JP3136068B2 - Liquid crystal display manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device used for an image display device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a process of manufacturing a matrix drive type liquid crystal display device in which a polarizing film is stuck to a liquid crystal panel, when the polarizing film is stuck to the liquid crystal panel, friction occurs while pressing the polarizing film against the liquid crystal panel. For example, static electricity is generated. When electric charges due to static electricity concentrate on a specific strip electrode provided on the liquid crystal panel, a high potential difference is generated between the strip electrode and another strip electrode adjacent to the strip electrode, and a discharge occurs between the two strip electrodes. It is known that electrostatic destruction occurs such that the two strip electrodes are always short-circuited. It is also known that the generated electrostatic charge flows into a specific electrode and is stored in a liquid crystal panel, thereby causing display unevenness during lighting.

In order to prevent such electrostatic breakdown, conventional techniques (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Hei 2-251817 and Hei 3-2591) have been proposed.
17, in JP-A-3-290624), as shown in FIG. 24, a conductive tape 3 is attached to all terminal electrodes 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1, and in another conventional technique (JP-A-3-228201). By attaching a conductive cover to the terminal electrode forming portion, it is possible to prevent electric charges due to static electricity from being concentrated on a specific band-shaped electrode. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-251817 also discloses a technique in which all terminal electrodes are short-circuited by applying a conductive resin.

FIG. 25 shows an operation process for attaching a polarizing film to a liquid crystal panel in a case where the above-described conventional technique is used to prevent electrostatic breakdown. In step a1, the liquid crystal panel is received by the attaching device, in step a2, a conductive tape is attached to the terminal electrodes of the liquid crystal panel, in step a3, the surface of the liquid crystal panel is cleaned, and in step a4, a polarizing film is attached to the liquid crystal panel. In the liquid crystal display device in which the polarizing film is attached to the liquid crystal panel in this way, an inspection such as an inspection of a display function is performed in step a5.

In step a6, the conductive tape attached in step a2 is peeled off from the terminal electrodes. This is because it hinders the application of the anisotropic conductive film tape to the terminal electrodes in step a8 described later. In step a7, the terminal electrodes are cleaned to remove the residue of the conductive tape and the like, and the process proceeds to step a8. Step a8
Then, an anisotropic conductive film tape for connecting the drive circuit board is attached to the terminal electrode.

FIG. 25 shows an operation process using a conductive tape for short-circuiting terminal electrodes. However, the operation process using the above-described conductive cover and conductive resin is substantially the same as that shown in FIG.
This is the same as the work process shown in FIG.

Further, static electricity is also generated during the rubbing process in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device, so that the above-mentioned prior art is conventionally used as a measure for preventing electrostatic breakdown.

[0008]

In any of the above-mentioned prior arts, when the conductive tape or the applied conductive resin once applied to the terminal electrode is used, when the anisotropic conductive film tape is applied to the terminal electrode. Since it needs to be peeled off from the terminal electrode, the work is troublesome, the work process for attaching the polarizing film in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device is complicated, and the manufacturing efficiency is reduced. Further, since the conductive tape and the conductive resin used once cannot be reused, the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device increases. On the other hand, the conductive cover can be reused, but it takes time to remove the conductive cover from the terminal portion for each sheet.

When the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the terminal electrode, the conductive particles contained in the conductive carbon or the conductive resin in the adhesive of the conductive tape are not completely removed. May remain. When the conductive carbon or the conductive particles remain on the terminal electrodes in this manner, the conductive carbon or the conductive particles are not completely removed by the cleaning of the terminal electrodes in step a7 in FIG. 25, and the adjacent terminal electrodes are short-circuited by the remaining conductive carbon or the conductive particles. In some cases, the anisotropic conductive film tape may be stuck. As a result, display defects occur in the liquid crystal display device, and the yield of the liquid crystal display device deteriorates.
In addition, static electricity is generated when the tape or resin is peeled off, which causes a new defect.

The following problems can be listed with respect to the conductive cover. (1) A large number of dedicated conductive covers corresponding to the production quantity of the liquid crystal panel are required, and the mounting work efficiency is poor. (2) Since a dedicated conductive cover suitable for the size of the liquid crystal panel is required, a conductive cover must be prepared for each panel model. (3) It is extremely difficult to store and store the in-process panel in the process and to set the liquid crystal panel in an automatic manufacturing apparatus due to variations in external dimensions and a decrease in accuracy of the liquid crystal panel with the conductive cover attached. (4) If the conductive cover is used, the part of the liquid crystal panel that comes into contact with the conductive cover may be scratched by contact,
Dirt adhering to the conductive cover may be attached to the conductive cover, and the flaw may cause a disconnection of the terminal electrode or the strip electrode of the liquid crystal panel, or the dirt may cause a short circuit of the terminal electrode or the strip electrode.

In addition, in the case where any of the above-mentioned prior arts is applied in the rubbing process in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device, the conductive tape or the conductive tape affixed to the terminal electrode before the rubbing process is applied. The applied conductive resin must be finally peeled off when attaching the anisotropic conductive film tape to the terminal electrode, and as in the case of attaching the polarizing film described above, the production efficiency becomes inefficient, and the production becomes inefficient. Problems arise such as an increase in cost and a decrease in yield.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device which can prevent electrostatic breakdown caused by rubbing treatment and pasting of a polarizing film with a relatively simple structure and can simplify a working process. To provide.

[0013]

The present invention comprises a transparent substrate,
A plurality of electrodes provided on one surface of the transparent substrate, a plurality of terminals provided on a peripheral portion of the transparent substrate to supply a drive signal to each electrode, and a surface of the transparent substrate provided with the electrodes; For a substrate member having an alignment member, a manufacturing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device that performs a rubbing process on the surface of the alignment member, comprising: a mounting surface on which the substrate member is mounted; Holding means for holding the substrate member so that the orientation member faces upward; and mounting means provided on the holding means, and detachably attached to and detachable from terminals of the peripheral edge of the substrate member held by the holding means. And a rubbing means for rubbing the surface of the alignment member of the substrate member, wherein the rubbing means performs rubbing on the surface of the alignment member of the substrate member. . Further, according to the present invention, a liquid crystal material is interposed between two substrate members each provided with a plurality of electrodes on opposing surfaces, and a plurality of terminals for supplying a drive signal to the electrodes are provided on the substrate members. For a liquid crystal panel provided on a surface that does not face each other, in a liquid crystal display device manufacturing apparatus that pastes a polarizing film on the surface of the liquid crystal panel,
Holding means for holding the liquid crystal panel on the mounting surface by adsorbing the liquid crystal panel, wherein the holding means is provided on the holding means and the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means is provided. The short-circuit means, which is attached to the terminals facing upward with respect to the mounting surface so as to be able to contact and separate from each other, and whose contact surface to the liquid crystal panel is conductive, is provided in the holding means, and the holding means is provided in the holding means. The liquid crystal panel is held so as to be in contact with each of the terminals facing downward on the placement surface of the liquid crystal panel, and the contact surface to the liquid crystal panel is conductive means having conductivity. And a sticking means for sticking a polarizing film. Also, the present invention provides two different sizes.
A liquid crystal material is interposed between the two substrate members, and a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of switching elements connected to the electrodes are provided on a surface facing the smaller substrate member on the larger substrate member, In a manufacturing apparatus of a liquid crystal display device, a plurality of terminals for supplying a drive signal to the electrode are provided on a surface that does not face the smaller substrate member, and a polarizing film is attached to the surface of the liquid crystal panel. First holding means, comprising: a mounting surface on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, and holding the liquid crystal panel by sucking the liquid crystal panel so that the terminals of the liquid crystal panel face upward on the mounting surface; and the liquid crystal panel. And a second holding means for holding the liquid crystal panel by sucking the liquid crystal panel so that the terminals of the liquid crystal panel face downward with respect to the mounting surface, and the first holding means. The liquid crystal panel is provided in a step, and is attached so as to be capable of coming into contact with / separating from each terminal facing upward on the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the first holding means. A conductive short-circuiting means, provided on the second holding means, so as to abut against each terminal facing downward on the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the second holding means. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: conductive means attached to a liquid crystal panel and having a conductive surface in contact with the liquid crystal panel; and sticking means for sticking a polarizing film on the surface of the liquid crystal panel. Further, according to the present invention, the short-circuit means can be in contact with all terminals, and a conductive member having a conductive portion in contact with the terminal,
A support member for supporting the conductive member; and a biasing unit for biasing the conductive member in a direction of a terminal forming surface of the substrate member. It is characterized by having.

[0014]

According to the present invention, a transparent substrate, a plurality of electrodes provided on one surface of the transparent substrate, and a plurality of terminals provided on a peripheral portion of the transparent substrate for supplying a drive signal to each electrode;
An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device that performs a rubbing process on a substrate member having an alignment member that covers a surface of a transparent substrate provided with electrodes includes a holding unit that holds the substrate member, and a plurality of terminals provided on the substrate member. And a rubbing means for performing a rubbing process.

[0015] The holding means has a mounting surface on which the substrate member is mounted, and the substrate member is held such that the orientation member faces upward with respect to the mounting surface. The short-circuit means is provided on the periphery of the substrate member held by the holding means, at which the terminal is provided, so as to be able to contact and separate therefrom. The contact surface of the short-circuit means with the substrate member has conductivity. The rubbing means is realized by including a rubbing roller, for example, and performs a rubbing process by rubbing while pressing the surface of the orientation member of the substrate member.

The rubbing process is performed in a state where the short-circuit means is brought into contact with the substrate member held by the holding means as described above, and all the terminals of the substrate member are electrically short-circuited. Then, the short-circuit means is separated from the substrate member.

In the rubbing process, static electricity is generated due to friction between the surface of the orientation member of the substrate member and the rubbing means. However, since all terminals are electrically short-circuited, the electric charge due to the static electricity is specified. This prevents the electrodes from being charged intensively, thereby preventing discharge from occurring between the electrodes and preventing electrostatic breakdown of the substrate member.

Further, since the short-circuit means can be repeatedly used for a plurality of substrate members, the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced as compared with the case where a conventional conductive tape or conductive resin is used. it can.

Further, when the rubbing process is completed and the short-circuit means is separated from the substrate member, the conductive carbon or the conductive particles do not remain at the terminal portion of the substrate member as in the conventional case, and the short-circuit means does not move from the substrate member. Can be reliably separated from each other.

Further, the terminals of the substrate member can be quickly short-circuited by bringing the short-circuit means into contact with the substrate member, and the short-circuit means can be quickly removed from the substrate member by separating the short-circuit means from the substrate member. Can be.

According to the present invention, a liquid crystal material is interposed between two substrate members having a plurality of electrodes provided on opposing surfaces, and a plurality of terminals for supplying drive signals to the electrodes are provided on the substrate member. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device for attaching a polarizing film to a liquid crystal panel provided on a surface that does not face each other includes a holding unit, a short-circuit unit, a conductive unit, and an attaching unit. You.

The liquid crystal panel is sucked and held on the mounting surface of the holding means. The short-circuiting means is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the area where the terminal facing upward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means, and the contact surface of the short-circuiting means with the liquid crystal panel is conductive. It has nature. The conductive means is provided so as to come into contact with a region provided with a terminal facing downward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means, and a contact surface of the conductive means with the liquid crystal panel has conductivity. Have. The sticking means is realized by including, for example, a sticking roller, and places a polarizing film having an adhesive applied to one surface on the surface of the liquid crystal panel, and rubs while pressing the surface of the polarizing film. Then, attach a polarizing film to the liquid crystal panel.

When the polarizing film is attached to the liquid crystal panel by the attaching means, the short-circuit means and the conductive means are brought into contact with the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means as described above.
The operation is performed in a state where all the terminals facing upward and downward with respect to the mounting surface of the holding means are electrically short-circuited. When the attachment of the polarizing film is completed, the short-circuiting means is separated from the liquid crystal panel.

At the time of attaching the polarizing film to the liquid crystal panel, static electricity is generated due to friction between the polarizing film and the attaching means. However, since all the upward and downward terminals are electrically short-circuited, It is possible to prevent charges due to static electricity from being concentrated on a specific electrode, thereby preventing discharge from occurring between the electrodes and preventing electrostatic damage of the liquid crystal panel. Further, it is possible to prevent the generated electrostatic charge from flowing into the specific electrode, and it is possible to prevent display unevenness of the liquid crystal panel.

Further, since the conductive tape or conductive resin is not used for short-circuiting the terminals of the liquid crystal panel as in the prior art, when the polarizing film is pasted on the liquid crystal panel, the short-circuit means and the conductive material are removed from the liquid crystal panel. The means can be reliably removed.

Further, since the short-circuit means and the conductive means can be used repeatedly for a plurality of liquid crystal panels, the material cost of the conductive tape or the conductive resin is reduced as compared with the case where a conventional conductive tape or conductive resin is used. Can be reduced.

Further, the terminals of the liquid crystal panel can be quickly short-circuited by bringing the short-circuit means into contact with the liquid crystal panel, and the short-circuit means can be quickly removed from the liquid crystal panel by separating the short-circuit means from the liquid crystal panel. it can.

Further, as the liquid crystal panel is attracted and held by the holding means, the conductive means comes into contact with the terminal facing downward on the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel. Short-circuiting of the terminal facing downward can be performed quickly.

According to the present invention, a liquid crystal material is interposed between two substrate members having different sizes, and the larger substrate member has a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of switching elements connected to the electrodes. Is provided on a surface facing the smaller substrate member, and a plurality of terminals for supplying drive signals to the electrodes are provided on a surface not facing the smaller substrate member. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device to be attached includes first and second holding units,
It comprises short-circuit means, conductive means and sticking means.

When the polarizing film is attached to the smaller substrate member, the liquid crystal panel is held by the first holding means. The first holding means includes a mounting surface on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, and holds the liquid crystal panel by sucking the liquid crystal panel so that the terminals of the liquid crystal panel face upward. When the liquid crystal panel is held by the first holding means, the short-circuit means comes into contact with a region where the terminal of the liquid crystal panel facing upward on the mounting surface is provided. The contact surface of the short-circuit means with the liquid crystal panel has conductivity, and thereby all the terminals of the liquid crystal panel are short-circuited.

When the polarizing film is attached to the larger substrate member, the liquid crystal panel is held by the second holding means. The second holding means includes a mounting surface on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted, and holds the liquid crystal panel by sucking the liquid crystal panel so that the terminals of the liquid crystal panel face down on the mounting surface. When the liquid crystal panel is held by the second holding means, the conductive means abuts on the area where the terminals of the liquid crystal panel facing downward on the mounting surface are provided. The conductive means has conductivity on the contact surface with the liquid crystal panel, and thereby all terminals of the liquid crystal panel are short-circuited.

The sticking means is realized by, for example, including a sticking roller, and rubs while pressing the surface of the polarizing film placed on the surface of the liquid crystal panel with the surface coated with the adhesive facing the surface. Then, a polarizing film is attached to the liquid crystal panel.

When the polarizing film is stuck to the liquid crystal panel by the sticking means, the short circuit means or the conductive means is brought into contact with the liquid crystal panel held by the first or second holding means as described above, and the entire liquid crystal panel is stuck. Is performed in a state where the terminals are electrically short-circuited, and when the polarizing film is pasted, the short-circuiting means is separated from the liquid crystal panel.

At the time of attaching the polarizing film to the liquid crystal panel, static electricity is generated due to friction between the polarizing film and the attaching means. However, since all terminals are electrically short-circuited, electric charges due to the static electricity are generated. It is possible to prevent charging from being concentrated on a specific electrode, thereby preventing discharge from occurring between the electrodes, and preventing electrostatic breakdown of the liquid crystal panel. Further, it is possible to prevent the generated electrostatic charge from flowing into the specific electrode, and it is possible to prevent display unevenness of the liquid crystal panel.

According to the present invention, the conductive member supported by the support member is provided with a biasing means using the elastic force of a spring, the pressure of air trapped in a cylinder, or a magnetic attraction force of a magnet or the like. Is pressed against the terminal. At this time, the contact portion of the conductive member pressed against the terminal has resiliency, so that the tapered shape is deformed by the pressing force, and the contact portion with the appropriate contact area is in contact with the terminal. are doing. Here, the magnitude of the contact area and the magnitude of the pressing force by the urging means are set so that, for example, the pressure at the contact surface is a minimum value that can surely perform the short circuit of the terminal. .

Therefore, the abutting portion of the conductive member, which protrudes in a tapered shape, is elastically deformed and pressed against the terminal with an appropriate pressure, so that no gap is formed between the conductive member and the terminal. As a result, all terminals and the conductive member can be reliably and repeatedly contacted with extremely high reproducibility with a small pressing force.

[0037]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a partial structure of a rubbing device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Shows a state where the rubbing process is performed. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the rubbing device 11 and the substrate member 12, and shows a state where the terminal electrode 34 is short-circuited by the short-circuit means 14. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial configuration of the rubbing device 11 and shows a state when the short-circuiting means 14 is not in contact with the substrate member 12. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the rubbing device 11.

The rubbing device 11 includes a stage 15 on which the substrate member 12 is mounted, short-circuit means 14 attached to the stage 15, a rubbing roller 16, and a transport belt 17.

The stage 15 includes a plate-shaped metal base 18 having a square shape and a plate-shaped mounting table 19 having a square shape smaller than the base 18. The mounting table 19 is made of an elastic material such as hard rubber.
9 is set on the base 18 such that each side of the base 9 is parallel to each side of the base 18. Base 18 and mounting table 1
9 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 20 for sucking and fixing the lower surface of the substrate member 12 when the substrate member 12 is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting table 19. The mounting table 19 is provided on the upper surface.
A plurality of suction holes 29 are also provided in a region where is not installed, and in a portion where the upper surface of the base 18 is in close contact with the bottom surface of the mounting means 23 of the short-circuit means 14 described later. Each suction hole 2
One end of each of 0 and 29 is opened on the upper surface of the stage 15, and the other end is airtightly connected to a suction port of a suction pump (not shown).

The stage 15 thus constructed
Are arranged on a transport belt 17 horizontally moved in a transport direction A by a driving unit (not shown) such that any two side surfaces of a base 18 constituting the stage 15 are parallel to the transport direction.

The short-circuit means 14 includes a leaf spring 21 and the conductive member 2.
2 and the mounting means 23. Mounting means 23
Is a long and narrow rod shape having a substantially square cross section. The right end of the bottom surface of the mounting means 23 in the drawing of FIG.
8 is connected to the right end in the drawing of FIG. 1 by a hinge 24, whereby the short-circuit means 14 is moved from a state in which the bottom surface of the mounting means 23 and the upper surface of the base 18 are in close contact as shown in FIG. , For example, as shown in FIG.
The hinge 24 can be angularly displaced around the hinge 24 until it is displaced by 0 degrees.

The metal leaf spring 21 has an elongated shape having a substantially key-shaped cross section. In the drawing of FIG. 1, an attaching portion 25 attached to the right side of the attaching means 23 by a bolt 28, and an attaching portion And a main body 26 extending from the upper end of the stage 25 toward the center of the stage 15 along a substantially horizontal direction. The main body 26 includes a horizontal portion 26a extending horizontally from the upper end of the mounting portion 25 in the drawing of FIG.
And an inclined portion 26b which extends in a substantially horizontal direction while slightly inclining downward from the horizontal portion 26a.
A conductive member 22 having a band-like shape and a rectangular cross section is attached to a lower surface (a surface facing the stage 15) at a tip end of the substrate member 12 along a direction in which the terminal electrodes 34 of the substrate member 12 mounted on the stage 15 are arranged. The inclined portion 26b forms a shallow angle θ of about 5 to 15 ° with respect to the upper surface of the substrate member 12 when the conductive member 22 comes into contact with the substrate member 12, and the angle of the strip-shaped conductive member 22 One side is substrate member 12
This brings about an effect of contacting the terminal electrode 34 of FIG.

The conductive member 22 is realized by conductive rubber or the like, and by selectively contacting one side of the conductive member 22 as described above, the conductive member 22 easily undergoes elastic deformation with a weak pressing force. In addition to the elastic force of the leaf spring 21, a stable short-circuit state can be provided over all the terminal electrodes 34. The conductive member 22 is connected to a ground wire (not shown) and is electrically grounded. In addition,
The conductive member 22 may be formed by attaching a conductive film to the surface of a band made of an elastic material such as rubber. Here, the thickness of the conductive member 22 is, for example, 0.4 m
m.

The rubbing roller 16 has a structure in which a rubbing member such as felt is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the roller.
The stage 1 is set such that the rotation axis is parallel to the upper surface of the stage 15 and the rotation axis is perpendicular to the transport direction A.
5 is installed. The positioning of the rubbing roller 16 in the up and down direction is such that when the substrate member 12 is placed on the stage 15 and transported in the transport direction A, the surface of the rubbing roller 16 that rotates at a high speed in the rotation direction B is positioned on the upper surface of the substrate member 12. Is set to be in sliding contact with.

The substrate member 12 is made of a thin glass substrate 31.
, A plurality of strip electrodes 32, an alignment film 33 made of a material such as polyimide, and a plurality of terminal electrodes 34. Each strip electrode 32 is provided on one surface of the glass substrate 31 in parallel with each other, and is connected to a plurality of terminal electrodes 34 provided on a peripheral portion of the surface of the glass substrate 31 where the strip electrode 32 is provided. The alignment film 33 is formed on the surface of the glass substrate 31 on which the strip electrodes 32 are provided so as to cover the strip electrodes 32. Each strip electrode 32 has
A predetermined drive signal is input via the terminal electrode 34. The terminal electrode 3 is provided on the substrate member 12 thus configured.
There are a case where the substrate 4 is provided on one side of the peripheral portion of the glass substrate 31 and a case where the terminal electrode 34 is provided on both sides. Here, a rubbing process of the substrate member 12 where the terminal electrode 34 is provided on one side is assumed.

In the rubbing apparatus 11 configured as described above, during the rubbing process, the substrate member 12 is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting table 19 of the stage 15 in FIG. The twelve terminal electrodes 34 are placed on the right side, and the direction in which the terminal electrodes 34 are arranged is parallel to the transport direction A in FIG. Here, when placing the substrate member 12 on the stage 15 and removing it from the stage 15, the short-circuit means 14 is in an open state as shown in FIG. It is designed not to disturb the loading and removal.

When the substrate member 12 is placed on the stage 15, the short-circuit means 14 is set in a closed state as shown in FIGS. In this state, the conductive member 22 of the short circuit means 14 is in contact with all the terminal electrodes 34. Further, in this state, when suction is performed by the pump from the suction holes 20 and 29, the substrate member 12 and the mounting means 23 of the short-circuit means 14 are sucked and fixed to the stage 15. At the same time that the mounting means 23 is attracted to the stage 15, the conductive member 22 is
The terminal electrode 34 is pressed by a predetermined pressing force by the elastic force of 1, and as a result, all the terminal electrodes 34 are short-circuited by the conductive member 22 and further electrically grounded by a ground wire (not shown) connected to the conductive member 22. You.

At this time, the pressing force of the leaf spring 21 against the terminal electrode 34 of the conductive member 22 is adjusted by changing the distance W between the upper surface of the mounting means 23 and the horizontal portion 26a of the leaf spring 21. As W decreases, the pressing force increases, and as the distance W increases, the pressing force decreases. The pressing force of the leaf spring 21 is set to, for example, 200 g weight to 500 g weight. The suction by the pump is performed until a rubbing process described later is completed.

The rubbing process by the rubbing device 11 is as follows.
When the substrate member 12 placed on the stage 15 is transported by the transport belt 17 in the transport direction A and passes below the rubbing roller 16 which rotates at a high speed in the rotation direction B, the orientation provided on the upper surface of the substrate member 12 The film 33 is rubbed while being pressed downward by the rubbing roller 16. The rubbing roller 16 and the mounting table 1 of the stage 15
9 is set to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate member 12 in advance, and when the substrate member 12 is conveyed and sandwiched between the rubbing roller 16 and the stage 15, the substrate member 12 Is appropriately pressed by the rubbing roller 16.

FIG. 5 is a process chart showing a rubbing process by the rubbing device 11. In step b1, the substrate member 12 is received by the rubbing device 11, and
Is placed at a predetermined position on the stage 15, the process proceeds to step b2, where the short-circuit means 14 is set from the open state shown in FIG. 3 to the closed state shown in FIG. It is attached to the member 12. Further, when suction is performed by the pump, the substrate member 12 and the mounting means 23 are fixed to the stage 15 by suction, and all the terminal electrodes 34 are short-circuited by the conductive member 22 to be grounded.

In step b3, the substrate member 12 mounted and fixed on the stage 15 is transported by the transport belt 17, and the alignment film 33 is rubbed by the rubbing roller 16 rotating at a high speed to perform a rubbing process. Will be The substrate member 12 passes under the rubbing roller 16,
When the rubbing process is completed, the process proceeds to step b4, where the suction by the pump is stopped, and the short-circuit means 14 is opened and removed from the substrate member 12 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the rubbing device 11 and shows a state where the rubbing process is being performed on the substrate member 12 in the diagonal direction of the substrate member 12. When the rubbing process is performed on the substrate member 12 in the diagonal direction, the terminal electrodes 34 connected to the strip-shaped electrodes 32 of the substrate member 12 are provided on both sides of the substrate member 12. A pair of short-circuit means 14x and 14y having the same configuration as the short-circuit means 14 are attached to both sides of the short-circuit means 14. At this time, the terminal electrodes 34 on both sides are respectively connected to the corresponding common strip electrodes 32 and are electrically connected to each other.

When the substrate member 12 is placed on the stage 15, the stage 15 is rotated and the rubbing angle, which is the angle of the substrate member 12 with respect to the transport direction A, is set to a predetermined angle. When the rubbing angle is set, the rotation of the stage 15 is fixed, and the short-circuit means 14y on the upstream side in the transport direction A is brought into contact with the substrate member 12. In this state, the stage 15 is transported in the transport direction A, and the rubbing process is performed on the substrate member 12 by the rubbing roller 16 as shown in FIG. 6A, and the rubbing roller 16 crosses the center of the substrate member 12. The rubbing process is performed until. At this time, the short-circuiting means 14x on the downstream side in the transport direction A is separated from the terminal electrode 34 of the substrate member 12 and is in a state of being spread at least 180 ° from the upper surface of the stage 15, and the rubbing roller 1
6 is not obstructed.

When the rubbing roller 16 passes through the central portion of the substrate member 12, as shown in FIG. 6 (2), the short-circuit means 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction A, which has been in contact with the substrate member 12.
4y is separated from the substrate member 12, and at the same time, the short-circuit means 14x on the downstream side in the transport direction A, which has been separated from the substrate member 12, is brought into contact with the substrate member 12. In this state, the stage 15 is transported in the transport direction A, and the rubbing process of the remaining half of the substrate member 12 is performed. At this time, the short-circuiting means 14y on the upstream side in the transport direction A is in a state of being spread at least 180 ° from the upper surface of the stage 15 so as not to obstruct the passage of the rubbing roller 16.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of another substrate member 12b. The board member 12b has substantially the same configuration as the board member 12, and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. Board member 12b
Has two regions H1 and H2 indicated by two-dot chain lines. After the rubbing process is performed on the substrate member 12b,
A portion corresponding to the regions H1 and H2 is cut out from the substrate member 12b and divided into two substrate members.

As described above, in the case where the rubbing roller 16 is too large with respect to the substrate member and the rubbing roller 16 extends over the terminals on both sides of the substrate member, the size of the rubbing roller 16 including some substrate members is reduced. After performing the rubbing process on the substrate member and performing the rubbing process, the substrate member may be divided into several substrate members having a predetermined size.

As described above, in the rubbing device 11, when the rubbing process is performed by rubbing the alignment film 33 of the substrate member 12 by the rubbing roller 16, all the terminal electrodes 3 are used.
4 is short-circuited by the short-circuit means 14, even if static electricity is generated by the rubbing treatment, electric charges due to the static electricity do not concentrate on a specific strip-shaped electrode 32, and discharge generated between the strip-shaped electrodes 32 can be prevented. In addition, electrostatic breakdown can be prevented. Further, since all the terminal electrodes 34 are electrically grounded by the ground wire connected to the conductive member 22, it is possible to quickly remove charges charged on the strip electrodes 34 by static electricity, and to more reliably prevent electrostatic breakdown. Can be prevented.

Further, since the terminal electrodes 34 are short-circuited to the plurality of substrate members 12 by the short-circuiting means 14 which can be used repeatedly, a conductive tape or a conductive resin is newly attached to each of the conventional substrate members. The material cost of the conductive tape or the conductive resin can be reduced as compared with the case of applying, and the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

Conventionally, when the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the substrate member, conductive carbon or conductive particles contained in the conductive tape or the conductive resin remain on the terminal electrodes, and the terminal electrodes are short-circuited. However, the terminal electrode 34 is short-circuited by the short-circuit means 14 provided with the conductive member 22, so that the conductive member 22 can be reliably removed from the terminal electrode 34, and the liquid crystal display device The yield can be improved.

Further, as compared with the conventional operation of sticking a conductive tape or applying a conductive resin to a substrate member and peeling the conductive tape or the conductive resin from the substrate member, the short-circuit means 14 is attached to the substrate member 12. Since the work of attaching and detaching is easier and the required time is shorter, the working efficiency is improved, and the manufacturing efficiency of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11a according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to and similar to the rubbing device 11 of FIGS. The feature of the rubbing device 11a is that a short-circuiting device 14a is provided in place of the short-circuiting device 14 of the rubbing device 11.
The short-circuiting means 14a includes a leaf-spring-like support member 36 to which the above-described conductive member 22 is attached on the lower surface of the tip, and a support member 36
The cross-section attached to the lower surface of the device includes a rod-shaped permanent magnet 37 or an electromagnet having a square or circular cross section.

The support member 36 has the same leaf spring shape as that of FIG. 1, and is formed so that the end of the support member 36 on the side where the conductive member 22 is not mounted and the base member 18 project upward. The attachment portion 38 provided is connected by the hinge 24a. The short-circuit means 14a is attached to the base 18 of the stage 15 so as to be angularly displaceable about the hinge 24a.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the substrate member 12 is placed at a predetermined position on the stage 15, the short-circuit means 1
4a is mounted on the substrate member 12, all the terminal electrodes 34 are short-circuited by the conductive member 22, and are electrically grounded. The length of the support member 36 in the left-right direction in the drawing of FIG. 8 is set to an appropriate length so that the conductive member 22 reaches above the terminal electrode 34 when the short-circuit means 14a is mounted on the substrate member 12. You.

In a state where the short-circuit means 14a is mounted on the substrate member 12 shown in FIG.
It is pressed against the terminal electrode by the magnetic attraction between the permanent magnet 37 and the base 18 formed of a metallic magnetic material such as stainless steel. Here, the pressing force of the conductive member 22 to the terminal electrode 34 is set to, for example, 200 g weight to 500 g weight, and the short circuit means 14 a can be easily separated from the substrate member 12 after the rubbing process is completed. . In addition, a gap is provided between the upper surface of the base 18 and the lower surface of the permanent magnet 37, and by setting the interval of this gap to an appropriate interval corresponding to the strength of the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 37, The pressing force of the conductive member 22 to the terminal electrode 34 can be set to an appropriate pressing force.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11b according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
In the rubbing device 11b of FIG. 9, parts corresponding to and similar to those of the rubbing device 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Rubbing device 1
1b is characterized in that the attaching and detaching operation of the conductive member 22 to and from the terminal electrode 34 is performed by two actuators 63 and 67.
Short-circuit means 1 which is performed by operating
4 m.

The leaf spring-like support member 36 a to which the conductive member 22 is joined is attached to a drive shaft 62 of an actuator 63 by an attachment member 61. Actuator 63 that operates to project and retract drive shaft 62
Is provided movably along a rail 65 mounted on the base 18 so as to approach and separate from the substrate member 12 mounted on the mounting table 19. Such an actuator 63 is connected to a distal end portion of a drive shaft 66 of the actuator 67 by a mounting member 64. The actuator 67 is fixed to the base 18, and operates so as to protrude and retreat the drive shaft 66.
The conductive member 22 is moved in the left-right direction in FIG. When the actuator 63 operates so as to protrude and retreat the drive shaft 62, the conductive member 22 is moved as shown in FIG.
Is moved in the vertical direction.

Each of the actuators 63 and 67 has a built-in cylinder to which air is supplied from the outside. The actuator supplies air into the cylinder by an external air supply source (not shown) or sucks air from the cylinder. When the pressure in the cylinder is changed, the respective drive shafts 62 and 66 are driven accordingly.

When placing the substrate member 12 on the stage 15 and removing the substrate member 12 from the stage 15, as shown in FIG.
7 is in the retracted state, and the conductive member 2
9 and the supporting member 36a do not interfere with the operation of mounting and removing the substrate member 12 from the mounting table 19 as shown in FIG.
In the right direction.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the roller 16
When the rubbing process is performed, the actuators 63 and 67 are operated to bring the conductive member 22 into contact with the terminal electrodes 34 of the substrate member 12. The pressing force when the conductive member 22 comes into contact with the terminal electrode 34 is determined by the actuator 6
3 is determined by the relationship between the force with which the drive shaft 62 is pulling in the drive shaft 62 and the resilience of the support member 36a. For example, in the support member 36a, the tip end of the support member 36a to which the conductive member 22 is joined and the support member 36a Is the mounting member 61
By changing the length between the rear end attached to the
This pressing force can be easily changed by making the support member 36a easily bendable or hardly bendable.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the rubbing device 11b. When the substrate member 12 is sent in from outside, the rubbing device 11b sends the substrate member 1
2 is a device capable of automatically performing a rubbing process on the substrate 2 and discharging the substrate member 12 after performing the rubbing process.

The board member 12 is moved from the outside to the take-in position P1.
Is transported, the transport arm 72 transports the substrate member 12 at the loading position P1 to the positioning position P2 in the positioning section 71. Substrate member 1 at positioning position P2
2 is positioned at a predetermined position by a plurality of positioning cylinders 73 disposed so as to surround the substrate member 12 at the positioning position P2. The positioned substrate member 12 is further placed on the stage 15 of the contact stage 74 moved by the transfer arm 72 to a position facing the receiving position P3. When the substrate member 12 is placed on the stage 15 at the receiving position P3, the conductive member 22 of the short-circuiting means 14m comes into contact with the terminal electrode 34 of the substrate member 12, and the terminal electrode 34 is short-circuited.

When the terminal electrode 34 is short-circuited at the receiving position P 3, the contact stage 74 rotates to a predetermined rubbing angle, and then advances toward the roller 16. The rubbing treatment of the substrate member 12 is performed by
Is carried out under the roller 16 and the substrate member 12
When the short-circuit means 14m is provided on both sides of the
6 as shown in FIG.
By switching between the state of (1) and the state of FIG. 6 (2), it is possible to maintain a state in which short-circuiting has been performed on each strip electrode 32.

When the substrate member 12 is conveyed to the discharge position P4 after passing under the roller 16, the contact stage 7
4 rotates to the angle of origin when the substrate member 12 is received at the receiving position P3, and a push-up pin provided on the stage 15 is protruded so as to separate the substrate member 12 from above the stage 15; 12
And the discharge arm 75 causes the discharge arm 75 to discharge the substrate member 12 out of the rubbing device 11b.

When the substrate member 12 is discharged, the contact stage 74 moves from the discharge position P4 to the receiving position P.
3 and the next substrate member 12 is moved to the loading position P1.
Wait until sent to.

In the rubbing devices 11, 11a and 11b according to the first to third embodiments described above, the single short-circuit means 14, 14a and 14m is mounted on the stage 15,
By attaching the two short-circuit means 14, 14 a, 14 m on both sides of 5, it is possible to cope with the rubbing process on the substrate member 12 of the type in which the terminal electrodes 34 are provided on both sides of the periphery of the glass substrate 31. At this time, the terminal electrodes 34 on both sides are connected to the strip electrodes 32 different from each other.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The polarizing film sticking device 41 includes a stage 43 on which a liquid crystal panel 42 described later is placed, a polarizing film suction stage 44 for transporting a polarizing film 46 described later, and a sticking roller 45.

FIG. 12 shows the stage 43, the short-circuit means 14b and 14c attached to the stage 43, and the conductive member 1.
It is a perspective view showing composition with 4d and 14e. Stage 4
3 and the short-circuit means 14b and 14c have the same configuration as the stage 15 and the short-circuit means 14 provided in the rubbing device 11 described above, and corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Each of the conductive members 14d and 14e has a rectangular band shape in cross section.
It is made of the same material as the conductive member 22 provided in 11a. The conductive members 14d and 14e are connected to a ground wire (not shown) and are electrically grounded.

The short-circuit means 14b and 14c are respectively attached to the upper ends of both sides of the stage 43 parallel to the direction of arrow C in FIG. 11, and the conductive means 22 of the short-circuit means 14b and 14c are indicated by arrow C. It is in a relationship parallel to the direction. The conductive members 14d and 14e are arranged at both ends on the stage 43 in parallel at a predetermined interval, and are perpendicular to the arrow C direction.

FIG. 13 shows the liquid crystal panel 4 on the stage 43.
It is a perspective view which shows the state in which 2 was mounted. LCD panel 4
Reference numeral 2 denotes two substrate members 1 on which the rubbing process has been performed.
2 are bonded so that the alignment films 33 face each other and the strip electrodes 32 are in a vertical relationship, and a liquid crystal 47 is injected between the two substrate members 12. However, it is assumed that each of the substrate members 12 has the terminal electrodes 34 provided on both sides of the periphery of the glass substrate 31. Here, in order to distinguish the two substrate members 12 included in the liquid crystal panel 42, the liquid crystal panel 42
The substrate member 12 positioned on the upper side when placed on the substrate and each component included in the substrate member 12 are indicated by a subscript a.

The liquid crystal panel 42 thus constructed
When placed at a predetermined position on the stage 43 as shown in FIG. 13, the downward terminal electrodes 34a provided on the upper substrate member 12 contact the conductive members 14d and 14e, and The short-circuit means 14b and 14c are rotated in the directions of arrows D and E, respectively, and the respective conductive members 22 are brought into contact with the upward terminal electrodes 34 provided on the member 12.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial structure of the polarizing film sticking device 41 taken along a plane perpendicular to the arrow C direction. FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing the polarizing film sticking device 41 in the arrow C direction. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial configuration when cut along a plane parallel to FIG. 14 and 15, FIGS.
Corresponding and similar parts to the rubbing device 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

When the liquid crystal panel 42 is mounted on the stage 43 and the short-circuit means 14b and 14c are mounted on the liquid crystal panel 42, suction is performed by the pump from the suction holes 20 and 29. When the suction is performed, the mounting means 23 of the liquid crystal panel 42 and the short-circuit means 14b and 14c are moved to the stage 43.
Is fixed by suction. The thickness of the conductive members 14d and 14e in the vertical direction in the drawing of FIG. 15 is set slightly larger than the distance from the surface of the terminal electrode 34a facing downward to the lower surface of the liquid crystal panel 42. Due to the suction, the downward terminal electrodes 34a on both sides are pressed against the conductive members 14d and 14e with an appropriate pressing force. Thereby, all the terminal electrodes 34 facing downward are formed.
Are short-circuited and electrically grounded.

At the same time, the respective conductive members 22 of the short-circuit means 14b and 14c are pressed by the upwardly directed terminal electrodes 34 on both sides. As a result, all the terminal electrodes 34 facing upward are short-circuited and electrically grounded.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the polarizing film sticking device 41, and shows an operation when the polarizing film 46 is stuck to the liquid crystal panel 42. FIG.
In (1), a liquid crystal panel 42 is placed on a stage 43, and a polarizing film 46 having a surface in contact with the liquid crystal panel 42 coated with an adhesive is sucked and held by a polarizing film suction stage 44. As the liquid crystal panel 42 is transported in the direction of arrow C by the stage 43,
The polarizing film suction stage 44 rotates in the direction of arrow F,
The state shown in FIG. In FIG. 16 (2), the polarizing film 46 is obliquely in contact with the liquid crystal panel 42, and the respective ends of the polarizing film 46 and the liquid crystal panel 42 on the upstream side in the arrow C direction are in contact with each other, and on the downstream side in the arrow C direction. Are separated from each other. In this state, the attaching roller 45 is moved in the direction of arrow I, and the state shown in FIG.

In FIG. 16C, the stage 43 is indicated by an arrow G.
Polarizing film 46 to the liquid crystal panel 42
Is performed. Stage 43 and liquid crystal panel 4
2 in the direction of the arrow G, the polarizing film 46 moves on the suction surface of the polarizing film suction stage 44 substantially along the arrow G.
When the sheet passes under the sticking roller 45 while sliding in the direction, the sticking roller 45 frictionally presses the polarizing film 46 to stick the polarizing film 46 to the liquid crystal panel 43. FIG. 16D shows a state in which the attachment of the polarizing film 46 to the liquid crystal panel 42 has been completed.

When the attachment of the polarizing film to one surface is completed, the liquid crystal panel 42 is turned over, and the attachment of the polarizing film to the other surface is performed in the same manner, thereby completing the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 17 is a process diagram showing a polarizing film sticking step using the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41. At step c1, the liquid crystal panel 42 is attached to the polarizing film sticking device 41.
Is received and the liquid crystal panel 42 is placed at a predetermined position on the stage 43, the process proceeds to step c2, where the short-circuit means 14b and 14c are closed in the directions of arrows D and E, and the respective conductive members 22 face upward. It is mounted on the terminal electrode 34. Further, when suction is performed by the pump, the liquid crystal panel 42 and each mounting means 23 are fixed to the stage 43, and accordingly, all the upward terminal electrodes 34 are connected to the short-circuit means 14b, 14c.
Is short-circuited and grounded, and all terminal electrodes 34 facing downward
a is short-circuited by the conductive members 14d and 14e and grounded.

At step c3, the surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 is cleaned. In the cleaning in step c3, first, the deposits on the surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 are removed by a blade of a cutter, and then the alcohol cleaning of the surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 is performed by using a special fiber without lint, and the surface is further cleaned by an adhesive roller. Is performed. In step c4, the polarizing film 4 conveyed by the polarizing film suction stage 44
6 is pressed onto the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 by the attaching roller 45, and is adhered by friction.

In step c4, when the polarizing film 46 is attached to both sides of the liquid crystal panel 42 to complete the liquid crystal display device, the process proceeds to step c5, where the short-circuit means 14
The b and 14c are opened in the directions opposite to the directions of the arrows D and E, and the respective conductive members 22 are removed from the terminal electrodes 34 facing upward. In step c6, after removing air bubbles between the pasted polarizing film 46 and the surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 (autoclave), the liquid crystal such as checking the state of pasting of the polarizing film 46, and confirming display failure of the liquid crystal display device due to disconnection or the like. An inspection is performed on the display device.

In step c7, the terminal electrode 34 is cleaned with alcohol or the like so that no foreign matter or the like remains on the terminal electrode 34, and in step c8, the anisotropic conductive film tape for connecting the driving circuit faces upward. 34. As for the downward terminal electrode 34a, the liquid crystal display device is turned upside down, so that the cleaning is performed in step c7, and the anisotropic conductive film tape is attached in step c8.

As described above, in the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41, when the polarizing film 46 is stuck to the liquid crystal panel 42, all the terminal electrodes 34 and 3 facing upward and downward are attached.
4a is a short-circuit means 14b, 14c and a conductive member 14d,
Since the short-circuit is caused by 14e, even when static electricity is generated due to friction of the polarizing film 46 by the attaching roller 45, the electric charge due to the static electricity is reduced to the specific band-shaped electrodes 32, 32.
Discharge occurring between the strip electrodes 32 and 32a can be prevented without concentrating on a, and electrostatic breakdown can be prevented.

Also, when the laminate is peeled off from the adhesive surface of the polarizing film 46 to which the adhesive has been applied, strong static electricity is generated. The polarized film 46 charged by the static electricity is transported by the polarizing film suction stage 44 and When the liquid crystal panel 42 is in contact with the panel 42, the liquid crystal panel 42 may be broken by static electricity.
Since the short circuits 2 and 32a are provided, electrostatic breakdown can be prevented.

Further, all terminal electrodes 34 facing upward and downward are provided.
And 34a are connected to each conductive member 22 and conductive member 14
Since it is electrically grounded by the ground wire connected to d and 14e, the charges charged to the strip electrodes 34 and 34a due to static electricity can be quickly eliminated, and electrostatic breakdown can be more reliably prevented. .

Further, the short-circuit means 14b, 14c and the conductive member 1 which can be used repeatedly for the plurality of liquid crystal panels 42
Since the upward and downward terminal electrodes 34 and 34a are short-circuited at 4d and 14e, the material cost of the conductive tape or conductive resin conventionally used for short-circuiting the terminal electrodes can be reduced. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In the prior art, when the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the liquid crystal panel, the conductive carbon or the conductive particles may remain on the terminal electrodes, and the terminal electrodes may remain in a short-circuit state. However, since the conductive member 22 and the conductive members 14d and 14e can be reliably removed from the upward and downward terminal electrodes 34 and 34a, the yield of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

Also, the operation of attaching a conductive tape to a conventional liquid crystal panel, applying a conductive resin, or attaching a conductive cover, and removing the conductive tape from the liquid crystal panel,
The operation of attaching and detaching the short-circuiting means 14b and 14c to and from the liquid crystal panel 42 is simpler than the operation of peeling off the conductive resin or removing the conductive cover, and the required time is short. Thus, the manufacturing efficiency of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

As the liquid crystal panel 42 is mounted on the stage 43, the downward terminals 34a of the liquid crystal panel 42
Abuts on the conductive members 14d and 14e, and furthermore, as the liquid crystal panel 42 is attracted to the stage 43, the downward terminals 34a are pressed by the conductive members 14d and 14e, and the downward terminals 34a are short-circuited. Compared with the conventional short-circuiting work using conductive tape, conductive resin or conductive cover, the short-circuiting work is simpler and the time required is shorter, so the working efficiency is improved and the manufacturing of the liquid crystal display device is improved. Efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41a according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 18, the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to and similar to the rubbing device 11a of FIG. 8 and the polarizing film sticking device 41 of FIGS. A feature of the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41a is that short-circuit means 14f and 14g are provided instead of the short-circuit means 14b and 14c of the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41. The structure of the short-circuit means 14f, 14g is the same as that of the rubbing device 11 shown in FIG.
Since the configuration is the same as that of the short-circuit means 14a, the detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 19 shows a stage 43a provided in a polarizing film sticking apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention and short-circuit means 14h-1 attached to the stage 43a.
FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a 4k configuration, and FIG. 20 shows a stage 43 provided in the polarizing film sticking apparatus of the present embodiment.
b and the conductive means 1 attached to the stage 43b
It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 4r-14u.

The polarizing film sticking apparatus of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41 of the above-described embodiment.
In the polarizing film sticking apparatus of this embodiment, a stage 43a to which four short-circuit means 14h to 14k are attached, and a stage 43 to which four conductive means 14r to 14u are attached.
b is provided with two stages. The stages 43a and 43b, the short-circuit means 14h to 14k, and the conductive means 14r to 14u of the present embodiment, and the stage 43 and the short-circuit means 14 provided in the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41 described above.
b, 14c and the conductive means 14d, 14e have the same configuration, and detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the structure of an active matrix type liquid crystal panel 42a. The liquid crystal panel 42a includes substrate members 12c,
12d is laminated. A plurality of TFTs (thin film transistors) 51 and a TFT are provided on a portion of the larger substrate member 12c facing the smaller substrate member 12d.
51, a plurality of source lines 48 and gate lines 4
9 and a plurality of drive electrodes 5 also connected to the TFT 51.
0 is provided. The board member 12 of the board member 12c
A plurality of terminal electrodes 34b which are individually connected to the source lines 48 and the gate lines 49 are provided in a portion not facing d.

When attaching a polarizing film to the smaller substrate member 12d of the liquid crystal panel 42a thus configured, the liquid crystal panel 42a is placed on the stage 43a with the terminal electrodes 34b facing upward. You. When the liquid crystal panel 42a is placed on the stage 43a, the stage 4
The liquid crystal panel 42 facing upward with respect to the mounting surface of 3a
In the portion where the terminal electrode 34b of FIG.
4h to 14k are contacted.

When the polarizing film is attached to the larger substrate member 12c of the liquid crystal panel 42a, the liquid crystal panel 42a is placed on the stage 43b such that the terminal electrodes 34b of the liquid crystal panel 42a face downward. You.
When the liquid crystal panel 42a is placed on the stage 43a,
The liquid crystal panel 4 facing downward with respect to the mounting surface of the stage 43b
The terminal electrode 34b of 2a contacts the conductive means 14r to 14u.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41b according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a portion of the polarizing film sticking device 41b in which the short-circuit means 14m is provided. Since the polarizing film sticking device 41b individually sticks the polarizing film to the liquid crystal panel 42 on one surface at a time, the first surface sticking portion 91 for sticking the polarizing film to one surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 and the other surface. And a second surface sticking portion 92 for sticking a polarizing film on the second surface. First
The contact stage 84 of the surface sticking section 91 and the contact stage 84 of the second surface sticking section 92 have the above-described FIG.
The short-circuit means 14m shown in the embodiment of FIG.
As shown in FIG.

The liquid crystal panel 42 cleaned in an external cleaning tank
Is supplied to the take-up position Q1 of the polarizing film sticking device 41b, the first surface sticking section 91 starts sticking the polarizing film. The liquid crystal panel 42 supplied to the take-in position Q1 is conveyed onto the positioning stage 81 by the transfer arm 83, and the position of the liquid crystal panel 42 with respect to the transfer arm 83 is adjusted on the positioning stage 81 by the plurality of positioning cylinders 82. When the position is adjusted, the liquid crystal panel 42 is transported again by the transport arm 83 and placed on the contact stage 84.
At this time, since the position is adjusted on the positioning stage 81, the liquid crystal panel 42 can be accurately placed at a predetermined position on the contact stage 84.

As shown in FIG. 23A, the conductive member 2
When the liquid crystal panel 42 is mounted on the contact stage 84 in a state where the support member 2 and the support member 36a are separated from the mounting table 19 of the stage 43, the upward terminal electrodes 34 of the liquid crystal panel 42 are connected to the liquid crystal panel 42 as shown in FIG. As shown in (2), the conductive member 22 provided on the short-circuit means 14m is in contact with the conductive member provided on the mounting table on the contact stage 84 and the downward terminal electrode of the liquid crystal panel 42.
When the short-circuit of the terminal electrodes of the liquid crystal panel 42 is completed in this way, the contact stage 84 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 22 to a position facing the discharge position Q2 of the liquid crystal panel 42.

On the other hand, the polarizing film laminated on the polarizing film supply section 86 is conveyed onto the polarizing film positioning stage 85 by the laminate peeling device 88, and the position is adjusted on the polarizing film positioning stage 85. On the polarizing film whose position has been adjusted, the laminate applied to the adhesive application surface is peeled off by a laminate peeling device 88, and the laminate film peeling device 88 further removes the laminate onto the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 42 placed on the contact stage 84. After being conveyed, one end of the polarizing film and one end of the liquid crystal panel 42 come into contact with each other as described with reference to FIG.

As described above, the polarizing film is used for the liquid crystal panel 42.
When the contact stage 84 is conveyed to the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 42, the contact stage 84 is moved so as to pass below the attaching roller 45, and the attaching roller 45 attaches the polarizing film to the liquid crystal panel 42.

When the contact stage 84 is moved to a position opposing the discharge position Q2, the liquid crystal panel 42 located at the discharge position Q2 is removed from the contact stage 84 by the transfer arm 87. LCD panel 42
Of the contact stage 84 from which the discharge position Q has been removed.
22 is moved through the lower side of the application roller 45 to the state shown in FIG.
Completes the operation of attaching the polarizing film.

When the attaching operation by the first-side attaching section 91 is completed, the attaching operation by the second-side attaching section 92 is started.
The second surface sticking portion 92 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the first surface sticking portion 91, and a portion corresponding to the first surface sticking portion 91 includes:
Reference numerals are indicated by adding “a”. In the sticking operation by the second surface sticking unit 92, the liquid crystal panel 4 removed from the contact stage 84 of the first surface sticking unit 91 at the discharge position Q2.
2 is transferred by the transfer arm 87 until the transfer arm 87 is transferred onto the positioning stage 81a of the second surface sticking section 92.
Is rotated so that the upwardly facing surface and the downwardly facing surface are reversed.

In this way, the positioning stage 8 is turned over.
The position of the liquid crystal panel 42 mounted on 1a is adjusted by a plurality of positioning cylinders 82a, and the liquid crystal panel 42 is transferred onto the contact stage 84a of the second surface attaching section 92 by the transfer arm 83a. When the liquid crystal panel 42 is mounted on the contact stage 84a, the terminal electrodes are short-circuited, and the polarizing film is conveyed to the upper surface of the mounted liquid crystal panel 42 by the laminate peeling device 88a. In this state, the contact stage 84a is
Is moved from the state shown in FIG. 5 to a position facing the discharge position Q3, the polarizing film is attached to the liquid crystal panel 42 by the attaching roller 45a.

Contact stage 84 up to discharge position Q3
The liquid crystal panel 42 conveyed along with the movement of “a” is conveyed by the panel discharge arm 89 to the sending-out position Q4, and is conveyed to the sending-out position Q4.
Is discharged out of the polarizing film sticking device 41b by, for example, a belt conveyor (not shown). When the liquid crystal panel 42 is removed from the contact stage 84a at the discharge position Q3, the contact stage 84a from which the liquid crystal panel 42 is removed moves from the position facing the discharge position Q3 to the state shown in FIG.
5a is moved underneath.

In the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41b of this embodiment, since the polarizing films are stuck on both sides of the liquid crystal panel 42 in accordance with the taking-in of the liquid crystal panel 42 from the take-in position Q1, the worker is required to carry out the operation. There is no need to turn over the liquid crystal panel 42, and the polarizing films can be automatically attached to both sides of the liquid crystal panel 42.

Further, the polarizing film sticking device 4 of this embodiment
1b, the short-circuit means 14m using the two actuators 63 and 67 is provided. However, the short-circuit means 14 provided in the rubbing device 11 of FIGS. 1 to 7 and the short-circuit means 14a provided in the rubbing device 11a of FIG. May be provided.

[0115]

As described above, according to the present invention, the short-circuit means for short-circuiting the terminals of the substrate member can be used repeatedly for a plurality of substrate members. Compared to attaching a conductive resin, or attaching a conductive cover,
The material cost of the conductive resin or the conductive cover can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

Further, conventionally, when the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the substrate member, the conductive carbon or the conductive particles contained in the conductive tape or the conductive resin remain on the terminal portion of the substrate member, and the terminal is removed. Although the short-circuit may occur, the short-circuit of the terminal of the substrate member is surely released by separating the short-circuit means from the substrate member in the present invention, so that the terminal is kept short-circuited. It is possible to prevent a defect from occurring in the liquid crystal display device due to, for example, attaching an anisotropic conductive film tape to the liquid crystal display device, and to improve the yield of the liquid crystal display device.

When a conductive tape, a conductive resin, or a conductive cover is used for short-circuiting a conventional board member, a conductive tape is attached to a terminal, a conductive resin is applied to a terminal, or a conductive resin is applied to a terminal. It takes time to attach the conductive cover, peel off the conductive tape or conductive resin from the terminals, or remove the conductive cover. On the other hand, in the present invention, the terminal can be quickly short-circuited by abutting the short-circuit means on the substrate member,
By separating the short circuit means from the board member, the short circuit of the terminal can be quickly released, so that the work is simple and the required time is short, so that the work efficiency is improved and the conductive member is removed. In this case, the production efficiency of the liquid crystal display device can be improved because no static electricity is generated or the electrode is not damaged due to the work, and the substrate member is not stained.

Further, according to the present invention, the short-circuit means and the conductive means for short-circuiting the upward and downward terminals with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel can be used repeatedly for a plurality of liquid crystal panels. As compared with the case where a conductive resin or a conductive cover is used, the material cost of the conductive tape, the conductive resin or the conductive cover can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

Conventionally, when the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the liquid crystal panel, the conductive carbon or the conductive particles contained in the conductive tape or the conductive resin remain in the terminal portions, and the terminals are short-circuited. However, in the present invention, the short circuit of the terminal facing upward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel can be reliably released by separating the short circuit means from the liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal panel is held. By removing it from the means, the short circuit of the terminal facing downward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel due to the conductive means can be reliably released, and the yield of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

Also, a conductive tape is adhered to a conventional liquid crystal panel, a conductive resin is applied, or a conductive cover is attached, and the conductive tape or the conductive resin is peeled off from the liquid crystal panel, or Compared to the work of removing the cover, the work of moving the short circuit means closer to and away from the liquid crystal panel is easier and the time required is shorter, so the work efficiency is improved and the manufacturing efficiency of the liquid crystal display device is improved. Can be.

Further, as the liquid crystal panel is attracted and held by the holding means, the conductive means is pressed by the terminal facing downward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel, and the terminals are short-circuited. Short-circuit work is simpler and requires less time compared to short-circuit work using conductive tape or conductive resin, thus improving work efficiency and generating static electricity when removing conductive members. Since the electrode does not become scratched or the substrate member is not stained by the work, the manufacturing efficiency of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

That is, since the terminals are short-circuited by the short-circuiting means and the conductive means, static electricity generated at the time of rubbing treatment and pasting of the polarizing film can be prevented with a relatively simple structure, and the working process can be simplified. can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11 and a substrate member 12.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11 and a substrate member 12.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a rubbing device 11 and a substrate member 12.

FIG. 5 is a process chart showing a rubbing process by the rubbing device 11;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the rubbing device 11;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a substrate member 12b.

FIG. 8 shows a rubbing device 11a according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial configuration of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a rubbing device 11b according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a rubbing device 11b.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41 which is still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a stage 43, short-circuit means 14b and 14c attached to the stage 43, and conductive members 14d and 14;
It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of e.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where a liquid crystal panel is mounted on a stage 43.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial configuration when the polarizing film sticking device 41 is cut along a plane perpendicular to the transport direction C.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a partial configuration when the polarizing film sticking device 41 is cut along a plane parallel to the transport direction C.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of a polarizing film sticking device 41.

FIG. 17 is a process diagram showing a polarizing film sticking step using the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing a partial configuration of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41a according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a stage 43a and short-circuit means 14h to 14k provided in a polarizing film sticking apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a stage 43b and conductive means 14r to 14u provided in a polarizing film sticking apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a liquid crystal panel 42a.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a polarizing film sticking apparatus 41b according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a portion of the polarizing film sticking apparatus 41b provided with the short-circuit means 14m.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a short-circuit state of the terminal electrode 2 using the conductive tape 3 of the related art.

FIG. 25 is a process diagram showing a polarizing film sticking process according to a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 11a, 11b Rubbing device 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Substrate member 14, 14a to 14c, 14f to 14k, 14m, 14
x, 14y Shorting means 14d, 14e, 14r to 14u, 22 Conductive member 15, 43, 43a, 43b Stage 16 Rubbing roller 17 Conveyor belt 18 Base 19 Mounting table 20, 29 Suction hole 21 Leaf spring 23 Mounting means 31, 31a Glass substrate 32, 32a Strip-shaped electrode 33, 33a Alignment film 34, 34a, 34b Terminal electrode 36, 36a Supporting member 37 Permanent magnet 41, 41a, 41b Polarizing film sticking device 42, 42a Liquid crystal panel 44 Polarizing film suction stage 45 Sticking roller 46 Polarizing film 47 LCD

Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02F 1/1337 G02F 1/1335 G02F 1/13 101 G09F 9/00-9/46

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transparent substrate, a plurality of electrodes provided on one surface of the transparent substrate, a plurality of terminals provided on a peripheral portion of the transparent substrate for supplying a drive signal to each electrode, An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, which performs a rubbing process on a surface of an alignment member with respect to a substrate member having an alignment member covering a surface of a provided transparent substrate, comprising: a mounting surface on which the substrate member is mounted. Holding means for holding the substrate member such that the orientation member faces upward with respect to the mounting surface; provided on the holding means, and each terminal of the peripheral edge of the substrate member held by the holding means Attached and detachable with respect to the substrate member, the contact surface to the substrate member has a conductive short-circuit means, comprising a rubbing means for performing a rubbing process on the surface of the alignment member of the substrate member, Liquid crystal display manufacturing device. 2. A liquid crystal material is interposed between two substrate members provided with a plurality of electrodes on opposing surfaces, respectively, and a plurality of terminals for supplying a drive signal to the electrodes are provided on each of the substrate members. In a manufacturing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device, in which a polarizing film is attached to a surface of the liquid crystal panel with respect to a liquid crystal panel provided on a surface not opposed to the liquid crystal panel, a mounting surface for mounting the liquid crystal panel is provided. Holding means for holding the liquid crystal panel by attracting the liquid crystal panel; contacting / separating from each terminal provided on the holding means and facing upward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means. A short-circuiting means which is attached so as to be able to contact the liquid crystal panel and has a conductive surface; and a short-circuit means which is provided on the holding means and faces downward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the holding means. The liquid crystal panel is attached so as to be in contact with each of the terminals, and a conductive means having a conductive surface on the liquid crystal panel, and a bonding means for bonding a polarizing film to the surface of the liquid crystal panel. Liquid crystal display device manufacturing equipment. 3. A liquid crystal material is interposed between two substrate members having different sizes, and the larger substrate member includes a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of switching elements connected to the electrodes. For a liquid crystal panel provided on a surface facing a substrate member and having a plurality of terminals for supplying a drive signal to the electrode not facing the smaller substrate member, a polarizing film is provided on the surface of the liquid crystal panel. In the manufacturing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device, a mounting surface on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted is provided, and the liquid crystal panel is held by suction so that terminals of the liquid crystal panel face upward with respect to the mounting surface. First holding means, and a mounting surface for mounting the liquid crystal panel thereon, wherein the liquid crystal panel is held by suction so that the terminals of the liquid crystal panel face downward with respect to the mounting surface. Holding means, provided on the first holding means, and attached to each terminal facing the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the first holding means and facing upward and away from each other. A short-circuit means having a conductive surface in contact with the liquid crystal panel; and a short-circuit means provided on the second holding means and facing downward with respect to the mounting surface of the liquid crystal panel held by the second holding means. And a conductive means having a conductive surface having a contact surface with the liquid crystal panel, and a bonding means for bonding a polarizing film to the surface of the liquid crystal panel. Manufacturing equipment for liquid crystal display devices. 4. The short-circuit means is capable of abutting across all terminals, a conductive member having a conductive portion at a contact portion to the terminal, a support member supporting the conductive member, and And a biasing means for biasing in a direction of a terminal forming surface of the substrate member, wherein the abutting portion of the conductive member protrudes in a tapered shape and has elasticity. 3. The manufacturing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1.