JP4637540B2 - Flat plate overlay apparatus, and plasma display panel manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flat plate superimposing apparatus, and a plasma display panel manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly , to set one of the flat plates without warpage to the other flat plate without warping. The present invention also relates to a flat plate superimposing apparatus that aligns both flat plates and superimposes both flat plates, and a plasma display panel manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus.

In recent years, a plasma display device (plasma display (PDP)) has been actively developed as one of video display devices.
This plasma display device is generally a display having a number of features such as being thin and capable of displaying a large screen relatively easily, having a wide viewing angle, and having a high response speed.

A plasma display panel uses a plasma display panel for its display screen. The plasma display panel includes a front glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as a front substrate) and a rear glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as a back substrate).
When manufacturing the plasma display panel, it is necessary to assemble the two by overlapping the front substrate and the rear substrate in the manufacturing process. On the opposing surfaces of these substrates, formations such as scan electrodes and data electrodes are formed in advance.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the assembly apparatus for assembling both the conventional front substrate and the rear substrate in an overlapping manner includes an upper substrate table 2, a lower substrate table 4, a vertical drive plate cam 32, The ball screw 34, the vertical drive motor 36, the alignment stage 8, and the alignment stage drive motor 10 are schematically configured.
The upper substrate table 2 is a suction holding unit that holds the rear substrate RS by vacuum suction.
The lower substrate table 4 is a suction holding unit that holds the front substrate FS by vacuum suction.

The vertical drive plate cam 32 is drive means for moving the lower substrate table 4 up and down.
The ball screw 34 is a driving means that is rotated by a vertical drive motor 36 to move the vertical movement plate cam 32 to the left and right in FIGS.
The alignment stage 8 is a stage that is driven by the alignment stage drive motor 10 so that the lower substrate table 4 is moved in the XY directions and the mark alignment between the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS is performed. The lower substrate table 4 is placed on the alignment stage 8.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which the substrate is loaded and held by suction in this assembling apparatus.
This substrate loading is performed in a state where the lower substrate table 4 is lowered to a position separated by a predetermined distance from the upper substrate table 2.
The lower substrate table 4 is lowered by rotating the ball screw 34 by the vertical drive motor 36 so as to move the vertical movement plate cam 32 to the right in FIG.
The carried back substrate RS is sucked and held by the upper substrate table 2, and the front substrate FS is sucked and held by the lower substrate table 4.

The lower substrate table 4 is raised and stopped from the suction / holding state of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS to a position at a predetermined interval that does not hinder alignment.
This lower substrate table 4 is raised by rotating the ball screw 34 by the vertical drive motor 36 so as to move the vertical movement plate cam 12 to the left in FIG.
After the lower substrate table 4 is lifted and stopped, the alignment stage drive motor 10 moves the alignment stage 8 in the X and Y directions to align the assembly mark of the front substrate FS and the assembly mark of the rear substrate RS on the lower substrate table 4, ie, Then, alignment is performed (FIG. 2).

  After this alignment is completed, the lower substrate table 4 is raised to a preset closest position. This rise is also caused by rotating the ball screw 34 by the vertical drive motor 36 so as to move the vertical movement plate cam 32 to the left in FIG. Drive data for the vertical drive motor 36 is adjusted to data corresponding to the closest approach position by a control means (not shown) and supplied to the vertical drive motor 36.

The vacuum pressure in a state where the rear substrate RS is held by the upper substrate table 2 is set to be stronger than the suction force of the lower substrate table 4 for the purpose of preventing dropping.
As a result, the relationship between the back substrate RS and the front substrate FS becomes a drum shape as shown in FIG.
The reason why the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are held in such a bellow state is that the distance between the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS is set to a minute value that can prevent destruction of the formations on both substrates. Because.
The lower substrate table 4 is raised to the closest position, and the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are temporarily fixed by the fixing clip 32 in a state where the distance between the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS is very small.

FIG. 13 shows the plasma display panel 38 after the fixing clip 32 is attached. The X direction (FIG. 13) of the assembly apparatus is the Y direction in the plasma display panel. The allowable range of mark alignment of the plasma display panel is ± 10 microns. A thick dotted line 40 in FIG. 13 indicates a glass seal.
FIG. 12B schematically shows the deviation when the suction to the back substrate RS and the front substrate FS is released.

The state of the panel when the overlay is completed is the same as the state shown in FIG. 4 and is shown in FIG. The lower substrate table 4 is lowered from the state shown in FIG. The lowering in this case is also caused by rotating the ball screw 34 by the vertical drive motor 36 so as to move the vertical movement plate cam 32 to the right in FIG.
In this way, the plasma display panel 38 that has been superposed can be taken out, and the series of operations is completed.

An example of a fixing clip for temporarily fixing both substrates after positioning the front substrate FS with respect to the above-described rear substrate RS is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-190311

By the way, in the above-described conventional technology, the front substrate FS has a drum shape with respect to the rear substrate RS. This is to prevent damage or destruction of the formed product formed on the opposing surface of the back substrate RS and the front substrate FS.
In this way, when the vacuum holding (adsorption) of the upper substrate table 2 and the lower substrate table 4 is released, there is a positional deviation called assembly deviation between the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS. Will occur.

Further, since the vertical movement of the lower substrate table 4 is caused by the plate cam 32, the lower substrate table 4 rises to the clip fixing position, and the formation of the front substrate FS contacts the formation of the back substrate RS. Even if it is, torque fluctuation cannot be detected.
For this reason, there is a technical problem that not only the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are damaged, but also the device itself is destroyed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and aligns both plates while keeping the other plate in the warped state against the one plate in the unwarped state while keeping the other plate in a warp-free state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flat plate superimposing apparatus that can superimpose flat plates, and a plasma display panel manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the rear substrate is held substantially horizontally at an upper position, and the rear substrate is approached from below with respect to the held rear substrate. And the front substrate, a step of sandwiching the rear substrate and the end surface of the front substrate with a clip, and the rear substrate and the front substrate sandwiched between the clips. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel having a sealing step. When the back substrate and the front substrate are overlapped in the overlapping step, a pressing force application unit is used for the front substrate. , While applying a predetermined pressing force necessary to make the front substrate warp-free, the rear substrate and the front substrate are aligned with the pressing force applied. With Komu combined mark, when the superposition to the front substrate in the absence of the warp, the pressing force applying means, the approaching start to the predetermined to the rear substrate of the front substrate First, the position is raised to the alignment position of the alignment mark with a delay, and when the position is raised to the alignment position, the front substrate loosely contacts the back substrate with the pressing force applied before starting the alignment. It is characterized by further raising to .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided driving means for causing the second flat plate to approach from the lower side to the first flat plate held substantially horizontally at the upper position, and the first means approached by the driving means . The present invention relates to a flat plate superimposing apparatus having a superimposing means for superimposing a flat plate and the second flat plate , wherein the superimposing means makes the second flat plate have no warp with respect to the second flat plate . A pressing force applying means for applying a predetermined pressing force necessary for the operation, and an alignment mark between the first flat plate and the second flat plate in a state where the pressing force is applied by the pressing force applying means. It is characterized by comprising a mark alignment means intended to adjust.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the rear substrate is held substantially horizontally at the upper position, and the rear substrate and the front substrate are overlapped by bringing the front substrate closer to the held rear substrate from below. Overlaying means, means for sandwiching the end face of the back substrate and the front substrate overlaid by the overlying means with a clip, and sealing the back substrate and the front substrate sandwiched between the clips And a superimposing unit that applies a predetermined pressing force required to make the front substrate unwarped with respect to the front substrate. And a mark aligning means for aligning alignment marks between the back substrate and the front substrate in a state where the pressing force is applied by the pressing force applying unit. It is characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the present invention, when the two flat plates are overlapped by bringing the second flat plate approached downward from the first flat plate held substantially horizontally at the upper position, Since it is configured to align the alignment marks of the two approached flat plates in a state where a predetermined force necessary to make the second flat plate free from warpage is applied to the flat plate. Even if the end surface of the first substrate and the end surface of the second substrate are clamped with a clip and the predetermined force is released, the positional deviation generated between the first substrate and the second substrate is slight. It becomes.

Further, when the second flat plate is lifted in a state in which there is no warpage toward the first flat plate for alignment between the first flat plate and the second flat plate, the driving force is monitored. If adopting, even when there is variation in the thickness direction of the formations being formed on the opposite surface of the first flat plate and the second flat plate, the assembly resulting from the contact based on the variability (first flat plate In addition, it is possible to eliminate the damage of the second flat plate formation) or the failure of the operation of the apparatus as soon as possible.
If the flat plate overlaying method and the apparatus for producing these effects are used for assembling and manufacturing a plasma display panel, the brightness of the plasma display panel is improved and erroneous lighting is reduced, thereby improving the panel yield.

  In this invention, the first flat plate is held almost horizontally at the upper position, and when the two flat plates are overlapped by approaching the first flat plate with the second flat plate bent downward from below, The alignment marks of the two flat plates that are approaching are aligned with the second flat plate region in a state where a predetermined force necessary to make the second flat plate free of warpage is applied. Configured.

  FIG. 1 is a state diagram in which a front substrate and a rear substrate are carried into a plasma display panel assembly apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a state diagram until mark alignment (alignment) is completed in the assembly apparatus. 3 is a state diagram in which the front substrate and the rear substrate are overlapped with the assembly apparatus and the clip is mounted. FIG. 4 is a view of carrying out the clamped front substrate and the rear substrate after being overlapped and clamped by the assembly apparatus. FIG. 5 is a front view of a displacement prevention mechanism used in the assembly apparatus, FIG. 6 is a side view of the displacement prevention mechanism used in the assembly apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a control system used in the assembly apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a shift prevention effect of a shift prevention mechanism used in the assembly apparatus.

  The plasma display panel assembling apparatus 1 according to this embodiment relates to an apparatus that presses and adheres a front substrate to a rear substrate while maintaining a state without warping, and monitors the pressing pressure, as shown in FIGS. Furthermore, the upper substrate table 2, the lower substrate table 4, the displacement prevention mechanism 6, the alignment stage 8, the alignment stage drive motor 10 (simply referred to as a motor in FIG. 7), the ball screw 12, and the motor drive control device. 13 (FIG. 7), a vertical drive motor (hereinafter simply referred to as a motor) 14, a motor drive control device 15 (FIG. 7), a guide shaft 16, and a controller 23 (FIG. 7).

The upper substrate table 2 is a table that sucks and holds the rear substrate RS by being supplied with a vacuum from a vacuum source (not shown) under the control of a vacuum supply control system (not shown), and is divided into three in the paper direction of FIGS. , Extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface.
The lower substrate table 4 is a table that is supplied with vacuum from a vacuum source (not shown) under the control of a vacuum supply control system (not shown) and sucks and holds the front substrate FS, and is divided into three in the paper direction of FIGS. , Extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is a means for keeping the front substrate FS free from warping, and includes a suction table 20, an air cylinder (vertical drive cylinder) 22, and a linear motion The guide 24, the lower limit stopper 26, and a zero balance spring 28 are included. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the electropneumatic regulator 25 and the electropneumatic regulator 27 are included.

The suction table 20 is a means for holding the front substrate FS under vacuum by a vacuum supplied from a vacuum source (not shown) under the control of a vacuum supply control system (not shown). The suction table 20 is divided into two in the paper surface direction of FIGS. It extends in the direction perpendicular to the page.
The air cylinder 22 is means for moving the suction table 20 up and down.
The linear motion guide 24 is means for moving the suction table 20 up and down with high accuracy without occurrence of blurring.
The lower limit stopper 26 is a means for limiting the downward movement of the suction table 20.
The zero balance spring 28 reduces the inertia when the suction table (the suction surface is metal and heavy) is raised, and enables precise control of the pressure applied to the front substrate FS when the suction table 20 is raised. Means.

The alignment stage 8 has the lower substrate table 2 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 mounted thereon, and is a means for giving them movement in the XY directions. The drive means is an alignment stage drive motor 10.
The ball screw 12 is means for giving the alignment stage 8 movement in the upward direction or the downward direction, and the driving means for the ball screw 12 is a motor 14.
The guide shaft 16 is a means for preventing a shift in the XY direction when causing the lower substrate table 4 to move in the XY direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the alignment stage drive motor 10 is controlled by a motor drive control device 13, the motor 14 is controlled by a motor drive control device 15, and the air cylinder 22 is controlled by an electropneumatic regulator 25.
The motor drive control device 13, the motor drive control device 15 and the air cylinder 22 are electrically controlled by a controller 23.

The controller 23 aligns the first drive control data for lowering the lower substrate table 4 to the substrate loading position and the assembly marks of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS before loading the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS. The second drive control data for raising the front substrate FS toward the rear substrate RS to the alignment position for performing the stop and stopping the increase, and the closest position from the alignment position to the rear substrate RS of the front substrate FS And fourth drive control data for lowering the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS assembled from the closest position to the carry-out position; Is supplied to the motor drive control device 15.
Further, the controller 23 supplies fifth drive control data for performing drive control of the alignment stage 8 in the X and Y directions to the motor drive control device 10.

Further, the controller 23 applies a pressing force, that is, a pressing force to the front substrate from the carry-in position, and releases the applied air pressure after clamping the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS by the fixing clip. Data is supplied to the electropneumatic regulator 25.
Further, the controller 23 supplies vacuum for sucking and holding the front substrate from the carry-in position, and supplies vacuum supply control data for releasing the supply after clamping the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS by the fixing clip. 27.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Prior to the loading of the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS into the assembling apparatus 1, the controller 23 supplies the first drive control data to the motor drive control device 15, and the motor drive control device 15 sends the motor 14 in the downward direction. An electrical drive control signal for rotation is provided. Here, the rotation in the descending direction is rotation in which the rotation generated by the motor 14 lowers the alignment stage 8.

By supplying the electric drive control signal, the rotation in the direction of lowering the alignment stage 8 is transmitted from the motor 14 to the ball screw 12, and the alignment stage 8, and therefore the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are connected to the front substrate. It is lowered to a position where the FS and the rear substrate RS can be carried.
In this state, the front substrate FS and the back substrate RS are carried in.
As shown in FIG. 1, the carried rear substrate RS is sucked and held on the upper substrate table 2 by supplying a vacuum from a vacuum source (not shown) under the control of a vacuum supply control system, while the front substrate FS is A vacuum is supplied to the lower substrate table 4 from a vacuum source (not shown) under the control of the vacuum supply control system and is held by suction, and vacuum is also supplied to the suction table 20 from the vacuum source under the control of the vacuum supply control system. Is held by adsorption.

  In the suction holding state by the suction table 20 at this time, air pressure is supplied to the vertical drive air cylinder 22 from the electropneumatic regulator 25 under the control of the controller 23A. By the supply of the air pressure, an upward pressing force that can eliminate the warpage of the front substrate FS, that is, a pressing force is applied to the front substrate FS.

In the above-described adsorption / holding state, as shown in FIG. 2, the controller 23 supplies the second drive control data to the motor drive control device 15 and rotates from the motor drive control device 15 to the motor 14 in the upward direction. The electric drive control signal is supplied. Here, the rotation in the upward direction is rotation in which the rotation generated by the motor 14 raises the alignment stage 8.
By supplying the electric drive control signal, the rotation in the direction to raise the alignment stage 8 is transmitted from the motor 14 to the ball screw 12, and the alignment stage 8, and therefore the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are raised. .

This rise is made to an alignment position where the distance between the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS becomes the distance necessary for aligning the front substrate FS with the rear substrate RS.
The drive control data to this alignment position is preset in the controller 23, the drive control data is supplied to the motor drive control device 15, and an electrical drive control signal corresponding to the drive data is sent from the motor drive control device 15. When the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are raised to the motor 14 and the front substrate FS is in the alignment position, the driving of the motor 14 is stopped.
The lower substrate table 4 raised to the alignment position, and therefore the alignment stage 8 is driven in the X and Y directions by the drive control of the alignment stage drive motor 10, and the front substrate FS is placed on the assembly mark (alignment mark) of the rear substrate RS. The assembly mark (positioning mark) is aligned, that is, alignment is performed. The drive control of the alignment stage drive motor 10 is generated by supplying fifth drive control data from the controller 23 to the motor drive control device 13.

  After the above-described alignment is completed, the peripheral end surfaces of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are clamped by the fixing clip 32 as before, but prior to that, the vacuum suction on the lower substrate table 4 is stopped. The vacuum holding of the front substrate FS by the suction table 20 of the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is continued until the front substrate FS loosely contacts the back substrate RS (closely contacts the substrate formation without damage). Be raised. In this increase, the preset drive data is supplied from the controller 23 to the motor drive control device 15, and the electric drive control signal corresponding to the drive data is supplied to the motor 14.

By this electric drive control signal, the rotation in the direction to raise the alignment stage 8 is transmitted from the motor 14 to the ball screw 12, and the alignment stage 8, and therefore the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are raised to the closest position. Is done.
Even during the upward driving, the upward pressing force, that is, the pressing force described above, is continuously applied to the front substrate FS.

When the front substrate FS rises to the rear substrate RS described above, the servo motor 14 that is the vertical drive motor senses the torque fluctuation that occurs when the front substrate FS contacts the rear substrate RS and stops the raising drive. To do.
Therefore, even if there is a variation in the thickness direction of the formation formed on the opposing surfaces of the back substrate RS and the front substrate FS, the above-described sensing causes damage or assembly of the plasma display panel resulting from contact based on the variation. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of a device operation failure as quickly as possible.

As described above, in the state where the front substrate FS is not warped with respect to the rear substrate RS and the assembly mark alignment is completed, the peripheral end surfaces of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are fixed as shown in FIG. It is clamped by the clip 32 for use.
Thus, if clamping is performed in a state where the front substrate is not warped, even if the vacuum holding of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS is released, a deviation generated between the rear substrate and the front substrate is reduced. can do.

FIG. 8 shows the effect of preventing the deviation. FIG. 8 shows the case where there is a shift prevention mechanism for each of the X direction and the Y direction of the plasma display panel and the case where there is no shift prevention mechanism. The X direction is the horizontal direction of the plasma display panel, and the Y direction is the vertical direction of the plasma display panel. Also, the horizontal axis of FIG. 8 represents the deviation variation (standard deviation σ).
As shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the effect of preventing deviation in the Y direction is significant. Although it is known that the substrate contraction of the front substrate and the rear substrate greatly affects the displacement in the X direction, the effect of preventing the displacement in the X direction is small.

After completion of the clamping process for the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS, the vacuum suction by the upper substrate table 2 and the suction table 20 is stopped, and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is lowered by the vertical drive air cylinder 22. Release of vacuum suction of the upper substrate table 2 is caused by a vacuum supply system (not shown) as in the prior art, and release of vacuum suction of the suction table 20 is performed by supplying vacuum supply control data from the controller 23 to the electropneumatic regulator 27. Done.
Thereafter, the controller 23 supplies the fourth drive control data to the motor drive control device 15, and the motor drive control device 15 supplies an electric drive control signal for rotation in the downward direction to the motor 14.

By supplying the electric drive control signal, the rotation in the direction of lowering the alignment stage 8 is transmitted from the motor 14 to the ball screw 12, and the alignment stage 8, and therefore the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are connected to the front substrate. The FS and the back substrate RS are lowered to a position where they can be carried out, and as shown in FIG.
In this state, the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS that are clamped by the fixing clips 32, that is, the assembled front substrate FS, are carried out.

  Thus, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the interval between the rear substrate vacuum-sucked by the upper substrate table and the front substrate vacuum-sucked by the lower substrate table and the suction table of the displacement prevention mechanism is the assembly mark. The front substrate is raised to the alignment position that is necessary for alignment, and the vacuum suction at the lower substrate table is stopped, while the vacuum holding by the suction table of the displacement prevention mechanism is continued and there is no warpage. While the front substrate in the state is raised and pressed (adhered) to the back substrate, the front substrate without warping is aligned with the back substrate, and the peripheral end surface of the aligned back substrate and the peripheral end surface of the front substrate are aligned Is clamped with a fixing clip, so even if the vacuum holding of these substrates is released, the positional deviation that occurs between the front and back substrates is minimal. It made.

  In addition, when the front substrate is raised to the rear substrate, a servo motor is used to detect torque fluctuation when the front substrate contacts the rear substrate, that is, a configuration for monitoring the pressing pressure. Even if there is a variation in the thickness direction of the formation formed on the opposite surface of the front substrate, the assembly (formation of the front substrate and the back substrate) resulting from contact based on the variation or the operation of the assembly apparatus It becomes possible to eliminate the occurrence of a failure as soon as possible.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system used in the plasma display panel assembly apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
The configuration of this embodiment is greatly different from that of Embodiment 1 in that the front substrate is lifted and the pressing force is not applied simultaneously, and the pressing force is applied with a delay of a predetermined time.
That is, the assembly apparatus 1A of this embodiment supplies a controller 23A for supplying drive control data to the motor drive controller 15 and supplying air pressure supply control data to the electropneumatic regulator 25 as shown in FIG. It is configured as follows. The manner in which the controller 23A supplies the fifth drive control data to the motor drive control device 13 is substantially the same as in the first embodiment.

  The controller 23A aligns the first drive control data for lowering the lower substrate table 4 to the substrate loading position and the assembly marks of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS before loading the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS. The second drive control data for raising the front substrate FS toward the rear substrate RS to the alignment position for performing the stop and stopping the increase, and the closest position from the alignment position to the rear substrate RS of the front substrate FS And fourth drive control data for lowering the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS assembled from the closest position to the carry-out position; Is supplied to the motor drive control device 15.

Further, the controller 23A applies a pressing force, that is, a pressing force to the front substrate before entering the assembly mark alignment at the alignment position, and applies the applied force to the front substrate FS and the rear surface by the fixing clip. Air pressure supply control data for releasing after clamping with the substrate RS is supplied to the electropneumatic regulator 25.
Further, the controller 23A supplies a vacuum for vacuum-sucking the front substrate to the suction table 20 before entering the assembly mark alignment at the above-mentioned alignment position, and the supply is performed by the front substrate FS and the rear substrate by the fixing clips. Vacuum supply control data to be released after clamping with the RS is supplied to the electropneumatic regulator 27.
Since the configuration of this embodiment other than this configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Prior to the loading of the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS into the assembly apparatus 1A, a first drive control signal is supplied from the controller 23A to the motor drive control device 15, and the motor drive control device 15 sends the motor 14 in the downward direction. An electrical drive control signal for rotation is provided.
By supplying the electric drive control signal, the rotation in the direction of lowering the alignment stage 8 is transmitted from the motor 14 to the ball screw 12, and the alignment stage 8, and therefore the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 are moved to the carry-in position. The substrate is lowered to a state where the substrate can be carried in. In this state, the front substrate FS and the back substrate RS are carried in.

  A vacuum is supplied to the upper substrate table 2 from a vacuum supply system (not shown) as in the prior art, and the carried rear substrate RS is sucked and held by the upper substrate table 2 while being transferred to the lower substrate table 4 as in the first embodiment. Similarly to the above, a vacuum is supplied from a vacuum supply system (not shown), and the carried-in front substrate FS is sucked and held on the lower substrate table 4 (FIG. 1).

In the suction / holding state described above, the controller 23A supplies the second drive control data to the motor drive control device 15 by the second drive control signal, and rotates the motor 14 from the motor drive control device 15 to the motor 14 in the upward direction. The electric drive control signal is supplied. Here, the rotation in the upward direction is rotation in which the rotation generated by the motor 14 raises the alignment stage 8.
By supplying the electric drive control signal, rotation in a direction for raising the alignment stage 8 is generated in the motor 14, and the rotation is transmitted to the ball screw 12.
As the ball screw 12 rotates, the alignment stage 8, and hence the lower substrate table 4 and the displacement prevention mechanism 6, are raised as shown in FIG. As in the first embodiment, this rise is made to the alignment position where the distance between the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS becomes the distance necessary to align the front substrate FS with the rear substrate RS. The

Before the alignment stage 8, that is, the position where the front substrate FS is aligned, the controller 23 A supplies the air pressure supply control data to the electropneumatic regulator 25, and the predetermined air pressure is supplied from the electropneumatic regulator 25 to the vertical drive air. It is supplied to the cylinder 22. By supplying the air pressure, an upward pressing force, that is, a pressing force that can eliminate warping of the front substrate FS, that is, a pressing force is applied to the front substrate FS.
Along with the application of this pressing force, the suction holding of the front substrate FS by the suction table 20 of the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is started. This suction holding is performed by supplying vacuum supply control data from the controller 23A to the electropneumatic regulator 27.

  The lower substrate table 4 raised to the alignment position described above, and thus the alignment stage 8 is driven in the XY directions by the drive control of the alignment stage drive motor 10 by the controller 23A, and the assembly mark (alignment mark) of the rear substrate RS. The assembly mark (alignment mark) of the front substrate FS is aligned with the front substrate FS, that is, the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS are aligned.

  At the time when the above alignment is completed, the vacuum suction on the lower substrate table 4 is stopped, while the vacuum holding of the front substrate FS by the suction table 20 of the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is continued, and the front substrate FS is placed on the rear substrate RS. Causes the air cylinder 22 to be lifted up to the closest position where it comes into close contact (contacts the substrate formation without damaging it). This ascending drive is performed by supplying the third drive control data from the controller 23A to the motor drive control device 15.

When the front substrate FS is raised as described above, the servo motor 14 that is a vertical drive motor senses the torque fluctuation that occurs when the front substrate FS contacts the rear substrate RS and stops the raising drive.
Therefore, even if there is a variation in the thickness direction of the formation formed on the opposing surfaces of the back substrate RS and the front substrate FS, the above-described sensing causes damage or assembly of the plasma display panel resulting from contact based on the variation. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of a device operation failure as quickly as possible.

In the state where the front substrate FS is not warped as described above, the peripheral end surfaces of the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS are clamped by the fixing clips 32 as shown in FIG.
Thus, if clamping is performed in a state where the front substrate is not warped, even if the vacuum holding of both the substrates is released, the positional deviation generated between the rear substrate and the front substrate can be reduced. .
FIG. 6 shows the effect of preventing the deviation, and the description of FIG. 6 is as described in the first embodiment.

  After completion of the clamping process for the rear substrate RS and the front substrate FS, the vacuum suction by the upper substrate table 2 and the suction table 20 is stopped, and the displacement prevention mechanism 6 is lowered by the vertical drive air cylinder 22. Release of the vacuum suction of the upper substrate table 2 is performed by the vacuum supply system as in the prior art. Further, the vacuum suction of the suction table 20 is released by supplying the vacuum supply control data from the controller 23A to the electropneumatic regulator 27, and the lowering of the vertical drive air cylinder 22 is performed by electropneumatic from the controller 23A. Supply to the regulator 25.

Thereafter, the controller 23A supplies the fourth drive control data to the motor drive control device 15, and an electric drive control signal for rotation in the downward direction is supplied from the motor drive control device 15 to the motor 14. Here, the rotation in the descending direction is rotation in which the rotation generated by the motor 14 lowers the alignment stage 8.
By supplying the electric drive control signal, rotation in the direction of lowering the alignment stage 8 is generated in the motor 14, and this rotation is transmitted to the ball screw 12 to lower the alignment stage 8, and hence the lower substrate table 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the same open state as in FIG.
In this state, the front substrate FS and the rear substrate RS that are clamped by the fixing clips 32, that is, the assembled front substrate FS, are carried out.

  As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the front substrate that is warped downward with respect to the rear substrate that is sucked and held in vacuum is raised to the alignment position, and the pressing force at the alignment position, that is, In the state where the pressing force is applied to the front substrate, alignment is performed, and the front substrate is raised to the closest position so that the front substrate is not warped, and the peripheral end surface of the rear substrate and the peripheral end surface of the front substrate are Clamping is performed with a fixing clip, so that the positional displacement between the front and back substrates when releasing the vacuum holding of both substrates is minimized, and the application of pressing force is shortened to achieve the processing. obtain.

  In addition, since the configuration for monitoring the pressing pressure is adopted, even if there is a variation in the thickness direction of the formation formed on the opposing surfaces of the back substrate and the front substrate, the set resulting from the contact based on the variation It is possible to eliminate as much as possible the damage of the three-dimensional object (formation of the front substrate and the rear substrate) or the occurrence of an operation failure of the assembling apparatus.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the design does not depart from the gist of the present invention. These changes are included in the present invention.
For example, in the first and second embodiments, the upward pressing force, that is, the pressing force is applied to the front substrate in two areas of the front substrate, but it should be applied in more regions. Also good.

  A step of aligning the assembly marks of the front substrate and the rear substrate, a step of sandwiching end faces of the front substrate and the rear substrate with clips, and a step of sealing the front substrate and the rear substrate clamped by the clips. In the plasma display panel manufacturing method, as shown in the first and second embodiments, the plasma display panel manufacturing method and apparatus using means for applying a pressing force (pressing force) to the front substrate in the alignment step, as shown in the first and second embodiments. It is also possible to configure.

  The flat plate superimposing method and apparatus disclosed in the embodiments can be used to superimpose two other flat plates similar to the front substrate and the back substrate.

It is a state figure which carries a front substrate and a back substrate into the assembly apparatus of the plasma display panel which is Example 1 of this invention. It is a state figure until completion of mark position alignment with the same assembling apparatus. It is a state figure which mounts | wears with a clip by superposing | stacking a front substrate and a back substrate with the same assembly apparatus. It is a state figure which carries out the clamped front board | substrate and back board | substrate after superimposing and clamping with the assembly apparatus. It is a front view of the slip prevention mechanism used with the assembly apparatus. It is a side view of the slip prevention mechanism used with the assembly apparatus. It is a block diagram of the control system used with the assembly apparatus. It is a figure which shows the shift | offset | difference prevention effect of the deviation prevention mechanism used with the assembly apparatus. It is a block diagram of the control system used with the assembly apparatus of the plasma display panel which is Example 2 of this invention. It is the state figure which carried in and hold | maintained the board | substrate in the assembly apparatus of the conventional plasma display panel. It is the state figure which completed the superposition | stacking with the assembly apparatus of the conventional plasma display panel. FIG. 6 is a state diagram in which a front substrate and a rear substrate are overlapped and sandwiched between clips in a conventional plasma display panel assembly apparatus. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a plasma display panel that is overlapped and sandwiched between clips in a conventional plasma display panel assembly apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A Plasma display panel assembly device 2 Upper substrate table (part of overlaying means)
4 Lower substrate table (part of overlaying means)
6 Deviation prevention mechanism (pressing force application means)
8 Alignment stage (part of overlaying means, part of mark aligning means)
10 Alignment stage drive motor (part of overlaying means, remaining part of mark alignment means)
12 Ball screw (part of drive means)
14 Vertical drive motor (remaining drive means)
16 Guide shaft 16 (remainder of superposition means)
FS Front substrate (second flat plate)
RS Back substrate (first flat plate)

Claims (3)

An overlapping step of holding the rear substrate substantially horizontally at an upper position, and bringing the front substrate closer to the held rear substrate from below and overlapping the rear substrate and the front substrate; A method of manufacturing a plasma display panel, comprising: a step of sandwiching the end surface of the back substrate and the front substrate with a clip; and a step of sealing the back substrate and the front substrate sandwiched by the clip,
When the back substrate and the front substrate are superposed in the superposition step, it is necessary to make the front substrate have no warp by using a pressing force applying unit with respect to the front substrate. While applying a predetermined pressing force, while aligning the alignment mark of the back substrate and the front substrate in a state where the pressing force is applied,
In order to make the front substrate without the warp during the superposition,
The pressing force applying means is first raised to the alignment position of the alignment mark after a predetermined time delay from the start of the approach of the front substrate to the back substrate,
A method of manufacturing a plasma display panel , wherein when the position is raised to the alignment position, the front substrate is further raised until the front substrate is loosely contacted with the pressing force applied before starting the alignment . Driving means for approaching the second flat plate from below to the first flat plate that is substantially horizontally held in the upper position, and the second flat plate and the first flat plate that is accessed by the drive means A flat plate superimposing device having superimposing means for superimposing
The superimposing means includes
To said second flat plate, and the pressing force applying means for applying a predetermined pressing force required to the second flat plate without warping state,
In a state where the pressing force is applied by the pressing force applying means, the flat plate, characterized by comprising a mark alignment means intended to adjust the alignment mark of the second flat plate and the first flat plate Overlay device. A superimposing means for holding the rear substrate substantially horizontally at an upper position and superimposing the rear substrate and the front substrate by bringing the front substrate closer to the held rear substrate from below; Manufacturing of a plasma display panel having means for holding the back substrate and the end face of the front substrate overlapped by means with a clip, and means for sealing the back substrate and the front substrate held by the clip A device,
The superimposing means includes
A pressing force applying means for applying a predetermined pressing force necessary for making the front substrate free from warping with respect to the front substrate;
An apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display panel, comprising: mark alignment means for aligning alignment marks between the rear substrate and the front substrate in a state where the pressing force is applied by the pressing force applying means. .

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