Glass Roll with Separable Protective Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing package forms for glass films, such as those used in flat panel displays and solar cells, face challenges in maintaining cleanliness and preventing breakage due to the complexity of processing steps and the risk of foreign matter adhesion, especially when forming a polymer layer on the glass film, which can lead to incomplete curing and stickiness issues during unwinding.
Innovation Solution
A glass roll is formed by winding a glass film with exposed front and back surfaces onto a protective sheet, eliminating the need for surface layer formation and removal steps, thereby reducing the risk of foreign matter adhesion and breakage, and allowing for easier handling and flexibility in packaging and unpackaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a polymer layer is formed on the glass film surface, then protection during handling is improved, but foreign matter adhesion and incomplete curing issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable protective sheet made of resin film that is attached to the glass film surface during handling and packaging. This protective sheet serves the temporary purpose of preventing breakage and foreign matter adhesion, then is removed before final use. The protective sheet is not meant to be a permanent part of the product but a temporary protective measure that is discarded after serving its purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheet acts as an intermediary between the glass film and the external environment during handling and packaging. It mediates the contact between the glass film surface and potential sources of contamination or damage, preventing direct interaction while allowing the glass film to maintain its exposed surface for final application.
2Volume of moving object
If glass film is packaged in horizontal stacked position, then space utilization is improved, but stress concentration and breakage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheet serves as an intermediary layer between stacked glass films during horizontal packaging. It distributes the load and prevents direct contact between glass surfaces, eliminating stress concentration points that would lead to breakage while enabling efficient horizontal stacking for space optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheet provides beforehand cushioning by being attached to the glass film before packaging. This pre-applied protective layer cushions the glass film against impacts and stress concentrations during horizontal stacking and transportation, preventing breakage before it can occur.
3Adaptability or versatility
If glass film thickness is reduced for flexibility, then adaptability to curved surfaces is improved, but breakage susceptibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheet provides temporary reinforcement to thin glass films during handling and packaging. This disposable protective layer compensates for the reduced inherent strength of thin glass films, allowing them to be handled safely despite their thinness and flexibility, then is removed before final application where the thin glass film's flexibility is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheet provides beforehand cushioning that prevents breakage in thin glass films during critical handling phases. This pre-applied protection allows thin glass films to be manufactured, handled, and packaged without breakage, enabling the use of flexible thin glass films that would otherwise be too fragile to handle.
Data Source
AI summary
A glass roll includes a glass film formed by a downdraw method. The glass film is wound into a roll using a winding roller in a state in which front and back glass surfaces of the glass film formed in the forming operation are exposed, and during the winding operation, the glass film is superposed on a separable protective sheet. The protective sheet extends beyond both sides in a width direction of the glass film. The protective sheet can further be wound on an outer peripheral surface of the glass film by winding only the protective sheet from a trailing end of the glass film in a winding direction of the glass film.