JP4620433B2 - Optical film sticking apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical film sticking apparatus and method for sticking an optical film such as a polarizing plate and a retardation film on a substrate such as a liquid crystal display substrate and a plasma display substrate.

  In recent years, with the spread of liquid crystal display devices (LCD), the demand for optical films such as polarizing plates and retardation films has increased rapidly.

Wherein the optical film comprises a polarizing plate or a retardation film, and a protective layer in which the laminated on one or both sides of the polarizing plate or the retardation film, an adhesive layer laminated on the protective layer is laminated on the adhesive layer It consists of a peeled film.

  Here, the LCD film is formed by peeling the release film from the optical film and attaching the optical film to a substrate such as glass through the adhesive layer.

  Patent Documents 1 to 3 are disclosed as conventional techniques for forming an LCD by attaching the above-described optical film to a substrate.

  FIG. 13 shows an optical film sticking apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 1, and the optical film sticking apparatus 200 includes supply rollers 204 and 206 that transport the substrate 202 in the direction of the solid arrow (positive direction). A film 208 supplied from an unillustrated unwinding mechanism is transported to the surface of the substrate 202 to adhere the substrate 202 and the film 208, and downstream of the adhesive roller 210. The suction tool 214 is arranged on the side (on the left side in FIG. 13) and sucks the tip end of the film 208 away from the surface of the substrate 202.

  Here, when the supply rollers 204 and 206 are rotated in the direction of the dotted arrow (reverse direction), the substrate 202 starts to move upstream in the transport direction. As a result, the adhering rollers 210 and 212 rotate in the reverse direction, the film 208 also moves to the upstream side, and the film 208 is adhered to the surface of the substrate 202.

  Next, when the front end portion of the film 208 is stuck to the substrate 202, the supply rollers 204 and 206 stop rotating, and this time, rotate in the forward direction. As a result, the substrate 202 is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the adhering rollers 210 and 212 are also rotated in the forward direction, so that the remaining portion of the film 208 and the substrate 202 are adhered.

  FIG. 14 shows an optical film sticking device 220 disclosed in Patent Document 2. The optical film sticking device 220 sucks the substrate 202 and transports it in the forward direction, and a film 208. Is transferred to the surface of the substrate 202, and the roller 224 presses the film 208 against the surface of the substrate 202 to attach it to a stage 226 with a roller.

  In the optical film sticking apparatus 220, as shown in FIG. 15, first, the tip of the film 208 is pressed against the surface of the substrate 202 with a roller 224, and the tip and the substrate 202 are stuck. Next, with the tip of the film 208 pressed against the surface of the substrate 202 by the roller 224, the stage 226 with roller is moved in the reverse direction, or the stage 222 for attracting the substrate is moved in the forward direction. Then, the substrate 202 and the remaining portion of the film 208 are attached.

JP-A-1-233789 JP 2002-23151 A JP 2003-98520 A

  However, in the optical film sticking apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the film 208 is slackened by the reverse rotation of the sticking rollers 210 and 212, the tip of the film 208 is in the middle of the reverse rotation. In addition to the part, a part to be attached to the substrate 202 is generated. Accordingly, there is a problem that bubbles are mixed between the substrate 202 and the film 208, and as a result, the quality of the manufactured LCD is deteriorated.

  Further, the reverse rotation of the adhering rollers 210 and 212 causes friction between the suction tool 214 and the film 208. As a result, dust is generated or the film 208 is charged. Accordingly, there is a problem that the dust adheres to the substrate 202 and the film 208 to reduce the yield of the LCD and the function of the electronic circuit using the LCD.

  Furthermore, the optical film sticking apparatus 200 has a problem that the structure of the apparatus becomes complicated because the supply rollers 204 and 206 and the sticking rollers 210 and 212 are rotated forward and backward, and the cost of the entire apparatus increases.

On the other hand, in the optical film sticking device 220 disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when the roller 224 is raised and the front end of the film 208 is pressed against the surface of the substrate 202, the front end of the film 208 is above the roller 224. parts are arranged, since the a且previous SL rollers 224 the tip is not in contact, the roller 224 is the sticking of the substrate 202 surface and said tip before reaching the substrate 202 surface is performed .

Here, when further increase toward the roller 224 in the board 202, a portion of the film 208 is curved by the roller 224, the contact position of the tip portion of the substrate 202 surface changes. The change in the contact position becomes more remarkable due to deformation of the film 208 such as curl. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately position and fix the leading end of the film 208 to the surface of the substrate 202, which may reduce the yield of the LCD.

  Further, when the roller 224 is raised to the substrate 202 side, the position of the leading end portion of the film 208 with respect to the surface of the substrate 202 changes, so that a part of the adhesive layer constituting the film 208 adheres to the surface of the substrate 202. As a result, dust accumulates on the adhered portion, and as a result, the yield of the LCD may be reduced.

  Further, in the optical film sticking apparatus 220, since dust and electrification are generated due to friction generated between the film 208 and the stage 226 with the roller, the dust adheres to the substrate 202 and the film 208, and the LCD There is a problem that the yield of the electronic circuit is lowered and the function of the electronic circuit using the LCD is lowered.

  Furthermore, when the optical film sticking device 220 is enlarged to produce a long LCD, the diameter of the roller 224 also increases, so that the amount of protrusion of the film 208 from the roller 224 also increases, and the above-mentioned film 208 described above. This causes problems such as a misalignment of the tip of the LCD and a decrease in LCD yield.

  The present invention provides an optical film sticking apparatus and method capable of accurately sticking an optical film to a substrate and preventing generation of bubbles, dust, and electrification between the substrate and the optical film. The purpose is to provide.

The optical film sticking apparatus according to the present invention is:
A first roller for transporting the substrate; a second roller for transporting the optical film to the surface of the substrate; an optical film transport means for transporting the optical film to the second roller; and a tip of the optical film as the second roller . An optical film holding mechanism for holding the roller, a roller rotating mechanism for rotating the second roller, and a roller moving mechanism for moving the second roller forward and backward with respect to the first roller,
The roller rotating mechanism is configured so that the second roller and the optical film are separated from the first roller and the substrate by the roller moving mechanism, and the optical film is moved in the transport direction of the optical film. After the second roller holding the front end is rotated forward, the first end of the optical film is on a straight line connecting the center point of the first roller and the center point of the second roller. By rotating the two rollers in reverse with respect to the transport direction, the portion of the optical film between the second roller and the optical film transport means is deflected in the direction of the first roller,
The roller moving mechanism moves the second roller toward the first roller, thereby reducing the bending of the optical film and disposing the tip of the optical film on the substrate surface. .

  In the state where the optical film is separated from the substrate, the positioning of the leading end portion of the optical film with respect to the substrate surface is adjusted by the rotation of the second roller. Therefore, the roller moving mechanism is used to adjust the position of the optical film. When two rollers are advanced to the first roller, the tip of the optical film is accurately positioned and fixed on the substrate surface.

  Accordingly, when the first roller is rotated to convey the substrate, the substrate and the remaining portion of the optical film are adhered, and the optical film is adhered to the substrate surface with high accuracy. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust and bubbles between the optical film and the substrate and the generation of charging, and it is possible to improve the quality by improving the quality of the liquid crystal display device (LCD). become.

  In particular, with respect to the roller rotating mechanism, after the second roller is rotated forward by a predetermined angle, the tip of the optical film connects the center of the first roller and the center of the second roller. The second roller is preferably rotated in reverse so as to be positioned on the line, so that occurrence of misalignment can be suppressed even if there is a deformation such as a curl of the optical film.

The second roller is a hollow cylinder having a hole formed on a surface thereof, and the optical film holding mechanism is a suction unit that sucks the tip of the optical film through the hole and the hollow portion. It is preferable.

Here, the second roller has an outer cylinder part in which the hole is formed, and an inner cylinder part that is arranged coaxially with the outer cylinder part and is connected to the suction means. It is preferable that a hole and a suction range restricting portion that protrudes toward the outer cylinder portion so as to surround the hole and restrict a suction range of the tip end portion of the optical film by the suction means are formed.

Moreover, the optical film sticking method according to the present invention includes:
Conveying the substrate by the first roller;
Transporting the optical film to the second roller spaced apart from the first roller and the substrate by an optical film transport means;
A step of holding said second roller tip portion of the optical film by an optical film holding mechanism,
Rotating the second roller by a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction of the optical film by a roller rotation mechanism;
The second roller is moved with respect to the transport direction of the optical film by the roller rotation mechanism so that the tip of the optical film is on a straight line connecting the center point of the first roller and the center point of the second roller. a step by Rukoto rotated reversely, among the optical film, the Ru deflect the portion between the second roller and the optical film transport means in the direction of the first roller Te,
Disposing the tip of the optical film on the substrate surface while reducing the deflection of the optical film by advancing the second roller to the first roller by a roller moving mechanism;
It is characterized by having.

  Also in this case, the positioning of the tip of the optical film with respect to the substrate surface is adjusted by the rotation of the second roller in a state where the optical film is separated from the substrate. When the second roller is advanced to the first roller, the tip of the optical film is accurately positioned and fixed on the surface of the substrate.

  Accordingly, when the first roller is rotated to convey the substrate, the substrate and the remaining portion of the optical film are adhered, and the optical film is adhered to the substrate surface with high accuracy. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust and bubbles between the optical film and the substrate and the generation of charging, and it is possible to improve the quality by improving the quality of the liquid crystal display device (LCD). become.

  In particular, with respect to the roller rotating mechanism, after the second roller is rotated forward by a predetermined angle, the tip of the optical film connects the center of the first roller and the center of the second roller. It is preferable to rotate the second roller in a reverse direction so that it is positioned on the line, thereby suppressing the occurrence of misalignment due to curling even when the optical film is supplied as a roll film. can do.

  According to the present invention, the positioning of the leading end of the optical film with respect to the substrate surface is adjusted by the rotation of the second roller while the optical film is separated from the substrate. When the second roller is advanced to the first roller, the tip of the optical film is accurately positioned and fixed on the substrate surface. Accordingly, when the first roller is rotated to convey the substrate, the substrate and the remaining portion of the optical film are adhered, and the optical film is adhered to the substrate surface with high accuracy. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust and bubbles between the optical film and the substrate and the generation of charging, and it is possible to improve the quality by improving the quality of the liquid crystal display device (LCD). become.

  Preferred embodiments of the optical film sticking apparatus and method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of an optical film sticking apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a transport portion of a substrate 12.

  The optical film sticking device 10 is a device for sticking an optical film 14 (film piece 16) to a substrate 12, and includes a film unwinding portion 18 for accommodating the optical film 14 wound in a roll shape, and the film winding. A film transport unit 20 that transports the optical film 14 unwound from the exit unit 18 and a peeling film (peeling layer) 22 that forms the optical film 14 are peeled off from the optical film 14 and wound into a roll. A film take-up unit 24, a substrate transfer unit 26 for transferring the substrate 12, a substrate positioning unit 28 for positioning the substrate 12 in the substrate transfer unit 26, and a film application for attaching the optical film 14 to the substrate 12 The attachment part 30, the inspection part 32 for inspecting the substrate 12 to which the optical film 14 is adhered, the substrate 12 and the optical film 14 A static eliminator 34 for collecting, and a control unit (not shown) for electrically controlling each part of the optical film sticking device 10.

  The substrate 12 is preferably a flat plate member such as a glass substrate or a synthetic resin substrate used for a liquid crystal display substrate, a plasma display substrate, an organic EL substrate, a TFT substrate, a printed substrate, etc., and an electronic mechanism such as a cell or an electrode in advance. It may be a circuit board on which components are formed. The substrate 12 may have a rectangular shape, for example, or a film piece 16 formed by cutting the optical film 14 on one surface of the substrate 12 may be attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical film 14 includes a slip sheet layer 14a, a protective film layer 14b, a polarizing plate layer 14c, a protective film layer 14d, an adhesive layer 14e, a retardation film layer 14f, an adhesive layer 14g, and a release film 22. It is a belt-shaped film having a thickness of 200 to 500 μm, wound around a roll 36 by a length of 500 m or more.

  The interleaf sheet 14a is made of polyethylene (PE) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the coefficient of friction against silicon rubber is 0.7 or more, more preferably 0.9 or more. The protective film layers 14b and 14d are made of cellulose triacetate (TAC). The polarizing plate layer 14c is made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The retardation film layer 14f is made of polypropylene (PP). The peeling film 22 is made of PET.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the optical film 14 is composed of a laminate of an interleaf sheet layer 14a, a protective film layer 14b, a polarizing plate layer 14c, a protective film layer 14d, an adhesive layer 14g, and a peeling film 22. Also good.

  When the optical film 14 is unwound from the film unwinding portion 18 shown in FIG. 1, the interleaf sheet 14a is disposed on the lower side of FIG. 1, and the peeling film 22 is disposed on the upper side of FIG. As shown in FIG.

  Further, the film piece 16 is cut out by cutting the above-described band-shaped optical film 14 by a film cutting means 38 in the film transport unit 20 by a predetermined length.

  The film unwinding section 18 includes a film unwinding means 39, a pass roller 40, a film position detecting means 42, a film joining means 44, pass rollers 46 and 48, a film tension adjusting means 50, and a pass roller 53.

  The film unwinding means 39 is a unit for unwinding the optical film 14 from the roll 36 around which the optical film 14 is wound. By rotating the shaft portion 52 of the roll 36 with a motor (not shown), the optical film 14 is rotated. Is unwound and conveyed to the film conveying unit 20.

  The pass roller 40 is a roller that changes the delivery direction of the optical film 14 unwound from the roll 36. The film position detecting means 42 is an edge sensor that detects the position of at least one end of the optical film 14 in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and uses an optoelectronic or optical photosensor. Although it is preferable to use it, a sound wave type or air type edge sensor may be used.

  The film joining means 44 joins the delivered optical film 14 and the optical film 14 of the roll 36 newly loaded in the film unwinding means 39 when the optical film 14 is removed from the roll 36.

  That is, when the optical film 14 is lost on the roll 36, the optical film sticking apparatus 10 is first stopped, and then the terminal portion of the optical film 14 sent to the film joining means 44 is sucked. Next, the roll 36 is replaced with a new roll 36, the leading end portion of the optical film 14 is unwound from the new roll 36, and the end portion of the optical film 14 of the roll 36 before replacement is overlapped with the film joining means 44. In this state, the end portions of the optical films 14 are joined by a tape bonding unit (not shown) of the film joining means 44.

  The pass rollers 46 and 48 are rollers that change the delivery direction of the optical film 14 that has passed through the film joining means 44.

  The film tension adjusting means 50 is a tension adjusting mechanism that adjusts the tension of the unwound optical film 14 to a predetermined magnitude, and includes a dancer roller 50a and a pneumatic unit 50b. The dancer roller 50a is a roller for keeping the tension of the optical film 14 between the roll 36 and the film transport unit 20 constant, and is in the direction of arrow A (vertical direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the pneumatic unit 50b. It is slidably attached to. The pneumatic unit 50b is for correcting the self-weight acting on the dancer roller 50a by the pressure of air and stabilizing the delivery of the optical film 14.

  The pass roller 53 is a roller that changes the delivery direction of the optical film 14 that has passed through the dancer roller 50 a of the film tension adjusting means 50.

The film transport unit 20 cuts a part of the optical film 4 whose tension is adjusted by the film tension adjusting means 50 to form the film piece 16 and transports the film piece 16 to the film sticking unit 30. , Feed rollers 54a and 54b, film cutting means 38, film piece conveying means (optical film conveying means) 56, film position detecting means 58, and film cutting position detecting means 60.

  The feed rollers 54a and 54b are rollers for holding the optical film 14 with the tension adjusted and feeding it in the longitudinal direction. The rotation amount is adjusted by a control unit (not shown), and the feeding length of the optical film 14 is adjusted. Can be adjusted.

  The film cutting means 38 cuts the optical film 14 at a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction (conveyance direction) and cuts out the film piece 16. The film cutting means 38 is the length of the film piece 16 to be cut out. Corresponding to this, it is arranged between the feed rollers 54 a and 54 b and the film piece conveying means 56. At this time, the film pieces 16 having different sizes can be cut out by sliding the position of the film cutting means 38 in the direction of arrow B (the transport direction of the optical film 14) by a sliding mechanism (not shown). In this case, the film cutting means 38 is preferably a hydraulic cutter using a Thomson blade or a guillotine cutter using a motor crank, a laser cutter, a round blade rolling cutter, a round blade knife blade pulling cutter, or the like.

  Further, in the film cutting means 38, when the optical film 14 is attached to the substrate 12 and then cut out as the film piece 16, it is necessary to stop the feeding of the optical film 14, but the sliding mechanism causes the attachment of the substrate 12 to the film. Adhesion to a single substrate 12 is possible without stopping from the beginning, and generation of stop marks due to stopping the pasting operation can be prevented. Further, when the half cut of the optical film 14 is performed, since the cut is made from the lower surface of the optical film 14 (the interleaf 14a side in FIGS. 3 and 4), the chips generated by the half cut are peeled off. Difficult to go to the film 22 side (adhesive layer 14g side).

The film piece conveying means 56 conveys the film piece 16 formed by being cut into the predetermined length by the film cutting means 38 to the film adhering portion 30. The film piece conveying means 56 is provided below the film piece 16 (see FIG. 3). 4 is a belt conveyer (suction conveyer) that conveys in the direction of arrow B to the position where it is affixed to the substrate 12 while sucking the interleaf sheet layer 14a side of FIG. 4 with a belt. The belt is pulled in a direction perpendicular to the arrow B direction so that the vicinity of the center of the belt does not loosen. In this case, the film piece conveying means 56 is driven and controlled in synchronization with the film unwinding section 18 by a control section (not shown).

  The film position detecting means 58 is disposed in the vicinity of the end of the film piece conveying means 56 on the film adhering portion 30 side, and is at least in the width direction of the film piece 16 conveyed by the film piece conveying means 56 or the film piece 16. It is an edge sensor that detects the position of one end, and is preferably an optoelectronic or optical photosensor, a sonic or pneumatic edge sensor.

  The film cutting position detecting means 60 is an edge sensor that is disposed closer to the film adhering portion 30 than the film position detecting means 58 and detects the leading end of the optical film 14 conveyed by the film piece conveying means 56. It is preferable to use a photosensor of the type or optical type, or an edge sensor of the sonic type or air type.

  Here, when the film cutting position detecting means 60 detects the leading end side of the optical film 14 and transmits the information to a control unit (not shown), the control unit cuts the optical film 14 based on the information. The instructing signal is transmitted to the film cutting means 38. Thereby, the film cutting means 38 cuts the optical film 14 by a predetermined length, and cuts the film piece 16. Therefore, the distance between the leading end of the optical film 14 detected by the film cutting position detecting means 60 and the cutting position of the optical film 14 cut by the film cutting means 38 is the predetermined length described above. It becomes.

  The peeling film winding unit 24 includes a peeling film separating roller 62, pass rollers 64, 66 and 68, and a peeling film winding means 70.

  The peeling film separating roller 62 is near the film adhering portion 30 of the film piece conveying means 56 and is in contact with the upper surface of the optical film 14 or film piece 16 to be conveyed (the peeling film 22 in FIGS. 3 and 4). Further, the roller is a roller whose axis is arranged perpendicular to the transport direction (arrow B1 direction) of the optical film 14 or film piece 16, and is peeled from the optical film 14 or film piece 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Only). In this case, it is preferable to provide a backup roller (not shown) for preventing the peeling of the peeling film separating roller 62 behind the peeling film separating roller 62. Instead of the backup roller, it is possible to prevent the bending by using an edge member or a suction drum having a rounded edge at the tip.

  The pass rollers 64, 66 and 68 are rollers for changing the feeding direction of the peeling film 22 separated by the peeling film separating roller 62.

  The peeling film winding means 70 winds the separated peeling film 22 with a predetermined torque, and rotates the winding roll 72 with a constant torque by a torque generating means (not shown) to cause the peeling film 22 to rotate. Wind up. Moreover, the said peeling film winding means 70 can change the outer diameter of the axial part 73 of the said winding roll 72, and can make it easy to remove the said peeling film 22 wound up by this.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate transport unit 26 includes a first substrate transport unit 74 and a second substrate transport unit 76 that are disposed with the film sticking unit 30 interposed therebetween, and the first substrate transport unit 74. The first substrate detecting means 78 disposed, the second substrate detecting means 80 disposed on both sides of the film adhering portion 30, and the third substrate detecting means 82 disposed on the second substrate transport unit 76. .

The first substrate transport unit 74 is a wheel conveyor having a plurality of drive wheels 84, and the substrate 12 supplied from the outside in a state where the drive wheel 84 is driven by a control unit (not shown) is horizontally arranged in the direction of arrow C1 ( 1). The drive wheel 84 has a sliding bearing (not shown) that buffers the driving force applied to the substrate 12, and when a stress acts on the substrate 12 , the sliding bearing slides to follow the movement of the substrate 12. Thereby, the damage | wound formed in the surface of the said board | substrate 12 by the friction between the said drive wheel 84 and the said board | substrate 12 can be suppressed.

  The first substrate detection means 78 is a sensor that detects the passage of the substrate 12 conveyed to the film sticking unit 30. The second substrate detection means 80 is a sensor that detects the position of the substrate 12 that is locked by the substrate locking means 86 that constitutes the substrate positioning portion 28.

  The second substrate transport unit 76 is a wheel conveyor having a plurality of drive wheels 88, and the film piece 16 is stuck on the film sticking unit 30 while the drive wheel 88 is driven by a control unit (not shown). The substrate 12 (including the one in the middle of pasting) is transported horizontally and in the direction of the arrow C1. Each drive wheel 88 has a sliding bearing (not shown) similar to the drive wheel 84.

  The third substrate detection means 82 is a sensor that detects the substrate 12 to which the film piece 16 conveyed by the second substrate conveyance unit 76 is attached.

Further, the second substrate transport unit 76 is provided with a lifter (not shown) for raising the substrate 12 on the drive wheel 88 to a position higher than the drive wheel 88 in order to discharge the substrate 12 with the film piece 16 attached thereto. Have.

  The substrate positioning unit 28 is disposed on the film adhering unit 30 side of the first substrate transport unit 74 and the substrate locking means 86 disposed between the film adhering unit 30 and the second substrate transport unit 76. A substrate floating unit 90 and a substrate positioning unit 92 disposed on the first substrate transport unit 74 on the film sticking unit 30 side are provided.

  The substrate locking means 86 is abutting against the tip of the substrate 12 transported on the first substrate transport unit 74 to lock the substrate 12, and the locking portion 86a is moved forward and backward to move the locking portion 86a. And an advancing / retracting operation part 86b for performing a locking operation and a releasing operation with respect to the substrate 12.

The substrate 12 conveyed on the first substrate conveyance unit 74 in the direction of the arrow C1 is sandwiched between a receiving roller (first roller) 94 and a pressure roller (second roller) 96 constituting the film adhering unit 30. The rollers 94 and 96 are further transported from the first substrate transport unit 74 toward the second substrate transport unit 76 by the rotating operation of the rollers 94 and 96. Here, if the advancing / retreating operation part 86b is driven and the locking part 86a is protruded to the discharge side of the substrate 12 (downstream in the transport direction of the substrate 12) in each of the rollers 94, 96, the substrate 12 is The leading end of the substrate 12 is locked to the locking portion 86a while being held between the receiving roller 94 and the pressure roller 96 .

  On the other hand, when the locking portion 86a is moved back to the forward / backward movement portion 86b by driving the forward / backward movement portion 86b, the locked state of the substrate 12 is released, and the substrate 12 is moved from the rollers 94, 96 to the second substrate transfer unit. It is conveyed toward 76.

  In addition, as described above, the advancing / retracting operation portion 86b is a sliding mechanism that moves the engaging portion 86a forward / backward, and rotates the arm (not shown) so that the engaging portion 86a contacts the front end portion of the substrate 12. It may be a rocking mechanism that can be contacted.

  Prior to the positioning of the substrate 12 by the substrate positioning unit 92, the substrate floating unit 90 supplies air from the first substrate transport unit 74 side to the substrate 12 locked by the locking portion 86a of the substrate locking means 86. By spraying, the substrate 12 is levitated from the first substrate transport unit 74. Thereby, the generation | occurrence | production of the damage | wound of this board | substrate 12 by the friction with the said board | substrate 12 and the drive wheel 84 which generate | occur | produce when positioning the said board | substrate 12 can be prevented.

  The substrate positioning unit 92 performs positioning in the transport direction (arrow C1 direction) and the orthogonal direction (arrow D direction) of the substrate 12 levitated by the substrate floating unit 90. The substrate positioning unit 92 performs positioning in the arrow C1 direction. Means 98 and two width direction positioning means 100 for positioning in the direction of arrow D.

  The conveyance direction positioning means 98 presses the substrate 12 from the back side thereof, and positions the substrate 12 in the conveyance direction together with the locking portion 86a of the substrate locking means 86. The end of the substrate 12 on the arrow C2 direction side is pressed. On the other hand, the width direction positioning means 100 performs positioning by regulating both sides of the substrate 12 in the direction of arrow D, and performs positioning by pressing both sides of the substrate 12 in the direction of arrow D via a plurality of rollers 104. Therefore, the rollers 102 and 104 can perform positioning smoothly without rubbing the end face of the substrate 12.

  The film sticking unit 30 is configured to transport the adhesive layer 14g (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the film piece 16 from which the peeling film 22 is separated, on the side of the substrate 12 that is positioned by the substrate positioning unit 28 (direction of arrow C1). This is attached to a desired position of the substrate 12 so that the front end portion of the film and the front end portion (cut surface) of the film piece 16 are parallel to each other, and includes a receiving roller 94 and a pressure roller 96.

  The receiving roller 94 is a rubber roller that conveys the substrate 12 and receives the pressing force of the pressing roller 96 from the lower side thereof, while the pressing roller 96 presses the receiving roller 94 from the lower side of the substrate 12. This is a rubber roller that entrains the fed film piece 16 and presses it against the lower surface of the substrate 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressure roller 96 includes a cylindrical outer tube portion 96a, and a cylindrical inner tube portion 96b disposed in the outer tube portion 96a coaxially with the outer tube portion 96a. The outer cylinder part 96a is held by the inner cylinder part 96b via bearings 106a and 106b. Therefore, the outer cylinder portion 96a is rotatable about its axis.

  The outer cylinder portion 96a is composed of a first member 108a made of stainless steel and a second member 108b made of silicon rubber formed on the outer periphery of the first member 106. And is covered with hollow gears 112a and 112b. On the other hand, cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b are connected to both sides of the inner cylinder portion 96b via support members 114a and 114b, and the pressure roller 96 including the inner cylinder portion 96b is received by driving the cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b. The roller 94 can move forward and backward.

  Further, on one end side (right side in FIG. 5) of the inner cylinder portion 96b, a torque motor 122 and a speed reducer 124 that adjusts the rotational speed of the torque motor 122 are provided via a plurality of fixing members 118, 120, 121. It is held fixed. Further, the shaft 126 extending from the speed reducer 124 along the inner cylinder portion 96b includes an electromagnetic clutch 128 that engages with the shaft 126, and a bearing that is disposed closer to the speed reducer 124 than the electromagnetic clutch 128. A gear 132 that engages with the shaft 126 via 130 is disposed. The gear 132 is engaged with the gear 112b on the inner cylinder portion 96b side. The tip end portion of the shaft 126 is held by a holding member 136 fixed on the fixing member 120 via a bearing 134.

  Here, when the torque motor 122 is driven, the shaft 126 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed via the speed reducer 124, and the electromagnetic clutch 128 that engages with the shaft 126 also rotates. In this case, when power is supplied to the electromagnetic clutch 128 from a power source (not shown), the electromagnetic clutch 128 is driven to move toward the speed reducer 124 and press the gear 132. Thereby, the rotation of the shaft 126 is transmitted to the gear 132 via the electromagnetic clutch 128, and the gear 132 rotates in the same direction as the shaft 126. Further, the gear 112 b engaged with the gear 132 rotates in the opposite direction to the gear 132, and as a result, the outer cylinder portion 96 a rotates in the same direction as the gear 132.

  On the other hand, on the other end side (the left side in FIG. 5) of the inner cylinder portion 96b, the rotary actuator 144 is fixed and held via the support member 114a, the holding member 138, and the fixing members 140 and 142. The shaft 146 extending from the rotary actuator 144 along the inner cylinder portion 96b is disposed on the rotary actuator 144 side of the electromagnetic clutch 148 and the electromagnetic clutch 148 engaged with the shaft 146. A gear 152 that engages with the shaft 146 via a bearing 150 is disposed. The gear 152 is engaged with the gear 112a on the inner cylinder portion 96b side. Note that the distal end portion of the shaft 146 is held by the holding member 138 fixed between the support member 114 a and the fixing member 140 via a bearing 154.

  Here, when the rotary actuator 144 is driven, the shaft 146 rotates by a predetermined angle, and the electromagnetic clutch 148 engaged with the shaft 146 also rotates by the predetermined angle. In this case, when electric power is supplied to the electromagnetic clutch 148 from a power source (not shown), the electromagnetic clutch 148 is driven to move in the direction of the rotary actuator 144 and press the gear 152. Accordingly, the rotation of the shaft 146 is transmitted to the gear 152 via the electromagnetic clutch 148, and the gear 152 rotates in the same direction as the shaft 146 by the predetermined angle. Further, the gear 112 a engaged with the gear 152 rotates by the predetermined angle in the opposite direction to the gear 152, and as a result, the outer cylinder portion 96 a rotates by the predetermined angle in the same direction as the gear 152. To do.

  Further, the inner cylinder portion 96b shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is formed with a plurality of holes 156, and the surface thereof surrounds each of the holes 156 and extends toward the outer cylinder portion 96a. 158 is provided. The outer cylinder portion 96a is formed with a plurality of holes 160 that communicate the inner cylinder portion 96b side with the outside. Further, the inner cylinder portion 96b is connected to a suction pump (not shown), and when the suction pump is driven, an object in the vicinity of the outer cylinder portion 96a can be sucked through the hole 156 and the hole 160.

  In this case, even if a large number of holes 160 are formed at predetermined intervals in the outer cylinder portion 96a, the suction range (angle α shown in FIG. 6) of the suction pump is restricted by the suction range restriction portion 158. Therefore, when the cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b are driven in a state where the tip of the optical film 14 or the film piece 16 is sucked and held on the surface of the outer cylinder portion 96a, the optical film 14 or the film piece 16 and the pressure roller 96 are received. The roller 94 can be advanced and retracted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection unit 32 provided in the second substrate transport unit 76 has a plurality of attachment position inspections for detecting the attachment position of the film piece 16 attached to the substrate 12 by the film attachment unit 30. There are four means 161, and four sticking position inspection means 161 are arranged in the vicinity of the corners of the substrate 12. Preferably, the sticking position inspection means 161 is a detection mechanism using a CCD camera.

  The neutralization unit 34 shown in FIG. 1 includes an optical film composed of a first neutralization unit 34 a that neutralizes static electricity generated in the receiving roller 94 when the receiving roller 94 is rotated to convey the substrate 12, and a peeling film separating roller 62. 14 or the second stripping means 34b for neutralizing static electricity generated in the stripping film separating roller 62 generated when the stripping film 22 is separated from the film piece 16. Thereby, the positioning of the film piece 16 with respect to the substrate 12 can be improved.

  The optical film sticking apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the substrate 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is transported to the substrate positioning unit 28 by the first substrate transport unit 74 and the substrate 12 is lifted by the substrate floating unit 90. Then, the substrate 12 is positioned by the conveyance direction positioning means 98 and the width direction positioning means 100. Thereby, the front-end | tip part of the said board | substrate 12 contact | abuts the lower side of the receiving roller 94, and it will be in the state which waits for sticking of the optical film 14 or the film piece 16. FIG.

  Next, the optical film 14 is unwound from the roll 36 by driving a motor (not shown) to rotate the shaft portion 52 of the film unwinding portion 18. At that time, the position of the optical film 14 in the width direction is detected by the film position detecting means 42 and unwound while adjusting the position.

  Next, the tension of the optical film 14 unwound through the pass roller 40, the film joining means 44, and the pass rollers 46 and 48 is adjusted by the film tension adjusting means 50. Here, the tension of the optical film 14 is adjusted while correcting its own weight acting on the dancer roller 50a by the pressure of air from the pneumatic unit 50b.

  Next, the optical film 14 whose tension has been adjusted is sent out in the longitudinal direction (arrow B1 direction) of the optical film 14 via the feed rollers 54a and 54b.

  Next, the delivered optical film 14 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B1 toward the film sticking unit 30 by the feed rollers 54a and 54b and the film piece conveying means 56, and the film cutting position detecting means 60 is used to Detect the tip. When the leading end portion of the optical film 14 is detected by the film cutting position detecting means 60, the film cutting position detecting means 60 transmits a detection signal to a control section (not shown), and the control section is based on the detection signal. Then, a signal instructing cutting of the optical film 14 is transmitted to the film cutting means 38. Thereby, the film cutting means 38 cuts the optical film 14 by a predetermined length.

  Next, the peeling film 22 is separated from the film piece 16 cut out by the cutting by the peeling film separating roller 62. The separated peeling film 22 is taken up by the peeling film winding means 70 via pass rollers 64, 66 and 68.

  Next, the surface of the film piece 16 from which the peeling film 22 has been separated is sucked by the film piece conveying means 56 on the opposite side (the interleaf 14a side) of the adhesive layer 14g, and the leading end of the film piece 16 is moved to the receiving roller. A predetermined distance is conveyed to the outer cylindrical portion 96a of the pressure roller 96 which is spaced downward from the 94 by a predetermined distance.

  Here, in the pressure roller 96 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a suction pump (not shown) is driven to suck outside air through the holes 156 and 160, so that the tip of the optical film 14 is positioned at the hole 156. , 160 is sucked and held on the surface portion of the outer cylindrical portion 96a.

  At that time, the film piece 16 is conveyed to the pressure roller 96, and at the same time, the rotation of the torque motor 122 is transmitted to the pressure roller 96 via the speed reducer 124, the electromagnetic clutch 128 and the gears 132 and 112b. The film piece 16 is rotated (forward rotation) in the conveying direction.

  By this operation, the film piece 16 is tension-held by the pressure roller 96 with a tension according to the set torque of the torque motor 122 in a state where the tip end portion is held by the pressure roller 96.

  Next, the power supply to the electromagnetic clutch 128 shown in FIG. 5 is stopped, and the electromagnetic clutch 128 is separated from the gear 132.

  Next, electric power is supplied to the electromagnetic clutch 148 from a power source (not shown), and the electromagnetic clutch 148 and the gear 152 are engaged. Then, the rotary actuator 144 is driven to rotate the shaft 146 by a predetermined angle. Accordingly, the rotation of the shaft 146 is transmitted to the gear 112a via the electromagnetic clutch 148 and the gear 152, and the gear 112a and the outer cylinder portion 96a rotate by the predetermined angle in the opposite direction to the shaft 146. . In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the leading end of the film piece 16 is a straight line (FIGS. 7 and 8) connecting the center point of the receiving roller 94 (see FIGS. 1 and 7) and the center point of the pressure roller 96. The pressure roller 96 is rotated by an angle β in the opposite direction from the position shown in FIG. As a result, a portion of the film piece 16 between the pressure roller 96 and the film piece conveying means 56 bends in the direction of the receiving roller 94.

  Next, in a state in which a part of the film piece 16 is bent, the cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b are driven to advance the pressure roller 96 toward the receiving roller 94 (see FIG. 1). As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the deflection of the film piece 16 gradually decreases.

  Next, the pressure roller 96 is further advanced by the cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b, and the leading end of the film piece 16 is adhered to the surface of the substrate 12 as shown in FIG. In this case, the film piece 16 is not bent.

  Next, the supply of electric power to the electromagnetic clutch 148 in FIG. 5 is stopped, and the engaged state between the electromagnetic clutch 148 and the gear 152 is released.

  Next, the receiving roller 94 shown in FIGS. 1 and 10 is rotated to transport the substrate 12 in the direction of the arrow C1. Thus, the substrate 12 and the film piece 16 or the remaining portion of the optical film 14 are attached.

  Next, when the attachment of the substrate 12 and the film piece 16 is completed, the substrate 12 to which the film piece 16 is attached is discharged to the second substrate transport unit 76, and the attachment position of the film piece 16 to the substrate 12 is determined. The inspection is performed by the sticking position inspection means 161.

  11 shows the distance between the surface of the substrate 12 and the pressure roller 96 spaced from the substrate 12 (standby position m shown in FIG. 7) and the rotation of the pressure roller 96 shown in FIG. 8 in the opposite direction by an angle β. This shows a relationship with a necessary distance (necessary reverse rotation length r shown in FIG. 8). Here, the required reverse rotation length r increases as the pressure roller 96 is separated from the receiving roller 94 to increase the standby position m. Therefore, it is necessary to bend the film piece 16 as the pressure roller 96 is separated from the receiving roller 94.

  FIG. 12 shows the pasting accuracy when the film piece 16 is pasted at a position of, for example, 14 mm from the front end of the substrate 12 in this embodiment (Examples 1 and 2) and the prior art (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). In Examples 1 and 2, the film piece 16 is attached from a position near the target value (14 mm). In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the film is attached at the target value. Wearing cannot be done.

Thus, in the optical film sticking apparatus 10 and method according to the present embodiment, the film piece 16 (optical film 14) is separated from the substrate 12 and the surface of the substrate 12 is rotated by the rotation of the pressure roller 96. Since the positioning adjustment of the leading end of the film piece 16 is performed, when the pressure roller 96 is advanced to the receiving roller 94 by the cylinder mechanisms 116a and 116b, the leading end of the film piece 16 is accurately positioned on the surface of the substrate 12. Positioning is fixed.

  Thus, if the receiving roller 94 is rotated to convey the substrate 12, the substrate 12 and the remaining portion of the film piece 16 are adhered, and the film piece 16 is placed on the surface of the substrate 12 with high accuracy. Can be attached. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust and bubbles between the film piece 16 and the substrate 12, and the generation of charging, and to improve the quality of the liquid crystal display device (LCD) and improve the yield. Is possible. Moreover, even if there is a deformation such as a curl of the optical film 14, the occurrence of misalignment can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the tip end portion of the film piece 16 is sucked and held by the action of a suction pump (not shown). Instead, the pressure roller 96 may be constituted by a roller having an adhesive action. Good. Of course, the pressure roller 96 may be forced to hold the tip of the optical film 14 or the film piece 16 by combining an air blowing means (not shown) with the roller having the adhesive action.

  In addition, the optical film sticking apparatus and method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the optical film sticking apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the board | substrate conveyance part of the optical film sticking apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical film stuck on the board | substrate of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical film stuck on the board | substrate of FIG. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the pressure roller of the optical film sticking apparatus of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. It is explanatory drawing which shows positioning of the optical film by the press roller of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows positioning of the optical film by the press roller of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows positioning of the optical film by the press roller of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows sticking of the board | substrate and optical film after raising the pressurization roller of FIG. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the stand-by position of a pressure roller, and the required reverse rotation length of the pressure roller. It is the characteristic view which compared the precision of the sticking position of the optical film with respect to a board | substrate. It is a side view which shows the optical film sticking apparatus which concerns on a prior art. It is a side view which shows the optical film sticking apparatus which concerns on a prior art. In the optical film sticking apparatus of FIG. 14, it is an enlarged side view which shows the sticking location of a board | substrate and an optical film.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical film sticking apparatus 12 ... Board | substrate 14 ... Optical film 14a ... Interleaf layer 14b, 14d ... Protective film layer 14c ... Polarizing plate layer 14e, 14g ... Adhesive layer 14f ... Retardation film layer 16 ... Film piece 18 ... Film piece Unwinding part 20 ... Film conveying part 22 ... Peeling film 24 ... Peeling film winding part 26 ... Substrate conveying part 28 ... Substrate positioning part 30 ... Film sticking part 32 ... Inspection part 34 ... Static elimination part 34a, 34b ... Static elimination means 36 72 ... Roll 38 ... Film cutting means 39 ... Film unwinding means 40, 46, 48, 53, 64, 66, 68 ... Pass rollers 42, 58 ... Film position detecting means 44 ... Film joining means 50 ... Film tension adjusting means 50a ... dancer roller 50b ... pneumatic units 52, 73 ... shafts 54a, 54b ... feed rollers 56 ... film cantilever Means 60 ... Film cutting position detecting means 62 ... Peeling film separating roller 70 ... Peeling film winding means 74, 76 ... Substrate transport units 78, 80, 82 ... Substrate detecting means 84, 88 ... Drive wheel 86 ... Substrate locking means 86a ... Locking portion 86b ... Advancing / retracting operation portion 90 ... Substrate floating unit 92 ... Substrate positioning unit 94 ... Receiving roller 96 ... Pressure roller 96a ... Outer cylindrical portion 96b ... Inner cylindrical portion 98 ... Conveying direction positioning means 100 ... Width direction positioning means 102, 104 ... rollers 106a, 106b, 130, 134, 150, 154 ... bearing 108a ... first member 108b ... second member 110 ... fastening members 112a, 112b, 132, 152 ... gears 114a, 114b ... support members 116a, 116b ... Cylinder mechanism 118, 120, 121, 140, 142 ... Fixed member 122 ... Torque motor 124 ... Reducer 126, 146 ... Shaft 128, 148 ... Electromagnetic clutch 136, 138 ... Holding member 144 ... Rotary actuator 156, 160 ... Hole 158 ... Suction range restricting part 161 ... Adhering position inspection means

Claims (4)

A first roller for transporting the substrate;
A second roller for transporting an optical film to the substrate surface;
Optical film transport means for transporting the optical film to the second roller;
An optical film holding mechanism for holding the tip of the optical film on the second roller;
A roller rotating mechanism for rotating the second roller;
A roller moving mechanism for moving the second roller forward and backward with respect to the first roller;
With
The roller rotating mechanism is configured so that the second roller and the optical film are separated from the first roller and the substrate by the roller moving mechanism, and the optical film is moved in the transport direction of the optical film. After the second roller holding the front end is rotated forward, the first end of the optical film is on a straight line connecting the center point of the first roller and the center point of the second roller. By rotating the two rollers in reverse with respect to the transport direction, the portion of the optical film between the second roller and the optical film transport means is deflected in the direction of the first roller,
The roller moving mechanism moves the second roller toward the first roller, thereby reducing the bending of the optical film and disposing the tip of the optical film on the substrate surface. Optical film sticking device. In the optical film sticking device according to claim 1,
The second roller is a hollow cylinder having a hole formed on the surface thereof,
The optical film sticking apparatus, wherein the optical film holding mechanism is a suction unit that sucks the tip of the optical film through the hole and the hollow portion. In the optical film sticking device according to claim 2,
The second roller has an outer cylinder part in which the hole is formed, and an inner cylinder part arranged coaxially with the outer cylinder part and connected to the suction means,
The inner cylinder part is formed with a hole and a suction range restricting part that protrudes toward the outer cylinder part so as to surround the hole and restricts the suction range of the tip of the optical film by the suction means. An optical film sticking device characterized by comprising: Conveying the substrate by the first roller;
Transporting the optical film to the second roller spaced apart from the first roller and the substrate by an optical film transport means;
A step of holding said second roller tip portion of the optical film by an optical film holding mechanism,
Rotating the second roller by a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction of the optical film by a roller rotation mechanism;
The second roller is moved with respect to the transport direction of the optical film by the roller rotation mechanism so that the tip of the optical film is on a straight line connecting the center point of the first roller and the center point of the second roller. a step by Rukoto rotated reversely, among the optical film, the Ru deflect the portion between the second roller and the optical film transport means in the direction of the first roller Te,
Disposing the tip of the optical film on the substrate surface while reducing the deflection of the optical film by advancing the second roller to the first roller by a roller moving mechanism;
An optical film sticking method characterized by comprising:

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