Full-automatic processing method of automotive PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal)

Abstract

The invention discloses a full-automatic processing method of PDLC for a vehicle. After all the machining procedures of the front face are completed, face grinding and overturning are conducted, and all the procedures of the back face continue to be machined; a semi-manufactured power-on detector is inserted in the back face machining process to confirm the resistance distribution condition in the front face machining process, and finally a five-in-one integrated detection device is used for conducting finished product detection; namely, the electrified semi-finished automatic inspection is carried out after the front whole process is completed and the back silver paste is completed. In the process of etching the sub-regions, the new production line supports products which are etched in the sub-regions to be guided into the production line; and a post-etching processing mode is also supported to be constructed in the same production line, and full-automatic processing production can be implemented. Therefore, repeated conversion of the front and back mold surfaces is not needed; the requirement for manual or turnover equipment can be greatly reduced, meanwhile, poor machining caused by factors of the manual or turnover equipment is avoided, the productivity is improved, and the production cost is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of diaphragm assembly technology, specifically a fully automated processing method for automotive PDLCs. Background Technology

[0002] Automotive PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) dimming film, as a smart dimming material, is widely used in automotive glass, partitions, sunroofs and other parts. It can quickly switch between light transmission and fogging states, improving driving comfort and privacy.

[0003] Traditional PDLC film processing methods typically employ a segmented production process, where the front and back sides are processed separately before subsequent steps. This approach presents several problems: First, low production efficiency: Traditional processes require multiple flipping of the PDLC film between the front and back sides, increasing equipment complexity and extending production cycle time, making it difficult to meet the demands of large-scale automated production. Furthermore, frequent manual flipping or equipment changes can easily lead to film displacement, scratches, or misalignment, affecting product yield. Second, delayed inspection: Traditional power-on inspection is usually performed after all processes are completed, failing to provide real-time feedback on the quality of zonal etching or conductive layers during the process. This results in defective products flowing into subsequent processes, increasing scrap rates and rework costs. Additionally, the reliance on equipment is high, with some processes still requiring manual operation or dedicated flipping equipment, leading to high labor costs and limiting the flexibility and intelligent upgrading of the production line.

[0004] To address this issue, a fully automated processing method for automotive PDLCs is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a fully automated processing method for automotive PDLCs, which eliminates the need for repeated front and back face conversions; it greatly reduces the need for manual labor or equipment flipping, while avoiding processing defects caused by manual labor or equipment flipping, increasing production capacity, and significantly reducing production costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a fully automated processing method for automotive PDLCs, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Dual-Roll Film Loading: When using the film for the first time, manual or mechanical tools are required to load the dimming film rolls into the dual-roll film loading area. The rolls are then sequentially passed through all tensioning rollers and into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed at the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be performed according to the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The settings are now complete; Step 2: Establishing Front Marking Points: Visually locate and read the defect marks made on the edge of the roll film. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, laser equipment will be used to mark the product during the cutting process in the marked area. Figure 1 An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner, while the other three "+" signs are left unmarked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. Step 3: Front-side partition etching: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of partition lines 1-6, partition processing line method; Step 4: Cleaning the front LCD screen: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in regions A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning process. Step 5: Frontal laser half-cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser partial cutting processing of areas A1 and A2; Step 6: Tension Control and Front-Side Half-Cut Waste Removal: When processing the first sheet, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second sheet, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is removed manually or with the assistance of an assist arm and replaced with a new waste removal roller. The first waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll, after being manually fixed, and then the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 7: Coating and online curing of the front silver paste: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1The silver paste coating area in zones A1 and A2 is processed, and the silver paste is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Step 8: Front conductive adhesive bonding: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding process. Step 9: Applying and curing the front sealant: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating area in zones A1 and A2 is processed, and the sealant is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Step 10: The production line is on the second floor with the front side on the second floor and the back side on the first floor. The tension rollers control the film tension and adjust the conveying direction to move the production line from the second floor to the first floor for processing, forming an automatic flipping process from the front processing area to the back processing area. Step 11: Reverse LCD cleaning: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in zone B; liquid crystal cleaning process. Step 12: Reverse laser half-cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser partial cutting processing of the upper B area; laser partial cutting processing; Step 13: Tension Control and Reverse Half-Cut Waste Removal: When processing the first sheet, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second sheet, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is removed manually or with the assistance of a power arm and replaced with a new waste removal roller. The first waste sheet after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll, after being manually fixed, and then the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 14: Coating and online curing of the reverse silver paste: Product Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in Zone B is processed, and the silver paste is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste coating with drying and curing. Step 15: Power-on and Zoned Inspection: This workstation mainly performs semi-automatic power-on and zoned etching inspection of the roll film, based on the product... Figure 1 For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an X mark to the bottom right corner so that the FPC won't be pasted on; Step 16: Reverse conductive adhesive bonding: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the conductive adhesive bonding area in area B; conductive adhesive bonding process. Step 17: Vertical multi-roll tension control: By adding a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls, the offset of the conveying direction is corrected and adjusted to prevent the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability of the conveying film. Step 18: Laser Full Cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser full-area cutting processing in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4; laser full-area cutting processing. Step 19: Roll Film Full Cut Waste Removal: After all the above stations, whether it is defective or good product, the remaining roll film after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is moved out and replaced with a new waste roll roller by manual labor or with the assistance of a power arm. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first roll full cut waste removal. After being fixed manually, the fully cut waste film sheet is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Step 20: Roll-up truss transfer: The fully cut sheet-like membrane is lifted to a certain height by the suction cup module in the truss using the truss transfer method and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. Step 21: Electrode FPC bonding: This consists of a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding platform for FPCs. The platform has multiple CCD vision positioning holes, which are used to position the diaphragm delivered by the truss and to precisely bond the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot. Step 22: Applying and curing the front sealant: Product Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2 The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, and the sealant is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. Step 23: Six-axis robot transport; The six-axis robot is programmed to automatically transport materials back and forth to the designated points according to the transport path. Step 24: Defective Product Inspection and Handling; After the diaphragm arrives at this station, the FPC connector on the diaphragm is inserted into the station's inlet by the station's six-axis robot for inspection. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm charge due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging burst point test; 5. AOI inspection of appearance. If the inspection determines it to be a defective product, it will be transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. If the inspection result is a good product, it will be transferred to the automatic packaging station by the six-axis robot, where protective material will be mixed between two finished diaphragms according to the packaging definition. Step 25: Automated feeding and packaging of finished products; a six-axis robot places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the finished film sheets reach the specified packaging quantity, a forklift handling device removes the packaging box, and the lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging. This action is repeated.

[0007] Preferably, in step 1, the front-side workstation includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, partition etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing; the back-side workstation includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front-side waste removal device.

[0008] Preferably, in step 2, the laser marking parameters are as follows: the imported one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional code QRCODE or specified graphics, symbols, and text are input into the central control center; then the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21 are set, with a wavelength range of 955-1070nm, a frequency range of 1-4000kHz, an energy range of 0.1-3J / sec, and the processing thickness of the PDLC ranging from 0.05-0.5mm, the processing speed ranging from 10-10000mm / sec, the partition line diameter filling density ranging from 0.002-0.05mm, and the processing line diameter width ranging from 0.02-10mm.

[0009] Preferably, in step 2, the defect marking is automatically fed after manual film feeding of the PDLC roll → visual scanning of defect points → gantry mechanism is started to find the coordinates of defect points → laser marking machine marks the defect points → film is fed into automatic take-up and rewinding → the marking parameters of the whole roll are saved to disk or stored in the database.

[0010] Preferably, in step 3, the etching method is as follows: the SPD film is placed on the negative pressure platform of the ultraviolet laser cutting machine, and the negative pressure machine is turned on to create a negative pressure environment on the platform, thereby adsorbing and fixing the SPD film on top; the cutting pattern parameters that have been tested are set and imported into the system of the ultraviolet laser cutting machine, and then the ultraviolet laser parameters are adjusted to ensure that the ultraviolet laser cutting machine can operate according to the parameters; by activating the (visual positioning + height positioning) on ​​the Z-axis of the ultraviolet laser cutting machine, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are synchronously controlled to cooperate with each other (visual positioning + height positioning). The ITO is cut using the aforementioned cutting pattern parameters. The ultraviolet laser on the cutting machine is used for cutting, and the processing accuracy is controlled by a vision CCD positioning on the Z-axis, a laser height positioner, and a dedicated motion control card. When the ultraviolet laser parameters are adjusted to perform the cutting action, the ultraviolet beam will penetrate the protective film and PET film on the upper layer of the SPD that do not absorb the beam energy and directly cut or block the metal conductive layer ITO that absorbs the beam energy. This divides the SPD film into two or more regions, and after the current is applied, the effect of full-area light transmission or partial-area light transmission is achieved through appropriate control.

[0011] Preferably, in step 5, the relevant parameters for laser half-cutting are set as follows: laser wavelength range is 8.5-10.7µm; frequency range is 1-150kHz; energy range is 0.1-3J / sec; PDLC processing thickness range is 0.05-0.5mm; processing speed range is 10-1500mm / s; processing wire diameter width range is 0.02-0.3mm; and the specifications of the online follow-up height adjustment instrument are as follows: height testing module: laser light module; accuracy requirement: 2µm-5µm; communication mode: online communication type real-time height difference feedback.

[0012] Preferably, in step 8, the length range of the feeding roll and the take-up roll is 1m-200m; the minimum to maximum bonding length range is 20mm-1800mm; the minimum processing size of the equipment is 300*300mm; the width range of the film roll is 1mm-20mm; the bonding speed range is 10-500mm / s; and the processing history data is output in the following ways: online display and Excel record.

[0013] Preferably, in step 10, a six-axis robot is used with two external mechanisms: a four-pin resistance meter detection module and a wiping module; supplemented by vision positioning, a negative pressure platform, and a Y-axis exchange table; the processing path and wiping path are programmed by a PLC or industrial control computer, and the drawing data to be processed is imported into the program for precise detection and processing.

[0014] Preferably, in step 18, the laser generator used for laser full cutting should, in addition to using a CO2 infrared laser (IR), also use a green laser (530nm), an ultraviolet laser (355nm), or a higher-order picosecond laser or femtosecond laser, in accordance with the processing requirements and the designed production capacity.

[0015] Preferably, in step 21, the supply silo is mainly divided into 2 zones and 6 parts. The 2 zones refer to the FPC tray area and the empty tray area. The 6 parts are: 1. An automatic FPC positioning area with FPC trays; 2. A customized magazine-type automatic feeding device for the tray area; 3. Single trays carrying FPCs can be customized according to requirements; 4. When the FPCs on a tray are used up, the tray is moved to the empty tray area; 5. The carrying devices for both empty trays and FPC trays are mobile trolleys; 6. The trolleys are powered manually or mechanically, and after entering the device, they are mechanically positioned and secured to prevent displacement. The six-axis robot is equipped with 2 sets of devices: one set is an FPC-modeling gripping fixture used to accurately grip FPC modules; the other set is equipped with a vision CCD for positioning the film for bonding. Through the programmed path and the CCD-assisted positioning, the FPC can be accurately positioned and bonded to the film on the table.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. This invention patent involves completing all processing steps on the front side before grinding and flipping the surface to continue processing all steps on the back side. During back side processing, an electrical test is inserted to check the resistance distribution during front side processing. Finally, a five-in-one integrated inspection device is used for finished product inspection. This method employs a globally pioneering online continuous waste removal system for electrode area semi-cutting (PET+ITO film); that is, automatic electrical inspection of the semi-finished product is performed after all front side processing steps and back side silver paste application. In processes with etching zones, this new production line supports the import of products with pre-etched zones; it also supports post-etching processing within the same production line and can implement fully automated production. This eliminates the need for repeated front and back side conversions, significantly reducing the need for manual labor or flipping equipment, avoiding processing defects caused by manual labor or flipping equipment, increasing production capacity, and greatly reducing production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the processed product of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the processed product of the present invention. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will now be described in more detail by way of examples. These examples are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

[0019] This invention provides a technical solution: a fully automated processing method for automotive PDLCs, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Dual-Roll Film Loading: When using the film for the first time, manual or mechanical tools are required to load the dimming film rolls into the dual-roll film loading area. The rolls are then sequentially passed through all tensioning rollers and into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed at the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be performed according to the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The settings are now complete; Step 2: Establishing Front Marking Points: Visually locate and read the defect marks made on the edge of the roll film. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, laser equipment will be used to mark the product during the cutting process in the marked area. Figure 1An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner, while the other three "+" signs are left unmarked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. Step 3: Front-side partition etching: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of partition lines 1-6, partition processing line method; Step 4: Cleaning the front LCD screen: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in regions A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning process. Step 5: Frontal laser half-cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser partial cutting processing of areas A1 and A2; Step 6: Tension Control and Front-Side Half-Cut Waste Removal: When processing the first sheet, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second sheet, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is removed manually or with the assistance of an assist arm and replaced with a new waste removal roller. The first waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll, after being manually fixed, and then the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 7: Coating and online curing of the front silver paste: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in zones A1 and A2 is processed, and the silver paste is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Step 8: Front conductive adhesive bonding: Product Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding process. Step 9: Applying and curing the front sealant: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating area in zones A1 and A2 is processed, and the sealant is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Step 10: The production line is on the second floor with the front side on the second floor and the back side on the first floor. The tension rollers control the film tension and adjust the conveying direction to move the production line from the second floor to the first floor for processing, forming an automatic flipping process from the front processing area to the back processing area. Step 11: Reverse LCD cleaning: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in zone B; liquid crystal cleaning process. Step 12: Reverse laser half-cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser partial cutting processing of the upper B area; laser partial cutting processing; Step 13: Tension Control and Reverse Half-Cut Waste Removal: When processing the first sheet, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second sheet, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is removed manually or with the assistance of a power arm and replaced with a new waste removal roller. The first waste sheet after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll, after being manually fixed, and then the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 14: Coating and online curing of the reverse silver paste: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1The silver paste coating area in Zone B is processed, and the silver paste is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste coating with drying and curing. Step 15: Power-on and Zoned Inspection: This workstation mainly performs semi-automatic power-on and zoned etching inspection of the roll film, based on the product... Figure 1 For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an X mark to the bottom right corner so that the FPC won't be pasted on; Step 16: Reverse conductive adhesive bonding: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the conductive adhesive bonding area in area B; conductive adhesive bonding process. Step 17: Vertical multi-roll tension control: By adding a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls, the offset of the conveying direction is corrected and adjusted to prevent the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability of the conveying film. Step 18: Laser Full Cut: Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser full-area cutting processing in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4; laser full-area cutting processing. Step 19: Roll Film Full Cut Waste Removal: After all the above stations, whether it is defective or good product, the remaining roll film after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is moved out and replaced with a new waste roll roller by manual labor or with the assistance of a power arm. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first roll full cut waste removal. After being fixed manually, the fully cut waste film sheet is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Step 20: Roll-up truss transfer: The fully cut sheet-like membrane is lifted to a certain height by the suction cup module in the truss using the truss transfer method and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. Step 21: Electrode FPC bonding: This consists of a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding platform for FPCs. The platform has multiple CCD vision positioning holes, which are used to position the diaphragm delivered by the truss and to precisely bond the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot. Step 22: Applying and curing the front sealant: Product Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2 The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, and the sealant is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. Step 23: Six-axis robot transport; The six-axis robot is programmed to automatically transport materials back and forth to the designated points according to the transport path. Step 24: Defective Product Inspection and Handling; After the diaphragm arrives at this station, the FPC connector on the diaphragm is inserted into the station's inlet by the station's six-axis robot for inspection. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm charge due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging burst point test; 5. AOI inspection of appearance. If the inspection determines it to be a defective product, it will be transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. If the inspection result is a good product, it will be transferred to the automatic packaging station by the six-axis robot, where protective material will be mixed between two finished diaphragms according to the packaging definition. Step 25: Automated feeding and packaging of finished products; a six-axis robot places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the finished film sheets reach the specified packaging quantity, a forklift handling device removes the packaging box, and the lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging. This action is repeated.

[0020] Example 1: When first using it, manual or mechanical tools are required to adjust the dimming film roll to the double-roll feeding area, and then sequentially pass it through all the tensioning equipment rollers into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed in the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be in accordance with the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The setup is complete; the defect marks made on the edge of the film are visually located and read. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, a laser device will be used to mark the product during the cutting process in the marked area. Figure 1 An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner; the other three "+" signs are not marked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of sections 1-6, section processing line method; products Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in sections A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting is performed in areas A1 and A2. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste discharge roller of the waste collection and discharge device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste discharge roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm removed and replaced with a new waste discharge roller. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste discharge of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly automatically wound up. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste is applied to areas A1 and A2, and then cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste application and drying / curing. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding processing; product. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating areas in zones A1 and A2 are processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing; tension rollers control the membrane tension and adjust the conveying direction, automatically flipping the conveyed membrane to the reverse side for processing; the product... Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in Zone B; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting processing is performed in area B. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove it and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste removal of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in zone B is processed, and the silver paste is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This workstation primarily performs semi-automatic power-on and zone etching inspection of the roll film, focusing on product quality. Figure 1 For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an "X" mark to the bottom right corner of the product so that it won't be labeled with an FPC sticker; Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The conductive adhesive bonding area in zone B is processed; conductive adhesive bonding is performed; a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls is added to correct the offset of the conveying direction, preventing the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1Laser full-cut processing is performed in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4. After all the above stations, regardless of whether the film is defective or good, the remaining film rolls after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first full-cut waste roll. After being manually fixed, the fully cut waste roll film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. The fully cut film sheet is lifted by the suction cup module in the truss and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. There is a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding table for FPC. The table has multiple CCD vision positioning holes for positioning the film sheet delivered by the truss and for the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot to perform precise bonding. Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2 The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. A six-axis robot, programmed to automatically move the diaphragm along the transport path, automatically moves it to and from the workstation. Upon arrival, the diaphragm is inspected by the six-axis robot, which inserts the FPC connector onto the diaphragm into the workstation's inlet. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm illumination due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging and burst point testing; 5. AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) of the diaphragm's appearance. If a product is deemed defective, it is transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. When the inspection result is good, the product is transferred to the automatic packaging station by a six-axis robot. According to the packaging definition, the protective material is mixed between two finished film sheets. The six-axis robot then places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the number of finished film sheets reaches the specified packaging quantity, the packaging box is removed by a forklift handling device. The lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging, and this action is repeated.

[0021] Example 2: In Example 1, the following steps are added: In step 1, the front-side workstation includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, partition etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing. The back-side workstation includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front-side waste removal device.

[0022] In step 2, the laser marking parameters are as follows: The imported 1D barcode or 2D QR code, or specified graphics, symbols, or text, is input into the central control unit; then, the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21 are set: wavelength range of 955–1070 nm, frequency range of 1–4000 kHz, energy range of 0.1–3 J / sec, PDLC processing thickness range of 0.05–0.5 mm, processing speed range of 10–10000 mm / sec, partition line diameter filling density range of 0.002–0.05 mm, and processing line diameter width range of 0.02–10 mm; Defect marking is achieved through automatic feeding of the PDLC roll after manual film feeding → visual scanning of defect points → activating the gantry mechanism to find the coordinates of the defect points → laser marking machine marking → film feeding into the automatic take-up and rewinding → saving the marking parameters of the entire roll to disk or in the database.

[0023] When first using it, manual or mechanical tools are required to adjust the dimming film roll to the double-roll feeding area, and then sequentially pass it through all the tensioning equipment rollers into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed in the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be in accordance with the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The setup is complete; the front station includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, zone etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing. The back station includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front waste removal device. The defect marks made on the edge of the roll film are visually located and read. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, laser equipment will be used to mark the product during the marking area cutting process. Figure 1An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner, while the other three "+" signs are left unmarked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. The laser marking parameters are: import a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional code (QR code) or a specified graphic, symbol, or text into the central control platform; then set the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21, with a wavelength range of 955–1070 nm, a frequency range of 1–4000 kHz, and an energy range of 0.1–3 J / se. c. The processing thickness range of PDLC is 0.05~0.5mm, the processing speed range is 10~10000mm / sec, the zoned wire diameter filling density range is 0.002~0.05mm, and the processing wire diameter width range is 0.02~10mm; the defect marking process involves: PDLC roll film is manually drawn and then automatically unloaded → visual scanning of defect points → gantry mechanism is activated to find the coordinates of defect points → laser marking machine marks the defects → film is drawn into automatic take-up and rewinding → the marking parameters of the entire roll are saved to disk or in the database. Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of sections 1-6, section processing line method; products Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in sections A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting is performed in areas A1 and A2. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste discharge roller of the waste collection and discharge device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste discharge roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm removed and replaced with a new waste discharge roller. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste discharge of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly automatically wound up. Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste is applied to areas A1 and A2, and then cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste application and drying / curing. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding processing; product. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating areas in zones A1 and A2 are processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing; tension rollers control the membrane tension and adjust the conveying direction, automatically flipping the conveyed membrane to the reverse side for processing; the product... Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in Zone B; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting processing is performed in area B. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove it and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste removal of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in zone B is processed, and the silver paste is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This workstation primarily performs semi-automatic power-on and zone etching inspection of the roll film, focusing on product quality. Figure 1For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an "X" mark to the bottom right corner of the product so that it won't be labeled with an FPC sticker; Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The conductive adhesive bonding area in zone B is processed; conductive adhesive bonding is performed; a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls is added to correct the offset of the conveying direction, preventing the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser full-cut processing is performed in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4. After all the above stations, regardless of whether the film is defective or good, the remaining film rolls after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first full-cut waste roll. After being manually fixed, the fully cut waste roll film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. The fully cut film sheet is lifted by the suction cup module in the truss and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. There is a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding table for FPC. The table has multiple CCD vision positioning holes for positioning the film sheet delivered by the truss and for the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot to perform precise bonding. Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, and the sealant is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. A six-axis robot, programmed to automatically move the diaphragm to and from the workstation according to the transport path, automatically moves it to the designated point. Upon arrival at this station, the diaphragm's FPC connector is inserted into the station's inlet by the six-axis robot for inspection. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm illumination due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging and burst point testing; 5. AOI inspection of the appearance. If a product is determined to be defective, it will be transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. When the inspection result is good, the product is transferred to the automatic packaging station by a six-axis robot. According to the packaging definition, the protective material is mixed between two finished film sheets. The six-axis robot then places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the number of finished film sheets reaches the specified packaging quantity, the packaging box is removed by a forklift handling device. The lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging, and this action is repeated.

[0024] Example 3: In Example 2, the following additional steps are added: In step 3, the etching method is as follows: The SPD film is placed on the negative pressure platform of the UV laser cutting machine. By turning on the negative pressure machine, a negative pressure environment is created on the platform, thereby adsorbing and fixing the SPD film above. The tested cutting pattern parameters are set and imported into the UV laser cutting machine system. Then, the UV laser parameters are adjusted to ensure the UV laser cutting machine can operate according to the parameters. The (visual positioning + height positioning) on ​​the Z-axis of the UV laser cutting machine is activated, and then the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are synchronously controlled to cooperate (visual positioning + height positioning), relying on... The above-mentioned cutting parameters are used for ITO cutting. The ultraviolet laser on the cutting machine is used for cutting, and the processing accuracy is controlled by the vision CCD positioning on the Z-axis, the laser height positioner, and the dedicated motion control card. When the ultraviolet laser parameters are used to perform the cutting action, the ultraviolet beam will penetrate the protective film and PET film on the upper layer of SPD that do not absorb the beam energy and directly cut or block the metal conductive layer ITO that absorbs the beam energy. This divides the SPD film into two or more regions, and after the current is applied, the effect of full-area light transmission or partial-area light transmission is achieved by appropriate control.

[0025] In step 5, the relevant parameters for laser half-cutting are set as follows: laser wavelength range is 8.5-10.7um; frequency range is 1-150khz; energy range is 0.1-3J / sec; PDLC processing thickness range is 0.05-0.5mm; processing speed range is 10-1500mm / s; processing wire diameter width range is 0.02-0.3mm; the specifications of the online follow-up height adjustment instrument are as follows: height testing module: laser light module; accuracy requirement: 2u-5u; communication mode: online communication type real-time height difference feedback.

[0026] In step 8, the length range of the feeding roll and the take-up roll is 1m-200m; the minimum to maximum bonding length range is 20mm-1800mm; the minimum processing size of the equipment is 300*300mm; the width range of the film roll is 1mm-20mm; the bonding speed range is 10-500mm / s; and the processing history data is output in the following ways: online display and Excel spreadsheet recording.

[0027] When first using it, manual or mechanical tools are required to adjust the dimming film roll to the double-roll feeding area, and then sequentially pass it through all the tensioning equipment rollers into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed in the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be in accordance with the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The setup is complete; the front station includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, zone etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing. The back station includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front waste removal device. The defect marks made on the edge of the roll film are visually located and read. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, laser equipment will be used to mark the product during the marking area cutting process. Figure 1An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner, while the other three "+" signs are left unmarked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. The laser marking parameters are: import a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional code (QR code) or a specified graphic, symbol, or text into the central control platform; then set the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21, with a wavelength range of 955–1070 nm, a frequency range of 1–4000 kHz, and an energy range of 0.1–3 J / se. c. The processing thickness range of PDLC is 0.05~0.5mm, the processing speed range is 10~10000mm / sec, the zoned wire diameter filling density range is 0.002~0.05mm, and the processing wire diameter width range is 0.02~10mm; the defect marking process involves: PDLC roll film is manually drawn and then automatically unloaded → visual scanning of defect points → gantry mechanism is activated to find the coordinates of defect points → laser marking machine marks the defects → film is drawn into automatic take-up and rewinding → the marking parameters of the entire roll are saved to disk or in the database. Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The processing of partition lines 1-6 is performed using a partitioned processing method. The etching method is as follows: the SPD film is placed on the negative pressure platform of the UV laser cutting machine. By turning on the negative pressure machine, a negative pressure environment is created on the platform, thereby adsorbing and fixing the SPD film on top. The cutting pattern parameters that have been tested are set and imported into the system of the UV laser cutting machine. Then, the UV laser parameters are adjusted to ensure that the UV laser cutting machine can operate according to the parameters. By activating the (visual positioning + height positioning) device on the Z-axis of the UV laser cutting machine, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are simultaneously controlled to cooperate (visual positioning + height positioning). The cutting machine uses an ultraviolet laser to cut the ITO film, employing a vision CCD positioning system on the Z-axis, a laser height positioner, and a dedicated motion control card to manage processing accuracy. When the ultraviolet laser parameters are adjusted, the ultraviolet beam penetrates the protective film and PET film on the upper layer of the SPD (Surface Protector) that do not absorb beam energy, directly cutting or blocking the ITO metal conductive layer that absorbs beam energy. This divides the SPD film into two or more regions, and after current is applied, a suitable control method is used to achieve full or partial light transmission. Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in sections A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser half-cutting processing is performed in areas A1 and A2. The relevant parameters for laser half-cutting are set as follows: laser wavelength range: 8.5-10.7µm; frequency range: 1-150kHz; energy range: 0.1-3J / sec; PDLC processing thickness range: 0.05-0.5mm; processing speed range: 10-1500mm / s; processing wire diameter width range: 0.02-0.3mm. Specifications for the online height adjustment device: height testing module: laser module; accuracy requirement: 2µm-5µm; communication mode: online communication for real-time height difference feedback. When processing the first piece, the remaining roll must be manually fixed onto the special waste removal roller of the waste collection and removal device. When processing the second piece, the waste material is automatically collected onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the waste roll roller reaches full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll: after being manually fixed, the half-cut waste removal film is repeatedly and automatically wound up; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste is applied to areas A1 and A2, and then cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste application and drying / curing. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding processing; length range of feeding and taking-up rolls: 1m-200m; minimum-maximum bonding length range: 20mm-1800mm; minimum processing size of the equipment design: 300*300mm; film width range: 1mm-20mm; bonding speed range: 10-500mm / s; processing history data output methods: online display and Excel spreadsheet recording. Product Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating areas in zones A1 and A2 are processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing; tension rollers control the membrane tension and adjust the conveying direction, automatically flipping the conveyed membrane to the reverse side for processing; the product... Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in Zone B; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting processing is performed in area B. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove it and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste removal of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in zone B is processed, and the silver paste is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This workstation primarily performs semi-automatic power-on and zone etching inspection of the roll film, focusing on product quality. Figure 1 For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an "X" mark to the bottom right corner of the product so that it won't be labeled with an FPC sticker; Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1The conductive adhesive bonding area in zone B is processed; conductive adhesive bonding is performed; a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls is added to correct the offset of the conveying direction, preventing the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser full-cut processing is performed in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4. After all the above stations, regardless of whether the film is defective or good, the remaining film rolls after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first full-cut waste roll. After being manually fixed, the fully cut waste roll film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. The fully cut film sheet is lifted by the suction cup module in the truss and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. There is a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding table for FPC. The table has multiple CCD vision positioning holes for positioning the film sheet delivered by the truss and for the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot to perform precise bonding. Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2 The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. A six-axis robot, programmed to automatically move the diaphragm along the transport path, automatically moves it to and from the workstation. Upon arrival, the diaphragm is inspected by the six-axis robot, which inserts the FPC connector onto the diaphragm into the workstation's inlet. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm illumination due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging and burst point testing; 5. AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) of the diaphragm's appearance. If a product is deemed defective, it is transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. When the inspection result is good, the product is transferred to the automatic packaging station by a six-axis robot. According to the packaging definition, the protective material is mixed between two finished film sheets. The six-axis robot then places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the number of finished film sheets reaches the specified packaging quantity, the packaging box is removed by a forklift handling device. The lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging, and this action is repeated.

[0028] Example 4: In Example 3, the following steps are added: In step 10, a six-axis robot is used with two external mechanisms: a four-pin resistance meter detection module and a wiping module; supplemented by vision positioning, a negative pressure platform, and a Y-axis exchange table; the processing path and wiping path are programmed by a PLC or industrial control computer, and the drawing data to be processed is imported into the program for precise detection and processing.

[0029] In step 18, the laser generator used for laser full cutting should be designed to meet processing requirements. In addition to using a CO2 infrared laser (IR), it can also use a 530nm green laser, a 355nm ultraviolet laser, or a higher-order picosecond laser or femtosecond laser.

[0030] In step 21, the supply silo is mainly divided into 2 zones and 6 parts. The 2 zones refer to the FPC tray area and the empty tray area. The 6 parts are: 1. An automatic FPC positioning area with FPCs; 2. A customized magazine-type automatic feeding device for the tray area; 3. Single trays carrying FPCs can be customized according to requirements; 4. When the FPCs on a tray are used up, the tray is moved to the empty tray area; 5. The carrying devices for both empty trays and FPC trays are mobile trolleys; 6. The trolleys are powered manually or mechanically, and after entering the device, they are mechanically positioned and locked to prevent displacement. The six-axis robot is equipped with 2 sets of devices: one is an FPC-copying gripper used to accurately grip FPC modules; the other is equipped with a vision CCD for positioning the film for bonding. Through the programmed path and the CCD-assisted positioning, the FPC can be accurately positioned and bonded to the film on the table.

[0031] When first using it, manual or mechanical tools are required to adjust the dimming film roll to the double-roll feeding area, and then sequentially pass it through all the tensioning equipment rollers into the workstation. Finally, after the film is fixed in the full-cutting workstation, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be in accordance with the processing drawings. Figure 1 / Figure 2 The setup is complete; the front station includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, zone etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing. The back station includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front waste removal device. The defect marks made on the edge of the roll film are visually located and read. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, laser equipment will be used to mark the product during the marking area cutting process. Figure 1An "O" mark is placed in the upper right corner, while the other three "+" signs are left unmarked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstations after cutting in the marked area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing, only cooperating with the film processing and transport. If no defect data is read at the cutting station in this marked area, three "+" signs are marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern, serving as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. The laser marking parameters are: import a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional code (QR code) or a specified graphic, symbol, or text into the central control platform; then set the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21, with a wavelength range of 955–1070 nm, a frequency range of 1–4000 kHz, and an energy range of 0.1–3 J / se. c. The processing thickness range of PDLC is 0.05~0.5mm, the processing speed range is 10~10000mm / sec, the zoned wire diameter filling density range is 0.002~0.05mm, and the processing wire diameter width range is 0.02~10mm; the defect marking process involves: PDLC roll film is manually drawn and then automatically unloaded → visual scanning of defect points → gantry mechanism is activated to find the coordinates of defect points → laser marking machine marks the defects → film is drawn into automatic take-up and rewinding → the marking parameters of the entire roll are saved to disk or in the database. Product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The processing of partition lines 1-6 is performed using a partitioned processing method. The etching method is as follows: the SPD film is placed on the negative pressure platform of the UV laser cutting machine. By turning on the negative pressure machine, a negative pressure environment is created on the platform, thereby adsorbing and fixing the SPD film on top. The cutting pattern parameters that have been tested are set and imported into the system of the UV laser cutting machine. Then, the UV laser parameters are adjusted to ensure that the UV laser cutting machine can operate according to the parameters. By activating the (visual positioning + height positioning) device on the Z-axis of the UV laser cutting machine, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are simultaneously controlled to cooperate (visual positioning + height positioning). The cutting machine uses an ultraviolet laser to cut the ITO film, employing a vision CCD positioning system on the Z-axis, a laser height positioner, and a dedicated motion control card to manage processing accuracy. When the ultraviolet laser parameters are adjusted, the ultraviolet beam penetrates the protective film and PET film on the upper layer of the SPD (Surface Protector) that do not absorb beam energy, directly cutting or blocking the ITO metal conductive layer that absorbs beam energy. This divides the SPD film into two or more regions, and after current is applied, a suitable control method is used to achieve full or partial light transmission. Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning areas in sections A1 and A2; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser half-cutting processing is performed in areas A1 and A2. The relevant parameters for laser half-cutting are set as follows: laser wavelength range: 8.5-10.7µm; frequency range: 1-150kHz; energy range: 0.1-3J / sec; PDLC processing thickness range: 0.05-0.5mm; processing speed range: 10-1500mm / s; processing wire diameter width range: 0.02-0.3mm. Specifications for the online height adjustment device: height testing module: laser module; accuracy requirement: 2µm-5µm; communication mode: online communication for real-time height difference feedback. When processing the first piece, the remaining roll must be manually fixed onto the special waste removal roller of the waste collection and removal device. When processing the second piece, the waste material is automatically collected onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the waste roll roller reaches full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll: after being manually fixed, the half-cut waste removal film is repeatedly and automatically wound up; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste is applied to areas A1 and A2, and then cured online using an online drying and curing device. This process combines silver paste application and drying / curing. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of conductive adhesive bonding areas in zones A1 and A2; conductive adhesive bonding processing; length range of feeding and taking-up rolls: 1m-200m; minimum-maximum bonding length range: 20mm-1800mm; minimum processing size of the equipment design: 300*300mm; film width range: 1mm-20mm; bonding speed range: 10-500mm / s; processing history data output methods: online display and Excel spreadsheet recording. Product Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The sealant coating areas in zones A1 and A2 are processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. Tension rollers control the membrane tension and adjust the conveying direction, automatically flipping the conveyed membrane to the reverse side for processing. A six-axis robot with two external mechanisms is used: a four-pin resistance meter detection module and a wiping module. This is supplemented by vision positioning, a negative pressure platform, and a Y-axis exchange table. The processing and wiping paths are programmed using a PLC or industrial computer, importing the drawing data into the program for precise inspection and processing. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Processing of the liquid crystal cleaning area in Zone B; liquid crystal cleaning processing; products. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser semi-cutting processing is performed in area B. For the first piece processed, the semi-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the dedicated waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the equipment automatically collects the semi-cut waste material onto the waste removal roller along the feeding direction. When the waste roll roller is full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove it and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement requires the same process as the first semi-cut waste removal of the first roll: after manual fixing, the semi-cut waste film is repeatedly and automatically wound up. Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The silver paste coating area in zone B is processed, and the silver paste is then dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. This workstation primarily performs semi-automatic power-on and zone etching inspection of the roll film, focusing on product quality. Figure 1 For example, this device has 7 sets of power probes on the front and 1 set on the back. The common electrode area on the back is used to measure the power status of the 7 sets on the front. Normal power indicates successful partition etching; otherwise, partitioning has failed. Partitioning failure will be detected on the product. Figure 1 Add an "X" mark to the bottom right corner of the product so that it won't be labeled with an FPC sticker; Figure 1The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 The conductive adhesive bonding area in zone B is processed; conductive adhesive bonding is performed; a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls is added to correct the offset of the conveying direction, preventing the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability; product Figure 1 The position of point O on the product is visually confirmed. If a point O is marked, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O is read, three plus signs are read before processing. Figure 1 Laser full-cut processing is performed in zones A1 / A2 / B / D-4. The laser generator used for this process, in addition to CO2 infrared lasers (IR), can also utilize 530nm green lasers, 355nm ultraviolet lasers, or higher-order picosecond or femtosecond lasers, depending on the processing requirements and designed capacity. After all the above stations have been completed, all remaining film rolls, whether defective or good, will be recycled at this station. When the waste roll roller reaches full, it is manually or with the assistance of a power arm to remove the waste roll roller and replace it with a new one. The first piece of waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first full cut waste removal of the first roll. After being manually fixed, the fully cut waste removal film is repeatedly automatically wound up. The fully cut film sheet is then lifted to a certain height by the suction cup module in the truss and smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table using a truss transfer method. There is a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment feeding bins and a bonding table for FPC. The table has multiple CCD vision positioning holes for positioning the truss. The delivered diaphragm and FPC modules from the six-axis robot are precisely bonded here. The supply hopper is mainly divided into 2 zones and 6 parts. The 2 zones refer to the FPC tray area and the empty tray area. The 6 parts are: 1. An automatic FPC positioning area with FPCs; 2. A customized magazine-type automatic feeding device in the tray area; 3. Single-tray FPCs can be customized according to requirements; 4. When the FPCs on a tray are used up, the tray is moved to the empty tray area; 5. The carrying devices for both empty and FPC trays are mobile trolleys; 6. The trolleys are powered manually or mechanically, and after entering the device, they are mechanically positioned and locked to prevent displacement. The six-axis robot is equipped with 2 sets of devices: one is an FPC-copying gripper used to accurately grasp the FPC modules; the other is equipped with a vision CCD for positioning the diaphragm for bonding. Through the programmed path and the CCD-assisted positioning, the FPC can be accurately positioned and bonded to the diaphragm on the table. Figure 2 The system checks for the presence of an FPC interface and visually confirms this. If no FPC interface is found, the workstation does not perform any processing actions; if an FPC interface is found, the product is then processed. Figure 2 The sealant coating area in Zone B is processed, followed by online drying and curing of the sealant. The process involves sealant coating and drying / curing. A six-axis robot, programmed to automatically move the diaphragm along the transport path, automatically moves it to and from the workstation. Upon arrival, the diaphragm is inspected by the six-axis robot, which inserts the FPC connector onto the diaphragm into the workstation's inlet. This station can inspect the following: 1. Changes in diaphragm illumination due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging and burst point testing; 5. AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) of the diaphragm's appearance. If a product is deemed defective, it is transferred to the defective product station by the six-axis robot for a second manual inspection. When the inspection result is good, the product is transferred to the automatic packaging station by a six-axis robot. According to the packaging definition, the protective material is mixed between two finished film sheets. The six-axis robot then places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the number of finished film sheets reaches the specified packaging quantity, the packaging box is removed by a forklift handling device. The lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging, and this action is repeated.

[0032] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1: Dual-roll film loading: When using it for the first time, manual or mechanical tools are required to load the dimming film roll into the dual-roll film loading area and pass it through all the tension equipment rollers in sequence into the work station. Finally, after the film is fixed in the full-cut work station, production can begin. All film threading actions and processing limits must be set according to the processing drawings (Figure 1 / Figure 2). Step 2: Establishing front marking points: Visually locate and read the defect marks made on the edge of the roll film. If a defect mark is encountered in the processing area, an "O" mark will be marked on the upper right corner of the product drawing 1 using a laser device on the cutting area of ​​the marking area. The other three "+" signs will not be marked. This indicates that the film has a defect. In the workstation after cutting in the marking area, the defect mark "O" will be detected first. Once a product marked with "O" is detected, other workstations will default to not operating or processing. Only the film processing and transportation will be coordinated. If no defect data is read in this marking area cutting station, three "+" signs will be marked on the outside of the pre-set processing pattern as the processing positioning points for all workstations after the partition etching. Step 3: Front-side partition etching: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, no processing action will be performed at this station; if no point O mark is read, then after reading 3 plus marks, process the partition lines 1-6 on product drawing 1, using the partition processing line method. Step 4: Front LCD Cleaning: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, this station will not perform any processing action; if no point O mark is read, then read 3 + marks and proceed with the LCD cleaning of areas A1 and A2 on product drawing 1. Step 5: Frontal laser half-cut: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, this station will not perform any processing action; if no point O mark is read, read 3 + marks and then perform laser half-cut processing on the A1 and A2 areas of product drawing 1. Step 6: Tension control and front-side half-cut waste removal: When processing the first piece, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the special waste removal roller of the material receiving and waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is moved out manually or with the assistance of a power arm to replace the new waste removal roller. The first piece of waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll. After being manually fixed, the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 7: Coating and online drying / curing of silver paste on the front side: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If point O is marked, no processing is performed at this station; if point O is not read, read 3 "+" marks and then process the silver paste coating areas A1 and A2 on product drawing 1. After processing, use an online drying / curing device to dry and cure the silver paste online. Silver paste coating and drying / curing process. Step 8: Front conductive adhesive bonding: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O mark is read, then read 3 + marks and proceed with the conductive adhesive bonding area processing of areas A1 and A2 on product drawing 1. Step 9: Front sealant application and online drying and curing: The position of point O on product drawing 1 is visually confirmed. If point O is marked, no processing is performed at this station; if point O is not read, then after reading 3 + marks, the sealant application area of ​​A1 and A2 on product drawing 1 is processed. After processing, the sealant is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Step 10: The production line is on the second floor with the front side on the second floor and the back side on the first floor. The tension rollers control the film tension and adjust the conveying direction to move the production line from the second floor to the first floor for processing, forming an automatic flipping process from the front processing area to the back processing area. Step 11: Reverse LCD cleaning: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, this station will not perform any processing action; if no point O mark is read, then read 3 + marks and proceed with the LCD cleaning area processing in area B on product drawing 1. Step 12: Reverse laser half-cut: The position of point O on product drawing 1 is visually confirmed. If there is a point O mark, this station will not perform any processing action; if no point O mark is read, then read 3 + marks and proceed with the laser half-cutting area processing of area B on product drawing 1. Step 13: Tension control and reverse half-cut waste removal: When processing the first piece, the half-cut waste roll must be manually fixed onto the special waste removal roller of the waste removal device. When processing the second piece, the half-cut waste material is automatically rolled onto the half-cut waste removal roller for waste collection along the feeding direction of the equipment. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is moved out manually or with the assistance of a power arm to replace the new waste removal roller. The first piece of waste material after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first half-cut waste removal of the first roll. After being manually fixed, the half-cut waste removal film is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 14: Coating and online drying of the reverse silver paste: The position of point O on product drawing 1 is visually confirmed. If there is a point O mark, no processing is performed at this station; if no point O mark is read, then after reading 3 + marks, the silver paste coating area in area B on product drawing 1 is processed. After processing, the silver paste is dried and cured online using an online drying and curing device. Silver paste coating and drying and curing process. Step 15: Power-on and Zone Etching Inspection: This workstation mainly performs semi-automatic power-on and zone etching inspection of the roll film. Taking product picture 1 as an example, this equipment has 7 sets of power-on probes on the front side and 1 set of power-on probes on the back side. The power-on status of the 7 sets on the front side is measured in conjunction with the common electrode area on the back side. If the power-on is normal, it means that the zone etching is successful; otherwise, it means that the zone etching has failed. When the zone etching fails, an X mark will be added to the lower right corner of product picture 1 so that the FPC will not be affixed. Step 16: Reverse conductive adhesive bonding: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If there is a point O mark, no processing action is performed at this station; if no point O mark is read, then read 3 + marks and proceed with the conductive adhesive bonding area processing in area B on product drawing 1. Step 17: Vertical multi-roll tension control: By adding a set of vertical multi-roll tension controls, the offset of the conveying direction is corrected and adjusted to prevent the residual roll after the full cut of the horizontal conveying film from disrupting the horizontal conveying stability of the conveying film. Step 18: Laser Full Cut: Visually confirm the position of point O on product drawing 1. If point O is marked, this station will not perform any processing action; if point O is not read, read 3 + marks and then perform laser full cut processing on the A1 / A2 / B / D-4 area of ​​product drawing 1. Step 19: Roll film full cut waste removal: After going through all the above stations, whether it is defective or good product, the residual roll film after cutting will be recycled at this station. When the set waste roll roller is full, the waste roll roller is moved out and replaced with a new waste roll roller by manual or auxiliary arm. The first piece of waste after replacement needs to go through the same process as the first roll full cut waste removal. After being fixed manually, the waste roll after full cut is automatically rolled up repeatedly. Step 20: Roll-up truss transfer: The fully cut sheet-like membrane is lifted to a certain height by the suction cup module in the truss using the truss transfer method and then smoothly delivered to the electrode FPC bonding table. Step 21: Electrode FPC bonding: This consists of a set of automatic feeding and manual replenishment material hoppers and a bonding platform for FPCs. The platform has multiple CCD vision positioning holes, which are used to position the diaphragm delivered by the truss and to precisely bond the FPC module delivered by the six-axis robot. Step 22: Front sealant application and online drying and curing: Check if there is an FPC interface on product drawing 2 and confirm it visually. If there is no FPC interface, no processing is performed at this station; if there is an FPC interface, process the sealant application area in area B of product drawing 2. After processing, use an online drying and curing device to dry and cure the sealant online. Step 23: Six-axis robot transport; The six-axis robot is programmed to automatically transport materials back and forth to the designated points according to the transport path. Step 24: Defective Product Inspection and Handling; After the diaphragm arrives at this station, the FPC connector on the diaphragm is inserted into the station's inlet by the station's six-axis robot for inspection; This station can inspect the following:

1. Changes in diaphragm charge due to high and low voltage current; 2. Zone resistance data; 3. Transparency or haze data detection; 4. Power-on aging burst point test; 5. AOI inspection of appearance. If the product is determined to be defective, it will be transferred to the defective product station by a six-axis robot and wait for a second manual inspection. If the product is deemed to be good, it will be transferred to the automatic packaging station by a six-axis robot and the protective material will be mixed between two finished film sheets according to the packaging definition. Step 25: Automated feeding and packaging of finished products; a six-axis robot places the finished film sheets into a customized packaging box. During placement, the FPC line end and the finished film material are stacked and packaged in the specified direction. After the finished film sheets reach the specified packaging quantity, a forklift handling device removes the packaging box, and the lower packaging box automatically rises and positions itself for packaging. This action is repeated.

2. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1, the front-side workstation includes defect inspection, marking area cutting, partition etching, liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, front-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, conductive adhesive bonding, and electrode area edge sealing adhesive curing. The back-side workstation includes liquid crystal wiping, electrode area half-cutting, back-side waste removal device, electrode area silver paste curing, semi-process ITO resistance inspection, conductive adhesive bonding, full shape cutting, and front-side waste removal device.

3. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 2, the laser marking parameters are as follows: the imported one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional code QRCODE or specified graphics, symbols, and text are input into the central control center; then the parameters of the integrated visual positioning marking device 21 are set, with a wavelength range of 955-1070nm, a frequency range of 1-4000kHz, an energy range of 0.1-3J / sec, and a PDLC processing thickness range of 0.05-0.5mm, a processing speed range of 10-10000mm / sec, a partition line diameter filling density range of 0.002-0.05mm, and a processing line diameter width range of 0.02-10mm.

4. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 2, the defect mark is automatically fed after manual film feeding of the PDLC roll → visual scanning of the defect point → gantry mechanism is started to find the coordinates of the defect point → laser marking machine marks it → film is fed into automatic take-up and rewinding → the marking parameters of the whole roll are saved to disk or stored in the database.

5. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 3, the etching method is as follows: the SPD film is placed on the negative pressure platform of the ultraviolet laser cutting machine, and the negative pressure machine is turned on to create a negative pressure environment on the platform, thereby adsorbing and fixing the SPD film on it. The tested cutting pattern parameters are set and imported into the UV laser cutting machine system. The UV laser parameters are then adjusted to ensure the machine operates according to these parameters. The machine is activated via a visual positioning and height locator on the Z-axis, and the X, Y, and Z axes are simultaneously controlled using the same visual positioning and height locator. ITO cutting is performed based on the aforementioned cutting pattern parameters. The UV laser on the machine is used for cutting, while the Z-axis uses a visual CCD positioning system, a laser height locator, and a dedicated motion control card to manage processing accuracy. When the UV laser is used to perform the cutting action, the UV beam penetrates the non-absorbent SPD protective film and PET film, directly cutting or blocking the absorbent ITO conductive metal layer. This divides the SPD film into two or more regions, and after current is applied, appropriate control methods are used to achieve full or partial light transmission.

6. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 5, the relevant parameters for laser half-cutting are set as follows: laser wavelength range is 8.5-10.7um; frequency range is 1-150khz; energy range is 0.1-3J / sec; PDLC processing thickness range is 0.05-0.5mm; processing speed range is 10-1500mm / s; processing wire diameter width range is 0.02-0.3mm; the specifications of the online follow-up height adjustment instrument are as follows: height testing module: laser light module; accuracy requirement: 2u-5u; communication mode: online communication type real-time height difference feedback.

7. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 8, the bonding data are as follows: the length range of the feeding roll and the take-up roll is 1m-200m; the minimum to maximum bonding length range is 20mm-1800mm; the minimum processing size of the equipment is 300*300mm; the width range of the film roll is 1mm-20mm; the bonding speed range is 10-500mm / s; and the processing history data is output in the following ways: online display and Excel spreadsheet recording.

8. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 10, a six-axis robot is used with two external mechanisms: a four-pin resistance meter detection module and a wiping module; supplemented by vision positioning, a negative pressure platform, and a Y-axis exchange table; the processing path and wiping path are programmed by a PLC or industrial control computer, and the drawing data to be processed is imported into the program for precise detection and processing.

9. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 18, the laser generator used for laser full cutting should, in addition to using a CO2 infrared laser (IR), also use a green laser (530nm), an ultraviolet laser (355nm), or a higher-order picosecond laser or femtosecond laser, in accordance with the processing requirements and the designed production capacity.

10. The fully automated processing method for automotive PDLC according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 21, the supply silo is mainly divided into 2 zones and 6 parts. The 2 zones refer to the FPC tray area and the empty tray area. The 6 parts are:

1. The FPC automatic positioning area with FPC trays; 2. The tray area with FPC trays is equipped with a customized magazine-type automatic feeding device; 3. The FPC trays can be customized according to requirements; 4. When the FPC trays are used up, the trays are moved to the empty tray area.

5. The carrying devices for both empty material trays and FPC material trays are mobile trolleys; 6. The trolley is powered by manual or mechanical assistance. After the trolley enters the device, it is mechanically positioned and locked to prevent displacement. The six-axis robot is equipped with two sets of devices: one is an FPC-shaped gripping fixture, which is used to accurately grip the FPC module; the other is equipped with a vision CCD to position the film for bonding. Through the programmed path and the CCD's assisted positioning, the FPC can be accurately positioned and bonded to the film on the table.

Images