JP6919425B2 - Optical processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical processing device.

A light processing apparatus is generally used in a liquid crystal panel manufacturing process by a liquid crystal dropping method (ODF method) and a sealing process of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel. In these steps, a photocurable sealing material is preliminarily inserted between the panels to be sealed, and the light processing device irradiates the panels with the processing light to photocure the sealing material, thereby sealing the panels. It will be stopped. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-206858

By the way, when the area to be processed of the panel is wider than the irradiation range, the light processing apparatus can relatively move the irradiation range of the processing light and the panel to irradiate the entire area to be processed with the processing light. Further, by irradiating each part of the area to be treated with ultraviolet rays so that the irradiation range of the processing light passes through, the integrated light amount of the processing light at each part becomes equal, and the sealing material can be uniformly cured.

However, even at the edge of the area to be processed, it is necessary to move the irradiation range of the processing light until it passes through the edge, and the moving distance of the irradiation range becomes longer by this amount, and the process of illuminating the outside of the area to be processed is performed. Light is also useless.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical processing apparatus capable of irradiating the entire area to be processed with processed light with a uniform integrated light amount while making it possible to shorten the moving distance of the irradiation range.

The present invention has a light source that irradiates the work with the processing light, and irradiates the work with the processing light while relatively moving at least one of the irradiation range of the processing light and the work. In an optical processing apparatus for light-treating the work, the relative of the irradiation range to the work before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through an edge extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the work. has reversed the direction of Do movement is disposed beside the edge of the workpiece, in that the processing light directed to the outside of said edge of said workpiece comprises an edge for reflecting member for reflecting the said edge of said workpiece It is a feature.

The present invention has a light source that irradiates the work with the processing light, and irradiates the work with the processing light while relatively moving at least one of the irradiation range of the processing light and the work. In an optical processing apparatus for light-treating the work, the relative of the irradiation range to the work before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through an edge extending in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the work. has reversed the direction of Do movement, enhancing the light output of the light source, characterized in that it comprises a light source control means for increasing the cumulative amount of light at the edge of the workpiece.

The present invention has a light source that irradiates the work with the processing light, and irradiates the work with the processing light while relatively moving at least one of the irradiation range of the processing light and the work. In an optical processing apparatus for light-treating the work, the relative of the irradiation range to the work before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through an edge extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the work. has reversed the direction of Do movement is disposed beside the edge of the workpiece, and the edge reflection member for reflecting the said edge of the said processing light directed to the outside of the edge of the workpiece workpiece, said workpiece Provided is a light source control means for increasing the light output of the light source in accordance with the timing at which the irradiation range moves at a portion where the integrated light amount of the processed light is low, and increasing the integrated light amount at the portion. It is characterized by.

In the present invention, in the light processing apparatus, the light source control means raises the electric power input to the light source to be higher than a specified electric power value to increase the optical output, and after increasing the optical output, the electric power is applied to the electric power. The feature is that the power is returned to the specified power value after being lowered below the specified power value.

The present invention, in the optical processing apparatus, when the light emission center of the light source to the edge of the workpiece reaches the irradiation range, and to reverse the relative movement of the workpiece, characterized in that.

According to the present invention, it is possible to irradiate the entire area to be treated with the treated light with a uniform integrated light amount while making it possible to shorten the moving distance of the irradiation range.

It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the ultraviolet ray processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of the ultraviolet treatment apparatus. It is an illuminance distribution map in the longitudinal direction of an irradiator. It is an illuminance distribution map in the lateral direction of the irradiator. It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the work schematically, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a side view. It is a figure which shows typically the operation of the ultraviolet processing apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the reflector for an edge. It is a distribution map of the integrated light amount of ultraviolet rays in the transport direction of an irradiator. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the ultraviolet treatment apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the variable pattern of electric power by a light source control device. It is a distribution map of the integrated light amount of ultraviolet rays in the transport direction of an irradiator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ultraviolet processing device 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the ultraviolet processing device 1.
The ultraviolet treatment device 1 is a light treatment device used in a liquid crystal panel manufacturing process and an OLED panel sealing process by the ODF method, and a work 2 coated with a photocurable resin for panel sealing is subjected to processing light. The work 2 is sealed by irradiating with a certain ultraviolet G (FIG. 2) to cure the photocurable resin.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultraviolet processing device 1 includes a stage 4 on which the work 2 is placed, an irradiator 6 that irradiates the ultraviolet G, and a drive mechanism 8 that transports and drives the irradiator 6 (illustrated example). Then, it is provided with two) edge reflectors 10.
The stage 4 is provided with a mounting surface 4A on which the work 2 is mounted, and the mounting surface 4A has a size that allows a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) work 2 to be arranged side by side. It is formed.
The irradiator 6 includes a linear light source 16 that linearly emits ultraviolet rays G. As the linear light source 16, a light emitting element unit in which a large number of light emitting elements (for example, LEDs) are arranged in a row is used. The irradiator 6 may include an optical element for controlling ultraviolet rays G and various optical filters.

FIG. 3 is an illuminance distribution diagram in the longitudinal direction A of the irradiator 6, and FIG. 4 is an illuminance distribution diagram in the lateral direction B of the irradiator 6. The longitudinal direction A is the direction in which the ultraviolet rays G of the linear light source 16 extend, and the lateral direction B is the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction A.
As shown in FIG. 3, the illuminance of the irradiator 6 is substantially constant in the entire region except both ends in the longitudinal direction A, and extends over the irradiation range Q in the lateral direction B as shown in FIG. The distribution is close to the Gaussian distribution, that is, the illuminance gradually decreases from the center to both ends of the irradiation range Q.

As shown in FIG. 1, the irradiator 6 is arranged so as to face the mounting surface 4A in a posture in which the longitudinal direction A of the linear light source 16 crosses the mounting surface 4A. Ultraviolet rays G are irradiated with a substantially constant illuminance over the longitudinal direction A. At this time, the distance between the irradiator 6 and the mounting surface 4A is defined by the distance D between the light emitting center O (FIG. 2) of the linear light source 16 and the work 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiator 6 is provided so as to be able to carry in the short direction B while maintaining the distance D constant, and a plurality of irradiators 6 are moved by moving in the short direction B. Ultraviolet rays G are irradiated to each of the works 2 with a constant illuminance.
The transport mechanism of the irradiator 6 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rails 12 extending along the stage 4 are provided on both sides of the stage 4, and the guide rails 12 are provided. The irradiator 6 is connected. The drive mechanism 8 includes, for example, a drive mechanism such as a linear motion mechanism using a spline shaft, and conveys and moves the irradiator 6 along the guide rail 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the edge reflector 10 is a reflector provided on the stage 4, and reflects ultraviolet light leaking to the outside of the mounting surface 4A to the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A, and the edge 4AT is reflected. It is a member that increases the amount of ultraviolet rays irradiated in. The edge 2T of the work 2 is arranged so as to be aligned with the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A, and the amount of ultraviolet irradiation of the edge 2T of the work 2 is increased by the edge reflector 10.

5A and 5B are views schematically showing a schematic configuration of the work 2, FIG. 5A is a plan view, and FIG. 5B is a side view. In the figure, a liquid crystal panel sealed by the ODF method is shown as an example of the work 2.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the work 2 includes two transparent substrates 20 and 20 with electrodes for a liquid crystal display device stacked one above the other, a sealing material 22 sandwiched between them, and a liquid crystal display. It includes a material and a mask 24.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the transparent substrates 20 and 20 with electrodes are formed in a size capable of cutting out a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) liquid crystal panels 26. The sealing material 22 is a photocurable material, and is coated on the surface of at least one transparent substrate 20 with electrodes along the sealing pattern 28 which is a pattern surrounding the entire circumference of the liquid crystal panel 26. The inside of the liquid crystal material is filled. Then, the sealing material 22 is photocured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays G, so that the liquid crystal material is sealed inside the sealing pattern 28.
The mask 24 is a member provided with an ultraviolet shielding portion 29 for shielding ultraviolet G on an ultraviolet transmitting material such as quartz glass. The mask 24 is provided so as to cover the region corresponding to the liquid crystal panel 26, that is, the inner region of the seal pattern 28 with the ultraviolet shielding portion 29, and when the entire surface of the work 2 is irradiated with the ultraviolet G, the ultraviolet G is emitted. It is designed so that it does not affect the liquid crystal material.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the ultraviolet processing device 1.
In the ultraviolet processing device 1, two works 2 are placed side by side on the stage 4, and the position between the works 2 is set to the home position H of the irradiator 6 (linear light source 16). Then, the irradiator 6 is conveyed and reciprocates between both ends 4T1 and 4T2 of the stage 4, so that each work 2 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays G. The light treatment (sealing treatment) of the work 2 is completed by irradiating the ultraviolet G for one round trip of the irradiator 6, and in the work 2 for which the sealing treatment is completed, the irradiator 6 irradiates another work 2. It is replaced with the untreated work 2 during irradiation.

For example, in step S1 of FIG. 6, when the sealing process of the work 2 on the left side is completed, as shown in subsequent steps S2 and S3, while the irradiator 6 is irradiating the work 2 on the right side, The work 2 on the left side is taken out from the stage 4. Then, as shown in steps S4 and S5, the unprocessed work 2 is generated until the irradiator 6 stops on the right end 4T1 side of the stage 4, reverses the transport direction, turns back, and returns to the home position H. It is set on the left side of stage 4.

After that, as shown in steps S6 and S7, the work 2 on the right side for which the sealing process has been completed is taken out from the stage 4 while the irradiator 6 is irradiating the work 2 on the left side. Then, as shown in steps S8 and S1, the unprocessed work 2 is generated until the irradiator 6 stops on the left end 4T2 side of the stage 4, reverses the transport direction, turns back, and returns to the home position H. It is set on the right side of stage 4.
By repeating the operations of steps S1 to S8 cyclically, a large number of work 2s are sealed one after another.

In the operation of the ultraviolet processing device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, when the light emitting center O of the irradiator 6 is located at the edge 2T of the work 2, the irradiator 6 is stopped, and the irradiator 6 is turned back in the opposite direction. As a result, the overrun of the irradiator 6 is suppressed and the throughput is improved.
However, since the irradiator 6 is folded back before the entire irradiation range Q of the irradiator 6 passes through the edge 2T, if no measures are taken, the work is carried out in the transport direction (short direction B) of the irradiator 6. The integrated amount of ultraviolet rays G irradiated on the edge 2T of 2 is smaller than that through which the entire irradiation range Q passes in each of the outward and return paths. In particular, since the seal pattern 28 of the work 2 is provided including the edge 2T of the work 2, the sealing material 22 may be unevenly cured at the edge 2T of the work 2, and the quality may be deteriorated.

On the other hand, in the ultraviolet processing device 1, on the edge 2T (mounting surface 4A) of the work 2 which is the turning point of the irradiator 6, the edge reflector 10 extending along the edge 2T is attached to the work 2. It is provided beside. As shown in FIG. 7, at the turning point of the irradiator 6, the edge reflector 10 reflects the ultraviolet G1 leaking to the outside of the work 2 to the edge 2T of the work 2, whereby the amount of ultraviolet irradiation at the edge 2T. Is being supplemented.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance D between the light emitting center O of the irradiator 6 and the work 2 is 30 mm, and the height U of the edge reflector 10 is 20 mm. Further, the gap δ between the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A (edge 2T of the work 2) and the edge reflector 10 is 2 mm.

FIG. 8 is a distribution diagram of the integrated light amount of ultraviolet rays G in the transport direction (short direction B) of the irradiator 6. In the figure, the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A is set as the origin (0 mm) in the transport direction of the irradiator 6.
As shown in the figure, when the edge reflector 10 is not provided, the integrated light amount at the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A is smaller than that of other parts, whereas the edge reflector 10 is used. When provided, the integrated light intensity at the edge 4AT (0 mm) of the mounting surface 4A is increased to the same extent as other locations.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ultraviolet processing device 1 is arranged beside the edge 2T of the work 2, and is used for the edge that reflects the ultraviolet G outward from the edge 2T of the work 2 to the edge 2T of the work 2. A reflector 10 is provided.
As a result, even when the irradiator 6 is not overrun beyond the edge 2T of the work 2, the ultraviolet irradiation amount at the edge 2T of the work 2 is supplemented, and the integrated light intensity at the edge 2T is increased to the same level as other parts. It is possible to suppress uneven curing.

Further, in the ultraviolet processing device 1 of the present embodiment, when the light emitting center O of the irradiator 6 reaches the edge 2T of the work 2, the transport of the irradiation range Q is stopped, the transport direction is reversed, and the light is folded back. .. As a result, the overrun of the irradiator 6 is suppressed, and the transport distance of the irradiator 6 is shortened, so that the processing time of the light processing can be shortened.

In this embodiment, the reflective surface of the edge reflector 10 is not limited to a flat surface. A reflecting surface having an appropriate shape may be provided on the edge reflecting plate 10 according to the illuminance distribution on the edge 2T of the work 2.

<Second Embodiment>
In the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet processing device 1 is provided with the edge reflector 10 so that the integrated light amount at the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A can be increased to the same level as other locations. In the present embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the integrated light amount at the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A is increased to the same level as other parts by controlling the light output of the linear light source 16.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the ultraviolet processing device 100 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the members described in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in the figure, the ultraviolet processing device 100 of the present embodiment includes a light source control device 130.
The light source control device 130 changes the optical output by changing the electric power (driving power of the light emitting element) supplied to the linear light source 16 in synchronization with the driving of the driving mechanism 8. By increasing the light output of the light source 16, the integrated light amount at the edge 2T of the work 2 is increased.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a variable pattern of electric power by the light source control device 130, and FIG. 11 is a distribution diagram of an integrated light amount of ultraviolet rays G in the transport direction (short direction B) of the irradiator 6. In the figure, as in FIG. 8, the edge 4AT of the mounting surface 4A is set as the origin (0 mm) in the transport direction of the irradiator 6.
In the light source control device 130, when the light emitting center O of the irradiator 6 is located on the edge 2T of the work 2, as shown in FIG. The optical output is increased by raising it above the specified power value when it is positioned.
As a result, the amount of ultraviolet irradiation at the edge 2T of the work 2 is increased. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, as compared with the case where the power is continuously maintained at the specified power value (“constant power” in the figure), the work 2 The integrated light amount at the edge 2T is increased to the same level as other places. Therefore, even if the irradiator 6 is not overrun with respect to the work 2, the integrated light amount of the edge 2T of the work 2 can be made about the same as that of other parts.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the light source control device 130 increases the light output, lowers the electric power once from the specified electric power value, and then returns the electric power to the specified electric power value. As a result, it is possible to prevent overshoot of the light output that may occur after the power is increased above the specified power value, and over-irradiation of ultraviolet G can be suppressed.

Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the ultraviolet processing device 1 of the first embodiment may include the light source control device 130 described in the second embodiment. In this case, the light source control device 130 is not limited to the edge 2T of the work 2, but in the work 2, the irradiation range Q moves to a place where the integrated light amount is lower than the others (for example, the place X in FIG. 8). By increasing the light output of the linear light source 16, the integrated light amount at the location is increased. As a result, the integrated light amount can be made uniform over the entire region of the irradiator 6 in the transport direction.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the linear light source 16 is not limited to the light emitting element, and may be a straight tube type discharge lamp.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the irradiation range Q is moved by transporting the irradiator 6 has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the irradiation range Q and the work 2 may move relative to each other. ..

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where a plurality of works 2 are placed side by side on the stage 4 has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only one work 2 may be placed on the stage 4. In this case, in the transport direction of the irradiator 6, edge reflectors 10 are provided beside the edges 2T on both sides of the work 2.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the photocuring treatment for sealing a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an OLED is exemplified as a light treatment, but the present invention can be applied to any light treatment. Further, the wavelength of the processed light is not limited to ultraviolet rays, and an appropriate wavelength can be used according to the light processing.

1,100 UV processing device 2 Work 2T Work edge 4 Stage 4A Mounting surface 4AT Mounting surface edge 6 Irradiator 8 Drive mechanism 10 Edge reflector (edge reflector)
16 Linear light source (light source)
130 Light source control device (light source control means)
A Longitudinal direction B Short direction (transportation direction, movement direction)
G, G1 Ultraviolet O Emission center Q Irradiation range

Claims (5)

It has a light source that irradiates the work with processing light.
In an optical processing apparatus that irradiates the work with the processing light and photoprocesses the work while relatively moving at least one of the processing light irradiation range and the work.
The direction of relative movement between the irradiation range and the work is reversed before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through the edge extending in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the work.
Wherein arranged beside the edge of the workpiece, the optical processing apparatus characterized in that the processing light directed to the outside of said edge of said workpiece comprises an edge for reflecting member for reflecting the edge of the workpiece. It has a light source that irradiates the work with processing light.
In an optical processing apparatus that irradiates the work with the processing light and photoprocesses the work while relatively moving at least one of the processing light irradiation range and the work.
The direction of relative movement between the irradiation range and the work is reversed before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through the edge extending in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the work.
Increasing the light output of the light source, an optical processing device comprising: a light source control means for increasing the cumulative amount of light at the edge of the workpiece. It has a light source that irradiates the work with processing light.
In an optical processing apparatus that irradiates the work with the processing light and photoprocesses the work while relatively moving at least one of the processing light irradiation range and the work.
The direction of relative movement between the irradiation range and the work is reversed before the entire irradiation range of the processing light passes through the edge extending in the direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the work.
Disposed beside the edge of the workpiece, and the edge reflection member for reflecting the edge of the processed light directed to the outside of the edge of the workpiece the workpiece,
A light source control means that increases the light output of the light source in accordance with the timing at which the irradiation range moves at a portion of the work where the integrated light amount of the processed light is low, and increases the integrated light amount at the location.
An optical processing apparatus characterized by comprising. The light source control means raises the power input to the light source to a value higher than the specified power value to increase the light output, and at the same time, increases the light output.
The optical processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein after increasing the optical output, the electric power is lowered to the specified electric power value and then the electric power is returned to the specified electric power value. When the luminescent center reaches the light source to the edge of the workpiece, the irradiation range, and the light processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein inverting the relative movement of the workpiece, characterized in that ..

Images