KR20100091037A - Unit for cleaning glass substrate and system for cleaning glass substrate having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A unit for cleaning a glass substrate and a system for cleaning a glass substrate with the same are provided to prevent damages on a glass substrate due to overload. CONSTITUTION: Cleaning units(200) are installed on a transfer path of a glass substrate returned by a conveyer unit. The cleaning units have a scrubbing member. The scrubbing member makes scrubbing power. The scrubbing member eliminates foreign materials from the surface of the glass substrate. The scrubbing member comprises a shaft, a holder, and a cleaning head.

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unit capable of cleaning a glass substrate at a constant pressure and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning unit capable of removing foreign matter on a glass substrate using a cleaning pad and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unit capable of preventing damage to the glass substrate due to overload and a glass substrate cleaning system using the same.

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

The present invention is to achieve the above object, the system for cleaning the glass substrate is a conveyor unit for horizontal conveying the glass substrate; And cleaning units installed on a conveying path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit, the cleaning units having a scrubbing member for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate by applying a rotating scrubbing force drawing a circular trajectory; The scrubbing member is rotated by a drive motor, the shaft having a first flow path for the cleaning liquid supplied from the outside; A holder having a second flow path in communication with the first flow path and connected to the shaft; And a cleaning head having a discharge port connected to the second flow path and detachably installed in the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holder includes magnets for magnetically fixing the cleaning head; And fixing pins inserted into insertion grooves formed in the cleaning head.

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

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge port is formed through the upper plate, the cushion pad, and the cleaning pad.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the cleaning units includes: a cylinder for elevating the scrubbing member such that the cleaning head presses the surface of the glass substrate; And a pneumatic supply for providing an operating pressure to the cylinder such that the cleaning head pressurizes the glass substrate at a constant pressure.

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

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

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the abrasive cleaning units are arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in which the glass substrate is transferred.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor unit comprises: first rotating rollers supporting a bottom surface of the glass substrate; Second rotating rollers which support an upper surface of the glass substrate and are disposed to face the first rotating rollers; And a roller driver for rotating the first and second rotating rollers.

In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning unit for removing the foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate is applied to the surface of the glass substrate by rotating the scrubbing force to draw a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate while spraying the cleaning liquid A scrubbing member for removing foreign matter; The scrubbing member is rotated by a drive motor, the shaft having a first flow path for the cleaning liquid supplied from the outside; A holder having a second flow passage in communication with the first flow passage and connected to the shaft and having a plurality of magnets at a bottom thereof; And a cleaning head having a discharge port connected to the second flow path and detachably installed in the holder by magnetic force.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the cleaning head further comprises a handle that can be gripped by the operator when detached from the holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holder includes fixing pins inserted into insertion grooves formed in the cleaning head.

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

According to the present invention, since the attachment and detachment of the cleaning head is easy, it has a special effect of shortening the time required for replacement and improving the equipment operation rate.

Moreover, according to this invention, the self-warpage of a washing head can be prevented.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated to emphasize a more clear description.

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

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

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

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

In the pretreatment cleaning unit 10, a pretreatment cleaning process for removing foreign matter (particularly large particles) on the glass substrate surface is performed before the glass substrate 2 flows into the main cleaning unit 20. The pretreatment cleaning unit 10 is in close contact with the conveyor unit 12 for transporting the glass substrate 2, the spray nozzles 14 for spraying the cleaning liquid onto the transported glass substrate, and the top and bottom surfaces of the transported glass substrate 2. It includes roll brush units 16 for rotating and removing large foreign particles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2 to 4, the main cleaning unit 20 includes the conveyor unit 100, the cleaning units 200, and the cleaning liquid spray nozzles 800.

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

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

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

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

The cleaning units 200 are top cleaning units for cleaning the upper surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit 100 (first cleaning units) and bottom cleaning for cleaning the bottom surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit. It can be divided into the cleaning unit (first cleaning unit). The first cleaning units and the second cleaning units may be installed to face each other with the glass substrate therebetween. Alternatively, as in FIG. 9, the first cleaning units and the second cleaning units may be disposed at different positions.

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

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

In addition, the cleaning units disposed at both edges may be damaged so that the cleaning pad 226 may be damaged when the cleaning unit is disposed on the side of the glass substrate so that the cleaning head 220 does not leave the side of the glass substrate 2. It is preferable to clean the glass substrate.

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

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

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts of the cleaning unit illustrated in FIG. 4. 6 shows the cleaning head separated from the holder.

5 and 6, the shaft 214 is rotated by the drive motor 212 and has a first flow passage 214a through which a cleaning liquid supplied from the outside flows.

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

The cleaning head 220 is detachably installed in the holder 216. The cleaning head 220 is used as a consumable after replacement for a new cleaning head. Therefore, the cleaning head 220 should be detachable from the holder 216, the detachable method using a magnetic force is applied in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning head 220 has a disc shape composed of three different layers of material. The cleaning head 220 includes a top plate 222 of a steel material corresponding to an upper layer, a cleaning pad 226 having a bottom surface corresponding to a lower layer and in surface contact with the glass substrate 2, and a buffer corresponding to an intermediate layer. It may include a cushion pad 224. The cleaning pad 226 may be made of a soft material capable of removing foreign substances on the glass substrate without causing scratches on the surface of the glass substrate 2. The cushion pad 224 mitigates the impact that may be applied to the glass substrate in the process of cleaning the glass substrate.

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

7 is a view showing the bottom of the cleaning pad.

As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom surface 226a of the cleaning pad 226 is connected to the second flow passage 216a to discharge the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port 229, and extends from the discharge opening 229 to the edge and flows through the cleaning liquid. Second flow path grooves 228 connecting the flow path grooves 227 and the first flow path grooves 227 are formed. The first channel grooves 227 may be rounded in the rotational direction of the cleaning head 220 so that the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port 229 is quickly exited. Although not shown in the drawing, the first channel grooves 227 may be wider from the discharge port 229 toward the edge. The second flow path grooves 228 have a ring shape. The second channel grooves 228 connect the first channel grooves 227 to each other so that cleaning fluid communication is performed between the first channel grooves 227.

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

Referring to FIG. 8, the cylinder 250 is a lifting device for elevating the scrubbing member 210 so that the cleaning head 220 presses the surface of the glass substrate 2, and the cylinder 250 is sufficiently sealed with external air. And a piston rod 253 vertically connected to the piston 252 installed in the cylinder body 251 and a piston 252 to transfer lifting power to the outside, and above the cylinder body 251. The air inlet and outlet ports 254.256 are provided below for the air inlet and outlet, respectively. An air line () () through which air provided from the pneumatic supply unit 260 flows in is connected to the air inlet and outlet ports 254 and 256. One end of the piston rod 252 is connected to the scrubbing member 210 through a connecting bracket 259. The cylinder 250 calls the two spaces isolated by the piston 252 the first air chamber 257 and the second air chamber 258 and the air of the first air chamber 257 and the second air chamber 258. The difference in pressure causes the piston 252 to move.

The pneumatic supply 260 provides an operating pressure to the cylinder 250 so that the cleaning head 220 pressurizes the glass substrate at a constant pressure. That is, the same cleaning is possible only when the cleaning head 220 of each of the cleaning units 200 presses the glass substrate 2 with the same surface pressure. If there is a bend or thick foreign material in a specific area of the glass substrate 2, the cleaning head 220 of the cleaning unit that cleans the area generates a pressure change higher than a predetermined surface pressure, and thus the same cleaning is performed. It becomes impossible. However, the pneumatic supply unit 260 according to the present embodiment includes components that can always check the operating pressure change inside the cylinder 250 to clean the glass substrate at a constant pressure at all times.

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

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

On the other hand, the electric regulator 270 installed in the first air line 262 adjusts the operating pressure to maintain a constant operating pressure (second air pressure) provided to the cylinder 250. Electro-optic regulator 270 is a sensor 272 for detecting in real time the change in the operating pressure (second air pressure) provided to the first air chamber 257 of the cylinder, and the pressure value detected by the sensor 272 is a preset pressure It includes a solenoid valve 274 for exhausting the working pressure to the outside so as to remain at the predetermined pressure when going above the value. As shown in FIG. 8, when the cleaning head 220 is in surface contact with the surface of the glass substrate 2 and removes foreign substances, the pressure of the first air chamber 257 of the cylinder 250 is reduced due to the foreign matter on the glass substrate. If high, the sensor 272 detects this and the solenoid valve 274 acts on this sensor signal to automatically discharge some of the air in the air line between the first air chamber 257 and the electro-pneumatic regulator 270 to automatically Adjust the pressure. As such, the present invention can maintain a constant surface pressure of each of the cleaning heads of the cleaning units by controlling the pneumatic pressure by using the electro-pneumatic regulator in the pneumatic supply unit for supplying air to the cylinder.

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

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

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

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

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts of the cleaning unit illustrated in FIG. 4.

6 shows the cleaning head separated from the holder.

7 is a view showing the bottom of the cleaning pad.

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

9 shows another arrangement of cleaning units.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: pretreatment cleaning unit

20: main cleaning unit

30: cleaning unit

40: drying unit

100: conveyor unit

200: cleaning unit

Claims (13)

In a system for cleaning a glass substrate: A conveyor unit for horizontally conveying the glass substrate; And A cleaning unit installed on a conveying path of the glass substrate conveyed by the conveyor unit, the cleaning units having a scrubbing member for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate by applying a rotating scrubbing force drawing a circular trajectory; The scrubbing member is A shaft rotated by the drive motor and having a first flow path through which a cleaning liquid supplied from the outside flows; A holder having a second flow path in communication with the first flow path and connected to the shaft; And And a cleaning head having a discharge opening connected to said second flow path, said cleaning head being removably installed in said holder. The method of claim 1, The holder is Magnets for magnetically fixing the cleaning head; And And a fixing pin inserted into the insertion grooves formed in the cleaning head. The method of claim 2, The cleaning head Metal tops; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on the bottom of the top plate; And a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on the bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in surface contact with the glass substrate. The method of claim 2, And the discharge port is formed through the upper plate, the cushion pad and the cleaning pad. The method of claim 2, Each of the cleaning units A cylinder for elevating the scrubbing member such that the cleaning head presses the surface of the glass substrate; And And a pneumatic supply for providing an operating pressure to the cylinder such that the cleaning head pressurizes the glass substrate at a constant pressure. The method of claim 2, The cleaning units First cleaning units cleaning upper surfaces of the glass substrates moved by the conveyor unit; And And second cleaning units for cleaning the bottom surface of the glass substrate moved by the conveyor unit. The method of claim 6, And the first cleaning units and the second cleaning units are installed to face each other with a glass substrate interposed therebetween. The method of claim 2, The abrasive cleaning units A system for cleaning a glass substrate, characterized in that it is arranged in a plurality of rows in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in which the glass substrate is conveyed. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The conveyor unit First rotating rollers supporting a bottom surface of the glass substrate; Second rotating rollers which support an upper surface of the glass substrate and are disposed to face the first rotating rollers; And And a roller drive for rotating the first and second rotating rollers. In the cleaning unit for removing foreign matter on the surface of the glass substrate: It includes a scrubbing member for applying a rotating scrubbing force to draw a circular trajectory on the surface of the glass substrate while spraying the cleaning liquid to the surface of the glass substrate to remove foreign matter on the glass substrate; The scrubbing member is A shaft rotated by the drive motor and having a first flow path through which a cleaning liquid supplied from the outside flows; A holder having a second flow passage in communication with the first flow passage and connected to the shaft and having a plurality of magnets at a bottom thereof; And And a cleaning head having a discharge port connected to said second flow path and detachably installed in said holder by magnetic force. The method of claim 10, And the cleaning head further comprises a handle that can be gripped by an operator when detached from the holder. The method of claim 10, The holder is And cleaning pins inserted into the insertion grooves formed in the cleaning head. The method of claim 10, The cleaning head Metal tops; A cushion pad for a cushioning action provided on the bottom of the top plate; And a disk-shaped cleaning pad provided on the bottom surface of the cushion pad and having a bottom surface in contact with the glass substrate.

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