TW201140043A - End face inspection method for light-pervious rectangular sheets and end face inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an inspection method, which may inspect the level of minute lumpiness (that is, surface coarseness) of end faces for glass sheets, wherein the end faces are chamfered by means of milling millstones or grinding millstones. The end face inspection method of the present invention inspects the state of surface of the chamfered end faces of light-pervious rectangular sheets that are conveyed on a conveying line, the method being characterized in having the following steps: using a stationary photographic mechanism to continuously capture plural images of the entire chamfered end face of the light-pervious rectangular sheet passing through viewing field of the photographic mechanism; and storing the plural images that are continuously captured in the first step as data associated with surface coarseness of the chamfered end faces to a memory apparatus.

Description

201140043 VI. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field] The present invention relates to an end face inspection method and an end face inspection device for a light-transmissive rectangular plate. [Prior Art] A translucent rectangular plate (hereinafter also referred to as a plate) using glass or the like as a material is used for building materials such as window glass, a flat panel display (FPD) substrate, and a solar cell substrate. Wait. In the case of processing the plate or when it is assembled with other members, the state of the end portion is very important when the plate is processed. The reason for this is that in the production step of the sheet material or in the production step for producing the final product such as FPD, the plate portion is often supported by the end portion of the plate. Further, when there is a minute defect at the end portion of the plate, if a large impact is applied to the end surface of the substrate in the production step, cracking due to the minute defect or the like is likely to occur twice. Therefore, the end faces of the plate members such as the glass substrate are usually subjected to chamfering in advance. Further, various methods for detecting the end faces of the plate have been proposed. For example, there has been proposed an inspection apparatus which detects an end surface of a glass substrate and uses the image of the image to detect the presence or absence of defects on the end surface of the substrate (see, for example, 'Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2'). [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document 1] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. WO 04/079352 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei No. Hei No. Hei. No. Hei. The problem to be solved by the invention is that the inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the intensity (concentration, etc.) of the light in the image obtained by imaging the end surface of the transparent substrate is detected. Defects such as the large shell-like mouth. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to use the surface state of the end surface of the plate-like object which is chamfered by grinding the grindstone or the grindstone, for example, the degree of fine concavity, that is, the inspection of the rough surface. The processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is for the purpose of correcting the position of the substrate or adjusting the amount of chamfering in the chamfering step of the sheet glass. Therefore, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect the fine surface state of the end surface of the plate-like object. The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to carry out inspection of a fine surface state (ie, surface roughness) of a plate-like end surface subjected to chamfering processing. [Technical means for solving the problem] The invention relates to an end face inspection method for inspecting a surface state of an end surface of a light-transmissive rectangular plate material subjected to chamfering processing, characterized in that it includes an image pickup step of causing an image pickup mechanism to face from one end side of the end surface The other end side is relatively moved while continuously capturing an image including a portion of the end surface passing through the field of view of the image pickup mechanism, and a saving step of "severing the plurality of images successively photographed as a rough surface with the surface as described above The relevant information is saved to the estrus device. The technical solution 1 is completed according to the following findings discovered by the inventors of the present invention, 154439.doc -4 - 201140043, that is, there is a correlation between the surface roughness of the end face of the translucent rectangular plate (for example, a glass plate) and the brightness value. . According to the invention of claim 1, the plurality of images of the entire end face region of the chamfering process can be measured in a non-contact manner, and the surface of the end face subjected to chamfering can be roughened. Save the relevant information to the memory device. According to this method, it is possible to perform inspection of the fine surface state (i.e., surface roughness) of the end face of the plate which has been subjected to the chamfering process which is difficult in the prior art. The invention of claim 2 further includes an arithmetic step of calculating an average value of luminance values of the pixels constituting the end face included in the plurality of images based on the plurality of images successively captured. The second aspect of the invention is achieved according to the findings found by the inventors of the present invention, that is, there is a correlation between the surface roughness of the end face of the translucent rectangular plate (for example, a glass plate) and the brightness value, and the average value of the brightness values is calculated. Values can be compared to specific benchmark values or production batches are compared to each other. According to the invention of claim 2, the plurality of images of the entire end face region of the chamfering process are subjected to non-contact measurement of the cover of the light-transmissive rectangular plate, and the plurality of images included in the plurality of images constitute the end face The average value of the luminance values of the respective pixels is stored in the memory device as data relating to the surface roughness of the end face subjected to the chamfering process. Therefore, by using the stored data, the light transmittance in the step can be accurately performed. Inspection of the surface roughness of the end faces of rectangular plates. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, instead of storing a plurality of images themselves or a large original data as in the invention of the technical solution, the average value of 154439.doc 201140043 is stored, so that the memory area of the memory device can be effectively utilized. Moreover, the process of the subsequent arithmetic processing is complicated, and the end face inspection method which does not cause the technical solution 3, such as the technical solution 1 or 2, to be performed in a short time, wherein the above-mentioned operation step includes the following step 1, according to the above continuous shooting And the plurality of images are calculated, and the average value of the luminance values of the pixels constituting the end surface included in each of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region of the plurality of images is calculated, and the saving step includes the following steps That is, the average value of the luminance values of each of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region calculated as described above is stored as a data relating to the surface roughness of the end face subjected to the chamfering processing to the memory device. The third aspect of the invention is achieved according to the findings found by the inventors of the present invention, that is, there is a correlation between the surface roughness of the portion of the end face of the light-transmissive rectangular plate (for example, a glass plate) and the brightness value. According to the invention of 3, a plurality of images corresponding to the entire end face region of the chamfering process are measured non-contactly with the translucent rectangular plate, and the needle is The average value of the luminance values of the pixels constituting the end face included in each of the upper region, the refinement region, and the lower region of the plurality of images is used as the data relating to the surface roughness of the end face subjected to the chamfering process And saving to a memory device. Therefore, by using the saved data, each part of the end face of the translucent rectangular plate in the step can be inspected accordingly. Rather than storing the plurality of images themselves as in the invention of the first aspect, the average value is saved, so that the memory area of the memory device can be effectively utilized. 154439.doc 201140043 Technical Solution 4 includes: a comparison step of calculating the above The average value of the luminance values is compared with a predetermined threshold for determining whether or not to be determined; and the determining step is performed based on the result of the comparison, and the quality of the end face is determined. According to the invention of claim 4, the chamfering process can be automatically determined. Whether the end surface of the translucent rectangular plate is processed into a predetermined fine surface state (ie, surface roughness) (ie, good or not) The fifth aspect of the invention is the end face inspection method of the fourth aspect, wherein the average value of the brightness values of the pixels is represented by a gray scale value of 〇 255, and the determining step is that the average value of the brightness values of the pixels is 3 〇. In the following cases, it is determined that the end face is good. According to the invention of claim 5, the state of the end face processing can be managed in a digital manner, and the characteristics of each piece or each batch of the product substrate can be recorded. Further, preferably, According to the specifications and specifications required for each shipment, the range of the π-degree value is set to be less than 25. In the inspection of the mirror treatment, it is particularly preferable to set the range of the luminance value to 2 〇. The end face inspection method according to claim 4, wherein the average value of the brightness values of the pixels is represented by a gray scale value of 〇 255, the chamfering processing is performed by polishing, and the determining step is performed by the pixel When the average value of the luminance values is 30 or more and 50 or less, it is determined that the end faces are good. According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not the end surface of the translucent rectangular plate material subjected to the chamfering process by the buffing is processed into a predetermined fine surface state (i.e., surface roughness) (i.e., good or not) . Item 7 is the end face inspection method according to claim 4, wherein the average value of the luminance values of the above-mentioned 154439.doc 201140043 is represented by a gray scale value of 0 to 255, and the chamfering processing is performed by horizontal grinding. In the above determination step, it is determined that the end face is good when the average value of the luminance values of the pixels is 55 or more and 75 or less. According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not the end surface of the translucent rectangular plate material subjected to chamfering by horizontal grinding is processed into a predetermined fine surface state (i.e., surface roughness) (i.e., good or not) . The end face inspection method according to any one of the aspects of the invention, wherein the adjacent sides of the light-transmissive rectangular plate are continuously inspected. According to the invention of claim 8, the end face inspection can be performed in a continuous step process. Therefore, it is not necessary to take out the translucent rectangular plate from the step, and the inspection can be performed on the line. Therefore, the inspection is reduced with the offline inspection, and the production is lowered. Productivity of the step: When continuously measuring the adjacent long side and short side of the plate in a non-contact manner, rotating the relative position of the green rectangular plate (for example, by 90 degrees) in the middle of the conveying line, By the inspection stage on the upstream side arranged along the conveyance direction, the inspection side is measured by the inspection deck on the downstream side, whereby continuous inspection can be performed apparently. The technical solution 9 is the end face inspection method according to any one of the aspects (1), wherein the entire side of the light-transmissive rectangular plate is continuously inspected in the production step. According to the invention of claim 9, all the data of the four sides are measured non-contactly and introduced into the inspection device, and by using the stored data, the surface of all the end faces of the translucent rectangular plate in the step can be subjected to a thick chain degree. Inspection 154439.doc 201140043 Check that all of the translucent rectangular plates can be stably and horizontally tested at the mass production level. For the products shipped, it is easy and highly accurate to perform difficulties in the first-compartment technology. All • Full inspection. The invention of claim 10 is the end face inspection method according to any one of the aspects of the invention, wherein the end face is determined to have been mirror-finished. According to the invention of claim 10, it is necessary to perform a long-term inspection step for a substrate which is usually for one, and it can be processed in a short time and can be stably performed. The end face inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the translucent rectangular plate member is a glass substrate for FPD. According to the invention of claim 11, the inspection of the glass substrate for FPD requiring quality can be performed in a short time and at a high speed on the basis of mass production.

The technical solution 12 is an end face inspection method according to the technical solution, wherein the short side of the glass substrate for tFpD is 1900 mm or more, and the long side is 22 〇〇 mm or more and the four sides are continuously inspected. According to the invention of the technical solution, even in the case of a large-sized substrate, the inspection can be easily performed in the step. The technical solution 13 is a light transmissive rectangular plate characterized in that it is 'inspected' by the end face inspection method according to any one of the technical solutions 丨 to 12. Further, the invention is directed to an end face inspection device which is characterized in that the end face inspection method according to any one of the first aspect of the invention is automatically executed in accordance with a pre-programmed step. According to the invention of claim 14, the automation of the previous manual inspection 154439.doc 201140043 can be realized. In addition, high reliability inspection can be achieved. [Effect of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inspection method and an inspection apparatus capable of performing the inspection of the surface roughness by the degree of fine unevenness of the end surface of the plate-like object subjected to chamfering. Further, in the present invention, even if the size of the plate is increased, it is not necessary to greatly expand the previous production steps, and it is not necessary to introduce a large-sized apparatus, and a stable inspection result can be automatically obtained by using a simple device configuration. [Embodiment] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an end face inspection method and an inspection apparatus for a light-transmissive rectangular plate of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the basic configuration of the present invention. The two illumination mechanisms 14U, 14D are disposed such that the upper and lower positions are sandwiched by the glass substrate 22 to be inspected. In the following description, 'for the case of the mother glass substrate with lcd', for example, 'as the substrate size, for G3 (55〇x650 mm>, G4<68〇x 880 mm), G5 (1000xl200 mm), G6 (1500xl800) Mm), G7 (1900x2200 mm) 'G8 (2200>< 2400 mm) 'G9 (2400 x 2800 mm), G10 (2800 x 3000 mm) can be applied without any problem. The larger the substrate size, the better the application of the invention. In particular, for a substrate size of G7 or higher, the effect of reducing the loss in the mass production step is greater, and the production efficiency in a special processing step such as mirror processing can be dramatically improved 154439.doc • 10· 201140043 rate. As the grinding method of the machined end face, ^ # ^ ' can be exemplified by horizontal polishing or first polishing. Both can achieve high-wound machining without maintaining a constant line speed to maintain a fixed productivity. Basin: The body automatically determines whether it is lowered by the chamfering of the end, and the surface roughness is achieved by the so-called mirror winter ^1P ^ ^ ^ Tianran, the number of times of imaging is based on the glass of the object to be measured The size of the substrate (longitudinal side and lateral side) is basically 'the larger the size of the substrate, and the more excellent the quality of the present invention is. 占 庐 ' ' 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下 以下The principle is explained. : First, illumination is performed by the known parts of the illumination mechanisms 14R, 14L, 14U, and 14___22 (see, Fig. 2). When the C-face processing is performed on the end portion of the glass sheet, the method of simultaneously detecting all the end portions of the upper chamfered portion, the central portion, and the lower chamfer portion is performed at substantially the same time. In this case, it is set to 'from the end of the glass substrate of the xiaoming mechanism 14 and the average light beam reflected therefrom cannot reach the image pickup mechanism 16. On the other hand, when there is a slight defect or an abnormal point of surface roughness in the chamfered portion and the central straight portion of the end portion of the glass plate 22, the optical path of the light beam changes due to the diffuse reflection of the portion, and the reflected light beam is incident on the light beam. The imaging mechanism 16' forms a bright image dot corresponding to an abnormal point of a minute defect or surface roughness. Further, in the case where the R-face processing is performed on the end portion, the same treatment can be performed. Further, in this embodiment, an optical element which can change the optical path or focus the light beam can be appropriately disposed between the end surface as the inspection target portion and the camera structure. 154439.doc 201140043 Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the above basic structure. Further, the illustration of the illumination mechanism 14U is omitted. The side surface of the glass sheet 22 conveyed along the transport direction LDR is illuminated by a Zhaoming mechanism along a plane parallel to the substrate surface. In the figure, two illumination mechanisms are arranged in a figure-eight shape with a specific angle. In this case, the average beam irradiated to the straight surface of the end portion of the glass plate 22 cannot reach the imaging mechanism 16. At this time, when there is an abnormal point of minute defects or surface roughness on the straight surface of the end portion of the glass plate 22, the light path of the average beam changes due to the diffuse reflection of the portion, and the reflected light is incident on the image pickup mechanism 16. Further, a bright image dot corresponding to an abnormal point of a minute defect or a surface thick chain is formed. In the basic configuration, the components such as the illuminating mechanism and the imaging mechanism can be set to be optically arranged according to experience, that is, a test sample is repeatedly tested in comparison with a sample containing the defect as a sample of the object to be inspected. Thereby obtaining good results. Furthermore, an aperture mechanism, a shielding plate, or the like can be appropriately provided so that unnecessary noise light from the light source cannot enter the imaging mechanism... the shutter speed at the time of imaging (the speed at which the image is introduced) or the unit length of the image captured in one imaging, The conveying speed of the plate may be adjusted as long as it is set under the conditions set. The length of the side is assumed to be tens of centimeters to 2 m, and the transport speed is assumed to be tens of centimeters to 3 m/min. The shutter speed of the image pickup device can be appropriately set to, for example, several tens of milliseconds to the number of transport speeds. Ten subtle 0 Fig. H) is schematically shown in the present invention, and 154439.doc •12·201140043

Observers can also visually detect.

. The state (surface roughness) of the actually detectable portion of the present invention was compared with the inspection result of a 3 〇 laser microscope. The chamfered portion on the upper side of the end portion of the glass substrate, the center portion (side surface or straight portion), and the chamfered portion on the lower side were compared with each other at a surface roughness of 100 to 300 μππίίο to 300 μm 2 . The results are shown in the graph of Fig. 11. The horizontal axis represents the arithmetic mean roughness Ra (pm), and the vertical axis represents the luminance value obtained as a measurement result with a gray scale value of 〇 255. The correlation coefficient (R2) between the measurement results of the 31) laser microscope and the measurement results of this example was calculated, and 0.7 9 9 9 was obtained as the correlation coefficient value. Therefore, as in the method of the present example, the degree of processing of the end face after chamfering is calculated based on the brightness value of each image point as the evaluation value of each region or the whole of the end face, and compared with the existing good data. Thereby, the quality of the test object can be determined on an absolute basis in successive production steps. The present invention can accurately inspect the surface state of the end portion of the glass sheet 22 in this manner. Further, the inspection step can be completed at a high speed without lowering the conveying speed of the glass sheet 22. Further, the sides of the rectangular glass plate 22 can be automatically checked for the entire circumference of the north and south of the object. In addition, in the production steps of the mass production level, all of the transparent rectangular plates can be inspected for a short time at 154439.doc 13 201140043. Fig. 3 is a system configuration diagram of the end face inspection device 10 used in the method for inspecting the end face of a glass sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is an explanatory view for explaining a general manufacturing procedure of the glass sheet. Fig. 5 is an example of an end face of a glass plate subjected to chamfering. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the inspection section on the conveyance line. [Outline of End Face Inspection Device] As shown in Fig. 4, a glass plate for a flat panel display (for example, a glass plate for a liquid crystal display (LCD), a glass plate for a field emission display (FED), an organic EL display, an organic EL light source A glass plate or a glass substrate is generally subjected to a cutting step (T!) of cutting a sheet glass manufactured to a specific thickness into a specific size, and the end surface of the cut glass sheet is poured using a grinding stone or a grinding stone. Chamfering step of angle processing (D) 2, cleaning of the chamfered glass plate, cleaning of the drying process, drying step (T3), and measurement of the shape of the glass plate after the cleaning and drying The step (4) is manufactured. The inventors of the present invention have found that the end surface of the glass plate subjected to chamfering processing (for example, referring to Figs. 5(a) and 5(b)) causes unevenness in surface roughness due to uneven grinding; In the image obtained by imaging the end surface of the glass plate with uneven surface roughness, the brightness value varies depending on the surface roughness of the end surface of the glass plate (when rough, diffuse reflection occurs and the brightness value is high) One piece of white image, when smoother, has a lower brightness value and becomes a black image, that is, there is a correlation between the surface roughness of the end face of the glass plate and the brightness value). 154439.doc -14 - 201140043 and the inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies based on the above findings, and as a result, completed the following end face inspection device, that is, an image including each end face of a glass plate subjected to chamfering processing, and The image is calculated and recorded separately for the brightness value of each end face, so that the surface roughness of all the end faces of all the glass sheets conveyed on the conveyance line can be inspected. The end surface inspection method of the glass sheet of the present embodiment is carried out by the following end surface inspection apparatus 10 according to the above configuration. The end surface inspection device 10 is a device for generating and recording information relating to the surface roughness of each end surface of the glass sheet 22 subjected to the chamfering processing (for example, see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)), such as As shown in Fig. 6, the first inspection section 30 and the second inspection section 32 are provided downstream of the chamfering step. The glass plate 22 to be inspected is a rectangular glass plate (see FIG. 6, length several meters x width several meters X thickness 0.3 mm to several millimeters), and chamfering the four end faces 22E1 to 22E4, respectively, ! After the inspection section 3〇, the conveyance direction is changed by 9 degrees by a specific method, and then conveyed to the conveyance line 34 by a known conveyance mechanism (not shown) by the second inspection section 32 (refer to Figure 6). The end surface inspection device 1 generates and relates to the surface roughness of each end surface of the glass sheet 22 passing through the first inspection section 3 (the two end surfaces 22E1 and 22E3 orthogonal to the conveyance direction in FIG. 6). save. Further, the end surface inspection device 10 generates and relates to the surface roughness of each end surface of the glass sheet 22 passing through the second inspection section 32 (the two end surfaces 22E2 and 22E4 orthogonal to the conveyance direction in Fig. 6). save. [Configuration of the end surface inspection device] 154439.doc -15- 201140043 The end surface inspection device 10 of the present embodiment includes the control device 12, the illumination mechanism 14 (14R, 14L, 14U, and 14D) and the imaging mechanism 16 as shown in Fig. 3 . , memory device 18, sensor 20, and the like. Hereinafter, the illumination unit 14, the imaging unit 16, and the sensor 20 disposed in the i-th inspection section 3A are respectively described as the illumination units 14a and 14b, the imaging units 16a and 16b, and the sensor 20a, and the second inspection area is described. The illumination unit 14, the imaging unit 16, and the sensor 20 disposed in the segment 32 are respectively referred to as illumination units 14c and 14d, imaging units 16c and 16d, and sensor 20b. Further, an example in which the control device 12 and the memory device 18 are provided for both the first inspection zone 30 and the second inspection zone 32 will be described. The control device 12 includes an arithmetic/control mechanism such as an MPU or a CPU, and a memory mechanism such as a ram or a ROM. The control device 12 reads the specific program of the memory mechanism by the calculation/control mechanism, and controls the imaging mechanisms 16a to 16d as the control means for controlling the surface roughness of each of the end faces 22E to 22E4 of the glass plate 22 to be described later. The data (that is, the average value ~ wide eight ^) is used to calculate the operation mechanism and the like. The illumination mechanisms 14a, 14b are used to pass the first! The end faces of the glass sheets 22 of the inspection section 3 (the two end faces 22 and 22E3 in the transport direction in Fig. 6) are uniformly illuminated, for example, as shown in Fig. 6, in the first inspection section, respectively. Arranged on both sides in the width direction of the conveyance line 34. Similarly, the illumination mechanisms 14c and 14 are used for the end faces of the glass sheets 22 that pass through the second inspection section 32 (in Fig. 6, the direction along the conveyance direction 2) For the uniform illumination of the end faces 22E2 and 22E4), for example, as shown in Fig. 6, the second inspection sections 32 are disposed on both sides in the width direction of the conveyance line 34. 154439.doc -16 · 201140043 Illumination mechanisms 14a to 14d As shown in FIG. 3, each of the two LED light sources 1 4U and 14D arranged in the vertical direction with the end surface of the glass plate 22 (the end surface 22E1 illustrated in FIG. 3) therebetween is provided; and Two LED light sources 14R and 14L disposed on both sides of the LED light sources 14U and 14D in an inclined posture. The imaging mechanisms 16a and 16b are used to image the end faces of the glass sheets 22 passing through the first inspection section 30 (in FIG. 6 , is the two end faces 22E1, 22E3). For example, the area where the light-receiving elements are arranged in two dimensions The detector type CCD (for example, a monochrome mode and 250,000 pixels). The imaging units 16a and i6b are fixedly disposed on both sides in the width direction of the transport line 34 in the first inspection section 30. Similarly, the imaging unit 16c, I6d is used for imaging the end surface of the glass plate 22 passing through the second inspection section 32 (in FIG. 6, two end faces 22E2, 22E4), for example, a region sensor type CCD in which the light receiving elements are arranged in a secondary element ( For example, it is a monochrome mode and has 250,000 pixels. The imaging units i6c and I6d are fixedly disposed on both sides in the width direction of the transport line 34 in the second inspection section 32. The imaging mechanisms 16a to 16d are connected to the installation space, etc. In this relationship, the optical axis AX can be set in a specific installation space, and an optical path conversion element for bending the optical axis AX by about 90 degrees can be disposed on the optical axis AX of each of the imaging mechanisms 16a to 16d. The end faces of the glass sheets 22 (the end faces 22Ei illustrated in Fig. 3) are housed in the respective fields of view of the image pickup mechanisms 16a to 16d. The image pickup mechanisms 16a to 16d are uniformly imaged by the illumination mechanisms 14a to 14d in accordance with control from the control device 12, respectively. The ground glass panel 22 includes an end surface ( An image of the end face 22E1) is illustrated in Fig. 3. The image of the image is introduced into the control device I54439.doc 17 201140043 12' and is stored in the memory device 18 as digital data of a specific file format. Sensor 2〇a And 20b is for detecting whether or not the glass sheet 22 to be inspected reaches the first or second inspection sections 3A and 32 (specific imaging positions in the inside) and whether the glass sheet 22 has passed the first or second inspection section. 30, 32, for example, a light repeater. When the sensors 2a, 2b, for example, detect the edge (edge) of the glass plate 22 in the transport direction, the detection signal of the intention is notified to the control device 12. The control device 12 that has received the notification controls the imaging unit 16 to capture an image of the end surface of the glass sheet 22 that has reached the inspection section 30. [Method of inspecting the end surface of the glass sheet] Next, the glass sheet 22 which is transported so as to pass through the first inspection section 3A and the second inspection section 32 is formed for the end surface inspection apparatus 1A having the above configuration. A method relating to the surface roughness of each of the end faces 22E1 to 22E4i and recording thereof will be described. First, the processing in the first inspection section 3 is described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the processing. The following processing is mainly realized by the control device 12 executing a specific program read into the memory mechanism. The control device 12 determines whether or not the glass sheet 22 has reached the first inspection section 3 (step S10). When the control device 12 determines that the glass sheet 22 to be inspected has reached the first inspection section 30 (specific imaging position in the inside) (step s1: YES), that is, 'the self-sensor 20a receives the glass that has been detected. When the end of the conveyance direction of the plate 22 (the end face 22e2 in the case of the case) is notified of the detection signal, the control imaging means 16a, 16b image the end face of the glass plate 22 which reaches the first inspection section 30 ( In Fig. 6, an image of two ends 154439.doc -18 · 201140043 faces 22E1, 22E3) orthogonal to the transport direction. The image pickup units 16a and 16b respectively image the image including the end surface 22E1 and the end surface 22ε3 of the glass sheet 22 uniformly illuminated by the illumination units 14a and 14b in accordance with control from the control unit 12 (the image pEn shown by a broken line in Fig. 8 Pe3 1, hereinafter referred to as a single-issue image) (step s丨2). The single-issue images PE11 and Pel of the camera are introduced into the control device 12. Then, the control device 12 generates an image pEn based on the single shot of the camera.

Pem 'calculates the average values aEn and aE3i of the luminance values of the pixels constituting the end surface 22E1 and the end surface 22ε3 included in the images PE11 and PE31 (step S14). The imaging mechanisms 16a and 16b repeatedly perform the above steps S12 and S14. The processing until the control device 12 receives the detection signal indicating that the end edge of the glass sheet 22 (the end surface 22E4 in the case of Fig. 6) has been detected from the sensor 20a (step S16: NO). In other words, the image pickup units 16a and 16b continuously image the images Ρειι to Ρε1π and Pe31 to Ρε3π shown by broken lines in Fig. 8 while superimposing about 0.5 mm every about 1 mm. In this way, even if the imaging timing of the imaging units 16a and 16b is slightly shifted, the imaging of the entire end surface 22E1 and the end surface 22E3 can be performed without any omission. As described above, the imaging mechanisms 16a and 16b are respectively moved from one end side to the other end side of the end surface 22Ei and the end surface 22E3, and a part of the end surface 22E1 and the end surface 22E3 in the field of view passing through the imaging mechanisms 16a and 16b are continuously imaged. The image. Thereby, the image PEM~PEln of the entire area covering the end surface 22E1 of the glass plate 22 and the image PE3丨~PE3n of the 154439.doc -19·201140043 covering the entire area of the end face Mu can be continuously imaged (refer to the figure) 8). The control device 12 respectively performs the images pE丨丨~pm of the multiple copies according to the images ΡΕ11~ΡΕ1η, PE31~PE3n of the consecutively captured plurality of copies.

The average values aEn to aEln and agmun of the luminance values of the respective pixels constituting the end surface 22E1 and the end surface 22e3 included in Pe3 to Ρε3π are calculated (see Fig. 8). Then, the control device 12 calculates the average values aEn to aEin and aE3i to the average values aEi and Aw of the above-described calculations (step S18), and uses the average values AE1 and Aw of the calculated luminance values as the end faces 22ei and 22E3, respectively. The value related to the surface roughness is stored in a memory device 18 such as a specific layout format in a specific format (step S2, see FIG. 3, FIG. 8). Then, the control device 12 returns to step S10 to issue The processing is processed to repeat the processing of steps S12 to S2 for the glass sheet 22 that has reached the first inspection section 30 next. In other words, the respective end faces of the glass sheets 22 are continuously formed for the plurality of glass sheets 22 (see FIG. 6) that are conveyed on the conveyance line 34 and passed through the first inspection section 3 (two in FIG. 6). The surface roughness related data of the end faces 22e, 22e3) (i.e., the average values Aei, Ae3) are recorded. Next, the processing in the second inspection section 32 will be described. This processing will be described with reference to Fig. 7 in the same manner as the processing in the first section 30 described above. The following processing is mainly realized by the control device 12 executing a specific program read into the memory mechanism. The control device 12 determines whether or not the glass sheet 22 has reached the second inspection section 32 (step S10). When the control device π determines that the glass plate 22 to be inspected has reached the second inspection section 32 (specific imaging position in the inside) (step sl1: Yes), 154439.doc -20- 201140043 is the 'self-sensor 20b' When receiving a notification indicating that the detection signal of the edge of the conveyance direction of the glass sheet 22 (the end surface 22Ei in the case of FIG. 6) has been detected, the image pickup mechanism 16c, 16d is imaged and reaches the second inspection section 32. The glass plate 22 includes an image of an end surface (in FIG. 6, two end faces 22^2, 22e4 orthogonal to the conveyance direction). The image pickup units 16c and 16d respectively image the image of the end surface 22EZ and the end surface 22E4 of the glass sheet 22 uniformly illuminated by the illumination units 14ca and 14db in accordance with control from the control unit 12 (the image PE21 shown by a broken line in Fig. 9 PE "' is hereinafter referred to as a single-issue image) (step S12). The image of the single shot of the image is transferred to the control device 12. Then, the control device 12 is based on the single shot of the image. Image pE21,

Pem 'calculates the average value aE2i and the leaf 41 of the luminance values of the pixels constituting the end surface 22E2 and the end surface 22E4 included in the images PE21 and pE41 (step S14). The imaging mechanisms 16c and 16d repeatedly perform the above-described step S12. The processing of S14 is performed until the control device 12 receives a detection signal indicating that the end edge of the glass sheet 22 (the end surface 22E3 in the case of Fig. 6) has been detected from the sensor 20b (step S16·No). In other words, the image pickup units 16c and 16d continuously image the multiple images PE2丨 to PE2n and PE4丨 to pE4n indicated by broken lines in Fig. 9, for example, by superimposing about 0.5 mm every about 1 mm. In this way, even if the imaging units 16c and 16 are slightly shifted, the imaging units 16c and 16 can be imaged over the entire area of the end surface 22ε2 and the end surface 22ε4 without any omission. As described above, the image pickup mechanisms 16c and 16d are as described above. The surface is relatively moved from the end surface 22 Ε 2 and the end surface 22 to the other end side, and the continuous image capturing package 154439.doc -21 - 201140043 includes the end surface 22e2 and the end surface 22 E 4 in the field of view passing through the image capturing mechanisms 16c, 16d. A part of the image. Thereby, the image of the multi-part image PurPun covering the entire area of the end surface 22e2 of the glass plate 22 and the multi-part image PE4丨~PE4n covering the entire area of the end surface 22E4 (refer to FIG. 9) can be controlled. The device 12 respectively forms an end face 22ez and an end face 22e4 included in each of the multiple images of the image Pe2丨~Ρε2π, PE4丨~ according to the images pE2 wide pE2n' pE4丨~pE4n of the consecutively captured images. The average values aEZ丨~aE2n and aE4丨8 of the luminance values of the respective pixels are calculated (see FIG. 9). Then, the control device 12 equalizes the average values aE2i to aE2n and aE4i to aE4n of the above operations. The values aez and Aw are calculated (step S18), and the average values Am and Ah of the calculated degree values are respectively stored as hard values for the end surface 22E2 and the end surface 22E4 in relation to the surface roughness, for example, in a specific file format. In the memory device 18 such as a disc (step S2, see Figs. 3 and 9), the control device 12 returns to step S10, and the processing of steps S12 to S20 is repeated for the glass sheet 22 that has reached the second inspection section 32 next. In other words, the respective end faces of the glass plate 22 are continuously formed for the plurality of glass sheets 22 (see FIG. 6) that are conveyed on the conveyance line 34 and passed through the second inspection section 32 (in FIG. 6, two end faces) The data relating to the surface roughness of 22E2, 22E4) (i.e., the average value A, AE4) is recorded and recorded. As described above, the method of generating and passing the first inspection section 3〇 and the second inspection section 32 is The data relating to the surface roughness of each of the end faces 22e丨 to 22e4 of all the glass sheets 22 conveyed (ie, the average value Aei~Ae4) are recorded to 154439.doc -22-201140043 memory device 18 (refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). As explained above, according to the embodiment The non-contact method is used to measure the translucent rectangular plate, that is, the image of the glass plate 22 covering the entire area of the chamfered end face (for example, the end face 22E1) (for example, PE11 to PEln). The average value of the luminance values of the respective pixels constituting the end surface (for example, the end surface 22E1) included in the image of the multiple copies (for example, A). Referring to Fig. 8), it is stored in the memory device 8 as information relating to the surface roughness of the end surface (e.g., the end surface 22ei) subjected to chamfering. Therefore, by using the stored data, it is possible to perform inspection of the surface roughness of all the end faces 22e of the translucent rectangular plate such as all the glass sheets 22 conveyed on the conveyance line 34 (that is, all the full-change inspections) ). For example, it is easy to display the inspection result data itself or to display it graphically. Further, according to the present embodiment, the image of the plurality of copies (for example, pEn to PEln) is not stored, but the average value is stored (for example, Aei, referring to the figure, the memory area of the memory device 18 can be effectively utilized. Next, the present invention In the above-described embodiment, the glass sheets 22 (i.e., the lines) to be inspected are not taken out from the transport line 34, and the end faces 22ei to 22e4 of the glass sheets 22 on the transport line 34 are formed. The example of the data of the surface thick chain phase (4) of each surface (that is, the average value AE wide AE4) is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the glass to be inspected may be taken out from the transport line 34. The plate is called, below the line, and the data relating to the surface roughness of each end face 154439.doc -23- 201140043 22E1 to 22E4 of the taken glass plate 22 (i.e., the average value AE丨~AE4) is generated and recorded. . For example, it is also possible to use the platform on which the glass sheet 22 taken out from the transport line 34 is positioned and placed, and the end faces 22ei to 22e4 of the glass plate 22 placed along the platform to be moved while imaging the respective end faces 22E1 to 22 The processing of steps si2 to S20 shown in FIG. 7 is performed by one (or plural) imaging means to generate data relating to the surface roughness of each of the end faces 22Ε to 22E4 (ie, the average value ΑΕι~Am ) and record it. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the glass plate 22 to be inspected is an example of a glass plate for a flat panel display such as an LCD, a 〇LED or an FED, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, all light-transmissive rectangular plates such as a glass plate for an automobile, a glass substrate for a solar cell, or a transparent resin plate can be used as inspection objects. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the average value of the luminance values Aei to ae4 is stored as a value relating to the surface roughness of the end surface 22e丨 to the end surface 22ε4 (that is, each end surface is saved). The method of the average value will be described), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to include a plurality of images (for example, images PE to PEn) of the entire surface of the end surface (for example, the end surface 22E1) subjected to the chamfering process on the glass plate 2 2 as a chamfering process. The surface roughness related information of the end surface (for example, the end surface 22E!) is saved to the memory device. Further, for example, according to a plurality of images (for example, images PE) to PEn, each of the pixels constituting the end face included in each of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region of the multi-issue image may be used. The average value of the luminance values is calculated as 154439.doc -24-201140043, and the average value of the luminance values of the regions in the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region of the operation is taken as the end surface on which the chamfering is performed (for example, The surface roughness related information of the end surface 22E1) is stored in the memory device a. Further, a comparison step of comparing the average value of the luminance values calculated in S20 (for example, a comparison between Ay and a predetermined good or bad determination threshold value) and a determination of whether the end surface (for example, the end surface 22ei) is good or not based on the result of the comparison may be provided. In this way, it is possible to automatically determine whether the end faces 22e1 to 22e of the glass sheet 22 subjected to the chamfering process are processed into a predetermined fine surface state (i.e., surface roughness) (i.e., good or not). When the grayscale value of 0 to 255 represents the average value of the luminance values of the pixels (for example, AE1), it is preferable that the determination step is performed when the average value (for example, Aei) of the luminance values of the pixels is 30 or less. For example, when the chamfering process of the end face (for example, the end face 22E1) is performed by buffing, it is preferable that the average value of the brightness value of the pixel (for example, AE1) is When it is 30 or more and 50 or less, it is judged that the end surface (for example, the end surface 22ei) is good. Further, when the chamfering processing of the end surface (for example, the end surface 22E1) is performed by horizontal polishing, it is preferable. In the above determination step, when the average value (for example, AE1) of the luminance values of the pixels is 55 or more and 75 or less, it is determined that the end surface (for example, the surface 22; 1) is good. The above embodiment is merely an exemplification in all respects. The present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or the characteristics of the main 154439.doc-25·201140043. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a basic configuration of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a basic configuration of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing an end face (first example) of a chamfered glass plate, and Fig. 5(b) is an end face of a glass plate subjected to chamfering (second Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the vicinity of an inspection section on a conveyance line. Fig. 7 is a view for explaining a method for generating and recording information relating to the surface roughness of each end surface 22e of the glass sheet 22; Flow chart 8 is an explanatory diagram of an image or the like imaged in the first inspection section 30. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an image or the like imaged in the second inspection section 32. Fig. 1 shows that the system is recorded by the present invention. Digital image, that is, an example of a non-mirror surface locally (sub-picture A), all areas are examples of mirror states (sub-picture B) 'All areas are non-mirror examples (sub-picture c) Fig. 11 is a graph comparing the surface roughness inspection of the end portion of the image captured by the 3D laser microscope with the inspection of the present invention. [Explanation of main component symbols] 10 End face inspection device 12 Control devices 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, illumination mechanism 154439.doc ·26· 201140043 14D, 14L, 14R, 14U 16, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d camera mechanism 18 memory device 20, 20a, 20b sensor 22 glass plate 22εγ ~ 22E4 end face 30 First inspection section 32 Second inspection section 34 Transport line LDR Transport direction 154439.doc -27-

Claims (1)

201140043 VII. Patent application scope: 1. A method for inspecting the end face of a translucent rectangular plate, which is characterized by examining the surface state of the end face of the translucent rectangular plate which has been chamfered. The method includes: an imaging step of: moving the imaging mechanism relatively from one end side of the end to the other end side, and facing an image including a portion of the end surface in the field of view of the imaging mechanism The continuous shooting and the storing step are performed, and the plurality of images successively captured are stored as data relating to the surface roughness of the end surface to the memory device. 2. The method for inspecting the end face of the translucent rectangular plate of the request item, further comprising: a μ operation step of constituting the plurality of images according to the plurality of consecutively captured images The average value of the brightness of each pixel on the end face is calculated. X. The end face inspection method of the translucent rectangular plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculating step comprises the step of, based on the plurality of consecutively captured images, for the plurality of images Calculating an average value of luminance values of respective pixels constituting the end surface included in each of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region t; the saving step includes the step of calculating the upper region, The average value of the luminance values of each of the middle region and the lower region is stored in the memory device as information relating to the surface roughness of the end face on which the chamfering is performed. 4. The method for inspecting the end face of the translucent rectangular plate according to claim 2 or 3, 154439.doc 201140043 includes: a comparison step of using the average value of the calculated brightness value and the predetermined threshold for determining the good or not The comparison is performed; and the determination step 'determines whether the end face is good or not based on the result of the comparison. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the average value of the brightness values of the pixels is represented by a gray scale value of 〇 255; the determining step is performed by the brightness value of the pixel. When the average value is 30 or less, it is judged that the above end faces are good. 6. The method for inspecting an end face of a translucent rectangular plate according to claim 4, wherein an average value of brightness values of said pixels is represented by a gray scale value of 〇 255 255; said chamfering processing is performed by buffing The above determination step determines that the end face is good when the average value of the luminance values of the pixels is 30 or more and 50 or less. The method for inspecting the end face of the translucent rectangular plate of the moon length item 4, wherein the average value of the brightness values of the pixels is represented by a gray scale value of 〇 255, and the chamfering processing is performed by horizontal grinding; In the above determination step, when the average value of the luminance values of the pixels is 55 or more, the end surface is determined to be good. : Inspection of the end face of the translucent rectangular plate of any one of Items 1 to 7 154439.doc 201140043 The adjacent sides of the above-mentioned translucent rectangular plate are continuously inspected. 9. The method of inspecting an end face of a translucent rectangular plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the four sides of the translucent rectangular plate are continuously inspected in the production step. 10. The method of inspecting an end face of a translucent rectangular plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein it is checked whether the end face has been mirror-finished. The end face inspection method of the translucent rectangular plate member according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the translucent rectangular plate member is a glass substrate for a flat panel display. 12. The method for inspecting an end face of a translucent rectangular plate according to claim 11, wherein the glass substrate for the flat panel display has a short side of 19 mm or more and a long side of 2200 mm or more, and the four sides are continuously inspected. A translucent rectangular plate member which was inspected by the end face inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. An end face inspection device which automatically performs an end face inspection method of a light transmissive rectangular plate according to any one of claims 1 to 12 in accordance with a pre-programmed step. 154439.doc