JP2015051426A - Plotting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plotting device improved in workability by suppressing deterioration in cleanliness inside a clean booth, when replacing a plotting liquid cartridge.SOLUTION: A plotting device 1 comprises: a plotting device body 2 having a cartridge set part 22 for detachably setting a plotting liquid cartridge C and carrying out plotting treatment by discharging a supplied plotting liquid from a plotting head 23; a chamber room 6 for storing the plotting device body 2; a booth opening 41 provided in the chamber room 6 and receiving the plotting liquid cartridge C in the chamber room 6; a carrying part 42 for carrying the plotting liquid cartridge C between a receiving area 43 and a relay area 44; and a transfer part 45 for transferring the plotting liquid cartridge C between the relay area 44 and the cartridge set part 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus.

As a drawing device of this type, a functional layer such as a color filter of a liquid crystal display device or a light emitting element serving as each pixel of an organic EL device is formed on a substrate by a printing technique (inkjet method) using a functional droplet discharge head which is an ink jet head A droplet discharge device formed on top is known (see Patent Document 1).
This droplet discharge device includes a machine base, a drawing device that performs drawing on a substrate (work) by a functional liquid droplet discharge head provided on the machine base, a suction / blow-off hood facing the set substrate, A maintenance device used for maintenance of the drawing device, and a chamber device that accommodates the drawing device, the suction / blowout hood, and the maintenance device and that maintains the internal atmosphere at a predetermined clean level are provided. The chamber device also includes a chamber room that houses the drawing device, the suction / blowout hood, and the maintenance device, and a clean air supply unit that maintains the internal atmosphere in the chamber room at a predetermined degree of cleanliness.

JP 2007-152259 A

  In such a conventional droplet discharge device, when the functional liquid is supplied by the ink cartridge, it is necessary to replace the ink cartridge in accordance with the consumption of the functional liquid. In the replacement of the ink cartridge, it is necessary to partially open the chamber room, there is a possibility that the atmosphere in the chamber room may be contaminated by the outside air, and there is a problem that workability including the working environment is deteriorated.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example] A drawing apparatus according to this application example includes a drawing processing unit having a cartridge setting unit in which a drawing liquid cartridge capable of supplying a drawing liquid to a drawing head is detachably set, and a drawing processing unit. A clean booth for maintaining the internal atmosphere at a predetermined clean level, a booth opening provided in the clean booth for receiving the drawing liquid cartridge into the clean booth, and a drawing liquid cartridge received through the booth opening for drawing. A transport unit that transports between a receiving area that is an arbitrary area around the processing unit and a relay area that is an arbitrary area on the cartridge setting unit side, and a drawing liquid cartridge between the relay area and the cartridge setting unit. And a transfer section for transferring in (1).

  According to this configuration, the drawing liquid cartridge carried into the drawing processing unit is received in the receiving area, conveyed from the receiving area to the relay area, and further transferred from the relay area to the cartridge setting unit. For this reason, the booth opening may be large enough to receive the drawing liquid cartridge, and the opening time for receiving can be shortened. Therefore, when the drawing liquid cartridge is received, the intrusion of outside air into the clean booth is suppressed, and a decrease in cleanness can be suppressed.

  In this case, the transport section includes a transport mechanism section that transports the drawing liquid cartridge, a receiving area and a relay area, a housing section that houses the transport mechanism section, and an end of the housing section on the booth opening side. An external opening / closing portion that opens and closes the receiving area with respect to the outside of the clean booth, and an internal opening / closing portion that is provided at an end portion on the transfer portion side of the housing portion and opens and closes the relay area with respect to the inside of the clean booth. It is preferable.

  According to this configuration, even when outside air enters the clean booth when the drawing liquid cartridge is received, it is easy to keep it inside the housing portion by the external opening and closing portion and the internal opening and closing portion. The possibility that the atmosphere in the booth is directly contaminated can be reduced.

  In this case, the external opening / closing part has an external opening / closing door that opens and closes the receiving area with respect to the outside of the clean booth, and a lock mechanism that locks / unlocks the external opening / closing door in a closed state. It is preferable to have an internal open / close door that opens and closes the relay area with respect to the inside of the booth and an open / close mechanism that opens and closes the internal open / close door.

  According to this configuration, since the operator who is outside the clean booth can automatically open and close the internal opening / closing door that cannot be directly touched by the opening / closing mechanism, the opening / closing workability can be improved. Further, since the external opening / closing door that can be directly touched can be manually opened / closed, a mechanism for opening / closing the external opening / closing door can be omitted, and the structure of this portion can be simplified. In addition, since the external opening / closing door is configured to be locked / unlocked in the closed state, the external opening / closing door is not accidentally opened, thereby preventing contamination of the clean booth.

  In this case, the transfer unit further includes a transfer control unit that controls the lock mechanism and the opening / closing mechanism, respectively, and the transfer control unit unlocks the external open / close door after closing the internal open / close door according to an acceptance command. It is preferable that after the external opening / closing door is locked by the conveyance command, the internal opening / closing door is opened.

  According to this configuration, when the drawing liquid cartridge is received, since the internal opening / closing door is “closed”, even if outside air enters the housing portion, it does not flow into the clean booth. Further, when the drawing liquid cartridge is transported, the external opening / closing door is “closed”, so that outside air does not flow into the housing portion.

  In this case, the conveyance control unit further controls the conveyance mechanism unit, and conveys the drawing liquid cartridge from the relay area to the reception area between the closing operation of the internal opening / closing door and the unlocking of the external opening / closing door according to the acceptance command, It is preferable to transport the drawing liquid cartridge from the receiving area to the relay area between the lock of the external door and the opening operation of the internal door according to the transport command.

  According to this configuration, when the drawing liquid cartridge is transported between the relay area and the receiving area, the internal door and the external door are “closed” and the external door is “open”. The time during which the outside air enters, that is, the time during which the outside air enters, can be shortened.

  Further, it is preferable that the relay area is set at a position higher than the receiving area in the clean booth, and the transport mechanism part raises and lowers the drawing liquid cartridge between the receiving area and the relay area.

  According to this configuration, since the receiving area is set at a lower position in the clean booth than the relay area, the drawing liquid cartridge can be easily carried in and out. In addition, since the transport mechanism unit is configured to raise and lower the drawing liquid cartridge, the structure of the transport mechanism unit can be simplified.

  In this case, it is preferable that the transport mechanism part raises the drawing liquid cartridge to a position immediately before the upper end of the drawing liquid cartridge reaches the internal opening / closing part in the relay area.

  According to this configuration, the drawing liquid cartridge transported to the relay area does not obstruct the opening / closing of the internal opening / closing section, and the drawing liquid cartridge can be easily transferred between the relay area and the cartridge setting section. It can be carried out.

  In addition, the drawing liquid cartridge is mounted on the carriage in a state set in the set tray and received in the receiving area, and the transport mechanism receives the set tray from the carriage and starts conveying the drawing liquid cartridge in the ascending operation. In the lowering operation, it is preferable to transfer the drawing liquid cartridge by delivering the set tray to the carriage.

  According to this configuration, the drawing liquid cartridge can be carried in and out by the carriage. In addition, since the transport mechanism unit transports the drawing liquid cartridge together with the set tray in the form of receiving and delivering to the carriage, the drawing liquid cartridge can be transported easily and stably.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to further include an exhaust part that exhausts the atmosphere in the housing part to the outside of the clean booth.

  According to this configuration, the outside air that has entered the housing portion due to the opening of the external opening / closing portion can be exhausted to the outside of the clean booth. For this reason, the inside of the clean booth becomes difficult to be contaminated by dust and outside air carried together with the drawing liquid cartridge.

  In this case, the exhaust section includes an exhaust passage extending from the end of the housing section on the booth opening side to the outside of the clean booth, an exhaust fan interposed in the exhaust passage, and an exhaust control section that controls driving of the exhaust fan The exhaust control unit preferably drives the exhaust fan when the external opening / closing unit is closed.

  According to this configuration, since the atmosphere in the housing part flows from the transfer part side to the booth opening part side by driving the exhaust fan, the contaminated atmosphere in the housing part can be exhausted. At that time, since the external opening / closing part is closed, the intrusion of outside air by driving the exhaust fan can be reduced.

  On the other hand, a plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges having different drawing liquids are set in the cartridge setting unit, and the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges are conveyed to the relay area in a state of being set on a set tray, and each drawing liquid cartridge is set. Has a detected part for detecting the type, and the transfer part is provided in the transfer mechanism part for transferring a plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges and the transfer mechanism part, A type detection unit that detects the type of the drawing liquid cartridge to be transferred; and a transfer control unit that controls the transfer mechanism unit. The transfer control unit is based on the detection result of the type detection unit. It is preferable to transfer a plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to detect the detected portion of the drawing liquid cartridge and transfer a plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges based on the detection result, so that a plurality of types of drawing set on the set tray can be performed. The liquid cartridge can be accurately transferred to the cartridge setting unit.

  In this case, it is preferable that the transfer control unit rearranges the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges based on the type in the set tray prior to the transfer of the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges.

  According to this configuration, the transfer control unit can be divided into a part related to cartridge transfer and a part related to cartridge alignment, and the control system can be simplified as a whole. Therefore, the drawing liquid cartridge can be transferred efficiently.

  The drawing processing unit further includes a table unit that moves the placed drawing object, and a drawing unit that is disposed above the table unit and includes a drawing head and a cartridge setting unit. It is preferable to perform the drawing process by discharging the drawing liquid from the drawing head while moving the object.

  According to this configuration, the cleanliness in the clean booth can be ensured and the drawing liquid can be discharged, and a series of operations in replacing the drawing liquid cartridge can be performed in a short time.

1 is an overall perspective view of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is an overall plan view of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is an X-axis direction side view of the drawing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a structure around a cartridge supply device. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a transport unit in the cartridge supply device. It is explanatory drawing of a trolley | bogie and a set tray. It is a flowchart showing the control method by a conveyance control part. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a transfer unit in the cartridge supply device. FIG. 6 is a plan view around a transfer unit in the cartridge supply device. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram around a cartridge set unit. It is a flowchart showing the control method by a transfer control part.

A drawing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This drawing apparatus is incorporated in a flat panel display production line, and uses, for example, a drawing head into which a drawing liquid containing a special material or a luminescent material is introduced. A light emitting element or the like is formed. In the embodiment, a light emitting element of an organic EL device is formed, and an expensive drawing liquid constituting the light emitting element is supplied to a drawing head via a drawing liquid cartridge.

1 to 3 are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view schematically showing the drawing apparatus 1 of the present invention, respectively. As shown in these drawings, the drawing apparatus 1 includes a drawing apparatus body 2 (drawing processing unit) that performs predetermined drawing on a workpiece W (substrate: drawing object), and a chamber device 3 that houses the drawing apparatus body 2. (Clean booth) and a cartridge supply device 4 for supplying the drawing liquid cartridge C to the drawing apparatus main body 2.
A drawing head 23 is mounted on the drawing apparatus main body 2. The main scanning in which the drawing head 23 and the work W are arranged to face each other and the work W is moved in the first direction is orthogonal to the first direction. The drawing liquid is ejected from the drawing head 23 toward the work W during the sub-scan that is moved in the second direction. The first direction in the main scanning is called a main scanning direction, and the second direction is called a sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction is displayed as the X-axis direction, and the sub-scanning direction is displayed as the Y-axis direction. Further, a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is displayed as the Z-axis direction.

  The cartridge supply device 4 supplies the drawn drawing liquid cartridge C to the drawing device main body 2 by operating from the outside of the chamber device 3 (substantially replacing the used drawing solution cartridge C with a new one). The chamber apparatus 3 includes a chamber room 6 that houses the drawing apparatus main body 2 and a clean air supply unit 7 that adjusts the cleanliness, temperature, and the like of the atmosphere in the chamber room 6.

  The drawing apparatus main body 2 extends in the X-axis direction, and an X-axis support base 11 made of a stone surface plate and a work W disposed on the X-axis support base 11 and sucked and set on the set stage 12. Is moved between the X-axis table 13 and the set stage 12 and moves the workpiece W in the Y-axis direction (sub-scanning direction). A table 14, a Y-axis support base 15 having a frame structure spanned in the Y-axis direction so as to straddle the X-axis table 13, and a Y-axis that is disposed on the Y-axis support base 15 and extends in the Y-axis direction The table 16 and the Y-axis table 16 have a plurality of (for example, ten) carriage units 17 configured to be movable between the drawing area 18 and the maintenance area 19.

  Each carriage unit 17 is suspended from a bridge plate 21 extending in the X-axis direction, and supported by the Y-axis table 16 via the bridge plate 21. Each bridge plate 21 also serves as a Y-axis slider of the Y-axis table 16, and the plurality of carriage units 17 are individually or entirely moved in the Y-axis direction via the bridge plate 21 by the Y-axis table 16. It is configured freely.

  Each bridge plate 21 is provided with a cartridge setting portion 22, and a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C are set in the cartridge setting portion 22. Each carriage unit 17 is equipped with a plurality of drawing heads 23, and drawing liquid is supplied to the drawing heads 23 from a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C set in the corresponding cartridge setting unit 22. . The “table portion” referred to in the claims is composed of the X-axis table 13 and the line feed axis table 14, and the “drawing portion” is composed of the Y-axis table 16, the carriage unit 17, the bridge plate 21, and the cartridge setting portion 22. Has been.

  The drawing apparatus main body 2 includes a suction unit 25 and a wiping unit 26 (two units for alternate operation) disposed in the maintenance area 19 as a maintenance system for the drawing head 23, and a flushing mounted on the X-axis table 13. A unit 27 and an inspection unit 28 are provided. The suction unit 25 forcibly sucks the drawing liquid from the drawing head 23 (removal of nozzle clogging), and the wiping unit 26 wipes the nozzle surface of the drawing head 23 (prevents flight bending). In addition, the flushing unit 27 allows the drawing liquid to be discarded and discharged from the drawing head 23, and the inspection unit 28 causes the drawing liquid to be discharged as droplets from the nozzle of the drawing head 23 onto the inspection sheet and land on the inspection sheet. The ejection performance (ejection amount, ejection position accuracy, etc.) of the drawing head 23 is inspected by inspecting the shape and landing position of the droplets.

  The X-axis table 13 moves the workpiece W in the X-axis direction by motor driving by a linear motor, and performs main scanning on the workpiece W together with the ejection driving of the drawing head 23. Similarly, the line feed axis table 14 performs sub-scanning on the workpiece W by driving the motor with a linear motor. That is, the drawing with the drawing liquid is performed on the work W by the main scanning and the sub-scanning. The Y-axis table 16 is driven by a linear motor through the carriage units 17 to move the drawing head 23 to a predetermined drawing start position during drawing and also moves the drawing head 23 to the maintenance area 19 during maintenance. Let Further, the Y-axis table 16 moves the drawing head 23 (carriage unit 17) to the maintenance area 19 when the drawing liquid cartridge C is replaced (details will be described later).

  Each carriage unit 17 includes a hanging member 31 supported by the bridge plate 21 and a head unit 32 attached to the lower end of the hanging member 31. A plurality of drawing heads 23 are mounted on the head unit 32 so as to be supported by the head plate 33. The plurality of drawing heads 23 are supplied with a plurality of types of drawing liquids such as different colors from the drawing liquid cartridge C described above. That is, each carriage unit 17 is equipped with a plurality of drawing heads 23 corresponding to a plurality of types of drawing liquids, and a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C are set in the cartridge setting unit 22 correspondingly. (Details will be described later).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the chamber apparatus 3 includes a chamber room 6 constituted by a prefabricated clean booth, and a clean air supply unit 7 for adjusting the cleanness and temperature of the atmosphere in the chamber room 6 to be constant. And. Although not shown in detail, the clean air supply unit 7 includes a cooling coil, a heater, and a blower, and a HEPA filter that is incorporated corresponding to at least the drawing area 18 and the maintenance area 19 in the entire ceiling area of the chamber room 6. Have.

  In this chamber apparatus 3, the clean air supply unit 7 always supplies and exhausts air into the chamber room 6 (always ventilating). That is, the supplied air flows as a down flow from the ceiling side of the chamber room 6, and the atmosphere in the chamber room 6 is maintained at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined cleanliness. The atmosphere in the chamber room 6 is exhausted from an exhaust port provided in the lower part of the chamber room 6 to an external exhaust facility (vacuum suction) (both not shown).

  The cartridge supply device 4 is disposed in the maintenance area 19, and once transports the drawing liquid cartridge C brought from the outside of the chamber room 6 to the vicinity of the cartridge set unit 22, and from this transfer position, the cartridge set unit 22. To (transfer cartridge). That is, the cartridge supply device 4 replaces the drawing liquid cartridge C that has been used up (used) in the cartridge setting unit 22 with a new drawing liquid cartridge C.

Here, the cartridge supply device 4 according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a side view of the cartridge supply device 4 when viewed from the drawing area 18 side toward the maintenance area 19. FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views of the cartridge supply device 4, and FIG. 5C is a plan view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism 51.
As shown in both figures, the cartridge supply device 4 is arranged along the side wall of the chamber room 6 in the maintenance area 19 in the chamber room 6. The cartridge supply device 4 includes a booth opening 41 for receiving the drawing liquid cartridge C into the chamber room 6, and the drawing liquid cartridge C received via the booth opening 41 near the receiving area 43 and the cartridge setting unit 22. A transport unit 42 that transports the drawing liquid cartridge C in the vertical direction between the relay area 44 and a transfer unit 45 that transfers the drawing liquid cartridge C between the relay area 44 and the cartridge setting unit 22 is provided.

  That is, in this cartridge supply device 4, the transfer between the receiving area 43 and the relay area 44 by the transfer unit 42 and the transfer between the relay area 44 and the cartridge set unit 22 by the transfer unit 45 are performed. The drawing liquid cartridge C is exchanged. The transfer of the drawing liquid cartridge C to the cartridge set unit 22 includes a positioning set of the drawing liquid cartridge C and a flow path connection (details will be described later).

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5C, the transport unit 42 includes a transport mechanism 51 that transports the drawing liquid cartridge C in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and a receiving area 43 at the bottom. The upper part encloses the relay area 44, and the housing part 52 that accommodates the transport mechanism part 51, and the external opening / closing part that is provided on the side surface of the lower end part of the housing part 52 and opens and closes the receiving area 43 with respect to the outside of the chamber room 6. 53 and an internal opening / closing part 54 that is provided at the upper end of the housing part 52 and opens / closes the relay area 44 with respect to the inside of the chamber room 6.

  The transport unit 42 also controls the exhaust unit 55 that exhausts the atmosphere in the housing unit 52 to the outside of the chamber room 6, and the transport control that controls the transport mechanism unit 51, the external opening / closing unit 53, the internal opening / closing unit 54, and the exhaust unit 55. Part 56. The conveyance control unit 56 includes a “conveyance control unit” and an “exhaust control unit” described in the claims.

  The housing portion 52 includes a housing frame 58 made of a channel material or the like, and a plurality of panel members 59 that are airtightly attached to the housing frame 58 from the outside and constitute a peripheral wall (FIG. 5C). reference). The housing portion 52 is formed in a rectangular box shape extending from the floor surface of the chamber room 6 to a position reaching the height of the cartridge setting portion 22. A relay area 44 for transferring the drawing liquid cartridge C is formed at the upper end portion of the housing portion 52, and a shutter-type internal opening / closing portion 54 for opening and closing the relay area 44 is formed at the upper end of the housing portion 52. Is provided.

  On the other hand, a receiving area 43 for loading and unloading the drawing liquid cartridge C is configured at the lower end portion of the housing portion 52, and an exterior of a hinged door type that opens and closes the receiving area 43 on the side surface of the lower end portion of the housing portion 52. An opening / closing part 53 is provided. A side surface of the lower end portion of the housing portion 52 in which the external opening / closing portion 53 is provided is in close proximity to and in communication with the booth opening portion 41. From this portion, the drawing liquid cartridge C mounted on the carriage A is carried into or out of the receiving area 43. The booth opening 41 and the receiving area 43 are in airtight communication.

  The internal opening / closing part 54 opens and closes the relay area 44 with respect to the inside of the chamber room 6. The internal shutter 61 (internal opening / closing door) that opens and closes the upper end of the housing part 52 and the internal air that opens and closes the internal shutter 61. And a cylinder 62 (opening / closing mechanism) (see FIG. 4). Although the details will be described later, the internal shutter 61 is basically normally opened, but is closed when the drawing liquid cartridge C is carried in / out by the carriage A in the receiving area 43.

  The external opening / closing part 53 opens and closes the receiving area 43 with respect to the outside of the chamber room 6, and an external opening / closing door 64 that opens and closes the side surface of the lower end part of the housing part 52 in the form of a single-open hinged door, And an electromagnetic lock mechanism 65 (lock mechanism) for locking and unlocking the receiving area 43 in the closed state (see FIG. 4). Although the details will be described later, the external opening / closing door 64 is basically closed and locked. However, when the drawing liquid cartridge C is carried in and out in the receiving area 43, it is unlocked and manually opened.

  The transport mechanism 51 includes a pair of lift guides 67 fixed inside the housing frame 58, a transport fork 68 slidably attached to the pair of lift guides 67, a lead screw mechanism 69 that lifts and lowers the transport fork 68, And a conveyance motor 70 for operating the lead screw mechanism 69 (see FIGS. 5B and 5C). The lead screw mechanism 69 includes a female screw portion 71 provided on the conveying fork 68 and a lead screw 72 (ball screw) that is screwed into the female screw portion 71 and extends in parallel with the lifting guide 67. A motor 70 is connected. The transport fork 68 is moved up and down via the female screw portion 71 when the transport motor 70 is driven forward and reverse and the lead screw 72 rotates forward and backward.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drawing liquid cartridge C carried into the chamber room 6 is mounted on a cart A with a caster and is received in the chamber room 6 together with the cart A. A U-shaped mounting frame Aa is provided on the upper surface of the carriage A (see FIG. 5C), and a set tray T is mounted on the mounting frame Aa. The plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C on the set tray T are mounted on the individual set portions Ta of the set tray T, respectively.

  Accordingly, the transport mechanism 51 (transport fork 68) receives the set tray T from the carriage A at the initial stage of the ascending operation and starts transporting the drawing liquid cartridge C, and delivers the set tray T to the truck A at the initial stage of the lowering operation. This completes the conveyance of the drawing liquid cartridge C.

  Specifically, the transport fork 68 at the lower end position is located in the carriage A (see FIG. 5B), and when the carriage fork 68 starts to rise and passes the placement frame Aa of the carriage A, The set tray T on the mounting frame Aa is received as pushed up, and is raised. Further, when the transport fork 68 in the lowering process passes through the mounting frame Aa of the carriage A, it is transferred from the upper side so as to leave the set tray T on the mounting frame Aa, and is lowered to the lower end position. On the other hand, the transporting fork 68 that rises stops at a predetermined rising end position in the relay area 44. This rising end position is a position where the upper end of the mounted drawing liquid cartridge C reaches the vicinity of the internal opening / closing part 54, in other words, the upper end of the drawing liquid cartridge C does not interfere with the closed internal shutter 61. The position is set (see FIG. 5B).

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the exhaust part 55 has an exhaust chamber 74 communicating with the housing part 52, an exhaust fan 75 provided in the exhaust chamber 74, and an exhaust duct 76 connected to the exhaust chamber 74. doing. The exhaust chamber 74 communicates with the side surface of the lower end portion of the housing portion 52. When the exhaust fan 75 provided in the exhaust chamber 74 is driven, the atmosphere in the housing portion 52 flows in a down flow from the top to the bottom, and the exhaust duct. The air is exhausted to the outside of the chamber room 6 (above-described exhaust equipment) through 76. In this case, the exhaust of the atmosphere in the housing part 52 substantially replaces the atmosphere in the housing part 52 with the atmosphere in the chamber room 6 (ventilation). In addition, the “exhaust flow path” referred to in the claims includes an exhaust chamber 74 and an exhaust duct 76.

  The conveyance control unit 56 controls the conveyance mechanism unit 51, the external opening / closing unit 53, the internal opening / closing unit 54, and the exhaust unit 55 as described above. Specifically, the conveyance control unit 56 controls the conveyance motor 70 of the conveyance mechanism unit 51 to raise and lower the conveyance fork 68. Further, the conveyance control unit 56 locks / unlocks the receiving area 43 in the closed state by the external opening / closing door 64 via the electromagnetic lock mechanism 65 of the external opening / closing unit 53 and also via the internal air cylinder 62 of the internal opening / closing unit 54. The internal shutter 61 is opened and closed. Further, the conveyance control unit 56 turns on and off the exhaust fan 75 of the exhaust unit 55 to perform the exhaust operation / non-exhaust operation in the housing unit 52. The operation panel 78 of the transport control unit 56 is provided beside the booth opening 41 (see FIG. 4) so that the operator can operate from the outside.

Here, with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, a method for controlling the transport unit 42 by the transport control unit 56 will be described.
From the state in which the transport fork 68 is in the raised end position, the internal shutter 61 is in the “open” position, the external open / close door 64 is in the closed lock, that is, in the “closed” position, and the empty carriage A is in the receiving area 43. The control sequence starts. It is assumed that a plurality of used (used) drawing liquid cartridges C are mounted on the transport fork 68 at the rising end position via the set tray T.

  When the operator who has prepared a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C to be exchanged presses the call button on the operation panel 78 outside the chamber room 6, the operation of the transport unit 42 is started. When the call button is pressed (S01: Accept command), first, the internal shutter 61 is closed (S02), then the transport fork 68 is lowered, and a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C together with the set tray T are moved to the carriage A. Deliver (S03). Subsequently, the electromagnetic lock mechanism 65 unlocks the external door 64 (S04). In this state, the control operation of the transport unit 42 is once finished. Here, the operator opens the external opening / closing door 64 and carries (draws) the drawing liquid cartridge C together with the carriage A from the receiving area 43. Subsequently, a new drawing liquid cartridge C is carried into the receiving area 43 together with the carriage A.

  After carrying the carriage A into the receiving area 43 and closing the external opening / closing door 64, the operator presses the set button on the operation panel 78 (S05: conveyance command). Thereby, the conveyance part 42 starts an operation again. When the set button is pressed, the external door 64 is closed and locked (S06), and then the transport fork 68 starts to rise. The ascending transport fork 68 receives the set tray T from the carriage A and further ascends to the ascending end position (S07). That is, the transport fork 68 transports the plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C to the relay area 44. Here, the internal shutter 61 is automatically opened by the internal air cylinder 62 (S08). As a result, the plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C in the relay area 44 enter a transfer standby state by the transfer unit 45.

  On the other hand, the exhaust fan 75 of the exhaust unit 55 is basically always ON. However, since the outside air is sucked when the external opening / closing door 64 is open, the transport control unit 56 is configured to perform the external opening / closing door 64. The exhaust fan 75 is turned off only when is open, that is, when the electromagnetic lock mechanism 65 is unlocked. When the operator opens the external opening / closing door 64, outside air enters the housing portion 52. However, since the housing portion 52 is blocked by the internal shutter 61, the outside air remains in the housing portion 52.

  Since the exhaust fan 75 starts to be driven immediately after the external opening / closing door 64 is closed (in the closed lock state), not only the outside air that has entered, but also dust that has been brought into the carriage A, the drawing liquid cartridge C, etc. The air is exhausted from the housing portion 52. As a result, when the internal shutter 61 is opened and the drawing liquid cartridge C enters the transfer standby state, the inside of the housing portion 52 returns to the cleanliness equivalent to that in the chamber room 6. In the present embodiment, the external opening / closing door 64 is configured to be manually opened / closed, but may be configured to automatically open / close.

Next, the transfer unit 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 8, and 9.
As described above, each carriage unit 17 is equipped with a plurality of drawing heads 23 corresponding to a plurality of types of drawing liquids, for example, for different colors, and the cartridge setting unit 22 correspondingly has a plurality of drawing liquids. A cartridge C is set (see FIG. 4). In this case, in the cartridge setting unit 22, two drawing liquid cartridges C are set as one set for each type of drawing liquid. That is, in the drawing apparatus main body 2, when one drawing liquid cartridge C is used up, the drawing liquid cartridge C is automatically switched to the other drawing liquid cartridge C.

  Therefore, the transfer unit 45 according to the embodiment removes the used (used) drawing liquid cartridge C between the set tray T waiting in the relay area 44 and the cartridge setting unit 22 to obtain a new drawing liquid cartridge. Supply C (exchange). The replacement timing of the drawing liquid cartridge C is managed on the drawing apparatus main body 2 side. Before the second drawing liquid cartridge C is used up in all the cartridge setting units 22, the first used up first drawing liquid cartridge C is used. The drawing liquid cartridge C is exchanged.

  In the present embodiment, for example, three types of drawing liquids (plural types of drawing liquids) for forming red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color filters and light emitting layers are assumed. . In addition, ten carriage units 17 are provided. Accordingly, for example, two drawing liquid cartridges C corresponding to each of R, G, and B, for example, a total of six are mounted on each of the ten cartridge setting portions 22. In addition, a total of 30 three drawing liquid cartridges C corresponding to R, G, and B are mounted on the set tray T, each of which is 30 (see FIG. 9).

  The transfer unit 45 is provided in the transfer mechanism unit 81 having a robot configuration for transferring a plurality (a plurality of types) of drawing liquid cartridges C one by one and the transfer mechanism unit 81, and is transferred via the detected unit. A type detection unit 82 that detects the type of the drawing liquid cartridge C as a target, and a transfer control unit 83 that controls the transfer mechanism unit 81 based on the detection result of the type detection unit 82 (see FIG. (See FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, each cartridge set unit 22 accessed by the transfer unit 45 has six individual mounting set units 22a arranged in an array, two for each color (type), and six in total. The drawing liquid cartridge C is mounted. In the set tray T, three drawing lines for each color (type) and 10 drawing liquid cartridges C for each color (type) are set in each of the 12 individual set portions Ta. Therefore, in this case, the set tray T has two empty individual set portions Ta in which the drawing liquid cartridge C is not set.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the transfer mechanism 81 is configured by a so-called scalar robot, and includes a robot base 85, a first horizontal arm 86 that is pivotably attached to the robot base 85, and a first horizontal arm 86. A second horizontal arm 87 pivotably attached to the distal end of the second horizontal arm 87, a vertical arm 88 pivotably attached to the distal end of the second horizontal arm 87, and a gripping head 89 attached to the distal end of the vertical arm 88. And. The gripping head 89 has a pair of gripping pieces 89 a having an “L” cross section, and the pair of gripping pieces 89 a grips the upper end portion of the drawing liquid cartridge C in a diagonal direction. (See FIG. 10A).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), each drawing liquid cartridge C is configured by accommodating a pack-type drawing liquid container Ca in a resin-made sealed case Cb. The drawing liquid cartridge C is provided with a drawing liquid supply port Cc that communicates with the drawing liquid container Ca, and an air introduction port Cd that communicates with a gap between the drawing liquid container Ca and the sealed case Cb. The drawing liquid is supplied from the drawing liquid supply port Cc to the drawing head 23 by introducing compressed air from the air introduction port Cd and pressurizing the drawing liquid container Ca. In addition, the sealing case Cb is provided with a pair of positioning recesses Ce for positioning. Further, although not shown in the drawing, a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark)) serving as the detected portion is attached to the top surface of the sealed case Cb.

  On the other hand, each individual mounting set portion 22a of the cartridge set portion 22 is provided with a drawing liquid introduction port 91 corresponding to the drawing liquid supply port Cc and an air supply port 92 corresponding to the air introduction port Cd. . Further, each individual mounting set portion 22a is provided with a pair of engaging convex portions 93 corresponding to the pair of engaging concave portions Ce of the sealed case Cb. The transfer mechanism unit 81 horizontally moves the drawing liquid cartridge C gripped by the gripping head 89 to a position directly above the individual mounting set unit 22a, and then lowers and mounts (sets) it on the individual mounting set unit 22a. As a result, the engagement recess Ce is engaged with the engagement protrusion 93, the drawing liquid supply port Cc is joined to the drawing liquid introduction port 91, and the air introduction port Cd is joined to the air supply port 92 (flow path connection). Is done.

  The type detection unit 82 of the transfer unit 45 is configured by a code reader that reads the two-dimensional code of the drawing liquid cartridge C. The type detection unit 82 is attached to the tip of the second horizontal arm 87 via the support member 95 so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the gripping head 89 (see FIG. 8). In this two-dimensional code, at least the type of the drawing liquid cartridge C is coded, and the type detection unit 82 reads the type of the drawing liquid cartridge C, while the transfer control unit 83 determines the type of the reading liquid cartridge C based on the reading result. The transfer mechanism unit 81 is controlled.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 9, and FIG. 11, the control method of the transfer part 45 by the transfer control part 83 is demonstrated.
Here, in the relay area 44, ten new drawing liquid cartridges C for each color are mounted on the set tray T and are in a transfer standby state, and each one of the colors is placed in any one cartridge setting unit 22. (3 out of 6) It is assumed that a used drawing liquid cartridge C is mounted. Note that the control start by the transfer control unit 83 may be triggered by the end of the control of the transport control unit 56, or may be triggered separately by an instruction from the operator.

  The transfer control unit 83 first checks whether or not the drawing liquid cartridges C on the set tray T are arranged by color (type), and is positioned closest to the set tray T (on the cartridge setting unit 22 side). The individual set portion Ta for each color (each column) is emptied. That is, the transfer mechanism unit 81 is driven, and the type detection unit 82 reads and scans a plurality of drawing liquid cartridges C for each column to check whether or not the drawing liquid cartridges C are set correctly ( S11). If the drawing liquid cartridges C in each row are not correctly set for each color (type), the drawing liquid cartridges C are rearranged by using empty individual setting portions Ta (S11).

  At the same time, the drawing liquid cartridge C is moved so as to empty the individual set portion Ta of each color (each row) located in the foremost position (S12). The step “S12” may be performed first, and the step “S11” may be performed later.

  In this way, when the preparation on the set tray T side is completed, the transfer mechanism portion 81 is made to face the cartridge setting portion 22. Here, for example, a used drawing liquid cartridge C for R is pulled out from the cartridge setting unit 22 and transferred to the first (most front) empty individual setting unit Ta from the front of the set tray T (S13). Subsequently, the drawing liquid cartridge C of the second individual set unit Ta from the front side of the set tray T is gripped, and transferred to and mounted on the individually mounted set unit 22a of the cartridge set unit 22 that has become empty (S14).

  Such a similar operation (replacement) is repeated for the G drawing liquid cartridge C and the B drawing liquid cartridge C. That is, the transfer of the G drawing liquid cartridge C from the cartridge setting section 22 to the set tray T (S15), and the transfer of the G drawing liquid cartridge C from the set tray T to the cartridge setting section 22 (S16). I do. Further, the transfer of the B drawing liquid cartridge C from the cartridge setting section 22 to the set tray T (S17), and the transfer of the B drawing liquid cartridge C from the set tray T to the cartridge setting section 22 (S18). I do.

  The above operation is performed between the cartridge setting unit 22 and the set tray T for every ten carriage units 17. At that time, the drawing liquid cartridge C is transferred so that the position of the individual set portion Ta that becomes empty on the set tray T sequentially moves to the back side. That is, in the set tray T, the drawing liquid cartridges C in each row are exchanged from the front side. Thus, even if liquid drip occurs in the old drawing liquid cartridge C at the time of transfer, the new drawing liquid cartridge C is not soiled. It is preferable that the ten carriage units 17 are sequentially fed by the Y-axis table 16 so that the work target cartridge setting unit 22 is always at the same position in the vicinity of the relay area 44. As described above, when the replacement of the drawing liquid cartridge C in the cartridge setting unit 22 of the ten carriage units 17 is completed, the transfer mechanism unit 81 returns to the home position, and the set tray T in the relay area 44 is in the unloading standby state. Become.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the conveyance unit 42 that conveys the drawing liquid cartridge C between the receiving area 43 and the relay area 44 into the chamber room 6 that houses the drawing apparatus main body 2, and the relay Since the cartridge supply device 4 having the transfer unit 45 that transfers between the area 44 and the cartridge set unit 22 is provided, the cartridge set unit 22 can be used by an operation from the outside of the chamber room 6. The used drawing liquid cartridge C can be exchanged and set. Further, the size of the booth opening 41 and the external opening / closing portion 53 for receiving the drawing liquid cartridge C can be made as small as the size of the carriage A as compared with the case where the operator sets the set tray T into the chamber room 6. In addition, the opening time can be shortened to the time required for the carriage A to be taken in and out.

  Therefore, when the drawing liquid cartridge C is received, the intrusion of outside air into the chamber room 6 is suppressed, and a reduction in the cleanliness in the chamber room 6 can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, a housing portion 52 is provided in the transport portion 42 so that the drawing liquid cartridge C is transported in the housing portion 52 and the atmosphere in the housing portion 52 is appropriately exhausted outside the chamber room 6. Therefore, also in this respect, it is possible to prevent the cleanliness in the chamber room 6 from being lowered.

  As described above, the drawing apparatus 1 can perform the exchange operation of the drawing liquid cartridge C while maintaining the cleanliness in the chamber room 6 substantially constant. It can be performed efficiently in a short time. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the pause time of the drawing process in the drawing apparatus main body 2 and to shorten the cycle time of the drawing process as a whole.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drawing apparatus, 2 ... Drawing apparatus main body, 3 ... Chamber apparatus, 4 ... Cartridge supply apparatus, 6 ... Chamber room, 7 ... Clean air supply unit, 13 ... X axis table, 14 ... Line feed axis table, 16 ... Y axis Table, 17 ... Carriage unit, 22 ... Cartridge setting section, 23 ... Drawing head, 41 ... Booth opening, 42 ... Transport section, 43 ... Receiving area, 44 ... Relay area, 45 ... Transfer section, 51 ... Transport mechanism section , 52 ... Housing part, 53 ... External opening / closing part, 54 ... Internal opening / closing part, 55 ... Exhaust part, 56 ... Transport control part, 61 ... Internal shutter, 64 ... External opening / closing door, 75 ... Exhaust fan, 81 ... Transfer mechanism , 82 ... Type detection part, 83 ... Transfer control part, A ... Cart, C ... Drawing liquid cartridge, T ... Set tray, Ta ... Individual set part, W ... Workpiece.

Claims (13)

A drawing processing unit having a cartridge setting unit in which a drawing liquid cartridge capable of supplying a drawing liquid to the drawing head is detachably set;
A clean booth that houses the drawing processing unit and maintains the internal atmosphere at a predetermined cleanliness,
A booth opening provided in the clean booth for receiving the drawing liquid cartridge in the clean booth;
The drawing liquid cartridge received through the booth opening is transported between a receiving area which is an arbitrary area around the drawing processing unit and a relay area which is an arbitrary area on the cartridge setting unit side. A transport section;
A drawing apparatus comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the drawing liquid cartridge between the relay area and the cartridge setting unit. The transport unit is
A transport mechanism for transporting the drawing liquid cartridge;
A housing part that encloses the receiving area and the relay area, and that houses the transport mechanism part;
An external opening / closing part provided at an end of the housing part on the booth opening side, and opening / closing the receiving area with respect to the outside of the clean booth;
The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an internal opening / closing portion that is provided at an end of the housing portion on the transfer portion side and opens / closes the relay area with respect to the inside of the clean booth. The external opening and closing part has an external opening and closing door that opens and closes the receiving area with respect to the outside of the clean booth, and a lock mechanism that locks and unlocks the external opening and closing door,
The said internal opening / closing part has an internal opening / closing door which opens and closes the said relay area with respect to the inside of the said clean booth, and an opening / closing mechanism which opens and closes the said internal opening / closing door, The Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. The drawing apparatus described. The transport unit further includes a transport control unit that controls the lock mechanism and the opening / closing mechanism,
The transfer control unit, according to an acceptance command, causes the internal opening / closing door to be closed, and then unlocks the external opening / closing door,
The drawing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein after the external open / close door is locked by a conveyance command, the internal open / close door is opened. The transport control unit further controls the transport mechanism unit,
The drawing liquid cartridge is transported from the relay area to the receiving area between the closing operation of the internal opening / closing door and the unlocking of the external opening / closing door according to the acceptance command,
5. The drawing according to claim 4, wherein the drawing liquid cartridge is transported from the receiving area to the relay area between the lock of the external door and the opening operation of the internal door according to the transport command. apparatus. The relay area is set at a position higher than the receiving area in the clean booth,
The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the transport mechanism part moves the drawing liquid cartridge up and down between the receiving area and the relay area.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transport mechanism section raises the drawing liquid cartridge to a position immediately before the upper end of the drawing liquid cartridge reaches the internal opening / closing section in the relay area. The drawing liquid cartridge is mounted on a carriage in a state of being set on a set tray and received in the receiving area,
In the ascending operation, the transport mechanism unit receives the set tray from the carriage and starts transporting the drawing liquid cartridge.
8. The drawing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, in the descending operation, the set tray is transferred to the carriage to end the conveyance of the drawing liquid cartridge. 9.   The drawing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an exhaust unit that exhausts the atmosphere in the housing unit to the outside of the clean booth. The exhaust part is
An exhaust passage from the end of the housing part on the booth opening side to the outside of the clean booth;
An exhaust fan interposed in the exhaust passage;
An exhaust control unit that controls driving of the exhaust fan,
The drawing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the exhaust control unit drives the exhaust fan when the external opening / closing unit is closed. In the cartridge set unit, a plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges having different drawing liquids are set,
The plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges are conveyed to the relay area in a state of being set on a set tray,
And each said drawing liquid cartridge has a to-be-detected part for detecting a classification,
The transfer unit is
A transfer mechanism for transferring the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges;
A type detection unit that is provided in the transfer mechanism unit and detects the type of the drawing liquid cartridge to be transferred via the detected unit;
A transfer control unit for controlling the transfer mechanism unit,
11. The drawing according to claim 1, wherein the transfer control unit transfers the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges based on a detection result of the type detection unit. apparatus. The transfer controller is
Prior to the transfer of the plurality of drawing liquid cartridges,
The drawing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of types of drawing liquid cartridges are rearranged based on types in the set tray. The drawing processing unit
A table unit for moving the placed drawing object;
A drawing unit disposed above the table unit and having the drawing head and the cartridge set unit;
The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drawing process is performed by discharging a drawing liquid from the drawing head while moving the drawing object by the table unit.

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