KR100758849B1 - Pump module of liquid crystal dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A pump module of a liquid dropping apparatus is provided to perform the high precision control of the minute displacement and to achieve a piezoelectric device with the rapid response property. An intake hole is formed at a side of a cylinder so that liquid crystal supplied from a liquid crystal container is introduced. A discharge hole is formed at the opposite side of the intake hole. A piston(130) is inserted into the cylinder and then performs the rotation motion and the upper and lower reciprocating motion, and has an opening groove formed at a side thereof so that the intake hole and discharge hole are open alternately. A piezoelectric device(140) is installed at the upper portion of the piston and makes the upper and lower reciprocating motion of the piston according to the upper and lower displacement. A rotation member(150) is installed at the upper portion of the piezoelectric device and rotates the piston according to the rotation force. A pump control member(160) intakes the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container and generates the rotation force to the rotation member so that the liquid crystal is jetted through a nozzle. The pump control member controls the displacement of the piezoelectric device.

Description

Pump module of liquid crystal dropping device

1 is a perspective view of a pump module of the liquid crystal dropping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device in Figure 2;

4 is a diagram for explaining the stroke length of a piston according to the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element in FIG. 3;

5a to 8b are views for explaining an operation example of the pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device shown in FIG.

<Brief description of the major symbols in the drawings>

110. Housing 120. Cylinder

121..intake 122..outlet

130 .. Piston 131 .. Open Home

140. Piezoelectric element 150. Rotating means

160..Pump Control

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal dropping device, and more particularly, to a pump module of a liquid crystal dropping device having an improved structure to accurately discharge liquid crystals.

A flat panel display (FPD) refers to an image display device that is thinner and lighter than a television or a monitor employing a CRT. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission displays (FEDs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), and the like are developed and used as flat panel displays. have.

Among them, the liquid crystal display is a display device that can display a desired image by controlling the light transmittance of the liquid crystal cells by separately supplying data signals according to the image information to the liquid crystal cells arranged in a matrix form, which is thin, light, and power consumption. It is widely used due to the advantages of over operating voltage and low.

The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal panel generally employ | adopted for such a liquid crystal display is demonstrated, for example as follows. First, a color filter and a common electrode are patterned on the upper glass substrate, and a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode are patterned on the lower glass substrate facing the upper glass substrate. Subsequently, after the alignment films are applied to the substrates, the alignment films are rubbed to provide a pretilt angle and an orientation direction to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer formed therebetween. The seal paste is applied in a predetermined pattern by a dispenser to any one of the substrates so as to keep the cell gap while preventing the liquid crystal from leaking out and sealing the substrates. In this case, a process of dotting the conductive paste is further performed to connect the common electrode and the pixel electrode respectively formed on the substrates.

Then, after the liquid crystal layer is formed between the substrates to produce a liquid crystal panel, a liquid crystal injection method is a method of forming the liquid crystal layer. In the liquid crystal injection method, the liquid crystal is injected through the injection holes formed in the substrates between the substrates and the bonded substrates, and then the injection holes are sealed to form a liquid crystal layer. Here, the liquid crystal injection uses a pressure difference. In detail, the liquid crystal filled cylinder is provided in the vacuum chamber, the substrates are bonded together, and the liquid crystal is brought into contact with the injection holes of the substrates. In the case of supplying a gas such as nitrogen into the vacuum chamber to lower the vacuum degree of the vacuum chamber, the liquid crystal may be injected between the substrates by the internal pressure between the substrates and the pressure difference between the vacuum chambers.

However, the liquid crystal injection method has a limitation in improving manufacturing efficiency because the liquid crystal injection time is long because the distance between the substrates is very narrow, such as several micrometers. In addition, since the liquid crystal must be sufficiently supplied for the liquid crystal injection, when the liquid crystal injection is completed between the substrates, the liquid crystal remains. If the liquid crystal thus left is exposed to air or a specific gas and contaminated, the liquid crystal may be expensive. Since it has to be discarded, the manufacturing cost may increase accordingly.

In order to solve the problems of the liquid crystal injection method as described above, a liquid crystal drop method has been proposed. The liquid crystal dropping method is a method of dropping a liquid crystal using a liquid crystal dropping device in a space defined by a seal paste of a substrate, then bonding the substrates, and then curing and bonding the seal material. The pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device used in the liquid crystal dropping method includes most mechanical errors. This mechanical error not only lowers the discharge accuracy of the liquid crystal but also makes it impossible to discharge the liquid crystal in a small amount of several mg or less. As a result, the quality of the liquid crystal panel may be reduced as a result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a pump module of a liquid crystal dropping device capable of discharging the liquid crystal in a small amount of several mg or less, as well as improving the discharge accuracy of the liquid crystal even with a relatively simple structure. There is this.

In the pump module of the liquid crystal dropping apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a suction port is formed on one side to suck the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container, and discharges the liquid crystal sucked through the suction port through a nozzle. A cylinder having a discharge port formed at an opposite side of the suction port to enable the discharge port; A piston having an open groove formed at a side thereof to rotate and vertically reciprocate in a state of being inserted into the cylinder, and to open the inlet and outlet alternately according to a rotational movement; A piezoelectric element installed on an upper side of the piston and reciprocating the piston vertically as the displacement occurs up and down; Rotating means installed above the piezoelectric element and rotating the piston in response to providing rotational force; And a pump controller which generates a rotational force on the rotating means and controls displacement of the piezoelectric element so as to suck the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container and discharge it through the nozzle.

Here, the pump control unit preferably controls the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element according to the stroke length of the piston to adjust the stroke length of the piston.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a pump module of the liquid crystal dropping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

1 and 2, the pump module 100 of the liquid crystal dropping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is to be employed in the liquid crystal dropping apparatus to form a liquid crystal layer by dropping and distributing the liquid crystal directly to the substrate After inhaling the liquid crystal, it is possible to discharge a certain amount.

A liquid crystal container 11 is provided above the pump module 100 of the liquid crystal dropping device, and the liquid crystal container 11 is filled with liquid crystal therein so as to supply liquid crystal to the pump module 100. The liquid crystal container 11 filled with the liquid crystal is mainly made of a material such as polyethylene so as not to react with the liquid crystal. When the liquid crystal container 11 is made of such a material, the liquid crystal container 11 may be deformed by a weak external shock. It is housed in a case 12 made of a rigid material such as stainless steel.

The liquid crystal container 11 is supported by the support 13, and the support 13 is formed with a fin 14 having a flow path therein, like a scanning needle. The pin 14 is coupled to the other end of the first connecting pipe 15 connected to one end and the liquid crystal suctioning part 111 provided in the housing 110 of the pump module 100. By being inserted into and installed in the liquid crystal container 11, the liquid crystal contained in the liquid crystal container 11 may be introduced into the liquid crystal suction part 111 of the pump module 100 through the first connecting pipe 15. As the pin 14 is installed in the liquid crystal container 11 as described above, the liquid crystal container 11 is detachable and detachable in the process of inserting and separating the pin 14 into the liquid crystal container 11. Can be replaced easily.

In addition, a nozzle 16 is provided below the pump module 100, and the nozzle 16 has a liquid crystal discharge part 112 and a second connection pipe provided on the housing 110 on the opposite side of the liquid crystal suction part 111. The liquid crystal discharged from the liquid crystal discharge unit 112 connected to the 17 is dropped on the substrate. Here, the nozzle 16 may be supported by the support block 102 provided in the bracket 101 of the pump module 100.

The pump module 100 which sucks and discharges the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container 11 is, together with the housing 110, as shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder 120, the piston 130, and the piezoelectric element. 140, the rotation means 150, and the pump control unit 160 is configured.

The cylinder 120 is received in the interior space through the upper opening of the housing 110. Here, the cylinder 120 has a cylindrical inner space to guide the vertical movement and the rotational movement of the piston 130. In addition, the cylinder 120 has a suction port 121 formed in communication with the liquid crystal suction unit 111 of the housing 110 on one side to suck the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container 11 into the inner space. The discharge port 122 is formed on the opposite side of the suction port 121 to communicate with the liquid crystal discharge part 112 of the housing 110 to discharge the liquid crystal sucked through the suction port 121.

In this state in which the cylinder 120 is accommodated in the housing 110, a cap 115 for blocking the upper opening is installed in the housing 110, and the cap 115 passes the piston 130 into the cylinder 120. It has a structure that can be made. In the housing 110, a sealing member 116 is provided on the upper side of the cylinder 120 to prevent leakage of liquid crystal.

The piston 130 rotates and reciprocates by the piezoelectric element 140 and the rotating means 150 which will be described later in the state of being inserted into the cylinder 120 described above. An opening groove 131 is formed to alternately open 121 and the discharge port 122. Here, the opening groove 131 is formed to have a predetermined width and length from the lower end to the side of the piston 130. On the other hand, the opening groove 131 is shown to have a V-shape, but may be formed to have a variety of shapes in the range that can be opened by alternating the inlet 121 and the discharge port 122.

The piezoelectric element 140 may cause mechanical displacement by using electricity as an input energy by using the reverse piezoelectric effect. When the piezoelectric element 140 is applied to the upper side of the piston 130, the piezoelectric element 140 extends downward and applies voltage. When no longer exists, the piston 130 can be reciprocated up and down by providing a displacement that contracts upward in the original state. That is, when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 140 and the piezoelectric element 140 extends downward, the piston 130 descends from the position of the top dead center to the bottom dead center, and the cylinder 120 is filled in the process. Pressure is applied to the liquid crystal so that the liquid crystal may be discharged.

When the piezoelectric element 140 is used to discharge the liquid crystal, the piezoelectric element 140 can control the micro-displacement with high precision and has a quick response, and thus the nozzle 16 is coupled to the piston 130. Not only can the amount of liquid crystal discharged through the? Be controlled to a few mg or less, the amount of liquid crystal can be finely adjusted, and the liquid crystal can be discharged quickly. In addition, since mechanical errors in the pump module 100 may be minimized, the accuracy of discharging the liquid crystal may be sufficiently secured.

The amount of liquid crystal discharged in this way reciprocates between the top dead center (A), which is the point where the piston 130 stops from the upper side, and the bottom dead center (B, B '), the point where the piston 130 stops from the lower side in the piston 130. The range of motion, ie, the longer the stroke length of the piston 130 becomes larger and the smaller the relative length becomes, the stroke length of the piston 130 can be adjusted by controlling the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element 140. That is, when the magnitude of the voltage supplied to the piezoelectric element 140 is small, the displacement of the piezoelectric element 140 decreases and the stroke length of the piston 130 is shortened as shown in FIG. The amount to be reduced will be. This means that the amount of liquid crystal discharge can be controlled by adjusting the displacement of the piezoelectric element 140.

The rotating means 150 provides a rotational force by providing a rotational force to the piston 130, so that the opening groove 131 alternates the inlet 121 and the outlet 122 of the cylinder 120 according to the rotational movement of the piston 130. Take it open. That is, the rotation means 150 rotates the piston 130 so that the opening groove 131 opens the suction inlet 121 so that the liquid crystal flows into the lower space in the cylinder 120 through the suction port 121. By opening the opening groove 131 from the suction port 121 to close the suction port 121 while the liquid crystal flows in, while rotating the piston 130 to open the discharge port 122, the suction and discharge states of the liquid crystal are controlled. Allows the valve role to be performed. For example, a rotating motor may be employed as the rotating means 150, and the rotating shaft 151 of the rotating motor is rotatable to the fixing part 103 so that the rotating force from the rotating motor can be transmitted to the piston 130. The head 153 on which the piezoelectric element 140 installed on the upper side of the piston 130 is fixed may be fixedly coupled to the rotating member 152.

The pump controller 160 is for controlling a series of processes to suck and discharge the liquid crystal according to the rotation of the piston 130 and the vertical reciprocating motion. In detail, the pump control unit 160 generates a rotational force to the rotating means 150 to rotate the piston 130 so that the opening groove 131 can be opened alternately to the suction port 121 and the discharge port 122, The piston 130 is located at the top dead center when the opening groove 131 is located at the inlet 121 by the rotation of the piston 130, and the piston 130 is located at the discharge port 122 when the opening groove 131 is located at the discharge port 122. By controlling the displacement of the piezoelectric element 140 to be located at the bottom dead center, the liquid crystal can be sucked and discharged. In addition, the pump controller 160 controls the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element 140 to adjust the stroke length of the piston 130 so that the amount of the liquid crystal is ultimately discharged. In this way, the piezoelectric element 140 is controlled by the pump control unit 160. The method of applying a voltage from the pump control unit 160 to the piezoelectric element 140 is a piezoelectric element as the piston 130 rotates infinitely in one direction. Although the brush 140 is infinitely rotated, it is preferable to use a brush method commonly known to facilitate voltage application, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

Referring to Figures 5a to 8b the operation of the pump module according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above are as follows. 5A and 5B show an intake stroke, FIGS. 6A and 6B show a first cross stroke, and FIGS. 7A and 7B show a discharge stroke. 8A and 8B show a second cross stroke.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the opening groove 131 of the piston 130 is located at the inlet 121 of the cylinder 120 while the piston 130 is located at the top dead center. Since the suction port 121 is in an open state, the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container 11 is sucked into the lower space in the cylinder 120 through the opening groove 131 from the suction port 121 and filled.

In this state in which the liquid crystal is sucked, when the piston 130 is gradually rotated counterclockwise by the driving of the rotating means 150, the opening groove 131 is released from the inlet 121, and thus the inlet 121 is The inner wall of the cylinder 120 is in a closed state. At the same time, when the displacement extending downward in the piezoelectric element 140 occurs and the piston 130 gradually descends toward the bottom dead center, pressure is applied to the liquid crystal in the cylinder 120. When the piston 130 is rotated about 90 degrees while being positioned in the middle of the top dead center and the bottom dead center, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

In this state, the piston 130 continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction and descends at the same time, and as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the opening groove 131 is located in the discharge port 122, while the piston ( When the 130 is located at the bottom dead center, the discharge opening 122 is opened, and thus the liquid crystal pressurized by the piston 130 is discharged through the discharge opening 122.

After the liquid crystal is discharged through the discharge port 122 in this way, if the piston 130 continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, the opening groove 131 is released from the discharge hole 122, and thus the discharge hole 122 is The inner wall of the cylinder 120 is in a closed state. At the same time, the upward contraction of the piezoelectric element 140 occurs, causing the piston 130 to gradually rise toward the top dead center, and the piston 130 rotates about 270 ° while being approximately halfway between the top dead center and the bottom dead center. When positioned, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

In this state, the piston 130 continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction and ascends, and as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the opening groove 131 is located at the inlet 121, while the piston 130 When the return to the top dead center, the inlet 121 is opened, so that the liquid crystal is sucked from the inlet 121 through the open groove 131 into the lower space in the cylinder 120 and refilled.

When the suction stroke, the first cross stroke, the discharge stroke, and the second cross stroke are sequentially repeated, the liquid crystal may be sucked from the liquid crystal container 11 and then continuously discharged through the nozzle 16. .

According to the pump module according to the present invention as described above, by providing a piezoelectric element having a high responsiveness and high responsiveness of the micro-displacement with the rotating means for sucking and discharging the liquid crystal through the nozzle, Not only the amount of liquid crystal discharged can be controlled to several mg or less, but also the amount of liquid crystal can be finely adjusted. In addition, the liquid crystal can be quickly discharged. In addition, since mechanical errors in the pump module can be minimized, the ejection accuracy of the liquid crystal can be increased, so that the quality of the liquid crystal panel can be sufficiently secured.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Could be. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

Claims (5)

A cylinder having a suction port formed at one side to suck liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container, and a discharge port formed at a side opposite to the suction port to discharge liquid crystal sucked through the suction port through a nozzle; A piston having an open groove formed at a side thereof to rotate and vertically reciprocate in a state of being inserted into the cylinder, and to open the inlet and outlet alternately according to a rotational movement; A piezoelectric element installed on an upper side of the piston and reciprocating the piston vertically as the displacement occurs up and down; Rotating means installed above the piezoelectric element and rotating the piston in response to providing rotational force; And A pump controller for generating rotational force to the rotating means and controlling displacement of the piezoelectric element so as to suck the liquid crystal supplied from the liquid crystal container and discharge it through the nozzle; . The method of claim 1, The pump control unit of the liquid crystal dropping device, characterized in that for controlling the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element according to the stroke length of the piston to adjust the stroke length of the piston. The method of claim 2, The piezoelectric element is a pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device, characterized in that it has a displacement amount such that the amount of liquid crystal discharged through the nozzle can be several mg or less. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The pump control unit controls the displacement of the piezoelectric element such that the piston can be located at the top dead center when the open groove is located at the inlet, and the piston can be located at the bottom dead center when located at the discharge port. The pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device. The method of claim 4, wherein The pump control unit allows the piston to move down from the top dead center as the open groove moves from the inlet port, while the piston moves up from the bottom dead center while the open groove moves from the discharge port. The pump module of the liquid crystal dropping device, characterized in that for controlling the displacement of the piezoelectric element.

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