Cylinder Roller With Depressed Areas For Flexible Substrate Separation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The separation of flexible substrates from glass substrates often results in damage to raised components like driver ICs due to excessive stress from mechanical peel-off methods, as the flexible substrates are prone to deformation during manufacturing.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus featuring a cylinder-shaped roller with depressed areas that receive and protect driver ICs during separation, preventing direct contact and stress from the roller, and a control unit for controlled rotation to manage the separation process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If mechanical peel-off method is used to separate flexible substrate from glass substrate, then separation efficiency is improved, but driver ICs and raised components are damaged due to excessive stress

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation efficiencyVSAvoidcomponent integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The roller is designed with different surface characteristics: most of the surface maintains normal pressing capability for effective separation, while specific localized regions have depressed areas that reduce pressing force to protect raised components like driver ICs. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing aggressive separation where safe and gentle handling where components are present.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The depressed areas on the roller surface act as intermediary zones that mediate between the need for mechanical separation force and the need to protect raised components. These zones provide a transition in pressure distribution, allowing the separation process to occur without directly transmitting excessive stress to vulnerable components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If roller pressing force is increased to improve separation effectiveness, then separation completeness is improved, but stress on flexible substrate increases causing deformation and component damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation completenessVSAvoidsubstrate stress and deformation
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The roller surface is designed with localized depressed areas that create a non-uniform pressure distribution during separation. This allows high pressing force to be applied in regions without raised components for complete separation, while depressed areas automatically reduce pressure in regions where driver ICs or other raised components are located, preventing damage and deformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The depressed areas on the roller surface serve as pre-positioned cushioning zones that anticipate the location of raised components. Before the roller contacts raised components during separation, the depressed areas are already in place to reduce pressing force, thereby preventing stress concentration and deformation before they can occur.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Speed

If traditional peel-off method is used, then separation speed is maintained, but raised components like driver ICs are subjected to excessive stress and damaged

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation speedVSAvoidcomponent protection
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The roller maintains its rotational speed and overall pressing capability for efficient separation, while localized depressed areas are strategically positioned to reduce pressure only where raised components are present. This allows the separation process to proceed at high speed without compromising component protection, as the protective depressed areas are already pre-positioned on the roller surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3035380B1Apparatus for separating flexible substrate from glass substrate, and production device
Publication Date: 2021.06.30 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
  • EP3035380B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3035380B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3035380B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

An apparatus of separating a flexible substrate from a glass substrate comprises a cylinder-shaped roller; and a control unit connected to the roller configured to control a rotation of the roller so as to separate a flexible substrate from a glass substrate by the rotation of the roller; the roller has a cylinder surface provided with a depressed area thereon, and the depressed area is configured to allow a driver IC on the flexible substrate to be received by the depressed area during the rotation of the roller, thereby preventing the driver IC from being damaged.