Liquid crystal pump and method for ejecting liquid crystal using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10288050-B2
Application number	US-201514801260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal (LC) display field and discloses an LC pump. The LC pump may include a case; a second linear container arranged within the case; and a nozzle arranged at the bottom of the case. The second linear container may include an LC delivery channel and at least two LC inlets. And LC may flow through the LC inlets and the LC delivery channel sequentially and then may be ejected from the nozzle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal (LC) pump, comprising: a case; at least three LC accommodation bottles; a linear container arranged within the case; and at least one nozzle arranged at a bottom of the case, wherein the linear container comprises an LC delivery channel, at least three LC inlets, a first outlet channel, and at least three inlet channels corresponding to the at least three LC inlets in a one-to-one correspondence manner; wherein LC flows through the at least three LC inlets and the LC delivery channel sequentially and then is ejected from the at least one nozzle, the at least three LC inlets comprise a first LC inlet, a second LC inlet and a third LC inlet, and the at least three inlet channels comprise a first inlet channel, a second inlet channel, and a third inlet channel; the first inlet channel, the second inlet channel and the third inlet channel correspond respectively to the first LC inlet, the second LC inlet, and the third LC inlet in the one-to-one correspondence manner; the at least three LC accommodation bottles comprises a first LC accommodation bottle, a second LC accommodation bottle, and a third LC accommodation bottle; the first LC accommodation bottle is connected with the first LC inlet, and in direct contact with an end of the first LC inlet; the second LC accommodation bottle is connected with the second LC inlet, and in direct contact with an end of the second LC inlet; the third LC accommodation bottle is connected with the third LC inlet, and in direct contact with an end of the third LC inlet; and the ends of the first, second and third LC inlets are arranged on a common plane which is coplanar with a surface of the linear container and perpendicular to an axial direction of the first, second and third LC inlets.

2. The LC pump according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a piston arranged to extend in an axial direction within the LC delivery channel,
wherein a piston opening is provided on the piston;
the piston is movable in the axial direction of the LC delivery channel; and
the piston opening is rotatable around an axis of the LC delivery channel as the piston moves.

3. The LC pump according to claim 1 , wherein
one end of each of the at least three inlet channels is connected with the corresponding LC inlet, and the other end of each of the at least three inlet channels is connected with the LC delivery channel.

4. The LC pump according to claim 3 , wherein
the at least one nozzle is connected with the LC delivery channel via the first outlet channel.

5. The LC pump according to claim 4 , wherein
the at least three inlet channels and the first outlet channel are provided along a circumference of the LC delivery channel evenly.

6. The LC pump according to claim 1 , wherein
one of the first LC accommodation bottle, the second LC accommodation bottle, and the third LC accommodation bottle is for production, and the other two are for backup.

7. The LC pump according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one nozzle comprises at least two nozzles, and each of the at least two nozzles is connected with the first outlet channel.

8. The LC pump according to claim 7 , further comprising: at least two second outlet channels corresponding to the at least two nozzles in a one-to-one correspondence manner; and wherein one end of each of the at least two second outlet channels is connected with the corresponding nozzle, and the other end of each of the second outlet channels is connected with the first outlet channel via a bypass channel.

9. A method for ejecting liquid crystal (LC) with a LC pump according to claim 1 , wherein the LC pump further comprises: a piston arranged to extend in an axial direction within the LC delivery channel, wherein a piston opening is provided on the piston; the piston is movable in the axial direction of the LC delivery channel; and the piston opening is rotatable around an axis of the LC delivery channel as the piston moves,
the method comprising the following steps:
aligning the piston opening with one of the at least three LC inlets by rotating the piston around the axis of the LC delivery channel, so as to enable the LC to flow into the LC delivery channel from the at least three LC inlets as the piston moves upwards;
ejecting the LC from the LC delivery channel via the at least one nozzle, as the piston rotates around the axis of the LC delivery channel and moves downwards; and
continuing to rotate the piston, so as to repeat the above two steps of aligning and ejecting.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein
one end of each of the at least three inlet channels is connected with the corresponding LC inlet, and the other end of each of the at least three inlet channels is connected with the LC delivery channel.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one nozzle is connected with the LC delivery channel via the first outlet channel.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein
the at least three inlet channels and the first outlet channel are provided along a circumference of the LC delivery channel evenly.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein with respect to the first LC inlet,
the piston opening is aligned with the first LC inlet and moves upwards;
the piston rotates by 90 degrees in a clockwise direction, such that the piston moves downwards after the piston opening is aligned with the first outlet channel; and
the piston rotates by 90 degrees in a counterclockwise direction to go back to its original position.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein with respect to the second LC inlet, the piston opening is aligned with the second LC inlet and moves upwards; the piston rotates by 180 degrees in a clockwise direction, such that the piston moves downwards after the piston opening is aligned with the first outlet channel; and the piston rotates by 180 degrees in a counterclockwise direction to go back to its original position.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein with respect to the third LC inlet, the piston opening is aligned with the third LC inlet and moves upwards; the piston rotates by 90 degrees in a counterclockwise direction, such that the piston moves downwards after the piston opening is aligned with the first outlet channel; and the piston rotates by 90 degrees in a clockwise direction to go back to its original position.

16. The LC pump according to claim 1 , wherein the first inlet channel, the second inlet channel, the third inlet channel and the first outlet channel are provided along a circumference of the LC delivery channel.

17. A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, comprising liquid crystal coated thereon by the method according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd
• Beijing Boe Display Tech Co

Inventors

• Jin Tengchao
• Hu Liang
• Zeng Xiaoqiang
• Ma Liang

Classifications

• F04B19/22

  of reciprocating-piston type · CPC title

• F04B7/04 Primary

  in which the valving is performed by pistons and cylinders coacting to open and close intake or outlet ports · CPC title

• G02F1/1303 Primary

  Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs · CPC title

• F04B7/06

  the pistons and cylinders being relatively reciprocated and rotated · CPC title

• F04B13/00

  Pumps specially modified to deliver fixed or variable measured quantities · CPC title