KR100948611B1 - Apparatus and method for evacuating bubble - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a bubble removing apparatus which prevents liquid crystal leakage and a cell gap defect and a bubble removing method using the same. The bubble removing device may include a decompression chamber having a decompression environment, a sealant supply unit for supplying a first sealant containing bubbles into the decompression chamber, and a storage container for storing a second sealant disposed in the decompression chamber to remove bubbles. Include. According to the bubble removing device, the pressure contained in the sealant is discharged to the decompression chamber while the pressure in the pressure reducing chamber is lowered to a pressure enough to release the bubbles contained in the sealant to the pressure reducing chamber to completely remove bubbles contained in the sealant within a short time. can do. If bubbles contained in the sealant are completely removed, cell gap defects caused by disconnection of the seal line and disconnection of the seal line may be prevented.

Description

Bubble removal device and bubble removal method using the same {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EVACUATING BUBBLE}

1 is a cross-sectional view of a bubble removing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first sealant supply block shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of removing bubbles included in the sealant using the bubble removing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the bubble removing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a bubble removing device and a bubble removing method using the same, and in particular, a bubble removing device that completely removes bubbles contained in a sealant within a short time to prevent disconnection of a seal-line due to bubbles. And it relates to a bubble removing method using the same.

Recently developed liquid crystals (Liquid Crystal, LC) has an electrical property that changes the arrangement in response to the intensity of the electric field and an optical property that changes the transmittance of light in response to the arrangement of the liquid crystal.                         

The liquid crystal display displays an image using the electrical and optical characteristics of the liquid crystal. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel composed of a TFT substrate and a color filter substrate to control the liquid crystal. The liquid crystal is disposed between the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate with a thickness of only a few mu m.

In general, in order to arrange the liquid crystal between the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate, an accommodating area for accommodating the liquid crystal must be formed along the edge of the TFT substrate or the color filter substrate. The receiving area is formed by a strip-shaped seal-line. Liquid crystal is injected into the storage region formed by the seal line, such as a liquid crystal drop filling method and a liquid crystal vacuum injection method.

In the liquid crystal dropping method, a liquid crystal having a very precise volume control is dropped into the liquid crystal accommodating area formed in a closed loop shape, and then the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate are assembled.

In the liquid crystal vacuum injection method, a seal line having a liquid crystal injection hole is formed to prepare a liquid crystal accommodating area, and after assembling the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate, the external liquid crystal is sucked into the liquid crystal accommodating space in a reduced pressure environment.

Printing the seal line on the TFT substrate or the color filter substrate in order to prevent leakage of the liquid crystal injected into the liquid crystal accommodating area by the above-described method and to maintain a uniform cell gap between the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate. The air bubbles must be removed from the sealant that is the material of the seal line before.                         

In order to remove the air bubbles contained in the sealant, a sealant containing air bubbles is conventionally filled in a beaker and the beaker is left in the chamber under reduced pressure for a predetermined time. Then, the bubbles contained in the sealant are released toward the vacuum chamber by the pressure difference between the sealant and the vacuum chamber.

When the air bubbles contained in the sealant are removed by the above method, the sealant is poured into the dispenser in which the dispenser for printing the seal line is coupled to supply the sealant to the dispenser.

However, if the air bubbles contained in the sealant are removed by the conventional method, the bubbles at the bottom of the beaker are not removed but remain in the sealant due to the viscosity of the sealant, and the bubbles remaining in the sealant flow into the dispenser together with the sealant. do.

In addition, in the process of supplying the dispenser with the air bubbles removed, air and the sealant are mixed and bubbles are generated in the sealant when the sealant is poured into the injector.

And, when removing the bubbles contained in the sealant by the conventional method described above takes about 6 hours.

When the seal line is formed on the TFT substrate or the color filter substrate with the sealant including the bubbles, bubbles included in the seal line break out of the seal line and disconnect the seal line. Disconnection of the seal line due to bubbles occurs more frequently in the liquid crystal vacuum injection method because bubbles contained in the seal line are released to the outside of the seal line due to the pressure difference when the chamber for injecting the liquid crystal is decompressed.

If the seal line is disconnected, the liquid crystal injected between the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate leaks to the outside of the liquid crystal accommodating area, and a cell gap defect with an uneven height of the cell gap occurs, which causes a problem of lowering the reliability and productivity of the product. .

Accordingly, the first object of the present invention is to provide a bubble removing apparatus for preventing the disconnection of the seal line by completely removing bubbles contained in the sealant within a short time in view of such a conventional problem.

Moreover, the 2nd objective of this invention provides the bubble removal method using the bubble removal apparatus of this invention.

In order to realize the first object of the present invention, the present invention provides a decompression chamber having a decompression environment, a sealant supply unit for supplying a first sealant including bubbles into the decompression chamber, and a bubble disposed in the decompression chamber to remove bubbles. Provided is a bubble removing device including a storage container for storing a second sealant.

In addition, in order to implement the second object of the present invention, the present invention provides a step of supplying a first sealant containing bubbles to a space having a decompression environment and a second bubble disposed in the interior of the space is removed by the decompression environment Provided is a bubble removing method comprising the step of receiving a sealant.

According to the present invention, by discharging the sealant filled in the sealant supply unit toward the decompression chamber while the pressure in the pressure reducing chamber is lowered to a pressure enough for the bubbles contained in the sealant to escape to the outside to completely remove the bubbles contained in the sealant within a short time. This prevents disconnection of the seal line due to air bubbles.

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

Embodiments of the bubble removing device

Example 1

1 is a cross-sectional view of a bubble removing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the bubble removing apparatus includes a decompression chamber 110, a sealant supply unit 200, and a storage container 300.

The pressure reduction chamber 110 includes a chamber body 120, a vacuum pump 130, a pedestal 140, a pressure gauge 150, and a first sealant tray 160.

The pedestal 140, the first sealant tray 160, and the storage container 300 are accommodated in the chamber body 120, and the chamber body 120 has a reduced pressure space 122 in which a vacuum pressure environment of a predetermined pressure is formed. It is formed to a predetermined size. An insertion hole connected to the decompression space 122 is formed in a predetermined portion of the chamber body 120, and a first thread 124 is formed on an inner surface of the insertion hole.

The vacuum pump 130 is connected to the decompression space 122 to decompress the decompression space 122 until the bubble 12 included in the first sealant 10 reaches a pressure enough to exit the decompression space 122. do.

Pedestal 140 is installed to be removable on the bottom surface of the pressure-sensitive space 122 corresponding to the insertion hole. The pedestal 140 faces the sealant supply unit and has a first surface 142 provided with a height adjustment part (not shown), a second surface 144 and a first surface facing the bottom surface of the decompression space 122. It consists of a side surface 146 connecting the surface 142 and the second surface 144. Pedestal 140 is a storage container 300 is mounted, and adjusts the gap (G) between the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container (300). That is, when the height of the storage container 300 is high and the storage container 300 is placed on the pedestal 140, the gap G between the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container 300 is the first sealant 10. If the bubble 12 is not enough to completely escape from it, the pedestal 140 is removed from the chamber body 120 to widen the gap G between the sealant supply unit 200 and the containment vessel 300. On the other hand, when the height of the storage container 300 is too low and the storage container is placed on the pedestal, the gap G between the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container 300 is discharged from the sealant supply unit 200. When the sealant 10 is wide enough to spread wider than the injection port area of the storage container 300, the gap G between the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container 300 is reduced by manipulating the height adjusting part of the pedestal 140.

The pressure gauge 150 is connected to the decompression space 122 to measure the pressure of the decompression space 122.

The first sealant tray 160 is installed between the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container 300 in the decompression space 122. The first sealant tray 160 faces the sealant supply unit 200 and faces the first surface 162 and the storage container 300 in which a storage space 164 for accommodating the first sealant 10 is formed. And a side 168 connecting the second side 166 and the first side 162 and the second side 166. The second surface 166 of the first sealant tray 160 is provided with a transfer device 170 for moving the first sealant tray 160 in the first direction of the decompression chamber 110. The first sealant tray 170 may be a portion corresponding to the sealant supply unit 200 until the pressure in the decompression space 122 flows out of the bubble 12 included in the first sealant 10 into the decompression space 122. Located in This is to prevent the first sealant 10 from being supplied to the storage container 300 by receiving the first sealant 10 leaked from the sealant supply unit 200 by the vacuum pressure. When the bubble 12 included in the first sealant 10 reaches a pressure enough to exit the pressure-reducing space 122, the second sealant 20 from which the bubble 12 is removed is transferred to the storage container 300. In order to be supplied, the first sealant tray 160 moves to a portion where the sealant supply unit 200 and the storage container 300 are not located.

Here, the vacuum pump 130, the pressure gauge 150, and the first sealant tray 160 are electrically connected by a controller (not shown) that controls the bubble removing apparatus 100 as a whole.

The sealant supply unit 200 includes an accommodating body 210, a first sealant supply block 230, an inert gas supply unit 240, and a first sealant detection unit 250.

The accommodating body 210 is formed in a tube shape, and a first sealant accommodating space 212, a second thread 214, a third thread 216, and a first departure preventing protrusion 218 are formed. The first sealant accommodating space 212 penetrates from a first surface facing the storage container 300 to a second surface opposite thereto. The second screw thread 214 is formed from a portion of the outer surface of the receiving body 210 which is in contact with the first surface to a portion corresponding to the first screw thread 124 in the second surface direction. The second thread 214 is screwed with the first thread 124 formed in the through hole of the pressure reduction chamber 110 to couple the sealant supply unit 200 to the pressure reduction chamber 110. The third thread 216 is located on the inner side of the receiving body 210 and is formed to correspond to the second thread 214. The first departure preventing protrusion 218 is formed at a portion spaced apart from the second screw thread 214 by a predetermined distance toward the second surface, and protrudes from the outer surface of the housing body 210. Here, a gap is generated between the chamber body 120 and the first departure preventing protrusion 218 when the accommodating body 210 is coupled to the decompression chamber 110. A first sealing ring 220 is inserted into the gap generated between the chamber body 120 and the first departure preventing protrusion 218 to prevent vacuum leakage.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first sealant supply block shown in FIG. 1.

1 and 2, the first sealant supply block 230 is formed in a shape corresponding to the first sealant accommodation space. In the first sealant supply block 230, a through hole 232, a fourth thread 234, and a second departure preventing protrusion 236 are formed. A plurality of through holes 232 are formed through the first surface facing the storage container 300 to the second surface opposite to the storage container 300. The through holes 232 discharge the first sealant 10 supplied into the accommodating body 210 into the decompression chamber 110. According to the present embodiment, the through holes 232 have a diameter between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, and about 1 to about 100 are formed. The fourth thread 234 corresponds to the third thread 216 toward the receiving container 300 from a portion of the side surface of the first sealant supply block 230 that contacts the second surface of the first sealant supply block 230. Is formed. The fourth screw thread 234 is screwed with the third screw thread 216 formed on the inner surface of the housing body 210 to couple the first sealant supply block 230 to the inside of the housing body 210. The second departure preventing protrusion 236 protrudes from a portion of the side surface of the first sealant supply block 230 that contacts the first surface of the first sealant supply block 230. When the first sealant supply block 230 is coupled to the housing body 210, a gap is generated between the chamber body 120 and the second departure preventing protrusion 236. A second sealing ring 225 is inserted into the gap generated between the chamber body 120 and the second departure preventing protrusion 236 to prevent vacuum leakage.

The inert gas supply unit 240 includes an inert gas storage tank 242, a cover 244, a gas supply pipe 246, and a shutoff valve 248. The inert gas storage tank 242 stores inert gas for pushing the first sealant 10 filled in the first sealant accommodation space 212 toward the decompression chamber 110. The cover 244 is coupled to the second surface of the housing body 210 to which the first sealant supply block 230 of the housing body 210 is not coupled. An inert gas injection hole 245 is formed in the cover 244 to be connected to the first sealant accommodation space 212. The cover 244 seals the first sealant accommodation space 212 so that the inert gas supplied to the first sealant accommodation space 212 may push the first sealant 10 toward the pressure reduction chamber 110. The gas supply pipe 246 is installed between the inert gas storage tank 242 and the cover 244 to interconnect the inert gas storage tank 242 and the inert gas inlet 245. The shutoff valve 248 is installed in the gas supply pipe 246 to supply the inert gas to the first sealant accommodation space 212 or to prevent the inert gas from being supplied to the first sealant accommodation space 212.                     

The sealant detection unit 250 includes a detection sensor 252, a signal processing unit 254, and an alarm module 256. The detection sensor 252 is installed near the first departure preventing protrusion 218 of the housing body 210 and is connected to the first sealant storage space 212 to fill the first sealant storage space 212 with the first sealant ( 10) detect the water level. The signal processing unit 254 is electrically connected to the detection sensor 252 by a wire 253, and processes the detection signal generated by the detection sensor 252 to determine whether to supply the first sealant 10. The alarm module 256 is electrically connected to the signal processing unit 254 to generate an alarm signal so that an operator can know when the first sealant 10 needs to be replenished.

The storage container 300 is a dispenser for printing a strip-shaped seal line on a TFT substrate or a color filter substrate by discharging the second sealant 20 from which bubbles are removed.

A process of removing bubbles contained in the sealant by using the bubble removing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of removing bubbles included in the sealant using the bubble removing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sealant supply unit 200 supplies the first sealant 10 including the bubbles 12 to the accommodating body 210 to fill the first sealant 10 to a predetermined height (S400).

Thereafter, the vacuum pump 130 is driven to make the inside of the decompression chamber 110 in a reduced pressure state. At this time, the pressure gauge 150 continuously detects the pressure in the decompression chamber 110 and displays it. Then, the operator or the controller determines whether the pressure inside the decompression chamber 110 is reduced until the bubble 12 escapes to the outside of the first sealant 10 through the digital pressure signal output from the pressure gauge 150. (S410).

If the internal pressure of the decompression chamber 110 does not reach the pressure at which the bubbles 12 can escape from the first sealant 10, the first sealant tray 160 may be moved to a position corresponding to the receiving body 210. To move (S420). Then, the first sealant 10 leaked to the outside of the first sealant supply block 140 by the vacuum pressure formed in the decompression chamber 110 falls into the storage space 164 of the first sealant tray 160.

When the internal pressure of the decompression chamber 110 reaches a pressure at which the bubbles 12 can escape from the first sealant 10, the first sealant tray 160 is stored in the housing body 210 and the storage container 300. ) Is moved to the position where it is not located (S430).

As such, when the internal pressure of the decompression chamber 110 is decompressed enough to allow the bubbles 12 to escape from the first sealant 10, the housing body for removing the bubbles 12 included in the first sealant 10 is removed. The first sealant 10 filled in 210 is supplied into the decompression chamber 110 (S440). In order to supply the first sealant 10 filled in the accommodating body 210 into the decompression chamber 110 within a short time, the shutoff valve 248 of the inert gas supply unit 240 is opened to inert gas into the accommodating body 210. Flow into the interior. Then, the first sealant 10 is pushed out of the first sealant supply block 230 by the pressure pressed by the inert gas. In this case, the first sealant 10 is divided into a plurality of through holes 232 formed in the first sealant supply block 230 and discharged into the decompression chamber 110.

As described above, when the first sealant 10 is divided into a plurality of thin discharges, the bubbles 12 escape from the first sealant 10 toward the pressure-reducing chamber 300 where the pressure is low. Bubble 12 is completely removed.

The second sealant 20 from which the bubbles are removed is stored in the storage container 300 installed below the storage body 210 at a predetermined interval from the storage body 210 (S450).

When the bubble contained in the first sealant is removed using the bubble removing apparatus according to the present embodiment, bubbles can be completely removed, and the time for removing bubbles is shortened to about 20 minutes.

Example 2

4 is a cross-sectional view of the bubble removing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The bubble removing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the bubble removing device of Example 1 except for the first sealant supply block of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and duplicated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first sealant fixing block 230 according to the present embodiment is provided with a through hole 232, a fourth thread 234, and a second departure preventing protrusion 236, and a solenoid valve is installed. . A plurality of through holes 232 are formed through the first surface facing the storage container 300 to the second surface opposite to the storage container 300. The through holes 232 discharge the first sealant 10 supplied into the accommodating body 210 into the decompression chamber 110. According to the present embodiment, the through holes 232 have a diameter between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, and about 1 to about 100 are formed. The fourth thread 234 corresponds to the third thread 216 toward the receiving container 300 from a portion of the side surface of the first sealant supply block 230 that contacts the second surface of the first sealant supply block 230. Is formed. The fourth screw thread 234 is screwed with the third screw thread 216 formed on the inner surface of the housing body 210 to couple the first sealant supply block 230 to the inside of the housing body 210. The second departure preventing protrusion 236 protrudes from a portion of the side surface of the first sealant supply block 230 that contacts the first surface of the first sealant supply block 230.

The solenoid valve 160 is installed in a predetermined portion of each through hole 232 and opens or closes each through hole 232 by an electrical signal. In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 260 is installed in the center of each through hole 232. In this case, the first sealant 10 remaining in the through hole 232 between the solenoid valve 260 and the first surface of the first sealant supply block 230 is discharged by the vacuum pressure to the storage container 300. Can be stored. Therefore, the first sealant tray 160 described in Embodiment 1 is installed inside the decompression chamber 110.

Although not shown, when the solenoid valve 260 is installed at a portion where the first surface of the first sealant supply block 230 is in contact with the through hole 232, the first pressure reducing chamber 110 may be vacuumed. The sealant 10 is not discharged to the outside of the first sealant supply block 230. Therefore, the first sealant tray 160 may not be provided inside the decompression chamber 110.

Meanwhile, the vacuum pump 130, the pressure gauge 150, the first sealant tray 160, and the solenoid valve 260 are electrically connected by the controller.

The method for removing bubbles using the bubble removing apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as the bubble removing method described in Example 1 except for S420 and S430 in the bubble removing method described in Example 1. Therefore, duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

If the pressure inside the decompression chamber 110 does not reach the pressure at which the bubbles 12 can escape from the first sealant 10, an electrical signal is applied to each solenoid valve to close each through hole. In operation S420, the first sealant tray 160 is moved to a position corresponding to the housing body 210. Then, even when the inside of the decompression chamber 110 is in a vacuum state, the first sealant 10 filled in the inside of the accommodating body 210 may not be discharged toward the decompression chamber 110, and the through-hole of the first sealant supply block 230 may not be discharged. The first sealant 10 remaining in the 232 falls in the storage space 164 of the first sealant tray 160.

On the other hand, when the internal pressure of the decompression chamber 110 reaches a pressure at which the bubble 12 can escape from the first sealant 10, an electrical signal is applied to each solenoid valve to open each through hole. Then, the first sealant tray 160 is moved to a portion where the housing body 210 and the storage container 300 are not located (S430).

Thereafter, the first sealant 10 filled in the accommodating body 210 is supplied into the decompression chamber 110 to remove the bubbles 12 included in the first sealant 10, and the bubbles 12 are removed. The second sealant 20 is stored in the storage container 300.

As described above in detail, the bubbles contained in the sealant are discharged to the decompression chamber by discharging the sealant filled in the sealant supply unit to the decompression chamber while the pressure in the pressure reducing chamber is lowered to a pressure enough to cause bubbles contained in the sealant to escape to the outside. Can be removed completely In addition, when the bubbles included in the sealant are completely removed, cell gap defects caused by disconnection of the seal line and disconnection of the seal line may be prevented.

In the detailed description of the present invention described above with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art or those skilled in the art having ordinary knowledge in the scope of the invention described in the claims to be described later It will be understood that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

A decompression chamber having a decompression environment; A sealant supply unit supplying a first sealant including bubbles into the decompression chamber; And And a storage container disposed inside the decompression chamber to accommodate a second sealant from which bubbles are removed. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the decompression chamber further comprises a vacuum pump for depressurizing the inside of the decompression chamber. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the decompression chamber further comprises a pedestal on which the storage container is seated to form a gap between the storage container and the sealant supply unit. The method of claim 1, wherein a first sealant tray is disposed between the sealant supply unit and the storage container to prevent the first sealant leaked from the sealant supply unit from being supplied to the storage container. Bubble removal device. 2. The bubble of claim 1, wherein the sealant supply unit comprises a tubular accommodating body for accommodating the first sealant and a first sealant supply block for supplying the first sealant into the decompression chamber. Removal device. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving body is screwed to the decompression chamber for supplying the first sealant into the decompression chamber in the direction of gravity, the coupling portion of the receiving body and the decompression chamber is interposed with a sealing ring Bubble removing device, characterized in that. 6. The bubble removing device of claim 5, wherein the first sealant supply block is screwed into the housing body and includes a plurality of through holes for discharging the first sealant into the decompression chamber. . 8. The bubble removing device according to claim 7, wherein each of the through holes has a diameter between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, and is from 1 to 100. 6. The bubble removing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the accommodating body further comprises an inert gas supply unit to which an inert gas is supplied to discharge the first sealant through the first sealant supply block. The inert gas supply unit of claim 9, wherein the inert gas supply unit includes an inert gas storage tank in which the inert gas is stored, a gas supply pipe connecting the inert gas storage tank and the receiving body, and a valve for supplying or blocking an inert gas. Bubble removal device characterized in that. The bubble removing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the housing body further comprises a sealant detection unit configured to detect a replenishment timing of the first sealant. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sealant detection unit further comprises a detection sensor for detecting the first sealant, a signal processing unit for processing a detection signal generated by the detection sensor, and an alarm module for notifying replacement of the first sealant. Bubble removal device characterized in that. The method of claim 5, wherein the first sealant supply block is a block body, a through hole formed in the inside of the block body for supplying the first sealant into the decompression chamber, the through hole by opening or closing the first And a solenoid valve for supplying or blocking the sealant to the pressure reducing chamber. Supplying a first sealant including bubbles to a space having a reduced pressure environment; And And a second sealant disposed in the space and freed of bubbles by the reduced pressure environment. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein supplying the first sealant further comprises pressurizing the first sealant to be discharged into the space. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein in the pressing of the first sealant, the first sealant is pressurized by an inert gas. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the supplying of the first sealant comprises discharging the first sealant into several pieces.

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