JP7456625B2 - Coating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coating device.

BACKGROUND ART Coating apparatuses that apply a coating material such as a liquid crystal material to a substrate have been widely used (for example, see Patent Document 1). The coating device includes a holding table that holds a substrate, and a coating section (coating head unit) that applies a coating material to the substrate held on the holding table. The coating device applies the coating material to a predetermined area of the substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the coating section. A coating head for applying a coating material to the substrate is detachably attached to the coating section.

Patent No. 5671414

In the conventional coating apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it has been desired to suitably manage the state of the coating head, as described below.

The applicator head is periodically removed from the applicator for cleaning and reattached to the applicator after cleaning. At this time, a coating head different from the one originally attached to the coating apparatus may be attached to the coating apparatus. The drive conditions (for example, the drive voltage of the coating head, the temperature of the heater, etc.) of the coating head differ depending on each individual coating head due to manufacturing tolerances and the like. Further, if the coating head is left for a long time after use, the coating material adhering to the interior of the head will solidify, resulting in changes in properties. Therefore, it has been desired for conventional coating apparatuses to suitably manage the state of the coating head.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main purpose is to provide a coating device that can suitably manage the state of a coating head.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a coating device including: a holding table that holds a substrate; a coating section that applies a coating material to the substrate held on the holding table; a control unit configured to apply the coating material to a predetermined area of the substrate by moving the coating unit relatively to the coating unit; A plurality of coating heads are detachably attached, and each coating head has one or more of serial number information, manufacturer inspection date information, and reference voltage information at the time of inspection as unique information, and operation progress information of the coating head. and drive information, error information, operating condition information, and cumulative coating amount information of coating material as history information, and a first storage area in which unique information of each coating head is stored; a storage section including a second storage area in which at least the drive voltage of each coating head is stored as history information of the coating head; The unique information and the history information stored in the first storage area and the second storage area are read, and the coating head specified based on the unique information is driven based on the history information of the coating head. The present invention is configured to include a coating head management device that corrects conditions and displays replacement of the coating head on a display unit by referring to history information of each coating head.
Other means will be described later.

According to the present invention, the state of the coating head can be suitably managed.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a coating device according to an embodiment. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a coating head unit (coating section) in the coating device according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a separation structure of a coating head unit (coating section) in a coating device according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a coating head management system including a coating device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in a storage section provided in the coating head. 1 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a liquid crystal image display device as an example of a product. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating head management system. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating device. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a flying droplet inspection mechanism. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a favorable case in a flying drop test. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (1) schematically showing an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2) schematically showing an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing in detail an example of a case where the flying droplet test is satisfactory. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (1) showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram (2) showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in the flying drop inspection. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (3) showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (4) showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (5) showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a metrological inspection mechanism. 13 is a graph showing the difference in the relationship between the drive voltage of each application head and the ejection amount of application material. FIG. It is a graph diagram showing the relationship between the number of drops of coating material and the total injection amount of coating material. FIG. 3 is a graph diagram showing the relationship between the drive voltage of the coating head and the total amount of ejected material. FIG. 3 is a graph diagram showing a difference in the slope of the drive voltage of the coating head. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (1) showing differences in correction due to differences in the slope of the drive voltage of the coating head. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (2) showing differences in correction due to differences in the slope of the driving voltage of the coating head. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (3) showing differences in correction due to differences in the slope of the drive voltage of the coating head. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (1) of a dot inspection mechanism. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (2) of the dot inspection mechanism. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an inappropriate case in coating missing inspection.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each figure merely shows a schematic view to the extent that the present invention can be fully understood. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. In addition, in each figure, common or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations thereof will be omitted.

In addition to the above-mentioned problem (the problem that it is desired to appropriately manage the state of the coating head), the conventional coating apparatus has the following problems. The present embodiment is intended to provide a coating device that can solve the following problems in addition to the problems described above.

(1) A coating apparatus has a plurality of lines through which substrates are conveyed, and a plurality of coating sections (coating head units), and one coating section (coating head unit) may be in charge of a plurality of lines. That is, when one coating section is in charge of only one line, another coating section may be in charge of two lines. This causes variations in the usage frequency (usage record) of each application section. Additionally, coating equipment produces hundreds of different varieties of coating materials. Therefore, it has been difficult for the coating apparatus to adjust the plurality of coating sections (particularly the coating heads attached to each coating section) to a similar state.

(2) Among the plurality of coating heads, there are coating heads that are in good condition and coating heads that are in poor condition. Coating heads that are in good condition tend to be used for a long time, while coating heads that are in bad condition tend to be stored in a storage section prepared in advance and not used (left unused). This causes variations in the usage frequency (usage record) of each application section. Therefore, each coating head has a different throughput of substrates and a different load. Moreover, a coating head that is in good condition tends to expire quickly. Furthermore, if a coating head that is in poor condition is left unused for a long time, phenomena such as solidification of the coating material adhering to the interior will occur, making the condition more likely to deteriorate. Therefore, due to such factors as well, it has been difficult for the coating apparatus to adjust a plurality of coating heads to a similar state.

(3) Furthermore, adjustment of the coating head is very delicate. Therefore, it has been difficult to adjust the coating head in a short time using mechanical adjustment.

<Configuration of coating device and coating head management system including the coating device>
The configuration of a coating device 11 according to this embodiment and a coating head management system 10 including the coating device 11 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is an external view of a coating device 11 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of the coating head unit 22 (coating section) in the coating device 11. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a separated structure of the coating head unit 22 (coating section) in the coating device 11. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the coating head management system 10 including the coating device 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating device 11 according to this embodiment includes a control device 12, a holding table 21, a coating head unit 22, and a gantry 24.

The control device 12 is a component that controls the overall operation of the coating device 11. The control device 12 constitutes a part of the control section 50, as shown in FIG.
The holding table 21 is a component that holds the substrate 70. The holding table 21 is arranged horizontally.

The coating head unit 22 is a coating section that coats the substrate 70 held on the holding table 21 with a coating material. The coating device 11 is equipped with a plurality of coating heads 31 (four in the illustrated example). This embodiment will be described assuming that the coating head unit 22 is configured to eject a liquid coating material using an inkjet method. A coating head 31 for applying a coating material to the substrate 70 is detachably attached to the lower end of the coating head unit 22 . The coating head 31 has a flat lower surface, and injection ports of a plurality of nozzles 32 (see FIG. 9) for injecting the coating material are provided at equal intervals on the lower surface.

The gantry 24 is a gate-shaped structure that supports the coating head unit 22. The coating head unit 22 is attached to the gantry 24 by a support portion 27 . The coating head unit 22 is configured to be detachable from the gantry 24. In the example shown in FIG. 1, four coating head units 22 are attached to a gantry 24.

The coating device 11 has a configuration in which a gantry 24 is disposed above a linear motor coil 25 that runs on a linear motor magnet 26 .

The linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26 are moving means for moving the gantry 24 in the horizontal direction (see the white arrow). In addition, in this embodiment, the coating device 11 has a structure in which the gantry 24 is moved in the horizontal direction by a linear motor coil 25 and a linear motor magnet 26. However, in addition to the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26 (or instead of the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26), the coating device 11 has a diagram for horizontally moving the substrate 70. The structure may include a moving means not shown. Further, the coating device 11 uses a means other than the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26 as a moving means for horizontally moving the gantry 24 (for example, a rail and a wheel running on the rail, etc.). ).

The coating device 11 injects the coating material onto a predetermined area of the substrate 70 by injecting the coating material from the coating head 31 toward the substrate 70 at a predetermined timing while relatively moving the substrate 70 and the coating head unit 22. Apply.

The coating device 11 is equipped with a droplet inspection mechanism 14 (see FIG. 9) and a dot inspection mechanism 16 (see FIG. 19 and FIG. 20). These components will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the application head unit 22 includes a coating material tank 23, an application head 31, pipes 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d, valves 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d, a leak valve 36, a regulator 37, and a pressure gauge 38.

The coating material tank 23 is a coating material storage section that stores liquid coating material. The valves 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d and the leak valve 36 are constituted by electromagnetic valves, and open and close the corresponding pipe paths. The regulator 37 is a regulator of negative pressure supplied to the coating material tank 23. The pressure gauge 38 measures the negative pressure supplied to the coating material tank 23.

The pipe 34a and the valve 35a constitute a gas supply unit that supplies the atmosphere or any gas to the coating material tank 23 from the outside.
The pipe 34b, the valve 35b, the leak valve 36, and the regulator 37 constitute a negative pressure supply section that supplies negative pressure to the coating material tank 23.
The pipe 34c and the valve 35c constitute a coating material supply section that supplies the coating material to the coating material tank 23 from the outside.
The pipe 34d and the valve 35d constitute a coating material supply section that supplies the coating material from the coating material tank 23 to the coating head 31.

The coating head 31 includes a storage section 33 and a heater 40. In this embodiment, the storage section 33 and the heater 40 will be described as being built into the coating head 31.

The storage unit 33 is a component that stores various information regarding the coating head 31. The storage unit 33 is made up of a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 33 includes a first storage area 33a where unique information D10 of the coating head 31 is stored, and a second storage area 33b where history information D20 of the coating head 31 is stored (see FIG. 5). .
The heater 40 is a component that heats the coating head 31 to make it easier to inject the coating material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the coating device 11 can remove the coating head unit 22 from the support part 27. The coating device 11 can also remove the coating head 31 from the coating head unit 22. The removed coating head unit 22 and coating head 31 are stored in a predetermined storage part 18 (see FIG. 4) that has been prepared in advance.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coating device 11 has a thermocouple 41 inside the coating head unit 22, and a solid state relay 42, a temperature controller 43, and a main PC 51 inside the control device 12. , a motor controller 52 , an amplifier 53 , and an inkjet controller 54 .

The thermocouple 41 is a component that detects the temperature of the heater 40.
Solid state relay 42 is a component that transmits signals through mechanical movement.
The temperature controller 43 is a component that adjusts the temperature.

The main PC 51 is a component that controls the operation of the coating device 11 as a whole.
The motor controller 52 is a component that controls the operation of the moving means such as the linear motor coil 25 and the linear motor magnet 26.
Amplifier 53 is a component that amplifies a signal.
The inkjet controller 54 is a component that controls the operation of the coating head 31.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coating device 11 constitutes a part of the coating head management system 10. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the coating head management system 10 includes a coating device 11, a measurement inspection mechanism 13, a storage section 18, and a coating head management device 19. However, the measurement inspection mechanism 13 and the coating head management device 19 can be incorporated into the coating device 11.

The measurement inspection mechanism 13 is a mechanism that measures the amount of coating material. The weighing and inspection mechanism 13 has an electronic balance 13a for weighing the amount of coating material. The electronic balance 13a is connected to the control device 12 and measures the amount of coating material based on instructions from the control device 12. Details of the metrological inspection mechanism 13 will be described later.
The storage section 18 is a component that stores the coating head unit 22 and the like that have been removed from the coating device 11.
The coating head management device 19 is a device that manages the coating head unit 22 and the coating head 31. The coating head management device 19 is configured by a personal computer (PC). Note that the coating head management device 19 can be integrated (integrated) with the main PC 51 of the control device 12.

The control device 12 constitutes a part of the control section 50. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 50 includes a main PC 51, a motor controller 52, an amplifier 53, an inkjet controller 54, and a coating head management device 19.
The control unit 50 stores the storage information Dst (see FIG. 5) in the storage unit 33 at an arbitrary timing.

<Example of stored information>
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of the stored information Dst in the storage section 33 provided in the coating head 31 will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the stored information Dst in the storage section 33 provided in the coating head 31.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the stored information Dst includes, as information regarding the coating head 31, unique information D10 specific to the coating head 31 and history information D20 representing the history of the coating head 31. It has become.

The unique information D10 is stored in the first storage area 33a of the storage unit 33, and the history information D20 is stored in the second storage area 33b of the storage unit 33. The control unit 50 reads the unique information D10 from the first storage area 33a of the storage unit 33, and stores history information D20 in the second storage area 33b of the storage unit 33 according to the coating operation of the coating head 31.

The coating device 11 stores unique information D10 and history information D20 in the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31. Thereby, the coating device 11 can control the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating head 31, the temperature of the heater 40, etc.), the coating material coating conditions, the environmental conditions, the operating conditions such as material conditions, and the product. History information D20 (usage record information) such as the time used for production, the number of drops of coating material, and the cumulative amount of coating material applied can be managed for each coating head 31.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the unique information D10 includes serial number information D1a, manufacturer inspection date information D1b, and inspection reference voltage information D1c. This information is mainly stored in the storage unit 33 by the head manufacturer.

The serial number information D1a represents a unique number (including a code) attached to the coating head 31. The timing for writing the serial number information D1a is at the time of manufacturing. The purpose of using the serial number information D1a is to identify the model.

Manufacturer inspection date information D1b represents the manufacturer inspection date of the coating head 31. The timing at which the manufacturer inspection date information D1b is written is at the time of the manufacturer inspection. The purpose of use of the manufacturer inspection date information D1b is to specify the manufacturer inspection date.

The inspection reference voltage information D1c represents the reference voltage (value) at the time of the manufacturer's inspection. The timing at which the inspection reference voltage information D1c is written is at the time of manufacturer inspection. The purpose of using the inspection reference voltage information D1c is to specify the reference voltage at the time of manufacturer inspection.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the unique information D10 and the history information D20, the local first power-on date information DA is stored in the memory unit 33. The local first power-on date information DA indicates the date when the power was first applied at the local site. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the local first power-on date information DA is stored divided into "year" and "month and date". The local first power-on date information DA is written when the application head 31 is attached to the application head unit 22. The local first power-on date information DA is used to specify the start date of use. The local first power-on date information DA may be treated as a type of history information D20. In this case, the local first power-on date information DA is stored in the second memory area 33b of the memory unit 33.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the history information D20 is roughly divided into operation progress information D21 regarding the operation progress of the coating head 31, drive information D22 regarding the driving of the coating head 31, and error information D23 regarding errors. There is.

The operation progress information D21 includes total energization time information D2a, total injection time information D2b, continuous use time information D2c, final head installation date and time information D2d, final loading machine number information D2e, and final loading line number information D2f. , and final installed head number information D2g.

The drive information D22 includes recipe number information D2h, internal heater temperature information D2i, drive voltage information D2j, and drive voltage slope information D2k.

The error information D23 includes measurement error number information D2l, injection/missing error number information D2m, and communication error number information D2n.

The total energization time information D2a represents the total energization time of the coating head 31. The timing for writing the total energization time information D2a is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the total energization time information D2a is to understand the usage period of the coating head 31.

The total injection time information D2b represents the total injection time of the coating head 31. The timing for writing the total injection time information D2b is when the coating head 31 finishes injection. The purpose of using the total injection time information D2b is to understand the injection usage time of the coating head 31.

The continuous use time information D2c represents the continuous use time of the coating head 31. The timing for writing the continuous use time information D2c is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the continuous usage time information D2c is to understand the usage period of the coating head 31.

The final head installation date and time information D2d represents the date and time when the coating head 31 was finally installed. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the final head installation date and time information D2d is stored divided into "year", "month/day", and "hour/minute". The timing at which the final head installation date and time information D2d is written is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the final head installation date and time information D2d is to understand the unused period of the coating head 31.

The final installed machine number information D2e represents the number of the machine that finally installed the coating head 31. The timing to write the final loaded machine number information D2e is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the last loaded machine number information D2e is to know which loaded head (coating head unit) was using the coating head 31.

The final mounting line number information D2f represents the number of the line on which the coating head 31 was finally mounted. The timing at which the final mounting line number information D2f is written is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the final mounting line number information D2f is to know which mounting head (coating head unit) was using the coating head 31.

The final mounted head number information D2g represents the number of the coating head unit that finally mounted the coating head 31. The timing to write the final installed head number information D2g is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the final mounted head number information D2g is to know which mounted head (coating head unit) was using the coating head 31.

Recipe number information D2h represents a recipe number (material type). The timing to write the recipe number information D2h is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the recipe number information D2h is to understand the materials used in the coating head 31.

Internal heater temperature information D2i represents the control temperature of heater 40. The internal heater temperature information D2i is written when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the internal heater temperature information D2i is to take over the injection conditions of the coating head 31.

The drive voltage information D2j represents the drive voltage (value) of the coating head 31. The timing for writing the drive voltage information D2j is when the coating head 31 is removed. The purpose of using the drive voltage information D2j is to take over the injection conditions of the coating head 31.

The driving voltage slope information D2k represents the degree of slope of the driving voltage (value) of the coating head 31. Here, the "degree of slope of the driving voltage" refers to the characteristic of the amount of change in the amount of injection (mg) of the coating material with respect to the amount of change in the driving voltage (V) of the coating head 31, as shown in FIG. 17, for example. It means how much the slope of the line differs from the ideal slope of the line. The timing at which the drive voltage slope information D2k is written is at the end of the measurement inspection of the coating material. The purpose of using the drive voltage slope information D2k is to correct a calibration curve (a line representing the slope of the drive voltage).

The measurement error number information D2l represents the number of times a measurement error has occurred. The timing for writing the measurement error count information D2l is at the end of the measurement inspection of the coating material. The purpose of using the measurement error frequency information D2l is to understand the number of occurrences of measurement errors.

The injection missing error frequency information D2m represents the number of times an injection missing error occurs. The timing at which the injection omission error number information D2m is written is when the coating omission inspection of the coating head 31 is completed. The purpose of using the injection missing error frequency information D2m is to understand the number of occurrences of injection missing errors.

The communication error number information D2n represents the number of times communication errors occur inside the control device 12 and between the control device 12 and other devices. The timing to write the communication error number information D2n is when a communication error occurs. The purpose of using the communication error number information D2n is to understand the number of times communication errors have occurred.

The control unit 50 of the coating device 11 automatically writes operating conditions and history information D20 (usage record information) to such stored information Dst while the coating device 11 is in operation. The coating head 31 is periodically removed from the coating device 11 for cleaning. The coating device 11 can automatically acquire history information D20 (usage record information) of the attached coating head 31 from the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31 when the cleaned coating head 31 is attached again. can.

In addition, with respect to such stored information Dst, the coating head management device 19 refers to the history information D20 (usage record information) of each coating head 31, and determines whether the coating head 31 with a low operation record is placed in a frequently used head position. The user can be instructed to replace the applicator head 31 so that the applicator head 31 can be replaced. This instruction is given, for example, by displaying a screen for instructing replacement of the coating head 31 on a display unit (not shown) of the coating head management device 19. Thereby, the coating head management device 19 can optimize the state of the plurality of coating heads 31 as a whole.

<Product example>
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, an example of a product produced by the coating device 11 will be described. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a liquid crystal image display device 60 as an example of a product. Here, the description will be made assuming that the liquid crystal image display device 60 is a high-definition flat panel display. Further, here, the coating device 11 will be described as one that applies a liquid crystal material as a coating material to a substrate 70 that constitutes a part of the liquid crystal image display device 60.

As shown in FIG. 6, the liquid crystal image display device 60 includes, in order from the user's viewing side (front side), a polarizing filter 61, a glass substrate 62, a color filter 63, a transparent electrode 64, a light distribution film 65, and a liquid crystal layer 66. , a light distribution film 67, a transparent electrode 68, and a glass substrate 69 are laminated. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a substrate 70 includes a polarizing filter 61, a glass substrate 62, a color filter 63, a transparent electrode 64, a light distribution film 65, and a liquid crystal layer 66. The coating device 11 manufactures parts of the liquid crystal image display device 60 by coating the substrate 70 with a liquid crystal material in which a liquid crystal is mixed as a coating material 99 .

<Operation of coating head management system>
The operation of the coating head management system 10 (see FIG. 4) will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating head management system 10.

The coating head management system 10 (see FIG. 4) starts its operation, for example, by receiving an instruction from a user to monitor the state of the coating head 31. The operation of the coating head management system 10 (see FIG. 4) is mainly realized by the control section 50 (especially the coating head management device 19).

As shown in FIG. 7, the coating head management system 10 acquires unique information D10 and history information D20 from the storage section 33 of each coating head 31, and registers them in a storage section (not shown) (step S105). Here, "each coating head 31" refers to the coating head 31 attached to the coating head unit 22 mounted on the coating device 11, and the coating head unit 22 stored in the storage section 18 (see FIG. 4). This refers to the coating head 31 attached to the storage section 18 and the coating head 31 stored alone in the storage section 18 (see FIG. 4). Note that some of the coating heads 31 stored in the storage section 18 (see FIG. 4) have been removed from the coating head unit 22, while others are unused.

The coating head management system 10 starts monitoring the operating state of each coating head 31 based on the unique information D10 and history information D20 of each coating head 31 (step S110).

The coating head management system 10 determines whether there is any coating head 31 in an unfavorable state (step S115). Here, the "coating head 31 in an unfavorable state" refers to a coating head 31 that has been attached to the coating device 11 for a relatively longer period than others, or a coating head 31 that has been attached to the coating device 11 for a relatively longer period of time than others. There are coating heads 31 and the like stored in the storage section 18 (see FIG. 4). The coating head 31 that has been attached to the coating device 11 for a relatively longer period of time than the others may be more deteriorated than the others. Further, in the coating head 31 that has been stored in the storage unit 18 (see FIG. 4) for a relatively longer period than other coating heads, there is a possibility that the coating material adhering to the interior thereof has solidified. In these coating heads 31, the characteristics of the drive voltage for injecting the coating material may have changed relatively significantly from the initial stage (at the time of manufacturer's inspection).

If it is determined in step S115 that there is no coating head 31 in an unfavorable state (“No”), the process proceeds to step S135. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S115 that there is a coating head 31 in an unfavorable state (in the case of "Yes"), the coating head management system 10 determines whether the coating head 31 (or the coating head 31 is not attached) is present. The user is instructed to replace the coating head unit 22) (step S120).

After step S120, when the user replaces the coating head 31 (or the coating head unit 22 to which the coating head 31 is attached), the coating head management system 10 detects the replacement of the coating head 31 using a sensor (not shown). (Step S125).

After step S125, the coating head management system 10 acquires the unique information D10 and history information D20 from the storage unit 33 of the replaced coating head 31, and updates and registers them in the storage unit (not shown) (step S130).

If it is determined in step S115 that there is no coating head 31 in an unfavorable state (in the case of "No"), or after step S130, the coating head management system 10 issues an instruction to terminate the state monitoring of the coating head 31. It is determined whether or not there is (step S135).

If it is determined in step S135 that there is no instruction to end the state monitoring of the coating head 31 (in the case of "No"), the state monitoring of the coating head 31 is continued (step S140). After this, the process returns to step S115. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S135 that there has been an instruction to terminate the state monitoring of the coating head 31 ("Yes"), the series of routine processing ends.

<Operation of Coating Device>
The operation of the coating apparatus 11 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the coating apparatus 11.

The coating device 11 starts operating, for example, when the user turns on the power or receives an instruction for production operation. The operation of the coating device 11 is mainly realized by the control section 50 (particularly the control device 12).

As shown in FIG. 8, the coating device 11 receives an instruction to execute production operation from a user from an input section (not shown) (step S605). Then, the coating device 11 reads unique information D10 (for example, a serial number) from the storage section 33 of the coating head 31 attached to each coating head unit 22 mounted on the coating device 11 (step S610).

Then, the coating device 11 determines whether or not the coating head 31 has been replaced (step S615). This determination is made based on the unique information D10 of the coating head 31 registered in advance in the storage unit (not shown) of the coating device 11 corresponding to each coating head unit 22 and the unique information D10 of the coating head 31 read in step S610. It is done by comparing. If the two are different, it is determined that the coating head 31 has been replaced, whereas if the two match, it is determined that the coating head 31 has not been replaced.

If it is determined in step S615 that the coating head 31 has been replaced (“Yes”), the coating device 11 reads history information D20 from the storage unit 33 of the replaced coating head 31 (step S620). Then, the coating device 11 applies the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating head 31 and the adjustment of the heater 40) to the replaced coating head 31 according to the control program prepared in advance and based on the history information D20. temperature, etc.) (step S625).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S615 that the coating head 31 has not been replaced (in the case of "No"), the coating device 11 determines the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the previous driving conditions of the coating head 31). (voltage, temperature of the heater 40, etc.) are determined to be the previous driving conditions of the coating head 31 (step S630).

After step S625 or step S630, the coating head 31 is driven under the driving conditions determined in step S625 or step S630 to perform a flying droplet inspection of the coating material (step S635), and further to carry out a weighing inspection of the coating material. Execute (step S640). The flying droplet inspection and measurement inspection will be described later.

After step S640, it is determined whether there is any coating head 31 among the coating heads 31 that requires correction of driving conditions (for example, the previous driving voltage of the coating head 31, etc.) (step S645).

If it is determined in step S645 that there is a coating head 31 that requires drive condition correction (“Yes”), the coating device 11 uses a control program prepared in advance for the coating head 31. Accordingly, the drive conditions (for example, the previous drive voltage of the coating head 31, etc.) are corrected (step S650). This correction will be described later. After this, the process returns to step S635.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S645 that there is no coating head 31 that requires correction of the driving conditions (in the case of "No"), the coating apparatus 11 starts production operation and starts coating the substrate 70. The material is applied (step S655).

After step S655, the coating device 11 performs a dot inspection (coating omission inspection) of the coating material applied to the substrate 70 (step S660). The dot inspection (coating omission inspection) will be described later.

After step S660, the coating device 11 determines whether the production operation has ended (step S665). If it is determined in step S665 that the production operation has not ended (“No”), the process returns to step S655. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S665 that the production operation has ended (in the case of "Yes"), the coating device 11 stores the history information D20 in the memory section 33 in accordance with the coating operation of the coating head 31. 2 storage area 33b (step S670). Further, the coating device 11 stores unique information D10 (for example, a serial number) of the coating head 31 corresponding to each coating head unit 22 in a storage section (not shown). This completes the series of routine processing.

<Droplet inspection>
The flying droplet test will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13E. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the flying droplet inspection mechanism. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a case where the flying droplet test is satisfactory. FIGS. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams each schematically showing an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing in detail an example of a case where the flying droplet test is satisfactory. FIGS. 13A to 13E are explanatory diagrams each showing in detail an example of an inappropriate case in a flying drop test.

The flying droplet inspection is an inspection for checking the state of the coating material in flight, which is ejected by the coating head 31. Droplet inspection is performed before production operations begin. In the flying droplet inspection, for example, a flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 9 is used. The flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 is provided around the holding table 21 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 9, the droplet inspection mechanism includes a strobe illumination 15a and a droplet inspection camera 15b configured with a high-resolution camera. During the droplet inspection, the strobe illumination 15a and the droplet inspection camera 15b are arranged to face each other with the coating material ejected from the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 interposed therebetween. The strobe light 15a continuously emits instantaneously blinking illumination light toward the coating material. On the other hand, the flying droplet inspection camera 15b continuously takes pictures of the coating material. Thereby, the flying droplet inspection mechanism 14 acquires a photograph of the coating material in flight, which has been ejected from the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31. The coating device 11 identifies the state of the coating material based on the photograph of the coating material acquired by the flying droplet inspection mechanism 14, and performs a droplet inspection of the coating material.

FIG. 10 schematically shows an example of a favorable case in the flying drop test. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the coating material 99 is approximately spherical.

On the other hand, FIGS. 11A and 11B schematically show an example of an inappropriate case in the flying droplet inspection. In the example shown in FIG. 11A, the coating material 99 has a distorted spherical shape. Further, the coating material 99, which should originally be a single unit, is divided into a plurality of pieces. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 11B, a pool 91 of the coating material 99 is generated around the nozzle 32 of the coating head 31. Moreover, unintended falling of the coating material 99 occurs.

Moreover, FIG. 12 shows in detail an example of a case where the flying droplet test is satisfactory. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the coating material injected from each nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 advances from top to bottom. Then, the coating device 11 determines that the droplet flying state of the coating material 99 is good based on the following feature points A1 to A5.
(Feature point A1) The coating material 99 is injected from all designated nozzles 32.
(Feature point A2) Each drop of the coating material 99 has a beautiful spherical shape.
(Feature point A3) The spacing of the flying droplets of the coating material 99 is uniform.
(Feature point A4) There is little scattering of the coating material 99. In other words, the space where the flying droplets of the coating material 99 exist is in a clean state.
(Feature point A5) There is no liquid pool 91 (see FIG. 11B) of the coating material 99 on the lower surface of the coating head 31 (the surface where the injection port of the nozzle 32 is provided).

Further, FIGS. 13A to 13E show in detail an example of an inappropriate case in the flying droplet inspection. In the example shown in FIGS. 13A to 13E, the coating material injected from each nozzle 32 of the coating head 31 advances from top to bottom. Then, the coating device 11 determines that the flying droplet state of the coating material 99 is inappropriate based on the following feature points B1 to B5.
(Feature point B1) The coating material 99 is not injected from all the designated nozzles 32. In other words, injection omission of the coating material 99 has occurred (see FIGS. 13A and 13E).
(Feature point B2) The coating material 99 has a collapsed spherical shape (see FIG. 13B).
(Feature point B3) The spacing of the flying droplets of the coating material 99 is non-uniform (see FIGS. 13B to 13E).
(Feature point B4) There is a lot of scattering of the coating material 99 (see FIGS. 13B and 13C). In other words, the space where the flying droplets of the coating material 99 exist is in a dirty state.
(Feature point B5) There is a liquid pool 91 (see FIG. 11B) of the coating material 99 on the lower surface of the coating head 31 (the surface where the injection port of the nozzle 32 is provided) (see FIG. 13D).

Examples of causes of the occurrence of the feature points B1 to B5 described above include the following.
(Characteristic point B1) Air venting of the coating head 31 and pipe 34d is insufficient.
(Characteristic point B2) Air venting of the coating head 31 and pipe 34d is insufficient. The temperature of the injected coating material 99 is low.
(Characteristic point B3) Air venting of the coating head 31 and pipe 34d is insufficient.
(Feature point B4) The drive voltage (ejection voltage) of the coating head 31 is high. The temperature of the injected coating material 99 is high.
(Feature point B5) There is insufficient air ventilation in the coating head 31 and pipe 34d.

The coating device 11 performs a droplet inspection, and if the droplet condition of the coating material 99 is inappropriate, the coating device 11 may, for example, increase the negative pressure of the air with the regulator 37, change the temperature of the heater 40, or The drive voltage of the head 31 is corrected. The process of increasing the negative pressure with the regulator 37 is performed in order to eliminate the lack of air ventilation in the coating head 31 and the pipe 34d. The process of changing the temperature of the heater 40 is performed to change the temperature of the coating material 99 injected from the coating head 31. The process of correcting the drive voltage of the coating head 31 is performed in order to change the amount of coating material 99 ejected from the coating head 31. Note that when the droplet flying condition of the coating material 99 is poor, the coating head management system 10 (particularly the coating head management device) displays the coating head 31 (or the coating to which the coating head 31 is attached) on the display section (not shown). The user is instructed to replace or clean the head unit 22).

<Metric inspection>
The metrology test will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16B. FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of the metrological inspection mechanism. FIG. 15 is a graph diagram showing the difference in the relationship between the drive voltage of each coating head 31 and the amount of ejected coating material. FIG. 16A is a graph diagram showing the relationship between the number of drops of coating material and the total injection amount of coating material. FIG. 16B is a graph showing the relationship between the drive voltage of the coating head 31 and the total amount of ejected coating material.

The measurement test is a test that measures the amount of coating material injected by the coating head 31. Metrological inspections, along with droplet inspections, are conducted before the start of production operations. In the flying drop test, for example, a weighing test mechanism 13 shown in FIG. 14 is used. The weighing inspection mechanism 13 has an electronic balance 13a. The electronic balance 13a is used to measure the amount of coating material ejected from the coating head 31 and adjust the amount of coating material applied to the substrate 70.

The coating device 11 places the electronic balance 13a at a predetermined position on the holding table 21 by operating a transport means (not shown) under the control of the control device 12. The coating device 11 injects a coating material from the coating head 31 toward the electronic balance 13a by applying a driving voltage to the coating head 31. The coating device 11 measures the amount of coating material injected from the coating head 31 using an electronic balance 13a. The coating device 11 is equipped with a plurality of coating heads 31. The coating device 11 measures the amount of coating material to be ejected from all the coating heads 31 and manages the amount of coating material to be ejected from each coating head 31 .

As shown in FIG. 15, the amount of coating material ejected with respect to the drive voltage of the coating head 31 varies among the coating heads 31. Therefore, the coating device 11 controls each coating head 31 so that the amount of coating material ejected from each coating head 31 is uniform. The coating head 31 is controlled as follows.

For example, the adjustment of the total injection amount (mg) of the coating material to the target value is controlled by the number of drops (injection number) of the coating material. FIG. 16A shows the number of drops of the coating material relative to the target value of the total injection amount (mg) of the coating material. That is, FIG. 16A shows how many drops of the coating material were dropped when the total injection amount (mg) of the coating material measured by the electronic balance 13a matched the target value. The coating device 11 controls the number of drops (number of injections) of the coating material in each coating head 31 so that the total amount of coating material ejected in each coating head 31 is uniform.

Further, for example, adjustment of the dropping amount (ejection amount) of the coating material with respect to machine differences (individual differences) of the coating head 31 is controlled by the driving voltage (ejection voltage) of the coating head 31. In FIG. 16B, since the total ejection amount of the second head is greater than the total ejection amount of the first head, the outline arrow is This shows that the driving voltage of the second head is adjusted (changed) as shown in FIG. Note that the driving voltage of each coating head 31 before adjustment is a voltage value indicated by the driving voltage information D2j (see FIG. 5) stored in the storage section 33 of each coating head 31. The coating device 11 controls the drive voltage (injection voltage) of each coating head 31 as indicated by drive voltage information D2j (see FIG. 5) so that the total amount of coating material ejected by each coating head 31 is uniform. Adjust by maintaining or changing the voltage value. Note that when the voltage value is changed, the coating device 11 updates and registers the driving voltage information D2j (see FIG. 5) stored in the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31 to the changed voltage value.

<Correction of driving voltage of coating head>
When the coating device 11 corrects the driving voltage of the coating head 31 in order to change the injection amount of the coating material, the method of correcting the driving voltage and the number of corrections may vary depending on the characteristics of the coating head 31. . Therefore, in this embodiment, the coating device 11 stores drive voltage gradient information D2k in the storage section 33 of each coating head 31 as information representing the characteristics of the coating head 31. When the coating device 11 corrects the drive voltage in order to change the injection amount of the coating material, the coating device 11 corrects the drive voltage according to the drive voltage correction method and the number of corrections according to the drive voltage gradient information D2k.

Hereinafter, correction of the drive voltage of the coating head 31 as an example of correction of the drive conditions of the coating head 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 18C. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the difference in slope of the drive voltage of the coating head 31. 18A to 18C are explanatory diagrams showing differences in correction due to differences in the slope of the drive voltage of the coating head 31, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, lines L11, L12, and L13 are shown as lines representing the characteristics of the injection amount (mg) of the coating material with respect to the drive voltage (V) of the coating head 31. A line L11 shows an example in which the amount of change in the amount of injection of the coating material is in an ideal state with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage of the coating head 31. A line L12 shows an example in which the amount of change in the amount of injection of the coating material is excessive with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage of the coating head 31. Line L13 shows an example in which the amount of change in the amount of injection of the coating material is too small relative to the amount of change in the drive voltage of the coating head 31.

As shown in Figures 18A to 18C, when correcting the drive voltage to change the amount of coating material injected, the coating device 11 corrects the drive voltage in a manner and number of corrections according to the characteristics of lines L11, L12, and L13 (i.e., drive voltage slope information D2k).

For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, in the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L11 (see FIG. 17), the amount of change in the amount of ejection of the coating material is in an ideal state with respect to the amount of change in the drive voltage. . Therefore, in the case where the coating material injection amount deviates from the target value, the coating head 31 having the characteristic shown by the line L11 corrects the drive voltage of the coating head 31 so that the coating material injection amount matches the target value. Thus, the injection amount of the coating material can be set to the target value by correcting the drive voltage once. In other words, as shown in FIG. 18A, for example, in a state where the deviation representing the deviation of the injection amount of the coating material from the target value is shifted to the +3 side, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L11 is It is possible to make the deviation zero by correcting.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18B, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L12 (see FIG. 17) is in a state where the amount of change in the amount of ejected coating material is excessive relative to the amount of change in the drive voltage. ing. Therefore, when the coating material injection amount deviates from the target value, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L12 corrects the driving voltage of the coating head 31 so that the coating material injection amount matches the target value. However, the amount of change in the injection amount of the coating material becomes excessive. In other words, as shown in FIG. 18B, for example, in a state in which the deviation deviates to the +3 side, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L12 has a deviation deviated to the negative side even after the first drive voltage correction. I end up in a bad situation. Therefore, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of the line L12 performs additional correction multiple times to bring the deviation closer to zero.

Note that the number of times the additional correction is performed changes depending on the amount of deviation in the slope of the line L12 from the slope of the line L11. If the amount of deviation is large (that is, if the slope of line L12 in FIG. 17 is close to the vertical axis), the amount of change in the amount of ejected coating material relative to the amount of change in drive voltage will be large. Therefore, in FIG. 18B, the amount of change in the deviation in each drive voltage correction increases. As a result, it becomes difficult for the deviation to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times additional corrections are performed increases. On the other hand, if the amount of deviation is small (that is, if the slope of line L12 becomes close to line L11 in FIG. 17), the amount of change in the amount of ejected coating material relative to the amount of change in drive voltage will be small. Therefore, in FIG. 18B, the amount of change in the deviation in each drive voltage correction becomes small. As a result, the deviation tends to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times additional corrections are performed is reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18C, the coating head 31 having the characteristic shown by line L13 (see FIG. 17) is in a state where the amount of change in the amount of ejection of the coating material is too small relative to the amount of change in the drive voltage. Therefore, when the coating material injection amount deviates from the target value, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L13 corrects the driving voltage of the coating head 31 so that the coating material injection amount matches the target value. However, the amount of change in the injection amount of the coating material becomes too small. In other words, as shown in FIG. 18C, for example, in a state where the deviation is on the +3 side, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L12 has a deviation that is still on the plus side even after the first drive voltage correction. It becomes a misaligned state. Therefore, the coating head 31 having the characteristic of line L13 performs additional correction multiple times to bring the deviation closer to zero.

Note that the number of times the additional correction is performed changes depending on the amount of deviation in the slope of the line L13 from the slope of the line L11. If the amount of deviation is large (that is, if the slope of line L13 in FIG. 17 is close to the horizontal axis), the amount of change in the amount of ejection of the coating material with respect to the amount of change in drive voltage becomes small. Therefore, in FIG. 18C, the amount of change in deviation in each drive voltage correction becomes small. As a result, it becomes difficult for the deviation to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times additional corrections are performed increases. On the other hand, if the amount of deviation is small (that is, if the slope of line L13 becomes close to line L11 in FIG. 17), the amount of change in the amount of ejected coating material relative to the amount of change in drive voltage becomes large. Therefore, in FIG. 18C, the amount of change in the deviation in each drive voltage correction increases. As a result, the deviation tends to converge to zero. Therefore, the number of times additional corrections are performed is reduced.

Such a coating device 11 can efficiently change the injection amount of the coating material by correcting the drive voltage according to the drive voltage correction method and the number of corrections according to the drive voltage gradient information D2k.

<Dot inspection (coating omission inspection)>
Dot inspection (coating omission inspection) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. 19 and 20 are explanatory diagrams of the dot inspection mechanism, respectively. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an inappropriate case in dot inspection.

Dot inspection (missing coating inspection) is an inspection to check the condition of the coating material applied to the substrate 70. Dot inspection (missing coating inspection) is performed after the coating material is ejected from the application head 31 during production operation. In dot inspection (missing coating inspection), the number of cases where the coating material applied to the substrate 70 is poorly positioned or ejected poorly is counted.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the dot inspection mechanism 16 includes a plurality of dot inspection cameras (in the illustrated example, two dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b). The dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are cameras that photograph the upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface coated with the coating material). The dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are arranged such that their photographing sections face the upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface to which the coating material is applied). The dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction. The coating device 11 photographs the upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface coated with the coating material) with the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b by moving the substrate 70 and the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b relatively.

FIG. 19 shows the operation when performing a dot inspection (coating omission inspection) in the partial inspection mode. “Partial inspection mode” is a mode in which a specific portion of the board 70 is specified and the specific portion is inspected. In the partial inspection mode, the range that can be photographed by one dot inspection camera can be set as the inspection range.

In the example of the partial inspection mode shown in FIG. 19, inspection ranges 71a and 71b are designated as areas to be photographed by the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b. After the coating device 11 stops the substrate 70 at a predetermined position, the dot inspection camera 17a photographs the inspection range 71a, and the dot inspection camera 17b photographs the inspection range 71a. The coating device 11 then identifies the coating state of the coating material in the portion extending in the vertical direction of the upper surface (coating material coating surface) of the substrate 70 with respect to the inspection ranges 71a and 71b based on the photographed photographs. . In the example shown in FIG. 19, the above-described "specific portion" is a portion extending in the vertical direction of the upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface coated with the coating material) with respect to the inspection ranges 71a and 71b.

FIG. 20 shows the operation when performing a dot inspection (coating omission inspection) in the full scan mode. The "all scan mode" is a mode in which the entire top surface of the substrate 70 (the surface coated with the coating material) is inspected. In the full scan mode, the entire upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface coated with the coating material) is the inspection range.

In the example of the full scan mode shown in FIG. 20, an inspection range 71c is designated as the portion to be photographed by the dot inspection cameras 17a and 17b. The inspection range 71c is a range extending horizontally from the upper surface of the substrate 70 (the surface to which the coating material is applied). The coating device 11 transports the substrate 70 in the vertical direction (direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the dot inspection cameras 17a, 17b), and while reciprocating the dot inspection cameras 17a, 17b in the horizontal direction, the dot inspection camera 17a , 17b to photograph the inspection range 71c. Based on the photograph, the coating device 11 determines the vertically extending portion of the upper surface (coating material coating surface) of the inspection range 71c (i.e., the entire surface of the upper surface (coating material coating surface) of the substrate 70). ) to identify the application state of the coating material.

FIG. 21 shows an example of an inappropriate case in dot inspection. In the substrate 70, an injection dropout location 72 (coating dropout location) is formed. The injection exit portion 72 is formed in a line shape in the vertical direction. The coating device 11 can detect the injection missing portion 72 by dot inspection (coating omission inspection) based on the photographed photograph.

The injection leakage portion 72 occurs, for example, due to insufficient air venting of the coating head 31 and the pipe 34d, and air being mixed into the coating material injected from the coating head 31. When the injection hole 72 occurs, the regulator 37 increases the negative pressure of the air to remove air from the coating head 31 and the pipe 34d, and at the same time, repairs the injection hole 72 with the coating material (for repair). This can be dealt with by applying a coating.

<Main features of coating equipment and coating head management system>
(1) As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes a holding table 21 that holds a substrate 70, and a coating head unit 22 that applies a coating material to the substrate 70 held on the holding table 21. (applying section), and a control section 50 that controls the coating material to be applied to a predetermined area of the substrate 70 by relatively moving the substrate 70 and the coating head unit 22 (applying section). . A coating head 31 for applying a coating material to the substrate 70 is detachably attached to the coating head unit 22 (coating section). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the coating head 31 has a first storage area 33a in which unique information D10 of the coating head 31 is stored, and a second storage area 33b in which history information D20 of the coating head 31 is stored. It has a storage section 33 including . As shown in FIG. 8, the coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment includes a unique information reading step (see step S610) of reading the unique information D10 of the coating head 31 from the storage unit 33 provided in the coating head 31; A coating material application step (see step S660) in which the coating material is applied to a predetermined area of the substrate 70 by relatively moving the substrate 70 and the coating head unit 22 (coating section), and a coating material application step (see step S660) according to the coating operation of the coating head 31. Then, a history information storage step (see step S670) of storing the history information D20 of the coating head 31 in the storage unit 33 is executed. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 50 reads the unique information D10 from the first storage area 33a (step S610), and also stores the history information D20 in the second storage area 33b according to the coating operation of the coating head 31. It is stored (step S670).

The coating apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment can grasp the coating operation of the coating head 31 based on the history information D20 stored in the second storage area 33b, and therefore can suitably control the state of the coating head 31. can be managed. Therefore, the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment can easily adjust the coating heads 31 attached to each coating head unit 22 to a similar state in a plurality of coating head units 22 (coating section). . Further, although the adjustment of the coating head 31 is very delicate, the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment can utilize the history information D20 stored in the storage unit 33 of the coating head 31. , the coating head can be adjusted in a short time.

(2) As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 50 of the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment reads the unique information D10 from the first storage area 33a, thereby controlling the It is possible to detect whether or not the coating head 31 has been replaced (steps S610, S615).

The coating device 11 according to the present embodiment can detect whether or not the coating head 31 has been replaced, so that when the coating head 31 has been replaced, new drive conditions for the coating head 31 are determined. be able to.

(3) As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 50 of the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment reads the history information D20 from the second storage area 33b, and determines the driving conditions of the coating head 31 based on the history information D20. (Steps S620, S625).

The coating device 11 according to the present embodiment determines the driving conditions of the coating head 31 (for example, the driving voltage of the coating head 31, the temperature of the heater 40, etc.) based on the history information D20 stored in the second storage area 33b. can be determined.

(4) As shown in FIG. 5, in the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment, the history information D20 includes drive voltage slope information D2k representing the slope of the drive voltage that drives the coating head 31. The control unit 50 can correct the drive voltage of the coating head 31 based on the drive voltage gradient information D2k.

As shown in FIGS. 18A to 18C, when correcting the drive voltage to change the injection amount of the coating material, the coating device 11 according to this embodiment performs drive according to the drive voltage gradient information D2k. The drive voltage can be corrected by adjusting the voltage correction method or by reducing the number of corrections.

(5) As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the coating head management device 19 of the coating head management system 10 can monitor the state of the coating head 31 attached to the coating head unit 22 (coating section) based on the history information D20 stored in the memory section 33 provided in the coating head 31. The coating head management device 19 can be integrated with the main PC 51 of the control device 12.

The coating head management system 10 including the coating device 11 according to this embodiment can instruct the user to replace the coating head 31 (or the coating head unit 22 to which the coating head 31 is attached) if the coating head 31 needs to be replaced.

(6) As shown in FIG. 7, the coating head management device 19 of the coating head management system 10 uses history information D20 stored in the storage unit 33 of each coating head 31 for the plurality of coating heads 31. status can be monitored.

The coating head management system 10, which includes the coating device 11 according to this embodiment, can monitor the status of the coating heads 31 for multiple coating heads 31.

As described above, according to the coating device 11 according to the present embodiment, the state of the coating head 31 can be suitably managed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the embodiments described above have been described in detail in order to explain the gist of the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the components described. Further, in the present invention, other components can be added to certain components, or some components can be changed to other components. Further, in the present invention, some components can also be deleted.

Further, for example, in the embodiment described above, the main PC 51 is provided inside the coating device 11 (see FIG. 4). However, the main PC 51 may be provided outside the coating device 11.

Further, for example, in the embodiment described above, the control section 50 is configured to be divided into the control device 12 and the coating head management device 19 (see FIG. 4). However, the control unit 50 may have a configuration in which the control device 12 and the coating head management device 19 are integrated.

For example, the electronic balance 13a may be used to measure the amount of coating material stored in the coating material tank 23.

For example, the coating device 11 may have a configuration in which a plurality of coating heads 31 are attached to one support portion 27.

10 Coating head management system 11 Coating device 12 Control device 13 Weighing inspection mechanism 13a Electronic balance 14 Flying droplet inspection mechanism 15a Strobe lighting 15b Flying droplet inspection camera 16 Dot inspection mechanism 17a, 17b Dot inspection camera 18 Storage section 19 Coating head management device 21 Holding table 22 Application head unit (application section)
23 Coating material tank (coating material storage section)
24 Gantry 25 Coil for linear motor 26 Magnet for linear motor 27 Support part 31 Application head 32 Nozzle 33 Storage part 33a First storage area 33b Second storage area 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d Pipe 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d Valve 36 Leak valve 37 Regulator 38 Pressure gauge 40 Heater 41 Thermocouple 42 Solid state relay (SSR)
43 Temperature controller 50 Control unit 51 Main PC
52 Motor controller 53 Amplifier 54 Inkjet controller 60 Liquid crystal image display device 61 Polarizing filter 62 Glass substrate 63 Color filter 64 Transparent electrode 65 Light distribution film 66 Liquid crystal layer 67 Light distribution film 68 Transparent electrode 69 Glass substrate 70 Substrate 71a, 71b, 71c Inspection Range 72 Injection dropout location 91 Liquid pool 99 Application material Dst Storage information D1a Serial number information D1b Manufacturer inspection date information D1c Inspection reference voltage information DA First energization date information on site D2a Total energization time information D2b Total injection time information D2c Continuous use Time information D2d Last head installation date and time information D2e Last loaded machine number information D2f Last loaded line number information D2g Last loaded head number information D2h Recipe number information (material model information)
D2i Internal heater temperature information D2j Drive voltage information D2k Drive voltage slope information D2l Measurement error count information D2m Injection/missing error count information D2n Communication error count information D10 Unique information D20 History information D21 Operation progress information D22 Drive information D23 Error information

Claims (2)

a holding table that holds the substrate;
an application unit that applies a coating material to the substrate held on the holding table;
a control unit configured to apply the coating material to a predetermined area of the substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the coating unit;
A plurality of coating heads for coating the coating material on the substrate are detachably attached to the coating section,
Each coating head has serial number information, manufacturer inspection date information, and reference voltage information at the time of inspection as unique information, and has operation progress information, drive information, error information, and operating condition information of the coating head. A first storage area in which one or more pieces of cumulative coating amount information of the coating material is stored as history information, and unique information of each coating head is stored, and at least each of the coating heads is stored as history information of each coating head. a storage section including a second storage area in which a drive voltage of
The control unit reads the unique information and the history information stored in the first storage area and the second storage area of the storage unit provided in each coating head, and reads the unique information and the history information that are specified based on the unique information. correcting driving conditions of the coating head based on history information of the coating head;
A coating apparatus comprising a coating head management device that refers to history information of each coating head and displays replacement of the coating head on a display section. The history information in the storage unit includes information on the number of injection failure errors,
comprising a dot inspection mechanism that detects an injection failure of the coating head based on a photograph taken by an inspection camera that photographs the coating surface of the substrate after injection of the coating material from the coating head;
2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section writes a number of injection omission errors representing the number of injection failures detected by the dot inspection mechanism into the injection omission error number information.

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