is released. 
         [0013]    The clamping device may include: a plurality of belts installed on the frame; and a fastening device for connecting the belts to the panel on a side of the panel facing oppositely away from the seating portion so that the fastening device is tightly held (adhered) to the panel. 
         [0014]    A plurality of bumping members may be each installed at a contact portion between an edge portion of the panel and the frame. 
         [0015]    The bumping member may include at least one selected from the group consisting of urethane and silicon. 
         [0016]    The frame may include a plurality of pieces that connect to one another, wherein the size adjusting device may include: a plurality of slide bars that connect the pieces to allow the pieces to approach one another or to move away from one another; and a fastening device for fixing the pieces to the slide bars. 
         [0017]    The fastening device may have a plurality of fastener holes formed in the pieces and a plurality of fasteners for inserting into the fastener holes to be compressed against and fastened with the slide bars. 
         [0018]    A plurality of transferring rollers may be installed on at least one surface of the frame to move along a transfer rail. 
         [0019]    A plurality of slide guides may be installed on a surface facing the transferring rollers of the frame to be slidably coupled to the transfer rail. 
         [0020]    A connecting portion may be installed in the frame to be electrically coupled to the panel. 
         [0021]    The tray may further include a plurality of handles on the frame. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]    The above and other features and principles of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0023]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a clamping device included in the tray shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of a size adjusting device included in the tray shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is a view showing a process of changing a size of a frame by using the size adjusting device shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 5  is a view showing the tray of  FIG. 1  that is used by a user; 
           [0028]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  show operations of a clamping device of the tray shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are perspective views of a tray for a flat display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    Now, an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. 
         [0034]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the tray includes a frame  100  including a seating portion  110  on which a panel  10  is seated, a plurality of clamping devices  200  for clamping the panel  10  so as not to be separated from the seating portion  110 , and a size adjusting device  300  for adjusting a size of the frame  100  to correspond to a size of the panel  10 . 
         [0036]    First, the frame  100  forms an outer frame for supporting the panel  10  and has a structure in which a plurality of pieces  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 , and  105  are connected to one another. As such, the frame  100  is formed of the plurality of pieces  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 , and  105  to adjust a size of the frame  100  by using the size adjusting device  300 , which will be described below. An edge of the panel  10  is seated on and supported by the seating portion  110  disposed at an inner side of the frame  100 . 
         [0037]    The clamping devices  200  clamp the panel  10  seated on the seating portion  110  so that the panel  10  is not separated from the seating portion  110 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the clamping devices  200  include a push lever  210  that is rotatably disposed on a supporting block  230  formed on the frame  100  and a spring  220  for providing elastic force so that the push lever  210  presses the panel  10  in a direction of the seating portion  110 . Accordingly, after seating the panel  10  on the seating portion  110  and then rotating the push lever  210 , the push lever  210  presses the panel  10  toward the seating portion  110  by elastic force of the spring  220 , thereby preventing the panel  10  from being separated from the seating portion  110 . The clamping devices  200  are installed at a plurality of locations to secure or prevent the panel  10  from being separated from the seating portion  110 . A range within which elastic force of the spring  220  acts may be designed in such a way that the push lever  210  stops when standing perpendicularly with respect to the frame  100  or that the push lever  210  falls to the opposite side at a moment when the push lever  210  exceeds a perpendicularly standing state to be tightly held (adhered) to the frame  100 , like a toggle switch. In other words, if the push lever  210  may safely press the panel  10  disposed on the seating portion  110 , a range within which the push lever  210  rotates may be changed freely. Reference numeral  211  denotes a pressing member contacting the panel  10 , and the pressing member  211  may be formed of a flexible material, e.g., rubber. 
         [0038]    Next, the size adjusting device  300 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a plurality of slide bars  310  that slidably connect the pieces  101  to  105  of the frame  100  to one another and a plurality of fasteners  320  that are compressed against the slide bars  310  via a plurality of fastener holes  100   a  formed in the pieces  101  to  105  to be fastened with the slide bars  310 . In other words, an entire size of the frame  100  is adjusted by allowing the pieces  101  to  105  to approach one another or to move away from one another based on the slide bars  310 , and in this state, the fasteners  320  are fastened in the fastener holes  100   a  to be fixed. Accordingly, the fasteners  320  may be loosened to gather the pieces  101  to  105  along the slide bars  310  and then to assemble the pieces  101  to  105  so that the frame  100  having a large size, as shown in an upper drawing of  FIG. 4 , may be changed to the frame  100  having a small size as shown in a lower drawing of  FIG. 4 . The upper drawing of  FIG. 4  shows a maximum size of the frame  100 , and the lower drawing of  FIG. 4  shows a minimum size of the frame  100 . The size of the frame  100  may be adjusted to correspond to various suitable sizes of the panel  10 , by using the size adjusting device  300  within the maximum and minimum sizes of the frame  100 . 
         [0039]    The tray may be effectively used during an examination of the panel  10 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . In other words, the panel  10  is seated on and tightly clamped to the frame  100  of which the size is adjusted to correspond to the size of the panel  10 , and then the panel  10  seated on the frame  100  is moved along a transfer rail  20  used during the examination of the panel  10 , and thus, a worker  1  may perform the examination. Accordingly, an OLED panel that has relatively low rigidity compared to a liquid crystal panel may be stably supported by the tray and transferred, thereby protecting the panel  10  from being damaged. Reference numeral  120  that has not been described with reference to  FIG. 1  denotes a connecting portion that is electrically coupled to the panel  10  seated on the frame  100 . In other words, the panel  10  seated on the frame  100  and the connecting portion  120  are electrically coupled to each other in the frame  100 , and a signal line is connected to the connecting portion  120  during the examination of the panel  10  to examine a state of the panel  10 . Consequently, the panel  10  may be safely handled by using the tray of the current embodiment, the panel  10  may be conveniently and rapidly examined by using the connecting portion  120 , and the worker  1  may freely see front and rear surfaces of the panel  10  on the transfer rail  20 . Accordingly, the examination may be effectively performed. 
         [0040]    Hereinafter, modified embodiments of the tray according to the above-described embodiment will be described. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The tray of the current embodiment includes the frame  100 , the size adjusting devices  300 , as described above, and a plurality of clamping devices  500 . Accordingly, a size of the frame  100  is adjusted to correspond to a size of the panel  10  by using the size adjusting devices  300 , the panel  10  is seated on the frame  100 , and the panel  10  is tightly clamped to the frame  100  by using the clamping devices  500 , and thus an examination of the panel  10  is performed. 
         [0042]    However, in the current embodiment, the clamping devices  500  are differently configured from the clamping devices  200  of the above-described embodiment. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the push lever  210  presses the panel  10  to fix the panel  10 , while in the current embodiment, a push bar  510  having a long bar shape presses the panel  10  to fix the panel  10 .  FIGS. 7A and 7B  show a structure and operations of the clamping device  500 . Referring to  FIGS. 7A and 7B , a pair of rotational blocks  520  are rotatably formed on the frame  100 , and the push bar  510  is connected to the rotational blocks  520 . Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 7A , the panel  10  is seated on a seating portion  110  when the push bar  510  is raised, and then if the rotational blocks  520  are rotated as shown in  FIG. 7B , the push bar  510  presses the panel  10  to be fixed onto the seating portion  110 . In this instance, since the push bar  510  should not be freely moved in an unlocked state, as shown in  FIG. 7A , or in a locked state, as shown in  FIG. 7B , a plurality of fixing fins  530  are inserted into the rotational blocks  520  via a plurality of fixing blocks  540 , respectively, to fix the push bar  510 . Accordingly, the tray of the current embodiment provides a structure in which the panel  10  may be safely and tightly supported. 
         [0043]    Next,  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel, according to another embodiment of the present invention. A clamping device  600  of the current embodiment is differently configured from those of the above-described embodiments. In other words, in the current embodiment, a plurality of belts  612  are fastened using a fastening device  620  to fix the panel  10  instead of pressing the panel  10  by using the push lever  210  or the push bar  510  to fix the panel  10 . That is, the belts  612  installed in the frame  100  are connected to each other via the fastening device  620  to be tightly held (adhered) to the panel  10  on a side of the panel  10  facing opposite away from the seating portion  110 . Thus, the panel  10  is bound by the belts  612  to be supported by the belts  612  so as not to be separated from the seating portion  110 . Accordingly, the panel  10  may be supported by using not only a push member, but also the belts  612 . 
         [0044]    Next,  FIGS. 9A and 9B  are perspective views of a tray for a flat display panel, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The current embodiment exemplifies a structure in which the tray may be easily moved along the transfer rail  20  (see  FIG. 5 ). In other words,  FIG. 9A  shows an upper surface of the frame  100  and  FIG. 9B  shows a lower surface of the frame  100 . As shown in  FIG. 9B , a plurality of transferring rollers  720  are installed on the lower surface of the frame  100  to move along the transfer rail  20 . A plurality of slide guides  710  are installed on the upper surface opposite to the lower surface of the frame  100 , as shown in  FIG. 9A . Accordingly, if the transfer rail  20  is formed to match with the slide guides  710  and the transferring rollers  720 , the panel  10  may be smoothly moved to be examined by using the tray of the current embodiment. 
         [0045]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a tray for a flat display panel, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The tray of the current embodiment has a structure in which a plurality of bumping members  800  are installed in the seating portion  110  of the frame  100 . In other words, an edge portion of the panel  10  contacts the frame  100 , and the edge portion of the panel  10  may often collide with the frame  100  during handling of the tray, and thus, a contact portion between the edge portion of the panel  10  and the frame  100  may be damaged. Accordingly, the bumping members  800  may be installed on the contact portion to cushion the impact. The bumping members  800  may be formed of urethane or silicon. Thus, according to the current embodiment, the panel  10  may be safely supported to prevent damage due to impact. 
         [0046]    A plurality of handles  400  may be installed on all the above-described frames  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , to facilitate handling of the trays. 
         [0047]    While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims, and equivalents thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1