KR101987822B1 - In-line inspection system for inspecting object related to display module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an in-line inspection system for inspecting an object to be inspected related to a display module.
The inline inspection system for inspecting the inspection object related to the display module according to the present invention includes an automatic inspection device for automatically checking whether the inspection object received from the cleaning device is good or bad; A sorting device that sorts the inspection objects from the automatic inspection device according to inspection results and is disposed at the rearmost end; And a control device for controlling the cleaning device, the inspection device, and the sorting device. .
According to the present invention, since all inspection work is completed in-line, it is possible to prevent damage to the inspection object from carrying the inspection object while performing the operation required for inspection.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an in-line inspection system for inspecting objects to be inspected related to a display module,

The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting an object to be inspected (part, intermediate or finished product) related to a display module.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a tablet PC have a display module mounted thereon for displaying a screen.

Among various types of display modules, for example, an LCD module is composed of a liquid crystal cell and a backlight unit, and the backlight unit is composed of parts such as a mold frame, a reflective film, a light guide plate, a diffusion film, a prism film, a light shielding film and a protective film . These display modules are finally finished in the form of intermediate products at various stages during production.

Since the display module displays a screen that is directly visible by the naked eye, the dirt, foreign matter, or scratches in the respective components are directly related to the defect of the finished product. Therefore, in order to produce a good finished product, it is necessary to inspect the parts because good parts must be used.

Moreover, even in the case of intermediate products in the production process (eg, a liquid crystal cell before the backlight unit is coupled with an LCD module), it is in a poor state due to the use of a defective part, a worker's error or inexperience, . If an intermediate product is used to produce the finished product, the finished product is also a defective product. Therefore, the appearance or lighting inspection is also necessary for intermediate products before the completion of the finished product.

The final finished product will be tested before delivery to the customer and only the finished product determined to be satisfactory by the inspection will be delivered to the customer.

Conventionally, visual inspection or electrical characteristic inspection of a test object related to a display module has been performed through a visual check of a worker. However, the appearance inspection and the electrical characteristic inspection by hand do not guarantee the objectivity and accuracy of the inspection because the deviation is caused by the skill of the operator, the fatigue of the operator at that time, and the surrounding environment. Therefore, it has been replaced by a vision inspection using a camera as disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2005-0078034. However, since the automated visual inspection using the camera and the electrical characteristic inspection are performed uniformly according to the set standards, there are problems that the resources at the usable level are also discarded depending on the specification of the product on which the display module is mounted. For example, when a protective film is attached to a liquid crystal cell, scratches or the like on the protective film may be confirmed as a defect in the entire liquid crystal cell through automated inspection. In this case, the liquid crystal cell itself It can be.

In addition, there is a possibility that the inspection object may be damaged in the process of moving between working apparatuses through various working steps for inspection, which resulted in a decrease in reliability or loss of resources due to the delivery of defective products.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of constructing all operations required for inspection as an inline system.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of performing automatic inspection and manual inspection in one inline system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inline inspection system for inspecting an object to be inspected related to a display module. A cleaning device disposed at the frontmost position for cleaning the surface of the object to be inspected; An automatic inspection device for automatically checking whether the inspection object received from the cleaning device is good or bad; A sorting device that sorts the inspection objects from the automatic inspection device according to inspection results and is disposed at the rearmost end; And a control device for controlling the cleaning device, the inspection device, and the sorting device. .

The automatic inspecting apparatus includes an appearance inspector for inspecting the appearance of the object to be inspected; And a characteristic tester for checking electrical characteristics of the inspection object from the visual inspection machine; .

An inspection support device provided between the automatic inspection device and the sorting device and supporting manual inspection by a worker; Further comprising: a test jig to which an object to be inspected can be seated; And an input unit for inputting a result of the manual inspection of the inspected object; .

Wherein the inspection support apparatus comprises: a monitor capable of displaying an automatic inspection result of the automatic inspection apparatus; Wherein the controller displays the inspected result of the automatic inspecting apparatus through the monitor and displays the results of the automatic inspections by the automatic inspecting apparatus and the manual inspections inputted by the operator through the inserter, The apparatus is controlled to classify the objects to be inspected.

Wherein the inspection support apparatus comprises: a rotator capable of rotating 180 degrees on a plane of the inspection object from the automatic inspection apparatus; Wherein the control jig is provided with a plurality of inspection jigs and the input device, and the control device divides the inspection object to be supplied to any one of the left and right inspection jig Rotate and feed.

The sorting device includes: a plurality of cradles arranged side by side in a front-back direction for receiving an object to be inspected; At least one gripper capable of gripping or releasing the gripped liquid crystal cells of the plurality of cradles; A back-and-forth conveyor for sequentially moving the liquid crystal cells backward through the plurality of cradles by transporting the at least one gripper; And a classifier for classifying the liquid crystal cells, which are placed in a specific cradle among the plurality of cradles, according to the result of the examination; .

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

First, since the cleaning operation is performed in a single inline system from the inspection (multi-stage) inspection to the classification operation, there is no damage caused by moving the inspection object between the apparatuses, and the effect of reducing manpower and inspection costs have.

Secondly, it is possible to reduce the waste of resources, to increase the amount of products to which the product can be applied, or to reduce the reuse value It is possible to recall resources with

1 is a conceptual plan view of an in-line inspection system for inspecting an inspection object related to a display module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a sorting apparatus applied to the inline inspection system of FIG.
3 is a conceptual plan view of the classification apparatus of FIG.
Fig. 4 is an excerpt of the first to fifth holders applied to the sorting apparatus of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is an excerpt of the first to third grippers and the front and rear conveyors applied to the sorting apparatus of Fig. 2;
6 is an enlarged view of the first gripper shown in Fig.
7 is an excerpt of a classifier applied to the classification apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 8 is an excerpt of a storage stacker applied to the sorting apparatus of FIG. 2; FIG.
Fig. 9 is an excerpt of a supply stacker applied to the classification apparatus of Fig. 2;
10 is an excerpt of a transfer applied to the classification apparatus of FIG.
Fig. 11 is an excerpt of an ejector applied to the sorting apparatus of Fig. 2; Fig.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the technical parts already known will be omitted or compressed for simplicity of explanation.

<Configuration description for inline inspection system>

An in-line inspection system (ITS, hereinafter referred to as 'in-line cell inspection system' according to the present embodiment) for inspecting an object to be inspected related to the display module in the present embodiment is a liquid crystal cell constituted by an LCD module is an object to be inspected . The liquid crystal cells separated by each unit panel through the cutting process are inspected by the inline cell inspection system (ITS) according to the present embodiment and classified according to the inspection grade.

1 is a conceptual plan structural view of an in-line cell inspection system (ITS, hereinafter referred to as "inline inspection system") according to the present embodiment. The in-line inspection system (ITS) includes a cleaning apparatus 100, an automatic inspection apparatus 200, an inspection support apparatus 300, a sorting apparatus 400 and a control apparatus 500.

The cleaning apparatus 100 is disposed at the frontmost position for cleaning the surface of the liquid crystal cell. The cleaning apparatus 100 includes a conveyor 110, a washer 120, a dryer 130, a recognizer 140 and a first conveyor 150.

The feeder 110 feeds the liquid crystal cell, which has been fed from the front, to the first transporter 150 at the rear side.

The washer 120 cleans the surface of the liquid crystal cell.

The dryer 130 dries the liquid crystal cell that has been cleaned by the cleaner 120. The dryer 130 may be omitted depending on the washing method.

The recognizer 140 identifies the liquid crystal cells to be inspected by recognizing the unique identification information in the liquid crystal cell. The unique identification information is preferably information that can be contained in a printable medium such as a bar code or a QR code, but it may be provided in any kind if only automatic recognition is possible.

The first conveyer 150 delivers the dried liquid crystal cell to the automatic inspection apparatus 200 at the rear side. The first transponder 150 may be configured in the automatic inspection apparatus 200 according to the implementation.

The automatic inspection apparatus 200 performs an external inspection of the liquid crystal cell from the cleaning apparatus 100 and an electrical characteristic inspection. Here, the electrical characteristic inspection (commonly referred to as "lighting inspection") can be performed by checking whether the liquid crystal cell into which the electrical signal is input displays a set pattern according to the electrical signal. A number of patent documents such as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2007-0071195 disclose various methods and structures in connection with such external inspection and electrical characteristic inspection.

The automatic inspecting apparatus 200 includes an appearance inspecting device 210, a second conveying device 220, a property inspecting device 230 and a third conveying device 240.

The appearance inspecting device 210 inspects defects that can be confirmed through appearance inspection such as foreign matters, scratches, breakage, and the like.

The second transducer 220 transmits the liquid crystal cell having undergone the visual inspection by the visual checker 210 to the property checker 230.

The property checker 230 tests whether the pattern is good by applying an electrical signal to the liquid crystal cell using the probe unit.

For reference, the appearance tester 210 and the property tester 230 may be bundled together. For example, it is possible to check whether an appearance defect and an electrical characteristic are defective together in an image obtained through a single camera. In this case, the detailed configurations provided for the appearance inspection and the characteristic inspection may be separately provided There will be no need. However, in the present embodiment, for the sake of clarity, the appearance inspecting device 210 and the property inspecting device 230 are shown separately for convenience.

The third transducer 240 transfers the liquid crystal cell whose electric characteristic has been inspected by the property checker 230 to the inspection support apparatus 300 at the rear. Likewise, the third transmitter 240 may be included in the test support apparatus 300.

The inspection support apparatus 300 supports an operator to visually inspect the exterior and / or lighting by applying an electrical signal to the liquid crystal cell.

Check support apparatus 300 includes a rotator 310, and dividers 320 and, in the four tests sector monitors respectively disposed at (TS ₁ to TS ₄₎ (331a to 331d), test fixture (332a to 332d), that Registers 333a through 333d, and input devices 334a through 334d.

The rotator 310 selectively rotates the on-liquid crystal cell 180 degrees on the horizontal plane by the third transducer 240. This is for rotating the liquid crystal cell to be supplied to the inspection sectors (TS ₁ , TS ₂ ) on the left side, for example, in accordance with the working direction of the worker W by the next distributor 320. That is, the liquid crystal cell to be supplied to the check sector (TS _1, TS _2), the left side is supplied to the check sector (TS _1, TS ₂₎ of the left after the 180 degree rotation by the rotating machine 310, the right side check sector ( TS ₃ , TS ₄ ) is supplied to the right test sector (TS ₃ , TS ₄ ) without rotation. The rotator 310 may be configured in the automatic inspection apparatus 200 according to the implementation.

For reference, the inspection sectors TS ₁ and TS ₂ on the left side and the inspection sectors TS ₃ and TS ₄ on the right side are opposed to each other, and the workers W are located in the inspection sectors TS ₁ to TS ₄ . Therefore, the worker W on the left side and the worker W on the right side are arranged in a manner facing each other to perform work. The width of the inspection support apparatus 300 is narrower than the width of the automatic inspection apparatus 200 and the sorting apparatus 400 in order to secure a work space where the workers / workers and the workers moving around do not interfere with each other .

The distributor 320 distributes the liquid crystal cells in the rotator 310 to the inspection jigs 332a to 332d in the inspection sectors TS ₁ to TS ₄ and transfers the liquid crystal cells that have been inspected to the classification device 400 . As a matter of course, it is also possible to additionally configure a separate transmitter for transmitting the liquid crystal cell, which has been inspected, to the classifying apparatus 400.

The monitors 331a to 331d display the inspection results of the automatic inspection apparatus 200 for the liquid crystal cells placed on the inspection jigs 332a to 332d.

In the inspection jigs 332a to 332d, the liquid crystal cells distributed to the inspection sectors TS ₁ to TS ₄ are placed by the distributor 320.

The dot registers 333a to 333d are provided to generate electrical inspection patterns in the liquid crystal cells that are seated in the inspection jigs 332a to 332d.

The input devices 334a to 334d are provided for inputting the inspection results after the operator W performs the visual inspection. For example, if the automatic inspection result displayed on the monitor is good, the operator W corrects appearance defects to good appearance, if the appearance is good + lighting is good as a result of manual inspection by the operator. The inspection results obtained by the operator W using the input devices 334a to 334d are stored and managed by the control device 500. [ Of course, the worker W may be configured to divide the grades and input the inspection results according to the execution.

The sorting device 400 is disposed at the rear end and classifies the liquid crystal cells according to the automatic inspection result by the automatic inspection device 200 and the manual inspection result by the operator. This sorting device 400 will be described later with a different contents.

The control device 500 controls the operation of the cleaning device 100, the automatic inspection device 200, the inspection support device 300, and the sorting device 400. In particular, the control device 500 records and manages the moving order and rotation of the liquid crystal cell, the automatic and manual inspection results, and the like.

Of course, when the inline cell inspection system (ITS) is configured such that the order of movement of the liquid crystal cells is changed or the like, unique identification information in the liquid crystal cell can be recognized in the automatic inspection apparatus 200 and the inspection support apparatus 300 The recognition means may be configured.

&Lt; Description of classification device >

Prior to describing the classifying device 400, for the sake of brevity and clear understanding, the test results for the liquid crystal cell are divided into good and bad grades only. As a result of inspection, a good-quality liquid crystal cell is denoted by 'Cg', a defective liquid crystal cell is denoted by 'Cb', and a good case is referred to as a liquid crystal cell Cg and a defective liquid crystal cell Cb is denoted by 'C' It should be noted.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the classifying device 400, and Fig. 3 is a conceptual plan view of the classifying device 400. Fig.

The sorting apparatus 400 includes first to fifth cradle holders 411 to 415, first to third holders 421 to 423, a forward / backward conveyor 430, an identifier 440, a sorter 450, A stacker 460, a supply stacker 470, a transfer 480, and an ejector 490.

1. First to fifth cradles (411 to 415)

The first to fifth cradles 411 to 415 are provided for mounting the liquid crystal cell C as referred to in the extracting figure of Fig. 4, and are arranged in the order from the first cradle 411 to the fifth cradle 415 in order. The first to fifth cradles 411 to 415 are all provided with the same mounting structure.

The first mounting table 411 mounts the liquid crystal cell C to the classification device 400 in the inspection support device 300. The liquid crystal cell C placed on the first mounting base 411 is moved to the second mounting base 412 in the future. The first mounting table 411 includes a pair of mounting plates 411a and 411b having a shape opposed to the left and right direction.

Mounting a pair of plates (411a, 411b) includes a liquid crystal cell (C) by the first gripper (421) to be explained later be separated from each other by a narrow width (w ₂₎ than the horizontal width (w ₁₎ of the liquid crystal cell (C) As shown in Fig. These mounting plates 411a and 411b have two seating grooves S ₁ : Sa + Sb on which the liquid crystal cell C can be seated.

The second holder 412 holds the liquid crystal cell C moved from the first holder 411 by using the first holder 421. Similarly, the second holder 412 has two seating grooves S ₂ . The identification information unique to the liquid crystal cell C is read by the verifier 440 while the liquid crystal cell C is being held on the second cradle 142 and then moved to the third cradle 413.

The third mounting table 413 has two mounting grooves S ₃ -1 S ₃ -2 on which the liquid crystal cell C can be mounted and is mounted on the second mounting table 412 using the first gripper 421, And the liquid crystal cell C that has been moved from the liquid crystal cell C is moved. The liquid crystal cell C is placed on the third holder 143 and classified according to the inspection result. Here, the liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product among the liquid crystal cells C placed in the seating groove S ₃ -1 in front, is moved to the seating groove S ₃ -2 by using the first gripper 421, by a unit 450 is moved to the receiving groove of the sign S ₃ -2, -2 marks S ₃ a liquid crystal cell (Cg) of the non-defective seating recess is the fourth holder (414) and the fifth holder 415 of the And then discharged by the discharger 490.

The fourth mount 414 has one mount groove S ₄ and mounts on the determined good quality liquid crystal cell Cg that has been moved from the third mount table 143 by using the second gripper 422. Similarly, the liquid crystal cell Cg placed on the fourth mounting base 414 is moved to the fifth mounting base 415.

The fifth holder 415 holds the determined good quality liquid crystal cell Cg that has been moved from the fourth holder 144 through the third holder 423. Similarly, the fifth holder 415 has one seating groove S ₅ , and the liquid crystal cell Cg placed on the fifth holder 415 is ejected by the ejector 490.

2. The first to third grippers 421 to 423 and the front and rear conveyors 430,

5 is an exploded perspective view showing the first to third grippers 421 to 423 and the front-to-rear conveyor 430. FIG.

The first to third grippers 421 to 423 are provided to move the liquid crystal cell C, which is placed in each of the front mount holders 411 to 414, step by step to the rear mount holders 412 to 415.

The first gripper 421 is used to move the liquid crystal cell C placed on the first holder 411 to the second holder 412 and the liquid crystal cell C in the second holder 412 3 shelf 413, respectively. To this end, the first gripper 421 includes a first gripper 421a, a second gripper 421b, a switch 421c, a first lift 421d, and a second lift 421d, as in the enlarged excerpt of FIG. Gt; 421e. &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The first holding stage 421a is provided to move the two liquid crystal cells C placed on the first holding stage 411 to the second holding stage 412. [ To this end, the first gripper stage 421a has two holding members GE for gripping and holding the two liquid crystal cells C by vacuum pressure.

The second gripping stage 421b is provided to move the two liquid crystal cells C placed on the second mount table 412 to the third mount table 413. To this end, the second gripping end 421b has two gripping members GE for sucking and holding the two liquid crystal cells C by vacuum pressure.

The switching device 421c rotates the first grip stage 421a by 180 degrees on the horizontal plane so that the liquid crystal cell C gripped by the first grip stage 421a is rotated 180 degrees on the horizontal plane. The liquid crystal cell C can be returned to the original direction and can be moved to the second cradle 412 in a state in which the direction is changed by rotating the inspection support apparatus 300 by 180 degrees by the switching unit 421c, The identification information of the liquid crystal cell C by the determiner 440 can be appropriately recognized.

The first elevator 421d elevates the first gripper stage 421a and the second elevator 421e elevates and retracts the second gripper stage 421b. The first and second gripping ends 421a and 421b are positioned such that they are exposed to the gap between the pair of mounting plates 411a and 411b by the first elevator 421d and the second elevator 421e. The first and second grip stages 421a and 421b are brought into a state capable of gripping the liquid crystal cell C held in the first mount table 411 or the second mount table 412, And then descend. Since the first and second gripping ends 421a and 421b independently move up and down by the first elevator 421d and the second elevator 421e, the liquid crystal cell C of the mounts 411 to 415 Depending on the situation, a more flexible and fast logistics flow becomes possible. That is, for example, even when one liquid crystal cell C is mounted on the second mounting base 412 or the third mounting base 413, one liquid crystal cell C in the first mounting base 411 It is possible to move the liquid crystal cell C in the second holder 412 to the second holder 412 or to move the liquid crystal cell C in the second holder 412 to the third holder 413. [

The second gripper 422 holds one liquid crystal cell Cg mounted on the liquid crystal cell Cg which is a good product seated in the seating groove S ₃ -2 of the third holder 413 to the fourth holder 414, And the third gripper 423 is used to move one liquid crystal cell Cg placed on the fourth holder 414 to the fifth holder 415. [ The basic structure of the second gripper 422 and the third gripper 423 is the same as that of the second gripper 421b of the first gripper 421.

The forward / backward feeder 430 feeds the first to third grippers 421 to 423 in the forward and backward directions. At this time, the moving section L ₁ of the first gripper 421 is set from the first holder 411 to the third holder 413, and the moving section L ₂ of the second holder 422 is set The moving section L3 of the _{third holding} device 423 is set to the fourth holding stage 414 from the seating groove S ₃ -2 of the third holding stage 413 to the fourth holding stage 414, To the fifth stand 415 (see Fig. 3). The liquid crystal cell C held by the first to third grippers 421 to 423 can be sequentially moved to the rear mount by the operation of the back and forth feeder 430. [

3. Identifier 440

The confirmation unit 440 is provided to confirm the identification information of the two liquid crystal cells C placed on the second mount 412 and has two cameras 441 and 442 for this purpose. The liquid crystal cells C in which the identification information confirmed by the two cameras 441 and 442 are confirmed are classified by the classifier 450 controlled by the control device 500 according to the inspection results already recorded.

4. The classifier 450,

The classifier 450 classifies defective products in the liquid crystal cells C placed on the third holder 413 and moves the defective items to the storage tray RT in the storage stacker 460 to be described later, The liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product seated in the seating groove S ₃ -1, is moved to the seating groove S ₃ -2. For this, the classifier 450 includes a pair of suction members 451a and 451b, a pair of vertical movement units 452a and 452b, a rotation motor 453, a left and right movement unit 454, And a mobile device 455.

The pair of adsorption members 451a and 451b can adsorb the liquid crystal cell C or can release the adsorption.

The pair of vertical movement devices 452a and 452b can lift the corresponding suction members 451a and 451b, respectively.

The rotary motor 453 can rotate the adsorption members 451a and 451b by 180 degrees on the horizontal plane. This rotation of the pair of the suction member by means of a motor (453) (451a, 451b) of the first code S ₃ -1 3 of the cradle 413, since the mounting position of the liquid crystal cell (C) phage are interconvertible in groove The liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product adhered to the substrate S 1, can be moved to the seating groove S ₃ -2.

That is, the liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product seated in the seating groove S ₃ -1, may be moved to the seating groove S ₃ -2 by the first gripper 421 and the front and rear conveyor 430 , And can also be moved by the classifier 450. Of course, in moving the liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product seated in the seating groove S ₃ -1, to the seating groove S ₃ -2, the first gripper 421 and the front and rear conveyor 430 Whether to operate or operate the classifier 450 depends on whether the control device 500 is currently operating the first gripper 421 or the classifier 450. This enables the liquid crystal cell C to be transported even faster.

The left and right shifters 454 move the pair of adsorption members 451a and 451b in the left and right directions and the front and rear mobile units 455 move the pair of adsorption members 451a and 451b in the forward and backward directions. The liquid crystal cell Cb which is a defective product which is held by the third cradle 413 by the left and right movement device 454 and the back and forth moving device 455 can be moved to the storage tray RT in the storage stacker 460. [

5. The storage stacker 460 and the supply stacker 470,

The storage stacker 460 is accommodated in a storage tray RT capable of storing a liquid crystal cell Cb which is a defective product moved by the sorter 450 and is housed in the storage tray RT A descender 461 capable of descending stepwise is provided. The descender 461 descends by one step when the upper side storage tray RT is filled with the liquid crystal cell Cb so that the upper side of the lower side of the storage tray RT filled with the liquid crystal cell Cb Thereby securing a space in which the empty empty storage tray (RT) can be loaded.

The supply stacker 470 is provided at the rear of the storage stacker 460 and receives an empty storage tray RT to be supplied to the storage stacker 460. This supply stacker 470 has a riser 471 capable of raising the empty storage tray RT step by step as shown in Fig. When the storage tray RT located at the uppermost position is moved to the storage stacker 460 by the transfer 480, the lifter 471 raises the stacked storage trays RT by one step, (RT) is appropriately gripped by the transfer 480.

6. Transfer (480)

The transfer 480 moves the storage tray RT located at the uppermost one of the storage trays RT in the supply stacker 470 to the storage stacker 460. [ To this end, the transfer unit 480 includes a grip unit 481, an elevation unit 482, and a forward / backward transfer unit 483 as shown in FIG.

The gripping unit 481 uses the pair of grip levers 481a and 481b to grip or release the storage tray RT.

The lifting unit 482 lifts the lifting unit 481.

The forward / backward transport unit 483 moves the grip unit 481 in the forward and backward directions.

That is, the transfer 480 grasps the empty storage tray RT in the supply stacker 470 using the holding unit 481, and then moves the storage tray RT gripped by the forward / backward transfer unit 483 forward To the storage stacker 460 of the storage stacker 460 and releasing the gripping of the storage tray RT moved to the storage stacker 460 ultimately brings the empty storage tray RT from the supply stacker 470 to the storage stacker 460. [ 460). Of course, the lifting unit 482 can lift the holding tray 481 by lifting the gripping unit 481 after the gripping unit 481 grasps the receiving tray RT in the feeding stacker 470 so that the receiving tray RT can be moved forward The gripping unit 481 releases gripping of the storage tray RT at a height set by lowering the gripping unit 481 after the storage tray RT is moved to the storage stacker 460, So that the tray RT can be appropriately stacked on the storage stacker 460.

7. The ejector (490)

The ejector 490 discharges the liquid crystal cell Cg in the fourth and fourth cradles 414 and 415 to the outside of the inline cell inspection system ITS. At this time, the liquid crystal cell Cg to be discharged may be moved to other equipment according to the execution, or may be loaded on a separate storage tray RT provided outside.

The ejector 490 includes a pair of adsorption members 491a and 491b, a pair of lifting and lowering cylinders 492a and 492b, a switching motor 493 and a horizontal shifter 494 as shown in Fig.

The pair of adsorption members 491a and 491b adsorb and hold the liquid crystal cell Cg in the fourth holder 414 and the fifth holder 415, respectively.

The pair of lifting and lowering cylinders 492a and 462b are lifted and lowered by the corresponding adsorption members 491a and 491b to move the liquid crystal held by the adsorption members 491a and 491b in the fourth and fifth cradles 414 and 415, The state in which the cell Cg is allowed to move backward or the adsorption members 491a and 491b at the discharge position OP are positioned at such a height that the gripping of the liquid crystal cell Cg can be properly released.

The switching motor 493 rotates the pair of adsorption members 491a and 491b by 180 degrees on the horizontal plane so that the liquid crystal cell Cg turned by the classifier 450 can be returned and discharged in the proper direction.

The horizontal shifter 494 moves the pair of adsorption members 491a and 491b in the forward and backward directions so that the pair of adsorption members 491a and 491b are positioned at the gripping position GP or positioned at the discharge position OP .

<Operation description for inline cell inspection system (ITS)>

The operation of the inline cell inspection system (ITS) having the above configuration will be described.

The liquid crystal cell C supplied to the cleaning apparatus 100 is cleaned and then moved to the automatic inspection apparatus 200.

The automatic inspection apparatus 200 performs appearance and lighting inspection of the liquid crystal cell C and then sends the liquid crystal cell C to the inspection support apparatus 300.

The inspection support apparatus 300 supports the logistics of the liquid crystal cell C so that the inspection can be performed by the worker W and sends the liquid crystal cell C having been inspected to the classification apparatus 400 sequentially.

Hereinafter, the logistics of the liquid crystal cell C in the sorting apparatus 400 will be described in detail.

The two liquid crystal cells C from the inspection support apparatus 300 are seated side by side on the first mounting table 411 and transferred to the second mounting table 412 by the first gripper 421 and the back- . At this time, the liquid crystal cell C which has been rotated 180 degrees from the inspection support apparatus 300 is moved to the second cradle 412 in a state in which the liquid crystal cell C is returned to the proper direction by the operation of the switch 421c .

The two liquid crystal cells C in the second mounting table 412 are connected to the second mounting table 412 through the inspection result in which the control device 500 has already recorded the identification information by the identification device 440, So that the liquid crystal cells C in the liquid crystal cell C can be recognized. Accordingly, the appropriate logistic flow for each of the liquid crystal cells C is determined by the control device 500. This logistic flow will be described in more detail with some examples.

1. When the liquid crystal cells Cg as good products are supplied

The liquid crystal cells Cg are held by the first to third grippers 421 to 423 and the front and rear conveyors 430 when the liquid crystal cells Cg are both mounted on the second mount 412, Is moved to the fourth cradle 414 or the fifth cradle 415 via the cradle 413 and is then discharged to the outside by the cradle 490.

2. When a good liquid crystal cell Cg and a defective liquid crystal cell Cb are supplied

end. When the liquid crystal cell Cg, which is a good product, and the liquid crystal cell Cb, which is a defective product, are mounted on the second mount 412 in the forward and backward order

The liquid crystal cells Cg and Cb are moved to the third holder 413 by the first gripper 421 and the front and rear conveyors 430. [ The rear liquid crystal cell Cb among the liquid crystal cells Cg and Cb in the third holder 413 is moved to the storage tray RT in the storage stacker 460 by the sorter 450, the sign S ₃ -1 non-defective liquid-crystal cell (Cg) in the receiving groove is moved in the receiving groove of the first gripper 421 and the sign before and after the conveyor ₃ S -2 by 430. At this time, when the first gripper 421 can not be mobilized for the movement operation, the classifier 450 switches the position of the liquid crystal cells Cg and Cb placed on the third holder 413, _The liquid crystal cell Cb in the seating groove of ₃ -1 may be moved to the seating groove of the sign S ₃ -2 and then moved to the storage tray RT.

The liquid crystal cell Cg in the seating groove S ₃ -2 is moved to the fourth cradle 414 by the second cradle 422 and the back and forth conveyor 430 or the third cradle 423 And the forward / backward feeder 430 to the fifth cradle 415, and is discharged by the discharger 490. [ At this time, the liquid crystal cell Cg whose direction is changed by the classifier 450 is discharged in a state in which the liquid crystal cell Cg is returned in the proper direction by the ejector 450.

For reference, the situation in which the liquid crystal cell Cg is moved to the fifth cradle 415 via the fourth cradle 414 is moved from the cradles 411 to 413 in the front and the liquid crystal cell Cg is in the standby state, It may occur when the ejector 490 can not grasp the liquid crystal cell Cg from the fourth mount table 414 or the fifth mount table 415 at present.

I. When the liquid crystal cell Cb as a defective product and the liquid crystal cell Cg as a good product are mounted on the second mounting table 412 in the forward and backward order

The liquid crystal cells Cb and Cg are transferred to the third holder 413 by the first gripper 421 and the front and rear conveyor 430. [ The front liquid crystal cell Cb among the liquid crystal cells Cb and Cg in the third holder 413 is moved to the storage tray RT in the storage stacker 460 by the sorter 450, The liquid crystal cell Cg in the seating groove S ₃ -2 is moved to the fourth cradle 414 by the second gripper 422 and the back and forth conveyor 430, And then moved back to the fifth cradle 415 by the forward / backward feeder 430 and then discharged by the discharger 490.

3. When the liquid crystal cell Cb as the defective product is supplied

When all of the liquid crystal cells Cb placed on the second mounting table 412 are defective, they are moved to the third mounting table 413 and then moved to the storage tray RT by the classifier 450.

<Application Examples>

1. If the liquid crystal cells are divided into several grades according to the test result

Classification according to different grades may be possible by adding the storage stacker to the number of grades, by expanding the active area of the sorter and transfer, or by adding the discharge position of the ejector to the number of grades and expanding the activity area of the ejector.

2. If the classification device can be reduced

For example, if the logistics of the liquid crystal cell is configured to be performed sequentially from entry to exit, there is no need to provide an identifying device or a second holder in the sorting device.

In addition, if the somewhat slowness of the logistics can be sufficiently accommodated, either the fourth or fifth stand may be omitted, or the first, second, and third stand may be configured to house only one liquid crystal cell.

In such a case, the longitudinal length of the sorting device can be greatly reduced.

3. Omission of inspection support devices

If the manual inspection by the operator is unnecessary depending on the type of the object to be inspected, the inspection support device may be omitted. In this case, the inspection object to be inspected in the automatic inspection apparatus is immediately transferred to the sorting apparatus.

4. Switching function of sorter and ejector

The liquid crystal cell Cb in which the classifier 450 is a defective product is selectively moved to the storage tray RT so that the ejector 490 discharges the liquid crystal cell Cg of good quality. However, the separator 450 may be implemented so that the separator 450 selectively moves the liquid crystal cells Cg to the storage tray RT and the ejector 490 discharges the defective liquid crystal cell Cb .

5. Omission of ejector

In this case, it is possible to consider a case in which a plurality of storage stackers are provided and the liquid crystal cells are classified and moved by the sorter 450 in accordance with the inspection results by the sorter stackers 450. In this case, 490, the fourth mount 414 and the fifth mount 415 may be omitted.

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal cell is taken as an object to be inspected related to the display module, but the basic technology of the inline inspection system according to the present invention can be applied as an inspection system for various inspection objects related to the display module. Therefore, when only the visual inspection is required for the inspection object, the configuration necessary for the lighting inspection can be omitted, and the configuration necessary for the visual inspection can be omitted if only the inspection object is required to be lighted.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of illustration, And the scope of the present invention should be understood as the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

ITS: Inline cell inspection system
100: Cleaning device
200: Automatic inspection device
300: Manual inspection device
400: sorting device
411 to 415: First to fifth cradles
421 to 423: first to third holding units
430: forward and backward conveying machine
450: classifier

Claims (6)

An inline inspection system for inspecting an object to be inspected associated with a display module,
A cleaning device disposed at the frontmost position for cleaning the surface of the object to be inspected;
An automatic inspection device for automatically checking whether the inspection object received from the cleaning device is good or bad;
A sorting device that sorts the inspection objects from the automatic inspection device according to inspection results and is disposed at the rearmost end; And
A control device for controlling the cleaning device, the inspection device, and the sorting device; Lt; / RTI &gt;
An inspection support device provided between the automatic inspection device and the sorting device and supporting manual inspection by a worker; Further comprising:
The inspection support apparatus comprises:
A test jig to which an object to be inspected can be seated; And
An input device for inputting a result of the manual inspection of the inspected object; / RTI &gt;
The inspection support apparatus comprises:
A monitor capable of displaying an automatic inspection result of the automatic inspection apparatus; Further comprising:
Wherein the controller displays the inspected result of the automatic inspection apparatus through the monitor and controls the classification apparatus according to the automatic inspection result by the automatic inspection apparatus and the manual inspection result input by the operator through the input unit, To classify objects
An inline inspection system for inspecting inspection objects associated with a display module. The method according to claim 1,
The automatic inspection apparatus includes:
An appearance inspector for inspecting the appearance of the object to be inspected; And
A characteristic checker for checking electrical characteristics of the inspection object from the visual inspection machine; Containing
An inline inspection system for inspecting inspection objects associated with a display module. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inspection support apparatus comprises: a rotator capable of rotating 180 degrees on a plane of the inspection object from the automatic inspection apparatus; Further comprising:
Wherein the inspection jig and the input device are provided in a plurality of units,
The control device rotates the inspection object to be supplied to the inspection jig on either side of the inspection sheets divided into left and right sides by 180 degrees and supplies
An inline inspection system for inspecting inspection objects associated with a display module. The method according to claim 1,
The sorting device includes:
A plurality of cradles arranged side by side in the front-rear direction for mounting the objects to be inspected;
At least one gripper capable of gripping or releasing the gripped liquid crystal cells of the plurality of cradles;
A back-and-forth conveyor for sequentially moving the liquid crystal cells backward through the plurality of cradles by transporting the at least one gripper; And
A classifier for classifying the liquid crystal cells placed in a specific cradle of the plurality of cradles according to the result of the examination; Containing
An inline inspection system for inspecting inspection objects associated with a display module.

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