Abrading – Abrading process – Glass or stone abrading
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2003-09-02
Rachuba, M. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Abrading process
Glass or stone abrading
C451S054000, C451S078000, C445S024000, C349S193000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612910
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal panel, a liquid crystal panel cutting method, a liquid crystal panel cutting apparatus and a liquid crystal display device employing the liquid crystal panel.
According to a first prior art techniques as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 7-100799 cuts a liquid crystal panel is cut for a word processor or the like by pressing a rotary blade having a cutting edge of an acute angle nearly equal to a right angle against the liquid crystal panel, and removes a part of the liquid crystal panel on one side of a groove is removed and a crack formed by pressing the rotary blade against the liquid crystal panel by applying an impulsive force to the part of the liquid crystal panel, applying a thermal shock to the liquid crystal panel by heating the liquid crystal panel by a hot plate or applying impulsive vibrations to the liquid crystal panel by a vibrating device.
When the crack cannot be satisfactorily formed, the first prior art technique needs to apply a high shock to the liquid crystal panel. Particularly, when the substrate is a liquid crystal panel formed by combining a top substrate and a bottom substrate, electrodes disposed between the top and the bottom substrate and a sealing resin, stress is induced around the electrodes and the sealing resin when a shock is applied to the liquid crystal panel. Consequently, defects including separation of the sealing resin from the substrates and undesirable breakage off the cutting line are liable to occur. There is the possibility that methods using heat or impulsive vibrations practice the deterioration of durability and performance.
Cutting a liquid crystal panel for a liquid crystal display device is very difficult as compared with cutting a glass plate because the glass substrate comprises a thin glass plate of a thickness of 1 mm or below, and a film of a material softer than glass formed on the thin glass plate. Flexible conductive lines must be affixed to a part of the glass substrate in the vicinity of a cut edge. When the liquid crystal panel is cut mechanically according to the first prior art technique which forms a crack in the liquid crystal panel, the cut liquid crystal panel has a sharp edge, and there is the possibility that the flexible conductive lines that touch the sharp edge of the liquid crystal panel are cut by the sharp edge.
According to a second prior art technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 6-305759 a liquid crystal panel has a cut edge formed by cutting the liquid crystal panel by means of a chamfering tool to exclude the possibility.
However, the second prior art technique needs an additional chamfering process and additional time.
Both the first and the second prior art technique are able to cut a liquid crystal panel only along a straight line in a rectangular shape and are incapable of cutting liquid crystal panels in curvilinear shapes to form liquid crystal panel for use on word processors, calculators, traffic signs, toys and illuminations. Thus, the first and the second prior art techniques are inferior in freedom of design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal panel capable of preventing damaging flexible conductive lenses without requiring time and labor. A second object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal panel cutting method capable of preventing damaging flexible conductive lines by a cut edge of the liquid crystal panel without requiring an additional chamfering process. A third object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal panel cutting apparatus capable of carrying out the liquid crystal panel cutting method meeting the second object and of cutting the liquid crystal panel in a curvilinear shape. A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device employing the liquid crystal substrate meeting the first object.
A first invention to achieve the first object is a liquid crystal panel comprising a glass substrate cut with a water jet. According to the first invention, when cutting a liquid crystal panel with a water jet as shown in
FIGS. 16A and 16B
, an edge of an end surface of a glass substrate
31
of the liquid crystal panel is broken into particles
201
of a material forming the edge by the impingement of droplets
200
of a water jet
39
jetted through a nozzle
52
thereon. Therefore, the edge of the end surface is rounded without requiring a chamfering progress and hence damaging flexible conductive lines by the edge of the end surface of the glass substrate can be prevented.
A second invention to achieve the second object is a liquid crystal panel cutting method that cuts a liquid crystal panel by repeatedly blasting liquid droplets or abrasive against a component glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel to crush part of the glass substrate by the impact energy of the liquid droplets or the abrasive. According to the second invention, a liquid crystal panel is cut by repeatedly blasting liquid droplets or abrasive against a component glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel to crush part of the glass substrate by the impact energy of the liquid droplets or the abrasive. The edge of an end surface of the glass substrate is rounded by the impact applied thereto by the liquid droplets or the abrasive. Therefore, flexible conductive lines will not be damaged even if the same come into contact with the edge of the end surface of the glass substrate.
A third invention to achieve the fourth object is a display provided with a liquid crystal panel as a display means, in which the liquid crystal panel has a glass substrate cut with a water jet. According to the third invention, the liquid crystal panel of the display hardly capable of damaging the flexible conductive lines improves the reliability of the display.
A fourth invention to achieve the third object is a liquid crystal panel cutting apparatus comprising a pressure increasing means for increasing the pressure of a liquid, a nozzle provided with a throat that receives the liquid of a pressure produced by the pressure increasing means; a nozzle moving means supporting the nozzle so as to be movable at least in a plane parallel to the liquid crystal panel, and a table supporting the liquid crystal panel. According to the fourth invention, the pressure of the liquid is raised by the pressure increasing means, the liquid is supplied to the nozzle, the flow of the liquid is restricted by the throat and the velocity of the liquid is increased to produce a jet, the jet is applied to the glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel supported on the table, the material of the glass substrate is crushed into particles and removed by the impact energy of the jet of the liquid to cut the glass substrate, and the edge of the cut end surface is rounded by the impact of the liquid thereon to prevent damaging flexible conductive lines when the same touches the edge of the edge surface of the glass substrate. The nozzle is moved in the plane parallel to the liquid crystal panel by the nozzle moving means to cut the liquid crystal panel along a cutting line including curves to form the liquid crystal panel in a desired shape. Thus, the liquid crystal can be formed in a shape of a desired design.
According to a fifth invention, in the liquid crystal panel cutting apparatus according to the fourth invention, the nozzle is provided with an abrasive feed port, and an abrasive fed device for feeding the abrasive is connected to the abrasive feed port to feed the abrasive to the nozzle. The fifth invention has, in addition to the working effects of the fourth invention, a working effect of blasting the abrasive at a high velocity against the glass substrate to crush and remove the material of the glass substrate. Therefore, the glass substrate can be efficiently cut, and the glass substrate can be cut even if the same has a high strength.
According to a sixth invention, in the liquid crystal pane
Enomoto Kunio
Hayashi Makoto
Hirano Katsuhiko
Kanno Satoshi
Kitano Makoto
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Rachuba M.
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