阅读说明：本技术 显示面板切割装置 (Display panel cutting device ) 是由 朱鹏程 凌步军 袁明峰 滕宇 冯高俊 赵有伟 孙月飞 吕金鹏 冷志斌 于 2020-06-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种显示面板切割装置,所述显示面板切割装置包括第一承载台；第二承载台,与所述第一承载台间隔布置；第一驱动单元,与所述第二承载台连接,所述第一驱动单元以与所述切割槽平行的旋转轴为旋转中心,带动所述第二承载台向所述第二承载台的远离所述显示面板的一侧方向旋转,以向所述切割槽提供弯曲力；至少一对夹持单元,设置于所述第二承载台的靠近所述第一承载台的一端的台面上。利用本发明,可以使显示面板切割过程中产生的噪音和震动最小化,防止显示面板的切割部因为击打而变形或破损,从而提高切割工艺的成品率和生产性,并且可以防止因飞散的切割粉末造成显示面板的质量下降。(The invention provides a display panel cutting device, which comprises a first bearing table, a second bearing table and a cutting device, wherein the first bearing table is arranged on the first bearing table; the second bearing table is arranged at intervals with the first bearing table; the first driving unit is connected with the second bearing table, and drives the second bearing table to rotate towards one side of the second bearing table far away from the display panel by taking a rotating shaft parallel to the cutting groove as a rotating center so as to provide bending force for the cutting groove; and the clamping units are arranged on the table top at one end of the second bearing table close to the first bearing table. The invention can minimize the noise and vibration generated in the cutting process of the display panel, prevent the cutting part of the display panel from deforming or damaging due to impact, thereby improving the yield and the productivity of the cutting process, and preventing the quality of the display panel from being reduced due to scattered cutting powder.)

1. A display panel cutting apparatus, the display panel including a main area divided by a cutting groove and an area to be cut, the display panel cutting apparatus comprising:

the first bearing table is used for bearing and fixing the main area of the display panel;

the second bearing table is arranged at intervals with the first bearing table and used for bearing and fixing the area to be cut of the display panel;

the first driving unit is connected with the second bearing table, and drives the second bearing table to rotate towards one side of the second bearing table far away from the display panel by taking a rotating shaft parallel to the cutting groove as a rotating center so as to provide bending force for the cutting groove;

the clamping units are arranged on the table top of one end, close to the first bearing table, of the second bearing table, and when the display panel is clamped, the clamping units are respectively positioned on two sides of a region to be cut of the display panel;

and the second driving unit is connected with the second bearing table and moves towards one side of the second bearing table, which is far away from the display panel, so as to apply shearing force to the cutting groove.

2. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second driving unit includes a first height adjusting unit that lowers one side of the second stage, a second height adjusting unit that is spaced apart from the first height adjusting unit in an arrangement direction of the rotation shaft to lower the other side of the second stage, and a control unit that controls the first and second height adjusting units to operate to lower both sides of the second stage by different displacements.

3. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises an organic light emitting diode display panel, a liquid crystal display, or a plasma display panel.

4. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a laser and a laser beam swing unit.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a third driving unit, wherein the third driving unit drives the laser and the laser beam swing unit to move synchronously along a direction parallel to the cutting groove.

6. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 4, wherein the laser beam wobbling unit includes a reflection unit, and a fourth driving unit for driving the reflection unit to move.

7. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum pump; a plurality of first adsorption holes are formed in the table top of the first bearing table; and a plurality of second adsorption holes are formed in the table top of the second bearing table, and the first adsorption holes and the second adsorption holes are connected with the vacuum pump.

8. The display panel cutting device according to claim 7, wherein a bar-shaped groove is further disposed on the table top of the second carrying table, and a bottom of the bar-shaped groove is communicated with a portion of the second adsorption holes.

9. The display panel cutting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bar-shaped groove is disposed adjacent to the cutting groove.

10. The display panel cutting apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a fifth driving unit that drives the second stage away from or close to the first stage to provide tension to the cutting groove.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of display panel cutting, in particular to a display panel cutting device.

Background

Display panels such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), or Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are used as display devices for electronic devices such as televisions, screens, palm computers, and navigators, and when manufacturing the display panels, the production efficiency of the process is generally improved by separating a large-sized mother display panel (formed by arranging a plurality of sub-panels in a matrix form).

In order to separate the sub-panels from the mother display panel, the mother display panel may be cut by a grooving process (forming a cutting groove at the boundary of the sub-panel using a diamond cutter wheel or a laser beam), then turning the mother display panel, striking the cutting groove using a striking rod, and transmitting a crack along the cutting groove.

The existing display panel cutting device has the following problems: (1) the cutting part of the mother display panel is easy to deform or damage by striking the mother display panel with the striking rod, so that the yield and the production efficiency are reduced, especially the component part which is arranged adjacent to the cutting surface cut by striking the striking rod is subjected to the largest impact force, and the component part is damaged by the impact force, so that the reject ratio of the unit display panel is increased; (2) when a mother display panel, such as an organic light emitting diode, which is composed of an organic compound layer and can be freely bent, is cut, the hitting force of the hitting rod cannot be sequentially transmitted to the cutting groove line for buffering because of the flexibility of the mother display panel, so that the mother display panel cannot be normally cut; (3) when the mother display panel is physically hit, a large amount of glass powder generated when the mother display panel is cut scatters into the air, and the glass powder is deposited on the display panel to cause the image quality of the display panel to be reduced; (4) in order to collect the glass powder and discharge it to the outside of the clean room, a special recovery device is additionally arranged, so that the structure of the clean room becomes complicated, and the equipment cost of the clean room is increased; (5) the work environment is deteriorated due to noise and vibration generated by the impact of the striking rod.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a display panel cutting apparatus for solving the technical problems that the display panel cutting apparatus in the prior art is apt to cause deformation or breakage of a cutting portion of a mother display panel, is unsuitable for cutting a flexible display panel, is apt to generate cutting powder, requires a special cutting powder recovery apparatus, and causes deterioration of a working environment due to large noise and vibration.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a display panel cutting apparatus, the display panel including a main area divided by a cutting groove and an area to be cut, the display panel cutting apparatus including:

the first bearing table is used for bearing and fixing the main area of the display panel;

the second bearing table is arranged at intervals with the first bearing table and used for bearing and fixing the area to be cut of the display panel;

the first driving unit is connected with the second bearing table, and drives the second bearing table to rotate towards one side of the second bearing table far away from the display panel by taking a rotating shaft parallel to the cutting groove as a rotating center so as to provide bending force for the cutting groove;

and the clamping units are arranged on the table top of one end, close to the first bearing table, of the second bearing table, wherein when the display panel is clamped, the clamping units are respectively positioned on two sides of the area to be cut of the display panel.

In an optional embodiment, the display panel cutting device further includes a second driving unit connected to the second carrying table, and the second driving unit moves to a side of the second carrying table away from the display panel to apply a shearing force to the cutting groove;

in an alternative embodiment, the second driving unit includes a first elevation adjusting unit that lowers one side of the second stage, and a second elevation adjusting unit that is spaced apart from the first elevation adjusting unit in an arrangement direction of the rotation shaft to lower the other side of the second stage.

In an optional embodiment, the second driving unit further includes a control unit for controlling the first height adjusting unit and the second height adjusting unit to operate so that the two sides of the second carrier stage are lowered and displaced differently.

In an alternative embodiment, the display panel cutting apparatus further includes a laser and a laser beam swing unit.

In an optional embodiment, the display panel cutting device further includes a third driving unit, and the third driving unit drives the laser and the laser beam swinging unit to synchronously move along a direction parallel to the cutting groove.

In an alternative embodiment, the laser beam wobbling unit includes a reflection unit, and a fourth driving unit for driving the reflection unit to move.

In an optional embodiment, the display panel cutting apparatus further comprises a vacuum pump; a plurality of first adsorption holes are formed in the table top of the first bearing table; and a plurality of second adsorption holes are formed in the table top of the second bearing table, and the first adsorption holes and the second adsorption holes are connected with the vacuum pump.

In an optional embodiment, a strip-shaped groove is further arranged on the table top of the second bearing table, and the bottom of the strip-shaped groove is communicated with part of the second adsorption holes.

In an alternative embodiment, the strip-shaped groove is arranged close to the cutting groove.

In an optional embodiment, the display panel cutting device further includes a fifth driving unit, and the fifth driving unit drives the second bearing table to move away from or close to the first bearing table to provide tension to the cutting groove.

The display panel cutting device can minimize noise and vibration generated in the display panel cutting process, prevent the cutting part of the display panel from deforming or being damaged due to impact, and further improve the yield and the productivity of the cutting process;

the display panel cutting device can more easily cut display panels such as Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and the like which have flexibility;

the display panel cutting device does not need to arrange a cutting powder (such as glass powder) recovery device in a dust-free chamber, can save the cost required by the dust-free chamber equipment, and prevents the quality of the display panel from being reduced due to scattered cutting powder;

according to the display panel cutting apparatus of the present invention, the display panel can be more easily cut by applying the combined stress to the cut groove portion;

according to the display panel cutting device, the laser beam swing unit is arranged, so that the laser beam generated in the laser can form the swing laser beam after passing through the laser beam swing unit, and then the swing laser beam is formed to cut the cutting groove, so that the problem that the performance of the panel is reduced due to damage of the edge of the panel due to local cracks caused by thermal shock due to the fact that the display panel is continuously irradiated on an area can be avoided;

according to the display panel cutting device, the descending displacement difference of the two sides of the second bearing table is controlled, so that the cracks are sequentially transmitted along the grooving line, and the mother display panel can be cut more easily;

according to the display panel cutting device, the first bearing table and the second bearing table are made of porous materials, so that the main area and the area to be cut of the display panel can be respectively adsorbed on the table top of the corresponding bearing table;

according to the display panel cutting device provided by the invention, the strip-shaped groove formed on the table top of the second bearing table is utilized, so that the second bearing table can generate larger adsorption force on the area to be cut of the display panel, the area to be cut of the display panel is prevented from being separated from the table top of the second bearing table when the second bearing table moves, and sufficient adsorption can be provided for the groove cutting line part.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an operation process of the display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a laser beam swing unit of the display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement structure of suction holes of the first and second stages of the display panel cutting apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the display panel of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

It should be noted that the drawings provided in the present embodiment are only for illustrating the basic idea of the present invention, and the components related to the present invention are only shown in the drawings rather than drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation, and the type, quantity and proportion of the components in actual implementation may be changed freely, and the layout of the components may be more complicated.

Referring to fig. 1 to 7, the display panel cutting apparatus of the present invention is used for folding and cutting one side of a display panel 600, the display panel 600 is formed by arranging a plurality of sub-panels 601 in a matrix form, and a cutting line CL is formed along a boundary line of the sub-panels 601, and when cutting is performed, a cutting groove GL is formed at the cutting line CL by using a laser beam LB, and the cutting groove GL divides the display panel 600 into a main area Z1 and an area Z2 to be cut, which are connected to each other. The display panel cutting apparatus includes a first carrier 300, a second carrier 500, and a first driving unit 400. In the present invention, the display panel 600 may be a display panel such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP), or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), and may be used as a display device of an electronic device such as a television, a screen, a laptop computer, or a navigator. Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel cutting apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an operation process of the display panel cutting apparatus shown in fig. 1; fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a laser beam swing unit of a display panel cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows a side view of one embodiment of a display panel cutting apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows a side view of another embodiment of a display panel cutting apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement structure of suction holes of a first stage and a second stage of a display panel cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a plan view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first carrier 300 is used for carrying and fixing the main region Z1 of the display panel 600, and the first carrier 300 can prevent the display panel 600 from tilting upwards in the process of bending the region Z2 to be cut of the display panel 600, specifically, as shown in fig. 6, a plurality of first suction holes 301 are arranged at intervals on the table top of the first carrier 300, and the first suction holes 301 are connected with the vacuum pump (not shown) through a vacuum pipeline (not shown), so that the main region Z1 of the display panel 600 is sucked by the negative pressure provided by the vacuum pump.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the second carrier 500 is arranged at a distance from the first carrier 300, and is used for carrying and fixing the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600, and the second carrier 500 can also prevent the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 from tilting relative to the table top (upper surface, i.e. the surface in contact with the display panel 600) of the second carrier 500 during the bending process of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600, specifically, as shown in fig. 6, a plurality of second suction holes 501 are arranged on the table top of the second carrier 500 at intervals, and the second suction holes 501 are connected with the vacuum pump (not shown) through a vacuum pipeline (not shown), so that the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 is sucked through the negative pressure provided by the vacuum pump. It should be noted that the reason why the second carrier 500 is spaced apart from the first carrier 300 is that a certain margin space needs to be reserved, so that the end of the second carrier 500 and the end of the first carrier 300 do not interfere with each other during the rotation of the second carrier 500, and a gap is needed to allow the cutting powder (e.g., glass powder) generated when the display panel 600 is cut to settle.

Note that, as shown in fig. 6, since there is a difference in suction area between the main region Z1 and the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600, the suction force applied to the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 is smaller than the suction force applied to the main region Z1; and since the rotational driving force is applied by the first driving unit 400 at the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600, a greater suction force is required for the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 to prevent the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 from tilting with respect to the table top of the second carrier table 500. In order to achieve the above object, as shown in fig. 6, on the table top of the second stage 500, a groove 502 may be concavely formed in a direction parallel to the cutting groove GL, and the groove 502 is communicated with the vacuum hole. It should be noted that, in order to generate the maximum bending moment at the portion of the cutting groove GL during the bending of the display panel 600 and generate the maximum impact force and vibration at the moment of cutting the display panel 600, it is preferable to arrange the long groove (210) close to the cutting groove GL, so that the strong suction force can be applied to the lower surface of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 adjacent to the cutting groove GL.

It should be noted that, referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in an alternative embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned increasing the adsorption force between the second carrier 500 and the lower surface of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 by providing the strip groove 502, at least one pair of clamping units 900 (two pairs are shown in the drawing, but it can be understood that more than two pairs are also possible) may be provided on the table surfaces (referenced in fig. 1 and fig. 2) on the front and back sides of the display panel 600 of the second carrier 500, and when the display panel 600 is cut, the upper surface of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 may be clamped by the clamping units 900, so as to prevent the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 from tilting relative to the table surface of the second carrier 500. As an example, the clamping unit 900 includes a pedestal fixing portion 901, a clamping portion 902, and a bolt 903, the clamping unit 900 is fixed on the second carrier 500 by the pedestal fixing portion 902 (for example, the clamping unit may be fixed by a clamp and a machine base, and may also be fixed by a threaded bolt or a welding manner), the clamping portion 902 is adjustably mounted on the pedestal fixing portion 901 by the bolt 903, the distance between the clamping portion 902 and the table top of the second carrier 500 may be adjusted by rotating the bolt 903, and the edge of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600 is clamped by the bottom surface (the surface close to the second carrier 500) of the clamping portion 902 and the table top of the second carrier 500. It is understood that the clamping unit 900 may also be used with other forms of clamping fixtures such as vise. In another alternative embodiment, the two schemes of the stripe groove 502 and the clamping unit 900 may also be combined to jointly fix the region Z2 to be cut of the display panel 600.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the first driving unit 400 rotates about a rotation axis 401 parallel to the cutting groove GL, so that the second supporting platform 500 rotates in a direction in which the region Z2 to be cut of the display panel 600 bends downward. As an example, the rotation shaft 401 may be disposed on a table top of one side end portion of the second stage 500 adjacent to the first stage 300, for example, because if the rotation shaft 401 is at a lower side of the end portion of the second stage 500, during the rotation of the second stage 500, the upper side of the end portion of the second stage 500 rotates with the lower side of the end portion as an axis, the upper side of the end portion of the second stage 500 moves in a direction away from the first stage 300, and the tension is greater than the bending force at the cutting groove GL of the boundary surface of the display panel 600 and the sub-panel 601, which may cause the display panel 600 to fail to be cut or damaged; when the rotation shaft 401 is disposed above the end of the second stage 500, the upper surface of the second stage 500 is bent downward around the rotation shaft 401, so that a bending force is mainly applied to the cut groove GL of the boundary surface between the display panel 600 and the sub-panel 601, the bending force is greatest near the cut groove GL farthest from the rotation shaft 401, and the bending force is concentrated on the side of the cut groove GL to cause cracks, thereby smoothly cutting the sub-panel 601. As an example, the first driving unit 400 may be formed of a general rotary motor, or may be formed of a cylinder coupled to the other end of the second carriage 500 in a state of being hinge-coupled to one end of the second carriage 500 to rotate the second carriage 500, or may be formed of a linear motor and a rack gear to rotate the rotary shaft 401.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a laser generator for processing a cutting groove GL is disposed above the fixing table, a laser beam LB generated in the laser generator forms the cutting groove GL in the display panel 600 at a position corresponding to a predetermined cutting line CL by removing a portion of the display panel 600, and a pushing unit (not shown) for driving the mother display panel 600 to move toward the second carrier table 500 is disposed on a side of the first carrier table 300 away from the second carrier table 500. After the sub-panel 601 is cut and separated from the display panel 600, the push unit moves the display panel 600 toward the second carrier 500 such that the cut groove GL of the sub-panel 601 to be cut is positioned between the first carrier 300 and the second carrier 500, thereby continuously cutting the display panel 600.

Note that, although fig. 1 and 2 show that the cutting groove GL is formed along the cutting line CL in the main area prior to the display panel 600, then, the display panel is pushed by the pushing unit to move leftwards on the first carrier 300, so that the cutting groove GL is located at a gap position between the first carrier 300 and the second carrier 500, to complete the cutting, but it can be understood that, in some embodiments, the display panel may be pushed to move to the left on the first carrier 300 by the pushing unit, so that the cutting line CL is located at the gap between the first carrier 300 and the second carrier 500 to complete the cutting, and then cut along a cutting line CL using a laser beam LB generated in a laser generator, which will be mentioned later, to form a cutting groove, that is, the laser generator may be disposed at a position between the first carrier stage 300 and the second carrier stage 500.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the present invention, the laser generator includes a laser 100 and a laser beam LB wobbling unit that is disposed in a beam path of the laser beam LB and guides the laser beam LB onto the display panel 600 in a reciprocating manner, thereby forming a wobbling laser beam SLB. The laser beam LB emitted from the laser 100 may be pulsed, and the laser beam LB wobbling unit wobbles the laser beam LB by changing an incident inclination angle of the laser beam LB with respect to the display panel 600 at preset intervals, that is, the laser beam LB is oscillated within a predetermined beam irradiation area SA of the cutting line CL, which extends along the cutting line CL, by the laser beam LB wobbling unit. Note that, in the present embodiment, the tilt angle refers to an angle at which the wobbling laser beam SLB is incident on the surface of the display panel 600, that is, a tilt angle of the laser beam LB incident on the display panel 600 may vary with time, in other words, an angle at which the wobbling laser beam SLB is incident on the surface of the display panel 600 varies within a predetermined range (beam irradiation area SA). In the present invention, the display panel 600 is irradiated with the wobbling laser beam SLB to remove a part of the display panel 600, so that the scribe groove GL is formed in the display panel 600; specifically, the wobbling laser beam SLB reciprocates tens to hundreds of times within the beam irradiation area SA, and the laser beam LB physically removes a portion of the display panel 600 by breaking molecular bonds within the glass.

It should be noted that, in order to form the complete cutting groove GL along the cutting line CL, the laser cutting device further includes a third driving unit (not shown) for driving the laser 100 and the laser beam LB oscillating unit to synchronously move along a direction parallel to the cutting groove GL (i.e., the direction SD in fig. 1 and 2), so that the oscillating laser beam SLB moves from one end of the cutting line CL to the other end; in an alternative embodiment, the laser generator may be fixed, that is, the third driving unit is not provided, and the first supporting stage 300 is driven by a driving device to move along a direction parallel to the cutting groove GL.

As shown in fig. 3, in the present invention, the laser beam wobbling unit 200 may include, for example: a reflection unit 201 for reflecting the laser beam LB emitted from the laser 100, and a fourth driving unit 203 for driving the reflection unit. It should be noted that, although not shown, the fourth driving unit 203 may further include a motor and a controller in addition to the elements shown in fig. 3, and the fourth driving unit 203 oscillates the laser beam LB emitted from the laser 100 by controlling the movement of the reflecting unit 201. Here, the fourth driving unit 203 may selectively control the movement of the reflecting unit 201, that is, the fourth driving unit 203 may control the swing width and the swing speed of the laser beam LB by controlling the movement of the reflecting unit 201. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, by effectively and stably forming the cutting groove GL in the display panel 600 through the wobbling laser beam SLB, the high-energy laser beam LB may be prevented from being continuously irradiated onto one region of one display panel 600, so that the display panel 600 may be prevented from forming a crack at the edge of the cutting groove GL to degrade the performance of the display panel 600. This is because, when the high-energy laser beam LB is continuously irradiated in one region of the display panel 600, local cracks are formed in the region of the display panel 600 irradiated with the laser beam LB due to thermal shock, the cracks are difficult to control, and the cracks may randomly spread from the cutting line CL, thereby possibly causing random cracks at the edge of the cutting groove GL of the display panel 600 to be damaged, resulting in degradation of the performance of the display panel 600.

As shown in fig. 3, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the laser beam swing unit 200 may further include a housing 205 for accommodating the reflection unit 201 and the fourth driving unit 203. The housing 205 includes: a beam inflow port 202 for introducing a laser beam LB emitted from the laser 100; and a beam irradiation port 204 for irradiating the wobbling laser beam SLB formed after passing through the reflection unit 201 toward the display panel 600 (see fig. 1 and 2). Note that the swing width of the swing laser beam SLB may also be controlled by the size of the beam irradiation port.

In an alternative embodiment, the laser beam wobbling unit 200 may further include a focusing optical element (not shown), which may be disposed in the beam irradiation port 204, for example, for focusing the wobbling laser beam SLB into the beam irradiation area SA, and may be a focusing lens, for example. It is to be understood that the focusing optical element may also be an element separate from the laser beam wobbling unit 200. The focusing optical element may also be disposed between the laser 100 and the laser beam wobbling unit 200, or between the laser beam wobbling unit 200 and the display panel 600.

It should be noted that the display panel cutting apparatus in this embodiment cuts the display panel 600 by folding the portion formed by the cutting groove GL, not by striking the display panel 600, so that noise and vibration generated during the cutting of the display panel 600 can be minimized, and the cut portion of the display panel 600 is prevented from being deformed or broken by striking, thereby improving the yield and productivity of the process.

It should be noted that the display panel cutting apparatus of the present embodiment can cut the display panel 600 without a large impact force, and the scattering degree of the cutting powder (such as glass powder) generated during the cutting process of the display panel 600 is low. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a complicated and large-scale clean room, so that the cost required for the equipment of the clean room can be saved, and the reduction of the image quality of the display panel due to the deposition of the scattered glass powder on the display panel 600 can be prevented when the display panel is cut by the display panel cutting apparatus of the present embodiment.

When cutting the display panel 600 composed of the organic compound layer, which can be freely bent, because of the flexibility of the display panel 600, when only a bending force is applied to the cutting groove GL, it may not be smoothly cut, and therefore, as shown in fig. 4 or 5, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the display panel cutting apparatus may further include a second driving unit 700 for lowering the second stage 500(200), and the first driving unit 400 and the second driving unit 700 are simultaneously driven, so that a bending force and a shearing force may be simultaneously applied to the cutting groove GL during the bending of the region to be cut Z2 of the display panel 600. As an example, the second driving unit 700 may be composed of a linear driving member such as a cylinder or a ball screw, and the second driving unit 700 may have a lower end fixed to the ground and an upper end coupled to the first driving unit 400, and when the first driving unit 400 and the second driving unit 700 are simultaneously driven to operate, a bending force and a shearing force may be simultaneously applied to the cutting groove GL, so that a combined stress of the bending force and the shearing force may be generated, and thus a maximum main stress or a maximum shearing stress that may be generated at the cutting groove GL may become large, so that the flexible display panel 600 may be more easily cut. Note that a material having brittleness similar to the display panel 600 is broken mainly by the maximum principal stress. Here, the maximum principal stress means a vertical stress that acts on a surface to which a stress is applied, the surface having the largest vertical stress and not generating a shear stress.

When the first driving unit 400 and the second driving unit 700 are driven to operate to apply a combined stress to the entire cutting groove GL, a crack may be generated at a certain point on the cutting groove GL and move in a direction away from the cutting line CL, so that the display panel 600 may not be cut along the cutting line CL properly. In order to prevent the above situation, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the second driving unit 700 may include, for example, a first elevation adjusting unit that lowers one side of the second stage 500, a second driving portion that is spaced apart from the first elevation adjusting unit along the arrangement direction of the rotation shaft 401 and lowers the other side of the second stage 500, and a control unit that controls the first elevation adjusting unit and the second elevation adjusting unit to operate so as to lower both sides of the second stage 500 by different displacements. This is because the crack has a property of proceeding toward the weakest portion of the periphery of the crack, and if the descending displacement of one side of the second stage 500 is different from the descending displacement of the other side, the partially cut groove GL (which may function to guide the advancing direction of the crack, and may allow the crack to be sequentially transferred from one side of the cut groove GL to the other side, thereby easily separating the display panel 600.

The combined stress applied to the cutting groove GL may also be deformed as described below. Referring to fig. 5, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the display panel cutting apparatus may further include a fifth driving unit 800 for moving the second carrier 500 toward a side of the cutting groove GL close to the second carrier 500, and the first driving unit 400 and the fifth driving unit 800 are driven at the same time, so that a bending force and a tension force may be simultaneously applied to the cutting groove GL in a process of bending the region Z2 to be cut of the display panel 600. The fifth driving unit 800 may employ various linear driving members, like the second driving unit 700, for example, a top end portion of the second driving unit 700 is fixed to the first driving unit 400, and a bottom end of the second driving unit 700 is coupled to a guide rail provided inside the third driving unit, so that the driving members may be moved in a horizontal direction by a linear motor or the like. By simultaneously driving the first driving unit 400 and the fifth driving unit 800, a combined stress of a bending force and a tensile force may be generated at the cutting groove GL, and the maximum principal stress that most affects the fracture of the brittle material may become large after the stress is combined, so that the display panel 600 may be more easily cut. On this basis, in yet another alternative embodiment, the first driving unit 400, the second driving unit 700, and the fifth driving unit 800 may also be driven at the same time, and a combined stress of a bending force, a shearing force, and a tensile force may be generated at the cutting groove GL.

In summary, the display panel cutting apparatus of the present invention can minimize noise and vibration generated during the cutting process of the display panel, and prevent the cutting portion of the display panel from being deformed or damaged due to impact, thereby improving the yield and productivity of the cutting process; the display panel cutting device can more easily cut display panels such as Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and the like which have flexibility; the display panel cutting device does not need to arrange a cutting powder (such as glass powder) recovery device in a dust-free chamber, can save the cost required by the dust-free chamber equipment, and prevents the quality of the display panel from being reduced due to scattered cutting powder; according to the display panel cutting apparatus of the present invention, the display panel can be more easily cut by applying the combined stress to the cut groove portion; according to the display panel cutting device, the laser beam swing unit is arranged, so that the laser beam generated in the laser can form the swing laser beam after passing through the laser beam swing unit, and then the swing laser beam is formed to cut the cutting groove, so that the problem that the performance of the panel is reduced due to damage of the edge of the panel due to local cracks caused by thermal shock due to the fact that the display panel is continuously irradiated on an area can be avoided; according to the display panel cutting device, the descending displacement difference of the two sides of the second bearing table is controlled, so that the cracks are sequentially transmitted along the grooving line, and the mother display panel can be cut more easily; according to the display panel cutting device, the first bearing table and the second bearing table are made of porous materials, so that the main area and the area to be cut of the display panel can be respectively adsorbed on the table top of the corresponding bearing table; according to the display panel cutting device provided by the invention, the strip-shaped groove formed on the table top of the second bearing table is utilized, so that the second bearing table can generate larger adsorption force on the area to be cut of the display panel, the area to be cut of the display panel is prevented from being separated from the table top of the second bearing table when the second bearing table moves, and sufficient adsorption can be provided for the groove cutting line part.

In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", or "a specific embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment, and not necessarily all embodiments, of the present invention. Thus, the various appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements shown in the figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed for inoperability in some circumstances or provided for usefulness in accordance with a particular application.

Additionally, any reference arrows in the drawings/figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise expressly specified. Further, as used herein, the term "or" is generally intended to mean "and/or" unless otherwise indicated. Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless otherwise indicated. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless otherwise indicated, the meaning of "in …" includes "in …" and "on … (on)".

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the abstract of the specification, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to the present invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the present invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The systems and methods have been described herein in general terms as the details aid in understanding the invention. Furthermore, various specific details have been given to provide a general understanding of the embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, and/or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.

Thus, although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Thus, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in following claims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.