KR102023926B1 - Method and apparatus for testing flat panel display - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inspection method and an inspection apparatus for a flat panel display device, comprising: providing a display panel to which a printed circuit board is connected through a circuit film; And applying a test signal directly to the connector terminal formed on the printed circuit board to perform lighting test of the display panel.

Description

Inspection method and inspection device for flat panel display device {METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TESTING FLAT PANEL DISPLAY}

The present invention relates to an inspection method and an inspection apparatus of a flat panel display.

Flat panel displays include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Field Emission Display (FED), Plasma Display Panel (PDP), and Organic Light Emitting Diode Display (Organic Light Emitting Diode Display): OLED), and most of them are commercially available and commercially available.

Liquid crystal display devices can meet the trend of light and short and short of electronic products and mass production is improving, and are rapidly replacing cathode ray tubes in many applications. In particular, an active matrix type liquid crystal display device that drives a liquid crystal cell using a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as "TFT") has the advantages of high image quality and low power consumption, and secures the latest mass production technology. As a result of research and development, it is rapidly developing into larger size and higher resolution.

Manufacturing processes for manufacturing an active matrix type liquid crystal display device include substrate cleaning, substrate patterning process, alignment film formation / rubbing process, substrate bonding / liquid crystal injection process, mounting process, inspection process, repair process, assembly process, and the like. Divided. Among these, the inspection process includes detailed inspection steps such as auto probe inspection, tab inspection, board assembly inspection, liquid crystal module final inspection and reliability test.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a conventional board assembly inspection method.

The board assembly inspection is performed after the liquid crystal panel 2 and the printed circuit board 6 are connected to each other through a tape carrier package (TCP) 4. In the conventional board assembly inspection, as shown in FIG. 1, the flexible flat cable (FFC) 10 for inspection is connected to the connector terminal 8 formed on one side of the printed circuit board 6, and the inspection FFC 10 is performed. The pad 12 formed in the ()) and the pad 14 of the tester 16 are brought into contact with each other, and the test signal from the tester 16 is applied to the liquid crystal panel 2 to check the lighting of the liquid crystal panel 2.

However, the conventional board assembly inspection has the following problems.

First, after the board assembly inspection is finished, the work of separating the inspection FFC 10 from the inspection printed circuit board 6 is performed manually, and time loss occurs.

Second, due to the flexibility of the inspection FFC (10), the contact error between the pad 12 of the inspection FFC (10) and the pad 14 of the inspector 16 is frequently reduced productivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an inspection method and an inspection apparatus of a flat panel display device which can improve the workability of an inspection of a board assembly.

In order to achieve the above object, an inspection method of a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a display panel connected to a printed circuit board through a circuit film; And applying a test signal directly to the connector terminal formed on the printed circuit board to perform lighting test of the display panel.
The performing of the lighting test of the display panel may include providing an inspection unit having a plurality of inspection needles formed to correspond one-to-one with a plurality of contact pins formed on the connector terminal; Contacting the plurality of test needles and the connector terminal with each other; And directly applying the inspection signal to the connector terminal through the plurality of inspection needles.

delete

The inspection unit includes a base; At least one manipulator formed on said base and having said plurality of inspection needles; And a support formed on the base to support the manipulator.

The manipulator includes a main body; A lower plate for moving the main body back and forth from the support; The plurality of inspection needles formed on a lower surface of the main body; A probe block for moving the plurality of test needles up and down from the main body; A probe cover covering the plurality of test needles; It characterized in that it comprises a fixed shaft for fixing the plurality of inspection needles.

Each of the plurality of inspection needles is characterized in that it has elasticity in the vertical direction.

Each of the plurality of inspection needles to form a space therebetween facing each other, the upper horizontal portion and the lower horizontal portion connected to each other on one side; It is characterized in that it is provided with a needle which is bent downward from the end of the lower horizontal portion, the width is narrowed toward the lower side.

In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the inspection apparatus of the flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention performs a lighting test of the display panel by applying a test signal to the display panel connected to the printed circuit board through a circuit film. An inspection apparatus for a flat panel display device, comprising: a base; A support formed on the base; A manipulator that is supported by the support and slides in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction from the support; And a plurality of inspection needles formed at the lower portion of the front surface of the manipulator so as to be movable in the front and rear directions and in the vertical direction so as to be in contact with the plurality of contact pins of the connector terminal formed on the printed circuit board and having elasticity in the vertical direction. And a plurality of inspection needles each including an upper horizontal portion formed in a direction horizontal to the manipulator; A lower horizontal part forming a space between the upper horizontal part and one side connected to the upper horizontal part; And a needle that is bent from an end of the lower horizontal portion and narrowed toward the lower side from an end of the lower horizontal portion.

The manipulator may include a main body positioned above the support; A lower plate for moving the main body back and forth from the support; And a probe block for moving the plurality of test needles up and down from the main body.

The manipulator includes a main body; A lower plate for moving the main body back and forth from the support; The plurality of inspection needles formed on a lower surface of the main body; A probe block for moving the plurality of test needles up and down from the main body; A probe cover covering the plurality of test needles; It characterized in that it comprises a fixed shaft for fixing the plurality of inspection needles.

The manipulator may include a probe cover covering a portion of the plurality of test needles; And a fixed shaft for fixing the plurality of inspection needles.

In order to achieve the above object, an inspection method of a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: providing a display panel connected to a printed circuit board through a circuit film; Providing an inspection apparatus of the flat panel display device having a plurality of inspection needles one-to-one corresponding to a plurality of contact pins of a connector terminal formed on the printed circuit board; Contacting the plurality of test needles and the connector terminal with each other; And performing a lighting test of the display panel by directly applying a test signal to the connector terminal through the plurality of test needles.

The present invention performs a lighting test of the display panel by directly applying a test signal to the connector terminal of the printed circuit board during the board assembly test step. Therefore, the inspection FFC can be deleted, and the work for separating the inspection FFC is deleted, resulting in improved workability and productivity. In addition, the plurality of inspection needles provided in the inspection unit during the board assembly inspection may be moved back and forth and up and down in order to accurately contact the plurality of contact pins formed in the connector terminal, thereby enabling accurate contact.

In addition, the present invention can be formed so that the plurality of inspection needles have elasticity in the vertical direction, it is possible to prevent pin damage of the connector terminal when contacting the plurality of inspection needles.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a conventional board assembly inspection method.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention step by step.
3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of inspecting a flat panel display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 2. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the manipulator shown in FIG.
6A to 6D are perspective or cross-sectional views illustrating the movement of the manipulator shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region A illustrated in FIG. 6B.
8 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail the inspection needle shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an inspection method and an inspection device of a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The flat panel display device related to the present invention includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting diode display (Organic Light). Emitting Diode Display (OLED). Hereinafter, the liquid crystal display device will be described with an example. Therefore, the display panel described below is a liquid crystal panel.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention step by step. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of inspecting a flat panel display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in operation S10, a plurality of elements are formed on upper and lower substrates, and the liquid crystal panel 44 is formed by bonding the upper and lower substrates and injecting liquid crystals (S20). And an auto probe inspection step (S30) for inspecting screen defects of the liquid crystal panel 44, and a module process step (S40) for connecting the printed circuit board 48 to the liquid crystal panel 44 through the circuit film 46. And a board assembly inspection step S50 for applying the inspection signal to the printed circuit board 48 to turn on the liquid crystal panel 44, and an assembly and final inspection step S60.

The inspection method of the flat panel display device according to the embodiment relates to the board assembly inspection step (S40). Hereinafter, an inspection method and an inspection apparatus of a flat panel display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method of inspecting a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment may include providing a liquid crystal panel 44 to which a printed circuit board 48 is connected through a circuit film 46, and providing the printed circuit board 48 to the printed circuit board 48. And applying a test signal directly to the formed connector terminal 50 to perform a lighting test of the liquid crystal panel 44.

The liquid crystal panel 44 includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate, upper and lower polarizers disposed under the upper and lower substrates of the upper substrate, and a liquid crystal layer filled between the upper and lower substrates. The upper substrate includes a color filter, a common electrode, a black matrix, and the like. The common electrode may be provided on the lower substrate according to the liquid crystal driving method of the liquid crystal panel. In the lower substrate, signal lines such as a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines are formed, and a thin film transistor is formed at an intersection of the gate line and the data line. The thin film transistor supplies each pixel with a data signal provided from the data line in response to a scan signal provided from the gate line.

The liquid crystal panel 44 is connected to the panel driving circuit in the above-described module process step S40. The panel driving circuit includes a data driver for driving data lines of the liquid crystal panel 44, a gate driver for driving the gate driver of the liquid crystal panel 44, and a timing controller for controlling the data driver and the gate driver. The gate driver and the data driver may be mounted on the circuit film 46. In addition, the gate driver may be formed in the non-display area of the liquid crystal panel 44 by a gate in panel (GIP) method. The timing controller may be integrated and formed on the printed circuit board 48. The circuit film 46 may be any one selected from a tape carrier package (TCP) or a chip on film (COF).

The printed circuit board 48 includes a driving circuit for driving the liquid crystal panel 44, for example, a timing controller, a power supply unit, and a memory. One side of the printed circuit board 48 is formed with a connector terminal 50 for receiving an image signal and various driving signals from the outside. However, in the board assembly inspection step S50, the inspection terminal provided from the inspection unit instead of the image signal and various driving signals is applied to the connector terminal 50.

Specifically, the board assembly inspection step (S50) according to the embodiment comprises the steps of providing a test unit having a plurality of test needles 32 formed to correspond one-to-one with a plurality of contact pins formed in the connector terminal 50, And directly applying a test signal to the connector terminal 50 through the test needle 32.

As described above, in the method of inspecting a flat panel display according to the exemplary embodiment, a test signal is directly applied to the connector terminal 50 of the printed circuit board 48 at the board assembly test step S50 to check the lighting of the liquid crystal panel 44. Perform. Therefore, the present invention can delete the inspection FFC in the board assembly inspection step (S50), the task of removing the inspection FFC is deleted, resulting in improved workability and productivity.

Hereinafter, an inspection apparatus, that is, an inspection unit of the flat panel display device according to the embodiment will be described in detail.

4 is a perspective view of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 2. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the manipulator shown in FIG. 6A to 6D are perspective or cross-sectional views illustrating the movement of the manipulator shown in FIG. 4. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region A illustrated in FIG. 6B.

4 to 7, an inspection unit according to an embodiment includes a base 20, at least one manipulator formed on the base 20 and having a plurality of inspection needles 32, and a base. And a support 22 formed on the support 20 to support the manipulator. That is, the manipulator is supported by the support 22.

The manipulator includes a main body 26, a lower plate 24 for moving the main body 26 back and forth from the support 22, a plurality of inspection needles 32 formed at the lower front surface of the main body 26, and a plurality of inspections. Probe block 28 for moving the needle 32 up and down from the main body 26, probe cover 30 covering a plurality of test needles 32, and a fixed shaft for fixing a plurality of test needles 32 34 is provided.
4 to 7, it can be seen that the support 22, the lower plate 24, and the main body 26 are positioned on the base 20. In addition, a probe block 28 and a globe cover 30 are positioned below the front surface of the main body 26. The plurality of test needles 32 are fixed by the fixed shaft 34 between the probe block 28 and the probe cover 30. The probe cover 30 covers a part of the test needle 32 so that the end of the test needle 32 is exposed to the bottom of the probe cover 30.

The inspection unit may include a plurality of manipulators corresponding to the number of printed circuit boards 48, that is, the number of connector terminals 50. The manipulator may move in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction in order to allow the plurality of test needles 32 to contact the plurality of contact pins formed in the connector terminal 50. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the manipulator moves the plurality of inspection needles 32 in the front-rear direction by sliding the front and rear directions of the lower plate 24 supporting the main body 26 on the support 22. Let's do it. As shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, the manipulator moves the plurality of inspection needles 32 in the vertical direction by sliding the probe block 28 upward and downward from the main body 26.

As such, the embodiment includes a test unit for directly applying a test signal to the connector terminal 50 of the printed circuit board 48, and the plurality of test needles 32 provided in the test unit are connected to the connector terminal 50. In order to be in contact with the plurality of contact pins formed in the front of the manipulator (more specifically, the front lower portion of the probe block 28) may move in the front and rear direction, up and down direction. Therefore, the present invention enables accurate contact between the plurality of inspection needle 32 and the connector terminal 50, thereby improving workability and productivity.

On the other hand, the plurality of contact pins formed in the connector terminal 50 may cause damage such as bending when contacting the plurality of inspection needles (32). According to the embodiment, in order to prevent pin damage of the connector terminal 50 when contacting the plurality of inspection needles 32, the plurality of inspection needles 32 are formed to have elasticity in the vertical direction. This will be described in detail as follows.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing in detail the inspection needle shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 8, each of the plurality of test needles 32 includes an upper horizontal portion 36, a lower horizontal portion 38, and a needle 40.

Each of the upper horizontal portion 36 and the lower horizontal portion 38 is formed in a horizontal direction. The upper horizontal portion 36 and the lower horizontal portion 38 face each other to form a space 42 therebetween. The upper horizontal portion 36 and the lower horizontal portion 38 are connected to each other at one side.

The needle 40 is bent downward from the end of the lower horizontal portion 38. And the needle 40 is formed so that the width becomes narrower from the end of the lower horizontal portion 38 toward the lower side.

As described above, in the embodiment, the plurality of inspection needles 32 are formed to have elasticity in the up and down direction, thereby preventing pin damage of the connector terminal 50 when contacting the plurality of inspection needles 32.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the accompanying drawings, and it is common in the art that various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be evident to those who have knowledge of.

32: multiple inspection needle 34: fixed shaft
44: display panel 46: circuit film
48: printed circuit board 50: connector terminal

Claims (11)

An inspection apparatus of a flat panel display device for applying a test signal to a display panel connected to a printed circuit board through a circuit film to perform lighting inspection of the display panel.
Base;
A support formed on the base;
A manipulator that is supported by the support and slides in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction from the support; And
A plurality of inspection needles disposed in front and bottom of the manipulator, the plurality of inspection needles being movable in the front and rear directions and in the vertical direction to be in contact with the plurality of contact pins of the connector terminals formed on the printed circuit board and having elasticity in the vertical directions; Including;
Each of the plurality of inspection needles
An upper horizontal portion formed in a direction horizontal to the manipulator;
A lower horizontal part forming a space between the upper horizontal part and one side connected to the upper horizontal part; And
And a needle that is bent from an end of the lower horizontal portion and is narrower from the end of the lower horizontal portion toward the lower side of the lower horizontal portion. The method of claim 1,
The manipulator
A main body positioned above the support;
A lower plate for moving the main body back and forth from the support;
And a probe block for moving the plurality of inspection needles up and down from the main body. The method of claim 2,
The manipulator
A probe cover covering a portion of the plurality of test needles; And
A fixed shaft for fixing the plurality of inspection needles;
Further comprising, inspection device of the flat panel display device. Providing a display panel to which a printed circuit board is connected through a circuit film;
Providing an inspection apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of inspection needles corresponding to the contact pins of the connector terminals formed on the printed circuit board are provided one-to-one;
Contacting the plurality of test needles and the connector terminal with each other; And
And applying a test signal directly to the connector terminal through the plurality of test needles to perform a lighting test of the display panel. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

Images