JPH1195242A - Method for cleaning liquid crystal panel terminal and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely remove a relative large stuck matter, if any, on a terminal forming surface and to surely clean the panel surface side of the terminal forming surface even near to its end edge. SOLUTION: This device has a positioning means for positioning a liquid crystal panel 10, a blade 20 supported in such a manner that its edge comes into contact with the surface of the terminal forming surface 11a at the terminal forming end 11 of the liquid crystal panel 10 and a moving base for relatively moving the positioned liquid crystal panel 10 and the blade 20 in the longitudinal direction of the terminal forming surface. This positioning means has a position regulating member for positioning the terminal forming surface 11a of the liquid crystal panel 10 by coming into contact with the step surface 11b rising from the panel surface side end edge thereof. The device surely removes even the stuck matter of a relatively smooth surface at one time by the blade 20 and surely cleans the panel surface side of the terminal forming surface 11a even near to its end edge.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a terminal forming surface before mounting in order to improve the quality when mounting a TCP or an IC on the terminal forming surface of a liquid crystal panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the demand for liquid crystal panels has been growing rapidly, and it is strongly desired to improve the quality and yield of liquid crystal panels. In order to improve the quality and yield in the process of mounting TCPs and ICs on liquid crystal panels, it has been found effective to clean the terminal forming surface, which is the mounting surface, again before the mounting process. Interest in liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning is increasing.

Conventionally, cleaning before mounting of a liquid crystal panel is mainly performed by an operator, and thus there have been problems such as an increase in costs due to an increase in the number of workers and variations in quality among the operators.

Therefore, as a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device that automatically performs cleaning, the liquid crystal panel is regulated in position and gripped by a handling unit, the liquid crystal panel is moved to the cleaning unit by the handling unit, and clamped by the cleaning unit. Conventionally, there has been proposed a cleaning device in which a cleaning cloth is pressed against a terminal forming surface of a liquid crystal panel by a nail and the liquid crystal panel is laterally moved by a handling unit to clean the terminal forming surface.

The present applicant has previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-3108.
In No. 55, an intermediate portion of a tape-shaped cleaning cloth provided so as to be able to be fed is guided into a gap between a pair of clamp claws, and a terminal forming end of a liquid crystal panel is inserted into a gap between the pair of clamp claws. The liquid crystal panel is relatively moved in the direction perpendicular to the feed direction of the tape-shaped cleaning cloth while positioning and holding the liquid crystal panel so that the tape-shaped cleaning is performed on the front and back surfaces of the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. There has been proposed an apparatus in which a liquid crystal panel is relatively moved while a cloth is pressed against the surface to clean a terminal forming surface.

[0006]

However, in the conventional liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning apparatus, when a relatively large adhered substance such as a fine glass piece of 10 μm or more is present on the terminal forming surface, the surface is not particularly angular. When the surface is smooth, there is a problem that even if an abrasive tape is used as the tape-shaped cleaning cloth, it may not be able to be reliably removed.

In order to position the liquid crystal panel, the side edge thereof is pressed against the restricting portion to restrict the position. Therefore, there is an error in the width dimension of the terminal forming surface and the step of the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side. It is necessary to set the cleaning position so that the tape-shaped cleaning cloth does not come into contact with the stepped surface in consideration of the tolerance due to the unevenness of the surface.Therefore, cleaning is performed as close as possible to the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side. In addition, when the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel, it is necessary to adjust the cleaning position one by one, and the productivity of the cleaning process is low.

Further, a general liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device is a dedicated device provided with one of a dry cleaning portion using a tape-like cleaning cloth and a wet cleaning portion impregnated with a solvent. The cleaning device is configured to perform both cleanings, and a single device cannot perform only necessary cleaning according to the properties of the terminal forming surface. There is a problem that productivity is reduced when cleaning is performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention can reliably remove and clean even a relatively large adhered substance on a terminal forming surface, and can provide an edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side. The terminal can be cleaned to near the edge without fail, without changing the width of the terminal forming surface depending on the type of liquid crystal panel, without having to adjust each one.In addition, appropriate cleaning should be performed according to the properties of the terminal forming surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for cleaning a liquid crystal panel terminal.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of cleaning a liquid crystal panel terminal, wherein the blade is relatively moved while the blade edge of the blade is in contact with the surface of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. It removes small adhered substances such as glass powder adhered to the surface of the terminal forming surface. Even relatively large and smooth adhered substances that cannot be easily removed by a cleaning using a tape-shaped cleaning cloth. Can be reliably removed.

In the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to a second aspect of the present invention, the liquid crystal panel is positioned by contacting a step surface rising from an edge of the terminal forming surface of the liquid crystal panel on the panel surface side with a positioning means. Cleaning the surface of the terminal forming surface with the cleaning means positioned with respect to the positioning means, and taking into account only the tolerance due to the unevenness of the stepped surface of the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side. By positioning the
The terminal forming surface can be reliably cleaned to the vicinity of the edge on the panel surface side, and even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel, the cleaning width of the cleaning means is sufficiently large. The terminal formation surface can be cleaned without adjusting the cleaning position one by one, and the productivity of the cleaning process can be improved.

A liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device, comprising: a positioning means for positioning the liquid crystal panel; and a blade supported so that a cutting edge contacts a surface of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. And a means for relatively moving the positioned liquid crystal panel and the blade in the longitudinal direction of the terminal forming surface, so that even relatively large fixed objects having a smooth surface can be reliably removed at once.

Further, if the positioning means is provided with a position regulating member for abutting and positioning a step surface rising from a panel surface side edge of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel, As described above, cleaning can be reliably performed to the vicinity of the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side, and cleaning can be performed without adjusting the cleaning position even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of liquid crystal panel.

A liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a blade cleaning device that moves the liquid crystal panel and the blade relative to each other while bringing the blade edge of the blade into contact with the surface of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. Section, a dry cleaning section for cleaning the surface of the terminal forming surface by moving the liquid crystal panel and the tape-shaped cleaning cloth relative to each other, and a surface of the terminal forming surface by moving the tape-shaped cleaning cloth impregnated with the liquid crystal panel and the solvent relatively. And a transport unit for transporting the liquid crystal panel between the loading / unloading unit and each of the cleaning units, and supplying the liquid crystal panel to the loading unit. Transports the LCD panel to the required cleaning section, performs necessary cleaning, and carries it out. It can be removed from, it is possible to perform proper cleaning, depending on the nature of the terminal formation surface.

[0015] When the transport means is constituted by a rotary table which holds a plurality of liquid crystal panels around it and is rotatable intermittently, and each cleaning section and a carry-in / out section of the liquid crystal panel are arranged at a stop position of each liquid crystal panel, The loading / unloading section can be provided at one location, and since it is a rotary type, it can be transported to a plurality of cleaning sections with a simple and compact configuration, and high positioning accuracy can be ensured at each cleaning section.

Further, by providing positioning means for abutting and positioning a step surface rising from a panel-side edge of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end portion of the liquid crystal panel at the loading / unloading portion, by providing one position. Just by positioning, each cleaning section can reliably clean the terminal forming surface near the panel surface side edge as described above, and even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of liquid crystal panel, the cleaning position is adjusted one by one Cleaning without cleaning.

Further, a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention uses the above liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device, and comprises a blade cleaning section and a dry cleaning section in accordance with the surface properties of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. The cleaning is performed by selecting a wet cleaning section, and the most appropriate cleaning can be performed in accordance with the surface properties of the terminal forming surface. The cleaning can be widely applied to various liquid crystal panels and can be efficiently cleaned.

Specifically, cleaning is performed by a blade cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit, and a wet cleaning unit, or cleaning is performed by a blade cleaning unit and a wet cleaning unit, and the cleaning unit passes the dry cleaning unit.
Alternatively, a cleaning method such as cleaning with a dry cleaning unit and a wet cleaning unit, passing through a blade cleaning unit, or cleaning only with a wet cleaning unit, and passing through other cleaning units can be applied. The cleaning unit may be passed.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device, in which a rotary table 2 which can be rotated intermittently by 90 ° is disposed at a central portion thereof. A holding section 3 for positioning and holding fixedly is provided. Rotary table 2
A carry-in / carry-out section 4, a blade cleaning section 5, a dry cleaning section 6, and a wet cleaning section 7 are arranged at a position radially outside of a position where each holding section 3 stops when the operation is stopped.

The loading / unloading section 4 is movably provided with a transfer means 8 for loading and unloading the liquid crystal panel 10 with respect to the holding section 3 stopped opposite thereto. The transfer means 8 is provided with a pair of suction holding means 9a and 9b for sucking and holding the liquid crystal panel 10, while the liquid crystal panel 10 supplied to a predetermined position by the supply conveyor 19 by the suction holding means 9a. The transfer means 8 is moved toward the loading / unloading section 4 while holding the liquid crystal panel 10 on the holding section 3 by suction with the other suction holding means 9b. The liquid crystal panel 10 that is positioned directly above the holding unit 3 and held by suction is transferred to the holding unit 3,
Thereafter, the transfer means 8 is moved toward a discharge conveyor (not shown) or a subsequent device, and the liquid crystal panel 10 held by the other suction holding means 9b is transferred.

2 and 3, the liquid crystal panel 10 is formed by filling a space between a pair of upper and lower glass substrates 10a and 10b with liquid crystal, and a transparent electrode is formed on the upper surface of the lower glass substrate 10b. Have been. A terminal forming end 11 is provided at one end of the four peripheral sides of the liquid crystal panel 10. At the terminal forming end portion 11, a terminal forming surface 11a is provided on the lower glass substrate 10b to form a terminal connected to the transparent electrode, and the upper glass substrate 1
0a is formed short so as not to cover the terminal forming surface 11a. An end face of the upper glass substrate 10a facing the terminal forming end 11 constitutes a step surface 11b rising from the edge of the terminal forming surface 11a on the panel surface side, and this step surface 11b is used as a position regulating surface of the liquid crystal panel 10. Is done.

The holding section 3 is provided with a support member 12 for placing and supporting the liquid crystal panel 10, and the support member 12 is provided with suction means (not shown) for holding the liquid crystal panel 10 by vacuum suction. I have. Further, the holding portion 3 of the support member 12
A pair of position regulating rollers 13a and 13b are disposed on one side opposed to the rotational movement direction, and the other side is engaged with a side end surface of the liquid crystal panel 10 to place the liquid crystal panel 10 on the position regulating roller 13a.
A clamp member 14, which is pressed toward the positions a and 13b to fix the position, is provided on a pressing block 15 movable in the pressing direction.

In the carry-in / carry-out section 4, the liquid crystal panel 10 is transferred to the support member 12 by the transfer means 8 in a posture in which the terminal forming end portion 11 is located radially outside the rotary table 2. The holding unit 3 stopped at the loading / unloading unit 4
Positioning means 16 for positioning the liquid crystal panel 10 in the radial direction of the rotary table 2 is provided below the rotary table 2. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the positioning means 16 does not engage with the end face of the liquid crystal panel 10, but engages with a step surface 11b rising from an edge of the terminal forming surface 11a of the terminal forming end 11 on the panel surface side. The position restricting member 17 is fixed on a movable restricting block 18 movable between a predetermined position in the radial direction of the rotary table 2 and a position retracted radially outward.

As shown in FIG. 4, the blade cleaning unit 5 is retracted upward from a position in contact with the terminal forming surface 11a on a movable table 25 movable in the longitudinal direction at the terminal forming end 11 of the liquid crystal panel 10. A blade 20 movable between positions is provided. In the illustrated example, a pair of blades 20 are arranged in an inverted C-shape so that the movable table 25 can be cleaned by any one of the blades 20 when the movable table 25 moves in any direction. That is, the blade 20 is attached to the movable attachment member 22 that can move in and out by the extension and retraction cylinder 23 via the relief mechanism 21 that can be retracted when an excessive load is applied,
As described above, the blade 20 is movably supported between the position where the blade edge contacts the terminal forming surface 11a and the position where the blade 20 is retracted upward. Further, the retractable cylinder 23 is attached to the movable base 19 via an attachment angle adjusting plate 24, and the inclination angle of the blade 20 with respect to the terminal forming surface 11a is 30 ° to 6 °.
It is configured to be adjustable between 0 °. 26 is movable table 2
A guide mechanism 27 movably supports 5, a feed screw mechanism 27 for moving and driving, and 28 a drive motor.

In the blade cleaning section 5, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the blade edge of the blade 20 is connected to the terminal forming surface 11a.
By moving in the longitudinal direction of the terminal forming surface 11a in a state in which the terminal forming surface 11a is brought into contact with the surface of the terminal forming surface 11a, minute fixed substances such as glass powder fixed to the surface of the terminal forming surface 11a can be removed.
As described above, since the cleaning is performed by scraping off with the blade edge of the blade 20, even a relatively large-sized and smooth-fixed substance which cannot be easily removed by cleaning using a tape-shaped cleaning cloth can be reliably removed at once. .

The position of the blade 20 is approximately 0.5 mm, which is equivalent to a common difference due to the unevenness of the step surface 11b with respect to the position of the step surface 11b of the terminal forming end portion 11 positioned by the positioning means 16. The terminal forming surface 11a is surely cleaned to the vicinity of the edge on the panel surface side without interfering with the blade 20 even if the step surface 11b has a certain degree of unevenness. be able to. Further, by using the blade 20 having a sufficiently large width, even if the width of the terminal forming surface 11a changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel 10, cleaning can be performed without adjusting the position of the blade 20 one by one.

The dry cleaning section 6 and the wet cleaning section 7 have substantially the same configuration, and are configured as shown in FIGS. Reference numeral 30 denotes a cleaning head, and reference numeral 31 denotes a tape-shaped cleaning cloth. Reference numeral 32 denotes a pair of upper and lower clamp claws in the cleaning head 30. Reference numeral 33 denotes a cloth supply unit for automatically supplying the cleaning cloth 31.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a cloth winding unit capable of automatically switching the cloth torque. The cleaning cloth 31 is fed and run by the rotation of the cloth winding unit 34, and is configured so that a new tape surface is brought into contact with the terminal forming surface 11a every time the terminal of each liquid crystal panel 10 is cleaned. The wet cleaning unit 7 is configured to supply a solvent from a solvent supply unit 35 as shown in FIG. As the solvent, ligroin, IPA and the like are preferably used.

The cleaning head 30 has three guide rollers 36, 37, 3 for guiding the cleaning cloth 31.
8 are provided. The first guide roller 36 is positioned obliquely rearward of the upper clamp claw 32, and the cleaning cloth 31 is supplied along an inclined surface 32 a that is inclined so as to protrude downward from the front surface of the upper clamp claw 32. The cleaning cloth 31 is guided as described above. The second guide roller 37 is located in a space between the horizontal lower surface 32b of the upper clamp claw 32 and the horizontal upper surface 32c of the lower clamp claw 32, and extends from the lower end of the inclined surface 32a of the upper clamp claw 32. The cleaning cloth 31 is introduced into the space along the horizontal upper surface 32c, and the lower clamp claw 32
The cleaning cloth 31 is guided so as to be led out toward the upper end of an inclined surface 32d which is inclined so as to protrude upward from the front surface of the lower clamp claw 32 along the horizontal upper surface 32c. The third guide roller 38 guides the cleaning cloth 31 along the inclined surface 32d of the lower clamp claw 32, with the lower clamp claw 32 positioned diagonally below and behind the lower clamp claw 32. 39 is the cleaning head 30
The guide rail 40 for movably supporting the cleaning cloth 31 in a direction perpendicular to the feed traveling direction of the cleaning cloth 31 is a timing belt for moving the guide rail, and is driven by a drive motor (not shown).

At the time of cleaning, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the terminal forming end 11 of the liquid crystal panel 10 is inserted between the horizontal upper surface 32c and the horizontal lower surface 32b of the clamp claws 32, 32 via the cleaning cloth 31. The cleaning is performed by moving the cleaning cloth 31 in a direction perpendicular to the feed running surface in a state where the cleaning cloth 31 is nipped by a certain pressing force. The clamping force by the clamp claws 32, 32 is 500
g to 3000 g, and the moving speed of the cleaning head 30 is preferably 10 mm / sec to 100 mm / sec.

The position of the front end of the clamp claw 32 is determined by the terminal forming end 11 positioned by the positioning means 16.
Is set to provide a clearance of approximately 0.7 mm corresponding to the sum of the thickness of the cleaning cloth 31 and the tolerance due to the unevenness of the step surface 11b with respect to the position of the step surface 11b. Even if the surface 11b has a certain degree of irregularities, the terminal forming surface 11a can be reliably cleaned to the vicinity of the edge on the panel surface side without interfering with the clamp claws 32. In addition, by providing a sufficient distance from the front end of the clamp claw 32 to the second guide roller 37, even if the width of the terminal forming surface 11a changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel 10, the position of the clamp claw 32 is adjusted one by one. Cleaning without the need.

The standard cleaning operation of the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

The liquid crystal panel (LCD) 10 supplied by the supply conveyor 19 is transferred onto the holding section 3 of the rotary table 2 by the transfer means 8 of the loading / unloading section 4 as described above, and After being positioned in the radial direction of the rotary table 2 by the positioning means 16 in a state of being sucked by vacuum, it is fixed by the position regulating rollers 13 a and 13 b and the clamp member 14. In this state, the cleaning operation starts, the holding unit (LCD stage) 3 rotates intermittently, stops at the next blade cleaning unit 5, and the cleaning by the blade 20 is performed as described above. Next, the holding unit (LCD stage) 3 rotates intermittently again, stops at the dry cleaning unit 6, and performs cleaning with the tape-shaped cleaning cloth 31 as described above. Next, the holding unit (LCD stage) 3 rotates intermittently again, stops at the wet cleaning unit 7, and performs cleaning with the tape-shaped cleaning cloth 31 impregnated with the solvent by the solvent supply unit 35 as described above. Thereafter, the holding section (LCD stage) 3 rotates intermittently again and returns to the loading / unloading section 4, where it is taken out of the holding section 3 by the transfer means 8 and is carried out to the subsequent process.

In the above description, the blade cleaning unit 5, the dry cleaning unit 6, and the wet cleaning unit 7
In all of the above, the standard cleaning operation for cleaning the terminal forming surface 11a of the liquid crystal panel 10 has been described. However, it is not always necessary to perform the cleaning operation in all the cleaning units 5 to 7.
By appropriately selecting and cleaning the blade cleaning unit 5, the dry cleaning unit 6, and the wet cleaning unit 7 according to the surface properties of the terminal a, the most appropriate cleaning corresponding to the surface properties of the terminal forming surface 1a can be performed. .

More specifically, in addition to the above-described standard operation, an operation of cleaning with the blade cleaning unit 5 and the wet cleaning unit 7 and passing the dry cleaning unit 6
Alternatively, a cleaning method in which the cleaning is performed by the dry cleaning unit 6 and the wet cleaning unit 7 and the blade cleaning unit 5 is passed, or the cleaning is performed only by the wet cleaning unit 7 and the other cleaning units 5 and 6 are passed. May be applied, and in some cases, all the cleaning units may be passed. As described above, by performing the most appropriate cleaning corresponding to the surface properties of the terminal forming surface 1a, the liquid crystal panel 10 can be widely used and can be efficiently cleaned.

According to this embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 10 is supplied to the carry-in / carry-out section 4 so that the rotary table 2 is provided.
The liquid crystal panel 10 can be sequentially transported to required cleaning units 5 to 7 to perform necessary cleaning and to be taken out from the carry-in / carry-out unit 4, and to perform appropriate cleaning according to the properties of the terminal forming surface 11a. it can. In addition, because of the rotary type, it can be transported to the plurality of cleaning units 5 to 7 with a simple and compact configuration. In addition, since the loading / unloading section 4 is provided with the positioning means 16 for abutting and positioning the step surface 11b rising from the panel surface side edge of the terminal forming surface 11a of the liquid crystal panel 10, positioning can be performed at one place. With each cleaning part 5
7, high positioning accuracy can be secured.

Further, by positioning the cleaning means in each of the cleaning units 5 to 7 in consideration of only the tolerance due to the unevenness of the step surface 11b, the terminal forming surface 11a can be surely located near the edge of the terminal surface 11a on the panel surface side. The cleaning width of the cleaning means can be made sufficiently large, so that even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel 10, the cleaning position can be adjusted without adjusting the cleaning position. Can be cleaned, and the productivity of the cleaning process can be improved.

Although the liquid crystal panel 10 is transported to the cleaning units 5 to 7 by the rotary table 2 in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 10 is held by the linear transport means. You may make it convey to each cleaning part 5-7.

[0039]

According to the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method of the first invention, as is apparent from the above description, the liquid crystal panel is brought into contact with the blade edge of the blade at the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. And the blades are relatively moved to remove fine particles such as glass powder adhered to the surface of the terminal forming surface, so that the surface is relatively large and cannot be easily removed by cleaning with a tape-like cleaning cloth. Even a fixed substance can be reliably removed at once.

According to the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method of the second invention, the positioning means is brought into contact with the stepped surface rising from the edge of the terminal formation surface at the terminal formation end of the liquid crystal panel, thereby positioning the liquid crystal panel. Since the surface of the terminal forming surface is cleaned by the cleaning means positioned with respect to the positioning means, the cleaning means takes into account only the tolerance due to the unevenness of the step surface of the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side. By positioning the
The terminal forming surface can be reliably cleaned to the vicinity of the edge on the panel surface side, and even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of the liquid crystal panel, the cleaning width of the cleaning means is sufficiently large. The terminal formation surface can be cleaned without adjusting the cleaning position one by one, and the productivity of the cleaning process can be improved.

The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a positioning means for positioning the liquid crystal panel, and a blade supported so that a cutting edge comes into contact with a surface of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. Since the liquid crystal panel and the means for relatively moving the blade in the longitudinal direction of the terminal forming surface are provided, even a fixed substance having a relatively large and smooth surface as described above can be reliably removed at once.

Further, if the positioning means is provided with a position regulating member for contacting and positioning a step surface rising from a panel-side edge of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel, As described above, cleaning can be reliably performed to the vicinity of the edge of the terminal forming surface on the panel surface side, and cleaning can be performed without adjusting the cleaning position even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of liquid crystal panel.

Further, according to the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning apparatus of the fourth invention, the liquid crystal panel and the blade are relatively moved and cleaned while the blade edge of the blade is in contact with the surface of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. A blade cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit that relatively moves the liquid crystal panel and the tape-shaped cleaning cloth to clean the surface of the terminal forming surface, and a terminal cleaning surface that relatively moves the liquid crystal panel and the tape-shaped cleaning cloth impregnated with the solvent. The liquid crystal panel is supplied to the carry-in section because the apparatus includes a wet cleaning section for cleaning the surface of the liquid crystal panel, a carry-in / out section of the liquid-crystal panel, and a carrying means for carrying the liquid-crystal panel between the carry-in / out section and each cleaning section. The LCD panel is transported to the required cleaning section to perform necessary cleaning It can be taken out from the output section, it is possible to perform appropriate cleaning depending on the nature of the terminal formation surface.

Further, the transport means is constituted by a rotary table which holds a plurality of liquid crystal panels around it and is rotatable intermittently, and each cleaning section and a carry-in / out section of the liquid crystal panel are arranged at a stop position of each liquid crystal panel. Then, the loading / unloading unit is set to 1
It can be transported to a plurality of cleaning sections in a simple and compact configuration, and high cleaning accuracy can be secured in each cleaning section.

In addition, the loading / unloading section is provided with positioning means for abutting and positioning a step surface rising from the panel forming side edge of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel, so that it can be positioned at one place. Just by positioning, each cleaning section can reliably clean the terminal forming surface near the panel surface side edge as described above, and even if the width of the terminal forming surface changes depending on the type of liquid crystal panel, the cleaning position is adjusted one by one Cleaning without cleaning.

Further, according to the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method of the fifth invention, the blade cleaning section and the dry cleaning are performed by using the liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning apparatus according to the surface properties of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. Since the cleaning is performed by selecting the part and the wet cleaning part, the most appropriate cleaning can be performed according to the surface properties of the terminal forming surface, and it can be widely used for various liquid crystal panels and can be efficiently cleaned.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid crystal panel fixing portion of the rotary table and positioning means for the liquid crystal panel in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a positioning means of the liquid crystal panel in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a blade cleaning unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a blade cleaning unit according to the embodiment in a cleaning state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cleaning unit using a tape-shaped cleaning cloth in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cleaning state by a cleaning unit using a tape-shaped cleaning cloth in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a cleaning state using a tape-shaped cleaning cloth in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a standard cleaning operation in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 rotary table 3 holding unit 4 carry-in / carry-out unit 5 blade cleaning unit 6 dry cleaning unit 7 wet cleaning unit 10 liquid crystal panel 11 terminal forming end 11a terminal forming surface 11b step surface 16 positioning means 17 position regulating member 20 blade 25 movable table

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal panel and a blade are relatively moved while a blade edge of a blade is in contact with a surface of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of a liquid crystal panel, and minute particles of glass powder or the like adhered to the surface of the terminal forming surface. A method of cleaning a liquid crystal panel terminal, comprising removing a fixed substance. 2. A cleaning means positioned with respect to a positioning surface of a terminal forming surface of a liquid crystal panel, wherein the positioning surface is in contact with a step surface rising from a panel surface side edge of the terminal forming surface. A method of cleaning a terminal of a liquid crystal panel, wherein the surface of the terminal forming surface is cleaned by the method. 3. A positioning means for positioning a liquid crystal panel, a blade supported so that a cutting edge contacts a surface of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel, and forming a terminal between the positioned liquid crystal panel and the blade. Means for relatively moving the surface in the longitudinal direction of the surface. 4. The positioning means includes a position regulating member for abutting a step surface rising from an edge of a terminal forming surface of the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel from a panel surface side edge and positioning the step surface. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to claim 3. 5. A blade cleaning unit for cleaning the liquid crystal panel by moving the blade relative to the liquid crystal panel while bringing the blade edge of the blade into contact with the surface of the terminal formation surface at the terminal formation end of the liquid crystal panel, and a liquid crystal panel and a tape-shaped cleaning cloth. A dry-type cleaning unit that cleans the surface of the terminal formation surface by relatively moving the surface of the terminal formation surface; a wet-type cleaning unit that cleans the surface of the terminal formation surface by relatively moving the liquid crystal panel and a tape-like cleaning cloth impregnated with a solvent; A liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device, comprising: a carry-in / carry-out unit; and a conveying unit that conveys a liquid crystal panel between the carry-in / carry-out unit and each cleaning unit. 6. A transfer means comprising a rotary table which holds a plurality of liquid crystal panels around it and is rotatable intermittently, and wherein each cleaning section and a carry-in / out section of the liquid crystal panel are arranged at a stop position of each liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein: 7. A loading / unloading unit, wherein positioning means is provided for abutting a step surface rising from a panel-side edge of a terminal forming surface at a terminal forming end of a liquid crystal panel to position the step surface. Item 6. A liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to item 6. 8. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein a blade cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit, and a wet cleaning unit are used in accordance with the surface properties of the terminal forming surface at the terminal forming end of the liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method comprising selecting a cleaning unit and performing cleaning. 9. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning is performed by a blade cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit, and a wet cleaning unit. 10. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein cleaning is performed by a blade cleaning unit and a wet cleaning unit, and the dry cleaning unit is passed. 11. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein cleaning is performed by a dry cleaning unit and a wet cleaning unit, and the blade cleaning unit is passed. 12. The liquid crystal panel terminal cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning is performed only by the wet cleaning section and the other cleaning sections are passed.