JP2012061424A - Automatic liquid supply mechanism and coating equipment including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic liquid supply mechanism eliminating the need to make a liquid material storage portion and a discharging device physically connect with each other and capable of effectively preventing generation and mixing of particles, and coating equipment including the automatic liquid supply mechanism.SOLUTION: The automatic liquid supply mechanism includes: the liquid storage portion storing a liquid material; a supply portion having a supply port supplying the liquid material stored in the liquid storage portion; a receiving portion having a receiving port receiving the liquid material discharged from the supply portion and a bubble removing mechanism; and a receiving portion driving device driving the receiving portion. The receiving portion moves to a receiving position in which the receiving port is located immediately below the supply port, receives the liquid material supplied in drops from the supply port, and supplies the liquid material from which bubbles have been removed by the bubble removing mechanism to the discharging device. The coating equipment includes the automatic liquid supply mechanism.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic liquid supply mechanism that can prevent bubbles and particles from being mixed in a liquid, and a coating apparatus including the same.

Among the processes for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, there is a panel process (also referred to as a cell process) in which two opposing substrates are bonded together to form a liquid crystal layer therebetween. In particular, when manufacturing a large panel, a dropping injection method in which a liquid crystal is dropped on one substrate before being bonded and then bonded is performed.
In the dropping injection method, there is a device called a dispenser that has a container for storing liquid crystal and that discharges liquid crystal by a predetermined amount from a nozzle provided in the container by the action of gas pressure or mechanical pressure. It is used.

In recent years, as liquid crystal displays have become larger, the substrates that serve as the basis have also become larger. As the size of the substrate increases, the amount of liquid crystal used also increases, making it difficult to deal with small storage containers (syringes) conventionally used in dispensers. This is because the liquid crystal is quickly lost in a small storage container, and the container and the like are frequently replaced, so that the efficiency is lowered in terms of productivity and workability. Further, when the storage container is replaced, there is a possibility that bubbles or foreign substances (hereinafter referred to as particles) may be mixed.
On the other hand, various attempts have been made to solve these problems by installing a large tank outside the apparatus and supplying a liquid material therefrom.

  For example, in Patent Literature 1, an apparatus main body, a placement unit on which a workpiece can be placed, a head unit having a plurality of droplet ejection heads that eject droplets onto the workpiece, and a head unit that supports the head unit A support mechanism, a moving mechanism that relatively moves the workpiece placement unit and the head unit support body, and a discharge liquid discharged from each droplet discharge head is stored, and can be exchanged and / or replenished with the discharge liquid. A primary tank system having one primary tank, a secondary tank that is fixedly attached to the head unit support, and in which discharge liquid flows from the primary tank, and the primary tank system and the secondary tank are connected to each other. A primary flow path for supplying discharge liquid from the system to the secondary tank, and a plurality of pipes for connecting the secondary tank and the head unit and supplying discharge liquid from the secondary tank to each droplet discharge head, respectively. And a secondary channel, the droplet discharge device, wherein, there is disclosed that the number of the primary flow path is less than the number of the secondary flow path.

  In Patent Document 2, a stage on which a substrate is positioned, a dispenser head provided with a syringe and a nozzle so that liquid crystal can be dropped or applied to the substrate, and a head support member provided around the stage to support the dispenser head A supply line for supplying liquid crystal to be dropped or applied to the substrate on the syringe of the dispenser head, a supply / demand line connected to the syringe of the dispenser head, and a connection part between the supply line and the supply / demand line. A foreign matter prevention cap for preventing foreign matters from flowing in when the lines are connected to or separated from each other, and the head support member and the dispenser head are separated from the upper part of the stage on the side where the supply line is located. By moving, the supply and demand line is connected to the supply line and the liquid crystal Liquid crystal dispensing apparatus characterized by being configured to fill the liquid crystal into the syringe from the sheet unit, is disclosed.

JP 2004-167430 A JP 2009-172585 A

  However, in the apparatus of Document 1, since the liquid supply flow path (tube) is connected from the tank to the head, bubbles and particles are not likely to be mixed in the liquid, but the tube moves together when the head moves relatively. In view of the moving range, the tube must be lengthened and arranged with a margin. In addition, the movement of the tube together with the relative movement of the head has also caused a rapid deterioration of the tube.

In addition, since the apparatus of Document 2 is configured so that it can be separated and connected in the middle of the piping, there is no problem with the liquid supply flow path (tube), but it is a mechanism that makes contact at the connecting portion. In addition, there is a problem that it is rubbed at this portion and causes generation of particles. In addition, the parts such as hinges and cams constituting the foreign matter prevention cap are rubbed by the moving parts, which causes the generation of particles.
Furthermore, in the apparatus of Document 2, since the liquid is poured directly from above into the syringe at the connecting portion, the liquid poured from above is tapped against the liquid surface, and at this time, the bubbles There was a problem of mixing.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the liquid automatic supply mechanism which solves the said subject, and a coating device provided with the same.

  The inventor has adopted a configuration in which the liquid material storage unit and the discharge device are always separated in order to eliminate the adverse effects of temporarily or constantly physically connecting the liquid material storage unit and the discharge device. Furthermore, an automatic liquid supply mechanism that prevents bubbles from flowing into the discharge device by providing a bubble removal mechanism that eliminates the adverse effects of bubbles caused by always separating the liquid material storage unit and the discharge device, and a coating apparatus including the same Made it possible to provide.

That is, the first invention is a liquid storage unit that stores liquid material, a supply unit that has a supply port that supplies the liquid material stored in the liquid storage unit, and a receiving port that receives the liquid material discharged from the supply unit And a receiving unit having a bubble removing mechanism, and a receiving unit driving device for moving the receiving unit, and the receiving unit moves to a receiving position where the receiving port is located immediately below the supplying port, so that the liquid material is dropped from the supplying port. The present invention relates to an automatic liquid supply mechanism that supplies a liquid material from which bubbles have been removed by a bubble removal mechanism to a discharge device.
According to a second invention, in the first invention, the bubble removal mechanism includes a bubble removal container that stores the liquid material, one end immersed in the liquid stored in the bubble removal container, and the other end that is a receiving port. It is characterized by comprising an inflow pipe communicated with and an outflow pipe having one end immersed in a liquid stored in a bubble removing container and the other end communicated with a discharge device.
According to a third invention, in the second invention, the bubble removing mechanism has a pump device that depressurizes the bubble removing container, one end connected to the pump device, and the other end arranged in a space in the bubble removing container. And a working gas supply pipe.
According to a fourth invention, in the second or third invention, a detection device for detecting the amount of the liquid material in the liquid storage section and / or the bubble removing container is provided.
A fifth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the receiving port has an opening having an enlarged diameter and is capable of temporarily storing a certain amount of liquid material.
According to a sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, a liquid material receiving member that moves forward and backward between a first position immediately below the supply port and a second position different from the first position is provided. It is characterized by.
According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, a pinch valve for controlling a supply amount of the liquid material from the liquid storage unit to the supply unit and / or a supply amount of the liquid material from the receiving unit to the discharge device It is characterized by comprising a pinch valve for controlling the above.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gantry having a table for holding a workpiece, a discharge device having a nozzle for discharging a liquid material, a drive device for relatively moving the discharge device and the table, and any one of the first to seventh items. The present invention relates to a coating apparatus including the automatic liquid supply mechanism according to the invention.
A ninth invention comprises the beam according to the eighth invention, comprising: a beam on which a plurality of discharge devices are disposed; and a discharge unit driving device that allows each discharge device to move along the extending direction of the beam. The number of the parts is the same as that of the discharge device.
A tenth invention is characterized in that, in the ninth invention, a plurality of the supply sections are arranged.
An eleventh invention is characterized in that in any of the eighth to tenth inventions, a cover for covering the table and the discharge device is provided.
In a twelfth aspect based on the eleventh aspect, the liquid storage section is disposed outside the cover.

According to the present invention, there is no need to physically connect the liquid material storage unit and the discharge device, and no liquid supply flow channel (tube) whose shape is variable with the movement of the discharge device is provided. It is possible to solve the problem of the space when arranging the liquid and the problem of the deterioration of the liquid supply flow path.
Further, since the liquid material is supplied without bringing the liquid material storage unit side and the discharge device side into contact with each other, generation and mixing of particles can be effectively prevented.
Furthermore, since the bubble removing mechanism is provided, it is possible to prevent bubbles from flowing into the discharge device.

It is a schematic diagram explaining the liquid automatic supply mechanism which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the coating device provided with the liquid automatic supply mechanism which concerns on an Example. It is the enlarged view to which the principal part of the liquid automatic supply mechanism which concerns on an Example was expanded. It is a side view which shows the other aspect of the bubble removal mechanism which concerns on an Example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an automatic liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention. In the figure, a black arrow indicates a liquid flow, and a white arrow indicates a gas flow.

  The automatic liquid supply mechanism 1 includes a tank (liquid material storage unit) 4 having a large capacity for storing a liquid material 26, a supply unit 2 including a supply port 12 for discharging the liquid material 26 delivered from the tank 4, and a discharge device. The receiving unit 3 that is provided integrally with the discharge device 24 at the upper portion 24 and receives the liquid material 26 discharged from the supplying unit 2 and the receiving unit driving device that moves the receiving unit 3 are main components. Among these, the tank 4 to the supply unit 2 are connected by a pipe 8A, and the receiving unit 3 to the discharge device 24 are connected by pipes 8B and 8C. The supply unit 2 and the receiving unit 3 are separated to such an extent that the shutter 15 can pass freely. Further, a valve A9 for controlling the flow to the supply unit 2 is provided near the supply unit 2 in the pipe 8A on the way between the tank 4 and the supply unit 2, and the remaining amount of the liquid material 26 in the tank 4 is provided in the tank 4. Is provided. By providing the detection device 7, an alarm can be issued based on a signal from the detection device 7 when the liquid material 26 falls below a predetermined amount. Here, as the detection device 7, for example, a load cell that performs detection by weight can be used. In addition to this, an ultrasonic sensor that detects the liquid level with ultrasonic waves, an optical sensor that detects the presence or absence of liquid by the difference in the amount of light, and the like can also be used.

  A supply pipe 13 having a supply port 12 for discharging the liquid material 26 sent from the tank 4 is installed in the supply unit 2. The supply pipe 13 is bent downward at the discharge side end, and supplies the liquid material 26 to the receiving unit 3 by dropping (supply supply). The supply part 2 and the receiving part 3 are not connected by piping, and the supply part 2 does not descend or the receiving part 3 does not rise. That is, by supplying the liquid material in a non-contact state from a remote position without connecting the supply port 12 to the receiving port 16, the generation of particles is prevented and the particles are prevented from being mixed into the liquid material 26. It is out. In addition, a shutter 15 is provided below the supply pipe 13 to receive excess liquid material 26 from the supply port 12 when it drops. The shutter 15 has a storage concave portion whose upper surface is open, slides in the horizontal direction, and is positioned directly below the supply port 12 except during supply. The shutter 15 is not in contact with the supply port 12 and the receiving port 16. This is also because no particles are generated as described above.

  The receiving unit 3 includes a funnel 17 having a receiving port 16 for receiving the liquid material 26 supplied from the supplying unit 2, a bubble removing bottle 18 for temporarily storing the supplied liquid material 26 and removing bubbles, and a flow of liquid. A valve B10 and a valve C11 that control the above are disposed, and each is connected by a pipe 8. For the valves A to C, it is preferable to use a pinch valve that opens and closes the flow path by elastically deforming the pipe by sandwiching the pipe in consideration of maintainability. Since the valve itself does not touch the liquid, the pinch valve is easy to work when replacing the piping. Further, particles that may be generated by the valve operation are not mixed. Here, the valve B10 controls the inflow into the bottle 18, and the valve C11 controls the outflow from the bottle 18. The liquid material 26 flows from the funnel 17 into the bottle 18 through the inflow pipe 19, and the liquid material 26 is delivered from the bottle 18 to the discharge device 24 through the outflow pipe 20. Further, since the funnel 17 is arranged at a position higher than the bottle 18, the liquid material 26 flows down naturally without the aid of pressure or the like, and the bottle (bubble removing container) 18 having a smaller capacity than the tank 4. Can be stored.

  The bubble-removing bottle 18 constitutes a bubble-removing mechanism 41 together with a pressure-reducing pump (not shown) connected to the working gas supply pipe 21. The pressure-reducing pump supplies a compressed gas that acts when the liquid material 26 is delivered from the bottle 18 to the discharge device 24 and a vacuum that acts when the bubbles of the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 are removed. The pressure increasing / decreasing pump can be used in combination as a vacuum source for adsorbing the work on the table. Further, when the liquid material in the bottle 18 can be sucked by the suction means (for example, plunger) on the discharge device side, a pressure reducing pump may be used instead of the pressure increasing / decreasing pump. The bottle 18 is made of a transparent material such as glass or hard resin, and can confirm the liquid surface position of the liquid material filled inside and the state of air bubble mixing. Further, in the vicinity of the outer surface of the bottle 18, sensors for detecting the liquid level in the bottle 18 are provided at the upper limit position (reference numeral 22) and the lower limit position (reference numeral 23). Here, as the sensor, an optical sensor that detects the presence or absence of a liquid based on a difference in the amount of light can be used. As will be described later, it is preferable that the position of the liquid level be accurately captured because of various pipes connected to the bottle 18.

  The receiving unit 3 can be moved in the horizontal direction by the receiving unit driving device, and can take a supply position in which the center of the receiving port 16 is located immediately below the supply port 12. A discharge device 24 is disposed below the receiving unit 3, and is connected to the receiving unit 3 by a pipe 8C. The discharge device 24 is supplied with the liquid material 26 from which bubbles are removed by the receiving unit 3, and discharges the liquid material 26 from the nozzle 38.

Next, how the automatic liquid supply mechanism 1 described above operates will be described.
First, the tank 4 is filled with the liquid material 26, and the compressed gas supply pipe 5 and the liquid delivery pipe 6 are connected (STEP 1). Instead of filling the tank 4 with the liquid material 26 directly, the tank 4 filled with the liquid material 26 may be installed. Next, compressed air is supplied to the tank 4 and pressurized (STEP 2). At this time, the valve A9 is closed. And the receiving part 3 and the discharge apparatus 24 are moved to the supply position under the supply part 2 (STEP3). After the movement, the shutter 15 is retracted and the valve A9 is opened (STEP 4). Then, the liquid material 26 is discharged from the supply port 12 and poured into the funnel 17 through the receiving port 16 of the receiving unit 3 (STEP 5). At this time, the valve B10 and the valve C11 are kept open. Thereafter, the liquid material 26 passes through the valve B10 and flows into the bottle 18 from the inflow pipe 19 (STEP 6). Here, as described above, the liquid material 26 flows down naturally, but if the valve C11 is closed and the bottle 18 is evacuated, the supply speed can be increased. Next, when the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 reaches the position of the upper limit sensor 22, the valve A9, the valve B10, and the valve C11 are closed, the shutter 15 is advanced, and the pressurization to the tank 4 is turned off (STEP 7). Then, evacuation is performed from the working gas supply pipe 21, and bubbles of the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 are removed (STEP 8). After the bubble removal is finished, this time, compressed gas is supplied from the working gas supply pipe 21 and pressurized (STEP 9). Next, the valve C11 is opened, and the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 is sent from the outflow pipe 20 to the discharge device 24 (STEP 10). When the filling of the liquid material 26 in the discharge device 24 is completed, the valve C11 is closed and the pressurization to the bottle 18 is turned off (STEP 11). Then, the discharge is performed by the discharge device 24 (STEP 12). At this time, until the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 reaches the lower limit sensor 23 position, the above STEP 9 to STEP 11 are repeated each time the liquid material 26 in the discharge device 24 decreases, and the discharge device 24 is filled with the liquid material 26. . When the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 reaches the lower limit sensor 23 position, the above STEP2 to STEP8 are executed again to supply the liquid material 26 to the receiving unit 3 (STEP13). The remaining amount of liquid in the tank 4 is managed by the detection device 7. The liquid material 26 in the tank 4 can be replenished except during the supply operation.

  As described above, even if the pipe 8 is supplied without being connected, it is temporarily removed from the bottle 18 of the receiving unit 3 and then supplied to the discharge device 24. Therefore, bubbles do not flow into the discharge device 24. Further, by supplying the pipe 8 so as to hang from the top without connecting, there is no contact or rubbing during the supply, and no particles are generated. Thereby, since a liquid in which bubbles and particles are not mixed can be used, a precise amount can be ejected and applied to a precise position.

  The present invention can be applied to a liquid material having a viscosity of 10,000 cps or less, such as a liquid crystal, ink, organic EL material, solvent (alcohol, acetone, etc.), ultraviolet curable resin, etc., and particularly suitable for a liquid material having a viscosity of 1000 cps or less. is there. In the bubble removal mechanism, a negative pressure of about 50 to 90 kPa is applied for about 1 to 5 minutes depending on the type of liquid material.

  Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the examples.

The embodiment relates to a coating apparatus that applies liquid crystal to a work while relatively moving a discharge device and a table that holds the work, and relates to a so-called gantry type coating apparatus in which a beam moves on the table.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a coating apparatus including an automatic liquid supply mechanism according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the automatic supply mechanism according to the embodiment. In the following, when FIG. 2 is described, the side on which the tank 4 is provided is “left”, the opposite side (reference numeral 9 side) is “right”, and the side on which the discharge device 24 is provided is “front”. The other side is sometimes called “rear”. The left-right direction is the “X direction” and the front-back direction is the “Y direction”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coating device 25 includes a table 28 on which a coating object 27 (hereinafter referred to as a workpiece) for coating the liquid material 26 is placed on a gantry 29, and the ejection device 24 that ejects the liquid material 26. Are provided with a beam drive device (Y drive device) 44 and a receiving portion drive device (X drive device) 43 that move the lens relative to the table 28. The Y drive device 44 has a slider that supports the beam 30 and a slide base disposed on the mount 29, and allows the beam 30 to move in the front-rear direction (reference numeral 31) on the table 28. The ejection device 24 can be moved in the left-right direction (reference numeral 32) on the beam 30 by an X driving device 43 installed on the beam 30. The ejection device 24 includes a plurality of the same devices, and all the ejection devices are movable along the beam. Note that the number of the ejection devices 24 is determined by the method of application to the workpiece 27, and is not limited to the number shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the coating device 25 includes a cover 33 that covers the outer periphery of each of these devices. The cover 33 shown by a dotted line is provided with a door (not shown) on the front side for an operator to enter inside, and is used when maintenance work for the discharge device 24 and the like is performed. An air cleaning device 34 is provided on the ceiling portion of the cover 33 and supplies air from which particles have been removed to the cover 33. Here, as the air cleaning device 34, for example, a fan filter unit, that is, a small blower including a HEPA, a ULPA filter, or the like can be used. Thereby, the cleanliness is maintained in the cover 33, particularly in the space above the table 28. However, when the coating device 25 is installed in a clean room, or when installed in a clean space equivalent to the coating device 25, the ceiling is greatly opened or removed without providing the air cleaning device 34, and the It is also possible to take in air that has been maintained. Note that the cover 33 and the gantry 29 may be integrally configured so as to cover each element on the gantry 29.

  The automatic liquid supply mechanism 1 has the above-described configuration of FIG. 1, and includes a tank 4 that stores the liquid material 26, and a supply unit 2 that includes a supply port 12 that discharges the liquid material 26 delivered from the tank 4. The receiving unit 3 that is provided integrally with the discharging unit 24 on the upper side of the discharging unit 24 and receives the liquid material 26 discharged from the supplying unit 2, and the X driving unit 43 and the Y driving unit that move the receiving unit 3 and the discharging unit 24 relative to each other. The apparatus 44 is a main component. In the automatic liquid supply mechanism 1, the tank 4 for storing the liquid material 26 is detachably fixed to the outside of the cover 33, and the supply unit 2 including the supply port 12 for discharging the liquid material 26 is fixed to the inside of the cover 33. Established. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving unit 3 that receives the liquid material 26 discharged from the supply unit 2 is provided integrally with the discharging device 24 above the discharging device 24, and is moved integrally by the X driving device 43. Is done. In the supply position where the beam 30 is moved to the vicinity of the receiving unit 3 by the Y driving device 44 and the receiving unit 3 integrated with the discharge device 24 is moved to the lower part of the supplying unit 2 by the X driving device 43, the receiving unit 3. Receives the supply of the liquid material 26 from the supply unit 2. When a plurality of ejection devices 24 are provided as shown in FIG. 2, the receiving unit 3 is provided for each ejection device 24.

  The tank 4 and the supply unit 2 are connected by a pipe 8A, and the receiving unit 3 and the discharge device 24 are connected by pipes 8B and 8C, and the supply unit 2 and the receiving unit 3 are separated from each other. A valve A9 for controlling the flow to the supply unit 2 is fixed between the tank 4 and the supply unit 2 near the corresponding supply unit 2 inside the cover 33. Below the tank 4, a detection device 7 for detecting the remaining amount of the liquid material 26 in the tank 4 is provided. The pipe 8 from the tank 4 to the supply unit 2 passes through the cover 33 in the immediate vicinity of the tank 4 and enters the cover 33. That is, only the tank 4 and the detection device 7 are installed outside the cover 33. By installing the tank 4, which is frequently filled or replaced, outside the cover 33, it is possible to reduce the number of particles brought into the cover 33 as much as possible. In addition, the work on the tank 4 can be performed even when the coating device 25 is performing the coating operation.

  The number of supply ports 12 in the automatic liquid supply mechanism 1 is preferably changed according to the number of ejection devices 24. This is because when the total width when a plurality of ejection devices 24 are arranged on one side of the beam 30 exceeds half of the stroke length in the left-right direction, the supply port 12 is provided at one position on the beam. This is because not all of the discharge devices 24 can be moved to the supply port 12. In this case, two or more supply ports 12 are provided so that the plurality of ejection devices 24 can move to any one of the supply ports 12.

  As described above, in the coating apparatus 25 according to the embodiment, the supply unit 2 and the receiving unit 3 are separated from each other, so that the pipe 8 does not move together with the discharge device 24 and the discharge unit driving device. Therefore, there is no problem that the piping is arranged longer for smooth driving or that the deterioration is accelerated by moving the piping.

Next, the details of the automatic liquid supply mechanism 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, a black arrow indicates a liquid flow, and a white arrow indicates a gas flow.
A supply pipe 13 having a supply port 12 for discharging the liquid material 26 sent from the tank 4 is installed in the supply unit 2. The supply pipe 13 is supported by the support member 14 in the middle, and is bent downward in the vicinity of the supply port 12. Here, the portion from the supply port 12 to the support member 14 is made of a material that can maintain a shape such as metal. Below the supply pipe 14, there is provided a shutter 15 for receiving excess liquid material 26 from the supply port 12. The shutter 15 is shaped like a handle with an open upper surface (a container with a handle), and is slid so as to be positioned directly below the supply port 12 except during supply.

  The receiving unit 3 is composed of three locations, the funnel 17 having the receiving port 16 for receiving the liquid material 26 supplied from the supply unit 3 at the highest position, and the liquid supplied at the lowest position. A bottle 18 for temporarily storing the material 26 and removing bubbles is provided. A valve B10 and a valve C11 that control the flow of the liquid are arranged side by side at a position intermediate between the funnel 17 and the bottle 18. The funnel 17 is opened so that the upper end becomes the receiving port 16, and the liquid material 26 is supplied dropwise from the supply port 12. Here, since the degree of cleanliness is maintained in the cover 33, there is no possibility that particles are mixed even if the receiving port 16 is opened upward.

The bubble-removing bottle 18 constitutes a bubble-removing mechanism 41 together with a pressure-reducing pump (not shown) connected to the working gas supply pipe 21. The pressure-reducing pump supplies a compressed gas that acts when the liquid material 26 is delivered from the bottle 18 to the discharge device 24 and a vacuum that acts when the bubbles of the liquid material 26 in the bottle 18 are removed.
Further, in the vicinity of the outer surface of the bottle 18, sensors for detecting the liquid level in the bottle 18 are provided at the upper limit position (reference numeral 22) and the lower limit position (reference numeral 23). The upper limit sensor 22 is disposed at a position below the outlet of the working gas supply pipe 21, and the lower limit sensor 23 is disposed at a position above the inlet of the outflow pipe 20. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the liquid material 26 from being sucked from the working gas supply pipe 21 and the gas from being sucked from the outflow pipe 20.

  The receiving unit 3 is provided at a position that is lower than the supply unit 2 and that does not come into contact with the supply unit 2 when the supply unit 2 moves below the receiving unit 3. A discharge device 24 is integrally provided below the receiving unit 3. The discharge device 24 is supplied with the liquid material 26 from which bubbles are removed by the receiving unit 3, and discharges the work 27. In this embodiment, a plunger-type discharge device is illustrated as the discharge device 24, but it is needless to say that a discharge device other than the plunger-type discharge device can be used. Applicable discharge devices include air type that applies a regulated air to a liquid material in a syringe having a nozzle at the tip for a desired time, a tubing type that has a flat tubing mechanism or a rotary tubing mechanism, and a liquid by rotating a screw. Examples include a screw type that discharges a material and a valve type that controls discharge of a liquid material to which a desired pressure is applied by opening and closing a valve.

  The plunger-type discharge device 24 according to the present embodiment includes a pipe-shaped measuring unit 36, a plunger 35 that is inscribed in the measuring unit 36, a nozzle 38 that includes a discharge port 39, a measuring unit 36, a nozzle 38, and a measuring unit 36. And a switching valve 37 for switching the communication of the inlet 40. Then, the plunger 35 that moves forward and backward in close contact with the inside of the measuring unit 36 is advanced and moved at a high speed, and the liquid material 26 is ejected and ejected from the ejection port 39.

A plurality of bubble removal mechanisms 41 may be provided to reliably prevent bubbles from being mixed.
Moreover, it may replace with or use together with the bubble removal mechanism 41 of a present Example, and you may make it provide the simple bubble removal mechanism which does not have the pressurization / decompression pump shown in FIG. Providing the inlet of the outflow pipe 20 at an upper position away from the bottom surface of the bubble removing container 18 can prevent inhalation of particles 42 that accumulate on the bottom surface or float near the bottom surface. Such a simple bubble removal mechanism is effective when it is necessary to reduce the size of the receiving unit 3.

1: liquid automatic supply mechanism, 2: supply unit, 3: receiving unit, 4: tank (liquid material storage unit), 5: compressed gas supply pipe, 6: liquid delivery pipe, 7: detection device, 8: piping, 9 : Valve A, 10: Valve B, 11: Valve C, 12: Supply port, 13: Supply pipe, 14: Support member, 15: Shutter, 16: Receiving port, 17: Funnel, 18: Bottle (Bubble removal container ), 19: Inflow pipe, 20: Outflow pipe, 21: Working gas supply pipe, 22: Upper limit sensor, 23: Lower limit sensor, 24: Discharge device, 25: Application device, 26: Liquid material, 27: Application object ( Work), 28: table, 29: mount, 30: beam, 31: beam moving direction, 32: discharge device moving direction, 33: cover, 34: air purifier, 35: plunger, 36: measuring unit, 37: switching Valve, 38: nozzle, 39: discharge port, 40: Inlet, 41: bubble removal mechanism, 42: particle, 43: receiving section drive unit (X drive), 44: beam driving device (Y drive)

Claims (12)

A liquid reservoir for storing liquid material;
A supply unit having a supply port for supplying the liquid material stored in the liquid storage unit;
A receiving port having a receiving port for receiving the liquid material discharged from the supplying unit and a bubble removing mechanism;
A receiving unit driving device for moving the receiving unit;
The receiving unit moves to a receiving position where the receiving port is located immediately below the supplying port, receives a drop supply of the liquid material from the supplying port, and supplies the liquid material from which bubbles are removed by the bubble removing mechanism to the discharge device. Automatic liquid supply mechanism.   The bubble removing mechanism includes a bubble removing container for storing a liquid material, an inflow pipe having one end immersed in the liquid stored in the bubble removing container and the other end communicating with the receiving port, and one end for removing the bubble. 2. The automatic liquid supply mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising an outflow pipe immersed in the liquid stored in the container and having the other end communicated with the discharge device.   The bubble removing mechanism includes a pump device that depressurizes the bubble removing container, and a working gas supply pipe having one end connected to the pump device and the other end disposed in a space in the bubble removing container. The automatic liquid supply mechanism according to claim 2.   4. The automatic liquid supply mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising a detection device that detects the amount of the liquid material in the liquid storage section and / or the bubble removing container.   The automatic liquid supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiving port has an opening having an enlarged diameter and is capable of temporarily storing a certain amount of liquid material.   The automatic liquid supply according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a liquid material receiving member that moves forward and backward between a first position directly below the supply port and a second position different from the first position. mechanism.   7. A pinch valve for controlling a supply amount of the liquid material from the liquid storage unit to the supply unit and / or a pinch valve for controlling a supply amount of the liquid material from the receiving unit to the discharge device. The liquid automatic supply mechanism according to any one of the above. A gantry with a table for holding the workpiece;
A discharge device having a nozzle for discharging a liquid material;
A drive device for relatively moving the discharge device and the table;
A coating apparatus comprising the liquid automatic supply mechanism according to claim 1. A beam provided with a plurality of ejection devices;
An ejection unit driving device that enables each ejection device to move along the extending direction of the beam;
The coating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the number of the receiving units is the same as the number of ejection apparatuses.   The coating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of the supply units are provided.   The coating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a cover that covers the table and the discharge device. The coating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the liquid storage unit is disposed outside the cover.