KR20160089171A - Printer for substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for printing a bezel unit or a decoration unit on an inactive area of a cell substrate for cover glass. The printing device for a substrate comprises: a feeding unit to feed a process module on which a plurality of cell substrates are aligned and mounted to a carrier; a printing unit to perform a printing process on the cell substrates mounted on the process module; a transport unit which has a support table to fix the process module, and transfers the process module to the printing unit from the feeding unit; and an aligning unit to align the process module on the support table. The transport unit reciprocates between the feeding unit and the printing unit. The printing device can print a plurality of cell substrates while quickly aligning the process module with an accurate position of the printing unit to improve productivity for a printing process of the cell substrates and printing quality.

Description

{PRINTER FOR SUBSTRATE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate printing apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for printing a bezel or a decorative part to an inactive area of a cell substrate for a cover glass.

Among the touch panels, capacitive touch panels are widely applied to portable electronic devices such as mobile phones due to their excellent durability and multi-touch functions. In recent years, there has been an increase in market demand for thin and durable touch panels Accordingly, a cover glass integrated type touch panel in which an ITO pattern is formed on a cover glass instead of using an inner glass or a film having a conventional ITO pattern is actively developed.

In such a cover glass integrated type touch panel, a black bezel portion formed by silk screen printing is usually provided on the inner surface of the corner of the cover glass in order to conceal a metal electrode or the like connecting the inside of the wiring or the ITO pattern side from the outside. Since the bezel part is provided in an inactive area other than the area where the image is displayed in the display device (active area), and in addition to the black bezel part, deco printing such as a logo and an icon is also performed, The overall printing process is generally carried out in a multilayer multiple printing manner.

A method of manufacturing a cover glass-integrated touch panel including a printed board and a decorative printed layer is divided into a sheet process and a cell process, Glass is being used.

The sheet method is a method in which a print layer is selectively formed only on a cell substrate region partitioned on the disc glass sheet, and then the cell substrate is divided into a plurality of cells. However, it is difficult to cut the reinforcement-treated disk sheet in the unit of the cell substrate after the printing process, and it is difficult to form the fine There is a problem that the side strength of the cell substrate is lowered due to the crack and durability is deteriorated. Due to such a problem, most of the cover glass integrated type touch panels at present are manufactured in accordance with a cell type in which a printing process is performed in units of cell substrates separated and reinforced by original glass sheets.

On the other hand, in the case of the cell type, since the printing process is performed on each cell substrate, the productivity is low and the manufacturing cost is increased. In recent years, in order to compensate for the drawbacks associated with the productivity of such a cell system, a so-called " process module ", which is an article in which a plurality of cell substrates are bonded to one carrier in an aligned state, However, a specific solution for realizing a good print quality is insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate printing apparatus capable of simultaneously performing a printing process on a plurality of cell substrates and at the same time achieving a good printing quality.

The gist of the present invention regarding the recognition of the above-mentioned problems and the solution means based on the above is as follows.

(1) a supply unit for supplying a process module mounted with a plurality of cell substrates aligned in a carrier; A printing unit for performing a printing process on a plurality of cell substrates mounted on the process module; A transfer unit for transferring the process module from the supply unit to the printing unit is provided with a support table for fixing the process module; And an alignment unit for aligning the process module on the support table, wherein the transfer unit is reciprocated between the supply unit and the printing unit.

(2) The process module according to (1), wherein the first mark is formed in the process module as an alignment reference for the support table, and the second mark corresponding to the first mark is formed in the support table .

(3) The substrate printing apparatus according to (2), wherein the second mark is displayed on the basis of a test printing result using the dummy carrier in which the first mark is formed.

(4) The alignment unit includes: a pick-up unit for holding the process module; And an image pickup means for performing a vision alignment between the first mark and the second mark.

(5) The substrate printing apparatus according to (4), wherein the image pickup unit is formed integrally with the pick-up unit.

(6) The alignment unit recognizes the position of the first mark and the second mark by the imaging unit, and then moves the process module so that the first mark is aligned with the second mark using the pick-up unit (4). ≪ / RTI >

(7) The substrate printing apparatus according to (1), further comprising a pre-aligning unit for the process module between the feeding unit and the conveying unit.

(8) The substrate printing apparatus according to (1), wherein the supply unit or the printing unit side is provided with a stopper corresponding to a predetermined position of the support table.

(9) The transfer unit includes: a base on which the support table is slidably mounted; A conveyor for reciprocating the base between the feeding unit and the printing unit; And a spring for preventing backlash when the support table reaches a predetermined position of the supply unit or the printing unit, wherein the base is controlled so that the support table is moved a predetermined amount further in the conveyance direction after the support table reaches the predetermined position (8). ≪ / RTI >

(10) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (10), further comprising a sensor bar provided on the base and contacting the sensor bar on the feeding unit or on the printing unit side, wherein the conveyor is stopped by the contact of the sensor bar and the stop sensor The substrate printing apparatus according to (9) above.

The substrate printing apparatus according to the present invention can collectively print a plurality of cell substrates in a state in which the process modules are aligned with the printing unit even at a precise position so that the productivity and print quality of the cell substrate printing process can be improved .

1 is a front view of a substrate printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of a substrate printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the transfer unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view of a process module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are given to the same or similar parts.

In addition, throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as including an element, it is understood that the element may include other elements, not the exclusion of any other element, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Also, it is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being " selectively " provided, included, or included, it is not necessarily an essential component for solving the problem of the present invention, it means.

In the following description, the term 'process module' refers to an article in which a plurality of cell substrates (or abbreviated as 'substrates') are bonded to one carrier in an aligned state.

1 and 2 are a front view and a perspective view of a substrate printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the substrate printing apparatus 10 includes a process module supply unit 110, a transfer unit 130, a printing unit 140, and a discharge unit (not shown) along the movement path of the process module 150 are arranged in a line. An alignment unit 120 for picking up, transporting and aligning the process modules transferred from the supply unit 110 to the support table 132 of the transfer unit 130 is provided between the supply unit 110 and the transfer unit 130 Respectively.

In this case, the transfer unit 130 is controlled to be reciprocated between the supply unit 110 and the printing unit 140 by the conveyor 138 or the like. The support table 132 is transferred to the 'correct position' of the supply unit 110 and the printing unit 110 in a state where the process module is detachably fixed by a vacuum suction method or the like.

Here, in order to obtain a good print quality, the 'correct position' refers to a process module in which a plurality of cell substrates 30 are bonded or a support table 132 on which the process modules are mounted is provided in the supply unit 110 or the printing unit 140 It means the location to be laid in the river.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the stopper 150 or 150 'corresponding to the fixed position of the support table 132 is provided in the supply unit 110 and / or the printing unit 140 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the supply unit 110 is a means for supplying a process module mounted with the plurality of cell substrates 30 aligned on the carrier 20, Or a plurality of cassettes (not shown) may be mounted and supplied. In this case, the process module can be continuously supplied by a conveying means such as a conveyor (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 4, the carrier 20 constituting the process module is provided with a first mark 210 serving as an alignment reference to the support table 132 of the transfer unit 130. The support table 132 is provided with a second mark (not shown) corresponding to the first mark.

In this case, it is preferable that the second mark of the support table 132 is displayed based on the result of the test printing after the dummy carrier without the cell substrate is mounted.

The aligning unit 120 includes a pick-up unit 122 for holding a process module, and a pick-up unit 122 for performing a vision alignment between the first mark 210 of the process module and the second mark of the support table 132 And imaging means (124).

The pick-up unit 122 may move in the x, y, and z directions by holding the process module, and may be operated in a vacuum adsorption manner in order to minimize damage to the process module during the gripping. The movement in the x, y, and z directions with respect to the pick-up unit 122 is guided by the guide frames 122a and 122b, and the? Angular rotational motion is operated by a motor mounted on the pickup unit.

In an embodiment, the imaging means 124 is integrally implemented in the pick-up unit 122 to simplify the device structure and to use the first mark 210 of the process module and the second mark of the support table 132 So that the vision alignment process to be performed can be performed more quickly and easily.

Specifically, the alignment unit 120 recognizes the positions of the first mark 210 of the process module and the second mark of the support table 132 by the imaging unit 124 , And the process module is moved using the pick-up unit 122 so that the first mark 210 matches the second mark based on the recognition result. After the alignment of the process modules with respect to the support table 132 is completed, the process modules are held in alignment in the support table 132 by separate securing means such as vacuum suction means (not shown) As shown in Fig.

Alternatively, the supply unit 110 may further include a pre-alignment unit 112 as an additional means for facilitating the alignment process performed by the alignment unit 120. [

The process module supplied from the loader or the like is picked up by the pickup unit 122 of the alignment unit 120 and moved to the upper surface of the support table 132 of the transfer unit 130. In this case, When the position of the process module is excessively deviated from the desired pickup position due to an external environmental factor in the supply process before being picked up by the first mark 210 and the second mark, It is undesirable because it may take too much time in the alignment process or the reliability of the result of the vision alignment may be deteriorated. This danger is effectively prevented if the first mark 210 and the second mark can be easily captured at the same time in the limited recognition area of the image sensing means 124 such as a camera in a vision alignment process by the alignment unit 120 And this can be accomplished by firstly rearranging the position of the process module before pick-up by the pre-alignment unit 112. [

The process module having been aligned with respect to the support table 132 is fixed to the support table 132 by the conveyor 138 provided in the conveyance unit 130 so that the conveyance of the printing unit 140 And is transported to the "correct position". In addition, after the printing process is completed, the support table 132 unloading the process module is returned to the 'correct position' of the supply unit 140. In the process of reciprocating movement of the transfer unit 130, precisely stopping the support table 132 or the process module mounted thereon to the " correct position " Suppressing the backlash phenomenon that may be involved in the position control of the process module may omit an unnecessary additional alignment process in the step of printing the process module to the target or aligning the process module to the support table 132 Therefore, it should be recognized that it is very important in terms of shortening the overall process time or improving the reliability of print quality.

In this regard, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 with respect to the structure of the transfer unit 130, the operation concept of the transfer unit 130 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

1 and 2, the transfer unit 130 includes a support table 132; A base 134 slidably mounted on the support table 132; A conveyor 138 for holding and transporting the base 134; And a spring 136 for preventing backlash. The conveyor 138 is installed between the feeding unit 110 and the printing unit 140 to reciprocate the conveying unit 130.

In this case, a guide bar 133 is integrally provided in the lower part of the support table 132 in a horizontal direction, and the guide bar 133 passes through a hole (not shown) provided in the base 134 Thus, the support table 132 is slidably mounted on the base 134. The pair of springs 136 are inserted into both ends of the guide bar 133 so that the support table 132 is positioned substantially at the center of the upper portion of the base 134.

A sensor bar 135 extending downward is integrally provided at a lower end of the base 134 and a sensor bar 135 for detecting whether or not the sensor bar 135 is in contact with the feeding unit 110 and the printing unit 140 Stop sensors 160 and 160 ', respectively.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 2 shows how the 'correct position' for the support table is controlled in the process of the transfer unit 130 returning from the printing unit 140 to the supply unit 110. However, in the following description, the process of transferring the transfer unit 130 having the process module from the supply unit 110 to the printing unit 140 may be performed in the 'exact position' control process for the process module or the support table Can be similarly described.

Specifically, until the sensor bar 135 is recognized for the stop sensor 160 provided on the supply unit 110 side, the transfer unit 130 is moved to the supply unit 110 side by driving the conveyor 138 (Fig. 3 (a)). Next, the support table 132 is brought into contact with the stopper 150 provided on the supply unit 110 side to stop further movement (Fig. 3 (b)). Subsequently, although the movement of the support table 132 is stopped, the base 134 slidably engaged with the support table 132 is moved until the sensor bar 135 is contacted by the stop sensor 160 And is then further moved by a predetermined amount toward the moving direction, that is, toward the supply unit 110 side ((c) of FIG. 3). The spring 136 provided on the left side of the drawing is compressed and the support table 132 is supported on the base 134 and is provided on the side of the supply unit 110 by the elastic restoring force of the compressed spring 136 And is held firmly in close contact with the stopper 150. As a result, the backlash phenomenon which can be issued in the position control of the " correct position " of the support table 132 at the supply unit 110 side can be effectively prevented.

 The printing unit 140 performs a necessary printing process on the plurality of cell substrates 30 mounted on the module integrally with the process module transferred by the transfer unit 130. In this case, the type of printing performed by the printing unit 140 is not particularly limited, and may be screen printing or inkjet printing, which is typically employed in forming a printing layer on a cell substrate.

The discharge unit 150 discharges the process module, which has completed the printing process, to the outside by a means such as a conveyor.

While the foregoing is directed to a specific embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that the above-described embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for the purpose of illustration and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, It should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the embodiment, the stopper is an element that specifies the correct position of the support table and is illustrated as a component attached to the substrate printing apparatus itself, but the stopper may be provided as a part of the supply unit or the printing unit.

In addition, in the embodiment, the sensor bar is provided on the base, and the stop sensor is provided on the supply unit or the printing unit side to contact the sensor bar. However, the stop sensor is provided on the base constituting the transfer unit, And a sensor bar corresponding to the printing device frame may be provided.

In the embodiment, the spring is exemplified as the backlash suppressing means provided in the transfer unit, but other elastic bodies can be used as long as the support table can be prevented from being displaced from the correct position by the elastic deformation force such as a spring.

It is therefore to be understood that all such modifications and alterations are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as disclosed in the following claims or their equivalents.

10: Substrate printing apparatus
110: supply unit 112: pre-alignment unit
120: alignment unit 122: pickup unit
122a, 122b: guide frame 124: image pickup means
130: transfer unit 132: support table
133: Guide bar
134: Base 135: Sensor bar
136: Spring 138: Conveyor
140: Printing unit 150, 150 ': Stopper
160, 160 ': Stop sensor
150: exhaust unit
20: Carrier 210: First mark
30: Cell substrate

Claims (10)

A supply unit for supplying a process module mounted with a plurality of cell substrates aligned in a carrier; A printing unit for performing a printing process on a plurality of cell substrates mounted on the process module; A transfer unit for transferring the process module from the supply unit to the printing unit is provided with a support table for fixing the process module; And an alignment unit for aligning the process module on the support table, wherein the transfer unit is reciprocated between the supply unit and the printing unit.
The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a first mark is formed on the process module as an alignment reference for the support table, and a second mark corresponding to the first mark is formed on the support table Device.
3. The substrate printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second mark is displayed based on a test print result using the dummy carrier in which the first mark is formed.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the aligning unit comprises: a pick-up unit for gripping the process module; And imaging means for performing alignment alignment between the first mark and the second mark.
The substrate printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image pickup unit is formed integrally with the pick-up unit.
5. The apparatus of claim 4,
Characterized in that after the position of the first mark and the second mark is recognized by the imaging means, the process module is moved so that the first mark is aligned with the second mark using the pick-up unit .
The substrate printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-aligning unit for the process module between the feeding unit and the conveying unit.
The substrate printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stopper corresponding to a predetermined position of the support table is provided on the side of the feeding unit or the printing unit.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,
A base slidably mounted on the support table; A conveyor for reciprocating the base between the feeding unit and the printing unit; And a spring for preventing backlash when the support table reaches a predetermined position of the supply unit or the printing unit, wherein the base is controlled so that the support table is moved a predetermined amount further in the conveyance direction after the support table reaches the predetermined position Wherein the substrate is a substrate.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the base further comprises a sensor bar, and the supply unit or the printing unit side further comprises a stop sensor contacting the sensor bar, wherein the sensor bar and the stop sensor stop the conveyor Wherein the substrate is a substrate.

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