Method and system for laminating optical elements

A method which comprises, providing a continuous film laminate at least including an optically functional continuous film and a releasable film releasably adhered to one of the opposite sides thereof, providing sheets of optically functional film each having a predetermined length by at least partially cutting said optically functional continuous film, and laminating said sheets of optically functional continuous film to corresponding ones of product panels;

• said method further comprising steps of:
• cutting said continuous film laminate along cutting lines extending transversely across said continuous film laminate, said cutting lines being spaced apart each other in a longitudinal direction of said continuous film laminate by a distance corresponding to one of dimensions of said product panel, said continuous film laminate being cut from a side opposite to the side where said releasable film is adhered, to a depth reaching an interface between said optically functional film and said releasable film so as to define sheets of optically functional film between pairs of longitudinally adjacent cutting lines and sheets of optically functional film each with at least one defect between other pairs longitudinally adjacent cutting lines, based on an inspection of the optically functional continuous film for defects;
• transporting said continuous film laminate after the cutting step to a laminating station;
• releasing said sheet of optically functional continuous film from said releasable film at said laminating station by advancing said releasable film along an acute angle path where a direction of movement of said releasable film is reversed;
• delivering a product panel to said laminating station so that the product panel is registered with a one of the sheets of optically functional film released from said releasable film;
• laminating said sheet of optically functional film to said product panel by pressing said sheet of optically functional film to said product panel;
• and
• calculating a time difference between a time of detecting a one of the sheets of optically functional film with at least one defect and a time of discarding the one of the sheets of optically functional film with at least one defect.

A method which comprises, providing a continuous film laminate at least including an optically functional continuous film and a releasable film releasably adhered to one of the opposite sides thereof, providing sheets of optically functional film each having a predetermined length by at least partially cutting said optically functional continuous film, and laminating said sheets of optically functional film to corresponding ones of product panels;

• said method further comprising steps of:
• moving said continuous film laminate through an inspection station to inspect said continuous film laminate while said continuous film laminate is moved, for a presence of any defect in said optically functional film;
• when a defect is detected, calculating a coordinate position of the defect;
• determining cutting lines extending transversely across said continuous film laminate, said cutting lines being spaced apart each other in a longitudinal direction of said continuous film laminate by a distance corresponding to one of dimensions of said product panel;
• determining if the coordinate position of the defect is located between two longitudinally adjacent cutting lines, and if the coordinate position of the defect is located between said longitudinally adjacent cutting lines, determining another cutting line at a position a predetermined distance apart from said coordinate position of the defect toward upstream side in respect of moving direction of the continuous film laminate, for substitution for the upstream side one of said two longitudinally adjacent cutting lines;
• cutting sequentially said continuous film laminate along the cutting lines, said continuous film laminate being cut from a side opposite to the side where said releasable film is adhered, to a depth reaching an interface between said optically functional film and said releasable film so as to define a sheet of optically functional film between two longitudinally adjacent cutting lines, the sheet of optically functional film containing the defect being classified as a defective sheet, the remaining sheets being classified as non-defective sheets;
• transporting said continuous film laminate after the cutting step to a laminating station;
• releasing said sheet of optically functional film from said releasable film at said laminating station by advancing said releasable film along an acute angle path where a direction of movement of said releasable film is reversed;
• delivering a product panel to said laminating station so that the product panel is registered with the non-defective sheet of optically functional film released from said releasable film;
• and
• laminating said non-defective sheet of optically functional film to said product panel by pressing said sheet of optically functional film to said product panel.