KR101045921B1 - Display panel defect inspection system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display panel defect inspection system, that is, it is possible to maintain the throughput of the inspection step even if the number of inspections is reduced, and to distribute the inspection work by visual inspection to a plurality of inspectors, thereby inspecting the inspection step. To improve throughput.

In the display panel defect inspection system of the present invention, the configuration includes a plurality of automatic inspections including a mechanism for transmitting the image data of the inspection object and a mechanism for receiving the determination data as a result of the quality / failure determination of the inspection object. Device 12; A terminal device (14) comprising a mechanism for receiving image data transmitted by the plurality of automatic inspection devices (12) and a mechanism for transmitting determination data; And a network device 16 connecting the plurality of automatic inspection devices 12 and the terminal device 14.

Defect inspection system, automatic inspection device, terminal device, network device, inspection computer, CCD camera, detector, terminal computer

Description

Display panel defect inspection system and method {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING DEFECT OF DISPLAY PANEL}

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of Embodiment 1 of a display panel defect inspection system according to the present invention;

2 is a diagram showing the procedure of Embodiment 1 of a display panel defect inspection system according to the present invention;

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of Embodiment 2 of a display panel defect inspection system according to the present invention;

Liquid crystal displays (hereinafter, referred to as LCDs), which are represented by panel displays, have features such as less power consumption and less space than CRTs (Cathode-Rey Tubes). Therefore, in recent years, LCD panels are actively used for display devices of personal computers or home televisions. The LCD panel performs a defect inspection using an automatic inspection device during its manufacturing procedure.

The automatic inspection apparatus uses the actual brightness of the LCD panel, photographs an image using a charge coupled device (CCD) photographing device, and the like and automatically inspects the characteristics of the LCD panel by image processing. In the automatic inspection device, obvious good and bad can be detected very easily. However, there is an unidentifiable item in which both good and defective items cannot be detected. The non-identifiable article is visually inspected in another procedure.

Usually, during the inspection by the naked eye, the LCD panel is moved to the inspection device for visual inspection, and the inspection probe is precisely brought into contact with the terminal. Therefore, when the yield rate of the LCD panel is low and there are many unidentifiable items, a large amount of time is spent in the visual inspection process, which causes a decrease in the throughput of the inspection procedure.

Therefore, in a conventional technique, a captured image of a CCD camera or the like is aimed to, and image processing such as judgment possibility within a defect range is applied, and visual inspection is performed on the image within the defect range, so that inspection time with the naked eye is improved. (See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-289733).

However, in the technical contents of the present invention, it is necessary to arrange one inspector in one automatic inspection apparatus, and if the number of inspectors is reduced, it is difficult to maintain the throughput of the inspection procedure. In addition, when the inspection is performed at the same time using a plurality of automatic inspection devices, for example, when the unidentifiable items are concentrated in one automatic inspection device, the work is concentrated on one inspector, thereby reducing the throughput of the inspection procedure.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to maintain the throughput of the inspection procedure while reducing the number of inspectors, and also to distribute the inspection work by visual inspection to a plurality of inspectors to improve the efficiency of the inspection procedure It is to provide a display panel defect inspection system that can be increased.

In order to achieve the above object, the display panel defect inspection system of the present invention includes a mechanism for transmitting image data of an inspection object, and a mechanism for receiving determination data as a result of the determination of the quality / defect of the inspection object. A plurality of automatic inspection devices; A terminal device including a mechanism for receiving image data transmitted by the plurality of automatic inspection devices and a mechanism for transmitting determination data; And a network device connecting the plurality of automatic inspection devices and the terminal device.

According to the above configuration, the inspector visually inspects images captured by the plurality of automatic inspection apparatuses using the terminal apparatus. Therefore, reducing the number of inspectors can ensure the throughput of the inspection procedure.

In addition, the display panel defect inspection system of the present invention further includes a plurality of the terminal device in addition to the above components.

According to the present invention, a plurality of inspectors can visually inspect the plurality of automatic inspection devices. Therefore, the throughput of the inspection procedure can be improved by distributing visual inspection work to a plurality of inspectors.                     

In addition, in the display panel defect inspection system of the present invention, in addition to the components, the automatic inspection device includes a temporary storage mechanism for temporarily storing the inspection object that is impossible to determine whether good or bad of the good or bad determination; And an instruction determination mechanism for determining the good or bad of the inspection object stored in the temporary storage mechanism using the determination data from the terminal device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to temporarily store the goods that can not be judged good or bad in the automatic inspection device. Therefore, since the automatic inspection operation is not prevented, the throughput of the automatic inspection apparatus can be maintained. In addition, according to an instruction from the terminal device, it is possible to temporarily store undeterminable discriminated articles, judged good products and defective articles. This increases the throughput of the inspection procedure.

In addition, in the display panel defect inspection system of the present invention, in addition to the above components, the network apparatus may include an image recording mechanism for temporarily storing image data of an inspection object photographed by the plurality of automatic inspection apparatuses; And an image delivery mechanism for distributing image data of the inspection object to the plurality of terminal devices.

According to the present invention, the image data can be temporarily stored in an image recording apparatus included in the network device, and the stored image data is delivered to an appropriate inspector using the image delivery mechanism. Therefore, work by the naked eye can be distributed to a plurality of inspectors, thereby increasing the throughput of the inspection procedure.

In addition, a defect inspection of the display panel including a plurality of automatic inspection device for applying a signal to the display panel which is the inspection object, photographing the display state and recording it as image data, and automatically determining good or bad using the image data. A method comprising the steps of: recording image data of a display panel determined in the automatic inspection apparatus that item identification is impossible in the automatic inspection apparatus in the automatic inspection apparatus and notifying an end device using a network device; Receiving the notification, the terminal apparatus accessing the automatic inspection apparatus, and receiving image data that is impossible to distinguish the article recorded in the automatic inspection apparatus; And determining good or bad based on the image data displayed on the terminal device, and transmitting the determination data to the automatic determination device. The display panel is an LCD panel.

Therefore, the inspector can access and accept image data of an undeterminable item of any one of a plurality of automatic inspection apparatuses using a terminal device, and perform visual inspection using the image data to determine judgment data. Send to automatic inspection device.

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

The display panel defect inspection system 10 of the present invention will be described by taking Embodiments 1 and 2 as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the display panel defect inspection apparatus of Example 1 includes a mechanism for transmitting video data of an inspection object, and a mechanism for receiving determination data as a result of the determination of the quality / defect of the inspection object. A plurality of automatic inspection devices 12; A plurality of terminal devices (14) comprising a mechanism for receiving image data transmitted by the plurality of automatic inspection devices (12) and a mechanism for transmitting determination data; And a network device 16 connecting the plurality of automatic inspection devices 12 and the terminal device 14. Here, the number of the terminal devices 14 is formed to be at least less than the number of the automatic inspection device 12.

The automatic inspection device 12 will be described. The structure of the automatic inspection device 12 of the present embodiment includes: a detector 22 for fixing the following components, that is, a display panel and connecting a terminal of the display panel to transmit a test signal; A CCD imager 20 of the display panel which becomes bright according to the inspection signal during the imaging; And an inspection computer 18 which controls the detector 22 and the CCD camera 20 to calculate the judgment of good or bad.

The inspection computer 18 controls the inspection signal provided by the detector 22 to the display panel. In addition, the inspection computer 18 performs an image processing on the image of the display panel photographed by the CCD camera 20 and converts the image into an image that the inspector can easily see. In addition, the inspection computer 18 transmits the mechanism of the image data subjected to the image processing to the terminal device 14, which will be described later, and uses the determination data to determine the result of the determination of the good / bad of the inspection object. Accept the Organization.

The inspection computer 18 automatically judges the goodness / failure of the display panel as the object to be inspected as one of good quality, defective quality, and undeterminable goods by using the image photographed by the CCD camera 20. For example, arithmetic processing is performed on the captured image data according to a predetermined defect inspection calculation method.

As a result of the arithmetic processing, the quality / defect of the display panel is determined in consideration of the kind, dimension, position, and the like of the defect. If the inspection computer 18 finds a defect, and if it is determined that the display panel is an unidentifiable article, image processing of the image of the display panel is performed. The above mentioned image processing means that the observation screen can be easily seen visually when speaking to the inspector, or to increase the usefulness of the image. In addition, the above-mentioned defects refer to a flaw, cross talk, a blemish, a needle hole, a flickering, a color nonuniformity, etc. in a display panel. If it is determined that the item is not discernible, the automatic inspection device 12 requests the inspector operating the terminal device 14, which will be described later, to make a good or bad decision, and the inspector uses visual data and visually produces the good. Determination of defect.

In detail, the inspection computer of the automatic inspection device 12 transmits a signal to the terminal device 14 via the network device 16, which will be described later, and is detected by a display panel that requires the inspection. Send the situation. When the signal is transmitted to the terminal device 14, the inspector uses the terminal device 14 to access the automatic inspection device to receive the image data of the unidentifiable article. Therefore, the display panel judged as an undeterminable article in the automatic inspection apparatus 12 uses the image data in the terminal device 14 to determine whether the inspection is good or bad.

The image processing performed by the inspection computer 18 is as follows. 1. Enlarge or reduce the defect site. 2. Highlight defects by contrast or coloring. 3. The automatic inspection apparatus 12 displays the defect site detected. 4. Indicate the type and characteristics of the defect. 5. Mark defects and the like in three-dimensional way.

The recording medium is constituted by the inspection computer 18. An identification number is recorded with respect to the image data after the image processing of the inspection computer 18, and it records on the recording medium of the inspection computer 18. FIG. The inspection computer 18 transmits the image data recorded on the medium to the terminal device 14 using the access of the plurality of terminal devices 14 which will be described later.

In addition, the configuration of the automatic inspection device 12 is a temporary storage mechanism for automatically determining the quality of goods / defects of the following parts, that is, the undeterminable items during the determination of the quality of goods / defects in the inspection object; And an instruction determination mechanism that starts according to the instruction of the terminal device 14 and makes a judgment of good or bad for the inspection object stored in one of the temporary storage mechanisms.

The temporary storage mechanism displays a case where the inspection computer 18 judges that it is an undeterminable item, and causes the determined display panel to be stored in the temporary storage mechanism installed on the automatic inspection device 12. Specifically, the display panel determined to be an undeterminable item is taken out of the detector 22 using the litigation apparatus, and is moved to a temporary storage place for storing the display panel in advance. The automatic inspection apparatus 12 moves the display panel judged as an undeterminable article to a temporary storage place, and then fixes the display panel of the next inspection object on the detector 22.

The instruction judging mechanism displays a display panel stored in a temporary storage place, and is a mechanism for judging good or bad goods using the judgment data of the terminal device 14 which will be described later. Specifically, based on the judgment data (goods or defectives) input by the inspector in the terminal device 14, the display panel stored in the temporary storage place to a place for storing good goods or a place for storing defective goods using the transport device. Transport.

The terminal device 14 will be described below. The terminal device 14 is realized using the terminal computer 24. The structure of the terminal computer 24 includes a display for displaying an image, a keyboard for inputting an inspector's instruction, and the like. The terminal computer 24 is a mechanism for receiving image data transmitted by the plurality of automatic inspection devices 12 and a mechanism for transmitting the determination data of the inspector input by using a keyboard or the like to the automatic inspection device 12. .

In the terminal device 14, the inspector visually determines good or bad for the image data of the displayed display panel. In accordance with the signal transmitted from the automatic inspection apparatus 12, the inspector proceeds to access the automatic inspection apparatus 12 that has transmitted the signal, and also receives image data. Therefore, the received image data is displayed on the display of the terminal device 14, and the inspector visually makes a judgment of the good or defective product based on the data. The inspector inputs the determination result into the terminal device 14 using a keyboard or the like. The terminal device 14 transmits the input result as determination data to the automatic inspection device 12. The terminal device 14 transmits the determination data to the automatic inspection device 12 that stores the display panel corresponding to the image data visually inspected by the inspector.

The network device 16 will be described. The network device 16 is composed of a network line network connecting a plurality of automatic inspection devices 12 and a plurality of terminal devices 14. The network line network was established as a local area network (LAN). It can also be created as a wide area network (WAN), including network track networks.

Next, a defect inspection procedure of the display panel will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 as an example. 1. Fix the display panel to be inspected to the detector 22. 2. Apply the test signal to the display panel. 3. The CCD imager 20 displayed a state of photographing in the direction from the top to the bottom of the display panel. 4. The automatic inspection device 12 automatically judges good or bad by using the image data photographed, and when it is determined that the article is impossible, the inspection computer 18 performs image processing on the image data. do. 5. The image data after the image processing records the unique identification number of the display panel and also records it on the recording medium of the automatic inspection apparatus 12, and requests the determination of the unresolved judgment from the inspector of the terminal apparatus 14. do. The automatic inspection device 12 takes out the undetermined display panel from the detector 22 and moves it to a temporary storage place, and also fixes the display panel as the next inspection target on the detector 22. 6. The inspector uses the terminal device 16 to access the automatic inspection device 12 and receives the inspected image data. 7. The inspector proceeds with the inspection while viewing the image displayed on the display of the terminal device 14 and inputs the determination result to the terminal device 14. 8. The terminal device 14 transmits the inspection data of the inspector to the automatic inspection device 12 having a display corresponding to the image data. 9. The automatic inspection apparatus 12 uses the received judgment data to cause the display panel to be moved to a designated place (a place where a good product is stored, a place where a defective product is stored).

The display panel defect inspection system 10 of the first embodiment includes a plurality of automatic inspection apparatuses 12 and a plurality of terminal apparatuses 14 (the number of the terminal apparatuses 14 is at least an automatic detection apparatus) through the network 16. Should be less than 12). Therefore, even if one inspector manages one automatic inspection device 12 in the long term, the throughput of the inspection procedure can be guaranteed. Further, even when it is determined that the defective article is concentrated in the specified automatic inspection apparatus 12, the image data is transmitted from the automatic inspection apparatus 12 to the plurality of terminal apparatuses 14, and the inspection procedure is not obstructed.

In addition, in the display panel fault system 10 of Example 1, the automatic test | inspection apparatus 12 can test | require the next product, without waiting for the determination result of the inspector. In addition, since the inspector visually inspects the image data through the display of the terminal device 14, the inspector and the meter for the visual inspection used in the conventional visual inspection process are not used.

3, the display panel defect inspection system 10 of Embodiment 2 is explained. In Embodiment 2, the network device 16 has a structural feature for controlling the network server 26 of the network line network. The network server 26 is an image recording mechanism for recording an image of an inspection object photographed by a plurality of automatic inspection devices 12 and an image distribution mechanism for distributing the image of the inspection object to the plurality of terminal devices 14. .

The video recording mechanism is realized using the software of the network server 26 and the recording medium. In detail, the image data photographed by the automatic inspection apparatus 12 is received using the network line network, and is temporarily recorded on a recording medium in the server.                     

The video distribution mechanism is realized by software of the network server 26. The video distribution mechanism transfers the video data temporarily stored in the recording medium of the network server 26 to any one of the plurality of terminal devices 14 via the network line network. At this time, it is determined to which terminal device 14, by using the software of the network server 26, the visual inspection can be performed efficiently. In order to visually inspect efficiently, it is preferable to transmit image data to the terminal device 14 with the least work among the plurality of terminal devices 14. Therefore, the work progress status information of the terminal device 14 is used in the determination process. Further, in the determination process, the terminal device 14 is judged on the basis of the data of the inspector's ability, characteristics, and the like, and it is determined which inspector is most appropriate if it is transmitted to the kind of defect.

Thus, the display panel defect inspection system 10 of the second embodiment temporarily stores the image data of the inspection object on the network server 26, and the network server 26 is the most suitable terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices 14. Select (14) to transmit the image data to the terminal device (14). Therefore, even if it is determined that the defective article is concentrated in the specific automatic inspection apparatus 12, the image data is transmitted from the automatic inspection apparatus 12 to the plurality of terminal apparatuses 14, and the inspection procedure is not obstructed.

According to the present invention, in the display panel defect inspection system, even if the number of inspectors decreases, the throughput of the inspection stage can be maintained, and the inspection work can be distributed to a plurality of inspectors to improve the throughput of the inspection stage.

Claims (6)

A display panel defect inspection system including an automatic inspection device which applies a signal to a display panel that is an inspection object, photographs a display state, records the image as image data, and automatically makes a result of a good / bad decision using the image data. To A plurality of automatic inspection devices including a mechanism for transmitting the image data of the inspection object and a mechanism for receiving the determination data as a result of the determination of good or bad of the inspection object; A plurality of terminal devices including a mechanism for receiving image data transmitted by the plurality of automatic inspection devices and a mechanism for transmitting determination data; A network device connecting the plurality of automatic inspection devices and the plurality of terminal devices; A temporary storage mechanism for temporarily storing an inspection object for which good or bad judgment is impossible in the good or bad judgment process; And Instruction judgment mechanism for judging good or bad for the inspection object stored in the temporary storage mechanism by using the judgment data from the terminal device. Including, The number of the plurality of terminal devices is less than the number of the plurality of automatic inspection devices, The network device may include: an image recording mechanism configured to temporarily store image data of an inspection object photographed by the plurality of automatic inspection apparatuses; And a video delivery mechanism for distributing the video data of the inspection object to the plurality of terminal devices based on predetermined information.  Display panel defect inspection system. delete delete delete delete A method for inspecting a defect of a display panel including a plurality of automatic inspection devices which apply a signal to a display panel as an object to be inspected, photograph a display state, and record the display state as image data, and automatically determine good or bad using the image data. To Recording image data of the display panel which is determined to be impossible to identify the article among the automatic inspection apparatuses to the automatic inspection apparatus and notifying one of the plurality of terminal apparatuses based on predetermined information using a network apparatus; Moving the display panel to the temporary storage mechanism that the automatic inspection device determines that the article discrimination is impossible; Receiving the notification, the terminal device accessing the automatic inspection device, and receiving image data that is impossible to distinguish the article recorded in the automatic inspection device; Determining good or bad based on the image data displayed on the terminal device that has received the image data, and transmitting the determination data to the automatic inspection device; And Determining, by the instruction determination mechanism, good or bad of the display panel stored in the temporary storage mechanism using the determination data; Including, The number of the plurality of terminal devices is less than the number of the plurality of automatic inspection devices, Display panel defect inspection method.

Images