JP4655187B2 - TAB mounting apparatus and mounting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a TAB mounting method for mounting an IC circuit board on a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) so as to electrically connect a printed circuit board to a panel substrate such as a liquid crystal cell or a plasma display substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a TAB mounting apparatus and mounting method suitable for handling large liquid crystal cells or plasma display substrates.

  The liquid crystal panel has a liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is sealed between two transparent substrates as a panel substrate, and a plurality of IC circuit boards are connected to at least two adjacent sides of the liquid crystal cell. A printed circuit board (PCB) is connected to the other end of the board. The IC circuit board is obtained by mounting a driver IC on a film-like flexible board, and electrode patterns are formed on the liquid crystal cell side and the PCB side, respectively. In this IC circuit board, the electrode on the liquid crystal cell side is an inner electrode, and the electrode on the PCB side is an outer electrode. The liquid crystal cell has an electrode pattern formed on one transparent substrate, the inner electrode of the IC circuit board is connected to this electrode pattern, and the outer electrode of the IC circuit board is connected to the printed circuit board side. Will be. Therefore, the transparent substrate to which the IC circuit board is connected is bonded so as to protrude from the other transparent substrate by a predetermined width. In this case, generally, a transparent substrate having an overhanging portion is called a lower substrate, and the other transparent substrate is called an upper substrate.

  From the viewpoint of finer pitch of the liquid crystal panel, the width of the electrodes of the lower substrate constituting the liquid crystal cell is narrow and the pitch interval is extremely small, and the electrodes of the IC circuit board connected to these electrodes are the same. . Therefore, if the connection of the IC circuit board to the liquid crystal cell is not performed with extremely high accuracy, a short circuit or a connection failure will occur. For this reason, it is necessary to strictly align between the IC circuit board and the liquid crystal cell, and since the electrodes cannot be connected by means such as soldering, an anisotropic conductive sheet (ACF) is used. To be installed. ACF consists of a binder resin in which conductive particles are uniformly dispersed, and is interposed between a liquid crystal cell and an IC circuit board, and pressurizing under heating to sandwich the conductive particles between both electrodes. Are electrically connected. In addition, the binder resin exhibits the function of a thermosetting adhesive, such as an epoxy resin, and the IC circuit board is connected to the liquid crystal cell by heating to the curing temperature of the binder resin. It will be fixed at. This is a mounting method called TAB mounting.

On the other hand, the connection part between the IC circuit board and the PCB is also a connection between the electrodes, but the outer electrode and the PCB electrode of the IC circuit board are both wide and have a wide pitch interval, so that the ACF is not necessarily provided. Although not necessarily used, a method using a connection method via an ACF as in the case of a TAB mounting method with a liquid crystal cell of an IC circuit board is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. That is, in Patent Document 1, an IC circuit board is mounted on a liquid crystal cell in advance with a TAB mounted thereon, and is loaded into a bonding stage of the PCB, and the PCB is vacuum-adsorbed to align the PCB with the liquid crystal cell. And it is configured to crimp them.
JP-A-10-177182

  By the way, in assembling the IC circuit board and the PCB into the liquid crystal cell, the two-step process of connecting the IC circuit board to the liquid crystal cell and then connecting the PCB to the IC circuit board is a manufacturing man-hour. Therefore, it is not advantageous for the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus and for the manufacturing efficiency. In particular, in recent years, there has been a tendency to increase the size of liquid crystal displays, and in order to handle liquid crystal cells frequently in the manufacturing process, the handling means and the conveying means are increased in size and the structure is complicated. Furthermore, the larger the liquid crystal cell, the more likely it is to be deformed or damaged, and the handling becomes difficult. From the above, the demand for reducing the number of manufacturing steps in the liquid crystal display has been remarkably increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by using a mounting board, the panel substrate and the printed circuit board are moved while mounted on the mounting board, and the IC circuit board is connected to the panel substrate. At the same time, it is intended to connect with a printed circuit board, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps and the opportunity for handling the panel board.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention mounts a TAB so as to connect an IC circuit board between at least one short side part and a long side part of the panel board and one or a plurality of printed circuit boards. A mounting board provided with a mounting portion for the panel substrate and a mounting portion for each printed circuit board, and a stage configuration comprising a load stage, a temporary pressure bonding stage, a main pressure bonding stage, and an unloading stage. , The mounting board is detachably mounted, and includes a transport means for transporting the mounting board between the stages, and the load stage has the panel board and the printed circuit board positioned on the transport board. includes alignment means for mounting to the mating state, the the temporary pressure bonding stage is to adsorb the IC circuit board, the panel board by the mounting board When it is carried, this IC circuit board is aligned with respect to the panel substrate, TAB mounting means is provided for temporarily bonding the IC circuit board to the panel board, said the main bonding stage, the transport board In order to thermocompression-bond the mounted IC circuit board to the panel board and the printed circuit board, a crimping blade that is pressurized by a pressurizing unit is provided, and the printing is performed from the transport board to the unload stage. It is characterized by having a transfer means for taking out the panel substrate on which the circuit board is mounted TAB.

  In short, while the panel board and the printed circuit board are mounted on the mounting board, the IC circuit board is connected to the panel board and connected to the printed circuit board while being sequentially transferred to each stage by the mounting board. It is configured.

  First, the panel substrate and the printed circuit board are aligned on the mounting board. This alignment can be performed by fixing the panel substrate on the mounting board and adjusting the position of the printed circuit board. However, when a plurality of printed circuit boards are used, alignment of each printed circuit board is required. Therefore, it is desirable to hold the printed circuit board in a positioned state on the mounting board and align the panel board so as to follow the mounting board. Further, the IC circuit board is TAB-mounted by the TAB mounting means arranged on the subsequent temporary pressure bonding stage, and the position of the TAB mounting means is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the carrying path of the mounting board. Therefore, it is preferable that the mounting board is transported in an aligned state with respect to the mounting board arranged at a predetermined position, rather than following the panel board. For this purpose, the mounting board is provided with a printed circuit board positioning member, and the load stage is provided with alignment means for the panel board mounting board. Further, it is more desirable to adjust the position of the mounting board during this alignment, and to return the mounting board to the original position after the panel substrate and the printed circuit board are aligned.

  When the panel board and the printed circuit board are aligned on the mounting board, the mounting board is transported to the temporary pressure bonding stage, and the IC circuit board is mounted on the TAB. At this time, the mounting board is pitch-fed or the TAB mounting means is moved. In any case, the IC circuit board is aligned and temporarily pressure-bonded to the panel board. The IC circuit board does not need to be pressure-bonded to the printed circuit board.

  After all the IC circuit boards are mounted on the panel substrate, the mounting board is transported to the main pressure bonding stage to perform the main pressure bonding. By this main pressure bonding, the IC circuit board is fixed to the panel substrate and the printed circuit board through the ACF in a state where the respective electrodes are conducted. This main pressure bonding is performed by bringing the lower surface of the pressure bonding portion into contact with the receiving member, lowering the pressure bonding blade from above, and applying pressure to the IC circuit board under heating. In the IC circuit board, the panel board side and the printed circuit board side can be finally press-bonded at the same time, and either of them can be finally press-bonded first. It is more reasonable to perform the process between the IC circuit board and the printed circuit board.

Here, the receiving member required to receive the pressure applied by the crimping blade during the main crimping is incorporated into the mounting board. When pressurizing the IC circuit board and the panel board or printed circuit board with the crimping blade to so that by the action of uniform pressure. In order to prevent the pressing blade from hitting one piece , either one is made to follow the other. In this case, when the receiving member is floated with respect to the mounting board by the cushion member , the portion of the panel substrate placed on the receiving member to which the pressing force is applied can be made to follow the pressing blade.

  As described above, the IC circuit board and the printed circuit board are assembled to the panel board. When this assembly is completed, the mounting board moves to the unload stage, and the panel board in which the IC circuit board and the printed circuit board are assembled is the mounting board. And is transported to the next process.

The mounting board is preferably refluxed from the unload stage to the load stage. For this purpose, for example, the transfer path of the mounting board is changed from the load stage to the temporary pressure bonding stage, and the movement in the temporary pressure bonding stage is performed by the first linear conveying means, and from the temporary pressure bonding stage to the main pressure bonding. The transition to the stage is performed by the first pick-and-place means, and the movement in the main crimping stage and the transition from the main crimping stage to the unload stage are performed by the second linear transport unit. The transition from the unload stage to the load stage can be performed by the second pick and place means. As a result, by using two mounting boards, it becomes possible to overlap the two processes of temporary crimping and main crimping and the two processes of loading and unloading. In addition, a compact arrangement is possible and space saving is achieved.

  In the temporary crimping stage, one IC circuit board is sequentially mounted on each side of the panel substrate. When mounting on one side is completed, the IC circuit board is mounted on the other side. Rotate the mounting board 90 °. In the main crimping stage, when one printed circuit board is connected to one side of the panel substrate, the crimping can be performed once, but particularly in the case of a large panel substrate, the long side It is desirable to divide the printed circuit board into a plurality of points in terms of pressure bonding accuracy. In this case, the mounting board on which the panel substrate is placed is also moved on the main pressure bonding stage.

  Next, in the present invention, as an invention of a method for connecting an IC circuit board between at least one short side part and a long side part of each panel board and one or a plurality of printed circuit boards, the panel board, Placing the printed circuit board on a mounting board and aligning the panel board with the printed circuit board on the mounting board; and the IC circuit board of the panel board and the printed circuit board Aligning the IC circuit board adsorbed on the TAB mounting means with respect to the panel substrate after pasting the anisotropic conductive sheet to the connected portion, and temporarily pressing the panel substrate; The IC circuit board is heated and pressed against the panel substrate by a crimping blade, and then the IC circuit board is heated and pressed against the printed circuit board so that the IC circuit board is anisotropically pressed. The present invention comprises a main pressure bonding step of fixing the panel substrate and the printed circuit board by a conductive sheet, and an unloading step of taking out the panel substrate in which the printed circuit board is connected through the IC circuit board from the mounting board. ing.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the panel board and the printed circuit board are placed on the mounting board, and the IC circuit board is TAB mounted on the panel board and connected to the printed circuit board, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. In addition, it is possible to reduce the handling opportunity of the panel substrate, and achieve various effects such as TAB mounting and connection of the printed circuit board with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a liquid crystal cell as a panel substrate, 2 denotes a PCB (printed circuit board), and 3 denotes an IC circuit board. The liquid crystal cell 1 constituting the panel substrate is composed of two transparent substrates such as glass, and a predetermined gap is formed between the two transparent substrates, and liquid crystal is sealed in the gap. ing. Of these two transparent substrates, one is a lower substrate 1a and the other is an upper substrate 1b. The lower substrate 1a protrudes from the upper substrate 1b by a predetermined width at one side on the long side and one side on the short side, and the IC circuit board 3 is mounted on the protruding portion. The IC circuit board 3 is configured by mounting a driver IC 3b on a flexible film board 3a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pattern of an inner electrode group 4a and an outer electrode group 4b connected to the driver IC 3b is formed on the film substrate 3a, and the plurality of electrodes constituting the inner electrode group 4a are liquid crystal cells. The electrodes constituting the electrode group 5 provided in 1 and the plurality of electrodes constituting the outer electrode group 4b are connected to the electrodes constituting the electrode group 6 provided on the PCB 2. Here, the number and pitch interval of the electrodes constituting the inner electrode group 4a are extremely fine as compared with the number and pitch interval of the electrodes constituting the outer electrode group 4b.

  A PCB 2 is connected to a long side portion and a short side portion of one side of the lower substrate 1a of the liquid crystal cell 1 via a plurality of IC circuit boards 3, respectively. Here, in the present embodiment, three PCBs 2 are used, one on the short side of the liquid crystal cell 1 and two on the long side. Here, in the following description, when these PCBs are generically referred to, reference numeral 2 is used. However, when distinguishing each of these PCBs, the PCB connected to the short side is referred to as a PCB 2a for gates and is connected to the long side. The first and second source PCBs 2b and 2c are designated as PCBs. The IC circuit board 3 is TAB mounted on the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2. That is, the ACF (anisotropic conductive sheet) 7 is attached to the lower substrate 1a and the PCB 2 of the liquid crystal cell 1 at a portion to which the IC circuit board 3 is connected. As is well known, the ACF 7 is formed by uniformly dispersing a large number of conductive particles in a binder resin, and the electrical connection between the electrodes is such that the conductive particles are sandwiched between the mutually connected electrodes. Further, the IC circuit board 3 is fixed to the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 by thermosetting the binder resin. Therefore, in the TAB mounting, the IC circuit board 3 is connected to the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 by thermocompression bonding of the ACF 7. In order to mount the IC circuit board 3 on the TAB, the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 and the IC circuit board 3 and the PCB 2 must be accurately aligned.

  Therefore, in the TAB mounting apparatus of the present invention, the IC circuit board 3 is not aligned with both the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2, but the PCB 2 is aligned with the liquid crystal cell 1, and the IC circuit board 3 is Only the liquid crystal cell 1 is aligned. As already described, the width and pitch interval between the electrode group 5 provided in the liquid crystal cell 1 and the inner electrode group 4a provided on the IC circuit board 3 and connected to the electrode group 5 of the liquid crystal cell 1 are very small. Therefore, extremely strict alignment is required between the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1. On the other hand, the width and pitch interval of the outer electrodes 4b connected to the PCB 2 are relatively large. Therefore, if this PCB 2 is aligned with respect to the liquid crystal cell 1, the outer electrode group 4b of the IC circuit board 3 and the electrode group 6 of the PCB 2 are not particularly aligned with the PCB 2. The connection will not be disabled.

  In order to enable alignment between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 and between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the IC circuit board 3, as is apparent from FIG. 3, the liquid crystal cell 1 has a mark 8a for alignment with the PCB 2. The PCB 2 is provided with a mark 8b that is aligned with the mark 8a. The IC circuit board 3 is provided with a mark 8c for alignment with the liquid crystal cell 1, and a mark for alignment with the mark 8c is provided on the liquid crystal cell 1 side. The mark for alignment with the IC circuit board 3 on the side is located below the mark 8c and does not appear on the drawing. The alignment between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 and the alignment between the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 are performed by photographing marks with a television camera (not shown) and recognizing images of these marks. This is done by correcting the misalignment of the marks that are aligned with each other.

  The above-described TAB mounting device for the IC circuit board 3 has a four-stage configuration as shown in FIG. That is, 10 is a load stage, 11 is a temporary pressure bonding stage, 12 is a final pressure bonding stage, and 13 is an unloading stage. Between these stages, the liquid crystal cell 1 and the like are transferred using the mounting board 20. First, in the load stage 10, the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 are placed on the mounting board 20, and the alignment between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 is performed. The ACF 7 is attached to the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2, and the ACF 7 can be attached at the load stage 10 or at the time of transition from the load stage 10 to the temporary pressure bonding stage 11. 10 can be performed at a stage before being placed on the mounting board 20. In the configuration of FIG. 4, the ACF pasting machine 14 is attached to the load stage 10.

  In the temporary pressure bonding stage 11, the IC circuit board 3 is connected. The connection of the IC circuit board 3 is aligned with the liquid crystal cell 1 and is held by the adhesive force of the ACF 7. Then, the mounting board 20 is moved to the main press bonding stage 12 and the IC circuit board 3 is thermocompression bonded to the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2. After the IC circuit board 3 and the PCB 2 are assembled to the liquid crystal cell 1 in this way, the mounting board 20 is moved to the unload stage 13, and the liquid crystal cell 1 to which the IC circuit board 3 and the PCB 2 are assembled is obtained. It is taken out from the mounting board 20 and transferred to the next step. Further, the mounting board 20 in the unload stage 13 is returned to the load stage 10.

  As described above, the four-stage configuration is used, and the two mounting boards 20 are used to circulate to each stage, so that the temporary crimping and the final crimping can be performed in parallel, and the operation efficiency of the machine can be improved. Can be improved. Therefore, as the conveying means between the stages of the mounting board 20, the first linear conveying means 15 that reciprocates between the load stage 10 and the provisional pressure-bonding stage 11 as schematically shown by arrows in FIG. A first pick and place means 16 that reciprocates between the temporary pressure bonding stage 11 and the main pressure bonding stage 12, and a second linear transport means 17 that reciprocates between the main pressure bonding stage 12 and the unload stage 13. The second pick and place means 18 reciprocates between the unload stage 13 and the load stage 10.

  The configuration of the mounting board 20 is shown in FIGS. As is apparent from FIG. 5, the mounting board 20 has a flat board main body 21. The liquid crystal cell 1 is placed on the board main body 21, and an IC circuit board is mounted on the liquid crystal cell 1. PCB 2 is placed at a position separated by an interval at which 3 is connected, and the board body 21 still has a surplus portion formed in the periphery even when the liquid crystal cell 1 and PCB 2 are placed. Have a size. On the board body 21, positioning pins 22 of the PCB 2 are erected. The positioning pins 22 are inserted into pin insertion holes provided in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the PCB 2, whereby the PCB 2 is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting board 20. Specifically, three PCBs 2 are mounted, and two positioning pins 22 are provided for each of the PCBs 2a to 2c. Therefore, six positioning pins 22 are provided upright on the mounting board 20. Yes.

  The liquid crystal cell 1 is held at a predetermined position by adsorbing the surface of the board main body 21 by the adsorbing means, and prevents the positional deviation from occurring during movement. In order to allow the liquid crystal cell 1 to be sucked, a plurality of suction holes 23 are opened on the surface of the board body 21. The suction hole 23 communicates with a negative pressure passage 24, which is constituted by a groove formed on the back side of the board body 21, and an under cover 25 is fixed to the back side of the board body 21. The under cover 25 is formed with a connection port portion 26 communicating with the negative pressure passage 24 described above. Further, in addition to the suction portion of the liquid crystal cell 1 that leads from the negative pressure passage 24 to the connection port portion 26, it is located on the surface side of the board body 21 at a position different from the placement portion of the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2. A negative pressure passage 28 communicating with the plurality of connection ports 27 is formed, and a plurality of suction holes 29 are provided so as to communicate with the negative pressure passage 28. Therefore, the negative pressure source can be connected to the back surface side and the front surface side of the board main body 21.

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 7, the board body 21 includes a placement portion for the liquid crystal cell 1 and a placement portion for the PCB 2 through which the IC circuit board 3 is connected. A hole 30 is formed. This through-hole portion 30 is not a series, but is divided into three portions so as to correspond to the placement portions of the respective PCBs 2. A receiving member 31 is attached to each through hole 30. The receiving member 31 is formed of a thin square member, and projecting portions 31 a and 31 a extending left and right are formed at positions below the board body 21. Furthermore, the holder part 32 is attached to the back surface side of the board main body 21, and the receiving member 31 has its protruding part 31a disposed between the back surface of the board main body 21 and the holder part 32, and the board main body. 21 is elastically sandwiched between a cushion member 33 and a holder portion 32 mounted on the back surface of 21. Accordingly, the receiving member 31 is mounted on the mounting board 20 in a state where it is floated by the amount of bending of the cushion member 33.

  Further, the receiving member 31 is formed with suction portions for PCB 2 at a plurality of locations at positions avoiding the mounting portion of the IC circuit board 3. This suction portion is constituted by a suction pad 35 attached to a step hole 34 formed in the receiving member 31. The suction pad 35 is made of a bowl-shaped elastic member and is attached to the tip of a support member 36 screwed into the step hole 34. A suction hole 37 is formed in the support member 36, and the suction hole 37 is connected to a communication path 38 that communicates with the negative pressure path 24 provided in the board body 21.

  As already described, the conveyance from the load stage 10 to the provisional pressure bonding stage 11 and the conveyance from the main pressure bonding stage 12 to the unload stage 13 are the first and second linear conveying means 15 and 17 constituting the horizontal conveying means. The first linear transport means 15 includes a position adjustment mechanism for alignment, a pitch feed mechanism for the mounting board 20, and a 90 ° rotation mechanism in the horizontal direction of the mounting board 20. Further, the second linear transport means 17 does not necessarily require a position adjustment mechanism, but the mounting board 20 is fed to crimp the parts of the first source PCB 2b and the second source PCB 2c. It is necessary to perform a 90 ° horizontal rotation for crimping the gate PCB 2a. Therefore, the first and second linear conveying means 15 and 17 have the same configuration, and the first and second pick-and-place means 16 and 18 have the same configuration.

  Therefore, the configuration of the linear transport means is shown in FIG. As is apparent from FIG. 6, the linear conveyance means has a conveyance table 39, which is installed on the XY table 40, and the XY table 40 is further placed on the θ drive unit 41. ing. The θ drive unit 41 reciprocally rotates the XY table 40 in the horizontal direction, and is used when the mounting board 20 is finely driven for position adjustment, when the pitch is fed, and when reversed by 90 °. It is done. A transport unit 42 is connected to the lower position of the θ drive unit 41. The transport unit 42 is inserted with a ball screw 43 and engaged with a guide rail 44 provided in the transport direction. . Therefore, by rotating the ball screw 43, the transport table 39 moves in the linear direction. The mounting table 20 is detachably connected to the transport table 39. For this purpose, an engagement protrusion 39a having a suction passage is provided in the transport table 39, and a mounting portion 20 is attached to the lower surface of the under cover 25 of the mounting board 20. In addition, the pedestal portion 45 is formed with an engagement hole 45a into which the engagement protrusion 39a is fitted. Therefore, when the mounting board 20 is installed on the transport table 39, the engaging portion 39a of the transport table 39 is fitted into the engagement hole 45a provided in the base 45 of the mounting table 20. Accordingly, the mounting board 20 can be moved in the horizontal direction by the transport table 39, and the suction hole 23 is brought to a negative pressure from the engagement protrusion 39 a of the transport table 39 through the connection port portion 26 and the negative pressure passage 24. Therefore, the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 placed on the mounting block 20 are held so as not to be displaced during transport.

  On the other hand, the pick-and-place means is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the pick and place means holds and raises both long sides of the mounting board 20 so as to be detached from the transport table 39, moved to the next stage, and lowered. Therefore, it is configured so as to be transferred so as to be placed on the transfer table 39 provided on the stage. For this purpose, the pick-and-place means has a lifting plate 46, and two handling plates 47 are provided on both sides of the lifting plate 46, and each handling plate 47 is connected to an arm 48. Is provided. The arm 48 is provided with an air cylinder 49 provided on the elevating plate 46. By driving the air cylinder 49, the handling plate 47 is displaced in the direction of approaching and separating from the mounting board 20. . When the handling plate 47 is moved in the direction approaching the mounting board 20, it engages so as to wrap around the lower surface of the mounting board 20. The elevating plate 46 is connected to the operating plate 52 via the air cylinder 50 and the elevating guide 51 so as to be able to be raised and lowered. When the first pick and place unit 16 is configured by operating the operation plate 52, the mounting board 20 is transferred from the temporary crimping stage 11 to the final crimping stage 12 and the second pick and place unit 18. In this case, the mounting board 20 is transported from the unload stage 13 to the load stage 10. As a result, the transport path of the mounting board 20 becomes a loop, and the length of the transport path can be shortened, so that the overall apparatus configuration can be reduced in size and size.

  In order to transfer the mounting board 20 between the stages from the state in which the mounting board 20 is engaged with the transport table 39 constituting the linear transport means, the handling plate 47 is separated from the mounting board 20 and the operation plate 52 is moved. Is arranged at the upper position of the mounting board 20. In this state, the handling plate 47 is displaced to a position slightly lower than the back surface of the mounting board 20 by the air cylinder 50. Next, the air cylinder 49 is operated to cause the handling plate 47 to enter the back side of the mounting board 20. The mounting board 20 is lifted by reducing the air cylinder 50 to raise the handling plate 47 together with the lifting plate 46 to a predetermined height. As a result, the mounting board 20 is detached from the transport table 39.

  And the operation board 52 is operated and the mounting board 20 is carried in to the next stage. Therefore, the mounting board 20 is engaged with the transport table 39 arranged on this stage by lowering the elevating plate 46. After that, when the mounting board 20 is configured between the stages, that is, as the first pick-and-place means 15 by separating the handling plate 47 from the mounting board 20, When configured as the second pick-and-place means 17, the unload stage 13 can be shifted to the load stage 10.

  Here, at the time of transition from the temporary press-bonding stage 11 to the main press-bonding stage 12, since the connection port portion 26 is separated from the transport base 39, the suction holding force of the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 is released. Since the PCB 2 is positioned by the positioning pins 22 and no external force acts on the PCB 2 or the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 when the mounting board 20 is moved, the PCB 2 is displaced. There is no possibility of causing. Since the IC circuit board 3 is temporarily press-bonded to the liquid crystal cell 1, there is no possibility that the IC circuit board 3 is displaced alone. However, if the liquid crystal cell 1 is in a free state on the mounting board 20, there is a possibility that the position of the liquid crystal cell 1 is shifted due to vibrations or the like that occur during transition between stages. Therefore, a suction nozzle 53 is mounted on the lift plate 46, and when the lift plate 46 is lowered, the suction nozzle 53 is connected to the connection port portion 27 of the mounting board 20. Thereby, even if the connection port portion 26 is in an open state and the adsorption force with respect to the liquid crystal cell 1 by the adsorption hole 23 is lost, the liquid crystal cell 1 can be moved between the stages in a stable state.

  With the configuration described above, the mounting board 20 is placed on the load stage 10 to place the liquid crystal cell 1 and the three-layer PCB 2. In this load stage 10, the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 Alignment between is performed. Next, in the load stage 10, the ACF 7 is pasted to predetermined positions of the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 by the ACF pasting machine 14. In addition, about the specific structure of the ACF sticking machine 14, a well-known thing is used, The illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted.

  The load stage 10 is provided with means for detecting misalignment between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 and position correction means. This position correction means may correct any position of the liquid crystal cell 1 or the PCB 2, but three PCBs 2 are provided and in order not to affect the subsequent temporary crimping stage 11 and the like. The position of the liquid crystal cell 1 is corrected with respect to the mounting board 20 and the PCB 2 mounted thereon. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5, the mounting board 20 is provided with pin insertion holes 60 at a plurality of locations, and the lower position of the mounting board 20 is as shown in FIG. The elevating member 62 equipped with lift pins 61 that can be projected and retracted with respect to the respective pin insertion holes 60 is disposed. The elevating member 62 can be moved up and down along the guide 63, and when lifted, the lift pin 61 is protruded from the upper surface of the mounting board 20 through the pin insertion hole 60 to float the liquid crystal cell 1 from the mounting board 20. When the elevating member 62 is lowered, the lift pin 61 is detached from the pin insertion hole 60 of the mounting board 20 and can be transported toward the provisional pressure bonding stage 11. Therefore, the outer diameter of the lift pin 61 is smaller than the hole diameter of the pin insertion hole 60, and this gap becomes an adjustment margin at the time of position correction.

  The liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 are placed on the mounting board 20, but the PCB 2 is positioned by the positioning pins 22, and thus is disposed at a substantially constant position. On the other hand, the liquid crystal cell 1 is not placed with a special position adjusted with respect to the mounting board 20, and in the case of the large-sized liquid crystal cell 1, there is a slight positional deviation. However, the amount of misalignment at both ends becomes significant, so that accurate alignment is required.

  Thus, in a state where the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 are placed on the mounting board 20, the lower substrate 1a projects out of the four corners of the liquid crystal cell 1 by a television camera (not shown). The positions of the alignment mark 8a provided at the three corners and the alignment mark 8b provided on each PCB 2 are detected, and the displacement direction and displacement amount of the mark 8a are calculated with reference to the mark 8b. To do. Based on the calculation result, the position of the mounted board 20 is corrected once. That is, the lift pin 61 is raised and the liquid crystal cell 1 is pushed up from the mounting board 20 to separate the liquid crystal cell 1 from the mounting board 20. In this state, the XY table 40 and the θ drive unit 41 are driven to move the mounting board 20 so that the PCB 2 is aligned with the liquid crystal cell 1. After the alignment is performed in this manner, the lift pins 61 are detached from the mounting board 20. As a result, the liquid crystal cell 1 is placed on the mounting board 20 again. In this state, the transport base 39 draws the suction hole 23 of the mounting board 20 to a negative pressure by suction from the engagement protrusion 39a, and holds the liquid crystal cell 1 in a fixed manner.

  By the way, in the load stage 10, the mounting board 20 is set to be disposed at a predetermined reference position. This is for the convenience of mounting the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2, and when the IC circuit board 3 is mounted by shifting to the provisional pressure-bonding stage 11, position correction to the TAB mounting means 70 described later is minimized. It is for doing. Therefore, since the mounting board 20 is moved during the alignment described above, after the alignment is completed, the XY table 40 and the θ drive unit 41 are driven to adjust the position of the mounting board 20 to the original reference position.

  Since the load stage 10 is further provided with an ACF sticking machine 14, after the above-described alignment is performed and the mounting board 20 is adjusted to the reference position, the ACF sticking machine 14 performs the above adjustment. The ACF 7 is attached to the connection part of the IC circuit board 3 between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2.

  The mounting board 20 is transported from the load stage 10 to the provisional pressure bonding stage 11. Here, as is apparent from FIG. 10, the temporary pressure-bonding stage 11 is provided with TAB mounting means 70. The TAB mounting means 70 is for vacuum-sucking the IC circuit board 3 and mounting it at a predetermined position of the liquid crystal cell 1, and therefore has at least a suction head 71 that can move up and down. 71 is driven up and down by a lifting rod 72. Here, the suction head 71 sucks and holds the IC circuit board 3, and the suction holding position with respect to the IC circuit board 3 is a portion where the inner electrode group 4a is provided on the film substrate 3a. The inner electrode group 4a Is a surface opposite to the side connected to the electrode group 5 of the liquid crystal cell 1 through the ACF 7. The outer electrode group 4 b side of the IC circuit board 3 is not sucked by the suction head 71.

  The mounting board 20 is pitch-fed in the temporary press-bonding stage 11, and during this time, the connection parts of the IC circuit board 3 are sequentially arranged at the connection positions by the suction head 71, and each time the IC circuit board 3 is moved from the suction head 71 to the liquid crystal cell. 1 is installed. Here, the temporary pressure bonding of the IC circuit board 3 is performed on the liquid crystal cell 1, but the IC circuit board 3 is finally connected to the PCB 2. However, the inner electrode 4a in the IC circuit board 3 and the electrode group 5 of the liquid crystal cell 1 have a fine pitch interval, and the electrodes constituting these electrode groups 4a and 5 are reliably electrically connected to each other. There must be. Therefore, in the IC circuit board 3, it is the liquid crystal cell 1 side that must be strictly aligned, the width and pitch interval of the electrodes are large on the PCB 2 side, and the PCB 2 is aligned with the liquid crystal cell 1. Therefore, if the positions of the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 are aligned, the outer electrode group 4b of the IC circuit board 3 and the electrode group 6 of the PCB 2 are reliably electrically connected. Become.

  Therefore, in addition to the TAB mounting means 70, the temporary pressure-bonding stage 11 photographs the alignment mark 8c provided on each of the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1 and detects the mutual position. A television camera is installed and detects a positional deviation between the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1. If there is a positional shift between them, alignment is performed. For this alignment, the IC circuit board 3 side, that is, the TAB mounting means 70 can be provided with a position adjusting mechanism. However, the mounting board 20 on which the liquid crystal cell 1 is mounted can be adjusted in the XYθ direction. Therefore, the position on the liquid crystal cell 1 side is desirably corrected. Then, what is performed at the temporary pressure bonding stage 11 is temporary pressure bonding between the IC circuit board 3 and the liquid crystal cell 1. Even if the IC board 3 is temporarily fixed in a state where the IC circuit board 3 is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the liquid crystal cell 1 and the mounting board 20 is moved, the temporary crimping is not necessarily caused by the positional displacement. Is not required to be electrically conducted, and the IC circuit board 3 is not necessarily fixed to the liquid crystal cell 1 in a non-separable manner.

  Since the IC circuit board 3 is mounted on the two adjacent sides of the liquid crystal cell 1, when the mounting of the IC circuit board 3 on one side is completed, the θ drive unit 41 is driven to mount the mounting board 20. Turn 90 °. In this state, the IC circuit board 3 is continuously mounted on the other side of the liquid crystal cell 1. Then, when all the IC circuit boards 3 are mounted, the temporary pressure bonding is completed. Here, when the mounting board 20 is carried into the provisional pressure bonding stage 11, it is always in the same position. Therefore, by disposing the TAB mounting means 70 at a predetermined position, the position of the liquid crystal cell 1 at the time of provisional pressure bonding. There is little or no need to correct the position, so that the position can be corrected quickly and reliably.

  When all the IC circuit boards 3 are mounted on the liquid crystal cell 1 in the tentative pressure bonding stage 11, the mounting board 20 is transferred to the main pressure bonding stage 12. The above-described movement of the mounting board 20 from the load stage 10 to the temporary pressure bonding stage 11 is performed by the first linear transport means 15, and the transition from the temporary pressure bonding stage 11 to the main pressure bonding stage 12 is the first linear transfer means 15. Since the movement is in a direction perpendicular to the transport means 15, the first pick and place means 16 performs the movement. Here, since the second linear conveyance means 17 is provided between the main pressure bonding stage 12 and the unload stage 13, the second linear conveyance means 17 is arranged on the main pressure bonding stage 12 side. deep. Therefore, the mounting board 20 held by the first pick-and-place means 16 is moved to the main crimping stage 12 and connected to the second linear transport means 17 provided on the main crimping stage 12. Thereafter, the mounting board 20 is separated from the first pick and place means 16. As a result, the mounting board 20 is transferred to the main pressure bonding stage 12.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the main crimping stage 12 is provided with a crimping blade 80. The crimping blade 80 is heated to a temperature higher than the curing temperature of the binder resin of ACF7, and is connected to a pressing means (not shown). Therefore, the mounting board 20 is displaced by the second linear conveying means 17 so that the crimping line, that is, the position where the ACF 7 is attached becomes the lower position of the crimping blade 80. Then, the crimping blade 80 is brought into contact with the IC circuit board 3 and is pressed so as to press the IC circuit board 3 toward the liquid crystal cell 1 side. Here, the part of the main pressure bonding part in the liquid crystal cell 1 is disposed on the receiving member 31 mounted on the mounting board 20, and the receiving member 31 is in a range limited by the cushion member 33, but is in a floating state. It has become. Accordingly, pressure is applied by the crimping blade 80. At this time, even if the crimping blade 80 comes into a single-contact state, the receiving member 31 follows and displaces. Ensures parallelism. At this time, the cushion member 33 is bent. However, since the receiving member 31 is in contact with the holder portion 32, the applied pressure is not substantially reduced.

  In the final press bonding stage 12, first, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 11, thermocompression bonding is performed between the liquid crystal cell 1 and the IC circuit board 3 that are temporarily press-bonded by the press blade 80, so that conductive particles of ACF 7 are obtained. The connection between the inner electrode group 4a and the electrode group 5 of the IC circuit board 3 is performed through and the binder resin is thermally cured. Next, the crimping blade 80 is displaced to the position indicated by the phantom line, and the same thermocompression bonding is performed between the IC circuit board 3 and the PCB 2. Here, the IC circuit board 3 and the PCB 2 are not temporarily pressure-bonded, but the IC circuit board 3 is fixedly integrated with the liquid crystal cell 1 and the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 are aligned. Therefore, there is no substantial displacement between the electrodes constituting the outer electrode group 4 b of the IC circuit board 3 and the electrodes constituting the electrode group 6 of the PCB 2.

  The PCB 2 is composed of one gate PCB 2a and two first and second source PCBs 2b and 2c, and each of these PCBs 2a to 2c is individually pressure-bonded individually. Therefore, when all the IC circuit boards 3 are fixed to both the liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2, the main crimping process is completed. The mounting board 20 is placed on the second linear transport unit 17, and the mounting board 20 is transported from the main press bonding stage 12 to the unload stage 13 by the second linear transport unit 17. When the mounting board 20 is conveyed to the unload stage 13, the liquid crystal cell 1 assembled with the PCB 2 and the IC circuit board 3 is taken out by a transfer robot (not shown).

  As a result, the mounting board 20 becomes empty, and the mounting board 20 is returned from the unload stage 13 to the load stage 10 by the second pick-and-place means 18, and the first linear transport means is transferred to the load stage 10. When the board 15 is arranged, the mounting board 20 is circulated so as to be installed on the first linear transport means 15, and the new liquid crystal cell 1 and the PCB 2 are placed on the mounting board 20 to mount the TAB. Will continue.

It is a top view of the state which mounted the IC circuit board and the printed circuit board in the liquid crystal cell which comprises a liquid crystal display. It is XX sectional drawing of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the stage structure of a TAB mounting apparatus. It is a top view of a mounting board. It is a side view of the mounting board shown with a linear conveyance means. It is principal part sectional drawing of a mounting board. FIG. 4 is a configuration explanatory diagram of pick and place means. FIG. 6 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a position correction mechanism for a liquid crystal cell. It is structure explanatory drawing of a TAB mounting means. It is composition explanatory drawing of the mechanism which performs this crimping | compression-bonding.

Explanation of symbols

1 liquid crystal cell 1a lower substrate 1b upper substrate 2 PCB
3 IC circuit board 7 ACF
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Load stage 11 Temporary pressure bonding stage 12 Final pressure bonding stage 13 Unload stage 15, 17 Linear conveyance means 16, 18 Pick and place means 20 Mounting board 21 Board main body 22 Positioning pin 23, 29 Adsorption hole 31 Receiving member 33 Cushion member 35 Adsorption Pad 39 Transport table 40 XY table 41 θ drive unit 46 Lift plate 47 Handling plate 50 Air cylinder 53 Adsorption nozzle 60 Pin insertion hole 61 Lift pin 70 TAB mounting means 71 Adsorption head 72 Elevating rod 80 Crimping blade

Claims (4)

In an apparatus for mounting a TAB so as to connect an IC circuit board between at least one short side part and a long side part of a panel board and one or a plurality of printed circuit boards,
A mounting board provided with a mounting portion for the panel substrate and a mounting portion for each printed circuit board;
A stage configuration comprising a load stage, a temporary crimping stage, a main crimping stage and an unloading stage;
The mounting board is detachably mounted, and includes a transport means for transporting the mounting board between the stages,
The load stage includes an alignment means for placing the panel substrate and the printed circuit board in a state of being aligned with the transport board,
The IC circuit board is attracted to the temporary crimping stage, and when the panel board is carried in by the mounting board, the IC circuit board is aligned with the panel board, and the IC is mounted on the panel board. TAB mounting means for temporarily crimping the circuit board is provided,
The main crimping stage is provided with a crimping blade that is pressurized by a pressurizing unit in order to thermocompress the IC circuit board placed on the transport board to the panel substrate and the printed circuit board.
The TAB mounting apparatus, wherein the unload stage includes transfer means for taking out a panel substrate on which the printed circuit board is mounted TAB from the transport board. Transition of the mounting board from the load stage to the temporary crimping stage and movement within the temporary crimping stage are performed by the first linear conveying means, and the mounting board from the temporary crimping stage to the final crimping stage. Is transferred by the first pick-and-place means, and the mounting board is moved within the main crimping stage and the mounting board is transferred from the main crimping stage to the unload stage. 2. The TAB mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the TAB mounting device is configured to perform by a linear conveying means and further to transfer the mounting board from the unload stage to the load stage by a second pick and place means. In a method of connecting an IC circuit board between at least one short side and a long side of a panel board and one or more printed circuit boards,
Placing the panel substrate and the printed circuit board on a mounting board and aligning the panel substrate with the printed circuit board on the mounting board;
After attaching an anisotropic conductive sheet to a portion where the IC circuit board of the panel board and the printed circuit board is connected, the IC circuit board adsorbed by the TAB mounting means is aligned with the panel board. A step of temporarily press-bonding to the substrate;
The IC circuit board is heated and pressed against the panel board by a crimping blade, and then the IC circuit board is heated and pressed against the printed circuit board. The IC circuit board is then applied to the panel board and the printed circuit board. A main crimping step to be fixed to
A TAB mounting method comprising: an unloading step of taking out a panel substrate to which the printed circuit board and the IC circuit board are connected from the mounting board. A display panel is manufactured by the TAB mounting method according to claim 3, wherein the display panel is manufactured.

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