JP2007083182A - Washing apparatus and production method of sheet-like product using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing apparatus capable of simply and highly precisely carrying out adjustment work of the contact degree of a roll brush to the washing face of an object to be treated; and also to provide a production method of a sheet-like product. <P>SOLUTION: A second electric motor (part for changing the roll brush position) M2 for changing the position of a roll brush 3 to the washing face W1 of a glass substrate (an object to be treated) W and a second motor control part (a part for adjusting the contact degree) for operation control of the electric motor M2. The second motor control part carries out operation control of the electric motor M2 by using a load current value of a first electric motor M1 for rotating the roll brush 3 to adjust the contact degree of the roll brush 3 to the washing face W1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus that performs a cleaning process on an object to be processed such as a glass substrate used in a liquid crystal panel, and a plate-shaped product manufacturing method using the same.

  For example, a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of glass substrates. In each pair of glass substrates, a pixel electrode for driving a liquid crystal layer such as a TFT on a pixel basis, A driver circuit and a thin film such as an alignment film for aligning a liquid crystal layer are formed on the surface of the glass substrate through various manufacturing processes. Further, in such a glass substrate, foreign matter adheres to the thin film during the manufacturing process of the thin film, or foreign matter such as dust adheres to the surface of the glass substrate during transportation during each manufacturing process. There is. For this reason, in the glass substrate, the thin film is normally formed on the surface by appropriately performing a cleaning process for removing unnecessary deposits (foreign matter), thereby reducing the occurrence of defects due to the deposits. Therefore, it is required to prevent the manufacturing yield and quality of the liquid crystal panel and the liquid crystal display device from deteriorating.

  On the other hand, as a cleaning apparatus that performs a cleaning process on a plate-like product such as the glass substrate, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, a pair of roll brushes that are rotationally driven by an electric motor is used. The one used is proposed. That is, in this conventional cleaning apparatus, an electric motor and a pair of roll brushes are connected via an endless belt, and a plate-like product (processed object) such as a steel plate or a press panel is interposed between the pair of roll brushes. ) Was inserted, and the surface (cleaning surface) of the object to be processed was subjected to a cleaning process.

Moreover, in the said conventional washing | cleaning apparatus, the load amount value of the electric motor was detected and the contact amount with respect to the cleaning surface of the to-be-processed object of a roll brush was calculated | required based on the detection result. In the conventional cleaning device, the wear state of the roll brush is determined based on the obtained contact amount, and the distance between the shafts of the pair of roll brushes is changed with an adjustment bolt according to the determination result, thereby making the contact. It was possible to adjust the amount and properly perform the cleaning process on the cleaning surface.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-70865 JP-A-5-309345

  However, in the conventional cleaning apparatus as described above, the amount of contact between the roll brush and the cleaning surface of the workpiece is changed by turning the adjustment bolt to change the distance between the axes of the pair of roll brushes. Was adjusting. Further, the adjustment work of the contact amount of the roll brush has to be performed in a state where the electric motor is stopped and the belt and the roll brush are stopped. For this reason, the conventional cleaning apparatus has a problem that it takes time and labor to adjust the contact amount of the roll brush.

  Further, in the adjustment work by the operator as described above, it is difficult to finely rotate the adjustment bolt in an appropriate manner corresponding to the wear state of the roll brush. There was a problem that the amount of contact could not be adjusted accurately. In particular, in order to apply a conventional cleaning device to the above glass substrate cleaning process that requires adjustment in units of several hundred microns, the contact amount cannot be adjusted accurately, and the cleaning process is appropriate. There was a possibility that it could not be done.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a cleaning apparatus that can easily and accurately adjust the contact amount of a roll brush with respect to a cleaning surface of an object to be processed, and a method for manufacturing a plate-like product. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a roll brush and a rotation driving motor that rotationally drives the roll brush, and the object to be processed is cleaned using the roll brush. A cleaning device for applying
A load current value detector for detecting a load current value of the rotation drive motor;
A roll brush position changing unit for changing the position of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece;
Using the load current value of the rotation driving motor detected by the load current value detection unit, the position of the roll brush is changed by controlling the driving of the roll brush position changing unit, and the object to be processed And a contact amount adjusting unit that adjusts the contact amount of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface.

  In the cleaning apparatus configured as described above, the contact amount adjusting unit uses the load current value of the rotation driving motor from the load current value detecting unit to control the driving of the roll brush position changing unit, whereby the roll brush Is adjusted to adjust the contact amount of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the object to be processed. Thereby, the adjustment amount of the roll brush is automatically and appropriately adjusted unlike the conventional example, and the adjustment work of the contact amount of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the object to be processed is easy and high. Can be done with precision.

In the cleaning apparatus, the roll brush position changing unit includes a support unit that rotatably supports the roll brush;
It is preferable that a position changing motor for changing the position of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece is provided by moving the support portion.

  In this case, the contact amount adjusting unit controls the driving of the position changing motor, so that the roll brush is moved together with the support unit while the roll brush is driven to rotate, and the contact amount of the roll brush is automatically adjusted. And it can adjust appropriately and can perform highly accurate adjustment work easily.

Further, the cleaning apparatus includes an information acquisition unit that acquires processing information related to the cleaning process for the processing object from an information storage unit provided on the processing object side,
The contact amount adjusting unit drives the roll brush position changing unit using the processing information acquired by the information acquiring unit and a load current value of the rotation driving motor from the load current value detecting unit. May be controlled.

  In this case, the contact amount adjustment unit adjusts the contact amount of the roll brush using the processing information of the object to be processed stored in the information storage unit and the detected load current value. Therefore, it is possible to perform a proper cleaning process on the cleaning surface more reliably. In addition, since the processing information is automatically input to the contact amount adjustment unit via the information acquisition unit, the labor and time for inputting the processing information can be omitted, and an appropriate cleaning process is performed on the workpiece. Can be performed efficiently.

  Further, in the cleaning apparatus, the contact amount adjustment unit may be configured to compare a proper value set according to the object to be processed with a load current value of the rotation drive motor from the load current value detection unit. Based on this, it is preferable to control the driving of the roll brush position changing unit.

  In this case, the contact amount adjusting unit can adjust the contact amount to a more appropriate contact amount with respect to the cleaning surface of the object to be processed, and can perform the cleaning process using the roll brush.

In the cleaning apparatus, the first and second roll brushes that are rotationally driven by the first and second rotation driving motors and through which the object to be processed is inserted, and the first and second And the first and second roll brush position changing portions respectively provided on the two roll brushes,
The contact amount adjusting unit controls driving of the first and second roll brush position changing units by using load current values of the first and second rotation driving motors, respectively. The contact amount of the first and second roll brushes with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece may be adjusted by changing the position of the second roll brush and the second roll brush, respectively.

  In this case, both the surfaces of the object to be processed can be simultaneously cleaned by the first and second roll brushes, and the object to be processed can be more efficiently cleaned. Further, since the contact amount adjusting unit controls the first and second roll brush position changing units independently from each other, the contact amount adjusting unit is configured to contact the corresponding cleaning surface of each of the second and second roll brushes. Can be adjusted individually, and an appropriate cleaning process can be easily performed on an object to be processed.

  Moreover, in the said washing | cleaning apparatus, it is preferable that the rotating shaft of the said roll brush and the output shaft of the said motor for a rotational drive are connected integrally.

  In this case, the load current value detection unit can accurately detect the load current value of the rotation drive motor, and thus the contact amount adjustment unit can adjust the contact amount of the roll brush with higher accuracy.

Further, the plate-shaped product manufacturing method of the present invention is a plate-shaped product manufacturing method including a cleaning step of performing a cleaning process on an object to be processed using a roll brush rotated by a motor,
The cleaning process is performed using any one of the cleaning apparatuses.

  In the plate-shaped product manufacturing method configured as described above, the amount of contact of the roll brush with the cleaning surface of the object to be processed is automatically and appropriately adjusted, and the cleaning processing is performed on the cleaning surface. Thus, it is possible to easily and efficiently manufacture a plate-like product in which a decrease in manufacturing yield and quality is prevented as much as possible. In addition, the product here includes not only the final form (product) of the product manufactured from the object to be processed but also an intermediate form in the middle of manufacturing the final product.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to provide the washing | cleaning apparatus which can perform the adjustment operation | work of the contact amount of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of a to-be-processed object easily and with high precision, and the manufacturing method of a plate-shaped product. It becomes.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments showing a cleaning device of the present invention and a method for producing a plate-like product using the same will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the case where the present invention is applied to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a glass substrate used in a liquid crystal panel will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a main configuration of a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an enlarged side view showing the roll brush shown in FIG. 1 and the cleaning surface of the glass substrate, and FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining a cassette receiving portion provided in the cleaning device. 1 and 2, the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a transport unit 2 that transports a glass substrate W as an object to be processed in a predetermined transport direction (shown by an arrow P in the drawing), and a transport unit 2. And a roll brush 3 that substantially performs a cleaning process on the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W.

  The cleaning device 1 is connected to the processing control device 5, support boxes 6 a and 6 b as support portions that rotatably support the rotating shaft 4 of the roll brush 3, and these support boxes 6 a and 6 b, A movable support mechanism 7 that supports the roll brush 3 is provided in a state in which the roll brush 3 can be moved in the operation direction indicated by a double arrow M in the figure. The cleaning device 1 is provided with, for example, a display device 8 having a touch panel function and a supply nozzle 9 for supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning surface W1, and the cleaning device 1 is a cassette 10 disposed in a cassette receiving unit. A predetermined cleaning process is sequentially performed on each of the plurality of glass substrates W.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the cassette 10 is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of glass substrates W at a predetermined interval, and stores a plurality of glass substrates W. Thus, it is configured to be inserted into and removed from the cassette receiving portion. Further, on the cleaning surface W1 side of each glass substrate W housed in the cassette 10, for example, pixel electrodes such as TFTs and driver circuits for driving the liquid crystal layer included in the liquid crystal panel in units of pixels are formed. ing. Then, each glass substrate W in the cassette 10 is transferred onto the transport unit 2 by a loading / unloading machine (not shown) and subjected to a cleaning process by the cleaning apparatus 1, and then the cleaning apparatus 1 transfers the cassette 10 to the cassette 10. Transported in. Further, when the cleaning process for all the glass substrates W in the cassette 10 is completed, the cassette 10 is moved from the cassette receiving portion to a place where a subsequent manufacturing process is performed.

  In addition, an IC tag (RFID tag) 10a as an information storage unit provided on the glass substrate W side is detachably attached to the cassette 10, and is connected to the reader / writer device 11 installed in the cassette receiving unit. Information (data) is read and written between them.

  The data holding unit provided in the IC tag 10a stores predetermined processing information relating to the cleaning processing for the glass substrate W stored in the cassette 10, and the reader / writer device 11 controls the processing. It is automatically transmitted to the device 5. This processing information includes data such as the number of glass substrates W stored in the cassette 10, the type of glass substrate W, the manufacturing process that has been processed for the glass substrate W, and the manufacturing process that is scheduled to be processed. Thus, each time the glass substrate W is cleaned, an appropriate cleaning process can be efficiently performed on the glass substrate W without inputting processing information to the processing control device 5.

  The transport unit 2 includes a plurality of rollers 2a provided at predetermined intervals along the transport direction, and the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W is placed on the roll brush 3 as shown in FIG. In this state, the glass substrate W is transported at a constant transport speed set in advance by the rotation operation of the roller 2a. Further, the surface of each roller 2a is subjected to a process such as rubber lining so that each roller 2a can be smoothly transported without damaging the glass substrate W and without slipping the glass substrate W. It has become.

  The roll brush 3 is provided with a cylindrical base portion 3a attached to the rotary shaft 4 so as to be integrally rotatable, and a brush portion 3b made of a large number of fibrous members protruding outward from the outer periphery of the base portion 3a. The base 3a and the brush 3b are made of a synthetic resin such as 66 nylon, and the brush 3b adheres to the cleaning surface W1 without damaging the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W. It is configured to remove foreign matter such as dust. Thereby, on the glass substrate W, a subsequent thin film forming process or the like for forming a thin film such as an alignment film for aligning the liquid crystal layer is performed in a state in which unnecessary deposits (foreign matter) are removed from the cleaning surface W1. Thus, it is possible to prevent the production yield and quality of the liquid crystal panel and the liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal panel from being deteriorated as much as possible.

  Further, the rotating shaft 4 of the roll brush 3 is provided so that both ends thereof protrude outward in the longitudinal direction from the base portion 3a and the brush portion 3b (in the left-right direction in FIG. 1), and both ends are supported by the support box 6a. , 6b is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) disposed inside. Further, the right end portion side of the rotating shaft 4 is integrally connected to the output shaft M1a of the first electric motor M1 as a rotation driving motor inside or outside the support box 6b. The first electric motor M1 is rotationally driven at an arbitrary rotational speed in the rotational direction exemplified by the arrow R1 in the figure. Thereby, the front-end | tip part of the brush part 3b contacts the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W, and the cleaning process with respect to the said cleaning surface W1 is implemented.

  Further, for example, a DC motor is used as the first electric motor M1, and power is supplied from the processing control device 5 through a power line indicated by a thick line in FIG. In addition, an ammeter A is connected between the first electric motor M1 and the process control device 5, and a current value supplied to the first electric motor M1 from the process control device 5 side, that is, the electric motor concerned. The load current value of the motor M1 is output (feedback) from the ammeter A to the brush control unit 52 described later.

  The first electric motor M1 is mounted on a gantry (not shown), and is moved in a direction perpendicular to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W together with the support box 6b by the movable support mechanism 7 (that is, the double arrow). It is possible to move in the operation direction indicated by M.

  The movable support mechanism 7 includes drive shafts 7a, 7b, and 7c that are rotationally driven by the second electric motor M2, gear boxes 7d and 7e that are connected to the drive shafts 7a to 7c, and gear boxes 7d and 7e. And supporting shafts 7f and 7g that are rotatably supported by a base (not shown) placed on the installation surface. And in this movable support mechanism 7, when the power supply from the brush control part 52 is performed to the 2nd electric motor M2, the drive shaft 7a is in any one rotation direction shown by the double arrow R2 in a figure. Driven by rotation, the drive shafts 7b and 7c are driven in one direction of either of the double arrows M, that is, upward or downward in FIG. Accordingly, the movable support mechanism 7 moves the support boxes 6a and 6b, the roll brush 3, and the first electric motor M1 in the upward or downward direction in FIG. 1 according to the rotation operation of the second electric motor M2. The amount of contact of the roll brush 3 with the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W can be adjusted.

  Specifically, four bevel gears (not shown) facing each other in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in FIG. 1 are housed in the gear box 7d, and the second electric motor M2 is rotated. The rotation operation of the drive shaft 7a responding to the above is converted into the rotation operation of the drive shaft 7b. That is, inside the gear box 7d, a bevel gear connected to the left end portion of the drive shaft 7a and an umbrella disposed opposite to the bevel gear in the left-right direction and rotatably disposed inside the gear box 7d. And a gear. Further, the bevel gear connected to the lower end portion of the drive shaft 7b and the bevel gear connected to the upper end portion of the support shaft 7f are opposed to each other in the vertical direction so as to mesh with the two bevel gears in the left-right direction. Is provided. In the gear box 7d, when the bevel gear connected to the drive shaft 7a rotates in accordance with the rotation operation of the second electric motor M2, the bevel gear connected to the drive shaft 7b becomes the other two bevels. The rotation of the drive shaft 7a is transmitted as the rotation of the drive shaft 7b.

  Similarly, inside the gear box 7e, four bevel gears (not shown) that are opposed to each other in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in FIG. 1 are housed, and the rotation operation of the second electric motor M2 is performed on the drive shaft. 7a and the drive shaft 7c. That is, inside the gear box 7e, the bevel gear connected to the right end portion of the drive shaft 7a, the bevel gear is disposed opposite to the bevel gear in the left-right direction, and is connected to the output shaft M2a of the second electric motor M2. A bevel gear is provided. Further, the bevel gear connected to the lower end portion of the drive shaft 7c and the bevel gear connected to the upper end portion of the support shaft 7g are opposed to each other in the vertical direction so as to mesh with the two bevel gears in the left-right direction. Is provided. In the gear box 7e, when the bevel gear connected to the output shaft M2a of the second electric motor M2 rotates according to the rotation operation of the electric motor M2, the bevel gear connected to the drive shaft 7a and The bevel gear connected to the drive shaft 7c rotates while being supported by the bevel gear connected to the support shaft 7g. Thereby, the rotation operation of the second electric motor M2 is transmitted as the rotation operation of the drive shaft 7a and the rotation operation of the drive shaft 7b.

  Further, the upper end portions of the drive shafts 7b and 7c are provided with male screw portions that are screwed into the female screw portions provided in the corresponding support boxes 6a and 6b, and the drive shafts 7b and 7c are rotated. The position of the female screw portion with respect to the male screw portion moves in the vertical direction. As a result, the support boxes 6a and 6b are moved upward or downward simultaneously in response to the rotation of the drive shafts 7b and 7c, and the roll brush 3 is separated or close to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W. In addition, the amount of contact of the roll brush 3 with the cleaning surface W1 can be adjusted.

  In addition to the above description, instead of the male screw portion and the female screw portion, a ball screw is provided at each connecting portion between the support box 6a, 6b and the upper end portion of the drive shaft 7b, 7c, and is supported by the drive shaft 7b, 7c. A configuration in which the boxes 6a and 6b are moved in the vertical direction may be employed.

  The second electric motor M2 constitutes a position changing motor that changes the position of the roll brush 3 with respect to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W by moving the support boxes 6a and 6b in the operation direction. For example, a DC motor is used as the electric motor M2. The power supply to the second electric motor M2 is performed based on the load current value of the first electric motor M1, which varies according to the contact amount of the roll brush 3 with the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W. The cleaning process is performed on the cleaning surface W1 with an appropriate amount of contact.

  Further, the support boxes 6a and 6b, the movable support mechanism 7, and the second electric motor M2 constitute a roll brush position changing unit that changes the position of the roll brush 3 with respect to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W.

  The processing control device 5 is configured using a computer device, and is configured to perform drive control of each unit of the cleaning device 1 in accordance with, for example, an operation input to the touch panel of the display device 8. Specifically, the processing control device 5 includes a data transmission / reception unit that performs bidirectional data communication between the main control unit 51 and the brush control unit 52 configured using a CPU or MPU, and the reader / writer device 11. 53. Further, the processing control device 5 is provided with a storage unit 54 constituted by an HDD, a memory, etc., and a cleaning process for the program data and the glass substrate W used in the main control unit 51, the brush control unit 52, etc. Data indicating these processing conditions is stored in advance, and detection data such as the load current value is stored as necessary.

  The processing conditions held by the storage unit 54 differ depending on the type of the glass substrate W (including the state of the cleaning surface W1 indicating the presence or absence of the thin film such as the alignment film). Data required for the cleaning process such as the transfer speed, the type of cleaning liquid, the processing conditions such as the rotation speed of the first electric motor M1, and the appropriate value of the load current value are included. In addition to this description, data necessary for the glass substrate W cleaning process, such as the above processing conditions, is included in the processing information and stored in the IC tag 10a, and the IC tag 10a before the glass substrate W cleaning process is performed. May be temporarily stored in the storage unit 54.

  Further, the processing control device 5 is configured to perform bidirectional data communication with the display device 8 via the data transmission / reception unit 53. That is, in the process control device 5, an instruction signal generated in response to an operation input to the touch panel is input to the main control unit 51 via the data transmission / reception unit 53, and each unit of the cleaning device 1 is appropriately driven.

  On the other hand, from the processing control device 5 to the display device 8 side, the load surface value of the first electric motor M1 detected by the ammeter A and the cleaning surface of the glass substrate W of the roll brush 3 obtained from this load current value. The detection data of the contact amount with W1 or the processing information data about the glass substrate W read by the reader / writer device 11 is transmitted through the data transmission / reception unit 53 and appropriately displayed on the display device 8. It has become. Further, in the process control device 5, data indicating whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the cleaning process of the glass substrate W is appropriately notified to the display device 8 via the data transmission / reception unit 53, so that the operator can display the display device. 8, the progress and result of the cleaning process can be easily visually confirmed.

  Referring to FIG. 3A, the main control unit 51 includes a processing determination unit 51a, a conveyance control unit 51b, a cleaning liquid control unit 51c, and a maintenance determination unit 51d that are functionally provided by software.

  The process discriminating unit 51a, together with the data transmitting / receiving unit 53 and the reader / writer device 11, constitutes an information acquiring unit that acquires processing information related to the cleaning process for the glass substrate W from the IC tag 10a serving as the information storage unit. Further, the process determining unit 51a determines the type of the glass substrate W from the processing information transmitted from the reader / writer device 11, and determines the determined type of the glass substrate W to each unit of the main control unit 51 and the brush control unit. 52 is notified. Thereby, each part of the cleaning apparatus 1 can operate optimally according to the determined type of the glass substrate W, and the cleaning apparatus 1 can perform an appropriate cleaning process on the glass substrate W. .

  The conveyance control unit 51b determines the rotation speed of the roller 2a of the conveyance unit 2 by referring to the storage unit 54 based on the type of the glass substrate W from the processing determination unit 51a. And the conveyance control part 51b performs drive control of the said conveyance part 2 by outputting an instruction | indication signal with respect to the conveyance part 2 so that the roller 2a may rotate at the determined rotational speed.

  The cleaning liquid control unit 51c determines the necessity or type of the cleaning liquid by referring to the storage unit 54 based on the type of the glass substrate W from the process determination unit 51a. Then, as shown in FIG. 2A, the cleaning liquid control unit 51c is arranged on the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W from the supply nozzle 9 installed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the glass substrate W with respect to the roll brush 3. On the other hand, an optimal cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning surface W1.

  The maintenance discriminating unit 51d is configured to manage maintenance information including processing history such as operating time of each part of the cleaning apparatus 1 and the number of glass substrates W to be cleaned, and the operating time included in the maintenance information. These data are counted and stored in the storage unit 54 as appropriate. In addition, the maintenance determination unit 51d determines whether or not maintenance work is required for each part of the cleaning apparatus 1 based on the managed maintenance information, and outputs the determination result to the display device 8 to perform maintenance on the operator. The necessity of work can be notified.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the brush control unit 52 includes a first motor control unit 52a, a second motor control unit 52b, an appropriate value setting unit 52c, a load current functionally provided by software. A value acquisition unit 52d and a contact amount detection unit 52e are installed.

  The first motor control unit 52a performs drive control of the first electric motor M1, and the first motor control unit 52a refers to the storage unit 54 based on the type of the glass substrate W from the process determination unit 51a. The rotational speed of the electric motor M1 is determined. The first motor control unit 52a supplies power to the electric motor M1 from a power supply unit (not shown) so that the first electric motor M1 is rotationally driven at the rotation speed determined by the first electric motor M1. As a result, the roll brush 3 is rotationally driven on the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W at an appropriate rotational speed.

  The second motor control unit 52b performs drive control of the second electric motor M2, and is based on the contact amount between the roll brush 3 and the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W detected by the contact amount detection unit 52e. The second electric motor M2 is configured to be rotationally driven as necessary.

  The appropriate value setting unit 52c refers to the storage unit 54 on the basis of the type of the glass substrate W from the process determination unit 51a, so that the load current of the first electric motor M1 is obtained during the cleaning process of the glass substrate W. It is determined whether or not it is necessary to set an appropriate value. When it is determined that appropriate value setting is necessary, the appropriate value setting unit 52c reads the appropriate value stored in the storage unit 54 and notifies the contact amount detection unit 52e.

  Specifically, the appropriate value of the load current value stored in the storage unit 54 is obtained in advance by performing a cleaning process on the test piece of the glass substrate W, for example, as illustrated in FIG. In addition, it is obtained as data indicating the correlation between the appropriate value of the load current value and the contact amount, and is tabulated and stored in the storage unit 54. Specifically, when the rotational speed of the roll brush 3 is, for example, 300 rpm, as illustrated in the plot of ◆ in FIG. 4, when the load current value detected by the ammeter A indicates 209 mA, The amount of contact with the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W is 0.0 mm. That is, when the contact amount is 0.0 mm, as shown in FIG. 2A, the tip portion of the brush portion 3b is in contact with the cleaning surface W1 without causing deformation such as bending. Further, the load current value fluctuates according to the change in the contact amount. As the roll brush 3 approaches or separates from the cleaning surface W1, the load current value shows a large value and a small value, respectively. That is, at the rotation speed of 300 rpm, when the load current value indicates 232 mA and 323 mA, the tip portion of the brush portion 3 b is pushed into the glass substrate W side, and the contact amounts are 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm, respectively.

  Further, when the rotation speed of the roll brush 3 is, for example, 600 rpm, the contact amount is 0.0 mm when the load current value indicates 319 mA, as illustrated by the plot of ■ in FIG. Further, when the load current values indicate 398 mA and 567 mA, the contact amounts are 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm, respectively. And in the appropriate value setting part 52c, based on the kind of glass substrate W notified from the process discrimination | determination part 51a, the rotational speed of the roll brush 3 (1st electric motor M1) suitable for the washing | cleaning surface W1 of the said glass substrate W concerned. And the contact amount. Thereafter, the appropriate value setting unit 52c obtains an appropriate value of the load current value by referring to the storage unit 54 based on the obtained rotation speed and contact amount, and outputs the acquired value to the contact amount detection unit 52e.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the load current value acquisition unit 52 d constitutes a load current value detection unit that detects the load current value of the first electric motor M <b> 1 together with the ammeter A, and is input from the ammeter A. The analog signal indicating the load current value is converted into a digital signal. Then, the load current value acquisition unit 52d outputs the converted load current value detection data to the contact amount detection unit 52e.

  The contact amount detection unit 52e, together with the second motor control unit 52b and the appropriate value setting unit 52c, constitutes a contact amount adjustment unit that adjusts the contact amount of the roll brush 3 to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W. The drive of the roll brush position changing unit is controlled using the load current value of the first electric motor M1 detected by the load current value detecting unit. That is, the contact amount detection unit 52e can detect the contact amount by comparing the detected load current value from the load current value acquisition unit 52d with the appropriate value from the appropriate value setting unit 52c. ing. Further, the contact amount detection unit 52e determines whether or not the second electric motor M2 needs to be rotationally driven based on the comparison result, and the second motor control unit 52b is determined according to the determination result. An instruction signal is generated and output. Accordingly, the second electric motor M2 is rotationally driven, and the movable support mechanism 7, the support boxes 6a and 6b, and the roll brush 3 are sequentially moved, and the contact amount with the cleaning surface W1 of the roll brush 3 is adjusted. The

  Here, the operation of the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the following description, the cleaning operation for the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W and the operation for adjusting the contact amount of the roll brush 3 will be mainly described.

  As shown in step S1 of FIG. 5, in the main control unit 51, the processing determination unit 51a acquires the type of the glass substrate W from the processing information read from the IC tag 10a by the reader / writer device 11, and the acquired glass The type of the substrate W is notified to each unit in the processing control apparatus 5. Thereafter, the appropriate value setting unit 52c determines whether or not it is necessary to newly set an appropriate value of the load current value for the contact amount detection unit 52e based on the notified type of the glass substrate W (step). S2) When the appropriate value setting unit 52c determines that it is not necessary to newly set, the process proceeds to step S4.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2 that the appropriate value setting unit 52c needs to newly set an appropriate value of the load current value, the appropriate value setting unit 52c determines the type of the glass substrate W acquired in step S1. Based on the storage unit 54, an appropriate load current value appropriate for the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W is obtained and transmitted to the contact amount detection unit 52e.

  Subsequently, in the cleaning apparatus 1, the respective parts such as the first electric motor M <b> 1 and the transport unit 2 are moved based on the type of the glass substrate W acquired in step S <b> 1 to clean the cleaning surface W <b> 1 of the glass substrate W. Processing is started (step S4).

  Next, the contact amount detection unit 52e receives the appropriate value from the appropriate value setting unit 52c and the current load current value (hereinafter referred to as “detection”) of the first electric motor M1 sequentially input from the load current value acquisition unit 52d. Comparison with “value” is performed (step S5). Then, when it is detected that the detected value is smaller than the appropriate value, the contact amount detection unit 52e determines that the contact amount of the roll brush 3 is small, and the second so that the roll brush 3 approaches the cleaning surface W1. An instruction signal for driving the electric motor M2 is generated and output to the second motor control unit 52b (step S6).

  In step S5, when it is detected that the detected value is larger than the appropriate value, the contact amount detection unit 52e determines that the contact amount of the roll brush 3 is large, and the roll brush 3 moves away from the cleaning surface W1. In this manner, an instruction signal for driving the second electric motor M2 is generated and output to the second motor control unit 52b (step S7).

  Further, in step S5, when it is detected that the detected value is the same value as the appropriate value, the contact amount detection unit 52e determines that the contact amount of the roll brush 3 is optimal for the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W. It judges that it is a value, and optimization of a contact amount is completed (step S8). In addition to the above description, for example, in step S5, the contact amount detection unit 52e is based on the comparison result (difference value) between the appropriate value and the detection value, and the load current value illustrated in FIG. By referring to the correlation data between the contact amount and the contact amount, the current specific contact amount is obtained from the detected value, and the second electric motor M2 is driven based on the contact amount or displayed on the display device 8. You can also

  Next, the cleaning device 1 determines whether or not the cleaning process for the glass substrate W has been completed based on the detection signal from the sensor included in the transport unit 2 (step S9). If it is determined that the cleaning process has not ended, the process returns to step S5.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that the cleaning process has been completed, the fact that the glass substrate W has been cleaned is transmitted to the reader / writer device 11 via the data transmitting / receiving unit 53, and the reader / writer device 11 is notified. Stores in the IC tag 10a that the cleaning process has been performed. When all the glass substrates W in the cassette 10 have been cleaned, each part of the cleaning device 1 is stopped.

  In the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the second motor control unit (contact amount adjusting unit) 52b uses the detected load current value of the first electric motor (rotational drive motor) M1. It is used to control the driving of the second electric motor M2 and the movable support mechanism 7 (roll brush position changing unit). Therefore, in the cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the position of the roll brush 3 is changed, and the contact amount of the roll brush 3 with respect to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate (object to be processed) W is automatically and appropriately adjusted. can do. As a result, in the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, unlike the conventional example, the adjustment operation of the contact amount of the roll brush 3 with respect to the cleaning surface W1 of the glass substrate W can be performed easily and with high accuracy.

  Moreover, in the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in steps S4 to S9 in FIG. 5, the contact amount can be adjusted during the cleaning process. Therefore, in order to perform the contact amount adjustment operation, There is no need to stop the cleaning apparatus 1. Therefore, in the cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment, the cycle time of the glass substrate W, and thus the liquid crystal panel (liquid crystal display device) can be shortened, and the productivity of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

  The above embodiments are all illustrative and not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the scope equivalent to the configurations described therein are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a glass substrate used in a liquid crystal panel has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is used in a plasma display panel (PDP). The present invention can be applied to other glass substrates such as glass substrates, metal plates such as steel plates, synthetic resin plates such as acrylic resins, and other various types of cleaning apparatuses that perform cleaning processing on plate-like products. Especially this invention can comprise the washing | cleaning apparatus suitable for plate-shaped products (to-be-processed object) of the form where width and thickness are formed uniformly and the surface (cleaning surface) is smooth and thin.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the cleaning process is performed on the cleaning surface of the object to be processed with one roll brush is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first and second rolls The structure which implements a washing | cleaning process by providing a brush and making a to-be-processed object penetrate between these roll brushes may be sufficient. When comprised in this way, it can wash simultaneously by using both surfaces of a to-be-processed object as a cleaning surface, and can wash | clean the said to-be-processed object efficiently.

  It is also possible to connect the rotation shafts of the first and second roll brushes using an endless belt and to rotate the two roll brushes by one rotation driving motor. However, it is preferable to provide the first and second load current value detection units and the first and second roll brush position changing units on the first and second roll brushes, respectively, as in the above embodiment. In other words, in this case, the contact amount adjusting unit controls each drive of the first and second roll brush position changing units to individually set the contact amounts with the corresponding cleaning surfaces of the first and second roll brushes. This is because appropriate cleaning treatment can be easily performed on both of the cleaning surfaces. Further, since an endless belt is not used, it is also preferable in that appropriate adjustment of each contact amount can be easily performed without changing the tension of the belt. Further, as in the above-described embodiment, when the rotation shafts of the roll brush and the output shaft of the rotation drive motor are integrally connected, the load current value detection unit is connected to the load current value of the rotation drive motor. Can be detected with high accuracy, and the contact amount adjustment unit can adjust the contact amount of the roll brush with higher accuracy.

  Further, in the above description, the configuration in which the cleaning process is performed in a state where the processing object is transported in the transporting direction by the transport unit, but the present invention relatively moves the processing object and the roll brush. In the state, the cleaning process may be performed with a roll brush on the cleaning surface of the object to be processed, and the cleaning process may be performed while moving the roll brush with respect to the object to be processed.

  In the above description, the ammeter is used as the load current value detection unit. However, the load current value flowing through the rotation drive motor may be detected using a current transformer or other current detection unit. . In addition to the above description, a rotary drive motor can be configured using an AC motor, or a position changing motor can be configured using a stepping motor.

  In the above description, the case where the roll brush position changing unit having a gear box coupled to the position changing motor is used. However, the roll brush position changing unit according to the present invention is controlled by the contact amount adjusting unit. There is no limitation as long as the position of the roll brush is changed so that the (instruction) signal is input and the contact amount is adjusted according to the drive control by the contact amount adjusting unit. For example, a movable support mechanism including a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or actuator can be used.

  In the above description, the reader / writer device is used for the information acquisition unit, and the IC tag attached to the cassette is used as the information storage unit provided on the workpiece side. The information acquisition unit and the information storage unit are not limited to this. For example, by providing an identifier (pattern) indicating processing information on the surface of the object to be processed, the surface of the object to be processed is used as the information storage unit. A detector capable of functioning and optically reading this pattern can be used for the information acquisition unit. However, when using a data storage element such as an IC tag as described above, it is easier to update (change) data such as processing information about the object to be processed, or to manage information on processing information more easily. It is preferable in that it can be performed.

It is a figure explaining the principal part structure of the washing | cleaning apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. (A) is an enlarged side view which shows the roll brush shown in FIG. 1, and the washing | cleaning surface of a glass substrate, (b) is a figure explaining the cassette receiving part provided in the said washing | cleaning apparatus. (A) And (b) is a block diagram which shows the specific structure of the main control part and brush control part which were shown in FIG. 1, respectively. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the load electric current value of the 1st electric motor shown in FIG. 1, and the contact amount with the glass substrate of a roll brush. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the said washing | cleaning apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 3 Roll brush 4 Rotating shaft 5 Process control apparatus 51 Main control part 51a Process discrimination | determination part (information acquisition part)
52 brush control unit 52a first motor control unit 52b second motor control unit (contact amount adjusting unit)
52c proper value setting part (contact amount adjusting part)
52d Load current value acquisition unit (load current value detection unit)
52e Contact amount detection unit (contact amount adjustment unit)
53 Data transmission / reception unit (information acquisition unit)
6a, 6b Support box (support part)
7 Movable support mechanism (roll brush position changing part)
10a IC tag (information storage unit)
11 Reader / Writer Device (Information Acquisition Unit)
A Ammeter (Load current value detector)
M1 first electric motor (rotational drive motor)
M1a output shaft M2 second electric motor (position changing motor)
W Glass substrate (object to be processed)
W1 cleaning surface

Claims (7)

A cleaning apparatus comprising a roll brush and a rotation driving motor that rotationally drives the roll brush, and using the roll brush to perform a cleaning process on an object to be processed,
A load current value detector for detecting a load current value of the rotation drive motor;
A roll brush position changing unit for changing the position of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece;
Using the load current value of the rotation driving motor detected by the load current value detection unit, the position of the roll brush is changed by controlling the driving of the roll brush position changing unit, and the object to be processed A cleaning device comprising: a contact amount adjusting unit that adjusts a contact amount of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface. In the roll brush position changing unit, a support unit that rotatably supports the roll brush,
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position changing motor that changes the position of the roll brush with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece by moving the support portion. While comprising an information acquisition unit for acquiring processing information related to the cleaning process for the processing object from an information storage unit provided on the processing object side,
The contact amount adjusting unit drives the roll brush position changing unit using the processing information acquired by the information acquiring unit and a load current value of the rotation driving motor from the load current value detecting unit. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is controlled. The contact amount adjusting unit is configured to determine the roll brush position based on a comparison result between an appropriate value set according to the object to be processed and a load current value of the rotation driving motor from the load current value detecting unit. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving of the changing unit is controlled. Provided respectively to the first and second roll brushes through which the object to be processed is inserted and the first and second roll brushes, respectively, while being driven to rotate by the first and second rotation driving motors. And the first and second roll brush position changing units.
The contact amount adjusting unit controls driving of the first and second roll brush position changing units by using load current values of the first and second rotation driving motors, respectively. The contact amount of the first and second roll brushes with respect to the cleaning surface of the workpiece is adjusted by changing the position of the second roll brush and the second roll brush, respectively. The cleaning apparatus according to Item 1. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a rotation shaft of the roll brush and an output shaft of the rotation drive motor are integrally connected. A method of manufacturing a plate-like product including a cleaning process for cleaning an object to be processed using a roll brush that is rotationally driven by a motor,
The said washing process is performed using the washing | cleaning apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6, The manufacturing method of the plate-shaped product characterized by the above-mentioned.

Images