JP4454470B2 - Panel assembly equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the assembly equipment of the display panel for bonding the sub board to the display panel that is frequently used as a display of the electronic device.

  In recent years, liquid crystal panels, plasma display panels (PDPs), and the like are frequently used as displays for electronic devices such as personal computers and televisions. The display is mainly composed of a transparent plate such as a display panel, and a flexible substrate is bonded to the edge thereof, and the outer leads of the flexible substrate are bonded to the electrodes of the sub substrate. As this flexible substrate, a substrate manufactured mainly by a film carrier by a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) method is often used.

In such a component mounting apparatus, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a display panel on which a flexible substrate is mounted is placed on a transport stage, and the sub substrate is mounted on the flexible substrate by the transport stage. In this mounting position, the protruding portion of the flexible substrate is mounted on the sub-board, and then the display panel connected to the sub-board is moved to the discharge position on the transfer stage.
Japanese Patent No. 3239685 Japanese Patent No. 3480457

  By the way, there are various sizes of the display panel from large to small, and when the size of the display panel is reduced, the area of the portion that projects from the transfer stage is reduced. As described above, when the protruding portion from the transfer stage becomes too small, the work space is reduced in the mounting process of the flexible substrate, and the mounting process becomes difficult.

Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to perform the crimping process efficiently even in the case of targeting a small glass substrate in a panel assembling apparatus for crimping the sub-board to the periphery of the display panel. to provide a panel assembly equipment that can.

The present invention, in order to solve the above technical problems, provides a panel assembly equipment having the following configuration.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a panel mounting table for mounting a display panel on which the sub-board is crimped to the periphery via a flexible substrate;
A panel supply device that conveys the display panel and delivers the display panel to the panel mounting table;
The display panel until the portion of the display panel that comes into contact with the panel mounting table is shifted to the peripheral side opposite to the peripheral edge to which the sub-board is pressed against the central region of the display panel. A control unit that controls the transfer operation of the display panel to the panel mounting table,
With
The control unit includes a normal supply mode in which the display panel is transported to a position where a portion of the display panel that contacts the panel mounting table is a central portion of the display panel, and can be switched to a position offset supply mode for carrying the display panel to be shifted to the peripheral side facing the periphery of the sub-substrate is crimped, characterized Rukoto to operate the panel supplying device, the panel assembling apparatus provide.

  In the above configuration, the panel supply device conveys the display panel in order to deliver the display panel to the panel mounting table. The panel mounting table holds the display panel when performing an operation of crimping the sub-board to the flexible board attached to the display panel. Here, in the delivery of the display panel from the panel supply device to the panel mounting table, the portion of the display panel that contacts the panel mounting table faces the peripheral edge where the sub-board is pressed against the central region of the display panel. The display panel is transported to the position where it shifts. Thereby, it is possible to widen the protruding area on the peripheral side where the sub-board of the display panel protruding from the panel mounting table is crimped.

  In addition, when a flexible substrate is attached to a plurality of peripheral edges in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the display panel, the distance between the two opposing peripheral edges is opposed to the longitudinal peripheral edge with reference to the longitudinal peripheral edge. It is preferable to shift to the peripheral side.

  Further, when the display panel is shifted and placed on the panel mounting table, the shift amount may be a fixed amount or may be changed depending on various conditions such as the size of the display panel. However, it is preferable that the center of gravity of the display panel is positioned on the panel mounting table. For example, even if the panel mounting table vacuum-sucks the display panel so as to hold the display panel, even if the suctioning device fails, the center of gravity of the display panel is located on the panel mounting table. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the display panel from falling.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the size of the display panel is larger than a mode switching reference value, the control unit sets the supply mode of the display panel to the normal supply mode, and the size of the display panel is When it is below the mode switching reference value, the panel supply apparatus according to the first aspect is provided, wherein the panel supply apparatus is operated as the offset supply mode.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a mounting table driving device that rotationally drives the panel mounting table,
The panel mounting table is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis orthogonal to the surface of the display panel being mounted,
When the display panel has a rectangular shape and the peripheral edge to which the sub-board is crimped is the longitudinal edge of the display panel,
The panel supply device supports the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the display panel so that the peripheral edge in the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the transport direction,
Wherein, after the transfer of the display panel from the panel supplying device to the panel mounting table is completed, and wherein the operating the mounting table driving device to rotate the panel mounting table, the An aspect of the panel assembly apparatus is provided.

According to a first state like the present invention, among the portion where the display panel overhang the panel mounting table, it is possible to overhang amount from the panel mounting table about the periphery of the flexible substrate is attached is large, the flexible substrate When the process of pressure bonding the sub-board is performed, a large space can be secured.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, in the case of a small display panel in which the amount of protrusion from the panel mounting table is small, a shift is given when the display panel is mounted in order to facilitate the crimping operation of the flexible substrate. On the other hand, for large display panels that can secure a large overhang, the processing is simplified by using the normal supply mode in which the delivery control from the panel supply device is relatively simple. can do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the sub-board is crimped to the longitudinal peripheral edge where the distance between the opposing peripheral edges is short, the position where the panel supply device supports the display panel is the short peripheral edge. The peripheral edge in the longitudinal direction can be transported perpendicular to the transport direction. Therefore, when the display panel is mounted on the panel mounting table, the display panel can be easily shifted to the panel mounting table by simply adjusting the transport position of the panel supply device without particularly controlling the position of the panel mounting table. Can be handed over.

  Hereinafter, a panel assembling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a panel assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The panel assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment is for assembling the display 200 shown in FIG. 2, and specifically, the flexible substrate 202 is provided on each of a plurality (three in FIG. 2) of the rectangular display panel 201. The sub-board 203 is attached via A flexible substrate 202 such as TAB, FPC, or the like is projected from the outer edge of the display panel 201 and bonded thereto. In this state, the flexible substrate 202 is supplied to the panel assembling apparatus. The sub-board 203 is attached with an ACF 204 for adhering to the flexible board 202 at a predetermined position, and the ACF 204 and the projecting portion of the flexible board 202 are pressure-bonded by the panel assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment. .

  First, the external configuration of the panel assembly apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. In the panel assembling apparatus 100, the display panel mounting apparatus 110 and the crimping apparatus 140 are disposed on the upper surface of the base 1. Further, on both sides of the display panel mounting device 110 in the X-axis direction, a loader 120 as a panel supply device for supplying the display panel 201 to the display panel mounting device 110 and a crimping device 140 are attached to the periphery of the display panel 201. An unloader 130 for taking out the assembled display 200 is provided by pressing the sub-board 203.

  The loader 120 is provided on each of the guide rails 8 extending in the X-axis direction and supported on the guide rails 8 and is movable along the guide rails 8 by an arm driving device (not shown). An arm 9 is provided as a member. The interval between the guide rails 8 can be changed in accordance with the size of the display panel to be assembled, and the end of the guide rail 8 is set so as not to interfere with the panel mounting table 6 of the display panel mounting device 110. It does not reach the mounting device 110. The arm 9 mounts both ends of the display panel 201 in the Y-axis direction, and supports the display panel 201 from below. The arm 9 has a long plate shape and includes a plurality of suction holes 9a for vacuum-sucking the display panel 201 so that the display panel 201 does not rattle. The suction hole 9a is connected to a vacuum device (not shown) by a piping system (not shown). As will be described later, the display panel 201 is transferred by the arm 9, and the display panel 201 is delivered to the panel mounting table 6.

  The unloader 130 includes a pair of guide rails 10 extending in the X-axis direction and an arm 11 as a discharge table that is provided on each of the guide rails 10 and is movable in the X-axis direction. The guide rail 10 is configured such that the interval can be changed according to the size of the display panel 201 that has been assembled, and the start end of the guide rail 10 does not interfere with the panel mounting table 6 of the display panel mounting device 110. However, it does not reach the display panel mounting device 110. The arm 11 mounts both ends in the Y-axis direction of the display panel 201 and supports the display panel 201 from below. One of the arms 11 is inserted into a space S (see FIG. 4) formed in the Y direction between the panel mounting table 6 and the substrate mounting table 13 by relative movement between them, and the assembled display panel 201 is inserted into the panel mounting table. 6 is discharged. As will be described later, the arm 11 is provided with a suction hole in order to hold the display panel 201 and the sub-substrate 203 more securely by suction. The suction holes 33a, 33b, and 34 (see FIG. 9B) are connected to a vacuum device (not shown) by a piping system (not shown). The display panel 201 assembled from the panel mounting table 6 is discharged by the arm 11 and transferred to the outside of the apparatus.

  Next, the display panel mounting device 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the display panel mounting device 110 includes a guide rail 5 that extends in the Y-axis direction on the upper surface of the base 2, and the Y table 4 can move in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 5. Configured. The movement of the Y table 4 in the Y-axis direction is performed by the feed screw 3, and the feed nut (not shown) disposed at the lower part of the Y table 4 is screwed with the feed screw 3. The feed screw 3 is rotationally driven by a Y-axis motor 21, whereby the Y table 4 moves in the Y-axis direction.

  A feed screw 25 extending in the X-axis direction and an X-axis motor 22 that rotationally drives the feed screw 25 are provided on the Y table 4, and the Y table is rotated along with the rotation of the feed screw 25. 4 is moved in the X-axis direction by a feed nut (not shown) provided at the lower portion thereof and screwed with the feed screw 25. The X table 26 is provided with a rotary table 7. The panel mounting table 6 is fixed on the turntable 7 by screw holes 29 and 30. The rotary table 7 is configured to be horizontally rotatable 360 ° freely by the θ rotation motor 23 and can be rotated by 90 °. Therefore, when the rotary table is operated, the display panel 201 on the panel mounting table 6 is operated. Can change its orientation. The rotary table is configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction along the rail 27, and the Z-axis motor 24 moves the rotary table in the Z-axis direction.

  As will be described later, the panel mounting table 6 is for mounting the display panel 201 on the upper surface 28, and is provided with suction holes 31 in order to support the display panel 201 more firmly. The suction hole 31 is connected to a vacuum device (not shown) by a piping system (not shown). In addition, two substrate support devices 32 for supporting the sub-substrate 203 are provided in parallel at two peripheral edges of the panel mounting table. The board | substrate support apparatus 32 is comprised so that a fixed position can be changed along the periphery of the panel mounting base 6, and the space | interval between the two board | substrate support apparatuses 32 provided in the same periphery can be changed. The outer dimensions of the upper surface 28 of the panel mounting table 6 are set smaller than the outer dimensions of the display panel 201.

  FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate support device 32 used in the panel assembling apparatus according to FIG. In the present embodiment, the substrate support device 32 is configured symmetrically in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 7A.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the substrate support device 32 is configured to be stretchable when the support portion 43 urged to the extended state by the spring 47 is pushed. Specifically, it is fixed to the lower surface of the panel mounting table 6 as described above by the fixing hole 50 a provided in the fixing portion 50. A guide rail 41 is provided in the fixed portion. A main body portion 42 is provided below the guide rail, and a guide groove 41a provided on a side surface of the guide rail 41 and two sliders 44a and 44b provided on the upper surface of the main body portion 42 are engaged with each other. A main body is movably disposed along the guide rail 41. The main body portion 42 is provided with a long plate-like support portion 43 for supporting the sub-board at the tip thereof. As shown in FIG. 7B, the support portion 43 is configured so that the support portion 43 is positioned above the main body portion 42 so as not to interfere with the guide rail 41 and the fixing portion 50 when being in the stored state. It is fixed to the tip of the main body portion 42 via a fixing portion 43a having a substantially L-shaped cross section.

  Further, a protruding portion 45a is provided on the side of the main body 42 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide rail 41, and the tip portion thereof rotates around a rotation axis orthogonal to the guide rail 41. A cam follower 45 configured to be capable of being provided is provided. The cam follower 45 is pressed in the storage direction by the pressing portion 60, and as a result, has a function of bringing the main body portion 42 into the storage state shown in FIG. 7B. The specific operation will be described later. The substrate support device 32 is urged so as to be extended by a spring 47 that is engaged and fixed by projecting pins 48 and 49 provided on the main body 42 and the fixing portion 50, respectively. By adjusting the screw 46a, the relative position between the main body portion 42 and the fixed portion 50 can be finely adjusted.

  When the cam follower 45 is pressed in the storage direction, the main body 42 is moved in the storage direction along the guide rail as shown in FIG. 7B, and as a result, the spring 47 is extended. In this state, the support portion 43 is close to the fixed portion 50, and the support portion 43 does not protrude from the peripheral edge of the panel mounting table 6. On the other hand, when the force that presses the cam follower 45 is released, the main body portion 42 returns to the extended state by the biasing force of the spring 47, and the support portion 43 provided at the tip of the main body portion is the peripheral edge of the panel mounting table 6. Move to a position that overhangs.

  The crimping device 140 is provided on the Y-axis direction side with respect to the display panel mounting device 110 on the upper surface of the base 1, and has a substantially U-shaped frame 12 having a horizontal portion 12 a and leg portions 12 b, and the horizontal direction of the frame 12. A crimping head 15 provided in the portion 12a and configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction, and a substrate mounting table 13 positioned immediately below the crimping head are provided.

  The substrate mounting table 13 is for mounting the substrate supplied from the supply stage in the crimping step, and includes a carrier 13a and a main body 13b that are movable in the Z-axis direction. The carrier 13a is normally arranged so that the upper surface thereof coincides with the upper surface of the main body portion 13b, and the sub-board 203 is placed on the surface. Further, the carrier 13a supports the operation for transferring the sub-board that has been raised and crimped to the panel mounting table 6 when taking out the sub-board described later.

  The crimping head 15 has a crimper 40. The crimper 40 is positioned above the substrate mounting table 13 and is driven by the crimping head driving unit 16 to move up and down in the Z-axis direction. In some cases, the crimper 40 includes a heater for thermocompression bonding an outer lead (not shown) that is a protruding portion of the flexible substrate 202 to the ACF 204 of the sub-substrate 203. A camera 14 is provided at the end of the substrate platform 13 in the X-axis direction. When the X table 26 and the Y table 4 are operated and the flexible substrate 202 moves below the camera 14, the camera 44 recognizes the position of the recognition mark provided on the display panel 201.

  A supply stage 150 is provided on the opposite side of the display panel mounting device 110 across the crimping device 140 on the upper surface of the base 1. On the supply stage 150, the sub-board 203 is placed and supplied. A substrate transfer head 90 for transferring the supplied sub-substrate 203 to the substrate mounting table 13 is provided above the supply stage. The substrate transfer head 90 is connected to a vacuum device (not shown) by a piping system (not shown), and is configured to be able to hold the sub substrate 203 by suction. Further, as shown by an arrow 172 in FIG. 4, the substrate transfer head 90 is movable in the Y-axis direction between the position above the substrate take-out position of the supply stage 150 and the position above the substrate mounting table 13, and At both positions, as shown by arrows 171 and 173, it is configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

  The sub-substrate 203 is transferred from the supply stage 150 onto the substrate mounting table 13 by the operation of the substrate transfer head 90 (see FIG. 4). Specifically, first, the substrate transfer head 90 is lowered to suck and hold the sub-substrate 203 transported to the substrate take-out position on the supply stage 150 and then lifted as shown by an arrow 172. The Y-axis direction movement is performed up to the top of the mounting table 13. Next, the sub-board 203 is placed at a predetermined position on the substrate platform 13 and is retracted to the original position.

  Next, operation | movement of the panel assembly apparatus concerning this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the operation of the panel assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the panel assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment, the operation of each member is controlled by the control unit 300 shown in FIG. First, a display panel is carried into a panel assembling apparatus according to the present embodiment from an upstream device (not shown) (# 1). At this time, the control unit 300 confirms whether the size of the display panel to be carried in is smaller than the switching reference value (in this embodiment, a display panel for 20 inches), and the display panel mounts from the loader 130 according to the confirmation result. When the display panel supplies the display device 110, the normal supply mode and the offset supply mode are switched.

  The normal supply mode and the offset supply mode are determined by the panel size of the loaded display panel. When the normal supply mode is greater than or equal to the switching reference value, the normal supply mode is activated (# 3). The supply mode is activated (# 5).

  First, the normal supply mode will be described. In the normal supply mode, the arm 9 supports the peripheral edge of the display panel in the longitudinal direction, and the display panel is transported in the longitudinal direction so that the longitudinal direction of the display panel is substantially parallel to the transport direction (# 4). That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the display panel 201 with the flexible substrate 202 arranged at the periphery is supplied to the display panel mounting device 110 by the loader 120. Specifically, the panel mounting table 6 of the display panel mounting device 110 moves to a receiving position for receiving the display panel 201 from the loader 120 and is on standby. At this time, the panel mounting table 6 is located below the guide rail of the loader 120. Next, in a state where the display panel is supported, the arm 9 moves along the guide rail 8 as shown by an arrow 174, and as shown in FIG. 5A, the display panel 201 has a center of gravity C of the display panel. It is conveyed to a position that substantially coincides with the center of the mounting table 6.

  Next, as indicated by an arrow 175, the panel mounting table 6 is raised and the display panel 201 supported by the arm 9 is transferred to the panel mounting table 6. At this time, the suction of the arm 9 is stopped and the suction of the panel mounting table 6 is started. When the display panel 201 is firmly held on the panel mounting table 6 (# 8), the panel mounting table 6 moves in the X-axis direction as indicated by an arrow 176.

  When the panel mounting table 6 moves in the direction of the arrow 177 X-axis and the display panel 201 moves so as not to interfere with the end E of the guide rail 8, the panel mounting table 6 is lowered for pressure bonding as shown by an arrow 178. Operation is possible.

  On the other hand, when the display panel 201 is smaller than the switching reference value, the display panel is delivered in the offset supply mode (# 5). In the offset supply mode, the arm 9 supports the peripheral edge of the display panel in the short direction, and transport in the short direction is performed such that the longitudinal direction of the display panel intersects the transport direction substantially perpendicularly (# 6). That is, the display panel 201 is transferred between the loader 120 and the display panel mounting device 110 as follows. FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transfer operation of the display panel between the loader and the display panel mounting device in the offset supply mode.

  In this case, the display panel 201 is supported and transported by the loader 120 in such a direction that the short side is parallel to the X-axis direction. Note that the panel mounting table 6 is rotated 90 degrees at the standby position as shown in FIG. 5B. The loader 120 is configured such that the center of gravity C1 of the display panel 201 is a distance A in the X-axis direction with respect to the center C2 of the panel mounting table 6 when the display panel is transferred to the panel mounting table 6 for delivery. The display panel 201 is transported so as to be displaced by a distance. However, it is preferable that the deviation amount A is set such that the center of gravity C1 of the display panel is located on the surface of the panel mounting table 6. That is, when the center of gravity C1 is positioned on the panel mounting table 6 as described above, the display panel 201 is mounted on the panel mounting plate 6 when the display panel 201 cannot be properly sucked and held due to a failure of the suction mechanism of the panel mounting table 6 or the like. It can prevent falling from the mounting table 6.

  Next, similarly to the operation described in FIG. 5A, the panel mounting table is raised, the display panel 201 is transferred to the panel mounting table 6, and the panel mounting table 6 moves in the X-axis direction. Thereafter, as shown by arrow 179, panel mounting table 6 rotates 90 degrees and returns to its original state (# 7). Thus, by arranging the center of gravity C1 of the display panel 201 so as to deviate from the center C2 of the panel mounting table 6, the distance B between the side 201a to which the sub-board 203 is pressure-bonded and the outer edge 6a of the panel mounting table 6 is set. Thus, a large lower area of the display panel 201 can be secured in the press-bonding process of the sub-substrate 203 to be described later, and it can be used as an arrangement space for members for the operation of the substrate support device 32.

  Next, a process for pressure bonding the sub-board 203 to the display panel 201 placed on the panel placing table 6 will be described. As a premise, as described above, the sub-substrate 203 connected to the display panel 201 is transferred from the supply stage 150 to a predetermined position on the substrate mounting table 13 by the substrate transfer head 90.

  First, the Y-axis motor 21 is driven, the feed screw 3 is rotated, and the movement of the Y table 4 is started so as to approach the substrate mounting table 13 as shown by an arrow 180. As shown in FIG. Both are aligned so that the projecting portion of the flexible substrate 202 connected to the display panel 201 mounted on the mounting table 6 is positioned above the connection portion of the sub-substrate 203 (# 9). At this time, the substrate mounting table 13 may also be configured to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 181. If the flexible substrate 202 to be connected to the sub-substrate 203 is not disposed so as to face the substrate placing table 13, the panel placing table 6 is rotated by θ so as to face the substrate placing table 13.

  At this time, the substrate support device 32 is accommodated by the pressing member 60 provided on the substrate platform 13.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the crimper 40 of the crimping head 15 is lowered as indicated by an arrow 182, and the outer leads and the substrate mounting, which are the protruding portions of the flexible substrate 202 provided at the edge of the display panel 201. The electrode of the sub-substrate 203 on the mounting table 13 is pressed and pressed so as to be sandwiched between the substrate mounting table 13 (# 10).

  Next, as shown by an arrow 183, the crimper 40 is retracted upward (see FIG. 6C), and the feed screw 3 of the display panel mounting device 110 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the Y table 2 in the direction shown by the arrow 184. Is moved back to the original position (see FIG. 6D). At this time, as will be described later, the substrate support device 32 starts to expand as indicated by an arrow 185 as the Y table 4 moves because the distance from the pressing member 60 increases. Further, as the Y table 4 moves, the sub-substrate 203 placed on the substrate platform 13 moves in the Y-axis direction so as to be pulled by the flexible substrate 202 and removed from the substrate platform 13.

  Further, when the panel mounting table 6 moves away from the substrate mounting table 13, the sub-substrate 203 is completely detached from the substrate mounting table 13. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6E, the substrate support device 32 provided on the panel mounting table 6 is extended so that the sub substrate 203 can be directly supported from below, and the sub substrate detached from the substrate mounting table 13 is suspended. Direct support without letting.

  Further, the display panel 201 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with flexible substrates 202 at three peripheral edges. In the panel assembly apparatus according to the present embodiment, the sub-substrate 203 is crimped to the flexible substrates 202 provided at the peripheral edges. can do. Specifically, this is performed by rotating the panel mounting table 6 (# 12) and changing the peripheral edge facing the substrate mounting table 13.

  Hereinafter, this will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, for the sake of understanding, the periphery of the display panel 201 is distinguished from 201-1 to 201-3, and the sub-board 203 attached to each of the edges is sub-boards 203-1 to 203-. 3 is distinguished. Further, the support portions 43 that support the sub-substrates 203-1 to 203-3 from the lower side are also distinguished from 43-1 to 43-3.

  FIG. 8I shows a state in which the sub substrate 203-1 is attached to the flexible substrate 202 provided on the peripheral edge 201-1 in the longitudinal direction of the display panel 201. FIG. In this state, the support portion 43-1 extends below the sub-board 203-1 and directly supports the sub-board 203-1 so that it does not hang down. Next, the sub substrate 203-2 is attached to the flexible substrate 202 provided on the peripheral edge 201-2 on the short side of the display panel. In performing this operation, as shown in FIG. 8 (ii), the panel mounting table 6 is rotated 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow, and the next edge 201-2 of the display panel 201 is moved to the substrate mounting table 13 side. Make them face each other. Before and after this, the next sub-board 203-2 is replenished onto the board mounting table 13. Needless to say, when the configurations of the sub-boards attached to the peripheral edges 201-1 and 201-2 of the display panel 201 are different, specific ones are replenished to the board mounting table 13, respectively. Next, the above-described operation is repeated, and the sub-board 203-2 is also pressure-bonded to the second peripheral edge 201-2 of the display panel 201. At the stage where the crimping is completed, the support portion 43-2 extends below the sub-board 203-2 and directly supports the sub-board 203-2 so that it does not hang down.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (iii), in order to attach the sub board 203-2 to the flexible board 202 provided on the peripheral edge 201-3 on the short side of the display panel 201, the panel mounting is performed in the same manner as described above. The mounting table 6 is rotated 180 degrees in the direction of the arrow so that the third edge 201-3 of the display panel 201 faces the substrate mounting table 13 side. Also, before and after this, the next sub-board 203-3 is replenished on the substrate mounting table 13. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the sub-board 203-3 is also pressure-bonded to the third peripheral edge 201-3 of the display panel 201. At the stage where the crimping is completed, the support portion 43-3 extends below the sub-board 203-3 and directly supports the sub-board 203-3 so that it does not hang down.

  When the sub-substrates are bonded to the three peripheral edges of the display panel 201 as described above, the display panel is rotated by 90 degrees as shown in FIG. The state when the display panel 201 is placed on the substrate platform 6, that is, the first peripheral edge 201-1 is arranged so as to face the substrate platform 13.

  Next, a process of discharging the display panel 201 mounted on the panel mounting table 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B. When discharging the display panel 201, first, as shown in FIG. 9B, the panel mounting table 6 is raised to lift the display panel 201 with the sub-board, and then to the unloader discharging position shown in FIG. Move to. At the discharge position, the arm 11 of the unloader is on standby, the panel mounting table 6 is lowered, and the display panel 201 is transferred onto the arm 11.

  The arm 11 of the unloader 130 is provided with a notch 35 for preventing the interference with the support portion 43 in a state of protruding from the panel mounting table 6 in order to support the sub-board 203. Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the display panel 201 is supported from below while being vacuum-sucked in the suction hole 34 of the arm 11, and the sub-board attached to the periphery of the display panel is supported from below by the upper surface of the arm 11. Is done. At this time, the sub board 203-1 provided in the longitudinal direction is sucked and held by the suction hole 33a of the arm 11, and the sub boards 203-2 and 203-3 provided in the short direction are opposed to each other. While being held over both ends of one arm, it is sucked and held by the suction hole 33b. The flexible substrate 202 is easily bent downward due to the weight of the sub-substrate 203. However, as described above, the sub-substrate 203 is supported by the arm 11 from below, so that the sub-substrate 203 does not hang down from the display panel 201. . Therefore, a transport error or the like due to the sub board 203 hanging down does not occur.

  In FIG. 1, the display panel 201 on the arm 11 of the unloader 130 is sent to the next process, and the arm 11 returns to the display panel discharge position. Hereinafter, the same operation is performed for the second and subsequent display panels 201. Repeated.

  It should be noted that the present invention may be implemented with various design items added, and can be implemented in various other modes in addition to the modes described in the above embodiments.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the panel assembly apparatus concerning this invention. It is an external view of the display assembled by the panel assembly apparatus of FIG. It is an assembly exploded view which shows the structure of the display panel mounting apparatus of the panel assembly apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the panel assembly apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the transfer operation of the display panel between the loader and the display panel mounting apparatus in normal supply mode. It is explanatory drawing of the transfer operation of the display panel between the loader and the display panel mounting apparatus in offset supply mode. It is explanatory drawing of the connection process of a display panel and a sub board | substrate, and is a figure which shows the state in which alignment with a display panel and a sub board | substrate is performed. It is explanatory drawing of the connection process of a display panel and a sub board | substrate, and is a figure which shows the state by which the display panel and a sub board | substrate are crimped | bonded by a crimping head. It is explanatory drawing of the connection process of a display panel and a sub board | substrate, and is a figure which shows the state which crimping | bonding of a display panel and a sub board | substrate is complete | finished, and a crimping | compression-bonding head retracts | saves to the original position. It is explanatory drawing of the connection process of a display panel and a sub-board | substrate, and is a figure which shows the state which retracts to the original position of a panel mounting base image. It is explanatory drawing of the connection process of a display panel and a sub board | substrate, and is a figure which shows the state in which the sub board | substrate connected to the display panel is directly supported from the lower side. It is a perspective view which shows the property of the board | substrate support apparatus of the expansion | extension state used for the panel assembly apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate support apparatus of FIG. 7A in the accommodation state. It is a figure which shows the process in the case of connecting a sub board | substrate to the some periphery of a display panel. It is a top view which shows the positional relationship of an unloader and a panel mounting base in the case of discharging | emitting the assembled display panel. It is a perspective view of FIG. 8A. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the panel assembly apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

6 Panel mounting table 7 Rotary table 9, 11 Arm 8, 10 Guide rail 13 Substrate mounting table 15 Crimping head 40 Crimping heads 9a, 31, 33a, 33b, 34 Suction hole 100 Panel assembly device 110 Display panel mounting device 120 Loader 130 Unloader 200 Display 201 Display panel 202 Flexible substrate 203 Sub substrate

Claims (3)

A panel mounting table for mounting a display panel on which a sub-board is pressure-bonded via a flexible substrate on the periphery;
A panel supply device that conveys the display panel and delivers the display panel to the panel mounting table;
The display panel until the portion of the display panel that comes into contact with the panel mounting table is shifted to the peripheral side opposite to the peripheral edge to which the sub-board is pressed against the central region of the display panel. A control unit that controls the transfer operation of the display panel to the panel mounting table,
Equipped with a,
The control unit includes a normal supply mode in which the display panel is transported to a position where a portion of the display panel that contacts the panel mounting table is a central portion of the display panel, and can be switched to a position offset supply mode for carrying the display panel to be shifted to the peripheral side facing the periphery of the sub-substrate is crimped, characterized Rukoto to operate the panel supplying device, the panel assembling apparatus. When the size of the display panel is larger than the mode switching reference value, the control unit sets the supply mode of the display panel as the normal supply mode, and when the size of the display panel is equal to or less than the mode switching reference value, wherein an offset supply mode, and wherein the operating the panel supplying device, the panel assembling apparatus according to claim 1. A mounting table driving device for rotating the panel mounting table;
The panel mounting table is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis orthogonal to the surface of the display panel being mounted,
When the display panel has a rectangular shape and the peripheral edge to which the sub-board is crimped is the longitudinal edge of the display panel,
The panel supply device supports the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the display panel so that the peripheral edge in the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the transport direction,
Wherein, after the transfer of the display panel from the panel supplying device to the panel mounting table is completed, and wherein the operating the mounting table driving device to rotate the panel mounting table, wherein Item 2. The panel assembling apparatus according to Item 1.

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