JPH11153515A - Apparatus and method for inspecting color filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce wrong recognitions by an inspector particularly when inspecting color irregularities and restrict instable factors such as a personal difference, an experimental difference, etc., to a minimum. SOLUTION: According to this apparatus, a color filter 1 is illuminated from a back face and a worker 100 confirms by eyes a light passing the color filter, whereby the color filter is inspected. The apparatus has a light-emitting device 2 emitting a light in two dimensions and arranged at the back face of the color filter 1, and a setting device 14 for setting and inclining the light-emitting device 2 to be low at the side far from the worker 100 and high at the side close to the worker 100. Reflection of light from the periphery is eliminated and inspection visibility is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a quality inspection method and apparatus for a color filter used in a liquid crystal display device, for example, and more particularly to an inspection method for inspecting characteristics such as color unevenness of a color filter. And equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a display device using a liquid crystal as an optical shutter, a simple matrix type and an active matrix type are generally known. STN and DSTN types are predominant as the simple matrix type, and a TFT type is predominant as the active matrix type. In any method, in order to display a color image, one substrate is provided with at least three chromatic color filters, and three colors (R, G, B or C, M, Y) per pixel are provided. The color filter elements are arranged according to a predetermined rule. The color filter patterns R, G, and B of three colors arranged adjacently constitute one unit of pixel,
A large number of these pixels are arranged in a predetermined order over the entire surface of the liquid crystal display element to form an image display surface.

[0003]

Since most of the display quality of this type of color liquid crystal display device depends on the quality of the color filter used, the manufacturing process of the color liquid crystal display device is difficult.
An inspection for color unevenness or the like of the color filter substrate is performed. Inspection of color filters can be broadly divided into two inspections. One is a shape inspection due to adhesion of foreign matter (dust and the like) and a patterning failure, and the other is a characteristic inspection such as color unevenness.

As a general color filter inspection method, a special illumination lamp such as a sodium lamp or a green lamp, an incandescent lamp such as a halogen lamp,
A method has been adopted in which a light irradiation lamp such as a general white fluorescent lamp or the like is used to visually inspect the presence or absence of a shape abnormality on the surface of a color filter. In order to inspect characteristics such as color unevenness, a lighting device 2 that emits surface light using a light source called a backlight and a diffusion plate
As shown in FIG. 1, light is emitted while being inclined toward the inspection operator 100, and a color filter 1 is superimposed on the light to visually inspect transmitted light.

[0005] As described above, most of the color filter inspection is a sensory inspection by visual inspection of human being, and "yes" or "no"
Regardless of the shape inspection determined by the above, in the determination of the degree such as the color unevenness, the individual difference and the experience difference of the inspection operator affected the determination result.

Further, in the color non-uniformity inspection by the transmitted light of the backlight, the entire surface of the color filter must be observed at the same time, and as shown in FIG. 1, the inspection operator and surrounding objects are reflected on the surface of the color filter. This was a cause of lowering the inspection accuracy. In order to prevent reflection, a method such as setting the inspection room in a dark room is used. However, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, various light irradiation lamps used for shape inspection are used to adjust the angle of the color filter. Even after the change, it could not be used in a dark room due to the problem of reflection. At the same time, there are a number of problems, including poor substrate handling in a dark room and work environment problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce erroneous recognition of an inspection operator particularly in color unevenness inspection and to reduce unstable factors such as individual differences and experience differences. An object of the present invention is to provide a color filter inspection apparatus and an inspection method that can be minimized.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, the color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention illuminates the color filter from the back, and visually checks the transmitted light of the color filter so that the operator can visually check the color filter. An inspection device, wherein a light-emitting device that emits planar light and is disposed on the back surface of the color filter, and the light-emitting device is installed so as to be inclined such that a side farther from the worker is lower and a side closer to the worker is higher. And an installation means for the same.

Further, in the color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the light emitting device has an inclination angle of 0 ° to 4 °.
It is characterized in that the angle is set to 5 °.

In the color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the installation means is configured to be capable of changing an inclination angle of the light emitting device.

The color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention further includes a dark box covering the light emitting device and the color filter, and a light irradiation lamp arranged in the dark box to illuminate the color filter. It is characterized by:

Further, in the color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the light irradiation lamp is a sodium lamp, a green lamp, a white fluorescent lamp or the like.

Further, in the color filter inspection apparatus according to the present invention, a wall surface of the dark box facing the worker is a low reflection surface.

Further, the color filter inspection method according to the present invention is directed to a color filter inspection method for illuminating a color filter from the back and visually checking the transmitted light by an operator to inspect the color filter. A light-emitting device that emits planar light is arranged on the back of the color filter, and the light-emitting device is inspected in a state where the light-emitting device is inclined such that the side farther from the worker is lower and the side closer to the worker is higher. It is characterized by:

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, the inspection is an inspection for color unevenness of the color filter.

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, the light emitting device may have an inclination angle of 0 ° to 4 °.
It is characterized in that the angle is set to 5 °.

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, the inclination angle of the light emitting device is changed according to the worker.

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, the light emitting device and the color filter are covered with a dark box, and the color filter is illuminated by a light irradiation lamp arranged in the dark box. .

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, the light irradiation lamp is a sodium lamp, a green lamp, a white fluorescent lamp or the like.

Further, in the color filter inspection method according to the present invention, a wall surface of the dark box facing the worker is set to a low reflection surface.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The light-emitting surface of the color filter 1 disposed on the backlight 2 is positioned on the back side of the color filter 1 by lowering the light-emitting surface farther away from the worker and arranging the light-emitting surface at an angle, as shown by the broken arrow in the figure. Is limited to a partial area A. That is, the angle of the surface light emitting portion (backlight 2) is set to be opposite to that of the related art.

The inclination angle θ is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the angle is preferably about 0 ° to 45 °, and if the angle is further increased, the color filter 1 to be inspected disappears from the line of sight. When high-precision inspection is required, around 5 ° is preferable, and when priority is given to inspection tact, an inclination of 30 ° or more reduces the inspection area (it looks smaller depending on the angle), so that efficiency is high.

In a color filter in which a colored pixel pattern is formed by a directional means such as a printing method, an ink jet method, and a roll transfer method, when color unevenness occurs, it tends to occur in the pattern forming direction. In the inspection of these color filters, by matching the angle direction of the apparatus of the present embodiment with the color pattern forming direction and setting a large inclination angle, color unevenness (if any) is emphasized, and oversight can be prevented.

The deviation of the line-of-sight height due to the difference in physique of the inspection operator can be dealt with by changing the line-of-sight height by the inspection operator himself, but the inspection operation tends to be a long and simple operation. It is effective to provide the backlight 2 itself with a mechanism (leg 14) capable of changing the inclination angle in order to increase the degree of fatigue of the user and the flexibility of the color filter inspection area to be inspected.

In the backlight 2 according to the present embodiment, the area reflected on the surface of the color filter 1 to be inspected can be limited to a partial area A in the front, so that only the front wall 7 may have a low reflection surface, but it is preferable. It is better to make the whole surface a low reflection surface. When the dark box 4 is used as shown in FIG. 7, since the ceiling of the dark box 4 is not reflected, light such as a sodium lamp 5, a green lamp, and a white fluorescent lamp 6 used in the shape inspection is used in this portion. It is also possible to install irradiation lamps. In other words, the visual inspection equipment for color filters can be integrated as shown in Fig. 7, so that there are various advantages such as a reduction in the number of times of handling, space saving, tact-up, and simplification of inspection-related logistics. Can be created.

Next, a specific example of a color filter inspection apparatus will be described.

[0028]

EXAMPLE (First Example) A backlight 2 was formed with the configuration shown in FIG. 8, 8 and 11 are cold cathode fluorescent tubes, 9 is a milky white acrylic plate, 10 is a light diffusion plate, 1
2 is a switch, and 13 is a power supply. The size of the backlight 2 was 400 mm × 500 mm, and the thickness was 55 mm (not including protrusions).

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a leg 14 capable of adjusting the angle and height is attached to the front side (closer to the worker 100) of the side surface of the main body of the backlight 2 to obtain an inspection apparatus. The legs 14 can be adjusted in height by rotating as shown in FIG. 9A, and can be adjusted in height by sliding up and down as shown in FIG. 9B. And so on.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the backlight 2 is placed on a table 3 having a height of 750 mm, which is disposed below the low reflection wall surface 7. (The side closer to the worker). At this time, the angle θ of the backlight light emitting surface was 6 °. The color filter 1 was placed on the light-emitting surface of the backlight 2, and the inspection operator visually inspected the color filter from a line of sight of 1200 mm. At this time, there was no reflection on the surface of the color filter to be inspected. In addition, as a result of inspecting the same substrate by five different inspectors, it was found that the inspection error rate was improved by about 12% and the inspection speed was improved by about 20% as compared with the result of the inspection by the conventional apparatus of FIG. Was done.

(Second Embodiment) A height of 750 m as shown in FIG.
opening height 1000 mm depth 900 on the table 3
mm dark box 4 and a backlight 2 (dimension 4
00mm x 500mm x thickness 55mm and sodium lamp (dimensions 700mm x 500mm x maximum thickness 75m)
m) and a white fluorescent lamp (approximately 500 mm in length) to prepare an inspection device.

At this time, the angle θ of the light emitting surface of the backlight 2
Was set to 18 °. The color filter 1 was placed on the light emitting surface of the backlight 2, and an inspection worker visually inspected the color filter 1 from a line of sight at a height of 1250 mm. At this time, there was no reflection of the outside and the sodium lamp and the white fluorescent lamp on the surface of the color filter to be inspected. In addition, as a result of inspecting the same substrate by five different inspection operators, the inspection error rate was about 15
% And an improvement of about 17% in inspection speed. Also,
The inspection speed was improved by about 33% (including physical distribution) as compared with the case where the shape inspection and the color unevenness inspection were performed on the production line.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By inspecting the color filter by arranging the light-emitting surface of the backlight that emits the plane light with the rear side inclined low, the reflection of the surroundings is eliminated and the inspection visibility is improved.

Further, even if various light irradiation lamps are installed in the same dark box, they are not reflected, so that the space can be saved without lowering the inspection accuracy.

[0035]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional color filter inspection apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional color filter inspection apparatus provided with a dark box.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the angle of a color filter is changed in the device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the angle of a color filter is changed in the device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a color filter inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a dark box is provided in the apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a backlight.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a leg portion of the backlight.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color filter 2 Backlight 3 Table 4 Dark box 5 Sodium lamp 6 White fluorescent lamp 7 Low reflection wall 8,11 Cold cathode fluorescent tube 9 Milky white acrylic plate 10 Light diffusion plate 12 Switch 13 Power supply 14 Leg

Claims (13)

[Claims] An apparatus for inspecting a color filter by illuminating a color filter from the back and visually checking the transmitted light by an operator, wherein the inspection is performed on the color filter, the apparatus being arranged on the back of the color filter. A light emitting device that emits planar light, and installation means for installing the light emitting device at an angle so that the side farther from the worker is lower and the side closer to the worker is higher. Inspection equipment for color filters. 2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting device has an inclination angle of 0 to 45 degrees.
2. The color filter inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle is set to the following angle. 3. The color filter inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the installation unit is configured to change an inclination angle of the light emitting device. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a dark box covering the light emitting device and the color filter; and a light irradiation lamp disposed in the dark box to illuminate the color filter. Inspection equipment for color filters. 5. The color filter inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light irradiation lamp is a sodium lamp, a green lamp, a white fluorescent lamp, or the like. 6. The color filter inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a wall surface of the dark box facing the worker is a low reflection surface. 7. A color filter inspection method for illuminating a color filter from the back and visually checking the transmitted light by an operator to inspect the color filter, wherein a flat surface is provided on the back of the color filter. A method for inspecting a color filter, comprising: arranging a light emitting device that emits light, and performing an inspection in a state where the light emitting device is inclined such that a side farther from the worker is lower and a side closer to the worker is higher. 8. The color filter inspection method according to claim 7, wherein the inspection is an inspection for color unevenness of a color filter. 9. An inclination angle of the light emitting device is set to 0 ° to 45 °.
The method for inspecting a color filter according to claim 7, wherein the angle is set to: 10. The color filter inspection method according to claim 7, wherein an inclination angle of the light emitting device is changed according to the worker. 11. The color filter inspection method according to claim 7, wherein the light emitting device and the color filter are covered with a dark box, and the color filter is illuminated by a light irradiation lamp arranged in the dark box. . 12. The color filter inspection method according to claim 11, wherein the light irradiation lamp is a sodium lamp, a green lamp, a white fluorescent lamp, or the like. 13. The low-reflection surface of the dark box on a side facing the worker.
Inspection method of the color filter described in 1.