KR20110033522A - Apparatus for aligning lcd panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An LCD panel alignment device is provided to remarkably reduce the failure rate through a precise alignment of an LCD panel and a polarization film by adopting a vision alignment method. CONSTITUTION: A pair of linear motors(110) is formed to a Y direction. A connection plate mutually connects a linear motor in the center. A turn base(100) which is conversed/reversed by 180° with a DD motor which is combined to a lower part of the connection plate. Two alignment stage is arranged to a X direction and a θ direction corresponding to orientating a settled LCD panel to a polarization film.

Description

LCD panel alignment device {APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING LCD PANEL}

The present invention relates to an LCD panel alignment device, and more particularly, to a device for aligning an alignment between a polarizing film and an LCD panel in a process of attaching a polarizing film to an LCD panel surface.

In general, an LCM board for a liquid crystal display device used in a mobile phone includes an LCD panel (including a driving chip), and a backlight unit that diffuses and radiates light to the LCD panel, and a polarizing film is attached to upper and lower surfaces of the LCD panel. do.

The polarizing film is a film that can pass or block vertical or horizontal polarization of incident light, and is a thin film transistor liquid crystal display device (TFT-LCD) such as a notebook computer and a monitor, a filter for camera special effects, and a stereoscopic film. Used for glasses and the like. Although the intensity of light emitted from the backlight of the LCM board is uniform in all directions, the polarizing film transmits only the light vibrating in the same direction as the polarization axis, and absorbs or reflects the other light to create polarization in a specific direction. When the polarization passes the LCD liquid crystal, the brightness of the pixel is changed by electrically adjusting the alignment direction of the liquid crystal for each pixel.

In order to attach the polarizing film to the LCD panel, the surface of the LCD panel is cleaned to remove foreign substances, the surface of the polarizing film is cleaned, and then the LCD panel and the polarizing film are adhered to each other using an adhesive roller and the like.

In order to attach such a polarizing film to the surface of the LCD panel, it is necessary to perform the operation (hereinafter referred to as "alignment") to match the orientation of the LCD panel and the polarizing film mutually, conventionally simply supply position and direction of the LCD panel According to the present invention, the polarizing film is attached to the LCD panel without any alignment work while the polarizing film vacuum adsorption head is arranged in advance. However, according to such a method, the LCD panel and the polarizing film are frequently distorted when the LCD panel is transported or when the vacuum adsorption head adsorbs the polarizing film, thereby increasing the defective rate.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0438569 proposes a polarizing film position alignment device for aligning the polarizing film in a predetermined orientation by pushing the edge of the polarizing film by an air cylinder on the side of the vacuum adsorption head. It became. However, even if the alignment is performed by such a polarizing film position alignment device, since only the alignment of the polarizing film is unilaterally aligned without considering the relative alignment relationship with the LCD panel, when the alignment of the LCD panel is changed, It is impossible to precisely match the alignment between LCD panels, and since the orientation of the polarizing film is randomly deformed even when the polarizing film is adsorbed, it is virtually impossible to accurately correct and align these various deformations. Accordingly, there is a need for a practical and precise alignment device considering the relative orientation of the polarizing film and the LCD panel.

The present invention was devised to solve the problems in the conventional polarizing film attaching process as described above, after receiving the LCD panel from one side and rotationally transported to a process unit (hereinafter, a polarizing film attaching unit) for attaching the polarizing film And an LCD panel alignment device which automatically photographs the contour image of the polarizing film and the LCD panel, and automatically aligns the LCD panel in the X-axis, Y-axis, and θ directions to match the orientation of the polarizing film based on the photographed contour image. It aims to provide.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will be described in more detail below, and will be further embodied by the examples. Furthermore, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means indicated in the claims and combinations thereof.

The LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a pair of left and right linear motor extending in the Y-axis direction, and a connecting plate for interconnecting the linear motor in the center, A turn base rotated forward and backward by 180 ° by a DD motor coupled to the bottom of the connecting plate; Arranged in a line in the X axis direction of the turn base to be rotated symmetrically 180 ° on the turn base, the LCD panel supplied from one side is seated, and is horizontally moved in the Y axis direction according to the operation of the linear motor, And two alignment stages that align the LCD panel in the X-axis and θ directions corresponding to the orientation of the polarizing film.

And a panel imaging camera for acquiring contour image data of the LCD panel mounted on the panel rotation alignment unit to align the LCD panel. Further comprising a polarizing film imaging camera for acquiring the contour image data of the polarizing film absorbed and held by the polarizing film rotation transfer unit, the contour image data and polarization of the LCD panel obtained by the panel imaging camera and the polarizing film imaging camera Based on the contour image data of the film, the panel rotation alignment unit aligns the LCD panel.

The alignment stage may include: a stage mount arranged vertically in the longitudinal direction of the left and right linear motors of the turn base, horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction according to the operation of the linear motor, and having a central portion projecting stepwise; A base plate fixedly installed at a center portion of the stage mount; An X-axis alignment stage provided at an upper layer of the base plate and linearly moving in the X-axis direction according to the operation of the X-axis driving motor; It includes a θ angle alignment stage rotatably provided on the upper layer of the X-axis alignment stage.

The θ angular alignment stage includes a rotor base fixed to an upper surface of the X axis alignment stage, and a rotor rotatably mounted to the rotor base, wherein the rotor is rotated by a rotor rotation driving means. Wherein, the rotor rotation drive means, the cam is eccentrically rotated by the cam drive motor; A cam follower contacting the outer circumferential surface of the cam; The cam follower is mounted on one side and the other end includes a cam follower bracket fixedly coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the rotor.

According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to repeat the automatic alignment of the LCD panel continuously supplied from one side to enable rapid mass production of the LCM board, as well as in the X-axis, Y-axis and θ direction of the LCD panel It is possible to align and adopt the vision alignment method, which has an excellent effect of significantly reducing the defective rate through precise alignment of the LCD panel and the polarizing film.

Hereinafter, the specific configuration of the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of one direction of an LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another direction of an LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention. .

As shown, the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention includes a turn base 100 and the alignment stage 200.

The turn base 100 is formed to extend in the Y-axis direction on both the left and right sides and a pair of left and right linear motors connected to be spaced apart at predetermined intervals, and the connecting plate 112 to interconnect the linear motor 110 at the center. It is composed generally of 'H' shape.

The linear motor 110 is a driving means for linearly linearly moving the mover 110a as a current flows through a stator coil 110b. The linear motor 110 realizes such linear motion. If the shape and type is not particularly limited, as shown in Figure 1 and 2, inside the upper surface is provided with an LM rail (110c) for guiding the linear movement of the stage mount 210 to be described later, The outside of the LM rail 110c is disposed so that the opening of the stator 110b faces the outside, and the mover 110a of the linear motor 110 is inserted into the opening of the stator 110b to the coil of the stator 110b. As the current flows, the mover 110a is preferably configured to linearly move along the opening of the stator 110b.

The DD motor 120 is coupled to the lower portion of the connecting plate 112 of the turn base 100, and the turn base 100 is rotated forward and backward by 180 ° by the DD motor 120. The DD motor 120 is supported by the motor base 130 from below, and the motor shaft 122 is coupled to the motor shaft coupling hole 114 formed in the center of the connecting plate 112 from above.

Through this configuration, as the turn base 100 is rotated forward and backward by only 180 ° in one rotation according to the driving of the DD motor 120, the LCD panel supplied from one side and seated on the alignment stage 200 to be described later is 180 °. Rotate and transport to the position of the polarizing film attachment unit located on the opposite side.

The alignment stage 200 is installed on the turn base 100, and the left and right pairs, that is, the two alignment stages 200 are arranged in a line in the X axis direction of the turn base 100 so that the rotationally symmetrical 180 ° LCD The panel is aligned corresponding to the orientation of the polarizing film. In the alignment stage 200, alignment in the X-axis and θ directions of the LCD panel is performed.

As shown, the alignment stage 200 includes a stage mount 210, a base plate 220, an X-axis alignment stage 230, an θ angle alignment stage 240, and a seating plate 250.

The stage mount 210 supports the base plate 220, the X-axis alignment stage 230, the θ angle alignment stage 240, and the seating plate 250 from below, and the left and right sides of the turn base 100 are supported. It is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of both linear motors 110, that is, in the X-axis direction, both ends are coupled to the mover (110a) of the left and right linear motors 110 of the turn base 100, the linear motor 110 ) According to the operation, it is horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction and the center part is formed to protrude stepwise. In addition, the left and right lower sides of the stage mount 210 are provided with an LM block 110d slidingly moved on the LM rail 110c installed in the linear motor 110. The left and right ends of the stage mount 210 are supported by the X-axis drive motor 225 and the cam drive motor 243b to be described later, and the base plate 220 to be described later is supported by the stepped protruding center.

The base plate 220 is fixed to the upper portion of the turn base 100, more specifically, the center portion of the stage mount 210, the long groove 221 is formed along the X-axis longitudinal direction in the center, The LM guide 222 is installed at the left and right sides of the long groove 221. The ball screw 223 and the nut block 224 are inserted into the long groove 221. On the outside of the base plate 220, the ball screw 223 by the coupling 227 in the state in which the X-axis driving motor 225 for rotating the ball screw 223 is mounted on the motor bracket 226. Connected with.

An X-axis alignment stage 230 is provided on the upper layer of the base plate 220. The X-axis alignment stage 230 is coupled to the LM guide 222 and the nut block 224 provided in the base plate 220 and along the LM guide 222 according to the operation of the X-axis driving motor 225. Linear movement in the axial direction.

One side of the X-axis alignment stage 230 is provided with a moving distance detecting means 232 for detecting the moving distance of the X-axis alignment stage 230. The movement distance detecting means 232 includes a sensor rail 232a and a sensor bracket 232b.

The sensor rail 232a is provided on one side of the base plate 220 in the X-axis direction, and has a 'c'-shaped cross section and is arranged such that the opening is directed upward, and a plurality of sensors are linear in the horizontal direction. Is deployed. The sensor bracket 232b has a protrusion formed downward, and travels across a plurality of linearly arranged sensors with the protrusion inserted into the upper opening of the sensor rail 232a.

Here, the sensor rail 232a is fixedly coupled to one side of the base plate 220 by the sensor rail bracket 232c, and the sensor bracket 232b is fixedly coupled to one side of the X-axis alignment stage 230. Accordingly, the sensor bracket 232b is horizontally moved together according to the linear movement of the X-axis alignment stage 230, and the protrusions of the sensor bracket 232b cross the plurality of sensors while being inserted into the sensor rail 232a. As the vehicle travels, it is possible to detect the moving distance by the sensors.

The θ angular alignment stage 240 is provided on the upper layer of the X-axis alignment stage 230. The θ angle alignment stage 240 includes a rotor base 241 fixedly installed on an upper surface of the X axis alignment stage 230, and a rotor 242 rotatably mounted to the rotor base 241. do.

The rotor 242 is rotationally operated by a rotor rotation driving means 243 including a cam 243a. The cam 243a is an eccentric cam that is rotationally driven by a cam driving motor 243b provided at one side of the X-axis alignment stage 230. The cam driving motor 243b is mounted on a motor bracket 243c fixedly coupled to one side of the X-axis alignment stage 230, and the cam 243a is coupled to an upper portion of the cam driving motor 243b. A sensor bracket 243g having a protrusion on one side is coupled between the cam 243a and a sensor that rotates simultaneously with the rotation of the cam driving motor 243b and the cam 243a on the outside of the sensor bracket 243g. A sensor 243f for detecting the protrusion of the bracket 243g is provided. The sensor 243f is a means for determining a reference position of the cam 243a (home position of the cam), that is, a reference point of the rotation angle. The rotation angle of the rotor 242 is controlled by detecting the rotation amount of the cam drive motor 243b.

The rotor 242 rotates at an angle according to the eccentric rotation of the cam 243a. For this purpose, the cam follower 243d is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cam 243a. The cam follower 243d is mounted on one side of the cam follower bracket 243e, and the other end of the cam follower bracket 243e is fixedly coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the rotor 242. When the cam 243a is eccentrically rotated according to the operation of the cam driving motor 243b through this configuration, the cam follower 243d moves while the outer circumferential surface of the cam 243a is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cam follower 243d. As the cam follower 243d moves, the cam follower bracket 243e coupled to the cam follower 243d is moved, and thus, the rotor 242 fixedly coupled to the cam follower bracket 243e. ) Rotates at a certain angle. On the other hand, an elastic spring (not shown) is connected between the cam follower bracket 243e and the motor bracket 243c, and the cam follower bracket 243e and the cam follower 243d are returned to their initial positions after θ angle alignment. It is preferably configured to be able to return.

A mounting plate 250 is provided on the upper portion of the rotor 242. The seating plate 250 serves to adsorb and support the LCD panel by suction force.

By such a configuration, the θ angle alignment can be performed by the rotation of the rotor 242 in the state in which the LCD panel is supported by the mounting plate 250.

Y-axis alignment of the alignment stage 200 is performed by the linear motor 110 of the turn base 100. The mover 110a of the linear motor 110 is coupled to the stage mount 210 supporting each alignment stage from below, and the stage mount 210 and the alignment stage mounted thereon according to the operation of the linear motor 110. The 200 moves horizontally in the Y-axis direction so that Y-axis alignment is performed.

On the other hand, the alignment stage 200 is provided with a centering means (260). The center ring means 260 is a means for centering the LCD panel by pushing and guiding an edge of the LCD panel placed on the seating plate 250 of the alignment stage 200, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Likewise, the first panel guide 261 and the second panel guide 266 are included.

The first panel guide 261 is a member for pushing a corner in the Y-axis direction of the LCD panel seated on the alignment stage 200, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, between the alignment stages. Is located. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the first panel guide 261 includes a vertical support 262 vertically installed on the connecting plate 112 of the turn base 100 and the vertical support 262. The base plate 263 is coupled to the top of the), the 'L' shaped bracket 264 coupled to the left and right sides of the base plate 263, and the 'L' shaped bracket 264 is coupled to the LCD panel And a guide plate 265 for pushing and guiding an edge facing in the Y-axis direction.

The second panel guide 266 is a member for pushing a corner of the LCD panel mounted on the alignment stage 200 in the X-axis direction, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. One side of the 200 is installed to be perpendicular to the guide plate 265 of the first panel guide 261. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the second panel guide 266 is fixedly installed on the stage mount 210 but vertically opened to allow the X-axis driving motor 225 to pass through the lower center. Pushing an edge facing the X axis direction of the LCD panel coupled to the support 267, the 'L' shaped bracket 268 coupled to the upper portion of the vertical support 267, and the 'L' shaped bracket 268 It includes a guide plate 269 to guide.

Through this configuration, when the alignment stage 200 is horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction by the linear motor 110, the edges facing the Y-axis of the LCD panel located on the seating plate 250 of the alignment stage 200 are It is pushed while being in contact with the guide plate 265 of the first panel guide 261, and according to the operation of the X-axis drive motor 225, the X-axis alignment stage 230 and the θ angle alignment stage 240 thereon; When the seating plate 250 is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction, the edge toward the X-axis of the LCD panel positioned on the seating plate 250 comes into contact with the guide plate 269 of the second panel guide 266. Thus, the centering of the LCD panel is performed.

In the same manner as described above, the LCD panel supplied from the panel loading unit is aligned on the alignment stage 200 of the panel alignment transfer unit, and then rotated by 180 ° by the DD motor 120 to separately attach the polarizing film attachment unit to the outside. Is transferred to.

On the other hand, the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention adopts a vision alignment method to match the orientation of the LCD panel and the polarizing film. The vision alignment method is an alignment method of acquiring outline image data of two different objects to be attached to each other, and then comparing the acquired outline image data to match an orientation between the two objects. It is a method used for vision inspection or attachment of the LCD panel and the backlight unit, and has not been applied to an apparatus for attaching a polarizing film to the LCD panel.

The present invention adopts such a vision alignment method in a polarizing film attaching process. To this end, the LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention includes a panel imaging camera (LC), a polarizing film imaging camera (PC), and a controller (MC). It further includes. 4 is a perspective view of an LCD panel alignment device in which a panel imaging camera LC and a polarizing film imaging camera PC are installed, and FIG. 5 is a control diagram of the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the panel imaging camera LC is installed on the mounting plate 250 of the alignment stage 200 to capture the contour image of the LCD panel which is adsorbed and supported on the mounting plate 250. . The panel imaging camera LC may be fixedly installed on the seating plate 250 by a separate bracket or frame. Although not shown, the panel imaging camera LC is installed adjacent to the alignment stage 200 so that the polarizing film is disposed on the LCD panel surface. It may be fixedly installed in a separate polarizing film attachment unit for attaching by pressing.

The polarizing film imaging camera (PC) captures a polarizing film to be attached from below to obtain a contour image of the polarizing film. The polarizing film imaging camera (PC) is usually installed below the vacuum adsorption head (300) for suction-grip transfer of the polarizing film in order to transport the polarizing film to the LCD panel seated on the alignment stage (200). Do.

The control unit MC is composed of a microprocessor and a memory, and stores the LCD panel contour image data obtained from the panel imaging camera LC and the polarization film contour image data obtained from the polarizing film imaging camera PC, and the LCD. After the panel contour image data and the polarizer film contour image data are compared with each other, a coordinate difference between the LCD panel orientation and the polarizer orientation is calculated. Here, the coordinate difference refers to the difference between the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the θ coordinates formed between the X-axis and the Y-axis. Based on the calculated difference in coordinates, the alignment stage is controlled by controlling the X-axis driving motor 225, the linear motor 110, and the cam driving motor 243b so that the alignment of the LCD panel matches the alignment of the polarizing film. 200) is moved by a coordinate difference in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction.

By the LCD panel aligning device having such a configuration, after the alignment of the LCD panel and the polarizing film is matched, the polarizing film and the LCD panel are attached together by a separate polarizing film attachment unit.

So far, the LCD panel aligning apparatus according to the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment, but various modifications can be made by simple modification and modification of the configuration within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be apparent that the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but includes the scope substantially equivalent to the embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of one direction of an LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention;

2 is a perspective view of another direction of the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention;

3 is an exploded perspective view of an LCD panel alignment device according to the present invention;

4 is a perspective view of an LCD panel alignment device equipped with a panel imaging camera and a polarizing film imaging camera;

5 is a control system diagram of the LCD panel alignment apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: turn base 110: linear motor

110a: mover 110b: stator

110c: LM rail 110d: LM block

112: connecting plate 114: motor shaft coupling hole

120: DD motor 122: motor shaft

130: motor base 200: alignment stage

210: stage mount 220: base plate

221: long groove 222: LM guide

223: ball screw 224: nut block

225: X-axis drive motor 226: motor bracket

227: Coupling 230: X axis alignment stage

232: moving distance detecting means 232a: sensor rail

232b: Sensor Bracket 232c: Sensor Rail Bracket

240: θ angular alignment stage 241: rotor base

242: rotor 243: rotor rotation drive means

243a: Cam 243b: Cam Drive Motor

243c: Motor bracket 243d: Camp follower

243e: Cam Follower Bracket 243f: Sensor

243g: Sensor bracket 250: Seating plate

260: centering means 261: first panel guide

262, 267: vertical support 263: base plate

264, 268: L-bracket 265, 269: Guide plate

266: Second Panel Guide

Claims (4)

A turn base including a pair of left and right linear motors extending in the Y-axis direction, and a connecting plate connecting the linear motors to each other at a center thereof, and being rotated forward and backward by 180 ° by a DD motor coupled to the lower connection plate; Arranged in a row in the X axis direction of the turn base on the turn base to be symmetrically rotated by 180 °, the LCD panel supplied from one side is seated, and is horizontally moved in the Y axis direction according to the operation of the linear motor, An LCD panel alignment device comprising two alignment stages that align the LCD panel in the X-axis and θ directions corresponding to the orientation of the polarizing film. The method of claim 1, A panel imaging camera for acquiring contour image data of the LCD panel mounted on the panel rotation alignment unit for alignment of the LCD panel; Further comprising a polarizing film imaging camera for acquiring the contour image data of the polarizing film adsorbed and held in the polarizing film rotation transfer unit, And the panel rotation alignment unit aligns the LCD panel based on the contour image data of the LCD panel and the contour image data of the polarizing film obtained by the panel imaging camera and the polarizing film imaging camera. . The method according to claim 1 or 2, The alignment stage, A stage mount arranged vertically in the longitudinal direction of the left and right linear motors of the turn base, horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction according to the operation of the linear motor, and having a central portion projecting stepwise; A base plate fixedly installed at a center portion of the stage mount; An X-axis alignment stage provided at an upper layer of the base plate and linearly moving in the X-axis direction according to the operation of the X-axis driving motor; And an θangular alignment stage rotatably provided on an upper layer of the X-axis alignment stage. The method of claim 3, wherein The θ angular alignment stage includes a rotor base fixed to the upper surface of the X-axis alignment stage, and a rotor rotatably mounted to the rotor base, the rotor is rotated by an angle of the rotor rotation driving means, The rotor rotation drive means, A cam eccentrically rotated by the cam drive motor; A cam follower contacting the outer circumferential surface of the cam; The cam follower is mounted on one side and the other end of the LCD panel alignment device comprising a cam follower bracket fixedly coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor.

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