JP2011093706A - Reversing device and reversing method for reversing plate body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reversing device and a reversing method for reversing a plate body. <P>SOLUTION: The plate body has a first surface. This reversing device includes a support structure and a reversing part pivotally connected to the support structure. The reversing part includes a suction device for fixing by controlling suction with the first surface of the plate body. The reversing part reverses the suction device to the support structure together with the plate body, and attains the function of automatically reversing a large plate body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for moving a plate body, and more particularly to an inversion device and an inversion method for inverting a plate body.

  In recent years, liquid crystal display devices have already become mainstream products in place of conventional cathode ray tube display devices (CRT displays). With the continuous progress of process technology for large liquid crystal panels, the glass substrates used in the process are constantly increasing in size.

  The large liquid crystal cell mother board (LCD cell mother board) that has been filled with the liquid crystal is divided into a plurality of liquid crystal cells (LCD cells) through a cutting process, which is useful for the subsequent assembly process of the liquid crystal display device. . In the cutting step, the known cutting principle of the liquid crystal cell mother substrate is as follows. First, scribing is performed on one surface of the liquid crystal cell mother substrate with a cutting ring, and then the liquid crystal cell mother substrate is immediately turned over. Thereafter, scribing is performed on the other surface of the liquid crystal cell mother substrate, and then cutting is performed using the brittleness of the glass and the residual stress in the glass, thereby generating liquid crystal panels of different sizes.

  Before scribing the other surface of the liquid crystal cell mother substrate, it is necessary to execute an inversion step of inverting the liquid crystal cell mother substrate. However, since the known reversal steps are held by a human hand using a known chuck to grip and transport the liquid crystal cell mother substrate, the liquid crystal cell mother substrate is likely to be broken and pushed and damaged. . Glass substrates for manufacturing liquid crystal display devices are constantly increasing in size and the size of liquid crystal cell mother substrates is gradually increasing. It is clear that it is not suitable for the double-sided cutting process. The technology for reversing a large mother substrate has already become the biggest obstacle in the current double-sided cutting process for liquid crystal cell mother substrates.

  In view of this, the most difficult thing to overcome in many steps of the known large-sized liquid crystal cell mother substrate cutting process is that, at this stage, the large-sized liquid crystal cell mother substrate is transferred by a human hand in the process of moving and reversing the mother substrate. You have to take the risk of manufacturing. For this reason, the industry is focusing on how to complete the reversal of the large liquid crystal cell mother board by a fully automated procedure, greatly improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, increase production efficiency and yield, and reduce labor costs. It is a direction to make efforts.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a reversing device and a reversing method for reversing a plate suitable for a large liquid crystal cell mother substrate, to increase production efficiency and production yield, and to reduce labor costs.

  In order to achieve the above object, the reversing device of the present invention includes a support structure and a reversing part. The reversing part pivots on the support structure and includes a suction device. The adsorbing device is adsorbed and fixed to the first surface of the plate body by control, and the reversing unit causes the adsorbing device to be reversed with respect to the support structure together with the plate body.

  In order to achieve the above object, the reversing method of the present invention includes a step of adsorbing and fixing the first surface of the plate by control using the adsorbing device of the reversing unit, and the adsorbing device using the reversing unit. Flipping with the body relative to the support structure.

  In summary, in the fully automated process of a known large liquid crystal cell mother substrate, it is necessary to deal with problems such as the risk of breakage in the process of transporting by the human hand and the process in the process of moving and reversing the liquid crystal cell mother substrate. The reversing apparatus and the reversing method for reversing a plate of the present invention can realize a procedure for automatically reversing a large liquid crystal cell mother substrate by realizing a procedure for automatically reversing the plate.

It is the schematic of the Example of the preferable inversion apparatus for reversing a board. It is a side schematic diagram which performs operation which reverses a board using an inversion device. It is the schematic of the raising / lowering apparatus of the inversion apparatus of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a preferred reversing device 100 according to the present invention and performing a reversing process of a plate body 122. As shown in FIG. 1, the reversing device 100 includes a support structure 102 and a reversing unit 104. The reversing unit 104 pivots on the support structure 102 and includes a suction device 107. The adsorption device 107 is adsorbed and fixed to the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 under control. After the adsorption device 107 is adsorbed and fixed to the first surface 122a of the plate body 122, the reversing unit 104 causes the adsorption device 107 to be reversed with respect to the support structure 102 together with the plate body 122 (preferably substantially Invert 180 degrees). This achieves the purpose of automatically reversing the plate 122.

  Specifically, the suction device 107 can define a contact plane 107a, and the suction device 107 includes a plurality of holes 112 formed on the contact plane 107a. The suction device 107 contacts the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 using the contact plane 107a, and adsorbs and adheres to the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 by control using the hole 112 thereon. . Accordingly, the reversing unit 104 uses the suction device 107 to urge a uniform suction force on the plate body 122 so that the stress is not concentrated. Therefore, the reversing unit 104 of the present invention is suitable for application to automatically reversing a large glass substrate and a liquid crystal cell mother substrate, and does not cause breakage or cracking of the glass substrate or other elements.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reversing unit 104 performs a reversing operation on the support structure 102 along the reversing axis 120. In the present embodiment, the contact plane 107 a is a rectangle 115 having a center 116 of area and substantially having a short side 114. The short side 114 has a midpoint M. When facing the contact plane 107 a, the inversion axis 120 is projected onto the contact plane 107 a and passes substantially through the center 116 of the area, that is, the inversion axis 120 substantially passes through the midpoint M of the short side 114. Such a design of the reversing shaft 120 can reduce the reversal moment of inertia when the reversing portion 104 reverses the plate body 122, and can prevent the plate body 122 from being cracked due to excessive stress, The space required for inversion can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the support structure 102 includes a horizontal bar 106 and a sliding portion 108. The reversing part 104 pivots on the sliding part 108, and the sliding part 108 includes two support arms 108a and 108b. The support arms 108 a and 108 b are pivotally connected to the reversing unit 104 by the reversing shaft 120. The horizontal bar 106 has a first position 106a and a second position 106b.

  What needs to be explained in particular is that the sliding portion 108 is pivotally connected to the reversing portion 104 and moves between the first position 106 a and the second position 106 b along the horizontal bar 106 in accordance with the sliding portion 108. Thus, the inversion procedure of the plate body 122 can be completed. In this embodiment, when the sliding portion 108 is positioned at the first position 106a, the reversing portion 104 causes the suction device 107 to be reversed with respect to the sliding portion 108 together with the plate body 122 by control, and the sliding portion. When 108 is located at the second position 106a, the suction device 107 of the reversing unit 104 is adsorbed and fixed to the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 by control, or separated from the first surface 122a of the plate body 122. .

  The reversing device 100 further includes an attached adsorption device 110 provided in the vicinity of the second position 106 b so as to face the first position 106 a of the horizontal bar 106. The attached adsorption device 110 is adsorbed and fixed to the second surface 122b facing the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 under control. Similar to the suction device 107, the attached suction device 110 also has a contact plane 110a that contacts the second surface 122b of the plate body 122 in this embodiment. The attached adsorption device 110 also has a plurality of holes formed in the contact plane 110a, and the attached adsorption device 110 adsorbs and fixes the second surface 122b of the plate body 122 through these holes under control. What should be noted here is that, in the present embodiment, the contact plane 110a of the attached adsorption device 110 is downward, the first surface 122a is downward, and the second surface 122b is upward.

  In this embodiment, in order to adjust the vertical height when the attached plate 122 is adjacent to the second position 106b, the reversing device 100 has a vertical height of the attached adsorption device 110 as shown in FIG. It further includes a lifting device 118 capable of controlling the above. Accordingly, the attached adsorption device 110 can first adsorb and fix the upward second surface 122b of the plate body 122 downward, and can raise the attached adsorption device 110 together with the plate body 122 using the lifting device 118. . Thereafter, the sliding portion 108 is at the second position 106b, and the suction device 107 of the reversing portion 104 further sucks and fixes the downward first surface 122a of the plate body 122 upward to complete the reversing operation. After the surface 122a faces upward, the suction device 107 of the reversing unit 104 separates downward from the upward first surface 122a of the plate body 122.

  However, the inversion step can also be adjusted elastically as follows. After the sliding portion 108 is at the second position 106b, the suction device 107 of the reversing portion 104 first sucks and fixes the upward second surface 122b of the plate body 122 downward and completes the reversing operation, and then the first surface. 122a faces upward. Thereafter, the attached adsorption device 110 adsorbs and fixes the upward first surface 122 a of the plate body 122, and raises the attached adsorption device 110 together with the plate body 122 using the lifting device 118. After the sliding part 108 releases the reversing part 104, the lifting / lowering device 118 further lowers the attached suction device 110 and separates it from the upward first surface 122 a of the plate body 122, thereby completing the reversing operation.

  In the present embodiment, the plate body 122 is preferably a liquid crystal cell mother substrate including two glass substrates, and the first surface 122a and the second surface 122b opposite to the first surface 122a are the two Two outer surfaces of the substrate. However, the plate body 122 of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a wafer or another substrate.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a reversing method for reversing the plate body 122 of the present invention will be described in order in the preferred embodiment of the reversing device 100. The main step (a) of the reversing method of the present invention uses the suction device 107 of the reversing unit 104 to suck and fix the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 by control. Since the suction device 107 includes a plurality of holes 112 formed in the contact plane 107a as in the preferred embodiment of the reversing device 100, the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 is controlled through the holes 112 by control. It can be adsorbed and fixed. Further, the plate body 122 used in the present embodiment is preferably a liquid crystal cell mother substrate as described above, but will not be described in detail here.

  The inversion method of the present invention can perform the following steps before performing the main step (a). The step (a3) of lowering the attached adsorption device 110 using the lifting device 118 of the reversing device 100 is performed. An enlarged schematic view of the lifting device 118 is as shown in FIG. Subsequently, using the attached adsorption device 110, a step (a1) of adsorbing and adhering to the second surface 122b on average by control is performed. At this time, the contact plane 110a of the attached adsorption device 110 contacts the downward and upward second surface 122b. Then, the step (a4) which raises the attached adsorption | suction apparatus 110 with the board | plate body 122 using the raising / lowering apparatus 118 is performed after step (a1). Subsequently, a step (a2) of moving the sliding portion 104 to the second position 106b is performed. After the steps (a3), (a1), (a4), and (a2) are completed, the downward first surface 122a of the plate cage 122 is controlled by using the suction device 107 of the reversing unit 104. The main step (a) is carried out to adsorb and fix the materials upwardly on average.

  After completion of the main step (a), the main step (b) is continued. The main step (b) uses the reversing unit 104 to cause the suction device 107 to be reversed with respect to the support structure 102 together with the plate body 122. As described above with respect to the reversing device 100, the contact plane 107a of the adsorption device 107 is used for contact with the first surface 122a of the plate 122, and the contact plane 107a substantially has a center 116 of area. When facing the contact plane 107a, the inversion axis 120 is projected onto the contact plane 107a and passes substantially through the center 116 of the area. It should be particularly emphasized that the contact plane 107a of the suction device 107 preferably has a substantially rectangular shape 115, the rectangle 115 has a short side 114, the short side 114 has a midpoint M, and the contact. When facing the plane 107 a, the inversion axis 120 is projected onto the contact plane 107 a and substantially passes through the midpoint M of the short side 114.

  In the inversion method of the present invention, step (b) includes the following sub-steps in sequence. In step (b1), the sliding part 108 is moved from the second position 106b to the first position 106a together with the suction device 107 and the plate body 122 of the reversing part 104. Subsequently, in step (b2), using the reversing unit 104, the suction device 107 is reversed with respect to the sliding unit 108 together with the plate 122 by control, and the first surface 122a of the plate 122 is directed upward. To do. Thereafter, in step (b3), the sliding portion 108 is moved to the second position 106b together with the suction device 107 and the plate body 122 of the reversing portion 104. Finally, in step (b4), the suction device 107 of the reversing unit 104 and the upward first surface 122a of the plate body 122 are separated. In brief, the reversing method of the present invention performs the sub-steps (b1), (b2), (b3), and (b4) in sequence in the main step (b), and then the plate body 122. The purpose of reversing can be completed.

  However, the steps can also be adjusted elastically as follows. The sliding portion 108 is at the second position 106b, and the suction device 107 of the reversing portion 104 first sticks the upper second surface 122b of the plate body 122 by sucking it downward. The sliding portion 108 is used to move from the second position 106b to the first position 106a. By using the reversing portion 104, the suction device 107 is reversed with respect to the sliding portion 108 together with the plate body 122 by control, and the first surface 122a of the plate body 122 is directed upward. The sliding part 108 is moved to the second position 106 b together with the suction device 107 and the plate body 122 of the reversing part 104. The attached adsorption device 110 adsorbs and fixes the upward first surface 122 a of the plate body 122. The attached suction device 110 raises the attached suction device 110 together with the plate body 122 and the plate body 122 using the lifting device 118. The sliding part 108 releases the reversing part 104. Finally, the lifting / lowering device 118 further lowers the attached adsorption device 110. Finally, the attachment device 110 separates from the first surface 122a of the plate body 122, whereby the reversing operation is completed.

  In the fully automated loading step, cutting step, moving inversion step, and unloading step of the known large liquid crystal cell mother substrate process, the most difficult thing to overcome is the moving inversion process of the large liquid crystal cell mother substrate. In order to eliminate the disadvantages such as the known human hand conveyance and the risk that the mother board breaks in the process, the present invention provides a reversing device and a reversing method for reversing the plate, and uses an automated procedure to Be able to work on the body reversal road. This achieves the function of automatically reversing the large liquid crystal cell mother substrate, and solves the problem that the mother substrate is easily broken when the large liquid crystal cell mother substrate is cut on both sides and the obstacle to manual work.

100 reversing device 102 support structure 104 reversing portion 106 horizontal bar 106a first position 106b second position 107 suction device 107a contact plane 108 sliding portion 108a support arm 108b support arm 110 attached suction device 110a contact plane 112 hole 114 short side 115 rectangular 116 Center of area 118 Lifting device 120 Reversing shaft 122 Plate body 122a First surface 122b Second surface M Midpoint

Claims (20)

In a reversing device having a support structure for reversing a plate body having a first surface, and a reversing portion pivotally connected to the support structure and including a suction device,
The adsorption device is adsorbed and fixed to the first surface of the plate body under control,
The reversing unit is a reversing device that causes the adsorption device to be reversed with respect to the support structure together with the plate.   The inversion part is inverted with respect to the support structure along an inversion axis, and the adsorption device can define a contact plane for contacting the first surface of the plate, the contact plane being The reversing device of claim 1, having a substantially area center, and wherein the reversal axis is projected onto the contact plane and substantially passes through the area center.   The adsorption device includes a plurality of holes formed in the contact plane, and the adsorption device adsorbs and fixes the first surface of the plate body through the holes under control. The reversing device described.   The contact plane of the adsorption device is substantially rectangular, the rectangle has a short side, the short side has a midpoint, and the inversion axis is projected onto the contact plane, The reversing device according to claim 3 which passes through the middle point of the short side.   The support structure includes a horizontal bar having a first position and a second position, and a sliding part that is pivotally connected to the inversion part and moves between the first position and the second position along the horizontal bar. When the sliding portion is located at the first position, the reversing portion causes the suction device to be reversed with respect to the sliding portion together with the plate by control, and the sliding portion is 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the suction device of the reversing unit is attached to the first surface of the plate body by control or separated from the first surface of the plate body when positioned at the second position. The reversing device described.   And further comprising an attached adsorbing device provided adjacent to the second position opposite the first position of the horizontal bar, the plate having a second surface facing the first surface, The reversing device according to claim 5, wherein the attached adsorption device is adsorbed and fixed to the second surface by control.   The reversing device according to claim 6, wherein the attached adsorption device has a contact plane in contact with the second surface, and the contact plane of the attached adsorption device faces downward.   The reversing device according to claim 6, further comprising an elevating device capable of controlling a vertical height of the attached adsorption device.   The reversing device according to claim 5, wherein the sliding portion includes two support arms pivotally connected to the reversing portion with the reversing shaft.   The plate body is a liquid crystal cell mother board (LCD cell mother board), includes two substrates, and the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface are two of these substrates, respectively. The reversing device according to claim 1, which is an outer surface.   2. The reversing device according to claim 1, wherein the reversing unit causes the suction device to revers substantially 180 degrees with respect to the support structure together with the plate body. In a reversing method for reversing a plate body having a first surface, which is used in a reversing device having a support structure and a reversing part pivotally connected to the support structure,
(A) a step of adsorbing and fixing the first surface of the plate body by control using the adsorption device of the reversing unit;
(B) using the reversing unit to cause the suction device to be reversed with respect to the support structure together with the plate body.   The adsorption device can define a contact plane for contacting the first surface of the plate, the contact plane having a substantially center of area and an inversion axis projected onto the contact plane. 13. The reversing method according to claim 12, wherein the reversing part is substantially reversed through the center of the area, and in step (b), the reversing part is reversed with respect to the support structure along the reversing axis.   The adsorption device includes a plurality of holes formed in the contact plane, and in step (a), the adsorption device adsorbs the first surface of the plate body through the holes under control. The reversing method according to claim 13, wherein the reversing method is fixed.   The contact plane of the adsorption device is substantially rectangular, the rectangle has a short side, the short side has a midpoint, and the inversion axis is projected onto the contact plane, The inversion method according to claim 14, wherein the inversion method passes through the midpoint of the short side.   The support structure includes a horizontal bar having a first position and a second position, and a sliding part that is pivotally connected to the inversion part and moves between the first position and the second position along the horizontal bar. And step (b) includes (b1) moving the sliding part from the second position to the first position, and (b2) using the reversing part, the adsorbing device is controlled by the control. (B3) moving the sliding portion to the second position; and (b4) the suction device and the plate of the reversing portion. 15. A reversal method according to claim 14, comprising separating the first surface of the body.   The reversing device further includes an attached adsorbing device provided adjacent to the second position so as to face the first position of the horizontal bar, and the plate body has a second surface facing the first surface. And before step (a), (a1) using the attached adsorption device to adsorb and adhere to the second surface by control; (a2) attaching the sliding portion to the second surface The reversing method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of moving to two positions.   The inversion method according to claim 17, wherein in step (a1), the contact plane of the attached adsorption device contacts the second surface downward.   (A3) before the step (a1), using the lifting device of the reversing device to lower the attached adsorption device; and (a4) using the lifting device after the step (a1). The inversion method according to claim 18, further comprising a step of raising the attached adsorption device together with the plate body.   The plate body is a liquid crystal cell mother board (LCD cell mother board), includes two substrates, and the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface are two of these substrates, respectively. The inversion method according to claim 12 which is an outer surface.

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