JP4175783B2 - Spacer spraying device and liquid crystal display device production system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a spacer spraying device for spraying spacers on a substrate, which is a component of a liquid crystal display device, and a liquid crystal display element production system including the spacer spraying device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A liquid crystal display element is formed by stacking a pair of substrates such as a glass plate provided with electrode layers facing each other and enclosing a liquid crystal therebetween. At this time, in order to avoid display unevenness of the liquid crystal display and improve display quality, the liquid crystal is sealed so as to be distributed with a uniform thickness between the two substrates. For this reason, in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel, fine particles having a size of several μm to 10 μm made of plastic or glass are spread on the surface of one substrate, and the other substrate is superimposed on the other substrate. The liquid crystal gap is kept uniform.
[0003]
FIG. 6 shows this situation. The electrode layers 2a and 2b are provided on the surfaces of the pair of substrates 1a and 1b, respectively. Both substrates 1a and 1b are overlapped with the surfaces provided with the electrode layers 2a and 2b facing each other, and granular spacers 3 are distributed in the middle. By thus interposing the spacer 3 in the middle, the liquid crystal gap between the substrates 1a and 1b is kept uniform, and the thickness of the liquid crystal 4 to be sealed later is made uniform. A sealing material 5 that restricts the flow of the liquid crystal 4 within a certain region is also included between the substrates 1a and 1b.
[0004]
In order to keep the liquid crystal gap uniform, it is important that the spacers 3 are evenly distributed on the substrate 1 in addition to the size of the spacers 3 being uniform. When the spacer 3 is unevenly distributed on the substrate 1, the liquid crystal gap becomes non-uniform due to this, which may cause a deterioration in display quality of the liquid crystal display.
[0005]
Usually, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display element using a glass material as a substrate (hereinafter referred to as “glass liquid crystal display element”), an alignment agent is printed on two substrates 1 on which electrode layers having a predetermined pattern are formed. Then, an orientation treatment such as rubbing is performed. Thereafter, the sealing material 5 having a predetermined shape is printed on one glass substrate 1a, the spacers 3 as described above are uniformly dispersed on the other substrate 1b, and the substrates 1a and 1b are overlapped, followed by pressure firing. A cell is formed. Next, after the liquid crystal 4 is vacuum sealed in the cell, a polarizing film is attached to one or both sides of the cell to obtain a liquid crystal display element.
[0006]
In a liquid crystal display element using a plastic film as a substrate (hereinafter referred to as “film liquid crystal display element”), basically, the same manufacturing process as that of the above-described glass liquid crystal display element is employed.
[0007]
FIG. 7 shows an outline of a spacer spraying apparatus 10 according to the prior art that uniformly sprays spacers 3 on a substrate (hereinafter, the substrate is referred to as “work” in the description of the manufacturing process). In the figure, the spacer spraying device 10 is mainly composed of a spray tank 11, an air supply source 30, and a spacer supply source 40. Among them, the spraying tank 11 is provided with a carry-in gate 12 and a carry-out gate 13, and enables the work 1 to be loaded into the spray tank 11 and carried out to the outside. The spray tank 11 is further provided with an exhaust hole 14 so that the atmosphere inside the spray tank 11 can be sucked to make the inside negative. The work 1 carried into the spraying tank 11 is placed substantially horizontally on the work stage 15, and is sucked and held by a suction unit 16 provided on the work stage 15. At this time, the workpiece 1 is generally placed on the workpiece stage 15 in a planar shape.
[0008]
A spray nozzle 21 that sprays the spacer 3 toward the work 1 is disposed at an upper position facing the surface of the work 1. A spacer supply source 40 including the spacers 3 to be sprayed and an air supply source 30 for pressurizing and spraying the spacers are coupled to the spray nozzle 21. The amount of air necessary for spraying is controlled by the air supply valve 31. The spacer dispersion 41 including the spacer 3 is stored in the tank 42, sucked by the circulation pump 43, and supplied to the spray nozzle 21. The supply amount at that time is controlled by the supply valve 44.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The workpiece 1 on which the spacers 3 are dispersed by the spacer spraying device 10 as shown in FIG. 7 is unloaded from the unloading gate 13 of the spraying tank 11 to the outside of the device by the unillustrated transporting device and transported to the next step. At this time, the conveying device conveys the workpiece 1 by holding the workpiece 1 from the lower surface.
[0010]
When the substrate of the liquid crystal display element uses a glass plate, there is no problem by using the above transport method. However, in the case of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element using a plastic film as a member of the substrate, the plastic film has flexibility, so that the work 1 cannot be held and conveyed from the lower surface. For this reason, when the substrate of a plastic film is used, the workpiece | work 1 is picked up from the upper surface with a conveying device, lifted, and conveyed. Here, as the suction member used in the conveying device, a rubber suction member is generally used so that the workpiece 1 can be reliably held and is not damaged when contacting the workpiece 1. ing.
[0011]
When the plastic film substrate 1 is unloaded from the spacer spraying device 10, countless spacers 3 are already sprayed on the upper surface of the substrate 1. Therefore, when the substrate 1 is to be sucked from the upper surface, the spacer 3 is transferred to the suction portion side of the transport device that performs the suction operation in the state as it is. For this reason, only a small number of workpieces 1 are conveyed, and the spacer 3 attached to the suction portion becomes an obstacle, and the contact between the workpiece 1 and the suction portion becomes insufficient. In such a case, there is a problem that the suction force of the suction part of the transport device does not act, and the substrate 1 cannot be transported.
[0012]
Further, in the film liquid crystal display element, an opening 6 is provided in the substrate 1 before overlapping, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in order to constitute an extraction electrode of the liquid crystal display element. There is a need. In the case of a glass liquid crystal display element, even if the liquid crystal display element is cut out at an arbitrary position, Form However, since the film liquid crystal display element having flexibility is difficult to cut, the opening 6 is provided in advance. The opening 6 is necessary for both the substrate on the side where the extraction electrode is formed and the substrate on the opposite side. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the substrate 1 having such an opening 6, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the substrate 1 taken along the line aa in FIG. 8A. The illustrated opening 6 is an example, and the number, size, and arrangement can be arbitrarily set according to the purpose.
[0013]
When the substrate having such an opening 6, that is, the work 1 is fixed to the work stage 15 of the spacer spraying device 10 and the spacer spraying operation is performed, the spacer 3 ejected from the spray nozzle 21 is spread over the entire surface of the work 1. Evenly spread. For this reason, the spacer 3 passes through the opening 6 and is deposited on the work stage 15 in the opening 6. When this operation is repeated for a plurality of workpieces 1, the spacers 3 are gradually deposited on the workpiece stage 15. Then, the spacer 3 aggregated in this portion is reattached to the newly loaded workpiece 1, and there is a problem that the yield of the workpiece 1 is reduced.
[0014]
Therefore, the present invention solves the problems in the prior art as described above, and even when the spacers 3 are scattered on the plastic film substrate 1 provided with the openings 6, the front and rear are not affected by the adhesion of the spacers 3. A spacer spraying device capable of stabilizing the conveyance of the work 1 to the process, preventing aggregation of the spacers 3 and improving the yield of the work 1, and a liquid crystal display element production system including the space spraying device It is intended to provide.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, the above-described problem is solved by selectively covering a part of the work when spraying the spacer, shielding the spacer from adhering to the part, and supporting the work in a point form at a plurality of places instead of a plane. This is to be solved by supporting, and specifically includes the following contents.
[0016]
That is, The present invention Includes a work stage that holds the substrate substantially horizontally, a spray nozzle that is disposed at a position facing a substantially horizontal surface of the substrate and sprays spacers on the substrate, and the work stage and the spray nozzle. A spacer spraying device configured to spray a spacer on the surface of the substrate, the mask mechanism configured to selectively cover a portion of the surface of the substrate and shield the adhesion of the spacer to the portion. Further, the present invention relates to a spacer spraying device. Adsorption from the upper surface of the substrate is facilitated, and conveyance is stabilized.
[0017]
Spacer The spraying device includes a spraying mask that covers a portion of the surface of the substrate and allows the spacer to adhere to other substrate surfaces, and a lifting mechanism that moves the spraying mask up and down. It is characterized by that.
[0018]
Also, The spacer spraying device is characterized in that the spray mask covers at least a portion where the transport device that transports the substrate contacts the substrate. This prevents the spacer from adhering to the portion to be adsorbed by the conveying device.
[0019]
further, The spacer spraying device is characterized in that the transport device sucks and transports the substrate on its upper surface. By avoiding the adhesion of the spacer, it is possible to stabilize the suction and transport on the upper surface.
[0020]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying device according to the present invention is characterized in that the transport device exchanges the spray mask. The conveying device also serves as a device for exchanging the spray mask, thereby simplifying the device.
[0021]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the spray mask is made of a metal plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less. This prevents the spacers from adhering to the edge of the spray mask as much as possible.
[0022]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying device according to the above is characterized in that the spray mask is made of a metal plate having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. This is a more preferable condition for avoiding adhesion of the spacer.
[0023]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the metal plate is made of stainless steel. By using high rigidity, the plate thickness is reduced and the effect of avoiding charging of the spray mask is obtained.
[0024]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the spray tank further includes an exhaust hole capable of sucking the atmosphere in the spray tank.
[0025]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying device according to the above is characterized in that the exhaust hole sucks the atmosphere in the spray tank while the spray mask constituting the mask mechanism is replaced. This prevents the spacer from leaking to the outside.
[0026]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying device according to the present invention is characterized by including a control mechanism that automatically changes spraying conditions for spraying the spacer immediately after the replacement of the spraying mask. It is intended to stabilize the quality corresponding to the change in the spacer density after suction.
[0027]
Other forms of the invention The spacer spraying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the change of the spraying condition is to increase the spacer spraying time by 15% with respect to the normal spraying time.
[0028]
Other forms of the invention Is a liquid crystal element production system for producing a liquid crystal display element in which spacers are dispersed between substrates having a pair of electrode layers to overlap the substrates and liquid crystal is sealed between the substrates. The present invention relates to a production system for a liquid crystal display element comprising the spacer spraying device according to claim 1. A liquid crystal display element can be produced more efficiently.
[0029]
Other forms of the invention The liquid crystal display element production system according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal display element production system, in addition to the spacer spraying device, at least a spacer / bake furnace, a spacer / counter, and a transport device that connects the spacers. It is characterized by that.
[0030]
Other forms of the invention The liquid crystal display element production system according to the present invention is characterized in that the transport device sucks and transports a substrate constituting the liquid crystal display element from the upper surface.
[0031]
A production system for a liquid crystal display element according to the present invention as set forth in claim 21 is characterized in that a stocker for temporarily storing the spray mask is provided either before or after the spacer spray device or both. .
[0032]
Other forms of the invention The liquid crystal display element production system according to claim 18 is characterized in that the liquid crystal display element production system according to any one of claims 18 to 21 produces a liquid crystal display element comprising a plastic film substrate. Since it becomes easy to adsorb the substrate from the upper surface, application to a liquid crystal display element having a plastic film substrate has many merits.
[0033]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a spacer spraying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those of the prior art described above.
[0034]
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a spacer spraying device 50 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the spacer spraying device 50 according to the present embodiment is mainly composed of a spray tank 11, an air supply source 30, and a spacer supply source 40. The spraying tank 11 is provided with a carry-in gate 12 and a carry-out gate 13 for carrying in / out the work 1 and an exhaust hole 14 that can suck the atmosphere inside the spray tank 11 and make it negative pressure. .
[0035]
The spray tank 11 is provided with a work stage 55 at the center thereof, and the work 1 is fixed substantially horizontally on the work stage 55 when spacers are sprayed. For this reason, a plurality of support pins 18 that can support the work 1 in a flat manner from the back surface extend on the work stage 55, and the work 1 is sucked and held at the portions that contact both edges of the work 1 in the figure. An adsorbing portion 56 is provided. A spray nozzle 21 is disposed at an upper position facing the surface of the work 1, and the spacer 3 is sprayed from the spray nozzle 21 toward the work 1. An air supply source 30 and a spacer supply source 40 are coupled to the spray nozzle 21.
[0036]
In addition to the above, the spacer spraying device 50 according to the present embodiment selectively covers a part of the work 1 placed on the work stage 55 and closes the work 1 so as to shield the adhesion of the spacer 3. A mask mechanism including a mask 61 and an elevating mechanism 62 that moves the spray mask 61 up and down is further provided.
[0037]
In the operation of the spacer spraying device 50 configured as described above, the workpiece 1 is loaded from the loading gate 12 by the workpiece transfer device described later and placed on the workpiece stage 55. FIG. 2 shows a state of the work 1 placed on the work stage 55 in the spraying tank 11. In the work stage 55, a large number of support pins 18 are erected so as to have the same height so that the work 1 can be supported in a plurality of positions from the lower side, and the opening 6 of the work 1 is provided. (Hereinafter, it is referred to as “effective area of the work”.) The whole is kept flat by the support pins 18. The number and arrangement of the support pins 18 can be arbitrarily selected according to the thickness, shape and application of the workpiece 1.
[0038]
In FIG. 2, in a region where the opening 6 on the front side and the rear side of the workpiece 1 is not provided (hereinafter referred to as “work ineffective region”), the suction portion 56 of the workpiece stage 55 sucks the workpiece 1 from below. And hold this. The suction portion 56 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 19 indicated by broken lines.
[0039]
When the workpiece 1 is fixed on the workpiece stage 55 in the state shown in FIG. 2, the spreading mask 61 located at the position facing the workpiece 1 held on the workpiece stage 55 is then placed as shown in FIG. Then, it is lowered by the operation of the elevating mechanism 62 and comes into close contact with the work 1 as shown in FIG. The spreading mask 61 selectively shields the adhesion of the spacer 3 to the covered portion of the workpiece 1 by covering a predetermined area of the workpiece 1.
[0040]
Thus, the spray mask 61 , The spray nozzle 21 starts spraying the spacer 3 toward the work 1 as shown in FIG. From the spray nozzle 21 installed in the upper part of the spray tank 11, the spacer dispersion liquid 41 is ejected from the spacer supply source 40 toward the work 1 by the action of compressed air from the air supply source 30. As a result, the spacer 3 is spread over the entire surface of the workpiece 1, but the adhesion of the spacer 3 to the region covered with the spreading mask 61 is shielded as described above. Further, the spacer 3 dropped to the portion corresponding to the opening 6 of the work 1 passes through the opening 6 since the work 1 is supported by the support pins 18 and the lower side of the work 1 is hollow. It falls down.
[0041]
Here, the spacer dispersion liquid 41 is a dispersion of the spacer 3 with a predetermined concentration using alcohol, water, or a mixture thereof as a solvent. When the dispersion of the spacer 3 from the spray nozzle 21 is finished using the spacer dispersion liquid 41, the spacer 3 is allowed to stand for a predetermined time until a certain amount of the spacer 3 floating in the spray tank 11 settles on the work 1, and thereafter The work 1 is unloaded from the spray tank 11. Each time required for these varies depending on the product, but as an example, the time for spraying the spacers 3 is about 10 seconds, and the time for allowing the spacers 3 to stand is about 30 seconds.
[0042]
The spacer 3 spraying method described above relates to what is called a wet method or a semi-dry method using the spacer dispersion liquid 41. However, the present invention is not limited to these systems, and can be applied to a so-called dry spray system that does not use the spacer dispersion liquid 41.
[0043]
Next, FIG. 4 shows an example of a transfer device (hereinafter referred to as “transfer robot”) 65 when the work 1 is carried out from the spraying tank 11. At the time of unloading, the spray mask 61 is first separated from the work 1 by the operation of the lifting mechanism 62, and then the two arms 66 extending from the transfer robot 65 are brought into contact with the upper surface of the work 1 to suck them. Lift from stage 55. Next, the transfer robot 65 extends in the right direction in the drawing, passes through the carry-out gate 13 (see FIG. 1) of the spray tank 11, and carries the workpiece 1 to the outside. Although FIG. 4 shows the operation at the time of carrying out the workpiece 1, this transfer robot 65 may be used as it is at the time of carrying in. That is, the transfer robot 65 sucks the work 1 transferred from the previous process, moves to the position facing the work stage 55 through the carry-in gate 12 of the spraying tank 11, and places the work 1 on the work stage 55. It may be arranged.
[0044]
In FIG. 4, a plurality of suction pads 67 indicated by broken lines for sucking the workpiece 1 are arranged on the lower surfaces of the two arms 66 of the transfer robot 65. When the suction pad 67 sucks the workpiece 1, if the spacer 3 is attached to the surface of the workpiece 1 at the suction position, the spacer 3 is attached to the suction pad 67, that is, the suction operation of the workpiece 1 becomes insufficient. For this reason, the spreading mask 61 effectively covers the workpiece 1 at a position corresponding to the suction pads 67 arranged on the two arms 66. As a result, the spacer 3 ejected from the spray nozzle 21 does not adhere to the covered region, and the suction pad 67 causes a suction failure even when the work 1 is sucked by the arm 66 after spraying. Is avoided. Since the arrangement of the spreading mask 61 and the arm 66 is a non-effective area of the work, there is no practical problem even if the spacer 3 is not sprayed in this area by covering the work 1 with the spreading mask 61.
[0045]
The thickness of the spray mask 61 is desirably 0.5 mm or less. If it exceeds 0.5 mm, the sprayed spacer 3 tends to collect on the end face of the spray mask 61, and the spray mask 61 must be replaced frequently. Moreover, the thickness can be reduced to about 0.1 mm by making the material of the spreading | diffusion mask 61 into metal plates, such as a highly rigid stainless steel. Moreover, if the material of the spreading mask 61 is a metal, it will also help to prevent the spreading mask 61 from being charged.
[0046]
However, after processing a certain number of workpieces 1, the spacers 3 are also deposited on the surface and edge portions of the spray mask 61. Therefore, it is desirable to replace the spraying mask 61 after the spacer spraying process of a certain number of workpieces 1 is performed. When the spray mask 61 is replaced, it is efficient to use an arm 66 of the transfer robot 65 as shown in FIG. That is, the arm 66 is moved between the spray mask 61 and the work stage 55, the spray mask 61 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 62, and this is placed on the arm 66. Thereafter, the arm 66 is extended in the direction of the carry-out gate 13 (or in the direction of the carry-in gate 12) of the spraying tank 11 in the same manner as when the workpiece 1 is transported, and the spray mask 61 is taken out to the outside. .
[0047]
When a new spray mask 61 is attached, contrary to the above, the transport robot 65 on the work 1 loading side is used, and the spray mask 61 is placed on the arm 66 and loaded into the spray tank 11 from the loading gate 12. Then, the spray mask 61 is fixed to the lifting mechanism 62 by operating the lifting mechanism 62. Alternatively, the transport robot 65 on the carry-out side is used as it is, and immediately after the used spray mask 61 is carried out, the replacement spray mask 61 is mounted on the transport mask 65 and the transport robot 65 is moved in the reverse direction to spread the spray tank. 11 may carry the spray mask 61 into. In order to securely mount and hold the spray mask 61 on the arm 66, a suction pad may be provided on the upper surface of the arm 66 if necessary. Alternatively, the arm 66 may be rotatable about the longitudinal axis, and the spray mask 61 may be fixed by suction using the suction pad 67 for suctioning the workpiece 1.
[0048]
During the replacement of the spraying mask 61, the inside of the spraying tank 11 is exhausted using the exhaust hole 14, and the inside of the spraying tank 11 is made negative pressure from the outside to prevent the spacer 3 from leaking out of the apparatus. preferable. At this time, the spacer concentration in the spraying tank 11 is reduced by evacuating the spraying tank 11 when the spraying mask 61 is replaced. Immediately after changing the spray mask, it has been found that the surface density of the spacers 3 sprayed on the workpiece 1 is reduced by about 15% under the constant spray condition as compared with that before the spray mask 61 is replaced. Yes. Therefore, when performing the spacer spraying on the first workpiece 1 immediately after the spraying mask replacement, the desired spacer spraying density can be obtained by changing the condition so that the amount of the spacer dispersion 41 sprayed is increased by 15%. Can do. This can be easily automated by setting the program so that the spraying time is about 15% longer than the normal condition.
[0049]
Returning to FIG. 2, the suction portion 56 provided for sucking and fixing the workpiece 1 by the workpiece stage 55 is exposed in the time zone when the workpiece 1 is not mounted. There is a possibility that the floating spacer 3 falls on the suction portion 56 and impedes the suction operation. In order to prevent this, when the workpiece 1 is not mounted, it is preferable to perform control to switch the valve so that nitrogen or dry air is constantly ejected from the adsorption portion 56.
[0050]
The suction portion 56 is intended to hold the workpiece 1 flat when the spacer 3 is sprayed from the spray nozzle 21, and the workpiece 1 is blown up and moved by the spraying of the spacer 3 from the spray nozzle 21. It also plays a role in preventing this. In the spacer spraying device 50 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the spray mask 61 is in close contact with and covers the upper surface of the work 1, so that the spray mask 61 moves the work 1 described above. Blocking. For this reason, in the adsorption | suction part 56 which concerns on this invention, it can only adsorb | suck the required minimum area | region vicinity of the part which the workpiece | work 1 and the arm 66 of the conveyance robot 65 contact, and the area of the effective area | region of a workpiece | work can be enlarged. Can be taken. As a result, the yield of the product can be improved, or the entire spacer spraying device can be reduced in size.
[0051]
If the component that fixes the support pin 18 that holds the workpiece 1 in a dot shape from the bottom on the work stage 55 is of a type that can be detached from the work stage 55 main body, the support pin 18 is fixed. This part can be removed together with the support pin 18, which is convenient for operations such as removing the spacer 3 deposited on this part.
[0052]
Next, FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a production system of a liquid crystal display element including the spacer spraying device 50 according to the present invention. In this production system, a spacer spraying device 50, a spacer bake furnace 70, and a spacer counter 75 are arranged from the right side of the figure, and a transfer robot 65 (R1 to R3) is connected therebetween. The workpiece 1 is loaded from the right side of the figure as shown by the arrow, and after the spacer 3 spraying step by the spacer spraying device 50, the spacer 3 sprayed on the surface of the workpiece 1 is baked and hardened in the next spacer bake furnace 70. Thereafter, the spacer counter 75 checks whether the distribution density of the spacers 3 on the surface of the workpiece 1 is as predetermined. When the spacer counter 75 shows a change in the distribution density of the spacers 3 on the surface of the workpiece 1, it is possible to feed back the change of the spraying condition to the spacer spraying device 50.
[0053]
Before and after the spacer spraying device 50, stockers 68a and 68b for storing the spray mask 61 are arranged. In the illustrated example, the transport robot R1 takes out the replacement spray mask 61 from the stocker 68a and supplies it to the spacer spray device 50, and the transport robot R2 takes out the used spray mask 61 and returns it to the stocker 68b. After being used, the spray mask 61 after use is returned to the stocker 68a after being used for cleaning, and the spray mask 61 can be used repeatedly thereafter. The replacement frequency of the spray mask 61 can be arbitrarily set according to the purpose of use, but is normally changed every time 10 to several tens of workpieces 1 are processed. Further, when the spacer counter 75 detects the adhesion of the spacer 3 to the specific region, it is also possible to perform feedback for promoting the replacement of the spray mask 61.
[0054]
As described above, the spacer dispersing apparatus and the liquid crystal display element production system according to the present invention have been described by taking as an example the manufacture of a liquid crystal display element using a plastic film as a substrate material. The spacer spraying device according to the present invention is particularly advantageous when applied to a film liquid crystal display element that needs to hold a workpiece by suction from above, but the application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and glass is used. The present invention can be similarly applied to the production of a glass liquid crystal display element as a substrate material. For example, at present, in the case of a glass liquid crystal display element, the transport device holds and transports it from the lower side, but depending on the mounting conditions on the next processing station, the portion of the transport device held on the lower side may be It has become a hindrance, and it has been necessary to change the workpiece 1 so that it is supported by, for example, both edges by another conveying device. According to the production system according to the present invention, since the workpiece is held from the upper side, it is usually easy to place the workpiece under any conditions, and it is not necessary to carry out such a change and the conveyance is efficiently performed. be able to.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
By carrying out the spacer spraying apparatus according to the present invention, a mask mechanism for selectively shielding the surface of the work (ie, substrate) on which the spacer is sprayed is provided. Even in the case of the conveying system for suction, it is possible to avoid the spacer from adhering to the suction part of the hand part of the work transporting apparatus, and to stabilize the work transport to the previous and subsequent processes. Further, since the workpiece is supported in the form of dots from behind, the spacers can be prevented from aggregating on the workpiece stage for fixing the workpiece, and the yield of the product can be improved.
[0056]
In addition, since the spray mask can be replaced using a workpiece transfer device, the spray mask can be easily replaced, and since there is no need to prepare a separate spray mask take-out mechanism, the mechanism is simplified, and the device Cost is kept low. During replacement of the spray mask, the spacer can be prevented from coming out of the apparatus by opening the exhaust shutter, exhausting the spray tank, and making the spray tank a negative pressure from the outside.
[0057]
Furthermore, by adopting a detachable substrate holding part that supports the workpiece in a dot-like shape from below in the spacer spraying device, it is possible to facilitate cleaning such as removing spacers accumulated on the part, and maintenance. Can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outline of a spacer spraying device according to the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing a work stage constituting the spacer spraying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a work stage and a mask mechanism constituting the spacer spraying device shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a transport device used in the spacer spraying device according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a production system of a liquid crystal display element including a spacer spraying device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display element.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an outline of a spacer spraying device according to the prior art.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are a plan view and a side cross-sectional view showing a plastic film substrate constituting a liquid crystal display element. FIGS.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 1a, 1b. Substrate (work), 2a, 2b. 2. electrode layer; Spacer, 4. Liquid crystal; Seal material, 6. Opening, 10. 10. Spacer spraying device Spray tank, 12. Loading gate, 13. Unloading gate, 14. 15. exhaust hole; Work stage 16. Adsorption part, 18. Support pins, 19. Suction hole, 21. Spray nozzle, 50. Spacer spraying device, 55. Work stage, 56. Adsorption part, 61. Spreading mask, 62. Lifting mechanism, 65. Transport robot, 66. Arm, 67. Suction pad, 68. Scatter mask / stocker.

Claims (14)

A work stage that holds the substrate substantially horizontally; a spray nozzle that is disposed at a position facing a substantially horizontal surface of the substrate and sprays spacers on the substrate; and a periphery including the work stage and the spray nozzle A spacer spraying device that sprays spacers on the surface of the substrate, and further includes a mask mechanism that selectively covers a portion of the surface of the substrate and shields the spacer from adhering to the portion. See
The mask mechanism is composed of a spreading mask that covers a portion of the surface of the substrate and allows the spacer to adhere to other substrate surfaces, and an elevating mechanism that moves the spreading mask up and down.
The spray mask covers at least a portion where the transfer device that transfers the substrate contacts the substrate;
A spacer spraying device , wherein the transport device sucks and transports the substrate on its upper surface . The spacer spraying device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport device exchanges the spray mask. The spacer spraying device according to claim 1 , wherein the spray mask is made of a metal plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less. The spacer spraying device according to claim 1 , wherein the spray mask is made of a metal plate having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. The spacer sprayer according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the metal plate is made of stainless steel. The spacer spraying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the spraying tank further includes an exhaust hole capable of sucking an atmosphere in the spraying tank. The spacer spraying device according to claim 6 , wherein the exhaust hole sucks the atmosphere in the spray tank while the spray mask constituting the mask mechanism is replaced. The spacer spraying apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a control mechanism that automatically changes spraying conditions for spraying the spacer immediately after the spray mask is replaced. The spacer spraying device according to claim 8 , wherein the change of the spraying condition is to increase the spacer spraying time by 15% with respect to the normal spraying time. A liquid crystal element production system for producing a liquid crystal display element in which spacers are scattered between a pair of electrode layers to overlap the substrates and liquid crystal is sealed between the substrates. A production system for a liquid crystal display element, comprising the spacer dispersion device according to item 9 . Production system of the liquid crystal display element, in addition to the spacer spraying apparatus, characterized in that it comprises at least spacer baking oven, a spacer counter, a conveying device connecting between each of claim 10 The production system of the liquid crystal display element described in 1. 12. The production system for a liquid crystal display element according to claim 11 , wherein the transport device sucks and transports a substrate constituting the liquid crystal display element from an upper surface. Either one or both the front and rear of the spacer spraying apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a temporary storing stocker said spraying mask manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device according to claims 10 to claim 12. The production system for a liquid crystal display element according to any one of claims 10 to 13 , wherein the production system for the liquid crystal display element produces a liquid crystal display element made of a plastic film substrate. .

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