JP4751997B1 - Polarizing film laminating apparatus and liquid crystal display manufacturing system having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A polarizing film laminating apparatus that does not interfere with a rectifying environment is provided.
A bonding apparatus 60 of the present invention includes a first substrate transport mechanism 61 that transports a rectangular substrate 5 and a nip roll and a reversing mechanism 65 that bonds a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate 5 with the first substrate transport mechanism 61. And a second substrate transport mechanism 62 that transports the substrate 5 and a nip roll that bonds the polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate 5 by the second substrate transport mechanism 62, and the first substrate transport mechanism 61, the second substrate transport mechanism 62, Are arranged in the same direction, and the reversing mechanism 65 has a suction portion 66 that sucks the substrate 5, and a first rotation and a first rotation that rotate the substrate 5 to the first angle with the long side or the short side of the substrate 5 as the lower side. The substrate reversing unit 67 for reversing the substrate 5 by the second rotation for reversing the substrate 5 from one angle and the substrate 5 rotated by the first rotation are parallel to the surface of the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism. Rotate 90 degrees in the direction And a substrate rotating unit 68.
[Selection] Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a polarizing film laminating apparatus and a liquid crystal display manufacturing system including the same.

  Conventionally, liquid crystal display devices have been widely manufactured. In general, a polarizing film is bonded to a substrate (liquid crystal panel) used in a liquid crystal display device in order to control transmission or blocking of light. The polarizing film is bonded so that the absorption axes thereof are orthogonal.

  As a method of bonding the polarizing film to the substrate, a so-called chip to panel method in which the polarizing film is bonded to the substrate after being cut into a size corresponding to the substrate can be mentioned. However, this method has a disadvantage that the production efficiency is low because the polarizing films are bonded to the substrate one by one. On the other hand, as another method, there is a so-called roll to panel method in which a polarizing film is supplied to a conveyor roll and continuously bonded to a substrate. According to this method, bonding can be performed with high production efficiency.

  As an example of the roll to panel method, Patent Document 1 discloses an optical display device manufacturing system. The said manufacturing system rotates a board | substrate after bonding an optical film (polarizing film) on the upper surface of a board | substrate, and bonds a polarizing film from a lower surface.

Japanese Patent No. 4307510 (issued on August 5, 2009)

  However, the conventional apparatus has the following problems.

  First, when a polarizing film is bonded to a substrate, work is usually performed in a clean room in order to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the bonding surface. In the clean room, air is rectified. This is because it is necessary to bond the polarizing film in a state in which rectification is performed on the substrate in a downflow in order to suppress the yield reduction due to the foreign matter.

  In this regard, the manufacturing system of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a polarizing film is bonded to the substrate from the upper surface and the lower surface. However, when bonding is performed from the upper surface of the polarizing film, there is a demerit that airflow (downflow) is hindered by the polarizing film and the rectification environment to the substrate is deteriorated. As an example of pasting from the upper surface of the polarizing film, FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b) show air velocity vectors in the top-paste type manufacturing system. In FIG. 14, a region A is a region where an unwinding unit and the like for unwinding the polarizing film are installed, a region B is a region through which the polarizing film mainly passes, and a region C is a peeling removed from the polarizing film. This is an area in which a take-up unit or the like for winding the film is installed.

  Also, clean air is supplied from a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter 40. In FIG. 14A, since the grating 41 through which clean air can pass is installed, the airflow can move in the vertical direction via the grating 41. On the other hand, in FIG. 14B, since the grating 41 is not installed, the airflow moves along the floor after contacting the floor at the bottom of FIG. 14B.

  In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the areas A to C are arranged in the 2F (second floor) portion, and the clean air from the HEPA filter 40 is blocked by the polarizing film. Therefore, it is difficult to generate an airflow in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate passing through the 2F portion. On the other hand, the airflow vector in the horizontal direction is large (vector density is high). That is, it can be said that the rectification environment has deteriorated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said conventional problem, Comprising: The objective is to provide the manufacturing system of a polarizing film bonding apparatus and a liquid crystal display device provided with the same which do not disturb a rectification environment. is there.

  In order to solve the above problems, the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the present invention transports a rectangular substrate with a long side or a short side along the transport direction, and the first substrate. A first bonding unit that bonds a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the transport mechanism; a reversing mechanism that reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism and places the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism; A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state where the short side or the long side is along the transport direction, and a second bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism; The first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in the same direction, and the reversing mechanism includes an adsorption part that adsorbs the substrate, Place the board on the long side or short side as the bottom side. A substrate reversing unit for reversing the substrate by a first rotation for rotating to an angle and a second rotation for reversing the substrate from the first angle, and a substrate rotated by the first rotation, connected to the substrate reversing unit, And a substrate rotating unit that rotates 90 ° in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism.

  According to said invention, a polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of a board | substrate by a 1st bonding part, (1) Adsorption of the board | substrate by an adsorption | suction part by the board | substrate inversion part in a reversing mechanism, (2) Substrate by a board | substrate inversion part (3) 90 ° rotation of the substrate by the substrate rotation unit, and (4) reversing the substrate by the second rotation of the substrate by the substrate reversing unit, and changing the long side and the short side with respect to the transport direction. Can do. Then, a polarizing film can be bonded to the lower surface of a board | substrate by a 2nd bonding part. That is, since a polarizing film can be bonded from the lower surface to both surfaces of the substrate, the rectifying environment is not hindered. Further, since the operation of the reversing mechanism is a simple four operation, the tact time is short. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time. Further, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in the same direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus according to the present invention is very simple to install and is excellent in area efficiency.

  In the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in a straight line, and at the end of the first substrate transport mechanism on the second substrate transport mechanism side. The substrate mounting portion and the reversing mechanism are provided in two pairs along both directions parallel to the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism at the end portion, and the end portion includes the substrate from the end portion to the substrate. It is preferable that transport means for transporting the substrate to the placement unit is provided, and the reversing mechanism reverses the substrate transported to each of the substrate placement units and places it on the second substrate transport mechanism.

  According to the above configuration, since two reversing mechanisms are provided, the substrate can be processed twice per unit time. Thereby, since many substrates can be reversed per unit time, the tact time is shortened. Furthermore, since the 1st board | substrate conveyance mechanism and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism are arrange | positioned on the straight line, the bonding apparatus of the structure excellent in area efficiency can be provided.

  Moreover, in the bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of this invention, the 1st film conveyance mechanism and 2nd film conveyance mechanism which convey a polarizing film are provided, and the said 1st film conveyance mechanism was protected by the peeling film. A plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, a removing section for removing the release film from the polarizing film, and a plurality of winding sections for winding the removed release film are provided. The second film transport mechanism includes a plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film protected by the peeling film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, and a removing section for removing the peeling film from the polarizing film. And a plurality of winding units for winding the removed release film, wherein the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are the first film transport machine. And the first film transport mechanism and the first substrate transport mechanism are provided at the upper part of the second film transport mechanism, and the first bonding section that bonds the polarizing film from which the release film has been removed to the substrate. It is preferable that the 2nd bonding part which bonds the polarizing film from which the said peeling film was removed to the board | substrate in between is provided between the said 2nd film conveyance mechanism and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism, respectively.

  Thereby, since the unwinding part and the winding part are provided in plural, when the remaining amount of the original film of the polarizing film in one unwinding part decreases, the other unwinding part is provided in the original film. It is possible to connect raw materials. As a result, the operation can be continued without stopping the unwinding of the polarizing film, and the production efficiency can be increased.

  In the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the present invention, the unwinding part can move horizontally with respect to the core direction of the polarizing film, and the first unwinding part and the second unwinding are the unwinding parts. It is preferable that the parts are arranged side by side.

  Thereby, since the unwinding part moves horizontally in the core direction, it is not necessary to secure a space for the unwinding part to move upward. Therefore, the space between the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism provided in the upper part and the unwinding part provided in the first film transport mechanism and the second film transport mechanism in the lower part can be saved. . As a result, a miniaturized bonding apparatus can be provided.

  Moreover, in the bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of this invention, the 1st film connection part and 2nd which connect the polarizing film unwound from the 1st unwinding part, and the polarizing film unwound from the 2nd unwinding part. The film connecting part is interposed between the passage positions of both the polarizing films, and the first film connecting part is disposed to face the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding part, and the second film connecting part is It arrange | positions facing the polarizing film unwound from the 2nd unwinding part, The said 1st film connection part and 2nd film connection part are two adsorption | suction parts provided with the adsorption | suction mechanism which can adsorb | suck a polarizing film, and And a cutting and bonding part that is disposed between the two adsorbing parts and is rotatably arranged along the width direction of the polarizing film. The cutting and bonding part cuts the polarizing film. With a cutting machine, The plurality of surfaces of the cut-and-paste part includes a cutting support surface that supports the polarizing film along the width direction of the polarizing film, and an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs and holds the connecting material that connects the polarizing films to each other. It has at least the above bonding surface, and it is preferable that the first film connecting portion and the second film connecting portion can be close to each other.

  Thereby, a polarizing film can be adsorb | sucked by the said adsorption | suction part and it can cut | disconnect with a cutting machine in the state which supported the adsorbing polarizing film on the cutting support surface. Then, the cutting bonding part can be rotated and the connection material of a bonding surface can be bonded with respect to the cut | disconnected polarizing film. Furthermore, the 1st film connection part and the 2nd film connection part can mutually be brought close, and the two polarizing films with which the connection material was bonded can be contacted and can be connected easily.

  Moreover, in the bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of this invention, it is preferable that the said cutting support surface is formed with the opening which the said cutting machine can pass along the width direction of the said polarizing film.

  Thereby, the cutting machine can be reliably passed along the width direction of the polarizing film, and the polarizing films can be more accurately connected later.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the cutting machine has a round blade shape.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to cut | disconnect a polarizing film more easily.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the cutting and bonding part is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the polarizing film adsorbed by the adsorption part.

  Thereby, when a cutting bonding part rotates, a cutting bonding part is a perpendicular | vertical direction with respect to a polarizing film, and can move to the direction away from a polarizing film, and can rotate after that. Thereby, when a cutting bonding part rotates, it can avoid reliably contacting a polarizing film.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, before the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate by the first bonding portion, the first film transporting mechanism includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate. It is preferable to transport the substrate with the short side of the substrate along the transport direction.

  Accordingly, the substrate can be cleaned by the cleaning unit in a state where the long sides of the substrate are orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. That is, since the distance of the substrate along the transport direction can be reduced, the tact time required for cleaning can be further shortened. As a result, it is possible to provide a polarizing film laminating apparatus that is further excellent in production efficiency.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, the first film transport mechanism and the second film transport mechanism detect a defect display attached to the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding section. It is preferable to have a defect detection unit, a bonding avoidance unit that discriminates the defect display and stops the conveyance of the substrate, and a recovery unit that recovers the polarizing film from which bonding with the substrate is avoided.

  According to the above-mentioned fault detection part, pasting avoidance part, and recovery part, since a pasting with a polarizing film and a substrate which has a fault can be avoided, a yield can be raised.

  The manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention is equipped with the bonding apparatus of the said polarizing film, and the sticking | shift detection apparatus which test | inspects the sticking gap in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the said 2nd bonding part. is there.

  Thereby, it is possible to inspect the sticking deviation which arose on the board | substrate which bonded the polarizing film.

  Further, in the liquid crystal display manufacturing system of the present invention, the presence / absence of sticking misalignment is determined based on the inspection result of the sticking misalignment inspection apparatus, and the substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded is classified based on the determination result. It is preferable to provide a transport device.

  Thereby, when the sticking shift | offset | difference has arisen in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded, it can classify | categorize a defective product quickly and can shorten a tact time.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, the bonding foreign material automatic which test | inspects the foreign material in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the bonding apparatus of a polarizing film and the 2nd bonding part in the said bonding apparatus. It is preferable to provide an inspection device.

  Thereby, it is possible to inspect the foreign matter mixed in the liquid crystal panel to which the polarizing film is bonded.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, the presence or absence of a foreign material is determined based on the inspection result by the said bonded foreign material automatic test | inspection apparatus, and the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded is performed based on the said determination result. It is preferable to provide a sorting and conveying device.

  Thereby, when the foreign material is mixed in the liquid crystal panel which bonded the polarizing film, it can classify | categorize a defective product rapidly and can shorten a tact time.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, it has the bonding foreign material automatic test | inspection apparatus which test | inspects the foreign material in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the said 2nd bonding part, and test | inspected by the said sticking | shift detection apparatus. Based on the result and an inspection result by the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device, a determination is made as to whether or not there is a sticking deviation and a foreign matter, and based on the determination result, there is provided a sorting and conveying device that sorts the substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded. It is preferable.

  As a result, when the liquid crystal panel bonded with the polarizing film is stuck or mixed with foreign matter, defective products can be quickly sorted, and the tact time can be shortened.

  In the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the present invention, as described above, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in the same direction, and the reversing mechanism attracts the substrate. A substrate reversing unit for reversing the substrate by a first rotation for rotating the substrate to the first angle and a second rotation for reversing the substrate from the first angle, with the long side or short side of the substrate as the lower side, and the substrate reversal And a substrate rotating unit that rotates the substrate rotated by the first rotation by 90 ° in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism.

  Therefore, the substrate can be reversed by the reversing mechanism, and the long side and the short side with respect to the transport direction can be changed. Thereby, since a polarizing film can be bonded from the lower surface with respect to both surfaces of a board | substrate, a rectification environment is not prevented. Further, since the operation of the reversing mechanism is a simple four operation, the tact time is short. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time. Further, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in the same direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus according to the present invention is very simple to install and also has an effect of being excellent in area efficiency.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the manufacturing system which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the unwinding part in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the peripheral part of the nip roll in the manufacturing system of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the velocity vector of the airflow in the underlay type manufacturing system similar to this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the bonding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the film connection part and cutting machine which concern on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the cutting bonding part which concerns on this invention. It is process drawing which shows the connection process by the manufacturing system which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the process in which a board | substrate is reversed by the inversion mechanism in this invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a process of reversing the substrate by the reversing mechanism of FIG. 9. It is a top view which shows the modification of the bonding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship of each member with which the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the velocity vector of the airflow in an upper sticking type manufacturing system.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. First, the structure of the manufacturing system (liquid crystal display device manufacturing system) according to the present invention will be described below. The manufacturing system includes a bonding apparatus according to the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing system. As shown in the figure, the manufacturing system 100 has a two-stage structure, a 1F (first floor) portion is a film transport mechanism 50, and a 2F (second floor) portion is a bonding apparatus 60 including a substrate transport mechanism. It has become.

<Film transport mechanism>
First, the film transport mechanism 50 will be described. The film transport mechanism 50 plays the role of unwinding the polarizing film (polarizing plate) and transporting it to the nip rolls 6 · 6a and 16 · 16a and winding up the peeling film that is no longer needed. On the other hand, the bonding device 60 plays a role of bonding the polarizing film unwound by the film transport mechanism 50 to the substrate (liquid crystal panel) 5.

The film transport mechanism 50 includes a first film transport mechanism 51 and a second film transport mechanism 52. The 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 conveys a polarizing film to the nip roll 6 * 6a which bonds a polarizing film to the lower surface of the board | substrate 5 first. The substrate 5 has a rectangular shape. On the other hand, the second film transport mechanism 52 transports the polarizing film to the bottom surface of the inverted substrate 5.
On the other hand, the second film transport mechanism 52 transports the polarizing film to the bottom surface of the inverted substrate 5.

  The first film transport mechanism 51 includes a first unwinding unit 1, a second unwinding unit 1a, a first winding unit 2, a second winding unit 2a, a half cutter 3, a knife edge 4, and a defect film winding roller. 7 · 7a. The first unwinding unit 1 is provided with a polarizing film original, and the polarizing film is unwound. A known polarizing film may be used as the polarizing film. Specifically, a polyvinyl alcohol film is dyed with iodine or the like, and a film stretched in a uniaxial direction can be used. Although it does not specifically limit as thickness of the said polarizing film, A polarizing film 5 micrometers or more and 400 micrometers or less can be used preferably.

  In the original film of the polarizing film, the direction of the absorption axis is located in the flow direction (MD direction). The polarizing film has a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer protected by a release film. As the release film (also referred to as a protective film or a separator), a polyester film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, or the like can be used. Although it does not specifically limit as thickness of the said peeling film, The peeling film of 5 micrometers or more and 100 micrometers or less can be used preferably.

  Since the manufacturing system 100 includes two unwinding portions and two unwinding portions corresponding to the unwinding portions, the first unwinding portion 1 has a low remaining amount of raw material. It is possible to connect the original fabric provided in the two unwinding portions 1 a to the original fabric of the first unwinding portion 1. As a result, it is possible to continue the operation without stopping the unwinding of the polarizing film. With this configuration, production efficiency can be increased. Of course, a plurality of unwinding sections and winding sections may be provided, and three or more winding sections may be provided.

  The 1st unwinding part 1 and the 2nd unwinding part 1a shown in FIG. 1 have a structure which can replace a mutual position with a turret. When the positions are switched, the first unwinding portion 1 and the second unwinding portion 1a move while drawing a circular trajectory, automatically cut the polarizing film of the first unwinding portion 1, and then the second winding. The polarizing film of the protruding portion 1a can be automatically connected. The same applies to the first unwinding part 11 and the second unwinding part 11a. Further, the first winding unit 2, the second winding unit 2a, the first winding unit 12, and the second winding unit 12a are also configured to rotate by a turret. According to the structure of the turret, the unwinding portions or the winding portions can be easily replaced with each other, which is excellent in that the films can be easily connected.

  Moreover, the structure shown in FIG. 2 is mentioned as a modification of a winding part. The 1st unwinding part 1b and the 2nd unwinding part 1c of FIG. 2 have a structure which can move horizontally with respect to the direction of the core 1d of a polarizing film. In other words, the 1st unwinding part 1b and the 2nd unwinding part 1c have a structure which can move along the width direction of a polarizing film. Specifically, as shown in the right part of FIG. 2, the structure is movable in at least one of both directions along the core 1d (the back side direction in the drawing (marked with a cross in the circle) and the front side of the drawing. It can move in at least one of the lateral directions (marked with a circle in the circle)).

  According to this structure, when exchanging the polarizing film roll, a new polarizing film roll is installed on the first unwinding section 1b or the second unwinding section 1c moved in the direction of the core 1d. can do. Therefore, unlike the configuration having a turret, the first unwinding portion 1b and the second unwinding portion 1c do not move upward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bonding device 60 is provided on the upper part of the first unwinding portion 1b and the second unwinding portion 1c. According to this structure, the first unwinding portion 1b and the second unwinding portion are provided. Since the portion 1c is structured to move horizontally in the direction of the core 1d, it is not necessary to secure a space for the unwinding portions to move upward. Therefore, the space between the conveyor roll 15 provided at the upper portion and the unwinding portion can be saved. As a result, it is possible to provide a downsized bonding apparatus, and thus a manufacturing system. The present invention is greatly different from a conventional manufacturing system having a turret in that such downsizing can be achieved. A manufacturing system having a turret is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-208083.

  In addition, when the roll residual amount of the polarizing film with which the 1st unwinding part 1b was equipped decreases, it connects with the polarizing film of the 2nd unwinding part 1c by an operator. In this case, the conveyance speed of the polarizing film is 0 m / min. Then, the operator cuts the polarizing film on the first unwinding portion 1b side. Next, after unwinding a polarizing film from the 2nd unwinding part 1c and cut | disconnecting an edge part, polarizing films are connected using a single-sided adhesive tape, for example.

  Further, with respect to the first winding unit 2, the second winding unit 2a, the first winding unit 12 and the second winding unit 12a in FIG. 1, as in the unwinding unit in FIG. It can be set as the structure which can move horizontally with respect to this direction. By adopting such a configuration also for the winding unit, the space between the conveyor roll 15 and the winding unit can be saved, and a more compact bonding apparatus, and thus a manufacturing system can be provided. is there.

  The half cutter (cutting unit) 3 half-cuts the polarizing film (film laminate composed of the polarizing film, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the peeling film) protected by the peeling film, and cuts the polarizing film and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. As the half cutter 3, a known member may be used. Specifically, a cutter, a laser cutter, etc. can be mentioned. After the polarizing film and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer are cut by the half cutter 3, the release film is removed from the polarizing film by the knife edge (removal part) 4.

  An adhesive layer is applied between the polarizing film and the release film, and after the release film is removed, the adhesive layer remains on the polarizing film side. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include acrylic, epoxy, and polyurethane pressure-sensitive adhesive layers. Although the thickness in particular of an adhesive layer is not restrict | limited, Usually, it is 5-40 micrometers.

  On the other hand, the 2nd film conveyance mechanism 52 is the structure similar to the 1st film conveyance mechanism 51, and is the 1st unwinding part 11, the 2nd unwinding part 11a, the 1st winding part 12, and the 2nd winding part 12a. , Half cutter 13, knife edge 14 and defect film winding rollers 17 and 17 a. About the member which attached | subjected the same member name, the effect | action same as the member in the 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 is shown.

  As a preferred embodiment, the manufacturing system 100 includes a cleaning unit 71. The cleaning unit 71 cleans the substrate 5 before the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5 by the nip rolls 6 and 6a. As the cleaning unit 71, a known cleaning unit composed of a nozzle and a brush for injecting a cleaning liquid may be used. By cleaning the substrate 5 immediately before the bonding by the cleaning unit 71, the bonding can be performed in a state where there are few adhered foreign substances on the substrate 5.

  Next, the knife edge 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a peripheral portion of the nip rolls 6 and 6a in the manufacturing system 100. FIG. FIG. 3 shows a situation in which the substrate 5 is transported from the left direction and the polarizing film 10a having an adhesive layer (not shown, the same hereinafter) is transported from the lower left direction. The polarizing film 10 is provided with a release film 10b, and the polarizing film 10a and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer are cut by the half cutter 3, and the release film 10b is not cut (half cut).

  The knife edge 4 is installed on the release film 10b side. The knife edge 4 is an edge-shaped member for peeling the peeling film 10 b, and the polarizing film 10 a and the peeling film 10 b having a low adhesive force are peeled off along the knife edge 4.

  Thereafter, the release film 10b is wound around the first winding portion 2 in FIG. In addition, it can replace with a knife edge and can also use the structure which winds up a peeling film using an adhesion roller. In that case, the winding efficiency of a peeling film can be improved by providing an adhesive roller in two places similarly to a winding part.

  Next, the bonding apparatus 60 will be described. The bonding apparatus 60 conveys the board | substrate 5, and bonds the polarizing film conveyed by the film conveyance mechanism 50 to a board | substrate. Although not shown, clean air is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate 5 in the bonding apparatus 60. That is, downflow rectification is performed. Thereby, it is possible to perform conveyance and bonding of the substrate 5 in a stable state.

<Bonding device>
The bonding device 60 is provided on the upper part of the film transport mechanism 50. Thereby, space saving of the manufacturing system 100 can be achieved. Although not shown, a substrate transport mechanism including a conveyor roll is installed in the bonding device 60, whereby the substrate 5 is transported in the transport direction (the first substrate transport device 61 and the second substrate described later in FIG. 10). The substrate transfer device 62 corresponds to a substrate transfer mechanism).

  In the manufacturing system 100, the substrate 5 is transported from the left side, and then transported from the right side in the drawing, that is, from the top of the first film transport mechanism 51 to the top of the second film transport mechanism 52. Between the film conveyance mechanism 50 and the bonding apparatus 60, the nip rolls 6 * 6a (1st bonding part) and the nip rolls 16 * 16a (2nd bonding part) which are bonding parts are each provided. The nip rolls 6, 6 a and 16, 16 a are members that play a role of bonding the polarizing film 10 a from which the release film 10 b has been removed to the lower surface of the substrate 5. In addition, since the polarizing film 10a is bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5 from the lower surface, the substrate 5 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 65 after the polarizing film 10a is bonded to one surface by the nip rolls 6 and 6a. The reversing mechanism 65 will be described later.

  The polarizing film 10a conveyed to the nip rolls 6 and 6a is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5 through an adhesive layer. As the nip rolls 6 and 6a, known configurations such as a pressure roll and a pressure roll can be employed. Moreover, what is necessary is just to adjust the pressure and temperature at the time of bonding in the nip rolls 6 and 6a suitably. The configuration of the nip rolls 16 and 16a is the same. Although not shown, in the manufacturing system 100, as a preferable configuration, a defect display (mark) detection unit is provided between the first unwinding unit 1 and the half cutter, and a polarizing film having a defect is detected. It has a configuration.

  In addition, the said defect display is provided at the time of the 1st unwinding part 11 or the 2nd unwinding part 11a rather than a defect display detection part by performing the detection at the time of original film production of a polarizing film, and providing a defect display It attaches | subjects to a polarizing film by a fault display provision part. The defect display imparting unit includes a camera, an image processing device, and a defect display forming unit. First, a polarizing film is imaged by the camera, and the presence or absence of a defect can be inspected by processing the imaging information. Specific examples of the drawback include foreign matters such as dust and fish eyes. When a defect is detected, a defect display is formed on the polarizing film by the defect display forming unit. A mark such as ink is used as the defect display.

  Further, a bonding avoiding unit (not shown) discriminates the mark with a camera and transmits a stop signal to the bonding apparatus 60 to stop the conveyance of the substrate 5. Thereafter, the polarizing film in which the defect is detected is not bonded by the nip rolls 6 and 6a and is wound by the defect film winding roller (collecting unit) 7 and 7a. Thereby, pasting with substrate 5 and a polarizing film which has a fault can be avoided. If such a series of structures is provided, it is possible to avoid the bonding between the polarizing film having a defect and the substrate 5, so that the yield can be increased, which is preferable. A publicly known inspection sensor can be used suitably as a fault detection part and a pasting avoidance part.

  As shown in FIG. 1, after the substrate 5 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 65, the substrate 5 is conveyed to the nip rolls 16 and 16a. Then, a polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5. As a result, the polarizing film is bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5, and the two polarizing films are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5 with different absorption axes. Thereafter, if necessary, the both sides of the substrate 5 are inspected for misalignment. The inspection can be usually performed by an inspection unit equipped with a camera.

  Thus, in the manufacturing system 100, when the polarizing film is bonded to the substrate 5, the bonding is performed from the lower surface of the substrate 5, and the rectifying environment to the substrate 5 is not hindered. For this reason, foreign matter mixing into the bonding surface of the substrate 5 can be prevented, and more accurate bonding can be performed.

  FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show air velocity vectors in the under-molding manufacturing system similar to the present invention. 4A and 4B, the area A is an area where the unwinding part is installed, the area B is an area where the polarizing film mainly passes, and the area C is an area where the winding part is installed. It is. Further, clean air is supplied from the HEPA filter 40. In FIG. 4A, since the grating 41 through which clean air can pass is installed, the airflow can move in the vertical direction via the grating 41. On the other hand, in FIG.4 (b), since the grating 41 is not installed, after an airflow contacts a floor, it will move along a floor.

  Since the manufacturing system shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) is a bottom-attached type, the air current from the HEPA filter 40 is not hindered by the polarizing film as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). For this reason, the direction of the airflow vector is almost directed toward the substrate, and it can be said that a preferable rectification environment is realized in the clean room. In FIG. 4A, the grating 41 is installed and not installed in FIG. 4B, but the same preferable state is shown in both figures. In FIGS. 4 and 14, the substrate transport mechanism is formed horizontally, but is not installed as a series of structures. For this reason, the airflow can pass between the substrate transport mechanisms. After the substrate is held by a reversing mechanism to be described later, the substrate is transferred between the substrate transport mechanisms.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system 100, the board | substrate 5 is first conveyed by a long side opening (a long side is orthogonal to a conveyance direction), and is conveyed by a short side opening (a short side is orthogonal to a conveyance direction) after that. It has become.

[Structure of film connecting part]
Furthermore, the further modification of the bonding apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the bonding apparatus 60 according to the present invention. The 1st unwinding part 1b and the 2nd unwinding part 1c in the 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 which concern on FIG. 5 are the structures which can move along a horizontal with respect to the direction of the core 1d of a polarizing film similarly to FIG. It has become.

  The 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 is provided with the film connection part (1st film connection part) 83 and the film connection part (2nd film connection part) 93, and can connect the polarizing films 10 and 20 by these. .

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the film connecting portion 83 and the cutting machine 87. As shown in FIG. 6, the film connecting portion 83 includes suction portions 84 and 84 a and a cutting and bonding portion 85.

  The adsorption portions 84 and 84a are members for adsorbing and fixing the polarizing film. The suction portions 84 and 84a have a flat plate shape and include a plurality of suction mechanisms 89 on the surface thereof. The adsorption mechanism 89 is not particularly limited as long as the polarizing film can be adsorbed, and a configuration in which the polarizing film is adsorbed by sucking air with a pump can be adopted.

  The cutting bonding part 85 is rotatable and has a plurality of surfaces. Specifically, the cut bonding part 85 has a polygonal shape. Moreover, it arrange | positions so that rotation is possible. Furthermore, as a preferable form, it is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the polarizing film 10. By being movable in the vertical direction with respect to the polarizing film 10, when the cutting and bonding unit 85 rotates, the cutting and bonding unit 85 is in a direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 10 and away from the polarizing film 10. Can then be moved and then rotated. Thereafter, the cutting and bonding part 85 is in a direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 10 and can be moved in a direction close to the polarizing film 10 to return to the original position. Thereby, it is possible to avoid reliably that the corner | angular part (part containing the narrow surface adjacent between the bonding surface 85b and the bonding surface 85c) of the cutting bonding part 85 contacts the polarizing film 10. FIG. Yes, very preferable.

  In addition, although the cutting | lamination bonding part 85 is a polygonal shape and is also provided with the cutting | disconnection support surface 85a and the bonding surfaces 85b * 85c in 3 surfaces as shown also in FIG. A mating surface may be further provided. For example, a configuration in which the cutting support surface is provided on one surface, the bonding surface is provided on three or four surfaces, and a configuration in which the cutting support surface is provided on two surfaces and a bonding surface is provided on three or four surfaces are given. Can do. In addition, like the cut bonding part 85 of FIG. 6, between the bonding surfaces and between the cutting support surface and the bonding surface are chamfered, and the corner part is formed, the cutting bonding part 85 and the polarizing film. It is preferable from the viewpoint of avoiding contact with. The size of the cut and bonded portion 85 may be appropriately determined depending on the width of the polarizing film 10 and is not particularly limited. For example, the length is 200 mm or more and 2000 mm or less, and the width is 10 mm or more and 300 mm or less. can do.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cutting and bonding part 85. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the cutting and bonding portion 85 of FIG. 6 is rotated by 1/3 turn clockwise. As shown in FIG. 7, the cutting and bonding unit 85 includes a cutting support surface 85 a that supports the polarizing film 10 along the width direction of the polarizing film 10. Moreover, it has the bonding surfaces 85b and 85c provided with the adsorption | suction mechanism 89 which adsorb | sucks the connection material which connects the polarizing films 10 and 20 so that the cutting line of the cut | disconnected polarizing film 10 may be covered. Two or more bonding surfaces may be provided.

  A groove-like opening 86 is formed in the cutting support surface 85a, and the blade portion of the cutting machine 87 provided in the cutting bonding portion 85 shown in FIG. By forming the opening 86, the cutting machine 87 can be reliably passed along the width direction of the polarizing film 10, and the polarizing films 10 and 20 can be more accurately connected.

  As the cutting machine 87, a known cutter can be adopted, and the polarizing film 10 can be easily cut. Further, the cutting machine 87 is supported by a base portion 88 that can be driven in the width direction of the polarizing film 10.

  The bonding surfaces 85b and 85c have the same configuration as each other, and include a plurality of suction mechanisms 89 as in the suction portions 84 and 84a. Moreover, the single-sided adhesive tape (connection material) 85d is arrange | positioned at the bonding surfaces 85b and 85c, the non-adhesive surface of the single-sided adhesive tape 85d is hold | maintained by the adsorption mechanism 89, and the adhesive surface of the single-sided adhesive tape 85d is bonded. It arrange | positions so that it may become a surface opposite surface 85b * 85c.

  The said single-sided adhesive tape 85d should just be able to bond polarizing films, and can use a well-known single-sided adhesive tape. Examples of the film material of the single-sided adhesive tape 85d include polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film), cellulose, Japanese paper, aluminum, nonwoven fabric, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, polyurethane, ABS resin, polyester, Examples thereof include polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal resin, polylactic acid, polyimide, and polyamide. The pressure-sensitive adhesive used in the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer includes acrylic, epoxy, polyurethane, synthetic rubber, EVA, silicone, vinyl chloride, chloroprene rubber, cyanoacrylate, isocyanate, and polyvinyl alcohol. And pressure sensitive adhesives such as melamine resin.

  The film connecting portion 83 is disposed so as to face the polarizing film 10. For this reason, in FIG. 5, since the polarizing film 10 is arrange | positioned perpendicularly, the film connection part 83 is also arrange | positioned perpendicularly. On the other hand, when the polarizing film 10 is disposed, for example, in an oblique direction (or horizontal direction), the film connecting portion 83 is also in an oblique direction (or horizontal direction) so that the film connecting portion 83 and the polarizing film 10 face each other. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure arrange | positioned.

  The film connecting portion 93 has the same structure as the film connecting portion 83. As shown in FIG. 5, the film connecting portions 83 and 93 are arranged so that the suction mechanisms of the suction portions provided in the film connecting portions 83 and 93 face each other. Moreover, the film connection parts 83 and 93 are arranged with the passage positions of the polarizing film 10 and the polarizing film 20 interposed therebetween. In addition, the manufacturing system 100 provided with the film connection part 83 * 93 is a preferable form in this Embodiment, and it is also possible to set it as the form which is not provided with the film connection part 83 * 93.

[Operation of film connecting part]
Hereinafter, the operation of the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the description related to the operation also serves as a description of a method of manufacturing the optical display device.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the polarizing film 10 is unwound from the 1st unwinding part 1 (unwinding process). Then, as shown in FIG. 3, only the polarizing film 10a is half-cut with a half cutter (not shown), and the release film 10b is peeled off with the knife edge 4 (peeling step). Further, the polarizing film 10a from which the release film 10b has been peeled and the substrate 5 are bonded together by pressure bonding with the nip rolls 6 and 6a (bonding step). The peeled release film 10b is wound up and collected by a winder (not shown). Through the series of steps, the substrate 5 and the polarizing film 10a are bonded to obtain an optical display device.

  As the polarizing film 10 is unwound in the series of steps described above, the remaining amount of the roll of the polarizing film 10 held by the first unwinding unit 1 decreases. Below, the connection process which connects polarizing films is demonstrated.

  In the connecting step, the polarizing film 10 of the first unwinding part 1 (11, 1b) and the polarizing film 20 of the second unwinding part 1a (11a, 1c) are cut. And among the polarizing film 10 of the 1st unwinding part 1 (11, 1b) and the polarizing film 20 of the 2nd unwinding part 1a (11a, 1c), the line side of the 1st unwinding part 1 (11, 1b) The polarizing film 10 or the second unwinding part 1a (11a, 1c) of the line side polarizing film 20 and the unwinding part of the second unwinding part 1a (11a, 1c) of the polarizing film 20 or first unwinding The polarizing film 10 on the unwinding part side of the part 1 (11, 1b) is connected. In other words, the “line side” indicates a direction in which the polarizing film is unwound. Examples of the connecting step include (1) a technique by an operator and (2) a technique using the film connecting portions 83 and 93.

  First, the method (1) by the operator will be specifically described. When the polarizing films are connected by an operator, the conveyance speed of the polarizing film 10 is set to 0 m / min. After the above (after stopping the polarizing film 10), the operator cuts the polarizing film 10. Next, after unwinding the polarizing film 20 from the 1st unwinding part 11 and cut | disconnecting an edge part, the method connected using the single-sided adhesive tape 85d mentioned above is mentioned, for example.

  Thus, in the manufacturing system according to the present invention, the two unwinding portions of the first unwinding portions 1 and 11 are provided, so that the polarizing film 10. 20, the film can be immediately connected, and the polarizing film 20 can be unwound quickly. Therefore, unlike the conventional manufacturing system in which the unwinding unit is installed only at one place, the original roll roll can be replaced at the unwinding unit that is vacant during operation. Can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to shorten the manufacturing time of the optical display device. In the manufacturing system, after the connection of the polarizing films 10 and 20 is finished, the roll of the polarizing film 10 of the first unwinding unit 1 is replaced with a new roll while the polarizing film 20 is unwound. When the remaining amount of the polarizing film 20 decreases, it is of course possible to connect the polarizing film 20 and the polarizing film 10 in the same manner.

  Next, the case where the film connecting portions 83 and 93 are used will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a process diagram illustrating a connection process by a manufacturing system including a film connection part. When the remaining amount of the polarizing film 10 decreases, as shown in FIG. 8A of the polarizing film 10, the conveyance speed of the polarizing film 10 is set to 0 m / min. Then, the suction portions 84 and 84a and the cutting and bonding portion 85 (film connecting portion 83) are moved in the vertical direction with respect to the polarizing film 10. Next, the polarizing film 10 is sucked and fixed by the suction mechanism 89 of the suction portions 84 and 84a (suction process).

  At this time, the cutting support surface 85 a is in contact with the polarizing film 10 at the cutting bonding unit 85. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the polarizing film 10 is cut by moving a cutting machine (not shown) along the opening 86 (cutting step). After cutting, the cutting and bonding part 85 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 10 and away from the polarizing film 10 (right side in the figure), rotated counterclockwise by 1/3 turn, and the polarizing film 10 In the direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 10 (the left side in the figure). Thereby, as shown in FIG.8 (c), the single-sided adhesive tape 85d of the bonding surface 85b is bonded together so that the cutting line of the polarizing film 10 which opposes the single-sided adhesive tape 85d (not shown) may be covered. Joint process). The said cutting line shows the edge | side which opposes the bonding surface 85b among the cut surfaces produced in the polarizing film 10 by the cutting process. In the bonding step, the single-sided adhesive tape 85d is disposed so as to cover the cutting line, that is, the polarizing film 10 is also disposed on a portion where the polarizing film 10 does not exist beyond the cutting line.

  Further, the single-sided adhesive tape 95d is adhered to the cut support surface 95a of the polarizing film 20 in the same manner as in FIGS. The same members as those described above are given the same names, and the description thereof is omitted.

  First, after the polarizing film 20 is unwound from the first unwinding portion 11 and the end portion of the polarizing film 20 is cut as in FIG. 8A, a cutting machine (not shown) is formed on the cutting support surface 95a. The polarizing film 20 is cut by moving along the opening 96. After cutting, the cut and bonded portion 95 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 20 and away from the polarizing film 20 (left side in the figure), and rotated clockwise by 1/3 turn to the polarizing film 20 On the other hand, it is moved in a direction perpendicular to the polarizing film 20 (right side in the figure). Thereby, as shown in FIG.8 (e), the single-sided adhesive tape 95d can be affixed so that the cutting line of the polarizing film 20 facing the single-sided adhesive tape 95d of the bonding surface 95b may be covered.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (f), the adsorbing portions 84 and 84a and the cutting and bonding portion 85 (film connecting device 3) are brought close to the adsorbing portions 94 and 94a and the cutting and bonding portion 95 (film connecting portion 93). The cut surfaces of the polarizing film 10 and the polarizing film 20 are matched with each other (proximity step). Thereby, among the single-sided adhesive tapes 85d and 95d that cover the cutting line of the polarizing film 10/20, the part beyond the cutting line (the part not bonded to the polarizing film 10/20) is the other polarizing film 20/20. The polarizing films 10 and 20 are connected to each other. In FIG. 8 (f), the film connecting part 83 is brought close to the film connecting part 93, but the film connecting part 93 may be made close to the film connecting part 83, and the film connecting parts 83 and 93 are made close to each other. May be.

  After connecting the polarizing films 10 and 20, as a preparatory step, as shown in FIG. 8 (g), the cutting and bonding parts 85 and 95 are perpendicular to the polarizing films 10 and 20, respectively, and are moved away. The cutting and bonding part 85 is rotated clockwise by 1/3 turn, and the cutting and bonding part 95 is rotated counterclockwise by 1/3 turn. Then, the cutting and bonding parts 85 and 95 are moved in the direction perpendicular to the polarizing films 10 and 20 and in the adjacent directions.

  Finally, the adsorbing portions 84 and 84a and the cutting and bonding portion 85 (film connecting portion 83) are returned to the position shown in FIG. 8A, and a series of steps is completed. In addition, since the single-sided adhesive tapes 85d and 95d are preliminarily adsorbed on the bonding surfaces 85c and 95c, after a new roll of the polarizing film 10 is installed on the second unwinding portion 1c. 8 (a) to (c) are performed on the polarizing film 20, and the steps of FIGS. 8 (d) to (e) are performed on the polarizing film 10. As described above, FIGS. The polarizing films 20 and 10 can be connected through the step h). Of course, it is also possible to continuously connect the polarizing films by supplementing the used single-sided adhesive tapes 85d and 95d.

  As described above, in the case of the connecting step using the film connecting portions 83 and 93, the polarizing film is adsorbed, cut, and bonded in a shorter time and more accurately than the connecting step by the operator. Is preferable.

  Specifically, in the manufacturing system, in the case of the connecting step by the operator, about 10 minutes were required, but when the film connecting portions 83 and 93 were used, the time could be reduced to 1 minute or less.

  In the manufacturing system, when only the first unwinding portion 1 is used, the first unwinding portion 11 is not used, and further, the film connecting portions 83 and 93 are not used, the operator can move to the first unwinding portion 1. Since it is necessary to replace the polarizing film 10 after replacing a new polarizing film, the connecting step requires about 30 minutes. For this reason, it is clear that the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment is useful.

<Reversing mechanism>
The reversing mechanism 65 changes the arrangement of the substrate 5 whose short side or long side is along the transport direction to a state where the long side or short side is along the transport direction and reversed. FIGS. 9A to 9D are perspective views showing a process of reversing the substrate 5 by the reversing mechanism. 9A shows a state in which the substrate 5 transported by the first substrate transport mechanism is adsorbed, FIGS. 9B and 9C show a process of moving the substrate 5, and FIG. A state in which the substrate 5 is reversed by the second substrate reversing mechanism is shown. For convenience of illustration, the substrate transport mechanism is omitted in FIG. 9, but will be described later with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the reversing mechanism 65 includes a suction unit 66, a substrate reversing unit 67, and a substrate rotating unit 68. The adsorption unit 66 is a member that adsorbs to the surface of the substrate 5. As a result, the surface of the substrate 5 is held by the suction portion 66. As the adsorption unit 66, a known adsorption unit can be used, and for example, an air suction type adsorption unit can be used.

  The substrate reversing unit 67 includes a suction unit 66 and reverses the substrate 5 with the long side or the short side of the substrate 5 as the lower side. In FIG. 9, the substrate reversing unit 67 has a rotating shaft structure, and the suction unit 66 is rotated by rotating the substrate reversing unit 67. However, the substrate reversing unit 67 is not limited to this structure, and may be a structure in which the suction unit 66 is rotated by the driving unit.

  The substrate reversing unit 67 reverses the substrate 5 in the first rotation and the second rotation. The inversion of the substrate 5 is divided into a first rotation and a second rotation. Inversion means that the substrate 5 is rotated to the opposite surface, in other words, that the surface of the substrate 5 is arranged to be the back surface.

  FIG. 9A shows a case where the short side of the substrate 5 is along the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 9B, in the first rotation, the substrate 5 rotates with the long side of the substrate 5 as the lower side. (FIG. 9 (a) → FIG. 9 (b)). In the first rotation, the substrate 5 is rotated to the first angle. The first angle is X ° less than 180 °. From the viewpoint of simplifying the balance when the substrate 5 rotated by the first rotation is rotated by the substrate rotating unit 68 and the design of the reversing mechanism 65, X ° is 80 ° or more and 110 ° or less. Is preferably 85 ° or more and 95 ° or less, and most preferably 90 °.

  The substrate rotating unit 68 is provided in the substrate reversing unit 67, and the substrate 5 rotated by the first rotation is transferred to the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism (not shown), that is, the surface of the substrate 5 shown in FIG. Is rotated by 90 ° in a direction parallel to the axis. The rotation direction of 90 ° is made such that the long side or the short side located on the transport direction side is the inner side out of the two long sides or short sides orthogonal to the transport direction.

  The substrate reversing portion 67 shown in FIG. 9C has a structure in which the base portion rotates. However, the substrate rotating unit 68 is not limited to the illustrated structure as long as it can rotate the substrate 5 by 90 ° in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism. When a robot arm having a control unit is used as the substrate reversing unit 67 and / or the substrate rotating unit 68, it is preferable because precise operation of the substrate 5 is possible. A known robot arm can be used as the robot arm, and the structure is not particularly limited as long as the substrate reversing unit 67 and / or the substrate rotating unit 68 can be operated.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 9D, the substrate 5 rotated by the first rotation by the substrate reversing unit 67 is further rotated and inverted with the long side or the short side of the substrate 5 as the lower side. . As a result, the substrate 5 is inverted and the short side is in a state along the transport direction.

  In FIG. 9D, the long side of the substrate 5 is the lower side. Which of the long side and the short side of the substrate 5 is set as the lower side in the first rotation and the second rotation is determined so that the long side is the lower side and the long side is in the transport direction if the short side is in the transport direction. The short side is the lower side if it is in a line. The substrate 5 can be reversed in any state.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the rotation process of the substrate 5 in FIG. FIG. 10 illustrates the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 in addition to the reversing mechanism 65. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are provided with conveyor rolls. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are arranged in the same direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus 60 according to the present invention is very simple to install and is excellent in area efficiency.

  As described in FIG. 9, first, the surface of the substrate 5 is held by the suction portion 66, and the substrate reversing portion 67 is rotated 90 ° as the first rotation in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 10 (a) → FIG. 10 ( b)).

  Thereafter, the substrate 5 rotated by the first rotation is rotated by 90 ° in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism 61, that is, the substrate 5 of FIG. b) rotation in the direction of the arrow, FIG. 10 (b) → FIG. 10 (c)).

  Finally, the substrate 5 is reversed by the second rotation of the substrate reversing section 67 ((FIG. 10 (c) → FIG. 10 (d)). The suction section 66 and the conveyor roll (not shown) of the second substrate transport mechanism 62 After the suction of the suction part 66 is released, the substrate 5 is released from being held, and then the substrate 5 is transported by the second substrate transport mechanism 62. Then, the reversing mechanism 65 is provided. Returns to the position shown in FIG. 10A, and the other substrates 5 that are sequentially conveyed are reversed by the same operation.

  As described above, according to the reversing mechanism 65, four simple operations of suction by the suction unit 66, first rotation, 90 ° rotation from the first substrate transport mechanism 61 to the second substrate transport mechanism 62, and second rotation. By reversing the substrate 5, the long side and the short side with respect to the transport direction can be changed. After performing the said operation | movement, a polarizing film can be bonded with respect to both surfaces of the board | substrate 5 from a lower surface. Moreover, since the above operations are simple four operations, the tact time is short. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time without disturbing the rectification environment.

  The substrate 5 is temporarily stopped between the first rotation and the second rotation described above. However, when the substrate is temporarily stopped during the first rotation and the second rotation, that is, when the rotation is performed stepwise, respectively. It is included in the first rotation and the second rotation. In other words, the rotation of the substrate reversing unit 67 by the substrate reversing unit 67 before and after the rotation of the substrate 5 by the substrate rotating unit 68 can be referred to as a first rotation and a second rotation, respectively.

  In FIG. 10, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are not arranged in a straight line but are adjacent to each other. This is because the substrate 5 is rotated by 90 ° by the substrate rotating unit 68 as shown in FIG. 10C, so that the final transfer direction of the substrate 5 is the same as that of the first substrate transfer mechanism 61 and the first as shown in FIG. This is because there is a deviation from the two-substrate transport mechanism 62.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a modification of the bonding apparatus 60 using two reversing mechanisms 65. Changes in the modification include (1) two reversing mechanisms 65, (2) the first substrate transport mechanism 61 includes the substrate platform 61a, and (3) the first substrate transport mechanism. 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are arranged in a straight line. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are the same in that they are arranged in the same direction.

  The substrate platform 61a and the reversing mechanism 65 are arranged at both ends of the first substrate transport mechanism 61 on the second substrate transport mechanism 62 side, which are horizontal with respect to the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism 61 at the end. Are provided along. The reversing mechanism 65 has the structure described with reference to FIGS. Moreover, the said edge part is equipped with the conveyance means to convey the board | substrate 5 to the board | substrate mounting part 61a, and can specifically mention a conveyor roll, for example.

  The substrate platform 61a is a place where the substrate 5 is transferred to the end point before the first rotation. According to this structure, the substrates 5 transported to the first substrate transport mechanism 61 are transported alternately to the two substrate platforms 61a. Since the substrate platform 61a and the reversing mechanism 65 are provided in two pairs, the substrate 5 transported to the substrate platform 61a is rotated by the reversing mechanism 65 for the first rotation, 90 ° rotation, and second rotation. Inverted.

  In the modified example, the two substrate platforms 61 a are provided along both horizontal directions of the first substrate transport mechanism 61, so the inverted substrate 5 is along the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism 61. Will be placed. Therefore, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 can be arranged on a straight line.

  According to the modification, (1) since two reversing mechanisms 65 are provided, the substrate 5 can be processed twice per unit time. Thereby, since many substrates 5 can be reversed per unit time, the tact time is shortened. (2) Furthermore, since the 1st board | substrate conveyance mechanism 61 and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism 62 are arrange | positioned on the straight line, the bonding apparatus of the structure excellent in area efficiency can be provided. Especially in a clean room, since the area efficiency is required, the bonding apparatus is very preferable.

<Other incidental configurations>
Furthermore, as a preferable form, the manufacturing system 100 includes a control unit 70, a cleaning unit 71, a sticking misalignment inspection device 72, a bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73, and a sorting and conveying device 74. The sticking deviation inspection device 72, the bonding foreign substance automatic inspection device 73, and the sorting and conveying device 74 perform processing such as inspection on the substrate 5 after bonding, that is, the liquid crystal display device.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the relationship of each member provided in the liquid crystal display device manufacturing system, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the liquid crystal display device manufacturing system. Hereinafter, the operation of the liquid crystal display device will be described together with the description of each member.

  The control unit 70 is connected to the cleaning unit 71, the bonding deviation inspection device 72, the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73, and the sorting and conveying device 74, and controls them by transmitting control signals thereto. The control unit 70 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and includes a memory or the like as necessary.

  In the case where the cleaning unit 71 is provided in the manufacturing system 100, the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism 61 is transported to the cleaning unit 71 at the front edge of the long side in order to reduce the tact time in the cleaning unit 71. Is preferred. Usually, since the cleaning in the cleaning unit 71 takes a long time, this configuration is very effective from the viewpoint of shortening the tact time.

  Next, although the bonding process which bonds a polarizing film to both surfaces of the board | substrate 5 is performed (S2 of FIG. 13), this process is as having demonstrated using FIGS.

  The sticking deviation inspection device 72 inspects the presence or absence of sticking deviation of the polarizing film in the bonded substrate 5. The sticking displacement inspection device 72 is constituted by a camera and an image processing device, and the camera is installed at the bonding position of the substrate 5 on which the polarizing film is bonded by the nip rolls 16 and 16a. The substrate 5 is photographed by the camera, and the photographed image information is processed, whereby it is possible to inspect whether or not there is a sticking deviation on the substrate 5 (sticking deviation inspection step, S3 in FIG. 13). Note that as the misalignment inspection apparatus 72, a conventionally known misalignment inspection apparatus can be used.

  The bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 inspects the presence or absence of foreign matters in the bonded substrate 5. The bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 is configured by a camera and an image processing device, like the misalignment inspection device 72, and transports the second substrate of the substrate 5 after the polarizing film is bonded by the nip rolls 16 and 16a. The camera is installed in the mechanism (bonding device 60). The board | substrate 5 is image | photographed with the said camera, and the presence or absence of the bonding foreign material to the board | substrate 5 can be test | inspected by processing the image | photographed image information (bonding foreign material inspection process, S4). Examples of the foreign matter include foreign matters such as dust, fish eyes, and the like. In addition, as the bonding foreign material automatic inspection apparatus 73, a conventionally well-known bonding foreign material inspection apparatus can be used.

  S3 and S4 may be performed in the reverse order or simultaneously. One step can be omitted.

  The sorting and conveying device 74 determines the presence or absence of sticking misalignment and foreign matter based on the inspection results from the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 and the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73. The sorting and conveying device 74 only needs to receive an output signal based on the inspection result from the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 and the bonding foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 and can sort the bonded substrates 5 into non-defective products or defective products. . Therefore, a conventionally known sorting and conveying system can be used.

  In the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device, as a preferred mode, both the misalignment and foreign matter are detected. When it is determined that the misalignment or foreign matter has been inspected (YES), the bonded substrate 5 is not used. Sorted as good (S7). On the other hand, when it is determined that neither sticking deviation nor foreign matter is detected (NO), the bonded substrates 5 are classified as non-defective products (S6).

  According to the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device provided with the sorting and conveying device 74, the non-defective product and the defective product can be sorted quickly, and the tact time can be shortened. When only the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 or the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 is provided, the sorting and conveying device 74 may be configured to determine the presence / absence of only one of the sticking misalignment and the foreign matter.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to the present invention can be used in the field of bonding a polarizing film to a substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 * 1b 1st unwinding part 1a * 1c 2nd unwinding part 1d Winding core 2 1st winding part 2a 2nd winding part 3 Half cutter 4 Knife edge 5 Substrate 6 * 6a Nip roll (1st bonding part)
7.7a Defect film winding roller 10.20 Polarizing film 10a Polarizing film 10b Release film 11 First unwinding part 11a Second unwinding part 12 First winding part 12a Second winding part 13 Half cutter 14 Knife edge 15 Conveyor roll 16.16a Nip roll (second bonding part)
17.17a Defect film winding roller 40 HEPA filter 41 Grating 50 Film transport mechanism 51 First film transport mechanism 52 Second film transport mechanism 60 Bonding device (polarizing film bonding device)
61 First substrate transport mechanism 61a Substrate placement unit 62 Second substrate transport mechanism 65 Reversing mechanism 66 Suction unit 67 Substrate reversing unit 68 Substrate rotating unit 70 Control unit 71 Cleaning unit 72 Inspection device 73 Bonding foreign matter automatic inspection device 74 Transport device 83/93 Film connecting part 84 / 84a / 94 / 94a Adsorbing part 85/95 Cutting and bonding part 85a / 95a Cutting support surface 85b / 85c / 95b / 95c Bonding surface 85d / 95d Single-sided adhesive tape 86/96 Opening 87 Cutting Machine 88 Stand 89 Adsorption mechanism 100 Manufacturing system (Liquid crystal display manufacturing system)

Claims (15)

A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a rectangular substrate with a long side or a short side along the transport direction;
A first bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A reversing mechanism for inverting the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism and placing it on the second substrate transporting mechanism;
A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state where the short side or the long side is along the transport direction;
A laminating apparatus of a polarizing film and a second bonding portion to be bonded to a polarizing film on the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism,
The first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in the same direction,
The reversing mechanism includes a suction portion that sucks the substrate;
As the bottom side of the short side or long side of the substrate, the substrate by a second rotation reversing the substrate from the first rotation and the first angle rotates the substrate attracted to the first angle to the second substrate transfer mechanism by the suction unit A substrate reversing part to be reversed,
The substrate connected to the substrate reversing unit and rotated by the first rotation is rotated by 90 ° about an axis perpendicular to the surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism , and is the lower side of the substrate e Bei a substrate rotating unit for changing the arrangement of the substrate in a state along the transport direction of the substrate to the short side or the long side of the second substrate transfer mechanism,
The substrate rotating unit includes the adsorption unit,
The adsorption unit adsorbs the substrate conveyed by the first substrate conveyance mechanism,
After rotating the substrate to the first angle by the first rotation of the substrate reversing unit,
The substrate rotating unit changes the arrangement of the substrate so that the short side or the long side, which is the lower side of the substrate, is along the substrate transport direction in the second substrate transport mechanism,
A polarizing film laminating apparatus, wherein the substrate is reversed to a second substrate transport mechanism from a first angle by a second rotation of the substrate reversing unit . The first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged on a straight line,
At the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism on the second substrate transport mechanism side, two pairs of substrate mounting portions and reversing mechanisms are provided along both directions parallel to the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism at the end portion. One by one,
The end portion is provided with a transport means for transporting the substrate from the end portion to the substrate mounting portion.
The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reversing mechanism reverses the substrate transported to each of the substrate mounting portions and places the substrate on the second substrate transporting mechanism. A first film transport mechanism and a second film transport mechanism for transporting the polarizing film;
The first film transport mechanism includes a plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film protected by the release film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, and a removing section for removing the peeling film from the polarizing film. And a plurality of winding sections for winding the release film,
The second film transport mechanism includes a plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film protected by the release film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, and a removing section for removing the peeling film from the polarizing film. And a plurality of winding sections for winding the release film,
The first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are provided above the first film transport mechanism and the second film transport mechanism,
The first bonding portion for bonding the polarizing film from which the release film has been removed to the substrate is between the first film transport mechanism and the first substrate transport mechanism, and the polarizing film from which the release film has been removed is the substrate. The bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of Claim 1 or 2 with which the 2nd bonding part bonded together is provided between the said 2nd film conveyance mechanism and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism, respectively. . The unwinding part is movable horizontally with respect to the core direction of the polarizing film,
The first unwinding portion and the second unwinding portion, which are the unwinding portions, are arranged side by side. The first film connecting part and the second film connecting part for connecting the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding part and the polarizing film unwound from the second unwinding part pass through the both polarizing films. And the first film connecting part is disposed opposite to the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding part, and the second film connecting part is disposed on the polarizing film unwound from the second unwinding part. Are placed opposite each other,
The first film connecting part and the second film connecting part are between two adsorbing parts having an adsorbing mechanism capable of adsorbing a polarizing film, and the two adsorbing parts, and along the width direction of the polarizing film. It is equipped with a cutting and pasting part arranged so as to be rotatable,
The cutting and bonding unit includes a cutting machine that cuts the polarizing film adsorbed by the adsorption unit in a state of being supported by the cutting support surface. a cutting support surface for supporting the polarizing film along the width direction, with a suction mechanism for holding by adsorbing a coupling member for coupling the polarizing film each other, has at least a two or more lamination surface ,
The connecting material is bonded to the polarizing film cut beyond the cutting line of the cut polarizing film, and the first film connecting portion and the second film connecting portion can be close to each other ,
The line side of the 1st unwinding part or the line of the 2nd unwinding part which was adsorbed by the adsorption part among the cut polarizing films by bringing the first film connecting part and the second film connecting part close to each other The polarizing film on the side and the polarizing film on the unwinding part side of the second unwinding part or on the unwinding part side of the first unwinding part adsorbed by the adsorption part are pasted beyond the cutting line of the polarizing film. The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the polarizing film bonding apparatus is connected by a combined connecting material .   6. The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an opening through which the cutting machine can pass is formed along the width direction of the polarizing film on the cutting support surface.   The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cutting machine has a round blade shape.   The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the cutting and bonding part is movable in a vertical direction with respect to the polarizing film adsorbed by the adsorption part. Before the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate by the first bonding unit, a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate is provided,
The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first substrate transport mechanism transports the substrate in a state where the short side of the substrate is along the transport direction. In the first film transport mechanism and the second film transport mechanism, a defect detection unit that detects a defect display attached to the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding unit;
A bonding avoidance unit that determines the defect display and stops the conveyance of the substrate,
It has a collection | recovery part which collect | recovers the polarizing films by which the bonding with a board | substrate was avoided, The bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of any one of Claims 3-8 characterized by the above-mentioned. A polarizing film bonding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device provided with the sticking deviation test | inspection apparatus which test | inspects the sticking deviation in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the said 2nd bonding part.   The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a sorting and conveying device that determines presence / absence of pasting deviation based on an inspection result by the pasting deviation inspection apparatus and sorts a substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded based on the determination result. A manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device described. A polarizing film bonding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A manufacturing system for a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device that inspects foreign matter on a substrate on which a polarizing film has been bonded by the second bonding portion in the bonding device.   The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a sorting / conveying device that determines the presence / absence of a foreign substance based on an inspection result by the bonded foreign substance automatic inspection apparatus, and sorts a substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded based on the determination result. A manufacturing system of a liquid crystal display device according to 1. It is equipped with a bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device that inspects foreign matters on the substrate on which the polarizing film has been bonded by the second bonding portion,
Based on the inspection result by the pasting inspection device and the inspection result by the pasting foreign matter automatic inspection device, the presence or absence of pasting and foreign matter is determined, and the substrate on which the polarizing film is pasted is determined based on the determination result. The manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of Claim 11 provided with the sorting conveyance apparatus which performs.

Images