JP3324281B2 - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning an object such as a substrate in a liquid crystal display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a liquid crystal display device, a pair of transparent substrates (glass plates) on which display electrodes are formed are superposed and bonded via a frame-shaped sealing material, and are surrounded by both substrates and the sealing material. Liquid crystal is sealed in the area. A polarizing film or a retardation film is attached to the surface of the substrate in the liquid crystal display element. Before this attachment, dirt adhering to the surface of the substrate is removed by a cleaning device. Conventionally, a roller brush, an adhesive roller, a cutter blade, and the like have been used as the cleaning device.

[0003]

However, in a cleaning apparatus using a roller brush or an adhesive roller, it is difficult to effectively remove dirt adhered to the surface of a substrate. Although it is necessary to apply the blade uniformly to the surface of the substrate, it is difficult to adjust the blade and the surface of the substrate is easily damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to remove dirt on the surface of an object to be cleaned such as a substrate effectively and precisely so as to damage the surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device capable of achieving the cleaning.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a horizontal mounting table for mounting articles to be cleaned, and a table drive for moving the mounting table in each horizontal direction. A mechanism, a cleaning head provided above the mounting table, a head rotating mechanism for horizontally rotating the cleaning head, and a head feeding mechanism for moving the cleaning head in a direction of moving toward and away from the mounting table. The cleaning head comprises: a cleaning tape coated with an abrasive, and a tape feeding mechanism that winds the cleaning tape with a winding roller and sequentially runs the tape in one direction. With the cleaning tape running, the cleaning head is moved by the head feed mechanism so that the cleaning tape is placed on the surface of the object to be cleaned placed on the mounting table. It is tactile, in which further the rotating the cleaning head by the head rotating mechanism, and adapted to move the mount table horizontal in each direction by the table drive mechanism.

[0006]

When cleaning an object to be cleaned, first, the object to be cleaned is placed on the mounting table. Then, the cleaning head is rotated horizontally by the head rotating mechanism, and the cleaning tape is caused to travel in one direction by the tape feeding mechanism.

Then, the cleaning head is lowered by the head feed mechanism, and the cleaning tape is brought into contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned on the mounting table at a constant pressure. Further, the mounting table is moved in each horizontal direction by the table driving mechanism.

When the cleaning tape running in one direction comes into contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned, the surface of the object to be cleaned is rubbed in the running direction by the cleaning tape. Further, at this time, since the cleaning head is rotating horizontally, the surface of the object to be cleaned is also rubbed in the rotating direction.

As described above, since the surface of the object to be cleaned is rubbed in the running direction of the cleaning tape and the rotating direction of the cleaning head,
The dirt component on the surface of the object to be cleaned is accurately removed via the abrasive applied to the cleaning tape.

Since the cleaning tape always travels in one direction, the dirt component removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned is sequentially removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned as the cleaning tape travels. Soil components do not reattach to the surface of the object to be cleaned.

The mounting table is driven by the table driving mechanism so as to move in each of the horizontal directions. Therefore, the cleaning tape comes into contact with each part of the surface of the object to be cleaned. Are sequentially rubbed with a cleaning tape, the entire dirt component is reliably removed, and the entire surface of the object to be cleaned is reliably cleaned.

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 shown in the figure denotes a mounting table for mounting the article to be cleaned. The mounting table 1 is driven by a table driving mechanism 2 and is composed of a horizontal X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction orthogonal to each other. It moves in the direction.

The table driving mechanism 2 will be described in further detail. Reference numeral 3 denotes a base, on which a forward / reverse rotating motor 4 and a screw shaft 5 driven and rotated by the motor 4 are provided. A first movable piece 6 is engaged with the screw shaft 5, and the first movable piece 6 moves in the X-axis direction along the longitudinal direction according to the rotation of the screw shaft 5. I have.

On the first movable piece 6, a forward / reverse rotating motor 7 and a screw shaft 8 driven and rotated by the motor 7 are provided. The screw shaft 8 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the screw shaft 5, and a second movable piece 9 is engaged with the screw shaft 8. The mounting table 1 is horizontally mounted on the second movable piece 9, and the mounting table 1 is integrated with the second movable piece 9 in accordance with the rotation of the screw shaft 8. Are moved in the Y-axis direction along the longitudinal direction of.

Therefore, the motor 4 is driven to
The movable table 6 is reciprocated in the X-axis direction, and the motor 7 is driven to reciprocate the second movable piece 9 in the Y-axis direction, thereby moving the mounting table 1 in each horizontal direction. Can be done.

Above the mounting table 1, a cleaning head 10 is provided.
Is provided. This cleaning head 10 has a vertical spindle 1
The main shaft 11 is rotatably mounted on a plate 12. A motor 14 constituting a head rotating mechanism is provided on the plate 12, and the main shaft 11 is driven and rotated by the motor 14.

A support beam 18 is horizontally mounted at an intermediate portion of the main shaft 11, and a feed roller 1 is attached to one end of the support beam 18.
A take-up roller 20 is rotatably attached to the other end, and a guide roller 21 is attached to the lower end of the main shaft 11.
Is rotatably mounted.

A cleaning tape 25 is wound around the feed roller 19. The cleaning tape 25 is obtained by applying a fine abrasive to a tape base such as a synthetic resin, cloth, or paper. And this cleaning tape 25 is the feed roller 1
9 and is taken up by a take-up roller 20 via a guide roller 21.

At the end of the support beam 18, a motor 27 is provided. The motor 27 drives the take-up roller 20 to rotate. By this rotation, the cleaning tape 25 is taken up and sequentially in one direction. It is designed to run.

The plate 12 is supported via a hydraulic cylinder 30 constituting a head feed mechanism, and the cleaning head 10 is integrated with the plate 12 on the mounting table 1 by the forward / backward movement of a plunger 31 of the hydraulic cylinder 30. It moves in the direction of coming and going.

Next, the operation will be described. A liquid crystal display element A as an object to be cleaned is mounted on the mounting table 1. This liquid crystal display element A is composed of a pair of substrates a made of glass.
1 and a2 are superposed.

After the liquid crystal display element A is mounted on the mounting table 1, the motor 14 is driven to rotate the cleaning head 10 horizontally, and the motor 27 is driven to rotate the winding roller 20. The cleaning tape 25 in one direction.

Then, the cleaning cylinder 10 is lowered by driving the hydraulic cylinder 30, and the guide roller 21 is moved by the lowering operation.
Then, the cleaning tape 25 is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate a1 of the liquid crystal display element A on the mounting table 1 at a constant pressure through the above. Further, the motors 4 and 7 of the table driving mechanism 2
Are respectively driven to horizontally move the mounting table 1 in the combined direction of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

When the cleaning tape 25 traveling in one direction comes into contact with the surface of the substrate a1, the surface of the substrate a1 is rubbed in the traveling direction by the cleaning tape 25. Further, at this time, since the cleaning head 10 is rotating horizontally, the surface of the substrate a1 is also rubbed in the rotating direction.

Since the surface of the substrate a1 is rubbed in the running direction of the cleaning tape 25 and the rotating direction of the cleaning head 10 as described above, the surface of the substrate a1 is rubbed through the abrasive applied to the cleaning tape 25. Dirt components such as dust adhered to the surface are accurately removed. Needless to say, as the abrasive to be applied to the cleaning tape 25, a material having a fine particle count that does not damage the surface of the substrate a1 is selected and used.

Since the cleaning tape 25 always travels in one direction, the dirt component removed from the surface of the substrate a1 is sequentially removed from the surface of the substrate a1 as the cleaning tape 25 travels. The contamination component does not re-adhere to the surface of the substrate a1.

The mounting table 1 is driven by the table drive mechanism 2 so as to move in each of the horizontal directions. Therefore, the cleaning tape 25 is applied to each part of the surface of the substrate a1 at a constant pressure via the guide roller 21. As a result, the entire surface of the substrate a1 is sequentially rubbed with the cleaning tape 25, and the entire dirt component is reliably removed.
The overall cleaning of the surface is reliably achieved. Then, since the cleaning tape 25 only comes into contact with the surface of the substrate a1, there is no damage as in the case of using a conventional cutter blade.

After cleaning the substrate a1, the hydraulic cylinder 30 is driven to raise the cleaning head 10, the liquid crystal display element A on the mounting table 1 is inverted, and the surface of the other substrate a2 is turned upward. . Then, the hydraulic cylinder 30 is driven again to lower the cleaning head 10, and the cleaning tape 25 is applied via the guide roller 21 to the surface of the substrate a 2 of the liquid crystal display element A on the mounting table 1 via the guide roller 21. At a constant pressure to remove dirt components on the surface.

When the cleaning tape is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate to remove dirt components, a cleaning liquid such as a solvent, a detergent or pure water is applied between the cleaning tape and the surface of the substrate. You may make it dripped.

The object to be cleaned mounted on the mounting table and cleaned is not limited to the case where the liquid crystal display element is in an assembled state, but may be, for example, a single substrate before being assembled as a liquid crystal display element. There may be a case where the substrate is placed as an object to be cleaned and the surface of the substrate is cleaned.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cleaning tape coated with the abrasive is caused to travel in one direction, and the cleaning tape contacts the surface of the object to be cleaned on the mounting table. The cleaning head holding the cleaning tape is rotated horizontally, and the mounting table supporting the cleaning object is moved horizontally in each direction, so that the dirt components on the surface of the cleaning object are cleaned. The surface can be accurately and efficiently removed with a tape to reliably clean the surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 mounting table 2 table driving mechanism 4 motor 5 screw shaft 7 motor 8 screw shaft 10 cleaning head 14 motor (head rotating mechanism) 19 feed roller 20 winding roller 21 guide roller 25 ... Cleaning tape 27 ... Motor 30 ... Hydraulic cylinder (head feed mechanism) A ... Liquid crystal display element a1, a2 ... Substrate (cleaning object)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A horizontal mounting table for mounting an object to be cleaned, a table driving mechanism for moving the mounting table in each horizontal direction, a cleaning head provided above the mounting table, A head rotating mechanism for horizontally rotating the cleaning head; and a head feeding mechanism for moving the cleaning head in a direction of moving toward and away from the mounting table, wherein the cleaning head is a cleaning head coated with an abrasive. Tape, and a tape feed mechanism for winding the cleaning tape by a winding roller and sequentially moving the cleaning tape in one direction. The cleaning head is moved by the mechanism to bring the cleaning tape into contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned placed on the mounting table, and the cleaning head is rotated by the head rotating mechanism. It is allowed, and cleaning apparatus characterized by moving the mount table horizontal in each direction by the table drive mechanism.