JP2007298504A - Board thickness measuring device of glass substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a board thickness measuring device which can accurately measure the board thickness of glass substrate, even if it is thinned. <P>SOLUTION: This is a board thickness measuring device 40, which accepts laminating glass substrate GL for thinned flat panel display to measure the board thickness of the glass substrate, by using a plurality of inspection lines LN1-LN3. The device with three sets of displacement sensor Si made orthogonal with carrier line for conveying glass substrate to be located on surface side and backside of the glass substrate; a first means for computing clearance D1, D2 between each sensor and glass substrate GL surface, based on the signal output from the displacement sensor; and a second means for computing board thickness T of the glass substrate under conveyance, based on computed value from the first means and clearance D0 of previously-specified sensor pair. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate thickness measuring apparatus that can accurately measure the thickness of a glass substrate that has been thinned by chemical polishing or the like.

  Flat panel display (hereinafter referred to as FPD) is a term that is contrasted with a display device having a bulge, such as a cathode ray tube of a CRT display, and is significant in that it has a small depth and space-saving, and the display panel does not bulge. There is a feature, and a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, etc. are put into practical use. Among FPDs, in particular, liquid crystal displays are widely used not only as television receivers but also as display devices for mobile phones and computer equipment.

  By the way, based on the demand for lighter and thinner liquid crystal displays, recently, a method of chemically polishing a laminated glass substrate constituting a liquid crystal display to the limit is suitably employed. Specifically, the first and second glass substrates 60 and 60 provided with a plurality of display panel regions PN... PN are bonded together, and the outer periphery 62 of the bonded glass substrate GL is tightly sealed. It is immersed in an aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid and chemically polished to reduce the thickness (see FIG. 9). According to this chemical polishing method, not only can a plurality of display panels PN... PN be manufactured together, but also the processing speed is higher than that of mechanical polishing, so that there is an advantage that the productivity is excellent. Further, since the laminated glass substrate GL can be thinned to the limit, it is possible to meet further demands for thinning and lightening the display panel PN.

  The laminated glass substrate thinned by chemical polishing is then measured for each laminated glass substrate at a plurality of inspection points to inspect whether the variation in thickness is within a predetermined range. . For this plate thickness inspection, for example, an ultrasonic sensor is used, and the plate thickness is specified by extracting the reflected wave R1 on the first glass substrate and the reflected wave R2 on the second glass substrate (see FIG. 10).

  However, the glass substrate of the liquid crystal display is from a fourth generation of 730 mm × 920 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm to a fifth generation of 1100 mm × 1300 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm, a sixth generation of 1500 mm × 1850 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm. Even when the generation is changed to a generation, even a variation in thickness of less than 10 μm may be required.

  However, with the conventional method, it has been difficult to accurately measure the thickness of the glass substrate thinned to less than 1 mm. That is, since the thickness of the glass substrate is thin, there is almost no difference between the paths of the two reflected waves R1 and R2, and it is difficult to distinguish and extract them.

  In particular, in a laminated glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, since there is also a scattered wave Rn from an inclusion between the first and second glass substrates, accurate plate thickness measurement is almost impossible.

  In order to further improve the productivity of the display panel, it is desirable to measure the thickness of the glass substrate moving on the conveyance path, but the glass surface of the moving glass substrate has a delicate glass surface on the conveyance path. Because of the pulsation, it was impossible to measure accurately with the conventional apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plate thickness measuring apparatus that can accurately measure the plate thickness even if the glass substrate is thinned. Moreover, even if it is a glass substrate that pulsates during conveyance, a plate thickness measuring device that can obtain accurate plate thickness values in real time without losing manufacturing efficiency and can manage variations in plate thickness within the glass substrate The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention accepts a glass substrate thinned to less than 1 mm, continuously measures the thickness of the glass substrate being conveyed for a plurality of N rows of inspection lines, A plate thickness measuring device for managing the variation, wherein a pair of upper and lower N pairs that are fixedly arranged on the front side and the back side of the glass substrate and face each other perpendicular to the conveyance path through which the glass substrate is conveyed By the sensor head, a radiated wave is fixedly transmitted to the plurality of N rows of inspection lines at an inclination angle θ with respect to a reference line orthogonal to a virtual reference plane (which is a management target of the glass substrate), and the specular reflection wave is transmitted. N sets of measurement units that receive at a fixed position of the inclination angle θ with respect to the reference line, a passage sensor unit that monitors the passage of the glass substrate, and a controller that receives signals from the passage sensor unit and the N sets of measurement units When The N sets of measurement units include a measuring means for specifying a plate thickness value of the glass substrate based on an output signal from the sensor head, and the plate thickness value is continuously transmitted to the controller. Output means for each output, and the controller grasps the glass substrate being conveyed based on the ON / OFF signal from the passage sensor unit, and the output means is provided for each individual glass substrate. A predetermined number of sheet thickness values to be output are acquired, and variations in the thickness of the glass substrate of less than 1 mm are managed in real time.

  In the embodiment, three sets of measuring units are provided, and the laser displacement meter 41 is configured as a whole. In the embodiment, each measuring unit is composed of a pair of upper and lower sensor heads, one sensor controller, and one analog controller.

  The sensor head includes a radiation unit that emits laser light and a light receiving unit that receives a reflected wave from the glass substrate, and the light receiving unit includes a position detection element configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices). Is preferably provided. Since the measurement object of the present invention is a glass substrate thinned to less than 1 mm, the variation in the plate thickness is usually 100 μm or less, and the reception point deviation due to the variation in the plate thickness is very small, so scattered light is utilized. Only specular reflection light can be used without any problem. Since regular reflection light is used, the sensitivity is high and accurate measurement is possible.

  In the case of the present invention, the measuring means includes first means for identifying in real time the displacement amounts ΔD1, ΔD2 from the virtual reference surfaces on the front surface side and the back surface side of the glass substrate, the displacement amounts ΔD1, ΔD2, and the It is preferable to have a second means for specifying the thickness of the glass substrate based on the relationship with the separation distance (target thickness value) between the two virtual reference planes. The virtual reference plane means the front and back surfaces of a completely flat ideal glass substrate that is a management target.

  On the other hand, it is also preferable that the radiated wave of the present invention is not a laser beam but an ultrasonic signal. Also in this case, the radiated wave is fixedly transmitted at an inclination angle θ with respect to a reference line (typically a vertical line), and the regular reflected wave is received at a fixed position at an inclination angle θ with respect to the reference line. Since the measurement target of the present invention is a glass substrate that is thinned to less than 1 mm, the reception point shift due to variations in the plate thickness is very small, and a reflected wave can be received at a fixed position of the inclination angle θ. In addition, since the moving distance of the ultrasonic inspection signal is increased by the inclination angle θ (≠ 0), it is possible to reliably measure a slight variation in the plate thickness.

  In the case of the above-described invention, the measuring means specifies the shortest distances D1 and D2 to the front and back surfaces of the glass substrate based on the time difference between the transmission timing of the radiation wave and the reception timing of the specular reflection wave. And a second means for specifying the thickness of the glass substrate based on the relationship between the two shortest distances D1 and D2 and the predetermined distance D0 between the transmission and reception points. Is preferred.

  In any case, the glass substrate targeted by the present invention is typically a glass substrate for a flat panel display constituted by laminating two glass substrates. Further, the glass substrate is used in combination with an input device having a mounting portion having a standing state and a lowered operating state, and the glass substrate is placed on the standing portion by manual operation of an attendant. After being placed, the placement unit is typically transferred to the conveyance path by changing to a lowered state.

  Further, it is effective that the output means transmits the specified plate thickness value T to the controller as an analog signal. In this case, since N signal lines connecting the N sets of measuring units and the controller are sufficient, no matter how many the inspection line columns N are increased, there is no adverse effect on the device configuration.

  For example, the only way to transmit a digital signal through N signal lines is to use a serial communication method. This communication method requires a long transmission time, and transmits a large amount of measurement data for a large number of measurement points at high speed in real time. Can not do it. On the other hand, in order to acquire a large amount of measurement data at high speed in real time, the adoption of the parallel communication method increases the number of signal lines connecting the measurement unit and the controller (for example, 16 × N lines), and the inspection line. The number of columns N can only be very small.

  According to the present invention described above, it is possible to realize a plate thickness measuring apparatus that can accurately measure the plate thickness even if the glass substrate is thinned. Moreover, even if it is a moving glass substrate, the plate | board thickness can be measured correctly.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a post-processing apparatus EQU including a plate thickness measuring apparatus 40 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 1, a plan view (a), a front view (b), and a left side view (c) are schematically shown. In this post-processing apparatus EQU, a cleaning process, a drying process, and a plate thickness measurement process are continuously performed on a glass substrate thinned to less than 1 mm by a chemical polishing process.

  The glass substrate GL is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the glass substrate GL is a laminated glass substrate GL for a liquid crystal display in which a liquid crystal sealing region 61 is provided between two glass substrates 60 and 60 (FIG. 9). reference). The chemical polishing treatment is not particularly limited, but is immersed in a polishing liquid mainly composed of hydrofluoric acid, for example, in a state where the peripheral edge 62 of the laminated glass substrate GL is sealed with an acid-resistant sealant. To make it even thinner.

  The post-processing apparatus EQU shown in FIG. 1 includes an introduction unit 1 that receives a bonded glass substrate GL that has been polished, a cleaning unit 2 that cleans the upper and lower surfaces of the received bonded glass substrate GL, and an air knife AK. It consists of a draining unit 3 used, a measuring unit 4 for measuring the thickness of the dried laminated glass substrate GL, and a deriving unit 5 for taking out the laminated glass substrate GL after the measurement processing. A plate thickness measuring device 40 is disposed in the measuring unit 4.

  In the post-processing apparatus EQU, a plurality of rotating rollers RL... RL are provided on the same plane from the introducing unit 1 to the deriving unit 5, and the laminated glass substrate GL is transported horizontally on the rotating roller RL. In the process, the cleaning process of the polishing liquid, the drying process, and the plate thickness measurement process are automatically executed. In addition, although the introduction part 1 and the derivation | leading-out part 5 are substantially the same structures, the operation | movement of opposite is carried out.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a plate thickness measuring device 40 constituting the measuring unit 4. The plate thickness measuring device 40 includes a laser displacement meter 41 that measures a displacement amount ΔD (see FIG. 4C) of a separation distance to the virtual reference surfaces STu and STd on the front and back sides of the bonded glass substrate GL, Used for the passage sensor section 42 for monitoring the passage of the laminated glass substrate GL, the PLC (programmable logic controller) 43 for receiving data from the laser displacement meter 41 and the passage sensor section 42, initial setting of the apparatus, and other operations. The touch panel 44 includes a personal computer 45 that stores management data including the thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL.

  The PLC 43 includes an input port 43 a that receives an ON / OFF signal from the passage sensor unit 42, an AD converter 43 b that receives a plate thickness signal T from the laser displacement meter 41, and an Ethernet controller 43 c that transmits and receives data to and from the personal computer 45. The touch panel 44 includes a serial input / output port 43d for transmitting and receiving serial data, and a CPU unit 43e for controlling the operation of each unit. Note that Ethernet is a registered trademark.

  The laser displacement meter 41 is configured to execute a predetermined calculation process when a significant detection signal is obtained from the sensor head Si, and continuously transmit the calculation result to the PLC 43 as a plate thickness analog signal T. On the other hand, when the PLC 43 confirms that the glass substrate GL has reached the measurement unit 4 based on the ON signal from the passage sensor unit 42, the PLC 43 performs the following measurement operation.

  First, the PLC 43 digitally converts the plate thickness analog signal T received from the laser displacement meter 41 with an AD converter 43b, and adds time information (year / month / day and hour / minute / second) to the plate thickness data in the internal register. Store sequentially. When the PLC 43 finishes obtaining a predetermined number of plate thickness data and receives an OFF signal from the passage sensor unit 42, the PLC 43 sets the ready flag to the ON state and completes the current measurement operation.

  On the other hand, the personal computer 45 grasps the ON state of the ready flag by flag sensing processing, collects management data including sheet thickness data from the PLC 43 through the Ethernet cable, and executes form display and graph display. Further, when the collected sheet thickness data value T exceeds the upper limit value or the lower limit value, an alarm is displayed. Since the number of samplings of the PLC 43 is 80 for one bonded glass substrate GL, 3 × 80 = 240 plate thickness data is acquired for each glass substrate GL.

  In order to realize the above-described operation by the PLC 43, the passage sensor unit 42 includes two photoelectric sensors SN and a preamplifier AMP that amplifies the output of each photoelectric sensor SN. The photoelectric sensor SN includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the inspection light from the light emitting unit is reflected by the laminated glass substrate GL and reaches the light receiving unit. Note that the two photoelectric sensors SN are disposed, for example, close to the laser displacement meter 41 and at an upstream position thereof.

  Therefore, the passage sensor unit 42 outputs an ON signal when the bonded glass substrate GL reaches the measuring unit 4, and then outputs an OFF signal when the bonded glass substrate GL finishes passing through the measuring unit 4.

  The laser displacement meter 41 is a sensor controller that operates the sensor head Si having the radiation part TR and the light receiving part RV and the upper and lower radiation parts TR in synchronization with each other and receives an analog signal from the upper and lower light receiving parts RV. CT1 to CT3 and analog controllers ANC1 to ANC3 that calculate the thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL based on the distance signal τij received from the sensor controller CTi.

  In the plate thickness measuring device 40, six sensor heads Si arranged as shown in FIG. 3B are used. A laser beam is emitted from the radiating portion TR of each sensor head Si toward the bonded glass substrate GL, and the specular reflected wave from the bonded glass substrate GL is detected by a position detecting element configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices). It arrange | positions so that it may receive with the light-receiving part RV by which (Position Sensitive Detector) is arrange | positioned.

  The radiation part TR is arranged to emit laser light at an angle θ with respect to a vertical line (a reference line orthogonal to the virtual reference plane of the glass substrate) with respect to the bonded glass substrate GL that moves on a horizontal plane ( (See FIG. 4C). Therefore, the displacement amount ΔD by which the front or back surface of the glass substrate is displaced from the virtual reference surfaces STu and STd is ΔX / (2 × sin θ) as a principle expression. Here, ΔX is the shift of the light receiving point when compared with the case where the front or back surface of the glass substrate coincides with the virtual reference planes STu and STd, and is measured in the orthogonal direction of the received laser beam.

  FIG. 3 is a drawing showing an arrangement state of the six sensor heads Si functioning as described above, and is a plan view (a), a front view (b), and an AA arrow view ( c) is schematically shown. As shown in the drawing, a rectangular frame FM is formed by the left and right vertical plates 46R and 46L and the upper and lower holding rails 47U and 47D spanned over the vertical plate 46, and the rectangular frame FM surrounds the conveyance path of the glass substrate GL. ing. That is, the holding rail 47U is hung over the glass substrate GL, and the holding rail 47D is hung under the glass substrate GL.

  Here, the rectangular frame FM is made of a material with extremely little thermal deformation or other deformation. In addition, the positional relationship and separation distance between the sensor head Si and the virtual reference plane of the glass substrate are periodically calibrated to ensure accurate measurement.

  Sensor heads S1u to S3u are fixed to the upper holding rail 47 via a mounting portion. The sensor heads S1d to S3d are fixed to the lower holding rail 47 via the mounting portion 48. The upper and lower sensor heads Siu and Sid are arranged in a vertically symmetrical position with respect to the laminated glass substrate GL transported in the horizontal direction therebetween, and between the radiating portions TR and TR of the upper and lower sensor heads Siu and Sid. The vertical distance is precisely managed at a predetermined value D0 (see FIG. 4A).

  And the inspection lines LN1-LN3 of the bonded glass substrate GL are specified by the pair of upper and lower sensor heads Siu, Sid. As shown in FIG. 3D, the thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL is measured along the inspection lines LN1 to LN3 at the left and right positions and the center position.

  The pair of upper and lower sensor heads Siu and Sid arranged as shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the sensor controller CTi (see FIG. 2). The sensor controllers CT1 to CT3 simultaneously drive the radiating portions TR of the six sensor heads Si in a predetermined cycle and receive sensor signals from the light receiving portion RV. As shown in FIG. 4B, from the laminated glass substrate GL, the surface reflected wave RF1 of the first glass substrate 60a, the back surface reflected wave RF2 of the first glass substrate 60a, and the liquid crystal sealing region 61 The irregular reflected wave RF3, the surface reflected wave RF4 of the second glass substrate 60b, the back surface reflected wave RF5 of the second glass substrate 60b, and the like are obtained, but only the surface reflected wave RF1 is acquired.

  Accordingly, the sensor controller CTi (= CT1 to CT3) specifies the displacement amount ΔDij (i = 1 to 3, j = 1 to 2) based on the surface reflected waves RF1 received from the upper and lower sensor heads Siu and Sid, and the distance. The signal τij is output to the analog controller ANCi.

  As the distance signal τij to be output (i = 1 to 3, j = 1 to 2), the displacement amount ΔDij may be output as τij = ΔDij as it is, or from the upper and lower sensor heads Siu, Sid to the glass substrate (surface Τij = Dj + ΔDij in consideration of the reference distances D1 and D2 between the virtual reference surface STu on the side and the virtual reference surface STd on the back side. Note that i = 1 to 3 and j = 1 to 2.

  In any case, the analog controller ANCi (= ANC1 to ANC3) outputs a glass substrate thickness signal T based on the distance signal τij received from the sensor controller CTi. Here, if the separation distance (target plate thickness) between the virtual reference surface STu on the front surface side of the glass substrate and the virtual reference surface STd on the back surface side is T0, for example, the upper side of the first inspection line LN1 Based on the displacement amount ΔD11 obtained from the light receiving portion RV of the sensor head S1u and the displacement amount ΔD12 obtained from the light receiving portion RV of the lower sensor head S1d, the thickness T of the glass substrate is T = T0−ΔD11−. It is specified as ΔD12. In addition, since ΔD11 and ΔD12 are displacement amounts from the virtual reference plane of the glass substrate, they are positive or negative numerical values.

  On the other hand, when Dj + ΔDij is obtained as the distance signal τij, for example, for the first inspection line LN1, the distance signal D1 + ΔD11 obtained from the light receiving unit RV of the upper sensor head S1u and the light reception of the lower sensor head S1d. Based on the distance signal D2 + ΔD12 obtained from the part RV, the thickness T of the glass substrate is specified as T = (D0−D1−D2) −ΔD11−ΔD12 = T0−ΔD11−ΔD12.

  As described above, in this embodiment, only the surface reflected wave RF1 is used among the plurality of reflected waves RF1 to RF5, and the plate thickness T of the glass substrate is specified based on the displacement amounts ΔDi1 and ΔDi2 from the virtual reference plane. ing. Therefore, only by increasing the mechanical accuracy of the vertical separation distance D0 between the upper and lower radiating portions TR, TR, regardless of whether the mechanical accuracy of the conveyance path constituted by the rotating roller RL is good or not, The plate thickness T can be measured.

  FIG. 5 is a time chart illustrating a distance signal τij received by the analog controller ANCi from the sensor controller and the roller CTj, and a plate thickness analog signal T output from the analog controller ANCi to the PLC 43.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the distance signal τij is waved and displaced, for example, because the laminated glass substrate GL is conveyed along with the rotation of the rotating roller RL (however, exaggeratedly described). ) However, even if the laminated glass substrate GL is waved and conveyed, the front surface side and the back surface side of the laminated glass substrate GL are displaced in opposite directions (see FIGS. 5A and 5B). The plate thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL is accurately specified from the relationship of T0−ΔDi1−ΔDi2 (see FIG. 5C).

  In the present embodiment, the distance signal τij and the thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL are transmitted as analog signals. Therefore, a large amount of information can be quickly transmitted with a small number of signal lines, and as a result, precise plate thickness management can be realized.

  However, it is not limited to the circuit configuration of FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 8, controllers CTL <b> 1 to CTL <b> 3 that calculate the plate thickness based on the sensor signal received from the sensor head Si may be provided. Furthermore, the PLC 43 is not necessarily essential, and the function of the PLC 43 may be substituted by the personal computer 45.

  In the above embodiment, the displacement sensor is used. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and an ultrasonic sensor or the like may be used. However, also in this case, from the laminated glass substrate GL, the surface reflected wave RF1 of the first glass substrate 60a, the back surface reflected wave RF2 of the first glass substrate 60a, and the irregular reflected wave from the liquid crystal sealing region 61 RF3, the surface reflected wave RF4 of the second glass substrate 60b, the back surface reflected wave RF5 of the second glass substrate 60b, and the like are obtained, but other than the surface reflected wave RF1 is not used. Further, since the variation in the plate thickness is small, an inspection signal having an inclination angle θ can be radiated.

  When the ultrasonic sensor is used, the vertical distance D from the radiation point P to the glass substrate GL is D = L × COS (θ) in relation to the outward propagation distance L of the inspection signal (FIG. 5E). . Here, the forward propagation distance L is specified as L = (t × v + δ) / 2 based on the separation distance δ between the radiation point P and the reception point Q and the propagation time t of the inspection signal. The vertical distance D to the glass substrate GL is calculated as D = (t × v + δ) / 2 × COS (θ). Here, δ is a relative distance measured along the received wave, and v is a traveling speed of the ultrasonic wave.

  Thus, since the vertical distance D between the sensor head Si and the glass substrate GL is D = (t × v + δ) / 2 × COS (θ), the analog controller ANCi (= ANC1 to ANC3) has the sensor controller CTi. The distances D1 and D2 from the radiation part TR to the glass substrate are calculated based on the time difference signal tij received from.

  For example, for the first inspection line LN1, the vertical distance D1 from the radiation part of the upper sensor head S1u to the upper surface of the laminated glass substrate GL is calculated as D1 = (t11 × v + δ1) / 2 × COS (θ). Then, the vertical distance D2 from the radiation part TR of the lower sensor head S1d to the lower surface of the laminated glass substrate GL is calculated as D2 = (t12 × v + δ2) / 2 × COS (θ). Here, t11 and t12 are time differences between the radiation timing of the radiated wave and the reception timing of the surface reflected wave RF1, and δ1 and δ2 are the relative points of the radiation point P and the reception point Q calculated along the received wave. It is a distance, which is a value for the upper and lower sensor heads S1u, S1d, respectively.

  Next, the analog controller ANCi calculates the thickness T of the bonded glass substrate GL based on the calculated separation distances D1 and D2. Specifically, the plate thickness T of the laminated glass substrate GL is calculated as T = D0−D1−D2 based on the vertical separation distance D0 between the upper and lower radiation portions TR and TR.

  Next, other parts constituting the post-processing apparatus EQU in FIG. 1 will be described. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the configuration of the introduction unit 1 (lead-out unit 5). The mounting unit 10 that holds the laminated glass substrate GL and the driving unit 20 that raises and lowers the mounting unit 10 are shown. It is shown. The mounting part 10 and the drive part 20 are connected through the output shaft 21 of the drive part 20, and corresponding to the piston reciprocating motion of the drive part 20, the mounting part 10 is in a lowered state (see FIG. 6). ) And the standing state rising to a posture of about 60 to 80 °.

  The mounting unit 10 will be further described with reference to FIG. 6. The illustrated mounting unit 10 is fixed to a pair of rotating arms 11, 11 formed in a comb shape and a base end of the rotating arm 11. The fixing blocks 12 and 12 and a plurality of support plates 13... 13 that support the laminated glass substrate GL are mainly configured.

  Each of these parts 11 to 13 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, and the rotating arm 11 and the fixed block 12 are integrated by aluminum welding or other methods. A through hole for receiving the output shaft 21 is formed in the rotating arm 11 and the fixed block 12. The through hole has a key groove KY, and the rotation of the output shaft 21 is reliably transmitted to the rotating arms 11 and 11 by fitting the key of the output shaft 21 into the key groove KY. It is like that.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the rotating arm 11 is integrally configured by an L-shaped main body portion BDY and a comb-tooth portion CMB protruding from the main body portion BDY. The arrangement pitch of the comb teeth CMB is the same as the arrangement pitch of the rotation rollers RL, but the comb teeth CMB and the rotation rollers RL are shifted from each other by a half pitch, and in the lowered state of the rotating arm 11 (FIG. 6). The comb-tooth portion CMB enters between the adjacent rotating rollers RL and RL. However, the comb tooth portion CMB is provided with a missing portion SP only at one location. Using this missing portion SP, an operator reaches his back to the back surface of the laminated glass substrate GL to ensure the laminated glass. The substrate GL can be gripped. In addition, in the lowest-lowering state of the rotating arm 11, the bonded glass substrate GL that has been held by the rotating arm 11 is held by the rotating roller RL (see FIG. 6B).

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the tip of the comb tooth portion CMB protrudes in a U shape. In other words, a notch 14 corresponding to the thickness of the support plate 13 is formed at the tip of the comb tooth portion CMB. Has been. In the state where both ends of the support plate 13 are fitted in the notches 14, a blocking plate 15 is fixed to the tip of the rotating arm 11, and the supporting plate 13 is fixedly held on the rotating arm 11 by the blocking plate 15. Is done.

  Specifically, the support plate 13 is divided into two types of support plates 13A and 13B having different vertical widths. Among these, the support plate 13A disposed on the proximal end side of the rotating arm 11 is wider than the other support plates 13B, and the cushion material 16 is provided on the contact surface of the support plate 13A with the peripheral edge of the bonded glass substrate GL. Is attached to protect the laminated glass substrate GL.

  On the other hand, a plurality of O-rings 17 are wound around the other support plate 13B to protect the back surface of the laminated glass substrate GL on the support plate 13B. However, as described above, in the lowered state of the mounting portion 10 illustrated in FIG. 6, the laminated glass substrate GL leaves the contact with the O-ring 17 and is in contact with the rotating roller RL.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a specific configuration of the drive unit 20. The drive unit 20 includes holding units 22A and 22B that rotatably support both ends of the output shaft 21, a connecting arm 23 fixed to the output shaft 21 protruding from the holding unit 22A on one side, and a connecting arm 23. The drive source 24 is made to swing.

  The drive source 24 includes a cylinder 25 that is swingably disposed and a piston 26 that reciprocates under the control of a control device (not shown). Here, a cylindrical hole is provided at the tip of the piston 26 so as to penetrate in a radial direction, and a through pin 27 inserted through the cylindrical hole is fixed to the connecting arm 23. The penetrating pin 27 is loosely fitted in the cylindrical hole of the piston 26. As a result, the connecting arm 23 and the piston 26 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable. Further, the base end portion of the cylinder 25 is supported by a support shaft 28 and is configured to be swingable as a whole of the drive source 24.

  Since the connecting arm 23 and the drive source 24 are connected as described above, in the first state in which the piston 26 is pulled into the cylinder 25 (see FIG. 1D), the mounting portion 10 is lowered to a horizontal state. On the other hand, in the analog state in which the piston 26 protrudes from the cylinder 25 (see FIG. 1B), the mounting portion 10 rises from the horizontal state by about 60 ° to 80 ° and stands up.

  Based on the above points, the operation content of the post-processing apparatus EQU shown in FIG. 1 will be described. When the clerk performs an appropriate switch operation on the control device (not shown), the drive unit 20 of the introduction unit 1 shifts from the first state to the second state. As a result, the placement unit 10 of the introduction unit 1 Standing up from a descent state.

  At this time, the bonded glass substrate GL that has been subjected to the chemical polishing treatment is transported to the position of the introduction unit 1, so the attendant holds one of the bonded glass substrates GL, and the standing mounting unit 10. Put it on. During this placement work, the clerk holds the left and right edges of the center of the laminated glass substrate GL in the vertical direction, but since the pivot arms 11 and 11 are provided with a comb-tooth missing portion SP, this missing portion SP. It is possible to place the gripped laminated glass substrate GL on the placement unit 10 easily. In this mounting state, the lower peripheral edge of the laminated glass substrate GL contacts the cushion material 16 of the support plate 13A, and the back surface of the bonded glass substrate GL contacts the O-ring 17 of the support plate 13B.

  Thereafter, when the clerk performs further switch operation, the drive unit 20 of the introduction unit 1 slowly shifts from the second state to the first state, and the placement unit 10 of the introduction unit 1 returns from the standing state to the lowered state. As described above, in the lowest lowered state of the placement unit 10, the back surface of the laminated glass substrate GL leaves the contact with the O-ring 17 and is in contact with the rotating roller RL.

  Therefore, the laminated glass substrate GL received by the introduction unit 1 is sent to the water cleaning unit 2 by rotating the rotation roller RL in a state where the placing unit 10 reaches the lowest lowered state. Since cleaning water flows on the front and back surfaces of the bonded glass substrate GL that moves through the water cleaning unit 2, the polishing liquid on the glass surface that has adhered by the chemical polishing process is washed away.

  The laminated glass substrate GL that has undergone the operation of the water washing unit 2 is then sent to the draining unit 3. And in the draining part 3, the high pressure air formed in the thin line shape is blown with force with respect to the bonding glass substrate GL currently conveyed in the right direction of FIG. The washing water adhering to the back surface is surely removed. And the front and back of a bonding glass substrate will be in a dry state by the subsequent conveyance of the bonding glass substrate GL.

  The laminated glass substrate GL passes through the measuring unit 4 with the front and back surfaces being cleaned in this way. The measuring unit 4 is provided with a plate thickness measuring device 40 in which sensor heads Siu and Sid are arranged at the upper and lower positions of a bonded glass substrate GL that moves in the conveyance path (see FIG. 2). And in the plate | board thickness measuring apparatus 40, based on each laser beam reflected by the surface and back surface of the bonding glass substrate GL, distance D1, D2 of the upper and lower sensor heads Siu and Sid and the bonding glass substrate GL is pinpointed. And based on calculation of D0-D1-D2, the plate | board thickness of the bonding glass substrate GL is calculated. Then, a total of 240 pieces of plate thickness data are acquired and stored in the personal computer 45 by the three inspection lines LN1 to LN3 for one bonded glass substrate GL.

  Thereafter, the laminated glass substrate GL moves to the position of the lead-out part 5 and stops. The derivation unit 5 has the same configuration as the introduction unit 1 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the placement unit 10 of the derivation unit 5 stands by in a lowered state when the laminated glass substrate GL is loaded. .

  When the clerk performs an appropriate switch operation in a state where the laminated glass substrate GL is carried on the placement unit 10, the placement unit 10 starts to slowly move up in response to this, and the rotating roller until then. The laminated glass substrate GL held by the RL is transferred to the support plate 13B of the placement unit 10 and rises. Note that, in this ascending process, the glass substrate GL tries to slide on the O-ring 17 of the support plate 13B, and the peripheral edge on the lower side of the bonded glass substrate GL is received by the cushion material 16, so that the bonded glass substrate GL There is no risk of slipping and breaking.

  Since the mounting part 10 is raised to a limit position and stops, the clerk then uses the missing part SP of the rotating arm 11 to turn the hand to the back side of the laminated glass substrate GL to hold the glass substrate GL. To do. Then, the gripped laminated glass substrate is taken out from the lead-out unit 5. Since the taken out laminated glass substrate GL has been thinned to a predetermined thickness by a chemical polishing process, after that, the sealing of the periphery of the laminated glass substrate GL is released, and a subsequent process such as a liquid crystal sealing step. It is transferred to.

  As described above, since the present embodiment includes the plate thickness measuring device 40 having a characteristic configuration, the plate thickness of the laminated glass substrate GL that has been subjected to the chemical polishing treatment is accurately measured during the conveyance of the glass substrate. be able to.

The whole structure of the post-processing apparatus which has arrange | positioned the plate | board thickness measuring apparatus is illustrated. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a board thickness measuring apparatus. It is drawing which shows the arrangement position of a sensor head. It is drawing explaining measurement operation. It is a time chart explaining operation | movement of each part of a plate | board thickness measuring apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a part of introduction part. It is a perspective view which shows another part of introduction part. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of another board thickness measuring apparatus. The schematic structure of a bonded glass substrate is illustrated. It is drawing explaining the problem of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

GL glass substrate 40 Plate thickness measuring device LN1 to LN3 Inspection line T Plate thickness Si sensor 41 Measuring unit 42 Passing sensor unit 43 Controller

Claims (8)

A plate thickness measuring apparatus that accepts a glass substrate thinned to less than 1 mm, continuously measures the plate thickness of the glass substrate being transferred, and manages the variation of a plurality of N rows of inspection lines. ,
A plurality of N rows of inspection heads are arranged on the front and back surfaces of the glass substrate perpendicularly to the conveyance path through which the glass substrate is conveyed, and face each other by a pair of upper and lower N sensor heads. N sets of radiation waves are fixedly transmitted at an inclination angle θ with respect to a reference line orthogonal to the virtual reference plane, which is a management target of the glass substrate, and the specular reflection waves are received at fixed positions at an inclination angle θ with respect to the reference line The measurement part of
A passage sensor unit for monitoring the passage of the glass substrate;
A controller for receiving signals from the passage sensor unit and the N sets of measurement units,
The N sets of measurement units include measurement means for specifying a plate thickness value of the glass substrate based on an output signal from the sensor head, and output means for continuously outputting the plate thickness value to the controller. Each provided,
The controller grasps the glass substrate being conveyed based on the ON / OFF signal from the passage sensor unit, and obtains a predetermined number of plate thickness values output by the output means for each glass substrate. A plate thickness measuring device that manages in real time variations in the thickness of glass substrates less than 1 mm.   The sensor head includes a radiation unit that emits laser light and a light receiving unit that receives a specularly reflected wave from the glass substrate, and the light receiving unit includes a position detection element configured by a CCD. The thickness measuring apparatus according to claim 1.   The measuring means includes a first means for identifying displacement amounts ΔD1, ΔD2 from the virtual reference planes on the front and back sides of the glass substrate in real time, and between the displacement amounts ΔD1, ΔD2 and the two virtual reference planes. The plate thickness measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second means for specifying the plate thickness of the glass substrate based on a relationship with the separation distance.   The plate thickness measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radiation wave is an ultrasonic signal.   The measuring means is a first means for specifying the shortest distances D1 and D2 to the front surface and the back surface of the glass substrate based on a time difference between the transmission timing of the radiation wave and the reception timing of the specular reflection wave, and the 2 The second means for specifying the thickness of the glass substrate based on the relationship between the two shortest distances D1 and D2 and the separation distance D0 of the transmission / reception points specified in advance is provided. Plate thickness measuring device.   The said glass substrate is a glass substrate for flat panel displays comprised by bonding together two glass substrates, The plate | board thickness measuring apparatus in any one of Claims 1-5. The glass substrate is used in combination with an input device having a mounting portion having an operating state of a standing state and a descending state, and the glass substrate is placed on the mounting portion in the standing state by manual operation of an attendant, and then the above-described mounting device. The plate thickness measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the portion is transferred to the conveyance path by changing to a lowered state.   The plate thickness measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit transmits the calculated plate thickness value T to the controller as an analog signal.

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