Optical Alignment Device for LCD Panels Using Variable Transmittance Masks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical alignment devices for liquid crystal display panels face challenges in achieving uniform pretilt angles across panels of different sizes due to varying UV intensities and aperture ratios, leading to suboptimal substrate utilization and compliance rates.
Innovation Solution
The optical alignment device employs irradiation masks with adjustable transmittance, UV lamps with adjustable irradiation power, and blocking plates with variable shading times to ensure uniform pretilt angles across liquid crystal display panels by matching these parameters to the specific aperture ratios of each panel, thereby standardizing the pretilt angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If uniform UV irradiation is applied to panels of different sizes, then the UV intensity is consistent, but the pretilt angles become non-uniform due to different aperture ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing irradiation masks with spatially varying transmittance characteristics. Different regions of the mask allow different amounts of UV light to pass through, creating a non-uniform irradiation pattern that compensates for the different aperture ratios of panels with varying sizes. This ensures that each panel receives the appropriate UV intensity to achieve uniform pretilt angles across all panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the transmittance parameter of the irradiation mask to adapt to different panel configurations. By adjusting the mask's transmittance characteristics, the system can compensate for variations in panel aperture ratios and sizes, ensuring that the effective UV irradiation dose remains consistent across all panels regardless of their dimensional differences.
2Productivity
If panels of different sizes are arranged on the substrate, then substrate utilization is improved, but pretilt angle compliance rate decreases due to varying UV reception
Solution Approach 1:
The irradiation mask is designed with spatially varying transmittance regions that correspond to the different panel sizes and positions on the substrate. This local quality approach allows the system to maintain uniform pretilt angles across panels of different sizes, thereby achieving both high substrate utilization and high pretilt angle compliance rate simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms to detect and adjust for variations in panel aperture ratios and UV irradiation reception. By monitoring the actual irradiation received by each panel and adjusting the mask transmittance accordingly, the system ensures that pretilt angle specifications are met across all panels, maintaining high compliance rates even with mixed panel sizes.
3Device complexity
If a single UV irradiation intensity is used for all panels, then the process is simple, but panels with different aperture ratios receive different effective UV doses
Solution Approach 1:
The irradiation mask serves as an intermediary element between the UV light source and the panels. Rather than complicating the UV generation system, the mask passively modulates the UV intensity distribution to achieve uniform effective doses across panels of different sizes. This approach maintains relative simplicity in the irradiation control system while achieving the desired precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly enhances the compliance rate of optical alignment by ensuring all liquid crystal display panels achieve identical pretilt angles, improving response time and contrast while optimizing substrate utilization.
Implementation Method 1
a UV lamp for applying a UV irradiation to the liquid crystal display panels on the panel carrying stage so that liquid crystals in each of the liquid crystal display panels have pretilt angles
Implementation Method 2
Liquid crystals in the liquid crystal display panels comprise reactive monomers which can be activated by UV irradiation, so as to form a pretilt angle of the liquid crystals
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of irradiation masks disposed between the UV lamp and the liquid crystal display panels for changing an irradiation intensity of the UV irradiation on the crystal display panels; wherein each of the irradiation masks has a transmittance correspondingly determined by parameters of the pretilt angles
Data Source
AI summary
An optical alignment device for a plurality of liquid crystal display panels is disclosed, and has a panel carrying stage, a UV lamp, and a plurality of irradiation masks. The panel carrying stage is used for placing the liquid crystal display panels, the UV lamp is used for applying a UV irradiation to the liquid crystal display panels on the panel carrying stage so that liquid crystals in each of the liquid crystal display panels have pretilt angles, and the irradiation masks are disposed between the UV lamp and the liquid crystal display panels for changing an irradiation intensity of the UV irradiation on the crystal display panels.