JPH0968712A - Coating method sealing material and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a uniform sealing state of an injection port for a liquid crystal by applying a sealing material in an almost constant area of the injection port for a liquid crystal of a liquid crystal cell. SOLUTION: A transfer member 40 which has a transfer part 42 for a sealing material and a little larger area than the injection port 55 for a liquid crystal of liquid crystal cell 51, and has recesses on the end faces, is used. The transfer part 42 of the transfer member 40 is dipped in a bath of a sealing material 11 to stick the sealing material 11 on the transfer part 42. The end face of the transfer part 42 is brought into contact with the injection part for a liquid crystal of the liquid crystal cell 51 to transfer the depositing sealing material 11 to the liquid crystal cell 51.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying a sealing material to a liquid crystal injection port of a liquid crystal cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a liquid crystal display device is constructed by assembling a liquid crystal cell by joining a pair of transparent substrates provided with transparent electrodes and alignment films via a frame-shaped sealing material surrounding a liquid crystal enclosing region.
The liquid crystal cell is filled with liquid crystal from a liquid crystal injection port formed by partially cutting off one side of the sealing material, and then a liquid sealing material is injected into the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell. Is applied and the sealing material is cured to seal the liquid crystal injection port.

The application of the sealing material in the sealing of the liquid crystal inlet is conventionally performed by dropping the sealing material with a dispenser at the liquid crystal inlet of the liquid crystal cell. As the sealing material, a photo-curable or thermosetting resin is generally used.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional sealing material application method, the sealing material dripped by the dispenser in the liquid crystal inlet portion does not flow in a uniform manner. There was a problem that there was variation in.

The present invention provides a method of applying a sealing material which can apply a sealing material to a liquid crystal injection port portion of a liquid crystal cell in a substantially constant range to make the sealing state of the liquid crystal injection port uniform. In addition, the purpose is to provide a device therefor.

[0006]

According to the method for applying a sealing material of the present invention, a transfer member having an encapsulating material transfer portion having an end face provided with a recess and having a slightly larger area than a liquid crystal injection port of a liquid crystal cell is provided. The transfer part of the transfer member is immersed in a sealing material bath to adhere the sealing material to the transfer part, and then the end surface of the transfer part is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell. The adhesive sealing material is transferred to the liquid crystal cell.

In the method of applying the sealing material of the present invention, the liquid crystal cell may be held with its liquid crystal injection port facing in any direction, for example, the liquid crystal cell is held in a posture with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward. In this case, after the transfer part of the transfer member is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, the transfer member is rotated to direct the transfer part upward, and then the end surface of the transfer part is moved upward. It may be brought into contact with the liquid crystal inlet portion of the liquid crystal cell.

Further, the sealing material applying device of the present invention has an area larger than the sealing material tray, the liquid crystal cell holding means for holding the liquid crystal cell in a predetermined position and in a predetermined posture, and the liquid crystal inlet of the liquid crystal cell. And a transfer member having an encapsulant transfer portion having an end surface with a recess formed therein, and a transfer member that supports the transfer member, and the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in a sealing material bath in the encapsulating material dish. And a transfer driving mechanism for bringing the end surface of the transfer portion into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell after being pulled up.

In the encapsulant coating apparatus of the present invention, the concave portion formed on the end surface of the transfer portion of the transfer member is provided with a convex portion having a depth lower than the depth of the concave portion. It is desirable to provide an opening close to each other, and it is desirable that the transfer member be provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer driving mechanism.

When the liquid crystal cell is held with the liquid crystal inlet facing downward and the sealing material is applied, the liquid crystal cell holding means is provided above the sealing material dish. Is held with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer drive mechanism is moved to the transfer member after the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in the sealant bath and pulled up from the sealant bath. The transfer section may be rotated upward, and then the transfer member may be raised to bring the end surface of the transfer section into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell.

Further, the liquid crystal cell holding means is, for example, a first cell holding member which is in a predetermined position and receives the liquid crystal cell from one surface side thereof, and the other surface of the liquid crystal cell which is brought into contact with the first cell holding member. The second cell holding member sandwiched between the first cell holding member and the first cell holding member may be provided.

The sealing material applying method of the present invention uses a transfer member having a sealing material transfer portion having an end face slightly larger than the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell, and the transfer portion of the transfer member is sealed. Since the material is attached and the sealing material is transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell has a substantially constant range corresponding to the size of the end face of the transfer portion. The sealing material is applied so that the liquid crystal injection port is uniformly sealed.

In the encapsulant coating method of the present invention, the liquid crystal cell is held with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in the encapsulant bath to perform the encapsulation. After pulling up from the material bath, the transfer member is rotated to direct the transfer portion upward, and then the end face of the transfer portion is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell to apply the sealing material, It can be performed with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell facing downward.

Further, in the encapsulant coating device of the present invention, the transfer driving mechanism causes the transfer part of the transfer member to be immersed in the encapsulant bath in the encapsulant dish and pulled up, and then the end face of the imprint part is subjected to liquid crystal. The sealing material can be applied automatically because it is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the cell.

In the encapsulant coating apparatus of the present invention, if a recess is provided in the end surface of the transfer portion, a sufficient amount of sealing is applied to the end surface of the transfer portion without increasing the area of the end surface. The material can be attached, and the attached sealing material can be surely held in the transfer portion to prevent the attached sealing material from dripping due to vibration of the transfer member or the like.

Further, if an opening is provided in the transfer portion so as to be close to the end surface of the transfer portion, the adhesion of the sealing material to the side surface of the transfer portion when the transfer portion is immersed in the sealing material bath can be restricted. Even when the immersion depth of the transfer portion in the sealing material bath changes due to a change in the bath surface of the sealing material bath or the like, the amount of the sealing material attached to the transfer portion can be made substantially constant.

Further, if the transfer member is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer driving mechanism, the transfer member is tilted to some extent with respect to the liquid crystal cell due to an operation error of the transfer driving mechanism or an error in a holding attitude of the liquid crystal cell. The transfer member tilts according to the tilt even when it is pressed in a closed state, and the end surface of the transfer portion makes a flat contact with the liquid crystal cell.
The sealing material attached to the transfer portion can be reliably transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell.

Further, the liquid crystal cell holding means is provided above the sealing material tray to hold the liquid crystal cell with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer driving mechanism is provided in the transfer portion of the transfer member. Is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, and then the transfer member is rotated so that the transfer portion faces upward, and then the transfer member is raised so that the end surface of the transfer portion is If it is configured to contact the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell, the sealing material can be applied with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell facing downward, and the application of this sealing material can be applied to the transfer member. This can be easily performed by moving up and down between the encapsulant bath and the liquid crystal cell, and rotating the transfer member midway.

Further, the liquid crystal cell holding means is placed in a predetermined position to receive the liquid crystal cell from one side thereof, and a first cell holding member is brought into contact with the other surface of the liquid crystal cell to bring the liquid crystal cell into the first side. With the configuration including the second cell holding member sandwiched between the first cell holding member and the first cell holding member, the liquid crystal cell can be held at a predetermined position with good workability.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In one embodiment of the present invention, a sealing material is simultaneously applied to the liquid crystal injection ports of each liquid crystal cell of a strip-shaped liquid crystal cell assembly in which a plurality of liquid crystal cells are continuous in a row. The case will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the sealant coating device will be described. FIG. 2 is a front view of the sealant coating device. In this sealant coating device, the sealant plate 10 is arranged at the bottom and the sealant coating device is arranged at the top. The apparatus main body 1 provided with the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 for holding the liquid crystal cell aggregate 50 at a predetermined position in a predetermined posture, the transfer drive mechanism 30 provided in the apparatus main body 1, and supported by the transfer drive mechanism 30. Transfer member 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 1 includes a horizontal base 2, a pair of left and right side frames 3 standing on the upper surfaces of both sides of the base 2, and side frames 3 of these side frames 3. It is composed of an upper frame 4 provided between upper end portions, the sealing material tray 10 is installed on the base 2, and the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 is supported by the upper frame 4.

3 to 6 show the structure of the liquid crystal cell holding means 20. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is held, and FIG. 4 is a view before holding the liquid crystal cell assembly 50. 5 is a side view of the state of FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.

The liquid crystal cell holding means 20 holds a plurality of liquid crystal cell assemblies 50 at the same height in a state where they are arranged in parallel with each other, and each liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is at a predetermined position. The first cell holding member 21 that receives the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 from one surface thereof and the other surface of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 that contacts the other surface of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50.
The second cell holding member 22 sandwiched between the first cell holding member 22 and the first cell holding member 22.

The liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a strip-like shape in which a plurality of liquid crystal cells 51 (four in the drawing) are continuous in a row, and each of the liquid crystals is formed. The liquid crystal injection port 55 of the cell 51 is formed by partially cutting off one side of a frame-shaped sealing material 54 that joins a pair of transparent substrates 52 and 53 provided with transparent electrodes and alignment films (not shown). Has been done.

The first and second cell holding members 21,
Reference numeral 22 denotes cell holding plates 21b and 2 on the lower edges of the horizontal oblong plates 21a and 22a, the number of which is equal to the number of liquid crystal cell aggregates 50 (five in this embodiment) held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20.
The cell holding plates 21b and 22b are provided at a spacing sufficiently wider than the thickness of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50.

The cell holding members 21 and 22 are provided with guide members 23 on both end sides of the oblong plates 21a and 22a, respectively.
The first cell holding member 21 has its one end pressed by the pressing spring 24 and the other end surface pressed by the position adjusting head 25 to define its position. . In this embodiment, a micrometer is used for the position adjusting head 25 to enable fine position adjustment of the cell holding member 21. Less than,
This first cell holding member 21 is referred to as a fixed cell holding member.

The second cell holding member 22 is a movable member which is moved back and forth in the lengthwise direction of the horizontally long plate 22a, and its moving cylinder (air cylinder) 26 is connected to one end thereof. Has been done. Hereinafter, the second cell holding member 22 will be referred to as a movable cell holding member.

In the liquid crystal cell assembly 50, the cell holding plate 21b of the fixed cell holding member 21 and the cell holding plate of the movable cell holding member 22 are vertically oriented with the liquid crystal inlet 55 of each liquid crystal cell 51 facing downward. 22b and the lower side of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is sandwiched between the cell holding plates 21b and 22b.
Is held in a state of protruding downward from the tip of the.

The liquid crystal cell assembly 50 can be sufficiently held by supporting at least two positions in the length direction from one surface side and supporting the intermediate portion from the other surface side. In order to hold the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 without warping or bending, it is desirable to sandwich the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 at as many places as possible.

Therefore, in this embodiment, FIG. 5 and FIG.
2, two fixed cell holding members 21 are provided for each liquid crystal cell 51 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50, and two movable cell holding members 21 are provided for each fixed cell holding member 21. All the liquid crystal cells 51 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 are provided so as to correspond to the cell holding plates 21b of the two fixed cell holding members 21 and the cell holding plate 22b of the one movable cell holding member 22. It is sandwiched between and held.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the encapsulating material tray 10 is arranged such that liquid crystal cells of all the liquid crystal cells 51 are filled with respect to a plurality of liquid crystal cell aggregates 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20. It is a flat plate having an area facing the entire region including the inlet 55, and in this sealing material dish 10, a liquid sealing material (photocurable or A thermosetting resin) 11 is stored.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the transfer driving mechanism 30, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7. This transfer driving mechanism 30 is shown in FIGS. As shown, a transfer member receiver 31 that moves up and down between the sealing material tray 10 and the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20, and the transfer member receiver 31.
And driving means for moving up and down.

The transfer member receiver 31 has an angular axis shape and is horizontally provided along the length direction of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20. Lifts 32a, 32b provided on both sides of the main body 1
Supported by.

The lifts 32a and 32b are respectively
The transfer member receiver 31 is guided by a guide rail 33 provided vertically to the apparatus main body 1 and moved up and down by a lifting cylinder 34 installed on the base 2 of the apparatus main body 1.
One end of which is rotatably supported by a bearing 35 provided on one lift 32a, and the other end of which is connected to a rotary drive device (for example, a low-speed rotation motor) 36 provided on the other lift 32b. It is rotated by 36.

In FIG. 2, 37 and 38 are stoppers which are provided on the upper end side and the lower end side of the guide rail 33 and which regulate the lifting stroke of the lifting tables 32a and 32b.

Further, the transfer member 40 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 8, each of the liquid crystal cells 5 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is provided on one side of the base portion 41 having a rectangular rod shape along the length direction of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20.
A plurality of sealing material transfer portions 42 corresponding to the two liquid crystal inlets 55 are provided at the same height, and the transfer member 40 is supported by the transfer member receiver 31.

In each transfer portion 42 of the transfer member 40, the sealing material 11 in the sealing material tray 10 is attached to the liquid crystal cell assembly 50.
Are transferred to the liquid crystal injection port portion of each liquid crystal cell 51, and these transfer portions 42 have a rectangular plate shape having an end surface slightly larger than the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of the transfer portion 42, FIG.
0 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.
The thickness and width of 2 are set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the liquid crystal cell 51 and the lateral width of the liquid crystal injection port 55. That is, the area of the end surface of the transfer portion 42 is slightly larger than the area of the liquid crystal injection port 55.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the end surface of the transfer portion 42 is slightly recessed, leaving both side edge portions thereof, and the center of the recess portion 43 projects very slightly. I am allowed. The protrusion 43a is formed to be lower than the depth of the recess 43, and its top surface is lower than the end surfaces of the both side edge portions.

The reason why the end surface of the transfer portion 42 is recessed in this way is to secure a sufficient amount of the sealing material 11 attached to the end surface of the transfer portion 42, and to make the attached sealing material 11 good. In order to maintain the sealing material 11 better, the protruding portion 43a at the center of the recess 43 is provided.

Further, a rectangular opening 44 having a width close to the width of the transfer portion 42 is provided at the end portion of the transfer portion 42 so as to be close to the end surface thereof. In this way, the opening 44 is provided at the end of the transfer portion 42, so that
This is for controlling the adhesion of the sealing material 11 to the side surface of the transfer portion when it is immersed in the sealing material bath in 0.
It is provided from a position very close to the end surface of the transfer portion 42 to a height over at least the portion immersed in the sealing material bath.

In order to effectively control the adhesion of the sealing material 11 to the side surface of the transfer portion, the peripheral edge of the opening 44 and the transfer portion 4 can be controlled.
It is desirable to make the width of the portion between the two end faces and both side edges as small as possible.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8, the transfer member 40 has guide pins 45 at a plurality of positions (both ends and an intermediate part in this embodiment) of the base part 41.
It is supported by the transfer member receiver 31 via a coil spring 46, and is provided so as to be tiltable in the length direction of the transfer member 40 with respect to the transfer drive mechanism 30.

The guide pin 45 corresponds to the base portion 41.
And the transfer member receiver 31 slidably in the thickness direction thereof, and the transfer member receiver 3 is provided by a head portion 45a at the base end thereof and a retaining nut 45b screwed to the tip end portion of the pin.
The separation distance of the base portion 41 from 1 is regulated.

Further, the coil spring 46 is fitted on the guide pin 45 so as to fit the base portion 41 and the transfer member receiver 31.
And is interposed in a compressed state, and presses the base portion 41 in a direction of separating it from the transfer member receiver 31.

The transfer member 40 is moved up and down together with the transfer member receiver 31 by operating the lift cylinder 34 of the transfer drive mechanism 30, and is driven by the rotation drive device 36, so that the transfer member 40 can be moved. The state shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, that is, the state where each transfer portion 42 faces downward, and the state shown by the chain line in the figure, that is, each transfer portion 42.
Is rotated so that it faces upward.

Incidentally, the transfer member 40 and the transfer member receiver 3
1 is arranged in a plurality of rows corresponding to the plurality of liquid crystal cell aggregates 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20, and each transfer member receiver 31 is a common lifting platform 32a, 3a.
It is supported by 2b.

Next, a method of applying a sealing material to the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51 will be described. In the liquid crystal cell assembly 50, liquid crystal is filled in each of the liquid crystal cells 51 by a vacuum injection method. The liquid crystal injection port 55 of each liquid crystal cell 51 is positioned so as to correspond to each transfer portion 42 of the transfer member 40 and is held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20. .

The liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20, that is, in a vertical position with the liquid crystal inlet 55 of each liquid crystal cell 51 facing downward, a predetermined number of carrier racks (not shown). ) And is carried into the encapsulating material coating device, and is lifted up to a height held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 together with the carrier rack by an elevating mechanism (not shown).

At this time, the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 has a structure shown in FIG.
As described above, in the state where the movable cell holding member 22 is moved backward to the cylinder 26 side, and the lifted liquid crystal cell aggregates 50 are the cell holding plates 21 b of the fixed cell holding member 21.
And the cell holding plate 22b of the movable cell holding member 22.

When the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is lifted to a predetermined height, the movable cell holding member 22 is pushed by the cylinder 26 and moved forward as shown in FIG. 3, and the liquid crystal cells are held by the cell holding plate 22b. The aggregate 50 is pressed against the cell holding plate 21b of the fixed cell holding member 21, and the liquid crystal cell aggregate 50 is sandwiched between the cell holding plates 21b and 22a of the cell holding members 21 and 22. In the carrier rack, the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is provided with the liquid crystal cell holding means 20.
Then, it is lowered and carried out from the encapsulating material coating device.

In this case, since each liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 on one surface thereof by the cell holding plate 21b of the fixed cell holding member 21, the fixed cells are fixed by the position adjusting head 25. If the position of the holding member 21 is adjusted, each liquid crystal cell assembly 50 can be held at the correct position.

After the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 in this way, a sealing material is applied to the liquid crystal inlet 55 of each liquid crystal cell 51 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 as follows. Apply. FIG. 1 shows a method of applying this sealing material.

First, by lowering the transfer member 40 with the transfer portion 42 facing downward, the transfer portion 4 is moved.
The end of No. 2 is immersed in a bath of the sealing material 11 in the sealing material tray 10 as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The encapsulant 11 is attached to the tip of the transfer member 40, and then the transfer member 40 is raised, and the transfer part 42 is pulled up from the encapsulant bath as shown by the chain line in FIG.

Next, the transfer member 40 is rotated as shown in FIG. 1B so that the transfer portion 42 faces upward, and the end face of the transfer portion 42 is held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20. The liquid crystal inlets 55 of the liquid crystal cells 51 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 are opposed to each other as shown in FIG.

Next, the transfer member 40 is raised as shown in FIG. 1C, and the front end surface of the transfer portion 42 is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell 51, and the transfer portion 42 is transferred. The encapsulating material 11 adhered to is transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51.

In this case, in this embodiment, since the transfer member 40 is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer drive mechanism 30, the operation error of the transfer drive mechanism 30 and the liquid crystal cell assembly 5 are caused.
Even when the transfer member 40 is pressed against the aggregate 50 of the liquid crystal cells 51 in a state in which the transfer member 40 is inclined to some extent due to an error in the holding posture of 0, the transfer member 40 tilts, and the end surface of the transfer portion 42 has the liquid crystal The flat contact with the cell 51 allows the sealing material 11 attached to the transfer portion 42 to be reliably transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51.

After that, the transfer member 40 is lowered as shown in FIG. 1D to separate the transfer portion 42 from the liquid crystal cell 51, and then the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is carried out from the encapsulating material coating device. .

The liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is carried out as follows.
An empty carrier rack is carried into the encapsulating material coating device, and the carrier rack is lifted by the above-mentioned lifting mechanism (not shown) to store the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 held by the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 in the carrier rack. In that state, the movable cell holding member 22 of the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 is moved backward to the cylinder 26 side to release the holding of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50, and then the carrier rack accommodating the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 is lowered. It is carried out by the method of carrying out from the encapsulating material coating device.

Then, the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 carried out from the encapsulating material application device cures the encapsulating material 11 applied to the liquid crystal injecting portions of the respective liquid crystal cells 51 to form a liquid crystal injecting port 55.
And then separated along the dividing line c shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure to be separated into individual liquid crystal cells 51.

As described above, the encapsulant coating method uses the transfer member 40 having the encapsulant transfer portion 42 having the end surface slightly larger than the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51. After the transfer portion 42 of 40 is immersed in a sealing material bath to attach the sealing material 11 to the transfer portion 42, the end face of the transfer portion 42 is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51, The adhesive sealing material 11 is transferred to the liquid crystal injection port portion.

According to this sealing material coating method, the liquid crystal cell 5
Since the sealing material 11 is applied to the first liquid crystal injection port portion in a substantially constant range corresponding to the size of the end face of the transfer portion 42, the liquid crystal injection port 55 can be sealed uniformly. You can

Moreover, in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal cell 51 is held with the liquid crystal injection port 55 facing downward,
After the transfer part 42 of the transfer member 40 is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, the transfer member 40 is rotated to direct the transfer part 42 upward, and then the transfer part 4 is moved.
Since the end face of No. 2 is in contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51, the sealing material 11 can be applied with the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51 facing downward.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the liquid crystal cell aggregate 50 in which the liquid crystal is injected into each liquid crystal cell 51 by the vacuum injection method is carried into the encapsulating material coating device in the posture in which the liquid crystal is injected. The sealing material 11 can be applied efficiently.

That is, in the conventional encapsulant coating method in which the sealant is dropped onto the liquid crystal inlet of the liquid crystal cell by the dispenser, the sealant must be dropped with the liquid crystal inlet of the liquid crystal cell facing upward. , A liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is injected by a vacuum injection method with the liquid crystal injection port facing downwards,
Although it must be turned upside down and carried in to the sealing material applying portion, this is not necessary according to the sealing material applying method of the above-mentioned embodiment.

In the encapsulant coating device, the transfer driving mechanism 30 causes the transfer portion 42 of the transfer member 40 to move to the encapsulant plate 1.
The transfer section 4 is immersed in the encapsulant bath within 0 and then pulled up.
Since the end face of 2 is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51, the sealing material 11 can be applied automatically.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the transfer portion 42 is
Since the concave portion 43 is provided on the end surface of the transfer member 42, a sufficient amount of the sealing material 11 can be attached to the end surface of the transfer portion 42 without increasing the area of the end surface.
Make sure that the attached sealing material 11 is held by the transfer portion 42,
It is possible to prevent the attached sealing material 11 from dropping down due to vibration or the like while the transfer member 40 moves up and down and rotates.

Further, in this embodiment, the transfer section 42 is
Since the opening 44 is provided close to the end surface of the transfer section 42, the adhesion of the sealing material 11 to both side surfaces of the transfer section 42 when the transfer section 42 is immersed in the sealing material bath can be restricted. Even when the immersion depth of the transfer portion 42 into the sealing material bath changes due to a change in the bath surface of the material bath, the sealing material 1 to the transfer portion 42
The adhesion amount of 1 can be made almost constant.

That is, FIG. 11 shows a comparison of the adhering state of the sealing material 11 with and without the opening 44 in the transfer section 42. When the transfer section 42 does not have the opening 44, Since the sealing material 11 adheres to both side surfaces of the transfer portion 42 over the entire area immersed in the sealing material bath, as shown in FIG. 11B, the amount of the sealing material 11 adhered to the transfer portion 42 is reduced. It becomes excessive, and the adhered amount is transferred to the encapsulant bath 42.
It changes according to the immersion depth.

On the other hand, if the opening 44 is provided in the transfer portion 42, the adhesion of the sealing material 11 to both side surfaces of the transfer portion 42 is restricted, so that the transfer portion 4 is formed as shown in FIG.
The amount of the sealing material 11 adhered to the transfer material 42 can be set to an appropriate amount, and even when the immersion depth of the transfer portion 42 in the sealing material bath changes, the amount of the sealing material 11 adhered to the transfer portion 42. The amount can be almost constant.

Further, in FIG. 12, the opening 4 is formed in the transfer portion 42.
Sealing material 1 for liquid crystal cell 51 with and without 4
The coating state of No. 1 is shown in comparison, and when the transfer portion 42 does not have the opening 44, the amount of the sealing material 11 attached to the transfer portion 42 becomes excessive as described above, so that the liquid crystal is transferred from the transfer portion 42. The sealing material 11 transferred to the cell 51 also adheres to the front and back surfaces of the liquid crystal cell 51 as shown in FIG. 12B, and therefore, after the sealing material 11 is cured, the front and back surfaces of the liquid crystal cell 51. It becomes necessary to peel off the sealing material 11 attached to.

However, if the transfer portion 42 is provided with the opening 44, the amount of the sealing material 11 attached to the transfer portion 42 can be made appropriate, so that the sealing material 11 is sealed as shown in FIG. The material 11 can be applied only to the end faces of the liquid crystal cell 51 without adhering to the front and back faces of the liquid crystal cell 51.

Further, in the encapsulant coating apparatus of the above embodiment, since the transfer member 40 is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer drive mechanism 30, the operation error of the transfer drive mechanism 40 and the holding attitude of the liquid crystal cell 51 are maintained. Transfer member 40 due to the error of
Even when the liquid crystal cell 51 is pressed to the liquid crystal cell 51 at a certain angle, the transfer member 40 tilts and the end face of the transfer portion 42 comes into flat contact with the liquid crystal cell 51, so that the transfer member 40 adheres to the transfer portion 42. The sealing material 11 thus formed can be reliably transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 is provided above the sealing material tray 10 so as to hold the liquid crystal cell 51 with the liquid crystal inlet 55 facing downward, and the transfer driving mechanism. After the transfer section 42 of the transfer member 40 is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, the transfer member 40 is rotated so that the transfer section 42 faces upward, and then the transfer member 30 is moved upward. Since the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51 is configured so that the end surface of the transfer portion 42 is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell 51, the liquid crystal injection port 55 of the liquid crystal cell 51 is raised.
The sealing material 11 can be applied in a state of facing downward, and the application of the sealing material 11 can be performed by moving the transfer member 40 up and down between the sealing material bath and the liquid crystal cell 51. This can be easily performed simply by rotating the transfer member 40.

Further, in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal cell holding means 20 is at the predetermined position and receives the liquid crystal cell 51 from the one surface side thereof. The first cell holding member (fixed cell holding member).
21 and the other surface of the liquid crystal cell 51, the liquid crystal cell 5
2 for sandwiching 1 with the first cell holding member 21
The cell holding member (movable cell holding member) 22 is used, so that the liquid crystal cell 51 can be held in a predetermined position with good workability.

In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal cell 51 is held with the liquid crystal inlet 55 facing downward.
The sealing material 11 is transferred to the liquid crystal injection port portion, but the transfer of the sealing material 11 to the liquid crystal cell 51 is performed by holding the liquid crystal cell 51 with the liquid crystal injection port 55 facing upward. Alternatively, in this case, the transfer portion 42 of the transfer member 40 is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, after which the transfer member 40 is laterally moved above the liquid crystal cell 51, The transfer member 40 may be lowered to bring the end surface of the transfer portion 42 into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell 51.

Further, in the above embodiment, a plurality of liquid crystal cells 5 are used.
Each liquid crystal cell 5 of the liquid crystal cell assembly 50 in which 1 is continuous in one row
This is an example of the case where the sealing material is simultaneously applied to one liquid crystal injection port 55, but the present invention can be applied to the case where the sealing material is applied to the liquid crystal injection port of a single liquid crystal cell.

[0079]

The encapsulant coating method of the present invention uses a transfer member having an encapsulant transfer portion having an end face provided with a recess and having a slightly larger area than the liquid crystal injection port of a liquid crystal cell,
Since the sealing material is attached to the transfer portion of the transfer member and is transferred to the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell, the sealing material is kept in a substantially constant range in the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell. Can be applied to make the liquid crystal injection port sealed uniformly.

In the method for applying the sealing material of the present invention, the liquid crystal cell is held with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in the sealing material bath to perform the sealing. After pulling up from the material bath, the transfer member is rotated to direct the transfer portion upward, and then the end face of the transfer portion is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell to apply the sealing material, It can be performed with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell facing downward.

Further, in the encapsulant coating device of the present invention, the transfer driving mechanism causes the transfer part of the transfer member to be immersed in the encapsulant bath in the encapsulant dish and pulled up, and then the end surface of the imprinted part is subjected to liquid crystal. The sealing material can be applied automatically because it is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the cell.

In the encapsulant coating apparatus of the present invention, if a recess is provided in the end surface of the transfer portion, a sufficient amount of sealing can be applied to the end surface of the transfer portion without increasing the area of the end surface. The material can be attached, and the attached sealing material can be surely held in the transfer portion to prevent the attached sealing material from dripping due to vibration of the transfer member or the like.

If the transfer section is provided with an opening close to the end face thereof, the adhesion of the sealing material to the side surface of the transfer section when the transfer section is immersed in the sealing material bath can be restricted. Even when the immersion depth of the transfer portion in the sealing material bath changes due to a change in the bath surface of the sealing material bath or the like, the amount of the sealing material attached to the transfer portion can be made substantially constant.

Further, if the transfer member is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer drive mechanism, the transfer member is tilted to some extent with respect to the liquid crystal cell due to an operation error of the transfer drive mechanism, an error in a holding attitude of the liquid crystal cell, and the like. The transfer member tilts according to the tilt even when it is pressed in a closed state, and the end surface of the transfer portion makes a flat contact with the liquid crystal cell.
The sealing material attached to the transfer portion can be reliably transferred to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell.

Further, the liquid crystal cell holding means is provided above the encapsulating material plate so as to hold the liquid crystal cell with the liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer driving mechanism is provided in the transfer portion of the transfer member. Is immersed in the encapsulant bath and pulled up from the encapsulant bath, and then the transfer member is rotated so that the transfer portion faces upward, and then the transfer member is raised so that the end surface of the transfer portion is If it is configured to contact the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell, the sealing material can be applied with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell facing downward, and the application of this sealing material can be applied to the transfer member. This can be easily performed by moving up and down between the encapsulant bath and the liquid crystal cell, and rotating the transfer member midway.

Further, the liquid crystal cell holding means is placed in a predetermined position to receive the liquid crystal cell from one side thereof, and a first cell holding member is brought into contact with the other side of the liquid crystal cell to bring the liquid crystal cell into the first side. With the configuration including the second cell holding member sandwiched between the first cell holding member and the first cell holding member, the liquid crystal cell can be held at a predetermined position with good workability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a method of applying a sealing material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an encapsulant coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of a liquid crystal cell holding means in a state where a liquid crystal cell aggregate is held.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the state before holding the liquid crystal cell assembly.

5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the transfer driving mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of a transfer portion.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a comparison of the states where the encapsulating material is adhered when the transfer part has an opening and when the transfer part does not have an opening.

FIG. 12 is a diagram comparing the states of applying a sealing material to a liquid crystal cell with and without an opening in a transfer portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device main body 10 ... Sealing material tray 11 ... Sealing material 20 ... Liquid crystal cell holding means 21, 22 ... Cell holding member 30 ... Transfer driving mechanism 31 ... Transfer member receiving 40 ... Transfer member 42 ... Transfer portion 43 ... Recessed portion 44 ... Opening 50 ... Liquid crystal cell assembly 51 ... Liquid crystal cell 55 ... Liquid crystal inlet

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A method of applying a sealing material to a liquid crystal injection port of a liquid crystal cell, the method comprising transferring an encapsulation material having an end face having a recess slightly larger in area than the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell. A transfer member having a portion, the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in a sealing material bath to adhere the sealing material to the transfer portion, and then the end surface of the transfer portion is attached to the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell. Touch the part,
A method for applying a sealing material, which comprises transferring the attached sealing material to the liquid crystal cell. 2. A liquid crystal cell is held in a posture with its liquid crystal inlet facing downward, the transfer portion of the transfer member is immersed in a sealing material bath and pulled up from the sealing material bath, and then this transfer is performed. The encapsulant coating method according to claim 1, wherein the member is rotated to direct the transfer portion upward, and then the end surface of the transfer portion is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port portion of the liquid crystal cell. 3. An apparatus for applying a sealing material to a liquid crystal inlet of a liquid crystal cell, the sealing material tray, a liquid crystal cell holding means for holding the liquid crystal cell at a predetermined position and in a predetermined posture, and the liquid crystal. A transfer member having an encapsulant transfer part having an area larger than the liquid crystal injection port of the cell and having an end face with a recess formed therein; and a transfer member supporting the transfer member, the transfer part of the transfer member being provided in the encapsulant plate. And a transfer driving mechanism for bringing the end surface of the transfer portion into contact with the liquid crystal injection port of the liquid crystal cell after being immersed in the sealing material bath and pulled up. 4. The encapsulant coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the concave portion formed on the end surface of the transfer portion is provided with a convex portion lower than the depth of the concave portion. 5. The transfer portion is provided with an opening in the vicinity of its end face.
The encapsulating material application device according to. 6. The encapsulant coating device according to claim 3, wherein the transfer member is provided so as to be tiltable with respect to the transfer driving mechanism. 7. The liquid crystal cell holding means is provided above the encapsulating material plate and holds the liquid crystal cell in a posture with its liquid crystal injection port facing downward, and the transfer drive mechanism seals the transfer portion of the transfer member. After the transfer member is dipped in the stopping material bath and pulled out from the sealing material bath, the transfer member is rotated so that the transfer portion faces upward, and then the transfer member is raised so that the end face of the transfer portion is moved to the liquid crystal cell. 4. The encapsulant application device according to claim 3, wherein the encapsulant application device is brought into contact with the liquid crystal injection port part. 8. The liquid crystal cell holding means comprises a first cell holding member which is located at a predetermined position and receives the liquid crystal cell from one surface side thereof, and the other surface of the liquid crystal cell which is brought into contact with the first liquid crystal cell by the first liquid crystal cell. 8. The encapsulant coating device according to claim 3 or 7, further comprising a second cell holding member sandwiched between the cell holding member and the cell holding member.