JPH086036A - Pressurizing device of liquid crystal panel assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to obtain a uniform and stable gap by evenly pressurizing the entire part of a liquid crystal panel assembly. CONSTITUTION:This pressurizing device is provided with a stationary plate 24 and a pressurizing plate 25 facing the stationary plate 24. Suction holes 27 are formed at the pressurizing plate 25. The liquid crystal panel assembly L is sucked to be positioned or is released by selectively communicating these suction holes 27 with a vacuum source and air supply source. The pressurizing plate 25 is supported on a lifting base 32 of a lifting stage 30 by a follow-up device 31 consisting of a supporting member 40 to be a fulcrum for oscillation and an expandable and contractable damper device 43. A load cell 42 is interposed between the supporting member 40 and the lifting base 32. The pressurizing plate 25 is oscillated by the follow-up device 31, by which the spacings between the respective glass substrates and both pressurizing and receiving surfaces of the liquid crystal panel assembly L are automatically absorbed at the time of pressurizing the liquid crystal panel assembly L by means of the stationary plate 24 and the pressurizing plate 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pressure device for a liquid crystal panel assembly, which is used in a liquid crystal panel assembling process to press two substrates facing each other with a spacer and a sealant interposed therebetween. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one example of assembling a liquid crystal panel, first, a spacer made of polymer, glass, silica or the like having a particle diameter of about 5 μm is sprinkled inside one glass substrate and then a sealant is applied. To do. Next, the two glass substrates are aligned using image processing technology, and the two glass substrates are temporarily pressure-bonded to each other so that the gap between the two glass substrates is equal to the particle diameter of the spacers previously scattered, and the two glass substrates are Temporary bonding is performed with an ultraviolet curing resin so that the position of the glass substrate does not shift. After that, pressure is applied, and the sealant is hardened to perform final pressure bonding (bonding).

Conventionally, there are two types of systems for bonding the liquid crystal panel assembly, a batch type and a single-wafer type,
In either case, the pressure plate is moved up and down with respect to the fixed plate by the lifting device, and the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed against the fixed plate by the pressure plate to cure the sealant. The gap between the glass substrates of the liquid crystal panel must be strictly controlled to a gap of several μm, and the parallelism between the pressure surface and the receiving surface is adjusted with high accuracy.

[0004]

However, in the configuration of the above-mentioned conventional example, the flatness error of the fixed plate and the pressure plate and the unevenness of the thickness of the glass substrate itself of the liquid crystal panel assembly are affected. , It is difficult to always crimp uniformly to obtain a uniform and stable gap.

A sealant used in a liquid crystal panel assembly is generally one prepared by dissolving an epoxy resin and a phenol curing agent in ethyl solvent which is a solvent. This sealant has a role of adhering two glass substrates and a role of preventing the liquid crystal material to be injected in a later step from flowing out, and is pressed by a high temperature press at about 160 ° C. for about 3 hours. A heat-curing method for curing by applying is adopted. When such a sealant is used, the fixing plate and the pressure plate may be thermally deformed, and it is even more difficult to always crimp the liquid crystal panel assembly uniformly to obtain a uniform and stable gap. Become.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and automatically absorbs the gap between the glass substrate and the receiving and receiving surfaces of the liquid crystal panel assembly to make the entire liquid crystal panel assembly uniform. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a uniform and stable gap, and to improve the reliability of the liquid crystal panel. To do.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The technical means of the present invention for achieving the above object is to move a liquid crystal panel assembly to a fixed plate and to move the liquid crystal panel assembly up and down so as to approach and separate from the fixed plate. A pressure plate for applying pressure to the fixed plate, a positioning means for sucking and positioning the liquid crystal panel assembly on the pressure plate when pressing the liquid crystal panel assembly, and raising and lowering the pressure plate. It is provided with an elevating device and a follow-up device capable of swinging the pressure plate when the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed by the pressure plate and the fixed plate.

Further, in the above technical means, it is preferable to have a detecting means for detecting a load when the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressure-bonded by the pressure plate and the fixed plate.

Further, the elevating device comprises a guide post, an elevating table supported by the guide post so as to be elevatable, and a drive means for elevating the elevating table. Supporting means for swingably supporting the central portion of the plate, and a retractable damper device provided at a plurality of peripheral positions between the pressure plate and the elevating table can be provided.

Further, a load cell is used as a detection means,
This load cell can be assembled to the support means.

[0011]

According to the present invention configured as described above, the liquid crystal panel assembly is sucked and positioned on the pressure plate by the positioning means, and the pressure plate and the liquid crystal panel assembly are raised by the elevating device. The liquid crystal panel assembly can be pressed against the fixed plate, and the liquid crystal panel assembly can be pressed by the fixed plate and the pressure plate. At this time, the pressure plate can be swung by the follower device. Can follow the receiving surface of the fixed plate. Thus, the gap between each glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel assembly and the receiving and receiving surfaces can be automatically absorbed, and the entire liquid crystal panel assembly can be uniformly pressed.

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a pressure device for a liquid crystal panel assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view, and FIG. 2 is a side view.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a carrying device for carrying the liquid crystal panel assembly L intermittently, and 2 is a carrying device 1.
This is a pressurizing device of the present invention which pressurizes the liquid crystal panel assembly L intermittently transferred by the transfer device 1 in the middle of.

First, the carrying device 1 will be described. A pair of horizontal substrates 11 are attached to a frame (not shown), and the carrying rollers 12 are located inside each of the substrates 11 at desired intervals and the horizontal shaft 13 is provided. It is rotatably supported by. Each of the transport rollers 12 has a large diameter on the outer side and a small diameter on the inner side, and both end portions of the liquid crystal panel assembly L are placed over the small diameter portions of the plurality of transport rollers 12, and the liquid crystal panel assembly L is transported by the transport rollers 12. The large-diameter portion is used to regulate the position so as not to shift in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

A timing belt pulley 14 is mounted on the outward protruding portion of each shaft 13, and an idle pulley 15 is provided on the board 11 adjacent to the timing belt pulley 14.
Is rotatably supported. A timing belt 18 is wound around the timing belt pulley 14, the idle pulley 15, and a timing belt pulley (neither is shown) mounted on the output shaft of the motor. Then, the timing belt 1 is driven by driving the motor.
8, the carrying roller 12 is intermittently rotated via the idle pulley 15, the timing belt pulley 14, etc., and the liquid crystal panel assembly L placed on the carrying roller 12 can be carried intermittently in sequence.

Next, the pressurizing device 2 of the present invention will be described. The guide posts 22 are provided upright on the lower substrate 21 at the four corners outside the conveying device 1. An upper substrate 23 is fixed between the upper ends of the guide posts 22. A fixed plate 24 is attached to the lower surface of the upper substrate 23 above the transport device 1. Below the fixed plate 24, there is provided a pressure plate 25 which is located between the substrates 11 of the carrier device 1 and faces the fixed plate 24 and can approach or be separated therefrom. Grooves 26 are formed at a plurality of positions on both sides of the pressure plate 25, and the small diameter portion of the transport roller 12 is inserted into each groove 26. Therefore, both side edges of the pressure plate 25 are extended to the lower side of both side edges of the liquid crystal panel assembly L transported by the transport roller 12, and when the pressure plate 25 is lifted up, the lower surface of the liquid crystal panel assembly L is almost completely extended. It is possible to support the entire surface. Suction holes 27 are penetrated through the pressure plate 25 at a plurality of positions, and the suction holes 27 are connected to a vacuum source (not shown) and an air supply source (not shown) by a pipe 28 via valves (not shown). .

Therefore, the valve is switched to the vacuum source side, and the suction source 27 is made to have a negative pressure through the pipe 28 by the driving of the vacuum source, so that the liquid crystal panel assembly L transported by the transport device 1 is pressurized. The plate 25 can be sucked and positioned by the pressure surface 25a, which is the upper surface.
On the contrary, the valve is switched to the air supply source side, the air is supplied to the suction hole 27 through the pipe 28 by driving the air supply source, and the positive pressure is applied to the liquid crystal panel assembly L which is sucked. Can be released.

The pressure plate 25 is moved up and down by an elevating device 30 so as to approach or separate from the fixed plate 24, and is swung by a follow-up device 31.

Explaining the elevating device 30, an elevating table 32 is supported by a slide bush 33 so as to be vertically movable along the guide post 22. A motor 34 is attached to the center of the lower substrate 21, and a ball nut 36 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 34 via a coupling 35. A base portion of a ball screw 37 is screwed to the ball nut 36 so as to be able to move up and down, and a tip end portion of the ball screw 37 is fixed to an auxiliary member 38 fixed to a lower side of a central portion of the lift table 32. Therefore, by driving the motor 34 to rotate the ball nut 36 in one direction, the ball screw 37 and the lifting table 32 can be raised, and by rotating the ball nut 36 in the other direction, the ball screw 37 and the lifting table 32 are rotated. Can be lowered.

Explaining the follow-up device 11, an auxiliary member 39 is fixed below the central portion of the pressure plate 25.
An upper end of a support member 40 serving as a swing fulcrum is connected to the auxiliary member 39 by a spherical joint 41, a lower end of the support member 40 is attached to a load cell 42, and the load cell 42 is attached to an upper side of a central portion of the lift 32. . Between the four corners of the pressure plate 25 and the elevating table 32, a damper device 43, which is expandable and contractable, is filled with a fluid such as a damper grease or gas. A main body 44 of each damper device 43 is fixed to the elevating table 32, and a tip end of a piston rod 45 capable of expanding and contracting with respect to the main body 44 is in contact with a lower surface of the pressure plate 25. Therefore, when the pressure plate 25 sucking the liquid crystal panel assembly L as described above is lifted to press the liquid crystal panel assembly L against the fixed plate 24, the pressure plate 25 is connected to the pressure plate 25 by the spherical joint 41. Using the supported support member 40 as a swing fulcrum, the dampener device 43
The compression plate 25 can be swung so that the pressure surface 25a of the pressure plate 25 follows the receiving surface 24a of the fixed plate 24.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. When the liquid crystal panel assembly L is transported between the fixed plate 24 and the pressure plate 25 by the rotation of the transport roller 12 as described above, the vacuum source is driven and the motor 34 of the lifting device 30 is driven as described above. Drive
The lift 32, the follower 31, and the pressure plate 25 are raised. During this ascending, the liquid crystal panel assembly L on the transport roller 12 is sucked and positioned on the pressure plate 25. Then, the positioned liquid crystal panel assembly L is pressed against the receiving surface 24a of the fixed plate 24, and the liquid crystal panel assembly L is pressed by the receiving surface 24a of the fixed plate 24 and the pressing surface 25a of the pressing plate 25. Press. At this time, since the pressure plate 25 can be swung by the follow-up device 31, each glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel assembly L, the pressure surface 25a of the pressure plate 25, and the receiving surface 2 of the fixed plate 24.
The gap between the liquid crystal panel assembly L and the liquid crystal panel 4a can be automatically absorbed and the entire liquid crystal panel assembly L can be uniformly pressed.

The surface load applied to the liquid crystal panel assembly L at the time of pressurization is received by the load cell 42 through the support member 40 serving as a fulcrum of the follower 31, so that the pressure load is controlled and the pressure is always applied uniformly and always. A uniform and stable gap can be obtained.

After pressurizing the liquid crystal panel assembly L, the lifting device 3
Driven by the motor 34 of 0, the lift 32 and the tracking device 3
1. The pressure plate 25 and the liquid crystal panel assembly L are lowered. During this time, as described above, the suction hole 2 is pulled from the air supply source.
By supplying air to 7, the liquid crystal panel assembly L sucked by the fixed plate 25 is released, and the transport roller 12
Can be placed on top. Then, by rotating the carry roller 12 as described above, it is possible to carry to the next step. Hereinafter, by repeating the same operation as described above, the liquid crystal panel assembly L can be sequentially pressed to form a gap.

After the liquid crystal panel assembly L is pressed, if the sealing agent between the glass substrates in the liquid crystal panel assembly L is a thermosetting type, it is heated, or if it is an ultraviolet curing type, it is heated. Although it is bonded by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays, it is fixed plate 24 and pressure plate 25 as described above.
It may be heated or irradiated with ultraviolet rays while being pressurized between them, or may be heated or irradiated with ultraviolet rays at the next station.

A spring can be used as the damper device 43. In addition, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the basic technical idea thereof.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the liquid crystal panel assembly is sucked and positioned on the pressure plate by the positioning means, and the pressure plate and the liquid crystal panel assembly are lifted by the lifting device. The liquid crystal panel assembly can be pressed against the fixed plate, and the liquid crystal panel assembly can be pressed by the fixed plate and the pressure plate. At this time, the pressure plate can be swung by the follower device. Can follow the receiving surface of the fixed plate. Thus, the gap between each glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel assembly and the receiving and receiving surfaces can be automatically absorbed, and the entire liquid crystal panel assembly can be uniformly pressed. Therefore, a uniform and stable gap can be obtained, and the reliability of the liquid crystal panel can be improved.

Further, by having the detection means for detecting the load when the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed by the pressure plate and the fixed plate, the pressure load can be managed and the pressure workability can be improved. With it, always pressurize evenly,
A uniform and stable gap can always be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a pressure device for a liquid crystal panel assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the pressure device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Transport Device 2 Pressurizing Device of the Present Invention 22 Guide Post 24 Fixed Plate 25 Pressurizing Plate 27 Suction Hole 30 Lifting Device 31 Tracking Device 32 Lifting Table 34 Motor 40 Supporting Member 41 Spherical Joint 42 Load Cell 43 Damper Device L Liquid Crystal Panel Assembly

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shunji Takenaka 3-226, Tanimotomura-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Masawa Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A fixed plate, and a pressure plate that moves up and down so as to face the fixed plate toward and away from the fixed plate and press the liquid crystal panel assembly against the fixed plate.
When the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed, a positioning means for sucking and positioning the liquid crystal panel assembly on the pressure plate, an elevating device for moving the pressure plate up and down, the pressure plate and the fixing plate. And a follow-up device capable of swinging the pressure plate when the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed. 2. The pressing device for a liquid crystal panel assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a detection means for detecting a load when the liquid crystal panel assembly is pressed by the pressing plate and the fixed plate. 3. An elevating device includes a guide post, an elevating table supported by the guide post so that the elevating table can be moved up and down, and driving means for elevating the elevating table. The support device for swingably supporting the central portion of the plate, and a damper device that is provided at a plurality of peripheral positions between the pressure plate and the elevating table and is expandable and contractible. Pressure device for liquid crystal panel assembly. 4. The pressurizing device for a liquid crystal panel assembly according to claim 3, wherein the detecting means is a load cell and is incorporated in the supporting means.