JPH08294659A - Granule scattering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To uniformly scatter granules by simplified constitution without flocculating the same. CONSTITUTION: A mixed gas of a spacer and high pressure air is ejected into a first housing from the scattering nozzle 37 provided in the upper part of a housing 31 and the sedimented spacer is accumulated on the surface of the substrate member 36 arranged on the bottom part of the first housing 32 in a grounded state. An air jet nozzle 40 is arranged in the vicinity of the scattering nozzle 37 so as to be revolvable around the scattering nozzle 37 and high pressure air is downwardly ejected toward the scattering nozzle 37 to control the passage of the gas ejected from the scattering nozzle 37. A discharge needle is provided in the leading end of the scattering nozzle 37 to charge the spacer in the gas. By altering the rotational speed or jet timing of the gas jet nozzle 40, the flow rate of the ejected high pressure gas and the attaching angle of the gas jet nozzle 40, the passage of the gas ejected from the scattering nozzle is altered to move the spacer through the scattering region.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a particulate matter spraying device which is preferably used for spraying spacers for determining a distance between two substrate members of a liquid crystal display device on a substrate member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal display device is formed by enclosing a liquid crystal material in a cell in which a pair of substrate members each having electrodes and the like formed on one surface thereof are bonded to each other with a space therebetween. If the variation in the spacing is large and the variation in the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the region corresponding to the display screen is large, for example, display unevenness is caused. Therefore, in order to form a liquid crystal display device with good display quality, it is necessary to make the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the display screen uniform.

Conventionally, in order to make the intervals uniform, a method of laminating a pair of substrate members with a spacer interposed is used. The spacer is a rod-shaped or granular particle with a uniform diameter. The spacers are evenly distributed over the entire area of the substrate member that becomes the display screen of the liquid crystal display device, and then the substrate member is attached. As a result, the cell spacing can be kept constant and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer can be kept uniform.

As a device for spraying the spacer, there are a wet type device and a dry type device. The wet type device is a device that mixes spacers with a volatile solvent such as alcohol or chlorofluorocarbon and sprays them. For example, one of the following three types of methods is used. A first method is a method in which a solvent mixed with spacers is applied onto a substrate and the spacers are dispersed by evaporating the solvent. The second method is to inject the solvent mixed with the spacer from the nozzle into the space inside the spray box with compressed air or nitrogen gas, deposit the solvent on the substrate member installed at the bottom of the spray box, and evaporate the solvent. This is a method of spraying spacers. In the third method, the solvent mixed with the spacer is spray-dispersed from the nozzle into the space inside the spray box, and the spacers that settle in the space are deposited on the substrate member that is sequentially inserted into the bottom of the spray box, and the solvent is evaporated. This is a method of spraying the spacers.

When spacers are sprayed using a wet type apparatus, the solvent may not be completely evaporated and may remain on the substrate member after the spraying process and before the liquid crystal material injection process. this is,
For example, it may cause display unevenness in the liquid crystal display device. As a means to solve this problem, a technique of spraying spacers by using a dry type device that mixes the spacers with compressed air or the like and sprays them into the spray box, and deposits the settling spacers on the substrate installed at the bottom of the spray box. There is.

The applicant of the present application has proposed a spacer spraying device for a dry device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-187533. This publication discloses a technique in which a gas mixed with spacers is injected from a spray nozzle hole installed on the upper side of the spray box, the spacers are deposited on a substrate member installed at the bottom of the spray box, and the spacers are sprayed. Has been done. In the present technology, a high-pressure gas is ejected from below the filter of the spacer deposited on the plastic filter to mix the spacer and the gas, thereby generating a gas mixed with the spacer.

The spacer is realized by fine particles such as glass and plastic. Therefore, a part of the spacers may be charged with static electricity and aggregate. In order to uniformly disperse the spacers over a wide area on the surface of the substrate member, it is necessary to jet the sufficiently dispersed spacers into the space inside the dispersal box. As a technique for preventing agglomeration of particles, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
3-77025 is mentioned. This publication discloses a technique in which a discharge needle is attached to a fixed spray nozzle to charge a spacer contained in a mixed gas. By charging all the spacers, it is possible to prevent the spacers from aggregating and causing uneven scattering.

Further, in the dry type apparatus having the nozzle fixed, the gas mixed with the spacer ejected from the nozzle spreads and settles downward. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently separate the nozzles from the substrate member on which the spacers are scattered, as the spraying area of the spacers is increased. Therefore, the larger the substrate member to be sprayed, the larger the device tends to be. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-3679 discloses a technique for reducing the size of the device and uniformly distributing the spacers. In this publication,
The nozzle is moved in a zigzag manner to inject the gas mixed with the spacer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the structure of a powder-dispersing device of the prior art. The container 1 is a distribution box in which a space for distributing spacers is partitioned from the outside. A substrate 2 on which spacers are to be scattered is installed on the bottom of the container 1.
A spray nozzle 3 is provided at the center of the upper part of the container 1. The spray nozzle 3 performs a predetermined swing motion by the swing mechanism 4 shown in FIG. Further, the spray nozzle 3 is connected to a powder disperser 6 via a powder transport pipe 5. Compressed air or high-pressure gas is supplied to the powder disperser 6 from the compressor 7, and the air pressure causes the spacers to be dispersed. The spacers in the dispersed state are ejected from the spray nozzle 3 toward the substrate 2 below. The air in the container 1 is discharged to the outside of the container 1 by the blower 9 via the exhaust pipe 8 connected to the lower part of the container 1.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the swing mechanism 4 of the spray nozzle 3. The spray nozzle 3 is swingably supported by a ball bearing at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction. The upper end of the spray nozzle 3 is rotatably connected to the end of the swing link 11.
The pin 12, which is the center of the swing link 11, is attached to the slider 13. The first motor 14 is mounted on the slider 13.
The rotary piece 15 is loosely fitted in the elongated hole 16 of the swing link 11 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the swing link 11 swings around the pin 12, and accordingly, the upper end of the spray nozzle 3 has an arrow A.
Rotate the circle in the direction.

A second motor 17 is fixedly provided on a portion such as the outer wall of the container 1. Second motor 1
The rotating piece 18 of No. 7 is loosely fitted in the elongated hole 21 of the second swing link 19. As a result, the second swing link 19 swings around the pin 20 fixedly provided on the outer wall of the container 1. A protrusion is provided on the other end 24 side of the second swing link 19,
This protrusion is engaged with the recess 23 provided in the slider 13. As a result, when the second swing link 19 swings around the pin 20, the slider 13 reciprocates in the arrow B direction.

The first motor 14 and the second motor 17
7 and the magnitude of the swing of the swing links 11 and 19 are set to a predetermined relationship, and the movements in the arrow A and B directions are combined, whereby the spray nozzle 3 of FIG. The lower end can be moved in a zigzag shape. As a result, the spraying area indicated by reference numeral 25 in FIG. 8 moves in a zigzag manner on the substrate 2 without any gap, and the spacers can be sprayed uniformly.

[0013]

Since the above-mentioned spraying device in which the nozzle swings uses the swinging mechanism 4 using the link mechanism, it is difficult to change the moving range of the spraying area, and the substrate to be sprayed is changed. It is difficult to change the model such as changing the size. Further, this device has a problem that the structure of the swing mechanism 4 has a complicated structure including a link mechanism.

Further, in order to uniformly disperse the spacers over a wide range of substrate members, it is necessary to sufficiently disperse the spacers in the gas containing the spacers. Therefore, there is a technique in which a discharge needle is provided at the tip of the nozzle to give a predetermined charge to the ejected spacer. A high voltage is applied to the discharge needle from a power source outside the spray box via wiring. As described above, when the discharge needle is attached to the swinging nozzle, the wiring portion is also swung, which may cause disconnection. When the disconnection occurs, it is impossible to apply a predetermined potential to the spacer ejected from the nozzle, so that the spacers are aggregated, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is greatly varied, and the display quality is deteriorated. Further, when repairing the disconnection portion that has occurred, since a high voltage is supplied to this wiring, it is necessary to carefully find the disconnection portion, which requires time and effort for repair. Further, since the positions of the wiring and the discharge needle are constantly changed, it is difficult to confirm the attachment state of the spacer to the discharge needle and the maintenance is difficult.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a granular material spraying device which can prevent the granular materials from agglomerating with a simple structure and can evenly spray them.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has a holding means for holding an object on which granular material is to be sprinkled, and a sprinkling nozzle arranged above the holding means, and is directed downward from the sprinkling nozzle. A particulate matter spraying means for spraying particulate matter and a gas jetting nozzle rotatably around the spraying nozzle and arranged at a predetermined angle with the spraying nozzle. And a housing for covering the holding means, the spraying nozzle, and the gas spraying nozzle, and controlling the rotation of the gas spraying nozzle to change the spraying direction of the particulate matter sprayed from the spraying nozzle. It is a granular material spraying device characterized by including control means. Further, the present invention is characterized in that an angle θ formed by the spray nozzle and the gas ejection nozzle is selected in a range of 0 ° <θ <90 °. Further, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a charge applying means which is arranged near the tip of the spraying nozzle and which gives a charge to the sprayed particulate matter. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the granular material is made of a material having a high insulating property. Further, the present invention is configured such that the casing includes a first casing arranged on the inner side and a second casing arranged on the outer side, and the first casing is a granular body to which electric charges are given by the electric charge giving means. It is characterized in that it is held at the same potential as the potential of the object and the second casing is grounded. The present invention also provides that the object is
It is a substrate on which wiring is arranged, and includes a grounding means for grounding the wiring. Further, in the present invention, the particulate matter spraying means ejects gas from below the filter of a container in which the particulate matter is deposited on a filter and is stored, and the particulate matter is discharged from an ejection hole provided above the container. And a pipe for connecting the ejection hole and the spray nozzle, the pipe being made of an insulating material. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the gas ejection nozzles are provided in an odd number of 3 or more and arranged at equal intervals. Further, the present invention is a substantially cylindrical body in which the housing has a mounting hole in an upper portion thereof, and a part of the housing is protruded to the mounting hole of the housing so as to be rotatably mounted. , Having an insertion hole that penetrates from the one opening located inside the housing to the other opening located at the projecting portion, the spray nozzle is disposed inside the cylindrical body, and the gas ejection nozzle is located at the one opening. A rotating member to be attached, a roller arranged outside the housing, a belt wound around the protruding portion of the rotating member and the roller, a roller drive motor for driving the roller, and at least the rotating member. A first insertion hole that covers the protruding portion of the moving member, the roller, and the belt to form a closed space, and in which the spray nozzle is inserted, and a second insertion hole for flowing gas into the closed space. And a sealing member having Seen, the control means to control the operation of the roller drive motor. In the present invention, the object is any one substrate member of the pair of substrate members of the liquid crystal panel in which a pair of substrate members are arranged with a predetermined interval, and the particulate matter is
It is a spacer for controlling a distance between the pair of substrate members.

[0017]

According to the present invention, in the granular material spraying device, the holding means is provided at the bottom of the housing partitioning the predetermined space from the outside,
An object, which is an object for spraying the granular material, is held on the holding means. A gas, which is a mixture of high-pressure gas and particulate matter, is ejected toward the object from a spraying nozzle of the particulate matter spraying means which is provided above the housing and above the holding means. Of the ejected gas, particulate matter gradually settles in the space inside the housing and accumulates on the surface of the object. This causes the particles to be spread over the bottom object surface.

A high pressure is applied from the gas ejection nozzle of the gas ejection means which is arranged so as to be rotatable about the distribution nozzle toward the gas ejected from the distribution nozzle and which is arranged at a predetermined angle with the distribution nozzle. Gas is ejected. When the gas ejection means rotates and ejects the high-pressure gas, the gas mixed with the particulate matter ejected from the spray nozzle is blown in the ejection direction of the high-pressure gas, and the gas flow path is bent.
The flow rate of the high-pressure gas, the ejection angle, parameters of the timing of rotation of the gas ejection means, and the like are controlled by the control means.

Thus, the flow path of the gas containing the particulate matter jetted from the fixed spraying nozzle is controlled by the gas jetted from the gas jetting means, and the particulate matter can be uniformly sprayed on the object. Further, by changing the parameters, the flow path of the gas can be freely changed, so that the size of the object to be sprayed can be easily changed.

According to the invention, the angle formed by the spray nozzle and the gas jet nozzle is selected in the range of 0 ° <θ <90 °. Therefore, it is possible to uniformly eject the gas containing the particulate matter in a wide range centered immediately below the fixed spray nozzle.

Further, according to the invention, the particulate matter in the gas mixed with the particulate matter ejected from the spraying nozzle is charged by the charge applying means arranged near the tip of the spraying nozzle.
An electric charge is given. The charge applying means is arranged near the tip of the fixed spray nozzle. Therefore, the wiring embedded in the spray nozzle is not easily broken, and the position of the wiring is always constant, which facilitates maintenance.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the granular material is formed of a material having a high insulating property. By imparting a predetermined electric charge to the particulate matter that easily generates such static electricity by using the charge applying unit in advance, only a part of a large amount of the particulate matter is charged with static electricity and prevents the particulate matter from aggregating, Granules can be well dispersed. As a result, it is possible to more uniformly disperse the granular material.

According to the invention, the casing is composed of a first casing arranged inside and a second casing arranged outside. Since the first casing in which the particulate matter is dispersed is kept at the same potential as the potential applied to the granular matter, it is possible to prevent the particulate matter from adhering to the wall surface of the first casing. Further, since the second casing surrounding the first casing has conductivity and is grounded, a shielding effect is produced,
It is possible to further prevent the particulate matter from adhering to the wall surface of the housing.

Further, according to the invention, the object is realized by, for example, a substrate member of a liquid crystal display device in which wiring is arranged on an insulating substrate, and the wiring is grounded by a grounding means. This makes it easier for the charged particulate matter to adhere to the object.

According to the invention, the gas containing the particulate matter injected from the particulate matter spraying means is supplied from the particulate matter supply means. The particulate matter supply means accumulates and stores the particulate matter on a filter provided inside the container. The high-pressure gas jetted into the container from below the filter blows up the particulate matter on the filter into the space above the filter, and the high-pressure gas and the particulate matter are mixed in the space to become the gas. The gas is supplied to the spray nozzle through a pipe made of an insulator connected to an insertion hole opened at the top of the container. Therefore, the granules can be supplied to the spray nozzle while maintaining the insulating property, and the granules can be sufficiently dispersed and more evenly sprayed.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the gas ejection nozzles are provided in an odd number of 3 or more and arranged at equal intervals. Since the plurality of gas ejection nozzles are not arranged on the same diameter in the ejection direction, it is possible to prevent the ejected high-pressure gas from colliding with each other. Therefore, it is possible to spray the granular material uniformly and in a wide range.

Further, according to the invention, a rotating member having a cylindrical shape is rotatably attached to the outside of the casing in a mounting hole provided in an upper portion of the casing. A spray nozzle is arranged at the center of the inside of the rotating member. Further, one or a plurality of insertion holes are formed in the rotating member.
One opening of the insertion hole is located inside the housing, and the other opening is located at the protruding portion. On the other hand, the gas ejection nozzle is connected to the opening.

A roller driven by a roller drive motor is provided outside the housing. A belt is wound between the roller and the protruding portion of the rotating member to transmit the rotation of the roller driving motor to the rotating member. The operation of the roller drive motor is controlled by the control means. By operating the control means, the rotating member can be rotated, and its operation can be arbitrarily controlled.

The sealing member seals at least the space in which the protruding portion of the rotating member, the roller, and the belt are arranged. From the first insertion hole provided in the sealing member,
The spray nozzle is inserted into the housing and the closed space. The sealing member is provided with a second member for injecting gas into the sealed space.
An insertion hole is formed. Gas is flown into the closed space from the second insertion hole to increase the pressure in the closed space. By increasing the pressure in the closed space, the gas in the space flows into the other opening of the insertion hole formed in the rotating member. In this manner, the gas can flow from the other opening to the one opening, and the gas can be ejected from the gas ejection nozzle attached to the one opening.

Further, according to the invention, the object is any one of the pair of substrate members of the liquid crystal panel in which the pair of substrate members are arranged with a predetermined gap. In addition, the granular material is a spacer that is scattered on the surface of the substrate member and keeps the distance between the pair of substrate members constant. Therefore, the spacers can be evenly distributed on the substrate member, and the display quality of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

[0031]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a simplified structure of a granular material spraying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the granular material spraying device of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the granular material spraying device of FIG. The granular material spraying apparatus of this embodiment is used, for example, when a spacer, which is a granular material that determines the distance between two substrate members of a liquid crystal display device, is sprayed on the substrate members.

The spacer, which is a granular material, is a rod-shaped or granular fine particle having a uniform diameter. The spacer is realized by a material such as plastic.

The housing 31 includes a first housing 32 and a second housing 3.
It forms a double structure with 3. The first housing 32 defines a space for spraying spacers from the outside, and sprays the spacers in the space inside. As will be described later, the spacers dispersed in the space are charged. In order to prevent the charged spacers from adhering to the wall surface of the first housing 32, it is preferable to charge the first housing 32 and the spacers to the same potential. For this reason, it is preferable that the first housing 32 is realized by an electrically insulating material having a charging order close to that of the spacer, for example, vinyl chloride resin. The second housing 33 is formed by opening a space from the first housing 32. The second housing is
It is preferably realized by a material which is difficult to be charged, such as a material in which the function of preventing charging is added to the same material as the first housing or a conductive material. For example, it is realized by a material in which an antistatic function is added to vinyl chloride resin. As a method of adding an antistatic function to a resin material, for example, there is a method of attaching a metal foil to the surface of a member formed of the material or a method of applying a surfactant to the surface. Further, a method of kneading a conductive powder such as copper powder or a surfactant into the material to form a member is also used. The second housing 33 is grounded.

In the first housing 32, there is provided a mounting table 35 on which a substrate member 34, which is an object for spraying spacers, is mounted. The substrate member 34 is vacuum-adsorbed and fixed on the mounting table 35. The substrate member 34 is realized by, for example, a substrate member of a liquid crystal display device, and is realized by forming conductor portions such as wirings and electrodes on the surface of an insulating substrate. These conductor portions are grounded by the grounding means 36.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mounting table 35 on which the grounding means 36 is mounted and the substrate member 34 is mounted. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the grounding unit 36, the mounting table 35, and the substrate member 34 of FIG.

Substrate member 34 mounted on the mounting table 35
Is a conductor portion 3 such as wiring on the surface of the insulating substrate 34a.
4b is formed and covers the conductor portion 34b, and the alignment film 34 is formed.
c is formed. At the end of the substrate 34a, the conductor portion 34
The terminal 71 is formed by exposing b.

The grounding means 36 are installed, for example, at opposite edges of the mounting table 35, respectively. The grounding means 36
Is a leaf spring 36a, a conductive member 36b, and a mounting means 36.
and c.

The mounting means 36c is an elongated rod-shaped member having a substantially rectangular cross section. The mounting means 36c is
A hinge 72 formed at one end of the bottom surface is angularly displaceably connected to the edge of the mounting table 35. As a result, the mounting means 36c is hinged from the state where the bottom surface and the upper surface of the mounting table 35 are in close contact with each other as shown in FIG. 5 to the state where the bottom surface and the upper surface are developed by 90 ° as shown in FIG. It is possible to perform angular displacement in the direction of arrow 70 in FIG.

The leaf spring 36a is an elongated member having a key-shaped cross section, and its mounting portion 73 is mounted on the right side surface of the mounting means 36c in FIG. Leaf spring 36
The main body 74 of a is bent from the upper end of the mounting portion 73 so as to form an angle of approximately 90 °.

A strip-shaped conductive member 36b is attached to the surface of the tip of the main body 74 facing the mounting table 35 in parallel with the edge of the mounting table 35. A ground wire (not shown) is connected to the conductive member 36b to be electrically grounded.

The conductive member 36b is pressed against the plurality of terminals 71 of the substrate member 34 mounted on the mounting table 35, with the bottom surface of the mounting member 36c being in close contact with the upper surface of the mounting table 35.
As a result, the terminals 71 are short-circuited via the conductive member 36b. Since the conductive member 36b is grounded, all the conductor portions 34b on the substrate member 34 can be grounded.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a spray nozzle 37 is provided above the mounting table 35 in the first housing 32. A discharge needle 38, which is a charge applying unit, is provided near the ejection port of the spray nozzle 37. The discharge needle 38 is connected to the power source 3 by wiring (not shown) embedded in the spray nozzle 37.
9 and a high voltage of, for example, −30 kV to −100 kV is applied. As a result, the spacers ejected from the spray nozzle 37 are charged to a predetermined potential.

Since the charging order of the first casing 32 is close to the charging order of the spacers, the charged spacers are the first casing 3.
2 It is possible to prevent the adherence to the wall surface. Further, since the second housing 33 has conductivity and is grounded,
The shielding effect can further prevent the spacer from adhering to the wall surface of the first housing 32. Furthermore, since the conductor portion formed on the surface of the substrate member 34 is grounded, the charged spacers are easily attached.

Around the spray nozzle 37, the spray nozzle 3
A rotation member 5 described later, which can rotate around 7
The gas ejection nozzle 40 attached to the No. 3 is installed. The mounting angle θ, which is the angle formed by the gas ejection nozzle 40 and the spray nozzle 37, can be changed as described later. In order to set a wide control range for the mounting angle θ,
The gas ejection nozzle 40 is preferably formed below the ejection hole of the spray nozzle 37.

The spray nozzle 37 is connected via a pipe 41 to a gas supply means 42 which is a granular material supply means. The gas supply means 42 has a pipe connected to the injection gas source 43 below, and a plastic filter 44 provided above the pipe, for example. Spacer 4 on filter 44
5 are deposited. The filter 44 has a large number of holes having an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the spacer 45 in order to allow air to pass therethrough, and the spacer 45 does not fall from the filter 44.

High-pressure gas such as compressed air or high-pressure nitrogen is introduced from below the gas supply means 42 into the gas supply means 42 from the jet gas source 43 for several seconds, for example. The introduced high-pressure gas passes through the filter 44 and blows up the spacer 45 accumulated on the filter 44 into the space 46 above the gas supply means 42. As a result, the high-pressure gas is mixed with the spacer 45 and becomes a gas mixed with the spacer. The gas mixed with the spacer filling the space 46 of the gas supply means 42 is ejected from the spray nozzle 37 into the inner space of the first housing 32 through the pipe 41 connected to the ejection hole of the upper lid of the gas supply means 42. It The pipe 41 is formed of an electrically insulating material. For this reason, the spacers can be supplied to the spray nozzle 37 while maintaining the insulating properties of the spacers, and the spacers can be sufficiently dispersed and sprayed more uniformly. The spraying nozzle 37, the pipe 41, and the gas supply means 42 constitute a particulate matter spraying means.

Referring to FIG. 3, a mounting hole 32a is formed on the top plate of the first housing 32. The mounting hole 32a
Has a step 32b formed inside. Mounting hole 32a
The inner diameter d1 of the portion from the outside of the first housing 32 to the step 32b is larger than the inner diameter d2 of the portion from the step 32b to the inside of the first housing 32. The first housing 3 is attached to the mounting hole 32a.
2 From the outside, a bearing 51 whose outer diameter is substantially equal to the inner diameter d1
Is attached, and its one surface 51a abuts on the step 32b and is locked.

The gas ejection nozzle 4 is provided in the mounting hole 32a.
A rotating member 53 holding 0 is rotatably attached by the bearing 51. The rotating member 53 is a tubular member, and a step 53a is provided on the outer wall thereof and a step 53 is provided on the inner wall thereof.
b is provided. The outer diameter d3 of the part of the rotating member 53 from the one end which is the upper side in FIG. 3 to the step 53a is larger than the inner diameter d4 of the bearing 51. The outer diameter d5 of the portion of the rotating member 53 from the step 53a to the other end is equal to the inner diameter d4 of the bearing 51. The inner diameter d6 of the portion from the one opening of the rotating member 53 to the step 53b is equal to the step 5
It is smaller than the inner diameter d7 of the portion from 3b to the other opening.

The rotating member 53 is inserted into the mounting hole 32a in which the bearing 51 is mounted from the outside of the first housing 32, and the step 53a is brought into contact with the other surface 51b of the bearing 51 and locked. . Thereby, the rotating member 53 is
The part from the one opening to the step 53a is attached so as to project from the first housing 32.

A gear 53c is formed on the outer periphery of the portion of the rotating member 53 projecting from the first casing 32. The timing belt 56 is wound around the gear 53c and the gear 55 arranged outside the first housing 32. The rotation of the gear 55 driven by the drive motor 54 is transmitted to the rotating member 53 by the timing belt 56. As a result, the rotating member 53 rotates.

The rotation transmitting means consisting of the gears 53c and 55 and the timing belt 56 is the drive motor 5
Other configurations may be used as long as the rotation of 4 can be transmitted to the rotating member 53. For example, the rotating member 5
Instead of forming the gear 53c, an elastic body may be attached to the outer periphery of the gear 53, and a timing belt may be wound around the elastic body. Similarly, a roller made of an elastic body may be used instead of the gear 55.

The part of the rotating member 53 protruding from the first housing 32, the gear 55, and the timing belt 56 are covered by the sealing member 57. The sealing member 57
Is closely arranged on the first housing 32, for example, and has the protruding portion, the gear 55, and the timing belt 56.
The space where and are arranged is sealed from the outside to form a sealed space.

The sealing member 57 has a first insertion hole 57a.
Is formed. A step 57a1 is formed inside the first insertion hole 57a. The inner diameter d8 of the portion of the first insertion hole 57a from the outer one opening to the step 57a1 is larger than the inner diameter d9 of the portion from the step 57a1 to the other opening on the sealed space side. The central axis of the first insertion hole 57a coincides with the central axis of the rotating member 53.

The spray nozzle 37 is inserted into the first insertion hole 57a from the one opening side. Spray nozzle 3
Reference numeral 7 is a tubular member, and a jet port is opened at one end.
At the side edge portion on the other end side of the spray nozzle 37, the locking member 3
7a is formed. The outer diameter d10 of the locking member 37a is smaller than the inner diameter d8 on one opening side of the first insertion hole 57a and larger than the inner diameter d9 on the other opening side. The diameter d11 of the spray nozzle 37 is the inner diameter d of the other opening side.
Less than 9.

The spray nozzle 37 has the first insertion hole 57a.
The lower surface 37b of the locking member 37a is brought into contact with the step 57a1 and locked. At this time, the spray nozzle 37 is inserted into the space inside the rotating member 53 such that one end thereof is located inside the space from the other end of the rotating member 53. A bearing 52 having an outer diameter d7 is attached to the spray nozzle 37. The bearing 52 has a structure in which the spray nozzle 37 is inserted from the first insertion hole 57a and locked,
The bearing 52 has its one surface 52a abutting against a step 53b on the inner wall of the rotating member 53, and supports the rotating member 53 rotatably.

A discharge needle 38 is attached to one end of the spray nozzle 37 where the ejection port is open. Discharge needle 38
Through the wiring not shown arranged in the spray nozzle,
It is connected to the power supply 39.

A pipe 41 is connected to one opening of the spray nozzle 37 through a joint 58. The spray nozzle 37 is connected to the gas supply means 42 via the pipe 41. As a result, the gas mixed with the spacers is introduced from the spray nozzle 37 into the first housing 32.

The sealing member 57 has a second insertion hole 5
7b is formed. The sealing member 5 is inserted into the second insertion hole 57b.
A pipe 47 is connected from the outside of the unit 7 via a joint 59. The pipe 47 is connected to the gas source 43 for injection and serves as a path for supplying high-pressure gas to the closed space.

Furthermore, a third insertion hole 57c is formed in the sealing member 57. The third insertion hole 57c is used for the gear 5
5 is provided to connect the drive motor 54 arranged outside the closed space, and is closed so as not to hinder the rotation of the gear 55 and prevent the gas in the closed space from flowing out.

A through hole 61 is formed in the rotating member 53. The one opening 61 a of the through hole 61 has the first housing 3
2 Open on the outer wall of the portion inserted inside, and open the other side 6
1b is opened in a portion protruding from the first housing 32.

At the lower end 53d of the rotating member 53, for example, the gas ejection nozzle 4 for controlling the flow path of the spacer is provided.
0 is attached. The gas jet nozzle 40 is the spray nozzle 3
7 and the gas ejection nozzle 40 form an attachment angle θ
It has a configuration that can change. The gas ejection nozzle 40 is connected to one opening 61 a of the through hole 61 via a joint 62 and a pipe 63.

The gas ejection nozzle 40 and the through hole 61 are
An odd number of 1 or 3 or more is provided. Each gas ejection nozzle 40 is connected to an individual through hole 61. An odd number of gas jet nozzles 40 and through holes 61 of 3 or more are arranged at equal intervals. By arranging in this way, two arbitrary gas ejection nozzles 40 are arranged at positions facing each other, and the ejection directions of the gas ejected from the gas ejection nozzles 40 are opposite to each other on the same straight line. Therefore, the high pressure gases ejected from the two gas ejection nozzles 40 do not collide with each other from the front. Therefore, the spacers can be evenly and widely distributed.

The high-pressure gas introduced from the injection gas source 43 through the pipe 47 is ejected into the sealing member 57. The through-hole 61 is the only path through which the high-pressure gas introduced into the closed space is ejected to the outside of the closed member 57. Therefore,
The high-pressure gas filled in the closed space passes through the through hole 61 and is jetted from the gas jet nozzle 40 into the inside of the first housing 32.

The gas mixed with the spacers generated by the gas supply means 42 is ejected from the spray nozzle 37 into the inside of the first housing 32. The spray nozzle 37 is installed directly above the central portion of the substrate member 34 installed on the mounting table 35, and when high-pressure gas is not ejected from the gas ejection nozzle 40, the gas is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate member 34. Is jetted. As a result, the spraying area where the spacers are sprayed is
For example, it is formed in a circular shape near the center of the substrate member 34.

The gas ejection nozzle 40 is installed on the rotating member 53 at an attachment angle θ with an axis 66 parallel to the central axis 64 of the spray nozzle 37, and an arrow 65 is centered on the central axis 64.
Rotate in the direction. The attachment angle θ is an angle equal to the angle formed by the ejection direction of the gas mixed with the spacer ejected from the spray nozzle 37 and the ejection direction of the high-pressure gas ejected from the gas ejection nozzle 40.

When high-pressure gas is jetted from the gas jet nozzle 40 installed below the jet holes of the spray nozzle 37, the spacer in the gas is blown off by the high-pressure gas. Thereby, the flow path of the gas is restricted so as to be along the ejection direction of the high-pressure gas, and the ejection direction is changed. By doing so, the flow path of the gas mixed with the spacer is changed while the spray nozzle 37 is fixed, and the substrate member 34
When the number of the gas ejection nozzles 40 is one, the upper spraying area can be moved in a circle around the substrate member.

The flow rate of the high-pressure gas guided to the gas ejection nozzle 40, the number of revolutions of the rotating member 53, the gas ejection nozzle 4
Parameters such as the injection timing of 0 and the ejection time can be arbitrarily changed by the control means 67. By changing the above-mentioned parameters, for example, first, the gas ejection nozzle 40 is stopped and the gas is ejected from the spray nozzle 37, the spacer is sprayed on the central portion of the substrate member 34, and then the gas jet nozzle 40 is operated. Spacers can be additionally sprinkled around the substrate member 34. Further, the gas ejection nozzle 40 may be operated before the ejection nozzle 37 is ejected, or the ejection nozzle 37 and the gas ejection nozzle 40 may be operated simultaneously.

As a result, the spraying area can be moved arbitrarily, and the spacers can be uniformly sprayed on the substrate member of a predetermined size. For example, the flow rate is 10 liters /
It is conceivable that the rotation speed is changed in the range of 0.5 to 60 liters / minute and the rotation speed is changed in the range of 0.5 rotations / second to 32 rotations / second.

By changing the attachment angle θ in addition to the above parameters, the size of a predetermined substrate member can be changed. For example, the flow rate increases as the size of the substrate member increases. Mounting angle θ
Can be selected in the range of 0 ° <θ <90 °, and is set, for example, in the range of 15 ° to 60 ° so that the angle increases as the substrate member size increases. The mounting angle θ is changed when the size of the board member is changed.

In this embodiment, the fixed spray nozzle 37 is used.
A discharge needle 38 is attached to. Therefore, the wiring embedded in the spray nozzle 37 is always at a fixed position.
As a result, wire breakage is less likely to occur as compared with the case where the discharge needle is attached to the movable spray nozzle. Further, charged spacers are apt to adhere to the discharge needle 38, and it is necessary to clean the apparatus about every 8 to 10 hours. Further, the discharge needle 38 is easily worn and needs to be replaced every time the apparatus is operated for 2-3 months. Since the discharge needle 38 of the present embodiment is always located at the same position, the position is easy to grasp and it is easy to confirm the attached state of the spacer. Moreover, it is easy to align when replacing. Therefore, maintenance is easy.

As described above, by using the granular material spraying apparatus of this embodiment, the spacers can be uniformly sprayed on the substrate member. Therefore, it is possible to improve the display reliability of the liquid crystal display device using the substrate member in which the spacers are evenly dispersed.

The particulate matter spraying apparatus of this embodiment may be used to spray particulate matter other than the spacers onto the objects to be sprayed. Further, the object may be something other than the substrate member.

[0073]

According to the present invention, the granular material spraying device is a granular material that ejects a mixed gas of high-pressure gas and granular material from above an object placed on the holding means in the housing to settle. Objects are sprinkled on the bottom object surface.

The spray nozzle for ejecting the gas is fixed, and ejects the gas toward the object. High-pressure gas is jetted toward the gas jetted from the spray nozzle from a gas jet nozzle of the gas jet means provided in the vicinity of the spray nozzle, which rotates around the spray nozzle. With this high-pressure gas, the flow path of the gas containing the particulate matter ejected from the fixed spraying nozzle can be controlled, and the particulate matter can be uniformly sprayed on the object.

Since it is possible to change the flow path of the gas mixed with the particulates and control the movement of the spraying area simply by changing the parameters of the gas ejection means, the size of the object can be easily changed. it can. As a result, it is possible to uniformly disperse the particulate matter on the objects of various sizes with the spraying nozzle fixed and using a device having a simple structure.

Further, according to the present invention, the angle formed by the spray nozzle and the gas jet nozzle, that is, the angle formed by the jet direction of the gas mixed with the particulate matter and the jet direction of the high pressure gas is 0 ° <θ < It is selected in the range of 90 °. Therefore, it is possible to blow the high-pressure gas onto the gas ejected vertically downward to advance the gas through an arbitrary flow path. Therefore, it is possible to move the dispersion area of the granular material at an arbitrary distance from the center, and it is possible to easily change the size of the object to be dispersed.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the particulate matter in the gas mixed with the particulate matter jetted from the spraying nozzle is given an electric charge by the charge giving means arranged near the tip of the spraying nozzle. Moreover, the granular material is formed of a material having a high insulating property. By preliminarily applying a predetermined electric charge to such a granular material that easily generates static electricity, it is possible to prevent the granular material from aggregating and sufficiently disperse the granular material.
As a result, it is possible to more uniformly disperse the granular material.

Further, according to the present invention, the casing is an inner first casing which is kept at the same potential as the potential of the granular material to which the electric charge is given by the electric charge giving means, and a conductive material which covers the first casing and is grounded. And a second housing having a property. As a result, it is possible to implement a safety measure with a simple configuration, which prevents the charged particulate matter from adhering to the wall surface of the housing and prevents leakage of electricity.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the object is a substrate having wirings arranged on the surface thereof, and the substrate is grounded. As a result, the granular material to which the electric charge has been applied is likely to adhere to the surface of the substrate.

Further, according to the present invention, the particulate matter is deposited on the filter in the container of the particulate matter supply means. High-pressure gas is introduced from below this container to blow up particulate matter and mix with the gas. As a result, it is possible to generate a gas containing the particulate matter in which the particulate matter is sufficiently dispersed. Therefore,
It can be sprayed more uniformly. In addition, the generated gas is supplied to the spray nozzle through a pipe made of an insulator, and can be supplied while maintaining the insulating property of the granular material, so that the granular material can be sufficiently dispersed and more evenly dispersed. it can.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, an odd number of three or more gas ejection nozzles are arranged at equal intervals around the spray nozzle. Thereby, the ejection directions of the high-pressure gas ejected from any two of the gas ejection nozzles face each other, and it is possible to prevent the high-pressure gas from colliding with each other. For this reason, it is possible to spray the particulate matter more uniformly and in a wide range.

Further, according to the present invention, a closed space closed by a sealing member is formed in the upper part of the housing. In the closed space, a protruding portion of a rotating member having an insertion hole that is inserted into a mounting hole of the housing and has a gas ejection nozzle and one opening connected to the inside of the housing is arranged, and the rotation of the roller drive motor is transmitted. The rotating member is rotated. Gas is introduced from the outside into the closed space to have a high pressure, the gas flows into the insertion hole opening in the closed space, and is ejected from the gas ejection nozzle into the housing. This makes it possible to supply high-pressure gas to the gas ejection nozzle with a simple structure without hindering the rotation of the gas ejection nozzle.

Further, according to the present invention, the object is a substrate member of a liquid crystal display device, and the particles are spacers. Therefore, it is possible to improve the display reliability of the liquid crystal display device formed by the substrate member in which the spacers are scattered by using this device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a granular material spraying device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view around the spray nozzle 37 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view around the spray nozzle 37 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mounting table 35 on which a grounding means 36 is attached and a substrate member 34 is mounted.

5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the mounting table 35 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a conventional granular material spraying device.

7 is a plan view of a swinging mechanism 4 of the spray nozzle 3 of FIG.

8 is a view showing a spraying area of the spraying nozzle 3 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 31 housing 32 first housing 32a mounting hole 33 second housing 34 substrate member 35 mounting table 36 grounding means 37 spraying nozzle 38 discharge needle 39 power supply 40 gas ejection nozzle 41 piping 42 gas supply means 43 jetting gas source 44 filter 45 spacer 53 Rotating member 54 Motor 55 Gear 56 Timing belt 57 Sealing member 57a First insertion hole 57b Second insertion hole 61 Through hole 67 Control means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A granular material which has a holding means for holding an object to which the granular material is to be sprinkled, and a spraying nozzle arranged above the holding means, and ejects the granular material downward from the spraying nozzle. A spraying unit, a gas spraying unit that is rotatably arranged around the spraying nozzle, and has a gas spraying nozzle that is arranged at a predetermined angle with the spraying nozzle; and a gas spraying unit that sprays gas from the gas spraying nozzle, A housing for covering the holding means, the spray nozzle, and the gas jet nozzle; and a control means for controlling the rotation of the gas jet nozzle to change the spraying direction of the particulate matter sprayed from the spray nozzle. And a granular material spraying device. 2. The granular material spraying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle θ formed by the spraying nozzle and the gas jetting nozzle is selected in a range of 0 ° <θ <90 °. 3. Located near the tip of the spray nozzle,
The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 1, further comprising a charge applying means for applying a charge to the particulate matter to be sprayed. 4. The granular material spraying device according to claim 3, wherein the granular material is made of a material having a high insulating property. 5. The housing is configured to include a first housing arranged inside and a second housing arranged outside, and the first housing is a granular body to which a charge is given by the charge giving means. The granular material spraying device according to claim 3, wherein the second housing is grounded while being maintained at the same electric potential as that of the material. 6. The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 3, wherein the object is a substrate on which wiring is arranged, and a grounding unit for grounding the wiring is included. 7. The particulate matter spraying means ejects gas from below the filter of a container in which the particulate matter is accumulated on a filter and is stored, and the particulate matter is sprayed from an ejection hole provided above the container. 4. The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 3, wherein the particulate matter spraying means is configured to include a particulate matter supply means for jetting the particulate matter, and a pipe connecting the jetting hole and the spraying nozzle, wherein the pipeline is made of an insulator. 8. The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 1, wherein an odd number of the gas jet nozzles of 3 or more is provided and arranged at equal intervals. 9. The housing has a mounting hole in an upper portion thereof, and the housing is a substantially cylindrical body part of which protrudes outside the housing and is rotatably mounted in the mounting hole of the housing. , Having an insertion hole that penetrates from the one opening located inside the housing to the other opening located at the projecting portion, the spray nozzle is disposed inside the cylindrical body, and the gas ejection nozzle is located at the one opening. A rotating member to be attached, a roller arranged outside the housing, a belt wound around the protruding portion of the rotating member and the roller, a roller drive motor for driving the roller, and at least the rotating member. A protruding portion of the moving member, the roller,
A sealing member that covers the belt to form a sealed space, and has a first insertion hole through which the spray nozzle is inserted; and a sealing member that has a second insertion hole for flowing gas into the sealed space, the control The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 1, wherein the means controls the operation of the roller drive motor. 10. The object is any one substrate member of the pair of substrate members of a liquid crystal panel in which a pair of substrate members is arranged with a predetermined gap, and the granular material is a pair of substrate members. 7. The particulate matter spraying device according to claim 6, wherein the spacer is a spacer for controlling the distance between the substrate members.