# US 9,435,937 B2 · System for assembling optical films for displays > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,937 B2 - Document ID: US9435937B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/332,111 - Filed: 2014-07-15 - Published: 2016-01-21 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-15 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Babar M. Koraishy - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435937B2 ## CPC - G02B 6/0065: {Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects} - B32B 38/1858: {using vacuum} - B65H 3/0816: {separating from the top of pile} - B65H 3/48: Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles - G02B 6/005: {provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide} - B32B 37/18: involving the assembly of discrete sheets or panels only - B32B 38/10: Removing layers, or parts of layers, mechanically or chemically - B32B 38/162: {Cleaning} - B32B 38/1841: {during laying up} - B32B 2307/202: Conductive - B32B 2309/72: For measuring or regulating, e.g. systems with feedback loops - B32B 2457/20: Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays - B65H 2801/61: Display device manufacture, e.g. liquid crystal displays - Y10S 901/09: Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement - Y10S 901/40: Vacuum or mangetic - Y10S 901/47: Optical - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract Display backlight structures may provide backlight illumination that passes through display layers in the display. Computer-controlled equipment such as robotic arms with gripper structures may be used in assembling backlight layers such as a reflector, light guide plate, diffusers, and prism films into a backlight unit. The grippers may include mechanical grippers and vacuum heads. A vacuum gripper head may have a plenum to which a perforated plate and porous layer are attached for distributing the vacuum. Computer-controlled air sources may be used to blow streams of deionized air between backlight layers to separate the backlight layers during assembly. Release liners may be removed using robotic arms and grippers. Translation stages may move a backlight layer storage frame between stations. A cleaning tool with a solvent dispenser and air jets may clean backlight layers. A camera system may be used during alignment and positioning operations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for assembling a display backlight unit, comprising: a robotic arm; a gripper mounted on the robotic arm; a controller that directs the robotic arm and the gripper to assemble display backlight layers to form the backlight unit; deionized air sources controlled by the controller; and a backlight layer storage frame, wherein the deionized air sources blow streams of air across the backlight layer storage frame to separate the backlight layers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 wherein the gripper comprises a vacuum gripper. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system defined in claim 2 wherein the vacuum gripper comprises: a layer of porous material; a plenum that receives vacuum; and a perforated plate interposed between the plenum and the layer of porous material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system defined in claim 3 wherein the perforated plate has rows and columns of perforations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system defined in claim 4 further comprising: a camera system, wherein the controller controls the robotic arm based on information from the camera system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 wherein the deionized air sources comprise at least one pressurized air nozzle that blows a puff of air between the backlight layers to separate the backlight layers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system defined in claim 1 further comprising: a source of the backlight layers, wherein the backlight layer storage frame is configured to receive the backlight layers, and wherein the controller is configured to direct the robotic arm and the gripper to move the backlight layers from the source of backlight layers into the backlight layer storage frame. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system defined in claim 7 further comprising a translation stage that laterally moves the backlight layer storage frame. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system defined in claim 8 wherein further comprising a cleaning tool that includes a solvent dispenser that dispenses solvent onto the backlight layers and a nozzle that blows air to remove the solvent from the backlight layers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system defined in claim 9 further comprising a computer-controlled release liner removal tool that peels release liner layers from the backlight layers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The system defined in claim 2, wherein the backlight layers are stored in an opening in the backlight layer storage frame, and wherein the deionized air sources blow streams of air across the backlight layer storage frame between first and second backlight layers in order to separate the first and second backlight layers while the vacuum gripper pulls the first backlight layer away from the second backlight layer. ### Claim 12 A system for assembling a display backlight unit, comprising: a source of backlight layers; computer-controlled equipment that assembles the backlight layers from the source to form the backlight unit, wherein the computer-controlled equipment includes at least one robotic arm; a controller that controls the equipment, wherein the controller directs the at least one robotic arm to separate a first backlight layer of the backlight layers from a second backlight layer of the backlight layers; and deionized air sources controlled by the controller that blow streams of deionized air between the first and second backlight layers while the at least one robotic arm separates the first and second backlight layers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system defined in claim 12 wherein the computer-controlled equipment includes a vacuum gripper mounted to the at least one robotic arm that holds the backlight layers during movement of the robotic arm and wherein the backlight layers comprise layers selected from the group consisting of: a reflector layer, a light guide plate, a diffuser layer, and a prism film layer. ### Claim 14 A method of assembling backlight layers to form a backlight unit, comprising: using at least one robotic arm to move backlight layers from a source of the backlight layers into a central opening of a temporary storage frame, wherein the backlight layers comprise layers selected from the group consisting of: a reflector layer, a light guide plate, a diffuser layer, and a prism film layer; separating the backlight layers from each other by blowing air between the backlight layers with a computer-controlled air source; and using the at least one robotic arm to place the backlight layers in a support structure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method defined in claim 14 wherein using the at least one robotic arm comprises: with a vacuum head attached to the at least one robotic arm, holding the backlight layers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method defined in claim 15 further comprising: removing release liners from the backlight layers using a computer-controlled gripper. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method defined in claim 14, wherein the temporary storage frame has a base and a plurality of vertically extending guide fingers, wherein the plurality of vertically extending guide fingers define the central opening, and wherein the central opening is a central rectangular opening. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method defined in claim 17, wherein the support structure comprises a backlight unit chassis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method defined in claim 14, wherein separating the backlight layers from each other comprises separating a first backlight layer from a second backlight layer, and wherein separating the first backlight layer from the second backlight layer comprises using the at least one robotic arm to separate the first backlight layer from the second backlight layer while the computer-controlled air source blows air between the first and second backlight layers.