An apparatus for manufacturing a laminated light control article

Abstract

The application provides a manufacturing device of a laminated light-adjusting product, the laminated light-adjusting product comprising a first rigid substrate, a first adhesive layer, a light-adjusting device, a second adhesive layer and a second rigid substrate which are stacked, the manufacturing device comprising a mechanical strain distribution change reduction mechanism for reducing the change of the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the laminated light-adjusting product during the lamination process. The manufacturing device can effectively alleviate the mura phenomenon of the laminated light-adjusting product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of optoelectronic technology, and in particular to a manufacturing equipment for laminated dimming products. Background Technology

[0002] Laminated smart glass is a product in which a dimming device (such as a flexible dimming film device) is bonded between two panes of glass. This dimming device allows for the adjustment of transmittance; examples include EC-type and dye-liquid crystal-type dimming devices. Other types of dimming devices include those that can adjust haze, such as PDLC-type dimming devices. Dimming devices, and laminated smart glass incorporating them, are widely used in architectural and automotive doors and windows, interior partitions, and aircraft ventilation systems.

[0003] Dimming devices can be classified according to the state of their internal dimming material layers into dimming devices with liquid dimming material layers, dimming devices with solid dimming material layers, and dimming devices with semi-solid / semi-liquid dimming material layers. Dimming devices with liquid dimming material layers and those with semi-solid / semi-liquid dimming material layers can be flexible dimming devices made from flexible substrates. These flexible dimming devices are further laminated between two glass substrates and an adhesive layer using a lamination process. However, after lamination, this process can easily cause a "mura" phenomenon, which reflects the problem of uneven thickness in localized areas of the flexible dimming device within the laminated glass.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a manufacturing equipment for laminated light-adjustable products that can solve the problem of unevenness (Mura). Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a manufacturing apparatus for laminated dimming articles, which can improve the mura problem in the manufactured laminated dimming articles.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a manufacturing apparatus for a laminated dimming product. The laminated dimming product includes a first rigid substrate, a first adhesive layer, a dimming device, a second adhesive layer, and a second rigid substrate stacked together. The manufacturing apparatus includes a mechanism for reducing mechanical strain distribution changes, used to reduce the changes in mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, reducing the change in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process includes:

[0008] Reduce the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, reducing the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming article during the lamination process includes:

[0010] The higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product are weakened, while the fundamental wave components in the mechanical strain distribution are retained.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the mechanism for reducing mechanical strain distribution variation includes a strain homogenization mechanism.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the strain homogenization mechanism includes a substrate strength enhancement mechanism;

[0013] The substrate strength enhancement mechanism is used to enhance the strength of at least one of the first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product, so as to reduce the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0014] The strain homogenization mechanism is used to homogenize the strain distribution of at least one of the first and second rigid substrates in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate strength enhancement mechanism includes a support plate that is in contact with the outer side of at least one of the first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the support plate matches the surface that contacts the dimming device area.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate strength enhancement mechanism includes a partial thickness structure of at least one of a thickened first rigid substrate and a second rigid substrate.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the mechanism for reducing mechanical strain distribution variation includes a stress homogenization mechanism.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the laminated dimming article includes a dimming device region and an outer frame region surrounding the dimming device region, and the stress homogenization mechanism includes a pressure buffer mechanism disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame region.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the pressure buffer mechanism includes a first elastic member disposed on the outer surface of at least a portion of the outer frame region and used to buffer the pressure applied to the laminated light-adjusting article in at least a portion of the outer frame region during the lamination process.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the pressure buffer mechanism includes a first rigid member disposed in at least a portion of the outer frame region and used to withstand pressure applied to the laminated light-adjusting article in at least a portion of the outer frame region during the lamination process.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the first rigid member includes a pressure-blocking part and a distance-maintaining part. The pressure-blocking part is disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame region of the laminated dimming article, and the distance-maintaining part is used to ensure that the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part and at least a portion of the outer frame region of the laminated dimming article is substantially zero during the lamination process.

[0023] The beneficial effect of this application is that by reducing the change in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process, the flatness of each layer after the lamination process can be improved, thereby increasing the uniformity of the thickness of the dimming device therein, and effectively alleviating or even eliminating the mura problem.

[0024] It should be understood that the above general description of this application and the following detailed description are exemplary and illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed application. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the mura phenomenon that occurs during the manufacturing process of laminated and dimmed products in the prior art;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the stress distribution simulation results of the first rigid substrate in the process of manufacturing laminated dimming products in the prior art;

[0028] Figure 3 This refers to the mechanical strain that occurs in laminated dimming products during the lamination process, which mainly contains the fundamental frequency component.

[0029] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The diagram shows a laminated, light-adjustable product returning to a flat state after the lamination process is completed.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the final result of the laminated dimming product after it has undergone mechanical strain containing high-order wave components during the lamination process and then returned to room temperature.

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 3 of this application;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 4 of this application;

[0035] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram comparing simulation results in two cases: without the first rigid component and with the first rigid component, in the embodiments of this application.

[0036] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 5 of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Now, reference will be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of this application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will be used to denote the same or similar components.

[0038] The shapes, dimensions, ratios, angles, and quantities disclosed in the accompanying drawings used to describe embodiments of this application are merely examples, and therefore, this application is not limited to the details illustrated. Similar reference numerals always denote similar elements. In the following description, detailed descriptions will be omitted where it is determined that such detailed descriptions unnecessarily obscure the essence of this application.

[0039] Where the terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are used as described in this specification, additional parts may be added unless “only” is used. Singular terms may include plural forms unless otherwise stated.

[0040] When interpreting a component, it is interpreted as including a range of errors, although this is not explicitly described.

[0041] In the description of embodiments of this application, when a structure (e.g., an electrode, wire, wiring, layer, or contact) is described as being formed on top of / below the upper / lower portion of another structure or other structures, this description should be understood to include cases where these structures are in contact with each other, and further includes cases where a third structure is disposed therebetween.

[0042] In describing temporal relationships, for example, when time sequence is described as “after,” “following,” “next,” and “before,” discontinuous cases may be included unless “exactly” or “immediately following” is used.

[0043] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0044] The “X-axis direction,” “Y-axis direction,” and “Z-axis direction” should not be interpreted solely by their geometric relationship of being perpendicular to each other, but rather can have a broader directionality within the scope of the functionality of the components in this application.

[0045] The term "at least one" should be understood to include any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. For example, "at least one of the first, second, and third items" means a combination of all items proposed from the first, second, and third items, as well as two or more of the first, second, or third items.

[0046] Features of the various embodiments of this application may be connected or combined with each other in part or in whole, and may operate in various ways and be technology-driven, as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art. Embodiments of this application may be performed independently of each other, or may be performed together in an interdependent relationship.

[0047] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Figure 1 This illustrates the cause of the mura phenomenon that occurs during the manufacture of laminated, light-adjustable products in the prior art. (Refer to...) Figure 1The laminated dimming product 10 includes a first rigid substrate 101, a first adhesive layer 102, a dimming device 103, a second adhesive layer 104, and a second rigid substrate 105 stacked together. In addition, a frame 106 is provided on the outer edge of the dimming device 103. The frame 106 may also be made of the adhesive layer material, for example, the same material as the first adhesive layer 102 and the second adhesive layer 103.

[0049] Since the size of the dimming device 103 is smaller than that of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 102, and the dimming device 103 is provided with a frame 106 on its outer periphery, the entire area of ​​the laminated dimming product 10 can be divided into a dimming device area A1 and an outer frame area A2. The dimming device area A1 corresponds to the planar area occupied by the dimming device 103 in the entire laminated dimming product 10, and the outer frame area A2 corresponds to the planar area occupied by the frame 106 in the entire laminated dimming product 10.

[0050] During the lamination process of the laminated dimming product 10, a vacuum bag 2 needs to be placed over the outside of the laminated dimming product 10, and the vacuum bag 2 is evacuated while pressure is applied to the outside of the vacuum bag 2. The above-mentioned lamination process will melt the first adhesive layer 102, the second adhesive layer 104, and the frame 106, and firmly clamp and fix the dimming device 103 between the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 102. However, the inventors have found that the laminated dimming product 10 obtained by using such a lamination process is prone to mura phenomenon in the dimming device region A1.

[0051] After experimental verification and simulation analysis, the inventors discovered that one reason for the mura problem is that during the lamination process, even if the external pressure of the vacuum bag 2 is uniform, the stress distribution of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 102 is uneven due to the influence of the sharp edges at position E1 of the edge of the laminated dimming product 10. For example... Figure 2 The simulation results of the stress distribution of the first rigid substrate 101 show that the uneven stress distribution and the thermal expansion of the internal material of the dimming device 103 during the lamination process further cause mechanical strain in at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the lamination dimming product.

[0052] According to mechanical theory, this mechanical strain can be divided into a fundamental component and higher-order components. The mechanical strain distribution of the fundamental component exhibits a gradually smoothing surface from the center outwards, such as... Figure 3 The schematic diagram of mechanical strain distribution shown in the figure is... Figure 3The image exemplifies a specific implementation of a dimming device 103, which includes a third substrate 1031 and a fourth substrate 1032 disposed opposite to each other, and a dimming material layer 1033 sandwiched between the third substrate 1031 and the fourth substrate 1032. Furthermore, in practice, to seal the dimming material layer 1033, a frame adhesive 1034 can be provided around the dimming material layer 1033. The frame adhesive 1034, together with the third substrate 1031 and the fourth substrate 1032, seals to form a cavity, which is filled with the dimming material layer 1033. The dimming material layer 1033 may have a certain degree of fluidity. The third substrate 1031 and the fourth substrate 1032 may be flexible substrates, and the material may be, for example, PET. After the clamping process is completed, the strain of the fundamental frequency component will naturally recover to a completely strain-free flat surface morphology due to cooling and symmetry, for example... Figure 4 As shown.

[0053] Depend on Figure 3 It can be seen that the mechanical strain distribution of the fundamental wave component changes relatively little.

[0054] In reality, mechanical strain also contains higher-order wave components, which can coexist with the fundamental wave components, resulting in the superposition of higher-order waves on the fundamental wave profile.

[0055] The mechanical strain distribution of the higher-order wave components exhibits a complex curved shape, resulting in significant local deformation. This causes drastic thickness changes in the first adhesive layer 102 and / or the second adhesive layer 104 at these locations, for example, increasing the distance between them locally. The dimming material in the dimming device 103, possessing a certain degree of fluidity, flows towards these locations under the combined effects of thermal expansion and fluidity, achieving a stress balance. Subsequently, during the cooling process, due to the higher-order wave distribution of the aforementioned uneven thickness distribution, it cannot naturally recover to a flat surface after cooling. Consequently, the first adhesive layer 102 and / or the second adhesive layer 104 retain an uneven thickness distribution during curing. The resulting laminated dimming product has a dimming device 103 with a thickness distribution corresponding to the aforementioned uneven thickness distribution, such as... Figure 5 The results shown indicate that the thicker areas of the dimming device 103 produce dark spots due to greater light absorption, a phenomenon known as the mura phenomenon.

[0056] Depend on Figure 5 It can be seen that the mechanical strain distribution of the higher wave components varies considerably.

[0057] Based on the above analysis, this application proposes a solution to alleviate the mura problem by reducing the variation in mechanical strain distribution. Specifically, a mechanism for reducing the variation in mechanical strain distribution is used to reduce the variation in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process. Reducing the variation in mechanical strain distribution can mean reducing the higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process. Since the fundamental wave component in the mechanical strain distribution will naturally recover to zero after the lamination process, the fundamental wave component in the aforementioned mechanical strain does not need to be completely eliminated during the lamination process; it can be partially or even completely retained. By reducing the variation in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process, the flatness of each layer after the lamination process can be improved, thereby increasing the uniformity of the dimming device thickness and effectively alleviating or even eliminating the mura problem.

[0058] The reduction of the aforementioned changes in mechanical strain distribution can be achieved through at least two types of technical means.

[0059] One technical approach is to homogenize the strain by employing a strain homogenization mechanism. This mechanism homogenizes the mechanical strain of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate during the lamination process, thereby reducing the variation in the mechanical strain distribution. The strain homogenization mechanism can be implemented using a substrate reinforcement mechanism. This mechanism strengthens the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate during the lamination process. This is because the variation in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate during lamination is related to the strength of at least one of the first rigid substrate and second rigid substrate. By strengthening the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate to a suitable strength range, higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate can be weakened or even eliminated, thereby reducing the variation in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the lamination dimming product during the lamination process. Of course, the strain homogenization mechanism can also be achieved by strengthening at least one of the first adhesive layer and the second adhesive layer, or by strengthening the light-intensifying device (such as strengthening at least one of the third substrate and the fourth substrate of the light-intensifying device). In other words, the strain homogenization mechanism can be achieved by strengthening at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the light-intensifying device, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate.

[0060] Another technical approach is to improve the uneven stress distribution of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate from the source, by mitigating or eliminating the influence of the edges of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate on the stress distribution. Specifically, a stress homogenization mechanism is used to make the stress distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate more uniform, thereby reducing the changes in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0061] The following details specific embodiments of the manufacturing equipment in this application based on the specific implementation of these two technical means.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] The manufacturing equipment provided in this embodiment employs techniques to enhance the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate during the lamination process. In this embodiment, the mechanism for reducing changes in mechanical strain distribution includes a strain homogenization mechanism.

[0064] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of manufacturing laminated and dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 1 of this application is shown. Figure 6 As shown, as an example, the laminated dimming product includes a first rigid substrate 101, a first adhesive layer 102, a dimming device 103, a second adhesive layer 104, and a second rigid substrate 105 stacked together. In addition, a frame 106 is provided on the outer edge of the dimming device 103.

[0065] The first adhesive layer 102, the second adhesive layer 104, and / or the frame 106 can be hot melt adhesives. Hot melt adhesives can include thermoplastic materials or thermosetting materials. Thermoplastic materials can include PVB (Polyvinyl Butyral) or SGP (Sentry Glas Plus). Thermosetting materials can include EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) or POE (Polyolefin Elastomer). POE, in a narrow sense, is made from metallocene-catalyzed ethylene-α-olefin copolymers. In practice, the laminated dimming product in this embodiment can be a laminated glass product. Correspondingly, the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 can be glass substrates. At least one of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 can be planar or curved. The curved surface can be a single-curved surface or a hyperboloid. In this embodiment, the entire laminated dimming product is described as planar.

[0066] The dimming device 103 can modulate the intensity, color, phase, polarization, and / or direction of incident light. Therefore, by way of example, the dimming device 103 can be a component capable of adjusting light transmittance, or a component capable of adjusting its own haze, or a component capable of adjusting both light transmittance and its own haze.

[0067] The dimming device 103 may include electrochromic dimming devices, liquid crystal dimming devices, and / or SPD dimming devices.

[0068] Electrochromic dimming devices and SPD dimming devices can adjust light transmittance, while liquid crystal dimming devices can adjust light transmittance.

[0069] In addition, there is another type of liquid crystal dimming device that can adjust both light transmittance and haze, such as the liquid crystal dimming device in Chinese invention patent application 202111232990.8 filed in 2021, which will not be described in detail here.

[0070] Since the size of the dimming device 103 is smaller than that of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 102, and the dimming device 103 is provided with a frame 106 on its outer periphery, the entire area of ​​the laminated dimming product 10 can be divided into a dimming device area A1 and an outer frame area A2. The dimming device area A1 corresponds to the planar area occupied by the dimming device 103 in the entire laminated dimming product 10, and the outer frame area A2 corresponds to the planar area occupied by the frame 106 in the entire laminated dimming product 10.

[0071] In this embodiment, the manufacturing equipment for the laminated dimming product includes a substrate strength enhancement mechanism as a strain homogenization mechanism. The substrate strength enhancement mechanism is used to enhance the strength of at least one of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 in the laminated dimming product. Specifically, in this embodiment, the substrate strength enhancement mechanism comprises a support plate 311 and a support plate 312. Support plates 311 and 312 are disposed in at least a portion of the dimming device region of the laminated dimming product. Support plates 311 and 312 are respectively disposed on both sides of the laminated dimming product 10. Specifically, support plate 311 may be disposed on the outer surface of the first rigid substrate 101, and support plate 312 may be disposed on the outer surface of the second rigid substrate 105. Those skilled in the art should understand that even using a support plate on only one side (e.g., only support plate 311 or only support plate 312) can solve the technical problem of this invention.

[0072] When vacuum bag 2 is used to assist in the lamination process, vacuum bag 2 can be placed over the entire laminated dimming product 10, support plate 311 and support plate 312.

[0073] Experiments revealed that the presence of support plates 311 and 312 weakened the influence of the edge of the laminated dimming product 10 at position E1 on the vacuum bag 2. Through support plates 311 and 312, the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 was enhanced to a suitable strength range. This made the mechanical strain of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate more uniform, reducing or even eliminating the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process. This reduced the change in the mechanical strain distribution and improved the thickness uniformity of the dimming device 103 in the dimming device region A1 after the lamination process, thereby effectively alleviating or avoiding the mura phenomenon.

[0074] It should be noted that the thickness of the support plates 311 and 312 determines the degree of reinforcement of the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105. When the thickness of the support plates 311 and 312 is too thick, the reinforcement of the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 is too great, resulting in the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 remaining almost completely undeformed during the lamination process, while forcing the inner first adhesive layer 102 and the second adhesive layer 104 to undergo large deformation, thus failing to alleviate the mura problem. Conversely, when the thickness of the support plates 311 and 312 is too thin, the reinforcement of the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 is insufficient, making the reduction effect of higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate insignificant, thus still failing to improve the mura problem. Therefore, in order to strengthen the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate to a suitable strength range, the thickness of the support plate 311 and the support plate 312 needs to be selected to a suitable range, so as to reduce or even eliminate the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0075] Based on similar inventive concepts, in addition to using an additional support plate, the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and the second rigid substrate 105 can be enhanced by increasing the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and / or the second rigid substrate 105 themselves. For example, a material that strengthens the strength of the first rigid substrate 101 and / or the second rigid substrate 105 can be added to the material of the first rigid substrate 101 and / or the second rigid substrate 105, or it can be replaced with a material with stronger strength; or the thickness of the first rigid substrate 101 and / or the second rigid substrate 105 can be increased.

[0076] When the thickness of the first rigid substrate 101 and / or the second rigid substrate 105 is increased, the increased thickness acts as a substrate strength enhancement mechanism in the embodiments of this application. That is, the substrate strength enhancement mechanism includes a partial thickness structure of at least one of the first and second rigid substrates. Similarly, in order to strengthen the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate to a suitable strength range, the thickness of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate needs to be increased to a suitable range, so as to weaken or even eliminate the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and at least one of the second rigid substrates in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

[0077] Returning to the approach of using support plates 311 and 312 as substrate strength enhancement mechanisms, preferably, the surfaces of support plates 311 and / or 312 facing the laminated dimming article 10 satisfy the following: the surfaces of the support plates that contact the dimming device area are matched, ensuring that support plates 311 and / or 312 fully contact the surface of the laminated dimming article 10, eliminating gaps in localized areas. This further mitigates the mura problem.

[0078] Furthermore, the support plate 311 and / or the support plate 312 preferably completely cover the dimming device region A1 or extend beyond the dimming device region A1, so that the strength of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate is sufficiently enhanced throughout the dimming device region A1.

[0079] Example 2

[0080] It should be noted that, in Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the support plates 311 and 312 have uniform thickness. In practice, the thickness of the center of the support plate can be greater than its outer perimeter thickness. For example, the support plate may include a central region and an outer perimeter region surrounding the central region, with the maximum thickness of the central region being greater than the minimum thickness of the outer perimeter region. Figure 7 Taking the manufacturing process of laminated dimming products provided in Embodiment 2 of this application as an example, the structure of the laminated dimming product 10 is basically the same as that of the laminated dimming product in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be described again here.

[0081] In this embodiment, the surfaces of the support plates 314 and 315 facing the laminated dimming product 10 are the same as the surface of the laminated dimming product 10, both being flat. However, the surfaces of the support plates 314 and 315 facing away from the laminated dimming product 10 bulge outwards, forming convex arc surfaces. Therefore, the maximum thickness of the central region of the support plates 314 and 315 is greater than the minimum thickness of the outer peripheral region.

[0082] Experiments have shown that support plates 314 and 315 with this structural design can also improve the mura problem in the lamination process.

[0083] Those skilled in the art should understand that although in this embodiment both support plates 314 and 315 adopt a structural design in which the maximum thickness of the central region is greater than the minimum thickness of the outer peripheral region, in alternative embodiments, one of the support plates 314 and 315 adopts the structural design in this embodiment, while the other support plate adopts a structural design scheme with uniform thickness as in Embodiment 1.

[0084] Example 3

[0085] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates the process of manufacturing laminated dimming products using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 3 of this application. The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 2 lies only in the specific scheme for ensuring that the maximum thickness of the central region in the structure of support plates 316 and 317 is greater than the minimum thickness of the outer peripheral region. In this embodiment, the surfaces of support plates 316 and 317 facing away from the laminated dimming product 10 form a stepped structure with a raised central region, wherein the thickness of the central region A3 of support plates 316 and 317 is greater than the thickness of the outer peripheral region A4.

[0086] Experiments have shown that support plates 316 and 317 with this structural design can also improve the mura problem.

[0087] Those skilled in the art should understand that although in this embodiment both support plates 316 and 317 adopt a structural design in which the maximum thickness of the central region is greater than the minimum thickness of the outer peripheral region, in alternative embodiments, one of the support plates 316 and 317 adopts the structural design in this embodiment, while the other support plate adopts a structural design scheme with uniform thickness as in Embodiment 1.

[0088] Example 4

[0089] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates the process of manufacturing a laminated dimming product using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 4 of this application. The structure of the laminated dimming product 10 is basically the same as that of the laminated dimming product in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be described again here.

[0090] The main difference from Embodiment 1 is that the manufacturing equipment provided in this embodiment adopts a technical means to improve the uneven stress distribution of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate from the source.

[0091] Specifically, in this embodiment, the mechanism for reducing the change in mechanical strain distribution is a stress homogenization mechanism. This stress homogenization mechanism is used to homogenize the stress distribution generated in at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate during the lamination process in the laminated dimming product.

[0092] In this embodiment, the stress homogenization mechanism includes a pressure buffer mechanism disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame region A2.

[0093] The pressure buffer mechanism may include a first rigid member 318, which is disposed in at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 and is used to withstand the pressure applied to the laminated dimming article 10 in at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 during the lamination process. This overcomes the adverse effects of the edges of the laminated dimming article 10 on its stress condition.

[0094] When a vacuum bag 2 is used to assist in the lamination process, the vacuum bag 2 can be placed over the entire laminated dimming product 10 and the first rigid member 318.

[0095] In practice, the first rigid member 318 can have various specific structural forms. In this embodiment, the first rigid member including a pressure-blocking part and a distance-maintaining part is specifically used as an example for explanation.

[0096] To facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the first rigid component 318 and its assembly with the laminated dimming product 10, the first rigid component 318 can be divided into upper and lower parts, namely an upper first rigid component 3181 and a lower first rigid component 3182. These two parts can be stacked together to form a complete first rigid component 318. Before stacking, the laminated dimming product 10 can be placed inside the lower first rigid component 3182, and then the upper first rigid component 3181 can be stacked on top of the lower first rigid component 3182, so that the outer frame area A2 of the laminated dimming product 10 is sandwiched between the upper first rigid component 3181 and the lower first rigid component 3182.

[0097] The first rigid member 3181 includes a pressure-blocking part 31811 and a distance-maintaining part 31812. The pressure-blocking part 31811 is disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10, while the distance-maintaining part 31812 is used to ensure that the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part 31811 and at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 is substantially zero during the lamination process. In this embodiment, the distance-maintaining part 31812 is located outside the end side of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 and is connected to the pressure-blocking part 31811. The rigidity of the distance-maintaining part 31812 can avoid or reduce the deformation of the pressure-blocking part 31811 in the direction toward the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 during the lamination process, thereby ensuring that the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part 31811 and the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 is substantially zero.

[0098] The lower first rigid member 3182 includes a pressure-blocking part 31821 and a distance-maintaining part 31822. The pressure-blocking part 31821 is disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10, while the distance-maintaining part 31822 is used to ensure that the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part 31821 and at least a portion of the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 is substantially zero during the lamination process. In this embodiment, the distance-maintaining part 31822 is located outside the end side of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 and is connected to the pressure-blocking part 31821. The rigidity of the distance-maintaining part 31822 can avoid or reduce the deformation of the pressure-blocking part 31821 in the direction toward the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 during the lamination process, thereby ensuring that the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part 31821 and the outer frame region A2 of the laminated light-adjusting product 10 is substantially zero.

[0099] After the upper first rigid member 3181 and the lower first rigid member 3182 are stacked, the distance holding portion 31812 of the upper first rigid member 3181 and the distance holding portion 31822 of the lower first rigid member 3182 abut against each other, which can enhance the effect of restricting the deformation of the pressure blocking portion 31811 of the upper first rigid member 3181 and the pressure blocking portion 31821 of the lower first rigid member 3182 during the lamination process.

[0100] Experiments have shown that using the first rigid member 318 in this embodiment can improve the mura phenomenon. This is because the first rigid member 318 eliminates the influence of the sharp edges of the laminated dimming product 10 during the lamination process, as is present in the prior art. Figure 10 The figure shows a comparison of simulation results with and without the first rigid component. Figure 10 (a) is a stress distribution diagram of the first rigid substrate 101 during the clamping process when the first rigid member 318 is not provided, and Figure 10 (b) A stress distribution diagram of the first rigid substrate 101 during the clamping process when the first rigid member 318 is set, for comparison. Figure 10 (a) and Figure 10 (b) It can be seen that the addition of the first rigid member 318 can significantly reduce the uneven stress distribution of the first rigid substrate 101, and the reason for this improvement can be attributed to... Figure 10 (c) Analysis proves that, relative to Figure 10 (b), Figure 10 (c) The hidden first rigid member 318 is also shown, from Figure 10 (c) It can be seen that during the lamination process, the first rigid member 318 exhibits significant stress unevenness. However, due to the protection of the edges of the laminated dimming product by the first rigid member 318, the stress distribution of the first rigid substrate 101 becomes more uniform. When the stress distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate and / or the second rigid substrate becomes more uniform, the variation in the mechanical strain distribution of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and at least one of the second rigid substrates in the laminated dimming product is reduced, thereby improving the mura problem.

[0101] It should be noted that, in the preferred embodiment, the first rigid member 318 only covers a portion of the outer frame area A2 of the laminated dimming product 10, and the covered portion is preferably kept at a necessary distance d1 from the dimming device area A1, so as to avoid the thickness of the edge E2 of the first rigid member 318 during the lamination process causing the vacuum bag 2 and the edge area E3 of the dimming device area A1 to fail to make sufficient contact, thereby generating residual mura problems.

[0102] Example 5

[0103] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the process of manufacturing a laminated dimming product using the manufacturing equipment provided in Embodiment 5 of this application. The structure of the laminated dimming product 10 is basically the same as that of the laminated dimming product in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be described again here.

[0104] The main difference from Embodiment 4 is that, in this embodiment, the pressure buffer mechanism includes a first elastic member 319 disposed on the outer surface of at least a portion of the outer frame region and used to buffer the pressure applied to at least a portion of the laminated light-adjusting article 10 in the outer frame region A2 during the lamination process.

[0105] See Figure 11 The first elastic element 319 may include two, respectively disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the laminated dimming product 10. When a vacuum bag 2 is used to assist in the lamination process, the vacuum bag 2 may be placed over the entire laminated dimming product 10 and the first elastic element 319.

[0106] Due to the elastic properties of the first elastic member 319, it can absorb part of the pressure that should have been applied to the outer frame area A2 of the laminated dimming product 10 during the lamination process, thereby reducing the actual pressure borne by the outer frame area A2 of the laminated dimming product 10. This eliminates the influence of the sharp edges of the edge position of the laminated dimming product 10 during the lamination process in the prior art, thereby alleviating or avoiding the mura phenomenon.

[0107] It should be noted that, in the preferred embodiment, the first elastic member 319 only covers a portion of the outer frame area A2 of the laminated dimming product 10, and the covered portion is preferably kept at a necessary distance d2 from the dimming device area A1, so as to avoid the thickness of the edge E4 of the first elastic member 319 during the lamination process causing the vacuum bag 2 and the edge area E3 of the dimming device area A1 to fail to make sufficient contact, thereby generating residual mura problems.

[0108] The material of the first elastic element 319 can be rubber, sponge, a material with an internal spring, or a material with an internal air bladder.

[0109] The preferred embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this application, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of this application, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0110] Furthermore, various different implementations of this application can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this application, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for a laminated dimming product, the laminated dimming product comprising a first rigid substrate, a first adhesive layer, a dimming device, a second adhesive layer, and a second rigid substrate stacked together, the manufacturing apparatus comprising a mechanism for reducing mechanical strain distribution variation, used to reduce the variation in mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

2. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The change in mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the reduction of lamination process includes: Reduce the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

3. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The reduction of higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, first adhesive layer, second adhesive layer, and second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process includes: The higher-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of at least one of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer, and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product are weakened, while the fundamental wave components in the mechanical strain distribution are retained.

4. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanism for reducing the change in mechanical strain distribution includes: a strain homogenization mechanism.

5. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The strain homogenization mechanism includes a substrate strength enhancement mechanism; The substrate strength enhancement mechanism is used to enhance the strength of at least one of the first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product, so as to reduce the high-order wave components in the mechanical strain distribution of the first rigid substrate, the first adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer and the second rigid substrate in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process. The strain homogenization mechanism is used to homogenize the strain distribution of at least one of the first and second rigid substrates in the laminated dimming product during the lamination process.

6. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The substrate strength enhancement mechanism includes a support plate, which is in contact with the outer side of at least one of the first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate.

7. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The support plate matches the surface that contacts the dimming device area.

8. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The substrate strength enhancement mechanism includes a partial thickness structure of at least one of the thickened first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate.

9. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanism for reducing changes in mechanical strain distribution includes a stress homogenization mechanism.

10. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The laminated dimming product includes a dimming device area and an outer frame area surrounding the dimming device area, and the stress homogenization mechanism includes a pressure buffer mechanism disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame area.

11. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The pressure buffer mechanism includes a first elastic element disposed on the outer surface of at least a portion of the outer frame region and used to buffer the pressure applied to the laminated light-adjusting article in at least a portion of the outer frame region during the lamination process.

12. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The pressure buffer mechanism includes a first rigid member disposed in at least a portion of the outer frame region and used to withstand the pressure applied to the laminated light-adjusting article in at least a portion of the outer frame region during the lamination process.

13. The manufacturing equipment as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The first rigid member includes a pressure-blocking part and a distance-maintaining part. The pressure-blocking part is disposed outside at least a portion of the outer frame area of ​​the laminated dimming product. The distance-maintaining part is used to ensure that during the lamination process, the interaction force between the pressure-blocking part and at least a portion of the outer frame area of ​​the laminated dimming product is substantially zero.

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