JP5281725B2 - Substrate transport mechanism and reversing mechanism in polarizing film laminating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport mechanism and a reversing mechanism in a polarizing film bonding apparatus.

  Conventionally, liquid crystal display devices have been widely manufactured. In general, a polarizing film is bonded to a substrate (liquid crystal panel) used in a liquid crystal display device in order to control transmission or blocking of light. The polarizing film is bonded so that the absorption axes thereof are orthogonal.

  As a method of bonding the polarizing film to the substrate, a so-called chip to panel method in which the polarizing film is bonded to the substrate after being cut into a size corresponding to the substrate can be mentioned. However, this method has a disadvantage that the production efficiency is low because the polarizing films are bonded to the substrate one by one. On the other hand, as another method, there is a so-called roll to panel method in which a polarizing film is supplied to a conveyor roll and continuously bonded to a substrate. According to this method, bonding can be performed with high production efficiency.

  As an example of the roll to panel method, Patent Document 1 discloses an optical display device manufacturing system. The said manufacturing system rotates a board | substrate after bonding an optical film (polarizing film) on the upper surface of a board | substrate, and bonds a polarizing film from a lower surface.

Japanese Patent No. 4307510 (issued on August 5, 2009)

  However, the conventional apparatus has the following problems.

  First, when a polarizing film is bonded to a substrate, work is usually performed in a clean room in order to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the bonding surface. In the clean room, air is rectified. This is because it is necessary to bond the polarizing film in a state in which rectification is performed on the substrate in a downflow in order to suppress the yield reduction due to the foreign matter.

  In this regard, the manufacturing system of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a polarizing film is bonded to the substrate from the upper surface and the lower surface. However, when bonding is performed from the upper surface of the polarizing film, there is a demerit that airflow (downflow) is hindered by the polarizing film and the rectification environment to the substrate is deteriorated. As an example of pasting from the upper surface of the polarizing film, FIGS. 9A and 9B show air velocity vectors in the top-paste type manufacturing system. In FIG. 9, area A is an area where an unwinding part for unwinding the polarizing film is installed, area B is an area through which the polarizing film mainly passes, and area C is peeled off from the polarizing film. This is an area in which a take-up unit or the like for winding the film is installed.

  Clean air is supplied from a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter 40. In FIG. 9A, since the grating 41 through which clean air can pass is installed, the airflow can move in the vertical direction via the grating 41. On the other hand, in FIG. 9B, since the grating 41 is not installed, the airflow moves along the floor after contacting the floor at the bottom of FIG. 9B.

  9A and 9B, the areas A to C are arranged in the 2F (second floor) portion, and the clean air from the HEPA filter 40 is blocked by the polarizing film. Therefore, it is difficult to generate an airflow in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate passing through the 2F portion. On the other hand, the airflow vector in the horizontal direction is large (vector density is high). That is, it can be said that the rectification environment has deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and includes a first substrate transport mechanism that transports a rectangular substrate in a state in which a long side or a short side is along a transport direction, and the short side of the substrate. Alternatively, in the reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism including the second substrate transport mechanism that transports the long side along the transport direction, the above-described transported by the first substrate transport mechanism by the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit. It is based on the first technical idea of reversing the substrate and changing the arrangement and arranging it in the second substrate transport mechanism, and the purpose thereof is a polarizing film laminating apparatus that does not disturb the rectifying environment and An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing system of a liquid crystal display device including the above.

  Further, the present invention provides a first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a rectangular substrate with a long side or a short side along the transport direction, and transports the substrate with a short side or a long side along the transport direction. In a reversing mechanism in a substrate transporting mechanism comprising a second substrate transporting mechanism that rotates, a substrate reversing unit that rotates about a reversing axis that is arranged at a fixed inclination with respect to the transporting direction of the substrate, based on rotational driving of a driving device. The reversing operation is based on the second technical idea of reversing the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism and changing the placement and placing it on the second substrate transporting mechanism. The purpose is to reverse the substrate by one reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit, to change the direction of the short side and the long side along the transport direction of the substrate, and to shorten the tact time. It is to make it possible can be.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (first invention) according to claim 1 is:
A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
In a substrate transport mechanism comprising a second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state where a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism,
The reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism, and changes the arrangement of the long side or the short side of the substrate in the transport direction to the second substrate transport mechanism. It consists of a reversing mechanism configured to be arranged.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (second invention) according to claim 2 is:
In the first invention,
The reversing mechanism includes a substrate reversing portion that rotates around a reversing axis disposed at a certain inclination with respect to the transport direction of the substrate by a rotational drive of a driving device and performs a reversing operation.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (third invention) according to claim 3 is:
In the second invention,
The inclination of the inversion axis is 45 °.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (fourth invention) according to claim 4 is:
In the third invention,
A linear end opposite to the reversing axis of the substrate reversing portion is disposed with an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the reversing axis.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (fifth invention) according to claim 5 is:
In any one of the second invention to the fourth invention,
The reversing shaft of the reversing mechanism, the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism, and the substrate reversed by the substrate reversing unit on the second substrate transporting mechanism are disposed on the same plane. Is.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (sixth invention) according to claim 6 is:
In any one of the second invention to the fifth invention,
The reversing mechanism includes means for allowing the reversing shaft to be lifted, tilted and adjusted in position.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the present invention (seventh invention) according to claim 7 is:
In any one of the first invention to the sixth invention,
Two reversing mechanisms are disposed on both sides of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in the width direction , and the substrates transported by the first substrate transport mechanism are alternately disposed on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism. Two substrate platforms to be transported are disposed, and the substrates transported to the two substrate platforms are alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed to It is comprised so that it may arrange | position to a 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (the eighth invention) according to claim 8 is:
A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
A first bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state in which a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism;
In the polarizing film bonding apparatus including the second bonding portion for bonding the polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism,
The substrate reversing section reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism by the reversing operation around the reversing axis disposed to be inclined with respect to the transport direction of the substrate, and the long side of the substrate or The reversing mechanism is configured such that the arrangement of the short side in the carrying direction is changed and arranged in the second substrate carrying mechanism.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (the ninth invention) according to claim 9 is:
A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
A first bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state in which a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second bonding part for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism;
A polarizing film laminating apparatus comprising: a holding unit that holds the substrate conveyed by the first substrate conveying mechanism; and a holding mechanism that controls the holding unit to a held state or a state in which the holding is released.
Based on the rotational drive of the driving device, the first reversing operation around the reversing axis of the substrate reversing portion, which is connected to the holding portion of the holding mechanism and tilted with respect to the substrate transport direction , is performed. The substrate transported by the substrate transport mechanism and inverted by the substrate holding unit is reversed, and the arrangement of the long side or the short side of the substrate with respect to the transport direction is changed and disposed in the second substrate transport mechanism. It consists of the reversing mechanism that has been.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (tenth invention) according to claim 10 is:
In the eighth invention or the ninth invention,
Inversion axis as the center of rotation of the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit is be one that is arranged at an inclination of 45 ° to the conveying direction of the substrate.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (11th invention) according to claim 11 is:
In the tenth invention,
A linear end opposite to the reversing axis of the substrate reversing portion is disposed with an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the reversing axis.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (the twelfth invention) according to claim 12 is:
In the eleventh invention,
The inversion axis is located within a plane parallel to the plane in which the lower surface of the substrate disposed inverted in the lower surface and the second substrate transport mechanism of the substrate in the first substrate transporting mechanism is arranged Is.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (13th invention) according to claim 13 is:
In any one of the tenth invention to the twelfth invention,
The reversing shaft of the reversing mechanism, the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism, and the substrate reversed by the substrate reversing unit on the second substrate transporting mechanism are disposed on the same plane. Is.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (14th invention) according to claim 14 is:
In any one of the tenth to thirteenth inventions,
The reversing mechanism includes means for allowing the reversing shaft to be lifted, tilted and adjusted in position.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the present invention (15th invention) according to claim 15 is:
In any one of the eighth invention to the fourteenth invention,
Two reversing mechanisms are disposed on both sides of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in the width direction , and the substrates transported by the first substrate transport mechanism are alternately disposed on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism. Two substrate platforms to be transported are disposed, and the substrates transported to the two substrate platforms are alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed to It is comprised so that it may be arrange | positioned at a 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism.

Other inventions will be described below.
In order to solve the above problems, the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the present invention transports a rectangular substrate with a long side or a short side along the transport direction, and the first substrate. A first bonding unit that bonds a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the transport mechanism; a reversing mechanism that reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism and places the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism; A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state where the short side or the long side is along the transport direction, and a second bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism; The first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism transport the substrate in the same direction, and the long side or the short side of the first substrate transport mechanism is transported. The substrate along the direction is sucked and inverted The second substrate transport mechanism includes a reversing mechanism for bringing the short side or the long side along the transport direction, and the reversing mechanism includes a suction unit that sucks the substrate, and a substrate reversing unit connected to the suction unit, The substrate reversing unit is for reversing the substrate by rotating along the reversal axis, and the reversal axis is located in the plane of (1) below and at the vertical position of (2) below. It is characterized by.
(1) In a plane perpendicular to the substrate, including a straight line that passes through the center of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism and has an inclination of 45 ° with respect to a straight line perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate. (2) First substrate Position perpendicular to the substrate in the transport mechanism According to the above invention, the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate by the first bonding portion, and the substrate is rotated by rotation along the reversal axis of the substrate reversing portion in the reversing mechanism. And the long side and the short side with respect to the transport direction can be changed. Then, a polarizing film can be bonded to the lower surface of a board | substrate by a 2nd bonding part. That is, since a polarizing film can be bonded from the lower surface to both surfaces of the substrate, the rectifying environment is not hindered. Moreover, since the operation of the reversing mechanism is a simple operation, the tact time is short. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time. Further, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism transport the substrate in the same direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus according to the present invention is very simple to install and is excellent in area efficiency.

  In the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are arranged in a straight line, and at the end of the first substrate transport mechanism on the second substrate transport mechanism side. The substrate mounting portion and the reversing mechanism are provided in two pairs along both directions parallel to the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism at the end portion, and the end portion includes the substrate from the end portion to the substrate. It is preferable that transport means for transporting the substrate to the placement unit is provided, and the reversing mechanism reverses the substrate transported to each of the substrate placement units and places it on the second substrate transport mechanism.

  According to the above configuration, since two reversing mechanisms are provided, it is possible to perform reversal processing of twice as many substrates per unit time. Thereby, since many substrates can be reversed per unit time, the tact time is shortened. Furthermore, since the 1st board | substrate conveyance mechanism and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism are arrange | positioned on the straight line, the bonding apparatus of the structure excellent in area efficiency can be provided.

  Moreover, in the bonding apparatus of the polarizing film of this invention, the 1st film conveyance mechanism and 2nd film conveyance mechanism which convey a polarizing film are provided, and the said 1st film conveyance mechanism was protected by the peeling film. A plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, a removing section for removing the release film from the polarizing film, and a plurality of winding sections for winding the removed release film are provided. The second film transport mechanism includes a plurality of unwinding sections for unwinding the polarizing film protected by the peeling film, a cutting section for cutting the polarizing film, and a removing section for removing the peeling film from the polarizing film. And a plurality of winding units for winding the removed release film, wherein the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are the first film transport machine. And the first film transport mechanism and the first substrate transport mechanism are provided at the upper part of the second film transport mechanism, and the first bonding section that bonds the polarizing film from which the release film has been removed to the substrate. It is preferable that the 2nd bonding part which bonds the polarizing film from which the said peeling film was removed to the board | substrate in between is provided between the said 2nd film conveyance mechanism and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism, respectively.

  Thereby, since the unwinding part and the winding part are provided in plural, when the remaining amount of the original film of the polarizing film in one unwinding part decreases, the other unwinding part is provided in the original film. It is possible to connect raw materials. As a result, the operation can be continued without stopping the unwinding of the polarizing film, and the production efficiency can be increased.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, before the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate by the first bonding portion, the first film transporting mechanism includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate. It is preferable to transport the substrate with the short side of the substrate along the transport direction.

  Accordingly, the substrate can be cleaned by the cleaning unit in a state where the long sides of the substrate are orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. That is, since the distance of the substrate along the transport direction can be reduced, the tact time required for cleaning can be further shortened. As a result, it is possible to provide a polarizing film laminating apparatus that is further excellent in production efficiency.

  Moreover, in the polarizing film bonding apparatus of the present invention, the first film transport mechanism and the second film transport mechanism detect a defect display attached to the polarizing film unwound from the first unwinding section. It is preferable to have a defect detection unit, a bonding avoidance unit that discriminates the defect display and stops the conveyance of the substrate, and a recovery unit that recovers the polarizing film from which bonding with the substrate is avoided.

  According to the above-mentioned fault detection part, pasting avoidance part, and recovery part, since a pasting with a polarizing film and a substrate which has a fault can be avoided, a yield can be raised.

  The manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention is equipped with the bonding apparatus of the said polarizing film, and the sticking | shift detection apparatus which test | inspects the sticking gap in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the said 2nd bonding part. is there.

  Thereby, it is possible to inspect the sticking deviation which arose on the board | substrate which bonded the polarizing film.

Further, in the liquid crystal display manufacturing system of the present invention, the presence / absence of sticking misalignment is determined based on the inspection result of the sticking misalignment inspection apparatus, and the substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded is classified based on the determination result. It is preferable to provide a transport device.

  Thereby, when the sticking shift | offset | difference has arisen in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded, it can classify | categorize a defective product quickly and can shorten a tact time.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, the bonding foreign material automatic which test | inspects the foreign material in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the bonding apparatus of a polarizing film and the 2nd bonding part in the said bonding apparatus. It is preferable to provide an inspection device.

  Thereby, it is possible to inspect the foreign matter mixed in the liquid crystal panel to which the polarizing film is bonded.

Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, the presence or absence of a foreign material is determined based on the inspection result by the said bonded foreign material automatic test | inspection apparatus, and the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded is performed based on the said determination result. It is preferable to provide a sorting and conveying device.

  Thereby, when the foreign material is mixed in the liquid crystal panel which bonded the polarizing film, it can classify | categorize a defective product rapidly and can shorten a tact time.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device of this invention, it has the bonding foreign material automatic test | inspection apparatus which test | inspects the foreign material in the board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded by the said 2nd bonding part, and test | inspected by the said sticking | shift detection apparatus. Based on the result and an inspection result by the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device, a determination is made as to whether or not there is a sticking deviation and a foreign matter, and based on the determination result, there is provided a sorting and conveying device that sorts the substrate on which the polarizing film is bonded. It is preferable.

  As a result, when the liquid crystal panel bonded with the polarizing film is stuck or mixed with foreign matter, defective products can be quickly sorted, and the tact time can be shortened.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism of the first invention of the present invention constructed as described above is a state in which the long side or the short side is along the transport direction of the substrate constituted by the rectangular liquid crystal panel by the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit. Invert the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism transported at the same time and change the arrangement of the long side or short side of the substrate in the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism In this case, the substrate is reversed by one reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit, so that the substrate is disposed in the second substrate transport mechanism that transports the substrate with the short side or the long side along the transport direction. As a result, the direction of the short side and the long side along the transport direction of the substrate can be changed, and the tact time can be shortened.

  The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism according to the second invention of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the reversing mechanism according to the first invention, wherein the substrate reversing portion of the reversing mechanism is rotated with respect to the transport direction of the substrate. Since the reversing operation is performed by rotating around the reversing axis disposed at a constant inclination, the substrate reversing portion rotating around the reversing axis disposed at a certain inclination with respect to the transport direction of the substrate. With one reversing operation, the substrate can be reversed, the direction of the short side and the long side along the transport direction of the substrate can be changed, and the tact time can be shortened.

  The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism according to the third invention of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the above-described second invention, wherein the substrate reversing portion of the reversing mechanism is disposed at a constant inclination with respect to the transport direction of the substrate. The reversing operation is performed by rotating about the reversing axis. While reversing the said board | substrate, while being able to change the direction of the short side and long side along the conveyance direction of the said board | substrate, there exists an effect that a tact time can be shortened.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism according to the fourth aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the above-described third aspect, wherein the linear end opposite to the reversing axis of the substrate reversing portion is 45 with respect to the reversing axis. Since the substrate is disposed at an inclination of °, the substrate disposed at one end of the substrate reversing unit is reversed by one reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit, and the substrate is moved along the transport direction. In addition, the direction of the short side and the long side can be changed, and the tact time can be shortened.

Reversing mechanism in the substrate transfer mechanism of the fifth aspect of the present invention having the above configuration, in any one of the second invention through the fourth invention, is conveyed by the inversion axis of said reversing mechanism and the first substrate transfer mechanism In addition, since the substrate and the substrate reversed by the substrate reversing unit are arranged on the same plane on the substrate and the second substrate transport mechanism, the substrate reversing operation performs one reversing operation on the substrate. And the direction of the short side and the long side along the substrate transport direction can be changed, and the tact time can be shortened.

Reversing mechanism in the substrate transfer mechanism of the sixth aspect of the present invention having the above configuration, in any one of the second invention through fifth invention, the said means which the reversing mechanism is provided, the elevation of the inverted-axis, tilt Further, since the position can be adjusted, the adjustment and control in the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit can be achieved.

The reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism according to the seventh aspect of the present invention having the above-described structure is provided with two reversing mechanisms on either side in the width direction of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in any of the first to sixth inventions. A reversing mechanism is provided, and on both sides of the first substrate transfer mechanism, two substrate mounting portions are provided on which the substrates transferred by the first substrate transfer mechanism are alternately transferred. In the transfer of the substrate, the substrate transferred to the substrate mounting portion is alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed and placed on the second substrate transport mechanism. There is an effect that the tact time can be halved and the substrate carrying process can be doubled.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the reversing shaft disposed in the polarizing film laminating apparatus so as to be inclined with respect to the transport direction of the substrate. By the reversing operation around the substrate, the substrate constituted by the rectangular liquid crystal panel is transported by the first substrate transport mechanism in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction, and on the lower surface in the first bonding portion. While reversing the said board | substrate with which the polarizing film was bonded, the arrangement | positioning with respect to the conveyance direction same as the conveyance direction in the said 1st board | substrate conveyance mechanism of the said board | substrate is changed into the said 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism. Therefore, the substrate is transported by the second substrate transport mechanism in a state where the short side or the long side is along the transport direction, and the polarizing film is formed on the lower surface of the substrate in the second bonding portion. An effect that realizes that the pasted.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the ninth aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is a state in which the holding state or the holding state of the holding mechanism is released based on the rotational drive of the driving device in the polarizing film laminating device. The substrate reversing unit having one end connected to the holding unit controlled by the reversing operation around the reversing axis disposed inclined with respect to the substrate transporting direction is transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism. The substrate held by the holding unit is reversed, and the arrangement of the long side or the short side of the substrate with respect to the same conveyance direction as the conveyance direction in the first substrate conveyance mechanism is changed and arranged in the second substrate conveyance mechanism. This enables the conveyance of the substrate and the bonding of the polarizing film, so that the polarizing film is bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate constituted by the liquid crystal panel. There is an effect that to achieve.

Reversing mechanism in laminating apparatus of the polarizing film of the tenth aspect of the present invention having the above described construction, in the eighth invention or the ninth invention, that are arranged at an inclination of 45 ° to the conveying direction of the substrate above The reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit that rotates about the reversing axis that is the center of reversal of the reversing operation of the substrate reversing the substrate, and the direction of the short and long sides along the transport direction of the substrate As a result, the tact time can be shortened.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating apparatus according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the tenth aspect, wherein the linear end on the opposite side of the reversing axis of the substrate reversing unit is Therefore, the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit reverses the substrate disposed at one end of the substrate reversing unit, and also transports the substrate. It is possible to change the direction of the short side and the long side along the line and to shorten the tact time.

Reversing mechanism in laminating apparatus of the polarizing film twelfth aspect of the present invention having the above described construction, in the eleventh invention, the inversion axis is a bottom and the second substrate transport mechanism of the substrate in the first substrate transporting mechanism And the lower surface of the substrate disposed in an inverted manner is positioned in a plane parallel to the plane in which the substrate is disposed , so that the substrate is reversed by one reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit, and It is possible to change the direction of the short side and the long side along the transport direction of the substrate and to shorten the tact time.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention configured as described above is the reversing shaft of the reversing mechanism and the first substrate transport mechanism in any of the tenth to twelfth aspects. Since the substrate that has been transferred and the substrate that has been reversed and disposed on the second substrate transport mechanism by the substrate reversing unit are arranged on the same plane, one reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit allows While reversing the said board | substrate, while being able to change the direction of the short side and long side along the conveyance direction of the said board | substrate, there exists an effect that a tact time can be shortened.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating apparatus according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is the reversing mechanism according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, wherein the means provided in the reversing mechanism is configured to raise and lower the reversing shaft. Since the tilt and the position can be adjusted, the adjustment and control in the reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit can be achieved.

The reversing mechanism in the polarizing film laminating device of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration is 2 on either side in the width direction of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in any of the eighth to fourteenth aspects. Two reversing mechanisms are disposed, and two substrate platforms on which the substrates transported by the first substrate transport mechanism are alternately transported are disposed on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism. The substrates transferred to the two substrate platforms are alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed and arranged on the second substrate conveying mechanism. There is an effect that the tact time in the conveyance can be halved and the conveyance process of the substrate can be doubled.

Other effects of the present invention will be described below.
As described above, in the polarizing film laminating apparatus of the present invention, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism transport the substrate in the same direction, and the long side in the first substrate transport mechanism or The second substrate transport mechanism includes a reversing mechanism that causes the short side or the long side to be along the transport direction in the second substrate transport mechanism, and the reversing mechanism sucks the substrate. A suction part and a substrate reversing part connected to the suction part are provided, and the substrate reversing part turns the substrate by rotating along a reversing axis. The reversing axis is in the plane of (1) below. In addition to being positioned, it is in the vertical position (2) below.
(1) In a plane perpendicular to the substrate, including a straight line that passes through the center of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism and has an inclination of 45 ° with respect to a straight line perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate. (2) First substrate Position perpendicular to the substrate in the transport mechanism Therefore, the substrate can be reversed by the reversing mechanism, and the long side and the short side in the transport direction can be changed. Thereby, since a polarizing film can be bonded from the lower surface with respect to both surfaces of a board | substrate, a rectification environment is not prevented. Moreover, since the operation of the reversing mechanism is a simple operation, the tact time is short. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time. Further, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism transport the substrate in the same direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus according to the present invention is very simple to install and also has an effect of being excellent in area efficiency.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the manufacturing system which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the peripheral part of the nip roll in the manufacturing system of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the velocity vector of the airflow in the underlay type manufacturing system similar to this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the process in which a board | substrate is reversed by the inversion mechanism which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the process in which a board | substrate is reversed by the inversion mechanism based on this invention. It is a top view which shows the modification of the bonding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship of each member with which the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the velocity vector of the airflow in an upper sticking type manufacturing system.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. First, the structure of the manufacturing system (liquid crystal display device manufacturing system) according to the present invention will be described below. The manufacturing system includes a bonding apparatus according to the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing system. As shown in the figure, the manufacturing system 100 has a two-stage structure, the 1F (first floor) portion is a film transport mechanism 50, and the 2F (second floor) portion is a substrate transport mechanism (first substrate transport mechanism and It becomes the bonding apparatus 60 containing a 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism).

<Film transport mechanism>
First, the film transport mechanism 50 will be described. The film transport mechanism 50 plays the role of unwinding the polarizing film (polarizing plate) and transporting it to the nip rolls 6 · 6a and 16 · 16a and winding up the peeling film that is no longer needed. On the other hand, the bonding device 60 plays a role of bonding the polarizing film unwound by the film transport mechanism 50 to the substrate (liquid crystal panel) 5.

  The film transport mechanism 50 includes a first film transport mechanism 51 and a second film transport mechanism 52. The 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 conveys a polarizing film to the nip roll 6 * 6a which bonds a polarizing film to the lower surface of the board | substrate 5 first. On the other hand, the second film transport mechanism 52 transports the polarizing film to the bottom surface of the inverted substrate 5.

  The first film transport mechanism 51 includes a first unwinding unit 1, a second unwinding unit 1a, a first winding unit 2, a second winding unit 2a, a half cutter 3, a knife edge 4, and a defect film winding roller. 7 · 7a. The first unwinding unit 1 is provided with a polarizing film original, and the polarizing film is unwound. A known polarizing film may be used as the polarizing film. Specifically, a polyvinyl alcohol film is dyed with iodine or the like, and a film stretched in a uniaxial direction can be used. Although it does not specifically limit as thickness of the said polarizing film, A polarizing film 5 micrometers or more and 400 micrometers or less can be used preferably.

  In the original film of the polarizing film, the direction of the absorption axis is located in the flow direction (MD direction). The polarizing film has a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer protected by a release film. As the release film (also referred to as a protective film or a separator), a polyester film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, or the like can be used. Although it does not specifically limit as thickness of the said peeling film, The peeling film of 5 micrometers or more and 100 micrometers or less can be used preferably.

  Since the manufacturing system 100 includes two unwinding portions and two unwinding portions corresponding to the unwinding portions, the first unwinding portion 1 has a low remaining amount of raw material. It is possible to connect the original fabric provided in the two unwinding portions 1 a to the original fabric of the first unwinding portion 1. As a result, it is possible to continue the operation without stopping the unwinding of the polarizing film. With this configuration, production efficiency can be increased. Of course, a plurality of unwinding sections and winding sections may be provided, and three or more winding sections may be provided.

  The half cutter (cutting unit) 3 half-cuts the polarizing film (film laminate composed of the polarizing film, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the peeling film) protected by the peeling film, and cuts the polarizing film and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. As the half cutter 3, a known member may be used. Specifically, a cutter, a laser cutter, etc. can be mentioned. After the polarizing film and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer are cut by the half cutter 3, the release film is removed from the polarizing film by the knife edge (removal part) 4.

  An adhesive layer is applied between the polarizing film and the release film, and after the release film is removed, the adhesive layer remains on the polarizing film side. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include acrylic, epoxy, and polyurethane pressure-sensitive adhesive layers. Although the thickness in particular of an adhesive layer is not restrict | limited, Usually, it is 5-40 micrometers.

  On the other hand, the 2nd film conveyance mechanism 52 is the structure similar to the 1st film conveyance mechanism 51, and is the 1st unwinding part 11, the 2nd unwinding part 11a, the 1st winding part 12, and the 2nd winding part 12a. , Half cutter 13, knife edge 14 and defect film winding rollers 17 and 17 a. About the member which attached | subjected the same member name, the effect | action same as the member in the 1st film conveyance mechanism 51 is shown.

  As a preferred embodiment, the manufacturing system 100 includes a cleaning unit 71. The cleaning unit 71 cleans the substrate 5 before the polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5 by the nip rolls 6 and 6a. As the cleaning unit 71, a known cleaning unit composed of a nozzle and a brush for injecting a cleaning liquid may be used. By cleaning the substrate 5 immediately before the bonding by the cleaning unit 71, the bonding can be performed in a state where there are few adhered foreign substances on the substrate 5.

  Next, the knife edge 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a peripheral portion of the nip rolls 6 and 6a in the manufacturing system 100. FIG. FIG. 2 shows a situation where the substrate 5 is conveyed from the left direction and the polarizing film 5a having an adhesive layer (not shown, the same hereinafter) is conveyed from the lower left direction. The polarizing film 5a is provided with a release film 5b. The polarizing film 5a and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer are cut by the half cutter 3, and the release film 5b is not cut (half cut).

  A knife edge 4 is provided on the release film 5b side. The knife edge 4 is an edge-shaped member for peeling the peeling film 5b, and the polarizing film 5a and the peeling film 5b having a low adhesive force are peeled off along the knife edge 4.

  Thereafter, the release film 5b is wound around the first winding portion 2 in FIG. In addition, it can replace with a knife edge and can also use the structure which winds up a peeling film using an adhesion roller. In that case, the winding efficiency of a peeling film can be improved by providing an adhesive roller in two places similarly to a winding part.

  Next, the bonding apparatus 60 will be described. The bonding apparatus 60 conveys the board | substrate 5, and bonds the polarizing film conveyed by the film conveyance mechanism 50 to a board | substrate. Although not shown, clean air is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate 5 in the bonding apparatus 60. That is, downflow rectification is performed. Thereby, it is possible to perform conveyance and bonding of the substrate 5 in a stable state.

<Bonding device>
The bonding device 60 is provided on the upper part of the film transport mechanism 50. Thereby, space saving of the manufacturing system 100 can be achieved. Although not shown in the drawings, a substrate transport mechanism including a conveyor roll is installed in the bonding apparatus 60, whereby the substrate 5 is transported in the transport direction (first substrate transport mechanism 61 and second described later in FIG. 5). The substrate transport mechanism 62 corresponds to the substrate transport mechanism).

  In the manufacturing system 100, the substrate 5 is transported from the left side, and then transported from the right side in the drawing, that is, from the top of the first film transport mechanism 51 to the top of the second film transport mechanism 52. Between the film conveyance mechanism 50 and the bonding apparatus 60, the nip rolls 6 * 6a (1st bonding part) and the nip rolls 16 * 16a (2nd bonding part) which are bonding parts are each provided. The nip rolls 6, 6 a and 16, 16 a are members that serve to bond the polarizing film from which the release film has been removed to the lower surface of the substrate 5. In addition, since a polarizing film is bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5 from the lower surface, the substrate 5 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 65 after being bonded by the nip rolls 6 and 6a. The reversing mechanism 65 will be described later.

  The polarizing film conveyed to the nip rolls 6 and 6a is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5 through an adhesive layer. As the nip rolls 6 and 6a, known configurations such as a pressure roll and a pressure roll can be employed. Moreover, what is necessary is just to adjust the pressure and temperature at the time of bonding in the nip rolls 6 and 6a suitably. The configuration of the nip rolls 16 and 16a is the same. Although not shown, in the manufacturing system 100, as a preferable configuration, a defect display (mark) detection unit is provided between the first unwinding unit 1 and the half cutter, and a polarizing film having a defect is detected. It has a configuration.

  In addition, the said defect display is provided at the time of the 1st unwinding part 11 or the 2nd unwinding part 11a rather than a defect display detection part by performing the detection at the time of original film production of a polarizing film, and providing a defect display. It attaches | subjects to a polarizing film by a fault display provision part. The defect display imparting unit includes a camera, an image processing device, and a defect display forming unit. First, a polarizing film is imaged by the camera, and the presence or absence of a defect can be inspected by processing the imaging information. Specific examples of the drawback include foreign matters such as dust and fish eyes. When a defect is detected, a defect display is formed on the polarizing film by the defect display forming unit. A mark such as ink is used as the defect display.

  Further, a bonding avoiding unit (not shown) discriminates the mark with a camera and transmits a stop signal to the bonding apparatus 60 to stop the conveyance of the substrate 5. Thereafter, the polarizing film in which the defect is detected is not bonded by the nip rolls 6 and 6a and is wound by the defect film winding roller (collecting unit) 7 and 7a. Thereby, pasting with substrate 5 and a polarizing film which has a fault can be avoided. If such a series of structures is provided, it is possible to avoid the bonding between the polarizing film having a defect and the substrate 5, so that the yield can be increased, which is preferable. A publicly known inspection sensor can be used suitably as a fault detection part and a pasting avoidance part.

  As shown in FIG. 1, after the substrate 5 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 65, the substrate 5 is conveyed to the nip rolls 16 and 16a. Then, a polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5. As a result, the polarizing film is bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5, and the two polarizing films are bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5 with different absorption axes. Thereafter, if necessary, the both sides of the substrate 5 are inspected for misalignment. The inspection can be usually performed by an inspection unit equipped with a camera.

  Thus, in the manufacturing system 100, when the polarizing film is bonded to the substrate 5, the bonding is performed from the lower surface of the substrate 5, and the rectifying environment to the substrate 5 is not hindered. For this reason, foreign matter mixing into the bonding surface of the substrate 5 can be prevented, and more accurate bonding can be performed.

  FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show the velocity vector of the airflow in the under-paste type manufacturing system similar to the present invention. Regions A in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are regions where the unwinding part is installed, region B is a region through which the polarizing film mainly passes, and region C is a region where the winding unit and the like are installed. It is. Further, clean air is supplied from the HEPA filter 40. In FIG. 3A, since the grating 41 through which clean air can pass is installed, the airflow can move in the vertical direction via the grating 41. On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, since the grating 41 is not installed, the airflow moves along the floor after contacting the floor.

  Since the manufacturing system shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) is a bottom-attached type, the air current from the HEPA filter 40 is not hindered by the polarizing film, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b). For this reason, the direction of the airflow vector is almost directed toward the substrate, and it can be said that a preferable rectification environment is realized in the clean room. In FIG. 3 (a), the grating 41 is installed and not installed in FIG. 3 (b), but both drawings show the same preferable state. In FIGS. 3 and 9, the substrate transport mechanism is formed horizontally, but it is not installed as a series of structures. For this reason, the airflow can pass between the substrate transport mechanisms. After the substrate is held by a reversing mechanism to be described later, the substrate is transferred between the substrate transport mechanisms.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing system 100, the board | substrate 5 is first conveyed by a long side opening (a long side is orthogonal to a conveyance direction), and is conveyed by a short side opening (a short side is orthogonal to a conveyance direction) after that. It has become.

<Reversing mechanism>
The reversing mechanism 65 changes the arrangement of the substrate 5 whose short side or long side is along the transport direction to a state where the long side or short side is along the transport direction and reversed. 4A to 4C are perspective views illustrating a process of reversing the substrate 5 by the reversing mechanism 65. FIG.

  FIG. 4A shows a state where the substrate 5 transported by the first substrate transport mechanism is adsorbed. FIG. 4B shows a process of moving the substrate 5, and FIG. 4C shows a state in which the substrate 5 is inverted by the second substrate inversion mechanism. For convenience of illustration, the first substrate transport mechanism and the second substrate transport mechanism are omitted in FIG. 4, but will be described later with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the reversing mechanism 65 includes a suction unit 66, a substrate reversing unit 67, and an elevating unit 68. The adsorption unit 66 is a member that adsorbs to the surface of the substrate 5. The surface of the substrate 5 is held by the suction unit 66 by the suction unit 66. As the adsorption unit 66, a known adsorption unit can be used, and for example, an air suction type adsorption unit can be used.

  The substrate reversing unit 67 is connected to the adsorption unit 66 and is formed so as to connect the adsorption unit 66 and the elevating unit 68. The substrate reversing unit 67 reverses the substrate 5 by rotating around the reversing axis M. In FIG. 4A, the lifting / lowering portion 68 side of the substrate reversing portion 67 has a shape extending toward the substrate 5 in a direction perpendicular to the reversing axis M. Further, the suction unit 66 side of the substrate reversing unit 67 has a shape bent about 40 ° along a straight line passing through the center of the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism and parallel to the long side (transport direction) of the substrate 5. ing. The shape of the substrate reversing part 67 shown in FIG. 4A is merely an example, and is not limited to the shape. As another shape, for example, instead of being bent like the substrate reversing portion 67, a shape that is curved from the lifting / lowering portion 68 side to the suction portion 66 side may be employed. Further, a structure having a plurality of movable parts such as a robot arm may be adopted.

  The substrate reversing unit 67 is configured such that a movable unit that can rotate is provided in the lifting unit 68. The movable part is arranged along the reversal axis M, and the substrate reversing part 67 is rotatable along the reversal axis M.

  The inversion axis M includes (1) a straight line that passes through the center of the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism and has an inclination of 45 ° with respect to a straight line perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 5, and is perpendicular to the substrate 5. (Refer to FIG. 5A), and (2) located at a position horizontal to the substrate 5 (see FIG. 4A). The inversion axis M is located in the plane and may be moved in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 5.

  The substrate reversing part 67 is configured to rotate along the reversing axis M via the movable part, but is not limited to this structure as long as it can rotate along the reversing axis M. For example, the substrate reversing unit 67 has a rotating shaft structure, and the rotation shaft structure rotates along the reversing axis M and the entire substrate reversing unit 67 rotates. The substrate reversing part 67 is rotated by a driving device such as a motor (not shown).

  The substrate inversion unit 67 can invert the substrate 5 by one rotation about the inversion axis M. Inversion means that the substrate 5 is rotated to the opposite surface. In other words, the substrate 5 is disposed so that the front surface of the substrate 5 is the back surface.

  The elevating part 68 has an arm shape having a bent part, and the substrate reversing part 67 can be raised by reducing the angle of the arm. On the other hand, the substrate inversion part 67 can be lowered by increasing the angle of the arm. The suction unit 66 is disposed above the substrate 5 so as not to contact the substrate 5 when the substrate 5 is not being transported. When the substrate 5 is transferred, the substrate reversing unit 67 is lowered and the adsorption unit 66 is also lowered by the elevating unit 68, so that the substrate 5 can be adsorbed by the adsorption unit 66. Further, after the substrate 5 is inverted, the adsorption of the adsorption unit 66 is released, but after the release, the substrate reversing unit 67 is moved by the lifting unit 68 and the adsorption unit 66 is separated from the substrate 5.

  The operation of the reversing mechanism 65 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 4A shows a case where the short side of the substrate 5 is along the transport direction. After the surface of the substrate 5 is adsorbed by the adsorption unit 66, the substrate inversion unit 67 rotates along the inversion axis M. In the drawing, the vicinity of the center of the substrate 5 is adsorbed by the adsorbing portion 66, but the adsorbing portion is not particularly limited as long as the substrate 5 is fixed so as not to come off during rotation. Further, the number of adsorption locations is not limited to 4 and may be increased or decreased.

  Next, from the state of FIG. 4A, the substrate reversing unit 67 rotates along the reversal axis M toward the substrate surface side. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the substrate reversing unit 67 is rotated by 90 ° with respect to the substrate 5 (in the first substrate transport mechanism) in FIG. 4B, the substrate reversing unit 67 continues to rotate and the substrate 5 is reversed as shown in FIG. 4C.

  As described above, the direction of the short side and the long side of the substrate 5 can be changed and reversed by the rotation operation of the reversing mechanism 65. That is, the substrate 5 can be reversed with a short tact time without complicated rotation operation. As a result, the polarizing film can be bonded to the substrate 5 including reversal in a short tact time.

  In FIG. 4, in order to move the substrate 5 in the transport direction, a substrate reversing unit 67 is installed on the transport direction side with respect to the substrate 5 in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4C, the second substrate transport mechanism can be reversed in a state where the substrate 5 is moved further in the transport direction. Thereby, the tact time concerning double-sided bonding including reversal can be further shortened.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the rotation process of the substrate 5 corresponding to FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62. Although not shown, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are provided with a conveyor roll. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 transport the substrate 5 in the same direction. For this reason, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 have a linear shape along the transport direction. That is, it does not have a complicated structure such as an L shape. Therefore, the bonding apparatus 60 according to the present invention is very simple to install and has a structure with excellent area efficiency.

  As described with reference to FIG. 4, first, the surface of the substrate 5 is held by the suction portion 66 as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, along the direction of the reversal axis M, the substrate reversing portion 67 is rotated by 90 ° so that the substrate 5 is vertical. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5C, the substrate reversing unit 67 further rotates along the direction of the reversal axis M, and the substrate 5 is reversed. When the substrate 5 is reversed, the substrate 5 is disposed on a conveyor roll (not shown), and the substrate reversing unit 67 does not contact the conveyor roll. For this reason, the reversing mechanism 65 is located below the substrate 5.

Thereafter, the suction of the suction part 66 is released, whereby the holding of the substrate 5 is released, and the substrate 5 is transported by the second substrate transport mechanism 62. Then, the reversing mechanism 65 returns to the position shown in FIG. 5A and reverses the other substrates 5 that are sequentially conveyed by the same operation.

  As described above, according to the reversing mechanism 65, after the suction by the suction unit 66, the substrate 5 can be reversed by the operation of 1, and the long side and the short side with respect to the transport direction can be changed. Before the reversing operation, a polarizing film is bonded to the lower surface of the substrate 5, and after performing the reversing operation, a polarizing film can be further bonded to the lower surface of the reversed substrate 5. . (1) In this way, a polarizing film can be bonded to both surfaces of the substrate 5 from the lower surface. (2) The reversing operation is a simple rotating operation, and the tact time is short because of one operation. Therefore, it is possible to realize bonding with a short tact time without disturbing the rectification environment.

  The reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit 67 is one operation. However, even if the operation of raising and lowering the substrate 5 and / or adjusting the position of the substrate reversing unit 67 is included before and after the operation, the present invention Are included in the operation of the reversing mechanism 65.

  In FIG. 5, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 transport the substrate 5 in the same direction, and have a structure adjacent to each other. This is because, as shown in FIG. 5C, the substrate reversing unit 67 replaces the short side and the long side with respect to the transport direction of the substrate 5, so that the second substrate transport mechanism 62 and the first substrate transport the substrate 5 after the reversal. This is because the transport directions in the transport mechanism 61 are not positioned on a straight line with each other, and a shift occurs. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 do not necessarily have to be adjacent to each other, and the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 may be spaced from each other.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 4, in order to move the substrate 5 further in the transport direction, the substrate reversing unit 67 is installed on the transport direction side with respect to the substrate 5 before reversal. However, when there is a limitation on the arrangement of the reversing mechanism 65, the reversing mechanism 65 may be arranged as shown in FIG. In this case, the substrate 5 cannot be moved further in the transport direction, but it is possible to deal with restrictions such as the arrangement of the reversing mechanism 65.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a modification of the bonding apparatus 60. Changes in the modification include (1) two reversing mechanisms 65, (2) two substrate mounting portions 61 a on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism 61, and (3 ) The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are arranged on a straight line. The first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 are the same in that the substrate 5 is transported in the same direction.

  The substrate platform 61a and the reversing mechanism 65 are arranged at both ends of the first substrate transport mechanism 61 on the second substrate transport mechanism 62 side, which are horizontal with respect to the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism 61 at the end. Are provided along. The reversing mechanism 65 is the same as the structure described in FIGS. Further, the end region 61b is provided with transport means for transporting the substrate 5 to the substrate platform 61a. Specifically, a conveyor roll can be mentioned, for example.

  The substrate mounting portion 61a is a place where the substrate 5 is placed by the suction portion 66. According to the modification, the substrates 5 transported to the first substrate transport mechanism 61 are transported alternately to the two substrate platforms 61a. Since two pairs of the substrate platform 61a and the reversing mechanism 65 are provided, the substrate 5 transported to the substrate platform 61a is inverted by the reversing mechanism 65 by one operation.

  In this modification, the two substrate platforms 61 a are provided along both horizontal directions of the first substrate transport mechanism 61, and the inverted substrate 5 is along the transport direction of the first substrate transport mechanism 61. Will be placed. Therefore, the first substrate transport mechanism 61 and the second substrate transport mechanism 62 can be arranged on a straight line.

  According to the modification, (1) since two reversing mechanisms 65 are provided, the substrate 5 can be processed twice per unit time. Thereby, since many substrates 5 can be reversed per unit time, the tact time is shortened. (2) Furthermore, since the 1st board | substrate conveyance mechanism 61 and the 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism 62 are arrange | positioned on the straight line, the bonding apparatus of the structure excellent in area efficiency can be provided. Especially in a clean room, since the area efficiency is required, the bonding apparatus is very preferable.

<Other incidental configurations>
Furthermore, as a preferable form, the manufacturing system 100 includes a control unit 70, a cleaning unit 71, a sticking misalignment inspection device 72, a bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73, and a sorting and conveying device 74. The sticking deviation inspection device 72, the bonding foreign substance automatic inspection device 73, and the sorting and conveying device 74 perform processing such as inspection on the substrate 5 after bonding, that is, the liquid crystal display device.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the relationship of each member provided in the liquid crystal display device manufacturing system, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the liquid crystal display device manufacturing system. Hereinafter, the operation of the liquid crystal display device will be described together with the description of each member.

  The control unit 70 is connected to the cleaning unit 71, the bonding deviation inspection device 72, the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73, and the sorting and conveying device 74, and controls them by transmitting control signals thereto. The control unit 70 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and includes a memory or the like as necessary.

In the case where the cleaning unit 71 is provided in the manufacturing system 100, the substrate 5 in the first substrate transport mechanism 61 is transported to the cleaning unit 71 at the front edge of the long side in order to reduce the tact time in the cleaning unit 71. Is preferred. Usually, since the cleaning in the cleaning unit 71 takes a long time, this configuration is very effective from the viewpoint of shortening the tact time.

  Next, although the bonding process (including the reversing operation of the substrate 5) for bonding the polarizing film to both surfaces of the substrate 5 is performed (S2 in FIG. 8), this process will be described with reference to FIGS. That's right.

  The sticking deviation inspection device 72 inspects the presence or absence of sticking deviation of the polarizing film in the bonded substrate 5. The sticking displacement inspection device 72 is constituted by a camera and an image processing device, and the camera is installed at the bonding position of the substrate 5 on which the polarizing film is bonded by the nip rolls 16 and 16a. The substrate 5 is photographed by the camera, and the photographed image information is processed, whereby it is possible to inspect whether or not there is a sticking deviation on the substrate 5 (sticking deviation inspection step, S3 in FIG. 8). Note that as the misalignment inspection apparatus 72, a conventionally known misalignment inspection apparatus can be used.

  The bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 inspects the presence or absence of foreign matters in the bonded substrate 5. The bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 is configured by a camera and an image processing device, like the misalignment inspection device 72, and transports the second substrate of the substrate 5 after the polarizing film is bonded by the nip rolls 16 and 16a. The camera is installed in the mechanism (bonding device 60). The board | substrate 5 is image | photographed with the said camera, and the presence or absence of the bonding foreign material to the board | substrate 5 can be test | inspected by processing the image | photographed image information (bonding foreign material inspection process, S4). Examples of the foreign matter include foreign matters such as dust, fish eyes, and the like. In addition, as the bonding foreign material automatic inspection apparatus 73, a conventionally well-known bonding foreign material inspection apparatus can be used.

  S3 and S4 may be performed in the reverse order or simultaneously. One step can be omitted.

  The sorting and conveying device 74 determines the presence or absence of sticking misalignment and foreign matter based on the inspection results from the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 and the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73. The sorting and conveying device 74 only needs to receive an output signal based on the inspection result from the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 and the bonding foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 and can sort the bonded substrates 5 into non-defective products or defective products. . Therefore, a conventionally known sorting and conveying system can be used.

  In the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device, as a preferred mode, both the misalignment and foreign matter are detected. When it is determined that the misalignment or foreign matter has been inspected (YES), the bonded substrate 5 is not used. Sorted as good (S7). On the other hand, when it is determined that neither sticking deviation nor foreign matter is detected (NO), the bonded substrates 5 are classified as non-defective products (S6).

  According to the manufacturing system of the liquid crystal display device provided with the sorting and conveying device 74, the non-defective product and the defective product can be sorted quickly, and the tact time can be shortened. When only the sticking misalignment inspection device 72 or the bonded foreign matter automatic inspection device 73 is provided, the sorting and conveying device 74 may be configured to determine the presence / absence of only one of the sticking misalignment and the foreign matter.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The polarizing film bonding apparatus according to the present invention can be used in the field of bonding a polarizing film to a substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st unwinding part 1a 2nd unwinding part 2 1st winding part 2a 2nd winding part 3 Half cutter 4 Knife edge 5 Substrate 5a Polarizing film 5b Release film 6 * 6a Nip roll (1st bonding part)
7.7a Defect film winding roller 11 First unwinding part 11a Second unwinding part 12 First winding part 12a Second winding part 13 Half cutter 14 Knife edge 16 / 16a Nip roll (second bonding part)
17.17a Defect film winding roller 40 HEPA filter 41 Grating 50 Film transport mechanism 51 First film transport mechanism 52 Second film transport mechanism 60 Bonding device (polarizing film bonding device)
61 First substrate transport mechanism 61a Substrate placing unit 62 Second substrate transport mechanism 65 Reversing mechanism 66 Suction unit 67 Substrate reversing unit 68 Lifting unit 70 Control unit 71 Cleaning unit 72 Inspection device 73 Bonding foreign matter automatic inspection device 74 Transport device 100 Manufacturing system (Liquid crystal display manufacturing system)
M Reverse axis

Claims (15)

A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
In a substrate transport mechanism comprising a second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state where a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism,
The reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism, and changes the arrangement of the long side or the short side of the substrate in the transport direction to the second substrate transport mechanism. A reversing mechanism in a substrate transport mechanism comprising a reversing mechanism configured to be arranged. In claim 1,
The reversing mechanism includes a substrate reversing portion that rotates around a reversing axis disposed at a certain inclination with respect to the transport direction of the substrate and rotates by a driving device. A reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism. In claim 2,
A reversing mechanism in a substrate transport mechanism, wherein the inclination of the reversing axis is 45 °. In claim 3,
A reversing mechanism in a substrate transport mechanism , wherein one end of the substrate reversing portion on the opposite side of the reversing axis is disposed at an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the reversing axis. In any one of Claims 2 thru | or 4,
The reversing shaft of the reversing mechanism, the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism, and the substrate reversed by the substrate reversing unit on the second substrate transporting mechanism are disposed on the same plane. A reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism. In any one of Claim 2 thru | or 5,
A reversing mechanism in a substrate transport mechanism, wherein the reversing mechanism comprises means for allowing the reversing shaft to be lifted, tilted and adjusted in position. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6,
Two reversing mechanisms are disposed on both sides of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in the width direction, and the substrates transported by the first substrate transport mechanism are alternately disposed on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism. Two substrate platforms to be transported are disposed, and the substrates transported to the two substrate platforms are alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed to A reversing mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism, wherein the reversing mechanism is arranged in the second substrate transport mechanism. A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
A first bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state in which a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism;
In the polarizing film bonding apparatus including the second bonding portion for bonding the polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism,
The substrate reversing section reverses the substrate transported by the first substrate transport mechanism by the reversing operation around the reversing axis disposed to be inclined with respect to the transport direction of the substrate, and the long side of the substrate or A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus, comprising a reversing mechanism configured to change the arrangement of the short side with respect to the conveying direction and arrange the short side in the second substrate conveying mechanism. A first substrate transport mechanism for transporting a substrate constituted by a rectangular liquid crystal panel in a state where the long side or the short side is along the transport direction;
A first bonding unit for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate in a state in which a short side or a long side is along the same transport direction as the transport direction in the first substrate transport mechanism;
A second bonding part for bonding a polarizing film to the lower surface of the substrate in the second substrate transport mechanism;
A polarizing film laminating apparatus comprising: a holding unit that holds the substrate conveyed by the first substrate conveying mechanism; and a holding mechanism that controls the holding unit to a held state or a state in which the holding is released.
Based on the rotational drive of the driving device, the first reversing operation around the reversing axis of the substrate reversing portion, which is connected to the holding portion of the holding mechanism and tilted with respect to the substrate transport direction, is performed. The substrate transported by the substrate transport mechanism and inverted by the substrate holding unit is reversed, and the arrangement of the long side or the short side of the substrate with respect to the transport direction is changed and disposed in the second substrate transport mechanism. A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a reversing mechanism. In claim 8 or claim 9,
A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus, wherein a reversing axis serving as a rotation center of a reversing operation of the substrate reversing unit is disposed at an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the transport direction of the substrate. In claim 10,
A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus , wherein one end of the substrate reversing portion on the opposite side of the reversing axis is arranged with an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the reversing axis. In claim 11,
The reversal axis is located in a plane parallel to a plane on which the lower surface of the substrate in the first substrate transport mechanism and the lower surface of the substrate disposed in an inverted manner in the second substrate transport mechanism are disposed. A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus. In any one of Claims 10 to 12,
The reversing shaft of the reversing mechanism, the substrate transported by the first substrate transporting mechanism, and the substrate reversed by the substrate reversing unit on the second substrate transporting mechanism are disposed on the same plane. A reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus. In any one of claims 10 to 13,
The reversing mechanism in a polarizing film laminating apparatus, wherein the reversing mechanism includes means for allowing the reversing shaft to be lifted, tilted and adjusted in position. In any of claims 8 to 14,
Two reversing mechanisms are disposed on both sides of the end portion of the first substrate transport mechanism in the width direction, and the substrates transported by the first substrate transport mechanism are alternately disposed on both sides of the first substrate transport mechanism. Two substrate platforms to be transported are disposed, and the substrates transported to the two substrate platforms are alternately reversed by the two reversing mechanisms, and the arrangement is changed to It is comprised so that it may be arrange | positioned at a 2nd board | substrate conveyance mechanism, The inversion mechanism in the bonding apparatus of the polarizing film characterized by the above-mentioned.

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