JP3982432B2 - Coating device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coating apparatus that applies ink of different colors to a predetermined region on a substrate using an inkjet head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a coating apparatus using a conventional inkjet head, an apparatus for forming an alignment film of a liquid crystal display element is disclosed as described in JP-A-9-105939. This device fixes the substrate on which the alignment film is formed on the stage, moves the stage on the fixed rail, measures the unevenness of the substrate surface with a plurality of laser focus displacement meters provided on the way, and installs the displacement meter The height of the ink jet ejector provided at a predetermined distance from the position is adjusted based on the measurement result of the displacement meter, and the orientation film is formed by discharging the alignment film forming solution onto the substrate that has moved to the ink jet ejector position. It is comprised so that it may do.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-105939 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The device of Patent Document 1 forms an alignment film for a liquid crystal panel. The size of the substrate is small, and the substrate surface is flat and formed with high accuracy.
[0005]
By the way, in recent years, a large area of a substrate with a large length of 900 mm or more, a width direction of 250 mm or more, a thickness of 20 mm or more, and a substrate having a large unevenness on the surface of the substrate is automatically provided with a plurality of colors with a predetermined accuracy using an inkjet head. There is a need for equipment to apply in. Further, the accuracy of the substrate is not as good as that of the above-mentioned conventional substrate, and there is a case where the substrate is warped. When applying ink using an inkjet head, if the distance between the substrate and the ejection hole of the head is too large, the effect of decorating with a predetermined accuracy using the inkjet head cannot be exhibited. In addition, the method of applying the ink on the substrate by moving the table on which the substrate is placed in the X and Y directions also takes work time. Therefore, in order to keep the distance between the inkjet head and the substrate at a predetermined distance and perform the coating at a high speed, there is a method in which a plurality of coating heads are provided in accordance with the width of the substrate and the substrate is moved while moving in one direction. . However, in this case, when the abnormal substrate is supplied to the transfer line, the transfer line is stopped and removed in order to remove the abnormal substrate. For this reason, if there is a substrate in the middle of application on the same line, the conveyance line stops, so that application unevenness occurs in the substrate in the middle of the application, and the substrate in the middle of the application may become a defective product.
[0006]
Therefore, in the present invention, a substrate whose distance from the substrate transfer surface exceeds a predetermined amount due to the thickness and deformation of the substrate is detected as a defective substrate and is prevented from being carried into the coating unit. An object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus including a transport system provided with a prevention mechanism.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, after the substrate that has been carried in is aligned, the substrate is placed on the conveyor belt, and the ink is transferred onto the substrate that is moved by the coating unit while the conveyor belt is driven at a predetermined speed. When a plurality of substrates are placed on the conveyor belt for application, a substrate detection unit that detects abnormal substrates is provided on the upstream side of the conveyor belt, and the substrate detector detects an abnormal substrate. In addition, when the coating unit is performing the coating on the normal substrate, the transport belt is stopped after the coating of the normal substrate is finished, and the substrate is transported with an interval at which the abnormal substrate does not enter the coating unit. It is characterized by controlling.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The entire configuration of the coating apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG.
[0009]
In the figure, the apparatus is mainly composed of five parts. That is, the loader mechanism unit 2 that carries the substrate (base material), the positioning unit 3 that aligns the position of the substrate, the coating unit unit 6 that performs coating on the substrate surface, and the substrate that has been coated are carried out of the apparatus. The unloader unit 11 and a control unit 14 having an operation panel 13 for controlling each part drive mechanism of the apparatus are configured.
[0010]
The substrate 1 is machined with a predetermined accuracy on the conveyance surface side (the surface side in contact with the conveying roller or belt). Further, the substrate 1 is machined with a predetermined accuracy (for example, about ± 0.5 mm) at one end face (thickness direction) perpendicular to the transport direction. The thickness of the substrate 1 is 20 to 30 mm, and a plurality of application regions are formed on the substrate surface, and the application regions are divided by grooves having a depth of about 10 mm. The alignment of the substrate 1 is performed with reference to the machined one end face. The application unit 6 is provided with a plurality of application heads for each color so that ink can be applied to the entire region in the width direction of the substrate. The control unit 14 performs control for ejecting ink by selecting each coating head and a plurality of ejection ports provided in the coating head on the basis of the machined substrate end face.
[0011]
The loader mechanism unit 2 is composed of a plurality of carry-in rollers 1R for carrying the substrate 1 to which ink is applied, and at least one carry-in roller 1R is provided with a drive mechanism. The substrate 1 placed on the loader mechanism unit 2 is moved onto a conveying roller 4R (also referred to as a roller conveyor) of the positioning unit 3.
[0012]
The positioning unit 3 has a configuration in which a plurality of transport rollers 4R are provided as a transport mechanism for transporting a substrate, and positioning guides 4a and 4b for positioning are provided on the top thereof. At least one of the plurality of transport rollers 4R is provided with a drive mechanism. This drive mechanism is controlled based on a command from the control unit 14. One of the positioning guides is a fixed positioning guide 4a (hereinafter referred to as a fixed guide), and the other is a movable positioning guide 4b (hereinafter referred to as a movable guide) that can move toward the fixed guide 4a.
[0013]
In this embodiment, the transport roller 4R is used as the substrate transport mechanism. However, it goes without saying that a transport belt may be used. When the conveyor belt is used, it is preferable to use a material having a small frictional resistance with respect to the substrate so that the belt can easily move in the lateral direction.
[0014]
The positioning unit 3 positions the substrate 1 by applying a driving force to the movable guide 4b and pressing the machined side end surface portion of the substrate 1 against the fixed guide 4a side. The positioned substrate 1 is transferred from the transport roller 4R of the positioning unit 3 to the transport belt 12 passing through the coating unit unit 6 while maintaining the positioned posture. Although not shown, the conveyor belt 12 includes one or more drive mechanisms, and the application speed is controlled by controlling the drive mechanisms. In addition, when the substrate 1 moves from the positioning unit 3 to the coating unit unit 6 side, it is transferred from the roller conveyor 4R to the belt conveyor 12 (sometimes referred to as a conveyance belt), so that a speed difference hardly occurs at that time. The speed is adjusted by controlling the drive mechanism of the transport roller 4R and the transport belt 12.
[0015]
The positioned substrate 1 moves from the roller conveyor 4R of the positioning unit 3 onto the belt conveyor 12 that passes through the coating unit unit 6. Positioning guides 4a and 4b are extended to the belt conveyor 12 so that the position of the substrate 1 is not shifted when the substrate 1 is transferred from the roller conveyor 4R to the belt conveyor 12.
[0016]
The coating unit section 6 is a coating head unit for four colors comprising a yellow head group (Y) 7, a magenta head group (M) 8, a cyan head group (C) 9, and a black head group (K) 10. In addition, in order to supply ink of each color to each head, an ink supply unit including ink bottles 7b, 8b, 9b, and 10b of each color and a supply pipe (not shown) and the head are maintained. It consists of a head maintenance mechanism 5.
[0017]
The substrate 1 moves at a predetermined speed in a state where the coating unit 6 is placed on the transport belt 12. At that time, coating is performed by applying ink of a desired color from a designated application head to a desired location on the substrate. The coated substrate 1 exits the coating knit unit 6 and is sent to the unloader mechanism unit 11 where it is moved to the next step. The control unit 14 that controls the moving mechanism and the head includes a control panel that stores a control device and an operation panel 13. Setting of control conditions and the like are performed using the operation panel 13.
[0018]
Next, the substrate transfer control method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state where two substrates are mounted on the conveyor belt 12 at a predetermined interval and ink is applied.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, a substrate detection unit 50 that detects the entrance of the substrate and the state of the substrate is provided on the upstream side of the conveyor belt 12. In FIG. 2, the substrate detection unit 50 shows a reflective height sensor that measures the deformation amount in the thickness direction of the substrate (the deformation amount of the substrate surface). A transmissive sensor may be used as the substrate thickness sensor. Further, the installation position of the substrate detection unit 50 may be provided not on the conveyor belt 12 but on the substrate positioning unit 3 side.
[0020]
The control unit 14 has a determination function for determining the amount of deformation of the substrate based on a signal from the substrate detection unit 50 and determining that the substrate is abnormal when the deformation of the substrate is larger than a reference value. It also has a function of controlling the distance between the two substrates.
[0021]
By the way, when the control unit 14 detects an abnormal substrate, when the abnormal substrate enters the coating unit 6, the deformation in the height direction of the abnormal substrate exceeds the limit of the height control of the coating head in the coating unit, The coating head contacts the substrate and is damaged. In addition, the substrate collides with the component parts of the coating unit, so that a large vibration is generated, the positions of various components positioned with high accuracy are shifted, and the subsequent coating accuracy is lowered. For this reason, the conveyance belt 12 is urgently stopped and the abnormal substrate is removed.
[0022]
However, if the interval between the substrates to be coated is set to be narrow, even if an abnormal substrate is detected, if the normal substrate is being coated in the coating unit 6, if the conveyance belt 12 is urgently stopped, the normal substrate is Is stopped urgently, and uneven coating occurs on a normal substrate, resulting in poor coating. For this reason, even if an abnormal substrate is detected, the conveyance belt 12 is not stopped until the application of the normal substrate is completed, and the interval at which the abnormal substrate does not enter the application unit when the application of the normal substrate is completed. In addition, it is necessary to control the substrate interval.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, the distance between the substrates is L, the distance d between the substrates, the distance from the substrate inspection unit to the entrance of the coating unit, and the length of the coating unit D as W. Then, it is necessary to control so as to satisfy the conditions of D> L and d> W. That is, if the substrate interval is set longer than the length of the coating unit, it is possible to prevent the abnormal substrate from entering the coating unit, and it is not necessary to stop the conveyor belt until the coating of the normal substrate is completed. .
[0024]
A time chart in this case is shown in FIG.
[0025]
In FIG. 3, the conveying belt 12 is applied to the substrate 1a in the driving state at (1). Thereafter, in (2), the substrate 1b enters the substrate inspection section 50 and starts inspection. During the inspection of the substrate (2), it was detected that it was an abnormal substrate ((3)). Normally, the driving of the conveyor belt is stopped at this point as shown by a broken line. However, as described above, if the substrate interval d is larger than the length of the coating unit, the coating of the substrate 1a is not performed. The conveyor belt 12 is driven until completion (4), and at that time, the driving of the conveyor belt 12 is stopped. By thus controlling the driving of the transport belt, it is possible to prevent the generation of useless coated substrates.
[0026]
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the substrate detection unit 50 (shown by an arrow in the figure) is provided on the most upstream side of the base positioning unit 3. In consideration of safety, the substrate interval in this figure is set so that the substrate interval d satisfies the relationship of d> W with respect to the length W of the coating unit. By the way, when the length of the positioning unit 3 can be made larger than the substrate length L and the length of the transport belt 12 upstream from the inlet of the coating unit unit 6 (length of the carry-in unit) can be set short, the positioning unit 3 The abnormal substrate is detected by the above operation, and only the abnormal substrate can be discharged by stopping the conveyance roller of the positioning unit. That is, the defective substrate can be stopped before being transferred to the transport belt 12. In this case, it is not necessary to stop the conveyor belt even when the ink is applied on the normal substrate in the application unit, and the abnormal substrate can be discharged while the ink is applied to the normal substrate. It is only necessary to set the length of the conveyor belt on the inlet side of the coating unit (the length of the conveyor belt carry-in portion), and the work time can be shortened by setting the carry-in portion short. However, if the length of the carry-in part is too short, the transfer of the board from the positioning part to the transport belt may not be successful, and there is a risk of displacement, so if possible, set the board interval to more than half the board length. good.
[0027]
With the above configuration, even if the substrate is greatly deformed, the coating head is not damaged, and the number of maintenance of the apparatus can be reduced.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, the substrate stopping mechanism that has a thickness exceeding the reference value or prevents the deformed substrate from entering the coating unit portion is provided in a double manner. For this reason, when the substrate has a thickness exceeding the reference value, or due to deformation or the like, or when the height from the conveyance path surface exceeds the reference value, the substrate surface and the ink discharge port of the inkjet head are in contact with each other. It is possible to prevent the ejection holes from being damaged and the ejection of a predetermined amount of ink to a predetermined position on the substrate.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a coating apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for setting a substrate interval according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a time chart of the substrate coating operation of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Board | substrate, 2 ... Loader mechanism part, 3 ... Positioning part, 4a, 4b ... Positioning guide, 5 ... Head maintenance mechanism part, 7 ... Application | coating unit part, 7 ... Yellow head, 8 ... Magenta head, 9 ... Cyan Head 10, black head 11, unloader section 12 transport belt 50 substrate detection section

Claims (3)

In a coating method in which, after alignment of a substrate that has been carried in, the substrate is placed on a transport belt, and ink is applied onto a substrate that is moved by a coating unit while the transport belt is driven at a predetermined speed. ,
When performing application by placing a plurality of substrates on the conveyor belt, a substrate detection unit for detecting an abnormal substrate is provided on the upstream side of the conveyor belt, and when the substrate detection unit detects an abnormal substrate, the application unit When the application to the normal substrate is performed by the unit, the conveyance belt is stopped after the application of the normal substrate is finished, and the substrate is conveyed with an interval at which the abnormal substrate does not enter the application unit. A coating method characterized by controlling.   The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate interval is set larger than the length of the coating unit. A loader mechanism for carrying a substrate, a positioning unit for aligning the substrate, a coating unit for coating with a plurality of different colors of ink on a substrate surface that moves on a conveyor belt, and a coated substrate. In a coating apparatus comprising an unloader part carried out of the apparatus and a control part for controlling each part,
The length of the upstream side of the application unit of the conveyor belt is set to be longer than the length of the substrate to be applied, and a substrate detection unit for detecting an abnormal substrate is provided on the upstream side of the conveyor belt, and is placed on the conveyor belt. The coating apparatus is mounted so that the substrate interval is longer than the length of the coating unit.

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