JP2002082343A - Gas replacing device and gas replacing method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas replacing device, capable of reducing the consumption of gas introduced into a housing chamber and reducing the cost of the introduced gas, and to provide a gas replacing method using it. SOLUTION: The gas replacing device 8 has a, housing chamber 1 for housing a vacant cell 7 of a liquid crystal panel and the like before liquid crystal injection, a bag 2 disposed in the housing chamber 1, a vacuum pump 3 for evacuation, a valve 10 lying between the inner part of the housing chamber 1 and the vacuum pump 3, a valve 4 for introducing an inert gas into the housing chamber 1, a valve 9 lying between the inner part of the bag 2 and the vacuum pump 3 and a valve 5 for introducing air into the bag 2. The space in the housing chamber 1 is filled with the bag 2, by inflating the bag 2 to increase the pressure of the gas in the housing chamber 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas replacement apparatus for performing degassing or gas replacement in an empty cell before injecting liquid crystal, for example, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal panel, and a gas replacement method using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The prior art will be described below with reference to a conventional gas replacement device used for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.
FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of the liquid crystal panel 46. The liquid crystal panel 46 includes a pair of substrates 4 facing each other.
1 and 42, and the two substrates 41 and 42
A liquid crystal 43 indicated by oblique lines is sealed between the two substrates 41 and 42. The space between the substrates 41 and 42 in which the liquid crystal 43 is sealed is maintained by a number of spacers 45 distributed between the substrates 41 and 42.
The two substrates 41 and 42 are provided with a switching element, a transparent electrode, a color filter, an alignment film, and the like (not shown).

As a method of sealing liquid crystal between substrates of a liquid crystal panel, there is a method called a vacuum injection method. FIG.
It is the schematic for demonstrating a vacuum injection method. In the vacuum injection method, first, a thermosetting sealing material 52 is applied to one of the substrates, and spacers for maintaining a distance between the substrates are dispersed on the other substrate. At this time, the seal material 52 is provided with an opening serving as a liquid crystal injection port 53. Thereafter, the pair of substrates is aligned and temporarily fixed in a state where the alignment films face each other. Further, the pair of substrates is pressed and heated so that the distance between the substrates is equal to the spacer diameter, and the sealing agent is cured and bonded. The bonded pair of substrates is divided into respective liquid crystal panel sizes, and empty cells 51 are formed.
Create

Next, an empty cell 51 and a liquid crystal 54 indicated by oblique lines are shown.
Is placed in the vacuum chamber 50, the inside of the vacuum chamber 50 is evacuated, the inside of the empty cell 51 is evacuated, and the liquid crystal 54 is defoamed. After sufficient evacuation, the injection port 53 of the empty cell 51 is immersed in the liquid crystal 54, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 50 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. Then, the liquid crystal 54 permeates into the cell 51 from the injection port 53 due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the empty cell 51. The liquid crystal 54 is a cell 51
After filling the inside, the cell is taken out, and the injection port 53 is sealed with, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin to complete the liquid crystal encapsulation. According to the above method, a liquid crystal panel in which a space between a pair of substrates is filled with a liquid crystal material can be manufactured.

In the above-described liquid crystal panel manufacturing method, a gas component such as a solvent is adsorbed on the inner surface of the empty cell 51 after being divided into a predetermined size. When liquid crystal is injected into the empty cell 51 in a state in which a gas component or moisture is adsorbed, gas remains in the enclosed liquid crystal and adversely affects display. In order to prevent this, before injecting the liquid crystal, the gas components and moisture adsorbed on the empty cells 51 are removed by the gas replacement device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional gas replacement device 36. As shown in FIG. The conventional gas replacement device 36 includes a storage chamber 31 for storing empty cells 35 and the like before liquid crystal injection of a liquid crystal panel, a vacuum pump 32 for evacuating the storage chamber 31, and a storage chamber 3.
1 and a valve 37 interposed between the vacuum pump 32 and
Valve 33 for introducing an inert gas into accommodation chamber 31
Having.

Next, a gas replacement procedure by the conventional gas replacement device 36 will be described. First, the empty cell 35 placed in the cassette 34 is placed in the storage chamber 31 of the gas replacement device 36 and heated to a predetermined temperature. Thereafter, the valve 37 is opened, the inside of the accommodation chamber 31 is evacuated, and degassing is performed for a certain period of time. Next, the valve 37 is closed and the valve 33 is opened, and an inert gas such as nitrogen is introduced into the storage chamber 31 until the pressure in the storage chamber 31 becomes atmospheric pressure. By doing so, the inside of the empty cell 35 installed in the storage chamber 31 is filled with the introduced inert gas, and degassing is performed. The gas replacement is disclosed in JP-A-7-225386.

[0008]

Since the size of the empty cells 35 constituting the liquid crystal panel is various, the conventional gas replacement device 36 has the most problem in processing the empty cells 35 of the respective sizes. It has an accommodation chamber 31 large enough to accommodate and process large empty cells 35. In addition, the conventional gas replacement device 36 that accommodates and processes a plurality of empty cells 35 at the same time has an accommodation chamber 31 large enough to accommodate and process a plurality of empty cells 35.

Therefore, in the conventional gas replacement device 36,
When processing a small empty cell 35 or a small number of empty cells 3
5, the volume occupied by the empty cell 35 in the accommodation room 31 is small, and the dotted line 3 of the accommodation room 31 in FIG.
An extra space such as a space above the portion 8 is generated. In such a state, the accommodation room 3 of the gas replacement device 36
In order to return the inside of the chamber 1 from a vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure, an inert gas must be introduced into an extra space, and a large amount of introduced gas is required. Here, when an expensive gas such as helium is used as the introduced gas, there is a problem that the cost of the introduced gas becomes extremely high because the internal volume of the storage chamber 31 is large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gas replacement apparatus and a gas replacement method using the same, which can reduce the amount of gas introduced into the accommodation chamber and reduce the cost of the introduced gas. is there.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gas replacement device for degassing or replacing a space inside a housed work, wherein a housing room for housing a work having a space formed therein, and a space provided in the housing room. And a bag capable of reducing the space in the accommodation room by being inflated.

According to the present invention, the bag provided in the storage chamber is inflated to fill the space in the storage chamber and increase the pressure of the gas in the storage chamber.
Therefore, when gas is introduced into the internal space of the work accommodated in the accommodation chamber until the pressure reaches, for example, the atmospheric pressure, if the bag is inflated, the amount of gas required to bring the pressure in the accommodation chamber to the atmospheric pressure becomes smaller than the amount of gas required to bring the pressure in the accommodation chamber to atmospheric pressure. With a small amount of gas, the pressure in the accommodation chamber and the internal space of the work can be brought to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of gas to be introduced until the inside of the accommodation chamber in a vacuum state becomes the atmospheric pressure, and it is possible to reduce the cost of the introduced gas.

Further, a partition plate is provided between the bag provided in the storage chamber of the present invention and the work to be stored.

According to the present invention, since the partition plate is provided between the bag installed in the storage chamber and the work to be stored, when the bag is excessively bulged or the bag hangs down,
It is possible to prevent the bag from being damaged by pressing the work, or the bag from being damaged and ruptured.

The work of the present invention is an empty cell before liquid crystal of a liquid crystal panel is injected.

According to the present invention, the gas replacement device can replace the gas inside the empty cell before the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal panel is injected. Therefore, when an expensive gas such as helium gas is used as the introduction gas inside the empty cell, the amount of the introduction gas can be suppressed, and the cost of the introduction gas can be reduced.

According to the present invention, there is provided a gas replacement method for a gas replacement device for degassing or gas replacing a space inside a work housed in a housing room, wherein the work is placed in a housing room of the gas replacement device in which a bag is provided. After reducing the pressure in the storage chamber to a vacuum state, introducing a gas into the vacuum storage chamber to a predetermined pressure equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure, short-circuiting the internal space of the bag with the atmosphere, and A gas replacement method characterized by inflating a bag by introducing air to atmospheric pressure.

According to the present invention, a workpiece is placed in a storage chamber in which a bag of a gas replacement device is provided, and the storage chamber is evacuated to a vacuum state, and gas is supplied to the vacuum storage chamber to a predetermined pressure. After the introduction, the internal space of the bag is short-circuited to the atmosphere, and air is introduced into the internal space of the bag to atmospheric pressure to inflate the bag, thereby preventing the bag from being ruptured due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bag. In addition, the bulging volume of the bag can be easily controlled.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a gas replacement device 8 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The gas replacement device 8 includes a storage chamber 1 for storing empty cells 7 and the like before liquid crystal injection of a liquid crystal panel, a bag 2 installed in the storage chamber 1, a vacuum pump for evacuating the storage chamber 1 and the bag 2. 3, a valve 10 interposed between the accommodation chamber 1 and the vacuum pump 3, a valve 4 for introducing an inert gas into the accommodation chamber 1, and an intervening element between the inside of the bag 2 and the vacuum pump 3. It has a valve 9 as well as a valve 5 for introducing air into the bag 2.

The bag 2 is an airtight and flexible bag made of, for example, a synthetic resin or the like, and is installed at an upper portion in the accommodation room 1. When gas is introduced into the bag 2, the bag 2 expands, fills the space in the storage room 1, and can reduce the space in the storage room 1.

Next, a gas replacement procedure by the gas replacement device 8 will be described. First, a plurality of empty cells 7 in a cassette 6 before liquid crystal injection are placed in a storage chamber 1 of a gas replacement device 8. When the empty cell 7 set in the cassette 6 is installed, the valve 9 connected to the vacuum pump 3 is opened, and the air in the bag 2 is evacuated and deflated, so that the cassette 6 can be easily taken in and out. Thereafter, the valve 10 connected to the vacuum pump 3 is opened, and the inside of the accommodation chamber 1 is evacuated for a predetermined time. At this time, the empty cells 7 may be heated to promote degassing of the components adsorbed inside the empty cells 7.

After evacuating for a predetermined time, the valve 1
0 is closed, a valve 4 for introducing an inert gas into the storage chamber 1 is opened, an inert gas is introduced into the storage chamber 1 to return from a vacuum state to atmospheric pressure, and the valve 9 is closed to close the valve 5. Is opened, and air is introduced into the bag 2 to inflate the bag 2. At this time, the bag 2 is not ruptured due to the difference between the pressure in the storage chamber 1 and the pressure in the bag 2, and the unnecessary space in the storage chamber 1 calculated from the size and number of the empty cells 16 is used. The flow rate of the gas introduced into the storage chamber 1 and the bag 2 is controlled so that the airbag 2 expands.

After the interior of the storage chamber 1 is filled with an inert gas and the atmospheric pressure is reached, the cassette 6 and the liquid crystal panel 7 in the storage chamber 1 are taken out. At this time, after opening the cassette removal door (not shown), the valve 9 may be opened to evacuate and deflate the air in the bag 2.

As described above, in the gas replacement device 8, by inflating the bag 2, the extra space in the accommodation room 1 can be filled with the bag 2, and the inside of the accommodation room 1 is returned from the vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the amount of gas introduced into the storage chamber 1 can be reduced. Thereby, even when an expensive inert gas such as helium is used as the introduced gas, the cost due to the use of the gas can be reduced.
Although air is introduced into the bag 2 and an inert gas is introduced into the storage chamber 1 here, other gases may be introduced.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining another gas replacement procedure by the gas replacement device 8. In FIG. 2A, the empty cell 7 placed in the cassette 6 is placed in the accommodation room 1, the valve 10 connected to the vacuum pump is opened, and the inside of the accommodation room 1 is evacuated.

In FIG. 2B, the valve 10 is closed, the valve 4 for introducing gas into the storage chamber 1 is opened, and an inert gas such as helium is evacuated into the vacuum storage chamber 1. Only the necessary volume calculated from the size and number of the cells 7 is introduced. At this time, the pressure in the storage chamber 1 after gas introduction is
The pressure is set so as to be the pressure at which the necessary volume integral is introduced, and control is performed so that the gas is introduced until the pressure is reached. For example, the required volume of the inert gas calculated from the size and the number of the empty cells 7 is 50% of the volume in the accommodation room 1.
In this case, an inert gas is introduced into the storage chamber 1 until the pressure in the storage chamber 1 becomes 0.5 atm.

In FIG. 2C, after the pressure in the storage chamber 1 has reached the set pressure, the valve 4 is closed, and then the valve 5 for introducing air into the bag 2 is opened. Introduce the atmosphere to Here, when the valve 5 is opened, the inside of the bag 2 is connected to the atmosphere, and the bag 2 expands until the pressures inside and outside the bag 2 balance. That is, the bag 2 is inflated by the difference between the pressure in the storage chamber 1 and the atmospheric pressure, and the atmosphere is introduced into the bag 2 until the pressure in the storage chamber 1 and the inside of the bag 2 reach the atmospheric pressure state.

After the pressure in the storage chamber 1 reaches atmospheric pressure, the empty cell 7
Take out the cassette 6 containing. At this time, it is preferable to open the door (not shown) for taking out the cassette, open the valve 9 connected to the vacuum pump, and bleed out the air in the bag 2.

In the gas replacement method shown in FIG.
There is no need to control the integrated flow rate of the gas introduced into the bag 2, and there is no possibility that the bag 2 will burst due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bag 2.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a gas replacement device 11 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the gas replacement device 11 shown in FIG. 3, the same components as those in the gas replacement device 8 shown in FIG. In the gas replacement device 11, a partition plate 12 is provided between the empty cell 7 and the bag 2 installed in the accommodation room 1. Thus, when the bag 2 is excessively bulged or the bag 2 hangs down, it is possible to prevent the empty cell 7 from being damaged by being squeezed or the bag 2 from being damaged and ruptured.

As described above, in this embodiment, the case where the gas is replaced in the empty cell before the liquid crystal is injected has been described. However, the present invention is preferably applied to other works having a space formed therein. Substitutions can be made.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a gas is introduced into an internal space of a work housed in a housing chamber of a gas replacement device, for example, up to atmospheric pressure, a bag provided in the housing chamber is provided. Is inflated, the pressure in the accommodation chamber and the internal space of the work can be brought to the atmospheric pressure with a gas amount smaller than the gas amount required to bring the pressure in the accommodation room to the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of gas to be introduced until the accommodation chamber in a vacuum state reaches the atmospheric pressure,
The cost of the introduced gas can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the gas replacement device can replace the gas inside the empty cell before the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal panel is injected. Therefore, when an expensive gas such as helium gas is used as the introduced gas, the amount of the introduced gas can be reduced, and the cost of the introduced gas can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, since the partition plate is provided between the bag installed in the storage chamber and the work to be stored, if the bag is excessively swelled or the bag hangs down, the bag is removed. It is possible to prevent the work from being damaged by being pressed or the bag from being damaged and exploded.

According to the present invention, after introducing a gas to a predetermined pressure into the accommodation chamber in a vacuum state, the internal space of the bag is short-circuited to the atmosphere, and air is supplied to the internal space of the bag to the atmospheric pressure. Since the bag is introduced and the bag is inflated, the bag is prevented from being ruptured due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bag, and the volume of the bag to be inflated can be easily controlled by the amount of gas introduced into the storage chamber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a gas replacement device 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining another gas replacement procedure by the gas replacement device 8.

FIG. 3 is a gas replacement device 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of a liquid crystal panel 46.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a vacuum injection method.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional gas replacement device 36.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage room 2 bags 3 Vacuum pump 4 Valve for gas introduction in a storage room 5 Valve for air introduction in a bag 6 Cassette 7 Empty cell 8,11 Gas replacement device 9 Valve interposed between vacuum pump and bag 10 Vacuum pump Valve 12 interposed between storage chamber and partition plate

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A gas replacement device for degassing or replacing a space inside a housed work, comprising: a housing room for housing a work having a space formed therein; And a bag capable of reducing the space in the room. 2. The gas replacement device according to claim 1, wherein a partition plate is provided between the bag provided in the storage chamber and the work to be stored. 3. The gas replacement device according to claim 1, wherein the work is an empty cell before liquid crystal of a liquid crystal panel is injected. 4. A gas replacement method of a gas replacement device for degassing or gas replacing a space inside a work housed in a housing room, wherein the work is placed in a housing room of the gas replacement device in which a bag is provided. After the chamber is decompressed to a vacuum state, a gas is introduced to a predetermined pressure equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure into the vacuum chamber, and then the internal space of the bag is short-circuited to the atmosphere, and the atmospheric pressure is applied to the internal space of the bag. A gas replacement method characterized by inflating a bag by introducing air up to that point.