CN110198902B

CN110198902B - Panel transfer robot

Info

Publication number: CN110198902B
Application number: CN201880007931.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赤羽贤俊; 泷泽典彦
Original assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corp
Current assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corp
Priority date: 2017-01-27
Filing date: 2018-01-16
Publication date: 2022-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-16
Also published as: TWI762558B; JP2018118357A; JP6815211B2; TW201833537A; WO2018139243A1; CN110198902A

Abstract

The present application provides a panel transfer robot that carries out a display panel accommodated in a tray capable of accommodating a plurality of display panels, the panel transfer robot including a panel grip (24) that grips the display panel and a moving mechanism that moves the panel grip (24). The panel holding part (24) is provided with a panel detection mechanism (74) for detecting whether the display panel exists in the tray. The panel detection mechanism (74) is an optical detection mechanism, and has a light emitting part (89) for emitting light toward the display panel in the tray and a light receiving part (90) arranged at a position capable of receiving the light reflected by the display panel, and the panel detection mechanism (74) detects the presence or absence of the display panel when the panel holding part (24) holds the display panel in the tray.

Description

Panel transfer robot

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a panel transfer robot that transfers a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel.

Background

Conventionally, a conveying device incorporated in an assembly line of a liquid crystal display device used in a portable device or the like is known (for example, see patent document 1). The conveying apparatus described in patent document 1 includes five conveying units, and each conveying unit is assigned to each of the steps in the assembly process of the liquid crystal display device. The conveying device is provided with an automatic loader that supplies the liquid crystal panels housed in the trays to the conveying unit (see fig. 19 of patent document 1). A plurality of liquid crystal panels are accommodated in the tray. The auto loader holds the liquid crystal panel accommodated in the tray and supplies the liquid crystal panel to the positioning jig on the rotary index plate. The auto loader supplies the liquid crystal panels accommodated in the tray to the positioning jig one by one.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2012/120956

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In the assembly line of the liquid crystal display device described in patent document 1, the liquid crystal panel to be accommodated in the predetermined portion of the tray may not be accommodated in the predetermined portion of the tray for some reason, and the panel in the tray may be missing. That is, in an assembly line of the liquid crystal display device, a panel loss may occur in the tray. In this case, even if the auto loader attempts to grip the liquid crystal panel at a predetermined portion of the tray, the auto loader may not grip the liquid crystal panel, and therefore an error may occur to stop the auto loader.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a panel transfer robot that can continuously operate even if a panel is missing in a tray, and that can carry out a display panel stored in the tray that can store a plurality of display panels.

Technical scheme for solving technical problem

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a panel transfer robot that carries out a display panel accommodated in a tray capable of accommodating a plurality of display panels, the panel transfer robot including: a panel holding section for holding the display panel; and a moving mechanism for moving the panel holding part, wherein the panel holding part is provided with a panel detection mechanism for detecting whether the display panel is in the tray, the panel detection mechanism is an optical detection mechanism and comprises: a light emitting unit that emits light toward the display panel in the tray; and a light receiving unit disposed at a position where the light reflected by the display panel can be received, wherein the panel detection mechanism detects the presence or absence of the display panel when the panel gripping unit is gripping the display panel in the tray.

In the panel transfer robot according to the present invention, for example, if the panel detection means does not detect the display panel when the panel gripping portion is about to grip the display panel in the tray, the panel gripping portion continues the operation for gripping the display panel accommodated in another portion in the tray.

In the panel transfer robot according to the present invention, the panel gripping portion that grips the display panel includes a panel detection mechanism for detecting presence or absence of the display panel in the tray, and the panel detection mechanism detects presence or absence of the display panel when the panel gripping portion grips the display panel in the tray. Therefore, in the present invention, if the panel detection means detects the display panel when the panel gripping unit grips the display panel in the tray, the panel transfer robot can continue the gripping operation of the display panel as it is. Further, if a panel missing occurs in the tray and the panel detection mechanism does not detect the display panel when the panel gripping portion is about to grip the display panel in the tray, the panel transfer robot can be caused to continue the operation for gripping the display panel in another portion housed in the tray. Therefore, in the present invention, even if a panel is missing in the pallet, the operation of the panel transfer robot can be continued.

Further, in the present invention, the panel detection means is an optical detection means, and includes: a light emitting unit that emits light toward the display panel in the tray; and a light receiving unit disposed at a position where the light reflected by the display panel can be received. In general, the surface of the display panel is a glass surface, the tray is made of resin, and the surface of the tray is rougher than the surface of the display panel. Therefore, in the present invention, when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is in the tray, the light emitted from the light emitting portion and specularly reflected by the surface of the display panel enters the light receiving portion. On the other hand, when the display panel to be held by the panel holding portion is not in the tray, for example, the light emitted from the light emitting portion and diffusely reflected by the surface of the tray enters the light receiving portion. Therefore, in the present invention, when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and when the display panel is not present in the tray, a difference is likely to occur in the amount of light received by the light receiving portion, and as a result, the presence or absence of the display panel in the tray can be appropriately detected.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the panel detection mechanism is a retro-reflection type optical detection mechanism including a light receiving/emitting portion having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and a reflection member that reflects light emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected by the display panel toward the display panel, and the light receiving portion is disposed at a position where the light reflected by the display panel after being reflected by the reflection member can be received.

With this configuration, when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is placed on the tray, the light emitted from the light emitting portion is reflected by the surface of the display panel twice and then enters the light receiving portion. On the other hand, when the display panel to be held by the panel holding portion is not in the tray, for example, light emitted from the light emitting portion is twice diffusely reflected by the surface of the tray and then enters the light receiving portion. Therefore, even if the distance in the thickness direction of the display panel between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion is likely to vary between a case where the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and a case where the display panel is not present in the tray. Therefore, even if the distance in the thickness direction of the display panel between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting section is shortened, the presence or absence of the display panel in the tray can be detected appropriately.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the panel grip portion includes: a panel adsorption part for adsorbing the display panel; and a base member on which the panel detection mechanism and the panel suction portion are mounted, wherein the light receiving/emitting portion and the reflecting member are disposed so as to sandwich the panel suction portion in a first direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and are mounted on both end sides of the base member in the first direction.

With this configuration, the incident angle of light emitted from the light emitting section to the display panel can be increased. Therefore, even if the distance in the vertical direction between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, the amount of shift between the optical axis of the light reflected by the display panel when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and the optical axis of the light reflected by the tray when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is not present in the tray can be increased. Therefore, even if the vertical distance between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, a larger difference is likely to occur in the amount of light received by the light receiving portion between the case where the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and the case where the display panel is not present in the tray, and the presence or absence of the display panel in the tray can be detected more appropriately.

In the present invention, the panel holding portion may include: a panel adsorption part for adsorbing the display panel; and a base member on which the panel detection mechanism and the panel suction portion are mounted, wherein the light receiving portion is disposed at a position where light emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected by the display panel can be received, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are disposed so as to sandwich the panel suction portion in a first direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and are mounted on both end sides of the base member in the first direction, respectively.

In this case, the incident angle of the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the display panel may be increased. Therefore, even if the distance in the vertical direction between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, the amount of shift between the optical axis of the light reflected by the display panel when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and the optical axis of the light reflected by the tray when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is not present in the tray can be increased. Therefore, even if the vertical distance between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, a difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving portion is likely to occur between the case where the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and the case where the display panel is not present in the tray, and the presence or absence of the display panel in the tray can be appropriately detected.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an incident angle of light emitted from the light emitting section toward the display panel is 45 ° or more and less than 90 °. In this case, the incident angle is, for example, approximately 65 °. With this configuration, even if the distance in the thickness direction of the display panel between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting portion is shortened, the amount of shift between the optical axis of the light reflected by the display panel when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is present in the tray and the optical axis of the light reflected by the tray when the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping portion is not present in the tray can be increased, and as a result, the amount of shift between the optical axes of the light incident on the light receiving portion can be increased. Therefore, even if the distance in the thickness direction of the display panel between the display panel housed in the tray and the portion of the tray irradiated with the light from the light emitting section is shortened, the difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving section is likely to occur between the case where the display panel to be gripped by the panel gripping section is present in the tray and the case where the display panel is not present in the tray, and the presence or absence of the display panel in the tray can be appropriately detected.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the panel grip portion includes: a panel adsorption part for adsorbing the display panel; and a wiring suction unit for sucking the wiring drawn from the display panel. With this configuration, the panel holding portion includes the panel suction portion for sucking the display panel and the wiring suction portion for sucking the wiring drawn from the display panel, and therefore, even if the wiring such as the FPC is drawn from the display panel, the wiring can be prevented from wobbling when the display panel is conveyed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the panel transfer robot includes: a first pressure sensor for detecting whether the display panel is adsorbed to the panel adsorbing portion based on the adsorption pressure of the panel adsorbing portion; and a second pressure sensor for detecting whether or not the wire is adsorbed to the wire adsorbing portion based on the suction pressure of the wire adsorbing portion. With this configuration, after the panel detection means detects the display panel, the panel gripping section can carry the display panel out of the tray after the first pressure sensor confirms that the display panel is adsorbed to the panel adsorption section and the second pressure sensor confirms that the wiring is adsorbed to the wiring adsorption section. Therefore, the display panel can be carried out from the tray in a state where the display panel and the wiring are reliably gripped by the panel gripping portion.

Effects of the invention

As described above, in the present invention, in the panel transfer robot that carries out the display panels stored in the tray capable of storing the plurality of display panels, even if a panel missing occurs in the tray, the operation of the panel transfer robot can be continued.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a transfer system incorporating a panel transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the carrying system from the direction E-E of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the panel transfer robot shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the supply unit shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the panel gripping portion of the panel transfer robot shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the panel grip shown in fig. 5 from another direction.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the wiring suction unit and the position adjustment mechanism shown in fig. 5 from below.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the path of the piping connected to the panel suction unit and the wiring suction unit shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the panel detection mechanism shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a gripping operation of the display panel by the panel gripping portion shown in fig. 5.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(integral Structure of carrying System)

Fig. 1 is a side view of a transfer system 1 in which a panel transfer robot 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the conveyance system 1 from the direction E-E of fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the panel transfer robot 9 shown in fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the supply unit 11 shown in fig. 1.

The panel transfer robot 9 of the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "robot 9") is a robot that transfers the liquid crystal panel 2 as a display panel. The robot 9 is incorporated into the transport system 1 for use. The transport system 1 is incorporated in a production line of a liquid crystal display used in a portable device or the like. The transport system 1 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 and supplies the liquid crystal panel 2 to a processing apparatus 14 (see fig. 2) that performs a predetermined process on the liquid crystal panel 2.

The liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The thickness of the liquid crystal panel 2 is about 1 (mm). Data such as inspection data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is recorded in a portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 away from the display area. The data recorded on the portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 away from the display area is optically readable data. The driver IC is mounted on the liquid crystal panel 2 conveyed by the conveying system 1 of this embodiment. An FPC2a (fig. 8) serving as a wiring is connected to the liquid crystal panel 2. That is, the FPC2a as a wiring board is led out from the liquid crystal panel 2. The FPC2a is drawn out from one short side of the flat liquid crystal panel 2 formed in a rectangular shape in a direction parallel to the long side, for example. Note that fig. 2 and the like omit illustration of the FPC2 a.

The conveying system 1 includes two conveyors 4 and 5 for conveying a tray 3 capable of accommodating the liquid crystal panel 2. The tray 3 is formed of resin. A plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 can be stored on the tray 3. The liquid crystal panel 2 is accommodated in the tray 3 such that the thickness direction of the liquid crystal panel 2 coincides with the vertical direction (vertical direction). The plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 accommodated in the tray 3 are accommodated in the tray 3 in a state where they do not overlap with each other. The conveyors 4 and 5 linearly convey the trays 3 stacked in multiple layers (stacked trays 3) in the horizontal direction.

In the following description, a conveying direction (X direction in fig. 1 and the like) of the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyors 4, 5 is referred to as a "front-rear direction", and a direction (Y direction in fig. 1 and the like) orthogonal to the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the front-rear direction is referred to as a "left-right direction". Further, one side in the front-rear direction (the side in the X1 direction in fig. 1 and the like) is referred to as the "front" side, the opposite side (the side in the X2 direction in fig. 1 and the like) is referred to as the "rear side," one side in the left-right direction (the side in the Y1 direction in fig. 2 and the like) is referred to as the "right" side, and the opposite side (the side in the Y2 direction in fig. 2 and the like) is referred to as the "left" side. In the present embodiment, the processing device 14 is disposed on the rear side of the conveyance system 1.

The conveying system 1 further includes: two tray stages 6, 7 on which the tray 3 is placed; a robot 8 that conveys the tray 3 between the conveyors 4, 5 and the tray stages 6, 7; the robot 9 that carries out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the tray 3 placed on the tray stages 6 and 7; and a supply unit 11 that receives the liquid crystal panel 2 from the robot 9 and supplies it to the processing device 14. The tray stages 6 and 7 are arranged on the rear side of the conveyors 4 and 5. The supply unit 11 is arranged on the rear side of the tray stages 6 and 7.

The conveying system 1 further includes: a main body frame 12 on which the conveyors 4 and 5, the tray stages 6 and 7, the robot 8, and the supply unit 11 are provided; and a body frame 13 on which the robot 9 is provided. The upper surface of the main body frame 12 is formed in a planar shape orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the conveyors 4 and 5, the tray stages 6 and 7, the robot 8, and the supply unit 11 are provided on the upper surface of the main body frame 12. The main body frame 13 is a gate-shaped frame formed in a substantially gate shape, and is provided so as to cross the rear end side portion of the main body frame 12 in the left-right direction. The robot 9 is provided on the upper surface portion of the main body frame 13.

The conveyors 4 and 5 are roller conveyors provided with a plurality of rollers. The conveyor 4 and the conveyor 5 are disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The conveyor 4 conveys the stacked tray 3 toward the rear side, and the conveyor 5 conveys the stacked tray 3 toward the front side. A plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 are accommodated in a tray 3 conveyed by a conveyor 4. On the other hand, the liquid crystal panel 2 is not stored in the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5, and the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 is an empty tray.

A tray 3 in a stacked state, which is conveyed by an operator from a rack (not shown) for temporary placement, is placed on the front end side of the conveyor 4. The stacked pallet 3 placed on the front end side of the conveyor 4 is conveyed to the rear side, and the pallet 3 conveyed to the rear end side of the conveyor 4 is unstacked by the robot 8 as described later. Then, on the rear end side of the conveyor 5, the empty tray 3 is stacked by a robot 8 as described later. After the trays 3 are stacked to a predetermined number of layers, the stacked trays 3 are conveyed to the front side. The pallet 3 in the stacked state conveyed to the front end side of the conveyor 5 is conveyed to a rack for empty pallets by an operator.

One tray 3 is placed on the tray stages 6 and 7. The tray stage 6 and the tray stage 7 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Tray stage 6 is disposed at substantially the same position as conveyor 4 in the left-right direction, and tray stage 7 is disposed at substantially the same position as conveyor 5 in the left-right direction. The upper surfaces of tray stages 6 and 7 are formed in a planar shape orthogonal to the vertical direction.

The robot 8 is a so-called three-axis orthogonal robot. The robot 8 includes: a body frame 15 formed in a gate shape; a movable frame 16 held by the main body frame 15 so as to be slidable in the right-left direction with respect to the main body frame 15; a movable frame 17 held by the movable frame 16 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the movable frame 16; a movable frame 18 held by the movable frame 17 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the movable frame 17; and a tray gripping portion 19 attached to the movable frame 18. The robot 8 further includes: a drive mechanism for sliding the movable frame 16 in the left-right direction; a drive mechanism for sliding the movable frame 17 in the front-rear direction; and a drive mechanism for sliding the movable frame 18 in the up-down direction.

The body frame 15 is provided so as to straddle the conveyors 4, 5 in the left-right direction. The movable frame 16 is attached to the upper surface side of the main body frame 15. The movable frame 16 is disposed above the trays 3 in the stacked state placed on the conveyors 4 and 5. The movable frame 17 is mounted on the right side of the movable frame 16. The movable frame 18 is attached to the rear end side of the movable frame 17. The tray gripping portion 19 is attached to the lower end of the movable frame 18. The tray holding portion 19 includes a plurality of suction portions for sucking and holding the tray 3.

Robot 8 carries tray 3 from conveyor 4 to tray stages 6 and 7 and carries tray 3 from tray stages 6 and 7 to conveyor 5. Specifically, robot 8 conveys the stacked trays 3 conveyed to the rear end side of conveyor 4 to tray stage 6 or tray stage 7 one by one, and unstacks the stacked trays 3 on conveyor 4. Then, robot 8 conveys one empty tray 3 from tray stage 6 or tray stage 7 to the rear end side of conveyor 5, and stacks tray 3 on conveyor 5.

The robot 9 is a so-called parallel link robot. The robot 9 includes: a body portion 20; three rods 21 connected to the main body 20; three arm portions 22 connected to the three rods 21, respectively; a head unit 23 connected to the three arm portions 22; and a panel grip 24 (see fig. 5 and the like) for gripping the liquid crystal panel 2. The robot 9 is suspended from the upper surface of the main body frame 13. The main body 20 is disposed above the tray stages 6 and 7 and on the rear side of the main body frame 15 of the robot 8. Note that the panel gripping portion 24 is not shown in fig. 1 and 3.

The three rods 21 are coupled to the main body 20 so as to extend substantially radially toward the outer peripheral side of the main body 20 at substantially equal angular intervals. That is, the three rods 21 are coupled to the main body 20 so as to extend substantially radially to the outer peripheral side of the main body 20 at a pitch of substantially 120 °. The base end sides of the three rods 21 are rotatably coupled to the main body 20. A motor 25 with a reduction gear for rotating the rod 21 is disposed at the connection portion between the body portion 20 and the rod 21. The robot 9 of the present embodiment includes three motors 25 for rotating the three rods 21, respectively. The output shaft of the motor 25 is fixed to the base end side of the lever 21.

The base end side of the arm 22 is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the lever 21. Specifically, the arm portion 22 is composed of two linear arms 26 parallel to each other, and the base end sides of the two arms 26 are rotatably connected to the tip end side of the lever 21. The head unit 23 is rotatably coupled to the tip end sides of the three arm portions 22. A motor 27 is mounted on the upper end of the head unit 23.

The panel grip 24 is attached to the lower end of the head unit 23. The panel grip 24 is coupled to the motor 27, and can be rotated in the axial direction in which the vertical direction rotates by the power of the motor 27. In the present embodiment, the main body 20, the three rods 21, the three arm portions 22, the head unit 23, the three motors 25, and the motor 27 constitute a moving mechanism 28 that moves the panel gripping portion 24. The specific structure of the panel grip portion 24 is described later.

In the robot 9, by individually driving the three motors 25, the head unit 23 can be moved to any position in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction within a predetermined region in a state where the head unit 23 is constantly kept in a fixed posture (specifically, a state where the panel gripping portion 24 is kept facing downward). The robot 9 carries out the liquid crystal panels 2 accommodated in the tray 3 on the tray stages 6 and 7 one by one. Specifically, robot 9 carries out liquid crystal panels 2 one by one from tray 3 until tray 3 on tray stages 6 and 7 is empty. Then, robot 9 conveys liquid crystal panel 2 carried out of tray 3 to panel stage 39 described later.

The supply unit 11 includes: an alignment device 30 for aligning the liquid crystal panel 2; and a data reading device 31 for reading data recorded on the liquid crystal panel 2. The alignment device 30 performs alignment of the liquid crystal panel 2 before the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is read by the data reading device 31. The supply unit 11 further includes: a robot 33 that conveys the liquid crystal panel 2 after the data reading device 31 has read the data to the processing device 14; an ionizer (static electricity removing device) 34 that removes static electricity from the liquid crystal panel 2 conveyed to the processing device 14; a conveying device 35 for conveying the liquid crystal panel 2 aligned by the alignment device 30 toward the robot 33; a robot 36 for conveying the liquid crystal panel 2 aligned by the alignment device 30 to the conveying device 35; and a base plate 37 on which these structures are placed and fixed.

The aligning device 30 is placed on the right front end side of the bottom plate 37. The robot 33 is mounted on the left rear end side of the bottom plate 37. The data reading device 31 is mounted on the left front end side of the bottom plate 37. The robot 36 is disposed adjacent to the rear side of the alignment device 30. The conveyance device 35 is disposed between the data reading device 31 and the robot 33 and the alignment device 30 in the left-right direction. The ionizer 34 is disposed above the conveying device 35. The bottom plate 37 is mounted on the rear end side portion fixed to the upper surface of the main body frame 12.

The alignment device 30 includes: a panel stage 39 on which the liquid crystal panel 2 carried out from the tray 3 on the tray stages 6 and 7 by the robot 9 is placed; and a moving mechanism 40 that performs positioning of the liquid crystal panel 2 by rotating the panel stage 39 in an axial direction in which the vertical direction is rotational and moving the panel stage 39 in the left-right direction and the front-back direction. Alignment device 30 includes a camera 41 and an illumination member 42 arranged above panel stage 39.

The conveyance device 35 includes: four panel stages 52 on which the liquid crystal panel 2 is mounted; and a drive mechanism that slides four panel stages 52 in the front-rear direction. The robot 36 includes: a panel holding portion 55 for suction-holding the liquid crystal panel 2; and a drive mechanism for sliding the panel grip 55 in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. The robot 33 includes: four panel holding portions 58 for suction-holding the liquid crystal panel 2; and a drive mechanism for sliding the four panel gripping portions 58 in the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

Robot 36 conveys liquid crystal panel 2 aligned by alignment device 30 to panel stage 52 stopped at the front side. When the liquid crystal panel 2 is placed on the panel stage 52, the conveying device 35 moves the panel stage 52 rearward, and conveys the liquid crystal panel 2 to the rear end side of the conveying device 35. The robot 33 carries the liquid crystal panel 2, which has been carried to the rear end side of the carrying device 35 by the carrying device 35, into the processing device 14.

The data reading device 31 includes: a camera 62 that reads optically readable data; a drive mechanism for sliding the camera 62 in the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction; and an illumination means for irradiating light to the liquid crystal panel 2. The data reading device 31 reads data of the liquid crystal panel 2 placed on the panel stage 52 of the conveying device 35 after the position adjustment by the alignment device 30. As described above, the ionizer 34 is disposed above the conveying device 35. The ionizer 34 is disposed on the rear side of the data reader 31, and removes static electricity from the liquid crystal panel 2 after the data reader 31 reads the data.

(Structure of Panel holding part)

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the panel grip 24 of the robot 9 shown in fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the panel grip 24 shown in fig. 5 from another direction. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the substrate suction portion 72 and the position adjustment mechanism 73 shown in fig. 5 from the lower side. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the path of the piping connected to the panel suction unit 71 and the substrate suction unit 72 shown in fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the panel detection mechanism 74 shown in fig. 5.

The panel grip 24 includes: a panel suction unit 71 for sucking the liquid crystal panel 2; and a substrate suction portion 72 serving as a wiring suction portion for sucking the FPC2a drawn out from the liquid crystal panel 2. The panel gripping portion 24 of the present embodiment includes two substrate suction portions 72. The panel grip 24 further includes: a position adjusting mechanism 73 for adjusting the position of the substrate suction portion 72 with respect to the panel suction portion 71; and a panel detection mechanism 74 for detecting the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3. The panel gripping portion 24 includes a base member 75 to which the panel suction portion 71, the position adjustment mechanism 73, and the panel detection mechanism 74 are attached. The base member 75 is formed in a substantially circular flat plate shape, and is disposed so that the thickness direction of the base member 75 coincides with the vertical direction.

The panel suction portion 71 is attached to the lower surface side of the base member 75. The panel suction unit 71 sucks the liquid crystal panel 2 so that the thickness direction of the liquid crystal panel 2 coincides with the vertical direction (vertical direction). A suction port (not shown) for sucking the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in the lower surface of the panel suction portion 71. The panel suction unit 71 holds the liquid crystal panel 2 by vacuum-sucking the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2. In the following description, the V direction in fig. 5 and the like orthogonal to the vertical direction (vertical direction) is referred to as a "first direction", and the W direction in fig. 5 and the like orthogonal to the vertical direction and the first direction is referred to as a "second direction".

The substrate suction portion 72 sucks the FPC2a so that the thickness direction of the FPC2a coincides with the vertical direction. The substrate suction unit 72 includes: a substrate contact portion 76 that contacts FPC2 a; and a buffer mechanism 77 for buffering the impact when the substrate contact portion 76 contacts the FPC2 a. The damping mechanism 77 is, for example, an air damper including a piston 77a and a cylinder 77b slidably holding the piston 77 a. The damper mechanism 77 is disposed so that the movement direction of the piston 77a coincides with the vertical direction.

Substrate contact portion 76 is fixed to the lower end of piston 77a and can contact the upper surface of FPC2 a. Suction ports 76a (see fig. 7) for sucking the upper surface of FPC2a are formed in the lower surface of substrate contact portion 76. The diameter of the suction port 76a is smaller than the diameter of the suction port formed in the lower surface of the panel suction portion 71. The substrate suction portion 72 holds the FPC2a by vacuum-sucking the upper surface of the FPC2 a.

The position adjustment mechanism 73 is a manual adjustment mechanism. The position adjustment mechanism 73 includes: a holding member 78 that holds the cylinder 77 b; a holding member 79 that slidably holds the holding member 78 in the first direction; and a holding member 80 that slidably holds the holding member 79 in the second direction. The position adjustment mechanism 73 of the present embodiment includes two holding members 78, two holding members 79, and two holding members 80.

The holding member 80 is an elongated plate-like member whose sectional shape is formed in an L-shape. One end of each of the two holding members 80 is fixed to each of both ends of the base member 75 in the first direction, and the holding member 80 extends from the base member 75 to one side in the second direction. That is, the holding member 80 is disposed such that the longitudinal direction of the holding member 80 coincides with the second direction. The holding member 80 is formed with an elongated hole 80a whose longitudinal direction is the second direction. The elongated hole 80a penetrates a flat plate portion of the holding member 80 perpendicular to the vertical direction in the vertical direction. The elongated hole 80a is formed in the entire region between the substantial center of the holding member 80 in the second direction and the end portion of the holding member 80 on one side in the second direction (the side in which the holding member 80 protrudes from the base member 75).

The holding member 79 is an elongated plate-like member whose sectional shape is formed in an L-shape. Screw holes into which screws 81 are screwed are formed at both end sides of the holding member 79. The screw hole is formed in a flat plate portion of the holding member 79 orthogonal to the vertical direction. Both end sides of the holding member 79 are fixed to the two holding members 80 by screws 81 inserted into the elongated holes 80a from above. That is, the holding member 79 is fixed to the two holding members 80 by screws 81 and is disposed below the holding members 80. The two holding members 79 are fixed to the two holding members 80, respectively. The holding member 79 is disposed parallel to the first direction. That is, the two holding members 79 are arranged parallel to each other and to the first direction.

The holding member 79 is formed with an elongated hole 79a whose longitudinal direction is the first direction. The elongated hole 79a penetrates a flat plate portion of the holding member 79 orthogonal to the second direction in the second direction. The long hole 79a is formed in the entire region between the one end and the other end of the holding member 79 in the first direction. The holding member 78 is a flat plate-like member bent in an L-shape. A screw hole into which the screw 82 is screwed is formed in the holding member 78. The screw hole is formed in the flat plate portion of the holding member 78 orthogonal to the second direction.

The holding member 78 is fixed to the holding member 79 by a screw 82 inserted through the elongated hole 79a from one side in the second direction, and is disposed on the other side in the second direction of the holding member 79. The two holding members 78 are fixed to the two holding members 79, respectively. The cylinder 77b is fixed to a flat plate portion of the holding member 78 perpendicular to the vertical direction. That is, the substrate suction portion 72 is fixed to the holding member 78.

In this embodiment, by loosening the screws 82, the position of the substrate suction portion 72 with respect to the panel suction portion 71 in the first direction can be adjusted. By loosening the screws 81, the position of the substrate suction member 72 in the second direction with respect to the panel suction portion 71 can be adjusted. That is, the substrate suction portion 72 is adjustable in position relative to the panel suction portion 71 in the first direction and the second direction. Further, the two substrate suction portions 72 are each adjustable in position with respect to the panel suction portion 71.

As shown in fig. 8, the panel suction portion 71 and the two substrate suction portions 72 are connected to a common air suction mechanism 85 via a common on-off valve 84. The on-off valve 84 is a solenoid valve. The suction mechanism 85 is, for example, a vacuum pump. A flow rate control valve 86 is disposed on a piping path between the on-off valve 84 and the two substrate suction portions 72. The flow control valve 86 is, for example, a flow regulating valve or a throttle valve. In this embodiment, the suction force of the substrate suction portion 72 to the FPC2a is smaller than the suction force of the panel suction portion 71 to the liquid crystal panel 2 by the action of the flow rate control valve 86. For example, the ratio of the attraction force of the substrate adsorption portion 72 to the FPC2a to the attraction force of the panel adsorption portion 71 to the liquid crystal panel 2 is 1: 9.

a first pressure sensor 87 for detecting whether or not the liquid crystal panel 2 is adsorbed to the panel adsorbing portion 71 based on the suction pressure of the panel adsorbing portion 71 is connected to a piping path between the switching valve 84 and the panel adsorbing portion 71. A second pressure sensor 88 for detecting whether or not the FPC2a is attached to the substrate suction portion 72 based on the suction pressure of the substrate suction portion 72 is connected to a pipe path between the on-off valve 84 and the two substrate suction portions 72.

As shown in fig. 9 and the like, the panel detection mechanism 74 is an optical detection mechanism, and includes: a light emitting section 89 that emits light toward the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3; and a light receiving unit 90 disposed at a position where the light reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 can be received. Specifically, the panel detection mechanism 74 is a retro-reflective optical detection mechanism including a light-receiving/emitting portion 91 and a reflective member (retro-reflective plate) 92, the light-receiving/emitting portion 91 includes a light-emitting portion 89 and a light-receiving portion 90, the reflective member 92 reflects light emitted from the light-emitting portion 89 and reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 toward the liquid crystal panel 2, and the light-receiving portion 90 is disposed at a position where it can receive light reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 after being reflected by the reflective member 92.

The light emitting section 89 includes an LED (light emitting diode) as a light source. The light emitting unit 89 includes, for example, an optical fiber for transmitting light from the LED. The light receiving/emitting unit 91 and the reflecting member 92 are fixed to the lower surface side of the base member 75. The light receiving and emitting unit 91 and the reflecting member 92 are disposed above the lower surface of the panel suction unit 71. The light receiving and emitting unit 91 and the reflecting member 92 are disposed so as to sandwich the panel suction unit 71 in the first direction. The light receiving and emitting unit 91 and the reflecting member 92 are attached to both end sides of the base member 75 in the first direction.

The light emitting surface of the light emitting section 89 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving section 90 face obliquely downward, and the reflecting surface of the reflecting member 92 faces obliquely downward. The light emitting surface of the light emitting section 89, the light receiving surface of the light receiving section 90, and the reflecting surface of the reflecting member 92 face inward in the first direction. The incident angle θ of the light emitted from the light emitting section 89 to the liquid crystal panel 2 is 45 ° or more and less than 90 °. Specifically, the incident angle θ forms approximately 65 °. In this embodiment, the spot diameter of light applied to the liquid crystal panel 2 is small.

The panel detection means 74 detects the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 when the panel grip portion 24 is about to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3. Specifically, the panel detection mechanism 74 detects the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 90 when the panel gripping unit 24 is to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3.

That is, as shown in fig. 9, when the panel grip 24 grips the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3, if there is a liquid crystal panel 2 under the panel grip 24, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 is reflected by the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 and the reflecting member 92, and then reflected again by the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 and enters the light receiving portion 90, but if there is no liquid crystal panel 2 under the panel grip 24, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 is reflected by the tray 3 and the reflecting member 92, and then reflected again by the tray 3 and enters the light receiving portion 90, and therefore, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 90 differs between the case where there is a liquid crystal panel 2 under the panel grip 24 and the case where there is no liquid crystal panel 2. The panel detection mechanism 74 detects the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 based on the difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 90.

As shown in fig. 9, a panel support portion 3a that supports the outer peripheral end portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 is formed on the tray 3. The panel support portion 3a is formed in a rectangular frame shape, and the lower surface of the outer peripheral end portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 is in contact with the upper surface of the panel support portion 3 a. The panel support portion 3a has a recess 3b formed on the inner peripheral side thereof and recessed downward. The distance D in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the panel support portion 3a and the bottom surface of the recess 3b is about 3 to 4 (mm). As described above, the thickness of the liquid crystal panel 2 is about 1(mm), and when the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in the tray 3 is not bent, the distance in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b is about 4 to 5 (mm).

When the panel grip 24 is to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3, if there is no liquid crystal panel 2 under the panel grip 24, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 is reflected by the bottom surface of the concave portion 3 b. The light reflected by the bottom surface of the recess 3b is reflected by the reflecting member 92, and then reflected again by the bottom surface of the recess 3 b.

(holding operation of liquid Crystal Panel)

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a gripping operation of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the panel gripping unit 24 shown in fig. 5.

In this embodiment, when the liquid crystal panel 2 is held by the panel holding part 24 and the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in a predetermined portion of the tray 3 is held by the panel holding part 24, the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 is first detected by the panel detection means 74 (step S1). If there is a defect of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 and the liquid crystal panel 2 is not detected by the panel detection mechanism 74 in step S1 (no in step S1), the robot 9 moves the panel grip 24 and tries to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in another portion of the tray 3 by the panel grip 24 (step S2). That is, if the panel detection mechanism 74 does not detect the liquid crystal panel 2 when the panel gripping portion 24 is about to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3, the robot 9 continues the operation for gripping the liquid crystal panel 2 in another portion housed in the tray 3.

On the other hand, if the panel detection mechanism 74 detects the liquid crystal panel 2 when the panel gripping unit 24 is about to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 at a predetermined position housed in the tray 3 (yes in step S1), the robot 9 continues the gripping operation of the liquid crystal panel 2 as described above (step S3). That is, the robot 9 attempts to suck the liquid crystal panel 2 and the FPC2a by the panel grip 24. Specifically, the robot 9 attempts to suck the liquid crystal panel 2 by the panel suction unit 71 and suck the FPC2a by the substrate suction unit 72.

After that, whether or not the liquid crystal panel 2 is adsorbed by the panel adsorption section 71 is detected by the first pressure sensor 87, and whether or not the FPC2a is adsorbed by the substrate adsorption section 72 is detected by the second pressure sensor 88 (step S4). In step S4, if the first pressure sensor 87 detects that the liquid crystal panel 2 is attracted to the panel attraction section 71 and the second pressure sensor 88 detects that the FPC2a is attracted to the substrate attraction section 72 (yes in step S4), the operation of grasping the liquid crystal panel 2 by the panel grasping section 24 is ended and the robot 9 starts the operation of carrying out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the tray 3.

On the other hand, when at least one of the liquid crystal panel 2 sucked by the panel suction portion 71 and the FPC2a sucked by the substrate suction portion 72 is not detected (no in step S4), it is determined whether or not a suction error occurs a predetermined number of times (N times) in at least one of a state where the liquid crystal panel 2 is not sucked by the panel suction portion 71 and a state where the FPC2a is not sucked by the substrate suction portion 72 (step S5). For example, if the suction error has not occurred 3 times as the predetermined number of times (no in step S5), the robot 9 again attempts suction of the liquid crystal panel 2 and the FPC2a by the panel grip 24 (step S6), and returns to step S4.

In step S4 after step S6, if it is detected that the liquid crystal panel 2 is sucked by the panel suction portion 71 and the FPC2a is sucked by the substrate suction portion 72 (yes in step S4), the operation of gripping the liquid crystal panel 2 by the panel gripping portion 24 is ended, and the robot 9 starts the operation of carrying out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the tray 3. When the suction error occurs a predetermined number of times in step S5 (yes in step S5), the suction error is an error, and the robot 9 is stopped.

(main effect of the present embodiment)

As described above, in this embodiment, the panel gripping portion 24 includes the panel detection mechanism 74 that detects the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 when the panel gripping portion 24 is to grip the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3. In this embodiment, if the panel detection mechanism 74 detects the liquid crystal panel 2 when the panel gripping unit 24 grips the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3, the robot 9 continues the gripping operation of the liquid crystal panel 2, and if the liquid crystal panel 2 is missing in the tray 3 and the panel detection mechanism 74 does not detect the liquid crystal panel 2, the robot 9 continues the operation for gripping the liquid crystal panel 2 in another portion housed in the tray 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the liquid crystal panel 2 is missing in the tray 3, the operation of the robot 9 can be continued.

In this embodiment, the panel detection mechanism 74 is an optical detection mechanism, and includes: a light emitting section 89 that emits light toward the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3; and a light receiving unit 90 disposed at a position where the light reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 can be received. In this embodiment, the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 is a glass surface, while the tray 3 is made of resin, and the surface of the tray 3 is formed to be rough compared with the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be held by the panel holding part 24 is in the tray 3, the light emitted from the light emitting part 89 and specularly reflected by the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 enters the light receiving part 90, and when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be held by the panel holding part 24 is not in the tray 3, the light emitted from the light emitting part 89 and diffusely reflected by the surface of the tray 3 enters the light receiving part 90. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping portion 24 is present in the tray 3 and when the liquid crystal panel is not present in the tray 3, a difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 90 is likely to occur, and as a result, the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 can be appropriately detected.

In this embodiment, the panel detection mechanism 74 is a retro-reflection type optical detection mechanism, and the light receiving unit 90 is disposed at a position where it can receive the light reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 after being reflected by the reflection member 92. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be held by the panel holding portion 24 is in the tray 3, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 is reflected specularly twice by the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 and enters the light receiving portion 90, and when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be held by the panel holding portion 24 is not in the tray 3, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 is reflected diffusely twice by the surface of the tray 3 and enters the light receiving portion 90.

Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the distance in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the concave portion 3b of the tray 3 irradiated with light from the light emitting portion 89 is as short as 4 to 5(mm), the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 90 is likely to be different between the case where the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping portion 24 is present in the tray 3 and the case where the liquid crystal panel is not present in the tray 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the distance in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 can be detected appropriately.

In this embodiment, the light receiving/emitting unit 91 and the reflecting member 92 are attached to both ends of the base member 75 in the first direction, respectively, and the incident angle θ of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 89 toward the liquid crystal panel 2 increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, as shown in fig. 9, the amount of deviation between the optical axis L1 of the light emitted from the light emitting section 89 and reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping section 24 is in the tray 3 and the optical axis L2 of the light emitted from the light emitting section 89 and reflected by the tray 3 when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping section 24 is not in the tray 3 can be increased.

Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, the amount of shift of the optical axis of the light incident on the light receiving unit 90 can be increased when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping unit 24 is present in the tray 3 or when the liquid crystal panel is not present in the tray 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, a larger difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 90 is likely to occur, and as a result, the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 can be detected more appropriately.

In this embodiment, the panel grip 24 for gripping the liquid crystal panel 2 includes a substrate suction portion 72 for sucking the FPC2a drawn out from the liquid crystal panel 2, in addition to the panel suction portion 71 for sucking the liquid crystal panel 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the FPC2a is pulled out from the liquid crystal panel 2, the rattling of the FPC2a during the transportation of the liquid crystal panel 2 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, if the first pressure sensor 87 detects that the liquid crystal panel 2 is sucked by the panel suction portion 71 and the second pressure sensor 88 detects that the FPC2a is sucked by the substrate suction portion 72, the robot 9 starts the operation of carrying out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the tray 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 2 can be carried out from the tray 3 in a state where the liquid crystal panel 2 and the FPC2a are reliably gripped by the panel gripping portion 24.

(other embodiments)

The above-described embodiment is an example of the best mode of the present invention, but is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the panel detection means 74 may be an optical detection means other than a retro-reflection type. In this case, for example, the light receiving unit 90 is disposed at a position where the reflecting member 92 is disposed in the above-described embodiment. That is, the light receiving unit 90 is disposed at a position where it can receive the light emitted from the light emitting unit 89 and reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2. The light emitting section 89 and the light receiving section 90 are disposed so as to sandwich the panel suction section 71 in the first direction, and are attached to both end sides of the base member 75 in the first direction.

Even in this case, since the incident angle θ of the light emitted from the light emitting portion 89 to the liquid crystal panel 2 can be increased, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, the amount of deviation between the optical axis L1 of the light reflected by the liquid crystal panel 2 when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping portion 24 is in the tray 3 and the optical axis L2 of the light reflected by the tray 3 when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping portion 24 is not in the tray 3 can be increased.

Therefore, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, the amount of shift of the optical axis of the light incident on the light receiving unit 90 can be increased when the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping unit 24 is present in the tray 3 or when the liquid crystal panel is not present in the tray 3. Therefore, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, a difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 90 is likely to occur, and as a result, the presence or absence of the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 can be appropriately detected.

In the above-described embodiment, a convex portion protruding upward may be formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 3b so that light irradiated to the bottom surface of the concave portion 3b of the tray 3 is not reflected toward the reflecting member 92. In this case, even if the vertical distance between the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 accommodated in the tray 3 and the bottom surface of the recess 3b of the tray 3 is shortened, a larger difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 90 is likely to occur between a case where the liquid crystal panel 2 to be gripped by the panel gripping unit 24 is present in the tray 3 and a case where the liquid crystal panel is not present in the tray 3.

In the above-described embodiment, wiring other than FPC2a may be led out from liquid crystal panel 2. For example, an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) may be led out from the liquid crystal panel 2. In the above embodiment, the panel holding portion 24 may not include the substrate suction portion 72.

In the above-described embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 2 conveyed by the robot 9 may be the liquid crystal panel 2 before the FPC2a is connected. That is, the liquid crystal panel 2 housed in the tray 3 may be the liquid crystal panel 2 before the FPC2a is connected. In the above-described embodiment, the display panel carried by the robot 9 may be a display panel other than the liquid crystal panel 2. For example, the display panel carried by the robot 9 may be an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel.

In the above-described embodiment, the structure of the panel transfer robot of the present invention has been described by taking the robot 9 as a parallel link robot as an example, but the panel transfer robot to which the present invention is applied may be a biaxial orthogonal robot or a triaxial orthogonal robot. The panel transfer robot according to the present invention may be a horizontal articulated robot.

Description of the symbols

2 LCD panel (display panel)

2a FPC (Flexible printed substrate, wiring)

3 tray

9 robot (Panel transfer robot)

24 Panel grip

28 moving mechanism

71 panel suction part

72 substrate adsorption part (Wiring adsorption part)

74 panel detection mechanism

75 base member

87 first pressure sensor

88 second pressure sensor

89 luminous part

90 light receiving part

91 light receiving and emitting part

92 reflecting member

V first direction

Angle of incidence theta.

Claims

1. A panel transfer robot that carries out a display panel accommodated in a tray capable of accommodating a plurality of display panels, the panel transfer robot comprising:

a panel holding portion for holding the display panel; and

a moving mechanism for moving the panel holding part,

the panel holding part is provided with a panel detection mechanism for detecting whether the display panel exists in the tray or not,

the panel detection mechanism is an optical detection mechanism, and has: a light emitting unit that emits light toward the display panel in the tray; and a light receiving unit disposed at a position capable of receiving the light reflected by the display panel,

the panel detection means detects the presence or absence of the display panel when the panel gripping portion is to grip the display panel in the tray,

the panel detection mechanism is a retro-reflective optical detection mechanism including a light-receiving/emitting unit having the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit, and a reflective member that reflects light emitted from the light-emitting unit and reflected by the display panel toward the display panel,

the light receiving part is arranged at a position where the light reflected by the reflecting member and then reflected by the display panel can be received,

the panel detection mechanism detects the presence or absence of the display panel based on a difference between a light receiving amount of the light receiving unit when the display panel is present in the tray and a light receiving amount of the light receiving unit when the display panel is absent in the tray,

the panel holding part comprises: a panel suction unit configured to suction the display panel; and a base member on which the panel detection mechanism and the panel suction portion are mounted,

the light receiving/emitting portion and the reflecting member are arranged so as to sandwich the panel suction portion in a first direction orthogonal to a vertical direction, and are attached to both end sides of the base member in the first direction, respectively, and increase an incident angle of light emitted from the light emitting portion toward the display panel so as to increase a shift amount between an optical axis of light reflected by the display panel when the display panel is present in the tray and an optical axis of light reflected by the tray when the display panel is absent in the tray, thereby increasing a difference between an amount of light received by the light receiving portion when the display panel is present in the tray and an amount of light received by the light receiving portion when the display panel is absent in the tray.

2. The panel handling robot of claim 1,

if the panel detection means does not detect the display panel when the panel gripping portion is gripping the display panel in the tray, the operation for gripping the display panel in another portion housed in the tray is continued.

3. The panel handling robot according to claim 1 or 2,

an incident angle of light emitted from the light emitting section to the display panel is 45 ° or more and less than 90 °.

4. The panel handling robot of claim 3,

the incident angle is approximately 65 °.

5. A panel handling robot according to any of claims 1, 2, 4,

the panel holding part comprises: a panel suction unit configured to suction the display panel; and a wiring suction unit for sucking the wiring drawn from the display panel.

6. The panel handling robot of claim 3,

7. The panel transfer robot according to claim 5, comprising:

a first pressure sensor for detecting whether the display panel is adsorbed to the panel adsorbing portion based on the adsorption pressure of the panel adsorbing portion; and

a second pressure sensor for detecting whether or not the wire is adsorbed to the wire adsorbing portion based on the adsorption pressure of the wire adsorbing portion.

8. The panel transfer robot according to claim 6, comprising: