JP4730250B2 - POSITIONING DEVICE, POSITIONING METHOD, HEAD UNIT ASSEMBLY DEVICE, AND HEAD UNIT ASSEMBLY METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning device and a positioning method for positioning a member at a predetermined position on a plate, and a head unit assembling apparatus for positioning a head at a predetermined position of a unit plate of a head unit having a head for discharging droplets. And a head unit assembling method.

  Conventionally, as a technique for forming a functional film such as a color filter film of a color liquid crystal device or a light emitting film of an organic electroluminescence device, a droplet discharge device having a droplet discharge head for discharging a liquid as a droplet is used. A technique is known in which droplets of a liquid material containing a functional film material are ejected and landed at an arbitrary position on a substrate, and the landed liquid material is dried to form a functional film. Since the droplet discharge head of the droplet discharge device used for forming such a film can accurately and selectively discharge minute droplets from the nozzle row, manufacturing a color filter of a liquid crystal display device, etc. In addition, application to manufacturing apparatuses such as various electronic devices and optical devices is also expected.

  Considering such applied technology, in addition to the performance of the droplet discharge head itself, the droplet discharge head and the substrate are relatively moved so that the droplet discharge nozzle of the droplet discharge head faces a desired position of the substrate. High accuracy is required for the positional accuracy of the scanning mechanism and the positional accuracy (assembly accuracy) of the nozzles (nozzle rows) in the droplet discharge apparatus which is the premise thereof. In addition, depending on the liquid to be ejected, the life of the droplet ejection head is shortened, and frequent replacement of the droplet ejection head needs to be considered. In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a head unit assembling apparatus and an assembling method (a head unit assembling apparatus and assembling method, a plurality of methods) capable of stably and accurately assembling a plurality of droplet discharge heads on a single carriage. IJ head mounting sub-carriage assembly machine) is disclosed. As a configuration for adjusting the position of the droplet discharge head with high accuracy, the configuration is such that the engagement pin is engaged with the adjustment hole of the plate to which the droplet discharge head is fixed and the droplet discharge head is moved by the engagement pin. It is disclosed. In order to accurately position the droplet discharge head by moving it by a small amount, it is necessary for the engagement pin to be accurately engaged with the adjustment hole without a gap. By forming a taper so that the taper portion contacts the edge of the adjustment hole, the engagement pin is engaged with the adjustment hole without any gap.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127392 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-231305

  However, by providing a tapered portion, a portion that matches the hole diameter of the adjustment hole in the taper portion abuts on the edge of the adjustment hole according to variations in the hole diameter of the adjustment hole. Regardless of whether the engagement pin is engaged with the adjustment hole due to the variation in the axial position that contacts the edge of the adjustment hole of the taper, There were variations in the axial position. In the configuration in which the engaging force between the engaging pin and the adjusting hole is obtained by an elastic member such as a spring that generates a force by being displaced, as in the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position of the engaging pin in the axial direction is determined. Due to the variation, there is a problem that the engagement force between the engagement pin and the adjustment hole varies. In order to accurately move the plate to which the droplet discharge head is fixed via the engagement pin, it is necessary to press the engagement pin against the plate with a sufficiently strong force to ensure the engagement between the engagement pin and the adjustment hole. is necessary. On the other hand, if the plate is strongly pressed against the carriage by the force pressing the engagement pin against the plate, it becomes difficult to move, and the force required for adjustment increases. That is, it becomes difficult to move stably. Therefore, the force for pressing the engagement pin against the plate needs to be a force that ensures that the engagement between the engagement pin and the adjustment hole is obtained and that the force with which the plate is pressed against the carriage does not become excessive. It is preferable that the fluctuation is small.

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problem, and a positioning device and a positioning method capable of suppressing variation in the pressing force of the engagement pin to the adjustment hole due to variation in the position of the engagement pin, An object of the present invention is to realize a head unit assembling apparatus and a head unit assembling method.

  A positioning device according to the present invention is a positioning device that positions a member at a predetermined position of a plate, and has a tapered portion having a substantially truncated cone shape on the tip side, and a tapered portion at the edge of a recess or hole formed in the member. An adjustment pin that engages with a recess or a hole in a state where the pin is in contact with the pin, a pin unit that is fixed to the adjustment pin and is movable in the direction of contact with the member, and a direction of contact with the member And a moving mechanism for moving the pin unit in a direction parallel to the surface to which the plate member is mounted, and the adjustment pin is engaged with the recess or the hole. The force for bringing the tapered portion of the adjustment pin into contact with the edge of the recess or the hole in the direction of separation from the hole depends on the weight of the pin unit.

  According to the positioning device of the present invention, when the weight of the pin unit is applied, the tapered portion of the adjustment pin is pressed against the edge of the recess or the hole. Since the weight of the pin unit is constant regardless of the position of the pin unit, the adjustment pin can be pressed into the recess or the hole with a constant load without being affected by the position of the adjustment pin. In addition, the change in weight due to change over time is so small that it can be said that there is substantially no change in weight, and the load change accompanying deterioration such as when using an urging means such as an elastic member that causes deterioration of elastic force due to change over time And the adjustment pin can be pressed against the recess or the hole with a constant load. Furthermore, since the weight can be adjusted precisely, an appropriate load can be realized accurately.

  In the present invention, in the positioning device, the separation / contact mechanism is movable in the separation / contact direction by the first engagement portion formed integrally with the pin unit, the separation / contact drive source, and the separation / contact drive source, A second engagement portion that engages with the first engagement portion so as to restrict movement of the first engagement portion in a direction approaching the member and to allow movement in a direction away from the member; It is preferable to have.

  According to this positioning apparatus, the second engagement portion that can be moved in the separation / contact direction by the separation / contact driving source includes the first engagement portion formed integrally with the pin unit, and the first engagement portion, that is, the pin unit. Since the engagement is performed so as to restrict the movement in the direction approaching the member, the pin unit can be moved in the direction away from the member by the separation / contact driving source. Further, since the second engagement portion engages with the first engagement portion so as to allow movement in a direction away from the member, the second engagement portion is moved in a direction approaching the member. Thus, the engagement between the second engagement portion and the first engagement portion is achieved by engaging the adjustment pin with the recess or the hole and further moving the second engagement portion toward the member. Is released. As a result, the pin unit is not supported by the drive source and the second engaging portion, and the adjustment pin can be pressed into the recess or the hole by the weight of the pin unit.

  In the present invention, the positioning device preferably includes a pair of an adjustment pin, a pin unit, and a separation / contact mechanism.

  According to this positioning device, the force for moving the plate member in the direction parallel to the surface to which the plate member is attached can be applied to two portions of the member by the pair of adjustment pins. Thereby, the force of the direction which rotates a member around the axis | shaft perpendicular | vertical to the surface which attaches the member of a plate can be applied to a member.

  In the present invention, in the positioning device, the moving mechanism is parallel to the first axis moving mechanism for moving the adjustment pin in a first direction parallel to the surface for attaching the plate member, and the adjustment pin is parallel to the surface for attaching the plate member. A second axis moving mechanism for moving in a second direction different from the first direction, and a Z axis extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction of the adjustment pin. It is preferable to have a rotation mechanism that rotates the lens.

  According to this positioning device, the member can be moved to an arbitrary position on the plate by moving the member by the first axis moving mechanism and the second axis moving mechanism. By rotating the member by the rotation mechanism, the extending direction of the planar direction of the member can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction. Thereby, it can adjust so that a member may be located in the predetermined direction in the predetermined position on a plate.

  In the present invention, in the positioning device, it is preferable that the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is the midpoint of the axis of the two adjustment pins.

  According to this positioning device, since the member is rotated about the center of the two adjustment pins, there is almost no movement of the member in the first and second directions due to the rotation. Accordingly, it is not necessary to correct the movements in the first and second directions that occur with the rotation, so that the position adjustment of the member can be executed efficiently.

  In the present invention, the positioning device preferably further includes a weight that can be attached to and detached from the pin unit.

  According to this positioning device, the weight of the pin unit can be easily changed by exchanging the weight. Thereby, since the load which presses an adjustment pin to a recessed part or a hole can be adjusted easily, an appropriate load can be implement | achieved easily.

  In the present invention, the positioning device preferably further includes a fixing device that fixes a member positioned at a predetermined position of the plate at the predetermined position.

  According to this positioning device, the member appropriately positioned at the predetermined position can be fixed at the position by the fixing device. Since the positioning and fixing of the members are executed in the same positioning device, the elapsed time and the amount of space movement from the positioned state to the fixing can be reduced, so that the positioned state is fixed. The position accuracy of the member appropriately positioned at a predetermined position of the plate can be maintained and fixed while suppressing the change until the time.

  A positioning method according to the present invention is a positioning method in which a member is positioned at a predetermined position of a plate, and an adjustment pin having a substantially frustoconical tapered portion on a tip side is provided with a recess formed in the member or By engaging the concave portion or the hole with the tapered portion in contact with the edge of the hole and pressing the tapered portion against the concave portion or the edge of the hole according to the weight of the pin unit to which the adjustment pin is fixed. And a movement adjustment step for moving the member in a direction parallel to the surface of the plate to be mounted by moving the adjustment pin while maintaining the engagement state between the adjustment pin and the recess or the hole. To do.

  According to the positioning method of the present invention, the tapered portion of the adjustment pin is pressed against the edge of the recess or the hole by the weight of the pin unit. Since the weight of the pin unit is constant regardless of the position of the pin unit, the adjustment pin can be pressed into the recess or the hole with a constant load without being affected by the position of the adjustment pin. In addition, the change in weight due to change over time is so small that it can be said that there is substantially no change, and deterioration that may occur when using an urging means such as an elastic member that causes deterioration of elastic force due to change over time. Therefore, the adjustment pin can be stably pressed against the recess or the hole with a constant load. Furthermore, since the weight can be adjusted precisely, an appropriate load can be realized accurately.

  In the present invention, the positioning method uses two adjustment pins, each of the two adjustment pins is individually fixed to each pin unit, and the weight of the pin unit for pressing the tapered portion against the edge of the recess or hole. It is preferable that the force depending on the above is individually applied to each of the two adjustment pins.

  According to this positioning method, a force depending on the weight of the pin unit is applied to each adjustment pin regardless of the other adjustment pins. As a result, the force that can press the adjustment pin against the recess or hole with a constant load without being affected by the engagement state or position of the other adjustment pin with the recess or hole is applied to each adjustment pin. Can be applied.

  In the present invention, in the positioning method, the movement direction in the movement adjustment step includes a rotation direction about an axis perpendicular to the surface to which the plate member is attached, and the member is moved around the center point of the axis of the two adjustment pins. It is preferable to rotate.

  According to this positioning method, since the member is rotated about the center of the two adjustment pins, there is almost no movement of the member in the first and second directions due to the rotation. Therefore, when the movement in the first and second directions occurs with the rotation, the adjustment for correcting the first and second directions necessary is unnecessary, so that the position adjustment of the member can be performed efficiently. Can be executed.

  In the present invention, in the positioning device, it is preferable that the plate is a head plate and the member is a droplet discharge head.

  According to this positioning apparatus, an appropriate load can be accurately realized when positioning the droplet discharge head, and the adjustment pin can be pressed against the recess or the hole with a constant load while suppressing the influence of the position and the change with time. it can.

  In the present invention, the positioning method is preferably such that the plate is a head plate and the member is a droplet discharge head.

  According to this head positioning method, it is possible to accurately realize an appropriate load, and to suppress the influence of position and change with time and press the adjustment pin against the recess or the hole with a constant load.

  A head unit assembling apparatus according to the present invention is a head unit assembling apparatus that positions each of a plurality of droplet discharge heads of a head unit in which a plurality of droplet discharge heads are fixed to a unit plate at a predetermined position of the unit plate. The above-described positioning device is provided.

  According to the head unit assembly device of the present invention, the droplet discharge head can be appropriately positioned at a predetermined position of the unit plate by the positioning device.

  A head unit assembling method according to the present invention includes a head unit that forms a head unit by positioning each of a plurality of droplet discharge heads of a head unit in which a plurality of droplet discharge heads are fixed to a unit plate at a predetermined position of the unit plate. A unit assembling method using the positioning method described above.

  According to the head unit assembling method of the present invention, the droplet discharge head can be appropriately positioned at a predetermined position on the unit plate.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a head position adjusting device in a head unit assembling apparatus which is an example of a positioning apparatus, a positioning method, a hedging unit assembling apparatus, and a hedging unit assembling method according to the present invention will be described. I will explain.

(Droplet discharge device)
First, the head unit 30 (see FIG. 2) in which the droplet discharge head 40 (see FIG. 2) is positioned using the head position adjusting device 102 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the head unit assembly apparatus 100 (see FIG. 7). The entire configuration of the droplet discharge device 1 on which the apparatus 5 is mounted will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge device 1 moves a substrate stage 14 in the main scanning direction for mounting a substrate W on which a liquid W is discharged and landed. An X-axis scanning mechanism 10 to be operated. The carriage unit 20 includes a carriage 22 (see FIG. 6) having a head unit 30 (see FIG. 5) on which a plurality of droplet discharge heads 40 (see FIG. 2) is mounted, and the carriage unit 20 is moved in the sub-scanning direction. And a Y-axis scanning mechanism 17 to be operated. As indicated by arrows in FIG. 1, the main scanning direction is the X-axis direction, the sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) is the Y-axis direction, and the directions orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are The Z-axis direction and the rotation direction around the Z-axis direction are denoted as the θ direction.

  The substrate stage 14 is a suction table that vacuum-sucks and fixes the substrate W, and is fixed to the X-axis moving plate 12 via the stage rotation mechanism 16 so as to be rotatable in the θ direction. The X-axis scanning mechanism 10 is installed on the floor with the X-axis moving plate 12 and extends in the X-axis direction, and moves the X-axis moving plate 12 in the X-axis direction via an air slider (not shown). It has a pair of X-axis guide rails 11 and 11 provided with a linear motor 11a. Two accommodation boxes 9 are disposed so as to sandwich the pair of X-axis guide rails 11, 11. The accommodation box 9 accommodates an air supply pipe of an air supply means for supplying compressed air to the air slider, a signal cable for sending a drive signal to the X-axis scanning mechanism 10, and the like.

  The carriage unit 20 includes a carriage plate 21, and the carriage 22 is attached to the carriage plate 21 so as to be rotatable in the θ direction. The carriage plate 21 is disposed so as to be passed between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 18 and 18. On the carriage plate 21 that has been passed, a predetermined amount of liquid material fed from a tank in which each liquid material is stored via a pipe is stored, and the liquid material is supplied to each droplet discharge head 40. A liquid supply unit 23 and a head electrical unit 24 for supplying an electric signal for driving each droplet discharge head 40 are mounted.

  The Y-axis scanning mechanism 17 has a pair of Y-axis guide rails 18 and 18 each having a linear motor 18a that moves ten carriage units 20 in the Y-axis direction via air sliders (not shown). The ten carriage units 20 are individually movable in the Y-axis direction. The pair of Y-axis guide rails 18 and 18 are disposed on the six support stands 19 standing on the floor with a space therebetween so as to straddle the X-axis scanning mechanism 10.

  Between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 18, 18, nozzle clogging of a plurality of droplet discharge heads 40 mounted on the carriage 22 (head unit 30) is eliminated, and foreign matter and dirt on the nozzle surface are removed. A maintenance unit 26 for performing maintenance is disposed at a position facing the plurality of droplet discharge heads 40.

(Droplet ejection head)
Next, the droplet discharge head 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the droplet discharge head as viewed from the nozzle forming plate side. The droplet discharge head 40 is a so-called two-unit type, a liquid introduction part 45 having two connection needles 46, 46, a two-head head substrate 47 that is continuous to the side of the liquid introduction part 45, and a liquid Two pump parts 48 connected to the introduction part 45 and a nozzle forming plate 41 connected to the pump part 48 are provided. A pipe connecting member is connected to the liquid introducing portion 45, and a flexible flat cable is connected to the head substrate 47. On the other hand, the pump portion 48 and the nozzle forming plate 41 constitute a square head main body 40A.

  A flange portion 44 is formed in a square flange shape on the base portion side of the pump portion 48, that is, the base portion side of the head main body 40 </ b> A so as to receive the liquid introduction portion 45. A pair of screw holes (female threads) 49 for small screws for fixing the droplet discharge head 40 to the sub head holding member 33 (see FIG. 3) are formed in the flange portion 44. The pair of screw holes 49, 49 are located at both long side portions and are arranged so as to be point-symmetric with respect to the center of the nozzle forming surface 41a. Although details will be described later, the droplet discharge head 40 is fixed to the sub head holding member 33 by a head set screw 37 that passes through the sub head holding member 33 and is screwed into the screw hole 49 (see FIG. 3).

  On the nozzle forming surface 41 a of the nozzle forming plate 41, two nozzle rows 43, 43 formed on the nozzle forming plate 41 and including discharge nozzles 42 that discharge droplets are formed. The two nozzle rows 43, 43 are arranged in parallel to each other, and each nozzle row 43 is composed of 180 (schematically illustrated) discharge nozzles 42 arranged at an equal pitch. Yes. That is, two nozzle rows 43 and 43 are symmetrically arranged on the nozzle forming surface 41a of the head main body 40A with the center line therebetween.

(Installation of droplet discharge head)
Next, a structure for attaching the droplet discharge head 40 to the unit plate 51 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a view showing a structure for attaching the droplet discharge head to the unit plate. 3A is a plan view of the droplet discharge head attached to the unit plate as viewed from the nozzle plate side, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3A. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a head opening 51a is formed in the unit plate 51, and the main head holding member 32 is fixed to the unit plate 51 so as to substantially cover the head opening 51a. Yes. The main head holding member 32 is fixed to the unit plate 51 by three holding member screws 38 that pass through holes formed in the main head holding member 32 and are screwed into screw holes formed in the unit plate 51. Yes. (Hereafter, the side on which the main head holding member 32 is set is referred to as “back side”, and the opposite side is referred to as “front side”.)

  A flange opening 32a is formed in the main head holding member 32, and the sub head holding member 33 is fixed to the back side of the main head holding member 32 so as to straddle the flange opening 32a at both ends in the long side direction. Has been. The sub head holding member 33 is formed by two main holding members screws 38 that pass through holes formed in the sub head holding member 33 and are screwed into screw holes formed in the main head holding member 32. It is fixed to.

  The sub head holding member 33 is made of stainless steel or the like, and is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The sub head holding member 33 is formed with a square head main body opening 33d through which the head main body 40A of the droplet discharge head 40 is inserted. As described above, the sub head holding member 33 is set on the back surface side of the main head holding member 32 so as to straddle the flange opening 32a. On the other hand, the droplet discharge head 40 is inserted into the head main body opening 33d through the head main body 40A so that the head main body 40A protrudes to the back side of the sub head holding member 33, so It is set from. The droplet discharge head 40 has two head set screws 37, 37 that pass through holes formed in the sub head holding member 33 and are screwed into a pair of screw holes 49, 49 formed in the flange portion 44, respectively. The sub head holding member 33 is fixed.

  Around the head body opening 33d of the sub head holding member 33, there are two through holes corresponding to the pair of screw holes 49, 49, and the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole on the center line of the head body opening 33d. A hole 33b is formed. The first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b are portions to be engaged with position correction adjustment pins 121 (see FIG. 8 or FIG. 9) in the head unit assembly apparatus 100 (see FIG. 7) described later. In this case, the first adjustment hole 33a is formed in a circular shape and the second adjustment hole 33b is formed in an oval shape that is long in the center line direction so that the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 can be easily engaged. .

  Further, on the center line of the head main body opening 33d, two adhesive holes 33c are formed at substantially opposite positions with respect to the head main body opening 33d on the opposite side of the first main adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b to the head main body opening 33d. Has been. Each adhesive hole 33 c is a long hole extending in the transverse direction of the sub head holding member 33. An adhesive is injected into the adhesive hole 33c, and the sub head holding member 33 is bonded and fixed to the main head holding member 32 with the adhesive (not shown).

  The droplet discharge head 40 is fixed to the sub head holding member 33 by the head set screw 37, and the sub head holding member 33 is not fixed to the main head holding member 32 by the holding member screw 38 and the adhesive. In the state, the droplet discharge head 40 is fixed to the unit plate 51 so as to be movable by the gap between the flange portion 44 and the flange opening 32a or the gap between the head substrate 47 and the head opening 51a. It becomes. In the present embodiment, such a state is referred to as a “temporary mounting” state. Since the sub head holding member 33 and the head substrate 47 are larger than the opening of the flange opening 32a, the temporarily mounted droplet discharge head 40 (the droplet discharge head 40 is fixed to the sub head holding member 33 across the main head holding member 32). The set of the droplet discharge head 40 and the sub head holding member 33) does not fall off from the main head holding member 32. Assembling the droplet discharge head 40 to the unit plate 51 is performed by temporarily mounting the droplet discharge head 40 and then adjusting the position of the droplet discharge head 40 in the temporarily mounted state, and then adjusting the main head holding member 33. This is performed by performing adhesive fixing to the head holding member 32 with an adhesive and screw fixing with the holding member screw 38.

(Reference pin)
Next, the reference pin 54 that serves as a reference for defining the position of the droplet discharge head 40 on the unit plate 51 will be described with reference to FIG. The pair of reference pins 54 and 54 (see FIG. 5) is also used as a reference for positioning (position recognition) in the θ direction when the carriage unit 20 to which the head unit 30 is attached is attached to the droplet discharge device 1. . Further, it is also used as a reference for positioning in the θ direction when the head unit 30 (unit plate 51) is attached to the head unit assembling apparatus 100 (see FIG. 7). The arrangement position of the pair of reference pins 54 and 54 on the unit plate 51 will be described later.

  4A is a plan view of the reference pin viewed from the reference mark hole side, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the reference pin. As shown in FIG. 4, each reference pin 54 is composed of a cylindrical pin body and a concave, specifically, hole-shaped reference mark hole 56 formed at the center of the tip surface 57 of the pin body. Yes. The pin main body includes a base press-fit portion 54b for press-fitting into the unit plate 51, a barrel portion 54a connected to the base press-fit portion 54b, and a mark forming portion 54c formed protruding from the tip of the barrel portion 54a. A reference mark hole 56 is formed in the front end surface 57 of 54c.

  The front end surface 57 is mirror-finished, and a small hole serving as a reference mark hole 56 is formed at the center position of the front end surface 57. The small hole (reference mark hole 56) has a diameter of about 0.3 mm, for example, and communicates with an axial hole formed in the axial center portion from the base press-fitting portion 54b to the trunk portion 54a. Although the reference pin 54 has been described with a circular cross section, it may be oval or polygonal. Furthermore, the reference mark hole 56 of the small hole is not limited to the small hole, but may be a concave shape having a groove that can provide sufficient contrast, and the planar shape of the concave is also limited to a circular shape. It is not a thing.

  The reference pin 54 thus formed is press-fitted so that the base press-fitting portion 54 b is driven into the mounting hole portion formed in the unit plate 51. The reference pin 54 press-fitted into the unit plate 51 is such that the tip surface 57 has substantially the same height as the nozzle forming surface 41a (see FIG. 2 or 3) of the droplet discharge head 40 attached to the unit plate 51. It protrudes from the back side of unit plate 51 so that it may become. That is, the front end surface 57 serving as the image recognition surface of the reference pin 54 and the nozzle forming surface 41a serving as the image recognition surface of the droplet discharge head 40 are positioned in substantially the same plane.

(Head unit)
Next, the overall configuration of the head unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the head unit. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the droplet discharge head 40 is attached to the unit plate 51 of the head unit 30 via the main head holding member 32 and the sub head holding member 33. As shown in FIG. 5, one head unit 30 includes twelve droplet discharge heads 40. A pair of reference pins 54 and 54 in which a reference mark hole 56 (see FIG. 4) is formed are fixed to the unit plate 51, and each of the twelve droplet discharge heads 40 is a reference formed on the reference pin 54. The mark hole 56 is positioned and fixed at an appropriate position. The pair of reference mark holes 56, 56 are arranged on a straight line extending in the X-axis direction.

  The unit plate 51 is also formed with a first position restricting hole 52a, a second position restricting hole 52b, and four unit fixing holes 53. The first position restricting hole 52a and the second position restricting hole 52b are used for positioning when the head unit 30 is attached to the carriage frame 62 (see FIG. 6). The four unit fixing holes 53 are holes through which screws for fixing the head unit 30 to the carriage frame 62 pass. The X axis, Y axis, and Z axis shown in FIG. 5 are the same as the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis shown in FIG. That is, in a state where the head unit 30 is attached to the droplet discharge device 1, the nozzle row 43 (see FIG. 2) formed on the droplet discharge head 40 is configured to extend in the Y-axis direction.

(carriage)
Next, the overall configuration of the carriage 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the carriage as seen from the head plate side. As described with reference to FIG. 5, the unit plate 51 of the head unit 30 is formed with the first position restricting hole 52 a, the second position restricting hole 52 b, and the unit fixing hole 53. As shown in FIG. 6, the head unit 30 is configured to fit the position restriction pins 63 provided on the carriage frame 62 into the first position restriction holes 52 a and the second position restriction holes 52 b formed in the unit plate 51. It is positioned with respect to the carriage frame 62. The positioned head unit 30 passes through the unit fixing holes 53 formed in the unit plate 51 and is screwed into the screw holes 64 formed in the carriage frame 62 so as to be four unit fixing screws 68, 68, 68, 68. Thus, the carriage frame 62 is fixed. The liquid material stored in the liquid material supply unit 23 (see FIG. 1) is supplied to the droplet discharge head 40 via a liquid supply pipe and a valve (not shown). The electric signal supplied from the head electrical unit 24 (see FIG. 1) is relayed by the IF board 69 and supplied to the droplet discharge head 40 via a wiring cable (not shown).

  As described above, the carriage 22 is attached to the carriage plate 21 (see FIG. 1) so as to be rotatable in the θ direction (direction around the Z axis). The carriage 22 attached to the carriage plate 21 is rotated in the θ direction so that the X-axis and Y-axis directions shown in FIG. 6 coincide with the X-axis and Y-axis directions shown in FIG. The extending direction of the nozzle row 43 formed in the ejection head 40 is made to coincide with the Y-axis direction.

(Head unit assembly equipment)
Next, the head unit assembly apparatus 100 for assembling the head unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The head unit assembling apparatus 100 uses the above-described head unit 30 as an assembly target, and positions and bonds (primarily fixes) the 12 droplet discharge heads 40 temporarily mounted on the unit plate 51 with high accuracy. The droplet discharge head 40 corresponds to a member, and the unit plate 51 corresponds to a plate. In the head unit assembly apparatus 100, the head unit 30 to which the droplet discharge head 40 is primarily fixed is set on the carriage frame 62 through a secondary fixing process and a cleaning process in which the droplet discharging head 40 is further fixed using the holding member screw 38. The

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the head unit assembling apparatus. As shown in FIG. 7, the head unit assembly device 100 includes a unit moving device 101, a head position adjusting device 102, an adhesive fixing device (not shown), and a recognition device 104. The unit moving device 101 mounts the head unit 30 and moves it in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the θ direction in a plane parallel to the X axis and the Y axis. The head position adjustment device 102 performs position correction to adjust the position of each droplet discharge head 40 temporarily mounted on the unit plate 51 to an appropriate position. The adhesive fixing device supplies the adhesive so as to flow into the adhesive hole 33c (see FIG. 3), and primarily fixes each droplet discharge head 40 whose position is corrected with respect to the unit plate 51 to the position ( Adhesive fixation). The recognition device 104 recognizes the position of the unit plate 51 and each droplet discharge head 40 prior to the position correction of the droplet discharge head 40. The head unit assembling apparatus 100 includes a control device (not shown) that performs overall control of the unit moving device 101, the head position adjusting device 102, the adhesive fixing device, and the recognition device 104. The unit moving device 101, the head position adjusting device 102, the adhesive fixing device, and the recognition device 104 are supported and installed on a support stand 116 installed on the machine base 106 or on the machine base 106. The head position adjusting device 102 or the head position adjusting device 102 and the adhesive fixing device correspond to a positioning device or a head positioning device. The adhesive fixing device corresponds to the fixing device.

  The unit moving device 101 has a holding table 110 on which the head unit 30 as an assembly target is placed and held, and the holding table 110 fixed. The holding table 110 is rotated by rotating the holding table 110 in the θ direction. And a unit rotating mechanism 109 that rotates the head unit 30 placed on the head unit 30 in the θ direction. The unit moving device 101 also moves the unit rotation mechanism 109 in the X-axis direction to move the head unit 30 in the X-axis direction, and moves the unit rotation mechanism 109 in the Y-axis direction. Thus, a Y-axis moving mechanism 108 that moves the head unit 30 in the Y-axis direction is provided.

  The Y-axis moving mechanism 108 is provided on the Y-axis moving plate 117 and the machine base 106 so as to extend in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis moving plate 117 is attached to the Y-axis moving plate 117 via an air slider (not shown). And a pair of Y-axis rails 118 and 118 each having a linear motor 118a that moves in the axial direction. The X-axis moving mechanism 107 is provided on the X-axis moving plate 112 and the Y-axis moving plate 117 so as to extend in the X-axis direction, and the X-axis moving plate 112 is passed through an air slider (not shown). And a pair of X-axis rails 111 and 111 each having a linear motor 111a that moves in the X-axis direction. The unit rotation mechanism 109 includes a fixed plate 119a fixed to the X-axis moving plate 112, and a rotation plate 119b supported by the fixed plate 119a so as to be rotatable in the θ direction via a rotation motor (not shown). have. The holding table 110 is fixed to the rotating plate 119b.

  The holding table 110 is formed with two substantially rectangular unit receiving portions 162 that are portions where the unit plate 51 fixed to the holding table 110 abuts. The two unit receiving portions 162 and 162 are planes substantially parallel to the X-axis and the Y-axis, and are substantially the same plane in the Z-axis direction. A position regulating pin 163 is erected near the center of the unit receiving portion 162. Two screw holes 164 are formed in one unit receiving portion 162. Mask receiving portions 161 are formed on both sides of the unit receiving portion 162. The mask receiving part 161 is higher than the unit receiving part 162.

  The recognizing device 104 adjusts the focus by moving the camera 143 and the lens 144 for recognizing the image of the head, the illumination device 146 for illuminating the object, and the camera 143 and the lens 144 in the Z-axis direction. A camera up / down mechanism 147 and a camera up / down motor 148. The recognition device 104 includes a pair of a camera 143, a lens 144, a lighting device 146, a camera up / down mechanism 147, and a camera up / down motor 148. The recognition device 104 is supported by a support stand 116 so that the lens 144 can face the head unit 30 placed on the holding table 110.

(Head position adjustment device)
Next, the head position adjusting device 102 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an adjustment pin and an adjustment pin up-and-down mechanism of the head position adjustment device. As shown in FIG. 8, the head position adjustment device 102 has a pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121. The pair of adjustment pins 121, 121 are engaged with the first adjustment hole 33 a and the second adjustment hole 33 b formed in the sub head holding member 33, so that the droplet discharge head 40 temporarily attached to the unit plate 51 is attached. A force for slight movement is applied to the sub head holding member 33 in order to position it at an appropriate position.

  The adjustment pin 121 is erected on the pin plate 221. The slide plate 222 has a substantially U shape in which a pair of stage mounting portions 222a and 222a extending in the Z-axis direction are coupled by a pin mounting portion 222b at the lower end in the Z-axis direction in FIG. The pin plate 221 is fixed to the lower end in the Z-axis direction of the slide plate 222 at the pin mounting portion 222b at the lower end in the Z-axis direction of the slide plate 222 so that the adjustment pin 121 faces the Z-axis direction. The tip of the adjustment pin 121 erected on the pin plate 221 has a base end that is thicker than the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b formed in the sub head holding member 33, and the tip end is thin. A tapered portion 121a having a truncated cone shape having a diameter is formed. The adjustment pin 121 engages with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b in a state where the tapered portion 121a is in contact with the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b. A load weight 223 for adjusting the force with which the adjustment pin 121 is brought into contact with the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b is detachably fixed to the stage mounting portion 222a. At the upper end of the stage mounting portion 222a in the Z-axis direction in FIG. 8, a plate engagement protrusion 222c is formed to project to the substantially U-shaped opening side.

  A movable stage 224b that constitutes the slide stage 224 in combination with the fixed stage 224a is fixed to each of the pair of stage mounting portions 222a and 222a so as to extend in the Z-axis direction. The pair of fixed stages 224a and 224a are fixed to the support plate 231 via the stage base 226, respectively. The movable stage 224b is slidably engaged with the fixed stage 224a fixed to the support plate 231 in the Z-axis direction. The engaging portion between the fixed stage 224a and the movable stage 224b is precisely processed so that there is almost no gap, and the movable stage 224b is substantially fixed to the fixed stage 224a except in the Z-axis direction. The support plate 231 is fixed to a support arm 232, and the support arm 232 is fixed to a rotating arm 249b (see FIG. 9) described later.

  A set of the adjustment pin 121, the pin plate 221, the slide plate 222, the load weight 223, and the pair of movable stages 224b is referred to as a slide unit 234. The slide unit 234 is slidably fixed to the support plate 231 in the Z-axis direction by the movable stage 224b engaging with the fixed stage 224a so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. A pair of slide units 234 are fixed to the support plate 231 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. The slide unit 234 corresponds to a pin unit.

  An air cylinder 228 is fixed to the support plate 231 corresponding to the slide unit 234 on the side opposite to the adjustment pin 121 of the slide unit 234, that is, the upper side in the Z-axis direction in FIG. The slide shaft 229 is fitted into the air cylinder 228, and is supported by the air cylinder 228 so as to be slidable between the rising end position and the lowering end position in the Z-axis direction and to be held at the rising end position and the lower end position. Has been. The slide shaft 229 extends from the air cylinder 228 to the lower slide unit 234 in the Z-axis direction, and a shaft engagement end protrusion 229a projecting in a flange shape is formed at the tip. The slide unit 234 is in the state where the shaft projection upper surface 229b which is the upper surface in the Z-axis direction of the shaft engagement end projection 229a and the engagement projection lower surface 222d which is the lower surface in the Z-axis direction of the plate engagement projection 222c are in contact with each other. The movement of the slide unit 234 downward in the Z-axis direction is restricted by being locked by the 229. The shaft engagement end protrusion 229a corresponds to the second engagement portion, and the plate engagement protrusion 222c corresponds to the first engagement portion.

  A set of the air cylinder 228, the slide shaft 229, and the slide stage 224 is referred to as an adjustment pin lifting mechanism 227. The adjustment pin raising / lowering mechanism 227 and the plate engagement protrusion 222c correspond to a separation / contact mechanism. The slide unit 234, the adjustment pin lifting mechanism 227, the stage base 226, the support plate 231, and the support arm 232 are collectively referred to as an arm unit 230.

  The slide unit 234 shown in FIG. 8 is engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b formed in the sub head holding member 33 indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Stops at the indicated position. The slide shaft 229 is in the lowered end position, and the shaft projection upper surface 229b and the engagement projection lower surface 222d are separated from each other. The load with which the adjustment pin 121 presses the first adjustment hole 33 a or the second adjustment hole 33 b is the weight of the slide unit 234. When the slide shaft 229 is moved from the lowered end position shown in FIG. 8 to the raised end position by the air cylinder 228, the shaft projection upper surface 229b and the engagement projection lower surface 222d come into contact with each other, and the slide unit 234 is lifted, The adjustment pin 121 is removed from the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b, and the engagement is released.

  Next, an arm unit moving mechanism 240 that moves the arm unit 230 in a plane direction parallel to the X axis and the Y axis will be described. The head position adjusting device 102 includes an arm unit 230 and an arm unit moving mechanism 240. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an outline of the arm unit moving mechanism. As shown in FIG. 9, the arm unit moving mechanism 240 is configured on a correction device base 243 fixed to the support stand 116 (see FIG. 7), and includes an adjustment X-axis mechanism 237, an adjustment Y-axis mechanism 238, And an adjustment turning mechanism 239. The arm unit moving mechanism 240 corresponds to a moving mechanism.

  The adjustment rotation mechanism 239 rotates the arm unit 230 in the θ direction. The adjustment Y-axis mechanism 238 moves the adjustment pin 121 of the arm unit 230 in the Y-axis direction by moving the adjustment rotation mechanism 239 in the Y-axis direction. The adjustment X-axis mechanism 237 moves the adjustment pin 121 of the arm unit 230 in the X-axis direction by moving the adjustment rotation mechanism 239 in the X-axis direction. The adjustment rotation mechanism 239 corresponds to the rotation mechanism, the adjustment Y axis mechanism 238 corresponds to the first axis movement mechanism or the second axis movement mechanism, and the adjustment X axis mechanism 237 corresponds to the first axis movement mechanism or the first axis movement mechanism. It corresponds to a biaxial moving mechanism.

  The adjustment X-axis mechanism 237 is provided on the X-axis moving plate 242 and the correction device base 243 so as to extend in the X-axis direction, and the X-axis moving plate 242 is passed through an air slider (not shown). It has a pair of X-axis rails 241 and 241 provided with a linear motor 241a that moves in the Y-axis direction. The adjustment Y-axis mechanism 238 is provided on the Y-axis moving plate 247 and the X-axis moving plate 242 so as to extend in the Y-axis direction, and the Y-axis moving plate 247 is passed through an air slider (not shown). And a pair of Y-axis rails 248 and 248 provided with a linear motor 248a that moves in the Y-axis direction. The adjustment rotation mechanism 239 is a rotation that is rotatably supported in the θ direction by the correction fixing plate 249a fixed to the Y-axis moving plate 247 and the correction fixing plate 249a via a rotation motor (not shown). A moving arm 249b. As described above, the arm unit 230 is fixed to the rotating arm 249b. The rotation arm 249b rotates about a rotation axis 121G indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 9 as a rotation center axis. The rotation shaft 121G is an axis parallel to the Z axis. The arm unit 230 is fixed to the rotating arm 249b so that the respective axes of the pair of adjustment pins 121, 121 are parallel to the rotating shaft 121G and are located at symmetrical positions with respect to the rotating shaft 121G.

(Head unit assembly method)
Next, an assembly method by the head unit assembly apparatus 100 for assembling the head unit 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the process of assembling the head unit by the head unit assembling apparatus.

  Prior to execution of the work, an alignment mask is introduced into the holding table 110, and the recognition device 104 recognizes an image of the reference mark of the alignment mask. The reference mark is a mark of the position of the reference mark hole 56 (see FIG. 4) formed in the reference pin 54 and the reference position where each droplet discharge head 40 should be positioned with reference to the reference mark hole 56. is there. The head unit assembling apparatus 100 stores reference position data that has been image-recognized, and the position of each droplet discharge head 40 is corrected based on the reference position data (master data). It should be noted that the alignment mask is periodically introduced not only when the new head unit 30 is introduced and assembled, but also with the same head unit 30 based on the number of assembled heads and the operation time. Of course, the reference position data is reset at that time.

  In the head unit assembly apparatus 100, the head unit 30 on which the droplet discharge head 40 is temporarily mounted is set. The head unit 30 is set on the upper surface of the holding table 110 with the head main body 40A of each droplet discharge head 40 facing upward. The head unit 30 is set on the upper surface of the holding table 110, and the assembly process of the head unit 30 which is the position adjustment of the droplet discharge head 40 by the head unit assembling apparatus 100 is started.

  In step S <b> 1 of FIG. 10, the position of the reference mark hole 56 is detected by recognizing the reference mark hole 56 formed in one of the pair of reference pins 54 and 54 by the recognition device 104.

  Next, in step S <b> 2, the other reference pin 54 recognizes the recognition device 104 so that the recognition device 104 can recognize the reference mark hole 56 formed in the other reference pin 54 of the pair of reference pins 54, 54. The head unit 30 set on the holding table 110 is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 107 so as to reach the position facing the head.

  Next, in step S <b> 3, the recognition device 104 recognizes the reference mark hole 56 formed in the other reference pin 54 of the pair of reference pins 54 and 54, thereby detecting the position of the other reference mark hole 56. .

  Next, in step S4, whether the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction between the position of one reference mark hole 56 recognized in step S1 and the position of the other reference mark hole 56 recognized in step S3 satisfies the standard. Determine whether. As described with reference to FIG. 5, the pair of reference mark holes 56 and 56 are arranged on a straight line extending in the X-axis direction. That is, the deviation in the Y-axis direction between the position of one reference mark hole 56 and the position of the other reference mark hole 56 is caused by the head unit 30 being inclined in the θ direction.

  If the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction does not satisfy the standard (NO in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the direction of the head unit 30 is adjusted by rotating the head unit 30 on the holding table 110 in the θ direction by the unit rotating mechanism 109. By rotating the head unit 30 in the θ direction, the deviation in the Y-axis direction can be corrected. After step S5, the process proceeds to step S1, and steps S1 to S4 are repeated.

  If the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction satisfies the standard (YES in step S4), the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the X-axis moving mechanism 107, the Y-axis moving mechanism 108, and the position of the recognized reference mark hole 56 coincide with the position of the reference mark hole 56 on the previously acquired reference position data. Are used to move the head unit 30 on the holding table 110 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

  Next, in step S <b> 7, the position of the droplet discharge head 40 is detected by the recognition device 104. The droplet discharge head 40 is detected by recognizing the discharge nozzle 42 of the droplet discharge head 40 by the recognition device 104. For example, the discharge nozzles 42 at both ends of the nozzle row 43 are recognized.

  Next, in step S8, whether or not the deviation amount of the position of the droplet discharge head 40 recognized in step S7 from the position of the droplet discharge head 40 on the previously acquired reference position data satisfies the standard. Determine.

  If the deviation amount does not satisfy the standard (NO in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the head position adjusting device 102 corrects the position of the droplet discharge head 40. The positional relationship between the head position adjusting device 102 and the recognition device 104 is such that when the droplet discharge head 40 is located at a position where the recognition device 104 can recognize the discharge nozzle 42 of the droplet discharge head 40, the head position. The pair of adjustment pins 121, 121 of the adjustment device 102 are positioned so as to face the first adjustment hole 33 a and the second adjustment hole 33 b formed in the sub head holding member 33 to which the droplet discharge head 40 is fixed. It has become a relationship.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment pin 121 is formed on the sub head holding member 33 by lowering the slide shaft 229 locked at the rising end position by the air cylinder 228 to the lower end position by the air cylinder 228. The first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b thus engaged is engaged. As described with reference to FIG. 8, the slide unit 234 stops at the position shown in FIG. 8 when the adjustment pin 121 engages with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b. The slide shaft 229 is in the lowered end position, and the shaft projection upper surface 229b and the engagement projection lower surface 222d are separated from each other. The adjustment pin 121 is pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. Thus, the process of engaging the adjustment pin 121 with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b corresponds to the engagement step.

  The adjustment X-axis mechanism 237 and the adjustment Y-axis of the arm unit moving mechanism 240 are maintained while the adjustment pin 121 is kept pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. The mechanism 238 simultaneously moves the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b in the same direction in the direction parallel to the X axis and the Y axis. Further, the adjustment rotation mechanism 239 rotates the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 around the rotation shaft 121G in the θ direction. The liquid droplet ejection head 40 temporarily mounted on the unit plate 51 is slightly moved by the slight movement of the adjustment pins 121, so that the recognized liquid droplet ejection head 40 is moved to the liquid on the reference position data acquired in advance. It is moved to the position of the droplet discharge head 40 and positioned at that position. The step of moving the droplet discharge head 40 slightly by the arm unit moving mechanism 240 and positioning it corresponds to the movement adjustment step.

  After step S9, the process proceeds to step S7 while maintaining a state in which the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 are engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b, respectively, and steps S7 and S8 are performed. repeat.

  If the deviation amount satisfies the standard (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S10 while maintaining this positioning completion state. In order to maintain the positioning completed state, the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 are maintained in a state where they are engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b, respectively. In step S10, the adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the adhesive hole 33c and the surface of the main head holding member 32 facing the adhesive hole 33c by injecting the adhesive into the adhesive hole 33c by the adhesive fixing device. Thus, the adhesive fixing of the sub head holding member 33 to the main head holding member 32 by the adhesive is executed. By maintaining the state where the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 are engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b, respectively, until the adhesive is substantially cured after the adhesive is injected. The occurrence of a new misalignment of the droplet discharge head 40 due to deformation in the process of hardening of the liquid is suppressed.

  Next, in step S <b> 11, it is determined whether positioning and adhesive fixing have been executed for all the 12 droplet discharge heads 40 of the head unit 30. If positioning and adhesion fixing have not been executed for all twelve liquid droplet ejection heads 40 (NO in step S11), the process proceeds to step S7, and the liquid droplet ejection heads 40 in which positioning and adhesion fixation have not been executed. , Step S7 to Step S11 are repeated.

  If positioning and adhesive fixing have been completed for all of the twelve droplet discharge heads 40 (YES in step S11), the process of assembling the head unit 30 by the head unit assembling apparatus 100 ends.

  Further, the sub-head holding member 33 is fixed to the main head holding member 32 by using the holding member screw 38 by manual operation, so that the droplet discharge head 40 is unitized as described with reference to FIG. It is fixed to the plate 51.

Hereinafter, effects of the embodiment will be described. According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The adjustment pin 121 is pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. Since the weight of the slide unit 234 is constant regardless of the position of the adjustment pin 121, the adjustment pin 121 is inserted into the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole with a constant load without being affected by the position of the adjustment pin 121. It can be pressed against the edge of the adjustment hole 33b.

  (2) The adjustment pin 121 is pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. Since the weight of the slide unit 234 is constant regardless of the position of the adjustment pin 121, the plate pressure of the main head holding member 32 and the sub head holding member 33, and the holes of the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b. The adjustment pin 121 can be pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b with a constant load without being affected even if there is a dimensional variation such as a diameter.

  (3) The adjustment pin 121 is pressed against the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. The variation of the weight due to the aging of the slide unit 234 is so small that it can be said that there is substantially no change, and the adjustment pin 121 is stably pressed to the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b with a constant load. be able to.

  (4) The slide unit 234 is fixed so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. The shaft projection upper surface 229b, which is the upper surface in the Z-axis direction of the shaft engagement end projection 229a, and the lower surface in the Z-axis direction of the plate engagement projection 222c. The slide unit 234 is locked to the slide shaft 229 in a state where the lower surface 222d of the engagement protrusion comes into contact with the slide shaft 229, so that the downward movement of the slide unit 234 in the Z-axis direction is restricted. Since the engagement between the shaft engagement end protrusion 229a and the plate engagement protrusion 222c does not restrict the upward movement of the slide unit 234 in the Z-axis direction, the adjustment pin 121 can be connected to the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b. , The engagement between the shaft engagement end protrusion 229a and the plate engagement protrusion 222c is released, and the adjustment pin 121 is pressed against the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b by the weight of the slide unit 234. Can be put into a state.

  (5) The axes of the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 are parallel to the rotation shaft 121G and are located at symmetrical positions with respect to the rotation shaft 121G, and the rotation arm 249b moves the rotation shaft 121G. It rotates as a rotation center axis. Accordingly, since the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 rotate around their midpoints, the droplet discharge head 40 is also rotated around its substantially center position. Thereby, even if the direction is adjusted by rotating the droplet discharge head 40, the movement in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction hardly occurs. It is almost unnecessary to further adjust the positional deviation in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction caused by adjusting the direction, and the droplet discharge head 40 can be positioned efficiently.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment which concerns on this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, embodiment of this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and can be implemented as follows.

  (Modification 1) In the above embodiment, the positioning device and positioning method for the droplet discharge head 40 to the unit plate 51 in the head unit 30 have been described as an example. However, the positioning target is the droplet discharge head. Is not required. The positioning object may be any member as long as it is a member that can integrally form a recess or a hole with which the adjustment pin 121 is engaged.

  (Modification 2) In the embodiment, the head unit assembly apparatus 100 includes the head unit 30 and the unit moving apparatus 101 that moves the head unit 30 in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the θ direction, and the arm unit 230. An arm unit that moves the sub head holding member 33 (droplet discharge head 40) engaged with the adjustment pin 121 of the arm unit 230 with respect to the unit plate 51 by moving in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the θ direction. Although the moving mechanism 240 is provided, it is not essential to provide both the unit moving device 101 and the arm unit moving mechanism 240. The unit moving device 101 or the arm unit moving mechanism 240 is provided, and the unit plate 51 side is moved using the unit moving device 101 in a state where the adjustment pin 121 is engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b. The position adjustment of the droplet discharge head 40 can also be executed by the method or the method of moving the droplet discharge head 40 side using the arm unit moving mechanism 240.

  (Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the air cylinder 228 is used as a drive source for moving the slide unit 234 up and down, but it is not essential that the drive source is an air cylinder. As a drive source for the slide unit 234 (adjustment pin 121), a motor, a solenoid, or the like may be used.

  (Modification 4) In the above embodiment, the slide engagement unit 234 is raised by engaging the shaft engagement end projection 229a and the plate engagement projection 222c, and the adjustment pin 121 is moved to the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment. In the state of contact with the hole 33b, the adjustment pin 121 is pressed by the weight of the slide unit 234 by releasing the engagement between the shaft engagement end protrusion 229a and the plate engagement protrusion 222c. It was like that. However, it is not essential to provide the shaft engagement end protrusion 229a and the plate engagement protrusion 222c so that the adjustment pin 121 is pressed by the weight of the slide unit 234. The voltage is applied only when the slide unit 234 is raised using an analog motor that does not generate a holding force when no voltage is applied, and the slide unit 234 is lowered to place the adjustment pin 121 in the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33a. In the case of engaging with the adjustment hole 33b, a configuration or a method of dropping by its own weight by applying no voltage may be used.

  (Modification 5) In the above embodiment, after the fixing using the adhesive is completed for the twelve droplet discharge heads 40 of one head unit 30, the main head holding member 33 using the holding member screw 38 is used. Although the fixing to the head holding member 32 has been executed, it is not essential to execute the screw fixing using the holding member screw 38 for the 12 droplet discharge heads 40 after the adhesive fixing is completed. For each of the droplet discharge heads 40, screw fixation may be performed following adhesion fixation.

  (Modification 6) In the above-described embodiment, when the position of the droplet discharge head 40 is detected and position correction is necessary, the pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 are replaced by the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b. However, it is not essential to engage only when position correction is necessary. A pair of adjustment pins 121 and 121 may be engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b before the discharge nozzle 42 is recognized in order to detect the position of the droplet discharge head 40. Even when position correction is not necessary, the adjustment pins 121 and 121 are engaged with the first adjustment hole 33a and the second adjustment hole 33b, thereby preventing the occurrence of deviation in the bonding process or the like. be able to.

  (Modification 7) In the above embodiment, the assembly process by the head unit assembling apparatus 100 is completed by bonding and fixing, but the position of the droplet discharge head 40 may be confirmed again after completion of bonding and fixing. good. Since the assembly (position adjustment of the droplet discharge head 40) result can be verified, the reliability of the head unit 30 is improved.

  (Modification 8) In the above-described embodiment, the reference mark hole 56 which is a small hole formed in the reference pin 54 is used as a reference when the position of the droplet discharge head 40 on the unit plate 51 is defined. However, it is not essential that the reference is a hole. Any device that can be clearly detected by the recognition device 104 may be used. You may use the top of the projection of a micro warp as a reference | standard.

  (Modification 9) In the embodiment, the reference mark hole 56 which is a small hole formed in the reference pin 54 is used as a reference when the position of the droplet discharge head 40 on the unit plate 51 is defined. However, it is not essential to form the reference mark hole 56 in the reference pin 54. The reference mark hole 56 may be formed directly on the unit plate 51. By directly forming the reference mark hole 56 in the unit plate 51, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the shape error of the reference pin 54 and form the reference mark hole 56 at a more accurate position.

  (Modification 10) In the embodiment described above, the droplet discharge head 40 is fixed to the unit plate 51 via the sub head holding member 33 and the main head holding member 32, but the sub head holding member 33 and the main head It is not essential to use the holding member 32. A configuration in which the main head holding member 32 is not used, or a configuration in which the sub-head holding member 33 and the main head holding member 32 are not formed by forming an adjustment hole for engaging the adjustment pin 121 in the droplet discharge head 40 may be employed. . Although the ease of detachability of the droplet discharge head 40 by using the sub head holding member 33 and the main head holding member 32 is lost, the number of parts can be reduced, and the head unit can be reduced in size and weight.

  (Modification 11) In the embodiment described above, the adjustment pin 121 is a first adjustment hole 33a and a second adjustment hole which are holes formed in the sub head holding member 33 to which a force for position adjustment is applied. Although it was engaged with 33b, it is not essential that the engaging part engaged with the adjustment pin 121 is a hole. It may be a recess such as a groove into which the adjustment pin 121 can be fitted.

  (Modification 12) In the above-described embodiment, the load weight 223 for adjusting the force for bringing the adjustment pin 121 into contact with the edge of the first adjustment hole 33a or the second adjustment hole 33b is provided. It is not essential to provide a weight. What is necessary is just to be able to adjust to the weight which can implement | achieve an appropriate load with the component for hold | maintaining and raising / lowering the adjustment pin 121. FIG.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the droplet discharge head as viewed from the nozzle forming plate side. (A) The top view which looked at the droplet discharge head attached to the unit plate from the nozzle plate side. (B) Sectional drawing of the cross section shown by AA in FIG. (A) The top view which looked at the reference | standard pin from the reference | standard mark hole side. (B) A side view of the reference pin. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a head unit. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a carriage viewed from the head plate side. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of a head unit assembly apparatus. The perspective view which shows the adjustment pin and adjustment pin up-and-down mechanism of a head position adjustment apparatus. The perspective view which shows the outline | summary of an arm unit moving mechanism. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of assembling the head unit by the head unit assembling apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 22 ... Carriage, 30 ... Head unit, 32 ... Main head holding member, 33 ... Sub head holding member, 33a ... First adjustment hole, 33b ... Second adjustment hole, 40 ... Droplet discharge head DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Unit plate 100 ... Head unit assembly apparatus 101 ... Unit moving apparatus 102 ... Head position adjustment apparatus 104 ... Recognition apparatus 121 ... Adjustment pin 121G ... Rotating shaft 121a ... Taper part 221 ... Pin Plate 222 222 Slide plate 222c Plate engaging projection 224 Slide stage 227 Adjusting pin lifting mechanism 228 Air cylinder 229 Slide shaft 229a Shaft engaging end projection 230 Arm unit 232 ... support arm, 234 ... slide unit, 237 ... adjustment X-axis mechanism, 238 ... adjustment Y-axis mechanism, 239 Adjusting and rotating mechanism, 240 ... arm unit moving mechanism, 241 ... X-axis rail, 242 ... X-axis moving plate, 247 ... Y-axis moving plate, 248 ... Y-axis rail, 249a ... correction plate, 249b ... rotating arm .

Claims (12)

A positioning device for positioning a member at a predetermined position of a plate,
An adjustment pin that has a substantially truncated cone-shaped tapered portion on the distal end side and engages with the concave portion or the hole in a state where the tapered portion is in contact with an edge of the concave portion or hole formed in the member;
The adjustment pin is fixed, and a pin unit formed so as to be movable in the direction of separation with respect to the member;
A separation mechanism for moving the pin unit in a separation direction with respect to the member;
A moving mechanism for moving the pin unit in a direction parallel to the surface of the plate to which the member is attached,
Force that causes the tapered portion of the adjustment pin to abut against the edge of the recess or the hole in the direction of separation of the adjustment pin with respect to the recess or the hole with the adjustment pin engaged with the recess or the hole Depends on the weight of the pin unit,
The separation / contact mechanism is:
A first engaging portion formed integrally with the pin unit;
A separate drive source;
It is possible to move in the separation / contact direction by the separation / contact driving source, and restricts the movement of the first engagement portion in the direction approaching the member and moves in the direction away from the member. A positioning device comprising: a second engaging portion that engages with the first engaging portion so as to allow .   The positioning device according to claim 1, comprising a pair of the adjustment pin, the pin unit, and the separation / contact mechanism. The moving mechanism includes a first axis moving mechanism that moves the adjustment pin in a first direction parallel to a surface of the plate to which the member is attached;
A second axis movement mechanism that moves the adjustment pin in a second direction that is parallel to the surface of the plate to which the member is attached and is different from the first direction;
3. A rotation mechanism that rotates the adjustment pin about a Z-axis extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction. The positioning device described.   The positioning device according to claim 3, wherein the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is a midpoint of the axis of the two adjustment pins. Characterized by further comprising a detachable weight to the pin unit, the positioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. And further comprising a fixing device for fixing the member positioned at a predetermined position of the plate in the predetermined position, the positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A positioning method for positioning and positioning a member at a predetermined position on a plate,
An engagement step of engaging an adjustment pin having a substantially frustoconical tapered portion on the distal end side with the concave portion or the hole in a state where the tapered portion is in contact with an edge of the concave portion or the hole formed in the member. When,
The tapered pin is pressed against the edge of the recess or the hole depending on the weight of the pin unit to which the adjustment pin is fixed, thereby maintaining the engagement state between the adjustment pin and the recess or the hole, and the adjustment. A movement adjusting step of moving the member in a direction parallel to a surface of the plate to which the member is mounted by moving a pin;
Two adjustment pins are used, each of the two adjustment pins is individually fixed to the respective pin unit, and the taper portion depends on the weight of the pin unit to press against the recess or the edge of the hole. A positioning method , wherein a force is individually applied to each of the two adjustment pins . The movement direction in the movement adjustment step includes a rotation direction around an axis perpendicular to the surface of the plate to which the member is attached, and the member is rotated around the midpoint of the axis of the two adjustment pins. The positioning method according to claim 7 . It said plate is a head plate, the positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said member is a droplet discharge head. 9. The positioning method according to claim 7, wherein the plate is a head plate, and the member is a droplet discharge head. A head unit assembly apparatus that positions each of the plurality of droplet discharge heads of a head unit in which a plurality of droplet discharge heads are fixed to a unit plate at a predetermined position of the unit plate,
A head unit assembling apparatus comprising the positioning device according to claim 9 . A head unit assembly method for forming the head unit by positioning each of the plurality of droplet discharge heads of a head unit having a plurality of droplet discharge heads fixed to a unit plate at a predetermined position of the unit plate. ,
A head unit assembling method using the positioning method according to claim 10 .

Images