JP7421198B2 - Film pasting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for applying a film to a curved member.

Various functional films such as anti-reflection films and anti-glare films are attached to liquid crystal panels. The following patent document discloses an apparatus for pasting a film-like pasting member onto a panel-like pasted member constituting a flat display.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-74619

Curved liquid crystal panels are used in various fields. For example, curved panels are used in computer displays, automobile meter panels, and the like. Even on curved liquid crystal panels, it is necessary to attach various functional films as described above. However, curved liquid crystal panels have a complicated trajectory during which the liquid crystal panel is conveyed during the film pasting process, and therefore the pasting process is more difficult than for flat liquid crystal panels. Conventionally, the locus of the transport path of the curved liquid crystal panel is calculated, and the film pasting device is moved according to the locus. However, even with the method of moving the pasting device according to the calculated movement trajectory, if the conveyance speed of the curved liquid crystal panel changes, the film may not be pasted accurately.

An object of the present invention is to accurately attach a film to a curved member.

(1) A film pasting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a conveyance device that conveys a curved surface member while pasting a film on the curved surface member, a follow-up unit that moves to follow the curved surface member being conveyed, and a follow-up unit. and a support device that movably supports the. The follow-up unit includes a holding part that holds the curved surface member and a unit main body part that supports the holding part. The unit main body supports the holding part so that the relative position of the holding part with respect to the unit main body can be displaced, and the unit main body includes a detection part that can detect the relative position of the holding part with respect to the unit main body, and a detection part that can detect the relative position of the holding part with respect to the unit main body. and a control device that performs control to move the follow-up unit based on the following, so as to maintain the relative position at a predetermined position.

A film can be attached to a curved member with high precision.

(2) In the above film sticking device, the holding section may include a suction section that suctions the curved member.

The curved member can be held by suction by the suction part.

(3) In the above-mentioned film pasting device, the holding section may include a gripping section that grips the curved member.

The curved member can be held by the grip.

(4) In the above-mentioned film pasting device, if the direction in which the conveying device conveys the curved surface member is the front-back direction, the support device may support the follow-up unit so as to be movable in the front-back direction and the up-down direction.

The following unit can follow curved members of various shapes.

(5) In the above-mentioned film pasting device, the unit main body portion may support the holding portion movably in the vertical direction.

The holding portion can be made to follow curved members of various shapes.

(6) In the above-mentioned film pasting device, the unit main body portion may support the holding portion so as to be swingable in the front-back direction.

The holding portion can be made to follow curved members of various shapes.

According to the present invention, it is possible to attach a film to a curved member with high precision.

It is an overall perspective view of a film pasting device. It is an overall side view of a film pasting device. It is a perspective view of a follow-up unit. It is a side view of a follow-up unit. It is a figure which shows the holding device rocking with respect to a unit main body. It is a figure which shows the state in which the curved surface member was conveyed in the front direction.

Hereinafter, the film sticking device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Overall configuration of film sticking device 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of film sticking device 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall structure of film sticking device 1. In the following description, three-dimensional directions are indicated using the XYZ axes shown in each figure. In this embodiment, the XY plane is a horizontal plane and the Z axis is a vertical direction. Further, the description will be made assuming that the X axis is the forward direction and the Y axis is the left direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the film sticking device 1 includes a support device 2, a follow-up unit 5, and a conveyance device 9. The support device 2 includes an X-axis support device 3 and a Z-axis support device 4. The follow-up unit 5 includes a unit main body 6 and a holding device 7.

(2) Configuration of support device 2 The support device 2 is a device that supports the follow-up unit 5. The follow-up unit 5 is supported so as to be suspended from the lower end of the support device 2 . The support device 2 includes an X-axis support device 3 that supports the follow-up unit 5 movably in the X-axis direction, and a Z-axis support device 4 that supports the follow-up unit 5 so that it can move in the Z-axis direction.

The X-axis support device 3 includes an X-axis guide rail 31 and an X-axis drive motor 32. A slide member 41 of the Z-axis support device 4 is supported by the X-axis direction guide rail 31 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction. By driving the X-axis direction drive motor 32, the Z-axis support device 4 moves in the X-axis direction along the X-axis direction guide rail 31, as shown by arrow D1 in the figure.

The Z-axis support device 4 includes a slide member 41, a Z-axis direction guide 42, and a Z-axis direction drive motor 43. The slide member 41 is a member extending in the Z-axis direction, and its upper end is slidably supported by the X-axis direction guide rail 31. The Z-axis direction guide 42 is a member extending in the Z-axis direction and is fixed to the slide member 41. The Z-axis direction guide 42 slidably supports a slide member 64 of the follow-up unit 5, which will be described later. By driving the Z-axis direction drive motor 43, the slide member 64 moves in the Z-axis direction while being guided by the Z-axis direction guide 42, as shown by arrow D2 in the figure.

(3) Configuration of conveyance device 9 The conveyance device 9 includes a film conveyance table 90 and rollers 91 and 92. The film transport table 90 is a substantially rectangular member extending in the X-axis direction. The film transport table 90 is inclined so that its height increases toward the X-axis direction. That is, the film conveyance table 90 is inclined so that the front side is higher. A film 102 is placed on the film transport table 90 .

Rollers 91 and 92 are arranged at the front end of the conveying device 9. The rollers 91 and 92 are arranged to extend in the Y-axis direction. That is, the rollers 91 and 92 are arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction. The roller 91 is a drive roller that is rotated by the drive of the motor 93. The roller 92 is a driven roller that is disposed below the roller 91 and rotates as the roller 91 is rotated. The rollers 91 and 92 sandwich the curved member 101 and the film 102 and transport these members in the X-axis direction (front direction). The curved member 101 and the film 102 are bonded together by being sandwiched between rollers 91 and 92.

(4) Configuration of follow-up unit 5 Next, the configuration of follow-up unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The follow-up unit 5 includes the unit main body 6 and the holding device 7, as described above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the follow-up unit 5. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the follow-up unit 5.
(4-1) Configuration of Unit Main Body The unit main body 6 includes a first member 61, a second member 62, and a third member 63, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The first member 61 is arranged to extend in the Y-axis direction. That is, the first member 61 is arranged to extend in the left-right direction. The second member 62 is arranged so as to extend from both left and right ends of the first member 61 toward the X-axis direction (front direction). The left and right second members 62 sandwich and support the holding device 7. The third member 63 is a member that is attached to the left end of the first member 61 and extends in the vertical direction.

The unit main body 6 further includes a slide member 64, a control device 65, and a first sensor 66. The lower end of the slide member 64 is fixed to the first member 61. The upper end of the slide member 64 is supported by the aforementioned Z-axis direction guide 42 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. By driving the Z-axis direction drive motor 43, the unit main body 6 moves in the Z-axis direction, as shown by arrow D2 in the figure. That is, the unit main body portion 6 is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the support device 2.

The control device 65 acquires detection information from the first sensor 66 and a second sensor 76 (described later), and calculates the current relative position of the suction section 73 (described later) with respect to the unit main body 6 . The control device 65 determines the moving direction of the follow-up unit 5 based on the relative position of the suction part 73. In this embodiment, the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76 are displacement sensors that detect the position of the object by reflecting laser light.

(4-2) Configuration of Holding Device 7 The holding device 7 includes a rotation block 70 and a sensor support plate 71, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The rotation block 70 rotates around a rotation shaft 79 together with the left and right rotation shafts 79 . The left and right rotation shafts 79 extend in the Y-axis direction. The left and right rotation shafts 79 are rotatably supported by the left and right second members 62. The sensor support plate 71 is a member that is fixed to the rotation block 70 and extends in the Z-axis direction (upward).

As shown in FIG. 3, the holding device 7 includes three holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c extending in the Z-axis direction. That is, the holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c extend in the vertical direction. The holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c are inserted into through holes provided in the rotating block 70, and protrude upward and downward from the rotating block 70. The holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c are supported to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the rotation block 70, as shown by arrow D3 in the figure. The holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c are also supported so as to be swingable in the front and rear directions with respect to the unit main body 6 together with the rotation block 70, as shown by arrow D4 in the figure. In the following description, the holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c will be collectively referred to as the holding pipe 72 as appropriate. In addition, in FIG. 4, the second member 62, the third member 63, the holding pipe 72c, etc. on the left side are virtually removed from the follow-up unit 5, and the holding pipe 72b in the middle is made easier to see. Similarly, in FIG. 2, the second member 62, the third member 63, the holding pipe 72c, etc. on the left side are virtually removed from the follow-up unit 5, and the holding pipe 72b in the middle is made easier to see.

Each of the holding pipes 72 is a member having a hollow portion that extends in the vertical direction, and a hose 81 (see FIG. 1; not shown in FIG. 3) is connected to the upper end of each of the holding pipes 72. The hose 81 is connected to a pump 82 (shown in FIG. 1), and when the pump 82 is driven, a negative pressure is generated within the holding pipe 72.

Adsorption portions 73a, 73b, and 73c are attached to the lower ends of the holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c, respectively. The suction parts 73a, 73b, and 73c are collectively referred to as the suction part 73 as appropriate. The suction portion 73 is a circular member in a plan view, and has a hollow portion penetrating in the vertical direction at its center. In this embodiment, the suction portion 73 is a member made of rubber. The cavity of the suction portion 73 is connected to the cavity within the holding pipe 72. Thereby, by driving the pump 82, negative pressure is generated in the suction section 73, and the curved surface member 101 can be suctioned. The adsorption section 73 is an example of a holding section according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, springs 74a, 74b, and 74c are attached to the holding pipes 72a, 72b, and 72c above the rotation block 70, respectively. The holding pipes 72a, 72b, 72c are provided with spring stoppers 75a, 75b, 75c at positions near the upper ends, respectively. The upper ends of the springs 74a, 74b, 74c are fixed to spring stoppers 75a, 75b, 75c. Further, the lower ends of the springs 74a, 74b, and 74c are fixed to the upper surface of the rotation block 70. In the following description, the springs 74a, 74b, and 74c will be appropriately referred to as the spring 74, and the spring stoppers 75a, 75b, and 75c will be appropriately referred to as the spring stopper 75.

With this configuration, the spring 74 is sandwiched between the upper surface of the rotation block 70 and the lower surface of the spring stopper 75. When the holding pipe 72 moves upward relative to the rotation block 70, the spring 74 applies a downward biasing force to the holding pipe 72. Further, when the holding pipe 72 moves downward relative to the rotating block 70, the spring 74 applies an upward biasing force to the holding pipe 72. Thereby, the holding pipe 72 is configured to return to its original position by the urging force of the spring 74.

A second sensor 76 is attached to the upper part of the sensor support plate 71. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a second sensor detection section 77 is provided in the middle holding pipe 72b in the left-right direction. The second sensor detection section 77 is a substantially disk-shaped plate. The second sensor 76 is a displacement sensor that detects the distance to the second sensor detection section 77 using laser light. When the holding pipe 72b moves in the vertical direction with respect to the rotation block 70, the distance between the second sensor 76 and the second sensor detection section 77 changes. This changing distance is detected by the second sensor 76. The second sensor 76 provides detection information to the control device 65 via a control line (not shown) or wirelessly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the left end of the left rotation shaft 79 protrudes to the left from the left second member 62, and the first sensor detection section 78 is attached to the left end (in FIG. 1 sensor detection unit 78 is removed). The first sensor detection section 78 rotates together with the rotating shaft 79. That is, the first sensor detection section 78 rotates together with the rotation block 70. The first sensor detection section 78 is located in front of the first sensor 66 attached to the unit main body section 6. The first sensor 66 is a displacement sensor that detects the distance to the first sensor detection section 78 using laser light. When the first sensor detection section 78 rotates together with the rotation block 70, the distance between the first sensor 66 and the first sensor detection section 78 changes. This changing distance is detected by the first sensor 66. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the holding device 7 is tilted forward with respect to the unit main body 6. As shown in FIG. As the holding device 7 is tilted forward, the rotation block 70 and the first sensor detection section 78 are also tilted forward. In this way, the distance between the first sensor 66 and the first sensor detection section 78 changes. The first sensor 66 provides detection information to the control device 65 via a control line (not shown) or wirelessly.

The control device 65 calculates the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 based on the detection information acquired from the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76 . The control device 65 performs control to maintain the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 at a predetermined position. Specifically, the control device 65 controls the X-axis direction drive motor 32 and the Z-axis direction drive motor 43 to move the follow-up unit 5 in the X-axis direction and/or the Z-axis direction. Then, the follower unit 5 is moved so that the relative position of the suction part 73 with respect to the unit main body part 6 is maintained at a predetermined position. For example, the control device 65 controls the relative position of the adsorption section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 to be maintained at a preset position (initial relative position). Alternatively, the control device 65 controls the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 to maintain the position where the suction section 73 initially holds the curved surface member 101 (initial relative position).

(5) Film pasting operation The pasting operation of the film 102 to the curved member 101 by the film pasting device 1 configured as above will be explained. First, the film 102 is placed on the film transport table 90. The front end of the film 102 is set at an initial position close to the rollers 91 and 92. Further, the curved member 101 is transported to an initial position close to the rollers 91 and 92 by a curved member transport device (not shown). The initial position of the curved member 101 is set such that the front end of the curved member 101 is close to the front end of the film 102.

Next, under the control of the control device 65, the X-axis support device 3 and the Z-axis support device 4 are driven, and the follow-up unit 5 is moved to an initial position where the rear end of the curved member 101 can be held. This position is set in advance according to the initial position of the curved member 101, for example. When the follow-up unit 5 moves to the initial position, the pump 82 is driven under the control of the control device 65, and the rear end of the curved member 101 is sucked by the suction portion 73. Thereby, the rear end of the curved surface member 101 is held by the holding device 7. The relative position of the suction part 73 to the unit main body part 6 at this time is the initial relative position. When the holding device 7 completes holding the curved member 101, the curved member conveying device releases the holding of the curved member 101 and retreats to a predetermined position.

Next, under the control of the control device 65, the motor 93 is driven, and the roller 91 starts rotating. As a result, the front end of the curved member 101 and the front end of the film 102 are brought together and conveyed forward between the rollers 91 and 92. An adhesive member is applied to the upper surface of the film 102, and the film 102 is attached to the lower surface of the curved member 101.

When the curved member 101 is conveyed forward by the rollers 91 and 92, the suction portion 73 adhering to the rear end of the curved member 101 also moves forward. At this time, since the curved member 101 has various shapes, the moving direction of the suction portion 73 differs depending on the curved shape of the curved member 101. Here, since the holding device 7 is swingable in the up-down direction (D3 direction) and the front-back direction (D4 direction) with respect to the unit main body 6, the suction section 73 can follow the movement of the curved surface member 101. Can be done. That is, the suction portion 73 follows the movement of the curved member 101 by changing its relative position with respect to the unit main body portion 6.

When the suction section 73 moves relative to the unit main body 6 by moving in the vertical direction (D3 direction) or swinging in the front-back direction (D4 direction), the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76 change. Detect relative position. The control device 65 calculates the current relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 based on the detection information acquired from the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76 . Then, the control device 65 sends a control instruction to the X-axis support device 3 and the Z-axis support device 4 so that the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 returns to the initial relative position. This control instruction includes the amount of movement in the X-axis direction and the amount of movement in the Z-axis direction. In response to this control instruction, the X-axis direction drive motor 32 and/or the Z-axis direction drive motor 43 are driven to move the following unit 5. Thereby, the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body section 6 is controlled to maintain the initial relative position.

Such control continues while the curved member 101 is transported forward by the rollers 91 and 92. Thereby, while the upper surface of the film 102 is attached to the lower surface of the curved surface member 101, the rear end of the curved surface member 101 can be continuously held by the holding device 7. Then, when the curved surface member 101 moves to a predetermined release position, the suction of the pump 82 is stopped, and the holding of the curved surface member 101 by the holding device 7 is released. The predetermined release position is a position where the curved member 101 and the film 102 can be attached without requiring holding by the holding device 7, and is set in advance. Through the above operations, the film 102 is attached to the lower surface of the curved member 101, and the curved member 101 with the film 102 attached is sent out in front of the rollers 91, 92. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the curved surface member 101 is transported in the X-axis direction (front direction). The curved member 101, which is sandwiched between the rollers 91 and 92 and has the film 102 attached to its lower surface, is transported forward. Then, when the holding by the follow-up unit 5 is no longer necessary, the suction by the pump 82 is stopped, and the holding device 7 releases the holding of the rear end of the curved surface member 101.

As explained above, according to the film pasting device 1 of the present embodiment, first, the holding device 7 follows the movement of the curved surface member 101, and then the unit main body 6 follows the movement of the holding device 7. . This allows the film 102 to be attached to curved members 101 of various shapes. Conventionally, the activation of the holding part to be followed according to the shape of the curved member is calculated, and a large number of points (100 points, etc.) on activation are stored in the control device. In this embodiment, there is no need to calculate and store the movement trajectory of the tracking unit 5 in advance. The following unit 5 can follow the curved surface member 101 in any shape by automatically correcting the distance to the curved surface member 101 by the above method.

The film pasting device 1 of the present embodiment maintains the holding of the curved member 101 by the suction portion 73 by maintaining the relative position of the suction portion 73 of the holding device 7 with respect to the unit main body portion 6 at a predetermined position (initial relative position). can do. Even if the shape of the curved surface member 101 is unknown, by keeping the relative position of the suction part 73 at a predetermined position (initial relative position), the curved surface member 101 will not be released from being held and the curved surface member 101 will not fall. Moreover, even if the conveyance speed of the curved surface member 101 is not constant, the suction section 73 can be made to follow the curved surface member 101 by keeping the relative position of the suction section 73 at a predetermined position (initial relative position).

Here, the relative position of the suction part 73 with respect to the unit main body part 6 is, for example, the position of point P2 with respect to point P1 shown in FIG. In order to maintain this relative position at a predetermined position (initial relative position), in this embodiment, the relative position of the suction part 73 with respect to the unit body part 6 is determined based on the detection information of the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76. is being calculated.

(6) Other Embodiments In the embodiments described above, the first sensor 66 and the second sensor 76, which are displacement sensors, are used to calculate the relative position of the adsorption section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6. The method of calculating the relative position of the suction part 73 is not limited to the displacement sensor. For example, the suction section 73 may include a three-dimensional gravity sensor, and the control device 65 may calculate the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 based on the detection information. Alternatively, the suction section 73 may include a force sensor, and the control device 65 may calculate the relative position of the suction section 73 with respect to the unit main body 6 based on detection information from the force sensor.

The film pasting device 1 of the embodiment described above can be used, for example, as a device for pasting an antireflection film as the film 102 to a liquid crystal panel as the curved surface member 101. In addition, the present invention can be used in devices for attaching film-like or sheet-like members to various curved members 101.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the suction section 73 as a holding section holds the curved surface member 101 by suction, but this is just an example. A gripping portion that grips the curved member 101 may be used as the holding portion.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above are merely examples for implementing the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit thereof.

1...Film pasting device 2...Support device 3...X-axis support device 4...Z-axis support device 5...Following unit 6...Unit main body 64...Slide member 65...Control device 66...First sensor 7...Holding device 70...Rotation Block 71...Sensor support plate 72 (72a, 72b, 72c)...Holding pipe 73 (73a, 73b, 73c)...Adsorption section 76...Second sensor 77...Second sensor detection section 78...First sensor detection section 79...Rotation Axis 9...Transport device 101...Curved surface member 102...Film

Claims (6)

a conveyance device that conveys the curved surface member while attaching a film to the curved surface member;
a following unit that moves to follow the curved member being transported;
a support device that movably supports the following unit;
Equipped with
The following unit is
a holding part that holds the curved surface member;
a unit main body portion that supports the holding portion;
including;
The unit main body supports the holding part so that the relative position of the holding part with respect to the unit main body can be displaced,
The unit main body part is
a detection section capable of detecting the relative position of the holding section with respect to the unit main body;
a control device that performs control to move the tracking unit based on the detected relative position so as to maintain the relative position at a predetermined position;
A film pasting device having: The holding part is
a suction unit that suctions the curved member;
The film pasting device according to claim 1, comprising: The holding part is
a gripping section that grips the curved member;
The film pasting device according to claim 1, comprising: If the direction in which the conveying device conveys the curved surface member is the front-back direction,
The film pasting device according to claim 1, wherein the support device supports the follow-up unit movably in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The film pasting device according to claim 4, wherein the unit main body supports the holding portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The film pasting device according to claim 4, wherein the unit main body supports the holding portion so as to be swingable in the front-back direction.

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