JP4093900B2 - Illumination device for liquid crystal panel inspection, inspection device using the same, and method for manufacturing liquid crystal panel - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an illumination device used when inspecting a liquid crystal panel, an inspection device using the same, and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device, the quality of the liquid crystal panel is inspected at the stage where the liquid crystal panel is constructed by sealing liquid crystal between two substrates. This is to prevent the subsequent manufacturing process from being carried out wastefully by discovering a liquid crystal panel having a display defect or a display defect at an early stage. In the quality inspection of such a liquid crystal panel, since the polarizing plate is not yet attached to the liquid crystal panel, a pair of polarizing plates having the same direction of the polarization axis as the polarizing plate to be attached in the subsequent steps are arranged before and after the liquid crystal panel, A voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel while the light source is turned on, and the display surface is examined with the naked eye or a camera (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
On the other hand, since the liquid crystal panel has various modes such as horizontal alignment and vertical alignment, it is necessary to replace the polarizing plate provided on the light source side according to the alignment mode of the liquid crystal panel. Such replacement of the polarizing plate is complicated and requires a lot of time and labor. In particular, when exchanging a large-sized polarizing plate in accordance with the recent increase in the size of liquid crystal panels, much more time and labor are required than before.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-113857 (stage, FIG. 1)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to change the polarizing plate according to the type of the alignment mode of the liquid crystal panel in the inspection of the liquid crystal panel. An object of the present invention is to provide an illuminating device that can be easily performed even on a plate, an inspection device using the same, and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, an illumination apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having a plurality of openings, and a light source provided inside the enclosure, to polarize light from the front Symbol source attached to the opening And a plurality of polarizing means having different polarization axes , and a rotating means for rotating the casing to select the polarizing means, and a light source is provided for each of the plurality of polarizing means, and the light source is sandwiched between them. Reflecting means is provided on the opposite side of the polarizing means so that only the light source corresponding to the selected polarizing means can be turned on. According to this, by rotating the casing with the rotating means, the polarization means can be changed according to the type of the liquid crystal panel, and the polarization state of the illumination light can be easily changed.
[0007]
Further , unnecessary light emission from the light source can be eliminated, and power consumption can be reduced.
[0008]
According to the present invention, in the illumination device having the above configuration, the reflecting means is attached so as to partition the housing into a plurality of parts.
[0009]
According to the present invention, in the illuminating device having the above-described configuration, the reflecting means is a reflecting plate formed into a corrugated shape, and the light source is attached to a corrugated concave portion of the reflecting plate.
[0011]
In the inspection apparatus according to the present invention, a liquid crystal panel support member and an illuminating device including a polarizing unit are provided, and the illuminating device described above is used.
[0012]
Here, from the viewpoint to change the polarization means more smoothly, and the liquid crystal panel supporting member and the illumination device, provided relatively movably in the inspection position and rotational position, the筺body in the illumination device It is desirable to secure a rotation area.
[0013]
In addition, in the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention, a liquid crystal including an inspection step of inspecting a liquid crystal panel by illuminating with an illuminating device, and a step of attaching polarizing means to the liquid crystal panel determined to be non-defective in the inspection step In the panel manufacturing method, in the inspection step, any one of the above illumination devices is used, and the polarization state of the illumination light is changed according to the type of the liquid crystal panel.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
First, an inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an inspection apparatus according to the present invention. The inspection apparatus of FIG. 1 includes a frame (liquid crystal panel support member) 2 that supports and fixes the liquid crystal panel P, an illumination device 1 including a polarizing plate (polarizing means) 14a, and another polarizing plate (polarizing means) 3. And a mounted CCD camera 4. The illumination device 1 is movable to an inspection position where one surface of the liquid crystal panel P and the polarizing plate 14a are close to each other when the liquid crystal panel P is attached to the frame 2, and a rotation position away from the liquid crystal panel P. It is attached. Further, as will be described later, the lighting device 1 can be rotated by 180 ° around the shaft 17. Another polarizing plate 14b (shown in FIG. 4) having a different polarization axis is attached to the surface opposite to the surface on which the polarizing plate 14a of the illumination device 1 is attached. The plate can be changed from the polarizing plate 14a to the polarizing plate 14b.
[0015]
When inspecting the liquid crystal panel in the inspection apparatus having such a configuration, the liquid crystal panel P before being attached with the polarizing plate manufactured in the previous process is transported and attached to the frame 2 by a transport means (not shown). The On the other hand, the illuminating device 1 has a rotating means (not shown) in the rotating position so that the polarizing plate 14a adapted to the orientation mode of the liquid crystal panel P faces the liquid crystal panel, that is, is positioned on the illuminating side. Is driven to rotate the lighting device 1. That is, here, the polarizing plate on the illumination side is selected from the plurality of polarizing plates 14a and 14b according to the type of the liquid crystal panel P. Next, a moving means (not shown) is driven to move the illumination device 1 to the detection position. Then, a lamp (light source) 15 (illustrated in FIG. 4) in the lighting device 1 is turned on, and a predetermined AC drive signal is applied to the liquid crystal panel P to turn on each pixel on the display surface. The liquid crystal panel P is observed and inspected by the CCD camera 4 on which the polarizing plate 3 is mounted, which is disposed on the opposite side of the illuminating device 1. In the lighting state of the liquid crystal panel P, it is possible to inspect for short circuits, disconnections, active element defects, and the like. Further, in the state where the drive signal is not applied, it is possible to inspect dust contamination, gap defects, stain defects, and the like.
[0016]
In this way, when a series of inspections of the same type of liquid crystal panel is completed and another type of liquid crystal panel with which the polarizing plate 14b (shown in FIG. 4) is inspected, illumination is performed by moving means (not shown). make move the device 1 to the rotational position. Then, the illuminating device 1 is rotated by 180 ° about the shaft 17, and the other polarizing plate 14b (shown in FIG. 4) facing the back side is directed to the liquid crystal panel installation side (illumination side). Then, the illumination device 1 is again moved to the inspection position by the moving means, and the same inspection as described above is performed. Here, it is desirable to attach all the polarizing plates to be used to the lighting device 1. Accordingly, the polarizing plate can be changed only by the turning operation of the lighting device 1, and the polarization state of the illumination light can be changed . For example, when there are three or more types of polarizing plates, a lighting device as described later may be used (see FIG. 8).
[0017]
In this inspection device, the frame 2 is fixed and the illumination device 1 is movable. However, the illumination device 1 may be fixed and the frame 2 may be movable. Of course, you may provide both so that a movement is possible. The liquid crystal panel P may be inspected visually. In this case, the inspector observes the liquid crystal panel P through the polarizing plate 3 by holding, for example, the polarizing plate 3 or wearing glasses with the polarizing plate 3 attached thereto. To do. Of course, the polarizing plate 3 having substantially the same shape as the liquid crystal panel P may be disposed in front of the frame 2 and the liquid crystal panel P may be inspected visually or by a CCD camera or the like.
[0018]
In FIG. 2, the perspective view which shows other embodiment of the test | inspection apparatus of this invention is shown. The difference between the inspection apparatus of FIG. 2 and the inspection apparatus of FIG. In the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, the illuminating device 1 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel P. However, in the inspection apparatus of FIG. 2, the illuminating device 1 is moved in a direction parallel to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel P. The rotation area of the lighting device 1 is secured. Of course, the relative moving direction of the lighting device 1 is not limited, and the lighting device 1 may be moved to a region where the rotation of the lighting device 1 can be secured at the manufacturing site.
[0019]
Next, the lighting device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the lighting device 1, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line XX. In this lighting device 1, rectangular openings 13a and 13b are formed on opposite side surfaces of a rectangular parallelepiped casing 11, and different polarizing plates 14a and 14b are attached to the openings 13a and 13b. Inside the housing 11, a corrugated reflector 12 is attached so as to partition the housing into two, and lamps (light sources) 15a and 15b are attached to the corrugated recesses of the reflector 12, respectively. Yes. The housing 11 is rotatably attached to a shaft 17 that protrudes from the main body 16 and is rotated by a motor (rotating means, not shown) built in the main body 16.
[0020]
In the illuminating device having such a configuration, for example, when the liquid crystal panel P is inspected using the polarizing plate 14a, the polarizing plate 14a is positioned on the illumination side toward the liquid crystal panel P and only the lamp 15a is provided. Lights up. On the other hand, when the polarizing plate 14b is used, the shaft 17 is rotated by a motor to rotate the housing 1 by 180 °, so that the polarizing plate 14b is directed toward the liquid crystal panel P to the illumination side position. Then, the liquid crystal panel P is inspected by turning on only the lamp 15b. This eliminates the need for complicated work such as removing and attaching the polarizing plate by an operator, which was conventionally required when the type of the liquid crystal panel to be inspected changes, and the work efficiency is greatly improved. Moreover, since only the lamps necessary for the inspection are turned on, wasteful power consumption can be prevented.
[0021]
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an illumination device in which two or more polarizing plates are attached to such a single casing. FIGS. 5A and 5B are plan sectional views of the illumination device, respectively. FIG. 5A is an embodiment in which reflectors 12a and 12b are provided corresponding to the polarizing plates 14a and 14b, respectively. In this embodiment, one lamp 15 is commonly used by two polarizing plates 14a and 14b. In the embodiments described so far, two polarizing plates are provided in the housing. Of course, three or more polarizing plates may be provided in the housing. In this case, the shape of the housing needs to be a polygonal shape having side faces more than the number of polarizing plates.
[0022]
Next, a lighting device according to another invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting device according to the present invention, and FIG. In the illumination device of the present invention, a rectangular parallelepiped shape is provided with lamps (light sources) 15a and 15b and reflectors 12a and 12b (both shown in FIG. 7), and polarizing plates 14a and 14b are attached to the openings 13a and 13b. The illumination portions 51a and 51b are rotatably attached to the second support shaft 53 so that the side surfaces opposite to the side surfaces to which the polarizing plates 14a and 14b are attached face each other. The second support shaft 53 is joined to a first support shaft 52 protruding from the main body 54 that is rotated by a motor (rotating means, not shown) built in the main body 54.
[0023]
In the illuminating device having such a configuration, for example, when the liquid crystal panel P is inspected using the illuminating unit 51a, the polarizing plate 14a of the illuminating unit 51a is set to the position on the illuminating side toward the liquid crystal panel P. At the same time, the lamp 15a is turned on. On the other hand, when the illumination unit 51b is used, the first support shaft 52 is rotated 180 ° by a motor (not shown) in the main body 54 so that the illumination unit 51b faces the direction of the liquid crystal panel P and is on the illumination side. And the lamp 15b is turned on. Thereby, like the said illuminating device, the change operation | work of a polarizing plate becomes easy compared with the past, and work efficiency improves significantly.
[0024]
Moreover, in this illuminating device 5, illumination part 51a, 51b can each be rotated centering on the 2nd support shaft 53 so that polarizing plate 14a, 14b may rotate within the same plane. Thereby, for example, when inspecting a liquid crystal panel having the same orientation mode but the vertical and horizontal shapes being reversed, the same illumination units 51a and 51b are second supported without preparing another illumination unit in advance. This can be handled by turning 90 ° around the shaft 53. Note that, depending on the liquid crystal panel to be inspected, the illumination unit may be a single unit and the single illumination unit may be rotated about the second support shaft 53 so that the polarizing plate rotates in the same plane. good.
[0025]
A plan sectional view showing another embodiment of the lighting device according to the present invention is shown in FIG. The illuminating device in FIG. 6A has three illuminating units, and the illuminating device in FIG. 5B has four illuminating units. The number of illumination units may be determined from the number of polarizing plates required for the inspection of the liquid crystal panel. These illumination units may be attached around the first support shaft 52 while changing the height in the axial direction as necessary. In FIG. 8, 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are reflecting plates (reflecting means), 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are openings, 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are polarizing plates (polarizing means), and 15a and 15b. , 15c and 15d are lamps (light sources), 51a, 51b, 51c and 51d are housings, 52 is a first support shaft, and 53 is a second support shaft.
[0026]
Next, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal panel of this invention is demonstrated. First, a liquid crystal panel P in which liquid crystal is sealed between two substrates is manufactured through various processes. And as a test | inspection process, the illumination apparatus and test | inspection apparatus which were mentioned above are used, and it changes according to the kind of liquid crystal panel P, and test | inspects by changing the polarization state of illumination light. As a result of this inspection, a polarizing film is attached to the backlight side and display side surfaces of the liquid crystal panel P determined to be non-defective as the polarizing means. In this way, a liquid crystal panel to which the polarizing means is attached can be manufactured. According to this manufacturing method, in the inspection process, complicated work such as removal and attachment of a polarizing plate by an operator is unnecessary, and work efficiency is greatly improved. Therefore, the overall productivity in manufacturing the liquid crystal panel is also improved.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
In the illuminating device according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the casing having a plurality of polarizing means is rotatably provided, the polarization state of the illumination light according to the type of the alignment mode of the liquid crystal panel in the inspection of the liquid crystal panel The change can be easily performed by rotating the housing.
[0029]
The inspection apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel support member and an illuminating device provided with polarizing means, and uses the above-described illuminating device, so when the type of the liquid crystal panel to be inspected has changed, This eliminates the need for the operator to replace the polarizing plate, greatly improving work efficiency.
[0030]
In the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device of the present invention, in the inspection step of inspecting the liquid crystal panel by illuminating with the illumination device, the above-described illumination device is used and the polarization state of the illumination light is changed according to the type of the liquid crystal panel Therefore, when the type of the liquid crystal panel to be inspected changes, it is not necessary to replace the polarizing plate by an operator, which greatly improves the work efficiency.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an inspection apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the inspection apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting device according to the first invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the lighting device according to the first invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting device according to a second invention.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the lighting device according to the second invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,5 Lighting device 2 Frame (Liquid crystal panel support member)
3 Polarizing plate (polarizing means)
4 CCD camera P Liquid crystal panel 11 Housing 12, 12a, 12b Reflector (reflecting means)
13, 13a, 13b Openings 14, 14a, 14b Polarizing plate (polarizing means)
15, 15a, 15b Lamp (light source)
51a, 51b, 51c, 51d Illumination section 52 First support shaft 53 Second support shaft

Claims (6)

An illumination device used when inspecting a liquid crystal panel before attaching a polarizing means,
A housing having a plurality of openings;
A light source provided inside the housing;
A plurality of polarizing means for polarizing axes are different from each other with polarizing the light before Symbol source attached to said opening,
Rotating means for rotating the housing to select a polarizing means ;
And providing a light source for each of the plurality of polarization means, and providing a reflection means on the opposite side of the polarization means across the light source,
An illumination device characterized in that only a light source corresponding to a selected polarization means can be turned on . The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting means is attached so as to partition the housing into a plurality of parts. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting means is a corrugated reflecting plate, and the light source is attached to a corrugated concave portion of the reflecting plate . An apparatus for inspecting a liquid crystal panel before attaching a polarizing means,
A liquid crystal panel support member, and an illuminating device including polarizing means,
An inspection apparatus using the illumination apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . And said liquid crystal panel supporting member and the illumination device, provided relatively movably in the inspection position and rotational position, according to claim 4 which is adapted to secure the pivoting region of the筺body in the illumination device Inspection equipment. In a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal panel including an inspection step of inspecting a liquid crystal panel by illuminating with an illuminating device, and a step of attaching polarizing means to the liquid crystal panel determined to be non-defective in the inspection step,
In the inspection step, the illumination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used as the illumination device, and a polarization state of illumination light is changed according to a type of the liquid crystal panel. Production method.

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