JP5507219B2 - Liquid coating apparatus and liquid coating method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid application apparatus and a liquid application method, and more specifically, a liquid application apparatus including an application operation unit that applies a functional liquid to an object to be applied, and a liquid application method using the same. About.

  As an example of a liquid application technique that realizes a predetermined application shape by applying ink droplets to a work using an inkjet head, there is a technique for manufacturing a color filter used in a liquid crystal television or the like. In the technology for manufacturing such a color filter, each pixel of red, green, and blue is applied with ink of a corresponding color. In this type of technology, the color filter is formed by applying red, green, and blue color inks to the areas physically partitioned by the black matrix.

  As a conventional technique for manufacturing a color filter using an inkjet head, for example, it is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when ink is ejected to each pixel (colored portion), the ink is filled at a uniform height in each pixel by reducing the ejection amount of the first and last ink droplets. A color filter having a uniform color within the pixel is realized. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a coating pattern in which the ink droplet coating position is set in detail in a pixel is created, and ink droplet coating operation is performed according to the created coating pattern. Furthermore, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, even when the landing position of the ink droplet is shifted, the influence on the adjacent pixel is reduced (without deviating from the ink application target area) and the ink droplet can be applied. become.

  Further, unlike Patent Document 1, in the prior art for applying a liquid without using a special application pattern, a technique for executing liquid application to an application position uniquely determined by a liquid application apparatus, an observation camera, etc. A technique is known in which the application position is directly specified using the application and application to the specified application position is executed.

JP 2001-154008 A (released on June 8, 2001)

  However, the conventional techniques as described above have the following problems.

  First, the coating pattern as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a pattern determined by the type of workpiece that is an object to be coated. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the size of the pixel to be applied differs depending on the type of work, it is necessary to form a dedicated application pattern corresponding to each type of work. Alternatively, it is necessary to prepare coating patterns for the corresponding types of workpieces. Therefore, if the type of workpiece changes, it is necessary to create a new coating pattern.

  In addition, in the technique of directly specifying the application position and executing application to the specified application position, when application to multiple locations is required, such as when forming an application film with an application shape other than a round shape, Problem arises. That is, in this case, it is necessary to directly specify the application position one by one and select the application position each time. Therefore, it takes time until the liquid application process. In addition, in the operation of selecting the application position, the probability of occurrence of a selection error such as misalignment increases, so that the reliability of the application shape is lacking.

  Thus, in the conventional liquid application technique, it is necessary to create a dedicated application pattern for each work and apply the liquid to the work. In addition, when there are a plurality of application positions to be applied, it is necessary to specify and apply each application position, so that the number of steps required before application is increased. And there is a concern about the occurrence of work mistakes accompanying the increase in the number of processes. Moreover, the time which performs all the preliminary processes before application | coating will become the malfunction that it will become longer than the actual application | coating process time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its purpose is to reduce various types of workpieces or various types of workpieces by shortening the prior processing time required before coating and eliminating work errors. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid coating apparatus capable of performing highly reliable coating with respect to various coating shapes, and a liquid coating method using the same.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the liquid application apparatus of the present invention is a liquid application apparatus including an application operation unit that applies a functional liquid to an object to be applied, and a plurality of different application patterns are set. Map storage means for storing the application map, and application execution means for selecting one application map from the plurality of application maps and instructing the application operation unit to execute application according to the application pattern in the application map. It is characterized by having prepared.

  According to the above configuration, various different application patterns are registered in advance in the map storage means as application maps, and the application execution means selects a desired application map from these application patterns, and in the application map The application operation unit is instructed to execute application in accordance with the application pattern. Moreover, if only one place is set as the application position on the object to be applied, the application set in the application map is executed in accordance with that position. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is sufficient to perform one application position setting even for an application that requires a plurality of application positions. Note that “application position setting” refers to a setting in which the center position in the liquid application region of the application object matches the center position in the application map.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, when a coating film having a desired application shape is to be applied to a predetermined application position of the object to be applied, it is only necessary to select a single application position and application map on the object to be applied. A coating film can be applied. Even if you want to form coating films with various coating shapes, you can apply the desired coating film by simply selecting a coating map that has a coating pattern that corresponds to the coating shape to be coated on the workpiece. can do.

  As described above, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce the prior processing time required for performing coating and eliminate work mistakes, and it is highly reliable for various types of workpieces or various coating shapes. A liquid coating apparatus capable of performing coating can be realized.

  In the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, the coating map is composed of n × m (n and m are integers greater than or equal to 2) lattice regions, and the coating pattern is for each of the lattice regions. It is preferable that the application order is set for the unit application pattern that is configured from the unit application pattern for which application execution or application non-execution is selected.

  According to said structure, the said application | coating map is comprised from the grid area | region of n piece xm pieces (n and m are integers greater than or equal to 2). The application pattern is composed of unit application patterns for which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each of the lattice regions, and the application order is set for the unit application patterns for which application execution has been selected. In this way, the application pattern set in the application map is expressed by a unit application pattern in which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each lattice area, and the application order of the unit application patterns is set, thereby The variation of the application shape with respect to an application thing can be increased. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to realize formation of coating films having various coating shapes without creating a new coating pattern only by setting a single coating position on an object to be coated.

  In the liquid coating apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the coating execution unit includes an input unit that inputs a pitch of a lattice region in the coating map.

  According to the above configuration, since the application execution unit includes the input unit for inputting the pitch of the lattice area in the application map, the scale of the application map stored in the map storage unit is changed and set. The size of the application pattern can be changed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, coating films having various coating shapes can be formed in various sizes.

  In the liquid coating apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the input unit performs input by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the coating map in accordance with the type of the object to be coated.

  Thereby, even if the kind of to-be-coated object changes, the size of the area which can be apply | coated by an application map can be changed by changing the reduced scale of an application map. Therefore, according to the configuration described above, it is possible to always maintain the reliability regarding the application shape even if the type of the object to be applied changes. Further, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to create a new coating pattern, or to prepare a coating pattern corresponding to the type of the object to be coated and to call the coating pattern that matches the type of the object to be coated. Therefore, according to said structure, the prior processing time required before apply | coating can be shortened, and an operation mistake can be eliminated.

  In the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, the object to be coated is a substrate partitioned by a plurality of cells, and the input unit sets the pitch of the lattice area in the coating map according to the cell size of the object to be coated. It is preferable that the input is made variable.

  The application object is a substrate (for example, a pixel of a liquid crystal panel) partitioned by a plurality of cells, and even when the cell size changes depending on the type of substrate, the scale of the application map can be changed. The size of the area that can be applied can be changed. Therefore, according to the configuration described above, for example, coating that always fills the entire cell (entire pixel) can be performed without forming a new coating pattern.

  In the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention, the coating operation unit includes a liquid ejection unit that ejects droplets made of a functional liquid onto the object to be coated, and the input unit includes the liquid for the object to be coated. It is preferable to input by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the application map according to the droplet landing size.

  As a result, even when the size of the coating shape changes due to the wettability of the droplets on the coating object, the pitch of the lattice area in the coating map is set according to the landing size of the droplets on the coating object. The size of the coating shape can be changed by changing the input. For example, even when coating is performed on a pixel, according to the above configuration, it is possible to realize coating with a coating shape corresponding to the size of the pixel.

  In order to solve the above problems, the liquid application method of the present invention is a liquid application method for applying a functional liquid to an object to be coated, and creates a plurality of application maps in which different application patterns are set. One application map is selected from a plurality of application maps, and application according to the application pattern in the application map is executed.

  As a result, when a coating film having a desired coating shape is to be applied to a predetermined application position of the object to be coated, the desired coating film can be applied only by selecting a single application position and an application map on the object to be coated. Can do. Even if you want to form coating films with various coating shapes, you can apply the desired coating film by simply selecting a coating map that has a coating pattern that corresponds to the coating shape to be coated on the workpiece. can do.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to apply a highly reliable coating to various types of workpieces or various coating shapes, reducing the prior processing time required before coating and eliminating work errors. A liquid application method that can be performed can be realized.

  As described above, the liquid coating apparatus of the present invention has a map storage unit that stores a plurality of coating maps in which a coating pattern is set for each coating shape on an object to be coated, and one coating map from the plurality of coating maps. And an application execution unit that instructs the application operation unit to execute application according to the application pattern in the application map.

  Further, as described above, the liquid application method of the present invention creates a plurality of application maps in which application patterns are set for each application shape, selects one application map from the plurality of application maps, and applies the application map. It is the structure which performs application | coating according to the application | coating pattern.

  Therefore, it is possible to perform highly reliable coating for various types of workpieces or various coating shapes without shortening the pre-processing time required before coating and eliminating work errors.

It is the schematic diagram which showed schematic structure of the liquid coating device of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the application | coating map for setting the application | coating pattern stored in a map memory | storage means. It is the schematic diagram which showed an example of the application pattern set with respect to the application map. It is the schematic diagram which showed the other example of the application pattern set with respect to the application map. FIG. 3 shows a liquid application state when liquid application is performed on the workpiece with the application pattern shown in FIG. 3, and (a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the application pattern shown in FIG. (B) is a schematic diagram which shows the liquid application state in a workpiece | work. FIG. 5B shows a liquid application state when the liquid application is performed with the application pattern shown in FIG. 3 on a workpiece having a cell size different from the cell size Cp1 shown in FIG. 5B. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the application | coating pattern shown by FIG. 3, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the liquid application state in a workpiece | work. FIG. 4 shows a liquid application state when liquid application is performed on the workpiece with the application pattern shown in FIG. 4, and (a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the application pattern shown in FIG. (B) is a schematic diagram which shows the liquid application state in a workpiece | work. FIG. 8A is a flowchart showing the steps of the application preparation work, and FIG. 8B is a flow chart showing the steps of the application preparation work in the liquid application method according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process of execution work.

  The present invention relates to a liquid application apparatus for applying a liquid containing a functional material (hereinafter referred to as a functional liquid) in a desired shape to a predetermined position of a workpiece and a method using the same. One embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the liquid coating apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the liquid coating apparatus of the present embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as the present liquid coating apparatus) is an object to be coated with ink (functional liquid) filled in the inkjet head 1. It is an apparatus for forming a coating film made of a functional material on the work 10 by dropping the work 10.

  The liquid application apparatus controls an ink application operation unit (application operation unit) 100 that performs an ink ejection operation of the ink jet head 1 on an ink application pattern applied to the workpiece 10 and an overall ink application by the ink application operation unit 100. And an application control unit 200.

  The ink application operation unit 100 includes an inkjet head (liquid ejection unit) 1, an observation camera 2 for observing the workpiece 10, a heater 3 for drying the applied ink (liquid) at a high temperature, and a workpiece 10. The stage 4, the work stage 5, the maintenance unit 6, the base 7, the gantry 8, and the head stage 9 are provided.

  The base 7 becomes a base of the main body of the ink application operation unit 100. The base 7 is provided with a work stage 5, a maintenance unit 6, and a gantry 8. A mounting table 4 is attached to the work stage 5. Further, the work stage 5 is moved and positioned in the direction from the front to the back in FIG. 1, that is, in the Y direction. The maintenance unit 6 is a unit for cleaning the inkjet head 1 and the like.

  Further, the inkjet head 1, the observation camera 2, and the heater 3 are disposed so as to face the ink application surface of the workpiece 10, and are attached to the head stage 9. The head stage 9 is held by the gantry 8 and moved and positioned in the X direction in FIG.

  In the ink application operation unit 100, the relative position between the inkjet head 1 and the work 10 is determined by the movement of the work stage 5 in the Y direction and the movement of the head stage 9 in the X direction. Then, ink is applied to the workpiece 10 by ink ejection by the inkjet head 1. Then, the applied ink is dried by the heater 3, whereby a coating film made of a functional material is formed on the workpiece 10.

  Next, the application control unit 200 that controls the overall ink application by the ink application operation unit 100 will be described. The application control unit 200 includes an interface unit 11, an application operation control unit 12, a monitor 16, and an external data input unit (input unit) 17.

  The interface unit 11 mediates exchange of information between the application operation control unit 12 and various members of the ink application operation unit 100, and includes drivers such as the inkjet head 1 and the head stage 9. The external data input unit 17 can communicate with the application operation control unit 12 and inputs application information regarding the workpiece 10. The external data input means 17 has a communication function with an operation button, a keyboard, or an external device in which application information of the workpiece 10 is stored. The monitor 16 displays information input by the external data input unit 17 and an image of the workpiece 10 captured by the observation camera 2.

  The application operation control unit 12 includes an application execution unit 13, an application operation setting unit 14, and a map storage unit 15. The map storage means 15 stores and stores a plurality of application maps. In each application map stored in the map storage unit 15, an application pattern is set for each application shape on the workpiece 10. The application operation setting unit 14 inputs application information from the external data input unit 17 and, based on the application information, an application pattern corresponding to the application shape to be applied to the workpiece 10 is set from a plurality of application maps. The application map is selected and the ink application operation is set. The application execution unit 13 instructs the ink application operation unit 100 to perform the ink application operation set by the application operation setting unit 14.

  Thus, in the present liquid application apparatus, application patterns corresponding to various application shapes for the workpiece 10 are registered in advance in the map storage means 15 as application maps, and a desired application map is selected from these application patterns. Select and execute ink application. Further, if only one application position is set as the application position on the workpiece 10, the ink application set in the application map is executed according to that position. Therefore, it is sufficient to set the application position once even for application requiring a plurality of application positions.

  Therefore, according to this liquid coating apparatus, when a coating film having a desired coating shape is to be coated at a predetermined coating position on the workpiece 10, the desired coating can be performed simply by selecting a single coating position on the workpiece 10 and a coating map. A film can be applied. Even when it is desired to form coating films having various coating shapes, a desired coating film can be coated only by selecting a coating map in which a coating pattern corresponding to the coating shape to be coated on the workpiece 10 is selected. be able to.

  In the liquid coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1, one inkjet head 1 is mounted. However, in order to apply a plurality of liquids, a plurality of inkjet heads 1 may be mounted. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a suction mechanism that sucks and holds the workpiece 10 is mounted on the mounting table 4. In addition, the liquid application apparatus includes an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the inkjet head 1 (not shown). Furthermore, after the workpiece 10 is mounted on the mounting table 4, the workability of moving the workpiece 10 to the application position is higher when the workpiece 10 is held at a right angle to the workpiece stage 5. For this reason, in this liquid application apparatus, it is desirable that a work alignment mechanism that is a posture correction mechanism of the work 10 is provided. In FIG. 1, the workpiece alignment mechanism is omitted.

  Next, a liquid application method (hereinafter referred to as the present liquid application method) to the workpiece 10 using the liquid application apparatus will be described.

  First, the workpiece 10 is mounted on the mounting table 4. Then, with respect to the placed workpiece 10, the application data on the workpiece 10 is read by the external data input means 17.

  According to the application information read by the external data input unit, the application operation setting unit 14 selects an application map to be used for application to the workpiece 10 from the map storage unit 3. Then, the application execution unit 13 instructs the ink application operation unit 100 to perform a liquid application operation according to the selected application map. Note that “application information” refers to information including the application map number to be used, position information for application, and the grid pitch of the application map. Details of the “application information” will be described later. The application information on the workpiece 10 may be determined while the workpiece 10 is observed by the observation camera 2 after the workpiece is placed on the mounting table 4 of the liquid coating apparatus.

  Thus, in the present liquid application method, a plurality of application maps in which application patterns are set for each application shape on the workpiece 10 are created, one application map is selected from the plurality of application maps, and application in the application map is performed. Apply according to the pattern. Therefore, according to the present liquid application method, when a coating film having a desired application shape is to be applied to a predetermined application position of the workpiece 10, a desired application position and application map on the workpiece 10 are simply selected. A coating film can be applied. Further, even when it is desired to form coating films having various coating shapes, a desired coating film can be coated only by selecting a coating map in which a coating pattern corresponding to the coating shape to be coated on the workpiece 10 is selected. be able to.

  Next, the application map will be described. This application map is composed of n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice regions. The application pattern set in the application map is composed of unit application patterns for which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each of the lattice regions.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an application map for setting an application pattern to be stored in the map storage unit 15. As shown in the figure, the application map 20 is a matrix composed of 5 × 5 lattice regions 21. The locations of the lattice areas 21 are indicated by A1 to E5. Then, a unit application pattern is formed by performing setting such that application is performed or not performed for each location of the lattice region 21 indicated by A1 to E5. Therefore, the application pattern set in the application map is composed of unit application patterns set to “execute application”. Therefore, according to the present liquid application method, it is possible to set the application map 20 on which a desired application pattern is formed. In the application map 20 shown in FIG. 2, the center position 22 of the lattice area 21 arranged at the location C <b> 3 is set so as to coincide with the application position information on the workpiece 10.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an application pattern set for the application map 20. The application pattern shown in FIG. 3 is a pattern that is applied to the lattice areas (unit application patterns) 21 at locations A2, C2, E2, A4, C4, and E4. Note that the numbers (1) to (6) shown in FIG. 3 indicate the order of application. In the coating pattern shown in FIG. 3, coating is executed in order from (1) to (6). The application pattern shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which a rectangular application shape is obtained for the workpiece 10. The coating shape for the workpiece 10 obtained by setting the coating pattern shown in FIG. 3 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 described later.

  It is desirable to set the coating pattern as described above, that is, to create the coating map 20, before performing the coating process by the liquid coating apparatus. The application map 20 sets an application shape necessary for the workpiece 10 as an application pattern, and executes application to each location of the lattice area 21 indicated by A1 to E5 based on the application pattern. It can be obtained by setting to not execute. The scale of the coating pattern applied to the workpiece 10 can be adjusted by setting the pitch of the lattice area 21 described later.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the application pattern set for the application map 20. The application pattern shown in FIG. 4 is a pattern that is applied to the lattice regions 21 at locations B3, C3, and D3. Note that the numbers (1) to (3) shown in FIG. 4 indicate the coating order. In the application pattern shown in FIG. 4, the application is executed in order from (1) to (3). The application pattern shown in FIG. 4 is an example in which an elongated rectangular application shape is obtained with respect to the workpiece 10.

  Hereinafter, a liquid application method for applying ink to the workpiece 10 based on the application pattern shown in FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 5 shows a liquid application state when the liquid application is performed on the workpiece 10 with the application pattern shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5A illustrates the application pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram showing a liquid application state on the workpiece 10. The workpiece 10 shown in FIG. 5 is a substrate that is visually or physically partitioned by a plurality of cells 30. An example of such a substrate is a color filter substrate used for a liquid crystal television. Hereinafter, an example in which ink is applied for the purpose of visually hiding or coloring one cell 31 (hereinafter, referred to as application execution cell 31) of the plurality of cells 30 in the workpiece 10 will be described.

  First, the center position 32 of the application execution cell 31 is registered in the liquid application apparatus as the application position of the workpiece 10. In this liquid application method, the center position 32 of the application execution cell 31 and the center position 22 of the application map 20 are adjusted to coincide with each other, and ink application is executed. Further, the size (scale) of the cell 30 in the workpiece 10 is determined by the type of the workpiece 10. In the present liquid application method, the size of the application map 20, that is, the pitch of the lattice region 21 is determined so that the size of the application execution cell 31 in the workpiece 10 to be applied can be shielded or colored. Specifically, information on the cell size Cp1 unique to the workpiece 10 is read or input by the external input means 17. Then, the pitch Mp1 of the lattice region 21 in the application map 20 is set according to the cell size Cp1.

  In setting the pitch Mp1, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is necessary to consider the wetting and spreading of the landing portion 33 of one ink droplet, that is, the diameter (landing diameter) of the landing portion 33. Therefore, in this liquid application method, it is desirable to measure the size of the landing portion 33 of the ink droplet on the workpiece 10 in advance. Such prior measurement of the size of the landing portion 33 is effective for setting the appropriate pitch Mp1 of the lattice region 21.

  The application map 20 shown in FIG. 5A is composed of square lattice areas 21 having the same vertical and horizontal pitches. However, the shape of the lattice region 21 is not limited to a square, and can be set as appropriate according to the shape of the cell 30 in the workpiece 10. In this case, depending on the shape of the cell 30, it is necessary to change the aspect ratio of the pitch Mp1 of the lattice region 21, so that the vertical pitch Mp1 and the horizontal pitch Mp1 may be set independently. .

  Next, how the ink is applied to the workpiece 10 when the pitch Mp1 of the lattice region 21 is set to 100 μm will be described. The pitch Cp1 of the cells 30 in the workpiece 10 is 600 μm.

  In this case, the ink is first applied to the center position 32 of the application execution cell 31 at a position 200 μm leftward and 100 μm upward (the ink application position is a lattice region at the location A2 in the application map 20). 21). Next, in the application execution cell 31, the ink is applied at a position 400 μm rightward and 200 μm downward from the position where the ink droplet was first applied (the ink application position is a place in the application map 20. Corresponding to the lattice region 21 at E4). In this way, the application is performed at the six locations of the application execution cells 31 in the order of (1) to (6) set in the application map 21.

  The pitch Mp1 of the lattice region 21 in the application map 20 may be set to a value obtained by multiplying the cell size Cp1 by a predetermined coefficient, or may be set for each workpiece 10 regardless of the cell size Cp1.

  6 shows a liquid application state when the liquid application is executed with the application pattern shown in FIG. 3 on the workpiece 10 having a cell size different from the cell size Cp1 shown in FIG. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram for explaining the application pattern shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing a liquid application state on the workpiece 10.

  The cell size Cp2 of the cell 30 shown in FIG. 6B is smaller than the cell size Cp1 of the cell 30 shown in FIG. In such a case, the pitch Mp2 of the lattice region 21 is determined by reducing the size of the coating map 20 according to the cell size Cp2 of the coating execution cell 31 in the workpiece 10 to be coated. Thereby, even if the cell size is changed from Cp1 to Cp2, a coating shape capable of shielding or coloring one coating execution cell 31 is obtained.

  Here, how the ink is applied to the workpiece 10 when the pitch Mp2 of the lattice region 21 is set to 80 μm will be described. The pitch Cp2 of the cells 30 in the workpiece 10 is 480 μm.

  In this case, the ink is first applied to the center position 32 of the application execution cell 31 at a position separated by 160 μm in the left direction and 80 μm in the upward direction (the ink application position is a lattice region at the location A2 in the application map 20). 21). Next, in the application execution cell 31, the ink is applied to a position that is 160 μm rightward and 80 μm downward from the position where the ink droplet was first applied (the ink application position is a place in the application map 20. Corresponding to the lattice region 21 at E4). In this way, application is performed at the six locations of the application execution cells 31 in the order of (1) to (6) set in the application map 21.

  Thus, in this liquid application method, application shapes of various sizes can be obtained using one application map 20.

  FIG. 7 shows a liquid application state when the liquid application is performed on the workpiece 10 with the application pattern shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7A illustrates the application pattern shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing a liquid application state on the workpiece 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the pitch Mp3 of the lattice region 21 in the application map 20 is such that the application pattern fits within the cell size Cp3 so that the liquid can be applied to one application execution cell 31. Is set to Specifically, the application map 20 so that the application pattern (three lattice regions 21 at locations B3, C3, and D3) shown in FIG. 7A fits in the application execution cell 31 having the cell size Cp3. The pitch Mp3 of the lattice region 21 at is set. Thereby, even if the cell size of the coating execution cell 31 changes, it becomes possible to perform the coating process on the entire cell.

  In FIGS. 5A and 5B to FIGS. 7A and 7B, an example in which ink is applied to one entire application execution cell 31 is shown for convenience. However, the present liquid application method is not limited to such application, and can be applied to the workpiece 10 that does not have the concept of the cell 30 that partitions the application region. In such a case, the pitch of the lattice area 21 in the application map 20 may be set for each type of workpiece 10 regardless of the cell size. In addition, when the application map 20 set to an application pattern in which only the lattice area 21 (location C3) at the center position is applied is created, the present liquid application method is applied to only one application position on the workpiece 10. The present invention can also be applied to a normal coating method of performing. When four corners (locations A1, E1, A5, E5) in the application map 20 are selected as application locations, a dot-shaped application shape can be created on the workpiece 10. In this liquid coating method, coating films having various coating shapes can be generated on the workpiece 10 as long as the coating pattern can be expressed by the lattice region 21 in the coating map 20.

  Next, the process flow in the present liquid application method will be described. FIG. 8 shows the steps from the application preparation work to the application execution work in the present liquid application method, FIG. 8A is a flowchart showing the steps of the application preparation work, and FIG. 8B is the application execution work. It is a flowchart which shows a process. First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the application map 20 described above is created as a preliminary application preparation operation. Then, as an actual application execution operation, as shown in FIG. 8B, in step S1, the work 10 is placed on the mounting table 4, held by suction, and alignment (position adjustment) is executed.

  Next, application | coating information is read based on the workpiece | work 10 mounted in the mounting base 4 in process S2. Here, the application information refers to an application map number used for liquid application, a center position of the application area, and lattice pitch information. The lattice pitch information means information on the workpiece 10 necessary for setting the pitch of the lattice region 21 in the application map 20. For example, the pitch of the lattice region 21 determined according to the cell size of the workpiece 10 or the type of the workpiece 10. Itself. In addition, about such application | coating information, instead of reading from the outside, you may manually drive for every workpiece | work 10 with the external data input means 7, and may register in an apparatus. In addition, the center position of the application region may be set by observation with an observation camera 2 provided in the liquid application apparatus.

  Next, in step S3, a preparatory operation before the start of coating, such as preliminary ink ejection by the inkjet 1, is performed. In step S4, the application operation to the workpiece 10 according to the application map 20 is executed. When the coating operation is finished, in step S5, the suction holding of the workpiece 10 is released, the workpiece 10 is taken out, and the coating execution operation is finished.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform application in the application shape registered in the application map only by setting one application position. This means that even if the size of the application shape on the workpiece is different, only one registration of the application map can be provided, and the labor of registration can be reduced. There is no need to set the application position for each application, and it is not necessary to set the application shape each time. Accordingly, it is possible to shorten the time related to the execution of the application, and it is possible to suppress the frequency of occurrence of setting mistakes resulting from a plurality of application shape settings.

(Another expression)
The present invention can be expressed as the following (1) to (6).

(1) In a liquid application apparatus that applies a functional liquid having a predetermined shape to a predetermined position of a workpiece,
A liquid coating apparatus comprising: a map storage unit that stores a coating map in which a coating pattern in a predetermined area is set; and a coating execution unit that performs coating with a coating pattern set in the coating map.

  (2) The application map has a matrix shape of n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more), and each of the grids is selected to set an application pattern including an application position and an application order. (1) The liquid coating apparatus according to the above.

  (3) The liquid coating apparatus according to (2), wherein the grid pitch of the coating map varies according to the workpiece.

  (4) The liquid coating apparatus according to (2), wherein the grid pitch of the coating map varies according to the cell size of the workpiece.

  (5) The liquid coating apparatus according to (2), wherein the grid pitch of the coating map varies according to the landing size of the droplet on the workpiece.

  (6) A liquid application method in which an application map in which an application pattern in a predetermined area is set is generated, and application is performed by selecting an application position on the work and an application map.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, since the type of application shape and the size of the application shape on the workpiece can be easily set, application to various workpieces or to various application shapes can be performed with high reliability and in a short time. . For this reason, this invention can be utilized suitably for the manufacturing technique etc. which use a liquid coating device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet head 2 Observation camera 3 Heater 4 Mounting stand 5 Work stage 6 Maintenance unit 7 Base 8 Stand base 9 Head stage 10 Work 11 Interface part 12 Application | coating operation control part 13 Application | coating execution means 14 Application | coating operation setting means 15 Map storage means 16 Monitor 17 External data input means 20 Application map 21 Grid area 22 Center position 30 Cell 31 Application execution cell 32 Center position (workpiece)
33 Landing portion 100 Ink application operation unit 200 Application control unit

Claims (8)

A liquid application apparatus including an application operation unit that applies a functional liquid to an object to be applied,
Map storage means for storing a plurality of application maps in which different application patterns are set;
Application execution means for selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and instructing the application operation unit to execute application according to the application pattern in the application map ;
The application map is composed of n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice regions,
The application pattern is composed of unit application patterns in which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each of the lattice regions, and the application order is set for the unit application pattern in which application execution is selected,
The application execution means includes an input unit for inputting the pitch of the lattice area in the application map, and the input unit inputs the input by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the application map according to the type of the object to be applied. A liquid coating apparatus characterized by: The object to be coated is a substrate partitioned by a plurality of cells,
The liquid application apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit performs input by changing a pitch of a lattice region in the application map in accordance with a cell size of the application object. A liquid application apparatus including an application operation unit that applies a functional liquid to an object to be applied,
Map storage means for storing a plurality of application maps in which different application patterns are set;
Application execution means for selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and instructing the application operation unit to execute application according to the application pattern in the application map;
The application map is composed of n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice regions,
The application pattern is composed of unit application patterns in which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each of the lattice regions, and the application order is set for the unit application pattern in which application execution is selected,
The object to be coated is a substrate partitioned by a plurality of cells,
The coating execution means includes an input unit for inputting the pitch of the grid area in the coating map , and the input unit varies the pitch of the grid area in the coating map according to the cell size of the coating object. liquid applying apparatus characterized by the input. The application operation unit includes a liquid discharge unit that discharges droplets made of a functional liquid to the application object,
The input unit in accordance with the landing size of the droplet with respect to the object to be coated, to any one of claim 1 to 3, characterized in that inputting by varying the pitch of the grating region in the coating map The liquid coating apparatus as described. A liquid application apparatus including an application operation unit that applies a functional liquid to an object to be applied,
Map storage means for storing a plurality of application maps in which different application patterns are set;
Application execution means for selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and instructing the application operation unit to execute application according to the application pattern in the application map;
The application map is composed of n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice regions,
The application pattern is composed of unit application patterns in which application execution or application non-execution is selected for each of the lattice regions, and the application order is set for the unit application pattern in which application execution is selected,
The application execution means includes an input unit for inputting the pitch of the lattice area in the application map,
The application operation unit includes a liquid discharge unit that discharges droplets made of a functional liquid to the application object,
The input unit is, the depending on the impact the size of the droplet with respect to the coating object, a liquid applying apparatus you characterized in that the input by varying the pitch of the grating region in the coating map. Create multiple application maps with different application patterns,
A liquid application method for applying a functional liquid to an object to be applied by selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and executing application according to an application pattern in the application map,
The application map includes n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice areas, and the application pattern is selected to be applied or not applied to each of the lattice areas. Application unit order is set for the unit application pattern that is configured from the unit application pattern and the application execution is selected.
By applying in the above application sequence, application according to the application pattern is executed,
A liquid application method, wherein the scale of the application map is changed by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the application map in accordance with the type of the object to be applied. Different application pattern is set, to create a plurality of coating maps,
By selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and executing application according to the application pattern in the application map, the functional liquid is applied to an object to be applied that is a substrate partitioned by a plurality of cells. A liquid application method comprising:
The application map includes n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice areas, and the application pattern is selected to be applied or not applied to each of the lattice areas. Application unit order is set for the unit application pattern that is configured from the unit application pattern and the application execution is selected.
By applying in the above application sequence, application according to the application pattern is executed,
A liquid coating method, wherein the scale of the coating map is changed by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the coating map according to the cell size of the coating object . Create multiple application maps with different application patterns,
A liquid application method for applying a functional liquid to an object to be applied by selecting one application map from a plurality of application maps and executing application according to an application pattern in the application map,
The application map includes n × m (n and m are integers of 2 or more) lattice areas, and the application pattern is selected to be applied or not applied to each of the lattice areas. Application unit order is set for the unit application pattern that is configured from the unit application pattern and the application execution is selected.
In the above application sequence, the application according to the application pattern is executed by discharging droplets made of a functional liquid onto the object to be applied,
A liquid coating method, wherein the scale of the coating map is changed by changing the pitch of the lattice area in the coating map in accordance with the landing size of the droplet on the coating object.

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