JP2012103576A - Cleaning method and device for manufacturing color filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning method for favorably solving problems of contamination in a flow passage of an ink and clogging in a droplet discharge head of a droplet discharge device used for manufacturing a color filter.SOLUTION: The cleaning method includes steps of: substituting a cleaning liquid for an ink for a color filter in a flow passage of a droplet discharge device; discharging the substituted cleaning liquid into a dot array on an inspection object; acquiring an electronic image of the dot array formed on the inspection object; image processing the electronic image and acquiring a center position of each dot in terms of an X-coordinate and a Y-coordinate, wherein a direction approximately parallel to the dot array is defined as an X-axis direction and a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is defined as a Y-axis direction; determining a first reference line by a least square method based on the X-coordinate and the Y-coordinate of the center of each dot; and acquiring information relating to a displacement quantity of each dot in the Y-axis direction by acquiring a distance between the first reference line and the center of each dot.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a color filter manufacturing apparatus.

A color filter is generally used for a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like that performs color display.
A color filter has conventionally formed a coating film composed of a material (colored layer forming composition) containing a colorant, a photosensitive resin, a functional monomer, a polymerization initiator, etc. on a substrate, and then a photomask. It has been manufactured by using a so-called photolithography method in which a photosensitive process, a developing process, and the like are performed. In such a method, the colors are usually overlapped by repeating the operation of forming a coating film corresponding to each color on almost the entire surface of the substrate, curing only a part thereof, and removing most of the other part. Manufacture color filters so that they do not match. For this reason, only a part of the coating film formed in the process of manufacturing the color filter remains as a colored layer in the finally obtained color filter, and the most part is removed in the manufacturing process. It will be. For this reason, not only the manufacturing cost of a color filter rises but it is not preferable also from a viewpoint of resource saving.
On the other hand, in recent years, a method of forming a colored layer of a color filter using an ink jet head (droplet discharge head) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a method, waste of the material for forming the colored layer (colored layer forming composition) can be reduced, so that the burden on the environment can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. it can.

  By the way, a droplet discharge device (for industrial use) used for manufacturing a color filter is completely different from that applied to a printer (for consumer use). For example, mass production or large work (substrate) is performed. Therefore, it is required to eject a large amount of droplets for a long time. In addition, in order to improve the adhesion of the colored layer (colored portion) to be formed to the substrate, the color filter ink used in the production of the color filter generally includes a resin material (binder resin). Therefore, the viscosity is higher than that of ink used in a printer (for consumer use), and the load on the droplet discharge device (particularly, near the head) accompanying the droplet discharge is large. In addition, in a droplet discharge device (industrial use) used for manufacturing a color filter, a component (for example, a resin material) contained in the ink adheres to the ink flow path, whereby the ink is supplied to the droplet discharge head. The supply becomes unstable and the discharge port of the droplet discharge head is clogged. As a result, the discharge amount of the droplet becomes unstable and the flying curve of the droplet occurs. Cheap. For this reason, for example, a method (flushing) performed by discharging droplets on a portion without a substrate (work) for a color filter of the droplet discharge apparatus or a droplet discharge head using a suction unit. By a method of forcibly sucking ink, aggregates and adhering substances existing in the droplet discharge head and the ink flow path are removed, and dirt and clogging due to ink and the like are eliminated. However, with only such a method, the aggregates and deposits cannot be sufficiently removed. When the droplets are discharged again, the remaining aggregates and deposits flow into the head, and in a relatively short period of time, There has been a problem that the discharge amount of the droplet becomes unstable and the discharge port becomes clogged again. In such a case, it is necessary to frequently replace the droplet discharge head and other members, and the productivity of the color filter is extremely reduced. In addition, in order to reliably remove aggregates and deposits, it may be possible to treat with a strong cleaning solution for a long time. However, this method increases the time required for cleaning and produces color filters. As well as significant damage to the droplet discharge device, resulting in a shortened life of the droplet discharge device.

JP 2002-372613 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning method that can suitably eliminate stains in the ink flow path of a color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus) used for manufacturing a color filter and clogging of a droplet discharge head. Another object of the present invention is to provide a color filter manufacturing apparatus that can be suitably used for manufacturing color filters over a long period of time.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
The cleaning method of the present invention is a method of cleaning a droplet discharge device used for discharging color filter ink,
A cleaning liquid replacement step of replacing the color filter ink in the flow path of the droplet discharge device with a cleaning liquid;
A discharge step of discharging the substituted cleaning liquid onto the object to be inspected in a dot row; and
An image acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image of a dot row formed on the inspection object;
By processing the electronic image, the X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot when the direction substantially parallel to the dot row is the X-axis direction and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction A dot coordinate acquisition step for acquiring
A first reference line determination step for determining a first reference line by a least square method based on the X coordinate and Y coordinate of the center of each dot;
A Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining step for obtaining information on a positional deviation amount of each dot in the Y-axis direction by obtaining a distance between the first reference straight line and the center of each dot. Features.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide a cleaning method that can suitably eliminate stains in the ink flow path of the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus) used for manufacturing the color filter and clogging of the droplet discharge head. . In addition, the positional deviation of the dots obtained by the droplets of the cleaning liquid ejected from the nozzles of the liquid droplet ejection head landing on the object to be inspected, particularly the positional deviation in the direction substantially perpendicular to the dot rows, Since simple, quick and accurate detection is possible without requiring complicated control, the time, labor, and cost required for parts other than the production of the original color filter by the droplet discharge device can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the original color filter can be reduced.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates, the X coordinate of the center of each dot is a coordinate value in one coordinate axis direction of the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates, and the coordinate values in the other coordinate axis direction are equally spaced. A point cloud assumption step that assumes a point cloud;
A second reference line determination step for determining a second reference line for the point group by a least square method;
X-axis for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the X-axis direction by obtaining the distance in the one coordinate axis direction between each point of the point group and the second reference straight line It is preferable to further include a direction deviation amount acquisition step.
Thereby, since it is possible to further detect the positional deviation of the dots in the direction substantially parallel to the dot row, it is possible to analyze the positional deviation of the dots more accurately and perform more appropriate cleaning.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, when the displacement amount in the X-axis direction obtained in the X-axis direction displacement amount acquisition step exceeds a predetermined value, the discharge step or the X-axis direction displacement amount acquisition is further performed. It is preferable to repeat the steps.
As a result, necessary and sufficient cleaning can be performed more reliably, and the reliability of the manufactured color filter, the productivity of the color filter, and the like can be further improved.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, when the displacement amount in the Y-axis direction obtained in the Y-axis direction displacement amount acquisition step exceeds a predetermined value, the discharge step or the Y-axis direction displacement amount acquisition is further performed. It is preferable to repeat the steps.
As a result, necessary and sufficient cleaning can be performed more reliably, and the reliability of the manufactured color filter, the productivity of the color filter, and the like can be further improved.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, the cleaning liquid preferably contains a compound A represented by the following formula (1).

  Thereby, it is possible to clean efficiently in a short time while more suitably preventing damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus). In addition, an electronic image can be acquired more accurately, and information regarding the amount of dot misregistration can be acquired as more accurate information, so that more appropriate cleaning can be performed. Moreover, the replacement with the color filter ink is easy, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining in the flow path of the color filter ink after the replacement with the color filter ink. The productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent, and the reliability of the produced color filter can be made particularly excellent.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, the cleaning liquid preferably contains a compound B represented by the following formula (2).

  Thereby, it is possible to clean efficiently in a short time while more suitably preventing damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus). In addition, an electronic image can be acquired more accurately, and information regarding the amount of dot misregistration can be acquired as more accurate information, so that more appropriate cleaning can be performed. Moreover, the replacement with the color filter ink is easy, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining in the flow path of the color filter ink after the replacement with the color filter ink. The productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent, and the reliability of the produced color filter can be made particularly excellent.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, it is preferable that the cleaning liquid further contains a solvent component constituting the color filter ink in addition to the compound B.
As a result, damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus) can be prevented more suitably, and replacement with the color filter ink is easy, and after replacement with the color filter ink, Since it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining in the ink flow path, the overall productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent, and the reliability of the manufactured color filter can be improved. Can be made particularly excellent.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, in the image acquisition step, a plurality of electronic images are taken while changing the relative position of the inspection object and the camera along the dot row,
In the dot coordinate acquisition step, it is preferable that the coordinates of all the captured dots are integrated into one coordinate system by integrating the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images.
Thereby, even when an electronic image of a dot row is acquired using a camera with a limited shooting field, it is possible to easily and accurately detect a positional deviation of dots with respect to a long dot row.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, in the image acquisition step, when photographing the plurality of electronic images, photographing is performed so that at least one identical dot is included in two adjacent images,
In the dot coordinate acquisition step, the coordinate system of the plurality of electronic images is obtained by integrating the coordinate systems of both images so that the coordinates of the dots commonly included in two adjacent images are the same. It is preferable to integrate.
Thereby, even when an electronic image of a dot row is acquired using a camera with a limited shooting field, it is possible to easily and accurately detect a positional deviation of dots with respect to a long dot row.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, it is preferable that the dot coordinate acquisition step performs a process of correcting distortion based on aberrations of an optical system that has taken an electronic image.
As a result, distortion based on aberrations (for example, pincushion distortion, barrel distortion, etc.) occurring in the electronic image of the dot row is corrected, and more accurate coordinates of each dot can be obtained. It can be detected with high accuracy, and more appropriate cleaning can be performed.

The color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a color filter manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturing a color filter,
An ink channel through which color filter ink flows;
A droplet discharge head for discharging droplets of the color filter ink;
A cleaning liquid storage tank for storing the cleaning liquid supplied to the ink flow path;
An image acquisition means for acquiring an electronic image of a dot row formed by discharging the cleaning liquid onto the inspection object from the droplet discharge head;
By processing the electronic image, the X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot when the direction substantially parallel to the dot row is the X-axis direction and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction Dot coordinate acquisition means for acquiring
First reference line determining means for determining a first reference line by a least square method based on the X coordinate and Y coordinate of the center of each dot;
Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining means for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the Y-axis direction by obtaining a distance between the first reference line and the center of each dot. Features.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide a color filter manufacturing apparatus that can be suitably used for manufacturing a color filter over a long period of time while suitably eliminating stains in the ink flow path and clogging of the droplet discharge head. In addition, the positional deviation of the dots obtained by the droplets of the cleaning liquid ejected from the nozzles of the liquid droplet ejection head landing on the object to be inspected, particularly the positional deviation in the direction substantially perpendicular to the dot rows, Since simple, quick and accurate detection is possible without requiring complicated control, the time, labor, and cost required for parts other than the production of the original color filter by the droplet discharge device can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the original color filter can be reduced.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate, the X coordinate of the center of each dot is set as the coordinate value in one coordinate axis direction of the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate, and the coordinate value in the other coordinate axis direction is equally spaced. Point cloud assumption means for assuming the point cloud,
A second reference line determining means for determining a second reference line by a least square method for the point group;
X-axis for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the X-axis direction by obtaining the distance in the one coordinate axis direction between each point of the point group and the second reference straight line It is preferable to further include a direction deviation amount acquisition unit.
As a result, it is possible to further detect the positional deviation of the dots in a direction substantially parallel to the dot row, so that it is possible to analyze the positional deviation of the dots more accurately and perform more appropriate cleaning for a long period of time. A stable color filter can be manufactured.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the image acquisition means captures a plurality of electronic images while changing the relative position between the inspection object and the camera along the dot row,
The dot coordinate acquisition means preferably integrates the coordinates of all the captured dots into one coordinate system by integrating the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images.
Thereby, even when an electronic image of a dot row is acquired using a camera with a limited shooting field, it is possible to easily and accurately detect a positional deviation of dots with respect to a long dot row.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, when the image acquisition unit captures the plurality of electronic images, the image acquisition unit performs imaging so that at least one identical dot is included in two adjacent images,
The dot coordinate acquisition unit integrates the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images by integrating the coordinate systems of both images so that the coordinates of the dots commonly included in two adjacent images are the same. It is preferable to do.
Thereby, even when an electronic image of a dot row is acquired using a camera with a limited shooting field, it is possible to easily and accurately detect a positional deviation of dots with respect to a long dot row.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the dot coordinate acquisition unit performs a process of correcting distortion based on the aberration of the optical system that captured the electronic image.
As a result, distortion based on aberrations (for example, pincushion distortion, barrel distortion, etc.) occurring in the electronic image of the dot row is corrected, and more accurate coordinates of each dot can be obtained. The color filter can be detected with high accuracy, and a stable color filter can be produced over a long period of time while performing more appropriate cleaning.

It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of the droplet discharge apparatus which comprises the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this invention. It is the figure which observed the droplet discharge means in the droplet discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the stage side. It is a figure which shows the bottom face (nozzle surface) of the droplet discharge head in the droplet discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a droplet discharge head in the droplet discharge apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, in which FIG. It is a top view which shows embodiment of the dot shift | offset | difference detection apparatus which comprises the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen along the AA line of FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the dot deviation detection device shown in FIG. 5. It is a top view which shows the dot row formed on the to-be-inspected object. It is a flowchart which shows the cleaning method of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an image acquisition step. It is a figure for demonstrating an image acquisition step. It is a figure which shows the coordinate of the center of each dot of a dot row. It is a figure which shows the 1st reference straight line. It is a figure which shows the point group for detecting the X-axis direction deviation | shift amount. It is a figure which shows a 2nd reference straight line.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a droplet discharge device constituting a color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of droplet discharge means in the droplet discharge device shown in FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a bottom surface (nozzle surface) of a droplet ejection head in the droplet ejection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a droplet ejection head in the droplet ejection device shown in FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional perspective view, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a dot deviation detection device constituting the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line -A, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the dot deviation detecting device shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing dot rows formed on the inspection object.

The color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment includes a droplet discharge device 100 and a dot deviation detection device 200.
The droplet discharge device 100 includes an ink flow channel through which the color filter ink 2 such as a tube 110 circulates, a droplet discharge head 114 that discharges droplets of the color filter ink 2, and a cleaning liquid supplied to the ink flow channel. And a cleaning liquid storage tank 133 for storing 4.

  The dot shift detection device 200 includes a camera 203 as an image acquisition unit that acquires an electronic image of a dot row 222 formed by discharging the cleaning liquid 4 from the droplet discharge head 114 onto the inspection object 220, and the electronic image. The X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot 221 are obtained when the direction substantially parallel to the dot row 222 is the X axis direction and the direction orthogonal to the X axis direction is the Y axis direction. Dot coordinate acquisition means (image processing means 223 and control means 210) to perform, and a first reference straight line determination that determines a first reference straight line by a least square method based on the X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot 221 By calculating the distance between the means (control means 210) and the first reference straight line and the center of each dot, the positional deviation amount of each dot in the Y-axis direction is obtained. Y-axis direction shift amount obtaining means for obtaining information is intended and a (control means 210).

First, the configuration of the droplet discharge device 100 and the operation of the droplet discharge device 100 at the time of manufacturing the color filter (when applying the color filter ink) will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 1, a droplet discharge device 100 includes a tank 101 that holds color filter ink 2, a tube 110, and a discharge scanning unit that is supplied with color filter ink 2 from the tank 101 via the tube 110. 102. The ejection scanning unit 102 includes a droplet ejection unit 103 in which a plurality of droplet ejection heads (inkjet heads) 114 are mounted on a carriage 105, and a first position control device 104 (movement) that controls the position of the droplet ejection unit 103. Means), a stage 106 for holding a substrate (hereinafter also simply referred to as “substrate”) 11 on which a partition wall is formed, a second position control device 108 (moving means) for controlling the position of the stage 106, and control means. 112. The tank 101 and a plurality of droplet discharge heads 114 in the droplet discharge means 103 are connected by a tube 110, and the color filter ink 2 is compressed by compressed air from the tank 101 to each of the plurality of droplet discharge heads 114. Supplied.

The first position control device 104 moves the droplet discharge means 103 along the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in response to a signal from the control means 112. Further, the first position control device 104 also has a function of rotating the droplet discharge means 103 around an axis parallel to the Z axis. In the present embodiment, the Z-axis direction is a direction parallel to the vertical direction (that is, the direction of gravitational acceleration). The second position controller 108 moves the stage 106 along the Y-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in response to a signal from the control unit 112. Further, the second position control device 108 also has a function of rotating the stage 106 around an axis parallel to the Z axis.
The stage 106 has a plane parallel to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The stage 106 is configured so that the substrate 11 having cells to which the color filter ink 2 is to be applied can be fixed or held on the plane.

As described above, the droplet discharge means 103 is moved in the X-axis direction by the first position control device 104. On the other hand, the stage 106 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the second position control device 108. That is, the first position controller 104 and the second position controller 108 change the relative position of the droplet discharge head 114 with respect to the stage 106 (the substrate 11 held on the stage 106 and the droplet discharge means 103 are relative to each other). To go to).
The control unit 112 is configured to receive ejection data representing a relative position where the color filter ink 2 is to be ejected from an external information processing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the droplet discharge means 103 includes a plurality of droplet discharge heads 114 each having substantially the same structure, and a carriage 105 that holds these droplet discharge heads 114. In the present embodiment, the number of droplet discharge heads 114 held by the droplet discharge means 103 is eight. Each droplet discharge head 114 has a bottom surface provided with a plurality of nozzles 118 described later. The shape of the bottom surface of each droplet discharge head 114 is a polygon having two long sides and two short sides. The bottom surface of the droplet discharge head 114 held by the droplet discharge means 103 faces the stage 106 side, and the long side direction and the short side direction of the droplet discharge head 114 are respectively an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction. Parallel to the direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the droplet discharge head 114 has a nozzle row 116 in which a plurality of nozzles 118 arranged in the X-axis direction are arranged in one row or two rows (one row in the drawing) at a predetermined nozzle pitch S. ing. Although the specific value of the nozzle pitch S is not specifically limited, For example, it can be 50 micrometers or more and 90 micrometers or less.
In the droplet discharge means 103 of the present embodiment, the droplet discharge head 114 is disposed so as to cover the entire length of the substrate 11 in the X-axis direction. A part of the length of the substrate 11 corresponding to the dimension in the X-axis direction may be covered.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each droplet discharge head 114 is an inkjet head. More specifically, each droplet discharge head 114 includes a vibration plate 126 and a nozzle plate 128. Between the diaphragm 126 and the nozzle plate 128, a liquid pool 129 in which the color filter ink 2 supplied from the tank 101 through the hole 131 is always filled is located.

  In addition, a plurality of partition walls 122 are located between the diaphragm 126 and the nozzle plate 128. A portion surrounded by the diaphragm 126, the nozzle plate 128, and the pair of partition walls 122 is a cavity 120. Since the cavities 120 are provided corresponding to the nozzles 118, the number of the cavities 120 and the number of the nozzles 118 are the same. The color filter ink 2 is supplied from the liquid pool 129 to the cavity 120 through the supply port 130 positioned between the pair of partition walls 122.

  Further, the vicinity of the nozzle 118 of the nozzle plate 128 is covered with a silica film having an alkyl fluoride group in the vicinity of the surface. As a result, the nozzle 118 has excellent liquid repellency and can repel the ink 2 particularly preferably. In particular, since the nozzle plate 128 has such a silica film, solid adhesion in the vicinity of the nozzle 118 can be prevented. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of flight bends during droplet ejection, fluctuations in the amount of droplets, and clogging of the nozzle 118, and the ejection of droplets of the color filter ink 2 over an extremely long period of time. The property can be made particularly excellent.

  On the diaphragm 126, the vibrator 124 is positioned corresponding to each cavity 120. The vibrator 124 includes a piezoelectric element 124C and a pair of electrodes 124A and 124B that sandwich the piezoelectric element 124C. By applying a driving voltage between the pair of electrodes 124A and 124B, the color filter ink 2 is ejected from the corresponding nozzle 118. The shape of the nozzle 118 is adjusted so that the color filter ink 2 is ejected from the nozzle 118 in the Z-axis direction.

  The control means 112 (see FIG. 1) may be configured to give a signal to each of the plurality of vibrators 124 independently of each other. That is, the volume of the color filter ink 2 ejected from the nozzle 118 may be controlled for each nozzle 118 in accordance with a signal from the control unit 112. The control unit 112 can also set the nozzle 118 that performs the ejection operation during the application scan and the nozzle 118 that does not perform the ejection operation.

In this specification, a portion including one nozzle 118, a cavity 120 corresponding to the nozzle 118, and a vibrator 124 corresponding to the cavity 120 may be referred to as “ejection unit 127”. According to this notation, one droplet discharge head 114 has the same number of discharge units 127 as the number of nozzles 118.
In the configuration shown in the drawing, the droplet discharge device 100 has only one tank 101 for holding the color filter ink 2, a tube 110, and the like, but these members have a plurality of colors that the color filter has. It may have a plurality of colors corresponding to the colored portion. In the production of the color filter, a plurality of droplet discharge devices 100 corresponding to the color filter inks 2 of a plurality of colors may be used.
In the present invention, the droplet discharge head 114 may use an electrostatic actuator as a driving element instead of a piezoelectric element. The droplet discharge head 114 may be configured to use an electrothermal conversion element as a drive element and discharge the color filter ink 2 using thermal expansion of a material by the electrothermal conversion element.

  Further, the droplet discharge device 100 has an ink storage tank 132 and a cleaning liquid storage tank 133 as shown in FIG. The ink storage tank 132 stores the color filter ink 2, and the cleaning liquid storage tank 133 stores the cleaning liquid 4. At the time of droplet discharge, the color filter ink 2 is transported to the tank 101 by the transport path 134 and used for manufacturing the color filter. Further, at the time of cleaning, the cleaning liquid 4 is transported to the tank 101 by the transport path 134 and is stored after being replaced with the color filter ink 2. The stored cleaning liquid 4 is stored along the flow path of the color filter ink 2. By flowing, the flow path of the color filter ink 2 in the tank 101, the tube 110, the droplet discharge means 103 and the like is cleaned. By having the ink storage tank 132 and the cleaning liquid storage tank 133 in this way, the ink flow path can be cleaned more easily and reliably. In addition, the color filter ink 2 can be efficiently flowed after cleaning, and the cleaning liquid 4 can be quickly replaced with the color filter ink 2. As a result, the droplet discharge device 100 can be operated efficiently, and the productivity of the color filter can be improved.

Next, a dot shift detection device that constitutes a color filter manufacturing device will be described.
The dot deviation detection device 200 shown in FIG. 5 is discharged from the nozzle 118 of the droplet discharge head (inkjet head) 114 after replacing the color filter ink 2 in the flow path of the droplet discharge device 100 with the cleaning liquid 4. The positional deviation of the dots 221 obtained by the droplets of the cleaning liquid 4 landing on the inspection object 220 is detected. According to this dot deviation detection device 200, it is possible to discover that a discharge abnormality such as a flying bend of the droplet of the cleaning liquid 4 has occurred in the droplet discharge head 114, and thus, at the time of manufacturing a color filter. It can be determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the droplet ejection of the color filter ink 2, and thus an appropriate cleaning process can be performed. As a result, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 100 (droplet ejection apparatus) 100) can contribute to the improvement of the yield of the color filter manufactured. In the present invention, the positional deviation of the dots of the cleaning liquid is detected instead of detecting the positional deviation of the dots formed by the color filter ink itself. Thereby, for example, the following effects can be obtained. In other words, after performing the cleaning process and replacing the cleaning liquid in the flow path with the color filter ink, if a color filter ink ejection failure (dot misalignment exceeding the allowable range, etc.) occurs, There is a problem in that the color filter ink and the cleaning liquid are wasted and the color filter productivity is reduced by stopping the production of the color filter itself. It was. In order to prevent such a problem, it may be possible to perform a cleaning process using a sufficient amount of time and a sufficient amount of cleaning liquid. In such a case, as in the above case, the cleaning liquid is consumed more than necessary. This is not only undesirable from the viewpoint of resource saving and productivity, but also results in damaging the droplet discharge device more than necessary. On the other hand, in the present invention, instead of detecting the positional deviation of the dots formed by the color filter ink itself, in order to detect the positional deviation of the dots of the cleaning liquid, it is possible to perform a necessary and sufficient cleaning process, The occurrence of the above problems can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 5, the dot deviation detection device 200 includes an inspection table 202 that holds a flat or sheet-like inspection object 220 and a horizontal direction (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction) above the inspection table 202. The camera 203 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and moving means 204 for moving the camera 203 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
In this case, the left-right direction in FIG. 5 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 6) is the X-axis direction, the up-down direction in FIG. 5 (left-right direction in FIG. 6) is the Y-axis direction, and perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. The direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6) is the Z-axis direction.

  As the inspection object 220, for example, a glass substrate, a metal plate, a synthetic resin sheet, paper, or the like can be used. Is preferred. Accordingly, an electronic image can be acquired more accurately, and information regarding the amount of dot misregistration can be acquired as a more accurate one, so that more appropriate cleaning can be performed.

The inspection table 202 is fixed to the upper part of a base (not shown), and has a horizontal holding surface 202a on the upper surface side, and the inspection object 220 is vacuum-adsorbed on the upper surface of the holding surface 202a. It is held by the holding means.
The camera 203 has, for example, a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS sensor, and a camera lens. The camera 203 captures an electronic image of an area including a plurality of dots 221 on the inspection object 220.

  The moving unit 204 includes a support plate 205 that supports the camera 203, a Z-axis direction moving unit 206 that supports the camera 203 via the support plate 205 so that the camera 203 can move in the Z-axis direction and can be positioned at a predetermined position, An X-axis direction moving unit 207 that supports the camera 203 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction and to be positioned at a predetermined position via the direction moving unit 206 and the support plate 205, an X-axis direction moving unit 207, and a Z-axis direction moving unit. Y-axis direction moving means 208 is provided for supporting the camera 203 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction and to be positioned at a predetermined position via 206 and a support plate 205.

The X-axis direction moving means 207 and the Y-axis direction moving means 208 of the moving means 204 are inspected on the inspection table 202 as the camera 203 moves the entire length in the X-axis direction and the entire length in the Y-axis direction of the inspection table 202 The movement range is set so that all the dots 221 on the object 220 can be captured.
Examples of the X-axis direction moving unit 207 and the Y-axis direction moving unit 208 include a configuration using a linear motor, and the Z-axis direction moving unit 206 includes a configuration using a feed screw mechanism, for example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any other one having a similar function may be used.

As shown in FIG. 7, the dot shift detection device 200 further includes an image processing unit 223, a display 224 as an output unit, and an external storage device 225.
The image processing unit 223 has a function of acquiring the coordinates of each dot 221 and measuring the area of each dot 221 by performing image processing on an electronic image of the dot row 222 captured by the camera 203. Yes.

The display 224 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube), a liquid crystal display, and the like, and displays, for example, an operation screen, a data input screen, an image of a dot row 222 captured by the camera 203, a dot shift detection result, and the like. be able to.
The external storage device 225 includes, for example, an FDD (Floppy Disk Drive (“Floppy” is a registered trademark)).

  The control unit 210 controls the moving unit 204, the image processing unit 223, and the display 224, respectively. The control unit 210 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2101 and a storage unit (storage unit) 2102. The storage unit 2102 includes a storage medium (recording medium) that can be read by the CPU 2101, and the storage medium includes a magnetic or optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 8, droplets of the cleaning liquid 4 are ejected onto the object 220 to be inspected using the droplet ejection device 100, and each droplet ejected from each nozzle 118 of the droplet ejection head 114 is ejected. Landing dots 221 are arranged on the inspection object 220 to form a dot row 222.
The eleven dots 221 shown in FIG. 8 are a part of the dot row 222, and the dot row 222 continues for a longer time.

In the droplet discharge device 100 that discharges droplets of the cleaning liquid 4 onto the inspection object 220, the droplet discharge head 114 is installed in such a posture that the nozzle row 116 does not tilt. When the dot row 222 is formed by discharging droplets, the normal value of the dot interval in the dot row 222 is equal to the nozzle pitch S.
On the other hand, the droplet discharge heads 114 are installed with the nozzle row 116 inclined, and the droplets of the cleaning liquid 4 are discharged from each nozzle 118 with a time difference while scanning the droplet discharge heads 114. When the dot row 222 is formed by the above, the normal value of the dot interval in the dot row 222 is Scos θ, where θ is the inclination angle of the nozzle row 116.
In the present embodiment, the normal value of the dot interval in the dot row 222 is assumed to be equal to the nozzle pitch S.

9 is a flowchart showing the cleaning method of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the image acquisition step, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the image acquisition step, and FIG. 12 is each dot of the dot row. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first reference line, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a point group for detecting the amount of deviation in the X-axis direction, and FIG. 15 is a second reference line. FIG.
Hereinafter, each step of the cleaning method performed by the color filter manufacturing apparatus provided with the above-described droplet discharge device 100 and dot deviation detection device 200 will be described in order.

[1] Cleaning Liquid Replacement Step First, the color filter ink 2 in the flow path of the color filter ink 2 in the droplet discharge device 100 is replaced with the cleaning liquid 4.
At this time, the replacement of the color filter ink 2 with the cleaning liquid 4 may be performed directly. For example, the color filter ink 2 is temporarily replaced with another liquid (for example, the color filter ink 2 The solvent may be replaced with a liquid containing the same components as the solvent and the dispersion medium component, and then the liquid may be replaced with the cleaning liquid 4. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent adverse effects such as precipitation of solids dissolved or dispersed in the color filter ink due to a shock caused by the color filter ink 2 remaining in the flow path coming into contact with the cleaning liquid 4. be able to.
Further, the heated cleaning liquid 4 may be introduced, or the cleaning liquid 4 may be heated after the cleaning liquid 4 is introduced into the flow path. Further, the flow path replaced with the cleaning liquid 4 may be subjected to vibration processing such as ultrasonic vibration. This makes it easier to remove the dirt attached to the flow path.
The cleaning liquid preferably contains the compound A represented by the following formula (1).

Compound A is a compound that has a higher detergency of foreign matter having a viscosity lower than that of ink and a surface tension of the same level as ink. Thereby, it is possible to clean efficiently in a short time while more suitably preventing damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus 100). In addition, since it is possible to eject from the inkjet head without greatly changing the conditions such as the voltage used in the ink, an electronic image can be acquired more accurately, and more information on the positional deviation amount of the dots 221 can be obtained. Therefore, more appropriate cleaning can be performed. Further, the replacement with the color filter ink 2 is easy, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid 4 from remaining in the flow path of the color filter ink 2 after the replacement with the color filter ink 2. The productivity of the color filter as a whole can be made particularly excellent, and the reliability of the produced color filter can be made particularly excellent.
Further, the cleaning liquid may contain a compound B represented by the following formula (2).

  Thereby, it is possible to clean efficiently in a short time while more suitably preventing damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus 100). In addition, since an electronic image can be acquired more accurately and information on the amount of positional deviation of the dots 221 can be acquired as more accurate information, more appropriate cleaning can be performed. Further, the replacement with the color filter ink 2 is easy, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid 4 from remaining in the flow path of the color filter ink 2 after the replacement with the color filter ink 2. The productivity of the color filter as a whole can be made particularly excellent, and the reliability of the produced color filter can be made particularly excellent.

  Further, when the cleaning liquid 4 contains the compound B, it is preferable to further contain a solvent component constituting the color filter ink. As a result, damage to the color filter manufacturing apparatus (droplet discharge apparatus 100) can be prevented more suitably, and replacement with the color filter ink 2 is easy because the surface tension is close to that of the color filter ink 2. Since it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining in the flow path of the color filter ink 2 after replacement with the color filter ink 2, the overall productivity of the color filter is particularly excellent. In addition, the reliability of the manufactured color filter can be made particularly excellent.

[2] Discharge Step Next, in the same manner as the droplet discharge onto the substrate 11 of the color filter ink 2 described above, the replacement cleaning liquid 4 is removed from the droplet discharge head 114 of the droplet discharge apparatus 100 using the inspection object. The ink is discharged to 220 to form a dot row 222.

[3] Image Acquisition Step In the image acquisition step, the dot deviation detection device 200 acquires an electronic image of the dot row 222 formed on the inspection object 220. At this time, the camera 203 functions as an image acquisition unit. In this image acquisition step, the inspection object 220 is held on the inspection table 202 in such a posture that the dot row 222 is substantially parallel to the X-axis direction. Then, the X-axis direction moving means 207 and the Y-axis direction moving means 208 of the moving means 204 are driven to position the camera 203 above the dot row 222 on the inspection object 220 and drive the Z-axis direction moving means 206. Then, the camera 203 is moved in the vertical direction, the camera 203 is focused on the dot row 222 on the inspection object 220, and the camera 203 is fixed at the focused position.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, only up to five dots 221 enter the shooting field 230 of the camera 203. Therefore, in order to obtain an electronic image of the entire dot array 222, the X-axis direction moving means 207 is operated to move the camera 203 in the X-axis direction, whereby the relative position between the inspection object 220 and the camera 203 is determined. Shooting a plurality of times while changing along 222. In the first (first) shooting, the fifth dot 221 from the left in the figure is shot.

  Next, the camera 203 is moved along the dot row 222 by a distance of four times the dot interval, that is, four times the nozzle pitch S in the X-axis direction (right direction in the figure), and the second shooting is performed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the fifth to ninth dots 221 from the left in the drawing enter the shooting field 230 of the camera 203. That is, the fifth dot 221 from the left indicated by a in the figure is included in both the first image and the second image.

Similarly, while the camera 203 is moved along the dot row 222, the third and subsequent shootings are performed, and the shooting is repeated until the entire dot row 222 can be shot. At this time, photographing is performed so that one identical dot 221 is included in two adjacent images. In the present invention, photographing may be performed so that two or more identical dots are included in two adjacent images.
Image data of a plurality of electronic images captured by the camera 203 in this way is taken into the storage unit 2231 included in the image processing unit 223.

[4] Dot Coordinate Acquisition Step In the dot coordinate acquisition step, the image processing means 223 obtains the center 2211 of each dot 221 by performing image processing on each electronic image captured by the camera 203, and the center of each dot 221. The X coordinate and Y coordinate of 2211 are determined.
Next, processing for correcting distortion based on aberrations of an optical system such as a lens of the camera 203 (for example, pincushion distortion, barrel distortion, etc.) is performed. This process can be performed by a known method. For example, a subject having a regular pattern is photographed in advance using the camera 203, and a correction amount for converting the distortion of the photographed image into a correct coordinate is grasped. Data (a data table or an arithmetic expression) is prepared, and the coordinates of the center 2211 of each dot 221 are converted into correct coordinates in light of the data.

  As described above, by performing the process of correcting the distortion based on the aberration of the camera 203, the positional deviation of the dots 221 can be detected with higher accuracy. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a stable color filter over a long period of time while performing more appropriate cleaning. Note that when the distortion based on the aberration of the camera 203 is small and the error is small, this correction processing may not be performed.

  When the X and Y coordinates of the center 2211 of each dot 221 are determined for each image, the coordinates of all the captured dots 221 are integrated into one coordinate system by integrating the coordinate systems of the plurality of images. The integration of the coordinate systems can be performed by performing coordinate conversion so that the coordinates of the dots 221 included in two adjacent images are the same. For example, when the coordinate system of the first photographed image (FIG. 10) and the second photographed image (FIG. 11) are integrated, the center 2211 of the dot 221 indicated by a in the figure that is included in both images in common. The coordinates may be converted so that the coordinates of are the same.

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12, the coordinates of the center 2211 of all the dots 221 in the dot row 222 can be integrated into one XY coordinate system. In the following description, the coordinate of the center 2211 of the i-th dot 221 from the left in the drawing in the coordinate system thus integrated is represented as (x _i , y _i ).
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the image processing unit 223 and the control unit 210 function as a dot coordinate acquisition unit that executes the dot coordinate acquisition step described above.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the image acquisition step, the image acquisition unit captures a plurality of electronic images while changing the relative position between the object to be inspected and the camera 203 along the dot row 222, and the dot coordinates. In the acquisition step, the dot coordinate acquisition unit integrates the coordinate systems of a plurality of electronic images, and integrates the coordinates of all the captured dots into one coordinate system. Thus, even when an electronic image of the dot row 222 is acquired using the camera 203 with a limited shooting field, the positional deviation of the dot 221 can be detected easily and accurately with respect to the long dot row 222. it can.

  Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, when the image acquisition unit captures a plurality of electronic images, at least one identical dot 221 is included in two adjacent images in the image acquisition step. In the dot coordinate acquisition step, the dot coordinate acquisition unit integrates the coordinate systems of both images so that the coordinates of the dots 221 included in the two adjacent images are the same. Integrate the coordinate system of multiple electronic images. Thus, even when an electronic image of the dot row 222 is acquired using a camera with a limited shooting field, it is possible to easily and accurately detect the positional deviation of the dots 221 with respect to the long dot row 222. .

[5] First Reference Line Determination Step Once the X and Y coordinates (x _i , y _i ) of the center of each dot 221 are obtained, the first reference line 226 is obtained by the least square method based on these coordinates. To decide. The first reference straight line 226 is obtained by calculating the constants A and B by the mathematical formula shown in FIG. 13 when the equation is Y = AX + B. In the formula, n is the number of dots 221.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the control unit 210 functions as a first reference line determination unit that executes the first reference line determination step described above.

[6] Y-axis direction deviation acquisition step Since the first reference straight line 226 is determined by combining the coordinates of all the dots 221 in the dot row 222, all the dots 221 are accurately positioned without any deviation. When it is assumed that it has landed, it almost coincides with a straight line passing through each dot 221, and thus can be regarded as a straight line representing a normal position of the dot row 222.
Therefore, it can be said that the distance between the first reference straight line 226 and the center 2211 of each dot 221 represents the positional deviation amount of each dot 221 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, by calculating the distance between the center 2211 of each dot 221 and the first reference straight line 226, the amount of positional deviation of each dot 221 in the Y-axis direction is acquired.

As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, a Y-axis direction positional deviation amount [Delta] y ₃ dots 221 of three from the left in the figure, the Y-axis direction of the dot 221 of 7 th from the left in the drawing it can be detected positional deviation amount is [Delta] y _7, further for other dots 221, approximately no positional deviation in the Y-axis direction, the position of the Y-axis direction is detected that is approximately correct be able to.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the control unit 210 functions as a Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining unit that executes the Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining step described above.

[7] Point Cloud Assumption Step Next, in order to obtain the positional deviation amount of each dot 221 in the X-axis direction, a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate as shown in FIG. 14 is assumed. On this coordinate, a point group 228 composed of a plurality of points 227 is assumed in which the X coordinate (x _i ) of the center 2211 of each dot 221 is the coordinate value of the vertical axis, and the coordinate values of the horizontal axis are equally spaced. . That is, the number of points 227 is the same as the number of dots 221. Although the coordinate value of the horizontal axis of each point 227 should just be equal intervals, in the example shown in FIG.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the control unit 210 functions as a point group assumption unit that executes the point group assumption step described above.

[8] Second Reference Line Determination Step Next, based on the coordinates of each point 227 in the point group 228, the same calculation as in the first reference line determination step is performed by the least square method to obtain FIG. A second reference straight line 229 is determined.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the control unit 210 functions as a second reference line determination unit that executes the second reference line determination step described above.

[9] X-axis Direction Deviation Acquisition Step In the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates shown in FIG. 15, the distance in the vertical axis direction between each point 227 of the point group 228 and the second reference straight line 229 is the dot 221. It can be said that this represents the amount of displacement in the X-axis direction. Therefore, by obtaining the distance in the vertical axis direction between each point 227 and the second reference straight line 229, information on the positional deviation amount of each dot 221 in the X axis direction in the X axis direction is acquired. Can do.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the present embodiment, the X position shift amount of the axial direction [Delta] x ₃ dots 221 of three from the left in the figure, X axis direction of the dot 221 of 7 th from the left in the drawing it can be detected positional deviation amount is [Delta] x _7, further for other dots 221, approximately no positional deviation in the X-axis direction, the position of the X-axis direction is detected that is approximately correct be able to.
In the dot deviation detection apparatus 200, the control unit 210 functions as an X-axis direction deviation amount acquisition unit that executes the X-axis direction deviation amount acquisition step described above.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in addition to the steps [1] to [6], the steps [7] to [9] are provided so that the positions of dots in a direction substantially parallel to the dot row are obtained. Since the shift can be further detected, the dot position shift can be analyzed more accurately, and a stable color filter can be manufactured over a long period of time while performing more appropriate cleaning.

The data of the positional deviation amount in the Y-axis direction and the positional deviation amount in the X-axis direction for each dot 221 detected as described above is stored in the storage unit 2102 and output to the external storage device 225. Note that the means for outputting measurement data is not limited to the external storage device 225, and may be displayed (output) on the display 224 or output by printing on a printer. In addition, connecting to a network and sending it to another PC is also an efficient output method.
Further, the control unit 210 sets the absolute positional deviation amount L for each dot 221 based on the positional deviation amount Δy _{i in} the Y-axis direction and the positional deviation amount ΔX _i in the X-axis direction as L = √ (Δy _i ² + ΔX). _The calculation may be performed by performing the calculation _i ² ).

The operator determines whether the positional deviation amount Δy _i in the Y-axis direction, the positional deviation amount ΔX _{i in} the X-axis direction, or the absolute positional deviation amount L output from the dot deviation detection device 200 is within an allowable range. , It is possible to determine the accuracy of the landing position of each dot 221. This determination may be made automatically by the control means 210.
When the positional deviation amount Δy _i in the Y-axis direction, the positional deviation amount ΔX _i in the X-axis direction, and the absolute positional deviation amount L exceed a predetermined value (allowable range), each of the above [1] to [6] The steps, [1] to [9], may be repeated until the amount of positional deviation falls within the allowable range. As a result, necessary and sufficient cleaning can be performed more reliably, and the reliability of the manufactured color filter, the productivity of the color filter, and the like can be further improved.

  In the present invention, as described above, a photographic printing paper can be suitably used as the inspection object 220. For example, it is necessary to prepare an expensive inspection object such as a glass mask with a precise pattern mark. Therefore, dot deviation detection and suitable cleaning can be performed easily and at low cost. In addition, since it is not necessary to land the accurate target position even when the droplet of the cleaning liquid 4 is discharged from the droplet discharge head 114 toward the inspection object 220, complicated control is not required for the droplet discharge device, It is possible to detect dot deviation easily and quickly. For this reason, when manufacturing a color filter using a droplet discharge device, it is possible to reduce the time, labor, and cost required for parts other than the original color filter manufacturing, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. You can also.

[10] Dot Area Acquisition Step In the present invention, information regarding the area of each dot 221 may be acquired by performing image processing on the electronic image obtained in the above-described image acquisition step. In this case, by comparing the area of each dot 221 with the normal area, it is determined whether or not the size (liquid amount) of the cleaning liquid 4 ejected from each nozzle 118 is a set value. Can be detected, and more appropriate cleaning can be performed. In this case, the image processing unit 223 does not need to measure the area of each dot 221 itself, and may obtain the length of the boundary line around each dot 221, for example.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the image processing unit 223 functions as a dot area acquisition unit that executes the dot area acquisition step described above.

[11] Dot Presence Information Acquisition Step In the present invention, information regarding the presence or absence of each dot 221 may be acquired by performing image processing on the electronic image obtained in the above-described image acquisition step. In this case, the image processing means 223 determines that the dot 221 is missing (a missing dot 221 due to non-ejection of a droplet) when there is no dot 221 in a certain area centered on the normal position. do it. As a result, even when a non-ejection of the droplet of the cleaning liquid 4 occurs due to clogging of the nozzle 118 or the like, this can be detected, and more appropriate cleaning can be performed based on this result.
In the dot deviation detection device 200, the image processing unit 223 functions as a dot presence / absence information acquisition unit that executes the dot presence / absence information acquisition step described above.

After the droplet discharge device 100 is cleaned by the method as described above, the cleaning liquid 4 in the flow path is replaced with the color filter ink 2 and used for manufacturing the color filter.
The replacement of the cleaning liquid 4 with the color filter ink 2 may be performed directly. For example, the cleaning liquid 4 is temporarily replaced with another liquid (for example, a solvent or a dispersion medium constituting the color filter ink 2). And a liquid containing the same component as the component), and then the liquid may be replaced with the color filter ink 2.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this. Moreover, each part which comprises the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this invention can be substituted with the thing of the arbitrary structures which can exhibit the same function.
For example, the image acquisition means is not limited to a camera, and a linear sensor (linear image sensor) may be used, and an electronic image of a dot row may be acquired by scanning the dot row with a linear sensor. .
Moreover, arbitrary components may be added to the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

  Further, before the step [1] (cleaning liquid replacement step), the color filter ink is applied to the object to be inspected from the droplet discharge head of the droplet discharge device in the same manner as the step (discharge step) of [2]. Steps corresponding to the above [3] to [6] and further to the above [7] to [9] for the inspected object in which the dot row is formed and then the dot row is formed with the color filter ink. Each step corresponding to the above may be performed. Further, the steps corresponding to the above [10] and [11] may be performed on the inspected object on which the dot row is formed by the color filter ink. Thereby, the cleaning conditions (for example, the cleaning conditions in the cleaning liquid replacement step) with the cleaning liquid such as the composition of the cleaning liquid, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid, and the temperature can be determined more appropriately.

  In the above-described embodiment, the color filter manufacturing apparatus includes a droplet discharge device and a dot deviation detection device, and the droplet discharge device includes an ink flow path, a droplet discharge head, and a cleaning liquid storage tank. Although the shift detection device has been described as including image acquisition means, dot coordinate acquisition means, first reference straight line determination means, and Y-axis direction shift amount acquisition means, the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes an ink flow path, It is sufficient if it has a droplet discharge head, a cleaning liquid storage tank, an image acquisition unit, a dot coordinate acquisition unit, a first reference straight line determination unit, and a Y-axis direction deviation amount acquisition unit. Such a droplet discharge device / dot deviation detection device may not be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Droplet discharge apparatus 101 ... Tank 102 ... Discharge scanning part 103 ... Droplet discharge means 104 ... 1st position control apparatus 105 ... Carriage 106 ... Stage 108 ... 2nd position control apparatus 110 ... Tube 112 ... Control means 114 ... Liquid Droplet discharge head (inkjet head) 116 ... Nozzle array 118 ... Nozzle 120 ... Cavity 122 ... Bulkhead 124 ... Vibrator 124A, 124B ... Electrode 124C ... Piezo element 126 ... Vibration plate 127 ... Discharge part 128 ... Nozzle plate 129 ... Liquid pool 130 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS Supply port 131 ... Hole 132 ... Ink storage tank 133 ... Cleaning liquid storage tank 134 ... Conveyance path 200 ... Dot shift detection apparatus 202 ... Inspection table 202a ... Holding surface 203 ... Camera 230 ... Shooting field 204 ... Moving means 205 ... Support plate 20 ... Z-axis direction moving means 207 ... X-axis direction moving means 208 ... Y-axis direction moving means 210 ... Control means 2101 ... CPU 2102 ... Storage section 220 ... Inspection object 221 ... Dot 2211 ... Center 222 ... Dot row 223 ... Image processing Means 2231 ... Storage unit 224 ... Display 225 ... External storage device 226 ... First reference straight line 227 ... Point 228 ... Point group 229 ... Second reference straight line 2 ... Color filter ink 4 ... Cleaning liquid 11 ... Substrate

Claims (15)

A method of cleaning a droplet discharge device used for discharging color filter ink,
A cleaning liquid replacement step of replacing the color filter ink in the flow path of the droplet discharge device with a cleaning liquid;
A discharge step of discharging the substituted cleaning liquid onto the object to be inspected in a dot row; and
An image acquisition step of acquiring an electronic image of a dot row formed on the inspection object;
By processing the electronic image, the X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot when the direction substantially parallel to the dot row is the X-axis direction and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction A dot coordinate acquisition step for acquiring
A first reference line determination step for determining a first reference line by a least square method based on the X coordinate and Y coordinate of the center of each dot;
A Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining step for obtaining information on a positional deviation amount of each dot in the Y-axis direction by obtaining a distance between the first reference straight line and the center of each dot. A characteristic cleaning method. A point group that assumes a point group on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates where the X coordinate of the center of each dot is a coordinate value in one coordinate axis direction of the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate and the coordinate values in the other coordinate axis direction are equally spaced Assumed steps;
A second reference line determination step for determining a second reference line for the point group by a least square method;
X-axis for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the X-axis direction by obtaining the distance in the one coordinate axis direction between each point of the point group and the second reference straight line The cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising a direction deviation amount acquisition step.   3. The discharge step or the X-axis direction deviation amount acquisition step is further repeated when the positional deviation amount in the X-axis direction obtained in the X-axis direction deviation amount acquisition step exceeds a predetermined value. The cleaning method according to 1.   2. The discharge step or the Y-axis direction deviation amount acquiring step is repeatedly performed when the positional deviation amount in the Y-axis direction obtained in the Y-axis direction deviation amount acquiring step exceeds a predetermined value. 4. The cleaning method according to any one of 3 to 3. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cleaning liquid contains a compound A represented by the following formula (1).

The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning liquid contains a compound B represented by the following formula (2).

  The cleaning method according to claim 6, wherein the cleaning liquid further contains a solvent component constituting the color filter ink in addition to the compound B. In the image acquisition step, taking a plurality of electronic images while changing the relative position of the inspection object and the camera along the dot row,
The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the dot coordinate acquisition step, the coordinates of all the captured dots are integrated into one coordinate system by integrating the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images. In the image acquisition step, when shooting the plurality of electronic images, shooting is performed so that at least one identical dot is included in two adjacent images,
In the dot coordinate acquisition step, the coordinate system of the plurality of electronic images is obtained by integrating the coordinate systems of both images so that the coordinates of the dots commonly included in two adjacent images are the same. The cleaning method according to claim 8 to be integrated.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein in the dot coordinate acquisition step, a process for correcting distortion based on aberration of an optical system that has taken an electronic image is performed. A color filter manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturing a color filter,
An ink channel through which color filter ink flows;
A droplet discharge head for discharging droplets of the color filter ink;
A cleaning liquid storage tank for storing the cleaning liquid supplied to the ink flow path;
An image acquisition means for acquiring an electronic image of a dot row formed by discharging the cleaning liquid onto the inspection object from the droplet discharge head;
By processing the electronic image, the X and Y coordinates of the center of each dot when the direction substantially parallel to the dot row is the X-axis direction and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction Dot coordinate acquisition means for acquiring
First reference line determining means for determining a first reference line by a least square method based on the X coordinate and Y coordinate of the center of each dot;
Y-axis direction deviation amount obtaining means for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the Y-axis direction by obtaining a distance between the first reference line and the center of each dot. Characteristic color filter manufacturing equipment. A point group that assumes a point group on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates where the X coordinate of the center of each dot is a coordinate value in one coordinate axis direction of the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate and the coordinate values in the other coordinate axis direction are equally spaced Assumed means,
A second reference line determining means for determining a second reference line by a least square method for the point group;
X-axis for obtaining information on the positional deviation amount of each dot in the X-axis direction by obtaining the distance in the one coordinate axis direction between each point of the point group and the second reference straight line The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a direction deviation amount acquisition unit. The image acquisition means captures a plurality of electronic images while changing the relative position between the inspection object and the camera along the dot row,
The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the dot coordinate acquisition unit integrates the coordinates of all captured dots into one coordinate system by integrating the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images. The image acquisition means, when shooting the plurality of electronic images, performs shooting so that at least one identical dot is included in two adjacent images,
The dot coordinate acquisition unit integrates the coordinate systems of the plurality of electronic images by integrating the coordinate systems of both images so that the coordinates of the dots commonly included in two adjacent images are the same. The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 13.   The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the dot coordinate acquisition unit performs a process of correcting distortion based on aberration of an optical system that has captured an electronic image.

Images