HK1218785B - Method and device for manufacturing plate-shaped laminated article - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for manufacturing plate-shaped laminated body

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a plate-like laminated body formed by bonding a pair of plate-like bodies together with an adhesive, and for example, to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a plate-like laminated body formed by bonding plate-like bodies constituting a liquid crystal display.

Background Art

Liquid crystal displays are constructed by laminating plate-like bodies such as cover glass for surface protection and a touch panel for operation onto a liquid crystal module (display module), which is a plate-like body composed of a substrate forming a liquid crystal layer, a color filter, and a backlight. These plate-like bodies are laminated together using adhesive sheets or liquid adhesives, but the mainstream method is now gradually tending to use liquid adhesives. Various methods have been proposed in recent years as methods for laminating using liquid adhesives.

Patent document 1 is a method for manufacturing a flat-panel display device in which an adhesive resin is applied to bond a display panel to a protective plate, and the adhesive resin is cured in this state. The method is characterized in that a double Y-shaped line pattern is set in a rectangular predetermined bonding area of the protective plate, and multiple dot-shaped coating patterns are arranged on the center line and branch lines of the double Y-shaped line pattern or in the vicinity thereof, and are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of the rectangle and its perpendicular bisector.

Patent document 2 is a method for manufacturing a polarizing plate by directly bonding a transparent substrate and a polarizer via an adhesive. The method is characterized by comprising: a first step of applying an adhesive on a transparent substrate or a polarizer in a pattern in which three or more lines extend from an arbitrary point, and the angle between two adjacent lines is less than 180 degrees; and a second step of bonding the transparent substrate and the polarizer via the adhesive.

Patent document 3 is a method for manufacturing a display device in which a transparent substrate is attached to a display panel via an adhesive. The method is characterized in that it has: a coating step, in which the adhesive is coated on the display panel or the transparent substrate in a grid shape or a predetermined pattern consisting of a plurality of dots; a bonding step, in which, after the coating step, the display panel and the transparent substrate are bonded via the adhesive in a reduced pressure atmosphere below atmospheric pressure; and a curing step, in which, after the bonding step, the adhesive is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays.

Patent document 4 is a method for manufacturing a display device having a first panel, a second panel arranged opposite to the first panel, and a transparent organic layer arranged between the first panel and the second panel. The method is characterized in that it includes the following steps: arranging an organic material in a frame shape on the first panel; curing the organic material on the first panel to form an outer organic layer; placing the first panel and the second panel opposite to each other in a state where uncured organic material is filled inside the outer organic layer; and curing the uncured organic material in the relative state.

Patent document 5 is a method for manufacturing a bonded structure, which includes the following steps: forming a sealing portion around a field of view on a first workpiece by an adhesive; filling the sealing portion with adhesive; and bonding a second workpiece to the sealing portion and the adhesive-filled portion; the steps of forming the sealing portion include: forming a dam protruding from a flat surface of the first workpiece on a line surrounding the field of view; forming a notch portion that notches a portion of the dam; forming a first conversion portion that changes the flow direction of the adhesive flowing out of the notch portion; forming a second conversion portion that changes the flow direction of the adhesive flowing out of the first conversion portion; and forming an extension portion that extends the flow path of the adhesive in the second conversion portion.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-150331

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-197820

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-158251

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-28215

Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-76934

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the field of liquid crystal displays, the bonding of a pair of plate-like bodies (panels) is generally carried out by applying an adhesive to the plate-like body of either party, overlapping the plate-like body of the other party, and applying a pressing force to spread the adhesive. At this time, it is preferred that the adhesive is spread to near the edge of the plate-like body. It is particularly preferred that the display area of the liquid crystal module is covered with an adhesive of uniform thickness without any omission (uniformly). However, since the adhesive is a liquid, the corners will not be right angles in the strict sense, but will have rounded corners. As a result, as shown by the dotted line in the right figure of Figure 18 (a), a state is produced in which the corners of the display area are not filled with adhesive. Therefore, the following problem (topic 1) will arise, that is, there are no components for supporting and reinforcing each other at the corners of the plate-like bodies, so they are easily deformed by applying a slight force, and there is a concern that the skewness will cause color unevenness and breakage.

In order to avoid the occurrence of the above-mentioned problem 1, it is possible to consider applying more adhesive in advance. However, since the display area is formed almost close to the edge of the plate-like body, as shown by the dotted line in the right figure of Figure 18(b), there will be other problems (problem 2) in that the adhesive will also spread to areas other than the corners during bonding, and then overflow out of the plate-like body B2.

In the state of Figure 18(a), although it is possible to leave it for a certain period of time after bonding to allow the liquid to penetrate into the corners through capillary phenomenon, this is too time-consuming and will cause errors in time due to individual differences, so this method is not realistic.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for spreading an adhesive to the vicinity of the edge of a plate-like body, and in particular, to the corners of a display area without any leakage.

Technical means to solve the problem

In a method for manufacturing a plate-like laminate by bonding a pair of plate-like bodies together with an adhesive, the inventors came to the understanding that if the adhesive is applied to the plate-like body in a surface-like manner, the corners of the four corners will have rounded corners. Based on the assumption that good adhesive coating can be obtained by performing additional coating on the corners of the four corners, the inventors completed the present invention after careful research.

That is, the present invention is constituted by the following technical means.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a plate-like stacked body, which is a method for manufacturing a plate-like stacked body, in which a pair of plate-like bodies of substantially similar shape are bonded together using an adhesive to manufacture a plate-like stacked body, comprising: a surface coating process, in which a nozzle having a square-shaped ejection groove is scanned on the first plate-like body in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-like bodies, thereby coating the adhesive into a square shape; a supplementary coating process, in which the adhesive is applied to the first or second plate-like body near the four corners of the first and second plate-like bodies and to the parts opposite to the parts that are not coated with the adhesive in the surface coating process in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-like bodies; and a bonding process, in which the first and second plate-like bodies that have undergone the surface coating process and the supplementary coating process are bonded together.

In the present invention involved in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a plate-like laminate, it is preferred that in the above-mentioned supplementary coating step, the adhesive is applied by forming a symmetrical coating pattern with a diagonal line, wherein the diagonal line includes the vertex of the corner portion to be coated. More preferably, the coating pattern of the above-mentioned supplementary coating step includes a pattern composed of dots and/or lines, or the coating pattern of the above-mentioned supplementary coating step includes an L-shaped pattern.

In the present invention related to the method for producing a plate-like laminated body, the adhesive may be applied to the first plate-like body in the supplementary application step.

The present invention involving the method for manufacturing the plate-like laminate may be characterized in that, in the supplementary coating step, the adhesive is applied to the second plate-like body. Furthermore, the surface coating step and the supplementary coating step may be performed in parallel.

In the present invention involved in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a plate-like stack, its feature may also be that in the above-mentioned surface coating process, the adhesive is applied by scanning the nozzle once in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the first plate-like body, and the nozzle has a discharging groove portion with a length in the width direction of the first plate-like body that can apply the required amount of adhesive at one time.

In the present invention related to the method for producing a plate-like laminated body, the plate-like laminated body formed by laminating the first and second plate-like bodies may be a component of a liquid crystal display.

The present invention relates to a device for manufacturing a plate-like laminate, which is characterized in that it is a device for manufacturing a plate-like laminate, which manufactures a plate-like laminate by bonding a pair of plate-like bodies of substantially similar shape together with an adhesive, and comprises: a surface coating device, which coats the adhesive on the plate-like body into a square shape; a corner coating device, which coats the adhesive near the four corners of the plate-like body; a bonding device, which bonds the first and second plate-like bodies coated with the adhesive together; a conveying device, which connects the surface coating device, the corner coating device and the bonding device; and a control device, the control device comprising: (a) a surface coating device, wherein the first and second plate-like bodies are bonded together; (a) a unit for applying adhesive to a plate-like body in a square shape by scanning a nozzle having a square-shaped discharging groove portion in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-like bodies; (b) a unit for applying adhesive to portions of the first or second plate-like body that are near the four corners of the first and second plate-like bodies and are not coated with adhesive by the surface coating device, or to portions opposite to the four corners, in a corner coating device, in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-like bodies; and (c) a unit for bonding a pair of plate-like bodies coated with adhesive by the corner coating device.

In the present invention involved in the manufacturing device of the above-mentioned plate-like laminate, its feature may also be that the above-mentioned surface coating device includes: a surface discharge device; a workbench, on which the coated object is placed; and an XYZ direction moving mechanism, which enables the surface discharge device and the coated object placed on the workbench to move relative to each other, and the above-mentioned corner coating device is constructed by mounting a supplementary discharge device on the XYZ direction moving mechanism of the above-mentioned surface coating device.

In the present invention related to the apparatus for manufacturing a plate-like laminated body, the planar discharge device may include a nozzle having a discharge groove having a length capable of applying a required amount of adhesive at a time in the width direction of the first plate-like body.

In the present invention involving the above-mentioned manufacturing device for plate-like laminates, it may also be characterized by further having a flipping device for flipping the plate-like body up and down, and further, it may also be characterized by the surface coating device, corner coating device, laminating device, flipping device and conveying device being mounted on the same machine base.

In the present invention related to the apparatus for manufacturing a plate-like laminated body, the plate-like laminated body formed by laminating the first and second plate-like bodies may be a component of a liquid crystal display.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, since the adhesive can be applied near the corners of the plate-like stacked bodies, the plate-like bodies can be firmly fixed to each other, deformation and breakage can be prevented, and the problem of adhesive overflow can be eliminated.

Furthermore, since the adhesive can be applied so that the outer edge is at a desired distance from the outer edge of the plate-shaped body, the pressing force required for bonding can be minimized.

According to the present invention having a configuration in which multiple types of coating are processed in parallel, the working time involved in coating and lamination can be shortened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first embodiment of an adhesive coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) shows a surface coating step, (b) shows a supplementary coating step, and (c) shows a laminating step.

Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the shape of the adhesive after lamination, wherein (a) shows a top view and (b) shows a side view.

3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the adhesive coating method according to the present invention, wherein (a) shows the surface coating step, (b1) shows the supplementary coating step, (b2) shows the reversal step, and (c) shows the laminating step.

4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the adhesive coating method according to the present invention, wherein (a) shows the supplementary coating step, (b1) shows the surface coating step, (b2) shows the reversal step, and (c) shows the laminating step.

Figure 5 is a schematic top view illustrating variations of supplemental coating. (a) shows the case of multiple dot coating, (b) shows the case of multiple dot coating of varying sizes, (c) shows the case of L-shaped straight line coating, and (d) shows the case of a combination of line coating and dot coating.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a film coating nozzle of a planar discharge device according to Example 1. (a) is a front cross-sectional view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in (a).

FIG7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the refilling discharge device of Example 1. FIG.

8 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus set for carrying out the adhesive coating method of Example 1. (a) shows a surface coating apparatus, (b) shows a corner coating apparatus, and (c) shows a laminating apparatus.

FIG9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the laminating device of Example 1. FIG.

Fig. 10 is a schematic plan view of the conveying device of Example 1. (a) shows an example of robot conveyance, and (b) shows an example of roller conveyance.

11 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus set for carrying out the adhesive coating method of Example 2. (a) shows the surface and corner coating apparatus, and (b) shows the laminating apparatus.

12 is a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to Example 2. (a) shows an example of robot conveyance, and (b) shows an example of roller conveyance.

13 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus set for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 3. (a) shows a surface coating apparatus, (b1) shows a corner coating apparatus, (b2) shows a flipping apparatus, and (c) shows a laminating apparatus.

14 is a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to Example 3. (a) shows an example of conveying by a robot, and (b) shows an example of conveying by rollers.

15 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus set for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 4. (a) shows a corner coating apparatus, (b1) shows a surface coating apparatus, (b2) shows a reversing apparatus, and (c) shows a laminating apparatus.

Fig. 16 is a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to Example 4. (a) shows an example of conveying by a robot, and (b) shows an example of conveying by rollers.

FIG17 is a schematic top view of the coating and laminating device of Example 5. FIG.

18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the prior art, wherein (a) shows a case where the corners of the display area are not fully filled with adhesive, and (b) shows a case where the adhesive overflows to the outside of the plate-like body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes examples of embodiments of the present invention. The first through third embodiments illustrate methods for bonding a liquid crystal module to a cover glass (glass panel). For convenience, the following description assumes that the first plate is plate A1 and the second plate is plate B2. Alternatively, the first plate may be plate B2 and the second plate may be plate A1.

<Adhesive application method>

(1) First method

FIG1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first embodiment of an adhesive coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment involves performing both surface coating and supplemental coating on one of a pair of plate-like bodies. The pair of plate-like bodies are both square flat plates, with one being slightly smaller than the other and having substantially similar shapes.

First, as shown in FIG1(a), for example, a planar dispensing device 7 is moved from one end to the other (single-pass scanning) along the direction indicated by reference numeral 5 on a liquid crystal module, i.e., a plate-like body A1, to apply the adhesive 3 in a planar manner. Preferably, the planar dispensing is performed in a manner that minimizes the pressing force required for lamination and that forms a rectangular shape with the outer edges of the four sides of the plate-like body, which has a smaller area, slightly positioned inward. In this case, the applied adhesive 3 forms a rectangular shape that follows the shape of the display area 4, but the four corners are not perfectly right angles and have rounded corners. In other words, planar dispensing as referred to in the present invention refers to applying a square shape with rounded corners. Here, planar dispensing is performed over an area, for example, 80% to 90% or more, of the area of either smaller side of a pair of plate-like bodies. The nozzle of the planar dispensing device 7 includes a dispensing groove 12 having a length in the width direction of the plate-like body A1 that allows the required amount of adhesive 3 to be applied at one time. The planar discharge device 7 will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

Next, as shown in FIG1(b), at four points near the rounded corners of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner on the plate-like body A1, the supplementary dispensing device 8 is moved in the direction indicated by the symbol 6 while supplementary coating of the adhesive 3 on the corners. In the first method, the supplementary coating of the adhesive 3 is performed by forming a point at each corner (hereinafter referred to as "point coating"). At this time, the side of the point-shaped adhesive 3 can be attached to the planar adhesive 3 or separated. This is because, usually, when laminating, a pressing force is applied to press the plate-like bodies against each other, thereby flattening the adhesive 3 and laminating them. It is preferred to perform supplementary coating by making the distance between the adhesive applied in a planar manner and the adhesive applied in a point-shaped manner less than half the diameter of the point formed by the point coating. Furthermore, the supplementary dispensing device 8 will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

Next, as shown in FIG1(c), for example, in a state where the cover glass, i.e., the plate-like body B2, is turned over, it is bonded to the plate-like body A1 coated with the adhesive 3 in a surface and dot form. Furthermore, during bonding, the environment around the plate-like body is sometimes set to a low pressure (preferably an absolute pressure of 500 Pa or less, more preferably 100 Pa or less, and particularly preferably a low pressure of 10 Pa or less) or a vacuum state so that no bubbles are mixed into the adhesive 3. This bonding operation uses a bonding device 55. The bonding device 55 will be described in detail in the following embodiments. In addition, in the above-mentioned structure, the plate-like body A1 is used as a liquid crystal module and the plate-like body B2 is used as a cover glass, but the opposite can also be true. That is, the plate-like body A1 is used as a cover glass and the plate-like body B2 is used as a liquid crystal module.

2( b ), that is, sandwiched between a pair of plate-like bodies A1 and B2 , with the outer edge of the adhesive 3 located between the outer edge of the plate-like body A1 and the outer edge of the display area 4 .

The adhesive 3 after bonding when viewed from above becomes the shape shown in FIG2(a), i.e., it has four outer edges at substantially equal distances from the four outer edges of the plate-like body A1, and has four roughly semicircular corners extending from the outer edges to the four corners of the plate-like body A1. From another point of view, it becomes the following shape, i.e., it has four outer edges at substantially equal distances from the four outer edges of the display area 4, and has four roughly semicircular corners extending outward from the four corners of the display area 4. Furthermore, in FIG2, the adhesive 3 is shown in dotted lines, and the display area 4 is shown in dotted lines. Observing FIG2(a), it can be seen that by applying additional adhesive 3 to the four corners, the adhesive 3 can be reliably filled to the corners of the display area 4 after bonding. The same result is also obtained according to the second method (FIG. 3) and the third method (FIG. 4) shown below.

(2) Second method

3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the adhesive coating method according to the present invention. The second embodiment is a method in which a surface coating is performed on one of a pair of plate-like bodies and a supplementary coating is performed on the other plate-like body.

First, as shown in FIG3(a), for example, on a liquid crystal module, i.e., a plate-like body A1, a planar dispensing device 7 is moved from one end to the other in the direction indicated by reference numeral 5 to apply a planar adhesive 3. At this time, the applied adhesive 3 is in a rectangular shape that follows the shape of the display area 4, but its four corners are not perfectly right angles and are rounded.

Next, as shown in FIG3(b1), for example, at the four corners of the cover glass, i.e., the plate-like body B2, the replenishing dispensing device 8 is moved in the direction indicated by the symbol 6 while replenishing the adhesive 3. In the second method, the replenishing application of the adhesive 3 is also performed by point coating. The coating positions are set to be four points near the corners where the rounded corners of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner to the plate-like body A1 are left when the pair of plate-like bodies 1 and 2 are bonded together. Here, the positions of the adhesive 3 applied in a dotted manner to the plate-like body B2 may be positions where the side surfaces thereof are attached to the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner to the plate-like body A1, or may be separate positions.

Next, as shown in Figure 3(b2), the plate-like body B2, which has been dot-coated at its four corners, is flipped by a flipping device 56 so that the coated surface faces downward. In this case, the plate-like body B2 may be flipped after the semi-curing treatment to prevent the shape of the applied adhesive 3 from being deformed. The flipping device 56 will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

Next, as shown in FIG3(c), the plate-like body B2, which has been dot-coated and then turned over, is bonded to the plate-like body A1 that has been surface-coated by the bonding device 55. As in the first method, during bonding, the environment around the plate-like bodies is sometimes set to a low pressure or vacuum state to prevent bubbles from entering the adhesive 3. After bonding, as shown in FIG2(a), the adhesive 3 can be reliably filled to the corners of the display area 4. In the second method, in which each plate-like body is subjected to both surface coating and dot coating, the adhesive 3 coating process is performed in parallel, thereby shortening the operation time.

(3) Third Method

4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the adhesive coating method according to the embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is obtained by replacing the combination of the type of plate-shaped body and the type of coating in the second embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG4(a), for example, the adhesive 3 is applied to the four corners of the liquid crystal module, i.e., the plate-like body A1, by moving the replenishing dispensing device 8 in the direction indicated by the reference numeral 6. In the third embodiment, the adhesive 3 is also applied in a dot-like manner. The application positions are set to four points near the rounded corners of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner to the plate-like body B2 when the pair of plate-like bodies 1 and 2 are bonded together. Here, the positions of the adhesive 3 applied in a dot-like manner to the plate-like body B2 may be either positions where the side surfaces of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner to the plate-like body A1 are attached or positions where the adhesive 3 is applied in a separate manner.

Next, as shown in FIG4(b1), for example, on the cover glass, i.e., the plate-like body B2, the planar dispensing device 7 is moved from one end to the other in the direction indicated by reference numeral 5 to apply the adhesive 3 in a planar manner. At this time, the applied adhesive 3 is in a rectangular shape that follows the shape of the display area 4, but its four corners are not perfectly right angles and are rounded.

4 (b2), the flat plate B2 coated with adhesive is turned over by the turning device 56 so that the coated surface faces downward. In this case, the plate B2 may be turned over again after semi-curing so that the shape of the applied adhesive 3 does not deform.

Next, as shown in FIG4(c), the plate-like body B2 that has been subjected to the surface coating and then turned over is bonded to the plate-like body A1 that has been subjected to the spot coating by the bonding device 55. As in the first method, during bonding, the environment around the plate-like body is sometimes set to a low pressure or vacuum state to prevent bubbles from being mixed into the adhesive 3. After bonding, as shown in FIG2, the adhesive 3 can be reliably filled to the corners of the display area 4. In addition, in this method, as in the second method, by performing surface coating and spot coating on each plate-like body, the coating process can be processed in parallel, thereby shortening the operation time.

(4) Methods 4 to 7

In the fourth to seventh modes, the deformation of the coating shape of the supplementary coating is described. In the first to third modes, supplementary coating is performed by forming a dot coating at each corner. However, in the case where the fillet of the corners is large and the area not filled with the adhesive is wide when the adhesive is applied in a planar manner, and in the case where the shape after bonding is to be closer to a right angle, it is sometimes better to apply the coating with other patterns than to form a dot at each corner. In the fourth to seventh modes shown in Figure 5, a coating pattern suitable for planar coating with large fillet of the corners is provided. Furthermore, in Figure 5, only one corner is depicted, but in fact, the four corners are coated with the same pattern.

(a) Fourth method [Multiple dots of the same size applied]

1 point is coated at the point of the intersection (vertex) of the substance equivalent to the corner, and 1 point is respectively coated in the longitudinal and transverse directions in the mode adjacent to this coating point, and 3 coating points are formed in total. In the fourth mode, each coating point is substantially set to the same size. When supplementing the coating by 3 coating points, it is preferably configured in the mode of becoming a right triangle when connecting the center of each coating point. The quantity of the coating points formed by the supplementary coating is not limited to 3 of the illustration, for example, it is also possible to supplement the coating by 2 coating points or 4 or more coating points. But each coating point is formed in a symmetrical manner with the shape of the diagonal being clamped, and this diagonal includes the vertex of the corner of the object that becomes the supplementary coating.

(b) Fifth method [Multiple dots of different sizes applied]

The aspect of supplementary coating at 3 points is the same as the fourth aspect, and the only difference from the fourth aspect is that supplementary coating is performed by coating points of different sizes. In the fifth aspect, the coating point of the actual intersection is formed to be larger, and each coating point adjacent in the longitudinal and transverse directions is formed to be smaller, but it is not limited to this. The coating point of the intersection can also be formed to be smaller, and each coating point adjacent in the longitudinal and transverse directions can be formed to be larger. However, in order to set the distance from the outer edge of the plate-like body to be equal in the longitudinal and transverse directions, the coating point of the intersection and the size of each coating point adjacent in the longitudinal and transverse directions are set to the same size. The number of coating points formed by supplementary coating is not limited to the 3 exemplified. For example, supplementary coating can also be performed by 2 coating points or 4 or more coating points. However, each coating point is formed in a manner that is symmetrical with a shape sandwiched between diagonals, and the diagonal contains the vertices of the corners that are the objects of supplementary coating.

(c) Sixth method [applying in a straight L-shape]

At the rounded corners of the adhesive applied in a planar manner, additional coating is performed with the valleys of the L-shaped pattern facing each other. Here, the L-shaped pattern is formed so that the vertical and horizontal lengths are equal, and the coating pattern is formed so that the shape is symmetrical about the diagonal line containing the vertex of the corner to be supplemented. The location where the L-shaped pattern is formed by supplementary coating can be where the side surfaces of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner are attached or separated.

(d) The seventh method [Combination of lines and points]

The supplementary coating pattern of the seventh embodiment comprises a coating point corresponding to a substantial intersection (vertex) of a corner and a coating line between the coating point and the adhesive applied in a planar manner. The coating line is preferably formed along the curve of the corner of the adhesive applied in a planar manner.

According to the fourth to seventh aspects described above, even when the corners of the adhesive applied in a planar manner have large rounded corners and a wide area not filled with adhesive, the adhesive can still be spread throughout the corners. Furthermore, the corners of the adhesive application shape after laminating a pair of plate-like bodies can be made closer to right angles.

Here, the coating pattern of the supplementary coating is not limited to the above, as long as the coating pattern makes the shape of the diagonal line containing the vertex of the corner to be supplemented coated symmetrical. Of course, the number of points or lines can be increased or decreased, or various coating shapes can be combined.

For re-coating, for example, a jet-type dispensing device is disclosed, which causes a rapidly advancing valve element to collide with a valve seat located at the end of a flow path connected to a nozzle, or stops the rapidly advancing valve element just before it collides with the valve element, thereby ejecting the adhesive from the nozzle tip. Alternatively, a pneumatic dispensing device is disclosed, which applies regulated pressure air to the adhesive in a storage container at a desired time, thereby ejecting the adhesive from the nozzle. While jet-type dispensing devices are preferred for forming dots, a coating pattern formed by a straight line of multiple dots can also be achieved.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the present invention will be described through examples, but the present invention is not limited to any of the examples.

Example 1

<Discharge device>

(1) Planar discharge device

The planar dispensing device 7 includes a film-like coating nozzle that can apply adhesive to the surface of a coated object in a film-like manner with uniform thickness over a wide area. This film-like coating nozzle comprises a branching block having a branching passage structure; a front end member having a discharge port formed with a wide width in the longitudinal direction; and a tube portion comprising a plurality of capillaries, each of which has a capillaries inlet connected to the branching passage structure and a capillaries outlet connected to the discharge port of the front end member. The branching block includes multiple sections of branching sections, each comprising chambers that branch the flow path connected to the inlet, and each section has equal lengths up to the outlet of each of the flow paths branched from the branching section in the same section. The front end member includes a groove portion that forms the discharge port. The end face of the discharge port has a transverse length S that is longer than the inner diameter D of the capillaries outlet. The capillaries outlets are arranged at approximately equal intervals at the innermost portion of the groove portion. As such a film coating nozzle, for example, a configuration using the film coating nozzle described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-239930 proposed by the applicant is disclosed. FIG6 shows a cross-sectional view of a film coating nozzle 9 of a planar discharge device according to Example 1. FIG6 shows a cross-sectional view of a film coating nozzle 9 of a planar discharge device according to Example 1.

The branching passage structure of the film coating nozzle 9 in FIG6 is configured such that the adhesive 3 flowing in from a single inlet 10 branches into three sections, and flows into and is discharged from a total of 12 linearly arranged capillaries 11 toward the discharge groove 12. Specifically, the adhesive 3 flowing in from a single inlet 10 is first branched into two equal and substantially equal-length streams 19 at a branch portion 16 of a branch block 13 provided in the first section. Subsequently, the adhesive 3 branched in the first section is further branched into two equal and substantially equal-length streams 20 at each of the two branch portions 17 of the branch block 14 provided in the second section. Subsequently, the adhesive 3 branched in the second section is further branched into three equal and substantially equal-length streams 21 at each of the four branch portions 18 of the branch block 15 provided in the third section. The liquid then flows into three capillary tubes 11 connected to each of the four branching portions 18 of the branching block 15 in the third stage, flows from the lower openings of the capillary tubes 11 toward the discharge groove 12, and is discharged from the lower opening of the discharge groove 12. The lengths of the branched flows between the branching portions in the same branching block are all equal.

By constructing as described above, since any branch flow in the branch portion provided in the same branch block is subjected to equal pipeline friction and has equal pressure loss, the discharge amount from each capillary 11 arranged linearly in the width direction, and thus the amount of adhesive 3 flowing into the discharge groove 12, can also be set to be approximately equal. Then, according to this structure, a film coating with a more uniform thickness can be performed. The length of the discharge groove 12 is set to be slightly shorter than the width of the plate-like body A1, and the length of the required amount of adhesive 3 can be coated at one time in the width direction of the plate-like body A1. In the example of Figure 2, the length of the discharge groove 12 is set to a width that is several mm wider than the width of the display area 4 in the left-right direction. As a result, the applied adhesive 3 is diffused, so that the surface coating of the dotted line 3 shown in Figure 2 (a) can be achieved. 1 , 3 , and 4 , when the film coating nozzle 9 is scanned along the short side direction of the plate-like body A1 , the length of the ejection groove 12 is set to be several mm wider than the vertical width of the display area 4 .

In order to perform the above-mentioned planar coating, the planar discharge device 7 is mounted on the surface coating device 53. That is, in addition to the planar discharge device 7, the surface coating device 53 is also used for coating (refer to Figure 8), wherein the surface coating device 53 includes a tank (not shown) for storing the adhesive 3, a discharge valve (not shown) for supplying or stopping the adhesive 3 supplied from the tank to the nozzle 9, a workbench for placing the object to be coated, and an XYZ direction moving mechanism for relatively moving the nozzle 9 and the object to be coated placed on the workbench.

(2) Supplementary discharging device

FIG7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a replenishing dispensing device 8 according to Example 1. The dispensing device 8 used for replenishing coating is a so-called jet-type dispensing device. By moving the side surface of the valve body 23 toward the valve seat member 26 at high speed without contact with the inner surface of the liquid chamber 24, and thereby contacting the valve seat member 26, the liquid material is discharged from the discharge port in the form of droplets. Alternatively, a mechanism may be provided to abruptly stop the rapidly advancing valve body 23 without causing it to contact the valve seat member 26. This mechanism allows the valve body 23 to advance at high speed and then abruptly stop, applying inertial force to the liquid material, causing it to be discharged in the form of droplets.

The replenishing discharge device 8 of the first embodiment includes as main components a liquid contact portion 22 for discharging the supplied adhesive 3 and a drive portion 36 for moving a piston 37 and a valve body 23 up and down.

The liquid receiving portion 22 constitutes a substantially lower half of the main body 60 of the discharge device 8 , and mainly includes a liquid chamber 24 , a valve seat member 26 , a nozzle member 28 , a cap-shaped member 29 , and an extending member 33 .

The valve body 23 is inserted into the liquid chamber 24 so as to be slidable up and down. A first sealing member 34 is provided at the upper end of the liquid chamber 24 to prevent leakage of the adhesive 3. A valve seat member 26 having a bowl-shaped valve seat is provided at the lower end of the liquid chamber 24.

The valve seat member 26 has a centrally located communication hole 25. The communication hole 25 is opened and closed by the front end of the valve body 23 contacting and separating from the center of the upper surface of the valve seat member 26. The nozzle member 28 includes a tubular member 27 and is positioned to contact the lower surface of the valve seat member 26. The upper opening of the tubular member 27 communicates with the communication hole 25, while the lower opening communicates with the outside, forming a discharge port. The valve seat member 26 and nozzle member 28 are secured by screwing the cap member 29 onto a protrusion on the lower portion of the main body 60 while being encased in the cap member 29.

The side surface of the liquid chamber 24 communicates with one opening of the second flow path 32 formed through the main body 60, and receives the supply of the adhesive 3. The other opening of the second flow path 32 communicates with one opening of the first flow path 31 formed in the extension member 33. The other opening of the first flow path 31 communicates with the storage container 30. The compressed gas, whose pressure has been adjusted by the second pressure reducing valve 48, is supplied to the storage container 30 through the second pipe 50.

The driving unit 36 constitutes a substantially upper half of the main body 60 of the discharge device 8 , and mainly includes a piston 37 , an air chamber 38 , and a spring chamber 39 .

The valve body 23 is fixed to the piston 37 and extends through the piston 37. As the piston 37 moves up and down within the cylindrical space provided inside the main body 60, the valve body 23 also moves up and down. The piston 37 divides the cylindrical space provided inside the main body 60 into a lower air chamber 38 and an upper air chamber 39.

Compressed gas is supplied to the air chamber 38 to cause the piston 37 to move upward. The air chamber 38 is hermetically sealed by a second sealing member 43. The compressed gas used to move the piston 37 is pressure-regulated by a first pressure reducing valve 47 and is supplied to a switching valve 44 through a first pipe 49. The switching valve 44 can selectively switch the connection between the air port 45 and the first pipe 49 and the outside. By switching the switching valve 44, compressed gas is supplied to the air chamber 38 through the air port 45, or the compressed air in the air chamber 38 is discharged to the outside. The switching action of the switching valve 44 is controlled by a control device 51.

The spring chamber 39 houses a spring 40 for moving the piston 37 downward and an adjustment screw 41 for adjusting the travel distance of the piston 37. A knob 42 for adjusting the retracted position of the piston is provided at the upper end of the adjustment screw 41.

The replenishing discharging device 8 operates as follows.

The initial state (state before operation) is set to a state where compressed gas is not supplied to the air chamber 38 (communicated with the outside), the piston 37 is biased downward by the force of the spring 40 , and the front end of the valve body 23 abuts against the valve seat 26 .

First, switching valve 44 is switched, connecting first pipe 49 and air port 45. Compressed gas, whose pressure has been adjusted by first pressure-reducing valve 47, flows into air chamber 38, causing piston 37 to rise against the force of spring 40, separating the distal end of valve element 23 from valve seat 26. At this point, compressed gas, whose pressure has been adjusted by second pressure-reducing valve 48, is supplied to storage container 30, pressurizing adhesive 3. Consequently, adhesive 3 flows into liquid chamber 24 through first flow path 31 and second flow path 32. Furthermore, if the distal end of valve element 23 is separated from valve seat 26 for a predetermined period of time, adhesive 3 flows out through communication hole 25 and tubular member 27 in valve seat 26. After a predetermined time has passed, the switching valve 44 is switched, shutting off the connection between the first pipe 49 and the air port 45. This allows the air chamber 38 to communicate with the outside, releasing the compressed air in the air chamber 38 into the atmosphere. The piston 37 is then moved downward by the force of the spring 40, and the front end of the valve body 23 abuts against the valve seat 26. As a result, the adhesive 3 flowing out of the tubular member 27 is blocked and discharged as droplets 35.

The above is a set of operational procedures for a single droplet discharge. To perform multiple droplet discharges, the above set of procedures is repeated the desired number of times. Furthermore, the size of the droplet 35 is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the compressed gas supplied to the storage container 30, the time required to operate the switching valve 44 to separate the distal end of the valve body 22 from the valve seat 36, and the travel distance of the piston 37 and valve body 23.

The replenishing dispensing device 8 is mounted on the corner coating device 54. That is, in addition to the replenishing dispensing device 8, coating is also performed using the corner coating device 54 (see FIG8 ). The corner coating device 54 includes a worktable on which the object to be coated is placed, and an XYZ direction moving mechanism for relatively moving the replenishing dispensing device 8 and the object to be coated placed on the worktable.

Adhesive coating line

The following describes an apparatus assembly (adhesive coating line) for implementing the adhesive coating method shown in Figures 1 to 4. The adhesive coating line of Example 1 described below does not utilize a single apparatus to perform all steps. Instead, it utilizes a plurality of individual apparatuses for performing each step, functionally interconnected, to form an apparatus assembly, a so-called production line.

FIG8 is an explanatory diagram showing an apparatus assembly for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 1. The apparatus assembly shown in FIG8 is an apparatus assembly for implementing the coating method of the first embodiment shown in FIG1 , and comprises: a surface coating apparatus 53 having a planar discharge apparatus 7; a corner coating apparatus 54 having a replenishing discharge apparatus 8; a bonding apparatus 55 for bonding a pair of plate-like bodies (1, 2); and a conveying apparatus 70 for connecting these apparatuses (53, 54, 55) and transferring the plate-like bodies (1, 2) between the apparatuses.

The surface coating device 53 comprises a planar discharge device 7 having a film coating nozzle 9 (see Figure 6 ); a worktable on which the object to be coated is placed; and an XYZ directional movement mechanism for relative movement of the planar discharge device 7 and the object to be coated placed on the worktable. The corner coating device 54 comprises a replenishing discharge device 8; a worktable on which the object to be coated is placed; and an XYZ directional movement mechanism for relative movement of the replenishing discharge device 8 and the object to be coated placed on the worktable. These XYZ directional movement mechanisms can employ, for example, a combination of an electric motor and a ball screw, a mechanism using a linear motor, or a mechanism using a belt or chain to transmit power.

As shown in Figure 9, the bonding device 55 includes: an upper workbench 61, which adsorbs and fixes the plate-like body to be bonded (for example, plate-like body B2) on the lower surface; an upper driving device 63, which moves the upper workbench 61 in the up and down directions; a lower workbench 62, which adsorbs and fixes the plate-like body to be bonded (for example, plate-like body A1) on the upper surface; a lower driving device 64, which moves the lower workbench 62 linearly (XY) and rotationally (θ) in the plane direction; a vacuum chamber 65, which surrounds the upper and lower workbench (61, 62) and sets the interior to a vacuum state; and a load-in and load-out port 66, which carries in the plate-like bodies (1, 2) to be bonded and carries out the bonded plate-like stacked bodies.

The laminating process performed by the laminating device 55 is as follows, for example.

First, the plate-like bodies (1, 2) to be bonded are brought in from the loading and unloading ports, and are fixed by adsorption to the upper workbench 61 and the lower workbench 62, respectively. Next, on the lower workbench 62, the position is adjusted by performing linear movement (XY) and rotational movement (θ) in the plane direction, while the upper workbench 61 is lowered, so that the plate-like body B2 fixed by adsorption to the upper workbench 61 is brought into contact with the plate-like body A1 fixed by adsorption to the lower workbench 62 via the adhesive 3. Here, there is a case where the upper workbench 61 is further lowered as needed to apply a pressing force. However, as long as the adhesive 3 can be applied to a specified thickness, in many cases only the dead weight of the plate-like body B2 can be used, and almost no pressing force is applied. After contact with the adhesive 3, if the adsorption and fixation of the upper workbench 61 is released, the bonding operation is completed.

Furthermore, in order to prevent bubbles from being mixed into the adhesive 3 during lamination, it is preferred that after the plate-like bodies (1, 2) are brought in, the loading and unloading port 66 is closed and the vacuum chamber 65 is set to a vacuum state using a vacuum pump (not shown).

The laminated plate-like body is unloaded from the loading/unloading port 66 and transported to the next step.

The conveying device 70 connecting the various devices (53, 54, 55) can be a common conveying device commonly used in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. Figure 10 (a) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by a conveying robot 71 having a manipulator 72 with a suction mechanism, and Figure 10 (b) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by the rotation of a plurality of rollers 74 that contact the lower surface of the plate-like body (1, 2).

In the case of a conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by a conveying robot as shown in FIG10( a ), coating devices ( 53 , 54 ) and a laminating device 55 are arranged on both sides of a track 73 on which the conveying robot 71 moves, and the plate-like objects ( 1 , 2 ) are carried in and out by a manipulator 72 provided on the conveying robot 71. The conveying robot 71 can perform linear movement within a horizontal plane of the manipulator 72 , rotational movement within a horizontal plane of the manipulator 72 , and vertical movement of the manipulator 72 (in a direction perpendicular to the paper).

In the case of the conveying device 70 that conveys by rotating the roller 74 shown in FIG10(b), the conveying device 70 is arranged between the coating device (53, 54) and the laminating device 55, and conveys the plate-like body (1, 2) in a (substantially) one-way manner from the upstream side to the downstream side. Therefore, the respective devices (53, 54, 55) are arranged roughly in the order of the working steps.

An example of the process of applying adhesive 3 to plate-like body A1 will be described with reference to FIG8 . Plate-like body A1 is, for example, a liquid crystal module having a screen size of 4 inches (approximately 60 mm x 90 mm) to 18 inches (approximately 240 mm x 360 mm). The screen size of the liquid crystal module is not limited to that of this embodiment; this embodiment can also be applied to liquid crystal modules with larger screen sizes.

The plate-like body A1 is initially conveyed into the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70. In the surface coating device 53, the adhesive 3 is applied in a surface shape while the surface discharge device 7 and the workbench are moved relative to each other (Figure 8(a)). The adhesive 3 is, for example, an ultraviolet curing adhesive having a refractive index roughly the same as that of glass. The plate-like body A1 coated with the adhesive 3 in a surface shape is conveyed out of the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the corner coating device 54. In the corner coating device 54, the adhesive 3 is supplementarily applied to the four corners of the plate-like body A1 while the supplementary discharge device 8 and the workbench are moved relative to each other (Figure 8(b)). In Example 1, supplementary coating is performed by forming points at the corners. The diameter of the adhesive formed is, for example, about 1 mm. After being unloaded from the corner coating device 54, the plate-like body A1, coated with the adhesive 3 at its four corners, is transported to the laminating device 55 via the conveying device 70. Furthermore, the plate-like body B2, which has undergone another laminating process, is also transported to the laminating device 55 via the conveying device 70. In the laminating device 55, the plate-like body A1 and the plate-like body B2 coated with the adhesive 3 are laminated ( FIG. 8( c )). The laminated plate-like body is then unloaded via the conveying device 70 to the next process (such as adhesive curing).

The above is the operation of one process performed by the adhesive coating line of Example 1.

The adhesive 3 is not limited to the adhesives shown in the examples, and for example, an adhesive having an adhesive concentration in the range of 2,000 cps to 200,000 cps may be used.

Furthermore, the plate-like body B2 carried into the laminating device 55 may be carried in an inverted state, or a turning device 56 may be provided in the laminating device 55 to turn the plate-like body B2 inside the laminating device 55. Furthermore, as described in the description of FIG. 1 , the plate-like body A1 and the plate-like body B2 may be exchanged before the adhesive 3 is applied to the plate-like body B2.

After laminating plate A1 and plate B2, visual inspection confirmed that the adhesive had spread to the very near corners of plate A1. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the adhesive 3 had been applied in a good condition, without positional deviation or air bubbles. Furthermore, the coating condition of the adhesive 3 can be checked by measuring the film thickness of the adhesive 3 using a film thickness gauge.

According to the adhesive coating line of Example 1 described above, since it includes corner coating devices 54 for applying adhesive to the four corners of the plate-like bodies, it is possible to perform a coating method for supplementary application of adhesive 3 near the rounded corners of the adhesive 3 applied in a planar manner, thereby reliably filling the corners of the display area 4 after bonding with adhesive 3. This ensures that the plate-like bodies are securely fixed to each other, preventing deformation and breakage. If the plate-like bodies are liquid crystal modules, high-quality liquid crystal modules with no color unevenness can be provided.

Example 2

FIG11 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus assembly for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 2. The apparatus assembly (adhesive coating line) of Example 2 differs from the apparatus assembly of Example 1 in that it includes a surface and corner coating apparatus 57 in place of the surface coating apparatus 53 and the corner coating apparatus 54. Specifically, the apparatus assembly of Example 2 is different in that it includes the surface and corner coating apparatus 57, a bonding apparatus 55 for bonding a pair of plate-like bodies (1, 2), and a conveying apparatus 70 that connects these apparatuses (57, 55) and transfers the plate-like bodies (1, 2) between the apparatuses.

The surface and corner coating device 57 comprises: a planar discharge device 7 similar to that of Example 1; a supplementary discharge device 8 similar to that of Example 1; a worktable on which an object to be coated is placed; and an XYZ-direction movement mechanism that moves the planar discharge device 7 and the supplementary discharge device 8 relative to the object to be coated placed on the worktable, enabling both planar coating and supplementary coating to be performed within a single device. The planar discharge device 7 is mounted on the XYZ-direction movement mechanism, and two supplementary discharge devices 8 are fixed to the planar discharge device 7 in the positional relationship required for coating the four corners of the plate-like object. By presetting the distance between the supplementary discharge devices 8 to be the same as the spacing between the adhesive 3 to be supplementally applied, movement can be completed in a single direction, thereby shortening the coating time.

As in Example 1, the conveying device 70 can be a common conveying device commonly used in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. FIG12(a) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by a conveying robot 71 having a manipulator 72 with a suction mechanism, and FIG12(b) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by the rotation of a plurality of rollers 74 that contact the lower surface of the plate-like body (1, 2).

An example of a process of applying the adhesive 3 to the plate-like body A1 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 .

The plate-like body A1 is initially conveyed into the surface and corner coating device 57 by the conveying device 70. In the surface and corner coating device 57, the adhesive 3 is applied in a surface shape while the surface discharge device 7 is moved relative to the workbench. Then, the adhesive 3 is additionally applied to the four corners while the supplementary discharge device 8 is moved relative to the workbench (Figure 11(a)). Here, the coating is performed simultaneously at two points by two supplementary discharge devices 8. The plate-like body A1 is then conveyed out of the surface and corner coating device 57 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the bonding device 55. In addition, the bonding object after other processes, that is, the plate-like body B2, is conveyed into the bonding device 55 by the conveying device 70. In the bonding device 55, the plate-like body A1 coated with the adhesive 3 is bonded to the plate-like body B2 (Figure 11(b)). The laminated plate-like body is conveyed to the next step (curing of the adhesive, etc.) by the conveying device 70 .

The above is the operation of one process performed by the adhesive coating line of Example 2.

Furthermore, similarly to the first embodiment, the plate-like body B2 may be brought into the laminating device 55 in an inverted state, or a reversing device 56 may be provided within the laminating device 55 to cause the plate-like body B2 to be reversed within the laminating device 55. Furthermore, as described in the description of FIG. 1 , the plate-like body A1 and the plate-like body B2 may be exchanged before the adhesive 3 is applied to the plate-like body B2.

In the second embodiment described above, compared with the first embodiment, the surface coating device 53 and the corner coating device 54 are replaced by the surface and corner coating device 57, and the connection of the conveying device 70 is reduced by one, thereby saving the installation space.

Example 3

FIG13 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus assembly for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 3. The apparatus assembly (adhesive coating line) of Example 3 is an apparatus assembly for implementing the second embodiment of the coating method shown in FIG3 . It comprises: a surface coating apparatus 53 equipped with a planar discharge device 7; a corner coating apparatus 54 equipped with a replenishing discharge device 8; a bonding apparatus 55 for bonding a pair of plate-like bodies (1, 2); and a turning apparatus 56. The apparatus assembly of this embodiment differs from the apparatus assembly of Example 1 in the provision of the turning apparatus 56 and the arrangement order of the surface coating apparatus 53 and the corner coating apparatus 54. Since the configuration of the surface coating apparatus 53, the corner coating apparatus 54, and the bonding apparatus 55 is the same as that of Example 1, a description thereof will be omitted.

As in Examples 1 and 2, the conveying device 70 can be a common conveying device commonly used in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. FIG14(a) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by a conveying robot 71 having a manipulator 72 with a suction mechanism, and FIG14(b) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by the rotation of a plurality of rollers 74 that contact the lower surface of the plate-like body (1, 2).

An example of a process of applying the adhesive 3 to the plate-like body A1 will be described with reference to FIG. 13 .

The plate-like body A1 is initially conveyed into the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70. In the surface coating device 53, the adhesive 3 is applied in a surface manner while the surface discharging device 7 and the workbench are moved relative to each other (Figure 13(a)). The plate-like body A1 coated with the adhesive 3 in a surface manner is conveyed out of the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the bonding device 55. On the other hand, the plate-like body B2 that has undergone other processes is conveyed into the corner coating device 54 by the conveying device 70. In the corner coating device 54, the adhesive 3 is applied in a dot manner while the supplementary discharging device 8 and the workbench are moved relative to each other (Figure 13(b1)). The plate-like body B2 supplemented with the adhesive 3 is conveyed out of the corner coating device 54 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the turning device 56. In the turning device 56, the plate-like body B2 is turned over so that the surface coated with the adhesive 3 faces downward (Figure 13 (b2)). At this time, the plate-like body B2 may be turned over again after the semi-curing treatment so that the shape of the applied adhesive 3 is not deformed. Then, the turned-over plate-like body B2 is moved out of the turning device 56 by the conveying device 70 and moved into the bonding device 55. In the bonding device 55, the plate-like body A1 has been moved in, and the plate-like body A1 and the plate-like body B2 are bonded (Figure 13 (c)). The bonded plate-like laminate is moved out to the next process (adhesive curing, etc.) by the conveying device 70.

The above is the operation of one process performed by the adhesive coating line of Example 3.

In Example 3, by performing surface coating and supplementary coating on each plate-like body, the coating process can be processed in parallel, thereby shortening the working time.

Example 4

FIG15 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus group for implementing the adhesive coating method of Example 4. The apparatus group (adhesive coating line) of Example 4 is an apparatus group for implementing the coating method of the third embodiment shown in FIG4 , with the configurations of the surface coating apparatus 53 and the corner coating apparatus 54 of Example 3 interchanged. Specifically, the apparatus group of Example 4 includes: a surface coating apparatus 53 having a planar discharge device 7; a corner coating apparatus 54 having a replenishing discharge device 8; a bonding apparatus 55 for bonding a pair of plate-like bodies (1, 2); and a flipping apparatus 56. The configurations of the surface coating apparatus 53, the corner coating apparatus 54, and the bonding apparatus 55 are identical to those of Example 1, and therefore their description is omitted.

As in Examples 1 to 3, the conveying device 70 can be a common conveying device commonly used in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. FIG16(a) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by a conveying robot 71 having a manipulator 72 with a suction mechanism, and FIG16(b) shows an example of the structure of the conveying device 70 in which conveying is performed by the rotation of a plurality of rollers 74 that contact the lower surface of the plate-like body (1, 2).

An example of a process of applying the adhesive 3 to the plate-like body A1 will be described with reference to FIG. 15 .

The plate-like body A1 is initially conveyed into the corner coating device 54 by the conveying device 70. In the corner coating device 54, the adhesive 3 is additionally applied to the corners while the supplementary discharging device 8 is moved relative to the workbench (Figure 15(a)). The plate-like body A1 supplemented with the adhesive 3 at the four corners is conveyed out of the corner coating device 54 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the bonding device 55. On the other hand, the plate-like body B2 that has undergone other processes is conveyed into the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70. In the surface coating device 53, the adhesive 3 is applied in a surface shape while the surface discharging device 7 is moved relative to the workbench (Figure 15(b1)). The plate-like body B2 coated with the adhesive 3 in a surface shape is conveyed out of the surface coating device 53 by the conveying device 70 and conveyed into the turning device 56. In the turning device 56, the plate-like body B2 is turned over so that the surface coated with the adhesive 3 faces downward (Figure 15 (b2)). At this time, the plate-like body B2 may be turned over again after the semi-curing treatment so that the shape of the applied adhesive 3 is not deformed. Then, the turned-over plate-like body B2 is moved out of the turning device 56 by the conveying device 70 and moved into the bonding device 55. In the bonding device 55, the plate-like body A1 has been moved in, and the plate-like body A1 and the plate-like body B2 are bonded (Figure 15 (c)). The bonded plate-like laminate is moved out to the next process (adhesive curing, etc.) by the conveying device 70.

The above is the operation of one process performed by the adhesive coating line of Example 4.

In Example 4, similarly to Example 3, by performing surface coating and supplementary coating on each plate-like body, the coating process can be processed in parallel, thereby shortening the working time.

Example 5

Example 5 relates to a coating and laminating device that can perform coating and laminating steps in one device.

As shown in Figure 17, the coating and laminating device 80 of Example 5 mainly includes: two workbenches (81, 82), on which plate-like bodies (1, 2) are placed; a surface discharging device 7; an adhesive curing device 88; an upper workbench and an upper workbench driving device (both not shown); a turning device 89; a machine base 90; and a control device (not shown).

The machine base 90 is divided into a surface coating section 83 equipped with a planar discharge device 7, a supplementary coating section 84 equipped with a supplementary discharge device 8, a pre-curing section 85 equipped with an adhesive curing device 88, a laminating section 86 equipped with an upper worktable and an upper worktable driving device (both not shown), and a reversing section 87 equipped with a reversing device 89. The machine base 90 is equipped with the planar discharge device 7 (surface coating device), the supplementary discharge device 8 (corner coating device), the upper worktable and the upper worktable driving device (equivalent to the laminating device), the reversing device 89, and the conveying devices (81, 82, 91, 92). The machine base 90 can also be composed of multiple connected components.

The control device (not shown) includes a storage device that stores a control program for controlling the operation of each device, and a calculation device that executes the control program read from the storage device.

The top coating section 83 and the pre-curing section 85 are connected by a pair of slide rails A91, and the worktable A81 is movable between the top coating section 83 and the pre-curing section 85. Similarly, the supplementary coating section 84 and the laminating section 86 are connected by a pair of slide rails B92, and the worktable B82 is movable between the supplementary coating section 84 and the laminating section 86. Furthermore, the plate-like object in the pre-curing section 85 that has completed pre-curing is transported to the laminating section 86 by the turning device 89. Thus, in this embodiment, the sliders mounted on the slide rails A91 and B92 and the worktables A81 and B82 and the turning device 89 constitute the transport device.

The planar discharge device 7 is configured to be movable relative to the table A81, similarly to the first to fourth embodiments.

The replenishing discharge device 8 is configured to be movable relative to the table B82, similarly to the first to fourth embodiments.

The adhesive curing device 88 includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit, and is configured so that the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the stage can be relatively moved.

The flipping device 89 includes a manipulator with a suction mechanism, a straight-moving device that allows the manipulator to move linearly, a vertical rotation device 93 that allows the manipulator to flip, a horizontal rotation device 94 that allows the manipulator to rotate horizontally, and a lifting device that allows the manipulator to move up and down. The flipping device 89 can hold the plate-like object with the suction mechanism and flip the object by rotating it using a rotation device located at the end of the manipulator.

The upper workbench (not shown) has an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing and fixing the plate-shaped body. The upper workbench driving device (not shown) can move the upper workbench up and down. In this embodiment, the laminating device is composed of the upper workbench and the upper workbench driving device.

The coating and laminating device 80 of this embodiment operates as follows.

When a plate-like object (hereinafter referred to as the plate-like object 1) is placed on the workbench A81, the control device moves the workbench A81 to the surface coating section 83, and the adhesive 3 is applied to the plate-like object 1 in a surface manner by the surface discharging device 7. When the surface coating is completed, the control device moves the workbench A81 on which the plate-like object 1 is placed to the pre-curing section 85, and pre-cures (semi-cures) the adhesive 3 applied by the adhesive curing device 88. Next, the control device removes the pre-cured plate-like object 1 from the pre-curing section 85 via the turning device 89, turns it over, and moves it to the laminating section 86. The plate-like object 1 moved into the laminating section 86 is fixed to the upper workbench by adsorption.

When another plate-like object (hereinafter referred to as the plate-like object 2) is placed on the workbench B82, the control device moves the workbench B82 to the supplementary coating section 84, and the supplementary dispensing device 8 additionally coats the adhesive 3 on the plate-like object 2. When the supplementary coating is completed, the control device moves the workbench B82 with the plate-like object 2 placed thereon to the laminating section 86.

When the plate-like bodies 1 and 2 are carried into the laminating section 86, the control device lowers the upper table via the upper table driving device to laminate the two plate-like bodies. The laminated plate-like bodies are then carried out to the next step.

According to the coating and laminating device 80 of the present embodiment described above, the operation from coating to laminating can be performed in one device, thereby reducing the installation space and installation cost of the conveying device. In addition, defects during conveying (such as falling and wrong picking) can be prevented.

Explanation of symbols

1… Plate-shaped body A, 2… Plate-shaped body B, 3… Adhesive, 4… Display area, 5… Surface coating direction, 6… Supplementary coating direction, 7… Surface discharge device, 8… Supplementary discharge device, 9… Film coating nozzle, 10… Inlet, 11… Capillary tube, 12… Discharge groove, 13… First-stage branch block, 14… Second-stage branch block, 15… Third-stage branch block, 16… First-stage branch portion, 17… Second-stage branch portion, 18… Third-stage branch portion, 19… First-stage branch flow, 20… Second-stage branch flow, 21 ...third-stage branched flow, 22...liquid receiving portion, 23...valve body, 24...liquid chamber, 25...communication hole, 26...valve seat member, 27...tubular member, 28...nozzle member, 29...cap member, 30...storage container, 31...first flow path, 32...second flow path, 33...extension member, 34...first sealing member, 35...liquid droplet, 36...driving portion, 37...piston, 38...air chamber, 39...spring chamber, 40...spring, 41...adjusting screw, 42...knob, 43...second sealing member, 44...switching valve, 45...Air port, 46...Compressed gas source, 47...First pressure reducing valve, 48...Second pressure reducing valve, 49...First piping, 50...Second piping, 51...Control device, 52...Adhesive coating device (production line), 53...Surface coating device, 54...Corner coating device, 55...Laminating device, 56...Flipping device, 57...Surface and corner coating device, 58...Display area corner, 59...Adhesive overflow, 60...Main body, 61...Upper workbench, 62...Lower workbench, 63...Upper drive device, 64...Lower drive device , 65…vacuum chamber, 66…load-in/load-out port, 70…conveying device, 71…conveying robot, 72…manipulator, 73…track, 74…roller, 80…coating and laminating device, 81…workbench A, 82…workbench B, 83…surface coating section, 84…supplementary coating section, 85…pre-curing section, 86…laminating section, 87…flipping section, 88…adhesive curing device, 89…flipping device, 90…machine base, 91…slide rail A, 92…slide rail B, 93…flipping and rotating device, 94…horizontal rotating device.

Claims (20)

1. A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate, characterized in that, It is a method of manufacturing a plate-like laminate by bonding a pair of plate-like bodies that are substantially similar in shape together using an adhesive. have: In the planar coating process, on the first plate, the nozzle with a square-shaped discharge groove is scanned in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plates, thereby coating the adhesive into a square shape. In a supplementary coating process, adhesive is applied to the areas near the four corners of the first or second plate-shaped body that were not coated with adhesive in the planar coating process, or to the areas opposite to those corners, in a manner that does not overflow from the outer edges of the first or second plate-shaped body; and The bonding process involves bonding the first and second plate-shaped bodies, which have undergone the surface coating and supplementary coating processes, together. In the planar coating process, the adhesive is applied by scanning the nozzle once in a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the first plate. The nozzle has a discharge groove of a length that allows the required amount of adhesive to be applied in a single scan in the width direction of the first plate. In the supplementary coating process, dot-shaped coating is performed at the four corners, and the coating is performed such that the distance between the square-shaped adhesive coated in the planar coating process and the adhesive dot-shaped coating is less than half the diameter of the dot formed by the dot-shaped coating. 2. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the supplementary coating process, the adhesive is applied by forming a symmetrical coating pattern with a diagonal shape, the diagonal including the vertices of the corners of the object to be coated. 3. The method for manufacturing the plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the supplementary coating process, the adhesive is applied in such a way that the square-shaped adhesive applied in the planar coating process adheres to the sides of the adhesive applied in the dotted coating process. 4. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the planar coating process, the coating is performed in a square shape in which the outer edges of the four sides of the plate, which is slightly inward from the smaller of the first and second plate bodies, are located, and the area accounts for more than 80% of the area of the smaller of the first and second plate bodies. 5. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The coating pattern of the supplementary coating process includes a pattern composed of dots and/or lines. 6. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The coating pattern in the supplementary coating process includes an L-shaped pattern. 7. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, In the supplementary coating process, the adhesive is applied to the first plate-like body. 8. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, In the supplementary coating process, the adhesive is applied to the second plate. 9. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The planar coating process and the supplementary coating process are performed in parallel. 10. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The nozzle's discharge slot has a length slightly shorter than the width of either the smaller of the first and second plate-like bodies. 11. The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The plate-shaped laminate formed by bonding the first and second plate-shaped bodies together is a component of a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a display area. The nozzle's ejection slot is wider than the display area. 12. An apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate, characterized in that, It is a device for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate by bonding a pair of plate-shaped bodies that are substantially similar in shape together with an adhesive. have: A surface coating device applies adhesive to a plate-like body in a square shape. A corner coating device applies adhesive near the four corners of the plate-shaped body; A bonding device for bonding first and second plate-shaped bodies coated with adhesive; Conveying device, connecting surface coating device, corner coating device and bonding device; and Control device, It has a nozzle with a dispensing groove having a length that allows the required amount of adhesive to be applied in a single scan along the width direction of the first plate. The control device includes: (a) a unit for applying adhesive in a square shape by scanning the nozzle once on a first plate-shaped body in a manner that prevents overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-shaped bodies; (b) a unit for applying adhesive to the areas near the four corners of the first or second plate-shaped bodies that were not coated with adhesive by the surface coating device, or to the areas opposite to those corners, in a manner that prevents overflow from the outer edges of the first and second plate-shaped bodies; and (c) a unit for bonding a pair of plate-shaped bodies coated with adhesive by the corner coating device. The unit in (b) has a corner coating apparatus that performs dot-matrix coating at the four corners, and the coating is performed in such a way that the distance between the square-shaped adhesive being coated in the surface coating apparatus and the adhesive being dot-matrix coated is less than half the diameter of the dot formed by the dot-matrix coating. 13. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The unit of (b) applies adhesive in a corner coating apparatus by forming a symmetrical coating pattern with a shape that sandwiches a diagonal, the diagonal containing the vertices of the corners of the object to be coated. 14. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The unit in (b) is coated in a corner coating apparatus such that the square-shaped adhesive coated in the surface coating apparatus adheres to the side of the dotted adhesive. 15. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The unit of (a) is coated in a surface coating apparatus in such a way that the outer edges of the four sides of the plate, which is slightly inward from the smaller of the first and second plates, are square and occupy more than 80% of the area of the smaller of the first and second plates. 16. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The surface coating apparatus includes: a surface dispensing device; a worktable for holding the workpiece to be coated; and an XYZ direction moving mechanism for moving the surface dispensing device relative to the workpiece placed on the worktable. The corner coating apparatus is configured by mounting a supplementary dispensing device on the XYZ direction moving mechanism of the surface coating apparatus. 17. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The planar dispensing device has a nozzle with a dispensing groove having a length that is slightly shorter than the width of either the smaller of the first and second plate-shaped bodies. 18. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, The plate-shaped laminate formed by bonding the first and second plate-shaped bodies together is a component of a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a display area. The nozzle's ejection slot is wider than the display area. 19. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as described in any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that, Furthermore, it is equipped with a flipping device that allows the plate-like body to flip up and down. 20. The apparatus for manufacturing a plate-shaped laminate as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that, The surface coating device, corner coating device, bonding device, flipping device and conveying device are mounted on the same base.