KR20130125631A - Device for inspecting liquid crystal dispensing state, and liquid crystal dispenser having the device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for inspecting the dispensing state of a liquid crystal and a liquid crystal dispenser including the same, capable of inspecting the dispensing state of the liquid crystal on a substrate on which the liquid crystal is dispensed. The present invention provides the device for inspecting the dispensing state of the liquid crystal which includes: a main body which includes an optical window; a light source which is formed on the main body and includes a first polarizing plate on an optical output terminal; and an inspecting camera which includes a second polarizing plate to which light reflected from the substrate is inputted after the light which is polarized by the first polarizing plate is emitted to the substrate, and the liquid crystal dispenser including the same. [Reference numerals] (36) Control unit;(AA) Direction of moving

Description

Liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus, and a liquid crystal dispenser having the same {Device for Inspecting Liquid Crystal Dispensing State, and Liquid Crystal Dispenser having the Device}

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus, and a liquid crystal dispenser having the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus for inspecting a liquid crystal drop state of a substrate on which liquid crystal is dropped, and a liquid crystal dispenser having the same.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) is a display device using the light modulation characteristics of the liquid crystal. In general, a liquid crystal display device is formed by bonding a substrate with a liquid crystal layer between a substrate having a color filter layer and a substrate having driving elements arranged thereon.

The liquid crystal dispenser is a device for dispensing liquid crystal onto a substrate in a process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal dispenser dispenses liquid crystal onto the substrate in the form of droplets or fine particles. Recently, a liquid crystal dispenser for dispensing a liquid crystal by an inkjet method in order to dispense the liquid crystal into fine particles has also been developed.

The amount of liquid crystal dispensed to the substrate by the liquid crystal dispenser should be controlled as precisely as possible within a defined error range. If the dispensing nozzle or inkjet nozzle for discharging the liquid crystal is clogged or the liquid crystal is not dispensed correctly due to a control error or the like, an error more than the allowable value may be generated in the amount of liquid crystal dropped onto the substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to detect a situation in which the liquid crystal is not dispensed correctly, such as when the liquid crystal is not discharged normally in the liquid crystal dispensing process or when the liquid crystal dispensing is not performed according to the predetermined liquid crystal dispensing pattern.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus for acquiring an image of a state in which a liquid crystal is dispensed.

Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the liquid crystal dispenser provided with the said liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus provided in the liquid crystal dispenser, the main body having an optical window; A light source provided in the main body and having a first polarizing plate in an optical output terminal; And an inspection camera having a second polarizing plate on which light polarized by the first polarizing plate is irradiated to the substrate side, and then the light reflected from the substrate side is incident to the liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus.

In one embodiment, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus further includes an optical element for reflecting the light output from the light source to the substrate side through the light window, and transmits the light reflected from the substrate side to the inspection camera.

In addition, the main body may be provided on the rear of the moving direction of the liquid crystal dispensing unit for discharging the liquid crystal.

In addition, polarization directions of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate may be disposed to be the same or different.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus provided in the liquid crystal dispenser, the main body having a first optical window and a second optical window spaced apart from each other and opened to the substrate side; A first light source provided in the main body and having a 1-1 polarizing plate for radiating light polarized through the first light window toward the substrate; A second light source provided in the main body, the second light source including a 1-2 polarizing plate radiating light polarized through the second light window toward the substrate; And a test camera having a second polarizing plate after the light irradiated to the substrate side by the first light source or the second light source is reflected from the substrate side, and including a second polarizing plate. to provide.

In one embodiment, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus further includes a first optical element for reflecting light emitted from the first light source toward the substrate side and transmitting the light reflected from the substrate side toward the inspection camera. do.

In addition, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus, the second optical element that transmits the light emitted from the second light source toward the substrate side and reflects the light reflected from the substrate side in the transverse direction, and reflected from the second optical element It further comprises a reflector for transmitting the light to the inspection camera.

Furthermore, the reflector includes a first reflector reflecting the light reflected by the second optical element, and a second reflector reflecting the light reflected by the first reflector again, and reflecting the light reflected by the second reflector. The third optical device may be included to reflect the inspection camera.

Here, the third optical device may be provided above the second optical device, and the third optical device may be configured to transmit light transmitted through the second optical device toward the inspection camera.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the partition is provided between the first light source and the second light source, the image acquisition area of the image sensor of the inspection camera may be configured to be separated by the partition wall. .

In one embodiment, below the first light source is provided with a first optical device for transmitting the light emitted from the first light source to the first light window and the light reflected from the substrate side in the transverse direction, A third reflector may be provided to transmit the light reflected from the first optical device toward the inspection camera.

Further, below the second light source, a second optical element is provided which transmits the light emitted from the second light source to the second light window and reflects the light reflected from the substrate side in a lateral direction. A fourth reflector may be provided to transmit the light reflected from the device toward the inspection camera.

Moreover, this invention provides the liquid crystal dispenser provided with the liquid crystal dropping state test apparatus mentioned above. Accordingly, the liquid crystal dispenser according to the present invention can inspect the applied state after the liquid crystal is applied from the liquid crystal dispensing head unit.

In one embodiment, the liquid crystal dispensing head unit may be an inkjet head.

According to the present invention, in acquiring an image of a substrate region in which a liquid crystal is loaded, the substrate region and the liquid crystal region are clearly distinguished from the acquired image so that an image of a liquid crystal drop state can be obtained without a complicated or additional image processing process. To help.

According to the present invention, it is possible to immediately check the liquid crystal discharge state by providing a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus on the rear surface of the nozzle in which the liquid crystal discharge is being performed in the liquid crystal dispenser.

1 is a perspective view of a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view illustrating an arrangement state of a polarizing plate in the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic view showing a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an operation when a liquid crystal is dispensed in a first moving direction in a liquid crystal dispenser provided with a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an operation in the case where liquid crystal is dispensed in the second moving direction in the liquid crystal dispenser provided with the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a schematic view of a liquid crystal dispenser liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a schematic diagram showing an operation in the case where liquid crystal is dispensed in the first moving direction in the liquid crystal dispenser provided with the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a schematic diagram showing an operation in the case where liquid crystal is dispensed in the second moving direction in the liquid crystal dispenser provided with the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view showing an example of an image input to the inspection camera in the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components throughout the drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but it is needless to say that the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto and can be variously modified by those skilled in the art.

Although the present invention can be applied to a liquid crystal dispenser using a general liquid crystal dispensing head for discharging liquid crystal in the form of droplets, the following describes the present invention for a liquid crystal dispenser using an ink jet head for discharging liquid crystal. In addition, in the present description, the liquid crystal dispensing head and the inkjet head may be understood as one of the liquid crystal dispensing head units.

1 is a perspective view of a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid crystal dispenser 1 includes a frame 10, a stage 14 provided on an upper surface of the frame 10 to support the substrate 12, and a support frame 16 provided to be movable on the frame 10. And an inkjet head 18 coupled to the support frame 16 for discharging liquid crystal, and a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 for acquiring an image of the liquid crystal discharge state.

The support frame 16 may be linearly driven by the support frame drive mechanism 17, and the support frame drive mechanism 17 may be a linear motor.

The inkjet head 18 is a device which discharges a small amount of liquid crystal into fine particles using a bubble or a piezoelectric element. The use of the inkjet head 18 has the advantage that the liquid crystal can be dispensed onto the substrate with fine particles. However, in the practice of the present invention, of course, the means for discharging the liquid crystal is not limited to the inkjet head 18. The inkjet head 18 may be provided in plural as shown in FIG. 1, and the inkjet head 18 may further include a head driver (not shown) for driving the inkjet head 18 in at least one direction. have. In addition, the inkjet heads 18 may be provided not only in one row as in FIG. 1 but also in two rows. The fact that the inkjet heads 18 may be provided in two rows means that the two rows of inkjet heads 18 are attached to the support frame 16.

The liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 acquires an image of the liquid crystal discharged to the substrate 2 by the inkjet head 18. The liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 is attached to the support frame 16. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 may be mounted on the support frame 16 at a position corresponding to the inkjet head 18.

2 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 includes a main body 22, a light source 24 included in the main body 22, a first polarizing plate 26 provided at an optical output end of the light source 24, and a first polarizing plate. Optical device 30 that reflects the light passing through 26 toward the substrate 12 and transmits the light reflected from the substrate 12 side, and an inspection camera 32 that recognizes the light transmitted through the optical device 30. And a second polarizing plate 32 provided at the front end of the inspection camera 32.

In one embodiment, the main body 22 may be in the form of an empty box. The main body 22 is mounted to the support frame 16. In addition, the main body 22 may be driven in at least one direction. For example, if the inkjet head 18 is driven in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 16, the main body 22 is also preferably driven in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 16 correspondingly. The bottom of the main body 22 is preferably provided with a light window 28 so that light generated from the light source 24 can be irradiated to the substrate 12.

The light source 20 emits light such as blue light, red light, or visible light. In order to simplify the structure, the light generated from the light source 20 proceeds in the horizontal direction inside the main body 22, and the light traveled in the horizontal direction is directed to the substrate direction (ie, in the vertical direction) by the optical device 30. Make it reflected. The first polarizing plate 26 is provided at the light output terminal of the light source 20 to polarize the light output from the light source 20.

The optical device 30 reflects the light output from the light source 20 toward the substrate 12, while the light reflected from the substrate 12 is transmitted to the inspection camera 32. The optical device 30 may be a half mirror or a dichroic mirror and may be a beam splitter different from the above. In FIG. 2, the reflective and transmissive functions are performed by one optical device 30. However, the optical device 30 may be configured to replace the optical device 30 using a plurality of reflectors and a half mirror. In addition, in the arrangement of the light source 24, the light output from the light source 24 proceeds in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2, but the light source 24 is provided on the inner upper portion of the main body 22 and is vertical. Of course, it is also possible to configure to transmit the light output in the direction to the optical device 30 using a reflector.

The second polarizing plate 34 is provided at the front end of the inspection camera 32, and only the light passing through the second polarizing plate 34 of the light transmitted through the optical device 30 is transmitted to the inspection camera 32. In FIG. 2, one end of the inspection camera 32 is provided to be in contact with the main body 22, but the inspection camera 32 may be provided to be spaced apart from the main body 22. That is, the inspection camera 32 is sufficient if it can be arranged to receive the light transmitted through the optical element 30.

An image obtained from the inspection camera 32 of the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 according to the present invention may be transmitted to the controller 36. The control unit 36 checks whether the nozzle for discharging the liquid crystal is clogged based on the image acquired by the inspection camera 32, counts the number of liquid crystals dropped on the substrate 12, and sets the liquid crystal dispensing pattern. And a function of comparing the actual dispensed pattern of the liquid crystal, counting the number of liquid crystals dropped to calculate the total amount of liquid crystals dropped on the substrate (weight of the unit liquid crystal × number of liquid crystals dropped), or At least one of the functions of determining whether the dropped liquid crystal is appropriate is performed by comparing the size with the size of the liquid crystal dropped in the normal state. In addition, although not shown, the controller 36 may output an image obtained from the inspection camera 32 to a separate visual display device so that an operator may check a liquid crystal dispensing situation.

In the present invention, the reason for providing the first polarizing plate 26 and the second polarizing plate 34 is as follows.

3 is a view illustrating an arrangement state of a polarizing plate in the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first polarizing plate 26 and the second polarizing plate 34 may be installed such that polarization directions are arranged in the same direction as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the first polarizing plate 26 and the second polarizing plate 34 may be installed such that polarization directions are formed at right angles to each other as shown in FIG. However, in the practice of the present invention, the angle formed between the polarization direction of the first polarizing plate 26 and the polarization direction of the second polarizing plate 34 is not limited as shown in FIG. If the quality of the image of the liquid crystal applied to the) can be improved can be adjusted between 0 ° to 90 °.

A liquid crystal is a substance in a state between a liquid and a crystal and is called a quasi-crystalline or anisotropic liquid. Liquid crystals are liquid and optically have crystal properties, and the application of an electric field changes the orientation of the molecular arrangement. The liquid crystal display displays an image by electrically controlling the transmission or impermeability of light by using a characteristic in which the arrangement directions of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in the same direction when a voltage is applied.

The liquid crystal most used in the liquid crystal display is a nematic liquid crystal. Nematic liquid crystal has a rod-shaped liquid crystal molecule directed in a substantially constant direction and does not have a layered structure. Most liquid crystal molecules are rigid rod-shaped and the rod-shaped length is four to eight times the radius. Liquid crystals have optical anisotropy characteristics that differ in refractive index in a direction perpendicular to the direction parallel to the molecular axis. When the polarized light passes through the liquid crystal due to this property, the polarization direction is changed. In a liquid crystal display device, light transmission and impermeability are controlled by applying an electric field to a liquid crystal and arranging it in a desired form.

In the case of the liquid crystal 13 dropped on the substrate 12, the liquid crystal 13 is arranged in a state having a certain degree of directionality even when no electric field is applied. For example, when a liquid crystal is dropped on the rubbing substrate 12, the arrangement of the liquid crystals will likely follow the rubbing direction.

Consider the case where the light emitted from the light source 24 is irradiated onto the substrate 12 after being polarized by the first polarizing plate 26. If the water droplets, not the liquid crystal, fall on the substrate 12, the light polarized by the first polarizer 26 is refracted and reflected inside the water droplets but the polarization direction will not be changed. However, if the liquid crystal falls on the substrate 12, the light polarized by the first polarizing plate 26 will be changed in the polarization direction by the liquid crystal, and the light in which the polarization direction is changed will be incident to the inspection camera 32. However, the polarization direction changed to the liquid crystal may be various directions.

When the polarization directions of the first polarizing plate 26 and the second polarizing plate 34 are the same as those in FIG. 3A, the light reflected by the substrate 12 is directed to the inspection camera 32 without the polarization direction being changed. In the inspection camera 32, the image of the area of the substrate 12 will be bright because it will be incident. However, the light refracted and reflected by the liquid crystal will be incident to the inspection camera 32 because the polarization direction is changed, so that light that does not pass through the second polarizing plate 34 will be generated and appear darker than the area of the substrate 12. On the other hand, when the polarization directions of the first polarizing plate 26 and the second polarizing plate 34 are the same as those of FIG. 3B, the light reflected by the substrate 12 is inspected in a state where the polarization direction is not changed. 32 will be incident by the second polarizer 34 so that the image of the area of the substrate 12 in the inspection camera 32 will appear dark. However, since the light refracted and reflected by the liquid crystal will change the polarization direction and be incident to the inspection camera 32, light passing through the second polarizing plate 34 will be present and appear brighter than the area of the substrate 12. By such a principle, the inspection camera 32 can more clearly recognize the liquid crystal 13 dropped on the substrate 12.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the image acquired by the said inspection camera 32 contains the range from which the liquid crystal is discharged by the said inkjet head 18 at least. In other words, if m nozzles of the ink jet head 18 are disposed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the advancing direction of the ink jet head 18, the inspection camera (image) shows an image of the drop state of the liquid crystal discharged from the m nozzles. It is desirable to make it available for acquisition.

Based on the image acquired from the inspection camera 32, the operator or the control unit 36 can determine when the liquid crystal is not discharged from some nozzles of the inkjet head 18 or when the discharged liquid crystal state is poor. For example, in a normal case, m rows of liquid crystals must be discharged from the nozzles of the inkjet heads 18 arranged in m rows. However, when some nozzles are clogged, it is possible to confirm that the liquid crystal is not discharged in the corresponding column in the image acquired by the inspection camera 32.

4 is a schematic view showing a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The liquid crystal dispenser 1 according to FIG. 4 is characterized in that the first liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20A and the second liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20B are provided on both front and rear sides of the inkjet head 18.

The support frame 16 on which the inkjet head 18 is mounted is driven back and forth by the support frame drive mechanism 17. As a result, the inkjet head 18 discharges the liquid crystal while moving forward and backward. The dripping state inspection apparatus 20, 20A, 20B according to the present invention acquires an image for examining the liquid crystal dripping state after the inkjet head 18 discharges the liquid crystal. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the dripping state inspection device 20 is provided on the rear surface in the moving direction of the inkjet head 18. However, in Fig. 2, when the ink jet head 18 is discharged while the ink jet head 18 moves in the direction opposite to the shown "movement direction", it is difficult to acquire an image of the discharge state. In order to solve this problem, the liquid crystal dispenser 1 according to FIG. 4 includes a first liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20A and a first liquid crystal drop state for checking the liquid crystal drop state corresponding to each of the forward movement and the reverse movement of the inkjet head 18. 2 liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus 20B is provided. The configuration of each of the first liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20A and the second liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20B is the same as that of the liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20 described with reference to FIG. 2.

In FIG. 4, when the inkjet head 18 discharges liquid crystal while moving to the left side of FIG. 4, an image of the drop state is acquired by the first liquid crystal drop state inspecting apparatus 20A, and the inkjet head 18 is obtained. When the liquid crystal is discharged while moving to the right side of FIG. 4, the image of the drop state is acquired by the second liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20B.

 5 is a schematic view of a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an operation in the case where the liquid crystal is dispensed in the first moving direction, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal dispenser having the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement in the case where a liquid crystal is dispensed in 2 moving directions.

The liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 22, a first light source 40 and a second light source 50 provided in the main body 22. And an inspection camera 32. The main body 22 is provided across the upper side of the inkjet head 18. In an exemplary embodiment, a through hole may be provided in the support frame 16 so that the main body 22 may be disposed across the upper side of the inkjet head 18. In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the first light source 40 outputs light in a direction parallel to the substrate 12, and the second light source 50 outputs light in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 12. Is placed. When described with reference to the inkjet head 18, the first light source is located on one side of the inkjet head 18 and the second light source is provided on the other side of the inkjet head 18.

The light output terminal of the first light source 40 is provided with a 1-1 polarizing plate 42, the light output terminal of the second light source 50 is provided with a 1-2 polarizing plate 52, the inspection camera ( The second polarizing plate 34 is provided at the front end of the 32.

A first optical device 44 is provided on the optical path of the first light source 40 to reflect the light output from the first light source 40 to the first light window 28a of the main body 22. The light reflected from the substrate 12 side is transmitted toward the inspection camera 32.

On the other hand, a second optical element 54 is provided on the optical path of the second light source 50 to direct the light output from the second light source 50 to the second optical window 28b of the main body 22. The light reflected from the substrate 12 side is reflected laterally. The light reflected by the second optical element 54 is sequentially reflected by the first reflector 56 and the second reflector 58, and the light reflected by the second reflector 58 is the third optical element ( 34) to the inspection camera 32. The third optical device is provided on the first optical device 44. Here, the first to third optical devices 44, 54, and 60 may be configured in the same manner as the optical device 30 described above.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the inkjet head 18 discharges liquid crystal while moving in the first moving direction (left direction of FIG. 6), the first light source 40 is turned on and the second light source 50 is turned on. By turning off, the image of the substrate 12 can be acquired by the light emitted from the first light source 40.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the inkjet head 18 discharges liquid crystal while moving in the second moving direction (right direction in FIG. 7), the first light source 40 is turned off and the second light source 50 is turned off. By turning on, the image of the substrate 12 can be acquired by the light emitted from the second light source 50. In this case, the light emitted from the second light source 50 passes through the second optical element 54 and is irradiated onto the substrate 12 through the second light window 28b. The light reflected from the substrate 12 side is reflected from the second optical element 54 to the first reflector 56 and transmitted to the second reflector 58. The light reflected by the second reflector 58 is transmitted by the third optical element 60 toward the inspection camera 32.

8 is a schematic view of a liquid crystal dispenser liquid crystal dispenser having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus having a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an operation in the case where liquid crystal is dispensed in the first moving direction in the liquid crystal dispenser having the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus, and FIG. 10 is a liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation | movement in the case where a liquid crystal is dispensed in a 2nd movement direction in the equipped liquid crystal dispenser.

The liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus 20 according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 22 having a first optical window 28a and a second optical window 28b, and a main body 22. A partition wall 70 positioned at an approximately central portion of the first light source, a first light source 40 and a second light source 50 for outputting light to each of the first light window 28a and the second light window 28b; Light transmitted from the first optical element 44 and the second optical element 54 and the first optical element 44 and the second optical element 54 respectively reflecting the light reflected from the substrate 12 side. And a third reflecting mirror 62 and a fourth reflecting mirror 64, and an inspection camera 32 that receives light reflected from the third reflecting mirror 62 and the fourth reflecting mirror 64. The light output terminal of the first light source 40 is provided with a 1-1 polarizing plate 42, and the light output terminal of the second light source 50 is provided with a 1-2 polarizing plate 52. In addition, a second polarizing plate 34 is provided at the front end of the inspection camera 32. The first light source 40 and the second light source 50 are separated by the partition wall.

In the fourth embodiment, one inspection camera 32 is used, and both the image obtained by the first light source 40 and the second light source 50 are transmitted to the inspection camera 32. However, the image sensor of the inspection camera 32 is divided and used.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the inkjet head 18 discharges the liquid crystal while moving in the first moving direction (left direction in FIG. 9), the light output from the first light source 40 is transferred to the first optical element 44. Is transmitted through the first light window 28a to be irradiated to the substrate 12 side. Light reflected from the substrate 12 side is reflected by the first optical element 44 to the third reflector 62. The light reflected by the third reflector 62 is transmitted toward the inspection camera 32.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the inkjet head 18 discharges the liquid crystal while moving in the second moving direction (right direction in FIG. 10), the light output from the second light source 50 is transferred to the second optical element 54. Is transmitted through and irradiated to the substrate 12 side through the second light window 28b. The light reflected from the substrate 12 side is reflected by the second optical element 54 to the fourth reflecting mirror 64. The light reflected by the fourth reflector 64 is transmitted toward the inspection camera 32.

11 is a view showing an example of an image input to the inspection camera in the liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 11, the polarization directions of the first polarizing plate 42 and the second polarizing plate 52 are the same, and the polarization directions of the second polarizing plate 34 are the first polarizing plate 42 and the first polarizing plate 42. It was set as the state orthogonal to the polarization direction of the -2 polarizing plate 52.

Referring to FIG. 11A, an image acquired by using the first light source 40 in a state in which the second light source 50 is turned off is 1 of the number of image pixels that can be acquired by the inspection camera 32. Occupies / 2 Referring to FIG. 11B, an image acquired by using the second light source 50 in a state where the first light source 40 is off is 1/1 of the number of image pixels that can be acquired by the inspection camera 32. Occupies 2. In FIG. 11, an area where the light source is turned off in the image is dark because there is no light input. In addition, the region corresponding to the substrate 12 in the image appears dark because the polarizer on the light source side and the polarizer on the inspection camera are perpendicular to each other, and the region corresponding to the liquid crystal 13 appears relatively bright due to the change in the polarization direction of the liquid crystal.

According to the liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus according to the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention described above, the liquid crystal dropping progresses with only one inspection camera even if the inspection camera is moved from the first provided position or the plurality of inspection cameras are not provided. Irrespective of the direction, the liquid crystal discharge state can be immediately confirmed immediately after the liquid crystal drop is dropped from the nozzle onto the substrate.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, substitutions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. will be. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. . The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: liquid crystal dispenser 10: frame
12 substrate 14 stage
16: support frame 18: inkjet head
20 liquid crystal drop state inspection device
22: main body 24: light source
26: first polarizing plate 28: light window
30: optical element 32: inspection camera
34: second polarizing plate

Claims (14)

In the liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus provided in the liquid crystal dispenser,
A main body having a light window;
A light source provided in the main body and having a first polarizing plate in an optical output terminal; And
An inspection camera having a second polarizing plate on which light reflected from the substrate side is incident after light polarized by the first polarizing plate is irradiated to the substrate side.
Liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1,
And an optical element for reflecting the light output from the light source to the substrate side through the light window, and for transmitting the light reflected from the substrate side to the inspection camera. The method of claim 1,
And the optical window of the main body is spaced apart from the liquid crystal dispensing unit for discharging the liquid crystal. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The polarization direction of the said 1st polarizing plate and said 2nd polarizing plate is different, The liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the liquid crystal dropping state inspection apparatus provided in the liquid crystal dispenser,
A main body having a first light window and a second light window spaced apart from each other and open to the substrate side;
A first light source provided in the main body and having a 1-1 polarizing plate for radiating light polarized through the first light window toward the substrate;
A second light source provided in the main body, the second light source including a 1-2 polarizing plate radiating light polarized through the second light window toward the substrate; And
After the light irradiated to the substrate side by the first light source or the second light source is reflected from the substrate side, the reflected light is incident, the inspection camera having a second polarizing plate
Liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 5, wherein
And a first optical element for reflecting the light emitted from the first light source toward the substrate side and transmitting the light reflected from the substrate side toward the inspection camera. The method according to claim 6,
A second optical element that transmits the light emitted from the second light source to the substrate side and reflects the light reflected from the substrate side in a transverse direction, and a reflector which transmits the light reflected from the second optical element to the inspection camera Liquid crystal drop state inspection apparatus further comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein
The reflector includes a first reflector reflecting light reflected from the second optical element, and a second reflector reflecting light reflected from the first reflector again, and the light reflected from the second reflector is inspected. And a third optical element that reflects back to the camera. The method of claim 8,
And the third optical device is provided above the second optical device, and the third optical device transmits light transmitted through the second optical device toward the inspection camera. The method of claim 5, wherein
A partition wall is provided between the first light source and the second light source, and the image acquisition region of the image sensor of the inspection camera is divided by the partition wall. 11. The method of claim 10,
Below the first light source is provided with a first optical device for transmitting the light emitted from the first light source to the first light window and the light reflected from the substrate side in the transverse direction, the first optical device And a third reflector for transmitting the reflected light toward the inspection camera. The method of claim 11,
Below the second light source is provided with a second optical device for transmitting the light emitted from the second light source to the second light window and the light reflected from the substrate side in the transverse direction, in the second optical device And a fourth reflector for transmitting the reflected light toward the inspection camera. In the liquid crystal dispenser for dispensing a liquid crystal on a substrate,
frame;
A stage provided at an upper portion of the frame to support the substrate;
A support frame provided on an upper portion of the frame;
A liquid crystal dispensing head unit provided in the support frame to dispense liquid crystal; And
A loading state inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 to 12.
Liquid crystal dispenser comprising a. The method of claim 13,
And the liquid crystal dispensing head unit is an inkjet head.

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