CN113102168A - Coating device, coating method, and coating head management system - Google Patents

Coating device, coating method, and coating head management system Download PDF

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Publication number
CN113102168A
CN113102168A CN202011594238.3A CN202011594238A CN113102168A CN 113102168 A CN113102168 A CN 113102168A CN 202011594238 A CN202011594238 A CN 202011594238A CN 113102168 A CN113102168 A CN 113102168A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
coating
head
application
information
substrate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
CN202011594238.3A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
白石崇
川隅幸宏
大平直树
村井敏信
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ameco Technology Co ltd
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Ameco Technology Co ltd
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Publication date
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Publication of CN113102168A publication Critical patent/CN113102168A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C5/00—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work
    • B05C5/02—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work
    • B05C5/0225—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C5/00—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work
    • B05C5/02—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work
    • B05C5/0208—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work for applying liquid or other fluent material to separate articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C11/00—Component parts, details or accessories not specifically provided for in groups B05C1/00 - B05C9/00
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C11/00—Component parts, details or accessories not specifically provided for in groups B05C1/00 - B05C9/00
    • B05C11/10—Storage, supply or control of liquid or other fluent material; Recovery of excess liquid or other fluent material
    • B05C11/1002—Means for controlling supply, i.e. flow or pressure, of liquid or other fluent material to the applying apparatus, e.g. valves
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C5/00—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work
    • B05C5/001—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work incorporating means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05C5/00—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work
    • B05C5/02—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work
    • B05C5/027—Coating heads with several outlets, e.g. aligned transversally to the moving direction of a web to be coated
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05D1/00—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials
    • B05D1/26—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials performed by applying the liquid or other fluent material from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
    • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
    • G05B19/18—Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form
    • G05B19/406—Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form characterised by monitoring or safety
    • G05B19/4065—Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition

Abstract

The invention provides a coating device, a coating method and a coating head management system. The state of the coating head is appropriately managed. The coating device (11) is provided with: a holding table (21) for holding the substrate (70); an application section (application head section (22)) for applying a coating material to the substrate held on the holding table; and a control unit (50) that controls the substrate and the coating unit to move relative to each other, thereby coating the predetermined region of the substrate with the coating material. An application head (31) for applying a coating material to the substrate is detachably mounted on the coating part. The coating head has a storage unit (33), and the storage unit (33) includes a1 st storage area for storing information unique to the coating head and a2 nd storage area for storing history information of the coating head. The control unit reads the unique information from the 1 st storage area and stores the history information in the 2 nd storage area according to the coating operation of the coating head.

Description

Coating device, coating method, and coating head management system
Technical Field
The invention relates to a coating device, a coating method and a coating head management system.
Background
Conventionally, coating apparatuses for coating substrates with a coating material such as a liquid crystal material have been widely used (see, for example, patent document 1). The coating apparatus includes a holding stage for holding a substrate, and a coating section (coating head unit) for coating a coating material on the substrate held on the holding stage. The coating device relatively moves the substrate and the coating portion to apply the coating material to a predetermined region of the substrate. An application head for applying a coating material to a substrate is detachably attached to the application section.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5671414
Disclosure of Invention
As described below, the conventional coating apparatus described in patent document 1 preferably manages the state of the coating head appropriately.
The application head is periodically detached from the application device for cleaning, and is attached to the application device again after cleaning. At this time, an application head different from the application head originally attached to the application device may be attached to the application device. The coating head differs in driving conditions (e.g., driving voltage of the coating head, temperature of the heater, etc.) for each individual body due to manufacturing tolerances, etc. Further, when the coating head is left for a long time after use, the coating material adhering to the inside is cured, and thus the characteristics change. Therefore, it is desirable to appropriately manage the state of the coating head in the conventional coating apparatus.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a main object thereof is to provide a coating apparatus, a coating method, and a coating head management system that appropriately manage the state of a coating head.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following structure: the coating device is provided with: a holding table for holding a substrate; a coating section that applies a coating material to the substrate held by the holding table; and a control unit configured to control the substrate and the coating unit to be relatively moved to apply the coating material to a predetermined region of the substrate, wherein a coating head for applying the coating material to the substrate is detachably attached to the coating unit, the coating head includes a storage unit including a1 st storage region for storing unique information of the coating head and a2 nd storage region for storing history information of the coating head, and the control unit reads the unique information from the 1 st storage region and stores the history information in the 2 nd storage region in accordance with an application operation of the coating head.
Other elements are noted below.
According to the present invention, the state of the application head can be appropriately managed.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is an external view of a coating apparatus according to an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part of an application head component (application portion) in the application device according to the embodiment.
Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a separation structure of the application head component (application portion) in the application device according to the embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an application head management system including the application device according to the embodiment.
Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of stored information provided in a storage section of the application head.
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal image display device as an example of a product.
Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the applicator head management system.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating apparatus.
Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the flying droplet inspection mechanism.
Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection.
Fig. 11A is an explanatory diagram (1) schematically showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection.
Fig. 11B is an explanatory diagram (2) schematically showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection.
Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 13A is an explanatory diagram (1) showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 13B is an explanatory diagram (2) showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 13C is an explanatory diagram (3) showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 13D is an explanatory diagram (4) showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 13E is an explanatory diagram (5) showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
Fig. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of the measurement and inspection mechanism.
Fig. 15 is a graph showing the difference in the relationship between the drive voltage of each coating head and the amount of coating material emitted.
Fig. 16A is a graph showing a relationship between the number of drops of the coating material and the total shot amount of the coating material.
Fig. 16B is a graph showing a relationship between the driving voltage of the coating head and the total ejection amount of the coating material.
Fig. 17 is a graph showing the difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head.
Fig. 18A is an explanatory diagram (1) showing a difference in correction due to a difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head.
Fig. 18B is an explanatory diagram (2) showing a difference in correction due to a difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head.
Fig. 18C is an explanatory diagram (3) showing a difference in correction due to a difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head.
Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram (1) of the dot inspection mechanism.
Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram (2) of the dot inspection mechanism.
Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the coating omission inspection.
(symbol description)
10: a coating head management system; 11: a coating device; 12: a control device; 13: a measurement inspection mechanism; 13 a: an electronic balance; 14: a flying droplet inspection mechanism; 15 a: flash illumination; 15 b: a flying-drip inspection camera; 16: a point inspection mechanism; 17a, 17 b: checking the camera; 18: a storage part; 19: a coating head management device; 21: a holding stage; 22: an application head part (application part); 23: a coating material tank (coating material storage unit); 24: a frame; 25: a coil for a linear motor; 26: a magnet for a linear motor; 27: a support portion; 31: a coating head; 32: a nozzle; 33: a storage unit; 33 a: a1 st storage area; 33 b: a2 nd storage area; 34a, 34b, 34c, 34 d: a conduit; 35a, 35b, 35c, 35 d: a valve; 36: a leakage valve; 37: a regulator; 38: a pressure gauge; 40: a heater; 41: a thermocouple; 42: a Solid State Relay (SSR); 43: a thermostat; 50: a control unit; 51: a host PC; 52: a motor controller; 53: an amplifier; 54: an ink jet controller; 60: a liquid crystal image display device; 61: a polarizing filter; 62: a glass substrate; 63: a color filter; 64: a transparent electrode; 65: a light distribution film; 66: a liquid crystal layer; 67: a light distribution film; 68: a transparent electrode; 69: a glass substrate; 70: a substrate; 71a, 71b, 71 c: checking the range; 72: injecting the missing part; 91: storing the liquid; 99: coating a material; dst: storing the information; d1 a: serial number information; d1 b: manufacturer inspection day information; d1 c: reference voltage information at the time of inspection; DA: initial power-on day information in the field; d2 a: total power-on time information; d2 b: total emission time information; d2 c: continuous use time information; D2D: final first date and time information; d2 e: carrying machine number information finally; d2 f: finally carrying line number information; d2 g: finally, carrying head number information; d2 h: recipe number information (material type information); d2 i: internal heater temperature information; d2 j: driving voltage information; d2 k: driving voltage slope information; d2 l: measuring error times information; d2 m: emitting missing error times information; d2 n: communication error number information; d10: inherent information; d20: the information of the calendar; d21: action passing information; d22: drive information; d23: and (4) error information.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the present invention is schematically illustrated only to the extent that the present invention can be fully understood. The invention is thus not limited to the figures of the examples. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the common components and the similar components, and overlapping description thereof will be omitted.
In addition to the above-described problem (a problem that it is desirable to appropriately manage the state of the application head), the conventional application device has the following problems. The present embodiment also intends to provide a coating device capable of solving the following problems in addition to the above-described problems.
(1) The coating apparatus has a plurality of lines for conveying the substrate and a plurality of coating sections (coating head parts), and 1 coating section (coating head part) may hold the plurality of lines. That is, when a certain application portion holds only 1 line, the other application portions may hold 2 lines. As a result, variations occur in the frequency of use (actual use results) of each application unit. Further, the coating apparatus produces several hundred kinds of coating materials different from each other. Therefore, it is difficult for the coating apparatus to adjust the plurality of coating units (particularly, the coating heads attached to the respective coating units) to the same state.
(2) Among the plurality of coating heads, there are a coating head in a good state and a coating head in a poor state. The coating head in a good state tends to be used for a long time, and the coating head in a bad state tends to be stored in a storage part prepared in advance without being used (left) as it is. As a result, variations occur in the frequency of use (actual use results) of each application unit. Therefore, the coating heads have different substrate throughput and different load. Moreover, the life of a well-conditioned applicator head tends to expire earlier. In addition, the coating head in a poor state is left for a long time, and a phenomenon such as curing of the coating material attached to the inside occurs, and the state is more and more likely to be deteriorated. Therefore, also for such a reason, it is difficult for the coating apparatus to adjust the plurality of coating heads to the same state.
(3) In addition, the adjustment of the applicator head is very fine. Therefore, it is difficult to adjust the coating head in a short time by mechanical adjustment.
< Structure of coating apparatus and coating head management System comprising the same >
The following describes the configuration of the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment and the coating head management system 10 including the coating apparatus 11, with reference to fig. 1 to 4. Fig. 1 is an external view of a coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part of the coating head unit 22 (coating unit) in the coating apparatus 11. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a separation structure of the application head unit 22 (application unit) in the application device 11. Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the coating head management system 10 including the coating device 11.
As shown in fig. 1, the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes a control device 12, a holding table 21, a coating head unit 22, and a frame 24.
The controller 12 is a component for controlling the overall operation of the coating device 11. As shown in fig. 4, the control device 12 constitutes a part of the control unit 50.
The holding table 21 is a component for holding the substrate 70. The holding table 21 is horizontally arranged.
The coating head unit 22 is a coating portion that applies a coating material to the substrate 70 held on the holding table 21. The coating apparatus 11 is mounted with a plurality of (4 in the illustrated example) coating heads 31. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the coating head unit 22 emits a liquid coating material by an ink jet method will be described. An application head 31 for applying a coating material to the substrate 70 is detachably attached to the lower end portion of the application head member 22. The coating head 31 has a flat lower surface, and a plurality of nozzles 32 (see fig. 9) for ejecting the coating material are provided at equal intervals on the lower surface.
The frame 24 is a gate-shaped structure that supports the coating head unit 22. The applicator head unit 22 is mounted to the frame 24 by a support 27. The coating head unit 22 is configured to be detachable from the frame 24. In the example shown in fig. 1, 4 applicator head units 22 are mounted to the frame 24.
The coating device 11 has a structure in which a frame 24 is disposed above a linear motor coil 25 running on a linear motor magnet 26.
The linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26 are moving means for moving the frame 24 in the horizontal direction (see white arrows). In the present embodiment, the coating device 11 has a structure in which the frame 24 is moved in the horizontal direction by the coil 25 for the linear motor and the magnet 26 for the linear motor. However, the coating device 11 may be configured to have a not-shown moving means for moving the substrate 70 in the horizontal direction in addition to (or instead of) the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26. The coating device 11 may be configured to have a unit (for example, a rail, a wheel traveling on the rail, or the like) different from the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26 as a moving unit for moving the frame 24 in the horizontal direction.
The coating apparatus 11 relatively moves the substrate 70 and the coating head unit 22, and emits the coating material from the coating head 31 toward the substrate 70 at a predetermined timing, thereby coating the coating material on a predetermined region of the substrate 70.
The coating device 11 is also provided with a droplet inspection mechanism 14 (see fig. 9) and a dot inspection mechanism 16 (see fig. 19 and 20). These components will be described later.
As shown in fig. 2, the coating head part 22 has a coating material tank 23, a coating head 31, conduits 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, valves 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, a leak valve 36, a regulator 37, and a pressure gauge 38.
The coating material tank 23 is a coating material storage unit that stores a liquid coating material. The valves 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d and the leak valve 36 are formed of electromagnetic valves, and open and close the paths of the corresponding conduits. The regulator 37 is a regulator of the negative pressure supplied to the coating material tank 23. The pressure gauge 38 measures the negative pressure supplied to the coating material tank 23.
The pipe 34a and the valve 35a constitute a gas supply unit for supplying the atmosphere or an arbitrary gas from the outside to the coating material tank 23.
The conduit 34b, the valve 35b, the leak valve 36, and the regulator 37 constitute a negative pressure supply unit that supplies negative pressure to the coating material tank 23.
The conduit 34c and the valve 35c constitute a coating material supply unit for supplying the coating material from the outside to the coating material tank 23.
The conduit 34d and the valve 35d constitute a coating material supply unit that supplies the coating material from the coating material tank 23 to the coating head 31.
The coating head 31 has a storage section 33 and a heater 40. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 33 and the heater 40 are described as being incorporated in the coating head 31.
The storage unit 33 is a component for storing various information related to the application head 31. The storage unit 33 is formed of a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 33 includes a1 st storage area 33a for storing the unique information D10 of the application head 31 and a2 nd storage area 33b for storing the history information D20 of the application head 31 (see fig. 5).
The heater 40 is a component for heating the coating head 31 to facilitate the ejection of the coating material.
As shown in fig. 3, the coating apparatus 11 can detach the coating head part 22 from the support part 27. In addition, the coating apparatus 11 can detach the coating head 31 from the coating head part 22. The removed application head part 22 and application head 31 are stored in a predetermined storage part 18 (see fig. 4) prepared in advance.
As shown in fig. 4, the coating apparatus 11 has a thermocouple 41 inside the coating head section 22, and has a solid-state relay 42, a thermostat 43, a host PC51, a motor controller 52, an amplifier 53, and an inkjet controller 54 inside the control apparatus 12.
The thermocouple 41 is a component for detecting the temperature of the heater 40.
The solid-state relay 42 is a component for transmitting a signal by mechanical movement.
The temperature controller 43 is a component for controlling the temperature.
The host PC51 is a component for controlling the overall operation of the coating apparatus 11.
The motor controller 52 is a component for controlling the operation of the moving means such as the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26.
The amplifier 53 is a component for amplifying a signal.
The ink jet controller 54 is a component for controlling the operation of the coating head 31.
As shown in fig. 4, the coating device 11 forms a part of the coating head management system 10. In the example shown in fig. 4, the coating head management system 10 includes a coating device 11, a measurement and inspection mechanism 13, a storage unit 18, and a coating head management device 19. However, the measurement and inspection mechanism 13 and the application head management device 19 can be incorporated into the application device 11.
The measurement and inspection mechanism 13 measures the amount of the coating material. The measurement and inspection mechanism 13 includes an electronic balance 13a for measuring the amount of the coating material. The electronic balance 13a is connected to the control device 12, and measures the amount of the coating material in accordance with an instruction from the control device 12. The measurement and inspection mechanism 13 will be described in detail later.
The storage unit 18 is a component for storing the coating head unit 22 and the like removed from the coating apparatus 11.
The coating head management device 19 manages the coating head part 22 and the coating head 31. The coating head management device 19 is constituted by a Personal Computer (PC). Further, the head management device 19 can be integrated with the host PC51 of the control device 12.
The control device 12 constitutes a part of the control section 50. In the example shown in fig. 4, the control unit 50 includes a host PC51, a motor controller 52, an amplifier 53, an ink jet controller 54, and a head management device 19.
The control unit 50 stores the storage information Dst (see fig. 5) in the storage unit 33 at an arbitrary timing.
< one example of stored information >
An example of the storage information Dst provided in the storage unit 33 of the application head 31 will be described below with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the storage information Dst provided in the storage unit 33 of the application head 31.
As shown in fig. 5, in the present embodiment, the stored information Dst includes, as information related to the application head 31, unique information D10 unique to the application head 31 and history information D20 indicating the history of the application head 31.
The unique information D10 is stored in the 1 st storage area 33a of the storage unit 33, and the history information D20 is stored in the 2 nd storage area 33b of the storage unit 33. The control unit 50 reads the unique information D10 from the 1 st storage area 33a of the storage unit 33, and stores the history information D20 in the 2 nd storage area 33b of the storage unit 33 in accordance with the coating operation of the coating head 31.
The coating device 11 stores the unique information D10 and the history information D20 in the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31. Thus, the coating apparatus 11 can manage the driving conditions of the coating heads 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating heads 31, the temperature of the heater 40, and the like), the coating conditions of the coating material, the environmental conditions, the operating conditions such as the material conditions, and the history information D20 (use performance information) such as the time used for producing the product, the number of drops of the coating material, and the cumulative coating amount of the coating material, for each coating head 31.
In the example shown in fig. 5, the unique information D10 includes serial number information D1a, manufacturer inspection date information D1b, and inspection-time reference voltage information D1 c. These pieces of information are mainly stored in the storage unit 33 by the head manufacturer.
The serial number information D1a indicates a unique number (including a symbol) attached to the applicator head 31. The timing of writing the serial number information D1a is at the time of manufacture. The purpose of use of the serial number information D1a is machine type determination.
The manufacturer inspection date information D1b indicates the manufacturer inspection date of the applicator head 31. The timing of writing the vendor check date information D1b is the vendor check time. The vendor check-up date information D1b is used for the purpose of determination of the vendor check-up date.
The inspection-time reference voltage information D1c indicates a reference voltage (value) at the time of manufacturer inspection. The timing of writing the inspection reference voltage information D1c is at the time of manufacturer inspection. The purpose of use of the inspection-time reference voltage information D1c is to determine the reference voltage at the time of the manufacturer inspection.
In the example shown in fig. 5, the initial energization day information DA in the solid area is stored in the storage unit 33 in addition to the unique information D10 and the history information D20. The initial power-on date information DA in the field indicates the date of the initial power-on in the field. In the example shown in fig. 5, the initial power-on date information DA in the solid area is divided into "year" and "month date" and stored. The timing of the initial energization date information DA written in the real area is when the application head 31 is attached to the application head part 22. The purpose of using the initial power-on date information DA in the field is to use the determination of the start date. The first power-on day information DA in the field may be set as one of the history information D20. In this case, the initial power-on date information DA in the solid area is stored in the 2 nd storage area 33b of the storage unit 33.
In the example shown in fig. 5, the history information D20 is roughly divided into operation passage information D21 relating to the passage of the operation of the application head 31, drive information D22 relating to the driving of the application head 31, and error information D23 relating to the error.
The operation passage information D21 has a configuration including total power-on time information D2a, total injection time information D2b, continuous use time information D2c, final head mounting date and time information D2D, final loader number information D2e, final loading line number information D2f, and final loader number information D2 g.
The driving information D22 includes recipe number information D2h, internal heater temperature information D2i, driving voltage information D2j, and driving voltage gradient information D2 k.
The error information D23 includes the number-of-metering-error information D2l, the number-of-injection-missing-error information D2m, and the number-of-communication-error information D2 n.
The total energization time information D2a represents the total energization time of the applicator head 31. The timing of writing the total energization time information D2a is when the application head 31 is detached. The purpose of using the total energization time information D2a is to grasp the use period of the application head 31.
The total injection time information D2b indicates the total injection time of the application head 31. The timing of writing the total injection time information D2b is the end of the injection by the application head 31. The total injection time information D2b is used for the purpose of grasping the injection use time of the application head 31.
The continuous use time information D2c indicates the continuous use time of the application head 31. The timing of writing the continuous use time information D2c is when the application head 31 is detached. The use of the continuous use time information D2c is intended for the grasping of the use period of the application head 31.
The final head mounting date and time information D2D indicates the date and time when the application head 31 was finally mounted. In the example shown in fig. 5, the final top date and time information D2D is stored in divided form into "year", "month and day", and "time division". The timing of writing the final head mounting date and time information D2D is when the application head 31 is detached. The purpose of use of the final head mounting date and time information D2D is to grasp the unused period of the application head 31.
The final loader number information D2e indicates the number of the loader on which the application head 31 is finally loaded. The timing of writing the final loader number information D2e is when the application head 31 is removed. The purpose of use of the final mounter number information D2e is to grasp the mounting head (application head part) of the application head 31.
The final mounting line number information D2f indicates the number of the line on which the application head 31 is finally mounted. The timing of writing the final mounting line number information D2f is when the application head 31 is detached. The purpose of use of the final mounting line number information D2f is to grasp the mounting head (applicator head part) of the applicator head 31.
The final mounting head number information D2g indicates the number of the head unit on which the application head 31 is finally mounted. The timing of writing the final mounting header number information D2g is when the application head 31 is detached. The purpose of use of the final mounting head number information D2g is to grasp the mounting head (application head part) of the application head 31.
The recipe number information D2h indicates a recipe number (type of material). The timing of writing the recipe number information D2h is when the application head 31 is detached. The recipe number information D2h is used for grasping the material used in the coating head 31.
The internal heater temperature information D2i indicates the control temperature of the heater 40. The timing of writing the internal heater temperature information D2i is when the application head 31 is detached. The internal heater temperature information D2i is used for the purpose of transferring the emission conditions of the coating head 31.
The drive voltage information D2j indicates the drive voltage (value) of the application head 31. The timing of writing the drive voltage information D2j is when the application head 31 is detached. The driving voltage information D2j is used for the purpose of transferring the emission conditions of the coating head 31.
The drive voltage slope information D2k indicates the degree of the slope of the drive voltage (value) of the application head 31. Here, the "degree of the slope of the driving voltage" means, for example, as shown in fig. 17, how much the slope of a line indicating the characteristic of the change amount of the injection amount (mg) of the coating material with respect to the change amount of the driving voltage (V) of the coating head 31 differs from the slope of an ideal line. The timing of writing the drive voltage slope information D2k is the end of the metering check of the coating material. The purpose of use of the driving voltage slope information D2k is correction of a calibration curve (a line indicating the slope of the driving voltage).
The metering error number information D2l indicates the number of occurrences of a metering error. The timing of writing the metering error count information D2l is the end of the metering check of the coating material. The usage purpose of the measurement error count information D2l is to grasp the number of occurrences of a measurement error.
The injection omission error count information D2m indicates the number of occurrences of injection omission errors. The timing of writing the injection omission error count information D2m is when the application omission inspection by the application head 31 is completed. The usage purpose of the injection omission error count information D2m is to grasp the number of occurrences of an injection omission error.
The communication error count information D2n indicates the number of occurrences of communication errors within the control device 12 and between the control device 12 and other devices. The timing of writing the communication error count information D2n is when a communication error occurs. The purpose of use of the communication error count information D2n is to grasp the number of occurrences of a communication error.
In response to the stored information Dst, the control unit 50 of the coating apparatus 11 automatically writes the operating conditions and the history information D20 (use performance information) during the operation of the coating apparatus 11. The coating head 31 is periodically detached from the coating apparatus 11 for cleaning. When the coating device 11 is to be mounted with the cleaned coating head 31 again, the history information D20 (use performance information) of the mounted coating head 31 can be automatically acquired from the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31.
In addition, with respect to the stored information Dst, the applicator head management device 19 can refer to the history information D20 (use performance information) of each applicator head 31, and can instruct the user to replace the applicator head 31 so that the applicator head 31 having a low operation performance is attached to a head position having a high frequency of use. For example, the instruction is given by displaying a screen for instructing replacement of the application head 31 on a display unit, not shown, of the application head management device 19. Thus, the coating head management device 19 can optimize the state of the entire plurality of coating heads 31.
< one example of the product >
An example of a product produced by the coating device 11 is described below with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal image display device 60 as an example of a product. Here, a case will be described in which the liquid crystal image display device 60 is a high-definition flat panel display. Here, the coating device 11 is described as a device for coating a liquid crystal material as a coating material on a substrate 70 constituting a part of the liquid crystal image display device 60.
As shown in fig. 6, the liquid crystal image display device 60 has a structure in which a polarizing filter 61, a glass substrate 62, a color filter 63, a transparent electrode 64, a light distribution film 65, a liquid crystal layer 66, a light distribution film 67, a transparent electrode 68, and a glass substrate 69 are laminated in this order from the viewer side (front side). In the example shown in fig. 6, a substrate 70 is composed of a polarizing filter 61, a glass substrate 62, a color filter 63, a transparent electrode 64, a light distribution film 65, and a liquid crystal layer 66. The coating device 11 coats a liquid crystal material in which a liquid crystal is mixed with a substrate 70 as a coating material 99, thereby manufacturing a component of the liquid crystal image display device 60.
< operation of coating head management System >
The operation of the coating head management system 10 (see fig. 4) will be described below with reference to fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the applicator head management system 10.
The applicator head management system 10 (see fig. 4) starts operation when, for example, a user receives an instruction to monitor the state of the applicator head 31. The operation of the coating head management system 10 (see fig. 4) is mainly realized by the control unit 50 (particularly, the coating head management device 19).
As shown in fig. 7, the head management system 10 acquires the unique information D10 and the history information D20 from the storage unit 33 of each application head 31, and registers them in a storage unit (not shown) (step S105). The "coating heads 31" referred to herein are the coating heads 31 attached to the coating head unit 22 mounted on the coating apparatus 11, the coating heads 31 attached to the coating head unit 22 stored in the storage unit 18 (see fig. 4), the coating heads 31 stored in a single body in the storage unit 18 (see fig. 4), and the like. Further, the coating head 31 stored in the storage part 18 (see fig. 4) includes a coating head detached from the coating head part 22 and an unused coating head.
The coating head management system 10 starts monitoring the operation state of each coating head 31 based on the unique information D10 and the history information D20 of each coating head 31 (step S110).
The coating head management system 10 determines whether or not there is a coating head 31 in a bad state (step S115). Here, the "coating head 31 in a bad state" means that there are a coating head 31 attached to the coating apparatus 11 for a longer period than the other, a coating head 31 stored in the storage part 18 (see fig. 4) for a longer period than the other, and the like. The coating head 31 attached to the coating apparatus 11 for a longer period than the others may deteriorate more than the others. Further, the coating head 31 stored in the storage part 18 (see fig. 4) for a longer period of time than the other periods of time may solidify the coating material adhering to the inside. These coating heads 31 may have characteristics of a driving voltage for discharging the coating material that change relatively greatly from the initial state (at the time of manufacturer's inspection).
If it is determined in the determination of step S115 that there is no coating head 31 in a bad state (in the case of no), the process proceeds to step S135. On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of step S115 that there is a defective coating head 31 (in the case of "yes"), the coating head management system 10 instructs the user to replace the coating head 31 (or the coating head unit 22 to which the coating head 31 is attached) (step S120).
After step S120, if the user replaces the application head 31 (or the application head part 22 to which the application head 31 is attached), the application head management system 10 detects the replacement of the application head 31 with a sensor (not shown) (step S125).
After step S125, the head management system 10 acquires the unique information D10 and the history information D20 from the storage unit 33 of the replacement coating head 31, and updates and registers the information in the storage unit (not shown) (step S130).
If it is determined in the determination of step S115 that there is no head 31 in a bad state (in the case of no), or after step S130, the head management system 10 determines whether or not there is an instruction to end the state monitoring of the head 31 (step S135).
If it is determined in the determination of step S135 that the end instruction of the state monitoring of the application head 31 is not given (in the case of no), the state monitoring of the application head 31 is continued (step S140). After that, the process returns to step S115. On the other hand, when it is determined in the determination of step S135 that the end instruction of the state monitoring of the application head 31 is given (in the case of "yes"), the processing of the series of routines ends.
< operation of coating apparatus >
The operation of the coating device 11 will be described below with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating device 11.
The coating device 11 starts to operate, for example, by a user turning on a power supply or receiving an instruction for a production operation. The operation of the coating device 11 is mainly realized by the control unit 50 (particularly, the control device 12).
As shown in fig. 8, the coating apparatus 11 receives an instruction to execute a production operation from a user via an input unit (not shown) (step S605). Then, the application device 11 reads the unique information D10 (for example, the serial number) from the storage unit 33 of the application head 31 attached to each application head part 22 mounted on the application device 11 (step S610).
Then, the coating device 11 determines whether or not the coating head 31 is replaced (step S615). This determination is performed by comparing the unique information D10 of the application head 31 registered in advance in the storage unit, not shown, of the application device 11 in association with each application head part 22 with the unique information D10 of the application head 31 read in step S610. When the two are different from each other, it is determined that the coating head 31 is replaced, and when the two are identical, it is determined that the coating head 31 is not replaced.
If it is determined in the determination of step S615 that the application head 31 has been replaced (yes), the application device 11 reads the history information D20 from the storage unit 33 of the replaced application head 31 (step S620). Then, the coating apparatus 11 determines the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating head 31, the temperature of the heater 40, and the like) based on the history information D20 for the replaced coating head 31 in accordance with a control program prepared in advance (step S625).
On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of step S615 that the coating head 31 has not been replaced (in the case of no), the coating apparatus 11 determines the driving conditions of the coating head 31 as the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the previous driving voltage of the coating head 31, the temperature of the heater 40, and the like) as the previous driving conditions of the coating head 31 (step S630).
After step S625 or step S630, the coating head 31 is driven under the driving conditions determined in step S625 or step S630, the flying-drop inspection of the coating material is performed (step S635), and further, the metering inspection of the coating material is performed (step S640). And recording after flying drop inspection and metering inspection.
After step S640, it is determined whether or not there is any coating head 31 that requires correction of the driving conditions (for example, the driving voltage of the previous coating head 31) among the coating heads 31 (step S645).
If it is determined in step S645 that there is an application head 31 that requires correction of the driving conditions (yes), the application device 11 corrects the driving conditions (for example, the previous driving voltage of the application head 31, etc.) for the application head 31 in accordance with a control program prepared in advance (step S650). The correction is noted later. After that, the process returns to step S635.
On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of step S645 that there is no coating head 31 requiring the correction of the driving conditions (in the case of no), the coating apparatus 11 starts the production operation and performs the coating of the coating material on the substrate 70 (step S655).
After step S655, the coating device 11 performs a spot check (coating omission check) of the coating material applied to the substrate 70 (step S660). The dot inspection (coating omission inspection) is described later.
After step S660, the coating apparatus 11 determines whether or not the production operation is finished (step S665). If it is determined in the determination of step S665 that the production operation has not been completed (in the case of no), the process returns to step S655. On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of step S665 that the production operation is ended (yes), the coating device 11 stores the history information D20 in the 2 nd storage area 33b of the storage unit 33 in accordance with the coating operation of the coating head 31 (step S670). The coating apparatus 11 stores unique information D10 (for example, a serial number) of the coating head 31 in a storage unit (not shown) in correspondence with each coating head part 22. This completes the processing of the series of routines.
< flying drip inspection >
The flying droplet inspection will be described below with reference to fig. 9 to 13E. Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the flying droplet inspection mechanism. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection. Fig. 11A and 11B are explanatory views each schematically showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection in detail. Fig. 13A to 13E are explanatory views each showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail.
The flying-drip inspection is an inspection for confirming the state of the coating material in flight emitted from the coating head 31. The flying drop inspection is performed before the production run is started. For example, the flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 shown in fig. 9 is used for the flying droplet inspection. The flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 is provided around the holding base 21 (see fig. 1). As shown in fig. 9, the flying droplet inspection mechanism includes a flash illumination 15a and a flying droplet inspection camera 15b composed of a high-resolution camera. In the flying droplet inspection, the flash illumination 15a and the flying droplet inspection camera 15b are arranged to face each other with the coating material discharged from the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 interposed therebetween. The flash illumination 15a continuously emits flash illumination light toward the coating material. On the other hand, the flying-drip inspection camera 15b continuously photographs the coating material. In this way, the flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 obtains a photograph of the coating material in flight emitted from the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31. The coating device 11 recognizes the state of the coating material from the photograph of the coating material acquired by the flying-drop inspection means 14, and performs a flying-drop inspection of the coating material.
Fig. 10 schematically shows an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection. In the example shown in fig. 10, the coating material 99 is formed in a substantially spherical shape.
On the other hand, fig. 11A and 11B schematically show an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection. In the example shown in fig. 11A, the coating material 99 is in the shape of a deformed sphere. In addition, the coating material 99, which should be a single body, is split into a plurality of pieces. In the example shown in fig. 11B, the liquid pool 91 of the coating material 99 is generated around the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31. In addition, unintended dropping of the coating material 99 occurs.
Fig. 12 shows an example of a good condition in the flying droplet inspection in detail. In the example shown in fig. 12, the coating material discharged from each nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 travels downward from above. The coating device 11 determines that the state of the droplets of the coating material 99 is good from the following characteristic points a1 to a 5.
(characteristic point a1) the coating material 99 is ejected from all the nozzles 32 specified.
(characteristic point a2) 1 drop of the coating material 99 was formed into a regular spherical shape.
(characteristic point a3) the flying-drop interval of the coating material 99 becomes uniform.
(characteristic point a4) the scattering of the coating material 99 is small. That is, the space in which the droplets of the coating material 99 are present is kept clean.
(characteristic point a5) the liquid reservoir 91 of the coating material 99 is not present on the lower surface of the coating head 31 (the surface of the nozzle 32 on which the ejection port is provided) (see fig. 11B).
Fig. 13A to 13E show an example of an inappropriate situation in the flying droplet inspection in detail. In the example shown in fig. 13A to 13E, the coating material ejected from each nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 travels downward from above. Then, the coating device 11 determines that the state of the flying droplet of the coating material 99 is not appropriate from the following characteristic points B1 to B5.
(characteristic point B1) does not eject the coating material 99 from all the nozzles 32 specified. That is, the coating material 99 is not ejected (see fig. 13A and 13E).
(characteristic point B2) the coating material 99 is in a deformed spherical shape (see fig. 13B).
(feature point B3) the flying-drop interval of the coating material 99 becomes uneven (see fig. 13B to 13E).
(feature point B4) the coating material 99 is scattered much (see fig. 13B and 13C). That is, the space where the flying droplets of the coating material 99 exist is in a contaminated state.
(feature point B5) the liquid reservoir 91 (see fig. 11B) of the coating material 99 is provided on the lower surface of the coating head 31 (the surface of the nozzle 32 on which the ejection port is provided) (see fig. 13D).
The cause of occurrence of the characteristic points B1 to B5 is, for example, the following.
(characteristic point B1) the coating head 31 and the conduit 34d are short of exhausted air.
(characteristic point B2) the coating head 31 and the conduit 34d are short of exhausted air. The temperature of the coating material 99 ejected is low.
(characteristic point B3) the coating head 31 and the conduit 34d are short of exhausted air.
(characteristic point B4) the driving voltage (ejection voltage) of the application head 31 is high. The temperature of the coating material 99 ejected is high.
(characteristic point B5) the coating head 31 and the conduit 34d are short of exhausted air.
The coating apparatus 11 performs the flying-drop inspection, and when the flying-drop state of the coating material 99 is not appropriate, for example, the negative pressure of air is increased by the regulator 37, the temperature of the heater 40 is changed, or the driving voltage of the coating head 31 is corrected. The process of increasing the negative pressure by the regulator 37 is performed to eliminate the shortage of air discharge from the coating head 31 and the conduit 34 d. The process of changing the temperature of the heater 40 is performed to change the temperature of the coating material 99 emitted from the coating head 31. The process of correcting the driving voltage of the coating head 31 is performed to change the amount of the coating material 99 emitted from the coating head 31. When the flying state of the coating material 99 is poor, the head management system 10 (particularly, the head management device) instructs the user to replace or clean the coating head 31 (or the head unit 22 to which the coating head 31 is attached) on a display unit (not shown).
< measurement check >
The metrology inspection will be described below with reference to fig. 14 to 16B. Fig. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of the measurement and inspection mechanism. Fig. 15 is a graph showing the difference in the relationship between the driving voltage of each coating head 31 and the amount of coating material emitted. Fig. 16A is a graph showing a relationship between the number of drops of the coating material and the total shot amount of the coating material. Fig. 16B is a graph showing a relationship between the driving voltage of the coating head 31 and the total amount of the discharged coating material.
The measurement inspection is an inspection for measuring the amount of coating material ejected from the coating head 31. The measurement check is performed before the start of the production run together with the flying drop check. For the flying droplet inspection, for example, the measurement inspection mechanism 13 shown in fig. 14 is used. The measurement and inspection mechanism 13 has an electronic balance 13 a. The electronic balance 13a is used to measure the amount of the coating material emitted from the coating head 31 and adjust the amount of the coating material applied to the substrate 70.
The coating apparatus 11 operates a conveying unit, not shown, under the control of the control device 12, and thereby arranges the electronic balance 13a at a predetermined position on the holding base 21. The coating device 11 applies a driving voltage to the coating head 31, and thereby emits the coating material from the coating head 31 toward the electronic balance 13 a. The coating apparatus 11 measures the amount of the coating material ejected from the coating head 31 with the electronic balance 13 a. The coating apparatus 11 is mounted with a plurality of coating heads 31. The coating device 11 measures the amount of coating material ejected from all the coating heads 31, and manages the amount of coating material ejected from each coating head 31.
As shown in fig. 15, the amount of the coating material discharged with respect to the driving voltage of the coating heads 31 varies among the coating heads 31. Therefore, the coating apparatus 11 controls each coating head 31 so that the amount of the coating material ejected from each coating head 31 becomes uniform. The control of the coating head 31 is performed as follows.
For example, the target value of the total injection amount (mg) of the coating material is controlled by the number of drops (number of shots) of the coating material. Fig. 16A shows the number of drops of the coating material relative to a target value of the total shot amount (mg) of the coating material. That is, fig. 16A shows that the number of drops of the coating material when the total shot amount (mg) of the coating material measured by the electronic balance 13a agrees with the target value is several drops. The coating apparatus 11 controls the number of drops (number of shots) of the coating material in each coating head 31 so that the total shot amount of the coating material in each coating head 31 becomes uniform.
Further, for example, the adjustment of the dropping amount (ejection amount) of the coating material with respect to the device difference (individual difference) of the coating head 31 is controlled by the driving voltage (ejection voltage) of the coating head 31. Fig. 16B shows that the total emission amount of the 2 nd head is larger than the total emission amount of the 1 st head, and the drive voltage of the 2 nd head is adjusted (changed) as indicated by a white arrow so that the total emission amount of the 2 nd head is the same as the total emission amount of the 1 st head. The driving voltage of each coating head 31 before adjustment is a voltage value indicated by the driving voltage information D2j (see fig. 5) stored in the storage unit 33 of each coating head 31. The coating apparatus 11 maintains or changes the voltage value indicated by the driving voltage information D2j (see fig. 5) for the driving voltage (output voltage) of each coating head 31 and adjusts the voltage value so that the total output amount of the coating material in each coating head 31 becomes uniform. When the voltage value is changed, the coating apparatus 11 updates the driving voltage information D2j (see fig. 5) stored in the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31 to the changed voltage value.
< correction of Driving Voltage of coating head >
When the coating device 11 corrects the driving voltage of the coating head 31 in order to change the amount of the coating material to be discharged, the way of correcting the driving voltage and the number of times of correction differ due to the difference in the characteristics of the coating head 31. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the coating apparatus 11 stores the driving voltage gradient information D2k in the storage unit 33 of each coating head 31 as information indicating the characteristics of the coating head 31. When the drive voltage is corrected to change the amount of the coating material to be discharged, the coating device 11 corrects the drive voltage so that the drive voltage is corrected according to the drive voltage gradient information D2k by the number of corrections.
Next, correction of the drive voltage of the application head 31, which is an example of correction of the drive condition of the application head 31, will be described with reference to fig. 17 to 18C. Fig. 17 is a graph showing the difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head 31. Fig. 18A to 18C are explanatory views each showing a difference in correction due to a difference in the slope of the driving voltage of the application head 31.
In the example shown in fig. 17, lines L11, L12, and L13 are shown as lines showing characteristics of the ejection amount (mg) of the coating material with respect to the driving voltage (V) of the coating head 31. The line L11 shows an example in which the change amount of the injection amount of the coating material is in an ideal state with respect to the change amount of the driving voltage of the coating head 31. The line L12 shows an example in which the amount of change in the amount of the coating material injected is excessive with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage of the coating head 31. The line L13 shows an example in which the amount of change in the amount of the coating material injected is too small relative to the amount of change in the drive voltage of the coating head 31.
As shown in fig. 18A to 18C, when the coating device 11 corrects the drive voltage in order to change the discharge amount of the coating material, the drive voltage is corrected so as to correct the drive voltage in accordance with the characteristics of the lines L11, L12, and L13 (i.e., the drive voltage gradient information D2 k).
For example, as shown in fig. 18A, in the coating head 31 having the characteristics of the line L11 (see fig. 17), the amount of change in the amount of emission of the coating material is in an ideal state with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage. Therefore, in the application head 31 having the characteristic of the line L11, when the amount of the coating material discharged deviates from the target value, the drive voltage of the application head 31 is corrected so that the amount of the coating material discharged matches the target value, and thus the amount of the coating material discharged can be set to the target value by correcting the drive voltage 1 time. That is, for example, as shown in fig. 18A, in a state where the deviation indicating the deviation of the injection amount of the coating material from the target value is shifted to the +3 side, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L11 can be brought into a state where the deviation is zero by 1 time of correction of the driving voltage.
In contrast, as shown in fig. 18B, in the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12 (see fig. 17), the amount of change in the amount of emission of the coating material is excessive with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage. Therefore, in the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12, when the amount of the coating material discharged deviates from the target value, the amount of change in the amount of the coating material discharged becomes excessive even if the drive voltage of the coating head 31 is corrected so that the amount of the coating material discharged matches the target value. That is, for example, as shown in fig. 18B, in the state where the deviation is shifted to the +3 side, the application head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12 is shifted to the negative side even if the 1 st correction of the drive voltage is performed. Therefore, the application head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12 performs additional correction for bringing the deviation close to zero a plurality of times.
The number of times of performing additional correction varies depending on the amount of deviation of the slope of the line L12 from the slope of the line L11. If the amount of deviation is large (i.e., if the slope of the line L12 is close to the vertical axis in fig. 17), the amount of change in the amount of emission of the coating material with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage becomes large. Therefore, in fig. 18B, the amount of change in the deviation in the correction of the drive voltage every 1 time becomes large. As a result, the deviation is hard to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times of performing additional correction increases. On the other hand, if the offset amount is small (i.e., if the slope of the line L12 approaches the line L11 in fig. 17), the variation amount of the ejection amount of the coating material with respect to the variation amount of the drive voltage becomes small. Therefore, in fig. 18B, the amount of change in the deviation in the correction of the drive voltage per 1 time becomes small. As a result, the deviation tends to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times of performing additional correction is reduced.
As shown in fig. 18C, in the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L13 (see fig. 17), the amount of change in the amount of coating material discharged is too small with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage. Therefore, in the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L13, when the amount of the coating material discharged deviates from the target value, the amount of change in the amount of the coating material discharged becomes too small even if the drive voltage of the coating head 31 is corrected so that the amount of the coating material discharged matches the target value. That is, for example, as shown in fig. 18C, in the state where the deviation is shifted to the +3 side, the application head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12 is shifted to the plus side even if the 1 st correction of the driving voltage is performed. Therefore, the application head 31 having the characteristic of the line L13 performs additional correction for bringing the deviation close to zero a plurality of times.
The number of times of performing additional correction varies depending on the amount of deviation of the slope of the line L13 from the slope of the line L11. If the offset amount is large (i.e., if the slope of the line L13 is close to the abscissa in fig. 17), the variation in the injection amount of the coating material with respect to the variation in the drive voltage becomes small. Therefore, in fig. 18C, the amount of change in the deviation in the correction of the drive voltage per 1 time becomes small. As a result, the deviation is hard to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times of performing additional correction increases. On the other hand, if the offset amount is small (i.e., if the slope of the line L13 approaches the line L11 in fig. 17), the amount of change in the amount of emission of the coating material with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage becomes large. Therefore, in fig. 18C, the amount of change in the deviation in the correction of the drive voltage every 1 time becomes large. As a result, the deviation tends to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times of performing additional correction is reduced.
The coating apparatus 11 corrects the drive voltage by the number of corrections so as to correct the drive voltage corresponding to the drive voltage gradient information D2k, thereby efficiently changing the amount of coating material to be discharged.
< dot inspection (coating omission inspection) >
The dot inspection (coating omission inspection) will be described below with reference to fig. 19 to 21. Fig. 19 and 20 are explanatory views of the dot inspection mechanism, respectively. Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an inappropriate situation in the spot check.
The spot inspection (coating omission inspection) is an inspection for confirming the state of the coating material applied to the substrate 70. The spot inspection (coating omission inspection) is performed after the coating material is ejected from the coating head 31 during the production operation. In the spot inspection (coating omission inspection), when there is a positional difference or an emission failure of the coating material applied to the substrate 70, the number of the coating materials is counted.
As shown in fig. 19 and 20, the spot inspection mechanism 16 includes a plurality of spot inspection cameras (2 spot inspection cameras 17a and 17b in the illustrated example). The spot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are cameras for photographing the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70. The spot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are disposed so that the imaging portions face the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70. The spot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are arranged in a row in the lateral direction. The coating device 11 moves the substrate 70 and the spot inspection cameras 17a and 17b relatively to each other, and thereby photographs the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70 with the spot inspection cameras 17a and 17 b.
Fig. 19 shows an operation in the case of performing a dot inspection (coating omission inspection) in the partial inspection mode. The "partial inspection mode" is a mode in which a certain portion of the substrate 70 is specified and the certain portion is inspected. In the partial inspection mode, the inspection range can be set to a range in which the point inspection camera can photograph 1 point inspection camera.
In the example of the partial inspection mode shown in fig. 19, inspection ranges 71a and 71b are designated as portions to be photographed by the point inspection cameras 17a and 17 b. After the coating device 11 stops the substrate 70 at a predetermined position, the inspection range 71a is photographed by the spot inspection camera 17a, and the inspection range 71a is photographed by the spot inspection camera 17 b. Then, the coating device 11 recognizes the coating state of the coating material in the portion of the relative inspection ranges 71a, 71b extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70 from the photographed photograph. In the example shown in fig. 19, the "determination portion" refers to a portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70 with respect to the inspection ranges 71a, 71 b.
Fig. 20 shows an operation in a case where dot inspection (coating omission inspection) is performed in the full scan mode. The "full scan mode" is a mode of inspecting the entire upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70. In the full scan mode, the entire upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70 is set as an inspection range.
In the example of the full scan mode shown in fig. 20, the inspection range 71c is designated as a portion to be photographed by the spot inspection cameras 17a and 17 b. The inspection range 71c is a range aligned horizontally with respect to the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70. The coating apparatus 11 conveys the substrate 70 in the vertical direction (the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b), and photographs the inspection range 71c with the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b while reciprocating the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b in the horizontal direction. Then, the coating device 11 recognizes the coating state of the coating material in the portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the inspection area 71c (i.e., the entire upper surface (coating surface of the coating material) of the substrate 70) based on the photographed photograph.
Fig. 21 shows an example of an inappropriate case in the spot check. An injection omission portion 72 (an application omission portion) is formed in the substrate 70. The injection omission portion 72 is linearly formed in the longitudinal direction. The coating device 11 can detect the missing part 72 in a spot check (coating omission check) from the photographed photograph.
The missing injection portion 72 is generated by, for example, insufficient exhaust from the coating head 31 and the duct 34d, and air is mixed into the coating material injected from the coating head 31. When the injection missing part 72 occurs, the air is discharged from the coating head 31 and the pipe 34d by increasing the negative pressure of the air by the regulator 37, and the repair coating (coating for repair) of the coating material can be performed on the injection missing part 72.
< main characteristics of coating apparatus and coating head management System >
(1) As shown in fig. 1, a coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes: a holding table 21 for holding the substrate 70; a coating head unit 22 (coating section) that applies a coating material to the substrate 70 held on the holding table 21; and a control section 50 that controls such that the substrate 70 and the coating head part 22 (coating section) are relatively moved to apply the coating material to a predetermined region of the substrate 70. An application head 31 for applying a coating material to the substrate 70 is detachably attached to the coating head member 22 (coating portion). As shown in fig. 2 and 5, the application head 31 has a storage section 33, and the storage section 33 includes: a1 st storage area 33a for storing unique information D10 of the application head 31; and a2 nd storage area 33b for storing the history information D20 of the application head 31. As shown in fig. 8, the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment performs: a unique information reading step (see step S610) of reading unique information D10 of the application head 31 from the storage unit 33 provided in the application head 31; a coating material application step (see step S660) of applying a coating material to a predetermined region of the substrate 70 by relatively moving the substrate 70 and the coating head unit 22 (application unit); and a history information storing step (see step S670) of storing the history information D20 of the application head 31 in the storage unit 33 in accordance with the application operation of the application head 31. That is, as shown in fig. 8, the control unit 50 reads the unique information D10 from the 1 st storage area 33a (step S610), and stores the history information D20 in the 2 nd storage area 33b in accordance with the application operation of the application head 31 (step S670).
The coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can grasp the coating operation of the coating head 31 based on the history information D20 stored in the 2 nd storage area 33b, and therefore can appropriately manage the state of the coating head 31. Therefore, the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can easily adjust the coating heads 31 attached to the respective coating head parts 22 to the same state among the plurality of coating head parts 22 (coating portions). Further, the adjustment of the application head 31 is very fine, but the application device 11 according to the present embodiment can use the history information D20 stored in the storage unit 33 of the application head 31, and thus can perform the adjustment of the application head in a short time.
(2) As shown in fig. 8, the control unit 50 of the application device 11 according to the present embodiment can detect the presence or absence of replacement of the application head 31 attached to the application head part 22 (application unit) by reading the unique information D10 from the 1 st storage area 33a (steps S610 and S615).
Since the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can detect whether or not the coating head 31 is replaced, when the coating head 31 is replaced, the driving conditions of a new coating head 31 can be determined.
(3) As shown in fig. 8, the control unit 50 of the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can read the history information D20 from the 2 nd storage area 33b and determine the driving conditions of the coating head 31 based on the history information D20 (steps S620 and S625).
The coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can determine the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating head 31, the temperature of the heater 40, and the like) based on the history information D20 stored in the 2 nd storage area 33 b.
(4) As shown in fig. 5, in the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, the history information D20 includes drive voltage gradient information D2k indicating the gradient of the drive voltage for driving the coating head 31. The control unit 50 can correct the driving voltage of the application head 31 based on the driving voltage gradient information D2 k.
In the case where the drive voltage is corrected to change the amount of the coating material to be discharged, the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment can correct the drive voltage with a small number of corrections of the drive voltage corresponding to the drive voltage gradient information D2k as shown in fig. 18A to 18C.
(5) As shown in fig. 4 and 7, the coating head management device 19 of the coating head management system 10 can monitor the state of the coating head 31 attached to the coating head part 22 (coating part) based on the history information D20 stored in the storage part 33 provided in the coating head 31. Further, the head management device 19 can be integrated with the host PC51 of the control device 12.
The coating head management system 10 including the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can instruct the user to replace the coating head 31 (or the coating head unit 22 to which the coating head 31 is attached) with respect to the coating head 31 that needs to be replaced.
(6) As shown in fig. 7, the head management device 19 of the head management system 10 can monitor the status of the plurality of application heads 31 based on the history information D20 stored in the storage unit 33 of each application head 31.
The coating head management system 10 including the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can monitor the state of the coating heads 31 with respect to the plurality of coating heads 31.
As described above, according to the coating apparatus 11 of the present embodiment, the state of the coating head 31 can be appropriately managed.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, the above embodiments are examples described in detail to clearly explain the gist of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the case where all the components described are provided. In addition, the present invention can add another component to a certain component, or change a part of the components to another component. In addition, the present invention can delete a part of the components.
In the above embodiment, for example, the host PC51 is provided inside the coating apparatus 11 (see fig. 4). However, the host PC51 may be provided outside the coating apparatus 11.
For example, in the above embodiment, the control unit 50 is divided into the control device 12 and the head management device 19 (see fig. 4). However, the control unit 50 may be configured by combining the control device 12 and the head management device 19.
For example, the electronic balance 13a may be used to measure the amount of the coating material stored in the coating material tank 23.
For example, the coating apparatus 11 may be configured such that a plurality of coating heads 31 are attached to 1 support 27.

Claims (7)

1. A coating device is characterized by comprising:
a holding table for holding a substrate;
a coating section that applies a coating material to the substrate held by the holding table; and
a control section that controls so that the coating material is applied to a predetermined region of the substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the coating section,
an application head for applying the coating material to the substrate is detachably attached to the application section,
the coating head has a storage unit including a1 st storage area for storing information unique to the coating head and a2 nd storage area for storing history information of the coating head,
the control unit reads the unique information from the 1 st storage area and stores the history information in the 2 nd storage area in accordance with the application operation of the application head.
2. Coating device according to claim 1,
the control unit reads the unique information from the 1 st storage area to detect whether or not the coating head attached to the coating unit is replaced.
3. Coating device according to claim 1 or 2,
the control unit reads the history information from the 2 nd storage area and determines the driving condition of the application head based on the history information.
4. Coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the history information includes driving voltage slope information indicating a slope of a driving voltage for driving the application head,
the control unit corrects the driving voltage based on the driving voltage slope information.
5. A coating method is carried out by a coating device,
the coating device comprises:
a holding table for holding a substrate; and
a coating section for coating a coating material on the substrate held on the holding table,
an application head for applying the coating material to the substrate is detachably attached to the application section,
the coating method is characterized by comprising the following steps:
an inherent information reading step of reading inherent information of the application head from a storage unit provided in the application head;
a coating material application step of applying the coating material to a predetermined region of the substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the application section; and
and a history information storage step of storing the history information of the application head in the storage unit in accordance with the application operation of the application head.
6. A coating head management system, comprising:
a coating device is provided with: a holding table for holding a substrate; and a coating section for coating a coating material on the substrate held on the holding table; and
an application head management device for monitoring the state of an application head installed on an application part of the application device,
the coating head management device monitors the state of the coating head based on history information stored in a storage unit provided in the coating head.
7. The applicator head management system of claim 6,
the coating head management device monitors a state of the plurality of coating heads based on the history information stored in the storage unit of each coating head.
CN202011594238.3A 2020-01-09 2020-12-29 Coating device, coating method, and coating head management system Pending CN113102168A (en)

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JP4120695B2 (en) * 2000-07-03 2008-07-16 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Inkjet recording device
WO2008087970A1 (en) * 2007-01-17 2008-07-24 Toray Engineering Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for manufacturing color filter
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