U.S. patent application number 13/121499 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-11 for glass roll and method of processing glass roll.
Invention is credited to Michiharu Eta, Yoshinori Hasegawa, Kaoru Mitsugi, Yasuo Teranishi.
Application Number | 20110192878 13/121499 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42073522 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110192878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Teranishi; Yasuo ; et
al. |
August 11, 2011 |
GLASS ROLL AND METHOD OF PROCESSING GLASS ROLL
Abstract
A roll-to-roll apparatus reliably reduces breakage of a glass
film even in a case of sequentially performing predetermined
processing on the glass film. Provided is a glass roll (1) formed
by winding a glass film (2) into a roll, in which a resin film (4)
is attached onto the glass film (2), and at least a part of the
resin film (4) is arranged on a front side of an unwinding
direction relative to a leading end portion in the unwinding
direction of the glass film (2).
Inventors: |
Teranishi; Yasuo; (Shiga,
JP) ; Mitsugi; Kaoru; (Shiga, JP) ; Hasegawa;
Yoshinori; (Shiga, JP) ; Eta; Michiharu;
(Shiga, JP) |
Family ID: |
42073522 |
Appl. No.: |
13/121499 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
September 30, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2009/067002 |
371 Date: |
March 29, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
226/1 ; 428/426;
428/428 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 16/00 20130101;
B65H 2301/41427 20130101; C03B 17/06 20130101; B65H 20/00 20130101;
B65H 2301/414 20130101; B32B 17/064 20130101; B65H 18/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
226/1 ; 428/426;
428/428 |
International
Class: |
B32B 17/06 20060101
B32B017/06; B65H 23/00 20060101 B65H023/00; B65H 20/00 20060101
B65H020/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 1, 2008 |
JP |
2008-256509 2008 |
Oct 28, 2008 |
JP |
2008-277121 2008 |
Sep 18, 2009 |
JP |
2009-217055 2009 |
Claims
1. A glass roll, which is formed by winding a glass film into a
roll, wherein a resin film is attached onto the glass film, and at
least a part of the resin film is arranged on a front side of an
unwinding direction relative to a leading end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film.
2. The glass roll according to claim 1, wherein the resin film is
coupled to the leading end portion in the unwinding direction of
the glass film.
3. The glass roll according to claim 2, wherein the resin film is
coupled also to a trailing end portion in the unwinding direction
of the glass film, and wherein at least a part of the resin film is
arranged on a rear side of the unwinding direction relative to the
trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass
film.
4. The glass roll according to claim 2, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other with an elastic
member.
5. The glass roll according to claim 4, wherein the elastic member
couples a region including a widthwise center line of the glass
film and a widthwise center line of the resin film.
6. The glass roll according to claim 2, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other under a state in which an
end portion of the resin film is superposed on an end portion of
the glass film.
7. The glass roll according to claim 1, wherein the resin film
longer in length than the glass film is superposed and attached
onto one surface of the glass film, and the resin film is extended
beyond the leading end portion in the unwinding direction of the
glass film.
8. The glass roll according to claim 7, wherein the resin film is
extended also beyond a trailing end portion side in the unwinding
direction of the glass film.
9. The glass roll according to claim 7, wherein the glass film
comprises a plurality of glass films, and wherein the plurality of
glass films are attached onto the same resin film.
10. The glass roll according to claim 7, wherein the resin film is
superposed and attached onto the one surface of the glass film, and
an another resin film separate from the resin film is superposed
and attached onto another surface of the glass film.
11. A processing method for a glass roll, for sequentially
performing, by a roll-to-roll apparatus, predetermined processing
on a glass roll including a glass film wound into a roll, the
processing method comprising: attaching a resin film onto the glass
film; arranging at least a part of the resin film on a front side
of an unwinding direction relative to a leading end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film; and guiding the glass film
into the roll-to-roll apparatus while the resin film is in the
lead.
12. The processing method for a glass roll according to claim 11,
wherein a length of the resin film, which corresponds to a part on
the front side of the unwinding direction relative to the leading
end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film, is equal
to or larger than an entire length of a conveyance path for the
glass film in the roll-to-roll apparatus.
13. The processing method for a glass roll according to claim 11,
wherein at least a part of the resin film is arranged also on a
rear side of the unwinding direction relative to a trailing end
portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film.
14. The processing method for a glass roll according to claim 13,
wherein a length of the resin film, which corresponds to a part on
the rear side of the unwinding direction relative to the trailing
end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film, is equal
to or larger than the entire length of the conveyance path for the
glass film in the roll-to-roll apparatus.
15. The glass roll according to claim 3, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other with an elastic
member.
16. The glass roll according to claim 15, wherein the elastic
member couples a region including a widthwise center line of the
glass film and a widthwise center line of the resin film.
17. The glass roll according to claim 3, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other under a state in which an
end portion of the resin film is superposed on an end portion of
the glass film.
18. The glass roll according to claim 4, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other under a state in which an
end portion of the resin film is superposed on an end portion of
the glass film.
19. The glass roll according to claim 5, wherein the glass film and
the resin film are coupled to each other under a state in which an
end portion of the resin film is superposed on an end portion of
the glass film.
20. The glass roll according to claim 15, wherein the glass film
and the resin film are coupled to each other under a state in which
an end portion of the resin film is superposed on an end portion of
the glass film.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a package form for a glass
film which is used as a glass substrate for a flat panel display
and a solar cell, and used as cover glass or the like for an
organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting, and to a processing
method for the glass film.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] As is well known in the art, in recent years, there is a
demand for further thinning of various glass plates including glass
substrates for a flat panel display, such as a liquid crystal
display, a plasma display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
display, or a field emission display. Therefore, along with the
demand, a so-called glass film that is thinned into a film is being
developed. For example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a
glass film having a thickness of 200 .mu.m or less has been
developed.
[0003] Further, for example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 2,
as a package form for the glass film, there is adopted a glass roll
formed by winding the glass film into a roll. The package form
utilizes a characteristic that the glass film has sufficient
flexibility due to its thinness, and has an advantage that it is
possible to save a space occupied by the packaged glass film.
[0004] In addition, for example, as disclosed in Patent Literature
3, the glass roll is supplied while being unwound, a functional
film is formed on a surface of the glass film, and then the glass
film having the surface on which the functional film is formed is
wound again. Thus, the functional film is formed on the glass film
using a so-called roll-to-roll method. In this way, only by
unwinding the glass film from the glass roll successively, film
forming processing can be performed on the glass film sequentially,
which is convenient.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0005] Patent Literature 1: JP 2008-133174 A
[0006] Patent Literature 2: JP 2002-544104 A
[0007] Patent Literature 3: JP 2007-119322 A
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0008] By the way, as disclosed in Patent Literature 3, an
apparatus for carrying out the roll-to-roll method (hereinafter,
referred to as roll-to-roll apparatus) includes an unwinding
section and a winding section, and performs predetermined
processing such as the film forming on the glass film between the
unwinding section and the winding section while successively
supplying the glass film from the unwinding section to the winding
section. Therefore, in a case where the roll-to-roll apparatus
performs the predetermined processing on the glass film, first, it
is necessary to guide, into the winding section, the glass film
that is unwound from the glass roll set in the unwinding section,
and to set the glass film between the unwinding section and the
winding section.
[0009] However, when guiding the glass film first from the
unwinding section to the winding section, a posture of a leading
end portion of the glass film is liable to be unstable. Thus, the
leading end portion of the glass film is excessively and repeatedly
brought into contact with/impact on apparatus components, which may
sometimes lead to such a situation that small flaws are formed in a
vicinity of the leading end portion. This situation may cause a
problem in that the vicinity of the leading end portion of the
glass film breaks due to the small flaws.
[0010] Further, when the vicinity of the leading end portion of the
glass film breaks, the glass film is cut halfway through the
processing due to the breakage in some cases. In this case,
intended tension does not act on the glass film in the roll-to-roll
apparatus, and hence a bend and a flutter occur also in an
intermediate portion or the like in a longitudinal direction of the
glass film. As a result, a portion of the glass film other than the
leading end portion thereof is also brought into unnecessary
contact with the apparatus components, which may lead to a major
problem such as escalation of breakage of the glass film.
[0011] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, it is a
technical object of the present invention to reliably reduce
breakage of the glass film even when performing the predetermined
processing on the glass film by the roll-to-roll apparatus.
Solution to Problems
[0012] The present invention, which has been made to solve the
above-mentioned problems, provides a glass roll, which is formed by
winding a glass film into a roll, in which a resin film is attached
onto the glass film, and at least a part of the resin film is
arranged on a front side of an unwinding direction relative to a
leading end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass
film.
[0013] With this configuration, when guiding the glass film first
from an unwinding section to a winding section of a roll-to-roll
apparatus, it is possible to perform the guiding operation while
the resin film having higher fracture toughness in comparison with
the glass film is in the lead. Further, the glass film is guided
into the roll-to-roll apparatus after the resin film by being
dragged by the resin film, and hence the glass film is less likely
to be excessively brought into contact with/impact on apparatus
components. Therefore, it is possible to reliably reduce such a
situation that the glass film breaks at the time of the guiding
operation.
[0014] In the above-mentioned configuration, the resin film may be
coupled to the leading end portion in the unwinding direction of
the glass film.
[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to easily and
reliably position the resin film on the front side of the unwinding
direction relative to the leading end portion in the unwinding
direction of the glass film.
[0016] In this case, it is preferred that the resin film be coupled
also to a trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of the
glass film, and at least a part of the resin film be arranged on a
rear side of the unwinding direction relative to the trailing end
portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film.
[0017] The roll-to-roll apparatus needs to keep constant tension
between the unwinding section and the winding section. When the
resin film is coupled to the trailing end portion in the unwinding
direction of the glass film, the constant tension can act on the
glass film through the resin film even after the trailing end
portion of the glass film is sent out of the unwinding section.
Therefore, even after the trailing end portion of the glass film is
sent out of the unwinding section, it is possible to stably perform
predetermined processing on the glass film, which may contribute to
effective use of the glass film.
[0018] Further, in a case where a plurality of roll-to-roll
apparatus perform the processing, it is possible to obtain the
following action and effect. That is, in this case, a portion that
is treated as the trailing end portion in the processing of the
previous roll-to-roll apparatus is wound last, and hence is treated
as the leading end portion in the processing of the subsequent
roll-to-roll apparatus. Therefore, when coupling the resin films
respectively to the leading end portion and the trailing end
portion of the glass film in this way, without rewinding the glass
roll for every roll-to-roll apparatus so that a side on which the
resin film is coupled serves as the leading end portion, the side
on which the resin film is coupled can be always treated as the
leading end portion, and hence efficient processing is
possible.
[0019] In the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferred that
the glass film and the resin film be coupled to each other with an
elastic member.
[0020] When the glass film and the resin film are coupled to each
other, in a case where the glass film and the resin film are
supplied to the roll-to-roll apparatus under a state in which a
widthwise center line of the glass film and a widthwise center line
of the resin film are not present on the same straight line, the
following problem may arise. That is, when displacement occurs
between the widthwise center lines of the resin film and the glass
film, the roll-to-roll apparatus forcibly corrects displacement of
the glass film, and hence bending stress and torsional stress act
on the portion of the glass film coupled to the resin film.
Consequently, the glass film may break.
[0021] In view of this, in order to prevent the breakage, it is
preferred that the glass film and the resin film be coupled to each
other with the elastic member as described above. With this
configuration, even if the widthwise center line of the glass film
and the widthwise center line of the resin film are not present on
the same straight line, the elastic member is deformed at the point
in time when the tension acts on the glass film, to thereby absorb
the displacement between the widthwise center line of the glass
film and the widthwise center line of the resin film. Therefore,
owing to the displacement absorbing effect exerted by the elastic
member, the bending stress and torsional stress are less likely to
be generated on the glass film, and hence it is possible to prevent
breakage of the glass film. Note that, in a case where the resin
film is coupled also to the trailing end portion in the unwinding
direction of the glass film, it is preferred that the glass film
and the resin film be coupled to each other with the elastic member
at both of the leading end portion and the trailing end portion in
the unwinding direction of the glass film.
[0022] In this case, it is preferred that the elastic member couple
a region including a widthwise center line of the glass film and a
widthwise center line of the resin film.
[0023] With this configuration, the elastic member couples the
region including the widthwise center line of the glass film to the
region including the widthwise center line of the resin film, and
hence, even when an area of the portion coupled with the elastic
member is reduced, it is possible to couple the films to each other
in stable postures. Accordingly, owing to a reduction in area of
the portion coupled with the elastic member, the stress can be
reduced as much as possible, which acts on the glass film when the
elastic member is deformed to absorb the displacement between the
widthwise center line of the glass film and the widthwise center
line of the resin film. Therefore, this is effective also in view
of preventing breakage of the glass film.
[0024] In the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferred that
the glass film and the resin film be coupled to each other under a
state in which an end portion of the resin film is superposed on an
end portion of the glass film.
[0025] With this configuration, an end surface of the glass film
and an end surface of the resin film are out of direct contact with
each other, and hence this is advantageous in view of preventing
breakage of the glass film.
[0026] In the above-mentioned configuration, the resin film longer
in length than the glass film may be superposed and attached onto
one surface of the glass film, and the resin film may be extended
beyond the leading end portion in the unwinding direction of the
glass film.
[0027] With this configuration, while protecting the one surface of
the glass film with the resin film, the roll-to-roll apparatus can
perform the predetermined processing on another surface of the
glass film.
[0028] In this case, it is preferred that the resin film be
extended also beyond a trailing end portion side in the unwinding
direction of the glass film.
[0029] With this configuration, the same resin film is extended
beyond both the front and rear sides of the unwinding direction of
the glass film. Thus, even after the trailing end portion of the
glass film is sent out of the unwinding section of the roll-to-roll
apparatus, the constant tension can act on the glass film through
the resin film. Therefore, even after the trailing end portion of
the glass film is sent out of the unwinding section, it is possible
to stably perform the predetermined processing, and hence it is
possible to achieve effective use of the glass film.
[0030] Further, in the case where the plurality of roll-to-roll
apparatus perform the processing, it is possible to obtain the
following action and effect. That is, in this case, the portion
that is treated as the trailing end portion in the processing of
the previous roll-to-roll apparatus is wound last, and hence is
treated as the leading end portion in the processing of the
subsequent roll-to-roll apparatus. Therefore, when the resin film
is extended beyond each of the leading end portion and the trailing
end portion of the glass film in this way, without rewinding the
glass roll for every roll-to-roll apparatus so that a side beyond
which the resin film is extended serves as the leading end portion,
the side beyond which the resin film is extended can be always
treated as the leading end portion, and hence efficient processing
is possible.
[0031] In the above-mentioned configuration, the glass film may
include a plurality of glass films, and the plurality of glass
films may be attached onto the same resin film.
[0032] With this configuration, the plurality of glass films with
short lengths, which are previously cut into fixed lengths at
user's request, etc., can be supplied to the roll-to-roll
apparatus. Further, even the plurality of glass films with short
lengths, which are cut due to a defect and the like at a stage of
not having predetermined lengths, can be packaged in a state of the
glass roll. As a result, the predetermined processing can be
performed not only on the glass film with a long length but also on
the glass film with a short length using the roll-to-roll
apparatus.
[0033] In the above-mentioned configuration, the resin film may be
superposed and attached onto the one surface of the glass film, and
an another resin film separate from the resin film may be
superposed and attached onto another surface of the glass film.
[0034] With this configuration, front and back surfaces of the
glass film are protected with the resin films. Further, just before
performing the predetermined processing by the roll-to-roll
apparatus, by peeling off the resin film attached on a surface that
is to be subjected to the processing, it is possible to carry out
the processing without any problem.
[0035] The present invention, which has been made to solve the
above-mentioned problems, provides a processing method for a glass
roll, for sequentially performing, by a roll-to-roll apparatus,
predetermined processing on a glass roll including a glass film
wound into a roll, the processing method including: attaching a
resin film onto the glass film; arranging at least a part of the
resin film on a front side of an unwinding direction relative to a
leading end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film;
and guiding the glass film into the roll-to-roll apparatus while
the resin film is in the lead.
[0036] According to this method, it is possible to similarly obtain
the above-mentioned action and effect.
[0037] In the above-mentioned method, it is preferred that a length
of the resin film, which corresponds to a part on the front side of
the unwinding direction relative to the leading end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film, be equal to or larger than
an entire length of a conveyance path for the glass film in the
roll-to-roll apparatus.
[0038] With this configuration, only the resin film is present in
an inside of the roll-to-roll apparatus at an early stage of
operation, and hence it is possible to smoothly perform guiding
operation into the inside of the roll-to-roll apparatus without
paying any attention to the breakage of the glass film.
[0039] In the above-mentioned method, it is preferred that at least
a part of the resin film be arranged also on a rear side of the
unwinding direction relative to a trailing end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film. Note that, the resin film
described herein may be integrated with or separated from the resin
film arranged on the front side of the unwinding direction relative
to the leading end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass
film.
[0040] With this configuration, it is possible to similarly obtain
the above-mentioned action and effect.
[0041] In this case, it is preferred that a length of the resin
film, which corresponds to a part on the rear side of the unwinding
direction relative to the trailing end portion in the unwinding
direction of the glass film, be equal to or larger than the entire
length of the conveyance path for the glass film in the
roll-to-roll apparatus.
[0042] With this configuration, tension can act on the glass film
even at the point in time when the predetermined processing is
performed on the trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of
the glass film. Therefore, it is possible to perform stable
processing over an entire length of the glass film.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0043] According to the present invention as described above, when
guiding the glass film first from the unwinding section to the
winding section of the roll-to-roll apparatus, it is possible to
perform the guiding operation while the resin film attached on the
glass film is in the lead. Therefore, the leading end portion,
which is likely to be brought into contact with the apparatus
components of the roll-to-roll apparatus, is formed of the resin
film. Thus, at the time of the guiding operation, such a situation
can be reduced as much as possible that the glass film is brought
into contact with the apparatus components, to thereby break.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0044] [FIG. 1] A perspective view illustrating an entire
configuration of a glass roll according to a first embodiment of
the present invention.
[0045] [FIG. 2] A schematic view illustrating a roll-to-roll
apparatus used for processing the glass roll according to the first
embodiment.
[0046] [FIG. 3] A plan view illustrating a state in which a glass
film of the glass roll according to a second embodiment of the
present invention is developed on a straight line.
[0047] [FIG. 4(a)] A plan view illustrating a coupled portion
between a resin film and the glass film of the glass roll according
to a third embodiment of the present invention, and illustrating a
state before tension acts on the glass film.
[0048] [FIG. 4(b)] A plan view illustrating the coupled portion
between the resin film and the glass film of the glass roll
according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and
illustrating a state after the tension acts on the glass film.
[0049] [FIG. 5(a)] A plan view illustrating a coupled portion
between the resin film and the glass film of the glass roll
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and
illustrating a state before tension acts on the glass film.
[0050] [FIG. 5(b)] A plan view illustrating the coupled portion
between the resin film and the glass film of the glass roll
according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and
illustrating a state after the tension acts on the glass film.
[0051] [FIG. 6(a)] A plan view illustrating a state in which the
glass film of the glass roll according to a fifth embodiment of the
present invention is developed on a straight line.
[0052] [FIG. 6(b)] A side view of FIG. 6(a).
[0053] [FIG. 7] A plan view illustrating a state in which glass
films of the glass roll according to a sixth embodiment of the
present invention are developed on a straight line.
[0054] [FIG. 8(a)] A plan view illustrating a state in which the
glass film of the glass roll according to a seventh embodiment of
the present invention is developed on a straight line.
[0055] [FIG. 8(b)] A sectional view taken along the line A-A of
FIG. 8(a).
[0056] [FIG. 9] A schematic view illustrating a roll-to-roll
apparatus used for processing the glass roll according to the
seventh embodiment.
[0057] [FIG. 10(a)] A plan view illustrating a state in which the
glass films of the glass roll according to a modified example of
the seventh embodiment of the present invention are developed on a
straight line.
[0058] [FIG. 10(b)] A sectional view taken along the line B-B of
FIG. 10(a).
[0059] [FIG. 11] A schematic view illustrating a modified example
of the roll-to-roll apparatus used for processing the glass roll
according to the present invention.
[0060] [FIG. 12] A schematic view illustrating another modified
example of the roll-to-roll apparatus used for processing the glass
roll according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0061] In the following, embodiments of the present invention are
described with reference to the attached drawings.
[0062] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an entire
configuration of a glass roll according to a first embodiment of
the present invention. A glass roll 1 is formed by winding a glass
film 2 onto an outer peripheral surface of a roll core 3 into a
roll. A resin film 4 is coupled onto a leading end portion in a
unwinding direction of the glass film 2, and a part of the resin
film 4 protrudes from the leading end portion of the glass film 2
to a front side of the unwinding direction. Specifically, in this
embodiment, the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 are coupled to
each other in such a manner that adhesive tapes 5 are attached
across the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 under a state in which
an end portion of the glass film 2 and an end portion of the resin
film 4 are superposed on each other.
[0063] The glass film 2 is formed by an overflow downdraw method to
have a thickness of from 1 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m (preferably, 10 .mu.m
to 100 .mu.m). The reason why the glass film is set to have such a
thickness is because, with the thickness within the above-mentioned
numerical range, appropriate flexibility and strength can be
imparted to the glass film 2 and no trouble arises at the time of
winding. In other words, when the thickness of the glass film 2 is
less than 1 .mu.m, handling of the glass film is troublesome
because of lack of strength. When the thickness of the glass film 2
exceeds 200 .mu.m, satisfactory flexibility is not obtained, which
leads to a problem in that a winding radius is extremely and
inevitably increased.
[0064] In this embodiment, a width of the glass film 2 is 12.5 mm
or more, in particular, preferably 100 mm or more, more preferably
300 mm or more, and still more preferably 500 mm or more. Note
that, the glass film 2 is used for a wide variety of devices
including a small-screen display such as a mobile phone with a
small size and a large-screen display such as a television set with
a large size, and hence it is preferred that the width of the glass
film 2 be finally selected as needed depending on a size of a
substrate of a device to be used.
[0065] As a glass composition of the glass film 2, there can be
used various glass compositions of silicate glass and the like,
such as silica glass and borosilicate glass. However, it is
preferred to use non-alkali glass. The reason is as follows. When
the glass film 2 contains an alkali component, a phenomenon,
so-called white weathering, occurs so that the glass film is
structurally rough. When the glass film 2 is curved, there is a
risk in that the glass film is prone to break from a portion that
is weathered over time. Note that, herein, the non-alkali glass
includes glass that does not substantially contain an alkali
component, specifically, glass containing an alkali metal oxide of
1000 ppm or less (preferably, of 500 ppm or less, and more
preferably, of 300 ppm or less).
[0066] Further, in view of ensuring strength of the glass film 2,
it is preferred that at least each end surface in a width direction
of the glass film 2 include a cut surface which is cut by laser
splitting. With this configuration, the each end surface in the
width direction of the glass film 2 has a cross-section with high
strength free from defects causing breakage, such as micro cracks.
Specifically, when utilizing the laser splitting, without being
subjected to polishing or the like after the cutting, the each end
surface in the width direction of the glass film 2 is allowed to
have an arithmetic average roughness Ra (compliant to JIS
B0601:2001) of 0.1 .mu.m or less (preferably, 0.05 .mu.m or less).
Here, the laser splitting refers to a method of cutting the glass
film 2 in such a manner that an initial crack is caused to develop
by utilizing thermal stress that is generated through expansion due
to a heating action of laser and through contraction due to a
cooling action of a refrigerant.
[0067] A thickness and a width of the resin film 4 are not
particularly limited. However, considering that the resin film is
caused to pass through in the same roll-to-roll apparatus as the
glass film 2, it is preferred that the resin film have
substantially the same thickness and width as those of the glass
film 2. Specifically, it is preferred that the thickness of the
resin film 4 be from 1 to 200 .mu.m, and the width of the resin
film 4 be 0.5 to 2 times (preferably 0.9 to 1.5 times) larger than
the width of the glass film 2. Note that, the resin film 4 needs to
have strength high enough to drag the glass film 2, and hence it is
preferred to finally determine the thickness and the width in
consideration of a material and the like of the resin film 4.
[0068] As the resin film 4, there can be used, for example, an
ionomer film, a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, a
polyvinyl chloride film, a polyvinylidene chloride film, a
polyvinyl alcohol film, a polyester film, a polycarbonate film, a
polystyrene film, a polyacrylonitrile film, an ethylene vinyl
acetate copolymer film, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film,
an ethylene-methacrylate copolymer film, a nylon (registered
trademark) film (polyamide film), a polyimide film, and an organic
resin film (synthetic resin film) such as cellophane. In addition,
in view of ensuring both cushioning performance and strength, it is
preferred that, as the resin film 4, a foamed resin sheet such as a
polyethylene foam sheet be used.
[0069] Next, the roll-to-roll apparatus for performing
predetermined processing on the glass roll 1 configured as
described above, and the procedure for processing the glass film 2
by the apparatus are briefly described.
[0070] FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an example of the
roll-to-roll apparatus. The roll-to-roll apparatus includes an
unwinding section 11 arranged at an upstream end of a conveyance
path, and a winding section 12 arranged at a downstream end of the
conveyance path. Between the unwinding section 11 and the winding
section 12, the predetermined processing is performed on the glass
film 2.
[0071] Specifically, after the glass roll 1 is set in the unwinding
section 11, the predetermined processing is performed successively
while conveying rollers 13a to 13n sequentially convey, to a
downstream side, the glass film 2 which is unwound from the glass
roll 1 set in the unwinding section 11, and then the glass film 2
subjected to the predetermined processing is sequentially wound in
the winding section 12. In this way, the glass roll 1 is produced
again.
[0072] In this embodiment, on the conveyance path between the
unwinding section 11 and the winding section 12, in order from an
upstream side of the conveyance path, there are arranged a cleaning
chamber 14 which pools cleaning liquid (for example, water), a
drying chamber 15 in which the glass film 2 dipped into the
cleaning liquid of the cleaning chamber 14 is dried with hot air or
the like, and a static elimination chamber 16 in which static
electricity accumulated on the glass film 2 is eliminated. In order
from the upstream side, a cleaning process, a drying process, and a
static elimination process are performed on the glass film 2. Note
that, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 17 denotes a draining section,
and reference numeral 18 denotes a surface treatment section.
[0073] Further, as described above, in order for the roll-to-roll
apparatus to perform the predetermined processing such as cleaning
on the glass film 2, first, it is necessary to guide the glass film
2 unwound from the glass roll 1 set in the unwinding section 11
into the winding section 12, and to stretch the glass film 2
between the unwinding section 11 and the winding section 12. At
this time, when the glass film 2 is guided into an inside of the
roll-to-roll apparatus while the leading end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film 2 is in the lead, the leading
end portion of the glass film 2 is excessively and repeatedly
brought into contact with/impact on apparatus components of the
roll-to-roll apparatus, and hence the glass film 2 may break. In
view of this, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the resin film 4 is coupled
on the leading end portion of the glass film 2, and the glass film
2 is guided into the inside of the roll-to-roll apparatus while the
resin film 4 is in the lead.
[0074] That is, the resin film 4 has higher fracture toughness in
comparison with the glass film 2. Thus, even when the resin film is
brought into contact with the apparatus components to have small
flaws, the resin film does not break due to the small flaws.
Therefore, when the glass film 2 is guided into the inside of the
roll-to-roll apparatus while the resin film 4 is in the lead, it is
possible to reliably reduce such a situation that the glass film 2
is flawed due to excessive contact with the apparatus
components.
[0075] Here, in view of preventing breakage of the glass film 2, it
is preferred that a length of the resin film 4 (indicated by D1 of
FIG. 3 described below), which corresponds to a part on the front
side of the unwinding direction relative to the leading end portion
in the unwinding direction of the glass film, be equal to or larger
than an entire length of the conveyance path provided in the inside
of the roll-to-roll apparatus. With this configuration, only the
resin film 4 is present in the inside of the roll-to-roll apparatus
at an early stage of operation, and hence it is possible to
smoothly perform guiding operation from the unwinding section 11 to
the winding section 12 without paying any attention to the breakage
of the glass film 2.
[0076] Note that, in the above-mentioned embodiment, description is
made of the case where the glass film 2 is wound around the roll
core 3 into a roll, to thereby manufacture the glass roll 1.
However, in view of protecting a surface of the glass film 2, it is
preferred that, under a state in which the cushion sheet (not
shown) is superposed on any one of surfaces of the glass film 2,
the glass film 2 and the cushion sheet be wound around the roll
core 3 together. In this case, it is preferred that the
roll-to-roll apparatus have both such a configuration as to
separate the cushion sheet from the glass film 2 before processing,
and such a configuration as to superpose the cushion sheet on the
glass film 2 and wind the cushion sheet and the glass film again
after the processing (for example, see a winding section 19 and an
unwinding section 20 for the resin film 4 illustrated in FIG. 9
described below).
[0077] Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, description is
made of the case where the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 are
coupled to each other by attaching the adhesive tapes 5 across the
films. However, the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 maybe coupled
to each other by bonding the films with an adhesive. In this case,
it is preferred that, as the adhesive, one that can separate a
bonded portion between the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 again
be used.
[0078] Further, the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 may be
coupled to each other by stretching the adhesive tapes 5 across the
end portion of the glass film 2 and the end portion of the resin
film 4 under a state in which both of the end portions are abutted
on each other without being superposed on each other or under a
state in which both of the end portions are opposed to each other
with a gap.
[0079] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a state in which the glass
film of the glass roll according to a second embodiment of the
present invention is developed on a straight line. The glass roll 1
according to the second embodiment is different from the glass roll
1 according to the first embodiment in that the resin films 4 are
coupled on both of the leading end portion and a trailing end
portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film 2,
respectively.
[0080] The roll-to-roll apparatus needs to keep constant tension
between the unwinding section 11 and the winding section 12. When
the resin film 4 is coupled on the trailing end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film 2, the constant tension can
act on the glass film 2 through the resin film 4 even after the
trailing end portion of the glass film 2 is sent out of the
unwinding section 11. Therefore, even after the trailing end
portion of the glass film 2 is sent out of the unwinding section
11, it is possible to perform the predetermined processing, such as
the above-mentioned cleaning, on the glass film 2. As a result, an
unprocessed region included in the glass film 2 is reduced, and
hence it is possible to achieve effective use of the glass film
2.
[0081] Note that, in view of achieving effective use of the glass
film 2, it is preferred that a length D2 of the resin film 4, which
corresponds to a part on the rear side of the unwinding direction
relative to the trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of
the glass film 2, be equal to or larger than the entire length of
the conveyance path provided in the inside of the roll-to-roll
apparatus. With this configuration, it is possible to stably
perform the processing such as the cleaning up to the trailing end
portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film 2, and hence
it is possible to more reliably achieve effective use of the glass
film 2. Note that, at this time, it is more preferred that the
length D1 of the resin film 4, which corresponds to the part on the
front side of the unwinding direction relative to the leading end
portion in the unwinding direction of the glass film 2, be equal to
or larger than the entire length of the conveyance path provided in
the inside of the roll-to-roll apparatus.
[0082] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are views illustrating a coupled portion
between the resin film and the glass film of the glass roll
according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The glass
roll 1 according to the third embodiment is different from the
glass roll 1 according to any one of the first and second
embodiments in that the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 are
coupled to each other with elastic adhesive tapes 6 as elastic
members.
[0083] In a case where a widthwise center line L1 of the glass film
2 and a widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4 are not
present on the same straight line, the roll-to-roll apparatus
forcibly corrects displacement (inclination) of the glass film 2,
and hence bending stress and torsional stress act on the portion of
the glass film 2 coupled to the resin film 4. Consequently, there
may arise a problem in that the glass film 2 breaks.
[0084] In view of this, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), the glass film
2 and the resin film 4 are coupled to each other with the elastic
adhesive tapes 6, and thus the above-mentioned problem is solved.
That is, when the glass film 2 and the resin film 4 are coupled to
each other with the elastic adhesive tapes 6 as described above,
even if the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the
widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4 are not present on the
same straight line, as illustrated in FIG. 4(b), the elastic
adhesive tapes 6 are deformed at the point in time when the tension
acts on the glass film 2. Consequently, it is possible to absorb
the displacement between the widthwise center line L1 of the glass
film 2 and the widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4.
[0085] Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), in a case where,
under a state in which the widthwise center line L1 of the glass
film 2 is inclined with respect to the widthwise center line L2 of
the resin film 4, the elastic adhesive tapes 6 are attached on both
sides of the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2, as
illustrated in FIG. 4(b), the elastic adhesive tape 6 on one side
of the widthwise center line L1 is expanded, and the elastic
adhesive tape 6 on the other side of the widthwise center line L1
is contracted. Owing to the deformation of the elastic adhesive
tapes 6, the inclination of the widthwise center line L1 of the
glass film 2 is corrected, and the widthwise center line L1 of the
glass film 2 and the widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4
substantially conform to each other on the same straight line.
Therefore, the bending stress and the torsional stress are less
likely to occur directly on the glass film 2. Thus, even in a case
where the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the
widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4 are not present on the
same straight line, it is possible to reliably prevent such a
situation that the glass film 2 breaks.
[0086] Note that, in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b), description is made
of the case where the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2
and the widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4 intersect each
other at an angle. However, even in a case where the center line L1
and the center line L2 are parallel to each other, the elastic
adhesive tapes 6 are deformed similarly, and hence it is possible
to absorb the displacement between the center line L1 and the
center line L2.
[0087] Further, in a case where the resin film 4 is coupled also to
the trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass
film 2, it is preferred that the glass film 2 and the resin film 4
be coupled to each other with the elastic adhesive tapes 6 at both
of the leading end portion and the trailing end portion in the
unwinding direction of the glass film 2.
[0088] Note that, examples of the elastic adhesive tape 6 include a
tape that has a base member formed of a polyester film. Further,
the elastic member that couples the glass film 2 and the resin film
4 to each other is not limited to the elastic adhesive tape 6, but
may be an elastic adhesive.
[0089] FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are views illustrating a coupled portion
between the resin film and the glass film of the glass roll
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The
glass roll 1 according to the fourth embodiment is different from
the glass roll 1 according to the third embodiment in that the
elastic adhesive tape 6 as the elastic member couples a region
(only one point in the illustrated example) including the widthwise
center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the widthwise center line L2
of the resin film 4.
[0090] Specifically, a widthwise center of the elastic adhesive
tape 6 conforms to the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2
and the widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4. Further, a
width of the elastic adhesive tape 6 is smaller than widths of the
glass film 2 and the resin film, and an intersection between the
widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the widthwise
center line L2 of the resin film 4 is included in a region where
the elastic adhesive tape 6 is attached.
[0091] With this configuration, the elastic adhesive tape 6 couples
a region including the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2
to a region including the widthwise center line L2 of the resin
film 4, and hence, even if an area of the coupled portion with the
elastic adhesive tape 6 is reduced, it is possible to couple the
films to each other in stable postures. Accordingly, owing to a
reduction in size of the coupled portion, the stress can be reduced
as much as possible, which acts on the glass film 2 by the elastic
adhesive tape 6 absorbs the displacement between the widthwise
center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the widthwise center line L2
of the resin film 4. Therefore, this is effective also in view of
preventing breakage of the glass film 2. Further, the elastic
adhesive tape 6 is positioned on the widthwise center lines of the
glass film 2 and the resin film 4, and hence it is possible to
suppress a deformation amount of the elastic adhesive tape 6, which
is necessary to absorb the displacement between the widthwise
center line L1 of the glass film 2 and the widthwise center line L2
of the resin film 4.
[0092] Note that, in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), description is made
of the case where the widthwise center line L1 of the glass film 2
and the widthwise center line L2 of the resin film 4 intersect each
other at an angle. However, even in a case where the center line L1
and the center line L2 are parallel to each other, the elastic
adhesive tape 6 is deformed similarly, and hence it is possible to
absorb the displacement between the center line L1 and the center
line L2.
[0093] FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are views illustrating a state in which
the glass film of the glass roll according to a fifth embodiment of
the present invention is developed on a straight line. The glass
roll 1 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the
glass roll 1 according to any one of the first to fourth
embodiments in that the glass film 2 is superposed and attached on
one resin film 4 longer in length than the glass film 2, and the
resin film 4 is extended beyond at least the leading end portion in
the unwinding direction of the glass film 2. Note that, in the
illustrated example, there is illustrated a state in which the
resin film 4 is extended beyond both of the leading end portion and
the trailing end portion in the unwinding direction of the glass
film 2.
[0094] With this configuration, while protecting one surface of the
glass film 2 with the resin film 4, the roll-to-roll apparatus can
perform the predetermined processing on the other surface of the
glass film 2.
[0095] In this case, it is preferred that the glass film 2 be
peelably bonded onto the resin film 4. In this case, the glass film
2 is attached onto the resin film 4, and hence, even if the glass
film 2 breaks, etc., it is possible to prevent such a situation
that glass fragments are scattered around. Further, such a
situation is less likely to arise that the resin film 4 is cut
halfway through the roll-to-roll apparatus due to breakage. Thus,
even if such a situation arises that the glass film 2 is cut
halfway through the roll-to-roll apparatus due to breakage, the
constant tension can act on the glass film 2. Therefore, it is
possible to prevent halfway stop of a roll-to-roll step.
[0096] Further, an effective surface of the glass film 2, on which
an electrode or the like is formed, needs to avoid direct contact
with another member as much as possible, and hence it is preferred
that the resin film 4 be attached on a surface opposite to the
effective surface of the glass film 2.
[0097] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state in which glass films
of the glass roll according to a sixth embodiment of the present
invention are developed on a straight line. The glass roll 1
according to the sixth embodiment is different from the glass roll
1 according to the fifth embodiment in that a plurality of glass
films 2 are attached on one resin film 4 with longitudinal
intervals.
[0098] With this configuration, even the plurality of glass films 2
with short lengths, which are previously cut into fixed lengths, or
the plurality of glass films 2 with short lengths, which are cut
due to a defect and the like at a stage of not having predetermined
lengths, can be packaged in a state of the glass roll 1. Further,
by being packaged in the state of the glass roll 1, even the glass
films 2 with short lengths can be subjected to the predetermined
processing using a roll-to-roll method.
[0099] Note that, in this case, sizes (mainly, lengths in a
conveying direction) of the glass films 2 to be attached on one
resin film 4 are not particularly limited. The glass films 2 may
have different sizes.
[0100] FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are views illustrating a state in which
the glass film of the glass roll according to a seventh embodiment
of the present invention is developed on a straight line. The glass
roll 1 according to the seventh embodiment is different from the
glass roll 1 according to any one of the fifth and sixth
embodiments in that two resin films 4 are attached so as to
sandwich entire front and back surfaces of the glass film 2 from
both sides thereof.
[0101] With this configuration, it is possible to protect the
entire front and back surfaces of the glass film 2 with the resin
films 4. Further, just before performing the predetermined
processing by the roll-to-roll apparatus, by peeling off the resin
film 4 attached on a surface that needs to be subjected to the
predetermined processing such as the cleaning, it is possible to
carry out the predetermined processing without any problem.
[0102] Specifically, the following can be given as an example of
the roll-to-roll apparatus used in this case. In addition to the
configuration of the roll-to-roll apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2,
as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 9, the roll-to-roll apparatus
includes: the winding section 19 for winding the resin film 4
attached on one surface of the glass film 2 on the upstream side of
the cleaning chamber 14, i.e., in a first processing step, to
thereby detach the resin film 4 from the one surface of the glass
film 2; and the unwinding section 20 for unwinding the resin film 4
on the downstream side of the static elimination chamber 16, i.e.,
in a final processing step, to thereby attach the resin film 4 on
the one surface of the glass film 2 again.
[0103] Note that, in a case of covering the entire front and back
surfaces of the glass film 2 with the resin films 4 as described
above, it is preferred that the resin film 4 on the effective
surface side of the glass film 2 be not jointed to the glass film 2
through bonding or the like. This is because, when the resin film 4
is jointed on the effective surface side through bonding or the
like, there is a fear in that foreign matters such as bonding
components remain on the effective surface after the resin film 4
is peeled off from the effective surface of the glass film 2. That
is, it is preferred that the resin film 4 on the effective surface
side of the glass film 2 be jointed through bonding or the like
only to the resin film 4 opposite to the effective surface of the
glass film 2.
[0104] Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), entire
front and back surfaces of the plurality of glass films 2 may be
covered with two resin films 4.
[0105] Note that, the present invention is not limited to the
above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various
modes. For example, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments,
using the roll-to-roll apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 9,
the glass film 2 is conveyed in a meandering manner by the
conveying rollers 13a to 13n between the unwinding section 11 and
the winding section 12. However, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the
glass film 2 may be conveyed along a straight line by the conveying
rollers 13 between the unwinding section 11 and the winding section
12.
[0106] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the glass film 2 may be
conveyed in an upright state along a straight line between the
unwinding section 11 and the winding section 12. When performing
the processing using the roll-to-roll method under a state in which
the glass film 2 is upright as described above, in a case of
providing the cleaning chamber 14 to perform the cleaning process,
there is an advantage that the cleaning liquid is drained
satisfactorily. Further, the conveying rollers 13 and the surface
of the glass film 2 are out of direct contact with each other, and
hence it is also possible to reliably prevent such a situation that
the surface of the glass film 2 is flawed due to contact with the
conveying rollers 13. Note that, in this case, when the glass film
2 flutters, conveying rollers may be added above the glass film 2,
and both upper and lower sides of the glass film 2 may be supported
by the conveying rollers.
[0107] Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, description is
made of the case where the glass film 2 is formed by the overflow
downdraw method. However, the glass film 2 may be formed by a
downdraw method such as a slot downdraw method or a redraw method.
When using the downdraw method in this way, unlike a case of
forming the glass film 2 by a float method, the surface of the
glass film 2 is not contaminated by tin or the like. Thus, there is
an advantage that the glass film 2 can be used under a state in
which the surface of the glass film 2 remains unpolished. The glass
roll 1 is targeted for the glass film 2 having a small thickness,
and hence it is also very advantageous to use the glass film with a
surface remaining unpolished in terms of reducing a risk of
breakage of the glass film 2. Note that, in view of ensuring
smoothness of the surface of the glass film 2, it is preferred to
adopt the overflow downdraw method or the redraw method among the
downdraw method.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0108] The present invention can be preferably used to a glass
substrate used for a flat panel display, such as a liquid crystal
display or an OLED display, and for a device such as a solar cell,
and used to cover glass for an OLED lighting.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0109] 1 glass roll
[0110] 2 glass film
[0111] 3 roll core
[0112] 4 resin film
[0113] 5 adhesive tape
[0114] 6 elastic adhesive tape (elastic member)
[0115] 11 unwinding section
[0116] 12 winding section
[0117] 14 cleaning chamber
[0118] 15 drying chamber
[0119] 16 static elimination chamber
* * * * *