KR101022782B1 - Glass substrate cleaning unit and glass substrate cleaning system having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for cleaning a glass substrate of the present invention includes a conveyor unit for horizontally conveying a glass substrate; And cleaning units installed on a conveying path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit, the cleaning units having a scrubbing member for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate by applying a rotating scrubbing force drawing a circular trajectory; The scrubbing member is a shaft rotated by a drive motor; A holder connected to the shaft; And polishing bars individually detachably installed in the holder.

Glass, washing, foreign objects

Description

Unit for cleaning glass substrate and system for cleaning glass substrate having the same

The present invention relates to a unit for cleaning a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel and a system having the same.

Recently, TFT-LCDs have been spotlighted as various display devices due to their various advantages such as miniaturization / light weight, wide viewing angle, low power consumption, and the like.

The TFT-LCD manufacturing process is largely divided into a TFT process, a color filter (hereinafter referred to as CF) process, a cell process, and a module process. Among them, the cell process is a process of manufacturing a TFT-LCD cell (Cell) by bonding and cutting two glasses that have undergone the TFT process and the CF process, and then injecting a liquid crystal therebetween. After the cell process, it is made to the actual panel size level and then moved to the module process. The module process is a final process for making a finished product panel. The polarizer, PCB, and backlight unit are attached to a TFT-LCD cell made of a cell process, and such a state is called a TFT-LCD module. In other words, the TFT-LCD module is a unit set in a state in which the TFT-LCD panel and the PCB can be electrically conductive to each other by TCP.

Here, the polarizing plates attached to both surfaces of the TFT-LCD panel selectively serve to allow only the light oscillating in a certain direction to be incident and transmitted to the outside, thereby assisting the TFT-LCD to exhibit a good display function. However, defective products due to foreign matter (dust, particles, adherent foreign matters, etc.) on the surface of the TFT-LCD cell are generated in the finished product as the TFT-LCD module after the polarizing plate is attached. In particular, in the process of transporting (waiting) the TFT-LCD cell from the cell process to the module process, not only particles but also adherent foreign matters adhere to the cell surface, and the adherent foreign matters are not easily removed by a general cleaning method.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unit capable of effectively removing foreign matter on the surface of a TFT-LCD cell (hereinafter referred to as a glass substrate) and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning unit capable of improving the zeroing accuracy from the center to the edge of the polishing pad in the shape of a rod, and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning unit capable of minimizing vibration and noise by reducing a contact area and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unit capable of adjusting cleaning power and a glass substrate cleaning system using the cleaning unit.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited thereto, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present invention is to achieve the above object, the system for cleaning the glass substrate is a conveyor unit for horizontal conveying the glass substrate; And cleaning units installed on a conveying path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit, the cleaning units having a scrubbing member for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate by applying a rotating scrubbing force drawing a circular trajectory; The scrubbing member is a shaft rotated by a drive motor; A holder connected to the shaft; And polishing bars individually detachably installed in the holder.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the polishing bars are arranged radially from the center of rotation of the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the polishing bars has a rod shape that is straight in a straight line or round in the direction of rotation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the polishing bars preferably has a lower surface in contact with the glass substrate than the upper surface attached to the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holder may include a magnet for magnetically fixing the polishing bar; And fixing pins inserted into insertion grooves formed in the polishing bar.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the polishing bars is a metal upper plate; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on the bottom of the top plate; And a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on a bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in surface contact with the glass substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning units include: first cleaning units for cleaning an upper surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit; And second cleaning units for cleaning a bottom surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first cleaning units and the second cleaning units are installed to face each other with a glass substrate therebetween.

The cleaning unit for removing the foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate according to the present invention by applying a rotating scrubbing force to draw a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate while spraying the cleaning liquid to the surface of the glass substrate scrubbing to remove the foreign matter on the glass substrate Including a member; The scrubbing member is rotated by a drive motor, the shaft having a first flow path for the cleaning liquid supplied from the outside; A holder having a second flow passage in communication with the first flow passage and connected to the shaft and having a plurality of magnets at a bottom thereof; And polishing bars detachably installed in the holder by magnetic force.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the polishing bars are arranged radially from the center of rotation of the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the polishing bars has a rod shape that is straight in a straight line or round in the direction of rotation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the polishing bars further includes a handle that can be gripped by an operator when detached from the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holder includes a fixing pin inserted into the insertion groove formed in the polishing bar.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the polishing bar comprises a metal pad; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on a bottom surface of the metal pad; It includes a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on the bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in contact with the glass substrate.

According to the present invention, foreign matter on the surface of a TFT-LCD cell (hereinafter referred to as a glass substrate) can be effectively removed.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the zero adjustment accuracy from the center to the edge by using rod-shaped polishing pads.

In addition, according to the present invention it is possible to minimize the vibration and noise by reducing the contact area.

In addition, according to the present invention it is possible to control the cleaning power by increasing or decreasing the number of polishing bars.

In addition, according to the present invention

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated to emphasize a more clear description.

In the present embodiment, the glass substrate may be a TFT-LCD cell in which a liquid crystal is injected therebetween after bonding and cutting two glasses through a TFT process and a CF process, and the glass substrate cleaning system of the present invention It can be preferably used to perform a cleaning process for a flat substrate such as a glass substrate, in particular, a module process in order to perform the cleaning process performed immediately before attaching the polarizing plate to both surfaces of the glass substrate.

1 is a schematic diagram of a system for cleaning a glass substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a glass substrate cleaning system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a pretreatment cleaning unit 10, a main cleaning unit 20, a cleaning unit 30, a drying unit 40, and a cleaning liquid supply unit ( 50).

In the substrate cleaning system 1 of the present invention, the cleaning unit 10, the main cleaning unit 20, the cleaning unit 30, and the drying unit 40 are arranged in a line, and the glass substrate 2 is disposed in the cleaning unit 10. ), While passing through the main cleaning unit 20, the cleaning unit 30, and the drying unit 40, pretreatment cleaning, main cleaning, washing, and drying processes may be sequentially performed.

In the pretreatment cleaning unit 10, a pretreatment cleaning process for removing foreign matter (particularly large particles) on the glass substrate surface is performed before the glass substrate 2 flows into the main cleaning unit 20. The pretreatment cleaning unit 10 includes a conveyor unit 12 for transporting the glass substrate 2, injection nozzles 14 for spraying the cleaning liquid onto the transported glass substrate, and upper and lower surfaces of the transported glass substrate 2. Roll brush units 16 for removing the foreign particles large particles while rotating closely.

In the main cleaning unit 20, a cleaning process is performed to remove adherent foreign matter using a scrubbing member that rotates while drawing a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate subjected to the primary cleaning treatment in the pretreatment cleaning unit 10. The main cleaning unit 20 includes a conveyor unit including a pair of up and down conveying rollers, a cleaning unit having a scrubbing member, and a nozzle, and the description of the main cleaning unit will be described in more detail below. do.

In the washing unit 30, a washing process of washing the glass substrate having been cleaned in the main washing unit 20 with ultrapure water is performed. The washing unit 30 includes a conveyor unit 32 for conveying the glass substrate and ultrapure water spray nozzles 34 for spraying ultrapure water onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate.

In the drying unit 40, a drying process of removing moisture on the glass substrate washed by the washing unit 30 is performed. The drying unit 40 includes a conveyor unit 42 for conveying the glass substrate and air knife nozzles 44 for spraying and removing water from the glass substrate.

The cleaning liquid supply unit 50 cleans the tank 52 in which the cleaning liquid is stored, the cleaning liquid stored in the tank 52, the nozzles 14 of the pretreatment cleaning unit 10, the nozzles of the main cleaning unit 20, and the cleaning solution. A supply line 54 for supplying the units, a pump 56 installed in the supply line 54, a filter 58, and the like. The cleaning liquid used in the pretreatment cleaning unit and the main cleaning unit is recovered back to the tank 52 through the recovery line 59.

The glass substrate cleaning system 1 of the present invention provides an automated system which is automatically performed from a pretreatment cleaning process to a drying process. The substrate cleaning system may be connected inline with facilities for attaching the polarizer.

For reference, in the washing unit 30 and the drying unit 40, since no physical force is applied to the glass substrate, general conveyor units 32 and 42 made of rotating rollers supporting and supporting only the bottom surface of the substrate may be applied. have. However, the physical force is applied in the direction perpendicular to the glass substrate in the pretreatment cleaning unit 10 and the main cleaning unit 20. Therefore, the conveyor unit for conveying the glass substrate from the pretreatment cleaning unit 10 and the main cleaning unit 20 is applied with a group of first and second rotating rollers that rotate while supporting both the top and bottom surfaces of the glass substrate. desirable.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the main cleaning unit shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a plan view of the main cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a view showing the cleaning unit shown in FIG.

2 to 4, the main cleaning unit 20 includes the conveyor unit 100, the cleaning units 200, and the cleaning liquid spray nozzles 500.

The conveyor unit 100 may include a group of first and second rotating rollers 110 and 120 and a driver 130 for rotating the group of first and second rotating rollers.

The first and second rotating rollers 110 and 120 are arranged in one direction, for example, parallel to each other along the conveying direction of the glass substrate 2. The first rotating roller 110 is rotated while supporting the bottom surface of the glass substrate, and the second rotating roller 120 is supported by the first surface of the glass substrate to face the first rotating roller 110. The rotating roller 110 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the glass substrate between the first rotating roller 110 and the second rotating roller 120 may be transferred in one direction by the rotation of these rollers.

The driver 130 may include a power source 132 that generates a rotational force, and a power transmission unit 134 that transmits the rotational force of the power source 132 to the first and second rotation rollers 110 and 120. The power source 132 may include a motor that operates by electric force or an engine that converts chemical energy into mechanical motion as a portion that generates rotational force. The power transmission unit 134 may be variously configured to transmit the rotational force generated by the power source 132 to the first and second rotating rollers 110 and 120. For example, the power transmission unit 134 may be implemented by a combination of gears, a timing belt and a plurality of pulleys, but most preferably, the power transmission is implemented by a combination of accurate gears.

The cleaning unit 200 may be installed on a transport path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit 100, and may include a scrubbing member 210, a cylinder 250 as a lifting member, and a pneumatic supply unit 260.

The cleaning units 200 are top cleaning units for cleaning the upper surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit 100 (first cleaning units) and bottom cleaning for cleaning the bottom surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit. It can be divided into the cleaning unit (first cleaning unit). The first cleaning units and the second cleaning units may be installed to face each other with the glass substrate therebetween. Alternatively, as in FIG. 10, the first cleaning units and the second cleaning units may be disposed at different positions.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning units 200 are arranged in two rows in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in which the glass substrate is transferred. Of course, it may be arranged in two or more rows depending on the size of the glass substrate. Referring again to FIG. 3, three cleaning units are arranged in the first row and two cleaning units are arranged in the second row so as to be positioned between the cleaning units in the first row. The spacing D1 between the cleaning units of the first row is preferably narrower than the diameter D2 of the cleaning pads of the cleaning units of the second row. As such, the cleaning units of the first row and the cleaning units of the second row are zigzag so that the cleaning regions overlap.

Meanwhile, among the three cleaning units in the first row, the cleaning units disposed at both edges thereof are provided to be movable in the width direction Y of the glass substrate 2. To this end, the linear driving unit 290 (shown in FIG. 2) for moving in the width direction may be installed in both side cleaning units of the first row. The linear driving unit 290 may be applied to various linear driving methods such as a ball screw method, a linear motor or a belt pulley method rotated by the motor and the motor.

In addition, the cleaning units disposed at both edges are positioned so that the polishing bars 220 do not leave the side of the glass substrate 2 because the cleaning pad 226 may be damaged if the cleaning units are disposed on the side of the glass substrate. It is preferable to clean the glass substrate.

The cleaning system 1 of the present invention can adjust the cleaning width of the cleaning units according to the size of the glass substrate.

The scrubbing member 210 removes foreign substances from the glass substrate 2 by applying a rotating scrubbing force that draws a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate. The scrubbing member 210 includes a drive motor 212, a shaft 214, a holder 216 and polishing bars 220.

5 is a view illustrating a holder in which polishing bars are installed. 6 is a view of the holder with the polishing bars installed from the bottom. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG.

5 to 7, the shaft 214 is rotated by the drive motor 212 and has a first flow passage 214a through which a cleaning liquid supplied from the outside flows.

The holder 216 is connected to one end of the shaft 214 and has a second flow passage 216a in communication with the first flow passage 214a. The holder 216 is formed in a disc shape, and the holder 216 is inserted into the plurality of magnets 217 and the insertion grooves 221 formed in the polishing bar 220 to magnetically fix the polishing bars 220. May include fixing pins 218. The fixing pin 218 is used for the purpose of preventing the polishing bars 220 from being separated from the holder 216 by the centrifugal force and for the purpose of aligning the holders 216 and the polishing bars 220. As such, the magnets 217 and the fixing pins 218 of the holder 216 are used as a means for attaching and detaching the polishing bars 220.

The polishing bars 220 are detachably installed at the bottom of the holder 216. The polishing bars 220 are disposed radially from the center of rotation of the holder 216. The polishing bar 220 is formed in a straight bar shape. As shown in FIG. 8, the polishing bar 220 may be formed in a rod shape round in the rotation direction. On the other hand, the polishing bar 220 may be narrower than the upper surface is attached to the holder in contact with the glass substrate. The polishing bars 220 are replaced with new polishing bars after a certain period of time as consumables. Therefore, the polishing bars 220 should be detachable from the holder 216, and in this embodiment, a detachable method using magnetic force is applied.

As shown in FIG. 7, the polishing bar 220 has a rod shape composed of three layers of different materials. The polishing bar 220 is a top plate 222 of a steel material corresponding to an upper layer, a cleaning pad 226 having a bottom surface corresponding to a lower layer and in surface contact with the glass substrate 2, and a buffer corresponding to an intermediate layer. It may include a cushion pad 224. The cleaning pad 226 may be made of a soft material capable of removing foreign substances on the glass substrate without causing scratches on the surface of the glass substrate 2. The cushion pad 224 mitigates the impact that may be applied to the glass substrate in the process of cleaning the glass substrate.

The polishing bars 220 allow the cleaning liquid to flow from the center (rotational center) of the bottom surface 226a of the cleaning pad 226 to the edge to facilitate removal of foreign matters falling from the glass substrate during cleaning and to smoothly remove the removed foreign substances out of the cleaning pad. can do.

9 is a view for explaining the cylinder and the pneumatic supply.

Referring to FIG. 9, the cylinder 250 is a lifting device for elevating the scrubbing member 210 so that the polishing bars 220 pressurize the surface of the glass substrate 2, and the cylinder 250 is sufficiently sealed with external air. And a piston rod 253 vertically connected to the piston 252 installed in the cylinder body 251 and a piston 252 to transfer the lifting power to the outside, and above the cylinder body 251. Air inlet and outlet ports 254.256 are provided in and below, respectively. Air inlets and outlets 254 and 256 are connected to air lines 262 and 263 through which air provided from the pneumatic supply unit 260 flows. One end of the piston rod 252 is connected to the scrubbing member 210 through a connecting bracket 259. The cylinder 250 calls the two spaces isolated by the piston 252 the first air chamber 257 and the second air chamber 258 and the air of the first air chamber 257 and the second air chamber 258. The difference in pressure causes the piston 252 to move.

The pneumatic supply part 260 provides an operating pressure to the cylinder 250 so that the polishing bars 220 pressurize the glass substrate at a constant pressure. That is, the same cleaning is possible only when the polishing bars 220 of each of the cleaning units 200 press the glass substrate 2 at the same surface pressure. If a curved area or a thick foreign material is present in a specific area of the glass substrate 2, the polishing bars 220 of the cleaning unit for cleaning the corresponding area may have a pressure change higher than a predetermined surface pressure, thereby providing the same cleaning. This becomes impossible. However, the pneumatic supply unit 260 according to the present embodiment includes components that can always check the operating pressure change inside the cylinder 250 to clean the glass substrate at a constant pressure at all times.

The pneumatic supply unit 260 includes an air supply source 261 and first and second air lines 262 and 263 which supply air from the air supply source 261 to the first air chamber 257 and the second air chamber 258. The electric regulator 270 installed on the first air line 262, the valve 264, and the positive pressure regulator 266 installed on the second air line 263 are included.

The second air chamber 258 is always provided with a constant first air pressure through the second air line 263. In addition, when the cleaning process of the glass substrate is performed, the second air pressure greater than the first air pressure is provided to the first air chamber 257 through the first air line 262, thereby providing the first air chamber 257 and the first air chamber. Due to the difference in the air pressure of the two air chambers 258, the piston 252 is moved to remove foreign substances in the state in which the polishing bar 220 is in surface contact with the surface of the glass substrate (2).

On the other hand, the electric regulator 270 installed in the first air line 262 adjusts the operating pressure to maintain a constant operating pressure (second air pressure) provided to the cylinder 250. Electro-optic regulator 270 is a sensor 272 for detecting in real time the change in the operating pressure (second air pressure) provided to the first air chamber 257 of the cylinder, and the pressure value detected by the sensor 272 is a preset pressure It includes a solenoid valve 274 for exhausting the working pressure to the outside so as to remain at the predetermined pressure when going above the value. As shown in FIG. 9, in the process of removing the foreign matter by contacting the surface of the glass substrate 2 with the polishing bar 220, the pressure of the first air chamber 257 of the cylinder 250 is reduced due to the foreign matter on the glass substrate. If this is the case, the sensor 272 detects this and the solenoid valve 274 operates according to this sensor signal to automatically discharge a portion of the air in the air line between the first air chamber 257 and the electro-pneumatic regulator 270 to automatically maintain a constant pressure. Adjust with As such, the present invention can maintain a constant surface pressure of each of the polishing bars of the cleaning units by controlling the pneumatic pressure by using the electro-pneumatic regulator in the pneumatic supply unit for supplying air to the cylinder.

1 is a schematic diagram of a system for cleaning a glass substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the main cleaning unit shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a plan view of the main cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2.

4 is a view showing the cleaning unit shown in FIG.

5 is a view illustrating a holder in which polishing bars are installed.

6 is a view of the holder with the polishing bars installed from the bottom.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view of the holder provided with rounded bar-shaped polishing bars from the bottom.

9 is a view for explaining the cylinder and the pneumatic supply.

10 shows another arrangement of cleaning units.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: pretreatment cleaning unit

20: main cleaning unit

30: cleaning unit

40: drying unit

100: conveyor unit

200: cleaning unit

Claims (15)

In a system for cleaning a glass substrate: A conveyor unit for horizontally conveying the glass substrate; And A cleaning unit installed on a conveying path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit, the cleaning units having a scrubbing member for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate by applying a rotating scrubbing force drawing a circular trajectory; The scrubbing member is A shaft rotated by a drive motor; A holder connected to the shaft; And And polishing bars individually removably mounted to said holder. The method of claim 1, The polishing bars are And radially disposed from the center of rotation of the holder. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Each of the polishing bars A system for cleaning a glass substrate, characterized in that it consists of straight rods. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Each of the polishing bars A system for cleaning a glass substrate, characterized in that it consists of a rod-shaped round in the rotational direction. The method of claim 1, Each of the polishing bars A bottom surface in contact with a glass substrate is narrower than an upper surface attached to the holder. The method of claim 1, The holder is A magnet for fixing the polishing bar by magnetic force; And And fixing pins inserted into insertion grooves formed in the polishing bar. The method of claim 2, Each of the polishing bars Metal tops; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on the bottom of the top plate; And a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on the bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in surface contact with the glass substrate. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The cleaning units First cleaning units cleaning upper surfaces of the glass substrates moved by the conveyor unit; And And second cleaning units for cleaning the bottom surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit. The method of claim 8, And the first cleaning units and the second cleaning units are installed to face each other with a glass substrate interposed therebetween. In the cleaning unit for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate: It includes a scrubbing member for applying a rotating scrubbing force to draw a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate while spraying the cleaning liquid to the surface of the glass substrate to remove foreign matter on the glass substrate; The scrubbing member is A shaft rotated by the drive motor and having a first flow path through which a cleaning liquid supplied from the outside flows; A holder having a second flow passage in communication with the first flow passage and connected to the shaft and having a plurality of magnets at a bottom thereof; And And a polishing bar detachably mounted to the holder by magnetic force. The method of claim 10, The polishing bars are A cleaning unit for cleaning the glass substrate, characterized in that disposed radially from the center of rotation of the holder. The method of claim 10, Each of the polishing bars A cleaning unit for cleaning a glass substrate, characterized in that it consists of a rod shape straight in a straight line or a rod shape round in a rotational direction. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, Each of the polishing bars And a handle that can be gripped by an operator when detached from the holder. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, The holder is The cleaning unit for cleaning the glass substrate, characterized in that it comprises a fixing pin which is inserted into the insertion groove formed in the polishing bar. The method of claim 11, The polishing bar is Metal pads; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on a bottom surface of the metal pad; And a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on the bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in contact with the glass substrate.

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