KR20110117445A - Sealant curing apparatus and method for controling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sealant curing apparatus and a method for controlling the sealant curing apparatus. The sealant curing apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber, a substrate stage installed inside the chamber, and a plurality of LEDs supplied with power along different paths. And a control unit for controlling the blinking of the plurality of LED modules and an exposure unit for irradiating light toward the substrate stage in the direction of the substrate stage. LED modules in parts that do not require LEDs are turned off to reduce power consumption and extend the LED replacement cycle. In addition, the LED module is turned on so as to correspond to the sealant pattern, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption and performing a sealant curing process without using a mask. In addition, by detecting a module that does not operate normally among a plurality of LED modules, it is possible to diagnose the failure of the LED module in real time.

Description

Sealant Curing Apparatus and Method for Controlling

The present invention relates to a sealant curing device and a method for controlling the curing device, and more particularly, a sealant curing device and a sealant for curing a coated sealant for bonding two panels forming a liquid crystal display (LCD). It relates to a curing apparatus control method.

In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is manufactured by arranging and bonding a sealant and a liquid crystal to a TFT substrate and a color filter substrate manufactured in the previous process. At this time, the sealant used for bonding the two substrates is applied along the edge of the substrate to seal the substrate so that the liquid crystal in the bonded substrate does not leak to the outside.

On the other hand, there is a method of curing the sealant between the two substrates there is a heat curing method and an ultraviolet curing method. Among them, an ultraviolet light source for irradiating ultraviolet rays is used for the ultraviolet curing method, and a metal halide lamp is generally used as the ultraviolet light irradiation source. However, metal halide lamps contain mercury and have environmental problems such as ozone generation and short lifespan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sealant curing apparatus that can harden a sealant by using a light emitting diode (LED) as an ultraviolet irradiation light source having a strong straightness, a long lifetime, and low power consumption. .

Another object of the present invention is to control the LED module corresponding to the position of the sealant of the plurality of LED elements installed in the exposure unit is turned on to reduce the power consumption, the sealant curing device and the sealant curing device control method for extending the replacement cycle of the light source It is to provide.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sealant curing apparatus and a sealant curing apparatus control method for detecting an LED element having an abnormality among a plurality of LED elements installed in the exposure unit.

In order to solve the above problems, the sealant curing apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber, a substrate stage installed inside the chamber, on which a substrate is seated, and a plurality of LED modules supplied with power along different paths, thereby providing the substrate stage. And a control unit for controlling the blinking of the plurality of LED modules.

The controller selectively blocks the power supplied to each of the paths to individually control the flashing of the plurality of LED modules.

The sealant curing apparatus may further include an information unit configured to provide information on a position of the sealant applied to the substrate, and the controller may be configured to generate the sealant based on the position of the sealant provided by the information unit. Control so that the LED module corresponding to the position of.

The exposed portion of the sealant curing apparatus may be configured as a bar-shaped unit and installed to be movable in a horizontal direction.

In this case, the controller may control the blinking of the LED module to correspond to the pattern that is changed in the portion where the coating pattern of the sealant changes.

The sealant curing apparatus may further include an abnormality detecting unit which determines whether or not each LED module has an abnormality.

In this case, further comprising a measuring unit for measuring the voltage or current value or the impedance value of each of the LED module, the abnormality detection unit compares the value measured by the measuring unit with a reference value to determine whether there is an abnormality.

In order to solve the above problems, there is provided a control method of a sealant curing apparatus including a plurality of LED modules, each of which is supplied with power along different paths, according to an embodiment of the present invention. It may be configured to include a step of seating on the power supply to the plurality of LED modules and irradiating ultraviolet rays and checking whether each of the plurality of LED modules abnormal.

Checking whether the LED module is abnormal may include measuring a voltage or current value or an impedance value of each LED module and comparing the measured value with a reference value to determine whether there is an abnormality. Can be.

In addition, a method of controlling a sealant curing apparatus including a plurality of LED modules that are supplied with power along different paths may include a step of bringing a sealant-coated substrate into a chamber, a step of placing the substrate on a substrate stage, and applying the sealant. The method may include determining a predetermined position and supplying power to an LED module corresponding to a position where the sealant is applied among the plurality of LED modules to irradiate ultraviolet rays.

In the sealant curing apparatus and the sealant curing apparatus control method according to the present invention, the LED is used as an ultraviolet light source to reduce electricity consumption, and the replacement period of the LED element becomes long.

In addition, the LED module is turned on so as to correspond to the sealant pattern, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption and performing a sealant curing process without using a mask.

In addition, the sealant curing device and the sealant curing device control method according to the present invention can detect the failure of the plurality of LED elements to diagnose the failure of the LED element in real time.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a sealant curing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic circuit diagram of an LED module and a circuit board according to the present invention;
3 is a bottom view of an exposure unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a schematic view of an exposure unit provided with a condenser lens;
5 is a block diagram of LED module control in accordance with the present invention;
6 is a front view of a sealant curing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
7 is an operation diagram according to the advancing direction of the LED module according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a sealant curing apparatus including checking an LED module for abnormality;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a sealant curing apparatus including lighting of an LED module corresponding to a sealant application position.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and overlapping descriptions for the same components are avoided.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a sealant curing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment fixes the chamber 110 to form a process space therein, the exposure unit 130 to irradiate ultraviolet rays, and the mask M. The mask fixing part 120 and the substrate stage 140 on which the substrate is mounted may be configured.

Here, the chamber 110 forms a skeleton of the sealant curing apparatus 100, and forms a process space inside the sealant curing process. And various components can be installed therein.

An exposure part 130 is installed at an inner upper portion of the chamber 110. In this case, the exposure unit 130 may include a light source module for irradiating ultraviolet light toward the substrate stage direction. However, the specific configuration of the light source module will be described in detail below.

The exposure part 130 may be installed above the chamber 110 by the support part 134. In this case, the support part 134 may include a separate driving part (not shown) capable of elevating the exposure part 130. In this case, it is possible to control the height of irradiating the ultraviolet rays to the substrate stage 140. Such a driving unit may be configured using a forward and reverse rotation motor or a ball screw, or may be configured using a plurality of link structures capable of folding operation.

Meanwhile, the substrate stage 140 on which the substrate S is seated is installed in the chamber 110. Therefore, when the substrate S coated with the sealant is loaded from the outside, the exposure process may proceed in a state of being seated on the substrate stage 140.

In this case, a plurality of lift pins 150 driven up and down may be provided on the substrate stage 140. When the substrate S is loaded into the chamber 110, the lift pin 150 may be lowered while supporting or absorbing the bottom surface of the substrate S to seat the substrate S on the substrate stage 140. Furthermore, the mask M carried in from the outside may also be fixed to the mask fixing part 120 using a lift pin.

A plurality of clamps (not shown) may be provided around the outside of the substrate stage 140. The clamp serves to fix the substrate S when the substrate S is seated on the substrate stage 140.

The lower stage of the substrate stage 140 may be provided with an alignment stage 170 for moving and rotating the substrate stage 140 in the X-axis and Y-axis. In addition, a plurality of cameras 180 may be positioned at an edge portion of the alignment stage 170. The camera 180 is installed to photograph the alignment marks (not shown) of the substrate S and the mask M using the illumination window 141 provided in the substrate stage 140. Therefore, when the alignment state between the substrate S and the mask M is determined by the photographing of the camera 180, the alignment stage 170 adjusts the horizontal position of the substrate stage 140 based on the substrate S to form the substrate S. And mask M can be aligned.

Furthermore, the elevator 191 and the elevator 191 which lift and lower the alignment stage 170 and the substrate stage 140 to adjust the position of the alignment stage 170 and the substrate stage 140 in the vertical direction. The shaft 190 may be provided. The elevator 191 may be configured using a forward and reverse rotation motor or a ball screw and may be configured with a plurality of link structures capable of folding operation.

Meanwhile, a mask fixing part 120 for fixing the mask M is provided between the exposure part 130 and the substrate stage 140. Here, a predetermined pattern is formed on the mask M to selectively transmit the ultraviolet light emitted from the exposure unit 130. Therefore, the exposure process may be performed by irradiating ultraviolet rays only to a portion of the sealant coated on the substrate S using the mask M. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mask fixing part 120 according to the present exemplary embodiment may be configured using the adsorption units 121 and 122. Therefore, the adsorption units 121 and 122 may adsorb the two edges of the mask M to fix the position. However, as an example, the mask fixing part 120 may be configured using various fixing devices such as a clamp (not shown).

The mask fixing part elevator 123 may be connected to the mask fixing part 120 to elevate the mask fixing part 120 inside the chamber 110. The mask fixing elevator 123 may include a LM guide, a ball screw installed on the LM guide, and a servo motor or may be a linear motor.

Hereinafter, a circuit configuration of the LED module 131 and the circuit board 132 of the exposure unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of the LED module 131 and the circuit board 132 according to the present invention.

The exposure unit 130 according to the present invention is configured using the circuit board 132 and the plurality of LED modules 131 provided on the circuit board 132. The LED module may be composed of one or more LED elements.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of LED modules 131 installed on the exposure unit and the circuit boards on which the plurality of LED modules 131 are installed are branched from the power supply unit, respectively. The LED modules 131 may be formed to be connected in parallel with each other. Alternatively, the plurality of LED modules 131 may be formed to be supplied with power along different paths such that each of the LED modules 131 is connected to a separate power supply unit.

By the circuit configuration as described above, the LED module may be turned on or off for each LED module, so that the controller 420 may separately configure each of the plurality of LED modules 131 installed in the exposure unit 130 to blink separately. Can be. In addition, since the current value or the voltage value of each LED module can be measured, an abnormality detection unit that can determine whether the normal operation by the current value or the voltage value of the corresponding LED module may be further configured.

The sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention measures and measures a measurement unit for measuring a voltage, current, or impedance of each LED module 131 in order to grasp in real time an LED module having an abnormality among a plurality of LED modules 131. It may include an abnormality detection unit for determining whether or not the abnormality of each of the LED module 131 based on the value measured by the unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement unit may include an ammeter 310 installed in a conductive line connected to each LED module 131. Since each LED module 131 is connected in parallel as described above or connected to a separate power supply unit, current can be measured by connecting a current measuring device such as an ammeter for each LED module 131. 3 is only an example in which the measurement unit is configured. The current value, the voltage value, or the impedance value of the LED module may be measured by connecting a voltmeter at both ends of the LED module 131 to measure the voltage of the LED module 131. It can be configured in various ways. The measurement unit measures a current value, a voltage value, or an impedance value of each LED module 131 and provides the corresponding measurement value to the abnormality detection unit.

The abnormality detection unit receives a current value, a voltage value, or an impedance value of each LED module 131 from the measurement unit to determine whether or not the abnormality of the LED module 131 based on the corresponding value and displays it.

As a method of determining whether there is an abnormality,

The measured current value (I ₁ , I ₂ , I ₃ ,…, In) or the voltage value (V ₁ , V ₂ , V ₃ ,…, Vn) of the LED module in the normal operation which is stored in advance. Alternatively, the abnormal LED module 131 may be determined by comparing the voltage value Vs with respect to the LED module 131 whose absolute value of the difference exceeds a predetermined range Δi or Δv.

│I ₁ -I _s ≤≤ Δi │V ₁ -V _s │≤ Δv

│I ₂ -I _s ≤≤ Δi │V ₂ -V _s │≤ Δv

│I ₃ -I _s ≤≤ Δi │V ₃ -V _s │≤ Δv

       ： ：

I _n -I _s ≤ Δ i V _n -V _s ≤ Δ v

Alternatively, the LED module 131 may be determined as the abnormal LED module 131 with respect to the LED module 131 having a large difference from the values of the plurality of LED modules compared to the values of the other LED modules 131 that operate.

I ₁ ≒ I ₂ . ≒ I _{k -1} ≠ I _k ≠ I _{k +1} ≒ I _{k +2} . NI _n

V ₁ ≒ V ₂ . ≒ V _{k -1} ≠ V _k ≠ V _{k +1} ≒ V _{k +2} . ≒ V _n

In addition, both the current value (In) and the voltage value (Vn) of each LED module 131 is measured, and the impedance value (Zn) obtained by dividing the voltage value by the current value is inputted as the normal impedance value (Zs) or operated. It may be determined whether or not the abnormal LED module 131 is compared with the impedance value of the other LED module 131.

,

,

Z _k -Z _s ≤ Δz or

Z ₁ ≒ Z ₂ . ≒ Z _{k -1} ≠ Z _k ≠ Z _{k +1} ≒ Z _{k +2} . ≒ Z _n

The abnormality detection unit may include a display unit, and when an LED module that is not normally operated is detected by the abnormality determination method, the abnormality detection unit may display the position of the corresponding LED module so that the user can know.

When the exposure unit 130 is configured using a large amount of LEDs, a failure of the unit LED module and a circuit abnormality may cause product defects. In this case, it is possible to diagnose in real time whether the LED module 131 is broken by the measuring unit and the abnormal detection unit, and to quickly recognize that it does not operate normally and replace it.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, a control unit 420 separately controlling the flashing of the plurality of LED modules 131 of the sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described.

3 is a bottom view of an exposure unit according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, each of the LED modules 131 is formed to be connected in parallel or to be connected to a separate power supply unit for each LED module 131 such that the plurality of LED modules 131 are supplied with power along different paths. Therefore, even when the power supply to the one or more LED module 131 is cut off and turned off, the remaining LED module 131 may be turned on because power is supplied to another path.

Therefore, the controller 420 may individually control the flashing of each of the LED modules 131 by selectively shutting off power supplied to each of the LED modules 131.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the controller 420 may control the flashing of each of the LED modules 131 so that the plurality of LED modules 131 installed in the exposure unit 130 form a predetermined pattern.

In this case, the plurality of LED modules 131 may be controlled to blink in a pattern corresponding to a pattern on which the sealant is coated on the substrate S. In this case, the LED module 131 is turned on on the entire surface of the circuit board 132, thereby reducing the power consumption and increasing the replacement period of the LED device.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to proceed with the exposure process without using a separate mask (M). The light irradiated from the LED module 131 used in the present invention is excellent in the straightness compared to the conventional light source. Therefore, when the LED module 131 is controlled to be turned on to correspond to the sealant pattern of the substrate as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to proceed the exposure process at the position where the sealant is applied by bringing the substrate S closer to the bottom surface of the exposure unit 130. It is possible.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an exposure unit in which a condenser lens 133 is provided substantially perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the LED module 131 so that the exposure process can be performed without using the mask M. As shown in FIG.

In general, the width of the sealant 162 applied between both substrates is about 0.6 mm-1.2 mm, and the width of the beam irradiated from the LED element 131 is about 10 mm. If the mask M is not used when the width of the sealant 162 is applied is narrower than the width of the beam irradiated by the LED module 131, the periphery of the sealant 162 as well as the portion of the sealant 162 is applied. Ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the liquid crystal 161 positioned in the contaminated liquid crystal 161.

Therefore, the condenser lens 133 is installed to be substantially perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the LED module 131 so that the ultraviolet light emitted from the LED module 131 is irradiated only to the portion to which the sealant 162 is applied. ) May correspond to the applied width. According to the above configuration, the liquid crystal 161 existing between the substrates S may not be contaminated by ultraviolet rays without using the mask M in the sealant curing process, and the sealant may be cured.

The sealant curing apparatus according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 using components 120, 121, 122, 123 for fixing the mask M and adjusting the position of the mask M, as described above. Since (M) may not be used, the sealant curing apparatus of a simpler structure without the mask fixing device 120, 121, 122, 123 is not provided. In addition, since various controls for installing and moving the mask M during the exposure process can be omitted, the process time can be shortened and the manufacturing efficiency of the panel can be improved.

Hereinafter, a process in which the controller 420 controls the flashing of the plurality of LED modules 131 to correspond to the pattern of the sealant applied to the substrate S will be described.

5 is a block diagram for controlling the LED module 131.

Sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention, the control unit 420 receives the position information of the sealant so as to control the flashing of the LED module 131 according to the pattern of the sealant applied to the substrate (S) The information unit 410 provided to the 420 may be installed. The information unit 410 may determine the position of the sealant by a method of determining the sealant position of the substrate S by the user inputting the substrate S information.

When the location of the sealant is determined, the information unit 410 provides the location information of the sealant to the controller 420. The controller 420 receives the positional information of the sealant from the information unit 410, turns on the LED module 131 corresponding to the position of the sealant, and performs the flashing control to turn off the remaining LED module 131.

Through the above process, in the exposure unit 130, the LED module 131 is turned on in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the sealant applied to the substrate S, and the ultraviolet ray is irradiated to the portion where the sealant is applied, so that the exposure process may be performed.

Hereinafter, the operation of the sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

First, the mask M is carried into the chamber 110 by a robot arm (not shown). When the mask M is introduced into the chamber 110, the lift pin 150 is raised to support or absorb the mask M. The mask fixing part 120 is fixed to the mask fixing part 120 by, for example, absorbing the mask M supported by the lift pin 150, or fixing the mask M by a clamp (not shown).

When the fixing of the mask M is completed, the substrate S is carried into the chamber 110, and the lift pin 150 is raised again to support or absorb the substrate S. The lift pin 150 is then lowered to seat the substrate S on the substrate stage 140.

When the substrate S is seated, the mask fixing part 120 descends toward the substrate stage 140 so that the mask M approaches the substrate S, and the camera 180 installed on the substrate stage 140 has an illumination window ( Through 141, an alignment mark (not shown) is photographed. The alignment stage 170 is driven to align the mask M and the substrate S based on the photographed alignment mark (not shown). When the mask and the substrate S contact each other after the alignment, the substrate stage 140 is disposed. The exposure unit 130 ascends to the exposure unit 130 or the exposure unit 130 descends to the substrate stage 140 to bring the substrate S into close proximity with the exposure unit 130.

The controller 420 receives the positional information of the sealant identified by the information unit 410 and blinks the LED module 131 in a pattern corresponding to the position of the sealant.

Ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the LED module 131 corresponding to the position of the sealant so that the sealant applied to the substrate S is cured.

In addition, during the above process, the measurement unit measures the current value, voltage value, or impedance value of each LED module 131, and the abnormality detection unit measures the current value, voltage value, or impedance value of the LED module which normally operates the measured value received from the measurement unit. The process of determining whether the corresponding LED module is abnormal and displaying the same may be performed.

As described above, the process of bringing in and fixing the mask, aligning and bonding of the mask and the substrate in the above process is optional.

Hereinafter, the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, for convenience of description, parts similar to those of the first embodiment use the same reference numerals, and parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an operation view according to the advancing direction of the LED module 131 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the sealant curing apparatus 100 of the present exemplary embodiment includes an exposure unit 130 positioned on the substrate stage 140 and configured of a bar-shaped unit. The exposure unit 130 is coupled to the horizontal conveyor 210 installed in the substrate stage 140.

As shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal conveyer 210 includes an exposure part supporter 211 to which the exposure part 130 is coupled and a guide rail 220 to support the horizontal conveyer 210 to be moved horizontally. And a horizontal moving table 212 coupled to the exposure unit support 211 and moving along the guide rail 220. The horizontal feeder 210 may be configured using a servo motor or a ball screw.

Accordingly, when the horizontal moving table 212 moves along the guide rail 220, the exposure unit 130 configured as the bar-shaped unit moves horizontally along the surface of the substrate S and irradiates ultraviolet rays.

The horizontal conveyor 210 shown in FIG. 6 is only one example of an apparatus for horizontally moving the exposure unit 130, and the horizontal conveyor 210 is not coupled with the substrate stage 140 and the chamber 110. It can be configured in a variety of ways, such as to be installed to move horizontally along the substrate surface by installing a separate transfer unit on the top.

Therefore, in the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the exposure unit 130 including the bar-shaped unit is positioned on the substrate surface on the substrate stage 140 along the movement of the horizontal feeder 210. It moves horizontally and emits ultraviolet rays.

In the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the information unit 410 receives positional information of the sealant by a method of separately receiving a pattern or position information of the sealant applied to the substrate S to the controller 420. Pass that information.

The controller 420 changes the sealant coating pattern of the LED modules 131 at a portion where the exposure pattern 130 is horizontally moved and the coating pattern of the sealant changes based on the positional information of the sealant transmitted from the information unit 410. By blinking to correspond to the control to be exposed only to the position where the sealant is applied.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the condenser lens 133 may be installed to be substantially perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the LED module 131 so that the width of the beam irradiated from the LED module corresponds to the width of the sealant. .

Therefore, since the sealant curing apparatus according to the present embodiment may not use the mask M as described in the sealant curing apparatus according to the first embodiment, the sealant curing apparatus may be configured as a sealant curing apparatus having a simpler structure. In addition, since various controls for installing and moving the mask M during the exposure process can be omitted, the process time can be shortened and the manufacturing efficiency of the panel can be improved.

In the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the exposure unit 130 does not need to be configured as large as the substrate area, and the exposure unit configured as the bar-shaped unit is relatively smaller in number than the exposure unit having a large area. Since the LED element of the energy consumption is reduced. In addition, since only the necessary LED elements are turned on and used, the replacement cycle of the LG elements is long.

Hereinafter, the operation of the sealant curing apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment will be described.

Since the operation of the first embodiment and the loading and fixing process of the mask M, the loading and fixing process of the substrate S, and the process of contacting the mask M and the substrate S are the same, a description thereof will be omitted.

When the mask M and the substrate S come into contact with each other, the mask fixing part 120 is separated from the mask M and raised, and the exposure part 130 is spaced apart from the mask M by a predetermined interval so that the upper surface of the mask M is disposed. Move horizontally along.

As described above, the loading and fixing process of the mask M, the loading and fixing process of the substrate S, and the process of contacting the mask M and the substrate S may be omitted.

During the movement of the exposure unit 130, the control unit 420 responds to the change of the sealant coating pattern of the LED modules 131 at the portion where the coating pattern of the sealant changes based on the position information of the sealant transmitted from the information unit 410. It blinks to control the sealant to be exposed to the coated position, and the sealant applied to the substrate S is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

Hereinafter, a control method of the sealant curing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a sealant curing apparatus including checking whether an LED module is abnormal.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the method of controlling the sealant curing apparatus 100 or 200 according to the present invention, the sealant-coated substrate S is loaded into the chamber 110 (S110), and the substrate S is transferred to the substrate. It is mounted on the stage 140 (S120), irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the substrate S (S130), and measures the current value, voltage value or impedance value of the LED module 131 installed in the exposure unit 130 ( S140), and determines and displays whether or not the abnormality of the LED module 131 based on the measured value (S150).

Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail.

The step S110 in which the sealant-coated substrate S is carried into the chamber 110 is performed by bringing the sealant-coated substrate S into the chamber 110 by a robot arm (not shown) having a plurality of forks. Is done.

Next, the step S120 of mounting the substrate S on the stage is performed by the lift pin 150 installed in the chamber 110. The substrate S carried into the chamber 110 is adsorbed or supported by the lift pin 150, and the robot arm leaves the substrate S on the lift pin 150 and exits the chamber 110.

When the robot arm exits the chamber 110, the lift pin 150 descends while supporting the substrate S to seat the substrate S on the substrate stage 140.

Next, the step (S130) of irradiating ultraviolet rays is made as follows.

When the driving units 190 and 191 are installed on the substrate stage 140 to enable movement, the substrate stage 140 is disposed so that the substrate S mounted on the substrate stage 140 approaches the exposure unit 130. Move to the exposure unit 130. However, when the driving units 190 and 191 are installed in the exposure unit 130 so that the substrate stage 140 is fixed and the exposure unit 130 is moved, the exposure unit 130 moves to approach the substrate S.

When the exposure unit 130 is close to the substrate S, the exposure unit 130 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the substrate S. FIG.

Measuring the current value, voltage value or impedance value of the LED module 131 installed in the exposure unit 130 (S140) is performed as follows.

When power is applied to the exposure unit 130, ultraviolet rays are irradiated with the sealant coated on the substrate S while a current flows through the LED module 131 installed in the exposure unit 130. In this case, the measurement unit measures a current value flowing through the LED module 131, a voltage value across the LED module 131, or an impedance value of the LED module 131.

Determining whether the LED module 131 is abnormal and displaying the same (S150) is performed as follows.

The abnormality detection unit receives the current value, voltage value, or impedance value of each LED module 131 from the measurement unit, and compares the voltage value, current value, or impedance value of the LED module 131 which is in normal operation. For the LED module 131 whose absolute value of the difference exceeds a predetermined range, the abnormal LED module 131 is determined and displayed.

When the abnormal LED module 131 is displayed through the above steps, the user may replace the LED module 131 which is designated as the LED module 131 which is not normally operated by the abnormal detection unit, thereby causing the failure of the LED module 131. Recognition of whether or not and the replacement can be performed quickly.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a sealant curing apparatus including lighting of an LED module corresponding to a sealant application position.

In the control method of the sealant curing apparatus for convenience of description, a part similar to the control method including checking whether the plurality of LED modules 131 installed in the exposure unit 130 described above is abnormal will be described. Omit.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the method of controlling the sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention, after the sealant-coated substrate S is loaded into the chamber 110 and seated on the substrate stage 140 (S220). In step S230 of identifying the position of the sealant applied to the substrate S and controlling the blinking of the LED module 131 to correspond to the position of the sealant, the process proceeds to irradiating ultraviolet rays (S240).

Hereinafter, the steps after the step S220 in which the substrate S is seated on the substrate stage 140 will be described in detail.

Determining the position of the sealant (S230) is performed as follows.

In the sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention, an information unit 410 for detecting the position of the sealant applied to the substrate S is provided. The information unit 410 determines the position of the sealant by a method of determining the sealant position of the substrate S by the user inputting the substrate S information.

The step S240 of irradiating ultraviolet rays by supplying power to the LED module 131 corresponding to the position where the sealant is applied is performed as follows.

The sealant curing apparatus 100 according to the present invention is provided with a control unit 420 for controlling the blinking of the plurality of LED modules 131 installed in the exposure unit 130. The control unit 420 receives the position information of the sealant from the information unit 410, applies power to the LED module 131 corresponding to the position of the sealant, turns on the corresponding LED module 131, and the remaining LED module 131 is turned on. Turn off the flashing control. Therefore, the exposure unit 130 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the sealant applied to the substrate (S).

In this manner, the plurality of LED modules 131 of the exposure unit 130 may be controlled to expose ultraviolet rays to correspond to the position of the sealant, thereby reducing power consumption and increasing replacement cycles of the LED elements. In addition, since the curing process can be performed without a mask, and a mask and a mask holding structure are unnecessary, the cost can be reduced, and the process of bringing and fixing the mask M into the chamber 110 is omitted, thereby shortening the process time and manufacturing the panel. The efficiency can be improved. In addition, it is possible to finish the sealant curing in a single process corresponding to the sealant formed in various patterns.

100, 200: sealant curing device
110: chamber
130: exposed portion
131: LED module
132: circuit board
410: information
420: control unit

Claims (10)

chamber;
A substrate stage installed inside the chamber and on which a substrate is mounted;
An exposure unit including a plurality of LED modules supplied with power along different paths, and configured to irradiate light toward the substrate stage; And,
Sealant curing apparatus comprising a control unit for controlling the flashing of the plurality of LED modules. The method of claim 1,
The control unit selectively blocks the power supplied to the respective paths, and sealant curing apparatus, characterized in that for individually controlling the flashing of the plurality of LED modules. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising an information unit for providing information on the position of the sealant applied to the substrate,
And the controller controls the LED module corresponding to the sealant position of the plurality of LED modules to be turned on, based on the position of the sealant provided from the information unit. The method of claim 3,
And the exposing portion is formed of a bar-shaped unit and installed to be movable in a horizontal direction. The method of claim 4, wherein
The control unit is a sealant curing apparatus, characterized in that for controlling the flashing of the LED module to correspond to the pattern that changes in the portion where the coating pattern of the sealant changes. The method of claim 1,
Sealant curing apparatus further comprises an abnormality detection unit for determining the abnormality of each LED module. The method of claim 6,
And a measuring unit measuring a voltage or current value or an impedance value of each LED module, wherein the abnormality detecting unit compares the value measured by the measuring unit with a reference value to determine whether there is an abnormality. Device. In the control method of a sealant curing apparatus having a plurality of LED modules are supplied along the different paths,
Bringing the sealant-coated substrate into the chamber;
Mounting the substrate on a substrate stage;
Irradiating ultraviolet rays by supplying power to the plurality of LED modules; And
And controlling the abnormality of each of the plurality of LED modules. The method of claim 8,
The checking whether the LED module is abnormal may include measuring a voltage or current value or an impedance value of each LED module and determining whether there is an abnormality by comparing the measured value with a reference value. Sealant curing method to use. In the control method of a sealant curing apparatus having a plurality of LED modules are supplied along the different paths,
Bringing the sealant-coated substrate into the chamber;
Mounting the substrate on a substrate stage;
Determining a position where the sealant is applied;
And supplying power to an LED module corresponding to a position where the sealant is applied among the plurality of LED modules to irradiate ultraviolet rays.

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