JPH11212112A - Device for inspecting liquid crystal panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal panel(LCP) inspecting device capable of efficiently executing a display lighting inspection and an inter-terminal resistance inspection without complicating the device and reducing economic efficiency. SOLUTION: In the case of executing the inter-terminal resistance inspection of an LCP 1, a Z stage 10 on which the LCP 1 is mounted is lifted up to such a position that the input terminal part 2 of the LCP 1 is brought into contact with the tip part of a resistance inspecting probe 5. In the case of executing the display lighting inspection of the LCP 1, the Z stage 10 is lifted up to such a position that a display lighting probe 9 is brought into contact with the input terminal part 2 and the probe 5 is slidably moved to an insulating part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus in which an inspection probe is provided at a terminal of a liquid crystal panel and an inspection of the liquid crystal panel is performed through the inspection probe.
In particular, without causing the complexity of the device and the reduction in economics,
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal panel inspection device that efficiently performs a plurality of different inspections.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a liquid crystal panel has been known as a display element utilizing the electro-optic effect of liquid crystal for television images. This liquid crystal panel is composed of a large number of picture element electrodes arranged in rows and columns, A liquid crystal layer that modulates light according to the applied voltage. In recent years, along with the high quality of such liquid crystal panels, a technique has been used in which a switching element is added to each of the picture element electrodes, and a video signal is applied to the picture element electrodes via the switching elements. However, the process of forming such a switching element is complicated, and problems such as defective picture elements, broken or short-circuited scanning lines and signal lines, and defective switching elements occur. For this reason, in the process of inspecting a liquid crystal panel on which the driving circuit is not mounted, a lighting display inspection for detecting a defective portion by directly contacting the driving circuit with a driving signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel, and a leak amount inside the liquid crystal panel are performed. A resistance test between the terminals to be detected is performed.

Here, the lighting display inspection is performed by a driving signal generator for inputting a signal for actually driving and lighting the liquid crystal panel, a driving control circuit for controlling the input signal, and for lighting and displaying the liquid crystal panel. A driving semiconductor device;
The operation is performed by actually driving and lighting the liquid crystal panel via an inspection probe for making the output of the drive signal semiconductor device contact the terminal portion of the liquid crystal panel. On the other hand, the inter-terminal resistance inspection is performed via an inter-terminal resistance measuring device for measuring inter-terminal resistance and an inspection probe for making contact with a terminal portion of the liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional device for testing resistance between terminals of a liquid crystal panel. As shown in FIG. 1, input terminal portions 2 (2a, 2b) each having a plurality of drive signal input terminals juxtaposed on two sides around the liquid crystal panel 1 are formed. , Signal input board 4 (4
a, 4b) and a resistance inspection probe 11 (11a, 11a).
A resistance test is performed via b). The signal input board 4 is provided with wiring for bundling odd and even terminals of the liquid crystal panel in order to perform an inter-terminal resistance test.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a conventional lighting display inspection apparatus for a liquid crystal panel. As shown in the figure, a liquid crystal panel drive control circuit 7 (7
a, 7b), a driving signal is applied to the driving signal input terminal 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1 via the driving semiconductor device 8 (8a, 8b) and the lighting display probe 12 (12a, 12b).
A lighting display inspection of the liquid crystal panel is performed.

[0006]

As described above, the driving circuit is necessary for the lighting display inspection, but is not necessary for the inter-terminal resistance inspection. There is a problem that the process is performed separately using an apparatus, and thus it is not possible to simplify the process and reduce the capital investment.
Even if two probes, a lighting display inspection probe and a resistance inspection probe, are simply provided in the same device, it is necessary to select only each probe and bring it into contact with the input terminal. The structure in which each probe operates independently is difficult to realize because the device becomes complicated and the economy is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus capable of efficiently performing a plurality of different inspections without solving the above problems and without complicating the apparatus and reducing the economic efficiency. I do.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal panel comprising: a plurality of inspection probes which are brought into contact with a drive signal input terminal of a liquid crystal panel; In the liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus for performing an inspection, the inspection probe is disposed so that a distance to a drive signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel is different, and the drive signal is moved by moving the liquid crystal panel in a direction to contact the inspection probe. It is characterized in that an inspection probe that contacts the input terminal is selected.

The invention according to claim 2 is the liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection probe is arranged obliquely with respect to a drive signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the inspection probe covers an area other than the tip of the inspection probe that is in contact with the drive signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel with an insulating film, and conducts only the tip of the inspection probe. The liquid crystal panel inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the liquid crystal panel inspection device is configured to have a characteristic.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, further comprising means for applying a predetermined inspection signal to an inspection probe in contact with the drive signal input terminal. It is.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus used in the present embodiment. The same parts as those of the conventional liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in the figure, this liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus is equipped with two types of probes: a resistance inspection probe 5 and a lighting display probe 9. Recent liquid crystal panels have been designed to have a large display area and a reduced panel outer shape, so that terminal lengths other than the display area are designed to be small. In this liquid crystal panel inspection system equipped with two types of probes,
By arranging the probes in a horizontal line and mounting a card-shaped probe as a whole, it is possible to correspond to a liquid crystal panel having a short terminal length. Here, a case will be described in which the resistance test probe 5 is installed so as to protrude beyond the lighting display probe 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the resistance test probe 5 has probes 14 arranged on the surface of a flexible substrate 13 and covers the other end with an insulating film 15 to make only the tip of the probe conductive. . Further, the resistance test probe 5 is installed with an inclination with respect to the Z stage 10.

Next, the inter-terminal resistance inspection and the lighting display inspection using the liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be specifically described. First, the Z stage 1 on which the liquid crystal panel 1 is installed
0 is raised to a position where the input terminal 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1 contacts the tip of the resistance test probe 5. At this time,
Since the lighting display probe is not in contact with the input terminal,
The resistance test can be performed by the inter-terminal resistance measuring device.

Next, when the Z stage 10 is raised to a position where the input terminal section 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1 comes into contact with the lighting display probe 9, the resistance test probe 5 is installed with an inclination with respect to the liquid crystal panel. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, while sliding on the surface of the input terminal portion 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1,
It moves to the insulating part 16 formed on the surface of the input terminal part 2.

As described above, the resistance test probe 5 is conductive only at the tip, and as the Z stage rises,
The part that contacts the input terminal is insulated. Therefore, at the position where the lighting display probe is in contact with the input terminal portion, the resistance testing probe 5 is not conductive, and only the lighting display probe 9 is conductive. In this state, if a drive signal is applied from the liquid crystal panel drive signal generator 6, a lighting display inspection of the liquid crystal panel can be performed. Therefore, in the same device, by changing the height between the liquid crystal panel and the probe, a probe that comes into contact with the terminal is selected, and by switching the electric signal, the resistance between terminals and the lighting display inspection can be performed.

In this embodiment, the inter-terminal resistance test and the lighting display test have been described, but other tests can be performed in combination. For example, as a method of exposing progressive defects before mounting a driving circuit on a liquid crystal panel, when a voltage higher than an actually used signal level is applied to a driving signal input terminal, a lighting display using the driving circuit is used. The probe cannot apply the desired voltage. Even for such different inspection items, applying the above liquid crystal panel inspection device,
By preparing a probe corresponding to each test item, the test can be performed with the same device.

[0018]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, only by moving the liquid crystal panel in the direction in which the inspection probe is brought into contact, the terminal portion can be contacted from the plurality of inspection probes. Since the test probe to be tested can be selected, it is not necessary to operate the test probe independently for each test type, and a plurality of different tests can be performed by the same device. Therefore, the structure of the apparatus itself can be simplified, a plurality of different inspections can be performed efficiently, and the effect is economically significant.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the inspection probe is arranged obliquely with respect to the liquid crystal panel, when the liquid crystal panel is moved in a direction in which the inspection probe is brought into contact, the inspection probe becomes the liquid crystal panel. , The tip of the inspection probe moves on the liquid crystal panel. In this manner, the inspection probe can be shifted from the conductive state to the non-conductive state with respect to the input terminal of the liquid crystal panel, so that only the inspection probe necessary for the inspection can smoothly contact the terminal portion.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the inspection probe covers an area other than the tip of the inspection probe that is in contact with the terminal of the liquid crystal panel with an insulating film, and conducts only the tip of the inspection probe. When the inspection probe moves with the movement of the liquid crystal panel, even if a part other than the tip of the inspection probe touches the terminal, no inspection signal is input and the inspection probe It is possible to input a signal to the terminal section only from the tip.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since there is provided a means for applying a predetermined inspection signal to the inspection probe in contact with the drive signal input terminal, a plurality of inspection items conventionally performed in separate steps are identical. The apparatus can be performed in the same process to improve throughput and reduce capital investment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a liquid crystal panel inspection device used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a resistance test probe and a lighting display probe shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal display panel terminal shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional resistance test between terminals of a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a conventional lighting display inspection device for a liquid crystal panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display panel 2 ... Input terminal part 3 ... Resistance measuring device between terminals 4 ... Signal input back plate 5 ... Probe for resistance test 6 ... Liquid crystal panel drive signal generator 7 ... Liquid crystal panel drive control circuit 8 ... Drive semiconductor device 9: Lighting display probe 10: Z stage 11: Resistance inspection probe 12: Lighting display probe 13: Flexible board 14: Probe 15: Insulating film 16: Input terminal insulating part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus, comprising: a plurality of inspection probes that are brought into contact with drive signal input terminals of a liquid crystal panel, wherein the inspection probes inspect the liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal panel which is disposed so as to have a different distance from the drive signal input terminal, and selects an inspection probe which comes into contact with the drive signal input terminal by moving the liquid crystal panel in a direction in which the probe comes into contact with the inspection probe. Inspection equipment. 2. The liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection probe is disposed obliquely with respect to a drive signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel. 3. The test probe according to claim 1, wherein a portion other than the tip of the test probe that contacts the drive signal input terminal of the liquid crystal panel is covered with an insulating film, and only the tip of the test probe is made conductive. 3. The liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The liquid crystal panel inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for applying a predetermined inspection signal to an inspection probe in contact with the drive signal input terminal.